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Tom Bates says he’ll run for city mayor

By Matthew Artz, Daily Planet Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Former Assemblyman wins progressive nomination at Saturday’s convention 

 

A nominating convention called to consider several possible candidates to run against Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean in November transformed into a giant pep rally on Saturday as roughly 225 people filled the South Berkeley Senior Center to declare support for veteran politician Tom Bates. 

Chants of “Run Tom Run” gave way to optimistic cries of “Win Tom Win” after the former state Assemblyman stepped to the microphone and accepted the mayoral nomination. 

“I want a city government that I can be proud of,” said Bates who presented himself as a conciliator who would reach across factional lines. “I want to take my experience, knowledge and energy and put it together for the people of Berkeley.” 

Bates’ acceptance of the nomination ended weeks of speculation about whether or not he would run. Before his confirmation, progressives had long debated who, if anyone, would be the best candidate to beat the two-term moderate incumbent. 

At the Saturday’s convention, Bates outlined a vision for Berkeley in which neighborhoods are livable and defended from the incursion of chain stores, pedestrians and bicyclists can move about safely, affordable mixed-use developments replace unsightly or abandoned buildings, and the city restores its claim as an innovator in the environmental movement and education. 

Bates represented Berkeley in the state Assembly from 1976 to 1996 until term limits forced him to retire. 

He is married to Loni Hancock, the former two-term Berkeley mayor and current Democratic Party nominee for Bates’ former Assembly seat.  

Bates touted the usefulness of his connections in lobbying for the city. “Berkeley needs a mayor who understands the problems and can go to Sacramento and Washington to make sure our schools are sound and our children get the best possible education,” he said. 

If elected, Bates promised that his first priority would be to enact public campaign finance reform, which was recently defeated by Berkeley’s City Council.  

“It is time to take the corruption out of the system,” said Bates, who will oppose an incumbent in Dean with a hefty campaign war chest. 

In the weeks preceding the convention, it was uncertain whom the progressives would select to face Dean in November.  

Councilmember Kriss Worthington had widespread appeal among progressives, but with his seat up for election this year, he would have had to surrender his council position to run.  

A Worthington loss, coupled with a moderate victory in his district could have catapulted Dean’s faction into a 5-4 majority in council. Currently, the progressives maintain a 5-4 majority on the council. 

Faced with this prospect, the progressives led by Worthington made a full court press to get Bates into the race. 

“Tom’s been deluged with hundreds of people calling him up begging ‘you have to do this for the sake of the city’,” Worthington said.  

After consulting with family and friends, Bates finally decided last week to heed the call. “I love this city very deeply and I want to make a contribution,” said Bates who had worked during his six year retirement from politics to improve children’s nutrition in the Berkeley and Oakland public schools, and to lobby BART to provide discounts for students under 18. 

For the progressives, Bates appears to be an ideal candidate. My not running is a testament to the talent and character of Tom,” said Worthington. 

Bates’ connections and name recognition achieved through more than 20 years in politics should enable him to raise funds to run a competitive campaign, and having previously won his assembly district with as much as 80 percent of the vote, he stands out as someone who can reach out to unaffiliated voters, while maintaining the support of the more ardent progressives. 

Unifying the progressives has never been a simple task. In every mayoral election since 1982 there has been at least one fringe candidate on the left, and in 1994, the participation of three leftist candidates contributed to Dean’s ultimate victory in a runoff.  

“It’s absolutely critical to unseat an incumbent to have a unified group of people,” said Bates. “I’m flattered I’m the person they’ll rally behind.” 

In maintaining his base of support, perhaps Bates’ surest ally is the level of disenchantment for Dean among those on the left.  

The convention was the largest political gathering in Berkeley in over ten years, according to Rob Wren, planning commissioner. Those in attendance enthusiastically applauded when speaker after speaker criticized the current mayor’s policies, and derided her as a divisive force in Berkeley politics. 

“Tom is more moderate than some of the progressives, but people are more ready to embrace that to defeat Shirley Dean,” said Wren. 

The attendees clearly came to embrace Bates. However, when Russ Ellis, vice chancellor emeritus of Undergraduate Affairs at U.C. Berkeley gave Bates’ introductory speech and repeated the refrain “It’s Tom’s time!” many convention-goers had to wonder exactly what time Bates had because he had yet to arrive on the premises. 

After the convention voted to nominate Bates by acclamation, there was a brief moment of confusion about what to do in the nominee’s absence. But Bates then strode into the hall, smiling, wearing a Panama hat, ready to take the progressive mantle against Dean in November. 

The mayor, after hearing the news of Bates’ candidacy, appeared unaffected, noting that in her estimation, the progressives have always been united. “It doesn’t matter who my opponent is,” Dean said. “I’m going to run hard on what I’ve done and what I plan to do.” 


Mayor’s pick for peace commission is flawed

-Will Youmans
Monday May 06, 2002

To the Editor: 

 

I am not sure what Mayor Shirley Dean was thinking with her latest round of appointments to the Peace and Justice Commission. 

One of the them, Micki Weinberg, plans on joining the Israeli military after he graduates. He said it was “a moral responsibility.” 

This statement is testimony to a willingness to be on the firing end of a bullet that kills an innocent Palestinian child. 

Just yesterday, an Israeli tank officer shot a woman and both of her kids because he saw shadows lurking in the bushes. Amnesty International wrote that the same army Weinberg plans on joining is known for its regular“unlawful killings, destruction of property and arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment.” All of these are violations of “international human rights and humanitarian law.” 

In a recent opinion piece, he wrote Israel must “purge” the Palestinians. “Arafat” and even civilian “perpetrators” of the Palestinian uprising “must be rooted out.” His plagiarism of George Bush is just one of the many indications of his antipathy to peace and justice. 

After Colonel Micki Weinberg is done demolishing a home in a Palestinian refugee camp, I will pay for Mayor Dean to fly there to explain to there-displaced refugee family what an advocate of peace and justice he is. 

 

-Will Youmans 

Berkeley


Out & About Calendar

Staff
Monday May 06, 2002


Monday, May 6

 

Landmarks Preservation Commission 

Proposed landmark designation to the UC Theater, 2018-2036 University Ave. Public Hearing to consider designation.  

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst at Martin Luther King 

Free 

 

Live Music 

Renegade Sidemen, with Calvin Keyes, Dave Rokeach and friends 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


Tuesday, May 7

 

Live Music  

Singers’ Open Mike, Ellen Hoffman on piano 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


Wednesday May 8

 

Germbusters Puppet Show 

2:30- 3 p.m. 

Hall of Health, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 

Puppet show for children age 3 to 10 to learn about germs and their effects on the body. Free.  

For more information: 510-549-1564, www.hallofhealth.org 

 

Live Music  

Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


Thursday, May 9

 

FBI & Local police: Partners in Repression 

Forum, Speakout & Music 

7 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Bonita, Berkeley 

For Info: Copwatch, 510-548-0425 

$5-$15  

 

Consumers’ Rights, Problems and Legislation 

Speaker Tom Vacar, consumer editor, KTVU, Channel 2 

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Albany Public Library 

1247 Marin Ave., Albany 

For more info: 510-843-8824 

Free 

 

Live Music  

David Widelock Jazz Duo, guitar and bass 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 

Community Budget Workshop 

Berkeley Unified School District 

Budget & Finance Advisory Committee 

Subject: California State Budget Process & the J200 Budget Format 

6:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Alternative High School 

Multi Purpose Room 

2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Berkeley 

Free 

 


Friday, May 10

 

Live Music  

Pete Englehart / Doug Brown Jazz Duo 

Second show: Bluesman Hideo Date 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 

New Sculpture & Paintings by Jody Sears & Michele Ramirez 

Opening reception: Saturday May 11, 5 to 8 p.m. 

Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Ardency Gallery 

709 Broadway, Oakland 

510-836-0831, e-mail: gallery709@aol.com 

Free 

 


Saturday, May 11th

 

W. Hazaiah Williams Memorial Concert, “The Art of the Spiritual” 

Featuring African-American Spirituals sung by mezzo soprano Vanessa Ayers, tenors Samual McKelton and William Brown, Baritone Autris Paige and bass-baritone Benjamin Matthews, and pianist Dennis Helmrich. 

7:30 p.m. 

Calvin Simmons Theater 

10 Tenth Street, Oakland 

For tickets: SASE to PO Box 507, Berkeley, 94701, or e-mail: fourseasonsconcerts@juno.com with your name, address & phone number to have tickets held at the box office or call 510-451-0775  

Free - Reserved Seating Required 

 

9th Annual KFOG KABOOM! 

Free Concert- Headliner Boz Scaggs along with Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise and Zero 7. Expo area of food, drinks interactive sponsor exhibits and continuous performances for families on the Children’s stage. At 9 p.m. more than 7 tons of Fireworks burst over the Bay, choreographed to a soundtrack on KFOG 104.5 San Francisco and 99.7 San Jose. 

4 p.m. 

San Francisco Piers 30-32 

Free 

 

Impact Theatre's Love Is The Law 

La Val's Subterranean Theatre 

World-premiere of Impact Theatre's new romantic comedy play featuring David Ballog. 

For more information and reservations: 510-464-4468, www.tickets@impacttheatre.com 

$12 general, $7 students  

 

English Song Recital  

featuring Kirk Eichelberger, bass, with Christopher Luthi, piano  

7:00 p.m.  

Valley Christian High School, 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose.  

Tickets are available for a $100 tax-deductible donation.  

All proceeds benefit the Discovery Center's educational therapy program. 

 

Word Beat Reading Series 

Entertainers of all kinds come together . Featuring readers Rita Flores Bogaert and Ann Hunkins 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

Free 

 

3-on-3 Basketball Tournament 

Fun for everyone, whether competing or watching. At the New Gym at Albany High in Albany. Hosted by and benefiting Athletics at Albany High School. Players sign up today to play in one of four divisions. 64 teams compete for $500 First Prize & $250 Second Prize in each division with final game to be played Sunday, May 12 

510-525-2716 

 

Children's Movies 

Beauty & the Beast (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor's Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave., Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

W. Hazaiah Williams Memorial Concert, “The Art of the Spiritual” 

Featuring African-American Spirituals sung by mezzo soprano Vanessa Ayers, tenors Samual McKelton and William Brown, Baritone Autris Paige and bass-baritone Benjamin Matthews, and pianist Dennis Helmrich. 

7:30 p.m. 

Calvin Simmons Theater 

10 Tenth Street, Oakland 

For tickets: SASE to PO Box 507, Berkeley, 94701, or e-mail: fourseasonsconcerts@juno.com with your name, address & phone number to have tickets held at the box office or call 510-451-0775  

Free - Reserved Seating Required 

 

Live Music  

Classic Jazz Singer Robin Gregory with Bliss Rodriguez on piano 

Second show: Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave., Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA


Lady ’Jackets beat O’Dowd for unbeaten league season

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

The Berkeley High girls’ lacrosse team defeated Bishop O’Dowd, 6-1, on Saturday to clinch the Golden Gate-Shoreline Lacrosse League title with an undefeated league season. Senior Elena Krieger led the way for Berkeley with three goals. 

O’Dowd (4-2 GGSLL) actually got the scoring started at Cal’s Memorial Stadium when Anne Marie Cecconi found teammate Tiffany Lee open in front of the Berkeley net after a long stretch of pressure. But that was the last goal the Dragons would get as Berkeley goalie Rosie Gibson had a stellar second half with nine saves, including three on penalty shots. 

“I wasn’t really worried when (O’Dowd) scored,” Berkeley head coach Rebecca Meyer said. “The only thing I was worried about was that we might mentally psych ourselves out. But I knew we could be strong and come back and score.” 

Gibson did an excellent job of not giving up rebounds, but the same couldn’t be said for O’Dowd goalie Jovan Tucker. Tucker did a good job on initial shots, but often couldn’t get the ball to stay in her cradle. Berkeley scored its first goal on a rebound, with Krieger picking up the loose ball and firing it past Tucker. 

“Elena was the key today,” Meyer said. “She played great on offense and defense.” 

The Lady Yellowjackets (10-4 overall, 6-0 GGSLL) also took advantage of the slower O’Dowd players with fastbreaks. Off of a quick restart, Veronica Searles passed to Sacsha Atkins-Loria, who raced up the sideline before dumping the ball to Kate Walstead. Walstead dropped the ball, but had time to pick it back up and score for a 2-1 edge. 

Another restart found Walstead feeding Atkins-Loria for an easy shot, then Joanna Hoch bounced a shot past Tucker just before halftime, and Berkeley was up 4-1. 

The second half was a defensive battle, with nearly 20 minutes going by without a score. Gibson was on fire coming out of halftime, making eight saves during the scoreless stretch to make sure the Dragons couldn’t cut the Berkeley lead. 

Two goals in 32 seconds sealed the deal for the ’Jackets. First Atkins-Loria put the ball to the front of the O’Dowd goal, where Krieger made a great catch before turning and beating Tucker high. Krieger finished her hat trick on a penalty shot seconds later, and Berkeley had the league championship all sewn up. 

Berkeley will now enter an eight-team postseason tournament. Possible first-round opponents include Monte Vista, Miramonte and Thatcher.


One person’s trash is another ’s treasure

By Matthew Artz Daily Planet Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Recycling is theme 

at Berkeley art show 

 

Visitors to Saturday’s Trash to Treasures reception discovered a miniature bed spread made entirely of used tea bags, a giant bug made of assorted metals hanging from the ceiling, and a mysterious looking woman with a snake in her hands, holding court in the back corner on a throne of objects that she finds too many uses for to ever throw away. 

The annual junk-art exhibition is put on by the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and what it lacks in pomp, it more than makes up for in energy, originality, and eco-consciousness. 

The 10th annual exhibition, on display through May 17 at the Outback Store in Berkeley, at Sacramento and Dwight streets, showcases 123 works by children, adults, families, and professional artists, all of whom use materials that would have usually found their way to the local landfill or dump.  

 

The organizers worked with local schools and sent out community-wide invitations for entries, which were ultimately selected by a panel of judges. Winners were selected in eight categories ranging from early elementary school student through professional artist.  

“This is meant to be a venue of diverse people that all see with a vision of how to transform trash into treasure,” said Valerie Raps, event co-coordinator.  

Emma Ramstad, who recently moved from Minnesota, was excited to contribute. She used cardboard and broken CDs to create a miniature art car parade, a technique she first learned as a child when she accidentally crushed a farmer’s lawn mower under her tractor and made him a replica mower out of cardboard.  

“It’s so cool to have the East Bay Depot to make recycled art and then to get a place like this. It’s very exciting,” said Ramstad.  

This is the first year the exhibition is at the Outback Store. Its nine-year affiliation with the Oakland YWCA ended when that building’s gallery space was converted for other uses.  

The site has been vacant for over a year, while Berkeley leaders decide what to do with the land, but in keeping with Trash to Treasure’s theme the organizers are creatively re-using it for this year’s show. 

The site also provides extra space to accommodate the exhibition’s first performance art installation by Orunamamu, which means “Morning Star” in a Nigerian dialect. 

Orunamamu is a retired Berkeley teacher, who became a full-time storyteller operating from the porch of her Rockridge home. For the exhibition, she has moved many on the objects from her home to the art space to show children that there is a story, and a hidden significance behind many of the objects people throw away.  

“A lot of things that are wasted could be used if we re-imagine what we could do,” said Orunamamu who flaunted a small snake on hand and a small mat or “magic carpet” woven from magazines in the other. 

Asked if she considered herself a pack rat, the storyteller replied that she was a collector, because pack rats pick up anything, but a collector only takes things to use for a purpose. 

A central theme of the exhibition is collaborative art, especially among adults and children. Joyce Slim, an art instructor at Franklin State Preschool, and an entrant in past shows decided to work with her 3- to 5-year-old students, and her friend Sherron Longfeather for this show. 

Their project, “What A Wonderful World” is a tribute to Louis Armstrong’s famous song, and features a figurine of the jazz great on top of a bike rim, set above seven figures of children made from tin and plastic containers, each representing a different theme from the song. 

Slim has been recycling art with children for several years, and has found that even preschoolers can understand the message embedded in the art. “Their concept light turned on when they saw the things being attached,” said Slim. “They made the connection that ‘hey that’s my apple juice box.’”  

Slim is hopeful that in addition to giving a stage for this inventive art, Trash to Treasure will change the perspectives of visitors of all ages. “These things are around us and we can use them to create something to bring joy to others.”  


Pro-Palestine group stoops to new low

-Maya Aizenman
Monday May 06, 2002

To the Editor: 

 

Last week’s protest by university group Students for Justice in Palestine was none other than a true testament to the fact that the group has already lost its credibility and is desperately trying to gain more supporters after alienating much of campus with their repeated disruption of classes. SJP has really hit rock bottom when they are trying desperately to make a connection that this is turning back to the pre-1964 no-free-speech days on this campus. SJP had the right as a student group to reserve one of the many reservable campus places such as Sproul every day of the school year and protest every single day under the code of conduct for student groups. They instead chose to violate the campus rules and are upset when the university has taken action against them. So what is their current action? A speaker at the rally, Hatem Bazian, a leader in the MSU, gets up on Sproul and tells the crowd “to take a look at the type of names on the building around campus --- Haas, Zellerbach and decide who controls this university.” Therefore when all else fails for them and they refuse to take responsibility for their own actions, they blame the Jews. Hey why not? It worked before. 

 

-Maya Aizenman 

U.C. Berkeley student


Sports shorts

Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Panthers shine at MOC 

The St. Mary’s High track & field squad had a good day at the Meet of Champions in Sacramento on Saturday with four wins, including three from the boys’ side. 

Solomon Welch pulled off yet another double win with first-place finishes in the long jump and triple jump, although Robert Banks of Woodcreek jumped an identical 46’05” in the triple jump. The biggest surprise of the day was a win by the boys’ 4x100 relay team, which finished in a blazing 41.87, their fastest time of the year and the seventh fastest in the state this season. 

Kamaiya Warren was her usual dominating self, winning the discus and taking second in the shotput. Danielle Stokes continued her season-long duel with Talia Stewart of Logan High, finishing behind the sophomore in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles to finish second and third, respectively.  

 

Berkeley girls finish second at ACCAL championship  

The Berkeley High girls finished second at the ACCAL track & field championship on Saturday in Hercules, while the boys limped home with a fourth-place finish. Alameda High swept the meet, more than doubling Berkeley’s point on the girls’ side and topping Pinole Valley, 153-120, on the boys’ side.  

Berkeley’s Alex Enscoe continued his dominance in the distance events, winning both the 1,600 and 3,200. 

 

Individual performances not enough for ’Jackets  

Berkeley High’s swim teams both came in second behind Alameda at the ACCAL swimming championships at Contra Costa College on Saturday. 

Berkeley sophomore Dominic Cathey won by four seconds in the 200 individual medley, taking more than a second off of his personal best with a time on 2:00.38. Cathey also won the 500 freestyle. Nick Easterday also won two events for the ’Jackets, nipping Alameda’s Terry Fukichi in the 50 free and 100 free.


Salvation Army expected to close

By Kurtis Alexander, Daily Planet Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Worshipers seeking a spiritual lift at the Salvation Army service yesterday came up a bit short. 

Sunday-morning regulars were greeted with news that their 13-year facility, at 1535 University Ave., may soon be up for sale. 

According to chairperson of the Berkeley Salvation Army Advisory Board Bill White, administrators from Sacramento informed the board this weekend that low attendance would likely be grounds for closing the center. 

“This is a step backward for us,” he said. “When people think about the Salvation Army, they have always thought Berkeley and all the work that’s been done here.” 

Salvation Army administrators are expected to make a formal announcement about the closing on Wednesday, White said. Officials at the Sacramento divisional headquarters could not be reached for comment. 

The Berkeley Salvation Army, in addition to its regular Sunday morning worship service, provides a number of resources for the community. Access to free food, shelter, and clothing, counseling on employment and personal issues like drug addiction, and direct monetary aid and vouchers are among their services. 

Once the group’s facility is sold, White said the organization will likely move to a smaller, rented space somewhere in town. 

However, White added that the chaplain and manager of Berkeley’s Salvation Army, Captain Terrance Wright, would be transferred to a new post, and 

the organization’s new quarters would likely discontinue worship services. 

“And the sale is not only going to affect the Salvation Army,” he continued,” but other programs as well.” 

Berkeley’s Head Start, a nonprofit serving children of low-income families, as well as the city’s Police Activities League, a program also serving youth, operate out of the Berkeley Salvation Army building too. 

Berkeley’s Salvation Army board is planning an “emergency” meeting for Tuesday to develop a strategy to counter Wednesday’s expected announcement. 

White said he hopes Sacramento officials will reconsider selling their facility, but said he’s doubtful that Wright would stay and worship services would continue. 


