Neighbors of an abandoned home in the Berkeley Hills scored a major victory on Friday, as a small-claims judge awarded them around $31,000 for “pain and suffering” resulting from the owner’s failure to clean up the property.  

The neighbors claimed that the home, at 1059 Euclid Ave., attracted vandals, homeless squatters and teen-age thrill-seekers, who would break into the place and hold illicit parties.  

The owner of the home, Pleasanton resident Don Sabin, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.  

Linda Kanat, who lives next door to the blighted home, said Sabin took possession of the home in 1991, and had not rented it since.  

Kanat said the owner had started to build on the house, but abandoned the project after being informed that he did not have the proper permits to do the work. 

“Without a permit, he cut a hole in the roof and was going to put a second story on the house,” she said.  

The hole stayed for years, Kanat said. 

Meanwhile, Kanat said, Councilmember Betty Olds was instrumental in marshaling the city’s resources to combat the blight.  

Olds succeeded in making the owner board up the home’s windows, and later encouraged city employees – including member of the Berkeley Police Department and the Building Department – to testify against the owners in court. 

“She put us in touch with people in the city,” she said. “When people were reluctant to testify, she encouraged them.” 

Neighbors filed a small-claims suit against Sabin in April. Commissioner Jon Rantzman of the Alameda County Superior Court’s Small Claims division heard the case in October, but did not rule on the case until last week.  

“He took a lot of time and effort to make it a good decision,” Kanat said. “He decided in our favor not on the basis of the loss of value of our property, but on the pain and suffering we experienced by living near the house.” 

Kanat said that the ruling meant that if the neighbors continued to experience “pain and suffering” as a result of the blighted property, they could sue all over again. 

Sabin has 30 days to appeal the decision. 

Olds said on Wednesday that the victory was one that should encourage Berkeley residents that find themselves living next to a blighted home. 

“I think that people will be very happy to hear about this,” she said. “Many people in Berkeley are dealing with a similar situation, but they give up. They say the issue starts to take over their lives, and they learn to live with it.”  

“We didn’t give up.”  

Ron Turner, community development project coordinator with the city’s housing department, is charged with maintaining a list of all blighted homes in the city limits. 

“We’ve had properties that have been on the list for over thirty years,” he said.  

Turner said that his department tries to bring owners of blighted properties and people interested in buying them together. 

“Based on our initiatives to prod the owners into selling them, some of these places properties have changed hands and have families in them now,” he said. 

Still, he said, too often there is little that the city can do. Blighted homes are still private property, and unless the owner breaks a law the city’s hands are tied. 

“I’m glad these neighbors went after (the owner),” Turner said. “It’s nice that they have the resources to do that – a lot of people in the flatlands don’t.”  

Contact reporter Hank Sims at hank@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

Jeff Tedford wanted athleticism and speed and got both in his first recruiting class as Cal’s head football coach. 

At a Wednesday press conference announcing his recruits, Tedford presented 19 recruits – 11 on the offensive side of the ball and eight on defense. He had a late start to recruiting due to his December hiring, but Tedford praised the holdover coaches, particularly Ron Gould, for handling matters until he was situated in Berkeley. 

“Without a doubt, you’d like to go through a whole recruiting process,” Tedford said. “But ... I feel very fortunate that the staff that we have did an excellent job making up for that lost time.” 

Tedford said that about nine of the recruits were already committed to Cal before he came aboard, and they stayed with their commitments thanks in large part to Gould. 

“Coach Gould did an excellent job of keeping this thing afloat while the transition was being made. He has a lot of key recruits who he worked hard on and never wavered on,” Tedford said. 

Tedford particularly wanted to improve the receiving corps and the secondary, and stayed local to shore up one of those areas. He pointed to McClymonds High (Richmond) wide receiver David Gray as the big star among his offensive recruits. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound player, rated the No. 5 wide receiver in the West and No. 25 nationally by Student Sports magazine, caught 23 balls for 710 yards, 10 touchdowns and a 30.9 yards-per-catch average in his final season at McClymonds. 

“I’m very, very happy about David Gray, that he’s staying in town,” Tedford said. “He’s a big-play receiver that is going to be a great addition to our program. David Gray is not your burner, but he’s fast enough. He will just get faster. He’s a big body guy, big play receiver with tremendous range. He’s a Terrell Owens type of receiver.” 

The Bears signed three other Bay Area recruits on Wednesday, including one that could carry on a Cal tradition: huge offensive tackles from Bishop O’Dowd High. Michael Gray, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound tackle, follows in the footsteps of Tarik Glenn and Langston Walker from the Oakland school to Cal. The Bears also signed De La Salle linebacker Andy Brining and San Francisco City College transfer Jonathon Makkonen, a wide receiver. 

Tedford followed through on his promise to concentrate on recruiting California first, with 18 of the 19 signees from inside the state. The only out-of-state recruit is quarterback Steven Levy, the Bergen Record’s North New Jersey Player of the Year from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. Tedford said that Levy has everything he looks for in a quarterback – such as athletic ability, intelligence and arm strength – but added that Levy won’t play much if at all in the upcoming season, since he’ll be a true freshman and has senior-to-be Kyle Boller ahead of him. 

Tim Mixon, Donnie McCleskey, David Beverly, Wale Forrester and Nick Banks are all speedy cornerbacks who should help a Cal secondary that was exploited often in the 2001 season. Banks, Beverly and Mixon, along with recruit Randy Bundy, a wide receiver, are also potential return men for the Golden Bears. 

Tedford has two scholarships to fill and may fill them by Thursday. He might be saving one for Marcus O’Keith, a star running back from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, Calif., whose sister, LaTasha, plays for the Cal women’s basketball team. O’Keith gave a soft verbal commitment to the Bears last month, but is still choosing between Cal and Washington. Tedford could not comment on O’Keith at the press conference, though a video tape showing the assembled media footage of his recruits mistakenly included footage of O’Keith.

Editor: 

Next week, the House will vote on a campaign finance reform bill that truly changes politics and policy making in Washington. Sponsored by Congressmen Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and Martin Meehan (D-MA), the bill will put an end to soft money – the unlimited contributions from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals. 

Thanks to the courage of a bipartisan coalition who insisted on this vote against the wishes of the House leadership, we have a genuine chance to win this battle. But to reach our goal we must have the support of Rep. Barbara Lee. 

Last year in the first session of this Congress, the Senate passed the nearly identical McCain-Feingold bill. Now, as the House vote approaches, the Enron scandal has once again made clear how important it is to end the corrupting influence of big money. The unchecked power to influence legislation and public policy must be stopped. The momentum is with us now to do just that. 

I have admired Congress- woman Lee for the independence of mind shown by her vote in opposition to the use of violence in response to the attack on the World Trade Center. That respect will be nullified if she does not support campaign finance reform when it will make a difference. I urge readers to contact Lee’s office to urge her to vote FOR the Shays-Meehan bill. 

Robert Blomberg, Dr.P.H. 

Berkeley

924 Gilman Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; Feb. 10: Tragedy, Tragetelo, Born/Dead, 5 p.m.; Feb. 15: One Time Angels, Eleventeen, Audiocrush, Counterfit, Bikini Bumps; Feb. 16: Iron Vegan, Nigel Peppercock, Lost Goat, Iron Lung, Depressor; Feb. 22: Oppressed Logic, Deface, Edddie Haskells, Throat Oyster; Feb. 23: From Ashes Arise, Artimus Pyle, Brainoil, Down in Flames, Dystrophy, Scholastic Deth; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

The Albatross Larry Scala; Feb. 6: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 7: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m., Tipsy House Irish Music; Feb. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 14: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 18: Paul Schneider; Feb. 19: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 20: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 23: 9:30 p.m., Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless noted. 822 San Pablo Ave., 843-2473, albatrosspub@mindspring. com. 

Anna’s Bistro Feb. 7: Tina Marzell; Feb. 8: Anna & Ellen Hoffman, Hideo Date; Feb. 9: Robin Gregory, Ducksan Distones; Feb. 10: Choro Time; Feb. 11: Renegade Sidemen with Calvin Keyes; Feb. 12 Singers Open Mic; Feb. 13: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Feb. 14: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Music starts at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Feb. 7: 10 p.m., Dead DJ Nite w/ Digital Dave, $5; Feb. 8: 9:30 p.m., Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums, $11; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m. Don Carlos, Reggae Angels, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Feb. 7: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Feb. 8: Mission, Psychokinetics, $7; Feb. 9: Delfino, Lost Coast Band, $5; Feb. 10: Medusa & Feline Science, $8; Feb. 11: The Steve Gannon Band, Mz. Dee, $4; Feb. 12: Planting Seeds, Shady Lady, $8; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cato’s Ale House Feb. 10: Ben Bonham and Jimmy Sweetwater; Feb. 13: Irish Session; Feb. 17: Phillip Greenlief Trio; Feb. 20: Anton Schwartz Trio; Feb. 24: Blue and Tan; Feb. 27: Vince Wallace Trio 

Club Jjang-ga Feb. 9: King St. Crossing, Noiz, Kiss the Girl, Swoll; Feb. 16: Deducted Value, Dopesick, Luxt, Karate High School, Forcing Bloom; Feb. 23: Cheapskate, Eddie Haskels, Resiteleros, Dead Last; 261-1108, savageproductions1@ yahoo.com. 

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 

Jupiter Feb. 7: Spectraphonic; Feb. 8: Mushroom; Feb. 9: Mulabaka; Feb. 13: Avrahams Soul Explosion; Feb. 14: Spectraphonic; Feb. 15: Forest Sun; Feb. 16: Michael Bluestien Trio; Feb. 20: Joshi Marshall Duo; Feb. 21: Spectraphonic; Feb. 22: Ben Graves Group; Feb. 23: Brenden Millstein Quartet; Feb. 27: J Steinkoler Duo; Feb. 28: Spectraphonic; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m., unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Live Oak Concerts Feb. 10: Judy Phillips, Howard Kadis, $10; Feb. 15: Merlin Coleman with Dan Cantrell, Darren Johnson and Ron Heglin, $10; Feb. 16: Marvin Sanders, Karen Ande, JungHae Kim, $12; All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

Old First Concerts Feb. 16: 8 p.m., The Duke and The Lady-Faye Carol, $12; Feb. 17: 4 p.m., Miriam Abramowitsch and George Barth, $12; Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St., 415-474-1608. 

The Rose Street House of Music Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Joanne Rand, June Millington; Feb. 14: 7:30 p.m., “Escape-from-V-day Musical Extravaganza,” with Rebecca Hart, Nicola Gordon, Marca Cassity, Christene LeDoux, Helen Chay, Eileen Hazel, Irina Rivkin; 1839 Rose St., 594-4000 x687, www.rosestreetmusic.com.  

The Starry Plough Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., Asylum Street Spankers, $12; Feb. 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082. 

Tuva Space Mar. 21: 8 p.m., Blues Translation; Mar. 22: 8 p.m., Electro-Acoustic Quartet; Mar. 23: 8 p.m. Solo Guitar Performance, 9:30 p.m. Country, Folk, and Blues Standards. $8 All shows $8. 312 Adeline St. 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org 

“Asylum Street Spankers” Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., The Spankers; The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082, www.asylumstreetspankers.com. 

Antonio Literes’ “Jupiter Y Semele” Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Feb. 10: 7:30 p.m., Presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with guest conductor Eduardo López Banzo. $34-$49. 415-392-4400, www.philharmonia.org.  

“Larry Schneider Quartet” Feb. 10: 4:30 p.m., Matt Clark, Jeff Chambers and Eddie Marshall. $6-$12. Hardymon Hall/Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-4373, www.jazzschool.com. 

“Young Talent in a Young Century” Feb. 10: 4 p.m., 15 year old Shoshana Kay will be featured soloist with the Community Women’s Orchestra. Also: Katya Lopez, Rosanne Luu, Tomoko Momlyana and Catarina Sdun. Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St., 653-1616. 

“John Glennon and Erika March” Feb. 24: 5 p.m., A program of French music including the works of Francois Couperin, Chambonnieres, and Muffat. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685 

“Cosi Fan Tutte” Feb. 22 through Mar. 3: The Berkeley Opera will perform Mozart’s classic opera. $10 - $30. Call for specific dates and times. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 841-103, www.berkeleyopera.com 

“Dance Festival” Feb. 8: 8 p.m., Feb. 9: 8 p.m., East Bay Dance Festival featuring: AXIS Dance Company, Savage Jazz Dance Company, Moving Arts Dance Collective, Dandelion Dancetheater. $15, Students and Seniors $12. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 326-4245, www.katherinedavis.com/ebaydancefestival.htm. 

“Frogz” Feb. 8: 8 p.m, Feb. 9: 2 p.m., 8 p.m., A bevy of balletic frogs, poor-spelling sloths and other curious mischief-making characters roll, leap, and slink around the stage. $18 -$30. Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-0212 

“Every Inch a King” 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.  

“The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” Through Feb. 10: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m., playwright Naomi Wallace’s story about Dalton, a 15-year-old who dreams of escaping to college, and Pace, the town’s 17-year-old tomboy. Stuck in a town with no real prospects, the pair begins a deadly contest of chicken with the daily express train. Directed by Søren Oliver. $30-$35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. 

“Human Nature” Feb. 16: 8:30 p.m., X-plicit Players, $15; Art-A-Fact, 1109 Addison St., 848-1985, www.xplicitplayers.com. 

“Sisters” Through Feb. 16: Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., The Prozorov sisters look at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

“Night, Mother” Feb. 8, Feb. 15 - 16, Feb. 22 - 23: 8 p.m., A drama exploring one young woman’s decision to take control of her life with one furious and heartbreaking act. Directed by Bahati Bonner. $12, $8 seniors. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 496-1269 x1950, nightmother@onebox.com 

“Rhinoceros” Through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragic-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.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 Feb. 8: 7:15 p.m., A Summer’s Tale; 9:30 p.m., A Tale of Springtime; Feb. 9: 7 p.m., A Tale of Winter; 9:15 p.m., Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“Human Rights International Film Festival” Feb. 22 through Feb. 24: Nine provocative films will be shown, many followed by question and answer sessions with local and visiting filmmakers. Check theater for films and times. Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412  

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

“New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture. Steve Brisco’s paintings. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Traywick Gallery,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.; Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“Envisioning Ecology” Through Feb. 15: Paintings by Michelle Waters. Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., 548-2220 x233. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” 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.; Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Adventures in La Land” Through Feb. 23: Installations by Suzanne Husky and Paintings by Amy Morrell. Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 428-2349. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Through Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ton of Joy” Through Mar. 1: Group show of 12 painters and sculptors: Simone Anders, Susan Brady, Erin Fitzgerald, Karen Frey, Kei Hanafusa, Nancy Legge, Burke Rainey, Robin Sebourn, Kristen Throop, Clay Vajgrt, Whitney Vosburgh, Ann West; Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Hollis Street Project, 5900 Hollis St., Emeryville. 

“Celebrating the African Diaspora” Through Mar. 1: A Black History Month Exhibit celebrating the contributions of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; University of Creation Sprituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x31 

“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; The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“A Retrospective Show” Through Mar. 13: The Women’s Cancer Resource Center “The Art of Living Black,” an Open Studios event for local African American artists. The Gallery features a retrospective show of the work of the late Jan Hart-Schuyers. Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat. 12 - 4 p.m., Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286 x307, www.wcrc.org. 

The Richmond Art Center Through Mar. 16: “The Art of Living Black 2002: The sixth Annual Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Art Tour,” group exhibition of 81 artists; “Introspección Dual: Recent Painting by Verónica B. Rojas and Santiago Gervas”; “Transmutations: Recent work by Tim Jag”; “The NIAD` Family,” Artwork from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities; “Still Here,” collaborative art project about AIDS in the 21st century; “Girls in the Hall,” artwork by girls incarcerated in the San Francisco juvenile justice system; Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; The Art of Living Black Art Tour Weekend: Mar. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; 2540 Barrett Ave., 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. 

“Average Female (Perfect)” Through Mar. 24: Manhattan-based artist Sowon Kwon projects footage of the first ever perfect-scoring gymnasts: Romanian, Nadia Comanece and Russian, Nelli Kim at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kwon superimposes over the gymnasts a hand-drawn outline of the “average” female body to direct the audience’s attention to the gymnasts’ movements throughout their performances. Wed. - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., $4 - $6. 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, Through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Through Apr. 4: Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, 524-9283. 

Trillium Press: Past, Present and Future Feb. 15 through April 13: Works created at Trillium Press by 28 artists. Tues. - Fri. noon - 5:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave., 549-2977, www.kala.org.  

“The Legacy of Social Protest: The Disability Rights Movement” Through April 30: The first exhibition in a series dealing with Free Speech, Civil Rights, and Social Protest Movements of the 60s and 70s in California. Photograghs by: Cathy Cade, HolLynn D’Lil, Howard Petrick, Ken Stein. The Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Undergraduate Library, University of California-Berkeley, hjadler@yahoo.com.  

“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. 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” Feb. 2 through May 12: An exhibit displaying models of the sets and dinosaur sculptures used in the Jurassic Park films, as well as a video presentation and a dig pit where visitors can dig for specially buried dinosaur bones. $8 adults, $6, youth and seniors. Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Dr., above the UC Berkeley campus, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

“The Image of Evil in Art” Feb. 7 through May 31: An exhibit exploring the varying depictions of the devil in art. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2541. 

“The Pottery of Ocumichu” Feb. 7 through May 31: A case exhibit of the imaginative Mexican pottery made in the village of Ocumichu, Michoacan. Known particularly for its playful devil figures, Ocumichu pottery also presents fanciful everyday scenes as well as religious topics. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2540 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Feb. 9: 7:30 p.m., Loolwa Khazzoom reads from her new book “Conseqence: Beyond Resisting Rape” which takes a street savy look at street harassment. The evening will include a screening of the film “War Zone” and several spoken word presentations. Free. 398 Colusa, Kensington, 595-4642 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Feb. 15: Nuala O’Faolain talks about “My Dream of You”; Feb. 19: Tracy Hogg will tell “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers”; Feb. 21: Dan Bessie discusses Alvah Bessie’s Spanish Civil War Notebooks; Feb. 27: 6 p.m., Rodney Yee brings “Yoga: The Poetry of the Body”; Feb. 28: Rosemary Wells talks about children, children’s books, and the importance of reading; All events begin at 7 p.m. unless noted and ask a $2 donation. 1730 Fourth St., 559-9500, www.codysbooks.com.  

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Feb. 7: Mark Kurlansky considers “Salt: A World History”; Feb. 11: Edward O. Wilson discusses “The Future of Life”; Feb. 12: Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé offer “Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet”; Feb. 15: Cindy Engel describes “Wild Health: How Animals Keep Themselves Well and What We Can Learn From Them”; Feb. 19: Robert Cohen reads from “Inspired Sleep”; Feb. 22: “The Whole World is Watching,” a panel discussion with Harold Adler, Leon F. Litwack, Charles Wollenberg, Hollynn D’Lil, Ronald J. Riesterer and Cathy Cade; Feb. 25: David Henry Sterry describes “Chicken: Self-portrait of a Young Man for Rent”; Feb. 26: Carter Scholz reads from “Radiance”; All events begin at 7:30 p.m. unless noted and ask a $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852, www.codysbooks.com.  

Coffee With a Beat Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd, Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell, Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Feb. 5: William Chapman presents slides and reads from his book, “The Face of Tibet”; Feb. 7: A panel of female travel writers read from their works published in “The Unsavvy Travelers”, a chronicle of hilarious tales of cathartic misadventures on the road; Feb. 19: Christopher Baker, author of “Costa Rica: Moon Handbook” presents a slide show demonstrating what makes the Central American country so appealing; Richard Sterling, author of Lonely Planet’s “World Food: Greece”, presents a culinary tour revealing the culture and character of Greece through the medium of her cuisine’s; Feb. 28: Terrence Ward reads from his book “Searching for Hassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran”; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

Shambhala Booksellers Feb. 3: 7 p.m., William Peterson will read from his latest book “Voices in the Dark: Esoteric, Occult & Secular Voices in Nazi-Occupied Paris 1990-1994”. Free. 242 Telegraph Ave., 848-8443 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Feb. 6: Adrianne Marcus, Diana O’Hehir; Feb. 10: Cathy Coldman, Judith Serin; Feb. 13: Murray Silverstein, Gillian Wegener, Helen Wickes; Feb. 17: Sharon Doubiago, Doren Robbins; Feb. 20: Linda Elkin, Steve Rood; Feb. 27: Stephen Kessler and John Oliver Simon; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852, www.codysbooks.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. 

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. - 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.  

Oakland Museum of California Feb. 14: 1 p.m., Diane Curry shares her experiences researching photographic archives for the history of Oakland, free; Feb. 17: 12 - 4 p.m., A family program in which artists engage families in creative projects inspired by the work of California African American artists; 2 - 3 p.m., Artist Raymond Howell discusses his creative process and artistic techniques. $6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID. 10th & Oak St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

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

A group of local politicians were gridlocked Wednesday in talks with UC Berkeley officials about what is being called a traffic “crisis” at the university.  

During and afternoon press conference, City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, state Assembly candidate Loni Hancock and college students were all calling on the university to provide its employees with AC Transit passes. 

They also called for cheap parking for low-income employees and more safe places to lock up bicycles. 

“We’re going to force the university to do the right thing,” said Tanya Smith of the University Professional and Technical Employees union. 

Nadesan Permaul, UC Berkeley’s director of transportation, acknowledged the parking and traffic issues, but he defended the university’s current transportation program, noting that only 51 percent of faculty and staff drive alone to campus. The remaining 49 percent either car pool, walk, use public transportation or reach the university some other way, Permaul said. 

AC Transit passes would be too expensive to implement unless the university staff agreed to pay for the passes themselves, he added. 

Still, Hancock argued that UC Berkeley, UCLA and the city provides their staff with local transit passes and Cal can do the same.  

“I know it’s tight fiscal times,” said Hancock, who emphasized the environmental benefits of public transportation, “but if all these other places can do it, we can do it too.” 

But, Permaul said UCLA, with 22,000 revenue-generating parking spaces, has more funding at its disposal than UC Berkeley, with 7,100 parking spots. 

In respons, Worthington suggested the university should use 

mitigation funds attached to its Northeast Quadrant construction 

project, and several other projects in the pipeline, to pay for the 

transit passes. Mitigation funds are designed to lessen the impacts of a 

project on a local community, and the city and university are currently 

in negotiations over Northeast Quadrant funds. 

Marie Felde, director of media relations for UC Berkeley, said the 

environmental impact report for the Northeast Quadrant project, which 

will include the enlargement and replacement of several buildings on 

campus, found that the project will not have any significant impact on 

traffic. 

As a result, Felde said, the university isn't negotiating over a transit 

pass, or any other traffic-related issues, as part of mitigation talks. 

But, she noted that UC Berkeley is generally interested in working with 

the city to reduce traffic. 

Worthington said the university may not be legally required to spend 

Northeast Quadrant mitigation dollars on transit passes, but he said 

they should still consider it. 

"If they had a logical, good neighbor policy, and if they cared about 

their employees and their neighbors," he said, "it would make perfect 

sense (to pay for the passes)." 

Worthington said the mitigation dollars might only pay for passes for a 

year or two, but he said a pilot program would be important to get the 

ball rolling. After that, he said, employees could pay for the passes. 

The councilmember also made a plug for more safe places to lock up 

bicycles, arguing that some people have stopped riding to campus because 

of repeated theft. "It's a nice ride, but only if you can ride home 

too," he said. 

Permaul said the university has sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars 

into bicycle racks, subsidized locks and bike paths. 

Coalition members also made a push for sliding scale parking fees for 

faculty and staff. Fees currently stand at $71 per month. 

"No problem if the university decides it doesn't want to build any 

parking for awhile," Permaul retorted. The director of transportation 

said the university needs 3,500 to 4,000 more parking spaces, according 

to a study conducted two years ago. 

Permaul said UC Berkeley does not intend to build all those spots, but 

is looking to construct 500 to 600 in the coming years. The university 

will need to maintain its current parking fee revenues to meet this 

goal, he said, and if it gave low-income workers a break, higher-income 

staff would need to pay "exorbitant" fees.

Two St. Mary’s High football players signed letters of intent to play football in college this fall. Running back Trestin George signed with San Jose State after considering schools including Washington and USC, and wide receiver Courtney Brown signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Brown may also run track for the Mustangs.

Editor: 

I’m sure I speak for thousands of Berkeley residents in sending a hearty thank you to those members of the City Council who voted on Tuesday to initiate finally a process of public review of the McKinley Street tower. Constructed in a residential neighborhood without any of the conventional permitting plans or process that Berkeley requires even of a 7-foot fence, this 170-foot-high galoot has loomed too long over our Civic Center and the adjoining neighborhood. 

Councilmember Dona Spring has worked tirelessly to set the city on a fair course to ensure that our public safety needs are fully met (the tower carries police and fire antennae) without sacrificing those standards of public taste and process that Berkeley values. 

Councilmember Linda Maio contributed her usual sense of fairness and clarity in the effort finally to do this thing right. And Mayor Shirley Dean conscientiously crafted the core of the resolution that all but two councilmembers supported. 

Those two distinguished themselves with fatuous and short-sighted remarks. Characteristically daffy, Mrs. Olds remained oblivious to the utter lack of process represented by the tower and actually had kind words for the “beauty” of the thing. Mrs. Armstrong, with resounding illogic, acknowledged its shortcomings, expressed gratitude it isn’t in her neighborhood, and smugly supported doing nothing about it.  

Once again we’re grateful those luminaries are not in charge of planning Berkeley. 

I know the tower’s neighbors and other citizens are prepared to move forward with the staff finally to see that our public safety communication needs are met in a fashion of which Berkeley can be proud. 

Rob Browning 

Berkeley

A group of local politicians were gridlocked Wednesday in talks with UC Berkeley officials about what is being called a traffic “crisis” at the university.  

During and afternoon press conference, City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, state Assembly candidate Loni Hancock and college students were all calling on the university to provide its employees with AC Transit passes. 

They also called for cheap parking for low-income employees and more safe places to lock up bicycles. 

“We’re going to force the university to do the right thing,” said Tanya Smith of the University Professional and Technical Employees union. 

Nadesan Permaul, UC Berkeley’s director of transportation, acknowledged the parking and traffic issues, but he defended the university’s current transportation program, noting that only 51 percent of faculty and staff drive alone to campus. The remaining 49 percent either car pool, walk, use public transportation or reach the university some other way, Permaul said. 

AC Transit passes would be too expensive to implement unless the university staff agreed to pay for the passes themselves, he added. 

Still, Hancock argued that UC Berkeley, UCLA and the city provides their staff with local transit passes and Cal can do the same.  

“I know it’s tight fiscal times,” said Hancock, who emphasized the environmental benefits of public transportation, “but if all these other places can do it, we can do it too.” 

But, Permaul said UCLA, with 22,000 revenue-generating parking spaces, has more funding at its disposal than UC Berkeley, with 7,100 parking spots. 

In respons, Worthington suggested the university should use 

mitigation funds attached to its Northeast Quadrant construction 

project, and several other projects in the pipeline, to pay for the 

transit passes. Mitigation funds are designed to lessen the impacts of a 

project on a local community, and the city and university are currently 

in negotiations over Northeast Quadrant funds. 

Marie Felde, director of media relations for UC Berkeley, said the 

environmental impact report for the Northeast Quadrant project, which 

will include the enlargement and replacement of several buildings on 

campus, found that the project will not have any significant impact on 

traffic. 

As a result, Felde said, the university isn't negotiating over a transit 

pass, or any other traffic-related issues, as part of mitigation talks. 

But, she noted that UC Berkeley is generally interested in working with 

the city to reduce traffic. 

Worthington said the university may not be legally required to spend 

Northeast Quadrant mitigation dollars on transit passes, but he said 

they should still consider it. 

"If they had a logical, good neighbor policy, and if they cared about 

their employees and their neighbors," he said, "it would make perfect 

sense (to pay for the passes)." 

Worthington said the mitigation dollars might only pay for passes for a 

year or two, but he said a pilot program would be important to get the 

ball rolling. After that, he said, employees could pay for the passes. 

The councilmember also made a plug for more safe places to lock up 

bicycles, arguing that some people have stopped riding to campus because 

of repeated theft. "It's a nice ride, but only if you can ride home 

too," he said. 

Permaul said the university has sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars 

into bicycle racks, subsidized locks and bike paths. 

Coalition members also made a push for sliding scale parking fees for 

faculty and staff. Fees currently stand at $71 per month. 

"No problem if the university decides it doesn't want to build any 

parking for awhile," Permaul retorted. The director of transportation 

said the university needs 3,500 to 4,000 more parking spaces, according 

to a study conducted two years ago. 

Permaul said UC Berkeley does not intend to build all those spots, but 

is looking to construct 500 to 600 in the coming years. The university 

will need to maintain its current parking fee revenues to meet this 

goal, he said, and if it gave low-income workers a break, higher-income 

staff would need to pay "exorbitant" fees.

The young Cal pitching staff went through some serious growing pains on Wednesday as the Bears used four hurlers, including three freshmen, during a seven-run sixth inning by San Jose State that handed the Bears a 10-6 loss in their home opener. 

The Spartans took the Cal pitchers apart piece by piece during the big inning, using four singles, two walks and two hit batsmen to plate their runs. Cal senior Matt Payne got the worst of it, facing three batters and surrendering a single and hitting two batters. Freshman Jesse Ingram started the inning by loading the bases before giving way to Payne. After Payne came another freshman, Travis Talbott. Talbott started well, striking out Kevin Frandsen, but then gave up a walk and two singles sandwiched around a flyball out, letting in four more runs. 

Nine of Cal’s 17 pitchers this season are freshmen, with six of them fresh out of high school. With most high school stars not accustomed to relieving, it could take a while for the Bears’ bullpen to come together behind their solid rotation of upper-class starters. 

“We haven’t really defined our roles in the bullpen, because we’re so young out there,” Cal head coach David Esquer said. “You hate to lose games finding that out, but we are finding out who we can use in certain situations.” 

Esquer finally found a hot hand in freshman Brent Hale, who got the last out of the interminable sixth by striking out Adam Shorsher. Hale finished the game efficiently, setting down all 10 Spartans he faced, but the damage was already done. San Jose State senior Jahseam George threw the last 5 1/3 innings for the visitors, giving up just one run, a home run by Cal third baseman Conor Jackson. George, a 6-foot-5 fireballer, is a rarity in the college game: a hard-throwing left-hander. He overpowered the Bears with his explosive fastball and deceptive slider, striking out five. 

“You just don’t see a lot of guys like that at this level,” Esquer said of George. “He’s very much improved from last year. He’s controlling his pitches, which he didn’t used to do.” 

One bright spot for the Bears (1-3) was the continued hot streak at the plate by Jackson. The sophomore third baseman went 3-for-5 with a triple and a single to go with his second homer of the season, driving in three runs. Jackson is now hitting .529 and leads the club in home runs and RBIs. 

“Conor’s been swinging the bat very well for us,” Esquer said. “We may have to ride his hot bat for a while.” 

Cal lost despite getting more hits than the Spartans and not allowing an extra-base hit. 

The Bears got a quick start, chasing Spartan starter Frank Esposito before he could finish a full inning. Jackson got things started with a two-out triple to bring home leadoff man David Nicholson, and second baseman Carson White and designated hitter Matt Einspahr followed with RBI singles before Esposito was yanked with a 3-0 Cal lead. Shortstop Jeff Dragicevich flew out to deep right to end the inning. 

The Spartans (4-0) tied the game in the third inning, getting three unearned runs after Dragicevich threw away a Dino Quintero grounder to start the inning. Frandsen and first baseman Bryan Baker both had run-scoring singles off of Cal starter Joe Todoroff to tie the game. 

Ben Conley put the Bears ahead again an inning later, fouling off four two-strike pitches before driving a double to left-center to bring home Nicholson. Jackson followed with a two-out single to bring home Conley, but that would be the last Cal run other than Jackson’s seventh-inning round-tripper.

Editor, 

It’s really sad that L.A. Woods’ article in Tuesday’s Planet makes it clear he hasn’t seen the transformation that has happened as a result of city’s investment in 5th and Harrison. Nor does he really let the reader know why fields were built at 5th and Harrison rather than the Corporation Yard. Let’s get past the rhetoric. 

The reason why the Corporation Yard remains where it is has do to with money, not soccer moms and dads. It was estimated 10 years ago that moving the corporation yard would cost in the neighborhood of $20 million dollars. 

If the city had the political will and administrative desire to build a new facility they could have done this down at the old Colgate plant when it was available. They can still do this by purchasing the 8.5-acre American Soil property (which is twice the size of the Harrison parcel) just down the street from the current corporation yard. 

5th and Harrison was chosen over the Corporation Yard for several reasons. First, and most importantly, 5th and Harrison was vacant land. 

Putting fields at the Corporation Yard meant getting the council to agree to spend the $20 million to move the Corporation Yard before they could even consider fields. This is something they hadn't been willing to do years before playing fields were ever proposed for the Harrison site. Are soccer moms and dads and city staff to blame for recognizing that moving the corporation yard was not something high on the council’s agenda? 

Second, the city had and still had a pressing need for field space. When the fields at Harrison were opened up at a community meeting, every single available slot was booked within a half an hour and there are still waiting lists for field slots. It took almost five years of community process to get the Harrison parcel developed. It probably would have taken another five if moving the corporation yard had come first on the agenda. If L.A. Woods is angry that the corporation yard hasn't been moved, don’t put the blame on the backs of the people who helped expand much needed recreation space in this community. 

Third, having more lighted fields and available parking was a central element in determining sites. It was felt that because the 5th and Harrison site was in an industrial neighborhood the lighted fields would meet less resistance from the surrounding neighbors. Also field users would bring their cars at the same time the industrial users would be leaving work. So the problem of field users impacting neighborhood parking was much reduced. 

Fourth, the 5th and Harrison site was significantly larger than the Corporation Yard site and it was adjacent to two existing fields. The idea that city staff was breaking new ground by zoning or putting playing fields next to an industrial area is factually incorrect. 

L.A. Woods’ proposal that the fields and the Homeless Shelter complex would be an ideal combo at the Corporation Yard fails to recognize that this would result in a significant reduction in the amount of field space. Not to mention that the citizens of Berkeley have not exactly welcomed the expansion of shelters (homeless, AIDS, drug rehab, etc.) into their neighborhoods. 

Rather than railing at a decision that has delightfully transformed a neighborhood and provided much needed recreation space to the children and adults in our community, why doesn't L.A. Woods do something positive? Let him put his energy into trying to convince the City Council to spend the $20 million to acquire the American Soils property and spend another $20 million to build new public works facilities. Then he can raise another $10 million to move and expand the Harrison House facility on the old Corporation Yard. Makes Harrison look pretty cheap. 

Finally, I along with the 25,000 people who visit the Harrison Park facility each year, as well as a large number of the neighbors who surround the park, would like to thank city staff and city council members who had the common sense to recognize this important community need and put the money and the effort into helping to make Harrison Park a reality. 

Doug Fielding 

Association of Sports Field Users

Today is Thursday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2002. There are 327 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

On Feb. 7, 1964, the Beatles began their first American tour as they arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

On this date: 

In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England. 

In 1931, aviator Amelia Earhart married publisher George P. Putnam in Noank, Conn. 

In 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president. 

In 1943, the government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person for the remainder of the year. 

In 1944, during World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy. 

In 1948, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley. 

In 1971, women in Switzerland won the right to vote. 

In 1984, space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk. 

In 1986, Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family’s rule. 

In 1999, Jordan’s King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah. 

Ten years ago: Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin and French President Francois Mitterrand signed a cooperation treaty in Paris. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson testified at his rape trial in Indianapolis that his accuser, a Miss Black America contestant, had consented to having sex with him. 

Five years ago: The Air Force suspended all its flights in restricted training areas on the East Coast after a pair of close calls between National Guard jets and civilian airliners. Mindful of Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s ailments, President Clinton agreed to shift their March summit meeting from the United States to Helsinki, Finland. 

One year ago: The Senate voted to release $582 million in dues owed the United Nations. The space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a trip to the international space station. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti’s president. Death claimed singer-actress Dale Evans at age 88 and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh, at age 94. 

Today’s Birthdays:  

Actor Eddie Bracken is 82. Country singer Wilma Lee Cooper is 81. Author Gay Talese is 70. Blues singer-musician Earl King is 68. Actor Miguel Ferrer (“Crossing Jordan”) is 47. Reggae musician Brian Travers (UB40) is 43. Actor James Spader is 42. Country singer Garth Brooks is 40. Rock musician David Bryan (Bon Jovi) is 40. Comedian Eddie Izzard is 40. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 36. Actor Jason Gedrick is 35. Actor Ashton Kutcher (“That 70’s Show”) is 24. Actress Tina Majorino is 17.

Editor: 

I would expect better of a man with a Harvard education than Patrick Kennedy’s latest name calling epistle. First he puts words in the mouths of those who would question him and then he calls them names, (NIMBY) for the words he put in their mouths. Certainly everyone should be entitled to express their concerns without being called names: students, renters, workers, and yes, even those who own their homes, and yes indeed, even developers who live in Piedmont, (a place not noted for its abundance of affordable housing). This is something my third grade teacher taught me and I don’t think she had a Harvard education. Patrick always wraps himself in the mantle of affordable housing while offering the bare minimum of affordable housing required by law in his developments! He even has opposed the requirement for any affordable housing in new developments. 

Yes, Berkeley has a history of embracing and initiating change – some of its most brilliant and lasting heritage is the livable neighborhoods designed by Maybeck and others. 

I vote for civil discourse and all opinions being honored. 

Bob Kubik  

Berkeley

A NASA satellite designed and built by scientists at UC Berkeley was placed into orbit Tuesday to study how solar flares are produced in the Sun's atmosphere. 

The 645-pound High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager was fixed inside a Pegasus rocket, attached to the belly of an Orbital Stargazer, and carried to 39,000 feet.  

The Pegasus was dropped at 3:56 p.m. EST and free fell for about five seconds, then ignited and climbed to 373 miles above the Earth and delivered the HESSI spacecraft into a circular orbit. 

The HESSI will be pointed permanently at the Sun to study the intense energy that accompanies solar flares and coronal mass ejections.  

The project was timed to coincide with the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, when the sun is most active with sunspots, solar flares and other activity.  

“A solar flare is an explosion that happens very close to the surface of the sun,” said Robert Lin, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley, and Principal Investigator for HESSI. “With a coronal mass ejection a large hunk of matter gets thrown out into space, roughly a billion tons of ionized gas.” Lin compared that with a four foot fluorescent light, which has roughly one tenth of a gram of ionized gas.  

“It’s good to know how the sun works, it gives life and its close by,” said David Smith, spectrometer scientist for the project. “It stores up energy, gets twisted up like a rubber band and suddenly releases that energy. We want to know how and why.” 

The solar powered satellite will align its orbit with electromagnetic coils that push against Earth’s magnetic field.  

The $85 million project falls under the NASA Small Explorer program, which was instituted by NASA during the past decade with the rationale that smaller projects would be cheaper, more efficient, and carry less bureaucracy.  

For more information visit: http://hessi.ssl.berkeley.edu/, or www.nasa.gov.  

The City Council took a series of votes Tuesday related to the on-site disposal of approximately five liters of radioactive mixed waste at the recently closed National Tritium Labeling Facility. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington sponsored the resolutions at the urging of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste, a citizens group that is concerned the disposal process will release tritium, a low-level radioactive isotope used in medical research, into the atmosphere. 

The tritium facility is overseen by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

The council voted on nine resolutions, five of which were approved by 8-0 votes. Councilmember Miriam Hawley was absent. Among the resolutions approved were the reaffirmation of the city’s policy to oppose the operation of the tritium facility, a request that the LBNL guarantee in writing that no additional tritium waste will be disposed of and that LBNL notify the city of any further plans to dispose of toxic wastes. 

The council did not approve a recommendation to consider funding a lawsuit against the California Department of Toxic Substance Control for permitting the disposal process. Three other recommendations to send letters to various state agencies requesting the immediate halt to the disposal process also failed. 

Worthington said he put the recommendations on the agenda because the lab did not notify the community of its intention to dispose of the waste. 

“The main thing that motivated me was the lab’s secrecy in conducting this process,” he said. “They announced they were closing the facility and then behind the scenes sought a permit to dispose of this dangerous material.” 

The California Department of Toxic Substance Control issued the disposal permit in December. 

The disposal process, also referred to as a “treatability study” because of its experimental nature, heats the mixed hazardous waste through a process known as catalytic chemical oxidation. The heat burns off the organic hazardous materials leaving the tritium, which is captured in water. 

Once the tritium is isolated, it can be shipped to a low-level radioactive storage facility, where it is buried in sealed containers and allowed to decompose naturally. 

LBNL began oxidizing the mixed-waste materials in January and is expected to be completed in early April. 

LBNL Environmental Attorney Nancy Shepard assured the council that the oxidation process is safe, despite an accident that occurred in July 1998 during a similar procedure. That accident resulted in an unplanned release of 35 curries of tritium into the atmosphere. Normally the facility released 50 to 100 curries during the course of an entire year. 

“The Kiln process, which we were using in 1998 is no longer in place,” Shepard said. “We have taken measures to assure there will be any unplanned releases.” 

But members of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste remained skeptical and called for the immediate halt of the process. 

“The lab had a very significant problems that have not been addressed,” said CTTW member Pan Sihvola. “We do whatever we can to avoid another accident.” 

Councilmember Linda Maio said the on-site disposal process was the responsible thing to do. 

“I’m glad that we aren’t shipping our mixed waste off-site because the only other way it can be disposed of is by burning it in a fashion that will release all of the tritium into the atmosphere," she said. “This process will allow 97 percent of the tritium to be safely buried where it will cause no harm.” 

Contact reporter John Geluardi at johng@berkeleydailyplanet. net.

SACRAMENTO — Enron stood up a panel of state senators Wednesday who had subpoenaed the energy giant to testify about destruction of documents, and now could face contempt charges by the California Senate. 

Lawmakers investigating California’s power crisis sought thousands of documents from Enron in June, but an accounting firm’s destruction of some of the company’s financial documents may have violated that order, said Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Santa Ana. 

Dunn, chairman of the Senate Select Committee to Investigate Price Manipulation in the Wholesale Energy Market, said Enron also hasn’t complied with the June summons, only sending “a handful” of relevant documents. 

In mid-January, Dunn summoned Enron officials to testify about which documents may have been destroyed, but Enron notified the committee Wednesday that it wouldn’t be sending anyone to the deposition. 

The committee also has subpoenaed testimony from Arthur Andersen LLP, Enron’s auditors, regarding destruction of some of the energy giant’s documents. The accounting firm has admitted it destroyed some Enron documents after federal securities regulators asked for information about Enron. 

Enron Vice President Richard B. Sanders said in a letter to the committee that the company isn’t “aware of anyone from Enron who made inquiries to Arthur Andersen regarding what documents were destroyed.” 

Sanders also said he wasn’t aware of any documents in Enron’s financial accounting department that dealt with the California energy market. 

The committee has subpoenaed documents from a half-dozen energy companies as part of the investigation into the state’s power crisis last year, when energy prices soared. 

The full committee will review Enron’s compliance with the subpoena for testimony and documents at a hearing next Tuesday. 

Oakland accepts foreign ID cards legally 

OAKLAND — Oakland has become the second city in the nation to accept cards issued by the Mexican government — and by other foreign governments — as legal identification. 

The resolution, unanimously approved Tuesday by the Oakland City Council, requests that the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and other public service agencies recognize foreign-issued ID cards as official identification. 

The cards do not substitute for a driver’s license, or for a passport necessary to cross borders. They do not establish legal status in the United States, but will help police legally identify detainees. 

So far, the Mexican and French governments are the only ones to issue such cards, although any country could could do so. 

Last month, San Francisco became the first city to pass a resolution to accept the cards — although the Orange County Sheriff’s Association also approved a policy recognizing them last October. 

Playing with fire 

OAKLAND — A 13-year-old boy who admitted lighting a pit bull puppy on fire will be taken from his parents’ custody, a juvenile court judge has ruled. 

The ruling was made Tuesday at a closed hearing in Oakland after a psychological report on the boy showed intervention was necessary, said Assistant District Attorney Walter Jackson, who heads the juvenile division. 

Also present at the hearing was a 12-year-old boy who reportedly confessed to the same felony charge of maiming or torturing an animal. The younger boy’s disposition — a juvenile court term for sentencing — was postponed to Feb. 13, to allow time to complete his psychological evaluation. 

A third boy, 15, denied involvement in lighting the puppy on fire, but admitted to the felony charge of dog fighting. His disposition hearing will be Feb. 14. 

The puppy was 3 months old when set ablaze Jan. 8 in East Oakland. It is now in good condition after receiving treatment for burns over a quarter of its 19-pound body. 

‘City of Castro Valley’ hits stumbling block 

CASTRO VALLEY — Organizers of the campaign to transform Castro Valley into a city hit a major obstacle when a fiscal analysis showed that the unincorporated community doesn’t have the tax base to support itself. 

“It’s very disappointing and very surprising,” said Sal Tedesco, president of the pro-incorporation group, Citizens of Castro Valley. 

About 57,000 people live in Castro Valley, 13 miles south of Oakland. 

The analysis showed that a city would run budget shortfalls of about $1 million to $1.5 million over the first six or seven years of incorporation. 

The report said it would cost Castro Valley $12 million a year to maintain 67 police officers. All other city spending combined would amount to about $8 million annually. 

SAN DIEGO — Three months ago, Teresa Montemayor became one of thousands of workers in the tourism industry to lose her job. Soon, she faced losing her home. 

That prospect faded Wednesday with the opening of a new relief center for those hard hit by the state’s flagging tourism industry. The center gave Montemayor an emergency cash grant to prevent her eviction. 

“My landlord has given me three days to leave my apartment because I’m three months behind in rent,” Montemayor, 38, said as she collected the $1,400 check from the San Diego Tourism Industry Worker Relief Center, located in a union hall east of downtown. 

Officials estimate that thousands of tourist industry workers in San Diego and around the state are struggling after losing jobs or having their work hours cut because of the recession and decline in travel after Sept. 11. 

“This crisis is still unfolding here in California,” said Robert Ross, president of the California Endowment, a Woodland Hills-based foundation which donated $568,830 to open the center. The group has given grants for similar programs in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles. 

Between September and December, California lost 18,200 jobs from the air transportation, restaurant, and hotel and lodging sectors, according to the state’s Employment Development Department. The agency doesn’t track workers who had their hours reduced. 

In San Diego, where tourism is the third largest industry, after the military and manufacturing, between 20 and 30 percent of workers at hotels and other tourist-dependent venues were laid off in after Sept. 11, according to Reint Reinders, president of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. The region has yet to recover. 

“There’s no question about it. Thousands of people within our industry have been affected one way or another, and we’re not back to normal,” Reinders said. 

Signs of a turnaround are emerging slowly. Hotel occupancy rates — down to 54 percent in November — are at 60 percent, but have yet to return to pre-September levels of 70-75 percent. Employers are adding staff again, but instead of hiring back workers on a full-time basis, many are offering only part-time jobs while they await an economic recovery. 

That’s the case with Montemayor. Laid off from a full-time housekeeping job at the Handlery Hotel and Resort in San Diego’s Mission Valley area in November, she’s returned to part-time work at another hotel. Unlike in her previous job, where she received $8 an hour, the new employer pays her only minimum wage. 

“I still don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Montemayor, who has two daughters and is supporting an injured husband who cannot work. “It’s a very difficult situation.” 

San Diego officials are confident that the area’s tourism business will recover but they don’t expect things to be back to normal for quite some time. Until then, labor advocates and others say more needs to be done to help those who make up the foundation of such a vital industry. 

“Many of them were already struggling. But yet they’re changing the sheets, cleaning the toilets, making the lunches,” said Ralph Inzunza, a member of the City Council. 

“As soon as a crisis hits they’re always the first to get laid off.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Restaurant owners around Northern California are taking Chilean sea bass off their menus as part of an effort to save the fish from overfishing and eventual extinction. 

“There are plenty of other fish in the sea,” said Allen Vitti, chef de cuisine at Fringale restaurant in San Francisco, where he has served the white-meat fish from time to time as a special dish. 

Despite regulations set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living — the international governing body that regulates Chilean sea bass’s annual catch to 18,000 tons — nearly 80 percent of the Chilean sea bass sold on the world market is illegally obtained, according to a report Tuesday by the National Environmental Trust in Washington. 

“For every ton legally caught of Chilean sea bass there are 5 or 6 tons caught illegally,” said the group’s spokesman, Eric Rardin. 

And in the United States, the restaurant industry accounts for 70 percent of all Chilean sea bass sales, the group said. 

John A. Drocco, owner of PJ’s Oyster Bed in San Francisco stopped serving the fish five years ago because of concerns about the status of the species, and hasn’t received any complaints from customers about the decision. 

”Customers ask for it, but I can’t remember the last time someone did,” he said. 

The fish became popular about 10 years ago when marketers came up with a more attractive name for the species than Patagonian toothfish. In 2001, it was named Bon Appetit magazine’s “Dish of the Year.” 

The toothfish — a family of fish found only in the southern seas — is particularly vulnerable to overfishing because it takes them 10 years to reach sexual maturity. 

Biologist Beth Clark, director of the international regulatory agency’s Antarctica Project, said anglers now catch Chilean sea bass measuring two feet long and weighing 10 pounds. Twenty years ago, researchers caught fish measuring five feet long and weighing 100 pounds. 

