About now is when many gardeners go through their annual ritual of overseeding their lawns, often sprinkling grass seed right on top of snow. The snow does make it easier to see the seed, so you can spread it more evenly. And snow provides moisture. 

Snow, of course, is not needed, but — more important — is the grass seed itself needed? Lawn grass is perennial, so if the lawn is thinning out, it would be better to find the cause for the thinning than to constantly reseed. Among the causes for a less-than-perfect lawn are poor nutrition, improper acidity, too little water and poor aeration. 

A soil test will tell you if the soil is adequately fertile and at the proper acidity. Too much fertilizer or lime can be as bad as too little. A soil test every few years is cheap insurance. 

Many soils need nothing more than better aeration. The dramatic approach would be to dig up the whole lawn, tilling in an abundance of some organic material, such as leaves, compost, or peat moss. Organic materials also help the soil hold water for the grass plants. 

Digging up the whole lawn is not a viable option for the lawn that has only patches of poor growth or bareness. In that case, instead of spreading seed each year, spread one of the organic materials mentioned above, sifted, right on top of the lawn an inch or so thick. Admittedly, this would be a big job, because an area only 10 feet by 10 feet would need over 3 bushels of material to get a 1/2 inch depth. 

But this fine layer will not disturb the lawn, and will quickly dissolve into a sea of green as new grass grows. The soft blanket will insulate the grass roots from heat in summer and cold in winter, as well as provide a nice home for new roots and a cushion against compaction. With annual additions, that layer will become thicker and more effective over time. The layer also will provide food for earthworms, which, with their burrowing, bring some of the organic material to lower depths and further aerate the soil. 

With attention to nutrients, acidity, aeration, and watering, only one limitation remains in the quest for a perfect lawn, and that is location. Americans’ ideal for a perfect lawn reflects our British heritage. But it is in England, not around here, that the climate is conducive to a really perfect lawn.

Now, when enthusiasm for any gardening activity is high, is a good time to approach the problem of weeds. Most gardeners begin their annual attack by turning the soil with a rototiller or garden fork. But think back to last summer: didn’t weeds still eventually get the upper hand, drowning out beets and zinnias in a sea of green? 

The first mistake in this usual scenario is turning over the soil. Tillage brings dormant weed seeds buried in the soil up to air and light, just what’s needed to awaken them. 

One benefit of tillage, of course, is aeration. But garden soils do not need to be aerated if we gardeners wouldn’t walk on them, and the way to avoid walking on the soil is to create permanent beds for growing plants and permanent paths for walking. So mark out beds and paths, keeping the beds narrow enough to reach into. Three feet is about right for vegetable beds, wider for flower beds which, needing less visitation, can tolerate occasional footsteps. Eighteen inches is a minimum width for a path. 

Permanently and easily kill weeds in paths by laying down a weed-free mulch such as wood chips. If weeds are rank, mow them down, put down a few layers of newspaper, then top this with mulch. Other possibilities for paths include bricks, autumn leaves, even old carpeting. 

Now what about the weeds in the planting beds? Start at one end of the garden and hand-pull each weed, root and all. (Weeds make fine compost, and it’s good revenge on them.) Have a trowel handy to help coax out deep-rooted weeds without excessively disrupting the soil. If the ground is very weedy, mow and put down newspaper, but this time top it with weed-free compost, into which you can plant right away. 

Most important for weed control is diligence. Patrol the garden weekly. Hand-pull, or, where there are many little weeds, use a hoe such as a winged weeder, scuffle hoe or colinear hoe. These have sharp blades that can be skimmed just beneath the soil surface. 

Following this weed management prescription accomplishes four things. The garden remains vibrant into autumn. Fewer annual weeds have the opportunity to spread seeds. Perennial weeds are eradicated, roots and all. And after a few years of diligent weeding and not tilling, weeding becomes nothing more than an occasional, but regular, pleasant diversion. 

What the cars say about the man 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I have become very interested in someone, and I'm trying to decide if I should ask him out or not. I noticed that he drives a Subaru Forester, and I cannot figure out what that says about the kind of guy he is. Possibly adventurous? Reliable? Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. — Melissa 

TOM: What a great question, Melissa! We all know that a person's car is like a 3,000-pound rolling personality test, so why not analyze the car before getting involved? I mean, I drive a 1952 MGTD. What more do you need to know about me? I'm fun, I'm loyal, and I'm a classic! 

RAY: Not to mention dilapidated, hopelessly out of date and hard to start in the morning! Now, in my case, I drive a 1987 Dodge Colt Vista. So you know that I'm just what you need, and nothing extravagant. I'm practical, reliable and not overly showy. 

TOM: Not to mention peeling on top, wide in the back end and of questionable exhaust habits. 

RAY: Well, as you can see, Melissa, descriptions like these can cut both ways. So we'll give you both sides of your Subaru Forester guy.  

TOM: First, let's go straight from Subaru's marketing material: "Engineered to deliver safety, comfort and high performance, the Forester achieves excellence on all levels. And with its good looks and exceptional value, Forester is the ideal choice for the discerning driver." 

RAY: But if you read between the lines, you could interpret those same words as meaning that he's too careful, comfortable but not exciting, and "performs" at a high level but is rarely at that high level naturally. If someone has to protest that he looks good -- well, you can figure out what that means, Melissa. Finally, "value" suggests he's a cheapskate.  

TOM: I hope we've helped, Melissa. Please do write back and let us know how it turns out. America is dying to know!  

Making sense of the different engine types 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I have a question about horizontally opposed, or "boxer," engines. To the best of my knowledge, only Porsche and Subaru use this type of engine design now. Subaru goes so far as to point out the advantages of this design in its literature. Assuming that these advantages are real, why don't the other car makers use this design? Since this design is not new, I can't believe that Porsche and Subaru have found something that the others haven't caught on to yet. What's the real story? — Jim 

TOM: The boxer engine, also called a "flat engine" or "pancake engine," is an engine whose cylinders are laid down on their sides. So instead of pumping up and down, as on an "in line" engine, or diagonally, as on a "V" engine, the pistons are "horizontally opposed," or on opposite sides of the crankshaft, pumping toward one another. 

RAY: The major advantage of a flat engine is that it's flatter, which means it can be installed closer to the ground. And with the mass of the engine lower, the car's center of gravity is lower. And the lower a car's center of gravity, the better the car's handling. 

TOM: The engine is the single largest mass in the car (unless my brother is behind the wheel). And in fact, sources tell us that one of the problems with the previous generation of Ford Explorers (which, you might remember, had some handling issues) is that Ford made a series of engineering compromises that resulted in the engine being a few inches higher than it should ideally be. 

RAY: So in addition to making the new Explorer longer and wider, the center of gravity was also lowered. And lowering the center of gravity by even a fraction of an inch can result in handling improvements that a driver will notice. 

TOM: So why doesn't everybody use a flat engine? Well, I think there are two reasons. One is packaging. A flat engine is a wide engine, for obvious reasons. And a lot of designers don't want to design wide engine compartments. A "V" engine, on the other hand, is the closest to a square in shape, and it tends to fit engine compartments more easily. 

RAY: The other reason why you don't see more flat engines is because of tradition. Manufacturers tend to do things the way they've always done them. Plus, they have a lot of money and engineering time invested in their current engines. 

and are reluctant to start over. 

TOM: Interestingly, however, GM now owns part of Subaru and is planning some new GM vehicles that use Subaru platforms. So it'll be interesting to see whether flat engines start to make a comeback. If you see the introduction of the new Pontiac Pancake, Jim, you'll know what's happening.  

***

SAN FRANCISCO — The state is increasing efforts to get companies with 50 or more employees to comply with a little-known 1992 law that says if the company pays for parking it must also offer cash to those employees who opt not to drive to work. 

A report this week by the Legislative Analyst’s office said more outreach is needed to inform companies that the law, designed to help clean up the air by decreasing the number of cars on the road, even exists. 

About 290,000 parking spaces, or 3 percent of the state’s free employer-provided parking spots, fall under the law, and it could reduce vehicle smog emissions by about 2 tons per day. 

But the law didn’t have any provision or funding for enforcement or keeping track of how much or where it has been implemented. So the analyst’s office has relied for estimates on information from several firms in Los Angeles that implemented the law. 

“I’ve studied the employers who do comply with the law, and the main finding is the employers who actually try it, love it and so do the employees,” said Donald Shoup, chair of the department of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Shoup conducted the studies of the Los Angeles businesses. He found that broader enforcement of the law could save commuters between 5 million and 10 million gallons of gas a year. 

The state’s Air Resources Board administers the program and is currently working on an outreach program, said Richard Varenchik, a spokesman for the board. 

“We are trying to figure out a way to get the word out to businesses that would qualify for this,” he said. “There are a lot of complications.” 

Developers and merchants are the people primarily interested in the program, said Shannon McEttrick, marketing coordinator for Traffic Solutions in Goleta. The organization deals with traffic and transportation issues for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. 

“A shop owner in a downtown tourist attraction spot would probably seek out those kinds of options because every parking space is costing them money,” she said. 

She said the organization points out the law to employers as a way to soften the blow of charging for parking. 

“It’s a great way to implement a parking program where you are going to start charging,” she said. “A lot of people will choose to keep the money and find another way to get to work.” 

But Mike Bullock, the treasurer for Modern Transit Society, an organization that focuses on clean air and improving transportation, said cash out programs such as the state’s would be even more effective if they were implemented on the local level. 

“What the municipalities should do, and the state should encourage this strongly, is they should amend the off-street parking ordinances,” he said. 

The report by the Legislative Analysts’ office said that if the law were more widely implemented, it could reduce vehicle miles traveled in California by 435,000 to 870,000 miles per day, based on a range of 10- to 20-mile roundtrip commutes. 

The report also said that in a survey of San Francisco Bay area commuters, 77 percent drive alone when free parking is available, while only 39 percent drive alone when they have to pay to park. 

In its study of Los Angeles-area businesses, solo driving dropped from 76 percent to 63 percent on average after the law was implemented. 

Companies required to offer cash to those who opt not to drive must employ 50 people or more and lease their parking spaces. They must also be located in an air basin that is designated a nonattainment area for state air quality standards, which the analyst office’s report said was every county in the state except Lake County. 

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers may issue subpoenas in an effort to force Enron Corp. to disclose the names of investors in its numerous partnerships, a senator involved in Congress’ investigation said Friday. 

Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said a final decision won’t be made until next month. But he said the panel’s chairman, Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., and Republican John McCain of Arizona believe subpoenas would be appropriate if the company does not cooperate. 

“If we don’t get the information in the next three weeks, I’d expect we’d proceed with subpoenas,” Dorgan said. 

Enron officials have said they do not have most partnership documents and the information should come from the investors themselves. Washington attorney Robert Bennett, representing Enron, was not immediately available for comment. 

Dorgan also said another panel he heads will hold an April 11 hearing on whether Enron manipulated energy prices in California. 

Enron’s web of thousands of partnerships hid more than $1 billion in debt from investors and the public, and ultimately brought down the energy company. Many of the partnerships were improperly buttressed by Enron stock, which plummeted. 

Congressional investigators want to know whether investors were pressured by Enron executives to put money into the partnerships or were promised favors in return for their funds. 

Dorgan’s subcommittee has previously asked Enron to provide this information but has gotten little cooperation, he said. 

“We need to get more information on what happened here and how extensive it was,” he told reporters. 

Investors in the partnerships included big Wall Street investment banks such as Citigroup Inc., Merrill Lynch and Co., and First Union Corp. State pension funds, wealthy individuals, private investment groups, family partnerships and insurance brokers also invested. 

Andrew Fastow, Enron’s former chief financial officer, made $30 million from running the off-the-books partnerships. He has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to testify to Congress. 

The Commerce committee is one of many in Congress investigating Enron’s collapse, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. 

Dorgan also released a report by Senate Democrats saying that on average, 40 percent of the assets in the 401(k) accounts of many of America’s largest companies are invested in company stock. 

The study, which examined 47 of the Fortune 50 companies, found that 30 percent of their 401(k) accounts had a greater concentration of company stock than Enron’s plan. The report said Enron had 57.7 percent of its plan’s assets in its own stock. 

The study also said other large corporations had far higher concentrations of their own stock in their plans last year. At Procter & Gamble, 94.7 percent of its plan assets were in company stock. 

Hundreds of Enron Corp. employees lost their retirement savings last year when the stock’s value plummeted. 

Congress is considering how to protect workers’ investments. A Democratic bill would encourage companies to diversify the holdings in their 401(k) accounts. Republicans oppose the measure because they say it will deter companies from offering 401(k) plans altogether. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Commerce Committee: http://commerce.senate.gov 

PALO ALTO — Shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. dropped nearly 2 percent Friday after an internal memo surfaced saying revenue and profit in the company’s services division were “well below plan.” 

The memo from Ann Livermore, who heads the services division, was sent Monday, a day before stockholders voted on HP’s contested acquisition of Compaq Computer Corp., a deal now valued at $19.5 billion. HP claims to have a “slim but sufficient” edge in the voting, which could take weeks to certify. 

Livermore wrote that orders for HP’s technology services were “very soft,” calling it a “cause for concern,” according to the memo, which was obtained by Dow Jones Newswires. She said HP’s proxy fight over the Compaq deal had been a “potential distraction” for employees and customers. 

A bad quarter in services could have a big impact on the entire company. Services brought in 17 percent of HP’s $45 billion in revenue last year and grew 6 percent, while sales declined in the company’s computing systems division and in its “crown jewel,” the imaging and printing business. 

HP spokeswoman Rebeca Robboy said that Livermore’s memo was a routine quarterly update to rally her troops and that HP felt no need to update its financial guidance to Wall Street. 

HP shares lost 35 cents to close at $18.15 on the New York Stock Exchange. Compaq stock dropped 12 cents, more than 1 percent, to $10.65.

District budget deficit revised to $5.4 million 

As expected, the Board of Education officially voted to close City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School next year at its Wednesday night meeting. 

The board also reviewed new budget figures suggesting that next year’s deficit, presumed for weeks to be more than $6 million, may be closer to $5.4 million. 

Each board member expressed regret over the Franklin decision, which will save the financially-strapped district an estimated $326,000. 

“It’s a painful reality to face,” said board President Shirley Issel. “I can’t help but feel a sense of failure.” 

Still, board members said the decision was unavoidable, arguing that low enrollment at the school makes it too expensive to operate. 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence, who recommended the closure, also noted that six of the school’s 12 teachers have received notice that they may be laid off next year.  

Some of those notices may be rescinded by the end of the year as the budget picture clears up. But if the school stayed open next year, Lawrence argued, any layoffs would disrupt a faculty with specialized training in the school’s microsociety model, which mimics a small city. 

Lawrence added that long-planned construction on the building next year will be cheaper if it is completed in one phase, with no students in the building. Keeping the school open next year would require a more expensive two-phase construction project, and a mid-year shift of students from one side of the building to the other. 

Lew Jones, manager of facilities planning for the district, said completing construction in one phase will save the district $400,000 to $500,000 on the roughly $5 million project. 

The future use of the building is yet to be determined, although office space or a new elementary school have been suggested as possibilities. Lawrence plans to provide the board with a recommendation in the spring. 

The board made its decision after a series of Franklin parents made last-minute pleas for the school, and urged the district to conduct itself differently in the event of any future school closures. No such closures are expected this year. 

Many parents said they first learned of the Franklin closure plan through press accounts in the Daily Planet. Wednesday night, parent Michiko Morillo urged district leaders to talk directly to community members about any proposed closure in the future. 

“Come talk to them directly,” Morillo said. “It does cause a great deal of hard feelings.” 

Franklin principal Barbara Penny-James made her first public comments on the closure, noting that her work at Franklin was one of the most “inspiring experiences” of her career, and expressing concern that the microsociety model may disappear from Berkeley’s educational landscape. 

Board member Terry Doran said the district should look into retaining elements of the microsociety curriculum at other schools. Under the microsociety program, students train as entrepreneurs and political leaders in their own model city. 

Smaller deficit? 

Before approving the Franklin closure, board members reviewed the latest budget figures provided by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, a state agency that has been providing the district with financial advice since October. 

According to FCMAT, the district budgeted for nearly $1 million in state aid this year to help defray energy costs, but never allocated that money for a project, salaries or any other expenditure. As a result, the current estimate on next year’s budget shortfall has been revised down, from over $6 million to $5.4 million. 

“We’re optimistic, but guarded,” said Lawrence, discussing the latest figures. The superintendent said that liabilities for lawsuits and other expenses have not yet been built into the budget, and could raise the $5.4 million estimate at some point. 

New interdistrict permit policy reviewed 

At the end of the night, the board reviewed draft language for a new interdistrict permit policy, which governs the admittance of non-residents to Berkeley schools. 

The new policy emphasizes that non-residents will only be allowed to attend Berkeley schools if there is adequate space, and if they maintain good attendance, discipline and academic performance. 

Lawrence said that permits will be reviewed as students move from elementary school to middle school, and from middle school to high school. But the superintendent emphasized that space concerns will not prevent the current crop of eighth graders on interdistrict permits from attending Berkeley High School next year. 

Doran had previously warned that current, interdistrict eighth graders are expecting to attend BHS next year, and that it would be unfair to retract their permits so late in the year. 

Editor: 

I felt compelled to write and express my anger. Today (March 21) was the second suicide bombing by Palestinian terrorists in Israel since the cease fire talks were started by Anthony Zinni. Yesterday the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed seven and wounded many more, including many Israeli Arabs. Today the Al-Aqsa brigade blew up at least three Israelis and wounded as many as 40 others as they walked on a street in Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa brigade is part of Fatah, and both organizations are controlled by and claim loyalty to Yasir Arafat. 

As I sat watching the news of the attack I heard a Palestinian spokesperson on television blame Ariel Sharon and Israel for the latest Palestinian attack. This ignores the fact that 1) Sharon had withdrawn Israeli troops from the territories, 2) Sharon was cooperating and making concessions in the cease fire talks with Zinni, and 3) the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the bombing is directly controlled by Arafat.. 

Why should Israel negotiate with Arafat? Either Arafat is refusing to stop terrorism against Israelis or he lacks the ability to control his own people. In either case Israel gets only terrorism and rhetoric when it deals with the Palestinians. The vast majority of all Israelis and Jews believe that the occupation of Palestinians by Israel is wrong and needs to stop, but how can this happen when the terrorism doesn't let up for one minute? 

Israel’s greatest fear is that Palestinians want more than a peaceful state in the West Bank and Gaza — they want to destroy the State of Israel. Who can blame Israelis for thinking this — a poll last weekend by the Arab An Najah University in Nablus found that 87.5 percent of Palestinians want to “liberate all of Palestine.” The Palestinian culture is one that makes heroes and martyrs of gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians tell their children that they will one day return to their old land in Israel and throw out the Jews who live their now. Palestinians want their own state in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem and they want to overwhelm the Jewish state of Israel. 

They do not understand the nature of the two-state solution imposed by the U.N. Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank combined are the size of New Jersey. Israel is surrounded by hostile Arab countries and hundreds of millions of Arabs who make no secret of their desire to get rid of the Jewish state. 

What has Arafat ever done to reassure Israel and Jews everywhere that the Palestinian people only want a peaceful state to coexist with Israel, and that the Palestinians don’t want to see the destruction of the Jewish state? 

Nothing. I am afraid that until Arafat or someone else on the Palestinian side starts to act like a leader of a future peaceful nation and cracks down on terrorism, there will be no peace. 

Josh May 

Boalt Hall Law School student

Berkeley’s adventurous Shotgun Players were scheduled to open their season Saturday in the new 99-seat Allston Street Theater in the Gaia building in downtown Berkeley.  

But when it turned out, incredibly, that the building’s management had not applied for per- 

mits to house a theater in their new space, Shotgun was forced to look elsewhere, at the 11th hour, for a place to perform. 

The generous folks at Berkeley Rep then jumped into the breech and leased the Berkeley Rep Thrust Stage to the smaller company at a discounted rate to help Shotgun get its season off the ground. 

The theater group opened Saturday with a world premiere titled “A Fairy’s Tail,” written especially for Shotgun by San Francisco playwright Adam Bock. Bock is the author of the acclaimed “Five Flights,” currently running at Thick House in San Francisco to rave responses. 

In 1999, Shotgun produced Bock’s “Swimming in the Shallows,” which won several Bay Area Theater Critics Circle awards, including outstanding new play and outstanding production. 

“A Fairy’s Tail” is a twisted adult fairly tale in which three strangers join forces and set off for the land of the giant to avenge sudden family deaths. Director Patrick Dooley casts his shows well, and this is no exception. He gets striking performances from his actors. 

Beth Donohue is frightening in her dumpy bloomers as nasty 9-year-old Missy What’s-Her-Face, the ringleader of the trio. Her cohorts include sweet simpleton Norbert Longlegs, an amusing presence with his straw boater hat, blazer, grimacing face and slow mind. 

Trish Mulholland rounds out the trio playing Mrs. Piffle, a housemaid who moves like a herky-jerky wind-up doll. 

Five other actors provide a chorus of sorts, and double in smaller roles. Reid Davis has a funny scene as a fish that gets caught by Norbert for breakfast, and then talks himself off the hook by offering council to the three on their quest. 

Katie Bales Frassinelli is a narcissistic princess who balks at helping the trio because the giant has killed some of her rival princesses and she’s hoping for more princess deaths that will push her up the princess rankings into the top ten.  

The show’s fairy tale structure also employs a narrator, the smooth and expressive Ana Bayat. It’s all a bit like Alice through the looking glass, with adult twists.  

The three wanderers have adventures. In one amusing scene they step gingerly through the Fart Swamp, in a ballet choreographed to the sounds of different kinds of fart noises. 

But this is not a great play. The story just doesn’t have enough meat on it. The top of the play is busy with information where a lot happens to a variety of characters before they are well established. 

Later on, not much happens. It seemed especially difficult to get the thin story up and rolling again after intermission. In the end, the quest for the giant plays out anticlimactically in a facile and didactic way. 

Silly jokes like the narrator quitting in the middle of the show and then coming back don’t really have a payoff in the larger story. The indistinct motif of Norbert and his boyfriend who drowns in quicksand at the top of the play isn’t substantial enough to justify the title "A Fairy’s Tail." 

Because the show’s infantile inanity seems to be an end in itself, it wears thin after a while, and the play starts to feel like it’s written in baby talk. 

There is an original score of recorded songs composed by Clive Worsley and Kristin Miltner, with lyrics by Worsley and Bock. "Why did I dare to hope that I would fly forever" sung by Norbert early on is a touching ballad of loss.  