Don’t believe the hype of progressive politicians

-Stephen Dunifer
Monday May 06, 2002

To the Editor: 

 

A recent announcement from City Councilmember Donna Spring called for citizen participation in a convention to select a progressive candidate to run against current Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean. This announcement proudly asserted that the last time such an event occurred it resulted in the election of two-term Mayor Loni Hancock. Given that Donna Spring, who deserves to be known as the Green Party's brown thumb, was the source of this call, this should make the whole process suspect from the beginning. 

Loni Hancock was an unmitigated disaster for Berkeley. Her hand-picked choice of City Manger Michael Brown militarized the Berkeley Police. He embarked on a campaign against dissent in Berkeley and created the police unit known as The Crowd Management Team. During that time, supposed progressive city councilmembers voted for the use of crowd control munitions - by police. These had been used on crowds protesting construction of volley ball courts at People’s Park. At the City Council meeting where the deciding votes were cast, Brown stood on the stage of the Berkeley Community Theatre and pointed out community activists to be dragged out and arrested. Some notable activists such as Carol Denney were hog-tied like farm animals. The progressive City Council and Mayor Hancock did nothing to intervene in this gross violation of civil rights and liberties. 

Loni Hancock pushed through legislation that allowed the most notorious developer in Berkeley, the university, to OK its own EIR findings, giving up the city's right to review them. This proved a clear violation of the voters’ will, as expressed with passage of Measure N in the mid 80's. This ballot measure commanded city officials to take every possible measure to ensure U.C. Berkeley’s compliance with existing zoning laws and the General Plan. So far, not one city official has made any effort to enforce the will of the voters expressed in Measure N. Mayor Hancock was totally complicit in the University's construction of volley ball courts at People's Park and lied about her involvement repeatedly. 

Spring’s record is total anathema to what the Green platform is supposed to stand for. Unfortunately the local Green Party is nothing more than a reelection vehicle for Spring and will not do anything to hold her accountable to the Green Party platform. Spring was on the committee that drafted the "poor law" proposals used to further legitimize and codify Berkeley's war against the homeless. Further, Spring, at the behest of local merchants who complained about homeless folks camping out on a bench on Shattuck Avenue, personally ordered city workers to remove the offending piece of outdoor furniture. She voted for the privatization of the city parking garages, depriving union workers of jobs. To avoid offending downtown merchants she voted against HUD money to be used to create low income housing in downtown Berkeley. In many critical votes on progressive issues where it came down to her as the swing vote she waffled by abstaining thus allowing the item to be defeated by council moderates. 

When it comes down to walking the talk, Berkeley progressives remain hobbled at the starting line by their own self-serving tendency to compromise at the first hint of opposition and timorous fear of being portrayed as being too radical rather than standing on principle. Not one supposed progressive on the City Council has denounced the illegal labor practices employed by certain city of Berkeley departments. Part-time employees of the city do not receive benefits and are limited to less than 30 hours per week, the break point between part time and full time. If a part-time employee works more than 30 hours, they are ordered to carry the extra time over to next week’s time card so they will not move up to full-time status and thus eligible for benefits. Nor have any progressive city councilmembers called for the firing of City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque who, among her many notable endeavors, has done her best to legally justify city actions against the homeless and the undermining of the Brown Act by city departments and commissions. 

 

-Stephen Dunifer 

Berkeley


Cal falls to Stanford despite records

Daily Planet Wire Services
Monday May 06, 2002

Cal put forth its best effort but was swept at the Big Meet for the second year in a row Saturday at Edwards Stadium. On men’s side, the Cardinal won 94-69, marking its first victory at Cal since 1966. The Cardinal women posted a 101-62 victory.  

“(The streak) meant a lot to the kids on different teams,” said Cal Director of Track and Field Erv Hunt. “You always want to win, but it’s amazing that it’s been that long of a time (since Stanford won in Berkeley). To win something that many times is pretty amazing.”  

The Golden Bears had less athletes entered than Stanford in many events, but those that competed had arguably their best meet of the year. Among those that scored, 18 personal bests were set by Cal athletes. Additionally, the Bears posted three of the six Big Meet records set Saturday. The teams also combined to set three school records - two for Cal and one for Stanford.  

“Kids really stepped up and did a great job,” said Hunt. “Stanford just had too many people. There were a lot of really good performances. You can’t ask for them to do better than their best.”  

The most impressive of all of the records set in the 108th Big Meet (23rd for women) came from Cal senior Jennifer Joyce. The Vancouver product broke her own Canadian record and school record in the hammer by winning the competition with a throw of 214’0”, bettering her previous Canadian record of 212’7” set two weeks ago at the Mount SAC Relays. Joyce, who ranks second in the nation in the hammer this year, also shattered her previous hammer Big Meet record of 200’4” from 2000.  

Three other seniors and one junior accounted for the several of the other Cal highlights. Senior Bubba McLean won the pole vault by eclipsing the 18-foot mark for the first time in his career. He cleared an NCAA provisional 18’0.5”, becoming only the third Cal athlete to ever clear 18 feet. McLean broke the previous Big Meet record of 17’8.5”, set in 1991 by Brent Burns. Burns and Clarence Phelps are the other two 18-foot pole vaulters in Cal history.  

“You kind of knew (an 18-foot clearance) was coming,” said Hunt. “This was a good time to get it. It was pretty exciting.”  

Senior Marielle Schlueter finished second (NCAA provisional: 10:22.38) in the 3000-meter steeplechase and bettered her previous Cal record by almosts eight seconds.  

Senior Erin Belger, who entered the meet with the second-best mark in the nation in the 800, easily won the event Saturday with a new personal best and NCAA automatic time of 2:04.39. Stanford’s Ashley Wysong was second in 2:06.94.  

“She wasn’t pushed really,” said Hunt of Belger. “She can go faster. That’s for sure. She’s setting herself up to make a run at the NCAA championship.”  

Cal swept two events Saturday - the men’s javelin and the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Junior Joe Berro claimed top honors in the javelin with a modern era Big Meet record of 220’2”. That distance was a personal record, an NCAA provisional qualifier and ranks second on the Bears all-time list. Sophomore Deanna Slaton also posted a PR of 1:00.05 to take first in the 400-meter hurdles.  

Overall, Cal won 12 events - six men’s and six women’s - and nine of the victories came with personal best performances.


Earth First! bombing trial nears conclusion

By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer
Monday May 06, 2002

Twelve years after two Earth First! activists were arrested in the bombing of their own car, investigators facing accusations of false arrest have sharply different recollections of the case. 

Two of the three Oakland police officers named in the suit filed by Darryl Cherney and Judi Bari say they were heavily influenced by FBI agents who came to the scene of the 1990 bombing and told them the two victims were tied to domestic terrorism. 

FBI agents, meanwhile, maintain it was Oakland police who pushed for the swift arrests. 

Cherney is expected to take the stand Monday in Oakland federal court as his attorneys wrap up their case. Attorneys for the lawmen expect to call only a few more witnesses and the case could go to the jury by mid-month. 

Bari and Cherney were driving in Oakland in May 1990 when a bomb went off under Bari, who was at the wheel. She suffered a crushed pelvis and Cherney suffered cuts. 

Hours after the bombing, the two were arrested and named as the main suspects. However, the district attorney later determined there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute and no one was charged in the bombing. 

Bari and Cherney’s civil suit claims false arrests, illegal searches, slanderous statements and conspiracy. 

Attorneys for Cherney and Bari’s estate — Bari died of cancer in 1997 — have tried to show that FBI agents rushed to the scene and took the lead in the investigation, telling police Cherney and Bari were linked to power line sabotage. 

At the time of the arrests, officials said the bomb was in the rear of the car where it would have been visible to Bari and Cherney. 

But jurors have heard from David Williams, the FBI’s former chief bomb technician at the agency’s crime lab in Washington, D.C., who said it was clear the device had been shoved under the driver’s seat. 

Williams testified that a switch, a cheap pocket watch and a motion device would have all had to be triggered before the bomb could detonate. The Cherney-Bari team says the pair would have been crazy to drive around on top of the bomb with the switch pulled and the timer activated. 

Two of the three Oakland policemen named in the suit testified they relied heavily almost exclusively on FBI information. 

However, retired FBI agent Frank Doyle denied Oakland police claims he told them the bomb must have been clearly visible. He also denied telling officers that nails found in the back of the car matched nails wrapped in duct tape around the bomb. 

On Thursday, former Oakland Police Lt. Mike Sims testified Oakland police did take the lead in the investigation. 

Sims, now working in the Tracy department, said he still believes Bari and Cherney knew the bomb was in the car but didn’t realize it was armed. 

 


Bears lose 8th game in a row

Daily Planet Wire Services
Monday May 06, 2002

STANFORD – In a game that followed the pattern of the series, the Cal baseball team played No. 9 ranked Stanford well through the first few innings but couldn’t hold off the Cardinal, losing 8-5 Sunday at Sunken Diamond.  

The Bears, who have lost seven games in a row, go to 26-26 overall and 8-13 in the Pac-10, while the Cardinal improve to 32-13 and 9-6 in conference. Cal lost to Stanford, 8-4, Friday night and 13-6 Saturday.  

The scored was tied 4-4 after four innings. The Bears had scored three runs in the third inning on a solo home run by Nick Medrano, a solo home run by Conor Jackson and an RBI single by Brian Horwitz. Cal added another run in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Justin Nelson.  

Offensively Stanford scored a run in the second off of Bear starter Matt Brown on a solo home run by Scott Dragicevich. The Cardinal added three more runs in the third on a two-run triple by Carlos Quentin and a sacrifice fly by Brian Hall.  

Stanford finally pulled ahead by scoring three runs in the fifth off of Brown. Sam Fuld led off with a home run, Hall had a sacrifice fly to center field and a throwing error by Cal shortstop Jeff Dragicevich allowed another run to score. The Bears tacked on another run in the seventh inning on an RBI single by John Baker and the Cardinal had another run in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run by Arik VanZandt for the final 8-5 margin.


History

Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

 

Today 

 

Today is Monday, May 6, the 126th day of 2002. There are 239 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight in History 

 

On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 35 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground. 

 

On this date 

 

In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the Union. 

In 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower. 

In 1910, Britain’s King Edward VII died. 

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration began operating. 

In 1942, during World War II, some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. 

In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. 

In 1960, Britain’s Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey. (They divorced in 1978.) 

In 1962, in the first test of its kind, the submerged submarine USS Ethan Allen fired a Polaris missile armed with a nuclear warhead that detonated above the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1987, CIA Director William J. Casey died at age 74. 

In 1996, the body of former CIA director William E. Colby was found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he’d disappeared. 

 

Ten years ago 

 

Former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev delivered a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., where Winston Churchill had spoken of the “Iron Curtain.” Gorbachev said the world was still divided, between North and South, rich and poor. Actress Marlene Dietrich died at her Paris home at age 90. 

 

Five years ago 

 

President Clinton wrapped up his visit to Mexico as he and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo pledged closer cooperation on immigration and drug smuggling. 

Army Staff Sgt. Delmar G.Simpson was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping six trainees at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. World chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue computer played to a draw in game three of their six-game match. 

 

One year ago 

 

John Paul II, during his visit to Syria, became the first pope to enter a mosque as he called for brotherhood between Christians and Muslims. American businessman Dennis Tito ended the world’s first paid space vacation as he returned to Earth aboard a Russian capsule. 

 

Today’s Birthdays 

 

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays is 71. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is 68. Rock singer Bob Seger is 57. Singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 57. Actor Ben Masters is 55. Actor Gregg Henry is 50. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is 49. TV game show host Tom Bergeron is 47. Actor George Clooney is 41. Actor Clay O’Brien is 41. Actress Roma Downey is 39. Rock singer-musician Tony Scalzo (Fastball) is 38. Rock musician Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish) is 35.


Sports this week

Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Tuesday 

Tennis – Berkeley vs. Montgomery (NCS first round), 3:30 p.m. at King Middle School 

Boys Lacrosse – Berkeley vs. Branson, 4 p.m. at Branson High, Ross 

 

Wednesday 

Baseball – Berkeley vs. Hercules, 3:30 p.m. at Hercules High 

Baseball – St. Mary’s vs. Piedmont, 3:30 p.m. at Piedmont High 

Softball – Berkeley vs. Hercules, 3:30 p.m. at Hercules High 

 

Thursday 

Track & Field – BSAL Finals, 3 p.m. at Piedmont High 

 

Friday 

Baseball – Cal vs. Oregon State, 2:30 p.m. at Evans Diamond 

Baseball – Berkeley vs. Encinal, 3:30 p.m. at Encinal High, Alameda 

Softball – Berkeley vs. Encinal, 3:30 p.m. at Encinal High, Alameda 

Boys Lacrosse – Berkeley vs. Piedmont, 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley High


Berkeley’s Cinco de Mayo re-done

By Matthew Artz, Daily Planet Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

Berkeley’s annual Cinco de Mayo festival had a new address and a new attitude this year, as organizers chose to shed the holiday’s rollicking party image in favor of a more subdued block party setting. 

The holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla, in which Mexican fighters defeated an occupying French force in 1862, had been celebrated annually in Berkeley’s Civic Center Park. However this year, local Latino leaders decided to try something new. 

“We are trying to change the focus from a concert venue to a family day,” said Carlos Rios, a festival organizer from the Duran organization, explaining the decision to move the festival to James Kenny Park at 8th and Virginia streets in the heart of Berkeley’s largest Latino neighborhood. 

“The downtown venue was not attracting the local community,” said Rios. “We thought that if we had it in the neighborhood that a larger concentration of Latin people would attend.” 

He was right. The park was filled with local Latino families enjoying food, music, face painting and two giant bubble castles. 

The convenient location and family friendly attitude was appreciated by seemingly everyone at the festival. “I love the family orientation that it has. Over there [civic center park] it seemed to be more of a tourist thing. Here it is for the community,” said Rosalia Wilkins.  

In addition to food and fun, the festival provided free medical services. For the first time the La Raza Health Fair was partnered with the Cinco de Mayo celebration, offering local residents an opportunity to get on-the-spot eye, blood pressure and diabetes exams. 

The health fair, which is usually held independently in April, is organized by the Chicanos Latinos in Health Education (CHE), a UC Berkeley student group that works with volunteers from the UC San Francisco Medical Center and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health to provide health services for local Latinos in need. 

“A lot of men won’t go to the doctor but they will go here because it’s non-threatening,” said Beatriz Leyva Cutler of Bay Area Hispanic Institute for Advancement, an organization that operates two child care centers.  

The health fair is especially important for Latinos because, according to Nirav Kamdar of CHE, 33 percent of adult Latinos have diabetes but most do not know it. We are trying to empower people to be their own doctor,” said Kamdar, who stated that after the Pima Native American tribe, Latinos have the highest risk of diabetes of any ethnic group in the world. 

The new Cinco de Mayo festival was the collaborative work of several different local Latino groups. Adelante, a non-profit Latino organization had sponsored the festival for several years, but after the organization folded last year, Duran, an organization that provides scholarships to Latino students and promotes the arts stepped forward. 

Duran along with BAHIA and CHE pooled their resources to organize this year’s festival, which has included a weakling schedule of educational and cultural events that put a different spin on the holiday. 

“Cinco de Mayo is an opportunity for the community to celebrate itself. A day to celebrate and reflect on everything,” Rios said. 

One item the organizers noticeably decided to leave out was alcohol. Many festival goers expressed mixed reactions about the recent commercialization of the holiday, but were overwhelmingly supportive of the decision to keep the festival dry.  

“Cinco de Mayo has become the Latino version of St. Patrick’s day, said Ricardo Gomez a graduating UC Berkeley senior and member of CHE. “I’m glad there’s a general recognition of the Latino holiday, but it’s gotten co-opted. It going to get commercialized no matter how you do it.”  

Andrea Vargas, who was visiting from Castro Valley, concurred stating that although she thought she could look at the media portrayal in two ways, she considered some of the Cinco de Mayo television commercials degrading. “This event celebrates it the best way we can celebrate it: By bringing good people and families together.” 

Rios considered the new festival an unabashed success, and was already thinking of new activities for children next year. “This year was just an experiment to see if the change would work,” said Rios, who was considering horse rides among other activities. “If we can achieve that children come to the festival and they enjoy it, they will have something to remember Cinco de Mayo by.”


Much ado in Mexico over 140-year anniversary

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

Accompanied by brass bands and flag-waving school children, members of Mexico’s military celebrated the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Puebla on Sunday, marking the country’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. 

Speaking during the ceremony, which was also attended by President Vicente Fox, Gen. Rigoberto Castellejos Adriano said the battle “demonstrated to the world our wish to exist as a free and sovereign nation.” 

“The Battle of Puebla shows that Mexico knows how to resolve with determination and strength its problems and the most adverse situations,” he said. “It shows that with unity and patriotism as Mexicans, we have overcome the most difficult circumstances that throughout time have tested our will.” 

The celebration marked the day when, on May 5, 1862, Mexican soldiers defeated French troops in Puebla, a colonial town 65 miles southeast of Mexico City. 

A year later, however, troops sent by Napoleon III took control of Mexico City, forcing the government of Benito Juarez to flee. 

Not even an official holiday in Mexico, May 5 is barely recognized by most Mexicans living south of the Rio Grande. But those living in the United States have adopted the date as a holiday to celebrate their heritage with everything from backyard picnics to street fairs. 

On Saturday, President Bush celebrated Cinco de Mayo by praising immigrants for their “strong values and their determination to create a better life for themselves and their children.”


After months in custody, 2 former terror suspects are heading home

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

SANTA ANA — Two friends from Pakistan, who hoped for opportunity in the United States but instead found themselves jailed in a post-Sept. 11 roundup, are heading home after spending more than six months in custody. 

Ahmed Atta and Salman Hyder, both 19, were detained Oct. 6, as federal investigators checked out an anonymous tip that Atta had a link to the al-Qaida terrorist network. Atta recently was sent back to Pakistan, while Hyder remains in custody pending his return. 

In separate interviews with the Orange County Register, Atta and Hyder, described how they were detained, interrogated for weeks and taken to court appearances in chains. 

“I was scared as hell,” Atta said. 

Hyder said he, too, was terrified as agents repeatedly asked the same questions about possible links to terrorists. 

“I was shivering when those agents were questioning me,” Hyder said. “During those first two months, we were terrified because we knew our case was not a normal case.” 

Both men did not have an attorney during the interviews. 

Although no links to terrorists were ever found, Atta and Hyder were convicted of minor visa violations involving working without proper papers or permission. Both were sentenced to time served and ordered to either leave the county voluntarily or be deported. 

Atta said he regretted the lost opportunity to make his fortune in America. 

“I came to spend the rest of my life here,” said Atta. “I know (the INS) won’t want to hear this. But that’s the truth. I would love to live here. It is the land of opportunity.” 

Hyder was eager to return to his family. 

“I like the U.S., but I’m dying to go back to Pakistan,” he said. “I know it will be hard, but my home is better than jail.” 

Hyder and Atta lived in a Fountain Valley condominium and attended Irvine Valley College. Both came to the United States believing there was more opportunity to prosper her than in the Middle East. 

Hyder arrived in January 2000 on a student visa, but dropped out of school after only one semester in violation of federal rules. He had to work, Hyder said, because his father was unemployed and could no longer afford to support him. 

Atta applied for a job at Fry’s Electronics in Fountain Valley last year. Atta said he had to work to support himself for what he called “an opportunity of a lifetime.” 

Hyder was born in Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents. Atta was born in Pakistan but, like Hyder, grew up in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital. 

Atta’s attorney, Ronald O. Kaye, said the prosecution of the roommates was unprecedented. “He (Atta) was arrested for immigration offenses that I had never seen prosecuted before as a criminal matter,” Kaye said. 


Davis aides questioned about computer deal

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

SACRAMENTO — While a legislative committee investigating the state’s software contract with Oracle Corp. meets Monday, Gov. Gray Davis’ finance director and Oracle officials will discuss killing the contract criticized as wasteful. 

Finance Director Tim Gage will meet with Oracle executives to negotiate an end to the state’s six-year, $95 million, no-bid contract to buy and administer database management software from Oracle, Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio said Sunday. 

Meanwhile, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearings led by Assemblyman Dean Florez will feature at least eight Davis administration officials Monday, Florez said. A Democrat from Shafter and committee chairman, Florez will focus on the roles of two Davis aides — Cynthia Curry, a top lawyer in the General Services Department, and Kari Dohn, a Davis policy adviser. 

Curry will be asked how the contract was reviewed before it was signed, Florez told the Orange County Register. Dohn will be asked if Davis was told about the contract. 

On Friday, Davis said he didn’t know about the contract before it was signed. 

Also testifying will be Elias Cortez, the suspended state technology chief, and Betty Yee, the chief deputy director of the Department of Finance. 