Advocates say that at current fishing levels the Chilean sea bass will be commercially extinct in two years. A complete catching moratorium, they hope, may allow the stock to stabilize in 30 years. 

“If we don’t allow Chilean sea bass to grow back to healthy sizes and numbers, soon there won’t be any left to catch,” agreed Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. 

More than 60 Bay Area restaurants — including such well-known destinations as Chez Panisse in Berkeley and the French Laundry in Yountville — have signed on to the “Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass” campaign, launched Tuesday in San Francisco. 

It will force chefs to be more creative. According to Vitti, the Chilean sea bass can have a rich flavor as well as serve as a neutral component in a dish. 

“You can use it with bold flavor, you can use it as the predominant flavor — it is a pretty unique fish because holds up to lots of different techniques.” 

LOS ANGELES — Former President Ronald Reagan, the longest-living U.S. president, turned 91 Wednesday with a low-key celebration that included his favorite chocolate cake at his Bel-Air home. 

Reagan, who recovered from a broken hip suffered in a fall in January 2001, has remained secluded at his home since announcing in 1994 he had Alzheimer’s disease. 

The disease has exacted its toll on the nation’s 40th chief executive. 

“He’s doing as well as can be expected,” said Joanne Drake, Reagan’s chief of staff. 

Reagan spent his birthday with wife Nancy Reagan and daughter Patti Davis. 

In Time magazine this month, Davis wrote emotionally about her father, acknowledging his birthday: “We will commemorate his birthday, speak of it, but the word ’happy’ won’t be put in front of it.” 

Maureen Reagan, the daughter of the president and his first wife, Jane Wyman, died of cancer in August at age 60. 

On Tuesday, son Michael Reagan accepted a Los Angeles County proclamation declaring Wednesday “Ronald Reagan Day.” 

The younger Reagan told CNN Wednesday that his father sleeps later each day and “he’s not able to really get up and walk and get around.” 

“Every day gets a little shorter for him and every day the world gets a little smaller for him,” Michael Reagan said. 

Asked how Nancy Reagan is holding up, the younger Reagan said: “They have so many memories but they’re not able to really discuss the memories ... It’s really a one-way conversation any more with my dad.” 

President Bush signed legislation Wednesday making Reagan’s childhood home in Dixon, Ill., a federal historic site. The private Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Foundation owns the house where Reagan lived in the early 1920s. 

The new law authorizes the Interior Department to acquire the site from the foundation, which would continue managing and operating it. 

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, about 50 miles northwest of the Reagan home, there was cake, cards, a book-signing by “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime” author Lou Cannon and a Japanese tree-planting ceremony. 

“We always consider his birthday a special day,” library director Duke Blackwood said. 

The 20 trees are courtesy of the America-Miyazaki Cherry Tree Association. 

“Cherry trees from Japan represent peace and friendship,” library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. 

Last Oct. 11, Reagan eclipsed John Adams by living longer than any other U.S. president. Adams, who occupied the White House from 1779 to 1801, was born Oct. 30, 1735, and died July 4, 1826 — a life of 33,119 days. Reagan was born Feb. 6, 1911.

LOS ANGELES — Southern Californians want to look good, spending more on clothes and cars than the rest of the country but less on cigarettes and alcohol, according to a national survey. 

The study released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows how people in different parts of the nation spend their money. 

Southern Californians spend $7,701 annually for transportation, compared to the U.S. average of $7,215. They also like to buy clothes, shelling out $2,450 each year while the rest of the nation pays an average of $1,816. 

It probably comes as no surprise to Southern Californians that the average household spends $16,550, or 37 percent, of its annual expenditures on housing, more than a third above the national average of $12,188. The area’s growing population combined with a short supply of new housing are reasons for people to spend more money here, experts said. 

“Scarcity forces people to pay more,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development. 

But apparently wellness remains a priority for Southern Californians. They spend about $204 on tobacco products every year, compared with the U.S. average of $309. Only $337 is spent on alcohol, compared with $345 nationally. Wine-loving San Franciscans dropped nearly double the national average on alcohol at $771 annually. 

Southern Californians also have enough distractions to keep them from reading. Only $148 is spent every year on books here, compared with $153 nationally. 

“The weather is too nice to cuddle up with a good book,” said Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a social psychologist and management professor at the Claremont Graduate University.

SAN JOSE — San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales called for a crackdown on litter and touted a new initiative to improve child care in his annual state of the city address Wednesday. 

Gonzales said San Jose reduced graffiti by 92 percent in the past three years with aggressive law enforcement and teams of volunteers who quickly repaint walls. He pledged a similar approach to eliminating trash strewn on city streets, calling it “an eyesore that eats away at neighborhood pride.” 

The mayor has not yet determined whether new city laws are needed for the trash fight or whether existing ordinances need to be enforced more diligently, spokesman David Vossbrink said. 

Gonzales said the nation’s 11th-largest city suffers from a severe shortage of child care programs, and advocated spending $10 million on new centers and improved training for child care workers. 

Gonzales also asked for support of a local ballot measure that would fund a new 911 emergency hub and new police and fire stations. 

——— 

On the Net: 

City page: http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us 

SACRAMENTO — The battle over conditions at Nike Inc.’s overseas factories moved to the California Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the justices considering a lawsuit accusing the apparel maker of a consumer whitewash violating California’s false advertising laws. 

The case balances a corporation’s right to defend itself against bad publicity with the right of California consumers to be free from deceptive advertising. 

The highly publicized suit, which has been dismissed by a trial court and a state appeals court, claims Nike’s 1996-1997 campaign in defense of its wages, treatment of workers and health and safety conditions at Asian plants run by contractors was a misleading business practice. 

During an hour of oral arguments here, the justices teetered back and forth on whether Nike’s defense was “political speech” protected by the First Amendment or commercial speech subject to a California consumer protection law that is one of the nation’s least friendly to businesses. 

The same law was invoked in a suit against the Joe Camel advertising campaign on the grounds that it promoted illegal cigarette sales to minors. R.J. Reynolds denied the allegation but dropped the ads and settled the suit. 

Consumer attorneys seeking reinstatement of the case against Nike argued that the Beaverton, Ore.-based company defended itself against a huge public backlash in a way that promoted its products. 

“When the critics said you are running sweat shops and you should not buy Nike shoes, Nike said, ’No, no, no, these charges are false,”’ argued attorney Paul R. Hoerber. “In that context, the meaning connected to those statements: ‘You should buy shoes.”’ 

But some of the court’s justices were concerned that it would be impossible for a company to defend its actions — truthfully or falsely — without there being some type of financial motive. 

“You are reading into whatever they do as economic motivation,” Justice Janice Rogers Brown said. 

Not all the justices seemed sympathetic to Nike’s plight. 

Justice Joyce L. Kennard said: “The Constitution doesn’t give blanket protection to false and misleading statements.” 

And Chief Justice Ronald M. George said Nike’s image campaign was based on selling shoes. 

“Wasn’t the ultimate goal to sell more of the company’s products by making these statements?” George asked. 

“I do not think that is exactly correct,” replied Nike attorney David Brown. He said the company engaged in “classic political debate” protected by the First Amendment and added that “maybe the statements were true, maybe they were false.” 

A state appeals court found that Nike’s image campaign was not regulated by California false-advertising laws but was protected First Amendment speech in defense of its corporate reputation. 

The company issued press releases denying abuses and cited a favorable report it had commissioned by Andrew Young, former United States ambassador to the United Nations. 

The suit said Nike has falsely stated that it guarantees a “living wage” to all workers, that its workers in Southeast Asia make twice the local minimum wage and are protected from corporal punishment, and that it complies with government rules on wages, hours and health and safety conditions. 

Those claims are refuted by studies by labor and human rights groups, news media investigations and — most damaging of all — a January 1997 audit by the firm of Ernst & Young, commissioned by Nike, the suit said. 

Among other things, the audit found that employees in a large Vietnam shoe factory were exposed to cancer-causing toluene and suffered a high incidence of respiratory problems, according to the suit. 

The case is Kasky v. Nike Inc., S087859. The court is expected to rule within 90 days. 

SAN JOSE — Cisco Systems Inc. reported higher-than-expected profits and sales Wednesday for its fiscal second quarter, suggesting the networking giant may be slowly recovering from the economic downturn. 

For the three months ended Jan. 26, Cisco earned $660 million, or 9 cents a share, down 24 percent from earnings of $874 million, or 12 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. 

Sales were $4.8 billion, down 28 percent from $6.7 billion in the second quarter last year. 

Excluding special items, the company earned $664 million, or 9 cents a share, compared with profits of $1.3 billion, or 18 cents a share, a year ago. It was the second quarter-to-quarter increase in profits and revenues. 

Analysts were expecting profits of 5 cents a share on revenue of $4.5 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

“This was a very solid quarter,” said John Chambers, Cisco’s chief executive. 

The company typically faces a slower third quarter, and executives predict revenue to be flat or increase in the low single-digit range.  

Analysts are expecting third-quarter sales of $4.6 billion, a 2 percent increase. 

Cisco makes routers, switches and other devices that direct traffic over networks. It was hard hit by the tech downturn and cutbacks in spending by telecommunications carriers and dot-coms. 

The company, which once boasted of hiring 1,000 employees a month, laid off 8,500 a year ago. 

“In our last conference call, we said our business had reached a plateau with a slight upward bias,” Chambers said. “Our financial results this quarter establish a second, slightly higher plateau.” 

Cisco jumped the gun on much of its second-quarter surprise, however. Late Tuesday, an executive inadvertently released a memo indicating its results surpassed analysts’ expectations. The company then issued a news release early Wednesday, but did not release specifics. 

Shares of Cisco closed 11 cents higher to $18.61 in Wednesday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market before the official earnings release. In after-hours trading, shares lost $1.37. 

For the first six months of fiscal 2002, Cisco reported profits of $392 million on sales of $9.3 billion, compared with earnings of $1.7 billion on revenues of $13.3 billion for the same period a year ago. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Cisco Systems: http://www.cisco.com 

Surrounded by a handful of friends, singer/songwriter Melissa Crabtree launched the Bio-diesel Van Tour at the Berkeley Recycling Center Tuesday afternoon. 

With a loud background of trucks dumping load after load of bottles crashing onto a mountain of glass, Crabtree sat down on a box with her guitar next to the “Vegi Van,” and sang “Bio-diesel Van” to friends, fellow musicians and members of the press.  

“I’ve worked on this CD for two years and it made me sick to my stomach thinking I would jump in my car and drive all over the U. S. promoting it. I wanted to do something I believed in,” said Crabtree. “Instead, I can drive around on veggie oil.” 

Dave Williamson, recycling operations manager for the Ecology Center in Berkeley, said bio-diesel engines burn recycled vegetable oil and are virtually pollution free. He also said the Ecology Center’s curbside recycling trucks, which pick up the glass, plastic and paper in the blue bins from Berkeley residents, is the only municipal fleet in the United States using 100 percent Bio-diesel fuel. 

The white 1984 Ford Club-Wagon Diesel was converted by mechanic Jason Goodman, 24, to run on vegetable oil straight out of any fast food restaurant’s fryer. This is his ninth conversion within a year, “And they’re all still running,” said Goodman. “This one has 50 miles on it. The oldest (conversion) has about 25,000 miles on it.”  

Crabtree said she hopes to influence other musicians so they may influence their fans. On the first leg of her tour she will be driving the Vegi Van to Jacksonville, Fla. and back. On the second leg she will be driving to Anchorage, Alaska.  

“I haven’t added up the miles, but it’s a lot,” said Crabtree.  

Williamson said Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany have Bio-diesel widely available. But the only Bio-diesel pump in all of the United States is at Olympian Gas Station in San Francisco, 2690 3rd St.  

Crabtree will have to fuel-up at burger joints across the nation.  

The van was leaking some green radiator fluid, so Crabtree hitched a ride with a friend, and Goodman took the for a quick repair.  

For more information see: www.ecologycenter.org, or www.greasemonkeyconversions.com.  

After last Friday night’s huge win over Pinole Valley, one could have expected the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team to have a bit of a letdown against Alameda on Tuesday, and it happened. But the ’Jackets managed to slog through a lackluster effort to get the win anyway, 68-57. 

It wasn’t as easy as the final score might suggest. After a nice run in the second quarter gave them a 32-20 lead at halftime, the ’Jackets’ normally tight defense slacked off, allowing Alameda to score 22 points in the third quarter and get back within a point. But the Hornets couldn’t quite get over the hump, and Berkeley (15-7, 9-1 ACCAL) pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run. 

“We got away with one tonight, because we came out absolutely flat,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said. “We played with no urgency on defense for the entire game.” 

Berkeley forward Robert Hunter-Ford led the way with 17 points. Hunter-Ford, who got the start with K.K. Alexander in street clothes along with Khion Tate for missing practice , was a force inside, also pulling down 5 rebounds. 

“I got some more playing time, and the coaches told me to come out hard,” Hunter-Ford said. “I just came out aggressive and worked hard for my points.” 

Berkeley also got a big contribution from center Damien Burns, who had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, and Nate Simmons, who had 12 points and was 2-for-2 from the 3-point line. 

Hunter-Ford, who plays defensive line on Berkeley High’s football team, used his muscle effectively in the second quarter, scoring 9 points in a 17-4 Berkeley run. But Alameda (12-10, 6-4) answered back with guard Bryan Brooks, who poured in 9 points of his own in the third quarter as the Hornets mounted a comeback. Brooks led the Hornets with 17 points, with Julius Johnson and Eric Timney scoring 10 points each. 

Timney actually had a chance to tie the game with a free throw in the final minute of the third quarter, but stepped over the line for a violation. Berkeley guard Dontae Hall, all 5-foot-10 of him, went among the tall trees for two putbacks to give the ’Jackets some cushion heading into the final stanza. Hall finished with 11 points. 

Alameda got back within a point on a dunk by Johnson early in the fourth, but Berkeley went on a quick 9-0 run, capped by a putback by Hunter-Ford, and never led by less than 9 points again. Berkeley hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to ensure there wouldn’t be a second Alameda comeback. 

Gragnani said he expected a bit of a hangover from the Pinole Valley game, but knows his team can’t afford to slip if they expect a North Coast Section playoff berth. 

“We have to bring intensity to practice every day, and only think about that day,” Gragnani said. “We have to go to war at practice tomorrow.”

Editor: 

In your Wednesday, January 30, 2002 edition, - "Former President Clinton calls for monetary investment in Third World" was a good article that gave a synopsis of Clinton's speech. 

I am the Program Director at Berkeley Community Media and I guess I was in the closet for a week, but I wasn't aware of past president Clinton's visit to Berkeley, until one day prior. I was pleased to find out that he was received with open arms and the event occurred without incident. The speech took place in the middle of the day so I'm sure many Berkeley residents were not able to see or hear this historical moment in time. Also, I heard that the free tickets given to students were being scalped, so I'm sure the general public didn't have much of a chance on obtaining a ticket to see the talk. 

So thanks to a video and audio feed from the UC Berkeley campus, this little ole' public access station was able to tape the whole discussion. We will air it on our channel for those Berkeley residents that want to see first hand what Clinton had to say about his book, economic growth, President Bush, and the war in Afghanistan. We will air the speech on our recently acquired government access channel, C-TV 78 on the following dates and times: Friday, February 15, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 16, 9:00 a.m.; Sunday, February 17, 7:00 p.m.; Monday, February 18, 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, February 19, 1:00 p.m. and Saturday, February 23, 9:00 a.m. 

Again, I thank you for writing the article and for your continued support of Berkeley Community Media and PEG (Public, Educational and Government) Access. Without local support from other media outlets, we couldn't survive. Keep up the good work! 

Taryn Clark 

Berkeley 

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Get Connected: The Magic of Mingling 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches mingling strategies for social occasions. $10, $8 members. 848-0237 x127 

Copwatch 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Know Your Rights Training, learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely. 548-0425. 

Bringing Shabbat to Life: A Shabbat Workshop 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches how to bring fun and peaceful family time to Shabbat through crafts, creative ideas and family projects. $5, $4 members. 848-0237 x127 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Gregory Curtin lectures on “Transforming Local Government – The Impact of the Internet and New Information Technology.” 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Planting Rice, Harvesting Slaves:  

Generational and Gendered Struggles on the Upper Guinea Coast in the Era  

of the Atlantic Slave Trade 

4 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley  

3335 Dwinelle, Level “C” 

A talk by Walter Hawthorne of Ohio University. Sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of African-American Studies, and the Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

Relationship Seminar 

7 - 9 p.m. 

First Presbyterian Church of Alameda 

2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda 

A four-session seminar, Wednesdays, Feb. 6 - 27, on developing and deepening healthy interpersonal relationships. 522-1477. 

Thursday, Feb. 7

Help Put an End to the  

Sanctions Against Haiti 

4:30 p.m. 

Federal Building 

1301 Clay St., Oakland 

A vigil with music and speakers. 483-7481, haitiaction@yahoo.com.  

Backpacking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Veteran backpacker, Eric Rorer, shares slides and information on his recent adventure in the Refuge’s Franklin Mountains. 527-7377 

Why I Quit the Livermore Nuclear Labs 

6 - 8 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, 155 Dwinelle 

Dr. Andreas Toupadakis presents a lecture on U. S. Foreign Policy leading up to 9/11 and its effects on global security. UCBNOW@hotmail.com. 

Friday, Feb. 8

 

Berkeley Women in Black 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft 

Vigil urging the end of Israeli Occupation of West Bank and Gaza. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org.  

 

Middendorf Breath Workshop 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Middendorf Breath Institute 

830 Bancroft Way, #104 (the corner of Bancroft and 6th St.) 

The Institute staff will conduct a day and a half Breath and Movement workshop. Workshop fee is $100. 981-1710, www.breathexperience.com 

 

---

Saturday, Feb. 9

Earthquake Retrofitting Class 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

The Office of Emergency Services offers a free class to show how to strengthen a wood frame home by installing expansion and epoxy bolts, shear paneling and structural hardware.  

Afro-Centric Thoughts in Process Workshop 

3 p.m. 

Black Repertory Group 

3201 Adeline St. 

Black Consciousness for and about Africans born in America, also celebrating knowledge beginning with the birth of human life in Africa six million years ago. 652-2120 or 841-0392. 

Berkeley High School 

Men’s Crew Team  

Annual Ergathon Fund Raiser 

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

BHS is the only public school on the West Coast offering crew to its students. Less than 2 percent of the team’s annual budget comes from the BHS Athletic Department. 559-3179, jldulay@attbi.com. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Fund Raiser  

6 p.m. 

Kensington Youth Hut 

59 Arlington Ave., Kensington 

19th Annual Dinner and Fund Raiser for the nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and education in flyfishing. 524-0428. 

Valentine-Making Workshop 

1 - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library  

1247 Marin Ave., Albany 

The Albany Library is sponsoring a Valentine-Making Workshop, make one to keep and one to donate to Meals on Wheels. 526-3720 x19. 

Youth Career Faire 

9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Chinese Community Church 

2117 Acton St.  

All youths are invited to come learn about different careers from those in the field. 548-5259. 

Sunday, Feb. 10

Salsa Dance Party and Lesson 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Novices are welcomed, and nobody is required to bring a partner. $12. 508-4616, ronniematisalsa@yahoo.com 

Valentine’s Dance 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will perform. $15, $18 at door. 420-4560 

Special Day with Susan Crane: Plowshares Activist 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship 

1924 Cedar 

“Loving Your Enemies: A Revolution of Values.” Susan shares her spiritual journey which led to three terms in prison and living in Jonah House. 524-6064, hcarlstad@aol.com. 

John J. McNeill 

11 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

Spiritual leader, activist and author of The Church and the Homosexual will speak at the New Spirit Community Church 11 a.m. Worship Celebration. 849-8280, admin@newspiritchurch.org. 

Young People’s Chamber Orchestra  

20th Annual Winter Concert 

4 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave. 

All-strings orchestra consisting of girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 14. $5 for adults, $1 students. 527-8624. 

Monday, Feb. 11

Perfect Couples 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

2576 Shattuck Ave., Suite 7 

A group for singles who don’t want to be. For men and women in their 20s and 30s. $30 per session, eight week commitment. Catherine Auman, MFT. 848-3511. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

An Evening of Music, Song, and Speech 

7 p.m. 

AK Press 

674-A 23rd St., Oakland 

Progressive minded singers and organizers will perform and speak. $5. 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Per Petterrson lectures as part of the Positive Political Theory Seminar. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Public Forum regarding the  

Berkeley Unified School District Budget 

6 - 9 p.m. 

District’s Administrative Offices 

Council Chambers 

2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

District staff and the FCMAT (Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team) will make a budget presentation and respond to questions from the audience. 644-6174. 

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Wetland Restoration 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline, Oakland 

Restoration activities include planting native and removing non-native plants, shoreline clean-ups, and water quality monitoring. Gloves and tools are provided. 452-9261, mlatta@savesfbay.org 

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

1840 Alcatraz 

The UNtraining offers personal work for white people to address our unconscious racial conditioning. $10. 235-6134. 

Wednesday, Feb. 13

Near-death Experience Support Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers a supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 531-6393. 

Thursday, Feb. 14

Get Connected: Cooking from the Heart 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Join Pastry Chef Daniel Herskovic, as he instructs how to create a sumptuous meal. $25 includes meal and lesson. 601-7247, dherskovic@yahoo.com 

Exploring Old Neighborhoods in the East Bay and Marin 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

A slide presentation showcasing historic houses, beautiful gardens, parks, waterfalls and more. 527-7377 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School Arts and  

Academics School 

1731 Prince St., Room 105A 

For grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren and other relatives. 644-6517. 

Saturday, Feb. 16

Puppet Show 

1:30 and 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health, Children’s Hospital Oakland 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

Includes puppets from diverse cultures and with such conditions as cerberal palsy, blindness, and Down syndrome. Free. 549-1564. 

Sunday, Feb. 17

Jewish Learning Seminar 

10 a.m. - noon 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

K’Tanim: A Celebration of Jewish Learning for Families with Young Children, birth to 3 years. Family activities, songs, stories, crafts, and discussions. $10. To register call: 549-9447 x 104. 

Music

924 Gilman Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; Feb. 10: Tragedy, Tragetelo, Born/Dead, 5 p.m.; Feb. 15: One Time Angels, Eleventeen, Audiocrush, Counterfit, Bikini Bumps; Feb. 16: Iron Vegan, Nigel Peppercock, Lost Goat, Iron Lung, Depressor; Feb. 22: Oppressed Logic, Deface, Edddie Haskells, Throat Oyster; Feb. 23: From Ashes Arise, Artimus Pyle, Brainoil, Down in Flames, Dystrophy, Scholastic Deth; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

The Albatross Feb. 6: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 7: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m., Tipsy House Irish Music; Feb. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 14: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 18: Paul Schneider; Feb. 19: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 20: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 23: 9:30 p.m., Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless noted. 822 San Pablo Ave., 843-2473, albatrosspub@mindspring.com. 

Anna’s Bistro Feb. 6: Bob Schoen Jazz Quintet; Feb. 7: Tina Marzell; Feb. 8: Anna & Ellen Hoffman, Hideo Date; Feb. 9: Robin Gregory, Ducksan Distones; Feb. 10: Choro Time; Feb. 11: Renegade Sidemen with Calvin Keyes; Feb. 12 Singers Open Mic; Feb. 13: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Feb. 14: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Music starts at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Feb. 6: 8 p.m., Zydeco Flames, $8; Feb. 7: 10 p.m., Dead DJ Nite w/ Digital Dave, $5; Feb. 8: 9:30 p.m., Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums, $11; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m. Don Carlos, Reggae Angels, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Feb. 6: Sisterz of The Underground, $5; Feb. 7: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Feb. 8: Mission, Psychokinetics, $7; Feb. 9: Delfino, Lost Coast Band, $5; Feb. 10: Medusa & Feline Science, $8; Feb. 11: The Steve Gannon Band, Mz. Dee, $4; Feb. 12: Planting Seeds, Shady Lady, $8; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cato’s Ale House Feb. 6: Christopher Gamper Trio; Feb. 10: Ben Bonham and Jimmy Sweetwater; Feb. 13: Irish Session; Feb. 17: Phillip Greenlief Trio; Feb. 20: Anton Schwartz Trio; Feb. 24: Blue and Tan; Feb. 27: Vince Wallace Trio 

Club Jjang-ga Feb. 9: King St. Crossing, Noiz, Kiss the Girl, Swoll; Feb. 16: Deducted Value, Dopesick, Luxt, Karate High School, Forcing Bloom; Feb. 23: Cheapskate, Eddie Haskels, Resiteleros, Dead Last; 261-1108, savageproductions1@yahoo.com. 

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 

Jupiter Feb. 6: Alias Smith; Feb. 7: Spectraphonic; Feb. 8: Mushroom; Feb. 9: Mulabaka; Feb. 13: Avrahams Soul Explosion; Feb. 14: Spectraphonic; Feb. 15: Forest Sun; Feb. 16: Michael Bluestien Trio; Feb. 20: Joshi Marshall Duo; Feb. 21: Spectraphonic; Feb. 22: Ben Graves Group; Feb. 23: Brenden Millstein Quartet; Feb. 27: J Steinkoler Duo; Feb. 28: Spectraphonic; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m., unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Live Oak Concerts Feb. 10: Judy Phillips, Howard Kadis, $10; Feb. 15: Merlin Coleman with Dan Cantrell, Darren Johnson and Ron Heglin, $10; Feb. 16: Marvin Sanders, Karen Ande, JungHae Kim, $12; All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

Old First Concerts Feb. 16: 8 p.m., The Duke and The Lady-Faye Carol, $12; Feb. 17: 4 p.m., Miriam Abramowitsch and George Barth, $12; Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St., 415-474-1608. 

The Starry Plough Feb. 6: 8:30 p.m., Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik, $5; Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., Asylum Street Spankers, $12; 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082. 

Antonio Literes’ “Jupiter Y Semele” Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Feb. 10: 7:30 p.m., Presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with guest conductor Eduardo López Banzo. $34-$49. 415-392-4400, www.philharmonia.org.  

“Larry Schneider Quartet” Feb. 10: 4:30 p.m., Matt Clark, Jeff Chambers and Eddie Marshall. $6-$12. Hardymon Hall/Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-4373, www.jazzschool.com. 

“Young Talent in a Young Century” Feb. 10: 4 p.m., 15 year old Shoshana Kay will be featured soloist with the Community Women’s Orchestra. Also: Katya Lopez, Rosanne Luu, Tomoko Momlyana and Catarina Sdun. Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St., 653-1616. 

“John Glennon and Erika March” Feb. 24: 5 p.m., A program of French music including the works of Francois Couperin, Chambonnieres, and Muffat. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685 

“Cosi Fan Tutte” Feb. 22 through Mar. 3: The Berkeley Opera will perform Mozart’s classic opera. $10 - $30. Call for specific dates and times. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 841-103, www.berkeleyopera.com 

Dance

Kun Shin Dancers celebrate the artistic traditions of mainland China and Taiwan. Intricate fan and ribbon dances, athletic sword dance, drum duet, courtship piece, peacock dance, and a hoop dance. $8-$10. Calvin Simmons Theatre in the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Ten 10th St., Oakland, 465-9312, www.danceforpower.org.  

“Merce Cunningham Dance Company” Feb. 1 and 2: 8 p.m., The engagment features a world premiere by Cunningham (as yet untitled), with music by Christian Wolff and costumes by Terry Winters. $24-$26. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

“Dance Festival” Feb. 8: 8 p.m., Feb. 9: 8 p.m., East Bay Dance Festival featuring: AXIS Dance Company, Savage Jazz Dance Company, Moving Arts Dance Collective, Dandelion Dancetheater. $15, Students and Seniors $12. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 326-4245, www.katherinedavis.com/ebaydancefestival.htm. 

“Frogz” Feb. 8: 8 p.m, Feb. 9: 2 p.m., 8 p.m., A bevy of balletic frogs, poor-spelling sloths and other curious mischief-making characters roll, leap, and slink around the stage. $18 -$30. Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-0212 

Theater

Word for Word double bill Feb. 1: 7 p.m., Feb. 2: 5 p.m., Feb. 3: 2 p.m.: Julius Lester’s short children’s play “John Henry”; Zora Neale Hurston’s “The Gilded Six Bits.” Both children and adults will view John Henry together, then the children leave the theatre to participate in art exercises that help them enter the spirit of the play. Meanwhile, the adults remain in the theatre to view The Gilded Six Bits. $16 adults, $11 children. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.com. 

“Unmasked!” Feb. 1: 8 p.m., Feb. 2: 8 p.m., Feb. 3: 5 p.m.: An evening of two short student-directed plays, “The Lesson” by Eugene Ionesco and “Beyond Therapy” by Christopher Durang. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theather, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany, 559-6550 x4125, theaterensemble@hotmail.com. 

“James Joyce, Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie: An Alphabet” Feb. 5: 8 p.m., Originally conceived as a radio play, John Cage’s imagined conversations between 15 artistic and cultural figures, their dialogue, historical materials, and musings that Cage simply made up. Director Laura Kuhn, Composer Mikel Rouse. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

Oakland Magic Circle hosts its 34th annual Installation Banquet and Stage show, Feb. 5: 7 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Show, Dick Newton, Timothy James, Peter Winch, Dan X. Solo, $20 Adults, $15 Children; Bjornson Hall, 2258 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, 420-0680. 

“Every Inch a King” 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.  

“The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” Through Feb. 10: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m., playwright Naomi Wallace’s story about Dalton, a 15-year-old who dreams of escaping to college, and Pace, the town’s 17-year-old tomboy. Stuck in a town with no real prospects, the pair begins a deadly contest of chicken with the daily express train. Directed by Søren Oliver. $30-$35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. 

"Human Nature" Feb. 16: 8:30 p.m., X-plicit Players, $15; Art-A-Fact, 1109 Addison St., 848-1985, www.xplicitplayers.com. 

“Sisters” Through Feb. 16: Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., The Prozorov sisters look at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

“Night, Mother” Feb. 8, Feb. 15 - 16, Feb. 22 - 23: 8 p.m., A drama exploring one young woman’s decision to take control of her life with one furious and heartbreaking act. Directed by Bahati Bonner. $12, $8 seniors. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 496-1269 x1950, nightmother@onebox.com 

“Rhinoceros” Through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragic-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.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. 

Film

Pacific Film Archive Feb. 1: 7:30 p.m., Full Moon in Paris; 9:30 p.m., Pauline at the Beach; Feb 2: 7 p.m., Summer; 9 p.m., Boyfriends and Girlfriends; Feb 3: 3 p.m., A Witch in the Family; 5:30 p.m., Erotikon; 7:30 p.m., Johan; Feb. 4: 3 p.m., Hallelujah; 7 p.m., Women in Love; Feb. 5: 7:30 p.m., From the Pole to the Equator; Feb. 6: 3 p.m., The Last Laugh; 7:30 p.m., New Arab Video 4; Feb. 8: 7:15 p.m., A Summer’s Tale; 9:30 p.m., A Tale of Springtime; Feb. 9: 7 p.m., A Tale of Winter; 9:15 p.m., Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“Human Rights International Film Festival” Feb. 22 through Feb. 24: Nine provocative films will be shown, many followed by question and answer sessions with local and visiting filmmakers. Check theater for films and times. Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412  

Exhibits

“Rhythms” Through Feb. 2: Art installation of sculpture, neon, music and video projections by Kati Casida; Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-5373 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: Exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists; Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Through Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263. 

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

“New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture. Steve Brisco’s paintings. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Traywick Gallery,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.; Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“Envisioning Ecology” Through Feb. 15: Paintings by Michelle Waters. Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., 548-2220 x233. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” 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.; Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Adventures in La Land” Through Feb. 23: Installations by Suzanne Husky and Paintings by Amy Morrell. Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 428-2349. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Through Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ton of Joy” Through Mar. 1: Group show of twelve painters and sculptors: Simone Anders, Susan Brady, Erin Fitzgerald, Karen Frey, Kei Hanafusa, Nancy Legge, Burke Rainey, Robin Sebourn, Kristen Throop, Clay Vajgrt, Whitney Vosburgh, Ann West; Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Hollis Street Project, 5900 Hollis St., Emeryville. 

“Celebrating the African Diaspora” Through Mar. 1: A Black History Month Exhibit celebrating the contributions of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; University of Creation Sprituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x31 

“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; Through Mar. 24: “Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado,” 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. 

“A Retrospective Show” Feb. 1 - Mar. 13: The Women’s Cancer Resource Center will participate in this year’s The Art of Living Black, an Open Studios event for local African American artists. The Gallery features a retrospective show of the work of the late Jan Hart-Schuyers. Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat. 12 - 4 p.m., Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286 x307, www.wcrc.org. 

The Richmond Art Center Through Mar. 16: “The Art of Living Black 2002: The sixth Annual Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Art Tour,” group exhibition of 81 artists; “Introspección Dual: Recent Painting by Verónica B. Rojas and Santiago Gervas”; “Transmutations: Recent work by Tim Jag”; “The NIAD` Family,” Artwork from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities; “Still Here,” collaborative art project about AIDS in the 21st century; “Girls in the Hall,” artwork by girls incarcerated in the San Francisco juvenile justice system; Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; The Art of Living Black Art Tour Weekend: Mar. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; 2540 Barrett Ave., 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. 

“Average Female (Perfect)” Through Mar. 24: Manhattan-based artist Sowon Kwon projects footage of the first ever perfect-scoring gymnasts: Romanian, Nadia Comanece and Russian, Nelli Kim at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kwon superimposes over the gymnasts a hand-drawn outline of the “average” female body to direct the audience’s attention to the gymnasts’ movements throughout their performances. Wed. - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., $4 - $6. 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, Through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Through Apr. 4: Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, 524-9283. 

“The Legacy of Social Protest: The Disability Rights Movement” Through April 30: The first exhibition in a series dealing with Free Speech, Civil Rights, and Social Protest Movements of the 60s and 70s in California. Photograghs by: Cathy Cade, HolLynn D’Lil, Howard Petrick, Ken Stein. The Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Undergraduate Library, University of California-Berkeley, hjadler@yahoo.com.  

“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. 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” Feb. 2 through May 12: An exhibit displaying models of the sets and dinosaur sculptures used in the Jurassic Park films, as well as a video presentation and a dig pit where visitors can dig for specially buried dinosaur bones. $8 adults, $6, youth and seniors. Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Dr., above the UC Berkeley campus, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

“The Image of Evil in Art” Feb. 7 through May 31: An exhibit exploring the varying depictions of the devil in art. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2541. 

“The Pottery of Ocumichu” Feb. 7 through May 31: A case exhibit of the imaginative Mexican pottery made in the village of Ocumichu, Michoacan. Known particularly for its playful devil figures, Ocumichu pottery also presents fanciful everyday scenes as well as religious topics. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2540 

Readings

Coffee With a Beat Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd, Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell, Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Shambhala Booksellers Feb. 3: 7 p.m., William Peterson will read from his latest book “Voices in the Dark: Esoteric, Occult & Secular Voices in Nazi-Occupied Paris 1990-1994”. Free. 242 Telegraph Ave., 848-8443 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Feb. 5: William Chapman presents slides and reads from his book, “The Face of Tibet”; Feb. 7: A panel of female travel writers read from their works published in “The Unsavvy Travelers”, a chronicle of hilarious tales of cathartic misadventures on the road; Feb. 19: Christopher Baker, author of “Costa Rica: Moon Handbook” presents a slide show demonstrating what makes the Central American country so appealing; Richard Sterling, author of Lonely Planet’s “World Food: Greece”, presents a culinary tour revealing the culture and character of Greece through the medium of her cuisine’s; Feb. 28: Terrence Ward reads from his book “Searching for Hassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran”; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

Boadecia’s Books Feb. 9: 7:30 p.m., Loolwa Khazzoom reads from her new book “Conseqence: Beyond Resisting Rape” which takes a street savy look at street harassment. The evening will include a screening of the film “War Zone” and several spoken word presentations. Free. 398 Colusa, Kensington, 595-4642 

Poetry

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Feb. 6: Adrianne Marcus, Diana O’Hehir; Feb. 10: Cathy Coldman, Judith Serin; Feb. 13: Murray Silverstein, Gillian Wegener, Helen Wickes; Feb. 17: Sharon Doubiago, Doren Robbins; Feb. 20: Linda Elkin, Steve Rood; Feb. 27: Stephen Kessler and John Oliver Simon; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

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. 

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. - 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.  

Oakland Museum of California Feb. 14: 1 p.m., Diane Curry shares her experiences researching photographic archives for the history of Oakland, free; Feb. 17: 12 - 4 p.m., A family program in which artists engage families in creative projects inspired by the work of California African American artists; 2 - 3 p.m., Artist Raymond Howell discusses his creative process and artistic techniques. $6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID. 10th & Oak St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

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

After committing a blunder that left about 4,500 Berkeley residents uncounted in the last census, the U.S. Census Bureau issued another set of numbers Friday, which city officials say adds up to more of the same thing. 

The Census Bureau was unwilling to recount residents and left the city’s total population at 103,000. Rather, the bureau simply moved 411 residents – on paper – from District 7 into District 8. It also made some small adjustments to districts 1 and 6. 

City officials requested the new numbers shortly after it became evident the 2000 Census left out almost 5 percent of the population, mostly students, in districts 7 and 8.  

The result of the undercount was a particularly combative city redistricting process. The city is required to redraw the eight council districts every 10 years, using census numbers, so that each district contains an equal number of residents.  

But the newly-formed Citizens for Fair Representation challenged a redistricting plan the council approved in November by collecting 8,000 signatures on a referendum petition. Rather than spending approximately $100,000 to put it on the March ballot, the council voted to scrap the plan. 

The city collected six new redistricting proposals last Friday. The proposed plans will have to be readjusted to accommodate the new numbers prior to a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 12. The council needs to approve a new plan by March 15, in order for the new districts to be in place for the November elections. 

But according to city officials, the task should be simple because the new numbers are very similar to the old ones. 

“I’m very unhappy that they are incomplete,” said Mayor Shirley Dean. “But we’ll have to do the best we can with what we have because I don’t think we’ll be getting anything more from the Census Bureau.” 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who represents District 7 where most of the undercount was located, said the Census Bureau was being “undemocratic” by not providing an accurate population count. 

“Meet the new numbers, the same as the old numbers,” Worthington said. “We have got to get them to do a proper recount. This is unfair to the whole city.” 

Worthington said the city will pay a price because state and federal grant amounts are often based on overall population.  

Councilmember Polly Armstrong, who represents District 8, was also disappointed.  

“It’s discouraging that the Census Bureau is not capable or not willing to credit us with all the people that live in Berkeley,” she said. 

Councilmember Dona Spring, who submitted her own redistricting proposal last Friday, said the Census Bureau doesn’t want to do a complete recount because they would have to do it in other cities where they made similar mistakes.  

“It looks to me like their trying to cover their behinds.” she said. “They don’t want to address the undercount here because they would have to do the same thing in Los Angeles and other cities, counties and states. It would be like opening a can of worms.” 

Contact reporter John Geluardi at johng@berkeleydailyplanet.net

Maura Fitzgerald scored her second hat trick in a week as the Berkeley Yellowjackets romped over Pinole Valley, 7-0, on Tuesday in Berkeley. 

Fitzgerald also scored three times against De Anza last week. The sophomore leads the ACCAL with 23 goals in league play. 

Tuesday’s win puts the ’Jackets (14-4, 13-0) one game away from an undefeated ACCAL season. They have already clinched the league title for the second year in a row, but lost league games last season and would love to run the table this year with a win over Alameda on Thursday. 

“It’s pretty important as far as (North Coast Section playoffs) seeding, but I know our players want to do it for other reasons,” Berkeley head coach Suzanne Sillett said. “They know we have a chance at it, and they’re fired up about it. They’ll be disappointed if we don’t do it.” 

Sillett wants her team’s confidence as high as possible for the NCS playoffs, as they will likely get a tough matchup with a team from the EBAL. Berkeley’s pre-season schedule consisted of EBAL teams, and Sillett’s young squad went just 1-4 against them. The ’Jackets lost in the NCS first round last year, 1-0, to Amador Valley at home. 

Sillett said her team has improved a lot from those early defeats. 

“We were a brand-new team in the first couple weeks, because most of our players had never played together,” she said. “But they’ve learned a lot, and they’re more well prepared to face any of those tough teams.” 

It took the ’Jackets a while to get going against the Spartans, but Fitzgerald finally dented the net in the 24th minute, taking a pass right in front of the goal from fellow forward Annie Borton for an easy goal. Borton scored 2 goals of her own and had 4 assists in the game. 

Borton assisted on Fitzgerald’s other goals as well, finding her wide open in the Pinole Valley (9-8-2, 7-5-1) box again in the 33rd minute, then taking a shot that rebounded off the Spartan goalkeeper right to Fitzgerald, who scored to finish her hat trick. 

Fitzgerald got an assist during injury time in the first half, putting in a corner kick that Borton headed home for a score. 

Christina Skaar and freshman Dea Wallach also scored goals for the ’Jackets.

Viewpoint: The Choice of Harrison 

Editor: 

Last week, the Berkeley Parks Department finally agreed to post a public warning regarding the poor air quality at the Harrison play fields. This health notice, the second for this northwest Berkeley industrial site, was posted five years after the city artificially altered the property's zoning so as to allow the construction of a skate park and soccer fields.The city seemed determined to create a recreational area at Fourth Street and Harrison, despite the location being adjacent to Interstate 80 and in the middle of a light industrial zone. Few were willing to speak to the folly of developing a city park next to factories and its real costs. We now know the Harrison park fiasco has led to more than a million dollars of Berkeley taxpayer's money being poured into the cleanup of toxic groundwater found on site, the skate park's subsequent redesign, and for oversight of the project. With the park still under construction, it's time to ask how much more this inappropriate location will continue to cost Berkeley taxpayers in the future.  

Long before being proposed as a soccer field, the Harrison Park parcel was actually surveyed by the Public Works Department as a possible location for some of its fleet and maintenance operations. Next to the city transfer station, Harrison was, and still is, an ideal place to centralize those types of city activities. It would also solve many of the city's longstanding zoning problems, especially those associated with its older maintenance facility in west central Berkeley, built in 1916. Currently, much of Public Works' activities revolve around the Corporation Yard site, which consists of numerous parking lots, small office and shop spaces, many converted from horse barns. 

For over fifty years, city planning documents have both identified and supported moving the city's municipal maintenance yard and creating more open space for that area of District 2. In fact, the Corp Yard was presented as the alternate site in the discussions concerning the city's Harrison Park Project. However, the choice of the Corp Yard site was never taken seriously because the intense lobbying by special interests to create the play fields at the Harrison Street location had paralyzed both staff and council by decision time. One council member confided in me that it was like stepping in front of a moving train. Ironically, our city manager, who was then Public Works director during the debate over the soccer fields vs the Corp Yard, actually led the charge to develop the Harrison site as park space instead of the city's maintenance facility. 

The choice of the Harrison parcel or the Corp Yard as sites for the creation of a sports park has really been a much bigger decision about the future of the Public Works maintenance operations than those made about play fields. 

This reality is seen in the fact that the Corp Yard facility is in the middle of a residential (R2) zone, and essentially unable to expand its operations. Moreover, the council in the last decade has been absolutely unwilling to fund a new maintenance facility or even acknowledge this very special need. Even if a facility were funded today, the availability sites in our densely populated city has all but dried up, leaving Public Works with only one affordable option. Meanwhile, the city is now being forced to dump millions of dollars into a seismic retrograde of the current Corp Yard site. Despite all our city's so-called "safety" efforts and tax dollars, 

Public Works will be stuck with a non-conforming, outdated, outmoded yard crowded with old, unreinforced, masonry structures. 

Unquestionably, both the city's administration and its councilmembers have failed in this critical long-term capital investment commitment to Public Works, its staff and ultimately, our community's public safety. This bureaucratic predicament comes, in part, from the feeding frenzy that descends on the city at budget time. Special interests, like those connected with the new Harrison Park project, are pitted against our city's long-term capital needs. In this arena, the needs of the Public Works Department have been so diminished as to be no match for the likes of the soccer parent's lobby, especially when staff are not supported by our elected officials. 

This Public Works quandary is not new to those who were elected to guide our city's future. In fact, a council subcommittee was formed in 1998 to address this specific question of the appropriate location for the Corp Yard as well as other concerns of fleet management. Councilwomen Breland, Spring, Mayor Dean and former representative Wooley all ran to be included in this special advisory group of which I was the only non-elected member. Unfortunately, except for myself, none of the others came forward to champion this important facility question of Public Works, and certainly not when it surfaced again with the Harrison Play Fields. Today's council members are well acquainted with the political reality that more votes are scored with soccer fields than with maintenance facilities. 

The legacy of Harrison is not just about the losses being suffered by Public Works and the Corp Yard, but encompasses the development activities at the Harrison parcel as well. In the last half decade, the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on environmental monitoring and consultants so as to justify to others that there is no problem with a soccer field at this industrial site. However, from the beginning, the air tests have shown a very different picture. Site conditions have worsened since 1997, and in the future, are certainly expected to degrade further. So, in essence, the Harrison park project and millions of our tax dollars have gone to create a children's park, which before it's construction is complete, will have been posted with a health warning about breathing the site's poor air. 

Like good money following bad, now the City of Berkeley in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Building Opportunity for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) are planning for transitional family housing on a corner of the troubled Harrison site. This important BOSS housing project should never be located at the Harrison site for the same reasons no recreational use should be allowed there. With millions of dollars slated for building housing on this environmentally challenged site, how can we ignore this real injustice! BOSS deserves much more. Unbelievably, council and staff have continued to deny the obvious: the R2 setting of the Corp Yard site is the best choice for the proposed transitional housing along with the play fields while the Harrison location clearly is better suited for the Public Works maintenance yard. 

This choice is not moderate, progressive or even green; it's just common sense. 

L A Wood 

Berkeley

A $6 billion dollar statewide effort to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade may not be having any effect on student achievement, according to a report issued Monday by the Class Size Reduction Research Consortium. 

But local educators say the state’s five-year-old class-size reduction program is worthwhile because it has increased individualized attention for students. 

According to the consortium, led by RAND of Santa Monica and American Institutes of Research of Palo Alto, 97 percent of California’s K-3 classrooms have used state money to reduce their class size from a statewide average of 28 to a maximum of 20. Still, the report found that students who have had exposure to reduced class sizes during the life of the program fared no better on standardized tests than older students, who had little or no exposure to smaller classes. 

But George Bohrnstedt, senior vice president for research at American Institutes, warned that it is difficult to get an accurate measure for the reduction’s impact, since the state launched so many other initiatives around the same time. 

Shirley Issel, Board of Education president, said the same applies at the local level.  

“It would be virtually impossible to tease out the effects of class size on achievement,” she said, noting that the district launched an early literacy initiative, among other programs, when the state dollars for class size reduction arrived in Berkeley.  

But, if the report found no link between class size reduction and test scores, it did find that teachers in reduced-size classrooms were able to provide more individualized attention for students, better assessment of individual students’ needs, and in some cases, better behavioral outcomes, than did teachers in non-reduced classrooms. 

Teachers and principals in Berkeley focused on similar benefits.  

“The biggest thing is the amount of attention you can give to each child,” said Jeannie Wang, a kindergarten teacher at Emerson School. 

Wang added that with only 20 students, she can better delineate the low-, middle- and high-achieving kids, and provide each with appropriate, individualized attention. 

“Not only does it help academically,” added Nancy D. Waters, principal at John Muir School, “but with today’s behavioral problems, it helps teachers manage a class.” 

Rebecca Chung, principal at Emerson, said class size is only one of many factors that impact test scores, and suggested that some of the side effects of the class size reduction legislation may have actually had a negative impact on test scores. 

For instance, when the program took effect, Chung noted, school districts statewide had to hire inexperienced teachers to meet class size goals. 

The consortium report found that the number of teachers in California schools without full credentials, after rising steadily for several years, has leveled off. 

In the 1996-1997 school year, 4 percent of kindergarten through third grade teachers statewide did not have full credentials, according to the report. By the 1998-99 school year, that number had climbed to 13.4 percent, and in 1999-2000, the total was 13.9 percent. Last year, the figure dipped to 13.3 percent. 

Berkeley figures for kindergarten through third grade were unavailable yesterday, but district-wide figures, including all grades, mirror the state trend at the K-3 level. 

According to the consortium’s study, two-thirds of districts statewide reported that state funding was insufficient to meet class size reduction goals, and many had to cut from other programs, including arts and athletics, in order to meet those goals. 

Berkeley has been able to attain the twenty to one teacher to student ratios, without making cuts elsewhere, by virtue of the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project, a special local tax in place since 1987 that commits 60 percent of revenue to class size reduction, from kindergarten through twelfth grade. 

But Jerry Kurr, associate superintendent of business said that, with the district in a financial crisis, and teacher layoffs a possibility, it may be difficult to maintain current class sizes. 

Contact reporter David Scharfenberg at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net. 

The city’s inclusionary housing policy requiring developers to set aside new apartment units for low-income tenants is safe – for the time being. 

TransAction Companies, lead developers of the Library Gardens apartment complex, filed a challenge to the city’s policy shortly after the project was approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board in October. 

The company withdrew the appeal on Friday, shortly after a closed City Council meeting on the subject. 

On Tuesday, the City Council met with staff from the city attorney’s office to discuss the city’s chances if it were sued by TransAction about the inclusionary housing requirement, which requires developers to set aside 20 percent of new apartments for tenants with a less-than-average income.  