The songs often, however, feel like they’re tacked on to the play as bits not quite connected to the larger story as a whole. 

According to director Dooley, the company moved into the Berkeley Rep space the day before the Saturday opening. The show had to be reconfigured, re-blocked and relit in about 24 hours. 

The opening night performance suffered a bit from trying to telescope a grassroots show designed for the 99-seat Gaia proscenium stage to the grander 400-seat Berkeley Rep thrust stage. 

Opening night felt like a dress rehearsal at times. But the skillful actors connected with their audience before long, and found a groove. 

Shotgun has been wandering around Berkeley for ten years performing in a variety of spaces that include La Val’s Subterranean, Hinkel Park, the Eighth Street Theater, Julia Morgan and Speakeasy Theater. They will be performing their next show at the former U.C. Theater on University Avenue. 

It’s a pity they’re having problems with the Gaia space that was supposed to be their new home. Shotgun is one of the most exciting and skillful new theater companies in the Bay Area, and a credit to Berkeley.  

I hope they can resolve their problems and find a permanent home in Berkeley. It would be a pity if Berkeley lost Shotgun to San Francisco, as we did the Magic Theater some years ago. 

.  

Planet theater reviewer John Angell Grant has written for "American Theatre," "Backstage West," "Callboard," and many other publications. E-mail him at jagplays@yahoo.com or fax him at 1-419-781-2516. 

-30- 

924 Gilman Mar. 22: Tsunami Bomb, No Motiv; Mar. 29: Limpwrist, All You Can Eat, The Subtonics, The Bananas, Sharp Knife; Mar. 30: 9 Shocks Terror, What Happens Next?, Phantom Limbs, The Curse, Onion Flavored Rings; All shows begin a 8 p.m. 924 Gillman St., 525-9926 

Anna’s Bistro Mar. 22: Anna & Ellen Hoffman Jazz Tunes; 10 p.m., Hideo Date; Mar. 23: Robin Gregory; 10 p.m., Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Mar. 24: Christy Dana Jazz Group; Mar. 25: Renegade Sidemen; Mar. 26: Jason Martineau and Dave Sayen; Mar. 27: David Widelock Jazz Duo; Mar. 28: Randy Moore Jazz Trio; Mar. 29: Anna & Ellen Hoffman; 10 p.m. Hideo Date; Mar. 30: Robin Gregory; 10 p.m. Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Music starts at 8 p.m. unless noted, 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center Mar. 23: A Benefit for Forest Defense with The Funky Nixons, The Gary Gates Band, The Shut-Ins, $8 - $20; Mar. 29: Alpha Yaya Diallo; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 548-0425. 

Blake’s Mar. 22: Shady Lady, View From Here; $6; Mar. 23: Mystic Roots, LZ & Ezell Funkstaz, $5; Mar. 24: Passenger, The Shreep, $3; Mar. 25: The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cafe Eclectica Mar. 22: 8 p.m., The Teethe, The Natural Dreamers, Yasi, $3; Mar. 23: 8 p.m., Guest DJs and MCs, $5; 1309 Solano Ave., Albany, 527-2344, Shows are All Ages.  

Cal Performances Apr. 7: 3 p.m., Murray Perahia, classical pianist. $28 - $48; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, 642-9988 

Cato’s Ale House Mar. 24: Lost Coast Jazz Trio; Mar. 27: Vince Wallace Trio; Mar. 31: Phillip Greenlief Trio; 3891 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, 655-3349 

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

Freight & Salvage Mar. 22: Marley’s Ghost, $17.50; Mar. 24: Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie, $18.50; Mar. 27: Paul Thorn, $16.50; Mar. 28: Old Blind Dogs, $17.50; Mar. 29: Jack Hardy, $16.50; Mar. 30: Faye Carol, $17.50; 1111 Addison St., 548-1761, folk@freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool Mar. 24: 4:30 p.m., Alegria, $6-$12; Mar. 30: 4:30 p.m., Dmitri Matheny Orchestra presents “The Emerald Buddha”; 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Tuva Space 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 

“Jazz Concert” Mar. 24: 2 p.m., Terry Gibbs and the Mike Vax Orchestra. $10 - $18. Longfellow School for the Arts, 1500 Derby St. 420-4560, www.bigbandjazz.net 

“Recital” Mar. 24: 3 p.m., Cal Performances presents pianist, Richard Goode, and vocalist, Randall Scarlata. $48. Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus, 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Jewish Music Festival” Through Mar 24: Several performers will perform Jewish music and dance from across the world. Call Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center for Acts, times and dates. 925-866-9559, www.brjcc.org 

Dance 

“Compania Espanola De Antonio Marquez” Mar. 13 & 14: 8 p.m., Artistic Director Antonio Marquez showcases his dazzling and dynamic program of flamenco. $24 - $36. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-9988 

Theater 

“Women’s Voices, Then and Now” Mar. 15 through Mar. 24: Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m., Voices from a 1915 graveyard blend with voices from 1982 to present a vivid depiction of the lives of American women. $10. Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington, 525-0302 

“Persimmony Jones” Mar. 16: 12 p.m., Designed for a young audience, this is the story of a young girl trying to find her place in the world. As Persimmony travels through different lands on her search, she is forced to reexamine her own ideas about tolerance and acceptance. Free. Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., 647-2978 

“Curtain Up” Mar. 22 through Mar. 24: 8 p.m., Musical theater veteran Martin Charnin and Broadway conductor/comoser Keith Levenson join forces to create a semi-staged version of Gershwin and Kaufman’s 1927 musical comedy “Strike Up the Band”. $24 - $46. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-9988 

“The Golden State” Feb. 23 through Mar. 24: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., An aging Brian Wilson meets the ruling family of the sea, and a blend of comic book escapade and tragedy follows in the wake. $20, Sunday is pay what you can. Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., 883-0305 

“Impact Briefs 5: The East Bay Hit” Through Mar. 30: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., A collection of seven plays all about the ups and downs of in the Bay Area. $12, $7 students. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, 464-4468, tickets@impattheatre.com. 

“The Merchant of Venice” Through Mar. 31: Wed. - Thurs. 7 p.m., Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., Women in Time Productions presents Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy replete with masks and revelry, balcony scenes, and midnight escapes. $25, half-price on Wed. The Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Knock Knock” Through Apr. 14: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m., A comedic farce about two eccentric retirees whose comfortable philosophical arguments are interrupted by a series of strange visitors. $26 - $35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.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. 

“A Fairy’s Tail” Mar. 16 through Apr. 7: 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 5 p.m. Sun., The Shotgun Players present Adam Bock’s story of a girl and her odyssey of revenge and personal transformation after a giant smashes her house with her family inside. Directed by Patrick Dooley. $10 - $25. Mar. 16 - 31:Thrust Stage at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St.; Apr. 4 - 7: UC Theatre on University Ave.; 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Mar. 11: A Star is Born, 3 p.m.; Flesh, 7 p.m.; Mar. 12: An eye Unruled: An Evening with Stan Brakhage, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 13: The Bicycle Thief, 3 p.m.; Daughter from Danang, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 14: The Student I, 7 p.m.; Mar. 16: Shaping Identities Through Community, 7 p.m.; The Wolf, 9:30 p.m.; Mar. 17: For the Love of It: Amateur Filmmaking, 5:30; Mar. 18: Cabaret; 3 p.m.; Carnal Knowledge, 7 p.m.; Mar. 19: Stranger with a Camera, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 20: Sunset Blvd., 3 p.m.; Chemical Valley, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 21: Hazel Dickens: It’s Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 22: A Thousand and One Voices: The Music of Islam, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 23: In a Lonely Place, 7 p.m.; The Big Heat; 8:55 p.m.; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412 

“Asian American Film Fest” Mar. 13: Daughter From Danang; Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Exhibits  

“Trace of a Human” Through Mar. 30: Jim Freeman and Krystyna Mleczko exhibit their latest works including mixed media sculpture installation and acrylic on canvas paintings. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

“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. 

“Stas Orlovski” Through Mar. 23: New work by Stas Orlovski featuring a series of large paintings and drawings examining the relationships between body and landscape and eastern and western aesthetics. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St., 527-1214 

“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 

“The Works of Alexander Nepote” Through Mar. 29: Nepote was a 20th century artist whose medium is a process of layered painting of torn pieces of watercolor paper, fused together in images that speak of the spirit that underlies and is embodied in the landscape he views. Check museum for times. Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave., 849-8272 

“Trace of a Human” Through Mar. 30: An exhibit of mixed media sculpture by Jim Freeman, and acrylic paintings on canvas by Krystyna Mleczko. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

“Journey of Self-discovery” Through Mar. 30: Community Works artist Adriana Diaz and Willard Junior High students joined together to explore gender stereotypes, advertising, and other influential elements in society in a project that culminated in two life-size portraits that explore self-identity. Free. La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 845-3332. 

“West Oakland Today” Through Mar. 30: Sergio De La Torre presents “thehousingproject”, an open house/video installation that explores desire surrounding one’s sense of home and place. Marcel Diallo presents “Scrapyard Ghosts”, an installation that presents a glimpse into the process of one man’s conversation with the living past through objects of iron, wood, rock dirt and other debris unearthed at an old scrapyard site in West Oakland’s Lower Bottom neighborhood. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland  

"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. 

“Portraits of the Afghan People: 1984 - 1992” Through Apr. 6: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Bay Area photographer Patricia Monaco. Free. Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400 

“The Zoom of the Souls” Mar. 23 through Apr. 13: An exhibit of oil paintings by Mark P. Fisher. Sat. 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Bay Area Music Foundation, 462 Elwood Ave. #9, Oakland, 836-5223 

“Sibila Savage & Sylvia Sussman” Through Apr. 13: Photographer, Sibila Savage presents photographs documenting the lives of her immigrant grandparents, and Painter, Sylvia Sussman displays her abstract landscapes on unstretched canvas. Free. Wed. - Sun. 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 64-6893, www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“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.  

“Art is Education” Mar. 18 through Apr. 19th: A group exhibition of over 50 individual artworks created by Oakland Unified School District students, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Office Building Atrium, 1515 Clay St., Oakland, 238-6952, www.oaklandculturalarts.org 

“Expressions of Time and Space” Mar. 18 through April 17: Calligraphy by Ronald Y. Nakasone. Julien Designs 1798 Shattuck Ave., 540-7634, RyNakasone@aol.com.  

“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. 

“Quilted Paintings” Mar. 3 through May 4: Contemporary wall quilts by Roberta Renee Baker, landscapes, abstracts, altars and story quilts. Free. The Coffee Mill, 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland 465-4224 

“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 

“Masterworks of Chinese Painting” Mar. 13 through May 26: An exhibition of distinguished works representing virtually every period and phase of Chinese painting over the last 900 years, including figure paintings and a selection of botanical and animal subjects. Prices vary. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-4889, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“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” 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 

“Being There” Feb. 23 through May 12: An exhibit of paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media works by 45 contemporary artists who live and/or work in Oakland. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 12 - 5 p.m. $6, adults, $4 children. The Oakland Museum of California, Oak and 10th St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

“Scene in Oakland, 1852 to 2002” Mar. 9 through Aug. 25: An exhibit that includes 66 paintings, drawings, watercolors and photographs dating from 1852 to the present, featuring views of Oakland by 48 prominent California artists. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 12 - 5 p.m. $6, adults, $4 children. The Oakland Museum of California, Oak and 10th St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

Readings 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Mar. 17: 3 p.m., Suzan Hagstrom reads from her book “Sara’s Children: The Destruction of Chielnik,” chronicling the survival of one brother and four sisters in Nazi death camps. Free. 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 x127 

Black Oak Books Feb. 27: 7:30 p.m., Author & Activist Randy Schutt discussing his new book "Inciting Democracy: A Practical Proposal for Creating a Good Society." 1491 Shattuck Ave., 486-0698. 

Cody’s on Fourth St. 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. 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.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Mar. 7: Carl Parkes, author of “Moon Handbook: Southeast Asia”, presents a slide show exploring his travels in the region; Mar. 12: William Fienne describes his personal journey from Texas to North Dakota as he follows the northern migration of snow geese; Mar. 14: Gary Crabbe and Karen Misuraca present slides and read from their book, “The California Coast”; Mar. 19: Barbara and Robert Decker present a slide show focusing on the volcanoes of California and the Cascade Mountain Range; Mar. 21: Stefano DeZerega discusses opportunities for study, travel, and work in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

GAIA Building Mar. 14: 7 - 9 p.m., Lecture with Patricia Evans speaking from her book, “Controlling People: How to recognize, Understand and Deal with People Who Are Trying to Control You.”; Mar. 19: Reading and slide show with Carol Wagner, “Survival of the Spirit: Lives of Cambodian Buddhists.”; March 21: 6 - 9 p.m., 1st Berkeley Edgework Books Salon; Mar. 22: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., Book Reading and Jazz Concert with David Rothenberg; All events are held in the Rooftop Gardens Solarium, 7th Floor, GAIA Building, 2116 Allston Way, 848-4242. 

Gathering Tribes Mar. 15: 6:30 p.m., Susan Lobo and Victoria Bomberry will be conducting readings from “American Indians And The Urban Experience.”; 1573 Solano Ave., 528-9038, www.gatheringtribes.com.  

UC Berkeley Lunch Poems Reading Series Mar. 7: Marilyn Hacker reads from her most recent book, “Squares and Courtyards”. Free. Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Berkeley campus, 642-0137, www.berkeley.edu/calendar/events/poems. 

University of Creation Spirituality Mar. 21: 7 - 9 p.m., Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, An Evening with Author Margaret J. Wheatley, $10-$15 donation; 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x29, darla@berkana.org. 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Mar. 3: Myung Mi Kim, Harryette Mullen & Geoffrey O’Brien; Mar. 6: Bill Berkson, Albert Flynn DeSilver; Mar. 10: Leslie Scalapino, Dan Farrell; Mar. 13: Lucille Lang Day, Risa Kaparo; Mar. 20: Edward Smallfield, Truong Tran; Mar. 24: Susan Griffin, Honor Moore; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852, www.codysbooks.com.  

Poetry Reading @ South Branch Berkeley Public Library Mar. 2: Bay Area Poets Coalition is holding an open reading. 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free. 1901 Russell St. 

Word Beat Mar. 9: Sonia Greenfield and Megan Breiseth; Mar. 16, Q. R. Hand and Lu Pettus; Mar. 23: Lee Gerstmann and Sam Pierstorffs; Mar. 30: Eleanor Watson-Gove and Jim Watson-Gove; All shows 7 - 9 p.m., Coffee With A Beat, 458 Perkins, Oakland. 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

Fellowship Café Mar. 15: 7:30 p.m., Eliot Kenin, poetry, storytellers, singers and musicians. $5-$10. Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St., 540-0898. 

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. 

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. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Mar. 16: 1 - 4 p.m., Moviemaking for children 8 years old and up; Mar. 20: Spring Equinox; “Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Auditions Live Science Demonstrations” A directed activity in which children “audtion” to be a dinosaur in an upcoming movie. They’ll learn about the variety of dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park exhibit as well as dress up, act, and roar like a dinosaur. Through May 12: Mon. - Fri. 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; Sat. - Sun. 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. 3 p.m. $8 adults, $6 children. Centenial Dr. just above the UC campus and just below Grizzly Peak Blvd. 642-5132 

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

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

Friday, March 22 

City Commons Club 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Robert Kruger, first vice-president, and Larry Miller, certified financial planner and senior vice-president, Solomon Smith Barney; “Investing in the Market Post 9-11.” $1. 848-3533. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Standing in solidarity with Israeli and Palestinian women to urge an end to the occupation and push the peace process forward. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org. 

The Nature of Work: Joanna Macy and Matthew Fox in Dialogue 

7 - 9 p.m. 

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway, Oakland 

Matthew Fox, Ph.D., founder and president of the University of Creation Spirituality, will engage in dialogue on the nature of work with Joanna Macy, Ph.D., an eco-philosopher and scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. $10-$15 donation. 835-4827 x29, www.creationspirituality.org. 

International Women’s Day Celebration 

7 p.m. 

Revolution Books 

2425 Channing Way 

Cultural and video presentations, speakers, discussion and refreshments. Donation requested. 848-1196. 

Berkeley Design Advocates 

Design Awards 

5:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center 

1275 Walnut St. 

Design Awards for building projects in Berkeley will be presented by Berkeley Design Advocates (BDA). Projects completed over the past two years were selected based on their quality of design, how well they fit into their surroundings, their innovative qualities and how well they contribute to urban life. 528-2778. 

Saturday, March 23 

5th Annual Summit – Last  

Chance for Smart Growth? 

10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Laney College Forum 

900 Fallon St., Oakland 

Regional public agencies will soon hold workshops to select from among three alternative visions for regional growth and finalize one Bay Area vision. Summit participants will learn about these alternatives and provide input that will affect future government policy. 740-3103, robert@transcoalition.org. 

Jazz Clinic 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Terry Gibbs and the Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will be holding a jazz clinic. $5, 420-4560, www.bigbandjazz.net. 

Berkeley Dispute  

Resolution Service 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

BDRS Office 

1968 San Pablo Ave.  

The community is invited to learn about mediation and the conflict resolution services and resources available through BDRS. Children’s activities and refreshments provided. 428-1811. 

Hunger Hike in Joaquin Miller Park 

9:30 a.m. 

Ranger Station, Sanborn Dr. 

Hike through the East Bay redwoods while raising money to help people in need. Hikers are encouraged to collect pledges. Funds raised will benefit the Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts. $20. 834-3663 x327, ilund@secondharvest.org.  

Our School Information Event for 

Prospective Parents 

10 a.m. - noon 

St. John’s Community Center, Room 203 

2727 College Ave. 

An event for prospective parents to learn about Our School’s approach to education. 704-0701, www.ourschoolsite.ws.  

March and Rally for Justice  

11 a.m. 

12th & Broadway BART 

Assemble at BART then march to Oakland Federal Building, then 1 p.m. rally in Jack London Square. In support of airport screeners, port workers, and service industry workers and against all racist and anti-immigrant laws and policies. 524-3791, labor4justice@aspenlinx.com. 

Sunday, March 24 

Invitational Karatedo Tournament 

11 a.m. 

Oakland YMCA Main Gymnasium 

2350 Broadway 

A tournament promoting Japanese Karatedo. Spectators are welcome and admitted for free. 522-6016, jbtown501@aol.com. 

Stagebridge’s 11th Annual 

Family Matinee Theatre and 

Ice Cream Social 

3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2501 Harrison, Oakland 

Premiere of Linda Spector’s “Chicken Sunday and Other Grandparent Tales,” followed by an old fashioned ice cream social. $8 general, $4 children. 444-4755, www.stagebridge.org.  

Monday, March 25 

Free Legal Workshop 

“Too Sick to Work: 

Cash Assistance and Health Insurance if Cancer Prevents You From Working” 

12:30 - 2 p.m. 

Highland Hospital 

1411 E. 31st St., Oakland 

Classroom B 

This workshop will provide information about State and Federal disability programs that provide cash benefits and health insurance for people unable to work due to a serious health condition. 601-4040 x302, www.wcrc.org.  

Transportation and the  

Environment in Berkeley 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Adult School Room 7 

1222 University Ave. 

Matt Nichols of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will discuss the impacts of your transportation decisions, and the resulting impacts on local pollution and our health. 981-5435, energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Tuesday, March 26 

Tuesday Tea Party 

6 - 8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

Harrison and 27th St., Oakland 

Open gatherings to build a new peace movement. 839-5877. 

Wednesday, March 27 

City Commons Club, 

Great Decisions Program 

10 a.m. - noon 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Dan Kammen, professor of Energy and Resources Group and director of Energy and Science, UC Berkeley; “Energy and the Environment.” 

$5. 848-3533. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish  

Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St. 

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034. 

Berkeley Gray Panthers  

General Meeting 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

The Clean Money Campaign  

and the League of Women Voters will talk about Clean Money, Clean Politics: Campaign Finance Reform in a Democracy. 548-9696, graypanthers@hotmail.com. 

Thursday, March 28 

Seed Swap 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Bay Area Seed Interchange Library's annual Seed Swap. Bring seed and envelopes. A raffle for live plants. 823-4769. 

Friday, March 29 

City Commons Club 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Peter Hillier, assistant city manager, transportation; “Bringing About a Paradigm Shift.” $1. 848-3533. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Standing in solidarity with Israeli and Palestinian women to urge an end to the occupation and push the peace process forward. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org. 

– Compiled by Guy Poole 

New scoring system has coaches wondering who they’re running against at league’s first meet 

Berkeley High hosted the first track & field meet of the ACCAL season on Thursday, but the results won’t be in until Saturday. That’s because none of the coaches at the meet knew exactly who they were competing against. 

The league instituted a new type of meet this season, a “double dual” format. With four teams running, throwing and jumping, no one knew how the meet would be scored. 

“This new meet was not explained very well to us at the league meeting,” Berkeley head coach Darrell Hampton said. “I’ll have to call the league office and have them walk me through how to score this thing.” 

So Berkeley, Pinole Valley, Richmond and Hercules all went against each other on Thursday not knowing who they were trying to beat. Berkeley won the most events, but Hampton couldn’t say if they would end up winning overall. 

Thursday also marked the emergence of the Berkeley distance program. Always a poor sister in the track program in the past, the ’Jackets’ contingent of cross-country runners dominated, winning all six distance events. Alex Enscoe, a sophomore who won the league’s cross-country title in the fall, won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races as the boys took five of the top six spots in each event, while no other team even entered any girls into the distance races. 

“Our distance program is really coming together, and they can really help us this year,” Hampton said. “In the past our sprints have carried us, but now they’re helping us out.” 

The distance events should be a strong point for Berkeley throughout the season, as Alameda is the only other ACCAL school with a comparable group of runners. 

This is a rebuilding year for Hampton’s girls’ sprints, traditionally the team’s strength. The ’Jackets were beaten by the brand-new Hercules team on Thursday, as the newcomers won the 100- , 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4x400 relay, with Meia Tezeno winning the 100 and 200. 

“I wasn’t surprised (Hercules) did so well,” Hampton said. “They’ve got a good program and they believe in it. That’s what happens.” 

Pinole Valley won most of the boys’ sprints, led by all-league tailback DeAndre MacFarland. McFarland won the 200 and 400, beating out Berkeley running back Germaine Baird in both races. Lodge James claimed the 100 crown for the Spartans, who also won the 4x100 relay. 