Originally touted as a way for the state to save money through volume software purchases, the contract has turned controversial as a state auditor report says it would cost taxpayers as much as $41 million more than if the state had relied on previous suppliers. The state and Oracle had said the contract would save the state $16 million. Oracle has disputed Auditor Elaine Howle’s report, saying she severely underestimated the state’s future database needs. Last week, Oracle officials said they would end the contract with the state, and on Saturday officials from Logicon Inc., the company packaging the software with Oracle, said they, too, would drop the contract. On Sunday, Maviglio welcomed the Logicon offer but said that while Gage will meet Monday with Oracle, no meeting with Logicon has been arranged yet. 


Jagged glass found at playground

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

MISSION VIEJO — A Mission Viejo park was temporarily closed Sunday after several half-dollar sized pieces of broken glass were found near a child’s slide, officials said. 

The broken glass was found underneath a slide and it’s stairwell about 1:50 p.m. at Crucero Park and may have been placed there intentionally, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. 

Amormino said the broken glass was found “at exactly the same places” as 17 nails found Friday at William M. Beebe Park, also in Mission Viejo, and 30 razor blades and 30 nails found Thursday at Vista Park in Laguna Niguel. 

It’s unclear if the nails were left in the park by the same people. He said those responsible for placing sharp objects in the parks may have switched to glass from nails to elude metal detectors.


NBC hopes Telemundo deal helps reach Hispanic market

By Gary Gentile, The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

Bilingual cooperation just one example of network’s ideas for Spanish-language integration 

 

LOS ANGELES – When WNBC reporter Darlene Rodriguez finished filing a report on the recent meeting of U.S. bishops at the Vatican, she switched hats and filed a second report in Spanish for the Telemundo network and its New York affiliate. 

That kind of bilingual cooperation is just one example of the way NBC hopes to work with Telemundo, which it bought last October for $2 billion. 

The relationship will most likely bear its first fruits behind the scenes, with the networks eliminating duplicate back office operations and combining some of its sales staffs, even housing some NBC and Telemundo affiliates in the same building. 

But NBC president Andy Lack hinted at broader moves recently at a news conference announcing that Telemundo had hired away Maria Celeste Arraras, a top newscaster at dominant Spanish-language network Univision. 

Arraras is expected to contribute occasionally to NBC’s Dateline and news shows on NBC’s other cable channels. 

“There aren’t going to be any walls between NBC and Telemundo,” Lack said. 

Media companies and advertisers are waking up to the buying power of Hispanics, whose numbers in this country have grown nearly 60 percent in the past decade to 35.3 million, according to the 2000 census. 

Over the next 20 years, that figure is expected to grow to 55 million. Their purchasing power could grow at three times the rate of the rest of the country, analysts say. 

But crafting the right strategy to capitalize on that market is still a work in progress, with tact and sensitivity key considerations. 

“When we start trying to hit each other over the head with ethnic hammers, nobody is listening,” said comedian George Lopez, who stars in his own sitcom on ABC. 

To help reach Hispanic audiences, NBC executives are asking Telemundo for advice on casting pilots for the upcoming season while examining a new Telemundo reality series and popular telenovelas, or soap operas, for ideas. 

“We may have a programming opportunity in daytime, where soap operas are so strong,” Lack said in an interview. “Latino viewers have a passion for that genre, and we can go to school on picking up some good programs there. 

“We may want to cast actors and actresses who are bilingual if it works on some of our programming,” he said. “A Latin star of a Telemundo soap opera might find him or herself as a guest star on some of our programming if the language capabilities are there.” 

Telemundo has little to lose in joining NBC. It has long languished in the shadow of rival Univision. 

Being part of NBC holds the promise of greater advertising revenue, which could be used to lure top talents like Arraras. The chance to appear on NBC from time to time is also seen as a recruiting tool, especially for newscasters. 

“I think there is a large market for crossover anchors and reporters,” said Jim McNamara, president and chief executive of Telemundo. “We’re not going to promise someone a gig on NBC. But the fact is that as part of Telemundo, you are part of NBC.” 

McNamara said as many as 40 percent of Telemundo’s news reporters are fluent enough in English to file a breaking news report. And many NBC journalists, especially in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami, are bilingual. 

“I don’t think it’s a driving force behind the deal,” McNamara said. “But it’s an obvious byproduct.” 

Executives at Univision are taking a different tack by trying to reach even more Spanish speakers and bilingual Hispanics who have been watching English-language television because of a lack of compelling Spanish programming. 

“We’ve developed an expertise in the Hispanic market,” said Ray Rodriguez, president and chief operating officer of Univision Networks. “Our strategy is not to Americanize our network.” That strategy is in line with the findings of a recent study on ethnic media in California, one of the first states in the nation where minorities are a majority. 

The study showed the strength of ethnic media — especially Hispanic and Asian newspapers and television — and revealed that a growing number of minorities in California prefer to read publications and listen to broadcasts in their own language. 

Lopez, however, believes Hispanics will respond to English-language programming that has quality, regardless of whether it features Hispanic performers or newscasters. 

“I’ve always felt the way to get us to be mainstream is in small increments,” he said. “The success of a Marc Anthony and a Shakira is the way America will finally come to understand we are talented people, we can help the system economically and not deplete it like you see so much of on the news.”


Cops conflicted about returning medicinal marijuana

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — Police officers are conflicted about whether to return marijuana to someone who’s legally entitled to use the drug for medical reasons. 

Under federal law, marijuana use for any reason is illegal, but under state law, growing and using pot with a doctor’s recommendation is legal. 

In at least three cases in Northern California, police have balked at returning marijuana to people who successfully pleaded that they shouldn’t be prosecuted because their pot use is covered under Proposition 215. Police argue that giving back the pot could leave them liable to prosecution under federal law against distributing illegal drugs. 

“There is no legal answer to this conundrum,” said Rory Little, a professor at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and a former federal prosecutor. 

In Yuba County, Sheriff Virginia Black defied an order by a judge last week to return 37 medicinal marijuana plants to Doyle and Belinda Satterfield, who were arrested in August but later had marijuana charges against them dismissed. 

“If I deliver marijuana to the Satterfields, technically I place myself in violation of federal law, and I’m not inclined to do that,” Black said. “So I find myself in a Catch-22.” 

Jesse Choper, a constitutional law professor at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, agreed with the sheriff. “I think it’s pretty clear to me that they could be charged under federal law,” Choper said. “It’s unlikely, but technically it’s possible.” 

That leaves the Satterfields wondering whether they’ll get their marijuana back. Doyle Satterfield, 52, said he uses marijuana for insomnia and arthritis, and his wife has used it for chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. 

Under state law, controlled substances are usually destroyed after trial, or if charges are dismissed, unless they were found to be “lawfully possessed” by the defendant. 

That supports the return of medicinal marijuana. And, in fact, onetime defendants in Ventura, Placer, San Bernardino, Sonoma, Mendocino and San Joaquin counties have all gotten their pot back, according to Justin Scott, Satterfield’s lawyer. 


John Barrymore III assaulted

Staff
Monday May 06, 2002

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Former actor John Barrymore III is recovering after being beaten inside his home by teenagers who were allegedly trying to steal his stash of marijuana, police said. Six teenagers pulled up to Barrymore’s upscale house in Mountain View in a Volkswagen van Wednesday, said police spokesman Jim Bennett. When the couple opened the door, they were beaten with a metal trailer hitch slung in a sock. Barrymore, 47, is the grandson of the Shakespearean actor and silent film star with the same name. Now dabbling in high-tech work, he has had minor roles in several movies and he is the brother of Drew Barrymore.


Rituals to cram by

By Kelly Virella, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

Routine, superstition and will power guide students as  

they attempt to stay on the ball during final exams 

 

If UC Berkeley sophomore Lauren Keller wants to do well on her finals next month, she has to have a seven millimeter mechanical pencil with a white eraser.  

“The pencils I get weird about,” the cognitive science major said. “It’s gotta be seven millimeter lead — not five millimeter.”  

Keller writes her exams in the thin, blue books the university requires, but they throw her off, especially during math finals. “I really don’t like them because they’re wide ruled,” she said. “I like to have graphing paper to write on if it’s a math final.” 

Keller’s friend, Tissa Richards, a sophomore majoring in Mass Communications, teases Keller for being eccentric. But Richards admits she has her own quirks when it comes to preparing for exams. 

RITUALS/From Page 1 

 

First she has to consume a cup of green tea with milk and sugar, on the floor of her bedroom, in a cross-legged fashion, the night before the exam. Then when she goes to the exam room, she has to sit on the left side. “I’ve read it several times,” Richards said. “You get used to a place and you’re less likely to be distracted.” 

As the campus heads into finals week this month, many Berkeley students swore by the value of their exam rituals. “When you establish a routine and you’re successful, you just associate success with whatever kind of silly habits you’ve cultivated,” said Michelle Goldberg, a junior without a declared major. 

Keller ageed. “There’s so much to stress about,” if you have one easy consistent thing it relaxes you,” she said. “This (the mechanical pencil) is one little thing. I’m not turning around five times before I stir my tea.” 

No one at the Free Speech Movement café yesterday said they prepared their tea that fastidiously during finals, but many said they and their friends have rituals they take seriously. 

Jasmine Dillon, a junior majoring in business needs a magic pencil. “I can’t use anyone else’s pencil,” she said. “I have to use my own.” She had been relying on the pencil she used to ace her accounting exam her sophomore year, but she lost it. “That’s why everything’s going down hill,” she joked. “I need to adopt another one.” 

Whereas Richards said it’s best to sit on the left side of the exam room, Brie Betz, a first year undergraduate studying environmental science said it’s best to sit in the back. “I just try to be in my own little world,” she said. “I usually need to have some space to not feel so intimidated by people finishing early.” 

Some people wear special clothes to exams. Goldberg said she has a friend in mechanical engineering who wears t-shirts he wore to represent his high school in science competitions to his science exams. When he takes a physics exam, he wear his physics t-shirt, never his chemistry t-shirt, she said. “He got a 200 out of 200 on his last midterm,” she said. “It just gave him confidence.” 

Goldberg uses chocolate to reward herself during exams, she said. She takes a bar of it and breaks it up into bits. When she finishes a section of the exam, she drops a bite into her mouth. She developed that ritual while doing homework. “I’m constantly eating half of the time,” she said. “I’m eating instead of doing my work. I figured I should use it as a reward system.”


erkeley Observed Looking back, seeing ahead

Susan Cerny
Saturday May 04, 2002

Berkeley's first electric streetcar lines were established in 1891 and ran from Oakland to Berkeley along both Grove Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and Shattuck Avenue. Blue cars ran on Grove Street displaying the sign "Lorin" on the front; red cars ran on Shattuck Avenue with the sign "Shattuck." In 1892 a connection was made between these lines by way of the university, and an electric streetcar line was also opened on Telegraph Avenue.  

By 1903 many of the competing railroad and streetcar companies in Alameda County were consolidated into the Oakland Transit Company (later known as the Key System) by Francis Marion "Borax" Smith, the successful and wealthy Death Valley miner famous for his "20 Mule Team" borax products. The new coordinated streetcar service brought expanded development opportunities to outlying areas which had earlier been serviced by horse-drawn trolleys.  

One of the areas served by the new and expanded electric street car lines was the undeveloped land on either side of College Avenue. Improved transportation and the influx of refugees from the San Francisco earthquake and fire after 1906, contributed to a growing population and had profound effects on the community and its architecture. The periods of growth and the patterns of residential development are clearly reflected by the type of homes found in the various neighborhoods. 

The Kearney Tract, located between College Avenue and Warring Street, south of Dwight Way to Parker Street, was one of these almost instant "street car suburbs". The Kearney Tract was almost entirely built between 1900 and 1918. With the exception of a few 19th century homes and several apartment houses built after the Second World War that replaced earlier houses, the streets of the Kearney Tract are excellent examples of an early 20th century Berkeley neighborhood. 

Many of the homes here are variations of the Colonial Revival style, popular between 1893 until around 1910. Inspired by the Classic Revival theme of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, the Classic, Colonial Revival style became instantly popular across the nation. Since this was also the era of the new electric streetcars in most American cities, this style is associated with turn-of-the-nineteenth century streetcar suburbs. In Berkeley, and especially in this neighborhood, these houses were often shingled in keeping with the "building with nature" tenets of the Hillside Club. Interspersed between the Colonial Revivals are houses designed by architects such as Julia Morgan. 

Discover a Berkeley streetcar suburb on Sunday May 5th from 1-5. . A ticket booth will be open the day of the tour between 12 and 4 on the lawn in front of the entrance to the Clark Kerr Campus (formerly the Deaf School) at the corner of Warring and Parker Streets. 

 

Susan Cerny is author of Berkeley Landmarks and writes this in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural heritage Association.  


Banning flyers denies free speech

- Jason Meggs
Saturday May 04, 2002

To the Editor: 

Free speech is under attack by corporate real estate interests in south Berkeley. 

The Business Improvement District (BID) of Telegraph Avenue has a zero tolerance policy on free speech. They tear down legally posted printed matter on a daily basis. They use highly toxic substances that endanger the public, pets, and especially the workers. The torn-down flyers are left in ugly piles on the street. Ironically, these legally posted flyers are not even recycled. 

Is the BID attempting to subvert the popular culture and vital history of Telegraph Avenue? The predominantly African American workers are given less than a living wage to implement this gentrification and political white washing program of removing postings, particularly political postings. 

Shirley Dean’s last mayoral campaign falsely claimed sales on Telegraph Avenue were down (they were up) to justify criminalizing homelessness and street culture. Now Telegraph culture is being attacked on a daily basis by her same conservative agenda, for which the workers suffer. 

One woman I see is unnecessarily and improperly using a highly toxic aerosol substance known as "Goof Off" graffiti remover on a daily basis to remove water-based postings (which would remove with water). She douses the flyers wearing just a dust mask, which cannot protect her from the Xylene and Toluene contained in the spray. The spray may cause cancer and birth defects, and is a neurotoxin. Wherever she works, a thick, caustic cloud forms, which persists throughout the operation. The excess runs across the pavement where children and pets walk, and runs into the drain to the Bay. 

Going by the BID office at Haste and Telegraph (to find a locked door), I found many empty cans of "Goof Off". These workers are being harmed and abused in order to survive. The BID is not returning my phone calls imploring them to stop these practices. 

Our city funds the BID, which is violating many of our policies and principles. This must stop. 

- Jason Meggs 

Berkeley 


Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

 

“Pericles, Prince of Tyre” Through May 4: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., William Shakespeare’s tale of lost hopes and love regained. Directed by Jon Wai-keung Lowe. $14. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, 234-6046. 

 

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” Apr. 12 through May 11: Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents Eugene O’Neill’s story of the Tyrone family. Directed by Jean-Marie Apostolides. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., 528-5620, www.actorsensembleofberkeley.com.  

 

“Time Out for Ginger” May 10 through Jun. 1: The Actor’s Studio presents the famous comedy that sketches the tumult in a family that includes three teenage daughters, one of whom insists on trying out for her high school football team. $12. Check theater from dates and times. The Actor’s Studio’s Little Theatre, 3521 Maybelle Ave., Oakland 

 

“Homebody/Kabul” Apr. 24 - June 23: Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents Tony Kushner’s play about a women who disappears in Afghanistan and the husband and daughter’s attempts to find her. $38-$54. Call ahead for times, 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org.  

 

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

 

 

“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. 

 

“Errata” through May 4: An exhibition of the photographic work by Marco Breuer, focusing on the gaps, mistakes and marginal events that occur in daily life. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Open: Objects” through May 4: An exhibition featuring sculptural objects by Los Angeles artist Karen Kimmel. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Urban Re-Visions” Through May. 4: A two-person exhibition featuring the colorful anthropomorphic sculptures of Tim Burns and the figurative/narrative paintings of Dan Way Harper. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

 

“Quilted Paintings” 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 

 

“Re: Figuration” May 10 through Jun. 8: A two-person exhibition by Jody Sears and Michele Ramirez. S ears presents sculpture made from wood, and Ramirez showcases her paintings of Oakland, its streets, people and geography. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831 

 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” 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” 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 

 

“Marion Brenner: The Subtle Life of Plants and People” Through May 26: An exhibition of approximately 60 long-exposure black and white photographs of plants and people. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

“The Image of Evil in Art” 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” 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 

 

“East Bay Open Studios” Apr. 24 through Jun. 9: An exhibition of local artists’ work in connection with East Bay Open Studios. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland, 763-9425, www.proartsgallery 

 

“Solos: The Contemporary Monoprint” Apr. 26 through Jun. 15: An exhibition of two modern masters, Nathan Oliveira and Matt Phillips, as well as monoprints from other artists. Call for times. Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave., 549-2977, kala@kala.org 

 

“Komar and Melamid’s Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project” Through May 26: An exhibition of paintings by elephants under the tutelage of Russian-born conceptual artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

“Perpetual Objects” Through Jul. 10: An exhibition of seven large-scale sculptures and two collage drawings by Dennis Leon. Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Gallery 555 City Center, 12th and Clay, Oakland. 

 

“Scene in Oakland, 1852 to 2002” 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 

 

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. 

 

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 “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.


NBC & Telemundo team up to win Latinos’ TV time

By Gary Gentile, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

LOS ANGELES — When WNBC reporter Darlene Rodriguez finished filing a report on the recent meeting of U.S. bishops at the Vatican, she switched hats and filed a second report in Spanish for the Telemundo network and its New York affiliate. 

That kind of bilingual cooperation is just one example of the way NBC hopes to work with Telemundo, which it bought last October for $2 billion. 

The relationship will most likely bear its first fruits behind the scenes, with the networks eliminating duplicate back office operations and combining some of its sales staffs, even housing some NBC and Telemundo affiliates in the same building. 

But NBC President Andy Lack hinted at broader synergies recently at a news conference announcing that Telemundo had hired away Maria Celeste Arraras, a top newscaster at dominant Spanish-language network Univision. 

Arraras is expected to contribute occasionally to NBC’s Dateline and news shows on NBC’s other cable channels. 

“There aren’t going to be any walls between NBC and Telemundo,” Lack said. 

Media companies and advertisers are waking up to the buying power of Hispanics, whose numbers in this country have grown nearly 60 percent in the past decade to 35.3 million, according to the 2000 census. 

Over the next 20 years, that figure is expected to grow to 55 million. Their purchasing power could grow at three times the rate of the rest of the country, analysts say. 

But crafting the right strategy to capitalize on that market is still a work in progress, with tact and sensitivity key considerations. 

“When we start trying to hit each other over the head with ethnic hammers, nobody is listening,” said comedian George Lopez, who stars in his own sitcom on ABC. 

To help reach Hispanic audiences, NBC executives are asking Telemundo for advice on casting pilots for the upcoming season while examining a new Telemundo reality series and popular telenovelas, or soap operas, for ideas. 

“We may have a programming opportunity in daytime, where soap operas are so strong,” Lack said in an interview. “Latino viewers have a passion for that genre, and we can go to school on picking up some good programs there. 

“We may want to cast actors and actresses who are bilingual if it works on some of our programming,” he said. “A Latin star of a Telemundo soap opera might find him or herself as a guest star on some of our programming if the language capabilities are there.” 

Telemundo has little to lose in joining NBC. It has long languished in the shadow of rival Univision. 

Being part of NBC holds the promise of greater advertising revenue, which could be used to lure top talents like Arraras. The chance to appear on NBC from time to time is also seen as a recruiting tool, especially for newscasters. 

“I think there is a large market for crossover anchors and reporters,” said Jim McNamara, president and chief executive of Telemundo. “We’re not going to promise someone a gig on NBC. But the fact is that as part of Telemundo, you are part of NBC.” 

McNamara said as many as 40 percent of Telemundo’s news reporters are fluent enough in English to file a breaking news report. And many NBC journalists, especially in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami, are bilingual. 

“I don’t think it’s a driving force behind the deal,” McNamara said. “But it’s an obvious byproduct.” 

Executives at Univision are taking a different tack by trying to reach even more Spanish speakers and bilingual Hispanics who have been watching English-language television because of a lack of compelling Spanish programming. 

“We’ve developed an expertise in the Hispanic market,” said Ray Rodriguez, president and chief operating officer of Univision Networks. “Our strategy is not to Americanize our network.” 

That strategy is in line with the findings of a recent study on ethnic media in California, one of the first states in the nation where minorities are a majority. 

The study showed the strength of ethnic media — especially Hispanic and Asian newspapers and television — and revealed that a growing number of minorities in California prefer to read publications and listen to broadcasts in their own language. 

Lopez, however, believes Hispanics will respond to English-language programming that has quality, regardless of whether it features Hispanic performers or newscasters. 

“I’ve always felt the way to get us to be mainstream is in small increments,” he said. “The success of a Marc Anthony and a Shakira is the way America will finally come to understand we are talented people, we can help the system economically and not deplete it like you see so much of on the news.” 


’Jackets hold onto first place with win over Alameda

By Richard Nybakken, Daily Planet Correspondent
Saturday May 04, 2002

Benny Goldenberg said he’s never hit a ball so far in his life. 