“We thought that we had some that was of mutual benefit to us and to the city,” said TransAction Vice President John DeClercq on Tuesday. “They disagreed with us.” 

DeClercq suggested that the council’s decision to stand by the city policy was unanimous. 

“They’ve got nine marbles and we’ve got no marbles,” he said. 

The developers had suggested that Costa-Hawkins, a 1995 state law designed to limit rent control, had invalidated the inclusionary housing requirement. 

Zach Cowan, deputy city attorney, said his office did not accept TransAction’s reading of the Costa-Hawkins legislation 

“When you have a statute that’s ambiguous, you always want to interpret things on the basis of legislature’s intent,” he said. “There is no discussion of inclusionary housing in (Costa-Hawkins’) legislative history.” 

Cowan noted, however, that the inclusionary housing requirement could be challenged again in the future, as its provisions have never been tested in court in light of Costa-Hawkins. 

Mark Rhoades, the city’s current planning manager, said in any event, the planning staff would examine the substance of TransAction’s challenge. 

“Because the issue has been raised, we are going to review the inclusionary ordinance to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future,” he said. 

Rhoades noted that any changes to the rule would be brought before the Planning Commission and the City Council. 

Library Gardens, a 176-unit complex next to the Central Library at 2020 Kittredge St., is believed to become the largest housing development in Berkeley history, apart from dormitories and student co-ops. 

A separate appeal of the project, filed by Fred Lupke, will be heard by the City Council on Feb. 26. 

Contact reporter Hank Sims at hank@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2002. There are 328 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

Fifty years ago, on Feb. 6, 1952, Britain’s King George VI died; he was succeeded as reigning monarch by his daughter, Elizabeth II. 

On this date: 

In 1756, America’s third vice president, Aaron Burr, was born in Newark, N.J. 

In 1778, the United States won official recognition from France with the signing of treaties in Paris. 

In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 

In 1895, baseball legend Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore. 

In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate. 

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the so-called “lame duck” amendment, was declared in effect. 

In 1959, the United States successfully test-fired for the first time a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral. 

In 1991, comedian and television performer Danny Thomas died in Los Angeles at age 79. 

In 1993, tennis Hall-of-Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49. 

In 1998, President Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

Ten years ago: Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton denied he’d tried to avoid the Vietnam draft, saying he gave up a draft deferment in the fall of 1969 because he “didn’t think it was right” to keep it. President George H.W. Bush unveiled a health care plan for most Americans. Sixteen people were killed when a C-130 military transport plane crashed in Evansville, Ind. 

Five years ago: President Clinton sent Congress a $1.69 trillion budget for fiscal 1998, saying it would erase deficits by 2002 and for 20 years beyond. (Republicans scoffed that the plan was brimming with costly new programs and phantom savings, but said they were ready to bargain.) 

One year ago: Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister in a landslide win over Ehud Barak. 

Today’s Birthdays: Former President Ronald Reagan is 91. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is 85. Actor Patrick Macnee is 80. Actor Rip Torn is 71. Actor Mike Farrell is 63. NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is 62. Singer Fabian Forte is 59. Actress Gayle Hunnicutt is 59. Actor Michael Tucker is 58. Producer-director-writer Jim Sheridan is 53. Singer Natalie Cole is 52. Actor Jon Walmsley is 46. Actress Kathy Najimy is 45. Rock musician Simon Phillips (Toto) is 45. Actor-director Robert Townsend is 45. Actor Barry Miller is 44. Actress Megan Gallagher is 42. Rock singer Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses) is 40. Country singer Richie McDonald (Lonestar) is 40. Singer Rick Astley is 36. Rock musician Tim Brown (Boo Radleys) is 33. Actor Brandon Hammond is 18.

Anyone registered to vote in Alameda County can now drop into the City Clerk Department and cast an early ballot for the March 5 election. . 

The city, using electronic touchscreen voting equipment, conducted a similar early voting program during the November 2000 election.  

“Public response from the approximately 500 voters was extremely positive,” City Clerk Sherry Kelly said in a press release. “Voters appreciated the convenience of having a choice of days to vote and commented on the ease of operation of the voting equipment.” 

The touchscreen voting equipment offers several advantages over traditional paper ballots such as large-print screen displays, ballots in a in English, Spanish and Chinese, audio and visual aids for those with sight and hearing impairments.  

“I want to encourage disabled voters to try the equipment as soon as possible,” said Scott Luebaing, who advocates accessible voting equipment. “So voters can give feedback to the city of Berkeley and the county of Alameda about the voting equipment.” 

To use the electronic touchscreen equipment, voters must have registered in Alameda County prior to Feb. 4.  

Those interested in taking advantage of the early voting program can drop by the City Clerk’s Office on the first floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center at 2180 Milvia St. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. For more information call (510) 981-6900. 

Contact reporter John Geluardi at johng@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

Police responded to reports of a shooting in the 3000 block of Tremont Street Tuesday at about 11:45 a.m. A resident had been shot in the thigh by an aquaintance who had left the scene.  

The victim, who is a resident of the Tremont Street home, was transported by ambulance to Highland Hospital. Hospital officials did not return calls about his condition. The victim was shot inside his home on Tremont Street. 

According to Lt. Cynthia Harris, police are investigating the shooting, which the victim described as an accident.

OAKLAND — A couple accused of sexually assaulting and killing a college student in their morbid minivan full of torture devices modeled their crime after another murderous couple, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday in opening statements. 

James Anthony Daveggio, 41, and his girlfriend, Michelle Lyn Michaud, 43, face the death penalty if convicted of charges they killed 22-year-old Vanessa Lei Samson in 1997. 

Relatives of Samson sat in Alameda County Superior Court as Deputy District Attorney Angela Backers told jurors the couple raped a half dozen women before setting their sights on Vanessa Lei Samson. 

Daveggio and Michaud were methamphetamine users who modeled their crimes after those of Gerald and Charlene Gallego, a Sacramento couple whose “sex slave murders” made headlines in the late 1970s, Backers said. 

“These were their personal heroes,” Backers said of the accused couple’s infatuation with the Gallego’s crimes. 

“Michaud described each vicious assault as an ’adventure.’ Daveggio referred to them as ’huntings,”’ Backers told the jury. 

The Gallegos were thought to be responsible for as many as 10 murders. Gerald Gallego is on Nevada’s Death Row; his former common-law wife was released from prison in 1997. 

Investigators working on the Samson case recovered a pornography audiotape titled “Submissive Young Girls,” a book on serial killers, two curling irons with Michaud’s fingerprints on them, and a pack of serial-killer trading cards, court records revealed. 

Authorities said Samson was tied up in the van rigged with hooks and ropes and repeatedly raped with curling irons as the couple drove to South Lake Tahoe. 

Samson’s body was discovered Dec. 4, 1997 in a remote part of Alpine County. 

WASHINGTON — California Rep. Nancy Pelosi chose to talk to abortion rights advocates in her first public speech as the new No. 2 House Democrat. 

Her support for legalized abortion clearly defines the differences between her, her Democratic predecessor and her Republican counterpart, Texas Rep. Tom DeLay. 

“I see a woman’s right to choose under assault in every branch of government,” Pelosi told 1,400 abortion rights supporters at a Washington dinner last month. 

A ceremonial swearing-in for the 61-year-old Democratic whip will be held Wednesday. But she has been on the job for three weeks, taking over the freshly painted and carpeted Capitol suite that belonged to Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich. Bonior relinquished his post to concentrate on his campaign for Michigan governor. 

Even though polls show voters are less concerned with social issues since Sept. 11, Pelosi believes support for abortion rights will win votes for Democrats, especially if she can demonstrate that Republican abortion opponents are also against federal programs for contraception and other family planning. 

She emphasized Republican opposition to prescription contraception coverage to federal employees in her talk to the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. 

Bonior, who opposes abortion, never organized opposition to abortion rights legislation, but Pelosi “evens the playing field,” NARAL President Kate Michelman said. 

“With Bonior, women’s rights didn’t ascend to the highest level.” 

Pelosi, the first woman to reach such a high leadership position, will try to help Democrats win a majority in the House. She is hosting a fund-raising gala Wednesday featuring former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, and rocker Steve Miller. 

With an entrenched Democratic following in San Francisco, she has more freedom to travel and raise money than Bonior, who represents a competitive district. She helped raise $4 million for Democratic candidates in 2000 and took in another $1 million last year. 

Her only misstep since her election as whip was her support for Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., who supported Pelosi. Other House Democrats grumbled that Pelosi was compromising her ideals by endorsing Condit, who has been ostracized by many Democrats because of his relationship with missing former federal intern Chandra Levy. 

Pelosi said she first endorsed Condit in March, two months before Levy disappeared. But she eventually withdrew the endorsement. 

There have been only a handful of non-controversial House votes since Congress returned from its holiday recess and Pelosi took over from Bonior. 

But her test as whip — the party’s chief vote-counter and arm-twister — will come. DeLay is regarded as highly effective. 

One early clash could be over changes in campaign finance laws, which Pelosi supports and DeLay opposes. 

Pelosi gave last week’s Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address, telling listeners she has put together a group of Democratic lawmakers to counter efforts to kill campaign finance legislation that could be voted on as early as this spring. 

Pelosi is still getting used to her new role. 

Bush did not give her a nickname at their first meeting with congressional leadership last month. “But he was very gracious and welcoming,” Pelosi said. 

That meeting, though, gave Pelosi a glimpse of what she has accomplished. As she looked around the room, she saw four House members, four senators and the president — all men. 

“All I could think was, in 200 years a woman has never been in on this conversation,” she said. 

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On the Net: 

Pelosi: http://democraticwhip.house.gov/ 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh on 10 charges Tuesday, alleging he was trained by Osama bin Laden’s network and then conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans. 

Lindh’s lawyers, nonetheless, pleaded for his release until trial, and said “highly coercive” prison conditions forced him to waive his right to remain silent — and confess his activities as a Taliban soldier to the FBI in Afghanistan. 

With his arraignment scheduled for Monday, the indictment accused Lindh of conspiring to provide support to terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, supplying services to Afghanistan’s former Taliban rulers and possessing weapons during violent crimes. Lindh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. 

“John Walker Lindh chose to train with al-Qaida, chose to fight with the Taliban, chose to be led by Osama bin Laden,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft. “The reasons for his choices may never be fully known to us, but the fact of these choices is clear. 

“Americans who love their country do not dedicate themselves to killing Americans,” Ashcroft told a Justice Department news conference called to announce the charges. 

The indictment supersedes a criminal complaint that was based on statements Lindh made to the FBI in Afghanistan in December. 

The indictment said that in May or June last year, Lindh agreed to attend an al-Qaida training camp “knowing that America and its citizens were the enemies of bin Laden and al-Qaida and that a principal purpose of al-Qaida was to fight and kill Americans.” 

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the indictment said, Lindh remained with his fighting group “despite having been told that bin Laden had ordered the attacks, that additional terrorist attacks were planned and that additional al-Qaida personnel were being sent from training camps to the front lines to protect bin Laden and defend against an anticipated military response from the United States.” 

Ashcroft sought to address charges by Lindh’s lawyers that his confessions were improperly obtained, and that his civil rights had been violated. 

“At each step in this process,” he said, “Walker Lindh’s rights, including his rights not to incriminate himself and to be represented by counsel, have been carefully, scrupulously honored.” 

Asked if the government considered asking the grand jury to charge Lindh with treason, U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said, “As far as other charges, we have the opportunity or right to have a superseding indictment if the evidence justifies that.” 

Earlier Tuesday, lawyers for Lindh asked that he be released pending trial, contending there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing and no danger that he would flee. A hearing is set for Wednesday on the government’s bid to continue holding Lindh without bond. 

“There are no allegations and no evidence that he ever so much as fired a shot, even at (U.S.-backed) northern alliance soldiers,” Lindh’s defense team said in a written motion. 

The filing also contended that the government’s charges, based on an FBI affidavit, are so weak that they are “insufficient to establish probable cause for the crimes charged.” In addition to contending Lindh was no risk to flee, the lawyers also said he had no history of violent or dangerous conduct. 

McNulty said the government would answer the charges by Lindh’s lawyers at Wednesday’s hearing. But he noted that the indictment includes a charge that under federal law carries “a presumption that a person would be detained” until trial. 

The lawyers asked that Lindh be permitted to stay with his father, Frank, and said he would be willing to use electronic monitoring devices to track his movements. The hearing was to be held before U.S. Magistrate W. Curtis Sewell. 

Lindh was apprehended by U.S. authorities and northern alliance allies in Afghanistan in early December after a prison uprising, during which a CIA agent was killed. The 20-year-old was brought back to the United States by military aircraft on Jan. 23 and appeared in court the following day, with his parents looking on. 

In the court papers filed Tuesday, the defense team portrayed Lindh as a man who never attempted to harm any civilian and contended there was “no evidence that Mr. Lindh made any attempt to engage in combat with United States military forces.” 

The lawyers said that the entire case against Lindh was based on an FBI interview Dec. 9-10 in Afghanistan without a lawyer present and argued this was “insufficient to establish probable cause for the crimes charged.” 

Ashcroft has said that Lindh signed a paper waiving his right to an attorney during the FBI interview, but the defense said Lindh agreed to do so under “highly coercive conditions.” 

The lawyers said Lindh had been held incommunicado for eight days, provided minimal food and medical attention for a gunshot or shrapnel wound and was kept inside a metal container during severely cold weather. 

The defense also contended there was no evidence that Lindh played any part in the prison riot by captured Taliban and al-Qaida soldiers that resulted in the death of CIA agent Micheal Spann. 

“Even according to the facts alleged in the affidavit, however, the only services ever provided by Mr. Lindh were as a foot soldier for the Taliban,” the motion said. 

Man beat up by three robbers on Channing 

A man was brutally beaten and robbed after going to visit a friend on Channing Way Friday night, according to Lt. Cynthia Harris of the Berkeley Police Department.. 

The victim had parked his car on the 1300 block of Channing, near the corner of Valley Street, at around 11:30 p.m. He went to knock at his friend’s door, but the friend was not in. 

Turning back to walk toward his vehicle, the victim was confronted by three men. They blocked his path. 

The victim told the suspects that he was waiting for a friend. 

One suspect said, “You’re not going anywhere.” 

When the victim tried to walk away, one of the suspects punched him in the face with a closed fist. The victim ran, but the suspects caught up with him and knocked him to the ground. 

The suspects demanded the victim’s wallet. One went through his pockets, taking his wallet and car keys. 

The suspects fled to the victim’s car, but the vehicle would not start. The victim fled and called police on his cell phone. When police arrived, they found the man’s car still there, but the suspects gone. 

The suspects were young black males between the ages of 15 and 19. One suspect was around 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed about 150 pounds. He was wearing a light gray, hooded sweatshirt. 

Another suspect was about the same height and wore all black clothing. Police do not have a description of the third suspect. 

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Berkeley Police Department at 981-5900. 

Avenue Liquors robbed 

Two homeless men were arrested after attempting to burglarize a fire-damaged liquor store Monday evening, according to Harris.  

The police department received a call from a neighbor of Avenue Liquors at 3051 Telegraph Ave. around 8 p.m. The neighbor said that while taking out his recycling, he noticed two men lurking about behind the store, which had burned beyond repair last Saturday. 

After calling the police, the neighbor went outside again and noticed the suspects were gone, but the door to a shed attached to the business was open. He heard noises coming from the shed. 

When police arrived, they confirmed that noises were coming from the shed. They posted officers around the perimeter of the property. 

Suddenly, one suspect peered out from the shed. Police entered and arrested the two men, noticing that a window from the shed into the business had been broken. 

The suspects were taken into custody and booked into the Berkeley Jail. 

Ultrasound stolen from car parked on Dwight 

An hour later, in West Berkeley, an ultrasound machine was stolen from an Oakland man’s car, according to Lt. Harris. 

Police received a call to 2499 Fourth St., at the corner of Dwight Way. The victim informed them that a window of his car had been smashed in, and the machine was gone. 

Police have no suspects at this time. 

Callers respond to gunshots 

Police received a number of calls from concerned citizens living around the corner of Russell and California streets Thursday. 

The calls, which started coming in around 7:15 p.m., said guns were being fired outside. 

Police arrived to find a number of spent shells and a damaged vehicle, but no victims and no suspects. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal authorities on Tuesday accused two former Critical Path Inc. executives of fabricating sales in 2000, an accounting scandal that nearly ruined the once high-flying e-mail provider. 

Investors have known about Critical Path’s accounting chicanery for nearly a year, but Tuesday’s complaints filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Attorney’s office provided the first details of the deceit. 

The criminal and civil complaints filed against David A. Thatcher and Timothy J. Ganley paint an unflattering portrait of corporate accounting practices amid growing investor jitters about financial deception following Enron Corp.’s collapse. The Houston-based energy trader went bankrupt after admitting it concealed massive losses. 

San Francisco-based Critical Path’s shenanigans look small compared with the Enron debacle. 

But federal authorities allege Critical Path’s financial misconduct grew from the same manic desire to please Wall Street and drive up the company’s stock price. 

Critical Path’s fiasco wiped out billions in shareholders’ wealth. 

After Critical Path released its first misleading financial statement in October 2000, the company was worth $3.8 billion. By the time the company restated its results in April 2001, its market value had plummeted 97 percent to $114 million.  

Thatcher, formerly Critical Path’s president and chief financial officer, and Ganley, formerly the company’s vice president of strategic sales, have already settled the civil complaint filed by the SEC. 

Now living in Southern California, Thatcher, 47, agreed to pay a $110,000 fine and will be barred from working as an executive or director at a publicly held company for five years. Ganley, 45, will pay $105,900 in penalties. 

Both men still face criminal charges filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office. 

Thatcher “is looking forward to taking responsibility for his actions and moving forward with his life,” said his attorney, Nanci Clarence. She said her client is cooperating in the SEC’s continuing investigation into Critical Path’s accounting scandal. 

Efforts to reach Ganley were unsuccessful Tuesday. 

Critical Path won’t be fined as part of an administrative settlement with the SEC. Without admitting wrongdoing, Critical Path conceded its 2000 results were misleading. 

The company is trying to bounce back under a new CEO, venture capitalist and turnaround specialist William McGlashan Jr. Since April, Critical Path has closed nearly 50 offices, lowered its debt from $300 million to $38 million and cuts its operating expenses in half, partly by jettisoning nearly 500 workers. 

The company, which lost $79.8 million on revenue of $104 million last year, remains a Wall Street outcast. All 17 securities analysts that once followed the company have dropped their coverage in the wake of the accounting scandal. 

McGlashan said he will try to persuade analysts to resume coverage during the next six weeks. 

Tuesday’s legal action rehashed the events that landed the company in hot water. 

Authorities allege Thatcher orchestrated schemes to falsify the company’s revenue during the final half of 2000 to live up to Wall Street expectations. Management tantalized investors by promising steadily rising revenue after the e-mail provider’s sales soared during the dot-com boom of early 2000. 

In his desperation, Thatcher ordered Critical Path’s sales force to book bogus sales to customers who couldn’t afford to pay and, in at least one instance, doctored an e-mail to dupe the company’s auditors, authorities allege. 

The SEC said it identified eight “fictitious” or otherwise suspect transactions totaling $10.8 million during 2000. Before revising its 2000 results 10 months ago, Critical Path initially reported 2000 sales of $155 million. 

Ganley is accused of helping Thatcher book sales to customers who couldn’t afford to pay for the company’s software. The complaints also allege Ganley illegally sold 1,300 shares of Critical Path stock for $31,881, or an average of $24.52 per share, to pad his pockets before the accounting fraud was uncovered. 

After a February 2001 announcement disclosing Critical Path had launched an internal investigation into its accounting practices, the company’s shares plunged 70 percent, falling from $10.06 to $3.06. 

Critical Path’s shares fell 34 cents Tuesday to close at $2.58 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock, which peaked at $134.88 in 1999, has traded for as low as 24 cents during the past year. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.cp.net 

SAN JOSE— Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. will ask shareholders to approve their historic and controversial $23 billion merger on consecutive days next month. 

The dates were set in a final merger prospectus that was filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will be sent to stockholders. The decision indicates the companies are reasonably confident government regulators will clear the deal. 

Since opposition to the deal has been deep — notably by Hewlett and Packard family interests with 18 percent of HP stock — HP’s stockholder vote March 19 in suburban Cupertino essentially will be a referendum on chairwoman Carly Fiorina and her strategy. 

Fittingly, the merger already resembles a political campaign. Almost immediately after the companies’ filing Tuesday, the deal’s chief critic, HP board member Walter Hewlett, began mailing out his proxy materials to solicit votes against the Compaq acquisition. 

“HP is a strong company. HP is not in crisis,” Hewlett wrote in a letter to shareholders. “Don’t bet the company on the Compaq transaction. It would be a mistake to become the world’s largest commodity computing company, more than doubling HP’s exposure to the troubled PC business.”  

That would be a crisis.” 

HP and Compaq say merging will make them the leader in key technology segments, dramatically improve the end-to-end packages they can offer corporate customers and generate $2.5 billion in cost savings. 

At HP’s shareholder meeting, the deal will require the approval of a majority of all votes cast — either in person or by mail. Yes votes from a majority of all Compaq shareholders would be needed for the deal to be sealed March 20 at a Houston hotel. 

Only people who held HP and Compaq shares as of Jan. 28 will be allowed to vote. 

The deal has been approved by European and Canadian regulators but needs clearance from U.S. antitrust officials. The companies decided to set dates for the stockholder votes so there would be no delay if the government approves the acquisition in the meantime, HP spokeswoman Rebeca Robboy said. 

HP shares lost 65 cents, or 3 percent, to $21.39 on the New York Stock Exchange, where Compaq fell 20 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $12. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Pro-merger site: http://www.votethehpway.com 

Anti-merger site: http://www.votenohpcompaq.com 

LAS VEGAS — Despite the national recession and a local unemployment rate hovering about 6 percent, Las Vegas continues to experience a retail boom. 

Matt Bear, a principal with commercial brokerage NewMarket Advisors, said he’s seen no slowdown in retailers’ plans to locate stores in fast-growing parts of the valley. 

R.C. Willey Home Furnishings, a new retailer in Las Vegas, is buying land in the master-planned community of Summerlin for its second southern Nevada store. 

The deal offers evidence of sustained high growth on the city’s west side, industry experts said. That’s despite the slowdown in tourism after Sept. 11 that cost an estimated 15,000 residents their jobs. 

The Sport Chalet, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods, a national health food and gourmet grocery store, along with upscale retailers Williams-Sonoma, the Gap, Pottery Barn, Talbots and Banana Republic are planning to open stores this spring in westside shopping centers. 

The second phase of Boca Park, a massive, three-phase Triple 5 project, is set to open in March in the same area with upscale interior decorating and furniture retailer the Great Indoors as an anchor. 

“It’s a testament to how attractive Las Vegas continues to be as a place to live,” Bear told the Las Vegas Sun. 

For R.C. Willey, that population growth prompted construction of a second store. 

“We decided it was the right time to proceed with a second store based on our success in our first store in Henderson,” said Scott Hymas, chief executive of the Salt Lake City-based retailer. 

Charles Ramsey may face an uphill battle for the 14th District Assembly seat — especially in Berkeley, where his opponent Loni Hancock (former Berkeley Mayor) is almost a household name. But no one would have guessed it from the turnout and enthusiasm at the Democratic candidate’s reception on Saturday morning.  

Present at Ramsey’s University Avenue campaign headquarters were both Mayor Shirley Dean and Vice-Mayor Maudelle Shirek — the endorsements of both showed his appeal transcended traditional political divisions, he said. 

Dean introduced Ramsey to about 50 enthusiastic supporters, most of whom were heading out to go on precinct walks on behalf of the candidate. 

“This is going to be a tough campaign,” Dean said. “Loni Hancock is well-known in Berkeley. That’s why we have to turn out every single vote — children, the dead, everyone.” 

“We’ve been told that Ms. Hancock, if elected, is going to be involved in local politics. She’s going to be on the side that — doesn’t include me,” Dean added. 

Ramsey was born at Herrick Hospital and attended Berkeley schools throughout childhood. But even still he had given up on campaigning in Berkeley assuming it would automatically go to Hancock — due to her long tenure in Berkeley city politics. But Dean convinced him not to give up. 

“I’ll be damned if we let Berkeley go to someone other than us!” Ramsey shouted, to great applause. 

Later he said endorsements by Dean and Shirek were telling of his political vision. “I’m going to unify Berkeley,” he said. “I’m going to bring all different kinds of people together to the table.” 

He said one of his top priorities was education, and that his well-regarded service on the board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District was the foundation of his campaign. 

“We’re going to take it from the schoolhouse to the statehouse,” he said. 

Ramsey also used the occasion to announce the key political endorsement of Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante. 

Among those in attendance Saturday morning were Councilmember Betty Olds, Planning Commissioners Susan Wengraf and David Tabb, Berkeley School Board president Shirley Issel, Zoning Adjustments Board member Mike Issel and Jerome Wiggins, Alameda County Board of Education trustee. 

Wiggins, who said that he had “dual-endorsed” Ramsey and Hancock, also drove up to the hills to attend the Hancock fundraiser later that afternoon. 

Issel said that while both candidates have strong education credentials, her sensibilities were more in line with Ramsey’s. 

“I think that Berkeley needs to leave the 60s and move into the 21st century,” she said. “Ramsey’s the guy to take us there.” 

Hancock is a founding member of Berkeley Citizens Action, the principal “progressive” political club in the city, which was formed in the early 70s. 

Several Ramsey supporters thought it unjust that the Northern California delegation in Sacramento has no black members. 

“The so-called progressives in Berkeley are always talking about diversity,” said Olds. “Well, here’s there chance to support it.” 

Frank Davis, Jr., president of the Berkeley Black Property Owners Association, said that he supported Ramsey “not because he’s black, but because he’s fair.” 

“He’s not bogged down with this crazy left-wing, rent control thing,” Davis said. 

Reverend Mark Wilson, pastor of the McGee Avenue Baptist Church said that he has seen how important personal relationships are to Ramsey. 

“Political leadership has to do with the way you connect with people,” he said.  

The 14th Assembly District includes Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette and parts of Oakland. The primary election will be held on March 5.

Editor:  

In last Thursday’s (Jan. 24) Daily Planet there was an article titled “Students Want a Seat on City Council.” 

If students want more involvement in City politics, where have they been all year? Each time I attend a City Council meeting I scan the Council Chambers for U.C. students, thinking that evolution can’t do its thing without them. But rarely do I find them. Last Tuesday’s public hearing (Jan. 22) on the Public Safety tower was no exception. There were lots of people who live near the tower, but no students wishing to represent their or anyone else’s point of view. Probably they don’t even know that the l70-foot police tower is going to zap us all, near or far, student or no, with more hazardous microwaves. Never mind that the Macro Corporation, whom the city hired to study the tower (and the only entity allowed to apply for the consulting position), says microwaves are harmless. If the Macros really had wanted to get to the truth about microwaves, they could have tried www.microwavenews.com, or www. EMRNetwork.org for starters. 

Paul Brodeur’s wonderfully informative book “The Zapping of America” can still be found on many library shelves.  

Why are students so disinterested in the subject of their own survival? Consider the cell phone. How can students or anyone else blindly trust industry cell phone studies when it is clear that such short-term studies are useless? Radiation emissions from cell phones and cell phone towers have essentially the same negative impacts on living organisms as do the emissions from the police tower. Because of student addiction to the cell phone (which stimulates endorphins in the brain, making them addictive), dangerous microwave-emitting cell towers may soon be installed on Berkeley apartment houses or on telephone poles only six feet from bedroom windows. I personally would not want anyone to represent me on City Council who passed with flying colors the class Extinction l0lA, for which cell phone use is the only requirement.  

On the other hand, hats off for those in council last Tuesday, Dona.Spring and Kriss Worthington, who nixed turning on the police tower (Mayor Shirley Dean was out of town) in spite of city pressure to turn it on. It’s difficult to imagine anyone voting for the tower after listening to Erica Etelson, a lawyer and a member of the neighborhood group there protesting the tower. She reported that 10 days before, a court in Spain had ordered the removal of a cell phone tower near a school where four children had been diagnosed with leukemia in the 18 months since the tower was erected. And in Summerland, (near Santa Barbara), the fire department is suing Nextel to remove wireless antennae installed on their station house a few years ago, because the firefighters began suffering grogginess, confusion, sleep disorders, and other mental problems soon after the antennae were installed. Yet Etelson’s words were ignored by most of council.  

What’s more, the tower is not even legal, since its erection sidestepped Berkeley public processes. 

Apologies are not enough; the tower should come down.  

ÜC students will have a second chance on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m., to sharpen their survival skills at council.  

Their support would be most welcome. Sadly, however, if they do come Tuesday they will come, like the rest of us, with the risk of being ignored by most of our City Council... . 

Kate Bernier 

Berkeley

Tuesday, Feb. 5

Do War and Justice Mix? 

5:30 p.m. 

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 

Dinner Board Room 

2400 Ridge Rd. 

The Center for Ethics and Social Policy presents Dr. Martin Cook, professor of ethics at the U.S. Army War College, discussing just war theory and the modern political climate. Free and open to the public. 549-5060. 

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Get Connected: The Magic of Mingling 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches mingling strategies for social occasions. $10, $8 members. 848-0237 x127 

Copwatch 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Know Your Rights Training, learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely. 548-0425. 

Bringing Shabbat to Life: A Shabbat Workshop 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches how to bring fun and peaceful family time to Shabbat through crafts, creative ideas and family projects. $5, $4 members. 848-0237 x127 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Gregory Curtin lectures on “Transforming Local Government – The Impact of the Internet and New Information Technology.” 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Planting Rice, Harvesting Slaves:  

Generational and Gendered Struggles on the Upper Guinea Coast in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade 

4 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley  

3335 Dwinelle, Level “C” 

A talk by Walter Hawthorne of Ohio University. Sponsored by Department of History, Department of African-American Studies, and Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

Relationship Seminar 

7 - 9 p.m. 

First Presbyterian Church of Alameda 

2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda 

A four session seminar, Wednesdays, Feb. 6 - 27, on developing and deepening healthy interpersonal relationships. 522-1477. 

Thursday, Feb. 7

Help Put an End to the  

Sanctions Against Haiti 

4:30 p.m. 

Federal Building 

1301 Clay St., Oakland 

A vigil with music and speakers. 483-7481, haitiaction@yahoo.com.  

Backpacking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Veteran backpacker, Eric Rorer, shares slides and information on his recent adventure in the Refuge’s Franklin Mountains. 527-7377 

Why I Quit the Livermore Nuclear Labs 

6 - 8 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, 155 Dwinelle 

Dr. Andreas Toupadakis presents a lecture on U. S. Foreign Policy leading up to 9/11 and its effects on global security. UCBNOW@hotmail.com. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft 

Vigil urging the end of Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org.  

Middendorf Breath Workshop 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Middendorf Breath Institute 

830 Bancroft Way, #104 (the corner of Bancroft and Sixth St.) 

The Institute staff will conduct a day and a half Breath and Movement Workshop. Workshop fee is $100. 981-1710, www.breathexperience.com 

Saturday, Feb. 9

Earthquake Retrofitting Class 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

The Office of Emergency Services offers a free class to show how to strengthen a wood frame home by installing expansion and epoxy bolts, shear paneling and structural hardware.  

Afro-Centric Thoughts in Process Workshop 

3 p.m. 

Black Repertory Group 

3201 Adeline St. 

Black Consciousness for and about Africans born in America, also celebrating knowledge beginning with the birth of human life in Africa six million years ago. 652-2120 or 841-0392. 

Black History Month Rally 

2 p.m. 

Frank Ogawa City Hall Plaza, 14th & Broadway, Oakland 

Berkeley High School 

Men’s Crew Team  

Annual Ergathon Fund Raiser 

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

BHS is the only public school on the West Coast offering crew to its students. Less than 2 percent of the team’s annual budget comes from the BHS Athletic Department. 559-3179, jldulay@attbi.com. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Fund Raiser  

6 p.m. 

Kensington Youth Hut 

59 Arlington Ave., Kensington 

19th Annual dinner and fund raiser for the nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and education in flyfishing. 524-0428. 

Valentine-Making Workshop 

1 - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library  

1247 Marin Ave., Albany 

The Albany Library is sponsoring a Valentine-Making Workshop, make one to keep and one to donate to Meals on Wheels. 526-3720 x19. 

Sunday, Feb. 10

Salsa Dance Party and Lesson 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Novices are welcomed, and nobody is required to bring a partner. $12. 508-4616, ronniematisalsa@yahoo.com 

924 Gilman Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; Feb. 10: Tragedy, Tragetelo, Born/Dead, 5 p.m.; Feb. 15: One Time Angels, Eleventeen, Audiocrush, Counterfit, Bikini Bumps; Feb. 16: Iron Vegan, Nigel Peppercock, Lost Goat, Iron Lung, Depressor; Feb. 22: Oppressed Logic, Deface, Edddie Haskells, Throat Oyster; Feb. 23: From Ashes Arise, Artimus Pyle, Brainoil, Down in Flames, Dystrophy, Scholastic Deth; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

The Albatross Feb. 5: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 6: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 7: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m., Tipsy House Irish Music; Feb. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 14: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 18: Paul Schneider; Feb. 19: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 20: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 23: 9:30 p.m., Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless noted. 822 San Pablo Ave., 843-2473, albatrosspub@mindspring.com. 

Anna’s Bistro Feb. 5: Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen; Feb. 6: Bob Schoen Jazz Quintet; Feb. 7: Tina Marzell; Feb. 8: Anna & Ellen Hoffman, Hideo Date; Feb. 9: Robin Gregory, Ducksan Distones; Feb. 10: Choro Time; Feb. 11: Renegade Sidemen with Calvin Keyes; Feb. 12 Singers Open Mic; Feb. 13: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Feb. 14: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Music starts at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Feb. 5: 9 p.m., Danubius, $8; Feb. 6: 8 p.m., Zydeco Flames, $8; Feb. 7: 10 p.m., Dead DJ Nite w/ Digital Dave, $5; Feb. 8: 9:30 p.m., Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums, $11; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m. Don Carlos, Reggae Angels, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Feb. 6: Sisterz of The Underground, $5; Feb. 7: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Feb. 8: Mission, Psychokinetics, $7; Feb. 9: Delfino, Lost Coast Band, $5; Feb. 10: Medusa & Feline Science, $8; Feb. 11: The Steve Gannon Band, Mz. Dee, $4; Feb. 12: Planting Seeds, Shady Lady, $8; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cato’s Ale House Feb. 6: Christopher Gamper Trio; Feb. 10: Ben Bonham and Jimmy Sweetwater; Feb. 13: Irish Session; Feb. 17: Phillip Greenlief Trio; Feb. 20: Anton Schwartz Trio; Feb. 24: Blue and Tan; Feb. 27: Vince Wallace Trio 

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 

Jupiter Feb. 6: Alias Smith; Feb. 7: Spectraphonic; Feb. 8: Mushroom; Feb. 9: Mulabaka; Feb. 13: Avrahams Soul Explosion; Feb. 14: Spectraphonic; Feb. 15: Forest Sun; Feb. 16: Michael Bluestien Trio; Feb. 20: Joshi Marshall Duo; Feb. 21: Spectraphonic; Feb. 22: Ben Graves Group; Feb. 23: Brenden Millstein Quartet; Feb. 27: J Steinkoler Duo; Feb. 28: Spectraphonic; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Jazzschool Feb. 3: 4:30 p.m., Art Hirahara, Todd Sickafoose and Scott Amendola Trio; $6-$12. 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Live Oak Concerts Feb. 10: Judy Phillips, Howard Kadis, $10; Feb. 15: Merlin Coleman with Dan Cantrell, Darren Johnson and Ron Heglin, $10; Feb. 16: Marvin Sanders, Karen Ande, JungHae Kim, $12; All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

The Starry Plough Feb. 5: Open Mic, free; Feb. 6: 8:30 p.m., Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik, $5; Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., Asylum Street Spankers, $12; 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082. 

Tuva Space Mar. 21: 8 p.m., Blues Translation; Mar. 22: 8 p.m., Electro-Acoustic Quartet; Mar. 23: 8 p.m. Solo Guitar Performance, 9:30 p.m. Country, Folk, and Blues Standards. $8 All shows $8. 312 Adeline St. 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org 

“Asylum Street Spankers” Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., The Spankers; The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082, www.asylumstreetspankers.com. 

Antonio Literes’ “Jupiter Y Semele” Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Feb. 10: 7:30 p.m., Presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with guest conductor Eduardo López Banzo. $34-$49. 415-392-4400, www.philharmonia.org.  

“Larry Schneider Quartet” Feb. 10: 4:30 p.m., Matt Clark, Jeff Chambers and Eddie Marshall. $6-$12. Hardymon Hall/Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-4373, www.jazzschool.com. 

“Young Talent in a Young Century” Feb. 10: 4 p.m., 15 year old Shoshana Kay will be featured soloist with the Community Women’s Orchestra. Also: Katya Lopez, Rosanne Luu, Tomoko Momlyana and Catarina Sdun. Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St., 653-1616. 

“John Glennon and Erika March” Feb. 24: 5 p.m., A program of French music including the works of Francois Couperin, Chambonnieres, and Muffat. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685 

“Cosi Fan Tutte” Feb. 22 through Mar. 3: The Berkeley Opera will perform Mozart’s classic opera. $10 - $30. Call for specific dates and times. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 841-103, www.berkeleyopera.com 

Kun Shin Dancers celebrate the artistic traditions of mainland China and Taiwan. Intricate fan and ribbon dances, athletic sword dance, drum duet, courtship piece, peacock dance, and a hoop dance. $8-$10. Calvin Simmons Theatre in the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Ten 10th St., Oakland, 465-9312, www.danceforpower.org.  

“Dance Festival” Feb. 8: 8 p.m., Feb. 9: 8 p.m., East Bay Dance Festival featuring: AXIS Dance Company, Savage Jazz Dance Company, Moving Arts Dance Collective, Dandelion Dancetheater. $15, Students and Seniors $12. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 326-4245, www.katherinedavis.com/ebaydancefestival.htm. 

“Frogz” Feb. 8: 8 p.m, Feb. 9: 2 p.m., 8 p.m., A bevy of balletic frogs, poor-spelling sloths and other curious mischief-making characters roll, leap, and slink around the stage. $18 -$30. Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-0212 

“James Joyce, Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie: An Alphabet” Feb. 5: 8 p.m., Originally conceived as a radio play, John Cage’s imagined conversations between 15 artistic and cultural figures, their dialogue, historical materials, and musings that Cage simply made up. Director Laura Kuhn, Composer Mikel Rouse. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

Oakland Magic Circle hosts its 34th annual Installation Banquet and Stage show, Feb. 5: 7 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Show, Dick Newton, Timothy James, Peter Winch, Dan X. Solo, $20 Adults, $15 Children; Bjornson Hall, 2258 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, 420-0680. 

“Every Inch a King” 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.  

“The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” Through Feb. 10: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m., playwright Naomi Wallace’s story about Dalton, a 15-year-old who dreams of escaping to college, and Pace, the town’s 17-year-old tomboy. Stuck in a town with no real prospects, the pair begins a deadly contest of chicken with the daily express train. Directed by Søren Oliver. $30-$35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. 

“Human Nature” Feb. 16: 8:30 p.m., X-plicit Players, $15; Art-A-Fact, 1109 Addison St., 848-1985, www.xplicitplayers.com. 

“Sisters” Through Feb. 16: Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., The Prozorov sisters look at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

“Night, Mother” Feb. 8, Feb. 15 - 16, Feb. 22 - 23: 8 p.m., A drama exploring one young woman’s decision to take control of her life with one furious and heartbreaking act. Directed by Bahati Bonner. $12, $8 seniors. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 496-1269 x1950, nightmother@onebox.com 

“Rhinoceros” Through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragic-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.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. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Feb. 1: 7:30 p.m., Full Moon in Paris; 9:30 p.m., Pauline at the Beach; Feb 2: 7 p.m., Summer; 9 p.m., Boyfriends and Girlfriends; Feb 3: 3 p.m., A Witch in the Family; 5:30 p.m., Erotikon; 7:30 p.m., Johan; Feb. 4: 3 p.m., Hallelujah; 7 p.m., Women in Love; Feb. 5: 7:30 p.m., From the Pole to the Equator; Feb. 6: 3 p.m., The Last Laugh; 7:30 p.m., New Arab Video 4; Feb. 8: 7:15 p.m., A Summer’s Tale; 9:30 p.m., A Tale of Springtime; Feb. 9: 7 p.m., A Tale of Winter; 9:15 p.m., Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“Human Rights International Film Festival” Feb. 22 through Feb. 24: Nine provocative films will be shown, many followed by question and answer sessions with local and visiting filmmakers. Check theater for films and times. Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412  

Exhibits  

“Rhythms” Through Feb. 2: Art installation of sculpture, neon, music and video projections by Kati Casida; Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-5373 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: Exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists; Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Through Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263. 

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

“New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture. Steve Brisco’s paintings. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Traywick Gallery,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.; Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“Envisioning Ecology” Through Feb. 15: Paintings by Michelle Waters. Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., 548-2220 x233. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” 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.; Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Adventures in La Land” Through Feb. 23: Installations by Suzanne Husky and Paintings by Amy Morrell. Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 428-2349. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Through Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ton of Joy” Through Mar. 1: Group show of twelve painters and sculptors: Simone Anders, Susan Brady, Erin Fitzgerald, Karen Frey, Kei Hanafusa, Nancy Legge, Burke Rainey, Robin Sebourn, Kristen Throop, Clay Vajgrt, Whitney Vosburgh, Ann West; Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Hollis Street Project, 5900 Hollis St., Emeryville. 

“Celebrating the African Diaspora” Through Mar. 1: A Black History Month Exhibit celebrating the contributions of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; University of Creation Sprituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x31 

“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; Through Mar. 24: “Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado,” 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. 

“A Retrospective Show” Feb. 1 - Mar. 13: The Women’s Cancer Resource Center will participate in this year’s The Art of Living Black, an Open Studios event for local African American artists. The Gallery features a retrospective show of the work of the late Jan Hart-Schuyers. Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat. 12 - 4 p.m., Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286 x307, www.wcrc.org. 

The Richmond Art Center Through Mar. 16: “The Art of Living Black 2002: The sixth Annual Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Art Tour,” group exhibition of 81 artists; “Introspección Dual: Recent Painting by Verónica B. Rojas and Santiago Gervas”; “Transmutations: Recent work by Tim Jag”; “The NIAD` Family,” Artwork from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities; “Still Here,” collaborative art project about AIDS in the 21st century; “Girls in the Hall,” artwork by girls incarcerated in the San Francisco juvenile justice system; Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; The Art of Living Black Art Tour Weekend: Mar. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; 2540 Barrett Ave., 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. 

“Average Female (Perfect)” Through Mar. 24: Manhattan-based artist Sowon Kwon projects footage of the first ever perfect-scoring gymnasts: Romanian, Nadia Comanece and Russian, Nelli Kim at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kwon superimposes over the gymnasts a hand-drawn outline of the “average” female body to direct the audience’s attention to the gymnasts’ movements throughout their performances. Wed. - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., $4 - $6. 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, Through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Through Apr. 4: Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, 524-9283. 

“The Legacy of Social Protest: The Disability Rights Movement” Through April 30: The first exhibition in a series dealing with Free Speech, Civil Rights, and Social Protest Movements of the 60s and 70s in California. Photograghs by: Cathy Cade, HolLynn D’Lil, Howard Petrick, Ken Stein. The Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Undergraduate Library, University of California-Berkeley, hjadler@yahoo.com.  

“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. 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” Feb. 2 through May 12: An exhibit displaying models of the sets and dinosaur sculptures used in the Jurassic Park films, as well as a video presentation and a dig pit where visitors can dig for specially buried dinosaur bones. $8 adults, $6, youth and seniors. Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Dr., above the UC Berkeley campus, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

“The Image of Evil in Art” Feb. 7 through May 31: An exhibit exploring the varying depictions of the devil in art. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2541. 

“The Pottery of Ocumichu” Feb. 7 through May 31: A case exhibit of the imaginative Mexican pottery made in the village of Ocumichu, Michoacan. Known particularly for its playful devil figures, Ocumichu pottery also presents fanciful everyday scenes as well as religious topics. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2540 

Readings 

Coffee With a Beat Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd, Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell, Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Shambhala Booksellers Feb. 3: 7 p.m., William Peterson will read from his latest book “Voices in the Dark: Esoteric, Occult & Secular Voices in Nazi-Occupied Paris 1990-1994”. Free. 242 Telegraph Ave., 848-8443 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Feb. 5: William Chapman presents slides and reads from his book, “The Face of Tibet”; Feb. 7: A panel of female travel writers read from their works published in “The Unsavvy Travelers”, a chronicle of hilarious tales of cathartic misadventures on the road; Feb. 19: Christopher Baker, author of “Costa Rica: Moon Handbook” presents a slide show demonstrating what makes the Central American country so appealing; Richard Sterling, author of Lonely Planet’s “World Food: Greece”, presents a culinary tour revealing the culture and character of Greece through the medium of her cuisine’s; Feb. 28: Terrence Ward reads from his book “Searching for Hassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran”; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

Boadecia’s Books Feb. 9: 7:30 p.m., Loolwa Khazzoom reads from her new book “Conseqence: Beyond Resisting Rape” which takes a street savy look at street harassment. The evening will include a screening of the film “War Zone” and several spoken word presentations. Free. 398 Colusa, Kensington, 595-4642 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Feb. 6: Adrianne Marcus, Diana O’Hehir; Feb. 10: Cathy Coldman, Judith Serin; Feb. 13: Murray Silverstein, Gillian Wegener, Helen Wickes; Feb. 17: Sharon Doubiago, Doren Robbins; Feb. 20: Linda Elkin, Steve Rood; Feb. 27: Stephen Kessler and John Oliver Simon; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

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. 

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. - 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.  

Oakland Museum of California Feb. 14: 1 p.m., Diane Curry shares her experiences researching photographic archives for the history of Oakland, free; Feb. 17: 12 - 4 p.m., A family program in which artists engage families in creative projects inspired by the work of California African American artists; 2 - 3 p.m., Artist Raymond Howell discusses his creative process and artistic techniques. $6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID. 10th & Oak St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

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

Two nearly identical resolutions supporting Claremont spa workers in their classic, labor/corporate battle will surface at tonight’s City Council meeting — one by Mayor Shirley Dean and the other by Councilmember Linda Maio. 

Maio’s name, too, has been surfacing as the progressive’s best chance at Dean’s seat in November, but as of yet she has not announced her intentions. Labor endorsements will likely be key in November’s citywide election. 

“The official resolution that would result from this would be a combination of the two,” said Dean.  

She added there was “absolutely” nothing political about her decision to ink a resolution condemning Claremont Resort and Spa for several alleged anti-union activities —including the recent suspension of four employees.  

And the support from city council on either side of the table is much appreciated, said Stephanie Ruby, the secretary treasurer of Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Union Local 2850, AFL-CIO.  

“They have totally tried to abuse and misuse the tragic events of Sept. 11th., pointing to it being a financial hardship and reason for not paying their workers living wages,” Ruby said. “But this is the same company that after Sept. 11th spent $150 million in buying a resort in La Costa.” 

“Claremont Spa has launched an anti-union campaign and here is the community and the political power structure saying ‘Especially in these times there shouldn’t have to be a fight.’  

They are the outsider in all this. The community is clearly saying ‘you can’t pay people poverty wages. You can’t walk all over other people’s rights to free speech and right to organize,” she added. 

Ruby said the workers have not voted to go on strike but are gearing up for a huge picket line rally on Valentines Day at Claremont, and that she anticipates a long, grueling battle ahead. 

Claremont General Manager Todd Shallan and Spa Manager David Nelson were unavailable yesterday for a comment but the company is soon expected to release a public statement in response to Council’s proposed resolution. 

“They have not been responsive so far,” Dean said. “I’ve received one letter from them — it didn’t explain anything — it just said they hoped I would look at both sides of the story.” 

Oakland Vice Mayor Jane Brunner, a labor and employment attorney, said she too thinks the union and their members are in store for a long, hard battle with Claremont management. 

“After suspending the workers for handing out leaflets — that indicated to me that this was going to be a hard fight,” Brunner said.  

Brunner says she too will soon ink a resolution to support spa workers and expects it will pass with little difficulty in Oakland. Oakland is still trying to agree upon the language and the perimeters of that resolution. But she says she would encourage extreme caution before throwing around words like strike and picket line because they pose added risk for the employees. 

“We’re showing that we support the workers being able to unionize,” Brunner said. “In a union struggle I don’t think we have anything, in particular, we can do to shut them down. Basically, you have to use your office to do a few things — take a stand, mediate a resolution. If we were subsidizing a project, we would have more control.  

Brunner said Claremont’s tactics come as no real surprise to her.  

This happens all the time,” Brunner said. “It’d not good — but it is typical.” 

Contact reporter: 

devona@berkeleydailyplanet.net 

Editor: 

Allow me to second Tom McHenry's suggestion that the "latest reinvention of Berkeley politics" the Berkeley Party, should be called the Nimby Party. For the vague and harmless sounding platitudes of this group masks a specific and bizarre agenda: Keep Everyone Away and Don't Change Anything. 

The comments of their leaders saying the city should "discourage development" and "We've done our growth" underscores their NIMBY agenda, and reminds one of the simplistic nativist movements of another century. 