Berkeley’s Rebekah Payne was a triple-winner on Thursday, winning both hurdles races as well as the shotput. 

Hampton put a happy face on the confusion about scoring the meet, although the coaches from each school expressed displeasure with the new system. 

“This kids came out and had fun, and that’s the most important thing,” Hampton said. “Obviously we’ve still got some tweaking to do when it comes to the new system.”

Little leaguers in uniform, soccer dads, windsurfers, dog-lovers and conservationists crowded into the Florence Schwimley Little Theatre Thursday night to tell the planning team for the proposed Eastshore State Park how they want the 1,800 acres to be used. 

At the third of four regional meetings, the planning team presented its “preferred concept” for the park, which will connect the waterfronts from Emeryville to Richmond. The map blended the planning team’s two original concepts and comments from the public. 

Stephen Hammond, a member of the planning team, talked the audience of about 300 through the plan to create “a recreational facility harmonious with its natural setting.” 

With charts and maps, he explained that 10 percent of the land and 33 percent of the water will be marked for preservation to provide the greatest amount of protection. 

47 percent of the land and 57 percent of the water will be marked for recreation to allow the greatest amount of human use.  

49 percent of the land and 10 percent of the water will be marked for conservation to allow the less intrusive human use. 

“I want to emphasize that this is the basis for the General Plan. It is not detailed or site-specific. It establishes the general framework that will provide guidance to the state to fund improvements and enhancements to the park,” said Hammond. 

But the planning team still wanted to hear comments from the public, said Don Neuwirth, who was also part of the group drafting the General Plan.  

The lines to the microphones stretched to the back of the theater when the public comment session began. There were four main points of contention. 

• Athletes and their parents wanted more playing fields.  

Doug Fielding, who chairs the Association of Sports Field Users, said that while they were happy with the current playing fields on the Albany Plateau, they wanted more. He suggested that the North Basin Strip could be used. 

“We’re trying to get 10 playing fields in Eastshore State Park. It would only be two percent of the land,” he said.  

Many other speakers made the same suggestions. 

Councilmembers Polly Armstrong and Miriam Hawley, who have fought for more space for playing fields in Berkeley, supported their efforts. 

“There’s been a history of driving kids to kingdom-come to play games on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Armstrong. 

“It’s hard for traditional families, but for families with other demands, it shuts the kids out of playing.” 

• Bird-lovers and members of the various nature clubs wanted to protect more animal habitats. Some pointed to the encroachment of the proposed hostel and boat launch into Berkeley Meadow.  

Several of the speakers had been involved with saving the land from development in the late 1960s. 

“We see a unique opportunity for an urban park as well as for a wild-land park focusing on education and recreation related to wildlife habitat,” said Normal La Force of the Sierra Club. 

“But we have to think about what’s appropriate given the environmental values and conditions we have at this site.” 

Other conservationists were worried not so much about the playing fields as the large parking lots that would be needed for them. 

• Dog-lovers wanted to protect as much space as possible for leash-free frolicking. They wanted more space at Point Isabel and on the Albany Bulb. 

• Windsurfers pleaded for better access to water recreation areas. Because their equipment is heavy, parking lots cannot be too far away from the shore. 

Though all sides saw the need for compromise, they hoped it would not be at their expense. 

The planning team will take all of these comments into consideration as it develops the General Plan. They will also look at written comments submitted during the workshop. 

The planning team will be local briefings in April for those who missed the workshop. It will be developing the General Plan for the fourth regional meeting in May 2002. After that, there is an environmental review. The process is scheduled to wrap up in October 2002. 

For more information, visit www.eastshorestatepark.org.

Editor:  

James K. Sayre writes: “Bicyclists are, by in [sic] large, an extremely self-righteous lot, asserting that the traffic laws don’t apply to them.” This is bigotry, plain and simple, and does not belong in Berkeley. I have been car-free for five years now. I bike everywhere, including shopping, laundry, everything. I ride safely and lawfully 100 percent of the time. I observe cars and I observe other bicyclists, since both can cause me grave bodily harm when operated by idiots. My experience is that the percentage of idiots is about the same on two wheels or four. 

However, I actually agree with Sayre that banning cars from downtown would be foolishness. Downtown Berkeley is in enough trouble already, with lots of storefronts still empty. It’s not particularly congested. One or two car-free side streets might work — say, Center and Allston between Shattuck and Oxford. But banning cars from Shattuck would just be silly. If you want an over-congested shopping street to turn into a pedestrian mall, take a look at 4th Street. 

Jef Poskanzer  

Berkeley

Cal freshman Jamal Sampson announced today that he is declaring himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward from Inglewood, Sampson averaged 6.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while blocking 54 shots for the Bears during the 2001-02 season. 

“After careful consideration, I have decided to make myself eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft,” Sampson said. “I’ve talked to members of my family and other people familiar with the NBA and realized that this is the best decision for me at the this time.” 

Sampson said he does not plan on hiring an agent yet, leaving open the possibility of returning to school if his draft position is not favorable. 

“I have enjoyed this year at Cal,” Sampson said. “I like the team and the coaching staff, and it was a good decision for me to go to Cal. I felt that Coach (Ben) Braun and the staff have helped me prepare for the next level.” 

During his freshman year, Sampson started 31 of 32 games for the Bears and led the team in rebounding 16 times. He was voted MVP of the BCA Classic in November and was a Pac-10 All-Freshman selection in March. His 54 blocks are the third-highest total on Cal’s season list. 

Sampson scored a career-high 15 points twice, first vs. Fresno State Dec. 11. Against Washington Jan. 17, Sampson also poured in 15 points, to go with a career-best 17 rebounds, three assists and five blocks. 

“This decision was made by Jamal and his family,” Braun said. “I support him in the decision, but I’d personally like to see him come back to school, as I would with all players. Each person has to review his own opportunities and be responsible for his own path. Jamal is talking about an opportunity that has presented itself. It’s up to Jamal to make that decision. I hope his tenure at Cal was helpful to him.” 

Sampson entered Cal last fall after earning third team Parade All-America honors at Mater Dei High School in Southern California. As a senior, he averaged 15.5 ppg, 10 rpg and 2.4 bpg, helping Mater Dei to the state championship, a 33-2 record and a No. 4 national ranking from USA Today.

Julia Butterfly Hill, who gained international attention with her two-year tree-sit in an ancient redwood in Northern California, gets Katherine Yoshii’s signature for a Heritage Tree Preservation Ballot Initiative outside the Berkeley Bowl Thursday. The initiative, organized by Citizens Campaign for Old Growth and the Sierra Club Bay Chapter, aims to protect trees older than the state of California.  

Hill, who lived in the branches of a tree in Humbolt County, works out of an office just south of the Berkeley-Oakland border. She greeted old friends from her tree-sitting days, as well as introduced herself to newcomers to the issue.  

“This community is so active on so many issues,” said Hill. “People in the Berkeley area are so committed to taking charge of their lives. I really like that.” 

Hill will be appearing at Berkeley Bowl again this afternoon, as well as other markets in the Bay Area.  

For more information on the ballot initiative, visit www.ancienttrees.org.

Editor: 

I seem to remember that several months ago the Daily Planet printed a letters policy in which is was stated that no letters that expressed racist or derogatory statements about a particular ethnic, religious or racial group would be printed. 

I was therefore quite surprised to see a statement in Gabe Kurtz’s latest letter that claimed that “muslims of the Gaza strip . . . froth at the mouth cyring for land. . . .” This statement clearly dehumanizes muslim Palestinians, making them seem more like vicious animals than human beings. 

I’m sure that Mr. Kurtz would be highly offended, as would I, if anyone stated that Jews “froth at the mouth.” 

Unfortunately, many U.S. and Israeli policies are based on these same sort of prejudicial ideas. Those of us who disagree with them are not naive, as Mr. Kurtz implies. We are able to see the humanity of both Jews and Arabs and realize that the only solution to the conflict is peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East. 

Terry Fletcher 

Member, A Jewish Voice for Peace 

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES — Halle Berry hopes this year’s three Academy Award nominations for black actors will be a source of optimism for minorities. Denzel Washington just figures academy voters went for the actors they felt turned in the best performances. 

And Will Smith jokes that win or lose, he’s already made history: “The first rapper to be nominated for an Oscar. That is cool.” 

This year’s awards present one of the best chances for a black to earn a lead-acting trophy since Sidney Poitier became the only black actor to do so, for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field.” 

Oscar nominations for Berry (“Monster’s Ball”), Smith (“Ali”) and Washington (“Training Day”) mark the first time in 29 years that three blacks have competed in the lead-acting categories. 

Best-actress may come down to Sissy Spacek for “In the Bedroom” and Berry, who won the lead-actress prize for “Monster’s Ball” this month at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The best-actor race seems to be a dead heat between Russell Crowe for “A Beautiful Mind” and Washington, a five-time nominee who won the supporting-actor Oscar for “Glory.” 

In addition, two Oscar-winning black actors have major roles at the ceremony Sunday. Poitier receives an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. And Whoopi Goldberg, a supporting-actress winner for “Ghost,” is the show’s host. 

Only six blacks have won acting Oscars since the awards began in 1929, or 2.2 percent of the winners. The only previous year that produced three black nominees for best actor or actress was 1972: Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield for “Sounder” and Diana Ross for “Lady Sings the Blues.” 

“When it happened in 1972, I bet you someone probably said this is a prelude of better things to come, and we found it hasn’t happened again for almost 30 years,” said Frank Smith Jr., acting board president of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. 

Still, many in Hollywood view this year’s nominations as a hint that choicer roles are opening up for blacks in an industry that once relegated minorities largely to comic or caricatured parts. 

Of 39 nominations for blacks over the years, 31 have come since 1970, compared with eight in the preceding four decades. 

“There’s old Hollywood and new Hollywood. Old Hollywood was basically lily-white, with white actors in films generally to the exclusion of other races,” said director John Singleton, whose “Boyz N the Hood” established him as the only black filmmaker ever nominated for best director. “New Hollywood seems to realize that to make a hit movie, you need to have a multiplicity of people represented. 

“Because of that, American films are becoming more American in the sense that they look more like the whole of America looks.” 

As actors such as Washington, Smith and Berry find box-office success, some have been able to use their clout to get projects off the ground that showcase their talents in serious, potentially Oscar-worthy roles. 

“I don’t really know how it will transform the industry, but what I do know is that it will hopefully instill hope in other people of color,” Berry said of this year’s nominations. 

Berry previously won an Emmy for the title role in “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” Dandridge, who rose to stardom amid Hollywood racism of the 1940s and 1950s, was the first black nominated for a lead-acting Oscar, for 1954’s “Carmen Jones.” 

Four years later, Poitier became the second, for “The Defiant Ones.” 

Washington said he believes the quality of the performances alone resulted in this year’s three nominations. 

“It’s not about race,” he said. “This might suggest that they are doing us a favor because we are black.” 

The Oscar recognition, though, “might also suggest that there are better roles for African-Americans,” Washington said. 

Smith, who joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year, said greater representation in that group is critical to Oscar success for blacks. The academy provides no demographic breakdown of its 5,700 voting members, but academy executives concede the percentage of minorities is far lower than in the general population. 

“The academy is made up ... (mostly) of white Americans, so for the most part, white American films are going to be nominated and white American actors are going to win,” said Smith, who urged more blacks to apply for membership. 

“We all just want to be judged as human beings.”

El Cerrito aiming at third straight title 

Four of the six ACCAL boys’ volleyball teams got a sneak peek at each other Thursday in Berkeley at the league’s Volleyball Jamboree. Berkeley head coach Justin Caraway was encouraged by what he saw. 

“We’ll win some games this year. Heck, we could even win some matches,” Caraway said. 

That may not sound like deafening praise, but almost anything would be an improvement over last season. The ’Jackets didn’t win a single match in 2001. In fact, they managed to win just a single game. But with all but two players back this season and the league not looking very strong, Caraway expects his team to show him a little more. 

“We can probably win at least one match,” he said. “ We just need to know that we’re not going to get slaughtered every game.” 

One team the ’Jackets won’t be beating is El Cerrito. The Gauchos have won the last two league titles, going 10-0 in the ACCAL last season, and return the reigning league MVP in Michael Gonzalez. Although Alameda and Richmond didn’t show up to Thursday’s event, El Cerrito is clearly the prohibitive favorite again this year. 

“You never know until you see everyone, but I’ve got a good team back this year,” said head coach Fred Gonzalez (Michael’s father). 

Gonzalez pointed to a strong junior varsity program and several players with club experience as the keys to his program’s dominance. Berkeley, on the other hand, is just establishing a new junior varsity program this season and doesn’t get many players who have grown up with the game. 

“I’m constantly fighting the battle of no volleyball at the middle school level (in Berkeley),” Caraway said. “There’s still the perception that volleyball is a girls’ sport at this school (the Lady ’Jackets have never lost an ACCAL match), and I don’t get the carryover from basketball that other schools do.” 

Still Caraway does have some good players back, including team MVP Robin Roach and setter Joel Li. Roach is still just a junior, and the current squad has just one senior. 

“If we can get a little bit of success this year, then next year with Robin as a senior, we shouldn’t be too bad,” he said.

Friday, March 22, is the 81st day of 2002. There are 284 days left in the year. 

Highlight in History: 

On March 22, 1765, Britain enacted the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies. (The Act was repealed the following year.) 

On this date:  

In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Washington D.C. 

In 1882, Congress outlawed polygamy. 

In 1895, Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed their first movie to an invited audience in Paris. 

In 1933, during Prohibition, President Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal. 

In 1941, the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state went into operation. 

In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt. 

In 1946, the British mandate in Transjordan came to an end. 

In 1972, Congress sent the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. (It fell three states short of the 38 needed for approval.) 

In 1991, high school instructor Pamela Smart, accused of manipulating her student-lover into killing her husband, was convicted in Exeter, N.H., of murder-conspiracy. 

In 1995, convicted Long Island Rail Road gunman Colin Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people. 

Ten years ago: Twenty-seven people were killed when a US-Air jetliner crashed on takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport; 24 people survived. France’s governing Socialist Party was rebuffed in regional elections. President Bush and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl wrapped up a weekend of informal talks by reiterating their resolve to break a deadlock on global trade talks. 

Five years ago: A day after a suicide bomber killed three women in Tel Aviv, Israeli troops clashed with hundreds of Palestinians in Hebron. Tara Lipinski, at age 14 years and ten months, became the youngest women’s world figure skating champion. 

One year ago: An 18-year-old student opened fire at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif., wounding three classmates and two teachers before he was shot by a police officer. (Jason Hoffman later hanged himself while in jail.) Yevgeny Plushchenko captured the World Figure Skating Championships crown in Vancouver, British Columbia. Animation pioneer William Hanna died in Los Angeles at age 90. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Karl Malden is 90. Pantomimist Marcel Marceau is 79. USA Today founder Allen H. Neuharth is 78. Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim is 72. Actor William Shatner is 71. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is 68. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 67. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 59. Singer Jeremy Clyde (Chad and Jeremy) is 58. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 54. Actress Fanny Ardant is 53. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 50. Country singer James House is 47. Actress Lena Olin is 47. Singer-actress Stephanie Mills is 45. Actor Matthew Modine is 43. Actress Kellie Williams is 26.  

Actress Reese Witherspoon is 26. Rock musician John Otto (Limp Bizkit) is 25.

Two men were repeatedly stabbed by a robber on Acton Street in South Berkeley Monday at around 11:30 p.m., according to the Berkeley Police Department. Both victims are in stable condition at home and at Highland Hospital. 

The victims, 27-year-old James Celestin-Willis and his 33-year-old brother-in-law, Galen Jackson, were en route to Jackson’s sister’s home when the assailant pulled up in a green car and asked them to make change for a bill, according to Celestin-Willis. 

When they declined, Celestin-Willis said, the attacker, dressed in black, got out of his car, stabbed the victims and took their money. Celestin-Willis said he suffered wounds on his back, neck and arm, while Jackson was stabbed in the back and arm. 

Jackson said he fell to the pavement and called for his wife, who was in his sister’s home. Relatives brought Jackson into his sister’s house and called for an ambulance. 

Celestin-Willis ran from the scene. 

“I was in shock,” he said. “I ran, I left.” 

Police later found Celestin-Willis at the corner of Alcatraz and California streets, on the pavement. 

Both men were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland. Celestin-Willis said he was released Thursday. Jackson was still in the hospital when reached by the Daily Planet Thursday.

SACRAMENTO — By an overwhelming margin, the state Assembly Thursday approved placing $25.3 billion worth of education bonds before voters this November and in 2004, sending the issue to the state Senate. 

The Assembly voted 71-6 for the bill, which authorizes the placement of two bond measures before voters. A $13 billion bond proposal will go on the November 2002 ballot and would be followed in 2004 with a $12.3 billion bond issue. 

That’s about three times higher than the record $9.2 billion bond voters approved in 1998. That money has been spent, however. 

Gov. Gray Davis wants a bond issue on the November ballot, spokeswoman Hilary McLean said, so “students well into California’s future will benefit from the school improvements this bond will fund.” 

The bond’s passage is “the biggest thing we’ve done since I took office,” said Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, a Van Nuys Democrat and former Assembly speaker. 

“Everything that’s great about California starts with its schools and our kids,” said Hertzberg, co-author of the bill, said. 

He predicted the measure — which was ultimately agreed upon by a bipartisan conference committee — will pass the Senate easily. 

The bill will go to the Senate the first week of April and Dave Sebeck, a spokesman for Senate Pro Tem John Burton, said Senate members will debate and act on it that day. 

The Office of Public School Construction estimates that more than $21.1 billion in state bonds are needed in the next four years for K-12 school construction alone. 

Also, the state estimates that California Community Colleges will teach nearly 2 million students in the next two years and more than 75 percent of its buildings are more than 40 years old. 

To cope with population growth, the state Department of Education estimates that California will need more than 2,500 classrooms each year for the next four years. 

Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin said that if California expects children to meet the state’s academic standards, “we must provide them with a safe, clean and modern environment in which to do so.” 

Money from the bonds will help low-performing and overcrowded schools, design upgrades and expand buildings at community colleges, and campuses of the California State University and the University of California. 

Dwayne Brooks, director of facilities for the California Department of Education, said this bill also allows school districts to apply for funds of up to four years, plus a one-year extension. 

That will help school districts pay for land on which to build schools, Brooks said. The bond deal would also set aside $1.7 billion for critically overcrowded schools. 

Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Culver City, called the vote a victory for California’s children. 

“In order to learn, a child truly needs good teachers, and we have that,” Wesson said. “They need the proper tools and an environment conducive for learning. And this takes care of the environment.” 

Wesson pointed out that more than 60 percent of K-12 classrooms are over 25 years old, more than 60 percent of UC buildings are at least 30 years old and more than 75 percent of community college facilities are over 40 years old. 

Districts around the state have passed local school bonds and are starting construction, but more than $4 billion in projects have been held up because no state matching funds have been available, according to the Department of Education. 

SACRAMENTO — With the SAT 9, the High School Exit Exam, Golden State Exams, SAT I and SAT II, California students face too long of a required list of standardized tests, a group of students told the California Teacher’s Association and legislators on Thursday. 

Students at the meeting said the Legislature should condense the list required of students in grades 3-11. 

Some of that is happening now, said Robert Spurlock, the state’s assistant education secretary. He cited a law passed last year that created a study of how students may bypass taking Advanced Placement exams if they have high enough scores on the Golden States Exams. Those are voluntary tests in 13 subjects given to seventh through 12th graders. Students who do well get a special seal on their diploma. 

But Jeff Orlinsky, a member of the California Teacher’s Association, said each test has its own special purpose. 

”(For high school students), only the Stanford 9 and the High School Exit Exam are required,” Orlinsky said. “The rest are voluntary.” However, there is a long list of tests required of elementary school students. 

While many tests are technically voluntary, students feel compelled to take them anyway, said Susan Chen, a junior at East Los Angeles’ Woodrow Wilson High School. 

“We are tired of testing. The tests are all my high school can talk about,” Chen said. “And tests like the SAT I and SAT II and the Golden States are voluntary, but it’s the norm now to take them if you want to be a part of the real world.” 

Sen. Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach, agreed, saying, “We could combine some of these tests. Everybody wants to test everybody on everything. I think that’s absurd.” 

However, the state needs standardized tests to measure school performance, said Phil Spears, director of standards and assessment for the California Department of Education. Spears did not attend the meeting at the Capitol sponsored by the LegiSchool Project at California State University, Sacramento. 

Spears said students are probably upset with being held accountable for their own actions, such as with the High School Exit Exam. If a student doesn’t pass this exam, they cannot graduate. 

The state Department of Education said a problem might be that some schools have failed to embrace the academic content standards for grades K-12 that lay out what students should know for each grade level. Spears said this has put their students at a disadvantage because they are not mastering the standards. 

Therefore, some schools devote a lot of time to teaching students how to take the test, including hours spent on learning how to fill in bubbles for multiple choice tests. 

Spurlock said the state is fighting this by working with test writers in California to phase in tests that measure the standards taught in California schools. 

Using comments from meetings such as Thursday’s, the state is consolidating some of the tests, Spurlock said. 

Now is a time of increased interest in standardized testing, because most tests are taken in the spring and President Bush recently signed a bill requiring annual state tests in reading and mathematics for every child in grades three through eight, beginning in the 2005-06 school year. 

LOS ANGELES — Five people whose bodies were pulled from a reservoir near Sacramento were Los Angeles area residents who were abducted, blackmailed and killed by Russian mobsters, the U.S. attorney said Thursday. 

The victims included two filmmakers, an accountant, an electronics executive and a home builder. More than $5.5 million in ransom was demanded of relatives, U.S. Attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek said. 

Mat Shatz, the stepfather of one victim, called the alleged kidnappers “bad people who come to this country, who are impatient and want to have money.” 

Six men of Russian descent were in custody, all without bond, charged in indictments with hostage-taking or receiving ransom money. Four are scheduled to go to trial April 30, two have already pleaded innocent and are scheduled to go on trial April 9. 

One victim, Meyer Muscatel, a wealthy San Fernando Valley homebuilder, was identified earlier. His body was found floating in 200-foot-deep New Melones Lake on Oct. 18, his hands bound and a plastic bag over his head. 

On Sunday, divers found Alexander Umansky, 35, of Sherman Oaks, and Georgy Safiev, 37, of Beverly Hills, said FBI spokesman Nick Rossi. 

On Monday, the body of Nick Kharabadze, 29, of Woodland Hills was found and accountant Rita Pekler, 39, of Encino, was recovered Tuesday, he said. 