“I was just trying to hit the ball hard,” he shrugged. “I just trusted my hands and tried to stay back. I can’t believe it went out.” 

The Berkeley High centerfielder’s first homerun of the season, a no-doubt-about-it shot well over the wall in leftfield, capped a four-run fourth inning and paced the Yellowjackets to a 9-1 victory over Alameda High Friday afternoon at Cal’s Evans Diamond.  

Goldenberg added a single and a double in four trips to the plate – falling a triple short of a cycle – while senior lefthander Cole Stipovich pitched five innings of one-hit ball to raise the first-place ’Jackets to a 9-1 mark in the ACCAL and 16-4 overall. The result also guarantees that Berkeley will own at least a share of the top spot going into next Friday’s showdown with second-place Encinal. 

The Hornets fell to 15-4, 6-4 in league play. 

Alameda actually drew first blood, plating a run in the top of the second on an infield single, an error by third baseman Chris Wilson, and two groundouts.  

But Berkeley quickly wrested control of the game from the Hornets with three runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, designated hitter DeAndre Miller singled, and after leftfielder Clinton Calhoun was hit by a pitch and first baseman Matt Toma walked to load the bases, Goldenberg struck a hard ground ball to third. Alameda third baseman Jordan Flores attempted to force the runner at home, but his throw was a little high and wide, causing catcher Mark Gillman to pull his foot off home plate.  

Shortstop Jason Moore followed with a seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield, driving in Calhoun, and two batters later catcher Jeremy Riesenfeld beat out a squibber between the pitcher’s mound and third base, scoring Toma. 

The ’Jackets then put the game to bed with a little lightning and thunder in the bottom of the fourth. After a groundout by Wilson, leadoff man Lee Franklin singled sharply to right and proceeded to put on a clinic on how to rattle an opposing pitcher that would have made Rickey Henderson proud. 

Dancing off the first base bag, the spry second baseman drew three consecutive pickoff throws from Hornets’ hurler Michael Gillman before stealing second and third base on back to back pitches. The senior then scampered home on a ball four wild pitch to Miller.  

Hornets star Cody Nelson replaced Gillman on the mound, but to disastrous effect. With two down, Toma blooped a single to centerfield, and Goldenberg deposited an 0-1 inside fastball over the leftfield wall for a commanding 7-1 lead. 

’Jackets starter Stipovich said the longball gave him and his teammates all the juice they needed to close out the game. 

“I wasn’t looking when he hit it,” the southpaw said. “I just saw it go up and take forever to come down. That was the point when we said, okay, we can kind of take it home. I went out there the next inning with a lot more confidence.” 

The ’Jackets added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, while Stipovich and relievers Ethan Friedman and Matt Sylvester allowed only one more Alameda runner to reach base, on an error.. 

“We knew we were going to get good pitching from our guys,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. “Plus, everybody in the lineup can hit. The other pitcher never gets a break. We get one or two hits and a walk, and it just opens up the floodgates.” 

Goldenberg said the solid win, especially coming off last week’s loss to DeAnza, had Berkeley back into the swing of things going into next week.. 

“If we can get those two games, we’ll be right on track for taking the league,” he said. 

The man of the match had only one regret for his career day. 

“I just wish I’d slowed it down out there,” he said of his homerun trot, laughing. “It was way too fast.”


Pot clubs busted in District 9

By Jamie Luck, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

A federal judge ruled against several medical marijuana clubs Friday, and in favor of the federal government, possibly indicating a wider clamp-down on medical marijuana use. 

The summary judgment favored the U.S. Department of Justice in a lawsuit it initially filed against several Northern California marijuana clubs back in 1998. The defense lawyer for the Oakland Cannabis Buyer’s Cooperative, one of the groups named in the suit, says the group will definitely appeal the ruling. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that “there is no genuine material dispute that defendants violated [federal drug law] several times in 1997 by distributing marijuana,” but stopped short of granting the permanent injunction against the clubs the government requested. 

The judge was following through with his intention to remedy the case, which he first made clear during a hearing on April 19. He did not rule on many of the key arguments presented by defense, instead basing his decision on deference to the federal Controlled Substances Act.  

The timing of the ruling coincides with a Cannabis Freedom Rally scheduled from noon to 6p.m. today at San Francisco’s UN Plaza. Some say the ruling is part of a fresh wave of marijuana prosection by the federal government. 

“In light of this summary judgement, we expect further DEA raids in the Bay Area,” said California NORML (National Organzation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) coordinator Dale Gieringer. “We’ve seen a lot of activity — people following patients around and spying on clubs, not to mention raids on minor offenders.”  

A study by NORML shows that the number of medical marijuana prosecutions in California is on the rise since Sept. 11th. DEA chief Asa Hutchinson has publicly stated his support for President Bush’s anti-drug policy, which links casual drug use to terrorism. Over 20 people are currently on trial for cultivating medical marijuana, and the DEA has raided and shut down a Los Angeles cannabis resource center and a clinic in El Dorado County in 2002 alone. Local authorities have by and large not been involved in medical marijuana arrests and raids. 

The attorney for the Oakland Co-op believes the group stands a good chance in appeals court. “We will be appealing the decision. We feel we have a good shot at success in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals,” said attorney Robert Raich. “Judge Breyer ignored or misconstrued numerous facts and legal arguments we presented. By focusing only on a remedy to the case, he allowed no discussion of the key issues.” 

Raich cites numerous issues that weren’t fully addressed in court, including states’ rights, individual rights under the Ninth Amendment, and applicable commerce laws.  

Though California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996 to allow medical marijuana use for cancer, AIDS, and other chronic illnesses, the Supreme Court since ruled that federal drug laws not only supercede state law but that there is no basis for a medical exception to current federal drug laws. 

Questions to the U.S. Department of Justice about the case were referred to Washington, D.C.-based spokesman Charles Miller, who preferred to keep his comments short and sweet: “Based on what we’ve heard, we’re pleased with the ruling, and that’s all we have to say at this time.”  

Of the six clubs initially named in the suit, only three remain in existence: the Oakland Cannabis Buyer’s Cooperative, the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana and the Ukiah Cannabis Buyer’s Club. The Oakland club has been operating under a temporary injunction that forbids it from distributing pot but allows it to issue identity cards to verified medical marijuana patients. 

 

 

 


Mayor grandstands on hate-free Berkeley measures

Dona Spring
Saturday May 04, 2002

To the Editor: 

It pleased me that Kriss Worthington put a recommendation on the April 16 City Council agenda: “Vandalized Berkeley Hillel and Other Incidents Aimed at the Jewish Community. He proposed that we follow up on our designation of Berkeley as a hate-free zone by bringing together representatives of different groups and individuals that have been the target of hate actions in Berkeley, in a city-sponsored public event embracing all the affected communities.” (This item was pulled by Council member Armstrong and held over to April 29.) Then on April 16th, Kriss Worthington submitted a Council item proposing a hate crime unit in the Berkeley Police Department. 

I was saddened but not surprised to read a Daily Cal headline, “Violence Directed At Jews Prompts Mayor To Propose Hate Crimes Unit”: 4/26. It is apparent that the Mayor is now trying to take Councilmember Worthington’s ideas and take credit for them. Worthington’s proposal has already generated over 100 e-mails in support of the idea. 

While it is desirable for the Mayor to support this idea, it is unfortunately divisive and negative to claim it is her proposal without crediting Kriss and many others already working on this. Can’t we all just work together – on those issues where we agree? 

 

Dona Spring 

- Berkeley City Council


Panthers pound St. Elizabeth for second time in a week

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

St. Mary’s scores 14 runs on just 10 hits as Alfert goes deep in the first inning 

 

After dropping three straight BSAL games to drop out of first place, the St. Mary’s High baseball team stumbled into the perfect prescription: two games against winless St. Elizabeth. 

After pounding the Mustangs 14-5 at home on Wednesday, the Panthers headed down to San Leandro Ballpark for the rematch on Friday and put in a repeat performance, scoring nine runs in the third inning to key a 14-1 win in five innings. 

“We got two easy wins, but they kind of put us to sleep,” St. Mary’s head coach Andy Shimabukuro said. “We didn’t get all that many hits.” 

Indeed, the Panthers (11-12 overall, 7-3 BSAL) needed just 10 hits to score their barrage of runs on Friday. Their cause was aided by nine walks and a hit batsman by St. Elizabeth (0-10 BSAL) pitchers Warren Sanders and Matt Marquez, not to mention some shoddy fielding by the Mustangs.  

Chris Alfert jump-started the Panthers in the first inning with a three-run bomb that hit the face of an overpass behind the leftfield wall. Sanders got out of the inning with no additional damage and cruised through the second, but didn’t record an out in the third before being pulled after six batters. 

Marquez came in from centerfield to relieve Sanders, but immediately walked in two runs before surrendering a bases-clearing triple to Chris Morocco that gave the Panthers an 11-1 lead. Morocco would score on a Pete McGuinness triple, but Jeff Marshall hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to end the inning. St. Mary’s left nine runners on base in the game. 

Alfert said the Panthers had trouble raising their usual intensity against the Mustangs, who played without a single bench player on Friday. 

“We don’t bring the same intensity against these guys that we do for big games,” Alfert said. “We still play hard, but it’s just not the same.” 

The Panthers added two more runs in the fifth. With the bases loaded yet again, Marshall hit a groundball to shortstop. Instead of trying for the double play, Marcus Flentroy threw to first badly, allowing Marcus Turner and Joe Storno to score. 

While the Panthers were strolling around the bases, three St. Mary’s pitchers combined to give up just two hits. McGuinness got his first start of the season on the mound and threw two shutout innings, striking out the side in the second. Freshman Scott Tully gave up the only Mustang run in the third, walking Marquez to force in Flentroy. Tully settled down and went three up, three down in the fourth before Marcus Johnson did the same in the fifth to end the game. 

Shimabukuro took advantage of the easy week, resting ace Storno from his pitching duties. Storno is the team’s only reliable pitcher, but his tendency to have high pitch counts influenced Shimabukuro to save his arm for the season finale against Piedmont next Wednesday. 

“I was just trying to get through today without having to pitch Joe,” Shimabukuro said. “He needed a break from pitching.” 

Storno agreed with his coach’s decision. Piedmont is one of three teams sitting atop the BSAL with two losses, and a win would assure the Panthers at least a No. 3 seed for the league playoffs. 

“I wanted a rest. Piedmont is a huge game for us, so I want to be rested,” the senior lefthander said. “I’ll throw in the bullpen on Monday, and by Wednesday I’ll be as good as I can be.”


Progressive web portal seeks funds

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

A Berkeley web site that has funneled more than 330,000 letters to Israeli, Palestinian and American policymakers urging peace in the Middle East is facing a financial crisis. 

“I’ve gotten closer to the edge than I wanted,” said Steve Freedkin, a member of Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission who operates the web site, www.progressiveportal.org. 

Progressive Portal, founded in May 2001, facilitates grassroots letter-writing campaigns on a variety of progressive issues.  

WEB/From Page 1 

 

The Middle East campaign has generated local press coverage and tripled the site’s mailing list from 3,600 to nearly 10,500. 

Freedkin has relied on over 100 volunteer researchers, writers and designers, and has dipped into his own savings to the tune of $10,000, to operate the site. Thus far, the site has not generated an income for Freedkin. 

“The period of time where progressive Portal can function without paying me a salary is running out,” he said. “At some point, I’d have to get a job.”  

Freedkin has sent an appeal to people on his list in recent weeks asking for pledges of $31.25 per month for a year to keep the site afloat. 

“The initial response was a little on the slow side, but it has picked up over the last few days,” he said. 

Freedkin has received donations of varying sizes. He said he will need the equivalent of 120 year-long pledges, at $31.25 per month, to keep the site at its current size. He has received the equivalent of 21 pledges thus far. 

Freedkin’s ultimate goal is 365 pledges. With that money in hand, he said, he could hire an assistant and expand from his current nine letter-writing campaigns to 100. 

He said he will need a large number of campaigns to generate enough traffic and attract the advertising he will need to maintain the site long-term. 

While the Middle East campaign focused on a high-profile issue, most Progressive Portal campaigns have focused on issues that fall below the radar screen and do not tend to generate public pressure. Freedkin says he plans to continue with this strategy in the future. 

Local users of the site said they hope it stays afloat. 

“I like what they’re doing,” said Berkeley resident Alan Davidson, who noted that he will consider a donation. “There’s so little news about the issues they’re covering.” 

Norma Harrison, another Berkeley resident who has used the site, was also supportive but said tight finances would prevent her from donating to Progressive Portal. 


Get on the bus for more school money

Mark A. Coplan
Saturday May 04, 2002

To the Editor: 

Two years ago I had the privilege of leading a delegation of five buses and 50 cars to Sacramento, to demand more funding for California's public schools. Many of you went with me & the PTA Council that day, and many others wrote the checks needed to make it happen. Ten thousand people showed up, Governor Davis heard our plea, and he released over $1.5 billion into the education budget.  

What a day that was. I delivered thousands of signatures to the governor's office from people from all around the state, who indorsed a statewide petition that we created here in Berkeley. While I addressed the rally of 10,000, many of you circulated through the crowd passing out petitions & gathering more signatures.  

What a day that was. And our 5 buses & 50 cars represented the largest delegation at the rally!  

What a day that was, when the parents, teachers, community, School Board & City Council Members, along with Mayor Dean joined ranks and made a difference. 

This year’s PTA Council is asking us to get back on those busses and return to Sacramento on May 8, just a few days from now. With buses leaving from Berkeley High, and each of the middle schools, you can reserve a seat now at www.berkeleypta.org. I have reserved seats for my son & I on the Willard bus, and I encourage you to do the same.  

Our voices counted then, and they can make a difference now. Be it going to Sacramento on Wednesday, providing the PTA Council with needed donations, or waving the buses off; we need to all pull together to make a difference in Sacramento. 

Send checks to Matt Wong, Treasurer Berkeley PTA Council, 1311 Santa Fe, Berkeley 94702. 

 

Mark A. Coplan 

- Berkeley 


Berkeley likely to share title with O’Dowd

Staff Report
Saturday May 04, 2002

Boys’ lacrosse on track for home field advantage in first round of Northern California playoffs 

 

 

The Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team will probably share the Shoreline Lacrosse League title, the Yellowjackets’ head coach said Friday. 

Berkeley split the season series with Bishop O’Dowd, but the ’Jackets would win a tie-breaker based on goal differential. Berkeley outscored the Dragons 11-10 in two games. 

But according to Berkeley head coach Jon Rubin, the teams will most likely be declared co-champions of the first-year league. Both teams will make the Northern California postseason tournament in two weeks, so Rubin doesn’t consider the league championship a huge issue. 

“I don’t really care if we’re named champions or co-champions,” Rubin said. “I don’t know if the team cares, but we’re focusing on the playoffs now.” 

The seeding of the postseason tournament, to be determined at the end of next week, is key for the ’Jackets. Eight teams will be entered into the draw, with the top four seeds earning home games in the first round. The semifinals will be held at neutral sites, with the championship slated for Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. 

A home game in the first round is well within Berkeley’s grasp. The seedings will be determined according to Laxpower.com ratings, and the ’Jackets are currently third in region. But O’Dowd could jump over them with a win over No. 2 University, which beat Berkeley early this season, on Tuesday. Berkeley faces No. 7 Branson on Tuesday and wraps up its SLL season with Piedmont on Friday. 

“Homefield would be pretty big for us, but we’ll probably be facing the top team from the lower echelon,” Rubin said. “It’ll probably be a team we’ve beaten, but probably a vastly improved team.” 

The ’Jackets beat the fifth- and sixth-ranked teams, Marin Catholic and Acalanes, by big margins during the preseason. Two of their three losses came on the road, with top-ranked St. Ignatius the only team to beat Berkeley on its own field.


Local prisons are real economic players, UC finds

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

Forget about license plates.  

According to a UC Berkeley study released this week, mattresses, wood products and prunes are some of the top-grossing items produced in Bay Area state prisons. 

The study, which draws on date from fiscal year 1997-1998, found that San Quentin State Prison and California State Prison Solano sold $10.4 million in goods produced by inmates.  

The Bay Area facilities also spent $7.5 million locally on raw materials, operating costs and salaries, and generated some 200 jobs at the prisons and in local industry, according to the study. 

The Bay Area figures are part of a larger study conducted by UC Berkeley economist George Goldman for the California Prison Industry Authority, analyzing the economic impact of prison work statewide.  

Across California, the study found, state prisons sold $151 million in goods in 1997-1998 and generated a ripple effect of $230 million in sales by local industry. 

“It’s not a major, major economic impact on the state,” said Goldman, referring to the $151 million in direct sales by the prisons. “But it does produce spinoff effects.” 

Under state law, the Prison Industry Authority may only sell its products and services to government agencies. The California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency is the authority’s largest customer, accounting for over half of sales. 

Inmates earn between 30 and 95 cents per hour for their work, with up to 20 percent deducted for court-ordered fines. 

Frank Losco, a PIA spokesman, said the work enables inmates to make a contribution to the state economy and helps reduce prison violence by keeping inmates occupied. 

Goldman said PIA production has the added benefit of keeping certain types of manufacturing in the state. 

“This is particularly true for metal, wood and paper products, which would likely come from the Midwest states if the PIA were not manufacturing them here,” he said. 

According to the study, the San Joaquin Valley region felt the greatest impact of prison industry in 1997-1998, with $49.5 million in sales and 812 jobs in the local economy. 

 

Contact reporter at: 

scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net


Where is support for Jews?

- Allan Feinstein
Saturday May 04, 2002

To the Editor 

We have seen signs all over Berkeley expressing concern about anti-Islamic actions. We certainly expect support of threatened people. 

Since the outbreak of anti-Jewish actions we expect to see similar signs expressing support for Jews. Where are they? 

- Allan Feinstein 

Orinda 

 


BHS girls lacrosse to face O’Dowd for title

Staff Report
Saturday May 04, 2002

The Berkeley High girls’ lacrosse team will take on Bishop O’Dowd High on Saturday at Cal’s Memorial Stadium with a lot on the line. Berkeley beat the Dragons by one goal in the teams’ first meeting, and Saturday’s game will determine the Shoreline Lacrosse League champion. 

Berkeley, with a record of 8-4 overall, is undefeated in SLL play, with O’Dowd winning their other games in the league. 

“This is just a huge game for us,” Berkeley head coach Rebecca Meyer said on Thursday before the ’Jackets’12-8 trouncing of University (San Francisco). “To be playing at Memorial Stadium with the championship on the line, you couldn’t ask for much more.”


History

- The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

Today is Saturday, May 4, the 124th day of 2002. There are 241 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight 

On May 4, 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded. 

 

On this date: 

In 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island. 

In 1776, Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. 

In 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a labor demonstration for an eight-hour work day turned into a riot when a bomb exploded. 

In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. 

In 1945, during World War II, German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany agreed to surrender. 

In 1961, a group of “Freedom Riders” left Washington for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation in interstate buses and bus terminals. 

In 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. 

In 1980, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, died three days before his 88th birthday. 

In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed a historic accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. 

 

Ten years ago:  

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton toured riot-ravaged Los Angeles streets, blaming the destruction on what he called 12 years of Republican neglect. 

Five years ago: IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov, evening their six-game series at one game apiece. Cerefino Jimenez Malla became the first Gypsy beatified in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. 

 

One year ago:  

Pope John Paul II began a visit to Greece, where he issued a sweeping apology for the “sins of action and omission” by Roman Catholics against Orthodox Christians. Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was shot to death as she sat in a car near a restaurant in Los Angeles (Blake and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell, were arrested April 18 in connection with Bakley’s death). 

 

Today’s Birthdays:  

The president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is 74. Jazz musician Maynard Ferguson is 74. Opera singer Roberta Peters is 72. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 65. Rock musician Dick Dale is 65. Singer-songwriter Nick Ashford is 60. Actor Paul Gleason is 58. Pop singer Peggy Santiglia (The Angels) is 58. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 51. Country singer Randy Travis is 43. Actress Mary McDonough is 41. Comedian Ana Gasteyer is 35. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 30. Rock musician Jose Castellanos (Save Ferris) is 25. Singer Lance Bass (’N Sync) is 23. 

 


Rental detail appreciated

- Maureen Dixo
Saturday May 04, 2002

To the Editor: 

As an East Bay renter, I appreciated the article on rent decreases throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Your chart neglected to say what size place the column of Rents for March 2002 referred to though (e.g. two-bedroom apartment? three-bedroom house?). I think that would be of interest to your readers, as well as information on rents in the city of Berkeley. 