Their assertion that, if we could just stop development-- everything would be fine, underscores their indifference to the plight of students, renters, workers, and the many others looking to cope with the housing woes of Berkeley. 

I am all too familiar with their program, having battled both their Mr. Muir and Ms. Olson on various affordable housing projects throughout the city. 

It appears that the Berkeley Party would like to deal with the complex issues of affordable housing, congestion, and economic development by putting gates at the city limits to keep others away, and stopping everything else inside. It is a rather strange platform for a City with an illustrious history of embracing and initiating change. 

Patrick Kennedy 

Panoramic Interests 

Berkeley 

The city’s cab drivers, as a result of the new Taxi Ordinance, which went into effect on Jan. 1, are now required to take a course in sensitivity at their own expense. 

Bill Hancock, former San Francisco cab driver who now owns Flag-A-Cab Taxi School, addressed about 25 skeptical cab drivers, most who did not speak fluent English, and asked them to define a word. 

“What does sensitivity mean?” he asked of each of the drivers. 

“Being patient,” one said. “Listening carefully,” another said. “Not getting mad when an old lady hits you with her cane,” yet another said. 

Hancock said all of responses were elements of sensitivity.  

“But the key is being a good listener,” he said. “Cab drivers and bartenders are the unpaid psychologists of the world.” 

The drivers had taken the afternoon off and paid $25 to participate in a two-hour sensitivity training course now required by the city’s new Taxi Ordinance. The ordinance requires all drivers for the 44 cab companies that serve Berkeley to take the course. 

The training session, which was held on the sixth floor of the Civic Center, gave the drivers tips about appropriate behavior with customers who use wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids and seeing-eye dogs. The course also covered appropriate terminology for a variety of disabilities. 

The City Council approved the new ordinance, which was recommended by the Commission on Aging, in September after hearing from numerous senior citizens who told stories of bad treatment by cab drivers. Seniors spoke of missing doctor appointments because of cabs that never showed up, others told of waiting for hours in front of super markets with bags of groceries, and others said they avoided using cabs simply because the drivers were rude. 

The primary problem, both riders and drivers agreed, was that the city’s $220,000 Taxi Scrip Program, which provides taxi vouchers to the disabled and residents who are 70 or older, was not fully reimbursing cab drivers for their time. 

“Before the ordinance was approved, the city was deducting 10 percent of the top of the fare when the drivers exchanged the scrip,” Commissioner on Aging Maris Arnold said. “In addition to that, the cab company owners were taking a cut.” 

Arnold said the drivers, who rely on their daily fares and tips for expenses, would have to wait up to a month to receive the devalued fare. 

Since the ordinance went into effect, drivers now receive full fare for the taxi vouchers, which they can redeem each week at the City of Berkeley Finance Customer Service Center. In addition, the drivers are paid a minimum of $5 for each scrip rider they transport. 

And some scrip riders are saying the service has increased with the pay scale. 

“We’ve heard that the drivers have gotten better,” Aronld said. “We’re not hearing those terrible stories any longer.” 

But despite reports of better service, drivers are still required to take the sensitivity training at their own expense and some were not too happy about it.  

“I agree that a lot of the cab drivers need polishing but it’s not going to happen here,” said cab driver Toni Guglielmi, a 20-year veteran. “I think this is just the city covering its butt.” 

Hancock, who primarily conducts training courses in San Francisco where drivers are required to take a four-day course, said drivers aren’t always happy about the training at first but most end up saying that it was valuable.  

“90 percent of cab drivers in the industry today are from another country,” he said. “And it’s not fair to them or the public they serve to just give them a cab and let them loose on a city without any training.” 

Arnold agreed. “I know the cab drivers often feel like their getting a raw deal but I don’t think a little sensitivity training is going to hurt them,” she said. 

But Guglielmi, who said she has never turned down a senior or disabled customer, remained skeptical about the training.  

“Maybe we should have a sensitivity training for customers,” she said. “As drivers we’re sensitive, too. We’re sensitive to being paid with bad credit cards, we’re sensitive to customers running off without paying and we’re sensitive to being robbed.” 

Editor: 

I think the Berkeley public safety radio tower looks nice, and I'm amazed at how many people hate it. We might be glad it's there, guiding emergency crews, when some disaster strikes Berkeley. 

Now we’re being warned about radiation danger. This is physics, not aesthetics.  

A form can offend the eye, and the printed word can affect thought. But radio waves can't do much to a human body unless they deposit enough energy. Police and fire calls put out something like light bulbs.  

The major component of any radio receiver is an amplifier, because the energy in the signals is so low. 

And the police and fire don't transmit all the time like a TV station. 

I just don't see the danger. And that's physics, not aesthetics. 

Steve Geller 

Berkeley

Wednesday night, the Board of Education will vote on a controversial shift in district policy that would reduce the number of students it allows into the school system from outside Berkeley on “inter-district permits.” 

The item under consideration is Board Policy 5117, which lays out general guidance on inter-district permits. If approved, the policy would make school capacity the top consideration in determining whether to accept a transfer student. 

At its Jan. 23 meeting, the board approved a $50,000 contract with California Financial Services, which will determine the capacity of each school in the district.  

The policy change would affect students from neighboring communities attempting to enter the system for the first time and those already in the system on inter-district permits, who are looking to move from elementary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school. 

Board members say they support the policy change to address overcrowding concerns, particularly at Berkeley High School, which currently enrolls 3,055 students, including 239 inter-district transfers. 

“It’s a crowded campus, anyway you look at it,” said board member John Selawsky. 

But board and community members have raised several concerns about the proposed policy shift.  

Selawsky and fellow board member Terry Doran, while generally supportive of the change, argue that middle school students currently on inter-district permits, who may be expecting to attend Berkeley High School, should be exempt from the new policy. 

Others have raised concerns about the fiscal impact of the change and debated its possible effect on student safety. 

Currently, 568 students, or six percent of the total, are in the Berkeley schools on permits – 202 on the elementary school level, 127 in middle school and 239 at Berkeley High School. The district admits students for a variety of reasons, from accommodating the children of district employees, to winning more state funding, which is allocated on a per-pupil basis.  

The board will not consider the actual details of the policy, the administrative regulations that will guide its implementation, for several weeks. But those details, which could include the exemption proposed by Selawsky and Doran, are likely to come up for debate Wednesday night.  

“I believe we do have an implicit commitment to students we’ve let into our middle schools to (go to) the high school,” said Doran. 

Doran said he was particularly concerned about eighth graders, who may not have time, at this point in the year, to make alternative arrangements. Selawsky echoed Doran, and said he would seek to extend the exemption to current seventh-graders as well. 

Shirley Issel, president of the board, said it would be painful to deny transfer students access to the high school. “There are so many terrific kids here on permits...and it would be a tremendous loss to lose them,” she said. 

But, Issel said she would not support the exemption for current eighth graders. “I have to be focused first on our obligations to Berkeley residents and their kids,” she said, arguing that the overcrowding issue needs immediate attention. 

Issel added that she does not believe that middle school parents, with children on inter-district permits, are expecting their kids to be admitted to the high school.  

“I think people understand there’s going to be annual review,” she said. 

But, several parents reached by the Daily Planet said the district has always sent the message that a student, once in the system, could expect to stay in that system through high school, barring any significant behavioral problems. 

“We assumed they would get in because we were told they would get in,” said Earl Thomas, a Kensington resident, discussing his two children, who moved from King Middle School to BHS. 

Thomas said the current crop of eighth graders should be allowed to attend BHS. 

Another issue that surfaces around inter-district permits is student safety. Laura Menard, a BHS parent who is active on safety issues, says there is a perception in the community that students from outside the district, whether here on a permit, or using a false Berkeley address, are responsible for some of the violence at the schools. But, as Menard notes, the district has not collected any data on the topic.  

“That’s been batted around for awhile,” said Selawsky, referring to the perception that students from outside the district have caused trouble at the schools, “but we don’t have the information.” 

Selawsky said he suspects that students from Berkeley are responsible for some of the violence. 

Another issue is the fiscal impact of the policy. Historically, the district has welcomed students on inter-district permits because the state provides funding on a per pupil basis. But, Superintendent Michele Lawrence says she believes that the cost of educating a high school student may outweigh the state funds that student brings to the district. 

The district has not yet conducted a fiscal analysis to buttress Lawrence’s theory. 

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2002. There are 329 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

On Feb. 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics charged Roosevelt was attempting to “pack” the court. 

On this date: 

In 1631, the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, and his wife arrived in Boston from England. 

In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States. 

In 1881, Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated. 

In 1887, Verdi’s opera “Otello” premiered at La Scala. 

In 1917, Congress passed, over President Wilson’s veto, an immigration act severely curtailing the influx of Asians. 

In 1917, Mexico’s constitution was adopted. 

In 1958, Gamel Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic. 

In 1962, French President Charles De Gaulle called for Algeria’s independence. 

In 1981, a military jury in North Carolina convicted Marine Pfc. Robert Garwood of collaborating with the enemy while a prisoner of war in Vietnam. 

In 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Miss., of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001, at age 80.) 

Ten years ago: The House of Representatives authorized an investigation into whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign conspired with Iran to delay release of the American hostages. (The task force investigating the “October Surprise” allegations later said it found no credible evidence of such a conspiracy.) 

Five years ago: Switzerland’s “Big Three” banking giants announced they would create a $71 million fund for Holocaust victims and their families. Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter. U.S. Ambassador Pamela Harriman died in Paris at age 76. 

One year ago: Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. (The four were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Flanked by a jumbo refund-check stage prop, President George W. Bush asked Americans to get behind his proposed tax cuts. A disgruntled former factory worker killed five people, including himself, at an engine plant near Chicago. 

Today’s Birthdays: Comedian-actor Red Buttons is 83. The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley is 74. Country singer Claude King is 69. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron is 68. Actor Stuart Damon is 65. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn is 63. Television producer-writer Stephen J. Cannell is 61. Actor David Selby is 61. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 61. Football Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach is 60.

With energy issues back in the headlines again, the city’s Energy Office is busy answering questions about energy conservation measures, and helping Berkeley residents and businesses comply with energy conservation regulations. Some questions, however, are of a broader nature and illustrate people’s growing interest and concern for just what all our energy consumption is doing to the planet. 

To help shed some light on a few of these issues, take this quiz to test your energy impact knowledge.  

Information was compiled from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the World Watch Institute, and the California Energy Commission. 

1. The average household uses _____ percent of their electricity for electric lighting: 

a. 15% 

b. 20% 

c. 40% 

2. A compact fluorescent lamp (bulb) use ____ less energy than an incandescent bulb with the same brightness: 

a. 25% 

b. 75% 

c. 35% 

3. Carbon dioxide (CO2 – a greenhouse gas) levels have increased by _____ percent since the Industrial Revolution (about 1785): 

a. 5% 

b. 30% 

c. 12% 

4. An average 32-gallon household trash container creates ____ pounds of CO2 equivalent: 

a. 320 lbs. 

b. 32 lbs. 

c. 3.2 lbs. 

5. Burning a single gallon of gasoline creates ____ CO2. : 

a. 6 oz. 

b. 20 lbs. 

c. 12 oz. 

6. The United States has about 4% of the earth’s population, and uses ____ of the world’s non-renewable energy resources (oil, natural gas, coal): 

a. 25% 

b. 13% 

c. 4% 

7. Every year the amount of heat energy lost through un-insulated homes in the U.S. is equivalent to: 

a. two Super tankers of oil. 

b. the amount of oil shipped through the Alaskan Pipeline for one year. 

c. the amount of oil used in New Jersey for one heating season. 

8. During 2001, Californians reduced their electric energy use by:  

a. 9% 

b. 12%  

c. 4% 

9. In its 7- to 10-year lifetime, a single compact fluorescent lamp will save approximately ___ in energy costs: 

a. $42.00 

b. $61.00 

c. $78.00 

10. In one year, a leaky toilet wastes _____ gallons of water. 

a. 50  

b. 500 

c. 22,000 

Answers  

1: C, 40%. This number will decrease as more compact fluorescent lamps are used in homes. 

2: B, 75% less energy, and therefore, cost 75% less to use. 

3: B, 30%. Carbon dioxide is a significant contributor to global warming, which is related to the 4- to 10-inch rise in sea levels over the last century. 

4.: A, 320 pounds of carbon dioxide-equivalent is produced from each 32 gallon can of household trash produced. To reduce your household trash, compost kitchen scraps and yard waste, recycle all paper, glass and cans, and avoid purchasing products with plastic packaging. 

5: B, 20 lbs. of CO2 is produced from each gallon of gasoline. The overall effect is that the atmosphere will be burned off before all the world’s fossil fuels could ever be burned. To reduce the amount of gasoline you use, keep your vehicle well maintained, keep tires properly inflated, or avoid driving completely and use public transportation. 

6: A, 25% The United States uses one-quarter of the earth’s available energy. We are the greatest consumers of energy, and therefore the greatest polluters. 

7: B, the amount shipped annually through the Alaskan Pipeline. If homes were properly insulated with ceiling, wall and floor insulation, there would be a dramatic decrease in the amount of energy needed, and therefore less pressure to drill for oil in wilderness environments. 

8: B, 12% less electricity was used in California overall in 2001. This value combines commercial, industrial and residential sectors. 

9: C, $78.00 dollars can be saved for each compact fluorescent lamp used at current electricity rates. This amount would increase as rates increase. 

10: C, 22,000 gallons of water are wasted each year by a single leaky toilet. Wasted water contributes to drought and electricity shortages, since water is used to produce hydroelectric power. A leak of just one drop per second will waste 2,400 gallons of water. 

To learn more about energy costs and impacts, visit the city of Berkeley’s Energy Office Web site at www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/ENERGY.  

A series of free energy lectures sponsored by the City and by the Energy Commission will be held on Mondays in February and March at the Berkeley Adult School, at the corner of University Ave and Bonar St. starting at 7 p.m. Please call 510-981-5435 or e-mail: energy@ci. berkeley.ca.us to reserve your space. Lecture topics are posted on the Energy Office Web site. 

Alice La Pierre is an energy analyst for the City of Berkeley. This column appears as a public service on the first and third Tuesday of the month.

Orange pedestrian flags are being stolen 

BERKELEY — Thieves seem to be collecting the bright orange flags intended to help protect pedestrians cross dangerous intersections in Berkeley. 

About half of the 1,000 flags that the city of Berkeley bought last month to help drivers see people crossing the street have been stolen. 

Still, city crews have been refilling flag-holding canisters at four busy locations. Reh-Lin Chen, the city traffic engineer who helped set up the flag program, said he hopes to buy 2,000 more flags — at a little more than $1 each — for the program, which will include flags at three other intersections within six months. 

The flags failed to prevent an accident last month — just two days after Berkeley began the program — when Susan T. Wood, with flag in hand, was struck and injured by a Jeep. She escaped major injury. 

Man shot to death in  

Richmond 

RICHMOND — Police are investigating the killing of a Richmond man, who was shot to death Sunday morning after an argument. 

After responding to reports of gunshots at Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street around 10:30 a.m., police found Jamario Jajuan Washington, 22, suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. 

Washington was transported to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Richmond, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, said Richmond Police Sgt. Enos Johnson. 

Police cordoned off Pennsylvania Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets following the shooting to gather evidence. 

Police said they had no suspects. The police department was considering offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the slaying, Johnson said. 

Johnson would not comment on how many times Washington had been shot or if anyone witnessed the shooting. 

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Three members of Oakland’s Citizen Police Review Board have resigned amid frustration with long-winded meetings and what they perceive as slow progress to improve the situation. 

Sylvester Grigsby, whose term doesn’t expire until 2003, said the major reason he resigned was the amount of time required of him. His last day will be Feb. 15. 

Grigsby said he hopes the board will develop a training document for potential board members so they will know exactly what the commitments are. 

“I know I came on during the big transition, but I didn’t know what was expected of me. If people have to learn by chance it becomes very frustrating,” Grigsby said. 

Peter Kassel resigned at the Jan. 24 meeting of the police review board, announcing he had “had enough.” He also handed in a resignation letter for Daisy Jin Yan, who was absent. 

More changes are expected by Feb. 15, when the terms of four other board members expire. The mayor has not yet selected replacements, although he has a list of candidates on his desk and will “definitely be appointing people by the Feb. 15 deadline,” said spokeswoman Erica Harrold. 

SAN JOSE — The results are in from the digital video recorder set: Britney Spears beat the men on the field in the Super Bowl instant replay department. 

While millions of Americans watched the annual pro football championship, TiVo Inc. was monitoring the viewing habits of 10,000 of its 280,000 subscribers. 

The leading maker of digital video recorders used its technology to analyze which football plays or TV ads its subscribers chose to view again or to see in slow motion. 

TiVo viewers did more instant replays of Super Bowl commercials than of the game itself, and the Pepsi ads featuring Spears were the MVP, said John Ghashghai, TiVo’s director of audience research. 

Other popular replays included a General Motors Cadillac ad accompanied by Led Zeppelin’s 30-year-old song “Rock and Roll,” and a Bud Light commercial spoofing cable TV’s “BattleBots” battles. 

Of the football action, the game-winning field goal garnered the most replay attention. 

TiVo did not release actual numbers on how many times viewers used instant-replay or slow-motion functions. But it said the special features were used an average of 44 times per household during the broadcast. 

The analysis — TiVo’s largest of a single, live television event — is the kind of information broadcasters, content distributors and advertisers could use to direct tailored messages as more American households embrace DVRs. 

Already, the NFL has been paying TiVo for so-called “audience measurement” data. It learned, for instance, that a Budweiser commercial received the most pause-and-replays during an earlier wild-card playoff game. 

Other advertisers and networks have worked with TiVo in the past for similar data. 

“As this analysis shows, the growth in the use of TiVo technology can have a profound impact on how the Super Bowl audiences of the future will watch and interact with the broadcast,” said TiVo’s chief executive, Mike Ramsay. 

The company would not disclose how much it charges businesses such as the NFL for such marketing research. 

Digital video recorders have been slow to take off, but market research firm Forrester Research projects that the number of U.S. households with a digital video recorder will grow from the current 800,000 to 42 million by 2006. The other big name in DVRs is ReplayTV, owned by SONICblue. 

The devices work like a VCR, with a hard drive and an interactive programming guide that is periodically updated via telephone or Internet connection. 

Subscribers can pause live television, skip commercials and automatically choose programs to record with an intelligent search function. 

At the same time, DVRs can monitor viewer habits and even record shows automatically based on a viewer’s apparent preferences. 

Privacy advocates have decried such technologies as invasive, but TiVo officials say they do not pass along information that would identify individual viewers. 

When gathering customer marketing research, TiVo says it does not link viewer data to their name, gender or age — only into one big database that can identify users by ZIP code. 

If DVRs do take off as expected, such powerful information could become valuable revenue generators for TiVo and other companies seeking to customize television viewing, analysts say. But it could become problematic if they are not careful. 

“It’s a fine line between where consumers might get frightened — ’Are they getting watched?’ — versus TiVo and others wanting to make our viewing experiences better and more tailored to our interests,” said Greg Ireland, an industry analyst with the Gartner Group market research firm. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.tivo.com 

SAN JOSE — Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday that first-quarter earnings will beat current Wall Street forecasts because consumer demand for its computers and printers has been better than expected. 

The positive report didn’t stop the bickering over HP’s proposed $23.7 billion acquisition of Compaq Computer Corp., however. Chief opponent Walter Hewlett said the improved outlook is another sign HP could do well on its own without the risky Compaq merger. 

Hewlett, an HP board member and son of one of the company’s late co-founders, also blasted chairwoman Carly Fiorina for telling an investment conference Monday she is garnering enough shareholder support to win the proxy fight over the deal. 

Hewlett said he is hearing quite the opposite in his meetings with investors, and accused Fiorina of lying so as to “mislead the market.” 

HP spokeswoman Rebeca Robboy took issue with that allegation, and said Fiorina was right to relate “growing support from institutional investors.” Analysts also have remarked recently that shareholder perceptions about the deal appear to be changing. 

“We stand behind the belief that if such momentum continues, we should have a favorable outcome,” Robboy said. 

HP had said on Nov. 14 that revenue in the first quarter, which ended Thursday, likely would drop slightly from the fourth-quarter figure of $10.9 billion. Margins and expenses were expected to be essentially flat. 

But the company said Monday that revenue actually will be “up moderately” from the fourth quarter, with “measurable” increases in gross margins. That translates into earnings “substantially” above analysts’ current forecast of 16 cents per share, excluding one-time charges. 

The company did not provide more specific figures. Full results for the quarter are due to be reported Feb. 13. 

“Economic conditions around the world continue to be challenging, but consumer technology spending is clearly showing some strength,” Fiorina said. 

Investors seemed moderately pleased — despite a broad selloff that pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 2 percent lower Monday, HP shares rose 4 cents to $22.04 on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Merrill Lynch analyst Steven Milunovich raised his HP earnings estimate to 24 cents per share, from 17 cents. But he said he was “somewhat suspicious” of the report because of HP’s desire to win support for the Compaq deal. 

Indeed, HP cited the upgraded outlook as evidence that it is not being distracted by the Compaq integration or the debate over the acquisition. Hewlett and Packard family interests with 18 percent of HP shares vow to vote the deal down and have harshly criticized Fiorina. 

“Our shareowners can be assured that we are on a path toward enhancing, not losing, shareowner value,” Fiorina said at the Goldman Sachs technology conference in Palm Springs. 

Banc of America Securities analyst Joel Wagonfeld raised his first-quarter earnings estimates from 15 cents to 26 cents, though he said the strong consumer demand will be hard to sustain. 

He also said the relatively strong financial reports from HP and Compaq in recent weeks “have improved the credibility of each management team.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Pro-merger page: http://www.votethehpway.com 

Anti-merger page: http://www.votenohpcompaq.com 

SACRAMENTO — Agreeing that California’s benefits for injured workers are woefully inadequate, the Senate voted Monday to raise those weekly payments by more than $300 over four years. 

Senators approved the bill 23-14 with most Democrats supporting the measure and Republicans opposing it. 

The Assembly was expected to quickly approve the bill later Monday and send it to Gov. Gray Davis, who has indicated he will sign the measure after vetoing three previous benefit increases in the last three years. 

The bill’s supporters said the state’s current benefits are a “disgrace,” “shameful,” “grossly low,” and “among the worst in America.” 

“If somebody wants to lose a finger or an eye, move to Pennsylvania,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco. “You’re better off there.” 

The bill would raise California from 49th to about 40th in the country in terms of the level of benefits, supporters said. 

The bill’s legislative backers put the proposal on a fast track after Davis reached agreement last week on a new bill with Democratic lawmakers, labor leaders and attorneys who represent injured workers. 

Opponents said the stepped up process allowed them little input or debate. “Quite frankly, while this house has the ability on 21 votes to jam something through this way, to do it this way is inappropriate,” said Sen. Ray Haynes, R-Riverside.” 

The legislation, by Assemblyman Thomas Calderon, D-Montebello, would pump an extra $2.5 billion into the statewide compensation system, raising maximum benefits for injured workers from today’s $490 a week to $602 next year and $840 in 2006. After 2006, automatic hikes would follow the state’s average wage increases. 

The bill would also double death benefits to a maxim of $320,000. 

The increases would begin Jan. 1, 2003 for job-related injuries suffered on or after date and would be the first increases since 1996. 

Supporters say the benefit increases during the next four years would cost California employers an extra $1 billion, or about one penny per hour per worker. 

They say the bill includes $1.5 billion in systemwide cost savings and reforms that would cover the rest of the increase in benefits. 

But insurers and employers expressed fears those savings would fall far short and that the bill would cost them twice the $1 billion estimated by supporters. 

Davis vetoed workers’ compensation increases in 1999, 2000 and 2001, saying they didn’t force enough cost savings in the system. 

Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga said the governor should veto this one, too. 

“This bill will ultimately cost California jobs,” he said. 

State officials estimate that about 900,000 claims are filed every year for accidents or deaths on the job. Under California’s system, employees are entitled to compensation in exchange for not suing their employers for on-the-job injuries. 

Among those urging approval of the bill Monday were Steve Duncan, 50, of Livermore, who endured 42 surgeries for burns and broken bones since a February 1999 explosion and fire at the Tosco refinery in Martinez. 

Duncan, a pipefitter who was paid $50,000 a year, now receives $490 a week in workers compensation. He called the increases “desperately needed.” 

Duncan’s wife, Gnesa said, “An injury happens to a whole family.” She said they get by because “I’m a good budgeter.” 

But the Duncans would not benefit from the bill because it is not retroactive. 

——————: 

On the Net: 

Read AB749 at www.assembly.ca.gov. 

Visit the California Department of Industrial Relations at www.dir.ca.gov. 

See the California Chamber of Commerce position at www.calchamber. 

The City Council will consider asking for a redesign of the new safety tower and a request from the Peace and Justice Commission to not comply with Attorney General John Ashcroft’s request to question individuals. 

Towering eyesore 

Councilmember Dona Spring is asking that the safety tower behind the Public Safety Building at 2180 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, be taken down and rebuilt as two flagpole-styled antennae. The council recently approved the activation of the tower despite neighborhood protests. 

Neighbors claimed that the tower, which is 17-feet tall, never went through the city’s normal approval process. Spring is asking that the city manager begin an environmental review of two options. One is relocating the tower to the city’s recycling center on Gilman Street and the other is to leave the tower near the Safety Building, but redesigning it, so it’s not so imposing. 

Questionable questioning 

The Police Review Commission and the Peace and Justice Commission are asking the council to approve separate recommendations that the Berkeley Police Department not cooperate with requests from the Attorney General’s Office to question named individuals or interview large groups unless they are suspected of being involved in a specific crime. 

According to the commissions recommendations, they are concerned that the civil rights of men of Middle Eastern decent will be violated. The recommendations also say that the cities of San Francisco, San Jose and Portland, Ore. have declined to cooperate with Justice Department requests.  

City Manager Weldon Rucker has recommended the council not approve the commissions’ recommendations because. Rucker has suggested the Chief of Police should evaluate the validity of each request to question individuals and determine if it infringes on the rights of the involved individuals.  

Closed session 

The council will hold a closed session meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the sixth floor meeting room at 2180 Milvia Street to hold labor negotiations with five unions. 

The unions include Service Employee International Union locals 790, 535 and part-time Service Employee International Union local 535. There will be 10 minutes set aside at the beginning of the meeting for public comment.  

The City Council meeting will be held tonight at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the KPFA Radio, 89.3 and Cable B-TV, Channel 78.

They were asking the question of the hour, working the crowds on the corner of Shattuck Ave. and Center St. Saturday morning, Mike Dilauro and Anthony Redic made their appeal: “Can you spare some change?” 

In a recession, people are unlikely to dig into their pockets and give the guy on the corner a break, mostly because they need a break themselves. 

Plus, an economic slump means the shoppers and tourists who are most likely to give simply are not there. 

“Since Sept. 11, my profits have decreased 75 percent,” said Gary, a 58-year-old saxophonist who has played mellow jazz on Berkeley street corners for the past two years. “They’re still down.”  

But this past week, economic analysts have suggested that Bay Area residents could soon spare a dime. 

National research groups such as the Conference Board and the Institute of Supply Management issued reports saying that they expect economic expansion. 

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that unemployment went down 0.2 percent from December to January.  

On Wednesday, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) announced that the Bay Area economy is likely to recover by the third quarter of 2002. 

ABAG research director and economist Paul Fassinger said his index numbers were encouraging. 

Their index is derived from historical data about the last recession in the early 90s, national economic indicators and indicators specific to this nine-county region, including local construction activity and orders for semiconductors.  

“The index was slightly up for November,” explained Fassinger. “This suggests to us the recession is starting to end. It’s a good prediction for six to nine months down the road.”  

Although he cautioned that the recovery will not bring back the fast, tech-driven growth of the late 90s, he remained optimistic, saying that tourism and financial services businesses, whose revenues are tied to cycles of contraction and expansion, should be the first to get back on their feet. Experts at University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business disagree.  

Research by Ken Rosen, a real estate professor, and Amanda Bishop, a research associate, suggests that the Bay Area economy is unlikely to recover before 2003. Their numbers point to a deep recession where unemployment figures are still down and the housing market is still a buyer’ s market.  

“It won’t feel good until next year,” Rosen has said.  

Berkeley’s deputy city manager does not put much stock in any of these predictions, however. “The down turn in the economy doesn’t affect us the way it affects other cities,” said Phil Kamlarz. 

Though ABAG’s predictions rely on better numbers for certain industries like the technology and automotive industries, Kamlarz said that Berkeley’s fortunes do not change with these tides. “We have a fairly stable revenue base in the city of Berkeley,” said Kamlarz. Berkeley’s large population of university students ensures a steady stream of revenues in the downtown area and the city does not rely on high-tech growth as much as Silicon Valley cities do.  

Even if more people are buying cars because of low interest rates, Berkeley’ s economy does not necessarily feel a boost. “We don’t have major auto malls or shopping centers for revenue generation,” he added. “There is no single retail economic driver. Our economy is very diverse.”  

Indeed, businesses like the furniture store Scandinavian Designs have weathered the recession fairly well. According to Store Manager Geir Fredriksen, revenue at Scandinavian Designs in January of 2002 was down only 1 to 2 percent from January 2001.  

“Certainly we felt the change,” he said. “But it didn’t have as much impact on our business as a when Ikea opened two years ago.” The cheap-chic home furnishings giant took a larger chunk out of their profits than the recession of the last several months.  

But the recession has definitely slimmed the wallets of others in Berkeley. 

B.E., who has been driving a cab in the area for 14 years, says he has fewer and shorter fares these days.  

The Clinton years were flush, but, he said, “It’s been worse after Sept. 11. With all the lay-offs, people are not traveling. They’re trying to spend less and cut costs.”  

The increase in the number of cab companies and the growth of airport shuttles, he adds, makes this recession even harder to bear than the lean times of the past. If the economy is getting better, it isn’t necessarily because there are more jobs in the Bay Area.  

Fassinger admitted that unemployment in the area has just leveled off, but not necessarily decreased.  

The career advisers at Worksource One-Stop Career Center say their offices are still congested. Adrian Harper, whose organization Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) works with Worksource, keeps seeing 50 to 60 people a day walk into the Addison St. office. 

“Since December, it’s never been more crowded,” he said.  

Harper noted that the recession has hit everyone, changing the demographics of the job seekers.  

“It used to be primarily black people. Now that’s changed,” he said, pointing to black, brown and white faces at the computer terminals in the research room. “There’s an older population, too.”  

Rosemary Prior, who was at Worksource on Friday afternoon, agreed. “It’s a particular challenge for the mature, experienced worker,” she said.  

Many job seekers are used to holding a solid, well-paying job and do not want to start at entry-level all over again. 

Although Prior emphasized that she is “very thankful” for having landed a part-time minimum-wage position at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, she is still looking for other opportunities. The Berkeley resident, who has a background in non-profits and eventually hopes to do faith-based motivational-speaking, says she is trying to stay positive in the face of grim prospects.  

“I haven’t seen any improvements,” said Prior. “I’m not into the hype.”  

Harper, who has also been monitoring the other BOSS offices in Oakland and Hayward, hasn’t seen improvements either.  

“If it’s gotten better,” said Harper, “I’d like to know which city it’s in.”  

Mendoza, who used to work for a non-profit agency, was willing to commute anywhere, even to East Palo Alto from her San Francisco residence. She got a call from one of the firms, Campus Connections three weeks into January saying that it had placed her with a small accounting firm.  

“I was about to take anything,” said Mendoza, who was worried that her unemployment checks were about the run out. “But this came at the right time.”  

Some Berkeley residents have not fared too badly in January either. Nate Byerley, who says his girlfriend, a massage therapist, just found a steady job in San Francisco, had only been on the hunt for ten days before he found something. Shortly after he stopped working on an Americorps project, he landed a full-time position with a decorative landscaping company and was able to bargain for better terms.  

“I got to negotiate my salary because they weren’t paying me benefits,” said Byerley. “They wanted to pay me $12 an hour, but I got them to pay me $14.50.” 

Those who have found work haven’t necessarily found their dream job or even a job with the full buffet of benefits, but they are relieved to have income. And, judging by the number of people with shopping bags on downtown Berkeley’s main drag on Saturday morning, they are willing to spend it.  

“People seem willing to give,” said Redic, showing the $10 in bills and coins he and Dilauro had collected in the two hours they had been standing in front of the cash machines at Wells Fargo Bank. 

“I mean, people seem to be taking out money at these machines.”  

Editor: 

Its hard to know whether to laugh or cry at the latest reinvention of Berkeley politics, the Nimby Party (aptly nicknamed the "Berkeley Party").  

For these visionaries, our city, once known for championing noble truths (the Free Speech Movement) and international justice (the anti-apartheid fight) will now carry the banner of defense of the status quo. Yes, in this world of finite resources, swelling populations, and increasing disparities of wealth and opportunity, by all means, let's not only put a fence around our city and keep out all those undesirable extra people, let's go one step further and put up fences around all the neighborhoods, the better to keep out those annoying "outsiders" from other parts of the city who want to start businesses, build housing, use the parks, and otherwise abuse the sensibilities of our new arbiters of truth, "neighborhood activists." That's surely a philosophical base that will end the bickering in our city government. 

Tom McHenry 

Berkeley 

Monday, Feb. 4

National Organization for Women 

6:30 - 8 p.m. 

6536 Telegraph Ave. 

February meeting of the Oakland East Bay Chapter of NOW. 287-8948. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

The Alexander Technique 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley YWCA 

2600 Bancroft Way 

Introductory workshop discussing the basic principles of this method, and demonstrate how you can apply them in ordinary movements. $15 members, $23 non-members. 848-6370. 

Tuesday, Feb. 5

Do War and Justice Mix? 

5:30 p.m. 

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 

Dinner Board Room 

2400 Ridge Rd. 

The Center for Ethics and Social Policy presents Dr. Martin Cook, 

professor of ethics at the U.S. Army War College, discussing just war theory 

and the modern political climate. Free and open to the public. 549-5060. 

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Get Connected: The Magic of Mingling 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches mingling strategies for social occasions. $10, $8 members. 848-0237 x127 

Copwatch 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Know Your Rights Training, learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely. 548-0425. 

Bringing Shabbat to Life: A Shabbat Workshop 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches how to bring fun and peaceful family time to Shabbat through crafts, creative ideas and family projects. $5, $4 members. 848-0237 x127 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Gregory Curtin lectures on “Transforming Local Government - The Impact of the Internet and New Information Technology”. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Planting Rice, Harvesting Slaves:  

Generational and Gendered Struggles  

on the Upper Guinea Coast in the Era  

of the Atlantic Slave Trade 

4 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley  

3335 Dwinelle, Level "C" 

A talk by Walter Hawthorne of Ohio University. Sponsored by Department of History, Department of African-American Studies, and Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

Relationship Seminar 

7 - 9 p.m. 

First Presbyterian Church of Alameda 

2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda 

A four session seminar, Wednesdays, Feb. 6 - 27, on developing and deepening healthy interpersonal relationships. 522-1477. 

Thursday, Feb. 7

Help Put an End to the  

Sanctions Against Haiti 

4:30 p.m. 

Federal Building 

1301 Clay St., Oakland 

A vigil with music and speakers. 483-7481, haitiaction@yahoo.com.  

Backpacking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Veteran backpacker, Eric Rorer, shares slides and information on his recent adventure in the Refuge’s Franklin Mountains. 527-7377 

Why I Quit the Livermore Nuclear Labs 

6 - 8 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, 155 Dwinelle 

Dr. Andreas Toupadakis presents a lecture on U. S. Foreign Policy leading up to 9/11 and its effects on global security. UCBNOW@hotmail.com. 

Friday, Feb. 8

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft 

Vigil urging the end of Israeli Occupation of West Bank and Gaza. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org.  

Middendorf Breath Workshop 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Middendorf Breath Institute 

830 Bancroft Way, #104 (the corner of Bancroft and 6th St.) 

The Institute Staff will conduct a day and a half Breath and Movement Workshop. Workshop fee is $100. 981-1710, www.breathexperience.com 

Saturday, Feb. 9

Earthquake Retrofitting Class 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

The Office of Emergency Services offers a free class to show how to strengthen a wood frame home by installing expansion and epoxy bolts, shear paneling and structural hardware.  

Afro-Centric Thoughts in Process Workshop 

3 p.m. 

Black Repertory Group 

3201 Adeline St. 

Black Consciousness for and about Africans born in America, also celebrating knowledge beginning with the birth of human life in Africa six million years ago. 652-2120 or 841-0392. 

Black History Month Rally 

2 p.m. 

Frank Ogawa City Hall Plaza, 14th & Broadway, Oakland 

Berkeley High School 

Men's Crew Team  

Annual Ergathon Fundraiser 

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

BHS is the only public school on the West Coast offering crew to its students. Less than 2% of the team's annual budget comes from the BHS Athletic Department. 559-3179, jldulay@attbi.com. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Fundraiser  

6 p.m. 

Kensington Youth Hut 

59 Arlington Ave., Kensington 

19th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser for the nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and education in flyfishing. 524-0428. 

Valentine-Making Workshop 

1 - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library  

1247 Marin Ave., Albany 

The Albany Library is sponsoring a Valentine-Making Workshop, make one to keep and one to donate to Meals on Wheels. 526-3720 x19. 

Sunday, Feb. 10

Salsa Dance Party and Lesson 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Novices are welcomed, and nobody is required to bring a partner. $12. 508-4616, ronniematisalsa@yahoo.com 

Valentines Dance 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will perform. $15, $18 at door. 420-4560 

Special Day with Susan Crane: Plowshares Activist 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship 

1924 Cedar 

“Loving Your Enemies: A Revolution of Values.” Susan shares her spiritual journey which led to three terms in prison and living in Jonah House. 524-6064, hcarlstad@aol.com. 

John J. McNeill 

11 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

Spiritual leader, activist and author of The Church and the Homosexual will speak at the New Spirit Community Church 11 a.m. Worship Celebration. 849-8280, admin@newspiritchurch.org. 

Monday, Feb. 11

Perfect Couples 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

2576 Shattuck Ave., Suite 7 

A group for singles who don’t want to be. For men and women in their 20’s and 30’s. $30 per session, 8 week commitment. Catherine Auman, MFT. 848-3511. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

An Evening of Music, Song, and Speech 

7 p.m. 

AK Press 

674-A 23rd St., Oakland 

Progressive minded singers and organizers will perform and speak. $5. 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Per Petterrson lectures as part of the Positive Political Theory Seminar. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Wetland Restoration 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline, Oakland 

Restoration activities include planting native and removing non-native plants, shoreline clean-ups, and water quality monitoring. Gloves and tools are provided. 452-9261, mlatta@savesfbay.org 

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

1840 Alcatraz 

The UNtraining offers personal work for white people to address our unconscious racial conditioning. $10. 235-6134. 

Wednesday, Feb. 13

Near-death Experience Support Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers a supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 531-6393. 

Lady ’Jackets get an easy win over Reno 

Going into Saturday night’s game against Reno High, the Berkeley girls’ basketball team’s five-game winning streak seemed to be in serious jeopardy. After all, the ’Jackets were facing the defending Nevada state champs without one of their key players, freshman center Devanei Hampton, and senior star Sabrina Keys on the bench. Instead, it turned into yet another routine Berkeley victory. 

The ’Jackets (12-7) jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back against the smaller, slower Huskies (15-7). Although Reno would score the next seven points, Berkeley immediately pulled away with an 8-2 run on the way to a 58-38 win. 

Keys, who didn’t start because she was late to the game, still scored 16 points with 8 rebounds to lead the ’Jackets. Fellow senior Angelita Hutton had 8 steals, including 5 in the second quarter alone, and scored 12 points, and point guard Shaquita Brown pitched in with 10 points. 

Reno’s lone offensive threat was center Jessica Stewart, who scored 12 points on a variety of post moves. But with Stewart in foul trouble for much of the game, the Huskies couldn’t get anything going against the suffocating Berkeley press. The game could have been a huge blowout if the ’Jackets had executed better offensively, as they shot just 24-of-65 from the floor (36 percent). 

“We should have converted more opportunities on offense,” Berkeley head coach Gene Nakamura said. “We missed an awful lot of two-footers.” 

Even without the 6-foot-3 Hampton, who injured her knee last weekend, Nakamura’s squad dominated the boards, 32-23. Keys got support from Natasha Bailey and Myette Anderson, who each pulled down 5 rebounds, as Berkeley often seemed to be playing under the basket by themselves. 

“It’s different without Devanei in there, because we know we can get every rebound between us,” Keys said. “But our other posts did really well tonight.” 

Stewart gave the ’Jackets a bit of trouble inside, but guarding Keys while carrying her team offensively was too much to ask. She picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter with the score 20-14 in Berkeley’s favor, but when Stewart headed to the bench, the ’Jackets immediately went on a run, scoring 6 points in less than 30 seconds. And although Stewart scored 6 points in the third quarter to keep her team within 10 points of Berkeley, a 7-0 run to start the final quarter for Berkeley put the game away. 

The final minutes of the game turned into a highlight reel for Berkeley. Keys hit an NBA-range 3-pointer with the shot clock running out, then freshman guard Danisha Wright made a couple of crowd-pleasing moves. The 5-foot-0 bit of quicksilver drove the lane for a falling layup, then went inside again for a running putback at the buzzer, bringing the crowd to its feet. 

Nakamura appreciated Wright’s spectacular plays, but he was also pleased with the general play of his bench, a traditional Berkeley strength that hasn’t always been reliable this season. 

“Danisha has flashes of brilliance, but she also sometimes goes in and has problems,” Nakamura said. “But our reserves have been getting better. These games are good because I like putting different people in pressure situations and see how they react.”

Late-model Volvos and at least one limousine clogged up a tiny street in the Berkeley Hills Saturday afternoon, as former Mayor Loni Hancock, a Democratic candidate in the 14th District Assembly race, held her last Berkeley fundraiser before the March 15 primary. 

Around 150 people -- many of them familiar faces from the glory days of Berkeley Citizens Action -- turned out to the home of Helen Moncharsh to give to Hancock’s campaign and to hear from her most high-profile supporter: Senator Barbara Boxer. 

Among the local Hancock supporters in attendance were Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio, Berkeley Unified School District board members Terry Doran and Joaquin Rivera, former Ron Dellums aide Bob Brauer and Wally Adeyemo and Josh Fryday of the Associated Students of the University of California. 

Boxer gave Hancock a rousing introduction, saying that she numbered Hancock and her husband, Tom Bates among her personal heroes. 

Bates represented the 14th District in the Assembly between 1976 and 1996. 

“They don’t have to take a poll to figure out what’s right,” she said. 

Boxer said that though Hancock faced significant opposition in the person of Charles Ramsey, she was confident that Hancock -- who, she said, represented the district’s traditional interests -- would be elected. 

“With the working men and women on your side, with youth, with the progressive community, the environmental community, the peace movement -- that’s Berkeley,” said Boxer. “That’s why you’re going to win.” 

Hancock acknowledged the ASUC representatives along with at least two Berkeley High School students in the crowd. She said that all her supporters, of all ages, would have to pull very hard in the four and a half weeks remaining before the primary. 

“Over the next 32 days, we’re going to make this something for all generations,” she said. 

Hancock, who served as head of the Western Regional Office of the US Department of Education during the Clinton administration, emphasized the need to rebuild the California school system, which she said had fallen into deep disrepair. 

“I’m going to use the experience I had in Berkeley and in the Department of Education to fight for our schools every day in Sacramento,” Hancock said. 

Hancock said that her platform -- which, in addition to education, focuses on environmental protection, public transportation and health care -- would follow and build upon the Berkeley tradition, which, she said, has always been at the forefront of such issues. 

“This district has always been the district that has defined what is possible in the state,” she said. 

Fred Collignon, a former City Councilmember and professor at UC Berkeley, said that though he had his differences with Hancock in the past, his decision to support Hancock was an easy one. “I worked with her all the time, across political lines,” said Fred Collignon. “I find her to be a very talented lady.” 

After the speeches, Carole Norris, a one-time BCA candidate for the Berkeley City Council, told the crowd that though each of them had already given, Hancock needed to raise an additional $5,000 for an upcoming advertising campaign. 

Norris called out to the throng, asking who could give $500. Four hands went up, each of them receiving applause in turn. She asked who could give $250. Fewer people stepped forward. There were quite a few pledges but it was unclear, by the end, whether the $5,000 had been raised. 

Editor: 

Thank you for your consistent coverage of the controversial public safety building tower. It is important for Berkeley residents to understand that the negative impacts of the tower go far beyond aesthetics. The sixteen transmitting antennas on the tower emit extremely high levels of radiofrequency radiation.  

In Summerland, CA, the fire department is suing Nextel to remove antennas installed on their stationhouse a few years ago, because the firefighters began suffering grogginess, confusion, sleep disorders and other mental problems soon after the antennas were installed.  

Just last month, a court in Spain ordered the removal of an antenna near a school after four children developed leukemia within 18 months of the antenna's installation. 

The tower is immediately adjacent to McKinley House, a transitional shelter for women and children.  

It is also within two blocks of two grade schools and Berkeley High.  

It is my fear that in ten or twenty years, radiation from radio and cell phone towers will pose an even bigger public health crisis than lead paint and tobacco pose today, and all because the government, once again, stands behind false industry assurances as to the safety of their dangerous products. 

Concerned citizens should tell the council that industrial installations like the tower do not belong near schools and residences. 

Erica Etelson 

Berkeley

Cal used a bruising inside game to battle Arizona State for a 67-59 victory at Haas Pavilion on Saturday night.  

The win pushed Cal’s record to 15-5 overall, 6-4 in Pac-10 play, for a fifth-place tie with Stanford in the Pac-10 standings. Arizona State fell to 11-9 (4-7) and stayed in seventh place. 

Freshman Amit Tamir led the Golden Bears in scoring with 13 points, closely followed by Joe Shipp’s 12 and Solomon Hughes’ 11. The latter made his second straight start after coming off the bench for four games and missing four games following a knee injury. 

For ASU, forward Tommy Smith led the way with 15 points, followed by 13 from Shawn Redhage. 

Cal needed a more productive effort from Hughes, who had just 2 points and 1 rebound two days earlier against Arizona, because Jamal Sampson was ineffective for the second straight game. The freshman center, bothered by an illness, came off the bench, picked up four fouls in just seven minutes and didn’t score. Hughes, meanwhile, shot 5-for-7 from the field, grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. 

“I really thought Solomon came out here with aggression,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said. “I think he came out here with enthusiasm. He was still tired a little bit tonight. He’s getting his timing back.” 

Braun added, “He was really personally hurt after Thursday night. I told him, ‘Hey, be patient, Solomon, it’s going to take some time. You’ve got to take little steps.’ This was a major step on his way back.” 

The 6-foot-11 Hughes abused ASU center Chad Prewitt in the low post, scoring on the 6-foot-9 senior and helping to shut him down. Prewitt had averaged 20.7 points in his last 11 games, but the man ASU coach Rob Evans calls “the best post man in this league” managed just nine points against Hughes and Sampson. 

Saturday was a tight, physical game that featured plenty of good defense. The Bears made a concerted effort to get the ball inside – Cal scored 28 points in the paint – and, in the process, get to the foul line. ASU, conversely, took and missed plenty of perimeter shots, especially in the first half, and did not get to the line much. Cal shot 18-for-22 from the charity stripe to just 8-for-13 for ASU. 

The Sun Devils also shot just 39 percent from the field to Cal’s 40 percent. ASU did out-rebound Cal, 42-27, grabbing a big edge (20-5) in offensive boards. 

“We knew going into this game it was going to be probably as physical a game as we’re going to play to this point,” Braun said. “That’s a trademark from Arizona State. I told our guys. We prepared them this week in practice. ‘We’re going to get hit. There’s going to grab loose balls. They’re going to grab offensive rebounds. That’s their game. That’s their identity.’ I thought our guys through that hung in there.” 

The most unusual stats of the night concerned the top rebounders for each team, both guards. Brian Wethers pulled down eight boards for Cal, while, amazingly, 6-foot-2 Curtis Millage grabbed 11 for ASU. 

“Brian is a separator,” Braun said. “I told him, ‘We’re going to need more sometimes.’ He told me he was disappointed. He wanted to get 10-plus.”

Tutors at BHS student learning center go unpaid 

In 1999, in its inaugural year, Berkeley High School’s Student Learning Center, which provides tutoring and college preparatory classes during the 

day, and serves as a drop-in tutoring center after school, had two co-directors, 30 tutors and a bounce in its step.  

Today, the SLC, developed in large part to address the “achievement gap” separating white and minority students, has one director, five tutors and a financial crisis on its hands. 

In December, the program, funded largely through grant money, spent the last of its allotment from a three-year, federal “twenty-first century” grant, leaving it unable to pay last semester’s tutors fully. 

The tutors, UC Berkeley students, also received payment through the university’s Professional Development Program, and Crystal McClendon-Gourdine, SLC director, says the high school administration is working to come up with its full share of the tutor salaries. 

Prior to the 2001-2002 school year, the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project, or BSEP, the center’s other major grant funder, cut its annual grant to the program from over $100,000 the previous year to about $24,000 this year.  

McClendon-Gourdine says the decline in funding has affected the quality of SLC services. “The activities are the same,” she said, making reference to the tutorials, college tours and writing coaches at the heart of the program. “The individualized attention and level of engagement is different.” 