Muscatel was suffocated, but the FBI has not provided a cause of death for the other four. 

Umansky and Pekler vanished in December, the other two in January, authorities and relatives said. 

Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas threatened to kill their victims if ransom demands were not met, while Petro Krylov and Ainar Altmanis allegedly “aided and abetted” the plot, the indictment charges. 

Andrei Agueev and Andrei Liapine were arrested last month and accused helping to transfer $240,000 in ransom paid to the kidnappers for Umansky’s release. 

Agueev’s defense lawyer, Victor Sherman, alleges the U.S. government “kidnapped” the Dubai businessman from his home. Liapine is a Russian citizen who lived in the United Arab Emirates. 

Agueev was helping a friend who wanted to open a business bank account, Sherman said Thursday. “He is totally innocent and the government has no evidence to indicate that any funds sent to his bank account came from any kidnapping.” 

Krylov worked for Umansky for 18 months at Hard Wired Auto Accessories before being fired in 2001, Mrozek said. 

Federal authorities have “very little evidence linking (Krylov) to these events,” Krylov’s attorney, George Buehler, said. 

The day he disappeared, Umansky told employees he was going to meet a client to demonstrate electronic equipment. That was Dec. 13. 

Umansky’s father found three copies of a ransom note faxed to his son’s business demanding $234,628. Umansky’s brother, who lives in San Francisco, received a copy of the fax the same day. 

All the faxes were sent from Russia, Mrozek said. 

Umansky’s family wired $90,000 to a bank in New York on Dec. 17. Umansky called his brother that day asking if the money had been sent. 

For two weeks, the kidnappers threatened to kill Umansky if the rest of the ransom wasn’t paid, Mrozek said. On Dec. 27, the family wired $146,000 that was later traced to an account in the Middle East. 

Authorities say the account was controlled by Argueev and Liapine. 

Some of the ransom money was wired to a Bank of America account in Studio City, Mrozek said, noting Mikhel and Kadamovas were signatories on that account. 

Three victims — Safiev, Kharabadze and Pekler — knew each other. Safiev and Kharabadze co-owned the Matador Media film production company, while Pekler did accounting work for the company. 

Safiev disappeared on Jan. 20. He called his company on Jan. 24 and answered “yes” when asked if he had been kidnapped, Mrozek said. 

According to the indictment, Mikhel and Kadamovas abducted Safiev in an effort to force a business associate to pay $5 million in ransom. 

At their home in Los Angeles, Kharabadze’s family said he was a University of Southern California graduate who moved from former Soviet Republic of Georgia when he was 17. 

He shared a house with his stepfather, Shatz, and his mother, Russian actress Rusiko Kiknadze. 

Kiknadze fell to the floor sobbing Thursday. 

“Do these murderers have mothers?” she said in Russian, as family members tried to console her. 

Shatz said the family never received any ransom demands from kidnappers. 

According to his family, Kharabadze worked as a sound editor on a number of films, including “Air Force One,” in which the U.S. president’s plane is hijacked by Russian dissidents. 

Pekler, the mother of a young son, owned an accounting company with a number of small business clients including Matador Media, employee Nelli Faktrovich said. 

Faktrovich last saw her boss on Dec. 5 as Pekler left for a lunch appointment with a client. 

Russian criminals often work in family groups or clans. Extortion, financial scams and other frauds are common. They are not connected in a chain-of-command organization like American crime syndicates. 

The criminal networks are often broken down along ethnic or religious lines, said Dr. Louise Shelley, an international crime expert at American University in Washington, D.C. 

——— 

Eds: AP Writer Christina Almeida contributed to this report. 

STOCKTON — Prosecutors charged a Sacramento student with first-degree murder Thursday for her alleged role in helping a woman poison her husband. 

If convicted of the murder with special circumstances charge, Sarah Elizabeth Dutra, 21, could face the death penalty, a San Joaquin County judge said in court. 

Dutra also was a secretary for lawyer Larry McNabney, who disappeared last September after being seen at a Los Angeles horse show. 

Dutra, who did not enter a plea, may be represented by the same attorney who defended a Sacramento woman convicted of poisoning her elderly tenants. 

Kevin Clymo defended Dorothea Puente, a 61-year-old woman who was sentenced to prison on nine murder counts for poisoning elderly tenants to get their pension and disability benefits. 

Clymo made a special appearance Thursday and will either return to court April 3 with Dutra or decline to take the case. 

Dutra is accused of murder and conspiring to kill the 53-year-old McNabney with an overdose of horse tranquilizer. 

Authorities said Dutra and McNabney’s wife, Laren Renee Sims Jordan, 36, implicated each other this week after Jordan was captured in Florida Monday night following a nationwide hunt. While married to McNabney, Sims Jordan was known as Elisa McNabney. 

San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies said Dutra, who was class president at Vacaville High School, confessed Tuesday and was jailed on suspicion of murder and conspiracy charges. She is a senior majoring in art studio at California State University, Sacramento. 

“The judge asked her if she understood the charges and she said yes,” said prosecutor Lester Fleming. “Then he informed her that the maximum penalty is death. You don’t often get a completely quiet courtroom, but you could have heard a pin drop.” 

Fleming said District Attorney John Phillip will make the decision to seek the death penalty. If convicted, Dutra also could receive life in prison without parole. 

On Wednesday, a judge gave Sims Jordan the opportunity to waive extradition during a hearing at the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview, Fla., but her court-appointed public defender told her not to sign anything yet, said Rick Hord, an Okaloosa sheriff’s spokesman. 

Nellie Stone, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, said Thursday that San Joaquin investigators were preparing to request a warrant from Gov. Gray Davis. 

“The governor will do anything within his power to assist the extradition of Laren Sims back to California,” said Byron Tucker, a Davis spokesman. 

While it may take two weeks for San Joaquin prosecutors to file the paperwork, they will do what’s necessary to get Sims Jordan back, Stone said. 

That return could be three to six months away if Jordan fights extradition, Stone said. But a governor’s warrant would speed the process to about 30 days. 

Stone said investigators were on their way to Brooksville, Fla., Thursday to visit Haylei Jordan, Sims Jordan’s 17-year-old daughter to get a statement. 

Sims Jordan is currently being held without bond in Florida’s Okaloosa County Jail on parole-violation charges. 

Sims Jordan spent seven months in Florida prison from 1991 to 1992 for violating probation from a 1989 grand theft and fraud conviction. She’s charged with violating parole by leaving Florida to move to Las Vegas around 1994. 

In an off-camera interview with KCRA-TV Thursday night in Florida, Sims Jordan said she was afraid to leave McNabney because of alleged abuse. 

On Tuesday, Dunn said she gave a three-page written statement that she and Dutra had poisoned McNabney in a hotel in Los Angeles. He died later at their home in Woodbridge and Sims Jordan said she eventually buried his body in a nearby vineyard. 

LOS ANGELES — Jurors who convicted a San Francisco couple in the dog mauling death of a neighbor said Thursday they did not believe chief defendant Marjorie Knoller and were surprised that she took the witness stand at all. 

“From our point of view, her testimony was not believable,” said Don Newton, 64, foreman of the seven-man, five-woman panel that convicted the couple in the death of Diane Whipple, 33, who was attacked by the couple’s two huge dogs last year. 

Newton said the jurors also found that her husband, Robert Noel, was probably as responsible as she was for the events. 

“Robert Noel didn’t seem to be a very nice person,” he said. 

The seven-man, five-woman jury included many dog owners. 

Jeanne Sluiman, 52, said Knoller’s testimony had so many inconsistencies that the jurors had to go beyond it to other facts in order to make their decisions. 

That opinion was echoed by juror Shawn Antonio, 27, who said, “Because her stories were so fabricated, it was difficult. She’d come up with 10 scenarios of what happened and the only other witness is no longer with us.” 

The jurors were asked their impressions of Knoller’s flamboyant defense attorney, Nedra Ruiz. 

“She’s an amazingly dramatic person,” said Newton. “She’s an incredible actress and I think to some extent she was counterproductive.” 

Several jurors said they felt that Ruiz put on an act of being disorganized and found her antics, such as crawling on the floor, a distraction. 

“I believe what she had to work with was hard,” Sluiman said, “and maybe that’s what looked like the disorganization.” 

Antonio commented, “She was so passionate you couldn’t help but get involved, but she was so scattered it threw you off.” 

The jurors said they waited until the last to decide the most serious charge — second-degree murder against Knoller — realizing it was the most serious and the most difficult. 

“It was a painful decision,” said Newton. “The question of implied malice was a difficult question to decide, but we did decide there was implied malice in her actions.” 

The jurors said they concluded there were numerous warnings to the couple about the danger of the dogs and the couple ignored them. 

“We decided there was not simply one action,” said Newton. “It was a series of actions and failures to heed warnings.” 

Antonio said that the jurors played over several times in the jury room a tape of a TV interview in which Knoller avowed no responsibility for Whipple’s death. 

“There was no kind of sympathy, no kind of apologies,” he said. “It helped us a lot.” 

The jurors said they thought that if the defendants cared, they would have heeded the warnings of a veterinarian who wrote to the couple early on about the danger the huge presa canario dogs posed. 

“If someone wasn’t arrogant they would have had to heed that warning,” Sluiman said. 

The also said that the efforts by Ruiz to challenge the qualifications of the veterinarian and an official of the Humane Society worked against her. 

During the trial Ruiz spent an hour trying to disqualify Randall Lockwood, the last witness in the case, from telling about the danger the dogs posed. 

“I placed a lot of credibility in Dr. Lockwood’s testimony,” said Sluiman, “and also that he was being fought so desperately to be discredited. He knew what he was talking about.” 

She said that “we all agreed (Noel) was not someone we liked but it’s not how we decided the case.” 

Unlike Knoller, Noel did not testify during the trial. During deliberations the jury asked to hear a reading of his testimony to the grand jury that indicted the couple. 

“The reason why we asked for Noel’s previous testimony was in regard to whether we could convict him of manslaughter although he was not present at the time,” Newton said. “It made it clear that he was not any different than Marjorie Knoller in this. He was equally responsible.” 

The jurors said they were a very diverse group in age and occupations, but found that when they got behind closed doors they were in agreement. 

Vanessa Caroline, 19, said the reading of Noel’s testimony was helpful because “we based so much on memory.” 

Antonio asked to make one thing clear: “We really didn’t go into this deciding that we would hate these people.” 

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are scheduled to be sentenced May 10 in San Francisco for their convictions in the January 2001 death of Diane Whipple. After the verdicts, the state Supreme Court, acting through the state Bar of California, suspended Knoller and Noel from practicing law. 

Following are definitions of the charges for which they were convicted and the possible sentences. 

Marjorie Knoller: — Second-degree murder: defined as the malicious but non-deliberate and non-premeditated killing of a human being without certain aggravating factors, such as robbery, arson, rape or the use of explosives, poison, armor-piercing bullets or torture. Malice is implied when no considerable provocation appears, or when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart. Punishable by 15 years to life in prison. — Involuntary manslaughter: defined as the non-malicious killing of a human being in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony or a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection. Punishable by two, three or four years in prison. — Keeping a mischievous animal that kills a person: defined as a person allowing a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, to go at large or keeping it without ordinary care; with the animal killing a person who has taken all precautions a reasonable person would ordinarily take in such a situation. Punishable by two, three or four years in prison. 

Robert Noel: — Involuntary manslaughter. — Keeping a mischievous animal that kills a person.

SAN FRANCISCO — All was quiet in front of Diane Whipple’s apartment house Thursday — no flowers, no cards, just a handwritten note taped near the front entrance. 

“Justice! Diane & Sharon. We are with you,” it read. 

Neighbors and friends of Whipple, incensed for more than a year about the dog mauling that left the lacrosse coach dead at her doorstep, reacted emotionally when a jury found the animals’ caretakers guilty on all five charges they faced. 

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel, San Francisco attorneys who kept the dogs for two California prison inmates, were convicted by a Los Angeles jury despite their claims they had no idea the dogs, Bane and Hera, would turn into killers. 

Neighbors applauded the verdict, calling it swift justice for the Jan. 26, 2001, death of Whipple. Both Knoller and Noel were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and having a mischievous dog that killed someone. Knoller also was found guilty of second-degree murder. 

“I’m satisfied. Justice has been served. Now we can start with closure to this,” said Ed Nahigian, a cobbler who works a few blocks away from the building where Whipple was killed. 

Nahigian knew Noel, Knoller, Whipple and her partner, Sharon Smith, as customers to his shoe repair store. Noel and Knoller lived down the hallway from Whipple. Nahigian also said the judge in the case is a customer. 

“I pray that he gives the maximum sentence to these two individuals because in my opinion, and I knew everybody involved here, they deserve it. They really deserve it,” Nahigian said. “Diane Whipple’s memory will live with me in my mind and my heart until I die.” 

Nahigian testified to the grand jury that he “felt overwhelmed” by one of the couple’s huge presa canarios on one occasion. 

Mark Dobson reflected on the case at his home accessories store, Dobson Gray. His 170-pound great Dane, Joseph, was tied to a pole and lounged outside on a piece of bedding, eating biscuits. Dobson said justice had been served. 

“I think it was quite fair. What’s absurd about this whole case is that individuals would have two dogs trained to kill living in a residential apartment,” Dobson said. 

He anticipated harsher laws for dog owners in San Francisco and beyond. 

“I think it was just a bomb waiting to go off,” Dobson said. 

Christy Davidge was a member of Whipple’s lacrosse team at nearby St. Mary’s College for more than a year. She said the coach left a lasting impression on the team, and the guilty verdicts will not totally ease the pain of losing Whipple. 

“I think that personally, either way whatever had happened with the trial, it’s not going to bring her back to us,” Davidge said, speaking on behalf of her fellow team members. “I think she had us look at life a little differently, and when you looked at it through her eyes and saw how much she loved life, it affected us all.” 

In December 2000, Whipple hired her friend, Sarah Miller, to serve as an assistant coach for the Gaels’ lacrosse team. Miller said Thursday she was relieved with the jury’s verdict. 

“I’m very happy with the outcome,” Miller said. “I feel very happy and very relieved with the verdict of guilty across the board. They got what they deserved.” 

Silence and tension filled a room at the city’s largest gay community center, where onlookers leaned forward on the edge of their seats to hear the verdict on television. Whipple was a lesbian, and Knoller’s lawyer charged during the trial that her client was prosecuted in large part because of pressure from the gay community. 

Ruth Herring, development director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, lit a single candle and held it aloft before the verdict was read. After the fifth guilty verdict was announced, Herring placed the candle on top of the television set. 

The candle was lit as a remembrance of Whipple’s life, Herring said. 

“Her death was a horror. No one can erase that,” Herring said. “Sharon chose to make it mean something. This is very, very big for all of us.” 

San Francisco’s gay community rallied around Whipple’s surviving partner as she lobbied for changes in the law that would allow her to file a wrongful death suit and seek damages from the laywer couple and the owners of the apartment building where the attack occurred. 

Carl Friedman, director of the city’s animal care and control department, said the verdict should send a warning message to careless owners to keep big dogs on a short leash. 

“If you’re a landlord, I think landlords are going to think twice about renting to people that might have big dogs,” he said. 

Friedman also said responsible owners of large dogs should take them to veterinarians or animal behaviorists and work with problem animals. 

“This is a wake-up call for everybody,” Friedman said. 

For all the homeowners for whom yearly deck upkeep is a fate worse than taking out the trash, note that composite deck materials are here, and here to stay, according to a deck pro at Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse. 

“Once composite material is installed, you can literally forget about it,” says John Karlesky, lumber marketing manager for Lowes. “It won’t rot, peel, warp, expand or contract, is splinter-free and it’s virtually impervious to water and sun. This is for people who want to enjoy their home without the hassle of deck repair. The average decks lasts 10 to 15 years. A deck with composites lasts indefinitely.” 

Composite deck materials initially weren’t a viable option to wood. It took manufacturers nearly 10 years to achieve the right combination of wood chips and plastics to make composites worth recommending. Vinyl and plastic planks are a fraction of the market because installation requires different techniques and equipment. 

So why don’t more consumers opt for composites? Karlesky says people simply don’t know of the materials. Installation contractors haven’t warmed to non-wood materials, fearing installation problems, but Karlesky says composites handle and install the same as the real thing. “It looks like wood, cuts like wood, installs like wood,” he says, “and it doesn’t take any more time to install than any other deck.” And it’s easier to buy. Because planks are literally the same from piece to piece without knotholes or twisted boards, buyers don’t need to sift through stacks of lumber searching for quality wood. 

And, James Carey and Morris Carey, licensed contractors and recognized experts on home-building and renovation, point out that such engineered decking is friendly to the environment as it recycles existing wood as opposed to requiring new timber to be cut and milled. 

There is a cost factor, however. Composite planks are two to three times the cost of real wood. Yet the overall cost of a deck is not two to three times greater. Composites are available only as planks and railings. Structural elements such as support posts and joists are less-costly treated wood or cedar. Karlesky estimates “The payback period is four to five years, and it still looks great. You won’t replace planks. It’s a better long-term value.” 

Composite wood is low maintenance, not maintenance-free. It should be cleaned regularly and can be stained or painted, but you’ll need to reapply stains and paints over time.” Karlesky advises use of 2- 1/4 inch stainless-steel trim head screws during installation. Non-stainless screws might rust and bleed into the deck. 

The material has other outdoor uses. Walkways, planters, and benches are ideal for spot use of composites. Even docks and hot tubs are candidates for non-wood because submerged uses don’t void the limited lifetime warranty. 

“Customers tell us it’s a losing battle to replace boards,” says Karlesky. “You put composites down, and walk away. It’s very esthetically pleasing. Your deck will look the same in five years as it does today.” 

—- 

Lowes is a national chain of nearly 750 home-improvement, appliance and gardening stores in 42 states. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Two friends who bought lottery tickets at a downtown smoke shop came forward Thursday to claim one-third of Wednesday’s $87 million California Lottery jackpot. 

Lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas said longtime friends Jerry McGovern and John Landers spent $10 and won $29 million. Because they took the cash value option, they will actually receive $14 million. 

“Jerry was driving into his office this morning when he heard on the radio that somebody who bought a ticket from D&T smoke shop had won the lottery and told his wife ’That is where I bought my ticket,”’ Minas said. When he arrived at his office he checked the Lottery’s Web site and learned he had the winning ticket. 

McGovern, who spent $9, will receive 90 percent of the total amount they won and Landers, who only spent $1, will receive 10 percent. 

The store will receive a commission of $150,000 for selling the winning ticket. 

It was the first of three winning tickets to be turned in, Minas said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Embattled credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders alleging the company inflated its profits by gouging its customers in the late 1990s. 

The proposed settlement, which still needs approval of a federal judge in Philadelphia, covers thousands of investors who bought Providian’s once high-flying stock between Jan. 21, 1999 and June 4, 1999. 

Before deducting attorney fees, the settlement works out to about $1.40 per share. The fees are expected to range between $9 million and $12 million, said New York lawyer Robert Finkel, who represented shareholders. 

Estimates on the shareholders’ damages during the period ran as high as $400 million. Finkel still believes Providian management defrauded shareholders but said proving the allegations in a trial might have been difficult because the company never restated its results during the period covered in the case. 

The tentative agreement doesn’t cover other class-action shareholder lawsuits filed late last year after San Francisco-based Providian shocked Wall Street by revealing huge loan losses that threatened to ruin the company. Those civil complaints are still in their preliminary stages. 

Providian doesn’t expect the settlement reached this week to affect its turnaround effort because the entire $38 million is covered by insurance, said spokesman Alan Elias. Providian didn’t acknowledge wrongdoing in making the settlement. 

The case revolved around allegations of abusive business practices that offered the first hint of trouble at Providian, which evolved from a small subsidiary of a Kentucky insurance company into one of the nation’s five largest credit card lenders. 

As it grew during the 1990s, Providian’s increased its profit partly by charging customers fees for everything from late payments to balance transfers. The aggressive sales practices helped Providian earn $296 million in 1998, but the shareholder suit alleged the profit was illusory because the way the company made its money. 

Acting on numerous customer complaints, authorities in California and Connecticut accused Providian of illegal business practices. The company wound up paying more than $400 million to settle the government investigations and class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of Providian’s credit card customers. 

During the first two weeks in 1999 after the government disclosed its investigations, Providian’s shares plunged from $62.06 to as low as $39.22. 

After settling the government’s complaints, Providian’s shares rallied and peaked at a split-adjusted $66.72 in October 2000. In late 2001, the stock fell to a low of $2.01 amid concerns that federal banking regulators would seize the company. 

Providian’s shares gained 25 cents Thursday to close at $6.15 on the New York Stock Exchange. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.providian.com 

WASHINGTON — Officials of the bankrupt fiber optics giant Global Crossing denied Thursday that deceptive accounting practices were part of their company’s financial collapse. “Global Crossing is no Enron,” they told skeptical lawmakers. 

“Some may see superficial similarities between Enron and Global Crossing,” chief executive officer John Legere and chief financial officer Dan Cohrs said in a statement to a House Financial Services Committee panel. 

Indeed, they noted that, like the energy trading corporation, Global Crossing had seen a collapse in its stock price, had executive stock sales and faced questions about accounting procedures and employee pension plans. The companies also shared the auditor Arthur Andersen. 

But the Global Crossing officials insisted the company’s problems, leading to a decision to file for bankruptcy protection in January, were a result of aggressive expansion, overcapacity in the telecommunications network market and the national economic downturn — not business improprieties. 

Even so, said Rep. John LaFalce of New York, the top Democrat on the committee, “Global Crossing may well have succeeded in keeping its share price inflated much longer than was justified based on its true value.” 

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are investigating the fourth-largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case in history. The company listed $12.4 billion in debts. 

Global Crossing was launched in 1997 and spent $15 billion building the world’s most extensive fiber-optic network. But with the economic slowdown, it cut some 9,000 jobs, closed 71 offices and saw its stock fall from a high of more than $60 a share to 30 cents before its bankruptcy filing. 

Much of Thursday’s hearing centered on whether Global Crossing deceived investors and employees about its financial status through the way it accounted for sales and purchases of network capacity known as Indefeasible Rights of Use, or IRUs. Of particular interest was the practice of “swaps,” where a telecommunications company sells capacity to a customer while buying a similar amount on the customer’s network. 

Rep. Sue Kelly, chairwoman of the oversight and investigations panel, said it appears such swaps, and the way revenues and costs are reflected in the books, “are being used as a quick and easy way to inflate earnings and make a company look more profitable than it really is.”  