 

- Maureen Dixo 

East Bay


Sports this weekend

Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

Saturday 

Track & Field – Meet of Champions, 10 a.m. at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento 

Track & Field – Cal vs. Stanford, 11 a.m. at Edwards Stadium 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond, Stanford 

Swimming – ACCAL Championship, 1 p.m. at Contra Costa College 

Girls Lacrosse – Berkeley vs. Bishop O’Dowd, 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, Cal 

 

Sunday 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond, Stanford


Klamath farmers get water; salmon, fishers & Native Americans lose

By Karen Gaudette, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

OAKLAND, Calif. — A federal judge on Friday denied an effort by commercial fishermen, American Indian tribes and environmental groups to release more water into the dwindling Klamath River. 

The Klamath straddles the California-Oregon state line and its waters irrigate crops and provide a home to fish such as the threatened coho salmon, a candidate for California’s list of endangered species. 

A drought last year forced farmers and other river users to battle over the shrinking water supply. This year, the Bush administration opted to earmark more water to Klamath Reclamation Project farmers, leaving less for young salmon headed toward the ocean. 

Commercial fishermen filed suit April 24 against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the National Marine Fisheries Service, demanding the federal government release more water to the river. In recent days, biologists and U.S. Forest Service employees have rescued hundreds of baby salmon and other fish stranded in puddles along the Klamath’s banks. 

But U.S. District Judge Saundra B. Armstrong ruled Friday the groups lack enough scientific evidence to block the federal government’s plans. However, she scolded the Bureau of Reclamation for giving the NMFS so little time to review its springtime operation, and urged all parties to try to compromise on water use rather than resolve their concerns through the courts. 

Dan Keppen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Asssociation that represented farmers during the court teleconference, released a statement saying, “We are pleased that rushed and rash behavior has not been rewarded by Judge Armstrong.” 

Kristen Boyles, an attorney for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations that filed the suit, said a decision about whether to appeal the judge’s ruling will not be made until she sees the written ruling. 

“The sad part is, we have salmon being stranded right now. We have fish being rescued,” she said. 

In March, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman told the Bureau of Reclamation to begin full irrigation deliveries to the 1,400 farms on the Klamath Reclamation Project. 

They were responding to pleas from farmers who were cut off from irrigation water last year due to record drought. Last year, the bureau sharply cut back irrigation to maintain water levels set under the Endangered Species Act for endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and coho salmon in the Klamath River. 

The suit claimed springtime flows for the Klamath River this year have been as little as 60 percent of the water required for salmon to survive, and sought an increase to at least the same amount that was provided last year. 

The Bureau of Reclamation exceeded the bounds of the Endangered Species Act by separating springtime operations from the rest of the year and giving the NMFS only a day to review the springtime operations, the suit said. 

The case is Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, C02-2006-SBA. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations: http://www.pcffa.org/ 

Klamath Basin Irrigators: http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/ 

 

 


GTU ministry students ponder love and relationships

By Kelly Virella, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

If the minister of a Protestant church falls in love with a consenting adult from his congregation, professional ethics dictate the minister offer his resignation to pursue the relationship. It may sound strange. But it happened this way at a Disciples of Christ church in Lafayette, just 10 miles east of Berkeley, where a minister and associate minister fell in love.  

This story has a s happy ending for the lovers: When they offered their resignations, the church refused to accept them. But that was unusual, said Bill McKinney, president of the Pacific School of Religion, the largest, Protestant seminary in Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. “That really broke all the rules,” he said. 

Though ministers of Protestant churches are allowed to marry, the scrutiny to which they must submit their romantic life — even in the most progressive denominations – is the hidden cost. “Whether you’re a pastor or a priest you live in a fishbowl,” said Jim Latimer, a 44-year-old single student at the Pacific School of Religion. “If you can’t stand that get out of the profession.” 

Protestants attending the Graduate Theological Union, which consists of two Protestant seminaries and three Catholic ones, are willing to undergo this scrutiny and believe much of it is well-intentioned. But as the American bishops confront the sex abuse scandal and contemplate stiffer punishment, some of the students of the Pacific School of Religion talked recently about the unique pressure and conflicts they face.  

Since the sex abuse scandal broke, the students said, public scrutiny of their romantic lives has intensified and become more perverse because the scandal has tainted them too. “When I tell people I meet on the street I’m in seminary, they assume I’m going to be a priest,” said Latimer, who is also in a romantic relationship. 

Though marriage is optional, the students said unmarried ministers are often pressured to marry, even in progressive denominations like the United Church of Christ.  

“People think single people shouldn’t be sexually active,” said Erin Gilmore, a 28-year-old student in a romantic relationship who is studying to be a Church of Christ minister. “There’s never been a policy. It just sort of sticks in people like they don’t approve.”  

When Gilmore was interviewing with churches in South Dakota for internships she was hesitant to mention her boyfriend. “I felt like I had to keep that much more undercover,” she said. 

Marriage is considered a sign of maturity, said Elizabeth Dilley, a 25-year-old engaged student, who is also studying to be a Church of Christ minister. Before Dilley got engaged, she felt too ashamed to tell the churches where she was interviewing for her internship that she had a boyfriend. “I felt very junior high,” the 25-year-old said, adding that they might not have taken her seriously if she said she had a boyfriend. 

McKinney, the seminary’s president, agreed churches are biased toward marriage. He said he knew a minister in a remote area near Hartford, Connecticut who was told he was had been put there to keep a low profile to deflect rumors he was gay. “You’re 35-years-old and not married,” the church said, according to McKinney. “Go find yourself a young woman and marry her.” 

At the Graduate Theological Union, the students said, the bias toward marriage is reinforced. The only way domestic partners registered with the county can live in married student housing is if they are gay. “People think relationships ought to be consecrated” and straight people do that through marriage, McKinney said.  

In addition to the pressure to marry, ministers must also accept restrictions on their choice of mates. The rule of thumb is “you don’t date anyone who is under your pastoral care,” Latimer said. But often, members of the congregation want to make special exceptions to that rule, he said. “Congregation people are wanting to set you up with their son or daughter,” he said. 

Ministers who strictly avoid dating their parishioners find their congregation feels rejected, the students said. “People have a way of sensing whether a minister would be a part of a church if they weren’t paid to be,” McKinney said. If you’re not willing to date them, McKinney said, “they think you don’t love them.”  

That pressure creates problems for single ministers who may already be spending most of their waking hours with their members, Dilley said. “You meet someone,” she said. “You spend 60-70 hours per week with these people.” 

When a minister ends a marriage, the congregation’s scrutiny of him does not, the students said. For that reason some divorced ministers feel they must avoid the topic entirely. Latimer, who is himself divorced, said he is watching his minister at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church go through this.  

The best way to handle it is to be forthcoming, he said. He’s finishing seminary this semester and looking for jobs as a Church of Christ minister. “I want them to know that about me because it’s an important part of who I am,” he said.


Diocese of Oakland plans ministry for sex abuse survivors

Daily Planet Wire Services
Saturday May 04, 2002

OAKLAND (BCN) – With the banner of “No More Secrets,'' the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is launching a ministry program to help those who have been sexually abused by priests. 

The Ministry for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse will hold its first event Sunday in Lafayette at the Diocesan Youth Retreat Center. The retreat will bring together victims of sexual abuse by clergy, church leaders and sex abuse survivors to celebrate the founding of the ministry and to dedicate and bless a tree with a plaque that reads, “Rooted in the Truth, Growing Toward the Light.'' 

The ministry seeks to provide support for victims of sexual abuse, offering counseling and spiritual direction to the victims and their families.  

At the same time, the ministry will work with church officials to help change attitudes about sexual abuse and ensure that offenders are held accountable for their actions. 

The ministry will launch a hotline and an e-mail address through which victims who want support will be able to receive it. The phone number is (510) 267-8373, and the e-mail address is survivors@oakdiocese.org. 

Although the launching of the ministry comes as the Catholic Church finds itself mired in controversy due to several high-profile cases of alleged abuse by priests and accusations of cover-ups, the ministry is not a response to those events, says Sister Barbara Flannery. 

“We're very concerned that this not be portrayed as a spin response to the current crisis in the church,'' she said. Instead, it is the result of three years of planning, and of a growing dialogue between sexual abuse survivors and the diocese, the sister said. 

It is also a reinforcement of the goals that Bishop Joseph Cummings announced during a reconciliation service he held in March of 2000. In that service, the bishop and church leaders acknowledged that they had “preferred comfort rather than health, illusion rather than truth'' protecting priests and doing nothing to help the victims. 

Diocese leaders promised then to respond to all allegations of misconduct, and to put offending employees on administrative leave and comply with civil law. 

Even though the Oakland Diocese was one of the first to address sexual misconduct, Sister Flannery is wary of terms like “innovative'' or “ahead of the time'' being used to describe the ministry program. 

“We are not ahead. We are 10 years behind, maybe 20,” Sister Flannery said. “For some reason we are where we are today.'' Terrie Light, who was abused by a priest and is one of the volunteers who will help counsel victims at the ministry, agrees. 

“The Oakland Diocese is not doing something special,'' Light said. “They’re doing what every church should be doing.’’


No SF Cinco de Mayo parade Sunday

Daily Planet Wire Services
Saturday May 04, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) – Cinco de Mayo festivities may have lost some sizzle in San Francisco’s Mission District this year, since there’ll be no street parade leading into the Civic Center festival. 

Organizer Patricia Aguayo, of the Mission Economic Cultural Association, said today that a tough financial year sank the parade that has gone on “forever’’ in her hometown. She said the group lost about $100,000 last fall when its celebration of Mexican Independence Day drew little interest in the wake of Sept. 11 attacks and fund-raising has been hard ever since. 

Aguayo, who grew up in the area herself and said she remembers relatives being crowned as queens and princesses over the years, is hoping to see floats and festivities in the Mission again next year if more money becomes available. About one-quarter of the funds come from city grants and the rest has to be raised privately. 

“Tradition is nice,’’ she said, “but people have to sort of put their money where their mouth is.’’ 

Police Capt. Greg Corrales, of the Mission Station, said today he still expects Sunday to be busier-than-usual around the largely Latino Mission District, as many celebrate the date of Mexico’s victory over French invaders in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. “Some people are going to abuse the holiday and drink to excess,’’ he said. 

Although officers have indicated that incidents of violence and gang-related problems have risen in the Mission during previous Cinco de Mayo parades, the captain said he did not see the problem as a reason in itself to call off the parade. 

San Jose – where dozens were arrested five years ago during a crowd confrontation with police – and Berkeley and Oakland are all sites for parades this year. In the South Bay, authorities said an expanded venue is actually expected to draw more people this time. 

In San Francisco, the organized festival featuring music and folkloric dancing is scheduled to get under way outside City Hall at 11 a.m. Children under 5 years old will be admitted for free, and a children’s play area has been set up. 

Corrales said police and others in the community are already gearing up for a Memorial Day weekend parade slated as part of the annual Carnaval celebration.


China VP highlights tech trade in Silicon Valley visit

By Brian Bergstein, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao wrapped up his week-long U.S. tour Friday with a meeting at Intel Corp., highlighting the deepening connection between China and the American high-tech industry. 

It is no secret that companies such as Intel, the world’s largest maker of computer chips, are hungrily eyeing China’s burgeoning market, especially with U.S. technology spending still in a slump. 

Intel has invested $500 million in research and testing facilities in China. EBay Inc. has made initial steps toward bringing Internet auctions to China’s 1.3 billion people. 

But, quietly, China’s high-tech future also is being forged by lesser-known players — thousands of immigrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China who have come to Silicon Valley over the past few decades to work as programmers and engineers. 

Many have since formed a sort of entrepreneurial class in waiting, honing skills and generating capital here, developing business relationships with people back home and waiting until infrastructure and market conditions in China become more hospitable to technology startups. 

“There is a large population of Chinese-Americans here that have a natural interest in what is going on in China and see it as an opportunity,” said George Koo, director of the Chinese services group for Deloitte & Touche. 

In fact, 73 percent of the Chinese immigrants in Silicon Valley would consider returning home to start their own businesses, according to a recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California. Chinese entrepreneurs here commonly have subsidiaries or partnerships in Taiwan, but many have established business ties in mainland China, especially in the exploding urban centers of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. 

AnnaLee Saxenian, a University of California professor who wrote the report, said the conventional notion of a “brain drain” from Asia to the United States is off base. The better description would be “brain circulation,” she said. 

Chinese immigrants here are not the only ones taking part. China’s opening-up — enhanced by its entry into the World Trade Organization — has encouraged capital and talent to return from Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, said Franck Wiebe, chief economist for the Asia Foundation in San Francisco. 

There are some rough spots in China’s high-tech growth. Restrictions on transferring money out the country make it difficult for overseas financiers to cash out on investments in new enterprises there, said Kenneth Fong, who came to America from Hong Kong in 1966 and ran a Silicon Valley biotechnology company for 15 years. He now heads Kenson Ventures, a venture capital firm not directly involved in China. 

“American capitalism works because we have a very, very supportive system for investing capital,” Fong said. “You can’t just build that overnight in China.” 

Indeed, 58 percent of the Chinese entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley surveyed by Saxenian said regulations and bureaucracy in China would deter them from starting a company there. The other most commonly cited problems involve the legal system and political or economic uncertainty. 

However, Chinese officials say they are working to remove obstacles to technology investment. 

“The economy is so dynamic,” said Koo of Deloitte & Touche, who was in San Jose to chair a conference of the Committee of 100, an organization devoted to China-U.S. relations. “What you knew about the Chinese market last year is already outdated.” 

Hu’s meeting at Intel — with founder and chairman Andrew Grove, CEO Craig Barrett and other executives — was requested by the Chinese government, Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said. 

The Intel brass showed Hu a blazing fast 3-gigahertz Pentium 4 chip, a new pen with Intel software that recognizes Chinese characters and can enter them in a computer, and a handheld computer for Chinese officials to use at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. 

“It was a relationship-building visit,” Mulloy said. “He stressed the import of the technology sector for that marketplace and he expressed gratitude for the investments we’ve made.” 

Hu headed back to China after his swing through San Francisco and Silicon Valley. That concluded a trip in which he also met with President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Cabinet members, congressional leaders and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 

 

 

 

 

 


SonicBlue must share ReplayTV data with TV networks, film studios

By Simon Avery, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

LOS ANGELES — SonicBlue, the maker of the ReplayTV digital video recorder, will challenge a court order to track the viewing practices of customers and send the data to TV networks and film studios, the company said Friday. 

U.S. District Court Magistrate Charles Eick told SonicBlue to create software within 60 days to monitor every show customers watch, every commercial they skip and any programming they transmit to others via the Internet. 

The Santa Clara-based firm must then turn over the data to networks and studios that are suing SonicBlue for contributing to copyright infringement. 

“This forces us to spy on our customers,” said Ken Potashner, chairman and chief executive of SonicBlue. “We have to give them individual files they could align with identities, which is a blatant violation of privacy.” 

The court order requires SonicBlue to gather information on each viewer and log that data under a unique identification number. 

Laurence Pulgram, SonicBlue’s lawyer, called the order “utterly unprecedented.” 

Digital video recorders store TV programming on a hard drive instead of video tape. SonicBlue’s ReplayTV 4000 also connects to the Internet and allows users to send material over the Web. 

The studios and networks want the user information to determine the extent of what they consider theft of copyrighted programming. 

Potashner said the company will argue that the ruling violates the firm’s confidentiality policy. It has no intention of changing ReplayTV features, he added. 

But a spokeswoman for Walt Disney Co., one plaintiff in the case, said the order is in line with SonicBlue’s existing privacy policy, which advises viewers the firm collects anonymous audience data. 

“Replay’s statement that its users’ privacy rights are being violated is a deliberate and completely misleading characterization of the court’s order,” said Michelle Bergman. “We are simply protecting our copyrighted content and all whose livelihoods are dependent on it.” 

Pulgram conceded the company’s privacy policy allows for collecting data on users. But he said the policy is out of date and “does not represent what we do.” 

SonicBlue only considered the idea of collecting data for its own use, not for third parties, he said. The plan was abandoned after rival Tivo angered privacy advocates with a similar proposal, the lawyer said. 

Potashner said the music industry’s failure to shut down file swapping sites with litigation against Napster shows that innovative technology cannot be suppressed. 

Instead of filing lawsuits, studios and networks should partner with SonicBlue and create new services like targeted advertising and video on demand, he said. 

“In a perverse way, they are driving awareness as to what we can do,” he said. 


Out & About Calendar

Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002


Saturday, May 4

 

Word Beat Reading Series 

Featuring "Press 62" starring Johanna Mangahas, You-Fong Benedicte Chang, Anthony Scott and Jason Zahorchak 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

Free 

 

Shelter Operations: Emergency Preparedness Class 

Learn how to take care of yourself before the disaster. 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar Street 

Berkeley 

to register: 510-981-5605 

 

Saucy Sounds Community Event 

Oakland Youth Chorus Preview Concert  

2 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Oakland 

27th & Harrison 

Oakland 510-287-9700 

Free 

 

Children's Movies 

Tom & Jerry, The Movie (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor's Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

The Oakland Symphony Chorus 

STYLES SAMPLER Workshop. Three music workshops presented on Spirituals with Trente Morant, Barbershop with Dr. Robert Campell and Feasts and Seasons, Music of Spain and America with Juan Pedro Gaffney. Morning snacks and lunch will be provided.  

8:45 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. 

6013 Lawton Ave., Oakland. 

$30. $25 in advance. 465-4199. 

 

Berkeley Rep/UC Berkeley Joint Symposium inspired by HOMEBODY/KABUL 

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St., Berkeley 

Free & open to the public, call 510-647-2966 for reservations (not required)  

 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Class 

6:30 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center 

1720 8th St. 

$6 per class. 981-6651 

 

RAWA- Kabul to Pindi 

Recent (March) journey to Afghanistan slides and talk 

4 to 6 p.m. 

1924 Cedar St. 

Berkeley 

 

 

Meet the Candidates Convention 

For a new Berkeley Mayor 

Chris Worthington, Rob Wrenn, Elliot Cohen, Barbara Lubin and Tom Bates have been invited & asked to share their vision for Berkeley's future. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK) 

Berkeley 

510-540-8543 

Free 

 

Native Californian Cultures 

A major focus of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum 

of Anthropology has been the Native peoples of California. Today, with 260,000 catalogue entries, the museum preserves the world's largest and most comprehensive collection devoted to the region. In this gallery, we present an overview of Native Californian cultures demonstrating the great diversity of the Californian peoples. 

Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall at the corner of Bancroft Way and College 

The phone number is (510) 643-7648. 

Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and $.50 for  

children 16 and under- Free to the public on Thursdays. 

 

Live Music  

Classical jazz singer Vicki Burns. Second show: Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave. 

Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


<\h3> Saturday & Sunday, May 4th and 5th 

Norway Day Festival  

The Festival is a fun day out for all age groups to eat, enjoy, be 

entertained, shop, learn and exchange.  

San Mateo Expo Center  

South Delaware Street 

San Mateo 

 

The 9th Annual Benicia Artists Open Studios 

Over sixty local artists will display their work from many different art forms including drawing, painting, photograph, collage, jewelry, glass works, digital art and video.  

10 a.m.- 5 p.m. 

Benicia Chamber of Commerce 

601 First Street 

For more information contact Marie Muscolino at 707-747-0131 or artsbenicia@aol.com 

Free 


Vegetarian Delicacy: Curried dandelions and cattail fried rice

By J.M. Hirsch, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

CONCORD, N.H. — The only time most people forage for food is when the cupboards are bare and they find themselves scrounging through the refrigerator, struggling to turn a can of peas, moldy bread and ketchup into dinner. 

“Wildman” Steve Brill prefers to do it the real way. 

This self-taught foraging expert heads backs to nature daily to find his food. And when he goes out to eat, he isn’t bringing back burgers and fries. He’s feasting on plants most people consider weeds. 

Now he’s ready to teach you to do it, too. His new book, “The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook” (Harvard Common Press, 2002, $29.95) contains more than 500 recipes using plants you’re not likely to find in a grocer’s produce section. He lists more than 150 of such wild plants in detail. 

Brill is talking about milkweed (tossing it with pasta), acorns (serving them refried, similar to beans), and purple-spore puffball (a type of mushroom he serves fried and baked with dairy-free Parmesan). 

For Brill, the world is full of food. Most people don’t realize that many of the plants they try so hard to rid their yards of not only are edible, but can be turned into delicacies with little effort. 

Foraging for food may not be common in the United States, but Brill says people around the world rely on it for stocking their pantry with seasonal greens and other goodies. 

“Anywhere but America,” he said recently, talking by phone from his home in Mamaroneck, N.Y. “The Germans, the Italians, the Chinese, the Indians. Any culture ... where TV and entertainment aren’t the only ways to live, foraging is still common.” 

Brill, who has been vegan since 1990, got turned on to foraging back in 1979. 

“I was bicycling, riding past a park in Queens, New York, near where I lived, and there were these ethnic Greek women picking something in the park,” he said. “I asked them what they were doing and it was all Greek to me. But I came home with grape leaves and I was excited to have something I could cook with.” 

From there, Brill’s fascination with found food flourished. But grazing on public property wasn’t always easy. 