But Dan Fingerman, chair of the BSEP Berkeley High School Site Committee, defended his organization’s decision to cut funding. He noted that BSEP must divide its dollars, derived from a special local tax, between over 30 worthy programs at the high school. He also argued that the Student Learning Center’s shortcomings preceded the funding cuts, and in fact, led to those cuts. 

“I don’t know which is the cart and which is the horse,” he said, referring to the cuts and decline in services. “To some degree the decrease in funding came as a result of the center not quite providing the support we hoped it would.” 

An evaluation of the program in its first year, by a pair of UC Berkeley graduate students, called the center, which serves a largely African-American and Latino student base, an “active and dynamic place,” and recorded several positive comments by tutors and students, who talked of improved study skills and beneficial trips to college campuses.  

But, it also pointed to a series of problems – uneven performance by tutors, a lack of communication and a leadership that was often absent.  

Fingerman also points to data showing little improvement in the grade point averages of SLC students. 

“It’s a legitimate concern, because everyone wants higher GPAs,” said McClendon-Gourdine. But, the director argued that the high school and district administration has never given the center the proper professional development, curricular support and financial backing it needs to flourish. 

Mary Ann Valles, BHS co-principal, said historically, the center has not received proper backing. 

“They could have been the beneficiaries of greater support in previous years,” she acknowledged. Valles added that a program like the SLC generally takes about five years to establish itself, suggesting that the center has not had adequate time to yield measurable results. 

Shirley Issel, president of the Board of Education, said part of the problem is a lack of coordination between high school support services – from the Student Learning Center, to guidance counselors, to the BHS health center. “Programs like the SLC have tended to operate in isolation from other programs on site,” she said. 

Valles said the high school began to address the problem last year with the formation of a “support providers group.”  

McClendon-Gourdine said the center, in its headier days, was able to address the issue, to some degree, by assigning several of its tutors to serve as "youth advocates." With more funding, she said, the center could put the advocates back in place. But, at this point, with the school district in serious fiscal trouble, the future of the program is unclear. According to the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, a state agency that has been providing the district with financial advice since October, the district is $1.6 million in debt this year, and will be $7.8 million in debt next year if the Board of Education does not make cuts. 

Joaquin Rivera, vice president of the school board, said he believes the Student Learning Center is a quality program and hopes it will remain in place. 

But, he said the SLC, like other programs that have depended on grant funding since their inception, present the district with a particularly difficult challenge in tight times. 

“You get the grants and they dry up in a few years and the district is supposed to pick up the slack,” Rivera said. “It’s hard for the districts. We’re strapped for cash.” 

Lamont Harper and Kendall Murphy, sophomores at Berkeley High School who participate in the center’s Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID program, which focuses on students with a 2.0-3.5 GPA who want to go to college, say the district should do all it can to maintain funding for the SLC. 

“This is one of the programs at the school that helps you get into college,” said Harper, who placed particular emphasis on a writing program that allows students to work through several drafts of papers, and improve their skills. “We need to fund it.”  

Editor: 

It has been two years now since I resigned as the Director of the c Folk Festival, and people still come up to me and thank me profusely--some with tears in their eyes. Then they ask the inevitable question: "Why did you move the Festival from Fellowship Hall to Ashkenaz?" I am writing this letter to answer this question.  

I started the Festival in 1995 after an inspiring conversation with David Nadel, the late owner of Ashkenaz. I wanted to create a joyful venue for the expression of folk music. From the beginning, the Festival received an outpouring of enthusiastic support from many of the talented musicians and artists living in the Bay Area, the volunteers who helped produce the Festival, the local arts councils and foundations that provided funding, and the audience members who came to enjoy the free music.  

The first four festivals (1996-1999) were held at the Unitarian Universalists' Fellowship Hall in North Berkeley. Fellowship Hall is unique to Berkeley. It has a main hall, a large fenced outdoor area with ample play facilities for children, indoor rooms for workshops, and plenty of space for the informal "jamming" that occurs spontaneously when folk musicians get together.  

Fellowship Hall contributed greatly to the atmosphere and positive feeling of the Festival, and I do not believe a more appropriate venue could be found in any metropolitan area. I am very grateful to the Unitarian Universalists for allowing us to hold our Festival at their beautiful facility. 

It was my intention from the beginning to keep the Festival small and manageable, both to insure my ability to do the work required and also in keeping with the philosophy that folk music should be presented in an intimate setting with good acoustics.  

In my capacity as Festival Director, I worked approximately 700 hours each year as a volunteer, in addition to my full-time paid employment, which made size and manageability critical. 

There was a dark side that until now I have spoken little about, in order to preserve the integrity and spirit of the Festival itself.  

However, it has become apparent that in spite of the spontaneous outpouring of enthusiasm and hard work by everyone involved, the Festival has, in effect, been destroyed by one individual --an individual who wants to be seen as a well-meaning crusader on behalf of the disabled.  

In spite of all our efforts, few months after the 1999 Festival, the Board of Unitarian Universalists called me to say that we would no longer be allowed torent Fellowship Hall. I was later told that they were threatened with a lawsuit and that they were not willing to deal with this potential problem--even though I firmly believe any lawsuit would have been meritless. Obviously,  

Festival management never had any desire to hold the Festival in an inappropriate venue, but there are many considerations including acoustics, manageability, available facilities, parking and transit access, and the cost of renting a facility that go into selecting a site for a festival. No site is perfect and all the available choices involve some compromise. Balancing all of these considerations, the Festival Board of Advisors and I concluded that Fellowship Hall was the best available location and we chose to stay there. 

The Berkeley Free Folk Festival had its own integrity and might eventually have grown into something larger if funding and volunteer power had become available.  

As it is, we'll probably never know because the new Director and I have both spent so much time fending off the attacks, demands, and histrionics that there has been little time left over to raise money or consider plans for an event larger than already exists.  

In all probability there will not be another Festival. 

Editor: 

It has been two years now since I resigned as the Director of the c Folk Festival, and people still come up to me and thank me profusely--some with tears in their eyes. Then they ask the inevitable question: "Why did you move the Festival from Fellowship Hall to Ashkenaz?" I am writing this letter to answer this question.  

I started the Festival in 1995 after an inspiring conversation with David Nadel, the late owner of Ashkenaz. I wanted to create a joyful venue for the expression of folk music. From the beginning, the Festival received an outpouring of enthusiastic support from many of the talented musicians and artists living in the Bay Area, the volunteers who helped produce the Festival, the local arts councils and foundations that provided funding, and the audience members who came to enjoy the free music.  

The first four festivals (1996-1999) were held at the Unitarian Universalists' Fellowship Hall in North Berkeley. Fellowship Hall is unique to Berkeley. It has a main hall, a large fenced outdoor area with ample play facilities for children, indoor rooms for workshops, and plenty of space for the informal "jamming" that occurs spontaneously when folk musicians get together.  

Fellowship Hall contributed greatly to the atmosphere and positive feeling of the Festival, and I do not believe a more appropriate venue could be found in any metropolitan area. I am very grateful to the Unitarian Universalists for allowing us to hold our Festival at their beautiful facility. 

It was my intention from the beginning to keep the Festival small and manageable, both to insure my ability to do the work required and also in keeping with the philosophy that folk music should be presented in an intimate setting with good acoustics.  

In my capacity as Festival Director, I worked approximately 700 hours each year as a volunteer, in addition to my full-time paid employment, which made size and manageability critical. 

There was a dark side that until now I have spoken little about, in order to preserve the integrity and spirit of the Festival itself.  

However, it has become apparent that in spite of the spontaneous outpouring of enthusiasm and hard work by everyone involved, the Festival has, in effect, been destroyed by one individual --an individual who wants to be seen as a well-meaning crusader on behalf of the disabled.  

In spite of all our efforts, few months after the 1999 Festival, the Board of Unitarian Universalists called me to say that we would no longer be allowed torent Fellowship Hall. I was later told that they were threatened with a lawsuit and that they were not willing to deal with this potential problem--even though I firmly believe any lawsuit would have been meritless. Obviously,  

Festival management never had any desire to hold the Festival in an inappropriate venue, but there are many considerations including acoustics, manageability, available facilities, parking and transit access, and the cost of renting a facility that go into selecting a site for a festival. No site is perfect and all the available choices involve some compromise. Balancing all of these considerations, the Festival Board of Advisors and I concluded that Fellowship Hall was the best available location and we chose to stay there. 

The Berkeley Free Folk Festival had its own integrity and might eventually have grown into something larger if funding and volunteer power had become available.  

As it is, we'll probably never know because the new Director and I have both spent so much time fending off the attacks, demands, and histrionics that there has been little time left over to raise money or consider plans for an event larger than already exists.  

In all probability there will not be another Festival. 

Jessica Bryan 

Felton, California 

Felton, California 

Let’s see: Stanford beats Cal 79-52 on Wednesday. Cal heads into Saturday’s rematch with its archrival without its best player. The makings of a Cinderella story? Sorry, afraid not. 

The Cardinal used a delicate balance of sharp outside shooting and old-fashioned muscle to beat the Bears into submission on Saturday at Haas Pavilion, winning 79-51 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. With Cal senior forward Ami Forney bedridden with the flu and 6-foot-5 post Olga Volkova on crutches after spraining her ankle during a shootaround, the Bears were in no shape to put up much of a fight and were out-rebounded 49-35. 

From the post-game comments, it sounded as if Stanford just barely escaped with a win, rather than cruising to a 27-point win. 

“We missed a lot of shots that usually go down for us,” Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer said. 

“We just kind of held them off for most of the game. It wasn’t the best game we’ve ever played,” Stanford guard Nicole Powell said. 

The talent gap between the two teams was no more evident than late in the first half. Stanford, already comfortably ahead, put four freshmen on the court, while Cal was still going with their top lineup. Yet Stanford still looked remarkably superior, with freshman guard Sebnem Kimyaciouglu lighting the Bears up for four 3-pointers in the half, including one just before the buzzer that put the Cardinal up 42-27 at halftime. 

“I guess (the Stanford coaches) want me to shoot a little more, and it helps my confidence knowing they won’t take me out if I miss,” Kimyaciouglu said. 

It helped that she didn’t miss very much. The former Pinewood High star finished 5-of-7 from the field, scoring 14 points, one of four Stanford players who reached double figures. The Bears, on the other hand, missed a lot, shooting just 29 percent from the field and going 3-for-18 from behind the arc. The poor shooting effort not only doomed the Bears to defeat, it made them passive on defense against one of the most explosive teams in the country. 

“We wanted to press more, because we know they don’t like pressure,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “But we have to score to press, and we didn’t do that.” 

The lone bright spot for Cal was the play of redshirt freshman Kiki Williams. Always aggressive offensively, Williams turned it up a notch on Saturday while starting in Forney’s place. She put up 14 shots in her 24 minutes of play, scoring 18 points and showing good inside-out ability with two 3-pointers and some nice post moves. 

“The last game I only took three shots,” Williams said. “Even if I don’t make the first couple, I know I have to keep shooting.” 

On Feb. 4, 1789, electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. 

On this date: 

In 1783, Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America. 

In 1801, John Marshall was sworn in as chief justice of the United States. 

In 1861, delegates from six Southern states met in Montgomery, Ala., to form the Confederate States of America. 

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid. 

In 1945, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta. 

In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the Symbionese Liberation Army. 

In 1976, more than 22,000 people died when a severe earthquake struck Guatemala and Honduras. 

In 1977, 11 people were killed when two cars of a Chicago Transit Authority train fell off elevated tracks after a collision with another train. 

In 1982, President Reagan announced a plan to eliminate all medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe. 

Steenburgen patronizes arts 

LOS ANGELES — Mary Steenburgen is becoming an active supporter of the fine arts. 

The Oscar-winning actress will be presenting a painting exhibition Feb. 21 at a Beverly Hills art gallery. 

The exhibition will feature the works of Los Angeles-based portrait artist America Martin, who went to high school with Steenburgen’s 21-year-old daughter, Lily McDowell. 

“I can’t really compare her to another artist,” Steenburgen told The Associated Press. “She’s very on the edge in terms of her exploration. ... It’s kind of amazing that someone so young would see inside people the way she does.” 

Queen Mother on recovery bed 

LONDON — The Queen Mother Elizabeth is “progressing” in her recovery from a bug she caught over Christmas, her daughter Queen Elizabeth II said Sunday. 

The 101-year-old royal matriarch has been absent from public engagements since late November. 

The queen told well-wishers at the royal family’s Sandringham estate in eastern England that the queen mother was getting better. 

Rockette high-kicks Radio City 

NEW YORK — A former Rockette wants to give Radio City officials a high, hard kick where it really hurts — in the wallet. 

Pamela Everett says in a $2.5 million lawsuit against Radio City Entertainment that her former employer is illegally using her photographs for commercial purposes. 

The dancer says her likeness has appeared on dolls, postcards, pens, pencils, McDonald’s placemats, Federal Express ads, Nynex calling cards, disposable cameras, New York City subway maps and milk containers. 

Court papers filed last week say Radio City has given some of Everett’s photos virtual makeovers by changing her teeth, eyes, nose, hair and eyebrows, by placing her head on another body and by giving her body non-matching hands. 

“Radio City has made such use of Everett’s likeness without her consent and without compensation to her,” court papers say. 

Susan Arons, a spokeswoman for the music hall, said she had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it. But she said Radio City owns the photos it takes of Rockettes while they work for the company. 

WASHINGTON — President Bush is sending Congress a $2.12 trillion spending plan Monday that seeks to recognize the “new realities” confronting the nation since Sept. 11. It proposes the biggest jump in defense spending in two decades and a record increase in money devoted to making Americans more secure at home. 

The budget tries to revive an anti-recession stimulus package that stalled late last year in the Senate. It also seeks billions of dollars more in future years to make permanent the biggest economic victory of Bush’s first year in office, a sweeping, across-the-board tax cut. 

But the spending plan for the 2003 budget year must face the new realities of a reduced financial situation — $4 trillion in disappearing surpluses because of the recession and that tax cut. 

To do that, Bush wants to squeeze government programs from highway construction to job training and environmental projects. 

Congressional Democrats are pledging a fight to restore spending for their priorities and to oppose tax breaks in Bush’s stimulus package for the wealthy and corporations. 

“There are a lot of us who question whether or not we really need to have a major stimulus package. Many people think we’re coming out of this recession,” Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said Sunday on CNN’s “Late Edition.” 

White House budget director Mitchell Daniels said Bush was prepared to negotiate the elements of a stimulus package and the overall budget as long as it did not compromise his top goals. 

“There’s certainly no give in terms of doing what it takes to safeguard America and to win the war against terror,” Daniels said on “Fox News Sunday.” “These are sort of non-negotiable items ... and the president’s going to do what it takes.” 

In the message to accompany his budget, Bush said his spending plan “recognizes the new realities confronting our nation. ... It is a plan to fight a war we did not seek, but a war we are determined to win.” 

Bush’s budget asks Congress to increase defense spending to $379 billion in 2003. That is an increase of $48 billion, or 14.5 percent, making it the biggest one-year jump in defense since 1982 under Ronald Reagan. 

Overall, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the president’s 2003 budget seeks to spend $2.12 trillion for the 2003 budget year beginning Oct. 1 — a 3.4 percent increase from projected spending this year of $2.05 trillion. 

The current 2002 budget represents the first time government outlays will top the $2 trillion mark. That milestone is occurring just 15 years after the government recorded its first $1 trillion budget in 1987. 

The current year’s budget represents a 10.2 percent jump in overall spending from 2001. To restrain spending to a proposed 3.4 percent increase next year while still boosting defense and security, Bush is asking Congress to cut a number of popular programs. 

Those reductions include trimming $9 billion from highway programs, cuts to a popular youth job training program and a freeze on new water projects built by the Army Corps of Engineers. 

Those steps will make room for the defense increase and a near doubling of spending devoted to homeland security, to $37.7 billion in 2003. 

Bush’s budget will also include further increases in education, one of his priority areas, including a new proposed tax credit worth up to $2,500 per child to help families cover the cost of private school tuition and other expenses to move their children out of schools with persistently low test scores. The cost of the tax credit was put at $3.7 billion over five years. 

The shrinking of the projected surplus by $4 trillion has forced the administration to delay one of Bush’s major campaign planks, bolstering Social Security. Also set aside for now is Bush’s goal from his first budget of paying off $2 trillion of the national debt. 

The spending document projects that the government, which managed four consecutive budget years of surpluses from 1998 through 2001 — last accomplished seven decades ago — will return to deficits this year. The document projects red ink of $106 billion in the current year, $80 billion for the 2003 budget and a $14 billion deficit in 2004, before returning to the black.

SAN FRANCISCO — Venture capitalists emerged from the dot-com debris to finance more fresh ideas late last year, helping to lift quarterly investments in startups for the first time since the Internet bubble burst, according to a study to be released Monday. 

Startups across the country received $7.1 billion in venture capital during the fourth quarter, a 2 percent improvement from the third quarter, based on statistics collected for the National Venture Capital Association by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Venture Economics. 

It marked the first time venture capital volume climbed from the previous quarter since the industry showered entrepreneurs with $26.3 billion during the three months ended June 2000. 

Around the same time, the stock market began to shun the unprofitable dot-coms that venture capitalists had nurtured in previous years, triggering a painful shakeout. The fourth-quarter bounce may signal the early stages of a turnaround, according to venture capital experts. 

“We have bottomed out and are clearly on the road to recovery,” said John Taylor, vice president of research for the National Venture Capital Association, the industry’s main trade group. 

Despite the fourth-quarter uptick, venture capital investment continued its drastic decline on a year-to-year basis. The fourth-quarter activity represented a 67 percent drop from the $20.9 billion invested during the same period in 2000. 

For all of 2001, venture capitalists invested $36.5 billion, a 63 percent decline from a $99.6 billion spree in 2000. The 2000 figure lowers the National Venture Capital Association’s previous estimate of $104 billion for that year. 

The revision resulted from the trade group’s decision to use joint data compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Venture Economics, which previously released competing surveys. 

As they enter 2002, most venture capitalists believe they will build on the modest momentum of last year’s final quarter. 

“I wouldn’t say we are much above the bottom, but at least it doesn’t feel like we are going back down again,” said Gregory Sands, general partner of Sutter Hill Ventures in Palo Alto. 

Last year, venture capitalists devoted most of their time and money to trying to salvage the best startups in their portfolios while pulling the plug on the weakest . With much of the dot-com mess behind them, venture capitalists are “starting to look outward again,” said Philip Sanderson, general partner of WaldenVC in San Francisco. As they re-enter the fray, venture capitalists are focusing more on biotechnology. 

The $1 billion that venture capitalists invested in biotech startups during the final three months of 2001 represented a quarterly record for the sector. 

Biotech accounted for 14 percent of all venture capital investments in the fourth quarter. In contrast, the $867.6 million invested in biotech during the fourth quarter of 2000 accounted for 4 percent of the total volume. 

Plenty of venture capital remains to be invested. Venture capitalists started the year with about $50 billion at their disposal, estimated Jesse Reyes, a vice president for Venture Economics. 

The surplus is one reason venture capitalists aren’t raising as much money as they were a few years ago. Institutional investors also are trimming their venture capital portfolios. With those forces at work, venture capitalists in the fourth quarter raised $9 billion for future investments, a 65 percent decline from the prior year, according to VentureOne, another industry research firm.  

WASHINGTON — Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay pulled out of this week’s scheduled congressional testimony on Sunday, with his lawyer saying that hearings have taken on a “prosecutorial” tone. 

“I have instructed Mr. Lay to withdraw his prior acceptance of your invitation,” Lay attorney Earl Silbert said in letters to the Senate and House panels that were to hear from him Monday. 

“He cannot be expected to participate in a proceeding in which conclusions have been reached before Mr. Lay has been given an opportunity to be heard,” Silbert added. Lay had agreed to appear voluntarily and thus was not obligated to show up. There was no indication whether any of the committees seeking his testimony might subsequently subpoena Lay to appear. In the letters, Silbert cited remarks on Sunday talk shows by various members of Congress suggesting there was rampant criminality at Enron

Adobe to buy Accelio FOR $72M  

SAN JOSE — In a move to bolster its network publishing empire, Adobe Systems Inc. said Friday it has agreed to acquire Canadian-based business software maker Accelio Corp. for $72 million in stock. 

San Jose-based Adobe is the leading desktop publishing software company and the second-largest PC software company in the United States. 

Its Adobe Acrobat portable document format, or PDF, reader, has become a standard for document distribution on the Web, and is the company’s largest revenue generator as government agencies and businesses transition from paper-based to electronic-based processes. 

Adobe officials said acquiring Ottawa-based Accelio, one of the leading software makers of business forms with more than 7,000 customers worldwide, will quickly broaden its “ePaper” business. 

‘Free DVD’ gang pleads guilty  

LOS ANGELES — Two members of a prominent cyberspace gang that posted free downloads of DVD programs and other software pleaded guilty to criminal charges of copyright infringement. 

Kentaga Kartadinata, 30, and Mike Nguyen, 26, both of Los Angeles were members of a gang known as DrinkorDie. Under a plea agreement, both men face between 27 and 33 months in prison, prosecutors said. They remain free on bail and will be sentenced a later date. 

Authorities have seized more than 100 computers in five different countries allegedly used by members of the so-called Warez community, which served as an umbrella group for smaller cyberspace gangs such as DrinkorDie. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Johnson said indictments are expected soon against at least 50 other DrinkorDie members. 

Nguyen, a computer programmer at the University of California, Los Angeles managed several of the group’s file servers containing thousands of pirated software titles. 

Apple entangled in consumer lawsuit  

CUPERTINO — Apple Computer Inc. faces a lawsuit alleging it misled consumers and made low-quality software upgrades for older computers to “accelerate a deliberate policy of planned obsolescence.” 

According to the proposed class-action suit filed Wednesday in Superior Court in Los Angeles, the Cupertino-based company encouraged customers in 1998 and 1999 to buy their latest PowerPC G3 computers, while promising the units would be capable of running Apple’s next-generation operating system called OS X. 

The company also said OS X would be “fully optimized” to run on those G3 models. 

But Apple, which released Mac OS X last year, broke both promises, the lawsuit alleges. 

“Computers have a short life span compared to other assets — that’s for sure. But when a company makes claims to spur sales, they ought to live up to their claims,” said Thomas Ferlauto on Friday. He is one of four named plaintiffs and a Los Angeles attorney in the case. Apple declined to comment on the pending litigation. 

A key University of California academic committee recommended this week that the UC system drop the SAT as an admissions requirement, and develop a test more closely aligned with California’s high school curricula. 

“We want to emphasize students’ achievement in the high school ... so that the admissions test reflects what they’ve learned,” said Dorothy Perry, an associate professor in dentistry at the UC San Francisco, and chair of the committee that made the recommendation. 

Perry’s group, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, or BOARS, made the suggestion one year after UC President Richard Atkinson directed the Academic Senate, which represents all UC faculty, to consider eliminating the SAT as an admissions requirement. 

Currently, the UC system requires prospective students to take either the SAT I, a two-part math and verbal test, or an alternative test called the ACT assessment. UC also requires students to take the SAT II, which includes three tests – one in writing, one in math and one in an area of the pupil’s choice.  

In the coming months, the “divisional Senates” at each of the nine UC campuses will examine the BOARS recommendations, and make comments. Then, the larger Academic Senate will vote on the proposal. If approved, the recommendations will go to the UC Board of Regents for a final vote. The BOARS committee expects implementation by 2006. 

After a year of study, the committee concluded that “achievement-oriented” tests, like the SAT-II, which focus on specific subjects, are better predictors of success at the college level than “aptitude-oriented tests,” like the SAT-I, that center on general math and verbal skills. 

As a result of their study, the committee recommended a move to a new testing regimen, emphasizing achievement-oriented testing.  

Students would take a three-hour core test, focused on math and language arts skills, and including a writing sample, and two, one-hour subject exams, with some degree of student choice about the subjects selected. All three tests, according to the committee, should mirror what is being taught in high schools throughout California. 

Some in the UC community object to the BOARS recommendations. Matthew Malkan, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, said the committee is recommending a serious change with little cause. 

“My main gripe with this is that they’re proposing really quite a big leap into the dark, with many complications, and with very little motivation,” Malkan said, arguing that the BOARS study does not reveal a substantial difference between the value of aptitude-oriented tests like the SAT-I and achievement-oriented tests like the SAT-II. 

Any switch, he said, could create confusion among students who want to apply to both the UC system, using the new tests, and other universities, which would still require the SAT-I. 

“We’re very concerned about that,” Perry responded, noting that BOARS has recommended the development of tests that would be transferable to other universities. 

Chiara Coletti, vice president of public affairs for The College Board, which administers the SAT, defended the exam. “We think it is an excellent test,” she said, “the most scrutinized and researched in the country.” 

Still, she said The College Board is prepared to work with UC, the largest user of the SAT in the nation, to create new tests. “Opportunities to experiment and help produce new, and very good tests are something we’re very excited to do,” she said. 

Ken Gullette, director of media relations for ACT, said his company’s assessment, which includes English, reading, math and science components, is already curriculum-based. He said that, with the addition of a writing sample, he believes ACT could meet the proposed new standards. 

At present, according to the BOARS report, 73 percent of UC applicants take the SAT-I, compared with 25 percent who take the SAT-I and ACT, and 2 percent who take ACT alone. 

Local educational leaders were generally supportive of the BOARS recommendations. “I think it’s fine,” said Shirley Issel, president of the Berkeley Board of Education, “as long as (the new test) aligns with the California state standards.”  

School board member John Selawsky said he believes the SAT-I is a flawed predictor of success in college. But, he said he had concerns about curriculum-based tests given that some schools may not be as strong as others in teaching to the state standards. 

“My only concern is that a kid is going to be punished if a kid is not being taught those standards,” he said.  

The name Hearst is probably best known because of the fabulous estate at San Simeon, Hearst Castle, which is a state park. However, the name and family has an important relationship to Berkeley as well. Hearst Castle, which was designed by Julia Morgan, was built by William Randolf Hearst (1863-1951) the only son of George and Phoebe Apperson Hearst.  

George Hearst (1820-1891) made a fortune in mining and his wife Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) became a generous benefactor of charities and, after her husband's death, of the University of California.  

The Berkeley campus has several buildings that bear the Hearst name: Hearst Mining Building, (1902) named for Mrs. Hearst’s late husband; the Hearst Greek Theater (1903), and the Hearst Gymnasium for Women (1927). The Hearst Museum of Anthropology was subsidized and enhanced by expeditions to Egypt, Italy and Mexico that were financed by Mrs. Hearst. She also sponsored an architectural competition for the campus that resulted in the wonderful ensemble of Classic Beaux-Arts buildings that grace the central core of the campus today.  

Mrs. Hearst came to Berkeley in the fall of 1899 and had architect Bernard Maybeck build a large reception hall for her on Channing Way. A year later the building was moved to the campus to become the women’s gymnasium. This building was destroyed by fire in 1922.  

In honor of his mother who died in 1919, and to replace the burned building, William Randolph Hearst gave Hearst Memorial Gymnasium for Women to the university. It was designed by Maybeck and Julia Morgan. The building overlooks Bancroft Way and is approached from the street by a wide staircase.  

The reinforced concrete building is an essay in eclectic and romantic Classicism. Decorative elements include ornamental bronze window frames, classic balustrades and columns, monumental urns and bas-relief sculptures of dancing ladies bearing garlands. The building contains several enclosed or partially enclosed courtyards, the largest of which contains the swimming pool. It was conceived to be a complete retreat for women, with convenient, comfortable rooms for lounging, eating and napping.  

This was the last Hearst building built on the campus. Unlike his mother, William Randolf Hearst turned his attention and fortune to his personal project at San Simeon.  

Susan Cerny is author of “Berkeley Landmarks” and writes this in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

Editor: 

Robert Cabrera's condescending letter to students on how to build political influence (”Political lesson from the black community to the students” 1/30/02) concealed a hidden personal agenda that he holds in the upcoming state Assembly race. Cabrera's true motivations for promoting Charles Ramsey's candidacy is Ramsey's complete allegiance to landlords and real estate interests. In his campaign, Charles Ramsey has openly expressed support for Costa-Hawkins (the state law that has cause Berkeley rents to rise 45%), and would probably vote to abolish rent control in California -- if the opportunity was presented to him.  

As President of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, Robert Cabrera has generously contributed to Ramsey's campaign -- as have other Berkeley landlords like Frank Davis, and an organization known as “The Evictors.” Ramsey's contributor list even includes Berkeley landlord Harold Hanerfeld, who attempted to evict two Cal students for having a third roommate -- in a three-bedroom apartment!! The bottom line is that Charles Ramsey has been bought, lock, stock and barrel by the most callous and rapacious landlord interests the East Bay can boast.  

Any East Bay resident who cares about the housing crisis should vote for Loni Hancock in the March 5th primary. Landlords and real estate interests already have enough power in Sacramento. Don't give them the 14th Assembly District by electing Charles Ramsey. 

Paul Hogarth 

Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner 

UC Berkeley graduate (Class of 2000) 

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” 

-- John Lennon 

“Communities in Action” Conference 

All day. 

UC Berkeley, Clark Kerr Campus 

The Conference will feature the work of community groups, youth, and researchers who are using popular education and participatory research to empower and transform their communities. Call for times: 642-2856, or cpeprconference@yahoo.com.  

Religious Fundamentalism in Islam and Judaism 

1 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A course that explores the ways in which some Jews and Muslims have reacted to the challenges of the modern world. $35, $30 members. 845-6420, www.Lehrhaus.org 

National Organization for Women 

6:30 - 8 p.m. 

6536 Telegraph Ave. 

February meeting of the Oakland East Bay Chapter of NOW. 287-8948. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

The Alexander Technique 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley YWCA 

2600 Bancroft Way 

Introductory workshop discussing the basic principles of this method, and demonstrate how you can apply them in ordinary movements. $15 members, $23 non-members. 848-6370. 

Do War and Justice Mix? 

5:30 p.m. 

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 

Dinner Board Room 

2400 Ridge Rd. 

The Center for Ethics and Social Policy presents Dr. Martin Cook, 

professor of ethics at the U.S. Army War College, discussing just war theory and the modern political climate. Free and open to the public. 549-5060. 

Wednesday, Feb. 6 

Get Connected: The Magic of Mingling 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches mingling strategies for social occasions. $10, $8 members. 848-0237 x127 

Copwatch 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Know Your Rights Training, learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely. 548-0425. 

Bringing Shabbat to Life: A Shabbat Workshop 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches how to bring fun and peaceful family time to Shabbat through crafts, creative ideas and family projects. $5, $4 members. 848-0237 x127 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Gregory Curtin lectures on “Transforming Local Government - The Impact of the Internet and New Information Technology”. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Planting Rice, Harvesting Slaves:  

Generational and Gendered Struggles on the Upper Guinea Coast in the Era  

of the Atlantic Slave Trade 

4 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley  

3335 Dwinelle, Level “C” 

A talk by Walter Hawthorne of Ohio University. Sponsored by Department of History, Department of African-American Studies, and Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

Relationship Seminar 

7 - 9 p.m. 

First Presbyterian Church of Alameda 

2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda 

A four session seminar, Wednesdays, Feb. 6 - 27, on developing and deepening healthy interpersonal relationships. 522-1477. 

Help Put an End to the  

Sanctions Against Haiti 

4:30 p.m. 

Federal Building 

1301 Clay St., Oakland 

A vigil with music and speakers. 483-7481, haitiaction@yahoo.com.  

Backpacking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Veteran backpacker, Eric Rorer, shares slides and information on his recent adventure in the Refuge’s Franklin Mountains. 527-7377 

Why I Quit the Livermore Nuclear Labs 

6 - 8 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, 155 Dwinelle 

Dr. Andreas Toupadakis presents a lecture on U. S. Foreign Policy leading up to 9/11 and its effects on global security. UCBNOW@hotmail.com. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft 

Vigil urging the end of Israeli Occupation of West Bank and Gaza. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org.  

Middendorf Breath Workshop 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Middendorf Breath Institute 

830 Bancroft Way, #104 (the corner of Bancroft and 6th St.) 

The Institute Staff will conduct a day and a half Breath and Movement Workshop. Workshop fee is $100. 981-1710, www.breathexperience.com 

Earthquake Retrofitting Class 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

The Office of Emergency Services offers a free class to show how to strengthen a wood frame home by installing expansion and epoxy bolts, shear paneling and structural hardware.  

Afro-Centric Thoughts in Process Workshop 

3 p.m. 

Black Repertory Group 

3201 Adeline St. 

Black Consciousness for and about Africans born in America, also celebrating knowledge beginning with the birth of human life in Africa six million years ago. 652-2120 or 841-0392. 

Black History Month Rally 

2 p.m. 

Frank Ogawa City Hall Plaza, 14th & Broadway, Oakland 

Berkeley High School 

Men’s Crew Team  

Annual Ergathon Fund Raiser 

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

BHS is the only public school on the West Coast offering crew to its students. Less than 2 percent of the team’s annual budget comes from the BHS Athletic Department. 559-3179, jldulay@attbi.com. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Fund Raiser  

6 p.m. 

Kensington Youth Hut 

59 Arlington Ave., Kensington 

19th Annual Dinner and Fund raiser for the nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and education in flyfishing. 524-0428. 

Valentine-Making Workshop 

1 - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library  

1247 Marin Ave., Albany 

The Albany Library is sponsoring a Valentine-Making Workshop, make one to keep and one to donate to Meals on Wheels. 526-3720 x19. 

Salsa Dance Party and Lesson 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Novices are welcomed, and nobody is required to bring a partner. $12. 508-4616, ronniematisalsa@yahoo.com 

Valentines Dance 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will perform. $15, $18 at door. 420-4560 

Special Day with Susan Crane: Plowshares Activist 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship 

1924 Cedar 

“Loving Your Enemies: A Revolution of Values.” Susan shares her spiritual journey which led to three terms in prison and living in Jonah House. 524-6064, hcarlstad@aol.com. 

John J. McNeill 

11 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

Spiritual leader, activist and author of The Church and the Homosexual will speak at the New Spirit Community Church 11 a.m. Worship Celebration. 849-8280, admin@newspiritchurch.org. 

Perfect Couples 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

2576 Shattuck Ave., Suite 7 

A group for singles who don’t want to be. For men and women in their 20s and 30s. $30 per session, 8-week commitment. Catherine Auman, MFT. 848-3511. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

An Evening of Music, Song, and Speech 

7 p.m. 

AK Press 

674-A 23rd St., Oakland 

Progressive minded singers and organizers will perform and speak. $5. 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

People have a lot of ways to change their lives when discontent settles upon them. They might get a new job or a new haircut, upgrade their Palm pilots or switch to chai latte. After sitting through a triptych of documentaries being presented at the Fine Arts Cinema as “Designs For Living” a viewer might be tempted to live off the power grid, or become a political anarchist, or grow potatoes on a communal farm in Russia.  

He still wouldn’t get it, though. The films do not comprise a how-to handbook for alternative lifestyles. Famed anarchist Emma “Red Emma” Goldman, back-to-nature gurus Scott and Helen Nearing, and the Downs’ syndrome farmers in a small Russian village called Svetlana are the subjects of an evening of film, which instruct, by example, the benefits of living closely to one’s ideals. 

Emma Goldman was thrown out of the United States in 1919 for her ideals. The American government had exiled the outspoken anarchist with her long rap sheet of political rabble-rousing for organizing draft resistance in the face of World War I conscription. 

“She loved the U.S. She loved U.S. culture. But it was an ambivalent thing,” said filmmaker Coleman Romalis, who made “Emma Goldman: The Anarchist Guest.” “She was very hostile to capitalism and the State and religion. Many of the things that defined the U.S. set her teeth on edge.” 

The native Russian went back to Russia during the revolution, believing Bolshevism was the great progressive social plan for the future. Immediately disillusioned by the state of Lenin’s communist party, she left Russia to bounce around Europe, eventually settling in, of all places, Canada. 

“You can imagine Toronto in 1926,” said Romalis. “It was very much a stuffy, Anglo-Canadian British atmosphere. It was part of the British Empire with Victorian values in many ways. Not a place to find the revolutionary instincts of Emma Goldman.” 

It was her Toronto address that hooked Romalis. A professor of sociology at nearby York University, he admitted that he knew of Goldman but had never read her works or studied her life until he discovered that Goldman had died in a house a few blocks from his own. His proximity to the hero of social disobedience intrigued him. 

His research led him to the Emma Goldman Papers Project, a Berkeley organization created to collect, catalog and maintain Goldman’s writings. There, he discovered, in reams of raw, prodigious letters, her political passions and emotional outpourings. 

“Emma used letters the way we use e-mail now. She might write eight or 10 letters a day,” said Romalis. “Sometimes they were formal letters to her political colleagues, and she hewed to some political lines in that. Others were very emotionally forthcoming when she wrote to lovers and people who were her intimate friends. That’s when her heart would be revealed, and her anguish at trying to live her life, especially her life in exile.” 

In his film Romalis used actors to give voice to some of Goldman’s letters; there is very little film footage or sound recordings of the anarchist herself. There are photographs and a short newsreel from the 1930s shot in a New York hotel room wherein we see Goldman being interviewed by a panel of American journalists. 

She had just been admitted back into the United States on a 90-day conditional visa, having agreed to not speak about political issues. The journalists surrounding her, naturally, asked her opinions about political issues. 

Her answers were short, careful, and pithy: 

“Question: What do you think of Hitler?” 

“Goldman: I’ve never met him, and don’t want to.” 

“She had a lot of experience with journalists and press conferences,” said Romalis. “I think you sense when you look at her the tension in her right then. With the camera, the reporters with their notebooks, she was measuring every word.” 

The image we see of Goldman in the film is a staunch, serious, and unsmiling woman. This is the person famous for saying, “If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution.” But the joie de vivre she evidenced in her life and her many arduous lovers does not translate to photographs. 

“I was confused about that for a long time,” said Romalis. “I asked people who knew her if I was missing something in the pictures. Some said she had the most beautiful eyes behind her thick lenses, a beautiful shade of blue. She had beautiful hair, and a lovely manner about her. It would change when she was in public.” 

Romalis, who now spends half his time at his house in Berkeley and half at his residence in Toronto, will be present at the Fine Arts Cinema on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to answer questions from the audience. He will be joined by the makers of the other two films on the bill, Gunnar and Peter Maddsen (“Svetlana Village: The Camphill Experience in Russia”) and Polly Bennell and Andrea Sarris (“Helen Nearing: Conscious Living/Conscious Dying”). 

Svetlana village is a farming community about 90 miles east of St. Petersburgh, where the farmhands are retarded and developmentally challenged, many with Downs’ Syndrome. It’s neither a retreat nor therapy (although it works out that way) but a lifestyle that incorporates everyone’s talents and energy to maintain a working farm. 

It’s based on the Camphill community model, which mixes village staff with developmentally disabled villagers in all the communal work, allowing everyone to learn from everyone else. 

Peter Maddsen, who had been busking around Russia playing guitar in plazas and train stations for money and not doing a very good job of it, stumbled onto Svetlana village and found a new way to live. 

Five years later his brother, Gunnar, a Berkeley musician and founder of the a cappella group The Bobs, came to Russia with video equipment to document his brother’s potato farm. He immediately got a crash course in the Camphill experience. 

“Half these people are disabled, but aside from a few Down Syndrome people, you couldn’t tell who is or who isn’t. The lines are not that clearly drawn,” Gunnar said before the film’s premiere last May. “Then it starts to sink in: of course the lines are not clearly drawn. We’re all people, and we all have our disabilities. And this happened after 10 minutes of being there.” 

Svetlana has adopted innovative ways to farm. Using mud and straw under their feet to make bricks and the designs of environmental architect Rolf Yakobsen, Peter and the villagers built an effectively insulated community house and potato storage cellar designed to be naturally temperate and aerated.  

In America, one of the popular champions of rural subsistence living has been Helen Nearing, the subject of the third documentary at the Fine Arts Cinema by Polly Bennell and Andrea Sarris. Nearing and her husband Scott became simple-living gurus with the publication of the their book “Living The Good Life” in 1954. Their successive farms in Vermont, and later in Maine, became Mecca for people seeking an alternative, passive lifestyle. 

In “Helen Nearing: Conscious Living/Conscious Dying,” the aging Nearing says she is a “visitor of life.” The woman, who had spent most of her life working the land and helping to instruct generations of young people to living simply, said in the film she is “more interested in the meaning and the background of life than I am in Harborside, Maine” (the location of her farm). 

After establishing a philosophical model and hands-on techniques for a self-sustained lifestyle, Helen Nearing is shown preparing to die in the same peaceful, ideological way she lived. 

924 Gilman Feb. 2: Dead and Gone, Black Cat Music, The Cost, The Frisk; Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; Feb. 10: Tragedy, Tragetelo, Born/Dead, 5 p.m.; Feb. 15: One Time Angels, Eleventeen, Audiocrush, Counterfit, Bikini Bumps; Feb. 16: Iron Vegan, Nigel Peppercock, Lost Goat, Iron Lung, Depressor; Feb. 22: Oppressed Logic, Deface, Edddie Haskells, Throat Oyster; Feb. 23: From Ashes Arise, Artimus Pyle, Brainoil, Down in Flames, Dystrophy, Scholastic Deth; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series Feb. 3: 8 p.m., Gail Brand from London, Carlo Actis Dato from Italy; $0-$20 TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline, http://sfSound.org/acme.html. 

The Albatross Feb. 2: Paul Schneider; Feb. 5: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 6: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 7: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m., Tipsy House Irish Music; Feb. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 14: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 18: Paul Schneider; Feb. 19: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 20: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 23: 9:30 p.m., Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless noted. 822 San Pablo Ave., 843-2473, albatrosspub@mindspring.com. 

Anna’s Bistro Feb. 2: Robin Gregory, Ducksan Distones; Feb. 3: Danubius; Feb. 4: Renegade Sidemen with Calvin Keyes; Feb. 5: Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen; Feb. 6: Bob Schoen Jazz Quintet; Feb. 7: Tina Marzell; Feb. 8: Anna & Ellen Hoffman, Hideo Date; Feb. 9: Robin Gregory, Ducksan Distones; Feb. 10: Choro Time; Feb. 11: Renegade Sidemen with Calvin Keyes; Feb. 12 Singers Open Mic; Feb. 13: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Feb. 14: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Music starts at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Feb. 2: 9:30 p.m., Kotoja, $11; Feb. 3: 8 p.m., Adaawe; Feb. 5: 9 p.m., Danubius, $8; Feb. 6: 8 p.m., Zydeco Flames, $8; Feb. 7: 10 p.m., Dead DJ Nite w/ Digital Dave, $5; Feb. 8: 9:30 p.m., Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums, $11; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m. Don Carlos, Reggae Angels, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Feb. 2: Felonious, The People, $6; Feb. 3: One of Many, $3; Feb. 6: Sisterz of The Underground, $5; Feb. 7: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Feb. 8: Mission, Psychokinetics, $7; Feb. 9: Delfino, Lost Coast Band, $5; Feb. 10: Medusa & Feline Science, $8; Feb. 11: The Steve Gannon Band, Mz. Dee, $4; Feb. 12: Planting Seeds, Shady Lady, $8; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cato’s Ale House Feb. 6: Christopher Gamper Trio; Feb. 10: Ben Bonham and Jimmy Sweetwater; Feb. 13: Irish Session; Feb. 17: Phillip Greenlief Trio; Feb. 20: Anton Schwartz Trio; Feb. 24: Blue and Tan; Feb. 27: Vince Wallace Trio 

Jupiter Feb. 2: Post Junk Trio; Feb. 6: Alias Smith; Feb. 7: Spectraphonic; Feb. 8: Mushroom; Feb. 9: Mulabaka; Feb. 13: Avrahams Soul Explosion; Feb. 14: Spectraphonic; Feb. 15: Forest Sun; Feb. 16: Michael Bluestien Trio; Feb. 20: Joshi Marshall Duo; Feb. 21: Spectraphonic; Feb. 22: Ben Graves Group; Feb. 23: Brenden Millstein Quartet; Feb. 27: J Steinkoler Duo; Feb. 28: Spectraphonic; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Jazzschool Feb. 3: 4:30 p.m., Art Hirahara, Todd Sickafoose and Scott Amendola Trio; $6-$12. 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Live Oak Concerts Feb. 10: Judy Phillips, Howard Kadis, $10; Feb. 15: Merlin Coleman with Dan Cantrell, Darren Johnson and Ron Heglin, $10; Feb. 16: Marvin Sanders, Karen Ande, JungHae Kim, $12; All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

The Starry Plough Feb. 2: 9:30 p.m., Banshees of Winter Festival: Jewlia Eisenberg, Faun Fables, Robin Coomer, Gene Jun, Jane Brody, Nicholas Dobsen, Leigh Evans, Jamie Isman, $6; Feb. 3: 8 p.m., The Starry Irish Music Session led by Shay Black, $ sliding scale; Feb. 4: 7 p.m. class, 9 p.m. session, Dance class and Ceili, free; Feb. 5: Open Mic, free; Feb. 6: 8:30 p.m., Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik, $5; Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., Asylum Street Spankers, $12; 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082. 

Annie Nalezny, Piano Recital Feb. 3: 3 p.m., Beethoven's Sonatas "A Therese" & "Les Adieux," Bruce Nalezny's "Poeme & Finale" and Chopin's 12 Etudes op. 10. $12-$15 donation. Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. 

“Chamber Music Series” Feb. 3: 4 p.m., The Pacific Piano Quartet perform Brahms Piano Quartet in c minor and the Faure Piano Quartet No. 1, also in c minor. $10. Crowden School, 1475 Rose St., 559-6910 x110, jamie@thecrowdenschool.org. 

“Baroque Etcetera” Feb. 3: 7 p.m., Local baroque musicians perform instrumental and vocal works of Bach, Strozzi, Vivaldi, Corelli and Picchi. Church of Saint Mary Magdelen, 2005 Berryman at Milvia, 525-0152. 

“Asylum Street Spankers” Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., The Spankers; The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082, www.asylumstreetspankers. com. 

Antonio Literes’ “Jupiter Y Semele” Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Feb. 10: 7:30 p.m., Presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with guest conductor Eduardo López Banzo. $34-$49. 415-392-4400, www.philharmonia.org.  

“Larry Schneider Quartet” Feb. 10: 4:30 p.m., Matt Clark, Jeff Chambers and Eddie Marshall. $6-$12. Hardymon Hall/Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-4373, www.jazzschool.com. 

“Young Talent in a Young Century” Feb. 10: 4 p.m., 15 year old Shoshana Kay will be featured soloist with the Community Women’s Orchestra. Also: Katya Lopez, Rosanne Luu, Tomoko Momlyana and Catarina Sdun. Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St., 653-1616. 

“John Glennon and Erika March” Feb. 24: 5 p.m., A program of French music including the works of Francois Couperin, Chambonnieres, and Muffat. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685 

“Cosi Fan Tutte” Feb. 22 through Mar. 3: The Berkeley Opera will perform Mozart’s classic opera. $10 - $30. Call for specific dates and times. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 841-103, www.berkeleyopera.com 

“Merce Cunningham Dance Company” Feb. 1 and 2: 8 p.m., The engagment features a world premiere by Cunningham (as yet untitled), with music by Christian Wolff and costumes by Terry Winters. $24-$26. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

“Dance Festival” Feb. 8: 8 p.m., Feb. 9: 8 p.m., East Bay Dance Festival featuring: AXIS Dance Company, Savage Jazz Dance Company, Moving Arts Dance Collective, Dandelion Dancetheater. $15, Students and Seniors $12. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 326-4245, www.katherinedavis.com/ ebaydancefestival.htm. 

“Frogz” Feb. 8: 8 p.m, Feb. 9: 2 p.m., 8 p.m., A bevy of balletic frogs, poor-spelling sloths and other curious mischief-making characters roll, leap, and slink around the stage. $18 -$30. Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-0212 

Word for Word double bill Feb. 2: 5 p.m., Feb. 3: 2 p.m.: Julius Lester’s short children’s play “John Henry”; Zora Neale Hurston’s “The Gilded Six Bits.” Both children and adults will view John Henry together, then the children leave the theatre to participate in art exercises that help them enter the spirit of the play. Meanwhile, the adults remain in the theatre to view The Gilded Six Bits. $16 adults, $11 children. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.com. 

“Unmasked!” Feb. 1: 8 p.m., Feb. 2: 8 p.m., Feb. 3: 5 p.m.: An evening of two short student-directed plays, “The Lesson” by Eugene Ionesco and “Beyond Therapy” by Christopher Durang. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theather, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany, 559-6550 x4125, theaterensemble@hotmail.com. 

“James Joyce, Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie: An Alphabet” Feb. 5: 8 p.m., Originally conceived as a radio play, John Cage’s imagined conversations between 15 artistic and cultural figures, their dialogue, historical materials, and musings that Cage simply made up. Director Laura Kuhn, Composer Mikel Rouse. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

Oakland Magic Circle hosts its 34th annual Installation Banquet and Stage show, Feb. 5: 7 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Show, Dick Newton, Timothy James, Peter Winch, Dan X. Solo, $20 Adults, $15 Children; Bjornson Hall, 2258 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, 420-0680. 

“Every Inch a King” 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.  

“The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” Through Feb. 10: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m., playwright Naomi Wallace’s story about Dalton, a 15-year-old who dreams of escaping to college, and Pace, the town’s 17-year-old tomboy. Stuck in a town with no real prospects, the pair begins a deadly contest of chicken with the daily express train. Directed by Søren Oliver. $30-$35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. 

"Human Nature" Feb. 16: 8:30 p.m., X-plicit Players, $15; Art-A-Fact, 1109 Addison St., 848-1985, www.xplicitplayers.com. 