º Kelly and others are promoting legislation to better ensure the independence and integrity of the accounting industry. 

Cohrs said, “We’re struggling to understand the right way to treat these transactions.” Asked if there was full disclosure of the deals, he responded, “We believe there was.” 

SEC deputy chief accountant John M. Morrissey, also a witness at the hearing, agreed that determining when to recognize revenue in an IRU transaction “can be quite complex.” 

Michael Salsbury, general counsel for the telecommunications company WorldCom, told the hearing that the real problems in the industry were the efforts of the Bell companies to retain their power and the government’s failure to enforce the law. “Those failures have destroyed far more market capitalization and robbed far more value from shareholders’ investments than any accounting issues.” 

But Michael Capuano, D-Mass., said the bookkeeping used by Global Crossing was “nothing more than a much more fancy and much larger Ponzi scheme” in which new investments are used to pay off old investors. 

A former Global Crossing finance executive, Roy Olofson, last August wrote a letter to the company’s general counsel warning about inflating revenues through misleading accounting techniques. But Cohrs and Legere said they had engaged an outside counsel to review the matter and found the allegations to be without merit. 

Also at issue was a company order preventing employees from making changes in their 401(k) pension plans for a month shortly before the company went bankrupt. 

Legere said the “lockdown” was a result of an effort to consolidate different pension plans, that it was announced two months in advance and that Global Crossing’s stock value changed minimally, from 83 cents to 67 cents, in those two months. 

——— 

On the Net: 

House Financial Services Committee: http://www.house.gov/financialservices/ 

Global Crossing: http://www.globalcrossing.com 

District budget deficit revised to $5.4 million 

As expected, the Board of Education officially voted to close City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School next year at its Wednesday night meeting. 

The board also reviewed new budget figures suggesting that next year’s deficit, presumed for weeks to be more than $6 million, may be closer to $5.4 million. 

Each board member expressed regret over the Franklin decision, which will save the financially-strapped district an estimated $326,000. 

“It’s a painful reality to face,” said board President Shirley Issel. “I can’t help but feel a sense of failure.” 

Still, board members said the decision was unavoidable, arguing that low enrollment at the school makes it too expensive to operate. 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence, who recommended the closure, also noted that six of the school’s 12 teachers have received notice that they may be laid off next year.  

Some of those notices may be rescinded by the end of the year as the budget picture clears up. But if the school stayed open next year, Lawrence argued, any layoffs would disrupt a faculty with specialized training in the school’s microsociety model, which mimics a small city. 

Lawrence added that long-planned construction on the building next year will be cheaper if it is completed in one phase, with no students in the building. Keeping the school open next year would require a more expensive two-phase construction project, and a mid-year shift of students from one side of the building to the other. 

Lew Jones, manager of facilities planning for the district, said completing construction in one phase will save the district $400,000 to $500,000 on the roughly $5 million project. 

The future use of the building is yet to be determined, although office space or a new elementary school have been suggested as possibilities. Lawrence plans to provide the board with a recommendation in the spring. 

The board made its decision after a series of Franklin parents made last-minute pleas for the school, and urged the district to conduct itself differently in the event of any future school closures. No such closures are expected this year. 

Many parents said they first learned of the Franklin closure plan through press accounts in the Daily Planet. Wednesday night, parent Michiko Morillo urged district leaders to talk directly to community members about any proposed closure in the future. 

“Come talk to them directly,” Morillo said. “It does cause a great deal of hard feelings.” 

Franklin principal Barbara Penny-James made her first public comments on the closure, noting that her work at Franklin was one of the most “inspiring experiences” of her career, and expressing concern that the microsociety model may disappear from Berkeley’s educational landscape. 

Board member Terry Doran said the district should look into retaining elements of the microsociety curriculum at other schools. Under the microsociety program, students train as entrepreneurs and political leaders in their own model city. 

Smaller deficit? 

Before approving the Franklin closure, board members reviewed the latest budget figures provided by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, a state agency that has been providing the district with financial advice since October. 

According to FCMAT, the district budgeted for nearly $1 million in state aid this year to help defray energy costs, but never allocated that money for a project, salaries or any other expenditure. As a result, the current estimate on next year’s budget shortfall has been revised down, from over $6 million to $5.4 million. 

“We’re optimistic, but guarded,” said Lawrence, discussing the latest figures. The superintendent said that liabilities for lawsuits and other expenses have not yet been built into the budget, and could raise the $5.4 million estimate at some point. 

New interdistrict permit policy reviewed 

At the end of the night, the board reviewed draft language for a new interdistrict permit policy, which governs the admittance of non-residents to Berkeley schools. 

The new policy emphasizes that non-residents will only be allowed to attend Berkeley schools if there is adequate space, and if they maintain good attendance, discipline and academic performance. 

Lawrence said that permits will be reviewed as students move from elementary school to middle school, and from middle school to high school. But the superintendent emphasized that space concerns will not prevent the current crop of eighth graders on interdistrict permits from attending Berkeley High School next year. 

Doran had previously warned that current, interdistrict eighth graders are expecting to attend BHS next year, and that it would be unfair to retract their permits so late in the year. 

Editor: 

I felt compelled to write and express my anger. Today (March 21) was the second suicide bombing by Palestinian terrorists in Israel since the cease fire talks were started by Anthony Zinni. Yesterday the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed seven and wounded many more, including many Israeli Arabs. Today the Al-Aqsa brigade blew up at least three Israelis and wounded as many as 40 others as they walked on a street in Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa brigade is part of Fatah, and both organizations are controlled by and claim loyalty to Yasir Arafat. 

As I sat watching the news of the attack I heard a Palestinian spokesperson on television blame Ariel Sharon and Israel for the latest Palestinian attack. This ignores the fact that 1) Sharon had withdrawn Israeli troops from the territories, 2) Sharon was cooperating and making concessions in the cease fire talks with Zinni, and 3) the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the bombing is directly controlled by Arafat.. 

Why should Israel negotiate with Arafat? Either Arafat is refusing to stop terrorism against Israelis or he lacks the ability to control his own people. In either case Israel gets only terrorism and rhetoric when it deals with the Palestinians. The vast majority of all Israelis and Jews believe that the occupation of Palestinians by Israel is wrong and needs to stop, but how can this happen when the terrorism doesn't let up for one minute? 

Israel’s greatest fear is that Palestinians want more than a peaceful state in the West Bank and Gaza — they want to destroy the State of Israel. Who can blame Israelis for thinking this — a poll last weekend by the Arab An Najah University in Nablus found that 87.5 percent of Palestinians want to “liberate all of Palestine.” The Palestinian culture is one that makes heroes and martyrs of gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians tell their children that they will one day return to their old land in Israel and throw out the Jews who live their now. Palestinians want their own state in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem and they want to overwhelm the Jewish state of Israel. 

They do not understand the nature of the two-state solution imposed by the U.N. Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank combined are the size of New Jersey. Israel is surrounded by hostile Arab countries and hundreds of millions of Arabs who make no secret of their desire to get rid of the Jewish state. 

What has Arafat ever done to reassure Israel and Jews everywhere that the Palestinian people only want a peaceful state to coexist with Israel, and that the Palestinians don’t want to see the destruction of the Jewish state? 

Nothing. I am afraid that until Arafat or someone else on the Palestinian side starts to act like a leader of a future peaceful nation and cracks down on terrorism, there will be no peace. 

Josh May 

Boalt Hall Law School student

Berkeley’s adventurous Shotgun Players were scheduled to open their season Saturday in the new 99-seat Allston Street Theater in the Gaia building in downtown Berkeley.  

But when it turned out, incredibly, that the building’s management had not applied for permits to house a theater in their new space, Shotgun was forced to look elsewhere, at the 11th hour, for a place to perform. 

The generous folks at Berkeley Rep then jumped into the breech and leased the Berkeley Rep Thrust Stage to the smaller company at a discounted rate to help Shotgun get its season off the ground. 

The theater group opened Saturday with a world premiere titled “A Fairy’s Tail,” written especially for Shotgun by San Francisco playwright Adam Bock. Bock is the author of the acclaimed “Five Flights,” currently running at Thick House in San Francisco to rave responses. 

In 1999, Shotgun produced Bock’s “Swimming in the Shallows,” which won several Bay Area Theater Critics Circle awards, including outstanding new play and outstanding production. 

“A Fairy’s Tail” is a twisted adult fairly tale in which three strangers join forces and set off for the land of the giant to avenge sudden family deaths. Director Patrick Dooley casts his shows well, and this is no exception. He gets striking performances from his actors. 

Beth Donohue is frightening in her dumpy bloomers as nasty 9-year-old Missy What’s-Her-Face, the ringleader of the trio. Her cohorts include sweet simpleton Norbert Longlegs, an amusing presence with his straw boater hat, blazer, grimacing face and slow mind. 

Trish Mulholland rounds out the trio playing Mrs. Piffle, a housemaid who moves like a herky-jerky wind-up doll. 

Five other actors provide a chorus of sorts, and double in smaller roles. Reid Davis has a funny scene as a fish that gets caught by Norbert for breakfast, and then talks himself off the hook by offering council to the three on their quest. 

Katie Bales Frassinelli is a narcissistic princess who balks at helping the trio because the giant has killed some of her rival princesses and she’s hoping for more princess deaths that will push her up the princess rankings into the top ten.  

The show’s fairy tale structure also employs a narrator, the smooth and expressive Ana Bayat. It’s all a bit like Alice through the looking glass, with adult twists.  

The three wanderers have adventures. In one amusing scene they step gingerly through the Fart Swamp, in a ballet choreographed to the sounds of different kinds of fart noises. 

But this is not a great play. The story just doesn’t have enough meat on it. The top of the play is busy with information where a lot happens to a variety of characters before they are well established. 

Later on, not much happens. It seemed especially difficult to get the thin story up and rolling again after intermission. In the end, the quest for the giant plays out anticlimactically in a facile and didactic way. 

Silly jokes like the narrator quitting in the middle of the show and then coming back don’t really have a payoff in the larger story. The indistinct motif of Norbert and his boyfriend who drowns in quicksand at the top of the play isn’t substantial enough to justify the title "A Fairy’s Tail." 

Because the show’s infantile inanity seems to be an end in itself, it wears thin after a while, and the play starts to feel like it’s written in baby talk. 

There is an original score of recorded songs composed by Clive Worsley and Kristin Miltner, with lyrics by Worsley and Bock. "Why did I dare to hope that I would fly forever" sung by Norbert early on is a touching ballad of loss.  

The songs often, however, feel like they’re tacked on to the play as bits not quite connected to the larger story as a whole. 

According to director Dooley, the company moved into the Berkeley Rep space the day before the Saturday opening. The show had to be reconfigured, re-blocked and relit in about 24 hours. 

The opening night performance suffered a bit from trying to telescope a grassroots show designed for the 99-seat Gaia proscenium stage to the grander 400-seat Berkeley Rep thrust stage. 

Opening night felt like a dress rehearsal at times. But the skillful actors connected with their audience before long, and found a groove. 

Shotgun has been wandering around Berkeley for ten years performing in a variety of spaces that include La Val’s Subterranean, Hinkel Park, the Eighth Street Theater, Julia Morgan and Speakeasy Theater. They will be performing their next show at the former U.C. Theater on University Avenue. 

It’s a pity they’re having problems with the Gaia space that was supposed to be their new home. Shotgun is one of the most exciting and skillful new theater companies in the Bay Area, and a credit to Berkeley.  

I hope they can resolve their problems and find a permanent home in Berkeley. It would be a pity if Berkeley lost Shotgun to San Francisco, as we did the Magic Theater some years ago. 

.  

Planet theater reviewer John Angell Grant has written for "American Theatre," "Backstage West," "Callboard," and many other publications. E-mail him at jagplays@yahoo.com or fax him at 1-419-781-2516. 

924 Gilman Mar. 22: Tsunami Bomb, No Motiv; Mar. 29: Limpwrist, All You Can Eat, The Subtonics, The Bananas, Sharp Knife; Mar. 30: 9 Shocks Terror, What Happens Next?, Phantom Limbs, The Curse, Onion Flavored Rings; All shows begin a 8 p.m. 924 Gillman St., 525-9926 

Anna’s Bistro Mar. 22: Anna & Ellen Hoffman Jazz Tunes; 10 p.m., Hideo Date; Mar. 23: Robin Gregory; 10 p.m., Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Mar. 24: Christy Dana Jazz Group; Mar. 25: Renegade Sidemen; Mar. 26: Jason Martineau and Dave Sayen; Mar. 27: David Widelock Jazz Duo; Mar. 28: Randy Moore Jazz Trio; Mar. 29: Anna & Ellen Hoffman; 10 p.m. Hideo Date; Mar. 30: Robin Gregory; 10 p.m. Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Music starts at 8 p.m. unless noted, 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center Mar. 23: A Benefit for Forest Defense with The Funky Nixons, The Gary Gates Band, The Shut-Ins, $8 - $20; Mar. 29: Alpha Yaya Diallo; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 548-0425. 

Blake’s Mar. 22: Shady Lady, View From Here; $6; Mar. 23: Mystic Roots, LZ & Ezell Funkstaz, $5; Mar. 24: Passenger, The Shreep, $3; Mar. 25: The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cafe Eclectica Mar. 22: 8 p.m., The Teethe, The Natural Dreamers, Yasi, $3; Mar. 23: 8 p.m., Guest DJs and MCs, $5; 1309 Solano Ave., Albany, 527-2344, Shows are All Ages.  

Cal Performances Apr. 7: 3 p.m., Murray Perahia, classical pianist. $28 - $48; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, 642-9988 

Cato’s Ale House Mar. 24: Lost Coast Jazz Trio; Mar. 27: Vince Wallace Trio; Mar. 31: Phillip Greenlief Trio; 3891 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, 655-3349 

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

Freight & Salvage Mar. 22: Marley’s Ghost, $17.50; Mar. 24: Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie, $18.50; Mar. 27: Paul Thorn, $16.50; Mar. 28: Old Blind Dogs, $17.50; Mar. 29: Jack Hardy, $16.50; Mar. 30: Faye Carol, $17.50; 1111 Addison St., 548-1761, folk@freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool Mar. 24: 4:30 p.m., Alegria, $6-$12; Mar. 30: 4:30 p.m., Dmitri Matheny Orchestra presents “The Emerald Buddha”; 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Tuva Space 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 

“Jazz Concert” Mar. 24: 2 p.m., Terry Gibbs and the Mike Vax Orchestra. $10 - $18. Longfellow School for the Arts, 1500 Derby St. 420-4560, www.bigbandjazz.net 

“Recital” Mar. 24: 3 p.m., Cal Performances presents pianist, Richard Goode, and vocalist, Randall Scarlata. $48. Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus, 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Jewish Music Festival” Through Mar 24: Several performers will perform Jewish music and dance from across the world. Call Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center for Acts, times and dates. 925-866-9559, www.brjcc.org 

Dance 

“Compania Espanola De Antonio Marquez” Mar. 13 & 14: 8 p.m., Artistic Director Antonio Marquez showcases his dazzling and dynamic program of flamenco. $24 - $36. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-9988 

Theater 

“Women’s Voices, Then and Now” Mar. 15 through Mar. 24: Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m., Voices from a 1915 graveyard blend with voices from 1982 to present a vivid depiction of the lives of American women. $10. Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington, 525-0302 

“Persimmony Jones” Mar. 16: 12 p.m., Designed for a young audience, this is the story of a young girl trying to find her place in the world. As Persimmony travels through different lands on her search, she is forced to reexamine her own ideas about tolerance and acceptance. Free. Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., 647-2978 

“Curtain Up” Mar. 22 through Mar. 24: 8 p.m., Musical theater veteran Martin Charnin and Broadway conductor/comoser Keith Levenson join forces to create a semi-staged version of Gershwin and Kaufman’s 1927 musical comedy “Strike Up the Band”. $24 - $46. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, 642-9988 

“The Golden State” Feb. 23 through Mar. 24: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., An aging Brian Wilson meets the ruling family of the sea, and a blend of comic book escapade and tragedy follows in the wake. $20, Sunday is pay what you can. Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., 883-0305 

“Impact Briefs 5: The East Bay Hit” Through Mar. 30: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., A collection of seven plays all about the ups and downs of in the Bay Area. $12, $7 students. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, 464-4468, tickets@impattheatre.com. 

“The Merchant of Venice” Through Mar. 31: Wed. - Thurs. 7 p.m., Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., Women in Time Productions presents Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy replete with masks and revelry, balcony scenes, and midnight escapes. $25, half-price on Wed. The Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Knock Knock” Through Apr. 14: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m., A comedic farce about two eccentric retirees whose comfortable philosophical arguments are interrupted by a series of strange visitors. $26 - $35. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.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. 

“A Fairy’s Tail” Mar. 16 through Apr. 7: 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 5 p.m. Sun., The Shotgun Players present Adam Bock’s story of a girl and her odyssey of revenge and personal transformation after a giant smashes her house with her family inside. Directed by Patrick Dooley. $10 - $25. Mar. 16 - 31:Thrust Stage at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St.; Apr. 4 - 7: UC Theatre on University Ave.; 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Mar. 11: A Star is Born, 3 p.m.; Flesh, 7 p.m.; Mar. 12: An eye Unruled: An Evening with Stan Brakhage, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 13: The Bicycle Thief, 3 p.m.; Daughter from Danang, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 14: The Student I, 7 p.m.; Mar. 16: Shaping Identities Through Community, 7 p.m.; The Wolf, 9:30 p.m.; Mar. 17: For the Love of It: Amateur Filmmaking, 5:30; Mar. 18: Cabaret; 3 p.m.; Carnal Knowledge, 7 p.m.; Mar. 19: Stranger with a Camera, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 20: Sunset Blvd., 3 p.m.; Chemical Valley, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 21: Hazel Dickens: It’s Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 22: A Thousand and One Voices: The Music of Islam, 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 23: In a Lonely Place, 7 p.m.; The Big Heat; 8:55 p.m.; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412 

“Asian American Film Fest” Mar. 13: Daughter From Danang; Pacific Film Archive, 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Exhibits  

“Trace of a Human” Through Mar. 30: Jim Freeman and Krystyna Mleczko exhibit their latest works including mixed media sculpture installation and acrylic on canvas paintings. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

“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. 

“Stas Orlovski” Through Mar. 23: New work by Stas Orlovski featuring a series of large paintings and drawings examining the relationships between body and landscape and eastern and western aesthetics. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St., 527-1214 

“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 

“The Works of Alexander Nepote” Through Mar. 29: Nepote was a 20th century artist whose medium is a process of layered painting of torn pieces of watercolor paper, fused together in images that speak of the spirit that underlies and is embodied in the landscape he views. Check museum for times. Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave., 849-8272 

“Trace of a Human” Through Mar. 30: An exhibit of mixed media sculpture by Jim Freeman, and acrylic paintings on canvas by Krystyna Mleczko. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

“Journey of Self-discovery” Through Mar. 30: Community Works artist Adriana Diaz and Willard Junior High students joined together to explore gender stereotypes, advertising, and other influential elements in society in a project that culminated in two life-size portraits that explore self-identity. Free. La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 845-3332. 

“West Oakland Today” Through Mar. 30: Sergio De La Torre presents “thehousingproject”, an open house/video installation that explores desire surrounding one’s sense of home and place. Marcel Diallo presents “Scrapyard Ghosts”, an installation that presents a glimpse into the process of one man’s conversation with the living past through objects of iron, wood, rock dirt and other debris unearthed at an old scrapyard site in West Oakland’s Lower Bottom neighborhood. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland  

"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. 

“Portraits of the Afghan People: 1984 - 1992” Through Apr. 6: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Bay Area photographer Patricia Monaco. Free. Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400 

“The Zoom of the Souls” Mar. 23 through Apr. 13: An exhibit of oil paintings by Mark P. Fisher. Sat. 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Bay Area Music Foundation, 462 Elwood Ave. #9, Oakland, 836-5223 

“Sibila Savage & Sylvia Sussman” Through Apr. 13: Photographer, Sibila Savage presents photographs documenting the lives of her immigrant grandparents, and Painter, Sylvia Sussman displays her abstract landscapes on unstretched canvas. Free. Wed. - Sun. 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 64-6893, www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“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.  

“Art is Education” Mar. 18 through Apr. 19th: A group exhibition of over 50 individual artworks created by Oakland Unified School District students, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Office Building Atrium, 1515 Clay St., Oakland, 238-6952, www.oaklandculturalarts.org 

“Expressions of Time and Space” Mar. 18 through April 17: Calligraphy by Ronald Y. Nakasone. Julien Designs 1798 Shattuck Ave., 540-7634, RyNakasone@aol.com.  

“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. 

“Quilted Paintings” Mar. 3 through May 4: Contemporary wall quilts by Roberta Renee Baker, landscapes, abstracts, altars and story quilts. Free. The Coffee Mill, 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland 465-4224 

“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 

“Masterworks of Chinese Painting” Mar. 13 through May 26: An exhibition of distinguished works representing virtually every period and phase of Chinese painting over the last 900 years, including figure paintings and a selection of botanical and animal subjects. Prices vary. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-4889, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“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” 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 

“Being There” Feb. 23 through May 12: An exhibit of paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media works by 45 contemporary artists who live and/or work in Oakland. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 12 - 5 p.m. $6, adults, $4 children. The Oakland Museum of California, Oak and 10th St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

“Scene in Oakland, 1852 to 2002” Mar. 9 through Aug. 25: An exhibit that includes 66 paintings, drawings, watercolors and photographs dating from 1852 to the present, featuring views of Oakland by 48 prominent California artists. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 12 - 5 p.m. $6, adults, $4 children. The Oakland Museum of California, Oak and 10th St., 238-2200, www.museumca.org 

Readings 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Mar. 17: 3 p.m., Suzan Hagstrom reads from her book “Sara’s Children: The Destruction of Chielnik,” chronicling the survival of one brother and four sisters in Nazi death camps. Free. 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 x127 

Black Oak Books Feb. 27: 7:30 p.m., Author & Activist Randy Schutt discussing his new book "Inciting Democracy: A Practical Proposal for Creating a Good Society." 1491 Shattuck Ave., 486-0698. 