In 1982 he began giving foraging tours in downtown New York. Four years later, he made national headlines when he was arrested for eating a dandelion in Central Park. The charge? Removing vegetation. 

A month later the city dropped the charges and, instead of prosecuting, offered Brill a job as a naturalist, to lead teaching tours showing other New Yorkers the bounty that grows around them. 

Brill acknowledges that not everyone will be comfortable foraging. That probably has to do with the fear of eating something that will cause a slow, painful death. 

But, he said, commonsense and a good field guide are all that are needed for safe and succulent foraging. 

“Learn a small number of easy-to-recognize plants really well and you will build up your knowledge and do this safely,” he said. “Don’t pick near heavy traffic or near railway rights of way where they spray, and always wash everything first.” 

There is one area where Brill’s book, chock-full of tempting and unusual recipes, is lacking — there are no illustrations to help the novice forager differentiate between the yummy and the deadly. 

Coincidentally, he has written a field guide, “Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not so Wild) Places” (Morrow, 1994, $21.95), which he recommends for this purpose. 

Not everything in Brill’s book, which is organized by season, is unusual. Some of the recipes call for ingredients such as berries that can be found just as easily in grocery stores as in the backyard. 

For an easy early-spring dish that doubles as great weed control for the lawn, try Brill’s curried dandelions. Be certain not to use dandelions from lawns or fields that have been sprayed with herbicides or insecticides. 

Dandelion leaves are best when they are very young. Bitter even then, they become distastefully so as they age. The best leaves are harvested well before the plants flower. 

 

Curried Dandelions 

(Preparation time 25 minutes) 

3 tablespoons oil (corn, peanut, sesame or olive) 

9 cups common dandelion leaves 

4 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic 

1 1/2 cups water 

3/4 cups drained soft, silken tofu 

2 tablespoons mellow (light-colored) miso 

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice 

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the dandelion leaves and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the garlic from burning. 

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the puree to the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Makes 6 servings. 

 

For another wild spring edible, try cattails, which grow in marshes and wetlands and look like, well, cats’ tails. 

Brill said the immature flower heads on cattails can be harvested when green in the early spring and cooked like corn on the cob. Because this comes out a little dry, he suggests serving it with a sauce. 

Try eating the tender white shoots in the following recipe, too. 

 

 

Cattail Fried Rice 

(Preparation time 15 minutes) 

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 

1/2 cup peeled and chopped cattail shoots 

1 cup shallots, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

3 cups cooked brown rice 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon chili paste or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the cattails, shallots and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the rice is hot. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. 

Makes 4 servings. 

(Recipes taken from “Wildman” Steve Brill’s “The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook,” Harvard Common Press, 2002, $29.95) 


Slave insurers revealed in report

By Deborah Kong, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — Evidence of insurance polices for the lives of slaves surfaced in records that six companies submitted to the California Department of Insurance. 

The department issued a report Wednesday on slave insurers and also released a separate database with the names of about 675 slaves and more than 300 slaveholders. Activists were excited about the new documents, which they say could bolster the case for reparations for descendants. 

The insurance department said in its report that Aetna, AIG, New York Life and Royal & Sun Alliance provided records indicating they or their predecessors may have issued policies insuring the lives of slaves. 

ACE USA submitted an Aetna Life policy on a slave, which it said was written after Aetna Life and ACE’s corporate predecessor parted ways. Penn Mutual also submitted a policy, but it had no corporate name attached to it. 

AIG submitted a magazine article that contained a “replica of a policy issued to a slaveholder in the amount of $550.00 on the life of one male slave known as ’Charles,”’ according to the report. 

ACE reported that it found a copy of a slave policy written in 1855 by Aetna Life and issued in Mississippi, insuring the life of a slave laborer named Peter. 

The report “adds to the databases of organizations that are working on lawsuits, and it adds to the information about African-American history,” said Jean Damu, chairman of a California group that is trying to build support for black reparations. 

The insurance department also found evidence the practice of insuring workers was not limited to Africans. Manhattan Life provided one policy that insured shippers for their cargo of 700 Chinese laborers on a journey from China in 1854, the report said. 

The workers were valued at $120 each. After three of the “coolies” jumped overboard and 11 others died of disease, Manhattan Life paid $408, according to a 1961 speech made by the company’s president, the report said. 

California appears to be the first state to require insurance companies to submit data on slave policies they issued, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 

About 1,350 life, property and casualty insurance companies doing business in California were required to report to the insurance department under a law that took effect on Jan. 1, 2001. About 92 percent of the companies have responded, said Leslie Tick, the agency’s senior staff counsel. 

The companies had to report whether they or their predecessors issued insurance policies to slaveholders before 1865, providing coverage for damage to or death of slaves. 

Although the companies were licensed to do business in California, the policies they or their predecessors wrote were issued elsewhere, Tick said. 

“Slavery was a significant component of the overall economic system for two centuries,” said Richard America, who is part of a group that plans file a lawsuit against the federal government seeking reparations. It wasn’t just plantation owners who were connected to the slave trade, he said. 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said he plans to urge other states to initiate similar legislation requiring companies to report on slave policies. “Much more research must be done to understand the full breadth of the insurance industry’s involvement,” he said 

In early April, three slave descendants filed suit against Aetna insurance company, FleetBoston Financial Corp. and railroad giant CSX on behalf of themselves and millions of other blacks, claiming the companies — or their corporate predecessors — unjustly profited from slavery. 

Aetna spokesman David Carter said the company regrets the existence of the policies. “We believe it’s important to move from this point and focus on where our company is today and where we can be tomorrow,” Carter said. 

New York Life spokesman William Werfelman said the company “abhors the practice of slavery historically and currently, and we profoundly regret that our predecessor company, Nautilus, was associated in any way with it for even a brief period of time.


Glacier experts find sea levels rising faster than predicted

By Molly Bentley, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

Global sea levels are likely to rise higher this century than previously predicted according to calculations made by glaciologists at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

No one factor can account for the nine-inch increase caused by glacial melt, said Mark Dyurgerov, one of the researchers, but warmer temperatures are partly responsible. “Glaciers immediately respond to this climatic change,” he said. 

Nine inches may seem insignificant when ocean depth is measured in thousands of feet. But a few inches’ rise in sea level could mean considerable damage for coastal areas, such as cities and ports, wetlands and beach areas.  

“A one-foot rise in sea level typically will cause a retreat of shoreline of 100 feet more,” said UC-Boulder glaciologist Mark Meier, “which would have substantial social and economic impacts.” This is particularly threatening for small nation islands that are only a few feet above sea level to begin with, he said. A sea level rise could engulf them entirely. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made the earlier prediction in a 2001 report. The IPCC comprises the world’s top climate scientists and is the leading scientific body for assessing the consequences of climate change. The 2001 report presents the most current research in related fields, such as biology, glaciology and environmental science.  

The new figures on glacial melt, combined with the rise in sea level for other processes, such as ocean warming, could mean sea levels will rise by as much as three feet by the end of the century.  

A rise in sea level alone could have devastating effects. But the world’s oceans don’t exist in isolation. They are part of an integrated ecosystem system, said Ted Sambos, an UC-Bolder researcher. Scientists have no way to predict every consequence of a major climate disruption, even with the best climate models.  

The IPCC reported in September that the expected rise in sea level due to glacial melt was between a fraction of an inch and nine inches. Dr. Meier and Dr. Dyurgerov have calculated a range between eight and eighteen inches. 

Dr. Meier said at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that the panel’s estimates needed revision because data from some regions were unavailable at the time of the September report. 

As a result, the September report underestimated the influence of large glaciers in Alaska, smaller glaciers around Antarctica and Greenland, and left out data on increases in ice melt since the late 1980s. Glacial melt has accelerated since then, according to Dr. Meier. 

“The rate of ice loss has more than doubled since 1988,” said Dr. Meier. “Some glaciers are smaller than they’ve been in the last 1,000 years.”  

At the time of its report, the panel was unable to consider data from difficult to measure glaciers in Alaska and the West Coast of Canada. These glaciers are isolated and tricky to measure. The combination of the glacier’s size and snow or rainy weather makes flying a helicopter over them nearly impossible. However, in the early 1990s, the University Alaska at Fairbanks developed new surveillance techniques using light airplanes and a laser altimeter system. This enabled better measurements of glacier elevation and as a result, changes in glacier volume. The details of the study will be submitted for publication, said Craig Lingle, a geophysicist at the UAF, but early analysis indicate a trend. 

“Glaciers and ice fields of Alaska, Yukon, and Northwestern British Columbia are melting more rapidly than previously assumed,” said Lingle. “They’re making a contribution to rising sea level that is significantly larger than previously estimated.” 

Dr. Meier agreed. “The large glaciers of Alaska and adjacent Canada currently are contributing to about one-half the rate of global ice loss,” excluding the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets, which are the largest in the world, he said. 

The revisions on glacial melt do not discredit the panel’s climate model, said Sambos. Climate models are complex, he said, and, by nature, present a general trend of the changing environment. The panel created a model with the best data available at the time. As monitoring technologies improve and more data from regional areas become available, he said, the picture would become more refined. He says that he and his colleagues support the panel’s other predictions.  

“That the glaciers will continue to retreat world-wide, we are very confident,” he said. That climate will continue to warm - very confident. Whether sea level will rise exactly seven inches or eleven inches, it’s a much tougher call. But no doubt, sea level will rise.”


Berkeley’s parking meters are failing all over town

Mary Spicuzza, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

is muscular arm covered up to the elbow in massive, ink-stained gloves, delivery driver Jose Gomez pointed toward a long row of his nemesis — Berkeley’s parking meters. More specifically, Berkeley’s broken parking meters. 

“I’ve been victimized by them,” said Gomez, a seven-year veteran courier who blames a glove compartment full of tickets on malfunctioning meters. “They’re just deceased, dead. There are more in Berkeley than in the other cities. I don’t know how many.”  

Neither does the city of Berkeley, but its been counting. And it says that vandals are to blame for the rising numbers of broken meters in town that costs the city about $1 million each year. That’s why police recently announced an “enhanced enforcement” program to prevent vandalism. 

What makes the police suspect vandals? 

“Foreign objects placed in meters,” Lt. Bruce Agnew of Berkeley’s traffic bureau said. “Basically, we find anything that fits in that coin slot. You name it.” 

Agnew said the new enforcement program means the department is committed to stricter surveillance of its parking meters, especially in “harder hit” areas downtown and near campus. 

But last week, one month after police launched the program, streets on the north side of the UC Berkeley campus showed severe meter malaise. A row of six broken meters lined one side of Euclid Avenue, some covered with plastic bags, others with masking tape. A note taped to one malfunctioning meter read, “Out of Order. This meter steals money!” Across the street another read, “Broken smokin.”  

Thirty-two meters out of 55 counted near the Hearst-Euclid intersection were broken. All flashed “FAILED” and showed a “P” with a diagonal line through it.  

Cars had slipped in front of nearly all of them. 

Across campus on Bancroft Way, the meter malfunction epidemic was even worse. In a two-block south campus area between Telegraph Avenue and Ellsworth Street, 31 meters flashed FAILED. Seven persisted. 

Two women were buckling an infant into the car seat of their SUV, which was parked in front of a broken meter near campus. 

“It’s great when they’re broken,” said Maria, who declined to give her last name. “Then you can park for free.” 

That’s what she thinks. But Gomez, the mail courier could tell her otherwise. Officer John Walker suspects a lot of drivers feel like Maria, but they’re wrong. Walker, a parking enforcement representative, tickets cars in front of broken meters. Especially when drivers leave them there for hours.  

“We chalk the tires, and ticket them if they exceed maximum time,” he said, reaching for a bright green parking ticket envelope and walking toward a truck parked illegally on Telegraph Avenue. 

Now the city hopes to pass an amendment to the Berkeley Municipal Code that will allow multiple citations to drivers who continuously overstay posted time limits, at both broken and functioning meters. Police say they hope it will make breaking meters less appealing. 

Despite what seems to be a growing epidemic, talk of broken meters in Berkeley is nothing new. The problem gained national attention two years ago, after an 11-year-old girl challenged a parking ticket she and her mother received on a visit to Berkeley. During an ensuing science project she found nearly 30 percent of the city’s meters were broken—and short-timing people.  

Inspired by Berkeley’s meter trouble, the girl, Ellie Lammer, helped pass “The Lammer Law,” which gives counties in California the right to monitor city meters for accuracy. 

“I would say they’re lazy,” UC Berkeley student Johanna Rohr said, when asked about Berkeley’s perennial broken meters. “I think they just need to get new meters” 

While walking to class yesterday morning, the 22-year-old economics major said she got one ticket because of a broken meter, and now leaves signs when she parks in front of them. Rohr said parking on Shattuck Avenue is much easier, thanks to its newer meters. 

The newer “Reino” meters, made by an Australian meter manufacturer, are multi-space meters and specially designed to be tamper resistant. But Berkeley police say vandals, not technology, are to blame.  

Berkeley’s Lt. Agnew said the damaged “Duncan” meters are only three years old, and he believes they would be fine if it weren’t for the numerous foreign objects people jam inside of them. Police said it’s become much more common than the older strategy of chopping off meter heads. Vandals beheaded several hundred years ago, but that was before jamming the coin slots became the popular technique. 

Have officers caught anyone in the act since its enhanced enforcement program began?  

“I’m not aware that we have,” Agnew said. “I don’t know how much time we have spent so far. But it’s something we are going to do.” 

Others doubt that Berkeley’s meter problems can be blamed on criminal activity. UC Berkeley Graduate student Gabriel Spitzer said he spent “a lengthy period of time” looking for a parking space yesterday morning, and checked to make sure the meter was working. But he said that once he dropped his coins into its slot, the meter “self-destructed and started yelling fail, fail, fail.” 

“They say it is people who are sabotaging the things,” Spitzer said. “But in reality, they don’t need anyone’s help to break.” 


End of school year means start of garbage cleanup

By Bruce Gerstman, Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday May 04, 2002

Computer monitors, surfboards, desk lamps and the other detritus of the school year will soon begin to appear on Berkeley streets in an end-of-the-year ritual that irks the university and the city.  

While students study for final exams and prepare for their trips home, they often neglect to leave time to pack up, sell or donate their belongings. Instead, they move them into the street, says Adam Weinert, the recycling operations supervisor for the Campus Recycling and Refuse Services at UC Berkeley. 

“They're lazy, and they don't want to deal with it,” he said. 

Weinert helps make sure that the belongings students abandon, from common trash and clothing, to kitchen appliances and stereos, get picked up at the end of the year when the garbage load is far heavier than usual.  

While on a typical day the school's refuse service collects about 35 tons of garbage, it grows 43 percent the day after finals, to about 50 tons. This year, that day is Saturday, May 25, and Weinert expects the service's fleet of four trucks to head out for trash twice.  

During the week leading up to Saturday, the refuse service will be finding books, clothing, lamps and other abandoned items as they troll around in a flat-bed truck. They will bring what's still usable it to the Reuse Center, a thrift shop in Lower Sprawl Plaza where all items are free to university faculty, staff and students.  

But all of that comes only from dorms and graduate housing: residences for about 5,500 students. Then there's all the people moving out of homes unaffiliated with the University, like more than 60 fraternities, sororities and co-ops, which the City of Berkeley Public Works department serves.  

The public works department typically adds extra dumpsters near the fraternities and sororities. It's setting up 13 this year a few days before May 25.  

“There's tremendous demand on trash disposal,” said Becky Dowdakin, the public works recycling program manager. Dowdakin said public works paid about $8,000 in overtime last year for the same day. 

She said the public works department schedules its annual Bulky Waste pickup around the area of fraternities and sororities on May 25 so it coincides with the university's move-out day. It's the first week of ten weeks over the summer when Berkeley residents can leave their sofas, futons, rugs and other large household goods on the curb. 

For those items that are still in good condition, public works tries to inform the fraternities and sororities to leave out reusable stuff on Friday, May 24. That's when trucks from East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Urban Ore and Good Will wander the area seeking merchandise to resell at a bargain. Then on Saturday, public works gathers whatever's left behind. 

Joseph Ayankoya, the Public Work's senior refuse supervisor, has collected working televisions, beds with frames, and washers and dryers that students have left in the past. He said that the students from out-of-town prefer not to bring everything back with them. And many don't care to donate.  

Ayankoya said that the most common items he sees left on the street are mattresses. His department hauled away 80 on the same day last year. 

“When they finish their finals, they just want to go,” he said.


San Jose Catholic Diocese forms sex abuse task force

The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Catholic Diocese of San Jose announced Friday it had begun to form a task force that will review the diocese’s policy regarding clergy sexual abuse. 

Bishop Patrick J. McGrath has asked San Jose businessman Michael Fox and former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery to co-chair the task force. 

The bishop hopes to have the full task force in place within the next 10 days. 

At least one member of the team will be a “victim survivor,” McGrath said. The task force will also include experts in psychology, law enforcement and human relations. 

Word of the task force formation comes after 10 men who attended the St. Martin of Tours parish school, a Catholic grade school in San Jose, told The Mercury News that former pastor Joseph T. Pritchard repeatedly molested them and other young boys. 

Some of the students say they suspect church officials transferred Pritchard to St. Nicholas church in Los Altos in 1978, where he served as pastor until he died of cancer in 1988, because of sexual-abuse allegations. 

Church officials say they have no records indicating there was a problem. Nonetheless, McGrath apologized to the alleged victims. 

“These young men took appropriate action. I do not feel that this was an attack on the church, rather, it was a step toward positive change,” McGrath said. 

McGrath also appointed a liaison to head an outreach program for the pastoral care of victims and their families.


Erin Brockovich settles ex-husband’s libel suit

The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

LOS ANGELES — A libel lawsuit filed against Erin Brockovich by her ex-husband has been settled, Brockovich’s attorney said Friday. 

“The parties just decided to get on with their lives and put it behind them,” said David Weeks, an attorney for Erin Brockovich. 

Reno stockbroker Steven Michael Brockovich filed the lawsuit in March 2001, alleging the legal assistant immortalized in a Hollywood film falsely claimed in two publications that he failed to pay child support for their daughter. 

He said the articles hurt his reputation in Reno, causing his business to drop. 

Weeks declined to provide any details of the settlement, saying the terms are confidential. 

An attorney for Steven Brockovich declined to comment. 

The lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accused Erin Brockovich of libel, slander, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. 

Brockovich and her boss, Ed Masry, won $333 million in compensation from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for 650 residents of the town of Hinkley, where water was found to be contaminated with chromium 6.


So. Calif. diocese faces sex abuse allegations

(AP)
Saturday May 04, 2002

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Police who received 22 sex-abuse allegations from the Diocese of San Bernardino last week have forwarded most of them to law enforcement in 16 other communities. 

On April 25, the diocese presented the San Bernardino Police Department with reports of priests who allegedly molested children between 1957 and 1995. 

The list includes four priests who were still active in the diocese when church officials gave their names to police. All four have since left their parishes. 

After sorting through the reports, investigators found that only three were reported to have occurred in the city, police said in a press release issued Friday. 

The department said investigators faxed to California enforcement agencies reports of abuse in Belltown, Blythe, Colton, Corona, El Cajon, Fontana, Hemet, Highland, Hollywood, Mission Hills, Montclair, Ontario, Riverside, Victorville. 

Police also forwarded abuse reports to Donaldson, Ind., and St. Louis, and are working to determine the proper jurisdiction for another report of abuse that allegedly occurred somewhere in Massachussetts.


Oakland and Boston dioceses handle abuse differently

By Kim Curtis, The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

OAKLAND, Calif. — “No More Secrets” is the motto of a groundbreaking effort by Roman Catholic priests and survivors of clergy abuse in the Oakland diocese to work together to forgive and heal. 

A priest is leading a “survivors retreat” this summer. They also have an official Web site and the whole effort is headed up by a nun. 

When Oakland’s Catholics began this endeavor two years ago, they thought every diocese in the country would soon do the same. 

The reality is that in many other dioceses, church officials and laity remain bitterly divided when it comes to opening up about abusive priests. 

In Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law’s reluctance to involve lay people in discussions of abuse is disturbing, according to Svea Fraser, member of a grassroots church reform group called Voice of the Faithful. 

“There’s great confusion because there hasn’t been dialogue,” she said. “We have no structure or arena to be able to talk to him. We hear from him through the front page and he hears from us the same way.” 

A spokeswoman for the Boston diocese did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment on this story. 

Since the scandal broke, most bishops have either publicly apologized for abuse, held penance services or urged victims to come forward. But advocates for victims continue to press dioceses to give them a greater role in overseeing the church’s response to abuse claims, to ensure that victims are treated with sensitivity and given proper support. 

Fraser ooh-ed and aah-ed when she heard about Oakland’s cooperative efforts. 

“It sounds to me what’s happening in Oakland is the very thing we’d like to make a reality here,” she said. “It feels like we’re bleeding, we’re hurting, we need some help. We’re not hearing anything back (from church leadership) and the things we are hearing aren’t very supportive.” 