“Sisters” Through Feb. 16: Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., The Prozorov sisters look at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

“Night, Mother” Feb. 8, Feb. 15 - 16, Feb. 22 - 23: 8 p.m., A drama exploring one young woman’s decision to take control of her life with one furious and heartbreaking act. Directed by Bahati Bonner. $12, $8 seniors. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 496-1269 x1950, nightmother@onebox.com 

“Rhinoceros” Through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragic-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.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. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Feb. 1: 7:30 p.m., Full Moon in Paris; 9:30 p.m., Pauline at the Beach; Feb 2: 7 p.m., Summer; 9 p.m., Boyfriends and Girlfriends; Feb 3: 3 p.m., A Witch in the Family; 5:30 p.m., Erotikon; 7:30 p.m., Johan; Feb. 4: 3 p.m., Hallelujah; 7 p.m., Women in Love; Feb. 5: 7:30 p.m., From the Pole to the Equator; Feb. 6: 3 p.m., The Last Laugh; 7:30 p.m., New Arab Video 4; Feb. 8: 7:15 p.m., A Summer’s Tale; 9:30 p.m., A Tale of Springtime; Feb. 9: 7 p.m., A Tale of Winter; 9:15 p.m., Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“Human Rights International Film Festival” Feb. 22 through Feb. 24: Nine provocative films will be shown, many followed by question and answer sessions with local and visiting filmmakers. Check theater for films and times. Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412  

Exhibits  

“Rhythms” Through Feb. 2: Art installation of sculpture, neon, music and video projections by Kati Casida; Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-5373 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: Exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists; Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Through Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263. 

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

“New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture. Steve Brisco’s paintings. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Traywick Gallery,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.; Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“Envisioning Ecology” Through Feb. 15: Paintings by Michelle Waters. Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., 548-2220 x233. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” 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.; Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Adventures in La Land” Through Feb. 23: Installations by Suzanne Husky and Paintings by Amy Morrell. Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 428-2349. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Through Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ton of Joy” Through Mar. 1: Group show of twelve painters and sculptors: Simone Anders, Susan Brady, Erin Fitzgerald, Karen Frey, Kei Hanafusa, Nancy Legge, Burke Rainey, Robin Sebourn, Kristen Throop, Clay Vajgrt, Whitney Vosburgh, Ann West; Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Hollis Street Project, 5900 Hollis St., Emeryville. 

“Celebrating the African Diaspora” Through Mar. 1: A Black History Month Exhibit celebrating the contributions of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; University of Creation Sprituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x31 

“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; Through Mar. 24: “Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado,” 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. 

“A Retrospective Show” Feb. 1 - Mar. 13: The Women’s Cancer Resource Center will participate in this year’s The Art of Living Black, an Open Studios event for local African American artists. The Gallery features a retrospective show of the work of the late Jan Hart-Schuyers. Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat. 12 - 4 p.m., Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286 x307, www.wcrc.org. 

The Richmond Art Center Through Mar. 16: “The Art of Living Black 2002: The sixth Annual Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Art Tour,” group exhibition of 81 artists; “Introspección Dual: Recent Painting by Verónica B. Rojas and Santiago Gervas”; “Transmutations: Recent work by Tim Jag”; “The NIAD` Family,” Artwork from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities; “Still Here,” collaborative art project about AIDS in the 21st century; “Girls in the Hall,” artwork by girls incarcerated in the San Francisco juvenile justice system; Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; The Art of Living Black Art Tour Weekend: Mar. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; 2540 Barrett Ave., 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. 

“Average Female (Perfect)” Through Mar. 24: Manhattan-based artist Sowon Kwon projects footage of the first ever perfect-scoring gymnasts: Romanian, Nadia Comanece and Russian, Nelli Kim at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kwon superimposes over the gymnasts a hand-drawn outline of the “average” female body to direct the audience’s attention to the gymnasts’ movements throughout their performances. Wed. - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., $4 - $6. 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, Through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Through Apr. 4: Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, 524-9283. 

“The Legacy of Social Protest: The Disability Rights Movement” Through April 30: The first exhibition in a series dealing with Free Speech, Civil Rights, and Social Protest Movements of the 60s and 70s in California. Photograghs by: Cathy Cade, HolLynn D’Lil, Howard Petrick, Ken Stein. The Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Undergraduate Library, University of California-Berkeley, hjadler@yahoo.com.  

“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. 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” Feb. 2 through May 12: An exhibit displaying models of the sets and dinosaur sculptures used in the Jurassic Park films, as well as a video presentation and a dig pit where visitors can dig for specially buried dinosaur bones. $8 adults, $6, youth and seniors. Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Dr., above the UC Berkeley campus, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

“The Image of Evil in Art” Feb. 7 through May 31: An exhibit exploring the varying depictions of the devil in art. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2541. 

“The Pottery of Ocumichu” Feb. 7 through May 31: A case exhibit of the imaginative Mexican pottery made in the village of Ocumichu, Michoacan. Known particularly for its playful devil figures, Ocumichu pottery also presents fanciful everyday scenes as well as religious topics. Call ahead for hours. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., 649-2540 

Readings 

Coffee With a Beat Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd, Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell, Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Shambhala Booksellers Feb. 3: 7 p.m., William Peterson will read from his latest book “Voices in the Dark: Esoteric, Occult & Secular Voices in Nazi-Occupied Paris 1990-1994”. Free. 242 Telegraph Ave., 848-8443 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Feb. 5: William Chapman presents slides and reads from his book, “The Face of Tibet”; Feb. 7: A panel of female travel writers read from their works published in “The Unsavvy Travelers”, a chronicle of hilarious tales of cathartic misadventures on the road; Feb. 19: Christopher Baker, author of “Costa Rica: Moon Handbook” presents a slide show demonstrating what makes the Central American country so appealing; Richard Sterling, author of Lonely Planet’s “World Food: Greece”, presents a culinary tour revealing the culture and character of Greece through the medium of her cuisine’s; Feb. 28: Terrence Ward reads from his book “Searching for Hassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran”; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

Boadecia’s Books Feb. 9: 7:30 p.m., Loolwa Khazzoom reads from her new book “Conseqence: Beyond Resisting Rape” which takes a street savy look at street harassment. The evening will include a screening of the film “War Zone” and several spoken word presentations. Free. 398 Colusa, Kensington, 595-4642 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Feb. 6: Adrianne Marcus, Diana O’Hehir; Feb. 10: Cathy Coldman, Judith Serin; Feb. 13: Murray Silverstein, Gillian Wegener, Helen Wickes; Feb. 17: Sharon Doubiago, Doren Robbins; Feb. 20: Linda Elkin, Steve Rood; Feb. 27: Stephen Kessler and John Oliver Simon; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

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. 

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. - 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.  

Oakland Museum of California Feb. 14: 1 p.m., Diane Curry shares her experiences researching photographic archives for the history of Oakland, free; Feb. 17: 12 - 4 p.m., A family program in which artists engage families in creative projects inspired by the work of California African American artists; 2 - 3 p.m., Artist Raymond Howell discusses his creative process and artistic techniques. $6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID. 10th & Oak St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

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

Burns leads way with 25 points and 14 boards 

The Berkeley Yellowjackets pounded the offensive glass and played tenacious defense on Friday night against the Pinole Valley Spartans, and it looked as if that would be enough to get them through. But to hand the Spartans their first league loss, the ’Jackets needed a bit of help from Lady Luck right at the end. 

Berkeley senior Lee Franklin put his team up 56-52 with two free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation, seeming to ice the victory. But Pinole Valley’s John Chapple sped down the floor for a score, then snagged the inbounds pass and put up a wide-open layup that would have tied the game. Unbelievably, his shot rimmed out at the buzzer to give the ’Jackets (14-7, 8-1 ACCAL) a spot top of the league standings with a 56-54 win. 

“I guess someone up there wanted us to win tonight, because that ball just rolled right out,” Franklin said. 

“That’s not exactly how we drew it up, but we’ll take it today,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said of the last-second dramatics. 

Berkeley was in position to win largely because of their work on defense and rebounding. Franklin, who had four steals in the first quarter, and Dontae Hall put constant pressure on the Pinole Valley guards in a full-court effort, causing numerous turnovers, and the ’Jackets dominated the offensive boards, with senior Damien Burns keeping his team alive with putbacks all night. In all, the ’Jackets out-boarded Pinole Valley 39-28. 

Burns scored a game-high 25 points to go with 14 rebounds, saving his biggest performance of the year for his team’s biggest game of the year. 

“This win means an awful lot to us,” Burns said. “We’ve been looked over all season. All the newspapers were picking Pinole Valley over us. Now they’ll have to give us respect.” 

Berkeley forward Nate Simmons had a productive night with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Franklin scored 7 points. Chapple led the Spartans with 22 points, and Decoud pitched in with 12. 

Looking at the Berkeley roster, one would expect Franklin and Burns to be leaders of the team as the seniors with the most playing time. But neither played for Berkeley last season, and Gragnani said he has been waiting all year for someone to take the reins of the team. 

“We’ve had a huge void in leadership this whole year,” Gragnani said. “Damien’s learning what it means to lead, and Lee’s natural leadership is finally starting to come out. Those two put us on their shoulders tonight. I can’t say enough about them.” 

Gragnani’s team almost managed to blow a lead they had maintained since the first quarter. After Pinole Valley’s Thomas Decoud put his team up 7-2 with a thunderous dunk, Berkeley turned it on. Burns got a tip-in and a short jumper, then Simmons scored on a drive to give his team an 8-7 lead. They sustained that lead, which grew as large as 10 points in the second half, until there were just four minutes left in regulation. 

But Berkeley’s aggressive defense usually means a lot of fouls, and Friday was no different, with Pinole Valley (14-4, 7-1) reaching the bonus late in the third quarter. After Decoud hit the Spartans’ first 3-pointer of the game to pull within 46-44, he tied the game 48-48 with two free throws. The momentum seemed to be swinging Pinole Valley’s way, but Burns pulled his team back from the brink of disaster. He got a putback on a Franklin miss, then blocked a shot by Gary Shields that Simmons took to the other end for a layup and a four-point lead.  

Berkeley point guard Shawn Burl hit a free throw to put his team up 53-48, but the Spartans refused to fold. Duran Davis got a putback of his own to pull within three, and Shields had two chances to tie the game with wide-open 3-pointers. But he missed both, the second going over the backboard to give Berkeley possession. Davis stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but threw up a wild bomb that missed badly, and Burns grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 30 seconds left. He made one free throw to give the ’Jackets some breathing room, but Chapple came right back with a driving layup to pull within two, sending Franklin to the line with the weight of the game on his shoulders. 

Although Pinole Valley head coach Mark Deluca called two straight time-outs before letting Franklin shoot his charity shots, the Berkeley three-sport star was well-prepared. The freshman game that started the day was delayed 40 minutes by a late-arriving referee, then an altercation during the junior varsity game pushed the varsity game back even further. Franklin spent the spare time at the free throw line, working on his shot. 

“They tried to ice me, but I spent about an hour-and-a-half before the game just knocking down free throws,” he said with a smile. “I was ready.” 

“If there’s someone we want on the line in that situation, it’s Lee,” Gragnani said. “He’s a money player.” 

With Pinole Valley winning the first meeting, the two teams are tied at the top of the ACCAL. The Spartans won a coin flip before the season for a tie-breaker for the league’s automatic bid into the North Coast Section playoffs, meaning they will get the bid if they win the rest of their games. But Deluca said both teams deserve a spot in the playoffs, no matter who wins the title. 

“I think our league is a lot stronger than most people give it credit for,” he said. “The bottom line is that we’re both going to be difficult teams to deal with in the playoffs.”

The latest round in the city’s redistricting battle came to a head on Friday, as five “citizens proposals” for new City Council districts were submitted for the council’s consideration. 

The City Council revoked its approval of an earlier plan after a group calling itself “Citizens for Fair Representation” gathered about 7,000 signatures, threatening to scuttle the plan through a referendum.  

CFR said the “Blake-O’Malley plan,” named after its authors, David Blake and Mike O’Malley, was a back-room deal designed to shift more students into District 8, and thus to hurt moderate Councilmember Polly Armstrong. 

New district lines must be redrawn every 10 years, in response to population shifts as registered by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Complicating matters is the fact that there are several blocks in the city – mostly those with UC dormitories and known to be “undercounted” – that have a larger population than is reflected by the 2000 Census. 

The Census Bureau has been promising to deliver corrected numbers to the city for the last month, in order to aid the redistricting effort. There was some confusion in city offices on Friday about whether the numbers had been received. 

Pat DeTemple, the city’s Geographic Information Systems expert who has worked closely on redistricting, was out of his office on Friday, and so could not confirm whether or not the new numbers had been received. 

While details of the new proposals are still sketchy, several authors spoke of their proposal plans in general terms on Friday. 

All said their plans met the requirements laid down by the city charter, which states that new district lines must match old ones as closely as possible. 

The Associated Students of the University of California submitted a plan designed expressly to create a student-dominated district, with the goal of electing a UC student to the City Council. 

“Students are citizens of Berkeley,” said Josh Fryday, ASUC vice president for external affairs. “We have just as much stake as anyone else, and we care about this city as much as anyone else.” 

“We would hope we will be elected to the City Council as soon as possible.” 

Fryday said the ASUC plan would give students a 60 percent majority in District 7, which is currently represented by Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

Councilmember Dona Spring submitted another proposal. She said hers was designed to preserve the current district lines as much as possible,. 

“I tried only to nibble at districts,” she said. “I didn’t move any district lines more than two blocks, and the majority of them are moved only one block.” 

Nick Rizzo, a junior at Berkeley High School, drew a plan that shifts much of student-heavy Northside into District 7. 

Rizzo wrote about his motivation to come up with a redistricting plan in an letter accompanying his application. 

“The Ancient Greeks believed a person’s primary duty was civic participation, and I couldn’t agree with them more,” Rizzo wrote.  

“Unfortunately, I am too young to join the marvelous, diverse people of Berkeley in that paramount act of civic participation, voting. I decided I needed another way to serve my city, to charge it for the better.” 

Tim Hansen, a member of the fledgling Berkeley Party, submitted a plan he said was concerned with the integrity of communities.  

“I submitted it trying not to worry so much about councilmembers, but about neighborhoods,” he said. 

Nuclear Free Berkeley submitted a plan, which its author, Elliot Cohen, said was nonpartisan and left the disputed “undercount” blocks in their current district. 

“I’m offering it as an option,” Cohen said. “I’m not saying it’s the best plan, since I haven’t seen the others yet – it’s just something I’m presenting to the council for their consideration.” 

David Tabb, CFR chairman, said that his group did not submit their own plan, but would keep a watchful eye on the process. 

“We plan to review the plans submitted to make sure they are truly not partisan,” he said. 

Tabb said during the last redistricting round, he had favored the plan drawn up by the City Manager’s Office in response to direction from the City Council. 

Phil Kamlarz, deputy city manager, said it was not the city manager’s function to submit a new proposal along with those drafted by citizens.  

If the council requested, however, the city manager’s staff would perform the same function it had in the past – drawing up alternative maps in response to councilmembers’ concerns. 

Hopefully, Kamlarz said, this round of citizen proposals will already have taken the council’s concerns into account. 

“Ideally, the citizens’ proposals will address all the issues adequately,” he said.  

Kamlarz said each proposal’s author will have a chance to sit down with DeTemple to further tweak their plans in response to the new census figures.  

City staff will review the new proposals during the coming weeks to make sure they conform with both the city charter and a requirement that the population of all the districts are within 1 percent of each other. 

The city hopes to publish the new proposals on its Web site by Feb. 13, so that interested citizens may read and review them in time for a City Council public hearing on Feb. 19.

Editor, 

It has been with great disappointment that I have watched the events of the week unfold on your editorial page. On Tuesday, you published a letter to the editor that made unsubstantiated and false accusations about illegal activities by the leaders of Copwatch, and included a very unbecoming and woefully inaccurate portrayal of the methods of Copwatch. While news media are not responsible for the opinions stated in letters, they must take responsibility for the factual content. You seem to have made no efforts to check those facts, since the allegations are maliciously untrue. (This is particularly surprising to me since I have submitted letters to the Daily Planet in the past, and the editor called me to verify the sources of the facts that I used.) 

It was also distressing that the paper ran the letter as "author's name has been withheld from this letter for her safety." This insinuates that the author was fearful of retaliation from Copwatch. 

Andrea Prichett, co-founder of Copwatch, wrote a response to the letter, and it ran in today's paper (Copwatch keeps a sober eye on justice 1/31/02). Much to our dismay the, editor took it upon herself to sign the letter "the author's name has been withheld from this letter for her safety concerns," instead of how it was actually signed "Andrea Prichett, Copwatch, Co-founder." Ms. Prichett never asked that her name be withheld and doing so further inflames a tense situation. This sensationalism is unethical and unacceptable. 

Civilian oversight of law enforcement is an important tool to ensure that the police can effectively enforce the laws, while upholding the constitutional rights of every person. In order for civilian oversight to work, the activities of the police must be out in the open. That is why observing the police in the performance of their duties is an important step in preventing the abuse of power that is common at many police stations around the country. 

We at Copwatch are very concerned that there is a misperception of the methods and intentions of Copwatch by the community and police. We would like to invite any and all who are interested in the methods and philosophy of Copwatch to attend the "Know 

Your Rights" training on February 6, at 7pm at 2022 Blake Street. The event is free and open to the public.  

Karla James 

COPWATCH

Parris Vega scored a hat trick as the St. Mary’s Panthers claimed an easy 6-1 victory over St. Patrick on Friday. 

Freshman Margot Davis scored two goals for St. Mary’s along with assisting on one of Vega’s goals.  

The Panthers (7-4, 5-3 BSAL) have one regular-season game left, today against Holy Names. With a win, they would clinch the third seed in the BSAL playoffs, which would mean a home game in the opening round on the uneven ground of the St. Mary’s field. 

“A home game would be important for moral support, and we’re familiar with our field,” St. Mary’s head coach Donny McGuire said. 

The Lady Bruins (2-7-1, 2-7) were no match for St. Mary’s on Friday, as Vega and Davis carved up the St. Patrick defense with their precise through balls and speed.  

“(Vega and Davis) work really well together, and they’re big assets to have up top,” McGuire said. “During the first few games they were at different positions, but they’ve come together nicely.” 

Davis started the season at sweeper, but the emergence of sophomore Brianna Plump at that spot has allowed the freshman to use her skills to score goals rather than prevent them. Vega, on the other hand, can excel at midfielder or attacker, as her passing often sets up teammates for easy shots. 

Chelsea Sera scored the first goal of the game for the Panthers just four minutes in, chipping St. Patrick goalkeeper Monica Villanueva. Vega put Davis through on a 40-yard run 10 minutes later, and the freshman dribbled around Villanueva before scoring. 

Vega pounced on a loose ball in the St. Patrick end in the 18th minute to score her first goal, and Davis finished the scoring for the first half when she forced a turnover, then scored off of her own rebound. 

Vega’s second goal came just after halftime, volleying in a low corner kick from Davis. She then finished off the hat trick by bursting down the middle of the defense to score in the 54th minute. 

The Bruins managed a consolation goal in the 61st minute. Villanueva, released from the slow torture of facing down St. Mary’s shots to play the field, sliced a ball into the St. Mary’s box. Several Panthers watched the ball trickle by them before Sarah Giggoltti slammed it past St. Mary’s substitute goalkeeper. But McGuire wasn’t too worried about his team giving up a soft goal. 

“It was a different defense and a different goalie,” he said. “They know they made a mistake, but it wasn’t a game-costing mistake.”

Diversify, whatever you do. That’s the quick lesson from Enron’s collapse. Company employees, whose 401K relied entirely upon the success of Enron earnings, lost everything when the stock suddenly crashed last fall. More than $1 billion disappeared from the company’s 401K. 

“This is going to open people’s eyes to the risk of holding so much company stock,” said Peter Mork, an associate at La Jolla Economics, a private economic consulting firm. Monk remains dubious, however, that companies will voluntarily amend their 401K plans. It’s up to employees to be aware of how their nest eggs are used, he said. 

A 401K account safeguards an employee against the future. The retirement account deducts money automatically from the payroll, and tucks it away into a plan that offers, among other things, investment in company stock. There is no national or state law limiting the amount invested in company stock, and some loyal employees tip their portfolios heavily in favor of their company. 

The Enron tragedy is a call to employees to re-think their retirement plans, says Monk. 

For those who are not seasoned investors, which are the majority of public-company employees, step one is to diversify, said Mork. Don’t put too much stock in anyone company, even your own. 

“My 401K is entirely invested in Intel,” said Patrick Finucane, a former Intel employee, who left the company in November. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Intel, but if a surprise happens like it did to Enron, there goes my whole 401K.”  

Finucane said that while he worked at Intel,  

>he was offered a choice of diversifying through other stocks and mutual  

>funds, or putting all his stock in Intel, which he did. No one dissuaded  

>him from doing so. 

> 

>The 401K at Cisco Systems does not include an option of company stock,  

>said Kathleen Deornelas, in the Human Resource Department. It's too  

>tempting for people to fold the bulk of their savings back into the  

>company, in the hopes of a quick return, she said, especially with a  

>top-performing company like Cisco. Her company 401K offers investment in  

>mutual funds and other stocks instead. "We don't want people to put their  

>eggs in one basket, " she said. 

> 

>That adage may soon be backed by federal law. 

> 

>A new bill, if passed by Congress, will help protect employees from the  

>Enron fate. Proposed by California Senator Barbara Boxer (D), the Pension  

>Protection and Diversification Act, would limit the amount of company  

>stock that can be allowed into an employee's retirement plan. It amends  

>the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, by placing a  

>limit of 20% that any employee can invest in one stock. Currently, the  

>ERISA has no limits on the amount of company stock invested in a 401K. 

> 

>The bill is a direct response to the Enron scandal, said a representative  

>from Boxer's Los Angeles office, and is now in committee. 

> 

>Employees like Cynthia McCane of Hewlett Packard say they would welcome  

>protection from a volatile stock market. Her colleagues at Hewlett  

>Packard aren't particularly worried about their 401K, she says, but they  

>are concerned about Wall Street's future, and have been since September 11th. 

> 

>"It's nerve racking to play the stock market," she said of the recent drop  

>in stock prices. "You win you lose, depending on where your money is  

>going." And, how your 401K is invested. 

>

Editor: 

The Republican Party has made great electoral progress by exploiting and distorting the Christian faith. Separation of Church and State has been the single most important element in making America a great nation. This tradition is the greatest contribution toward worldwide political thought to develop from the American Revolution and our Founding Fathers. This tradition defines the spirit of America. This tradition is under severe attack from the "so called" Christian Right at the direction of the national Republican Party. 

Republicans seeking to exploit faith to achieve political ends are damaging the Christian religion and our democratic nation.  

Many Christians understand that the doctrines of the "so called" Christian Rights arise out of a misunderstanding of Christian theology. Christ taught that merely following external Law would never provide salvation. Just following Laws of Behavior does not make us free from sin. The "so called" Christian Right is trying to ignore this revolutionary doctrine by emphasizing the changing of laws to make us a more Christian nation. This is simply impossible. Salvation is personal and internal. According to the Bible, salvation is only achieved with the help of Jesus Christ. A law book provides no help in achieving salvation. Laws belong in the realm of Caesar instead of God. 

The Christian doctrine of "Free Will" is ignored by the political activities of the Republican "so called" Christian Right. We are given the choice to select sin or salvation by God. Legislation is simply irrelevant to salvation. Salvation is the purpose of Christianity, not legislative or political victories by Republicanism. 

Christianity also teaches us to care for the poor and helpless. This is not reflected in the lobbying or electoral activity of the "so called" Christian Right. The Republican agenda is a political statement that essentially glorifies Greed. Since when is the Christian religion an advocate of Greed? 

The Democratic Party agenda more closely reflects mainstream Christian values than does the Republican agenda.  

We are all aware of the outrageous comments of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson after the September 11th attacks. These political preachers seem to think that God is opposed to civil liberties and Free Will. God is not a Republican or supporter of Republicanism. God is the only source of judgment regarding sin according to the Bible. This right to judge morality is reserved to God. Political preachers have no right to usurp God’s authority in this manner. The "so called" Christian Right has set itself up to judge the morality (the sin) of our political figures in violation of this authority. The "so called" Christian Right does not show a tendency towards Christian forgiveness when judging Democrats. The political preachers and their organizations like the Christian Coalition routinely forgive Republicans. Why the double standard? Is it because it promotes Republicanism? 

We recently located some interesting quotes by Ralph Reed and Pat Robertson on "The Conservative Hall of Fame" web site (see http://451world.com/fame/html) Ralph Reed was formerly the head of the Christian Coalition and now head of the Georgia Republican Party. In a speech to the Christian Coalition, he said, "Tell em what they want to hear; when elected do as you please. Lie if you have to." Ralph Reed must have missed the Ten Commandments. 

Pat Robertson said " I think one man, one vote; just unrestricted democracy would not be wise. There needs to be some kind of protection for the minority which the white people represent now, and they need and have a right to demand a protection of their rights." Pat Robertson attacks democracy and advocates white racism. There is nothing Christian about these comments by Ralph Reed or Pat Robertson. 

We recently heard anti-Clinton zealot and Republican commentator, Ann Coulter, defend the comments of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson concerning the September 11th attacks while addressing the College Republicans in Oregon. Her comments included a spirited defense on our treatment of the American Indians as being an advance for Christianity. Her most outrageous comment advocated placing in detention, under John Ashcroft, anyone who criticized the use of references to God in our schools. She seems to be against the Freedom of Speech provided by the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. We do not imprison anyone for his or her religious or political views in America. The "so called" Christian Right is acting like an American Taliban. 

Stephen Crockett & 

Al Lawrence 

Hosts of Democratic Talk Radio 

Boys Soccer – St. Mary’s 1, St. Patrick 1 

The Panthers end the BSAL regular season with a tie, ensuring a first-round bye for the playoffs. Andrew Nackerud scored the game’s first goal for St. Mary’s in the 15th minute with an assist from Ryan Mueller, but Ed Castaneda knots the score with a goal in the 21st minute. The Panthers will play their second-round playoff game on Thursday against a winner of a first-round game.

LE ROY, N.Y. — It wiggles, it jiggles, and next week Jell-O is going on the road. 

The Traveling Jell-O Museum is slated to be unveiled in Salt Lake City next week by curator Lynne Belluscio and company spokesman Bill Cosby. 

Utah is the museum’s first stop in part because of international attention directed at Salt Lake City because of the Olympics. But the state also has the highest per capita consumption of the dessert, which is the official state snack. 

Utah households buy an average of 21 servings per year – twice as much as households across the country, Jell-O spokeswoman Camille Rustige said. 

The traveling museum will be on display in Utah through March 5. 

“It depicts little snippets of Jell-O’s history,” Belluscio said in Thursday’s editions of The Daily News of Batavia. 

The exhibit includes several historical items from the permanent Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, the birthplace of Jell-O. The museum, in a century-old stone building, opened in 1997 marking the 100th anniversary of a simple dessert that has become an American icon. 

Pearl Bixby Wait, a carpenter who dabbled in patent medicine, added fruit flavor to gelatin in 1897. His wife christened it Jell-O. 

Millionaire kicker

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Randy Rial is hoping he’ll be a millionaire when he leaves the Super Bowl, and he’s not even playing in the game. 

Rial will compete in Hershey’s Million Dollar Kick contest at the Super Bowl XXXVI pre-game show in New Orleans on Feb. 3.  

He’ll be given one chance to make a field goal worth $1 million. 

“It’s really surreal, it’s hard to believe,” Rial told the Battle Creek Enquirer for a story Tuesday. “I can’t believe I’m going to the Super Bowl.” 

Rial, 41, a manufacturing manger for Tenneco Automotive, beat out five others Monday in a qualifying round in Jacksonville, Fla.  

He was the only finalist to make all three field goals from 15, 25 and 35 yards. 

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis will help determine the length of Rial’s Super Bowl kick.  

Hollis is attempting three field goals in the days before the Super Bowl; for each successful kick, Rial’s attempt will move five yards closer, starting from 40 yards out. 

Hollis also is working with Rial — a field goal kicker during high school — in the days leading up to the big game. 

Even if Rial doesn’t make the kick, he gets a consolation prize of $10,000.  

And besides, Rial said the contest means more to him than just the chance to win a million bucks. 

“I’m thinking about how I get to go to the Super Bowl, I get to do this kick and I get to watch a great game,” he said.

——— 

RHINEBECK, N.Y. (AP) — The burglary of two historic estates in New York’s Hudson Valley has baffled police, but one thing is clear: The culprits had an eye for fine kitchenware. 

At the Wilderstein Historic Site in Dutchess County last weekend, burglars stole several Tiffany items, including a hot water kettle with matching burner and a cream pot, police said. 

At the Edgewater Estate a few miles away, a sterling silver tea set and a silver service for 12 were reported missing. 

State police estimated the losses at more than $100,000. 

Wilderstein Executive Director Gregory J. Sokaris said that while the items were irreplaceable, he was thankful the burglars did little damage to the house. 

“We were very lucky in that respect,” he told The Register-Star in Hudson, N.Y. “It could have been a lot worse.” 

The burglars somehow managed to circumvent an alarm system that included motion detectors, according to state police Investigator Richard Nesbitt. The investigation is continuing.

——— 

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — A charity that had been cleared to serve beer at a fund-raiser during Groundhog Day festivities has decided not to offer up the suds after all. 

“I think we would like to take baby steps to make sure it is a high-quality event,” said Pat Joseph, executive director of the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is holding the fund-raiser. “We’re hoping we can bring in something that will be a lot of fun and add things to the weekend in Punxsutawney.” 

In 1996, Groundhog Day organizers banned drinking on Gobbler’s Knob, the spot where Punxsutawney Phil emerges each year in search of his shadow. But earlier this month, Punxsutawney Borough Council voted 5-2 to allow the charity to sell beer. 

The charity will still hold its event, charging $10 admission to see bands in a tent large enough to fit 1,200 people. 

The 1993 release of “Groundhog Day,” the Bill Murray film set in Punxsutawney, helped generate bigger crowds, including an influx of young people who added drinking and dancing to the annual celebration. 

Enter Paltrow, stage left 

LONDON — Gwyneth Paltrow plans to make her British theater debut in the spring with her “Shakespeare in Love” director John Madden in charge. 

“We kind of agreed (to) it in principle a week ago,” Madden said Friday, “having spent a great deal of time in ’Shakespeare in Love’ with me saying to her, ’You’ve got to go on the stage.”’ 

Paltrow is due to open at London’s Donmar Warehouse theater in the same part that won Mary-Louise Parker a Tony Award for best actress in “Proof” in June. 

David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, still running on Broadway in New York, will cast Paltrow as Catherine, a talented young woman who has inherited her father’s mathematical genius — and may also have inherited his mental instability. 

The remaining three roles have yet to be cast, though Madden said he expected the remainder of the company to be British. 

The joint presence of Paltrow and Madden might seem a dry run for an eventual film of the play, but Madden — who began directing in the theater in London and New York before shifting to film — said such thinking is premature. 

“We’re doing this as a piece of theater,” he said in an interview. “That’s what the focus is and what the raison d’etre is.” 

“Proof” begins rehearsals April 8 and starts previews May 9, before a May 15 opening night. The limited run will end June 15. 

Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner, is a Broadway veteran who most recently starred last spring in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies,” earning a Tony nomination. 

Estefan sues actor  

MIAMI — Music mogul Emilio Estefan Jr., the husband of singer Gloria Estefan, has sued an aspiring Venezuelan actor, accusing him of defamation and abuse of process. 

The Circuit Court lawsuit filed Thursday describes Juan Carlos Diaz as an unwanted trespasser who has harassed the Estefans. Police records show Diaz twice has been issued a trespassing warning, one at the Estefan’s mansion and the other at the gym. 

Estefan, his wife and his lawyers said they would have preferred to keep accusations in the courts. Estefan said Diaz’s repeated public statements accusing him of making threats and unwanted sexual advances forced them to speak publicly. 

A hearing to grant Estefan a permanent restraining order against Diaz has been pushed back to Feb. 21. He already has a temporary restraining order. 

Ellis Rubin, Diaz’s attorney, did not immediately return a call for comment. 

Emilio Estefan received the Person of the Year award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2000. He has produced hits for his wife, Ricky Martin, Jon Secada, Shakira and others. 

——— 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Phoenix Pictures has acquired the film rights for “Misconception,” a legal thriller co-written by O.J. Simpson defense attorney Robert Shapiro. 

Shapiro co-authored “Misconception” with novelist, screenwriter and director Walt Becker. 

Published last spring, “Misconception” follows a surgeon general nominee who becomes the target of an anti-abortion extremist in a scandal over an extramarital affair, a pregnant lover and an illegally procured abortion drug. 

Shapiro and Becker will be executive producers on the film, the production company said Thursday. 

Phoenix Pictures’ films include Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “The 6th Day” and the upcoming thriller “Basic” from director John McTiernan. 

Shapiro was a member of Simpson’s defense team when he was acquitted in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson later was found liable for their deaths in a civil trial and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages. Shapiro did not represent him at that trial. 

——— 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Broward judge sent actor Brad Renfro to jail after he turned himself in for a probation violation. 

The star of the 1994 film “The Client” appeared in court Thursday after he was charged with driving without a license and public intoxication Jan. 14 near Knoxville, Tenn., his hometown. 

Renfro, 19, is serving probation for trying to steal a yacht in August 2000. 

Circuit Judge Ronald J. Rothschild ordered Renfro’s arrest. 

“The fact that you’re back here accused of a crime is grounds to detain you,” Rothschild said. 

Authorities said Renfro and a friend had tried to steal a 45-foot yacht from Holiday Harbor in Fort Lauderdale. As they motored away, they forgot to untie all the docking lines, which snagged the $175,000 vessel, damaging its stern. 

In 1998, the actor was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana, but avoided jail time with a plea deal. 

Renfro’s movie credits include “Ghost World,” “Bully” and “Apt Pupil.” 

The project we are about to detail is so simple you might decide to go into business for yourself. 

We’re talking about the installation of a prefabricated wall niche. They not only are attractive but they also allow you to utilize dead space in a wall for a display platform for flowers, art, sculptures, statuary, religious items and more. 

There are a few tricks you will need to know to ensure a smooth installation. But, the project is easy: 

• Cut a rough opening in the wallboard. 

• Apply adhesive to the wallboard. 

• Mount the niche in the opening. 

• Nail it in place with finish nails. 

• Caulk the nail holes. 

Except for the few precautions that follow, that is all there is to it. 

The real trick is accomplished in the planning. Most wall niches are made to fit in the empty space that exists between wall studs. The empty area (or wall cavity) between any two studs is known as the “bay” or “stud bay.” This cavity between floor or ceiling joist would be known as the “joist bay” and between rafters — you guessed it — the “rafter bay.” 

Wall studs normally are spaced at either 16 inches or 24 inches on center. If the spacing is 16 inches, the stud-bay clearance (distance between studs) will be 14 1/2 inches. If the studs are spaced at 24 inches, the distance, stud-to-stud, will be 22 1/2 inches. The niche you choose should be purchased to fit your particular stud spacing. 

Yes, you can install a niche made for a smaller 14 1/2-inch bay into a larger 22 1/2-inch bay, but you will have to do a little framing that could turn the project into a weekend of work. 

Keep in mind that not all stud bays are empty. They can contain electrical wiring, plumbing pipes and vents, to name a few things. Also, keep in mind that a wall has two sides and you will want to study both of them before cutting. Why look on the other side? By surveying its surface you often can tell what’s inside. A wall switch or receptacle is a dead giveaway that electric wiring is nearby. An intersecting wall on the opposite side guarantees that the chosen stud bay is not empty. Such a configuration requires the wall being intersected to have partition framing. Sometimes you can get around the wiring, but you won’t ever get around a partition connection. 

The most important tool for this project will be a stud-finder. One that also checks for sheet-metal ducting, plumbing pipes and electrical wiring is best for this task. If there is a sink or shower valve on the other side of the wall, there will be a valve or a vent pipe in the wall. If a stove exists, there might be a gas line or larger electric wire in your way. Look in the attic to see if anything is penetrating the top of the wall. No penetrations from the attic or subarea are good indications, but not proof positive. 

Why all the precautions? Most stud bays are empty. However, you shouldn’t arbitrarily start removing drywall. A diagnosis first can save dollars later. 

Once you’ve found the perfect place for your niche, use a razor knife or a saw to cut out the wallboard to the niche manufacturer’s specifications. We suggest making a small hole with a razor knife first. Check to make sure that nothing exists in the cavity. Then cut. 

With the hole cut, apply the glue. Put it on the wall — not the niche. You will find out that handling a caulked niche can be a mess. Ever hear the old saying “paint travels”? Well, caulking and adhesive does too. Some manufacturers suggest a special adhesive for their niches. If that’s not the case, we suggest silicone caulk. Clear is good. It sticks well, can easily be cleaned with alcohol and will readily fill the irregular void that typically is created between a straight object (like the back of a niche) and a wall’s wavy surface. 

Be prepared to have someone apply pressure to the surface of the niche to hold it solidly in place while 6-penny or 8-penny bright finish nails are used to permanently attach it to the wall. The nail should be long enough to go through the niche and the wallboard, and then penetrate into the stud approximately 1 inch. Wipe off the excess caulk, putty the nail holes and let everything dry. 

If you are even modestly careful when you cut the drywall, you will find that no wall painting will be necessary, and you will have to paint only if you want to change the color of the niche. 

—- 

For more home improvement tips and information visit our Web site at www.onthehouse.com. 

—- 

Readers can mail questions to: On the House, APNewsFeatures, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, or e-mail Careybro(at)onthehouse.com. To receive a copy of On the House booklets on plumbing, painting, heating/cooling or decks/patios, send a check or money order payable to The Associated Press for $6.95 per booklet and mail to: On the House, P.O. Box 1562, New York, NY 10016-1562, or through these online sites: www.onthehouse.com or apbookstore.com. 

Sting Advice 

Got a nest of insects with stingers near your home? Destroy it by using a spray made for hives that shoots a stream about 20 feet. Sunset is the best time to attack them — when they’re all in the hive. Wear light colors and no scented lotion or perfume. If you look or smell like a flower, they’ll notice. If buzzed, don’t swat. Be still, or move away slowly. If you get stung, remember honeybees sting only once, leaving their stinger behind. To remove it, scrape sideways. This prevents more venom from getting into the skin. Bumblebees, yellow jackets, wasps and hornets have smooth stingers and can sting multiple times. Their venom also attracts others, so exit quickly. Wash with soap and water, use antiseptic, and treat pain and itch with lotions and ice. Or dab on ammonia, meat tenderizer or even mud.

Go ahead, make your truck’s bed a sandbox 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I own a 1998 Ford Ranger regular-cab truck. My folks, who own an earlier-model Ranger, tell me that my truck will drive better if I put a sandbag or two in the bed to add weight. They say it helps prevent rear-wheel spin and makes the truck handle better. They live in the snow belt, and I live in Texas, where snow and ice are rare. But my folks still insist that the sandbag trick will improve my handling on both rainy days and sunny days. My roommate, who owns a 1996 Ranger, says my folks and I are a bunch of idiots, and if we put sand in the back, we might as well bury our silly heads in it. What's the deal? – Stephen 

TOM: I think your roommate is just ticked off about the jackhammering-as-cathartic-therapy you practice while he's trying to sleep, Stephen. 

RAY: Your folks are right. Pickup trucks are very weird vehicles. Think about it. Most of the time, they have absolutely no weight in the back. Everything -- you, your passengers, the engine -- is up front. That in itself makes for very weird handling. 

TOM: But then add to that extremely stiff, heavy-duty springs in the back. They have to be stiff enough to support hundreds of pounds of stuff if you decide to load up the bed. 

RAY: So what's the result? When the bed is empty, the rear end of your pickup truck tends to bounce all over the road and spin its wheels at the slightest provocation. 

TOM: And there's not much the manufacturer can do about it. If the manufacturer adds weight to the back, that eats into the payload you're able to carry. The weight would also reduce your gas mileage and would eat into performance. 

RAY: Of course, if your bed is empty anyway, you probably don't care about payload. And the tiny penalty you pay in mileage and performance might be well worth the improvement you get in handling and traction. 

TOM: And you will feel an improvement. With three or four bags of sand all the way in the back, the truck will be balanced better when cornering, and you'll get less bouncing around and improved traction in the rain. 

RAY: So tell your roommate that, despite his advice, you WILL be looking for a few hundred pounds of dead weight to put in the back of your pickup. Then ask him if he’s available.  

More on Ray’s  

survey 

TOM: Last week we unveiled the results of a survey we did about the cost of car repairs. 

RAY: We picked two fairly average cars, a '96 Honda Civic and a '96 Dodge Intrepid, and picked four common repairs. The repairs we chose are ones you’re likely to need done on a 3-to-4-year-old car. 

TOM: Then we called 158 different shops – both dealerships and independent shops – and got estimates for these repairs. 

RAY: We then compared the repair costs at the dealers with the repair costs at the independents. And we found that dealer prices were higher, on average – by 15 percent for the Honda and by 10 percent for the Dodge. 

TOM: But we also discovered some interesting regional differences. For instance, we looked at the data by time zone. And guess which dealers charged the highest prices? The ones on the coasts. The dealer prices all tended to be higher in the Eastern and Pacific time zones than they were in the Central and Mountain zones. 

RAY: We also learned that in every case, the Mountain time zone had the smallest price spread between the dealers and the independent shops -- they charged almost the same amounts there. So in the Mountain time zone, it almost doesn't matter if you go to the dealer or an independent. Almost! Remember, these are averages. 

TOM: So what's the moral of our survey? Well, if you live on the East or West Coast, you can often save real money by going to an independent (some of which you should deposit directly into our secret bank account in the Cayman Islands). 

RAY: And you'll save even more money if you drive your car across the Continental Divide before getting that brake job! 

TOM: But does all this mean that you should never go to a dealer? Absolutely not. After all, money isn't everything. Would you want your open-heart surgery to be done by the guy who had the lowest prices? 

RAY: We think it means that for the normal, everyday stuff that needs to be done to your car (timing belt, brakes, shocks; like the repairs we researched), you can probably save a few bucks -- hundreds of bucks, in some cases -- by going to a good independent shop. 

TOM: But dealerships do offer some advantages. For one thing, they will know more about your car than the average independent shop. That could mean that they might not have to spend a lot of time diagnosing a problem that's unique to your car. So, if you've got a weird problem, the dealer is still probably your best bet. 

RAY: If you want to see all of the results of our survey, complete with very pretty bar graphs and charts, go to our Web site, the Car Talk section of www.cars.com.

SACRAMENTO — California has opened a new front in the battle between automakers and environmental coalitions, becoming first in the nation to target auto emissions to combat global warming. 

But no technology exists to fight the emissions of carbon dioxide, which helps cause global warming, from automobiles. So, automobile manufacturers say, the only response to the proposal in California’s Legislature is to sell smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. 

Years after California began regulating toxic tailpipe pollutants from the state’s ever-growing fleet of 25 million vehicles, lawmakers now want to limit carbon dioxide, an unregulated nontoxic emission that many scientists believe is warming the earth’s atmosphere. 

They succeeded in part Wednesday, as the state Assembly, encouraged by a group that includes environmentalists, high-tech business executives, scientists and celebrities such as Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand, passed a vehicle-related global warming bill. 

The bill gives automakers until early 2005 to start cutting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles sold in California. It now goes to the Senate. 

Automakers who sell approximately 2 million new cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles yearly in California, believe they’re already beaten. 

“We’re expecting a law to be passed,” said Kris Kiser, vice president of state affairs for the 13-member Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “It’s an election year. The issue has a core constituency and it’s a powerful one for the Democrats.” 

Automakers see the bill as a backdoor way to force more fuel-efficient vehicles into the state, she said, warning that “California consumers are looking at smaller, lighter vehicles and some models may be eliminated.” 

The vote is disgusting, Kiser said, because carbon dioxide can’t be measured from a car’s tailpipe. 

That doesn’t matter, supporters said. There’s been a “perception shift” about carbon dioxide from cars, and the bill by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, is California’s answer to a sometimes-disputed international phenomenon called global warming. 

The Bluewater Network and Natural Resources Defense Council, environmental organizations that sponsored the bill, say California contributes nearly 7 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gases — and 2 percent of all global carbon dioxide. Of that, California’s cars and trucks contribute up to 60 percent of those emissions. 

“If California starts doing something in this regard I think other states will follow,” Pavley said. 

Pavley’s bill tells the California Air Resources Board to write regulations by January 2004 to get the “maximum feasible reduction” of carbon dioxide from cars and trucks. The Legislature would have a year to decide if the regulations were reasonable. If so, they would begin in 2005. 

That would be groundbreaking, said air board spokesman Jerry Martin, although “manufacturers would need time to develop the hardware or software to limit the emissions.” 

By most accounts, carmakers have no existing technology to limit carbon dioxide emissions, a natural byproduct of combusting carbon-based fuel. 

“An enormous amount comes out of the tailpipe,” said Peter Miller, a senior scientist with the NRDC. “It far exceeds the amount of other pollutants.” 

Miller suggested numerous alternatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including better tires, alternative fuels, better fuel efficiency, buying equivalent reductions from other CO2 sources, carpooling, transit and better urban planning. 

“If it was easy, it would have been done,” Miller said. 

Pavley said car manufacturing representatives wouldn’t talk about such recommendations with her before the bill passed. 

“They said they had none. They didn’t want any regulatory reform,” she said. 

Kiser admitted as much. 

“We said, ’how do you fix it? To regulate carbon dioxide you regulate fuel use. It’s that simple for us.” 

———— 

On the Net: Read AB1058 at www.assembly.ca.gov. 

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers: www.autoalliance.org. 

• Population of California: 35 million. 

• Number of vehicles: estimated 25 million. 

• Diesel trucks and buses: 2 million. 

• 2020 Forecast: 45 million people, 31.5 million vehicles. 

• Gasoline consumed in 2000: 14.2 billion gallons. 

• 2020 Forecast: 19.6 billion gallons. 

• Estimated population increase to 2020: 1.4 percent a year. 

• Estimated increase in miles driven to 2020: 1.8 percent a year. 

Source: California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission

NEW YORK — Enron’s collapse added a smacking insult to the injury of the stock market’s decline over the last two years. 

That kind of slap is what businesses and investors, and those tasked with watching over them, may have needed. 

Many had claimed to be chastened by the painful reverse in fortunes of Internet and technology companies, and their stocks, more than a year ago. There was soul-searching over the ways companies calculated their profits or losses, and how they revealed their liabilities. There was an examination of auditors’ conflicts of interest when their firms did other business with the companies whose books they monitored. 

Humbled investors acknowledged the need to lower their expectations of fat, quick returns. Many of the analysts who helped build expectations faced a grueling public examination because of the stakes they, or their firms, had in the performance of stocks they covered. 

But real action was limited. Some investment banks faced sanctions for possibly manipulating the sales of coveted first offerings of stock during the tech boom. Beyond that, the general attitude can be summed up: Yes, the system needed some fine tuning but, since we’re all acting in good faith, why rush to reform? 

The apparent bad faith at Enron Corp. and some Arthur Andersen LLP auditors, dramatized by the alleged shredding of documents even after a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation began, changed all that. 

“I think it could lead to some good reforms in the long run,” said Jeremy Siegal, a finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. 

He cited, among others, the need for standardizing how businesses report their earnings. Companies now have a lot of latitude in formulating profit or loss, how they add up revenues and expenses, where and even whether they list their debts or other liabilities. Different companies use different formulas, creating confusion about a company’s real bottom line. 

In addition, Siegel said in a telephone interview, the system needs firewalls between accountants who audit a company’s books and others who, working for the same accounting firm, do consulting or other work for the company. He urged a formal division “like we had 60 years ago between commercial banks and investment banks.” 

Several of the big accounting firms last week were beginning to build those walls, spinning off or otherwise separating auditing and consulting operations. 

Siegel, long an advocate of the stock market as the best place for long-term investment, also hoped for a return to an emphasis on dividends for company shareholders — a tried and true indication that a company is really making money, not just tweaking its books or making promises it can’t keep so its stock will get a short-term boost. 

He saw no reason for investors who lost money on Enron stock to lose faith in the market or business in general. “The vast majority of CEOs and CFOs are honest people,” he said. 

But if small investors come to realize just how hard it is to analyze a business’s balance sheet, that won’t be bad. 

“Most small investors have no ability to translate those sheets,” Siegel said. 

Wayne Firebaugh, an independent financial planner in Roanoke, Va., agreed that in recent years “people were investing in businesses they didn’t understand.” People interested in buying Enron stock, for instance, often were asking him, “What does Enron do?” 

They’re simply aware a stock is rising and “they’re buying on momentum,” he said. 

The problem, of course, is that by the time a small investor gets wind of a stock’s potential for success, the big traders probably have already moved in — and in fact may have found reasons to move out. 

Like Siegel, Firebaugh sees a silver lining to the storm over Enron. “It has increased understanding, and hopefully will change some behavior,” he said. 

He finds individual investors more easily steered toward mutual funds, where an expert can make investment decisions, and away from individual stocks. They better understand the need for a diversified portfolio, where losses in one company or sector can be balanced by a better performance elsewhere, he said. 

And they’ve gained a new skepticism toward those who tout stocks, he said, listening more closely when he explains why some analysts would promote some stocks and not others. 