Cody’s on Fourth St. 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. 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.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Mar. 7: Carl Parkes, author of “Moon Handbook: Southeast Asia”, presents a slide show exploring his travels in the region; Mar. 12: William Fienne describes his personal journey from Texas to North Dakota as he follows the northern migration of snow geese; Mar. 14: Gary Crabbe and Karen Misuraca present slides and read from their book, “The California Coast”; Mar. 19: Barbara and Robert Decker present a slide show focusing on the volcanoes of California and the Cascade Mountain Range; Mar. 21: Stefano DeZerega discusses opportunities for study, travel, and work in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe; All readings are free and start at 7:30 p.m., 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose, 843-3533. 

GAIA Building Mar. 14: 7 - 9 p.m., Lecture with Patricia Evans speaking from her book, “Controlling People: How to recognize, Understand and Deal with People Who Are Trying to Control You.”; Mar. 19: Reading and slide show with Carol Wagner, “Survival of the Spirit: Lives of Cambodian Buddhists.”; March 21: 6 - 9 p.m., 1st Berkeley Edgework Books Salon; Mar. 22: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., Book Reading and Jazz Concert with David Rothenberg; All events are held in the Rooftop Gardens Solarium, 7th Floor, GAIA Building, 2116 Allston Way, 848-4242. 

Gathering Tribes Mar. 15: 6:30 p.m., Susan Lobo and Victoria Bomberry will be conducting readings from “American Indians And The Urban Experience.”; 1573 Solano Ave., 528-9038, www.gatheringtribes.com.  

UC Berkeley Lunch Poems Reading Series Mar. 7: Marilyn Hacker reads from her most recent book, “Squares and Courtyards”. Free. Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Berkeley campus, 642-0137, www.berkeley.edu/calendar/events/poems. 

University of Creation Spirituality Mar. 21: 7 - 9 p.m., Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, An Evening with Author Margaret J. Wheatley, $10-$15 donation; 2141 Broadway, Oakland, 835-4827 x29, darla@berkana.org. 

Poetry 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Mar. 3: Myung Mi Kim, Harryette Mullen & Geoffrey O’Brien; Mar. 6: Bill Berkson, Albert Flynn DeSilver; Mar. 10: Leslie Scalapino, Dan Farrell; Mar. 13: Lucille Lang Day, Risa Kaparo; Mar. 20: Edward Smallfield, Truong Tran; Mar. 24: Susan Griffin, Honor Moore; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852, www.codysbooks.com.  

Poetry Reading @ South Branch Berkeley Public Library Mar. 2: Bay Area Poets Coalition is holding an open reading. 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free. 1901 Russell St. 

Word Beat Mar. 9: Sonia Greenfield and Megan Breiseth; Mar. 16, Q. R. Hand and Lu Pettus; Mar. 23: Lee Gerstmann and Sam Pierstorffs; Mar. 30: Eleanor Watson-Gove and Jim Watson-Gove; All shows 7 - 9 p.m., Coffee With A Beat, 458 Perkins, Oakland. 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

Fellowship Café Mar. 15: 7:30 p.m., Eliot Kenin, poetry, storytellers, singers and musicians. $5-$10. Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St., 540-0898. 

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. 

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. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Mar. 16: 1 - 4 p.m., Moviemaking for children 8 years old and up; Mar. 20: Spring Equinox; “Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Auditions Live Science Demonstrations” A directed activity in which children “audtion” to be a dinosaur in an upcoming movie. They’ll learn about the variety of dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park exhibit as well as dress up, act, and roar like a dinosaur. Through May 12: Mon. - Fri. 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; Sat. - Sun. 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. 3 p.m. $8 adults, $6 children. Centenial Dr. just above the UC campus and just below Grizzly Peak Blvd. 642-5132 

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

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

Friday, March 22

City Commons Club 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Robert Kruger, first vice-president, and Larry Miller, certified financial planner and senior vice-president, Solomon Smith Barney; “Investing in the Market Post 9-11.” $1. 848-3533. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Standing in solidarity with Israeli and Palestinian women to urge an end to the occupation and push the peace process forward. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org. 

The Nature of Work: Joanna Macy and Matthew Fox in Dialogue 

7 - 9 p.m. 

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway, Oakland 

Matthew Fox, Ph.D., founder and president of the University of Creation Spirituality, will engage in dialogue on the nature of work with Joanna Macy, Ph.D., an eco-philosopher and scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. $10-$15 donation. 835-4827 x29, www.creationspirituality.org. 

International Women’s Day Celebration 

7 p.m. 

Revolution Books 

2425 Channing Way 

Cultural and video presentations, speakers, discussion and refreshments. Donation requested. 848-1196. 

Berkeley Design Advocates 

Design Awards 

5:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center 

1275 Walnut St. 

Design Awards for building projects in Berkeley will be presented by Berkeley Design Advocates (BDA). Projects completed over the past two years were selected based on their quality of design, how well they fit into their surroundings, their innovative qualities and how well they contribute to urban life. 528-2778. 

Saturday, March 23

5th Annual Summit – Last  

Chance for Smart Growth? 

10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Laney College Forum 

900 Fallon St., Oakland 

Regional public agencies will soon hold workshops to select from among three alternative visions for regional growth and finalize one Bay Area vision. Summit participants will learn about these alternatives and provide input that will affect future government policy. 740-3103, robert@transcoalition.org. 

Jazz Clinic 

2 p.m. 

Longfellow School for the Arts 

1500 Derby St. 

Terry Gibbs and the Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra will be holding a jazz clinic. $5, 420-4560, www.bigbandjazz.net. 

Berkeley Dispute  

Resolution Service 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

BDRS Office 

1968 San Pablo Ave.  

The community is invited to learn about mediation and the conflict resolution services and resources available through BDRS. Children’s activities and refreshments provided. 428-1811. 

Hunger Hike in Joaquin Miller Park 

9:30 a.m. 

Ranger Station, Sanborn Dr. 

Hike through the East Bay redwoods while raising money to help people in need. Hikers are encouraged to collect pledges. Funds raised will benefit the Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts. $20. 834-3663 x327, ilund@secondharvest.org.  

Our School Information Event for 

Prospective Parents 

10 a.m. - noon 

St. John’s Community Center, Room 203 

2727 College Ave. 

An event for prospective parents to learn about Our School’s approach to education. 704-0701, www.ourschoolsite.ws.  

March and Rally for Justice  

11 a.m. 

12th & Broadway BART 

Assemble at BART then march to Oakland Federal Building, then 1 p.m. rally in Jack London Square. In support of airport screeners, port workers, and service industry workers and against all racist and anti-immigrant laws and policies. 524-3791, labor4justice@aspenlinx.com. 

Sunday, March 24

Invitational Karatedo Tournament 

11 a.m. 

Oakland YMCA Main Gymnasium 

2350 Broadway 

A tournament promoting Japanese Karatedo. Spectators are welcome and admitted for free. 522-6016, jbtown501@aol.com. 

Stagebridge’s 11th Annual 

Family Matinee Theatre and 

Ice Cream Social 

3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2501 Harrison, Oakland 

Premiere of Linda Spector’s “Chicken Sunday and Other Grandparent Tales,” followed by an old fashioned ice cream social. $8 general, $4 children. 444-4755, www.stagebridge.org.  

Monday, March 25

Free Legal Workshop 

“Too Sick to Work: 

Cash Assistance and Health Insurance if Cancer Prevents You From Working” 

12:30 - 2 p.m. 

Highland Hospital 

1411 E. 31st St., Oakland 

Classroom B 

This workshop will provide information about State and Federal disability programs that provide cash benefits and health insurance for people unable to work due to a serious health condition. 601-4040 x302, www.wcrc.org.  

Transportation and the  

Environment in Berkeley 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Adult School Room 7 

1222 University Ave. 

Matt Nichols of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will discuss the impacts of your transportation decisions, and the resulting impacts on local pollution and our health. 981-5435, energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Tuesday, March 26

Tuesday Tea Party 

6 - 8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

Harrison and 27th St., Oakland 

Open gatherings to build a new peace movement. 839-5877. 

Wednesday, March 27

City Commons Club, 

Great Decisions Program 

10 a.m. - noon 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Dan Kammen, professor of Energy and Resources Group and director of Energy and Science, UC Berkeley; “Energy and the Environment.” 

$5. 848-3533. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish  

Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St. 

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034. 

Berkeley Gray Panthers  

General Meeting 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

The Clean Money Campaign  

and the League of Women Voters will talk about Clean Money, Clean Politics: Campaign Finance Reform in a Democracy. 548-9696, graypanthers@hotmail.com. 

Thursday, March 28

Seed Swap 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Bay Area Seed Interchange Library's annual Seed Swap. Bring seed and envelopes. A raffle for live plants. 823-4769. 

Friday, March 29

City Commons Club 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Peter Hillier, assistant city manager, transportation; “Bringing About a Paradigm Shift.” $1. 848-3533. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Standing in solidarity with Israeli and Palestinian women to urge an end to the occupation and push the peace process forward. 548-6310, wibberkeley.org. 

– Compiled by Guy Poole 

New scoring system has coaches wondering who they’re running against at league’s first meet 

Berkeley High hosted the first track & field meet of the ACCAL season on Thursday, but the results won’t be in until Saturday. That’s because none of the coaches at the meet knew exactly who they were competing against. 

The league instituted a new type of meet this season, a “double dual” format. With four teams running, throwing and jumping, no one knew how the meet would be scored. 

“This new meet was not explained very well to us at the league meeting,” Berkeley head coach Darrell Hampton said. “I’ll have to call the league office and have them walk me through how to score this thing.” 

So Berkeley, Pinole Valley, Richmond and Hercules all went against each other on Thursday not knowing who they were trying to beat. Berkeley won the most events, but Hampton couldn’t say if they would end up winning overall. 

Thursday also marked the emergence of the Berkeley distance program. Always a poor sister in the track program in the past, the ’Jackets’ contingent of cross-country runners dominated, winning all six distance events. Alex Enscoe, a sophomore who won the league’s cross-country title in the fall, won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races as the boys took five of the top six spots in each event, while no other team even entered any girls into the distance races. 

“Our distance program is really coming together, and they can really help us this year,” Hampton said. “In the past our sprints have carried us, but now they’re helping us out.” 

The distance events should be a strong point for Berkeley throughout the season, as Alameda is the only other ACCAL school with a comparable group of runners. 

This is a rebuilding year for Hampton’s girls’ sprints, traditionally the team’s strength. The ’Jackets were beaten by the brand-new Hercules team on Thursday, as the newcomers won the 100- , 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4x400 relay, with Meia Tezeno winning the 100 and 200. 

“I wasn’t surprised (Hercules) did so well,” Hampton said. “They’ve got a good program and they believe in it. That’s what happens.” 

Pinole Valley won most of the boys’ sprints, led by all-league tailback DeAndre MacFarland. McFarland won the 200 and 400, beating out Berkeley running back Germaine Baird in both races. Lodge James claimed the 100 crown for the Spartans, who also won the 4x100 relay. 

Berkeley’s Rebekah Payne was a triple-winner on Thursday, winning both hurdles races as well as the shotput. 

Hampton put a happy face on the confusion about scoring the meet, although the coaches from each school expressed displeasure with the new system. 

“This kids came out and had fun, and that’s the most important thing,” Hampton said. “Obviously we’ve still got some tweaking to do when it comes to the new system.”

Little leaguers in uniform, soccer dads, windsurfers, dog-lovers and conservationists crowded into the Florence Schwimley Little Theatre Thursday night to tell the planning team for the proposed Eastshore State Park how they want the 1,800 acres to be used. 

At the third of four regional meetings, the planning team presented its “preferred concept” for the park, which will connect the waterfronts from Emeryville to Richmond. The map blended the planning team’s two original concepts and comments from the public. 

Stephen Hammond, a member of the planning team, talked the audience of about 300 through the plan to create “a recreational facility harmonious with its natural setting.” 

With charts and maps, he explained that 10 percent of the land and 33 percent of the water will be marked for preservation to provide the greatest amount of protection. 

47 percent of the land and 57 percent of the water will be marked for recreation to allow the greatest amount of human use.  

49 percent of the land and 10 percent of the water will be marked for conservation to allow the less intrusive human use. 

“I want to emphasize that this is the basis for the General Plan. It is not detailed or site-specific. It establishes the general framework that will provide guidance to the state to fund improvements and enhancements to the park,” said Hammond. 

But the planning team still wanted to hear comments from the public, said Don Neuwirth, who was also part of the group drafting the General Plan.  

The lines to the microphones stretched to the back of the theater when the public comment session began. There were four main points of contention. 

• Athletes and their parents wanted more playing fields.  

Doug Fielding, who chairs the Association of Sports Field Users, said that while they were happy with the current playing fields on the Albany Plateau, they wanted more. He suggested that the North Basin Strip could be used. 

“We’re trying to get 10 playing fields in Eastshore State Park. It would only be two percent of the land,” he said.  

Many other speakers made the same suggestions. 

Councilmembers Polly Armstrong and Miriam Hawley, who have fought for more space for playing fields in Berkeley, supported their efforts. 

“There’s been a history of driving kids to kingdom-come to play games on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Armstrong. 

“It’s hard for traditional families, but for families with other demands, it shuts the kids out of playing.” 

• Bird-lovers and members of the various nature clubs wanted to protect more animal habitats. Some pointed to the encroachment of the proposed hostel and boat launch into Berkeley Meadow.  

Several of the speakers had been involved with saving the land from development in the late 1960s. 

“We see a unique opportunity for an urban park as well as for a wild-land park focusing on education and recreation related to wildlife habitat,” said Normal La Force of the Sierra Club. 

“But we have to think about what’s appropriate given the environmental values and conditions we have at this site.” 

Other conservationists were worried not so much about the playing fields as the large parking lots that would be needed for them. 

• Dog-lovers wanted to protect as much space as possible for leash-free frolicking. They wanted more space at Point Isabel and on the Albany Bulb. 

• Windsurfers pleaded for better access to water recreation areas. Because their equipment is heavy, parking lots cannot be too far away from the shore. 

Though all sides saw the need for compromise, they hoped it would not be at their expense. 

The planning team will take all of these comments into consideration as it develops the General Plan. They will also look at written comments submitted during the workshop. 

The planning team will be local briefings in April for those who missed the workshop. It will be developing the General Plan for the fourth regional meeting in May 2002. After that, there is an environmental review. The process is scheduled to wrap up in October 2002. 

For more information, visit www.eastshorestatepark.org.

Editor:  

James K. Sayre writes: “Bicyclists are, by in [sic] large, an extremely self-righteous lot, asserting that the traffic laws don’t apply to them.” This is bigotry, plain and simple, and does not belong in Berkeley. I have been car-free for five years now. I bike everywhere, including shopping, laundry, everything. I ride safely and lawfully 100 percent of the time. I observe cars and I observe other bicyclists, since both can cause me grave bodily harm when operated by idiots. My experience is that the percentage of idiots is about the same on two wheels or four. 

However, I actually agree with Sayre that banning cars from downtown would be foolishness. Downtown Berkeley is in enough trouble already, with lots of storefronts still empty. It’s not particularly congested. One or two car-free side streets might work — say, Center and Allston between Shattuck and Oxford. But banning cars from Shattuck would just be silly. If you want an over-congested shopping street to turn into a pedestrian mall, take a look at 4th Street. 

Jef Poskanzer  

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES — The wrinkly, crinkly munchkin from outer space is coming back to Earth, his fairy-tale journey a bit longer and more benign than when he first landed in theaters 20 years ago. 

Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” returns to theaters Friday, updated with a couple of previously unreleased scenes, visual enhancements, improved sound and excisions that have annoyed some purists who dislike tampering with beloved films. 

And “E.T.” is about as beloved as they come. Debuting June 11, 1982, the tale of a lovably homely alien befriended by a 10-year-old boy became a cultural sensation. The sight of E.T. and his buddy flying on a bicycle silhouetted against the moon is one of Hollywood most memorable images, and the film produced one of the pithiest movie quotes ever: “E.T., phone home.” 

Nominated for best picture and eight other Academy Awards, winning four, “E.T.” remained the all-time top-grossing film domestically for 14 years, till it was passed by the reissue of “Star Wars” and later “Titanic” and “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” 

A film that delighted young children, “E.T.” also has been analyzed and overanalyzed, with E.T. examined as a Christlike figure and his fall to Earth compared to a reversal of Dorothy’s trip from mundane Kansas to glorious Oz. 

“People love to talk about ‘E.T.’ It holds an important place in their hearts, where they remember it from their childhood or it marks some key moment they remember in their adult lives,” said “E.T.” producer Kathleen Kennedy. 

Many changes in the re-release are cosmetic, relying on advancements in computer imagery to enrich E.T.’s motions and facial expressions, upgrade special effects and refine backgrounds. 

In a few instances, Spielberg replaced the animatronic E.T. puppet with a digitized version. That technique allowed him to restore a scene between E.T. and his human pal Elliott (Henry Thomas) in which the little alien splashes into a bathtub; the scene did not make the original film because the E.T. puppet was acting up. 

The other main addition is a scene where Elliott’s mother (Dee Wallace Stone) goes looking for the boy on Halloween. Cut for length in the 1982 release, Spielberg restored it because it offered a nice comic moment from 6-year-old co-star Drew Barrymore. 

Two alterations have mainly bothered hard-core fans. Spielberg digitally removed guns in the hands of the government agents pursuing E.T. and Elliott, replacing them with walkie-talkies. 

“The climate for guns was not as inflammatory in 1982 as it is now. ... I notice some people have accused me of being Pollyanna and too soft, and I’m sure the NRA is angry at me for taking out the guns,” Spielberg said in a studio interview provided by “E.T.” distributor Universal. 

Since soon after the film’s initial release, Spielberg had “regretted having police chasing children with guns drawn,” Kennedy said. 

Spielberg also had Wallace Stone record a new line to replace her character’s edict that her older son (Robert MacNaughton) could not go out on Halloween dressed as a “terrorist.” The word “hippie” was substituted. 

The terrorist line had been deleted from the film in video releases, and it was altered in the new theatrical release in light of the Sept. 11 attacks. 

“I don’t think anybody wants to make light of that in any way right now,” Wallace Stone said. 

Complaints circulated among critics and especially on Internet message boards when details of the “E.T.” revisions became known last year. 

“I feel that Spielberg, who is my favorite director, is going too far. ... Please leave your very best film alone,” one fan griped on a Web site devoted to Spielberg movies. 

Kennedy notes that both the original film and the updated version will be available on video releases later this year. 

“For purists, it’s not as though we’re erasing any sign of the original,” Kennedy said. 

The new version of “E.T.” opens in about 2,500 theaters, more than twice the number for the original’s debut. The film took in $359.2 million domestically in its initial run, which would equate to almost $700 million today factoring in ticket-price inflation. “E.T.” grossed $40.6 million more in a 1985 reissue, and its worldwide receipts topped $700 million. 

“Adding the new footage I would guess was a darn good business move,” Wallace Stone said. “It’s like getting some extra prize for going back to see it again.” 

The real value, though, is revisiting a tale of innocence, hope and compassion, she said. 

“I think there probably couldn’t be a better time for ‘E.T.’ to be coming back out,” Wallace Stone said. “After Sept. 11, we all had a choice about which way we wanted to go. Are we going to live in anger, live in the fear, live in the revenge? Or we could say, ‘You know what? That route is a mess. It doesn’t work for them, and it doesn’t work for us. It’s got to stop.”’ 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.et20.com 

Cal freshman Jamal Sampson announced today that he is declaring himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward from Inglewood, Sampson averaged 6.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while blocking 54 shots for the Bears during the 2001-02 season. 

“After careful consideration, I have decided to make myself eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft,” Sampson said. “I’ve talked to members of my family and other people familiar with the NBA and realized that this is the best decision for me at the this time.” 

Sampson said he does not plan on hiring an agent yet, leaving open the possibility of returning to school if his draft position is not favorable. 

“I have enjoyed this year at Cal,” Sampson said. “I like the team and the coaching staff, and it was a good decision for me to go to Cal. I felt that Coach (Ben) Braun and the staff have helped me prepare for the next level.” 

During his freshman year, Sampson started 31 of 32 games for the Bears and led the team in rebounding 16 times. He was voted MVP of the BCA Classic in November and was a Pac-10 All-Freshman selection in March. His 54 blocks are the third-highest total on Cal’s season list. 

Sampson scored a career-high 15 points twice, first vs. Fresno State Dec. 11. Against Washington Jan. 17, Sampson also poured in 15 points, to go with a career-best 17 rebounds, three assists and five blocks. 

“This decision was made by Jamal and his family,” Braun said. “I support him in the decision, but I’d personally like to see him come back to school, as I would with all players. Each person has to review his own opportunities and be responsible for his own path. Jamal is talking about an opportunity that has presented itself. It’s up to Jamal to make that decision. I hope his tenure at Cal was helpful to him.” 

Sampson entered Cal last fall after earning third team Parade All-America honors at Mater Dei High School in Southern California. As a senior, he averaged 15.5 ppg, 10 rpg and 2.4 bpg, helping Mater Dei to the state championship, a 33-2 record and a No. 4 national ranking from USA Today.

El Cerrito aiming at third straight title 

Four of the six ACCAL boys’ volleyball teams got a sneak peek at each other Thursday in Berkeley at the league’s Volleyball Jamboree. Berkeley head coach Justin Caraway was encouraged by what he saw. 

“We’ll win some games this year. Heck, we could even win some matches,” Caraway said. 

That may not sound like deafening praise, but almost anything would be an improvement over last season. The ’Jackets didn’t win a single match in 2001. In fact, they managed to win just a single game. But with all but two players back this season and the league not looking very strong, Caraway expects his team to show him a little more. 

“We can probably win at least one match,” he said. “ We just need to know that we’re not going to get slaughtered every game.” 

One team the ’Jackets won’t be beating is El Cerrito. The Gauchos have won the last two league titles, going 10-0 in the ACCAL last season, and return the reigning league MVP in Michael Gonzalez. Although Alameda and Richmond didn’t show up to Thursday’s event, El Cerrito is clearly the prohibitive favorite again this year. 

“You never know until you see everyone, but I’ve got a good team back this year,” said head coach Fred Gonzalez (Michael’s father). 

Gonzalez pointed to a strong junior varsity program and several players with club experience as the keys to his program’s dominance. Berkeley, on the other hand, is just establishing a new junior varsity program this season and doesn’t get many players who have grown up with the game. 

“I’m constantly fighting the battle of no volleyball at the middle school level (in Berkeley),” Caraway said. “There’s still the perception that volleyball is a girls’ sport at this school (the Lady ’Jackets have never lost an ACCAL match), and I don’t get the carryover from basketball that other schools do.” 