In Oakland, one former priest and two inactive priests have been investigated since the nationwide sex abuse scandal broke in January. One of the inactive priests is the Rev. Robert Freitas, charged with molesting a teen-age boy 23 years ago. 

In Boston, nearly 500 people have claimed they were abused by priests, and the archdiocese has given prosecutors the names of 87 accused priests. 

Law, who stands accused in lawsuits of ignoring evidence of abusive priests, has reiterated the archdiocese’s commitment to protecting children and reaching out to victims. 

But when some church members floated the idea of forming a coalition of lay people and priests to foster communication about the handling of the scandal, Law ordered his priests not to cooperate. 

“I would love to hear, ’We’re in a terrible crisis. How can we all help and move through this? We’d like your help,”’ Fraser said. 

“We’ve got energy. This is not a faith crisis,” she added. “People are beginning to understand what authority we do have. We have rights and responsibilities.” 

That sort of empowerment is exactly what happened in Oakland, where Bishop John Cummins plans a service Sunday marking the creation of a special ministry dedicated to providing support to sex abuse victims and to reviewing diocesan abuse policies. 

Terrie Light, who was sexually assaulted by her pastor in Oakland in the 1950s, called the diocese an “oasis” that only began implementing changes after years of increasing pressure from victims. 

“This is where we got hurt,” she said. “The church is supposed to be this warm, compassionate, consoling parent. If the church can provide that forgiveness it feels better for a lot of us.” 

Light met other church abuse victims through the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national support group. She was sought out in 1994 by Sister Barbara Flannery, who had just been appointed the diocese chancellor, the Bishop’s top aide. 

Flannery said she believed Light — who got so frustrated by the church’s official response that she began picketing in 1993 — had been treated poorly. They began meeting regularly, and reaching out to survivors in other dioceses. 

“When you begin to hear their stories, you begin to get a glimpse of their pain,” Flannery said. “We decided we’re not going to just say the words, we’re going to follow up with actions.” 

Light was delighted. 

“She was willing to meet and willing to listen and willing to have a couple of us hammer at her,” Light said. “She’s not part of the good ol’ boy network and these are not her compadres that she went through seminary with.” 

Since then, the diocese has kept in constant contact with its parishioners about abuse issues, and Flannery, one of very few women in the United States who holds such a high position in the church, has kept her boss informed about abuse cases. 

CHURCH/From Page 22 

 

Flannery and Cummins had hoped that these claims were isolated cases, but they soon realized that nationwide, hundreds of Catholics had stories of abuse to tell. 

“When I first heard about it I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It was unimaginable. It’s a monstrous thing,” said Cummins, who made a point of listening more than talking in his meetings with survivors. In Oakland at least, “there was a kind of openness to the seriousness and magnitude of the issue.” 

In 2000, Cummins apologized for past abuses and for the church’s “tendency to retreat into denial and self-protection.” 

Now, the effort has developed into a Web site offering resources to survivors of abuse, the upcoming retreat and a steady stream of updates through letters and articles in the diocese newspaper. 

“We’ve been willing to go there, but they’ve been willing to open the door,” Light said. “In other places, they have the gates pulled up and they have archers at every entrance and they’re knocking people off as they get there.” 


Journalists killed in 2001 honored by Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial

The Associated Press
Saturday May 04, 2002

The 51 names added Friday to the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va. All these journalists were killed in 2001. The country in parentheses indicates the nationality of the journalist’s news organization: 

 

AFGHANISTAN — Ulf Stroemberg, TV4 (Sweden), Nov. 27. Harry Burton, Reuters (Britain), Nov. 19. Azizullah Haidari, Reuters (Britain), Nov. 19. Julio Fuentes, El Mundo (Spain), Nov. 19. Maria Grazia Cutuli, Corriere Della Sera (Italy), Nov. 19. Johanne Sutton, Radio France Internationale (France), Nov. 11. Pierre Billaud, RTL Radio (Luxembourg), Nov. 11. Volker Handloik, free lance (Germany), Nov. 11. 

ALGERIA — Fadhela Nedjma, Echourouk El Youmi (Algeria), June 14. Adel Zerrouk, Al-Rai (Jordan), June 14. 

BANGLADESH — Nohar Ali, Anirban (Bangladesh), found April 20. 

BOLIVIA — Juan Carlos Encinas, free lance (Bolivia), July 29. 

BRITAIN — Martin O’Hagan, Sunday World (Britain), Sept. 28. 

CHINA — Feng Zhaoxia, Gejie Daobao (China), Jan. 15. Zhao Qunli, Phoenix TV (Hong Kong), Sept. 2. 

COLOMBIA — Flavio Bedoya, Voz (Colombia), April 27. Jorge Enrique Urbano Sanchez, Mar Estereo radio (Colombia), July 8. Jose Duviel Vasquez Arias, La Voz de la Selva (Colombia), July 6. 

COSTA RICA — Parmenio Medina Perez, La Patada (Costa Rica), July 7. 

GEORGIA — Georgy Sanaya Rustavi-2 (Georgia), July 26. 

GUATEMALA — Jorge Mynor Alegria Armendariz, Radio Amatique (Guatemala), Sept. 5. 

HAITI — Brignol Lindor, Radio Echo 2000 (Haiti), Dec. 3. 

INDIA — Gopal Bisht, Aaj Tak television (India), Sept. 30. Ranjan Jha, Aaj Tak television (India), Sept. 30. Anju Sharma, Hindustan Times (India), Sept. 30. Sanjiv Sinha, The Indian Express (India), Sept. 30. Moolchand Yadav, free lance, in India, July 30. 

KUWAIT — Hidaya Sultan Al-Salem, Al-Majales (Kuwait), found March 20. 

LATVIA — Gundars Matiss, Kurzemes Vards (Latvia), attacked Nov. 15, died Nov. 28. 

MALI — Massa Kane, ORTM (Mali), Sept. 8. Adama Traore, ORTM (Mali), Sept. 8. 

MEXICO — Jose Luis Ortega Mata, Semanario de Ojinaga (Mexico), Feb. 19. 

MONGOLIA — Tsevegmid Batzorig, Gamma (Mongolia), Jan. 14. Takahiro Kato, NHK (Japan), Jan. 14. Minoru Masaki, NHK (Japan), Jan. 14. 

PARAGUAY — Salvador Medina Velazquez, Nemity radio (Paraguay), Jan. 5. 

PHILIPPINES — Candelario Cayona, DXLL (Philippines), May 30. Rolando Ureta, DYKR (Philippines), Jan. 3. 

RUSSIA — Eduard Markevich, Novy Reft (Russia), found Sept. 18. 

SPAIN — Ruben Cortijo Marin, Euskal Irrati Telebista (Spain), May 21. Inaki Pangua Akasuso, Euskal Irrati Telebista (Spain), May 21. 

THAILAND — Kaset Puengpak, Thai Rath (Thailand), May 2. Witayudh Saengsopit, free lance, April 10. 

UKRAINE — Ihor Oleksandrov, Tor television (Ukraine), July 7. 

UNITED STATES — William Biggart, free lance, Sept. 11. Jeff Cole, The Wall Street Journal (USA), Jan. 24. Robert Stevens, The Sun (USA), Oct. 5. Bill Teegins, Oklahoma State Radio Network (USA), Jan. 27. 

UZBEKISTAN — Marc Brunereau, free lance, Sept 5. 

YUGOSLAVIA — Kerem Lawton, Associated Press Television News (United States), near the Kosovo-Macedonia border, March 29. Milan Pantic, Vecernje Novosti (Yugoslavia), June 11. 


Pro-Palestine protesters rally for free speech

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Two hundred pro-Palestinian protesters marched on UC Berkeley’s California Hall Thursday afternoon, protesting the suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine, calling on the UC system to divest from Israel and demanding a meeting with UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl. 

“What does Berdahl have to hide? UC’s funding genocide,” the protesters chanted. 

Protesters met a wall of UC Berkeley police at the entrance, and the Chancellor’s office did not send a representative down to meet the group. 

“It wasn’t exactly conducive to conversation,” said Assistant Chancellor John Cummins. 

The university did allow one SJP member, Meera Vaidyanathan, to hand deliver a statement to Cummins demanding that the university lift its temporary suspension of the student group. 

UC Berkeley suspended the organization last week pending an investigation of its role in the April 9 occupation of Wheeler Hall. Under the terms of the suspension, the group cannot reserve rooms or outdoor spaces for meetings and protests. 

SJP reserved Sproul Plaza, where Thursday’s “Free Speech Free Palestine” protest began, under the name of a different organization – Mediawatch. But members defiantly proclaimed their SJP affiliation at the protest. 

“I am a member of Students for Justice in Palestine and proud to organize for Students for Justice in Palestine,” said Snehal Shingavi, an SJP leader. 

PROTEST/From Page 1 

 

“As far as we’re concerned, Mediawatch reserved the plaza,” said Dean of Students Karen Kenney, suggesting that SJP will not face further charges for Thursday’s action. 

Kenney emphasized that, while SJP cannot reserve campus facilities, the group can still participate in rallies staged by other groups, speak out freely and identify itself as Students for Justice in Palestine. 

Kenney said Director of Student Judicial Affairs Neal Rajmaira will meet with an SJP representative Monday, concluding its investigation of the group’s role in the April 9 occupation. The university will then determine whether to file formal charges against SJP. 

If charged, the group will have an opportunity to negotiate a settlement or go to a hearing, Kenney said. 

Activists suggested that the university has suspended SJP because of its political point of view. 

“The university does not want anyone to hear about...what it’s helping to fund and support in the occupied territories,” said Linda Sherif of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. 

But university officials said the issue is SJP’s disruption of classes at Wheeler Hall, not its message. Chancellor Berdahl issued a statement Wednesday reflecting this position. 

“It is important to understand that this is neither an issue of free speech, nor of the right to hold demonstrations on campus,” the statement read. “The issue is the occupation of an academic building, interfering with the rights of other students to continue their education.” 

“The demonstration at Wheeler Hall was an attempt at education,” replied Dennis Childs, a graduate student who spoke at the protest. 

Randy Barnes, a member of Israel Action Committee, was one of dozens of pro-Israeli activists who held a counter-demonstration Thursday. 

“They’re throwing a big temper tantrum,” Barnes said, describing SJP’s protest of the suspension. He said the university’s action is warranted because the students violated campus rules during the Wheeler Hall occupation. 

UC Berkeley police arrested 79 activists on April 9, including 41 students. The activists were arraigned on various charges Tuesday, ranging from trespassing to resisting arrest, and face pre-trial hearings next week. 

The 41 students also face possible disciplinary action from the university, ranging from probation to a one-year suspension.  

 


University anti-abortion rally misrepresented

– Monika M. Rodman
Friday May 03, 2002

aTo the Editor: 

Perspective Journalism is always an interpretive act, even when undertaken with most sincere intentions of “accurate reporting.” The Planet’s front-page coverage of last Friday’s Celebrate Life Rally on the Cal campus is a case in point. The story represents one reporter’s laudable, though ultimately unsuccessful, effort at unbiased reporting of a controversial matter on which it is commonly thought there is no hope for productive dialogue. 

As a Berkeley resident present for the entire rally, I was intrigued, though not surprised, by the article’s title, “Abortion activists face off at UC Berkeley.” This title, and the article’s content, made a positive, pioneering event sound like the same old ho-hum in an already decided abortion debate. 

The event was actually quite remarkable, if for no other reason than it challenged the pro-choice orthodoxy Berkeley residents normally accept as unquestionable truth on abortion. While the Planet chose to use a photo showing lots of Sproul Plaza’s concrete flooring, few pro-life participants and many pro-choice posters, this lively event in fact drew far more listeners than an abortion rights rally one week prior. And it was marked by a remarkably respectful dialogue between the speaker and her opponents. 

Several other facts give a very different picture than that portrayed by last weekend’s story. 

Though unreported, the rally’s theme, “Celebrate Life... because life is precious!” was visibly communicated by a large banner, on leaflets and on the T-shirt worn by numerous student organizers. 

The rally was sponsored by the ASUC-approved Berkeley Students for Life, an on-campus group with dozens of supporters. The group’s impressive mission and positive outreach have included active support of the UCB Student-Parent project and successful lobbying for ASUC-funded of diaper-changing tables in campus restrooms. Women comprise at least half of BSL’s membership. On the day of the rally over 20 more individuals of diverse ethnicities and lifestyles “came out of the closet” with their pro-life views, adding their names to BSL’s growing list of supporters.  

Rally speaker Serrin Foster, who presented “The Feminist Case Against Abortion” is indeed (gasp!) a “pro-life feminist.” That the Planet reporter could not bring himself to denote her as such without quotation marks indicates the narrow thinking of Berkeleyites who, sometimes wrongly, pride themselves for revolutionary open-mindedness. Pro-life feminism is not an oxymoron; it’s the dirty little secret of women’s studies departments and 1960’s pro-abortion rights feminism. Those ready to have their dominant paradigm subverted can check out www.feministsforlife.org. 

Imagine the surprise of finding recognized feminist foremothers speaking of the right of children yet unborn to be born, the rights of the fetus, and so forth. Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s challenge is perhaps most provocative: “When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should consider our children property to be disposed of as we see fit.” Yikes! Didn’t hear this in Women’s History 101! 

The Planet’s reporter twice asserted that rally speaker Foster’s goal was to “outlaw abortion.” No mention that her repeated message was one of inclusion and expanding protection of the vulnerable, i.e., pre-born children and their mothers under pressure. Pregnant women and their yet-to-be-born children are not mortal enemies, and it is a disservice to portray them as such. Foster openly invited pro-choice students to work with BSL to expand on-campus supports such as prenatal care and housing for those seeking to choose life over abortion. 

In short, UC Berkeley’s Celebrate Life Rally was more than a shouting match or “stand off” between opposing activists. It positively challenged pro-choicers and pro-lifers to work together in offering women and children choices better than abortion, which the ERA’s original author, Alice Paul, called “the ultimate exploitation of women.” Such an event is indeed worthy of a fair and accurate portrayal. 

 

– Monika M. Rodman 

Berkeley


Out & About Calendar

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002


Friday, May 3

 

Bay Area Tibetans haunt Hu Jintao (China’s soon-to be president) 

Tibetans stage protest outside SF City Hall 

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

 

Live Music  

Anna De Leon & Ellen Hoffman- Jazz Standards, second show: Bluesman Hideo Date, blues guitarist 

8 p.m., second band 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave. 

Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 

Lost & Found 

1,2,3 Opera Company 

Malcolm X Arts & Academics Magnet School 

Opera Company comprised or First - Forth Graders original opera, about an adopted child searching for his birth parents. 

10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

RSVP 510-644-6313 

 


Saturday, May 4

 

Word Beat Reading Series 

Featuring "Press 62" starring Johanna Mangahas, You-Fong Benedicte Chang, Anthony Scott and Jason Zahorchak 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

Free 

 

Shelter Operations: Emergency Preparedness Class 

Learn how to take care of yourself before the disaster. 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar Street 

Berkeley 

to register: 510-981-5605 

 

Berkeley Rep/UC Berkeley Joint Symposium, 

featuring discussions and workshops inspired by HOMEBODY/KABUL 

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St., Berkeley 

Free & open to the public, call 510-647-2966 for reservations (not required)  

 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Class 

6:30 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center 

1720 8th St. 

$6 per class. 981-6651 

 

RAWA- Kabul to Pindi 

Recent (March) journey to Afghanistan slides and talk 

4 to 6 p.m. 

1924 Cedar St. 

Berkeley 

 

Meet the Candidates Convention 

For a new Berkeley Mayor 

Chris Worthington, Rob Wrenn, Elliot Cohen, Barbara Lubin and Tom Bates have been invited & asked to share their vision for Berkeley's future. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK) 

Berkeley 

510-540-8543 

Free 

 

Native Californian Cultures 

A major focus of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum 

of Anthropology has been the Native peoples of California. Today, with 260,000 catalogue entries, the museum preserves the world's largest and most comprehensive collection devoted to the region. In this gallery, we present an overview of Native Californian cultures demonstrating the great diversity of the Californian peoples. 

The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall at the corner of Bancroft Way and College 

The phone number is (510) 643-7648. 

Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and $.50 for  

children 16 and under- Free to the public on Thursdays. 

 


Sunday, May 5

 

 

Cinco De Mayo 

Parade to kick off festivities, Mexican cuisine, arts & crafts, cultural exhibits and a children’s zone. Two stages with folkloric dance, mariachi music and more. 

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Oakland’s International Boulevard 

510-418-2962 

 

Live Music  

Classical jazz singer Vicki Burns. Second show: Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave. 

Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


Saturday & Sunday, May 4th and 5th

 

Norway Day Festival  

The Festival is a fun day out for all age groups to eat, enjoy, be 

entertained, shop, learn and exchange.  

San Mateo Expo Center  

South Delaware Street 

San Mateo 

 

The 9th Annual Benicia Artists Open Studios 

Over sixty local artists will display their work from many different art forms including drawing, painting, photograph, collage, jewelry, glass works, digital art and video.  

10 a.m.- 5 p.m. 

Benicia Chamber of Commerce 

601 First Street 

For more information contact Marie Muscolino at 707-747-0131 or artsbenicia@aol.com 

Free 

 


Saturday, May 4th-June 9th

 

"What Cats know" by Lisa Dilman 

Directed by Rebecca J. Ennals. Four thirty-somethings play a game of gotcha with unexpected consequences.  

Thursdays- Saturdays 8 p.m. $20, 

Sundays 7 p.m.- Pay what you can 

Transparent Theater 

1901 Ashby Avenue 

510-883-0305 

www.transparenttheater.org 

 

Getting Help for Chemical Dependency 

Weekly workshops about chemical dependency and how to help someone you love who has this problem. 

10 a.m. to noon 

Health Education Center 

400 Hawthorne  

Oakland 

510-652-7000 

Free 

 


Sunday, May 5

 

27th Annual House Tour: "The Making of a Streetcar Suburb" 

Hosted by The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, tour includes the interiors and gardens of ten classic houses from the early 20th century.  

1-5 p.m. 

Meets at the entrance to the Clark Kerr Campus 

The corner of Warring and Parker Streets 

For more information call 510-841-7421 

$30, $25 for members 

 

Cinco De Mayo 

Parade to kick off festivities, Mexican cuisine, arts & crafts, cultural exhibits and a children’s zone. Two stages with folkloric dance, mariachi music and more. 

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Oakland’s International Boulevard 

510-418-2962 

 

20+ Person Yard Sale benefit for "We The People" 

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

We The People Auditorium 

200 Harrison (at 2nd) 

Oakland 

510-836-3273 

 

Children's Movies 

Tom & Jerry, The Movie (in Spanish) 

Shows at 1 & 3 p.m. 

The Actor's Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Live Music  

Danubius, Romanian & Hungarian music 

8 p.m., second show 10 p.m. 

Anna’s Bistro 

1901 University Ave. 

Berkeley 

510-849-ANNA 

 


Arts Calendar

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

 

“Pericles, Prince of Tyre” Through May 4: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., William Shakespeare’s tale of lost hopes and love regained. Directed by Jon Wai-keung Lowe. $14. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, 234-6046. 

 

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” Apr. 12 through May 11: Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents Eugene O’Neill’s story of the Tyrone family. Directed by Jean-Marie Apostolides. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., 528-5620, www.actorsensembleofberkeley.com.  

 

“Time Out for Ginger” May 10 through Jun. 1: The Actor’s Studio presents the famous comedy that sketches the tumult in a family that includes three teenage daughters, one of whom insists on trying out for her high school football team. $12. Check theater from dates and times. The Actor’s Studio’s Little Theatre, 3521 Maybelle Ave., Oakland 

 

“Homebody/Kabul” Apr. 24 - June 23: Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents Tony Kushner’s play about a women who disappears in Afghanistan and the husband and daughter’s attempts to find her. $38-$54. Call ahead for times, 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org.  

 

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

 

 

W. Hazaiah Williams Memorial Concert, “The Art of the Spiritual” 

Featuring African-American Spirituals sung by mezzo soprano Vanessa Ayers, tenors Samual McKelton and William Brown, Baritone Autris Paige and bass-baritone Benjamin Matthews, and pianist Dennis Helmrich. 

Saturday, May 11 

7:30 p.m. 

Calvin Simmons Theater 

10 Tenth Street 

Oakland 

For tickets: SASE to PO Box 507, Berkeley, 94701, or e-mail: fourseasonsconcerts@juno.com with your name, address & phone number to have tickets held at the box office or call 510-451-0775  

Free - Reserved Seating Required 

 

 

“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. 