“You have a competition in who’s going to get into a good deal, and you also have a competition in who’s going to get out of a bad deal,” he said. The competition is who will get there first, and anyone who isn’t a professional probably won’t.

LOS ANGELES — Amgen Inc., the world’s largest biotechnology firm, said Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its latest immunity-boosting drug for cancer patients, Neulasta. 

The Thousand Oaks.-based company said Neulasta is an improved version of its $1 billion a-year drug Neupogen, which boosts white blood cell production in patients receiving chemotherapy. 

Neupogen requires daily injections for seven to 10 days, which can be trying for many patients. Neulasta, on the other hand, needs only one injection, because it is constructed from larger molecules that the kidneys can’t wash out of the body, said Ken Keller, Amgen’s senior director of marketing. 

Amgen hopes to launch the new drug in April. It will continue to sell Neupogen, however, as Neulasta does not have FDA approval to treat bone marrow transplant patients, leukemia patients or children, Keller said. 

Some 1.5 million patients receive chemotherapy in the United States each year. About 400,000 of those are at risk of getting an infection because their white blood cell count drops, Keller said. 

Amgen hopes doctors will prescribe more chemotherapy patients with Neulasta before they get sick, because it is easier to administer than Neupogen. 

“The biggest upside is more patients,” Keller said. 

By 2005, the company expects both drugs combined to produce revenue of $2 billion a year. 

In the fourth quarter of 2001, sales of Neupogen increased 13 percent from a year earlier to $353 million. 

The company posted profit of $1.1 billion on sales of $4 billion in 2001. 

With the introduction of Neulasta, Amgen plans to phase out production of Leukine, the immunity-boosting drug made by Immunex Corp., the Seattle-based company Amgen announced in December it was buying for $16.8 billion. 

Last weeks’ murders of two Oakland residents in south Berkeley have left the residents of the area calling for the city to clean up what they say is a chronic problem with crime in their neighborhood.  

On Wednesday night, the Berkeley Police Department and a number of city officials responded. 

The BPD hosted a town hall meeting at the Philips Temple CME Church, located at the corner of Adeline and 62nd streets, to discuss the shooting and what residents can do to protect themselves. 

The meeting seemed to portend the birth of a south Berkeley anti-crime coalition, with around 100 residents, representing several neighborhood associations, in attendance.  

Officer Rob Rittenhouse, the BPD’s new area coordinator for south Berkeley, presided at the meeting, and introduced two of his fellow officers: Sgt. Steve Odom, who spoke on personal safety, and Detective William Badour, who gave an update on the investigation into last week’s murders (see sidebar). 

Mayor Shirley Dean, Councilmember Kriss Worthington, representatives from the offices of Vice-Mayor Maudelle Shirek and Councilmember Margaret Breland, and Tom Myers of the city manager’s office also attended the meeting. 

The heavy attendance by city officials underscored the gravity of the crime situation in south Berkeley – a situation that some say has spun out of control in recent years. 

The BPD recently reported that the area received 259 complaints of drug-related activity in 2001 – far more than in any other area of the city. 

Sgt. Odom’s personal safety presentation was well-received, but several residents became impatient. 

“Why should we have to feel unsafe?” asked area resident Andrea Cesar. “Why can’t the city clean this up?” 

Several groups offered their solidarity with the 62rd St. Neighborhood Association, in whose neighborhood the shootings occurred.  

Ron Casimere, president of the Alcatraz Avenue Neighborhood Association, said that there had to be more communication between south Berkeley neighborhood groups.  

“This whole corridor has a problem,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s taken this incident to get us together.” 

Several community activists that recently fought to close Brother’s Liquors on Shattuck Avenue came to listen and offer their support. The City Council voted to shutter Brother’s Liquors last month, which neighbors alleged was the center of drug and other criminal activity in their neighborhood. 

“There’s a bunch of communities in south Berkeley that are fed up to here,” said Byron Onisko. 

Frank Davis, Jr., president of the Black Property Owner’s Association and a 63-year resident of south Berkeley, said that BPD officers should be assigned to the area for several years at a time. It takes that long, he asserted, for the officers to know the area and be effective. 

The situation in south Berkeley was dire, he said. 

“I look around and I can see this area beginning to blossom in drug activity,” he said.  

After the meeting, Mayor Dean listened to residents’ complaints about several blighted and abandoned homes in the neighborhood, which had become magnets for crime.  

Dean told the residents to write to her and the city manager with the specifics of their problems. She promised them that their concerns would be handled. 

On Thursday, Dean said that the city – with the help of neighborhood residents – would do its best to clean up the area.  

“I’m of the theory that crime will thrive in areas where people are not organized, and where there is evidence of blight,” she said. “What we need to do is make sure that if trees are not trimmed, if there’s run-down houses, if street lights are broken, the city will be there to fix them.” 

On the way out of the building, a resident of 63rd Street cornered Mike Berkowitz, an aide to Vice-Mayor Maudelle Shirek, who represents the area on the City Council. 

“I’m just questioning (Shirek’s) involvement in our neighborhood,” the 63rd Street resident said. “We feel like we have no representation.” 

Berkowitz said that Shirek was an active supporter of the Berkeley Police Department. He said that she had voted to increase the size of the force, for community policing, and, not least, for the activation of the Communications Tower behind the Public Safety Center. 

“That was a big issue,” he said. “We took a lot of flack for that.” 

Officer Rittenhouse said on Thursday that a follow-up meeting is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Philips Church. Interested parties can contact the BPD at 981-5700.

Editor: 

When I opened the Planet on Tuesday, I was soon shocked at the gross mischaracterization of Copwatch as presented by the anonymous woman from South Berkeley. As I live near Sacramento and Ashby, I observe the police at work on a daily basis and understand the potential for misconduct is great, as their job is quite frustrating.  

Regardless of a department’s history of misconduct, the police force is an institution of violence and ought to be monitored by the citizens who pay their wages and whom they are sworn to protect and serve, to ensure that they are not overstepping their boundaries.  

I have deep respect for Copwatchers who understand their duty as members of this society is to be on the streets, observing, recording, witnessing, and holding the police accountable for their actions. I attended their Decal class at UC Berkeley in which I participated in a Know Your Rights training and was trained how to Copwatch properly.  

I was struck by their deep commitment to nonviolent principles and the absence of blame placed on individual officers for the acts of violence occasionally required by their job. Not once did I feel the organization was dehumanizing officers or demonizing them—I listened to solid institutional analyses gained through observation and research. I never heard them object to everything the BPD does. I never got the impression that “cops = bad guys”—that is far too simplistic a treatment of the situation.  

Perhaps the writer of Tuesday’s letter failed to make the connection that if the BPD is more than tolerant, more than cautious, and more than restrained in their use of force, it might be because this community maintains a consciousness about their rights and the limits society has placed on the police force—which might have something to do with the fact that Copwatch has been around for twelve years in Berkeley educating people on that very subject. I am glad that there are Copwatchers on the streets in my neighborhood reminding the BPD that although they have violent means of keeping peace at their disposal, they are still accountable to the community in all its manifestations. 

Elena Pérez  

South Berkeley Resident 

David Miller, who was a clean cut, Irish-American, ex-college football player from Syracuse, N.Y., did not fit the 1960s-era American cultural stereotype of an anti-Vietnam War protester. But today, David Miller is known as the “first” person to burn his draft card, which the San Francisco resident did in New York City in 1965, in front of a large crowd. A photo of Miller’s card burning is still on display in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Miller is the author of “I DIDN’T KNOW GOD MADE HONKY TONK COMMUNISTS: A Memoir About Draft Card Burning, Witchcraft, and the Sexual Meaning of Ballgames,” just out from Regent Press. His memoir details Miller’s journey from his early spiritual and political orientation in Catholic pacifism and nonviolent direct action movement, led by the nun and Catholic Worker leader, Dorothy Day … to the ecofeminist witchcraft and women’s spirituality he practices today.  

Miller’s memoir is presented in four parts. Part one is a straight-up explanation of how Miller went from a volunteer job serving soup in Catholic Worker kitchens to the center of a political maelstrom, which resulted in the draft law’s wording being changed to make the public destruction of a draft card a crime. During this period Miller marries, has children, appears before the Supreme Court, and goes to Federal prison.  

Part two chronicles Miller’s second marriage, the birth of more children, and his travels through New York, London, and San Francisco. While living in the Bay Area Miller read a book about matrifocal (women-centered), goddess worshipping cultures.  

This begins a 20-year interest in ecofeminist witchcraft and goddess spirituality. During this period Miller attends law school, practices law in San Francisco, divorces, and partners to Starhawk, a well known leader in the Reclaiming Community of witches. He begins giving "men only" workships on his own or with co-presenters. 

In part three of Miller’s life, he travels to the ancient ruins of the Mayan city, Tikal, in a jungle of Guatamala; and to Copan in Honduras, where a king Miller calls 18 Rabbit lost his life as part of a sacrificial ballgame warrior mythology. His travelling companion, Starhawk, feels no female energy in these places, and Miller becomes tries to make sense of the history and influences he has perceived. Miller begins studying a sixteenth century Mayan text called the Popul Vuh. These further influences lead to Miller’s interest in the spiritual, symbolic, and sexual ideas underlying the games of football, basketball, and baseball. 

Miller’s transformative journey continues. In part four of his memoir, he is approaching his sixties. He returns to Schiller Park, in Syracuse, where his parents first met. Miller describes having an incandescent experience in which he takes in the totality of his life experience. He sees his family root, his cosmic root, and all the different seasons of his life.  

"If we wish to dance out from under the grip of our sacrificial ballgame warrior culture," Miller writes, "a new ballgame dance is needed. Let us set aside the temples and trappings of our warring ballgames and instead, dance the seasons, the well of the year with our sacred bodies, on this sacred earth. 

Miller’s book title was inspired by a country song called, "The Wild Side of Life," which is about honky tonk angels who can’t be tamed into wives. On the night after burning his draft card Miller was thrown in jail. The inmates were singing, and Miller chose "The Wild Side of Life" as his song.  

924 Gilman Feb. 1: American Steel, Pitch Black, Fleshies, The Blottos, Sexy; Feb. 2: Dead and Gone, Black Cat Music, The Cost, The Frisk; Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series Feb. 3: 8 p.m., Gail Brand from London, Carlo Actis Dato from Italy; $0-$20 TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline, http://sfSound.org/acme.html. 

The Albatross Feb. 2: Paul Schneider; Feb. 5: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 6: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 7: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 9: 9:30 p.m., Tipsy House Irish Music; Feb. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 14: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 18: Paul Schneider; Feb. 19: Carla Kaufman and Larry Scala; Feb. 20: Whiskey Brothers; Feb. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 23: 9:30 p.m., Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran; Feb. 28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless noted. 822 San Pablo Ave., 843-2473, albatrosspub@mindspring. com. 

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 

Jazzschool Feb. 3: 4:30 p.m., Art Hirahara, Todd Sickafoose and Scott Amendola Trio; $6-$12. 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Live Oak Concerts Feb. 10: Judy Phillips, Howard Kadis, $10; Feb. 15: Merlin Coleman with Dan Cantrell, Darren Johnson and Ron Heglin, $10; Feb. 16: Marvin Sanders, Karen Ande, JungHae Kim, $12; All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

The Starry Plough Feb. 1: 9:30 p.m., Tempest, Cyoakha Grace and Blind Land, $10; Feb. 2: 9:30 p.m., Banshees of Winter Festival: Jewlia Eisenberg, Faun Fables, Robin Coomer, Gene Jun, Jane Brody, Nicholas Dobsen, Leigh Evans, Jamie Isman, $6; Feb. 3: 8 p.m., The Starry Irish Music Session led by Shay Black, $ sliding scale; Feb. 4: 7 p.m. class, 9 p.m. session, Dance class and Ceili, free; Feb. 5: Open Mic, free; Feb. 6: 8:30 p.m., Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik, $5; Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., Asylum Street Spankers, $12; 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082. 

Tuva Space Mar. 21: 8 p.m., Blues Translation; Mar. 22: 8 p.m., Electro-Acoustic Quartet; Mar. 23: 8 p.m. Solo Guitar Performance, 9:30 p.m. Country, Folk, and Blues Standards. $8 All shows $8. 312 Adeline St. 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org 

Annie Nalezny, Piano Recital Feb. 3: 3 p.m., Beethoven's Sonatas “A Therese” & “Les Adieux,” Bruce Nalezny’s “Poeme & Finale” and Chopin’s 12 Etudes op. 10. $12-$15 donation. Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. 

“Chamber Music Series” Feb. 3: 4 p.m., The Pacific Piano Quartet perform Brahms Piano Quartet in c minor and the Faure Piano Quartet No. 1, also in c minor. $10. Crowden School, 1475 Rose St., 559-6910 x110, jamie@thecrowdenschool.org. 

“Baroque Etcetera” Feb. 3: 7 p.m., Local baroque musicians perform instrumental and vocal works of Bach, Strozzi, Vivaldi, Corelli and Picchi. Church of Saint Mary Magdelen, 2005 Berryman at Milvia, 525-0152. 

“Asylum Street Spankers” Feb. 7: 9:30 p.m., The Spankers; The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., 841-2082, www.asylumstreetspankers.com. 

Antonio Literes’ “Jupiter Y Semele” Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Feb. 10: 7:30 p.m., Presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with guest conductor Eduardo López Banzo. $34-$49. 415-392-4400, www.philharmonia.org.  

“Larry Schneider Quartet” Feb. 10: 4:30 p.m., Matt Clark, Jeff Chambers and Eddie Marshall. $6-$12. Hardymon Hall/Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-4373, www.jazzschool.com. 

“Young Talent in a Young Century” Feb. 10: 4 p.m., 15 year old Shoshana Kay will be featured soloist with the Community Women’s Orchestra. Also: Katya Lopez, Rosanne Luu, Tomoko Momlyana and Catarina Sdun. Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St., 653-1616. 

Dance 

Kun Shin Dancers celebrate the artistic traditions of mainland China and Taiwan. Intricate fan and ribbon dances, athletic sword dance, drum duet, courtship piece, peacock dance, and a hoop dance. $8-$10. Calvin Simmons Theatre in the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Ten 10th St., Oakland, 465-9312, www.danceforpower.org.  

“Merce Cunningham Dance Company” Feb. 1 and 2: 8 p.m., The engagment features a world premiere by Cunningham (as yet untitled), with music by Christian Wolff and costumes by Terry Winters. $24-$26. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

“Dance Festival” Feb. 8: 8 p.m., Feb. 9: 8 p.m., East Bay Dance Festival featuring: AXIS Dance Company, Savage Jazz Dance Company, Moving Arts Dance Collective, Dandelion Dancetheater. $15, Students and Seniors $12. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 326-4245, www.katherinedavis.com/ebaydancefestival.htm. 

“Frogz” Feb. 8: 8 p.m, Feb. 9: 2 p.m., 8 p.m., A bevy of balletic frogs, poor-spelling sloths and other curious mischief-making characters roll, leap, and slink around the stage. $18 -$30. Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-0212 

Theater 

Word for Word double bill Feb. 1: 7 p.m., Feb. 2: 5 p.m., Feb. 3: 2 p.m.: Julius Lester’s short children’s play “John Henry”; Zora Neale Hurston’s “The Gilded Six Bits.” Both children and adults will view John Henry together, then the children leave the theatre to participate in art exercises that help them enter the spirit of the play. Meanwhile, the adults remain in the theatre to view The Gilded Six Bits. $16 adults, $11 children. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.com. 

“Unmasked!” Feb. 1: 8 p.m., Feb. 2: 8 p.m., Feb. 3: 5 p.m.: An evening of two short student-directed plays, “The Lesson” by Eugene Ionesco and “Beyond Therapy” by Christopher Durang. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theather, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany, 559-6550 x4125, theaterensemble@hotmail.com. 

“James Joyce, Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie: An Alphabet” Feb. 5: 8 p.m., Originally conceived as a radio play, John Cage’s imagined conversations between 15 artistic and cultural figures, their dialogue, historical materials, and musings that Cage simply made up. Director Laura Kuhn, Composer Mikel Rouse. UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall, 642-0212, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

Oakland Magic Circle hosts its 34th annual Installation Banquet and Stage show, Feb. 5: 7 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Show, Dick Newton, Timothy James, Peter Winch, Dan X. Solo, $20 Adults, $15 Children; Bjornson Hall, 2258 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, 420-0680. 

“Every Inch a King” 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.  

“The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” Through Feb. 10: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m., playwright Naomi Wallace’s story about Dalton, a 15-year-old who dreams of escaping to college, and Pace, the town’s 17-year-old tomboy. Stuck in a town with no real prospects, the pair begins a deadly contest of chicken with the daily express train. Directed by Søren Oliver. $30-$35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. 

"Human Nature" Feb. 16: 8:30 p.m., X-plicit Players, $15; Art-A-Fact, 1109 Addison St., 848-1985, www.xplicitplayers.com. 

“Sisters” Through Feb. 16: Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., The Prozorov sisters look at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

“Night, Mother” Feb. 8, Feb. 15 - 16, Feb. 22 - 23: 8 p.m., A drama exploring one young woman’s decision to take control of her life with one furious and heartbreaking act. Directed by Bahati Bonner. $12, $8 seniors. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 496-1269 x1950, nightmother@onebox.com 

“Rhinoceros” Through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragic-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.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. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 28: 3 p.m., The Jazz Singer; 7 p.m., Underground Kisses; Jan. 29: 7:30 p.m., New Arab Video 2; Jan. 30: 3 p.m., The Nickelodeon; 7:30 p.m., New Arab Video 3; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Parkway Theatre Jan. 29: 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Boom! The Sound Of Eviction, a Just Cause Oakland benefit screening. $6-$20. 1843 Park Blvd., Oakland, 464-1011. 

“Human Rights International Film Festival” Feb. 22 through Feb. 24: Nine provocative films will be shown, many followed by question and answer sessions with local and visiting filmmakers. Check theater for films and times. Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412  

Exhibits  

“Group 19 Exhibition” Through Jan. 27: A showcase of recent work by local artists. Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., 6 p.m. special musical performance, Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Figtree Gallery, 2599 Eighth St., No. 42. 540-7843 

“Prints and Paintings by Liao Shiou-Ping” on view through Jan. 31; Tues. to Fri.10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat.10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Free. Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388-9th St., Suite 290, Oakland, 238-4491. 

“Rhythms” Through Feb. 2: Art installation of sculpture, neon, music and video projections by Kati Casida; Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., 845-5373 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: Exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists; Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Through Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263. 

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

“New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture. Steve Brisco’s paintings. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Traywick Gallery,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.; Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“Envisioning Ecology” Through Feb. 15: Paintings by Michelle Waters. Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., 548-2220 x233. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” 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.; Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Adventures in La Land” Through Feb. 23: Installations by Suzanne Husky and Paintings by Amy Morrell. Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 428-2349. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Through Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ton of Joy” Through Mar. 1: Group show of twelve painters and sculptors: Simone Anders, Susan Brady, Erin Fitzgerald, Karen Frey, Kei Hanafusa, Nancy Legge, Burke Rainey, Robin Sebourn, Kristen Throop, Clay Vajgrt, Whitney Vosburgh, Ann West; Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Hollis Street Project, 5900 Hollis St., Emeryville. 

“Celebrating the African Diaspora” Jan. 29 - Mar. 1: A Black History Month Exhibit celebrating the contributions of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; University of Creation Sprituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x31 

“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; Through Mar. 24: “Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado,” 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. 

“A Retrospective Show” Feb. 1 - Mar. 13: The Women’s Cancer Resource Center will participate in this year’s The Art of Living Black, an Open Studios event for local African American artists. The Gallery features a retrospective show of the work of the late Jan Hart-Schuyers. Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat. 12 - 4 p.m., Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286 x307, www.wcrc.org. 

The Richmond Art Center Through Mar. 16: “The Art of Living Black 2002: The sixth Annual Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Art Tour,” group exhibition of 81 artists; “Introspección Dual: Recent Painting by Verónica B. Rojas and Santiago Gervas”; “Transmutations: Recent work by Tim Jag”; “The NIAD` Family,” Artwork from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities; “Still Here,” collaborative art project about AIDS in the 21st century; “Girls in the Hall,” artwork by girls incarcerated in the San Francisco juvenile justice system; Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Sat. noon - 4:30 p.m.; The Art of Living Black Art Tour Weekend: Mar. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; 2540 Barrett Ave., 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. 

“Average Female (Perfect)” Through Mar. 24: Manhattan-based artist Sowon Kwon projects footage of the first ever perfect-scoring gymnasts: Romanian, Nadia Comanece and Russian, Nelli Kim at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kwon superimposes over the gymnasts a hand-drawn outline of the “average” female body to direct the audience’s attention to the gymnasts’ movements throughout their performances. Wed. - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., $4 - $6. 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, Through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Through Apr. 4: Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, 524-9283. 

“The Legacy of Social Protest: The Disability Rights Movement” Through April 30: The first exhibition in a series dealing with Free Speech, Civil Rights, and Social Protest Movements of the 60s and 70s in California. Photograghs by: Cathy Cade, HolLynn D’Lil, Howard Petrick, Ken Stein. The Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Undergraduate Library, University of California-Berkeley, hjadler@yahoo.com.  

“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. 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” Feb. 2 through May 12: An exhibit displaying models of the sets and dinosaur sculptures used in the Jurassic Park films, as well as a video presentation and a dig pit where visitors can dig for specially buried dinosaur bones. $8 adults, $6, youth and seniors. Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Dr., above the UC Berkeley campus, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Readings 

Coffee With a Beat Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd, Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell, Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Feb. 5: William Chapman presents slides and reads from his book, “The Face of Tibet”; Feb. 7: A panel of female travel writers read from their works published in “The Unsavvy Travelers”, a chronicle of hilarious tales of cathartic misadventures on the road; Feb. 19: Christopher Baker, author of “Costa Rica: Moon Handbook” presents a slide show demonstrating what makes the Central American country so appealing; Richard Sterling, author of Lonely Planet’s “World Food: Greece”, presents a culinary tour revealing the culture and character of Greece through the medium of her cuisine’s; Feb. 28: Terrence Ward reads from his book “Searching for Hassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran”; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Jan. 30 Ralph Angel, George Higgins; Feb. 6: Adrianne Marcus, Diana O’Hehir; Feb. 10: Cathy Coldman, Judith Serin; Feb. 13: Murray Silverstein, Gillian Wegener, Helen Wickes; Feb. 17: Sharon Doubiago, Doren Robbins; Feb. 20: Linda Elkin, Steve Rood; Feb. 27: Stephen Kessler and John Oliver Simon; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

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. 

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. - 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.  

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

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

Friday, Feb. 1

Benefit for the Chiapas  

Peace House Project 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists 

1606 Bonita 

Live music, DJs and homemade baked goods. Sliding scale. 

Hungarian Jewry 

7:30 p.m. 

Temple Beth El 

2001 Vine St. 

Rabbi Ferenc Raj of Budapest, Hungry will present discuss his life in Hungry and his effort to bring Judaism inside the iron curtain. 848-3988 

Experimental Music Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Tuva Space 

3192 Adeline 

The Cardew Choir announces three public experimental music workshops led by visiting composer and poet Joseph Zitt. Free and open to the public. 204-0607, www.metatronpress.com/artists/cardewchoir/. 

“Communities in Action” Conference 

All day. 

UC Berkeley, Clark Kerr Campus 

The Conference will feature the work of community groups, youth, and researchers who are using popular education and participatory research to empower and transform their communities. Call for times: 642-2856, or cpeprconference@yahoo.com.  

Church Women United 

Berkeley /Albany Chapter 

9:30 a.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave. 

This will be the preparation day for the World Day of Prayer. 526-4303.  

Saturday, Feb. 2

“Communities in Action” Conference 

All day. 

UC Berkeley, Clark Kerr Campus 

The Conference will feature the work of community groups, youth, and researchers who are using popular education and participatory research to empower and transform their communities. Call for times: 642-2856, or cpeprconference@yahoo.com.  

Sunday, Feb. 3

Religious Fundamentalism in Islam and Judaism 

1 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A course that explores the ways in which some Jews and Muslims have reacted to the challenges of the modern world. $35, $30 members. 845-6420, www.Lehrhaus.org 

Monday, Feb. 4

National Organization for Women 

6:30 - 8 p.m. 

6536 Telegraph Ave. 

February meeting of the Oakland East Bay Chapter of NOW. 287-8948. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

The Alexander Technique 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley YWCA 

2600 Bancroft Way 

Introductory workshop discussing the basic principles of this method, and demonstrate how you can apply them in ordinary movements. $15 members, $23 non-members. 848-6370. 

Wednesday, Feb. 6

Get Connected: The Magic of  

Mingling 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches mingling strategies for social occasions. $10, $8 members. 848-0237 x127 

Copwatch 

7 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Know Your Rights Training, learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely. 548-0425. 

Bringing Shabbat to Life: A Shabbat Workshop 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

A workshop that teaches how to bring fun and peaceful family time to Shabbat through crafts, creative ideas and family projects. $5, $4 members. 848-0237 x127 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Gregory Curtin lectures on “Transforming Local Government - The Impact of the Internet and New Information Technology”. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Relationship Seminar 

7 - 9 p.m. 

First Presbyterian Church of Alameda 

2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda 

A four session seminar, Wednesdays, Feb. 6 - 27, on developing and deepening healthy interpersonal relationships. 522-1477. 

Thursday, Feb. 7

Help Put an End to the  

Sanctions Against Haiti 

4:30 p.m. 

Federal Building 

1301 Clay St., Oakland 

A vigil with music and speakers. 483-7481, haitiaction@yahoo.com.  

Backpacking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Veteran backpacker, Eric Rorer, shares slides and information on his recent adventure in the Refuge’s Franklin Mountains. 527-7377 

Friday, Feb. 8

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft 

Vigil urging the end of Israeli Occupation of West Bank and Gaza. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org.  

Saturday, Feb. 9

Earthquake Retrofitting Class 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

The Office of Emergency Services offers a free class to show how to strengthen a wood frame home by installing expansion and epoxy bolts, shear paneling and structural hardware.  

Afro-Centric Thoughts in Process Workshop 

3 p.m. 

Black Repertory Group 

3201 Adeline St. 

Black Consciousness for and about Africans born in America, also celebrating knowledge beginning with the birth of human life in Africa six million years ago. 652-2120 or 841-0392. 

Berkeley High School 

Men's Crew Team  

Annual Ergathon Fund Raiser 

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

BHS is the only public school on the West Coast offering crew to its students. Less than 2 percent of the team’s annual budget comes from the BHS Athletic Department. 559-3179, jldulay@attbi.com. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Fundraiser  

6 p.m. 

Kensington Youth Hut 

59 Arlington Ave., Kensington 

19th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser for the nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and education in flyfishing. 524-0428. 

Sunday, Feb. 10

Salsa Dance Party and Lesson 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Novices are welcomed, and nobody is required to bring a partner. $12. 508-4616, ronniematisalsa@yahoo.com 

Valentine’s Dance 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will perform. $15, $18 at door. 420-4560 

Special Day with Susan Crane: Plowshares Activist 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship 

1924 Cedar 

“Loving Your Enemies: A Revolution of Values.” Susan shares her spiritual journey which led to three terms in prison and living in Jonah House. 524-6064, hcarlstad@aol.com. 

John J. McNeill 

11 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

Spiritual leader, activist and author of The Church and the Homosexual will speak at the New Spirit Community Church 11 a.m. Worship Celebration. 849-8280, admin@newspiritchurch.org. 

Monday, Feb. 11

Perfect Couples 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

2576 Shattuck Ave., Suite 7 

A group for singles who don’t want to be. For men and women in their 20’s and 30’s. $30 per session, 8 week commitment. Catherine Auman, MFT. 848-3511. 

Writing an Ethical Will Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Writers of ethical wills hope to convey what they have learned in life. All writing levels and native languages welcome. $30. To register call: 848-0237 X127. 

An Evening of Music, Song, and Speech 

7 p.m. 

AK Press 

674-A 23rd St., Oakland 

Progressive minded singers and organizers will perform and speak. $5. 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Institute of Government Studies 

12 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Per Petterrson lectures as part of the Positive Political Theory Seminar. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu 

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Wetland Restoration 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline, Oakland 

Restoration activities include planting native and removing non-native plants, shoreline clean-ups, and water quality monitoring. Gloves and tools are provided. 452-9261, mlatta@savesfbay.org 

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

1840 Alcatraz 

The UNtraining offers personal work for white people to address our unconscious racial conditioning. $10. 235-6134. 

Wednesday, Feb. 13

Near-death Experience Support Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers a supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 531-6393. 

Thursday, Feb. 14

Get Connected: Cooking from the Heart 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Join Pastry Chef Daniel Herskovic, as he instructs how to create a sumptuous meal. $25 includes meal and lesson. 601-7247, dherskovic@yahoo.com 

– Compiled by Guy Poole 

After playing tough for the first 30 minutes of the game, the Cal Bears went ice-cold with the game on the line Thursday night against Arizona to take their first home loss of the season, 68-58. 

The crowd at Haas Pavilion was rocking for the first half, during which an 18-2 Cal run gave the Bears a five-point lead. But the crowd went dead silent after a Ryan Forehan-Kelly jumper tied the game, 49-49, with 11 minutes left. Cal got just one field goal the rest of the way, a 3-pointer by Amit Tamir, as the Wildcats (14-6, 7-3 Pac-10) pulled away with a 17-3 run that lasted nine minutes. 

“They stepped up their defense, but we started rushing our shots,” Cal swingman Brian Wethers said of the Bears’ cold streak, which included seven turnovers. 

Arizona point guard Jason Gardner led the Wildcats in the second half with 15 points after scoring just two points in the first half. Arizona’s leading scorer at 21.3 points per game, Gardner hurt the Bears (14-5, 5-4) with his penetration and durability, getting to the free throw line 13 times and playing all but one minute of the game. 

“That’s not unusual for Jason,” Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. “He’s had other games when his first half wasn’t so good, but when it gets to crunch time he’ll step up.” 

Arizona also got a typically productive all-around night from sophomore Luke Walton, who had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Forward Rick Anderson pitched in with 16 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Arizona big men were helped by foul trouble for the entire Cal front line. Starters Solomon Hughes and Jamal Sampson combined to play just 18 minutes, contributing just 2 points and 1 rebound between them. Sampson was also the team’s latest victim of a flu bug, which has affected about half of the Cal players as well as head coach Ben Braun.  

Arizona was clearly the aggressor in the game, getting a 31-12 advantage in trips to the free throw line. Although the Wildcats made just 16 of their free throws, the Bears were clearly not aggressive on offense. 

“We can’t be successful getting to the foul line 8 times, 10 times, 12 times,” Braun said. “We’re at our best when we’re testing teams inside, and we didn’t do that.” 

With Hughes and Sampson on the bench for most of the game, the grunt work was left to 6-foot-10 freshman Amit Tamir. Tamir scored 10 points but had just 6 rebounds as the Wildcats claimed a 37-29 edge on the boards. 

The absence of the Cal shot-blockers also contributed to Arizona’s 54.8 shooting percentage, the second-highest the Bears have surrendered this season. Walton really took advantage, backing down smaller Cal defenders for short leaners in the post. 

“(Cal) has been effective down there challenging shots and making it tough to score,” Olson said. “We spread the floor and attacked them early, and they got in foul trouble.”

During Tuesday night’s crime summit, the Berkeley Police Department gave its most complete account to date of the murders of Rammar Johnson and Noel Turner, Jr. 

BPD Homicide Detective William Badour took questions from the audience about the shooting, although he declined to answer many questions, on the grounds that releasing certain facts may interfere with the investigation of the case,. 

Badour said that Johnson and Turner were shot while sitting in a green Honda Acura parked in front of 3331 King St. at around 2:40 a.m. on Jan. 22. The victims each suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head. 

The shots were fired from outside the car, from a distance of between 10 and 15 feet, according to Badour. Two young black males were seen fleeing the scene on foot. The police department has not been able to identify them. 

The victims – who had been visiting someone in the area – were from East or West Oakland. They were not living in the neighborhood, which straddles the Oakland-Berkeley border, at the time of their deaths. Neither was employed. 

Badour said that both victims had rap sheets that included arrests for drugs and gun possession, but that they had not, to his knowledge, every been arrested in Berkeley. 

Johnson and Turner were not in possession of illegal drugs at the time of the shooting. 

“The investigation so far does not lead us to believe that the crime was drug-related,” Badour said, a point which many members in the audience found hard to believe. 

One questioner tried to pin Badour down on the point. He wanted to know if regular, law-abiding citizens who were not involved in drugs should fear for their safety. 

“Is there any reason why we should be more concerned about walking down the street than we were two weeks ago?” he asked.  

“I don’t think this was a random thing,” Badour answered, implying that the perpetrators of the crime were not likely to repeat the crime on innocent people. 

Badour said that forensic evidence connected with the crime has been collected and is still being processed. He said that many in the neighborhood, including people that have recently been arrested on drug-related crimes, have been questioned.  

Still, he said, the case, if it is solved, will most likely be solved by people with information who share it with the police. 

“In other cases like this that I’ve worked, there are people who have seen something but are reluctant to come forward,” he said. “If anyone saw anything, or suspects anything, or has a hunch, call us. You don’t have to leave your name.” 

To that end, the BPD is filling out paperwork that will soon allow the department for a substantial award – probably $30,000 – for information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrators. 

Badour said that he was optimistic that the case would be cracked soon. 

“Standing before you now, I feel pretty good about it,” he said. 

Anyone who may have information about the case is urged to contact the BPD Homicide division at (510) 981-5741. 

Allegations made in Tuesday’s, 01/29/02 edition entitled “South Berkeley resident speaks out on Copwatch” contained several provocative opinions about the group that were unsubstantiated by the editorial staff of this newspaper. We continue to stand behind our resolve to provide this space as a vehicle for the first amendment and went to a reasonable length to try to trace down the truths in her allegations but were unsuccessful. At this time, we have no reason to believe that despite the allegations made in Tuesday’s letter that anyone involved in Copwatch has been picked up by the Berkeley Police Department for a heroin overdose. 

LOS ANGELES — MGM has a license to kill the title of the new “Austin Powers” sequel “Goldmember.” 

The studio petitioned the Motion Picture Association of America to ban the suggestive name of the New Line Cinema comedy, saying it infringed on the title of its 1964 James Bond thriller “Goldfinger.” 

The MPAA ordered New Line to stop using the title last week. 

“(We) have a zero-tolerance policy toward anyone who tries to trade in on the James Bond franchise without authorization,” MGM said in a written statement. 

New Line said it plans an appeal, arguing the MPAA approved the title of its 1999 sequel “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” a parody of the 1977 Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me.” 

Meanwhile, the studio has withdrawn preliminary ads for “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” which is scheduled to debut July 26. 

The comedy, starring Mike Myers as a toothy, flower-child secret agent, also co-stars Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce Knowles as his lover Foxy Cleopatra. Myers also plays several villains, including hairless schemer Dr. Evil and the new bad-guy, Goldmember. 

In the story “Panthers take it easy, still destroy Albany” (Daily Planet, Jan. 31), the St. Mary’s assistant coach should have been identified as Dave Simril. The Daily Planet regrets the error.

California Secretary of State Bill Jones, Republican candidate for governor, attacked his rivals and touted a statewide voter registration drive during an appearance at UC Berkeley Wednesday. 

Jones, speaking before several hundred students in professor Alan Ross’s “Election 2002” class, said former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who is leading in the polls for GOP primary, is too moderate for his party. 

“I’m a Republican, and I’m proud to be a Republican,” said Jones, attacking Riordan, who has endorsed and funneled campaign contributions to Democrats, and taken a pro-choice position on abortion.  

Jones also assailed Riordan for failing to break Los Angeles Unified School District into several smaller districts, arguing that smaller, local governance is more in line with Republican philosophy. 

“The mayor is a Republican, everyone knows he’s a Republican,” responded Matt Szabo, deputy press secretary for the Riordan campaign. “He’s running an inclusive campaign, and when he’s elected, he’ll be a governor for all Californians – Republicans, Democrats and Independents.” 

Szabo added that Riordan does support the division of the Los Angeles Unified School District into many smaller districts. Darrel Ng, press and communications assistant for the Jones campaign, said that Riordan should have worked with the local school board to break up the district during his time in office. 

Jones, who served in the State Assembly for twelve years before becoming Secretary of State, also said he has more government experience than businessman, and rival gubernatorial candidate, Bill Simon.  

“I have actually walked the walk,” he said. “I have passed legislation.” 

“While Bill Jones has career politician experience,” retorted Jamie Fisfis, communications director for the Simon campaign, “Bill Simon has private sector experience.” 

A recent California Field Poll, conducted Jan. 23-27, shows Riordan with a commanding lead in the race for the Republican nomination, with 47 percent of voters favoring the former Los Angeles mayor, compared to 13 percent each for Jones and Simon. The primary will be held March 5. 

Professor Ross said that, with the primary just around the corner, Jones has little hope of closing the gap with Riordan, who has a significant fund-raising edge.  

“It’s going to be very tough to beat that kind of money,” he said. 

According to the latest figures, provided by the state, Riordan has raised over $7.9 million, compared to Jones’s $2.9 million. The former mayor of Los Angeles has $2.3 million on hand, compared to Jones’s $1.1 million. 

The Secretary of State also spoke at length about “Vote America,” a voter registration initiative, out of his office, that calls on Californians to serve as poll workers, conduct voter registration drives in their communities, or pledge to “take five” – registering and recruiting five voters to go to the polls. 

“Without any question.” Jones told the students, “we have the ability to change the world by virtue of our participation in elections.” 

Jones also touted the “three strikes and you’re out” legislation that he crafted as an Assemblyman in 1993, which imposes enhanced sentences for three-time felons. 

Several students raised concerns about the law, arguing that it has a disproportionate effect on African-Americans and Latinos.  

Jones said the law does not target any particular ethnic group, and added that, as governor, he will push for “pre-strikes” legislation that would beef up intervention services for young people. 

Jones said that legislation could include more pre-school and after-school programs, but Ng said the campaign has not ironed out the specifics. 

Bruce Cain, director of the Institute for Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, said the Secretary of State was the clear winner in a Jan. 22 debate in San Jose between the Republican gubernatorial hopefuls. But oddly, he said, that performance has not provided a boost. 

“He will go down in the annals of history as unique in the sense that I have never seen someone win a debate,” Cain said, “and go down in the polls.” 

Cain’s explanation: “It all comes down to one word – money.” 

Jones, responding to a student’s question about his financial disadvantage Wednesday afternoon, said that if money was all that mattered, there would have been a President Perot. 

Editor:  

I was astonished to pick up the Berkeley Daily Planet today and find an anonymous letter which villified Berkeley Copwatch.  

I have had the privilege of knowing the organizers of Copwatch, sitting in on some of their meetings, and witnessing how they conduct their copwatching shifts on the streets. They are unfailingly polite and respectful to police, as well as to everyone else. They do not shove anything in anyone's face, let alone microphones--they don't even own any microphones. As for videotaping, this is a perfectly legal activity, as was explained in your Monday feature article, and Copwatchers who use videocameras are trained not to interfere with police.  

The organizers and volunteers at Copwatch are civil, articulate, intelligent, and nonviolent. They know a lot about the law, and so they try to educate citizens regarding their rights. It's great that your anonymous letter writer knows a lot of upstanding, heroic police officers. Those officers are indeed a blessing to the community, but not every officer fits this profile--certainly not all of the time.  

It's absolutely false to say that Copwatch objects to everything that the police do. The fact is that police misconduct has been well documented in Berkeley, as well as places like L.A. and Oakland, and this is why Berkeley has a Police Review Commission. Incidentally, the Berkeley PRC has a longstanding collaborative and amicable relationship with Copwatch.  

Also, the allegation that a police officer picked up two Copwatch leaders who overdosed on heroin is absolute nonsense. Lastly, the author's name being withheld "for her safety" implies that somebody in Copwatch might "come after her." Copwatch is a sober, intelligent, and nonviolent group. They have never harmed or "come after" anyone ever, nor would they be disposed to do so (even in response to defamation).  

Marc Polonsky 

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES — A background actor from last summer’s “Planet of the Apes” movie accused the filmmakers of harming him and hundreds of others with dust used in a climactic desert fight scene. 

Jeffrey Clark seeks unspecified damages from studio Fox Entertainment Group for alleged fraud, battery, conspiracy and negligence, according to the proposed class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday. 

About 80,000 pounds of Fuller’s Earth, a sedimentary clay used for absorbing chemicals and oils, were tossed into the air with giant wind machines during the production, the lawsuit said. 

Extras involved in the scene — a battle between human slaves and their ape rulers — were exposed to the dust for hours at a time without breathing masks, according to the lawsuit. 

As a result, Clark said he suffered lingering eye irritation and respiratory problems. 

It is unclear, however, whether other background performers have joined the lawsuit. Clark’s attorney did not immediately return calls for comment. 

Fuller’s Earth is routinely used to produce dust effects in movies. The International Cinematographers Guild recommends limited use of the product and only in well-ventilated areas. The guild also suggests that crews wear proper breathing protection. 

Limited exposure to the clay is not dangerous except for those with chronic asthma or other respiratory ailments. Fuller’s Earth is also used in some cat litter and oily skin health treatments, and the dust is not toxic unless previously used to soak up a poison. 

Clark alleges he was exposed to the dust for 10 to 12 days at six or eight hours at a time. He and other extras were paid about $8 an hour. 

Fox officials did not immediately return calls for comment. 

The 2001 movie, a remake of the 1968 Charlton Heston thriller, chronicled the adventures of an Earth astronaut (Mark Wahlberg) who lands on a planet populated by intelligent primates who enslaved a race of humans. 

Directed by Tim Burton, best known for 1988’s “Batman,” the $100-million sci-fi adventure earned about $180 million domestically.

The Jan. 18 death of Irma Augusta, the last of the “Freedom Home sisters,” gave birth to the idea of creating a historical district honoring a group of homes on Stanton Street, which served as a springboard for impoverished Southern African-Americans to start a new life.  

The 95-year-old Augusta was the niece of Joseph Quezaire, a railway Pullman porter, who along with a group of other porters, purchased modest middle-class homes in the 2800 block of Stanton Street in the late ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s. 

The porters, many of them from Plantation Country, Louisiana, then opened their homes to relatives living under oppressive conditions in the South. 

“These porters shared their homes with unfortunate relatives constrained in poverty, segregation and misery down south,” said Edward Gibson, a relative if Augusta. “These places of refuge are what I call the Freedom Homes, where the porters’ relatives found hope of a new and better life.” 

There is little documented history available of African-American homeownership in Berkeley. The Berkeley Historical Society, the Berkeley Public Library and the Berkeley Architectural Historical Society have no records about when African- Americans purchased their first homes in the city. There is also very little information about the Pullman Porters, who among the first African Americans to move to California from the south in the 1920s. 

“This is very important information and as a community we have to do what we can to document it,” said Jackie Stewart, the correspondent secretary for the African American Genealogical Society “The sad thing is that we are losing a tremendous amount of historical information with each older person who passes away.”  

Augusta’s mother, Annie Quezaire Mathieu, whose parents were slaves, was among the first Quezaires to move to Stanton Street from Donaldsonville, La. in 1941. Augusta was the last to move to Berkeley in 1957 after the death of her husband in 1955. There were five Quezaire relatives who moved to the Stanton Street home in the hopes of escaping the oppressive poverty of Louisiana. 

According to Gibson, who is married to Augusta’s niece, there were at least five other homes on the same block that were purchased by Pullman porters, who in turn brought their family members to Berkeley. He said porters began purchasing homes as early as 1927. 

“It was not unusual for African Americans to cluster together in small communities like that,” Stewart said. “Clustering together provided a communal feeling. And once one family purchased a home, they were often followed by other family and community members.” 

Gibson said the homes in 2800 Stanton Street hold a worthy place in history. He is planning to begin the process to have the homes or possibly the entire block landmarked.  

“These were very important homes to these families, they allowed them to change their futures in a very significant way,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s important for the city to recognize this area.” 

Chair of the Social Science Department at Vista College Chuck Wollenberg agreed.  

“Before the Second World War there were very few places where African Americans and Asian Americans could buy homes in the Bay Area. In Berkeley it was south of Dwight Way and West of Grove Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way).” he said. “I think some sort of historical recognition of this area makes a lot of sense.” 

Gibson, a retired naval officer who lives in Oregon, has contacted the Berkeley Architectural Historical Association and said he expects to submit the Stanton Street homes for consideration as a city a landmark in the coming weeks. 

BAHA Executive Director Anthony Bruce said that once the application is initiated, the homes could become landmarked within a few months. 

“Homes can be either architecturally or socially significant to be landmarked,” he said. “Mr. Gibson will have to demonstrate the historical significance in written form, which will be considered by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.” 

Editor: 

As a founding member of Copwatch, I feel that I must respond to the misperceptions, misinformation and false notions that appeared in an opinion piece entitled “South Berkeley resident speaks out on Cop Watch,” (January 29, 2002). 

The author of this letter seems to have given Copwatch quite a bit of consideration, but has not actually spoken with our members or read our literature. She seems to be operating in the belief that Copwatch is simply against the police on principle.  

Within the movement for police accountability, citizens who advocate for independent, civilian oversight of police have often been characterized as being “anti-police.” This simplistic representation of our analysis of police misconduct does a disservice to Copwatch and to the police. 

Within many professional law enforcement organizations nationally, there is support for civilian oversight of police. In fact, many police officers have come to believe that community involvement in oversight is essential, especially when we consider how difficult it is for officers who witness misconduct to “blow the whistle” on their fellow officers.  

I agree with the author of the letter when she says that Berkeley is “NOT Los Angeles, not even Oakland”. Berkeley citizens voted to establish one of the first Police Review Commissions in the country in 1973, and since that time, there has been a long line of citizens who have invested countless hours into making sure that brutality and misconduct did not become common practice as it has in some other communities.  

For the last twelve years, Copwatch volunteers have dedicated themselves to the task of monitoring police conduct. This kind of community oversight helps to explain why Berkeley cops are held to a higher standard of conduct.  

Copwatch is made up of volunteers. We are teachers, students, office and construction workers, doctors, artists and others.  

We train members of the public in non-violence techniques, observation methods and relevant aspects of the law. We train our members to deescalate situations where possible, not to interfere and to practice non-violence at all times (no verbal put downs, don’t run, keep your hands visible, etc). I must confess that I was shocked to read the paragraph in which the author claims that some officer on the BPD had taken two of the “main leaders” of Copwatch to the hospital to be treated for heroin overdose. This claim is not only untrue, but I fear that it is an effort to “kill the messenger” for carrying the unpleasant information that yes, police misconduct persists in Berkeley to this day.  

We at Copwatch have brought incidents of misconduct to the attention of the Police Review Commission and had allegations sustained. We have challenged and ultimately changed policies that we perceived to be unjust or ill considered. We have conducted countless “Know Your Rights” workshops in an effort to educate the public and to defend our basic civil rights. We have provided support and referrals to victims of misconduct. We are currently investigating claims that the Berkeley Drug Task Force has been using excessive force as a means of carrying out drug suppression efforts. 

I am glad that the author has had positive experiences with members of the Berkeley Police Department. However, that is not the experience of all Berkeley residents. Copwatch receives many complaints of misconduct each week especially from people who live in south and west Berkeley.  

As a school teacher, a twenty year resident of Berkeley, and someone who cherishes the Bill of Rights, I will continue to observe police, speak out against injustice and work for a better Berkeley.  

Andrea Pritchett 

Co-founder of Copwatch 

(Andrea Pritchett’s name was mistakingly withheld in Thursday’s article) 

LOS ANGELES — “Bloody Sunday,” a dramatization of the police massacre of 13 Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland in 1972, has been acquired by Paramount Classics. 

The distributor announced the acquisition Wednesday, the 30th anniversary of the bloodshed that occurred when police opened fire on an unarmed crowd during a demonstration. The shootings enraged Catholics and set off a wave of Irish Republican Army violence that led to the bloodiest year in the Northern Ireland conflict. 

Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, “Bloody Sunday” stars James Nesbitt and Tim Pigott-Smith. Jim Sheridan (“In the Name of the Father,” “My Left Foot”) was an executive producer. 

“Bloody Sunday” was co-winner of the world-cinema audience award at this winter’s Sundance Film Festival. 

Paramount Classics plans to release the film domestically this fall.  

Besides the U.S. release, the distributor picked up rights for the film in Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Japan and South Africa. 

Students ‘won’t eat if it smells like feet’ 

PITTSBURGH — Middle school students at Schiller Classical Academy are taking a bite out of history in an effort to improve the quality of their lunch. 

The students, who were inspired by civil disobedience in the Boston Tea Party and the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., have started their own revolt of sorts. 

Since mid-December, students have begun a boycott of the lunchroom and adopted the slogan: “We won’t eat if it smells like feet.” 

They complain their pre-packed provided meals often include half-thawed frozen peaches, watery macaroni and cheese, greasy pizza and discolored meat. School officials say Schiller is limited in its offerings because the school lacks a cafeteria. 

“They’re not good ... and every other day it’s the same thing,” said sixth-grader Brittany Ford, 11. 

The protest was sparkedby students in Antoinette Jones’ eighth-grade history class after Jones urged students to take action, instead of just complaining. 

“I told them to find a cause, document what they feel is wrong, document the steps they will take to change it, and I told them they must be willing to make a sacrifice,” Jones said. 

Anthrax is pink flour 

PITTSBURGH — A quirky running club that uses pink flour to help guide its joggers has run into a sign of the times. 