Still Caraway does have some good players back, including team MVP Robin Roach and setter Joel Li. Roach is still just a junior, and the current squad has just one senior. 

“If we can get a little bit of success this year, then next year with Robin as a senior, we shouldn’t be too bad,” he said.

Julia Butterfly Hill, who gained international attention with her two-year tree-sit in an ancient redwood in Northern California, gets Katherine Yoshii’s signature for a Heritage Tree Preservation Ballot Initiative outside the Berkeley Bowl Thursday. The initiative, organized by Citizens Campaign for Old Growth and the Sierra Club Bay Chapter, aims to protect trees older than the state of California.  

Hill, who lived in the branches of a tree in Humbolt County, works out of an office just south of the Berkeley-Oakland border. She greeted old friends from her tree-sitting days, as well as introduced herself to newcomers to the issue.  

“This community is so active on so many issues,” said Hill. “People in the Berkeley area are so committed to taking charge of their lives. I really like that.” 

Hill will be appearing at Berkeley Bowl again this afternoon, as well as other markets in the Bay Area.  

For more information on the ballot initiative, visit www.ancienttrees.org.

Editor: 

I seem to remember that several months ago the Daily Planet printed a letters policy in which is was stated that no letters that expressed racist or derogatory statements about a particular ethnic, religious or racial group would be printed. 

I was therefore quite surprised to see a statement in Gabe Kurtz’s latest letter that claimed that “muslims of the Gaza strip . . . froth at the mouth cyring for land. . . .” This statement clearly dehumanizes muslim Palestinians, making them seem more like vicious animals than human beings. 

I’m sure that Mr. Kurtz would be highly offended, as would I, if anyone stated that Jews “froth at the mouth.” 

Unfortunately, many U.S. and Israeli policies are based on these same sort of prejudicial ideas. Those of us who disagree with them are not naive, as Mr. Kurtz implies. We are able to see the humanity of both Jews and Arabs and realize that the only solution to the conflict is peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East. 

Terry Fletcher 

Member, A Jewish Voice for Peace 

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES — Halle Berry hopes this year’s three Academy Award nominations for black actors will be a source of optimism for minorities. Denzel Washington just figures academy voters went for the actors they felt turned in the best performances. 

And Will Smith jokes that win or lose, he’s already made history: “The first rapper to be nominated for an Oscar. That is cool.” 

This year’s awards present one of the best chances for a black to earn a lead-acting trophy since Sidney Poitier became the only black actor to do so, for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field.” 

Oscar nominations for Berry (“Monster’s Ball”), Smith (“Ali”) and Washington (“Training Day”) mark the first time in 29 years that three blacks have competed in the lead-acting categories. 

Best-actress may come down to Sissy Spacek for “In the Bedroom” and Berry, who won the lead-actress prize for “Monster’s Ball” this month at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The best-actor race seems to be a dead heat between Russell Crowe for “A Beautiful Mind” and Washington, a five-time nominee who won the supporting-actor Oscar for “Glory.” 

In addition, two Oscar-winning black actors have major roles at the ceremony Sunday. Poitier receives an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. And Whoopi Goldberg, a supporting-actress winner for “Ghost,” is the show’s host. 

Only six blacks have won acting Oscars since the awards began in 1929, or 2.2 percent of the winners. The only previous year that produced three black nominees for best actor or actress was 1972: Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield for “Sounder” and Diana Ross for “Lady Sings the Blues.” 

“When it happened in 1972, I bet you someone probably said this is a prelude of better things to come, and we found it hasn’t happened again for almost 30 years,” said Frank Smith Jr., acting board president of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. 

Still, many in Hollywood view this year’s nominations as a hint that choicer roles are opening up for blacks in an industry that once relegated minorities largely to comic or caricatured parts. 

Of 39 nominations for blacks over the years, 31 have come since 1970, compared with eight in the preceding four decades. 

“There’s old Hollywood and new Hollywood. Old Hollywood was basically lily-white, with white actors in films generally to the exclusion of other races,” said director John Singleton, whose “Boyz N the Hood” established him as the only black filmmaker ever nominated for best director. “New Hollywood seems to realize that to make a hit movie, you need to have a multiplicity of people represented. 

“Because of that, American films are becoming more American in the sense that they look more like the whole of America looks.” 

As actors such as Washington, Smith and Berry find box-office success, some have been able to use their clout to get projects off the ground that showcase their talents in serious, potentially Oscar-worthy roles. 

“I don’t really know how it will transform the industry, but what I do know is that it will hopefully instill hope in other people of color,” Berry said of this year’s nominations. 

Berry previously won an Emmy for the title role in “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” Dandridge, who rose to stardom amid Hollywood racism of the 1940s and 1950s, was the first black nominated for a lead-acting Oscar, for 1954’s “Carmen Jones.” 

Four years later, Poitier became the second, for “The Defiant Ones.” 

Washington said he believes the quality of the performances alone resulted in this year’s three nominations. 

“It’s not about race,” he said. “This might suggest that they are doing us a favor because we are black.” 

The Oscar recognition, though, “might also suggest that there are better roles for African-Americans,” Washington said. 

Smith, who joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year, said greater representation in that group is critical to Oscar success for blacks. The academy provides no demographic breakdown of its 5,700 voting members, but academy executives concede the percentage of minorities is far lower than in the general population. 

“The academy is made up ... (mostly) of white Americans, so for the most part, white American films are going to be nominated and white American actors are going to win,” said Smith, who urged more blacks to apply for membership. 

“We all just want to be judged as human beings.”

Friday, March 22, is the 81st day of 2002. There are 284 days left in the year. 

Highlight in History: 

On March 22, 1765, Britain enacted the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies. (The Act was repealed the following year.) 

On this date:  

In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Washington D.C. 

In 1882, Congress outlawed polygamy. 

In 1895, Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed their first movie to an invited audience in Paris. 

In 1933, during Prohibition, President Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal. 

In 1941, the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state went into operation. 

In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt. 

In 1946, the British mandate in Transjordan came to an end. 

In 1972, Congress sent the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. (It fell three states short of the 38 needed for approval.) 

In 1991, high school instructor Pamela Smart, accused of manipulating her student-lover into killing her husband, was convicted in Exeter, N.H., of murder-conspiracy. 

In 1995, convicted Long Island Rail Road gunman Colin Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people. 

Ten years ago: Twenty-seven people were killed when a US-Air jetliner crashed on takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport; 24 people survived. France’s governing Socialist Party was rebuffed in regional elections. President Bush and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl wrapped up a weekend of informal talks by reiterating their resolve to break a deadlock on global trade talks. 

Five years ago: A day after a suicide bomber killed three women in Tel Aviv, Israeli troops clashed with hundreds of Palestinians in Hebron. Tara Lipinski, at age 14 years and ten months, became the youngest women’s world figure skating champion. 

One year ago: An 18-year-old student opened fire at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif., wounding three classmates and two teachers before he was shot by a police officer. (Jason Hoffman later hanged himself while in jail.) Yevgeny Plushchenko captured the World Figure Skating Championships crown in Vancouver, British Columbia. Animation pioneer William Hanna died in Los Angeles at age 90. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Karl Malden is 90. Pantomimist Marcel Marceau is 79. USA Today founder Allen H. Neuharth is 78. Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim is 72. Actor William Shatner is 71. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is 68. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 67. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 59. Singer Jeremy Clyde (Chad and Jeremy) is 58. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 54. Actress Fanny Ardant is 53. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 50. Country singer James House is 47. Actress Lena Olin is 47. Singer-actress Stephanie Mills is 45. Actor Matthew Modine is 43. Actress Kellie Williams is 26.  

Actress Reese Witherspoon is 26. Rock musician John Otto (Limp Bizkit) is 25.

Two men were repeatedly stabbed by a robber on Acton Street in South Berkeley Monday at around 11:30 p.m., according to the Berkeley Police Department. Both victims are in stable condition at home and at Highland Hospital. 

The victims, 27-year-old James Celestin-Willis and his 33-year-old brother-in-law, Galen Jackson, were en route to Jackson’s sister’s home when the assailant pulled up in a green car and asked them to make change for a bill, according to Celestin-Willis. 

When they declined, Celestin-Willis said, the attacker, dressed in black, got out of his car, stabbed the victims and took their money. Celestin-Willis said he suffered wounds on his back, neck and arm, while Jackson was stabbed in the back and arm. 

Jackson said he fell to the pavement and called for his wife, who was in his sister’s home. Relatives brought Jackson into his sister’s house and called for an ambulance. 

Celestin-Willis ran from the scene. 

“I was in shock,” he said. “I ran, I left.” 

Police later found Celestin-Willis at the corner of Alcatraz and California streets, on the pavement. 

Both men were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland. Celestin-Willis said he was released Thursday. Jackson was still in the hospital when reached by the Daily Planet Thursday.

SACRAMENTO — By an overwhelming margin, the state Assembly Thursday approved placing $25.3 billion worth of education bonds before voters this November and in 2004, sending the issue to the state Senate. 

The Assembly voted 71-6 for the bill, which authorizes the placement of two bond measures before voters. A $13 billion bond proposal will go on the November 2002 ballot and would be followed in 2004 with a $12.3 billion bond issue. 

That’s about three times higher than the record $9.2 billion bond voters approved in 1998. That money has been spent, however. 

Gov. Gray Davis wants a bond issue on the November ballot, spokeswoman Hilary McLean said, so “students well into California’s future will benefit from the school improvements this bond will fund.” 

The bond’s passage is “the biggest thing we’ve done since I took office,” said Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, a Van Nuys Democrat and former Assembly speaker. 

“Everything that’s great about California starts with its schools and our kids,” said Hertzberg, co-author of the bill, said. 

He predicted the measure — which was ultimately agreed upon by a bipartisan conference committee — will pass the Senate easily. 

The bill will go to the Senate the first week of April and Dave Sebeck, a spokesman for Senate Pro Tem John Burton, said Senate members will debate and act on it that day. 

The Office of Public School Construction estimates that more than $21.1 billion in state bonds are needed in the next four years for K-12 school construction alone. 

Also, the state estimates that California Community Colleges will teach nearly 2 million students in the next two years and more than 75 percent of its buildings are more than 40 years old. 

To cope with population growth, the state Department of Education estimates that California will need more than 2,500 classrooms each year for the next four years. 

Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin said that if California expects children to meet the state’s academic standards, “we must provide them with a safe, clean and modern environment in which to do so.” 

Money from the bonds will help low-performing and overcrowded schools, design upgrades and expand buildings at community colleges, and campuses of the California State University and the University of California. 

Dwayne Brooks, director of facilities for the California Department of Education, said this bill also allows school districts to apply for funds of up to four years, plus a one-year extension. 

That will help school districts pay for land on which to build schools, Brooks said. The bond deal would also set aside $1.7 billion for critically overcrowded schools. 

Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Culver City, called the vote a victory for California’s children. 

“In order to learn, a child truly needs good teachers, and we have that,” Wesson said. “They need the proper tools and an environment conducive for learning. And this takes care of the environment.” 

Wesson pointed out that more than 60 percent of K-12 classrooms are over 25 years old, more than 60 percent of UC buildings are at least 30 years old and more than 75 percent of community college facilities are over 40 years old. 

Districts around the state have passed local school bonds and are starting construction, but more than $4 billion in projects have been held up because no state matching funds have been available, according to the Department of Education. 

SACRAMENTO — With the SAT 9, the High School Exit Exam, Golden State Exams, SAT I and SAT II, California students face too long of a required list of standardized tests, a group of students told the California Teacher’s Association and legislators on Thursday. 

Students at the meeting said the Legislature should condense the list required of students in grades 3-11. 

Some of that is happening now, said Robert Spurlock, the state’s assistant education secretary. He cited a law passed last year that created a study of how students may bypass taking Advanced Placement exams if they have high enough scores on the Golden States Exams. Those are voluntary tests in 13 subjects given to seventh through 12th graders. Students who do well get a special seal on their diploma. 

But Jeff Orlinsky, a member of the California Teacher’s Association, said each test has its own special purpose. 

”(For high school students), only the Stanford 9 and the High School Exit Exam are required,” Orlinsky said. “The rest are voluntary.” However, there is a long list of tests required of elementary school students. 

While many tests are technically voluntary, students feel compelled to take them anyway, said Susan Chen, a junior at East Los Angeles’ Woodrow Wilson High School. 

“We are tired of testing. The tests are all my high school can talk about,” Chen said. “And tests like the SAT I and SAT II and the Golden States are voluntary, but it’s the norm now to take them if you want to be a part of the real world.” 

Sen. Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach, agreed, saying, “We could combine some of these tests. Everybody wants to test everybody on everything. I think that’s absurd.” 

However, the state needs standardized tests to measure school performance, said Phil Spears, director of standards and assessment for the California Department of Education. Spears did not attend the meeting at the Capitol sponsored by the LegiSchool Project at California State University, Sacramento. 

Spears said students are probably upset with being held accountable for their own actions, such as with the High School Exit Exam. If a student doesn’t pass this exam, they cannot graduate. 

The state Department of Education said a problem might be that some schools have failed to embrace the academic content standards for grades K-12 that lay out what students should know for each grade level. Spears said this has put their students at a disadvantage because they are not mastering the standards. 

Therefore, some schools devote a lot of time to teaching students how to take the test, including hours spent on learning how to fill in bubbles for multiple choice tests. 

Spurlock said the state is fighting this by working with test writers in California to phase in tests that measure the standards taught in California schools. 

Using comments from meetings such as Thursday’s, the state is consolidating some of the tests, Spurlock said. 

Now is a time of increased interest in standardized testing, because most tests are taken in the spring and President Bush recently signed a bill requiring annual state tests in reading and mathematics for every child in grades three through eight, beginning in the 2005-06 school year. 

LOS ANGELES — Five people whose bodies were pulled from a reservoir near Sacramento were Los Angeles area residents who were abducted, blackmailed and killed by Russian mobsters, the U.S. attorney said Thursday. 

The victims included two filmmakers, an accountant, an electronics executive and a home builder. More than $5.5 million in ransom was demanded of relatives, U.S. Attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek said. 

Mat Shatz, the stepfather of one victim, called the alleged kidnappers “bad people who come to this country, who are impatient and want to have money.” 

Six men of Russian descent were in custody, all without bond, charged in indictments with hostage-taking or receiving ransom money. Four are scheduled to go to trial April 30, two have already pleaded innocent and are scheduled to go on trial April 9. 

One victim, Meyer Muscatel, a wealthy San Fernando Valley homebuilder, was identified earlier. His body was found floating in 200-foot-deep New Melones Lake on Oct. 18, his hands bound and a plastic bag over his head. 

On Sunday, divers found Alexander Umansky, 35, of Sherman Oaks, and Georgy Safiev, 37, of Beverly Hills, said FBI spokesman Nick Rossi. 

On Monday, the body of Nick Kharabadze, 29, of Woodland Hills was found and accountant Rita Pekler, 39, of Encino, was recovered Tuesday, he said. 

Muscatel was suffocated, but the FBI has not provided a cause of death for the other four. 

Umansky and Pekler vanished in December, the other two in January, authorities and relatives said. 

Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas threatened to kill their victims if ransom demands were not met, while Petro Krylov and Ainar Altmanis allegedly “aided and abetted” the plot, the indictment charges. 

Andrei Agueev and Andrei Liapine were arrested last month and accused helping to transfer $240,000 in ransom paid to the kidnappers for Umansky’s release. 

Agueev’s defense lawyer, Victor Sherman, alleges the U.S. government “kidnapped” the Dubai businessman from his home. Liapine is a Russian citizen who lived in the United Arab Emirates. 

Agueev was helping a friend who wanted to open a business bank account, Sherman said Thursday. “He is totally innocent and the government has no evidence to indicate that any funds sent to his bank account came from any kidnapping.” 

Krylov worked for Umansky for 18 months at Hard Wired Auto Accessories before being fired in 2001, Mrozek said. 

Federal authorities have “very little evidence linking (Krylov) to these events,” Krylov’s attorney, George Buehler, said. 

The day he disappeared, Umansky told employees he was going to meet a client to demonstrate electronic equipment. That was Dec. 13. 

Umansky’s father found three copies of a ransom note faxed to his son’s business demanding $234,628. Umansky’s brother, who lives in San Francisco, received a copy of the fax the same day. 

All the faxes were sent from Russia, Mrozek said. 

Umansky’s family wired $90,000 to a bank in New York on Dec. 17. Umansky called his brother that day asking if the money had been sent. 

For two weeks, the kidnappers threatened to kill Umansky if the rest of the ransom wasn’t paid, Mrozek said. On Dec. 27, the family wired $146,000 that was later traced to an account in the Middle East. 

Authorities say the account was controlled by Argueev and Liapine. 

Some of the ransom money was wired to a Bank of America account in Studio City, Mrozek said, noting Mikhel and Kadamovas were signatories on that account. 

Three victims — Safiev, Kharabadze and Pekler — knew each other. Safiev and Kharabadze co-owned the Matador Media film production company, while Pekler did accounting work for the company. 

Safiev disappeared on Jan. 20. He called his company on Jan. 24 and answered “yes” when asked if he had been kidnapped, Mrozek said. 

According to the indictment, Mikhel and Kadamovas abducted Safiev in an effort to force a business associate to pay $5 million in ransom. 

At their home in Los Angeles, Kharabadze’s family said he was a University of Southern California graduate who moved from former Soviet Republic of Georgia when he was 17. 

He shared a house with his stepfather, Shatz, and his mother, Russian actress Rusiko Kiknadze. 

Kiknadze fell to the floor sobbing Thursday. 

“Do these murderers have mothers?” she said in Russian, as family members tried to console her. 

Shatz said the family never received any ransom demands from kidnappers. 

According to his family, Kharabadze worked as a sound editor on a number of films, including “Air Force One,” in which the U.S. president’s plane is hijacked by Russian dissidents. 

Pekler, the mother of a young son, owned an accounting company with a number of small business clients including Matador Media, employee Nelli Faktrovich said. 

Faktrovich last saw her boss on Dec. 5 as Pekler left for a lunch appointment with a client. 

Russian criminals often work in family groups or clans. Extortion, financial scams and other frauds are common. They are not connected in a chain-of-command organization like American crime syndicates. 

The criminal networks are often broken down along ethnic or religious lines, said Dr. Louise Shelley, an international crime expert at American University in Washington, D.C. 

——— 

Eds: AP Writer Christina Almeida contributed to this report. 

STOCKTON — Prosecutors charged a Sacramento student with first-degree murder Thursday for her alleged role in helping a woman poison her husband. 

If convicted of the murder with special circumstances charge, Sarah Elizabeth Dutra, 21, could face the death penalty, a San Joaquin County judge said in court. 

Dutra also was a secretary for lawyer Larry McNabney, who disappeared last September after being seen at a Los Angeles horse show. 

Dutra, who did not enter a plea, may be represented by the same attorney who defended a Sacramento woman convicted of poisoning her elderly tenants. 

Kevin Clymo defended Dorothea Puente, a 61-year-old woman who was sentenced to prison on nine murder counts for poisoning elderly tenants to get their pension and disability benefits. 

Clymo made a special appearance Thursday and will either return to court April 3 with Dutra or decline to take the case. 

Dutra is accused of murder and conspiring to kill the 53-year-old McNabney with an overdose of horse tranquilizer. 

Authorities said Dutra and McNabney’s wife, Laren Renee Sims Jordan, 36, implicated each other this week after Jordan was captured in Florida Monday night following a nationwide hunt. While married to McNabney, Sims Jordan was known as Elisa McNabney. 

San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies said Dutra, who was class president at Vacaville High School, confessed Tuesday and was jailed on suspicion of murder and conspiracy charges. She is a senior majoring in art studio at California State University, Sacramento. 

“The judge asked her if she understood the charges and she said yes,” said prosecutor Lester Fleming. “Then he informed her that the maximum penalty is death. You don’t often get a completely quiet courtroom, but you could have heard a pin drop.” 

Fleming said District Attorney John Phillip will make the decision to seek the death penalty. If convicted, Dutra also could receive life in prison without parole. 

On Wednesday, a judge gave Sims Jordan the opportunity to waive extradition during a hearing at the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview, Fla., but her court-appointed public defender told her not to sign anything yet, said Rick Hord, an Okaloosa sheriff’s spokesman. 

Nellie Stone, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, said Thursday that San Joaquin investigators were preparing to request a warrant from Gov. Gray Davis. 

“The governor will do anything within his power to assist the extradition of Laren Sims back to California,” said Byron Tucker, a Davis spokesman. 

While it may take two weeks for San Joaquin prosecutors to file the paperwork, they will do what’s necessary to get Sims Jordan back, Stone said. 

That return could be three to six months away if Jordan fights extradition, Stone said. But a governor’s warrant would speed the process to about 30 days. 

Stone said investigators were on their way to Brooksville, Fla., Thursday to visit Haylei Jordan, Sims Jordan’s 17-year-old daughter to get a statement. 

Sims Jordan is currently being held without bond in Florida’s Okaloosa County Jail on parole-violation charges. 

Sims Jordan spent seven months in Florida prison from 1991 to 1992 for violating probation from a 1989 grand theft and fraud conviction. She’s charged with violating parole by leaving Florida to move to Las Vegas around 1994. 

In an off-camera interview with KCRA-TV Thursday night in Florida, Sims Jordan said she was afraid to leave McNabney because of alleged abuse. 

On Tuesday, Dunn said she gave a three-page written statement that she and Dutra had poisoned McNabney in a hotel in Los Angeles. He died later at their home in Woodbridge and Sims Jordan said she eventually buried his body in a nearby vineyard. 

LOS ANGELES — Jurors who convicted a San Francisco couple in the dog mauling death of a neighbor said Thursday they did not believe chief defendant Marjorie Knoller and were surprised that she took the witness stand at all. 

“From our point of view, her testimony was not believable,” said Don Newton, 64, foreman of the seven-man, five-woman panel that convicted the couple in the death of Diane Whipple, 33, who was attacked by the couple’s two huge dogs last year. 

Newton said the jurors also found that her husband, Robert Noel, was probably as responsible as she was for the events. 

“Robert Noel didn’t seem to be a very nice person,” he said. 

The seven-man, five-woman jury included many dog owners. 

Jeanne Sluiman, 52, said Knoller’s testimony had so many inconsistencies that the jurors had to go beyond it to other facts in order to make their decisions. 

That opinion was echoed by juror Shawn Antonio, 27, who said, “Because her stories were so fabricated, it was difficult. She’d come up with 10 scenarios of what happened and the only other witness is no longer with us.” 