Anxious calls to police were made Monday when residents discovered the flour at locations across the city and feared it might be anthrax. 

“It was an error in judgment,” said Jerry Agin, 60, an official with the Hash House Harriers running club. He called police and quickly explained. 

The Harriers began its noncompetitive social runs in 1938. Over decades, the club has developed a worldwide underground following. 

A leader, known as a hare, gets a head-start and marks a course which other runners, known as hounds, follow.  

The course is marked with checkpoints and false-trails to create general confusion. 

This isn’t the first time Hashers have run into trouble using flour. 

On New Year’s Day, a mall in Fayetteville, N.C., was evacuated for two hours when another Harriers running club marked its trail with flour. And in October, a pair of runners in Oxford, Miss., were arrested after using white powder to mark their route through a busy downtown square. 

“I guess we’re just going to have to stay away from flour for a while — at least in the urban settings,” Agin said. 

——— 

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Shorty the dog should probably consider a career in law enforcement. 

Duane Palmer was playing fetch on Jan. 16 with his 11-month-old Labrador-Huskey mix when the dog returned with a wallet instead of the ball that was thrown. 

Palmer turned the wallet over to police and told them where it was found. 

Police said the address also was the location from which a woman called to report she had seen a man peeping into her living room window on Jan. 9. 

North Huntingdon Patrolman Theodore Kukich said he found footprints in the snow and what appeared to be an impression left by someone laying down — but the man had fled before he arrived. 

The woman who owned the apartment said she could identify the man if she saw him again. 

When police showed her a picture from the driver’s license found below her window, she positively identified a 23-year-old man, who was charged with loitering, prowling at night and disorderly conduct. 

——— 

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — Edward Ackell was in a hospital room, recovering from emergency surgery with tubes protruding from his body. But that didn’t stop him from casting a vote that forced a tie in the 138th House District election. 

Republican Rich Antous and Democrat Grace Scire each won 1,166 votes in Tuesday’s special election. A re-count is scheduled for Friday. 

The Danbury voter registrar’s office said the 71-year-old Ackell filled out the last absentee ballot issued Tuesday. Deputy Registrar of Voters George Schmiedel took the ballot to Danbury Hospital and left with Ackell’s vote at about 6:15 p.m., less than two hours before polls closed. 

Ackell won’t say who he voted for, although he is a Republican, according to his wife, Beverly. She said that for some reason she believed her husband’s vote was going to be important. 

“I said to him, ’Ed, you know I just have this feeling that this vote is going to do something for the election,”’ she said. After she called City Hall for help, Schmiedel delivered an emergency absentee ballot application and then returned with the ballot. 

Ackell was ready. He put on his glasses, found something solid to put between the ballot and the bed sheets, and said, “OK, give me the pen.” 

Citing a “primary” African-American female anchor at a local television station as evidence of newsroom diversity, a KPIX company attorney Thursday dismissed as baseless a racial discrimination lawsuit filed Monday by three employees. 

“We find it disturbing that the plaintiffs who are all currently employed by KPIX’s Channel 5 Eyewitness News have chosen to approach the media before the station,” attorney Dana McClintock said. “Although we have not been served with a complaint, we are confident that their claims, as reported by the press, will prove to be unfounded and the station’s treatment of all three individuals has been, at all times, equitable and fair.” 

McClintock said cases such as the one filed by reporter Lance Evans and photographers Cordetta Spells and Richard Flores are not uncommon at KPIX.  

“What you’re seeing here is people going to the press to try to get those headlines, to try to get some momentum behind their story, try to get a settlement, try to mitigate press damage but we just fight these things in court and we win,” McClintock said, adding that “it happens all the time.”  

Evans could not be reached for comment. But in papers filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, he said he lost promotions, airtime and primetime stories because he is an African-American. The management failed to act on his complaints, he said.  

Evans, who has worked for KPIX since 1997, is currently on paid stress leave, but will return to work Thursday.  

Spells, an African-American, said in court papers that she was paid less than her co-workers and humiliated at the station. The suit alleges that she was fired while on stress leave, but McClintock said Spells is still employed with KPIX.  

A television newsroom employee said Spells is on paid leave.  

The plaintiff said in court papers that she worked at the television station for 16 years.  

Richard Flores, who is still working at KPIX, said in court papers that he was demoted for sympathizing with Evans’ claims. Flores declined to comment on the lawsuit. 

KPIX has two African-American anchorwomen. Barbara Rodgers anchors the afternoon newscast and Dana King anchors the evening newscast.  

The latest statistics from Radio-Television News Directors Association & Foundation indicate an increase in newsroom diversity from previous years. According to a the foundation’s 2001 survey, minorities make up almost one quarter of all television station jobs. African-Americans make up almost 10 percent of jobs in TV news, while Hispanics constitute another 10 percent. Asian-Americans constitute 4 percent, while Native Americans constitute less than 1 percent of the jobs.

The 7,000-pound Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, built and operated by UC Berkeley, fell from orbit Wednesday night and scattered debris across portions of Egypt and the Persian Gulf.  

Most of the EUVE, which brought back the first extreme ultra-violet images of the sky, disintegrated or melted upon re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.  

Roger Malina, a UC Berkeley research astronomer who has directed the project since 1996, said the largest surviving pieces would be about the size of a baseball and hit Egypt at about 8:39 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. 

“The satellite was expected to land in the South Pacific, but it came in about 15 minutes later than we expected. It is extremely hard to predict these things,” said Malina.  

The NASA-funded EUVE was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. on June 7, 1992 and had an initial operation plan of 18 months.  

Malina said NASA was so impressed with the results, that the project was extended twice for a total of nine years.  

The project cost $250 million, “from dream to the crash,” he said. 

The satellite brought back the first map of the sky in the extreme ultra-violet color spectrum, which had been virtually unexplored.  

“It opened up the sky to a different kind of light map, it was a mission of discovery,” said Malina. 

Through the project it was discovered that the sun’s cornea temperature was much higher than previously thought.  

“Scientists used to think it was around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but it’s really way up in the millions,” said Malina 

For the last five years the EUVE mission operation center was quietly located in downtown Berkeley at 2155 Kitteridge St., next door to the California Theater. At the peak of the project there were more than 100 people working around the clock. 

Malina said the EUVE cataloged more than 1,500 new stars and galaxies and “a couple of hundred of those are still a mystery, meaning that nobody knows what they are.”  

For more information about the EUVE project visit, http://ssl.berkeley.edu/euve/.

SAN DIEGO — The energetic 60-year-old woman with cropped white hair and seagreen eyes wouldn’t fit the usual profile of a drug pusher. But inside her cozy condominium, there’s trouble cooking. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration is steeling itself to put Gertrude Spindler out of business and make sure she keeps her wares away from would-be buyers. 

There’s no meth lab in Spindler’s bath tub, nor an Ecstasy ring based in the garage. But the retired packaging designer from Switzerland is using a family recipe to create her “Alpsnack” snack bars that include hempnuts. And under a recent DEA ruling, she may as well be selling heroin. 

Hempnuts come from hemp, an industrial plant grown outside the United States that is related to marijuana. Fiber from the plant long has been used to make paper, clothing, rope and other products. Its oil is found in body-care products like lotion, soap and cosmetics. 

Entrepreneurs like Spindler argue the nuts and oil from hemp are among nature’s best sources of essential fatty acids — omega-6 and omega-3. Twice a day, the San Diego woman swallows a spoonful of raw hempnuts, which she says improves — no pun intended — her joints. 

“I hate chemicals. I like natural things,” Spindler said. “God has given us those natural things and we should use it.” 

But the DEA is saying no. In October, the agency declared that food products containing even trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC — the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana — were banned under the Controlled Substances Act. 

It ordered an immediate halt in the production and distribution of all goods containing THC that were intended for human consumption. It gave until Feb. 6 for all such products to be destroyed or removed from the United States. 

The ruling has galvanized hemp-product manufacturers, who contend the DEA violated the law by failing to hold hearings or accept public comment before issuing its declaration. 

The Hemp Industries Association, which represents U.S. hemp product manufacturers and Canadian hemp exporters, has challenged the ruling in the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco and asked for a stay of the Feb. 6 deadline. 

Meanwhile, association members are continuing to produce and sell their goods, arguing that since the DEA did not issue a standard to measure THC levels they will follow standards set by Canada: By that scale, the THC is so negligible it could be considered undetectable — and certainly far below any level that would produce a “high.” 

“There is no such thing as a true zero in nature. It’s like how the government allows trace levels of arsenic in water or alcohol in orange juice,” said David Bronner, who leads the association’s food and oil committee and is chairman of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, an Escondido-based company. 

Bronner and association members argue that hemp is not marijuana, just as field corn used for livestock feed is not the same as sweet corn eaten by humans. Smoking industrial hemp does not produce a high, just a big headache, he said. 

“But it’s part of this whole drug warrior ideology where they just associate anything that looks like cannabis to drug culture,” Bronner said. “They’re making it a drug-war issue.” 

DEA spokesman Will Glaspy said the agency simply is upholding the law. 

“A lot of people did not understand the law. The clarification says if a substance contains THC and is intended to enter the body then it is an illegal product,” Glaspy said. 

Hemp and marijuana, as the DEA sees it, are different parts of the same plant, he said. And THC in any amount is an illegal drug. 

So far the DEA has not taken enforcement action against people continuing to produce hemp food products, Glaspy said. What will happen after Feb. 6 remains to be seen. 

Hemp activists say Congress intended to exclude hemp products from anti-drug laws. They say the government should treat hempnuts as it does poppy seeds, which are exempted from regulation despite trace levels of opium. 

Moreover, Bronner and others hope the court rules in favor of hemp producers, which would settle the question of legality and allow the hemp market to grow. 

In the United States, hemp is a $100 million industry, mainly in textiles and cosmetics. The food product sector was worth $5 million last year, but has been doubling in size for the past three years, Bronner said. 

Hemp is being used to make energy bars, waffles, tortilla chips, milk-free cheese, veggie burgers, salad oil, bread and other edible goods. A hemp-milk product backed by actor Woody Harrelson is in the wings. 

“It’s just accelerating and the sky’s the limit. ... If we get the DEA out of it, it’s just going to boom,” said Bronner, who compared the hemp industry today to where soy producers were 20 years ago. 

Spindler launched her one-woman Alpsnack business last year. She produces 1,500 bars a month and sends them to distributors in six states. The threat of being shut down just as she’s starting worries her. 

“It hurts. But I have some very strong feelings that it’s going to work. It’s going to be settled,” she said. “It’s a good product. I just believe in it.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Drug Enforcement Administration: http://www.dea.gov 

Hemp Industries Association: http://www.thehia.org 

Dr. Bronner’s: http://www.drbronner.com 

Alpsnack: http://alpsnack.com/ 

LOS ANGELES — Billboards designed to restore the image of Islam are going up along Southern California roads and freeways. 

Beginning Friday, three billboards sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Southern California in Los Angeles and Orange Counties will show the faces of seven smiling Muslims from various sex, age and ethnic backgrounds. 

A message below the pictures reads: “Even a smile is Charity – a message from your Muslim neighbor.” 

The image of Islam and its followers was tarnished because of the actions of a few on Sept. 11, CAIR officials said. 

The billboard campaign to promote religious tolerance is believed to be the first in the nation conducted by Muslims, a spokesman said. 

“There have been some people who have damaged the image of Islam,” said CAIR’s Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “Our goal is to simply correct that image.” 

“These days any good image of Islam is few and far between,” said Salam Al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. “Any positive image of Muslims with an effective sound bite does have an affect on America.” 

Ayloush said the group’s initial, nonreligious message will be the first of several. Other messages will stress the importance of family and helping and respecting each other. 

Jewish leaders and members of the Muslim-Jewish Dialogue, an interfaith group, said they applaud CAIR’s campaign. 

“Any effort to promote religious tolerance is a good one,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. 

“It’s a noble cause to help educate the American public about the true principles of Islam and to reach out and extend an invitation to dialogue,” said Al-Marayati, who is also a member of the interfaith group Muslim-Jewish Dialogue. 

Ayloush said he hopes the billboards won’t become targets of hate crimes. 

“If anyone decides to vandalize them, then there’s nothing we can do about that,” he said. 

The billboards cost between $3,000 and $8,000 each and are funded by donations, many of them from CAIR members. Ayloush estimated that Southern California’s chapter has around 8,000 members. 

Muslim communities in Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas, have expressed interests in putting up similar billboards in their cities, Ayloush said. 

Mike Gettler knows a thing or two about tomatoes. 

And peppers. And lettuce. After all, he sold 10 million vegetable plants last year, a number he expects to grow this year. 

As head garden guy for Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse, Gettler sees a nation of green thumbs as gardeners galore prepare for the spring planting season. 

“There is a garden revolution going on,” says Gettler. 

“Interest has exploded. It may be the No. 1 outdoor pastime, and it fits the trend to spend more time at home. People see their home as a shelter and a vegetable or flower plot as one way to improve it.” 

But before turning the first spade of rich earth, Gettler advises green thumb wannabes to first turn a few pages, either in magazines or free e-gardening newsletters. 

“Any person who wants to garden can do it,” says Gettler, “but if you don’t do basic reading or answer basic questions, you might not be as successful.” 

Garden outlets hear a bumper crop of questions from first-time gardeners. Gettler trains his staff to quiz customers on the size of plot, vegetables or flowers to be grown, availability of sun and soil quality. As recently as five years ago, Lowes didn’t hear as many basic questions because most gardeners were veterans. 

Yet the most important question has little to do with daylight and soil: “Are you committed to gardening?” 

Too often, he says, people are primed to garden but neglect their plants as the growing season goes on. “They become bored,” says Gettler. “All of a sudden, they’re not weeding, not watering, not testing the soil or checking for bugs. Gardening is one of those things that takes time and TLC. People like to garden because when you’re on your hands and knees tending plants, you don’t think about work or paying bills. All the information in the world won’t make you a good gardener without the drive to seed, feed, and weed.” 

Gettler’s golden rules are simple: 

1. Think small. Especially true for beginners. A large plot can be more work than the novice expects. “Choose a few hardy plants, such as tomatoes, peppers or marigolds that do pretty well no matter what you do to them,” says Gettler. “See what luck you have. Then expand your garden and plant more varieties the next year.” 

2. Get in touch – literally – with your soil. “People tell us, ’my plants didn’t grow’ and often they don’t know why,” says Gettler. “It all starts with the soil.” Inexpensive soil-testing kits to analyze soil condition range from a basic 97-cent model to an elaborate $13.54 unit. Amendments such as lime or peat are often needed to bring dirt to peak-growing ability. 

3. Buy good plant stock from reputable nurseries. Look for healthy and vibrant plants. Gettler says the gardening industry has created high-quality products such as environmentally friendly time-release fertilizers, ultra-hardy plants and water-retaining soil enhancers to take the guesswork out of caring for seeds and a variety of plants. 

Have a patio, small yard or no yard? No problem. Container gardens have sprouted in metropolitan areas thanks to plant varieties suited to small spaces. Water gardens are suddenly hot, too. 

A garden plot is part of the larger landscaping picture for many homeowners. “Most homeowners see vegetable and flower gardens as just another element in a relaxing whole-yard environment that includes patios, decks and water gardens,” says Gettler.

Native plants, though unpopular, rarely get shocked by changes in the weather 

As the saying goes: Everybody talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Take the coldest time of year. Do you know how low the mercury really plummets? 

This is no idle question for a gardener, because the coldest night of the year puts a major limitation on what plants we grow. And gardeners never seem satisfied growing only native plants, which are rarely caught off guard by the weather. 

For a rough estimate of how much cold to expect in winter, consult a U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone map. You’ll find this map, showing the United States overrun with squiggly lines connecting locations with the same minimum temperatures, in the back of most gardening books and magazines. 

Note that these minimums are averages. Some winters will be colder than the average, others warmer. And your plants will respond to actual temperatures, not the expected average temperature. 

Don’t fault the map if your hybrid tea rose dies when it was supposed to be hardy. The map is not detailed enough to account for microclimates that differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. Wind, elevation, change in latitude, and nearness to water or buildings can push the temperature a few degrees one way or another. All other things being equal, the temperature drops a degree — and spring arrives four days later — for every 70 miles north you travel or 400 feet you climb. But not always. When the air is calm, low-lying areas can be the coldest spots. That’s because cold air, being heavier than warm air, flows downward — perhaps right into your garden. So even if your garden and a friend’s are in the same general hardiness zone, microclimates can make actual temperatures different. 

Do you know what temperatures really are in your own garden? Glean this information by getting an accurate thermometer, then mounting it at a suitable location. Keep it off your house, where it will pick up radiating heat, and out of the sun. The north side of a gatepost to your garden is ideal. 

Because lowest temperatures typically arrive late in the night, then creep away by morning, make sure to bundle up and go outside at about 4 a.m. whenever you think the night is really cold. A better idea is to purchase a minimum-maximum thermometer, which records — until reset — the high and the low temperature.

LOS ANGELES — “South Park” leads the pack of basic cable shows bringing a new level of raunchiness and violence to television, according to a watchdog group’s new study. 

The rate of sexual references, profanity and violence in primetime cable series was found to be more than double that of broadcast television, the Parents Television Council said Monday. 

“Hollywood’s push-the-primetime-envelope mindset, it seems, has become established in the cable business,” the council said in its study. 

“South Park,” an animated show on Comedy Central, was overall the most “offensive series,” the study said, with a per-hour combined average of 126 violent or raunchy moments. 

The MTV shows “Undergrads” and “Celebrity Deathmatch” were next with, respectively, 73 and 66 such references. 

“Undergrads,” an animated series not on the current MTV schedule, had the most sexual material with a per-hour average of 28.4 references, according to the nonprofit council’s first study of cable content. 

The combined average for all shows was 21.7, while the combined average found in the council’s latest study of broadcast network programming (for fall 1999) was 9.8. 

The study examined 33 series, for a total of nearly 112 hours, that were shown between last April and September. The council focused on basic cable, which reaches about three-quarters of U.S. households, rather than less widely distributed premium services such as HBO or Showtime. 

Responding to the report, a Comedy Central spokesman contended the council failed to “provide context.” 

Comedy Central “is not designed for kids. It’s designed for adults,” said spokesman Tony Fox.  

“Eighty percent of our audience is 18 or older.” 

He noted that “South Park” was at the top of the council’s list because of an episode that used the same four-letter word 162 times as part of a satirical commentary on profanity. 

“That episode had something to say beyond the gratuitous use of swear words,” Fox said. 

A call to MTV seeking comment was not immediately returned Monday. 

PALM SPRINGS — Along an unremarkable stretch of desert on the outskirts of town, just off a road named for singing cowboy Gene Autry and tucked amid heaps of garbage raked by winds strong enough to polish granite, Jim Cornett thinks he’s found the world’s oldest living thing. 

Radiocarbon tests now under way may reveal the unassuming creosote bush sprouted 11,000 or more years ago, the scientist said, meaning it could rival in age another creosote bush growing 50 miles away in the Mojave Desert. 

The scraggly creosote pales in comparison to the grandeur of well known ancients like the gnarled bristlecone pine and majestic coast redwood. 

Seemingly more dead than alive, the bush isn’t big and certainly isn’t tall. It isn’t even very bushy. 

“They’re not very exciting,” Cornett admitted to a visitor. 

What the creosote bush is, Cornett is fairly certain, is ancient. 

If confirmed, the bush — really a 38-foot, arrow-straight line of genetically identical bushes connected at the roots — could trump another creosote bush, dubbed “King Clone.” That bush, found in 1980 to be 11,700 years old, is considered the oldest living thing on Earth. 

“I don’t think anyone ever thought a bush would be that old,” said Cornett, curator of natural science at the Palm Springs Desert Museum. 

In a species that reproduces itself through cloning, any individual is theoretically as old as the species. Take King’s Holly, a rare Tasmanian plant. In 1996, scientists found fossil remains of the plant near the holly’s only known population. 

The fossils were found to be 43,000 years old, suggesting the existing plants had grown in that location for at least that long. 

A box huckleberry colony in Pennsylvania, spread over some 10 square miles, is believed to date back as far as 13,000 years. 

In the case of King Clone and the bush now being studied, scientists traced one bush, not a population — back in time. 

University of California, Riverside botanist Frank Vasek discovered King Clone. Over the millennia, it had grown outward into a large ring. 

Vasek, now retired, said he doubted there were any creosotes older than King Clone. 

“The way human activity is devastating the area, it is unlikely they would survive that onslaught,” Vasek said. 

Tom Van Devender, senior research scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Ariz., said the newly found bush could well be older than King Clone. And he doesn’t believe King Clone is as old as scientists claim. He believes it is closer to 7,500 years old or younger. That’s still older than the oldest bristlecone by several thousand years. 

Cornett’s bush grows differently than the ringlike King Clone, thanks, he said, to the merciless winds that howl through the northern outskirts of Palm Springs. 

There, the wind is strong enough to smooth the granite boulders that pepper the garbage-strewn landscape and drive the blades of hundreds of power-generating windmills in the area. It also gives the creosote bush its streamlined shape. 

On this patch of federal land, the bush struggles with the wind to grow outward, but none of the sprouts that grow from roots fanning out under the coarse sand survive — save those lucky enough to come up behind the windbreak formed by the original plant. 

“Every time it puts out a sprout to the side, it gets obliterated,” Cornett said. 

Over the centuries, the bush has formed a long line of clones. When the lead bush dies, it leaves the second in the chain to take the brunt of the wind. 

Cornett and his colleagues first spotted the linear bush while flying over the northern outskirts of Palm Springs. It stuck out like a sore thumb. 

The root samples being tested by Cornett came from beneath the soil upwind of the living bush, and presumably belonged to a genetically identical predecessor that died thousands of years ago. The trace remains of roots linking the living and dead portions of the bush support that hypothesis, Cornett said. 

“This is a spectacular claim, but Cornett is a well respected scientist and I would say run with it,” said Richard Felger, executive director of the Drylands Institute in Tucson, Ariz. 

The creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, is the hallmark perennial of the warm deserts of North and South America. When crushed, or after a rainfall, its small, waxy leaves give off the pungent, petroleumlike smell that gives it its name. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Palm Springs Desert Museum http://www.psmuseum.org/ 

LAS VEGAS — The largest operator of Las Vegas Strip hotel-casinos reported Thursday that fourth-quarter earnings dropped 65 percent. 

MGM Mirage Inc. was the third major Las Vegas-based gambling company to report quarterly earnings losses this week, but the casino giant beat analysts’ estimates for the period and reported annual increases in revenue and earnings. 

Executives said MGM Mirage resort volumes steadily improved through the fourth quarter despite losses caused by the travel slump following Sept. 11. 

“It now seems clear that no city in the United States has rebounded as quickly and profoundly as Las Vegas,” said Jim Murren, MGM Mirage president and chief operating officer. 

The company, whose properties include The Mirage, MGM Grand and Bellagio hotel-casinos, reported net income of $23.7 million, or 15 cents per share, including one-time charges, for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2001. That was down sharply from $68 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier. 

Analysts’ consensus estimate was 9 cents per share. 

Quarterly revenues fell 13 percent to $896.3 million from $1.03 billion a year before, and operating cash flow was down 28 percent to $228.2 million when compared with $317.3 million in the same quarter a year ago. 

MGM Mirage executives told investors in a conference call Thursday that the company reduced its payroll costs by 10 percent during the quarter. 

Although more than 2,000 employees have been rehired, Terry Lanni, MGM Mirage chief executive, said the company intends to keep costs low. 

“Revenue and cost strategies deployed in the weeks following Sept. 11th have had the desired results,” he said. “Our focus on rebuilding our business while keeping a keen eye on costs was intended to return our operations to previous levels as quickly as possible.” 

MGM Mirage, which had its credit ratings downgraded to “junk’ status by Moody’s Investors Service, was hit harder than most of its competitors because of its concentration of resorts in Las Vegas, which depends heavily on air travel. 

Lanni said that though international high-end business fell 75 percent after Sept. 11, about two-thirds of the loss has been recovered. And domestic high-end business that was down 50 percent initially, is now off about 13 percent. 

“Our business has been far more resilient than anyone expected,” Lanni said. 

Lanni acknowledged a global economic and travel slowdown, but added that “current trends in our resorts indicate that casino and noncasino business should continue to improve throughout 2002.” 

As an example, Lanni said Super Bowl bookings are running even with last year, while Chinese New Year bookings “look very strong, but we have to wait and see who shows up.” 

Murren said the company is comfortable with a first-quarter earnings forecast of 24 cents per share. 

Industry analysts also expressed optimism that Las Vegas is on the rebound, even as gambling companies Park Place Entertainment Corp. and Station Casinos Inc., earlier reported significant quarterly losses. 

“While the quarter’s results were obviously impacted by the well-publicized decline in tourism and travel to Las Vegas following the tragic events of September 11, it is evident that MGG (MGM Mirage) made significant headway in reducing its cost structure to match a lower revenue base,” wrote Jason Ader, gambling analyst with Bear Stearns Co. of New York. 

“As trends continue to improve in Las Vegas throughout 2002, we believe the company has put enormous operating leverage in its business model as revenues ramp up.” 

For 2001, MGM Mirage fared much better with annual revenues up 29 percent to $4.01 billion and cash flow up 14 percent to $1.13 billion. Including nonrecurring expenses, the company reported net income of $169.8 million, or $1.06 per diluted share compared with $160.7 million, or $1.09 per diluted share in 2000. 

The 2001 operating results reflect a full year of the Mirage Resorts acquisition, which was completed in May 2000, officials said. 

Executives said the company also reduced its debt by $422 million, bringing total debt reduction to $949 million since the acquisition. Last year it sold $27 million in assets, bringing total assets sold since the acquisition to $256 million. 

The company’s stock was up 60 cents — or 1.9 percent — by midday to $32.12 per share. 

MGM Mirage owns or operates 19 casino properties in the United States, Australia and South Africa. 

——— 

On the Net: 

MGM Mirage Inc.: http://www.mgmmirage.com 

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European regulators on Thursday cleared the $23.7 billion merger of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp., saying the planned marriage of rival U.S. computer makers does not raise competition concerns in Europe. 

A U.S. review of the merger is still underway. The deal also faces the considerable hurdle of shareholder approval, with critics including the heirs of HP’s legendary co-founders. 

Thursday’s decision means the EU’s antitrust office gives its blessing for the companies to move ahead and signals the EU will not launch a four-month investigation into how the deal may affect competition in Europe. 

“A careful analysis of the merger ... has shown that HP would not be in a position to increase prices and that consumers would continue to benefit from sufficient choice and innovation,” an EU statement said. 

The merger plan forced the EU Commission into its biggest European antitrust decision since it blocked the $46 billion bid by General Electric Co. for Honeywell International Inc. last summer. 

The in-depth probe by the European Commission would have been especially problematic for HP as it tries to rein in rebellious shareholders who oppose the deal, observers said. Instead, early clearance in Europe could help HP win over some shareholders. 

Some analysts downplayed the importance of the European decision. 

“The probability was very high that they were going to approve it,” said Charles Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. “It nudges up the probability of an ultimate win on part of HP in this battle with the family, but I don’t think it changes it dramatically.” 

Carly Fiorina, HP’s chief executive, said the announcement is “an encouraging step in the continuing process of satisfying regulators worldwide that this deal will provide a real stimulus for competition.” 

Compaq was equally pleased. 

“This is an important milestone, particularly given the significance of Europe to us,” said Michael Capellas, Compaq chairman and chief executive. 

Board member Walter Hewlett, the son of HP co-founder William Hewlett and the deal’s most vocal critic, said the merger is a “bet-the-company move that is not appropriate for HP.” 

In a statement, he noted few HP rivals raised objections during the EU’s review of the deal. 

“We are not surprised,” he said. “We believe Dell, Sun and IBM must be delighted at the prospect of a merger that would so greatly distract and damage two of their rivals.” 

A source close to the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all sides were involved in tough negotiations until the last days, with Germany’s Siemens pushing hard to have the European Commission extend the investigation. 

Fujitsu-Siemens Computers is among the top 10 manufacturers of servers in the world and was one of the few companies to argue against the merger. 

HP and Compaq together would account for about 22-23 percent of the European market for personal computers, but around 47 percent of the market for more powerful servers and disk storage units, according to market researchers Gartner-Dataquest. 

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP and Houston-based Compaq have said they would await regulatory clearance before setting a date for a shareholder vote. 

The merger is expected to result in about 15,000 job cuts at the combined company, HP officials have said. 

On Jan. 23, Fiorina told employees that as many as 36,000 employees might be at risk if the merger does not go through. She did not make any specific projections but noted they belong to divisions that lost money last year, according to a document on the meeting filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

“If you care — which I do, which we all do — about 36,000 people, you have to figure out a way to make money,” she said. “Because without profitable businesses, you cannot preserve jobs. You cannot continue to make contributions to communities. You cannot continue to invest in R&D. It is fundamental.” 

In Thursday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, HP shares closed up 15 cents at $22.11 while Compaq shares rose 36 cents to $12.35. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Pro-merger site: http://www.votethehpway.com 

Anti-merger site: http://www.votenohpcompaq.com 

PHOENIX — America West Airlines posted a wider loss for the fourth quarter, reflecting the continued impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on air travel, the company reported Thursday. 

The Tempe-based airline lost $60.9 million, or $1.81 per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31. The carrier reported losses of $41.7 million, or $1.24 per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. 

The results included $29.9 million in aid from the government’s airline bailout package. 

Excluding one-time items, America West lost $89.1 million, or $2.64 per share. That was in line with Wall Street analysts’ expectations. 

Fourth-quarter revenues fell 30 percent to $400 million from $572 million a year ago. 

Still, executives at the nation’s eighth-largest carrier remain optimistic. 

Earlier this month, America West closed on a $429 million loan secured by the U.S. government, ending the threat of a possible bankruptcy filing. The airline went through Chapter 11 financial reorganization in 1994. 

“Despite the difficult times facing the airline industry, we are encouraged by our improved liquidity position, our incredible turnaround in operations and the trends in revenue performance,” said W. Douglas Parker, America West’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. 

Company officials said they cut costs by returning 11 planes from the airline’s fleet, reducing annual rent by about $50 million and cutting advertising and food expenses. 

Parker said the company is gradually recovering from the travel slump caused by the Sept. 11 attacks. 

“We believe we are in a very good position to ride out this storm and be in a better position than when we started,” he said. 

After the attacks, the airline eliminated 2,000 jobs and trimmed its flight schedule by 20 percent. 

But it restored about a third of its flights in December and plans to reinstate more flights starting February through April, officials said last week. 

The airline also said it plans to recall at least 75 of its 179 furloughed pilots by March. 

America West flights arrived 82.5 percent on-time, compared with 64.1 percent during the fourth quarter of 2000. 

“It’s clear that America West is operating a far different airline than it was 18 months ago,” Parker said. 

The comments failed to rally investors. Shares of America West fell 18 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $3.80 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. 

According to the report, the company filled 68.5 percent of its planes for the fourth quarter. Capacity dropped 14.8 percent from the previous year due to cuts in scheduled flights after the attacks. 

Operating costs for the quarter fell 2.3 percent because of a 33 percent drop in average fuel price. 

For the year, America West reported losses of $147.9 million, or $4.39 per share. Revenue fell nearly 12 percent to $2.0 billion from $2.3 billion in 2000. 

Mike Boyd, an analyst with The Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colo., said he believed the government loan guarantee would give the airline enough cash to ride out current hard times. But he said consumer worries about airport security continue to plague America West and the industry. 

“I’m not worried about this airline going away. They’re doing all the right things,” Boyd said. 

“But it’s hard to do things right when you’re flying in an environment that’s scaring people away. The big question is, ’When will passengers come back?”’ 

America West is the only major U.S. airline to seek a loan guarantee under a federal plan approved after the attacks to provide airlines $5 billion in cash aid and $10 billion in loan guarantees. 

The airline serves 88 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.americawest.com 

RIVERSIDE — Bill Jones stands at a podium on the stoop of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, outlining his economic platform. 

He reads from a prepared text. The wind is whirring, a nearby tractor is roaring, and a reporter struggles to hear him. 

The only reporter struggles to hear him. 

Just one local writer has appeared for a lonely press conference that epitomizes the Republican secretary of state’s campaign for governor. 

Just two months before the primary election, Jones struggles to raise money and generate enthusiasm for his campaign. 

The only Republican holding statewide office, Jones has proved he can slice across party lines to win votes, but he is considered an underdog. Party leaders desperate to win an election have shrugged him off, showing little faith that he can collect the cash and votes to do it. 

As the Riverside event illustrates, his shoestring campaign at times seems more like a bid for a local school board than the state’s top job. 

But Jones presses on. Driven by his rancher roots, a deep seriousness and quiet determination, he traverses the state — addressing strawberry farmers in Orange County and a Kiwanis club breakfast in Clovis, Calif., in the Central Valley one day and blasting Democratic Gov. Gray Davis to Sacramento business leaders, the next. 

While his opponents crisscross California in plush chartered planes financed by powerful donors, the 6-foot-2 secretary of state sips a Diet Coke, crunched into a seat on a packed Southwest Airlines flight. He’s unruffled. 

“I’ve never run in a majority Republican district and I’ve never had the resources that my opponents have had,” Jones says. 

The 52-year-old served for 12 years, from 1982 to 1994, in the state Assembly and rose to Republican leader with the help of Republican then-Gov. Pete Wilson. 

Jones worked as a rancher for 10 years before he ran unsuccessfully for Assembly for the first time in 1976. Before that, however, he tasted politics at California State University, Fresno, where the conservative member of the agriculture fraternity was elected senior class president amid a campus of liberal, anti-war era students. 

“I’m accustomed to working as a minority in a majority government,” Jones says. 

He points to his trademark legislative achievement, co-writing the state’s “three-strikes” law while serving in a Democrat-controlled Legislature, as an example. As secretary of state, he has been recognized for helping to modernize the state elections office, clamping down on voter fraud and making campaign finance records available over the Internet. 

He has avoided the scandal and controversy that sometimes accompanies 20 years in politics, and he is often called a downright nice guy. 

But his low-key style has hurt him, some observers say. On campaign stops, Jones often lapses into long, professorial speeches that don’t engage the crowd. His shyness also makes asking donors for money more difficult. 

In the past year, he has tried to abandon his non-confrontational style, attacking Davis for alleged ethical breaches among his energy advisers and accusing him of bungling the state’s fiscal troubles. 

He also has mounted an uncharacteristically aggressive assault on Richard Riordan, the former Los Angeles mayor who leads most polls, accusing him of holding liberal views and criticizing him for donating to Democratic campaigns. Jones is less pointed about businessman Bill Simon, simply saying he has no public record and would be a risky choice to run the state. 

At heart, Jones’ family and friends say, he is a shy farmer. 

“He is an individual who has no pretentiousness,” says former California Gov. George Deukmejian, who is helping with Jones’ campaign. 

Even Jones’ wife of 30 years, Maurine Jones, describes the father of two grown daughters as “very quiet, very serious.” 

“He doesn’t show his lighter side unless he knows you well,” she says. 

Jones’ family farm near Firebaugh, Calif., includes roughly 6,000 acres of tomatoes, asparagus and alfalfa, all of which are run cooperatively by relatives including his parents and 27-year-old daughter, Wendy, and son-in-law. The governor’s race is also a family affair, with Maurine often stumping with him and his 24-year-old daughter Andrea working for his campaign. 

A pilot, Jones owns a single-engine Cessna and often flies himself home from Sacramento. He has used the plane for campaigning, but he says he never flies in anything resembling bad weather. 

On the farm, Jones works mostly on the business side. He relaxes by heading to the coastal mountains to hunt wild boar and ducks. He beams when speaking of his toddler granddaughter, who has appeared at campaign events and who, he boasts, has attended more state Republican Party conventions than Riordan. 

His father, a farmer and 47-year local water board member, inspired Jones to go into public service. His lifestyle growing up, he says, helped him succeed at it. 

“I grew up pretty much in the country with a horse and a dog, where I was always working,” he says. 

Deukmejian describes Jones’ as responsible, open to advice and adept at moving on in the face of disappointment. 

On the early January press conference in Riverside, Jones’ aides are unapologetic for the disappointing turnout. It was a day before President Bush arrived for a town hall meeting in nearby Ontario, and they chalk it up to bad timing because political reporters were busy, they say, preparing for the presidential visit. 

Their reasoning also highlights one of Jones’ most discussed political blunders. In 2000, he switched his endorsement from Bush to Arizona Sen. John McCain during the California primary campaign. 

Jones says he was acting in the best interest of California Republicans, who had suffered three straight statewide losses. McCain, he says, had a better chance of winning California. 

But some party activists haven’t forgotten, and some blame the switch for Jones’ fund-raising problems. 

He hasn’t drawn the help of rich GOP donors considered critical to a statewide race in California. Both Riordan and Simon have outraised him, although neither has won statewide office. Both have deep personal wealth to tap that Jones does not. 

In all of 2001, Jones collected $2.4 million for his campaign, including several large loans. That compares to $6.6 million raised by Riordan and $5.7 million by Simon in the same time period. 

Jones has a favorite quote that he repeats when asked about his lagging finances. 

“President Ross Perot and Governor Al Checchi and Senator Michael Huffington will tell you that money is not the sole solution to politics,” he says, referring to three candidates who lost after pouring millions of their personal fortunes into campaigns. 

Analysts say Jones’ simply lacks the knack to lure dollars. 

“He’s not a good fund-raiser,” says said Allan Hoffenblum, a former GOP consultant and publisher of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which tracks political races. 

Still, Jones’ strategists are counting on strong support from Jones’ home turf of the Central Valley, and from conservative primary voters put off by Riordan’s relative liberalism. In a recent independent statewide poll, Jones led his two foes in the farm-rich Central Valley, but trailed everywhere else. 

Jones says he’s confident the wounds within his own party will mend, adding that a recent trip to Washington reassured him. 

“People were trying to figure out how to win California,” he says, “and I’m the only one that has done that and I’ve done it twice.”

NAME: Bill Jones 

PARTY: Republican 

AGE-BIRTH DATE: 52. Dec. 20, 1949 in Coalinga, Calif., in Fresno County. 

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree in business and agronomy from California State University, Fresno, 1971. 

EXPERIENCE: In Assembly, wrote the three-strikes law for habitual offenders. Put campaign finance information on the Internet and worked to improve quality of voting machines. Farmer and rancher. State assemblyman, 1982-1994; secretary of state, 1995-present. 

FAMILY: Wife Maurine; Daughters Andrea, 24, and Wendy, 27; one granddaughter and one grandson on the way. 

NET WORTH: At least $400,00, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission. 

CAMPAIGN WEB SITE: www.billjones.org 

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 916-349-2002

The Berkeley Police Department announced Wednesday it has solved a months-old Berkeley rape case, with help from the California Department of Justice’s criminal DNA database. 

Last May 15, a woman was raped at East Campus, Berkeley High’s continuation school, on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and Derby Street. 

The woman was walking in the neighborhood early that morning when she noticed that two men were tailing her. The men forced the victim into an unlocked bathroom at the school and proceeded to rape and physically assault her. 

The victim knew one of the men, Marcel Jarvis of Berkeley. Jarvis was arrested soon after being identified. 

The second suspect remained unidentified until Oct. 1, when DNA samples left at the scene were compared with information in the California Department of Justice’s Convicted Felon data bank. 

The comparison resulted in a “cold hit.” The DNA sample found the crime scene matched the profile of Ronald Odell Coleman, also of Berkeley, a convicted sex offender then in custody at Santa Rita Jail. 

Another DNA test was performed on Coleman, and the results were confirmed. 

The Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Coleman with the kidnapping and rape of the woman on Jan. 22. 

Seventy-seven crimes have been cracked by Convicted Felon Data Bank cold hits since the bank was established in 1994, according to Manuel Valencia, spokesman for the California Department of Justice. 

Contact reporter Hank Sims at hank@berkeleydailyplanet.net. 

Kitty come home! 

HIBBING, Minn. — An orange tabby cat managed to find his way back home, after a 350-mile journey across two states. 

With raw paws and protruding ribs, Skittles showed up at Charmin Sampson’s northern Minnesota home 140 days after her family last saw the 2-year-old feline in southern Wisconsin. 

Sampson says her family saw Skittles last on Labor Day weekend when the Sampsons were packing up to return home to Hibbing, Minn. 

More than three months later, Skittles showed up at the Sampson’s front door. 

“I knew it was Skittles,” said Jason Sampson. “The cat is orange, with white paws and he’s got a look to him — a unique look.” 

Now, Skittles has settled into his old routine — snoozing in the living room armchair. 

Legless man attempts robbery  

LONDON — A homeowner who discovered three men trying to rob his house had no difficulty in describing one suspect — he had no legs. 

On Monday, would-be burglar Robert William Bate was spared a jail sentence after his lawyer told a judge he was giving up his life of crime. 

Bate, 22, was carried away by an accomplice as the gang fled the scene last June. He was arrested soon afterward. 

Bate, who has previous convictions for burglary and shoplifting, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary. 

He said he had drunk 16 pints of beer before friends persuaded him to act as a lookout while they robbed a house in Easington Colliery, northeast England, on June 1. 

‘Jeeves, take me to jail’ 

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Three people rode a limousine ride to jail after police said they used a stolen credit card to hire the car. 

A limousine company notified a Cheektowaga man Monday that service in his name had been ordered for an address in Buffalo, police said. The man had earlier reported to police that his credit card was stolen. 

So with a police officer at the wheel instead of the usual driver, the limousine made three stops — picking up the alleged suspects. 

A 15-year-old boy claimed to be the owner of the credit card, which was found in his pocket, police said. He was charged as a juvenile. 

Two adults, Charles Rogers, 44, of Cheektowaga, and Westover Robinson, 40, of Buffalo, were charged with theft of services, criminal impersonation, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child. 

An alternative to pepper spray 

HIGH POINT, N.C. — A North Carolina mailman really is a dog’s best friend. 

Dale Baity has handed out treats to about 50 dogs on his route for the past three years until recently. The U.S. Postal Service told him to stop after a treat-seeking canine scared a substitute carrier. 

The dog was pepper sprayed by the frightened postal worker. 

The dogs’ owners supported Baity and praised his work as well as his good heart.  

Now, Baity is back in business delivering his doses of goodwill. 

Postal officials refused to talk about the issue and referred questions to Bill Brown, a spokesman for U.S. Postal Service in Charlotte. 

Carriers are forbidden to pet dogs, and feeding them is discouraged because of the possibility of being attacked, Brown said. 

The occasional dog biscuit is left up to the carrier, Brown said. 

“We don’t encourage it, but some situations may be different than others,” he said. 

The groundhog’s shadow 

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil may have a hard time not seeing his shadow next year. 

Hoping to mirror the success of other public art displays such as Chicago’s cows, Cincinnati’s pigs, Los Angeles’ angels and New Orleans’ crawfish, officials in Punxsutawney are planning to place 30 facsimiles of the weather-predicting woodchuck around town. 

“When people come here they want to see things related to Phil and the weather,” said Marlene Lellock, executive director of the Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce. 

Like in other places, Punxsutawney officials will ask people to sponsor the groundhog statues, which will be decorated by artists and named with an emphasis on — what else? — the weather. 

Artist David Seitzinger was given the job of designing the statutes of the furry forecaster. 

Seitzinger has three sketches of a possible statute, based on a chubby groundhog that lives near his studio and emerges to eat apples. 

Hitchcock’s birds 

EVERETT, Wash. — Officials here are hoping $4,000 will be enough to rid their six-story courthouse of noisy, smelly, dive-bombing pigeons and seagulls. 

Hundreds of birds have been roosting atop the downtown building in this town about 25 miles north of Seattle, often raising such a racket that workers said they couldn’t concentrate even with the windows closed. 

Dozens of birds took to swooping down for anything they could get from lunchtime leftovers, and nothing was safe from droppings. 

Foul odors from the birds permeated offices and courtrooms, leading to complaints of respiratory problems. 

“It’s been getting progressively worse over the last four or five years,” said Larry Van Horn, the county’s director of facilities. 

In the latest effort to make the birds take flight once and for all, the county recently bought a BirdXPeller, which broadcasts bird distress calls from a tiny microchip over two speakers. 

It’s OK to jog naked 

BANGOR, Maine — Female streakers: On your marks, get set, go. 

A judge ruled Wednesday that two undergraduates at the University of Maine did not violate the state’s indecent conduct law by jogging naked. 

Debra Ballou, of Island Falls, and Kathryn Mann, of Fayetteville, N.Y., won the case without hiring a lawyer and by asking just one question of the prosecution’s only witness. 

Maine law states that people are guilty of indecent conduct only when they “knowingly expose their genitals in public.” 

Ballou, 20, asked the arresting officer whether he saw her genitals Nov. 2. 

“Not that I recall,” replied Orono police officer John Ewing. 

“That’s all I have,” Ballou told the court. 

Judge Jesse Gunther, of the 3rd District Court in Bangor, then ruled that a woman naked in the street is not an indecent act under Maine law because a woman’s genitals are primarily internal. 

Gunther grinned slightly as he said, “I would assume the Legislature will probably be addressing this issue.” 

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EDMONDS, Wash. (AP) — Carpet cleaner Jim Nelson thought he had found a sweet way to supplement his income when business was slow. 

For two Fridays in a row, he got up at 4 a.m. and drove the two-hour roundtrip to Issaquah to pick up dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to sell in his store, Nelson Professional Carpet Cleaning, in this suburb north of Seattle. He even hung up a sign announcing their arrival. 

He raised the price and made a profit, selling a dozen for $12 instead of the usual $5.49 a box. 

“It seemed logical,” said Nelson, 50. “People didn’t stop when they saw a sign for carpet cleaning. But they sure stopped when they saw a sign for Krispy Kremes.” 

Krispy Kreme’s parent company, ICONN in Chicago, soon got word of the sweet venture, and told Nelson to stop. He complied. 

No one is authorized to sell the famous treats except Krispy Kreme, which has only one store in Washington state, in Issaquah, east of Seattle. 

Nelson isn’t the only guilty one, Krispy Kreme officials say. Coffee shops, espresso stands and cafes in the area are doing the same thing, said ICONN President Gerard Centioli. 

“We’re usually tipped off when someone calls to complain, or at our factory when a customer comes in on a regular basis to buy large quantities,” Centioli said. 

Pizza delivery  

robbers strike again 

Another pizza deliveryman was robbed while making his rounds Wednesday evening, according to Lt. Cynthia Harris of the Berkeley Police Department. 

The deliveryman was going to drop off six pizzas at an apartment building on the 1400 block of Seventh Street at around 6:45 p.m. Upon arriving, four young males emerged from some shrubbery. One wielded a semiautomatic handgun. 

The principal suspect put the gun to the victim’s neck and demanded his money. The suspects went through the victim’s pockets and took his cash, identification and other items, along with the pizza. 

The suspects are described as black males between the ages of 17 and 20. They were all wearing dark pants and dark, hooded, puffy jackets. 

On Jan. 17, three men held up a pizza deliveryman on the 1600 block of Parker Street at around 8:45 p.m. The suspects in this case – black males around the age of 21 – similarly hid in bushes before confronting the deliverer. They told the victim that they had a gun, but the victim did not see it. The suspects made off with the pizza, cash and the victim’s watch. 

Harris said that she did not know if the recent cases were related. 

On June 19, 2001, an deliveryman was robbed of two large pies by a shotgun-wielding man on the 1600 block of Harmon Street. 

Man held up at BHS 

A man was robbed at gunpoint on the Berkeley High School campus after hours on Monday, according to Lt. Harris. 

The victim was walking home along Milvia Street when a person came out of a driveway and asked him for a dollar. The victim said that he had no money, and kept walking. 

He turned to cut through the high school grounds. After getting about halfway across, he saw the man who had asked him for a dollar approaching with a large, black automatic pistol in his hand. 

The suspect pointed the gun at the victim and told him to hand over his money. The victim took his money out of his wallet and dropped it on the ground. The suspect then forcibly removed the victim’s backpack from him and told him to walk toward Martin Luther King, Jr., Way. 

The suspect fled on foot toward Milvia Street. 

The suspect is described as a black male in his late teens or early 20s. He was around 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed about 140 pounds. He wore a black stocking cap, a heavy, green, waist-length jacket and dark pants. 

Is Stephen King retiring for real? 

NEW YORK — Is Stephen King REALLY going to retire? 

The author recently stated that he had five more books to write and then, “That’s it. I’m done.” 

“You get to a point where you get to the edges of a room, and you can go back and go where you’ve been and basically recycle stuff,” said King, whose many best sellers include “Bag of Bones,” “Dreamcatcher” and “Hearts in Atlantis.” 

“You can either continue to go on, or say I left when I was still on (the) top of my game. I left when I was still holding the ball, instead of it holding me.” 

His comments appeared in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times. 

But King, 54, has said he’d quit before and since 1997 has included a message on his official Web site.  

Under a link for “The Rumors,” King addresses the question, “Is it true that he has retired?” 

“That hasn’t happened yet,” he responds. “There are still books coming out through both Scribner and Pocket Books and plans to complete The Dark Tower series, so there will be new books for several more years to come.” 

His agent, Arthur Greene, was skeptical about King’s recent statements. 

“He’s spoken about retiring many times in the past,” Greene told The Associated Press Thursday. “In my own mind, I think it’s unlikely he’ll stop working.” 

A spokeswoman for King said the author had not yet read Sunday’s article and would have no immediate comment. 

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On the Net: 

Official Stephen King Web site: http://www.stephenking.com.