The jurors were asked their impressions of Knoller’s flamboyant defense attorney, Nedra Ruiz. 

“She’s an amazingly dramatic person,” said Newton. “She’s an incredible actress and I think to some extent she was counterproductive.” 

Several jurors said they felt that Ruiz put on an act of being disorganized and found her antics, such as crawling on the floor, a distraction. 

“I believe what she had to work with was hard,” Sluiman said, “and maybe that’s what looked like the disorganization.” 

Antonio commented, “She was so passionate you couldn’t help but get involved, but she was so scattered it threw you off.” 

The jurors said they waited until the last to decide the most serious charge — second-degree murder against Knoller — realizing it was the most serious and the most difficult. 

“It was a painful decision,” said Newton. “The question of implied malice was a difficult question to decide, but we did decide there was implied malice in her actions.” 

The jurors said they concluded there were numerous warnings to the couple about the danger of the dogs and the couple ignored them. 

“We decided there was not simply one action,” said Newton. “It was a series of actions and failures to heed warnings.” 

Antonio said that the jurors played over several times in the jury room a tape of a TV interview in which Knoller avowed no responsibility for Whipple’s death. 

“There was no kind of sympathy, no kind of apologies,” he said. “It helped us a lot.” 

The jurors said they thought that if the defendants cared, they would have heeded the warnings of a veterinarian who wrote to the couple early on about the danger the huge presa canario dogs posed. 

“If someone wasn’t arrogant they would have had to heed that warning,” Sluiman said. 

The also said that the efforts by Ruiz to challenge the qualifications of the veterinarian and an official of the Humane Society worked against her. 

During the trial Ruiz spent an hour trying to disqualify Randall Lockwood, the last witness in the case, from telling about the danger the dogs posed. 

“I placed a lot of credibility in Dr. Lockwood’s testimony,” said Sluiman, “and also that he was being fought so desperately to be discredited. He knew what he was talking about.” 

She said that “we all agreed (Noel) was not someone we liked but it’s not how we decided the case.” 

Unlike Knoller, Noel did not testify during the trial. During deliberations the jury asked to hear a reading of his testimony to the grand jury that indicted the couple. 

“The reason why we asked for Noel’s previous testimony was in regard to whether we could convict him of manslaughter although he was not present at the time,” Newton said. “It made it clear that he was not any different than Marjorie Knoller in this. He was equally responsible.” 

The jurors said they were a very diverse group in age and occupations, but found that when they got behind closed doors they were in agreement. 

Vanessa Caroline, 19, said the reading of Noel’s testimony was helpful because “we based so much on memory.” 

Antonio asked to make one thing clear: “We really didn’t go into this deciding that we would hate these people.” 

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are scheduled to be sentenced May 10 in San Francisco for their convictions in the January 2001 death of Diane Whipple. After the verdicts, the state Supreme Court, acting through the state Bar of California, suspended Knoller and Noel from practicing law. 

Following are definitions of the charges for which they were convicted and the possible sentences. 

Marjorie Knoller: — Second-degree murder: defined as the malicious but non-deliberate and non-premeditated killing of a human being without certain aggravating factors, such as robbery, arson, rape or the use of explosives, poison, armor-piercing bullets or torture. Malice is implied when no considerable provocation appears, or when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart. Punishable by 15 years to life in prison. — Involuntary manslaughter: defined as the non-malicious killing of a human being in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony or a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection. Punishable by two, three or four years in prison. — Keeping a mischievous animal that kills a person: defined as a person allowing a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, to go at large or keeping it without ordinary care; with the animal killing a person who has taken all precautions a reasonable person would ordinarily take in such a situation. Punishable by two, three or four years in prison. 

Robert Noel: — Involuntary manslaughter. — Keeping a mischievous animal that kills a person.

SAN FRANCISCO — All was quiet in front of Diane Whipple’s apartment house Thursday — no flowers, no cards, just a handwritten note taped near the front entrance. 

“Justice! Diane & Sharon. We are with you,” it read. 

Neighbors and friends of Whipple, incensed for more than a year about the dog mauling that left the lacrosse coach dead at her doorstep, reacted emotionally when a jury found the animals’ caretakers guilty on all five charges they faced. 

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel, San Francisco attorneys who kept the dogs for two California prison inmates, were convicted by a Los Angeles jury despite their claims they had no idea the dogs, Bane and Hera, would turn into killers. 

Neighbors applauded the verdict, calling it swift justice for the Jan. 26, 2001, death of Whipple. Both Knoller and Noel were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and having a mischievous dog that killed someone. Knoller also was found guilty of second-degree murder. 

“I’m satisfied. Justice has been served. Now we can start with closure to this,” said Ed Nahigian, a cobbler who works a few blocks away from the building where Whipple was killed. 

Nahigian knew Noel, Knoller, Whipple and her partner, Sharon Smith, as customers to his shoe repair store. Noel and Knoller lived down the hallway from Whipple. Nahigian also said the judge in the case is a customer. 

“I pray that he gives the maximum sentence to these two individuals because in my opinion, and I knew everybody involved here, they deserve it. They really deserve it,” Nahigian said. “Diane Whipple’s memory will live with me in my mind and my heart until I die.” 

Nahigian testified to the grand jury that he “felt overwhelmed” by one of the couple’s huge presa canarios on one occasion. 

Mark Dobson reflected on the case at his home accessories store, Dobson Gray. His 170-pound great Dane, Joseph, was tied to a pole and lounged outside on a piece of bedding, eating biscuits. Dobson said justice had been served. 

“I think it was quite fair. What’s absurd about this whole case is that individuals would have two dogs trained to kill living in a residential apartment,” Dobson said. 

He anticipated harsher laws for dog owners in San Francisco and beyond. 

“I think it was just a bomb waiting to go off,” Dobson said. 

Christy Davidge was a member of Whipple’s lacrosse team at nearby St. Mary’s College for more than a year. She said the coach left a lasting impression on the team, and the guilty verdicts will not totally ease the pain of losing Whipple. 

“I think that personally, either way whatever had happened with the trial, it’s not going to bring her back to us,” Davidge said, speaking on behalf of her fellow team members. “I think she had us look at life a little differently, and when you looked at it through her eyes and saw how much she loved life, it affected us all.” 

In December 2000, Whipple hired her friend, Sarah Miller, to serve as an assistant coach for the Gaels’ lacrosse team. Miller said Thursday she was relieved with the jury’s verdict. 

“I’m very happy with the outcome,” Miller said. “I feel very happy and very relieved with the verdict of guilty across the board. They got what they deserved.” 

Silence and tension filled a room at the city’s largest gay community center, where onlookers leaned forward on the edge of their seats to hear the verdict on television. Whipple was a lesbian, and Knoller’s lawyer charged during the trial that her client was prosecuted in large part because of pressure from the gay community. 

Ruth Herring, development director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, lit a single candle and held it aloft before the verdict was read. After the fifth guilty verdict was announced, Herring placed the candle on top of the television set. 

The candle was lit as a remembrance of Whipple’s life, Herring said. 

“Her death was a horror. No one can erase that,” Herring said. “Sharon chose to make it mean something. This is very, very big for all of us.” 

San Francisco’s gay community rallied around Whipple’s surviving partner as she lobbied for changes in the law that would allow her to file a wrongful death suit and seek damages from the laywer couple and the owners of the apartment building where the attack occurred. 

Carl Friedman, director of the city’s animal care and control department, said the verdict should send a warning message to careless owners to keep big dogs on a short leash. 

“If you’re a landlord, I think landlords are going to think twice about renting to people that might have big dogs,” he said. 

Friedman also said responsible owners of large dogs should take them to veterinarians or animal behaviorists and work with problem animals. 

“This is a wake-up call for everybody,” Friedman said. 

For all the homeowners for whom yearly deck upkeep is a fate worse than taking out the trash, note that composite deck materials are here, and here to stay, according to a deck pro at Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse. 

“Once composite material is installed, you can literally forget about it,” says John Karlesky, lumber marketing manager for Lowes. “It won’t rot, peel, warp, expand or contract, is splinter-free and it’s virtually impervious to water and sun. This is for people who want to enjoy their home without the hassle of deck repair. The average decks lasts 10 to 15 years. A deck with composites lasts indefinitely.” 

Composite deck materials initially weren’t a viable option to wood. It took manufacturers nearly 10 years to achieve the right combination of wood chips and plastics to make composites worth recommending. Vinyl and plastic planks are a fraction of the market because installation requires different techniques and equipment. 

So why don’t more consumers opt for composites? Karlesky says people simply don’t know of the materials. Installation contractors haven’t warmed to non-wood materials, fearing installation problems, but Karlesky says composites handle and install the same as the real thing. “It looks like wood, cuts like wood, installs like wood,” he says, “and it doesn’t take any more time to install than any other deck.” And it’s easier to buy. Because planks are literally the same from piece to piece without knotholes or twisted boards, buyers don’t need to sift through stacks of lumber searching for quality wood. 

And, James Carey and Morris Carey, licensed contractors and recognized experts on home-building and renovation, point out that such engineered decking is friendly to the environment as it recycles existing wood as opposed to requiring new timber to be cut and milled. 

There is a cost factor, however. Composite planks are two to three times the cost of real wood. Yet the overall cost of a deck is not two to three times greater. Composites are available only as planks and railings. Structural elements such as support posts and joists are less-costly treated wood or cedar. Karlesky estimates “The payback period is four to five years, and it still looks great. You won’t replace planks. It’s a better long-term value.” 

Composite wood is low maintenance, not maintenance-free. It should be cleaned regularly and can be stained or painted, but you’ll need to reapply stains and paints over time.” Karlesky advises use of 2- 1/4 inch stainless-steel trim head screws during installation. Non-stainless screws might rust and bleed into the deck. 

The material has other outdoor uses. Walkways, planters, and benches are ideal for spot use of composites. Even docks and hot tubs are candidates for non-wood because submerged uses don’t void the limited lifetime warranty. 

“Customers tell us it’s a losing battle to replace boards,” says Karlesky. “You put composites down, and walk away. It’s very esthetically pleasing. Your deck will look the same in five years as it does today.” 

—- 

Lowes is a national chain of nearly 750 home-improvement, appliance and gardening stores in 42 states. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Two friends who bought lottery tickets at a downtown smoke shop came forward Thursday to claim one-third of Wednesday’s $87 million California Lottery jackpot. 

Lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas said longtime friends Jerry McGovern and John Landers spent $10 and won $29 million. Because they took the cash value option, they will actually receive $14 million. 

“Jerry was driving into his office this morning when he heard on the radio that somebody who bought a ticket from D&T smoke shop had won the lottery and told his wife ’That is where I bought my ticket,”’ Minas said. When he arrived at his office he checked the Lottery’s Web site and learned he had the winning ticket. 

McGovern, who spent $9, will receive 90 percent of the total amount they won and Landers, who only spent $1, will receive 10 percent. 

The store will receive a commission of $150,000 for selling the winning ticket. 

It was the first of three winning tickets to be turned in, Minas said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Embattled credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders alleging the company inflated its profits by gouging its customers in the late 1990s. 

The proposed settlement, which still needs approval of a federal judge in Philadelphia, covers thousands of investors who bought Providian’s once high-flying stock between Jan. 21, 1999 and June 4, 1999. 

Before deducting attorney fees, the settlement works out to about $1.40 per share. The fees are expected to range between $9 million and $12 million, said New York lawyer Robert Finkel, who represented shareholders. 

Estimates on the shareholders’ damages during the period ran as high as $400 million. Finkel still believes Providian management defrauded shareholders but said proving the allegations in a trial might have been difficult because the company never restated its results during the period covered in the case. 

The tentative agreement doesn’t cover other class-action shareholder lawsuits filed late last year after San Francisco-based Providian shocked Wall Street by revealing huge loan losses that threatened to ruin the company. Those civil complaints are still in their preliminary stages. 

Providian doesn’t expect the settlement reached this week to affect its turnaround effort because the entire $38 million is covered by insurance, said spokesman Alan Elias. Providian didn’t acknowledge wrongdoing in making the settlement. 

The case revolved around allegations of abusive business practices that offered the first hint of trouble at Providian, which evolved from a small subsidiary of a Kentucky insurance company into one of the nation’s five largest credit card lenders. 

As it grew during the 1990s, Providian’s increased its profit partly by charging customers fees for everything from late payments to balance transfers. The aggressive sales practices helped Providian earn $296 million in 1998, but the shareholder suit alleged the profit was illusory because the way the company made its money. 

Acting on numerous customer complaints, authorities in California and Connecticut accused Providian of illegal business practices. The company wound up paying more than $400 million to settle the government investigations and class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of Providian’s credit card customers. 

During the first two weeks in 1999 after the government disclosed its investigations, Providian’s shares plunged from $62.06 to as low as $39.22. 

After settling the government’s complaints, Providian’s shares rallied and peaked at a split-adjusted $66.72 in October 2000. In late 2001, the stock fell to a low of $2.01 amid concerns that federal banking regulators would seize the company. 

Providian’s shares gained 25 cents Thursday to close at $6.15 on the New York Stock Exchange. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.providian.com 

WASHINGTON — Officials of the bankrupt fiber optics giant Global Crossing denied Thursday that deceptive accounting practices were part of their company’s financial collapse. “Global Crossing is no Enron,” they told skeptical lawmakers. 

“Some may see superficial similarities between Enron and Global Crossing,” chief executive officer John Legere and chief financial officer Dan Cohrs said in a statement to a House Financial Services Committee panel. 

Indeed, they noted that, like the energy trading corporation, Global Crossing had seen a collapse in its stock price, had executive stock sales and faced questions about accounting procedures and employee pension plans. The companies also shared the auditor Arthur Andersen. 

But the Global Crossing officials insisted the company’s problems, leading to a decision to file for bankruptcy protection in January, were a result of aggressive expansion, overcapacity in the telecommunications network market and the national economic downturn — not business improprieties. 

Even so, said Rep. John LaFalce of New York, the top Democrat on the committee, “Global Crossing may well have succeeded in keeping its share price inflated much longer than was justified based on its true value.” 

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are investigating the fourth-largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case in history. The company listed $12.4 billion in debts. 

Global Crossing was launched in 1997 and spent $15 billion building the world’s most extensive fiber-optic network. But with the economic slowdown, it cut some 9,000 jobs, closed 71 offices and saw its stock fall from a high of more than $60 a share to 30 cents before its bankruptcy filing. 

Much of Thursday’s hearing centered on whether Global Crossing deceived investors and employees about its financial status through the way it accounted for sales and purchases of network capacity known as Indefeasible Rights of Use, or IRUs. Of particular interest was the practice of “swaps,” where a telecommunications company sells capacity to a customer while buying a similar amount on the customer’s network. 

Rep. Sue Kelly, chairwoman of the oversight and investigations panel, said it appears such swaps, and the way revenues and costs are reflected in the books, “are being used as a quick and easy way to inflate earnings and make a company look more profitable than it really is.”  

º Kelly and others are promoting legislation to better ensure the independence and integrity of the accounting industry. 

Cohrs said, “We’re struggling to understand the right way to treat these transactions.” Asked if there was full disclosure of the deals, he responded, “We believe there was.” 

SEC deputy chief accountant John M. Morrissey, also a witness at the hearing, agreed that determining when to recognize revenue in an IRU transaction “can be quite complex.” 

Michael Salsbury, general counsel for the telecommunications company WorldCom, told the hearing that the real problems in the industry were the efforts of the Bell companies to retain their power and the government’s failure to enforce the law. “Those failures have destroyed far more market capitalization and robbed far more value from shareholders’ investments than any accounting issues.” 

But Michael Capuano, D-Mass., said the bookkeeping used by Global Crossing was “nothing more than a much more fancy and much larger Ponzi scheme” in which new investments are used to pay off old investors. 

A former Global Crossing finance executive, Roy Olofson, last August wrote a letter to the company’s general counsel warning about inflating revenues through misleading accounting techniques. But Cohrs and Legere said they had engaged an outside counsel to review the matter and found the allegations to be without merit. 

Also at issue was a company order preventing employees from making changes in their 401(k) pension plans for a month shortly before the company went bankrupt. 

Legere said the “lockdown” was a result of an effort to consolidate different pension plans, that it was announced two months in advance and that Global Crossing’s stock value changed minimally, from 83 cents to 67 cents, in those two months. 

——— 

On the Net: 

House Financial Services Committee: http://www.house.gov/financialservices/ 

Global Crossing: http://www.globalcrossing.com 

Some major static cling at Target 

EUGENE, Ore. — A new Target store is shocking dozens of customers — and not with their prices. 

Store manager Tim Snow said the new carpeting is generating static electricity that seems to be zapping customers who push the metal-framed, metal-handled carts. 

The store has ordered $1,500 worth of anti-shock “kits” in an attempt to halt what has become an epidemic of static electricity since the store opened two weeks ago. 

“Every time we come here I get shocked,” shopper Christy Hogan said Monday. “I was touching a lotion dispenser with one hand, and I was hanging onto the cart with the other hand. The shock went through one hand and went out through the other. I said ‘Damn,’ and my daughter said, ‘Mom!”’ 

As a solution, the retailer will outfit its 400 carts with a small metal chain or bar to “drain off” the static instead of allowing it to discharge through people. 

It’s OK to garden in the buff 

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s indecent exposure law apparently doesn’t cover nude gardeners. 

A three-judge panel of the state Superior Court has thrown out a central Pennsylvania man’s indecent exposure conviction stemming from his penchant for doing yard work in the buff. 

Charles Stitzer, 63, was charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct in September 2000 for wearing only shoes and a watch while gardening in his back yard in Pleasant Gap on a summer night. 

Stitzer, a retired mechanical draftsman, said he often shed clothes to do yard work and beat the summer heat in the town of 1,700 about eight miles north of State College. 

A neighbor, Pam Watkins, and her 15-year-old daughter reported him to police when they saw him gardening without clothes. Stitzer said he wanted to persuade Watkins to dim her outdoor floodlights that shone on his property. 

Stitzer was sentenced to two years of probation on the charges. 

The Superior Court last week ruled that Stitzer’s situation wasn’t covered by the state’s indecent exposure law because his backyard is private and his offended neighbor lived too far away, 65 yards. 

——— 

MINDEN, La. (AP) — Birthdays will be easy to remember in Steven Lowery’s family. 

Lowery and his twin sister Stacy Lowery Cox were born Feb. 17. So were their children, three years apart. 

“We plan to have a big birthday party for the kids, and my brother and I will continue to have a birthday dinner together like we always have,” Cox said. 

Both babies originally had due dates of Feb. 24 — Paige Lowery in 1999, Connor Lowery Cox this year. 

When Paige was born, Cox recalls, “everyone was so excited about my niece being born on his birthday, everyone told him happy birthday, but forgot all about me.” 

Cox said that when her doctor told her that her first baby was due Feb. 24, she joked to her brother that she’d give birth on their birthday “so I could get my revenge on him.” 

The joke turned real. 

“I think that this is so special,” Cox said. 

——— 

DENVER (AP) — Forget gold and silver. Sen. Ken Chlouber wants to designate rhodochrosite as the state mineral. 

Chlouber, who represents Leadville, said the blood-red mineral from his district is unique. Besides, it was suggested by his constituents at a local high school. 

The Senate gave initial approval Monday to his bill. 

Sen. Ron Tupa, of Boulder, tried unsuccessfully to add amendments to House Bill 1346 to substitute gold or silver. Chlouber said other states, including California and Nevada, already staked their claim on those minerals. 

Sen. Andy McElhany said the bluish mineral amazonite from Pikes Peak would be far a better choice. 

“Why would we want something that’s communist red?” he asked. 

Other than in the Eastern European country of Romania, rhodochrosite is found mostly in Butte, Mont., and Leadville. The mineral consists essentially of manganese carbonate. 

Police are still investigating a Saturday night shooting that occurred at the intersection of Russell and McGee streets. 

Twenty-five-year-old Raymond Smith was shot in the head and remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital Monday. 

The Berkeley Police Department is looking for a suspect, said spokesperson Lt. Cynthia Harris, described as an African-American male in his 20s or 30s, wearing a dark-colored knit cap. 

Harris said the police received a call at 11:30 p.m. saying there was a fight in progress. While police were on the way to the South Berkeley location, a citizen reported that one man had been shot.  

Police arrived on the scene to find a man lying on the street who appeared to have been shot once in the head. 

BPD Sgt. Nonoguchi and Detective Badour are looking into the case.

SAN FRANCISCO — Environmentalists are suing the federal government to have it re-protect the habitat of a songbird found in the Southwest that has been reduced to about 500 pairs. 

The southwestern willow flycatcher was listed as endangered in 1995, and its critical habitat, which included 599 miles of rivers in New Mexico, Arizona and California, was designated in 1997. 

But that designation was reversed by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001, with the court ordering the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to redo its economic analysis of the impact of the designation. 

The new suit, filed a week ago, asks the service to complete the analysis and designate 1,200 miles of river in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and California as critical habitat for the flycatcher. 

Brent Plater, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the suit, said the service is moving too slow. 

“The order the judge provided didn’t give a specific timeline to complete the new analysis,” he said. “Without a court order with a specific deadline, the Fish and Wildlife Service won’t do these things.” 

But Elizabeth Slown, a spokeswoman for the service, said it is gathering information and still must receive public comment. 

“We’re having to start from scratch again,” she said. “It’s not a fast process.” 

The suit was filed in U.S. district court in San Francisco. 

BERKELEY — Those outspoken Berkeley residents are at it again. The problem this time? Nasty used coffee-cup sleeves. 

A group of people say it’s a health hazard to reuse a cardboard heat shield that protects hands wrapped around hot coffee cups. 

Some coffee houses in the area have been recycling the sleeves to save paper and trash, meaning people have to use a sleeve that has already been in contact with another human hand. 

The issue was brought to the city council meeting Wednesday night. It was delayed until next month, when city officials will ask health officials to research the matter and consider whether to prohibit reusing the sleeves. 

BERKELEY — Those outspoken Berkeley residents are at it again. The problem this time? Nasty used coffee-cup sleeves. 

A group of people say it’s a health hazard to reuse a cardboard heat shield that protects hands wrapped around hot coffee cups. 

Some coffee houses in the area have been recycling the sleeves to save paper and trash, meaning people have to use a sleeve that has already been in contact with another human hand. 

The issue was brought to the city council meeting Wednesday night. It was delayed until next month, when city officials will ask health officials to research the matter and consider whether to prohibit reusing the sleeves.