 

“Errata” through May 4: An exhibition of the photographic work by Marco Breuer, focusing on the gaps, mistakes and marginal events that occur in daily life. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Open: Objects” through May 4: An exhibition featuring sculptural objects by Los Angeles artist Karen Kimmel. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Urban Re-Visions” Through May. 4: A two-person exhibition featuring the colorful anthropomorphic sculptures of Tim Burns and the figurative/narrative paintings of Dan Way Harper. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

 

“Quilted Paintings” 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 

 

“Re: Figuration” May 10 through Jun. 8: A two-person exhibition by Jody Sears and Michele Ramirez. S ears presents sculpture made from wood, and Ramirez showcases her paintings of Oakland, its streets, people and geography. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831 

 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” 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” 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 

 

“Marion Brenner: The Subtle Life of Plants and People” Through May 26: An exhibition of approximately 60 long-exposure black and white photographs of plants and people. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

“The Image of Evil in Art” 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” 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 

 

“East Bay Open Studios” Apr. 24 through Jun. 9: An exhibition of local artists’ work in connection with East Bay Open Studios. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland, 763-9425, www.proartsgallery 

 

“Solos: The Contemporary Monoprint” Apr. 26 through Jun. 15: An exhibition of two modern masters, Nathan Oliveira and Matt Phillips, as well as monoprints from other artists. Call for times. Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave., 549-2977, kala@kala.org 

 

“Komar and Melamid’s Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project” Through May 26: An exhibition of paintings by elephants under the tutelage of Russian-born conceptual artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

“Perpetual Objects” Through Jul. 10: An exhibition of seven large-scale sculptures and two collage drawings by Dennis Leon. Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Gallery 555 City Center, 12th and Clay, Oakland. 

 

“Scene in Oakland, 1852 to 2002” 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 

 

 

 

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 

 

Oakland Museum of California “33rd Annual California Wildflower Show” An exhibition featuring native flowers gathered in the field, brought into the museum and sorted, identified and labeled by botanists. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free children age 5 and under. May 11: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., May 12: 12 - 5 p.m. 

 

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 “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.


‘Medea’ haunts UC Theatre excitingly

By Jacob Coakley, Special to the Daily Planet
Friday May 03, 2002

It’s good to see the UC Theatre back on its feet. Thanks to the Shotgun Players’ production of "Medea," the historic theater on University Avenue is once again home to audiences. Shotgun pulled off a coup renovating the space and adapting it to their needs, and also they’ve renovated "Medea" – a classical play which, tragically, always seems timely. 

From the moment you walk up to the theater you know this will be no straight-laced revenge tale. Perhaps emboldened by Impact Theatre’s successful re-working of "The Bacchae," Patrick Dooley’s Shotgun Players have hired Mr. Russ Blackwood to give this piece an ironic bite. The coming attractions windows of the theater sport satiric society newspaper columns filling us in on Jason and Medea’s exploits and his abandonment of her. And as you walk in the theatre itself Mellie Katakalos’ set, small in the cavernous space – which is a good thing – is effectively painted to look like the entrance to a haunted house. With ominous music from the antique reed organ – played by the composer Don Seaver the night I saw the show – and Medea’s off-stage wailing, the play begins. 

MEDEA/From Page 15 

 

Suzanne Voss’s Nurse has the unlucky task of exposition, but her desperation for Medea and her desire of peace for Medea is always present, which lends urgency to her tale and her character through out the show. The chorus (Kenya Briggs, Bekka Fink, and Nina Auslander) enter next, bedecked in flowers and fruit and singing in three-part harmony. They, as happy Hellenes, only wish to help Medea. They try to prove this throughout the show with songs that are meant to help her, but invariably insult her instead. 

But it is Creon, played by Louis Landman who sets the day in motion when he announces to Medea, played by Beth Donohue, that she is to be banished from Corinth to make life easier for Creon’s daughter and her new husband, Jason, Medea’s ex.  

Medea doesn’t take this news well.  

When Jason comes onstage to plead with Medea – he wishes they could still be friends – the play hits its comedic peak. Jason Frazier plays Jason the Argonaut as a charismatic entitle buffoon who can do whatever he wishes because he is blessed by the gods. His arrogance coupled with his utter ignorance into the nature of a foreign culture as represented by Medea and his subsequent abuse of her eventually brings his ruin. It is to Jason Frazier’s credit that he conveys all this humorously.  

The Nurse brings Ageus, ruler of Athens to see Medea in hopes that he will grant Medea sanctuary. When Ageus arrives on-stage he is comically portrayed by Michael Carreiro as an impotent fool. In a vaudevillian give and take sequence Medea convinces Ageus to offer her sanctuary. Ageus agrees. With protection granted Medea quickly spirals downward on her course and the opportunities comedy grow fewer as the violence nears.  

As the play approaches its climax Heather Basarab’s lights become even starker, creating huge shadows and lines of black and white on the theatre’s ceiling and walls and an impending sense of doom becomes palpable.  

In the end, it’s hard not to wonder whose tragedy this is. Medea has exacted her revenge and seems calmer and more pleased than ever. It is Jason who is truly the broken one. He has truly lost everything: his power, his home and his children; all through an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and his inability to understand a foreign personage. In these times, it’s hard not to draw parallels.  

"Medea" plays Thursdays through Sunday now through June 1 at the UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave. Call 704-8210 for reservations or visit www.shotgunplayers.org. 

 

 

 


Berkeley collapse puts SLL title up for grabs

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Dragons score five goals in fourth quarter to take over a share of first place 

 

With two minutes left in the third quarter against Bishop O’Dowd on Thursday, the Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team had a 5-2 lead and a seeming stranglehold on the Shoreline Lacrosse League title. But from that point on the game was a nightmare for the ’Jackets. 

O’Dowd scored the final six goals of the match, including five in the fourth quarter, to grab an 8-5 comeback win on their home field. O’Dowd’s Nick Stratton, held to just two assists in the teams’ two games up to that point, had two goals and two assists in the final quarter to lead his team. 

The loss dropped Berkeley (11-3 overall) back into a tie for first place with the Dragons (13-2), with both team 4-1 in the SLL. Berkeley won the first matchup, 6-2, on March 12 in Berkeley, and the league hasn’t determined what to use as a tie-breaker, so the title is seemingly up for grabs. 

Berkeley head coach Jon Rubin felt the Dragons’ explosion of goals had been coming for a while. 

“We knew they had that kind of firepower, that they could score a bunch of goals quickly,” Rubin said. “Even when we were up by three goals I didn’t feel secure. They were playing with so much energy.” 

The ’Jackets, on the other hand, were worn out by the final period, as the O’Dowd transition game had run them ragged. It didn’t help that Joaquin Palomino, one of Berkeley’s top defensemen, was sidelined for the game, or that defenseman Demetrius Sommers was playing with a fever of 102 degrees. 

“We just couldn’t possess the ball on offense, and our defense got tired,” Sommers said. “They were just out-hustling us all game. They just kept on running us into the ground.” 

Berkeley was also hurt by two fourth-quarter penalties, both of which O’Dowd converted into goals. Dan Vilar was caught offside, leading to the game-tying goal from Stratton, and Sam Geller was called for a slash, with Stratton finding Pat Bird for a the go-ahead score. 

As the Dragons picked up their games, the ’Jackets fell apart. They failed to score on two O’Dowd penalties with the game still within reach, then Jesse Cohen threw a lazy pass that Stratton picked off in full stride. O’Dowd’s leading scorer went all the way down the field before bouncing a shot past Berkeley goalie Marc Block for a 7-5 lead with less than five minutes left. 

Stratton and Bird combined for three goals and three assists, a big improvement over a lone assist from two of the league’s top scorers in the teams’ first meeting. Stratton was dominating in the final quarter, dicing up the Berkeley defense. 

“Stratton and Bird really stepped up with big goals late in the game,” O’Dowd head coach Wayne Shaffer said. “Your big guys have to step up in big games. They didn’t do that in Berkeley, but they sure did today.” 

O’Dowd put the game away with a minute remaining. Geller took a long shot that goalie Mike Sheridan saved easily, launching another fast break that ended with a Mike Esser goal, his second of the match. 

“We knew we had to come out in the fourth quarter and win the game,” Stratton said. “We got a couple of lucky goals, but it came down to hustle.” 

Sheridan also had something to do with the comeback. After making just two saves in the first half, the O’Dowd goalie made eight in the second half, all after giving up a soft goal on a shot from just inside the halfline by Berkeley’s Cohen. Cohen led the ’Jackets with three goals, but that was the last score Berkeley would get. 

Rubin said the chewed-up O’Dowd field may have gotten into his players’ heads, as the ’Jackets are accustomed to the true bounces and fast pace of their home AstroTurf. Rubin’s players looked befuddled on numerous rolling balls, while the Dragons were able to pick the ball up on the run, giving the home side a big advantage. 

“I think we got psyched out by the field a little bit. They just out-groundballed us,” Rubin said. “But they played a phenomenal game. This was nothing more than a good team beating another good team.” 

Shaffer agreed that the teams are evenly matched, and either team can win on any given day. 

“On the days we make plays, we’re going to win. On days they make the plays, they’ll win,” he said. “Our two teams are just neck-and-neck.” 

No matter which team claims the league title, both will likely make the field for the Nothern California Postseason Tournament. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) is the only team to defeat both Berkeley and O’Dowd, although the Dragons still have a match against University (San Francisco) next week. The Red Devils beat Berkeley, 7-6, earlier this season.


City leaders fear state money grabs

By Kurtis Alexander, Berkeley Daily Planet
Friday May 03, 2002

State may “balance its budget on the backs of cities,” mayor says 

 

With the recent news of a projected $2.8 million shortfall at city hall, fears are mounting that money problems will grow further as a result of cutbacks in Sacramento. 

“The state is quite likely to balance its budget on the backs of cities,” said Mayor Shirley Dean. “This is what they’ve done before.” 

Next week, lawmakers in Sacramento are scheduled to release their May revision of next year’s budget proposal, which will begin to outline how state shortfalls will be dealt with. 

The task assures hardship. Berkeley’s state lobbyist Lynn Suiter and Associates informed the city this week that the state’s projected budget shortfall for next year is likely to eclipse February estimates and could exceed $20 billion, the largest of any U.S. state. 

“I think everybody at the local level should be nervous,” said District 14 Assemblymember Dion Aroner. “We’re the major funder of local governments.” 

City Budget Manager Paul Navazio said he’s most nervous about the plight of vehicle registration fees. While the DMV funds have traditionally been shared between the state and cities, Navazio worries that California lawmakers will choose a greater portion for themselves this year. 

The registration fees were worth about $6 billion to the city this last fiscal year, according to city officials. 

Another possible state grab, which has long concerned local jurisdictions, is property taxes through the Education Revenue Augmentation Fund, Navazio said. It’s possible that state lawmakers will boost their share of local property taxes, which were historically controlled by cities, he said. 

ERAF legislation permits the state to do this with the understanding that they will redistribute property tax revenues among school districts. 

Navazio also foresees cutbacks in a number of state programs which will affect a range of local items, including transportation, childcare and health care. 

Assemblymember Aroner added mental health services, social services, and schools to the list of where state funding cuts are likely to affect the city of Berkeley. 

She said state lawmakers were trying to keep the cuts “as far away from the classroom and from the emergency room as possible,” noting her desire to least impact the most vulnerable populations. 

“But you can’t lose one fifth of your budget and not make cuts,” she said disappointedly. 

In addition to the possibility of losing millions of state dollars, city leaders are troubled by the fact that they must create a budget for next year without knowing what their actual revenues from the state will be. 

“We have to develop contingency plans,” said Assistant City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

While the city budget is due on June 25, it is not likely that the state budget will be known until months later, Navazio said. 

 

 


Berkeley deserves a new mayor

- Nancy Carleton
Friday May 03, 2002

To the Editor: 

Berkeley needs a mayor who is proud of our history and protects our landmarks, who promotes local businesses instead of corporate chains. We need a mayor committed to providing more affordable housing opportunities while respecting our neighborhoods. And we need a mayor who doesn't work to undermine our credibility on important inter-city boards, who instead represents Berkeley's commitment to improving transit options and protecting our environment. Most of all, Berkeley needs a mayor who chairs council 

meetings with dignity and fairness instead of rancor and partisanship. 

What we DO have, to name the worst instance in recent memory, is a mayor who goes on "The O'Reilly Factor," a Fox TV program that reaches tens of millions, to promote a boycott of her own town. 

Boy, do we need a new mayor! If you think so too, come to the Mayoral Convention this Saturday, May 4, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center at Hearst and MLK. It's free, there'll be food, and you can join in a discussion of issues important to Berkeley and cast a vote for the candidate you think should be the new mayor. 

 

 

- Nancy Carleton 

Berkeley\


Scholars hunting down Papa Hemingway’s letters

By Dan Lewerenz, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ernest Hemingway is among the most well-studied American authors, but hundreds of thousands of his own words have never been examined or published. 

Now, scholars are embarking on a literary treasure hunt to collect, edit and annotate thousands of his letters, including many that he never sent. 

It won’t be the first examination of Hemingway’s letters, which the author once described as “often libelous, always indiscreet and often obscene.” Two decades ago, biographer Carlos Baker published a volume containing about 600 letters. Selected letters have been the source of some scholarly work, but those are thought to represent barely one-tenth of Hemingway’s correspondence. 

“Some biographical critics have been searching Hemingway’s fiction and works of poetry for years, looking for the man,” said Joseph DeFalco, professor emeritus of English at Marquette University. 

“But the letters can give us the man behind the art considerably better than trying to find him through a fictional character. There are plenty of biographies and biographical articles, but the best biography comes out of the letters.” 

Penn State University professor Sandra Spanier, in cooperation with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation and the author’s family, is coordinating the project. 

Scholars estimate there may be 8,000 to 10,000 letters in libraries and private collections around the world. Although some, such as the collection at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, have been available to scholars for some time, new collections are constantly being found. 

“We really don’t know what’s in private hands and small collections. A big part of this project is finding those letters,” said Spanier, an associate professor of English and women’s studies at Penn State. 

Spanier will coordinate a team of scholars from around the world, first in locating letters, then readying them for publication. The project is expected to take several years, producing as many as a dozen volumes for scholars and a collection of selected letters of interest to the general public. 

“I envy her the treasure hunt,” said James Plath, professor of English at Illinois Wesleyan University and co-author of “Remembering Ernest Hemingway.” 

“I do not envy her for what I’m sure will seem to her like coal mining, because she’s going to be working in the dark without a canary. But there are some treasures to be found.” 

Plath said the letters could be invaluable to literary scholars seeking real-life analogs for characters and situations in Hemingway’s fiction. 

LETTERS/From Page 17 

 

“The list of people who knew him and are still alive is becoming a short list,” Plath said. “The letters are a way to revive relationships — they’re there like a psychic thumbprint to show moods, to show inclinations. They’re there for people to draw connections between the works and the private life.” 

They could be even more valuable to future biographers, who will find everything from clues about Hemingway’s mental illness — he committed suicide in 1961 — to tender correspondence with his children. 

Spanier said Hemingway wrote many letters in the heat of a moment, then kept them when he thought better of sending them. 

In one letter, illustrative of the public image Hemingway created for himself, the writer invited Sen. Joseph McCarthy to come to Cuba and fight. But others completely contradict the notion of machismo so often associated with Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning author of such books as “The Sun Also Rises” and “The Old Man and the Sea.” 

“Some of the letters are very tender, very loving, very supportive of the efforts of the women in his life, which contradicts some of the images we have of him as the ultimate male chauvinist,” Spanier said. 

“A lot of people love him to the point of hero worship or absolutely despise him to the point that they think he shouldn’t be read and it’s a disgrace to be associated with him,” she said. “I think a lot of people will be surprised that he’s a much more contradictory character than either his biggest fans or his biggest detractors would know.” 

 

 

Penn State University: http://www.psu.edu 

The Hemingway Foundation: http://www.hemingwaysociety.org/ 


Sports this weekend

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Friday 

Diving – ACCAL Championship, 3 p.m. at Contra Costa College 

Baseball – Berkeley vs. Alameda, 3:30 p.m. at Evans Diamond, Cal 

Baseball – St. Mary’s vs. St. Elizabeth, 3:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth High 

Softball – Berkeley vs. Alameda, 3:30 p.m. at Levine-Fricke Field, Cal 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 6 p.m. at Sunken Diamond, Stanford 

 

Saturday 

Track & Field – Meet of Champions, 10 a.m. at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento 

Track & Field – Cal vs. Stanford, 11 a.m. at Edwards Stadium 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond, Stanford 

Swimming – ACCAL Championship, 1 p.m. at Contra Costa College 

Girls Lacrosse – Berkeley vs. Bishop O’Dowd, 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, Cal 

 

Sunday 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond, Stanford


Peace commish gets new bloc

By Kurtis Alexander, Daily Planet Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Just week’s after the city’s Peace and Justice Commission drew controversy with its Mideast resolution widely perceived as anti-Israeli, five new appointments have jolted the politically-wrenched group. 

The appointments, made back-to-back on Wednesday, come from Mayor Shirley Dean, two of her centrist colleagues on the council Miriam Hawley and Betty Olds and two of the more conservative school board members Shirley Issel and Joaquin Rivera, most of whom expressed discontent with the commission’s resolution last month. 

“I’m eager to see if we can change the tone of this commission,” said Hawley. “We don’t need more recommendations that seem to divide our community.” 

Before Wednesday’s appointments, seven people sat on the commission, six of whom voted in support of last month’s resolution. With five new members, the count is now 12, with three seats still vacant. 

The 15 total seats are handpicked by city’s councilmembers and school board members. 

One of the commission’s newest members, appointed by the mayor, is UC Berkeley student Mickey Weinberg. Though known for his activism in the Jewish community, Weinberg said yesterday he intended to bring a “reasonable approach” to all social issues. 

“I’m more concerned about justice than with politics,” he said. 

But veteran members of the commission say the new members are an attempt by councilmembers on the moderate side to stack the commission against them. 

“They’re showing a contempt for democracy,” said Elliot Cohen, vice-chairperson of the commission. “They’ve clearly pushed five appointments in one day because they didn’t like what we did.” 

Progressive Councilmember Kriss Worthington, an outspoken critic of his moderate colleagues on the council, called the appointments a “political” hoist. He claimed the mayor was using her leverage over the commission to jockey for the November mayoral race. 

“Basically, Shirley is trying to use this to say I’m pro-Jewish and the progressives hate Jews,” Worthington said. 

The mayor could not be reached for comment before press time. 

Four of the five newly-appointed seats on the commission had sat vacant for more than a year. Wednesday’s sudden and concurrent appointments came as a surprise to many. 

“You have some people who don’t care about the city until there is a political context,” charged commissioner Cohen, accusing the mayor and her allies of having been disconnected until now. 

Hawley said with her appointment to the commission, she hopes the group will start paying more attention to local issues rather than to international ones. 

“It’s a concern of mine that we need to ground ourselves in what’s going on locally,” she stated. 

In addition to Weinberg, the new commissioners include David Weinberg, Tom Seaton, Donald Brody, and Sandy Curtis. 

The newly-formed group will meet for the first time next at its regularly scheduled meeting this Monday evening. 

 

Contact reporter: 

kurtis@berkeleydailyplanet.net 


What are you doing for peace?

Charmaine Soldat
Friday May 03, 2002

To the Editor: 

What fools we Americans are. 

Ignorant of history and human nature, we gullibly accept government and corporate propaganda like lemmings. We walk lockstep in place behind an undemocratically selected president who surrounds himself with similar megalomaniacs in governments and corporations. To top it off, some Americans are even willing to surrender their civil rights to feel safe. We have been told that there are unnamed terrorists under almost every rock. What they fail to tell us is that they are the terrorists. 

Instead of using our wealth constructively by directly assisting people, not governments of the suffering world, including or own populace, we allow the destroyers to arrogantly squander our wealth, American’s greatness and most importantly the Earth itself, before our very eyes. After all, most people just want the fulfillment of their basic human need for food, clothing, shelter and health care – and perhaps higher education. 

Having the gall to claim that starving, torturing, maiming, raping and blowing up living things brings peace, doesn’t convince me. Does it convince you? There are 95 percent of us, and only 5 percent of them What are you doing about it? 

- Charmaine Soldat 

Berkeley


Asia soaps up daytime TV using its own suds

By Tini TranThe Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

MANILA, Philippines — Glittery Hong Kong dramas dominate prime time in Malaysia and Singapore. Latin America’s steamy telenovellas heat up the screen in the Philippines. In Vietnam, viewers follow the tangled twists of a half-dozen Chinese dramas. 

Across Asia, fans are eating up a steady diet of imported soap operas. 

Once separated by language barriers and historical enmity, countries are now vying for prime-time space in each other’s television markets. 

“Nationalism has been erased through the medium of television,” said literary and media critic Bienvenido Lumbera of the University of the Philippines. “It’s a kind of youth culture that makes the transfer from one culture to the next quite easy.” 

Chong Eu Pui, a 28-year-old television production assistant from Kuala Lumpur, said she has friends who used to travel to Singapore when Hong Kong soap stars were visiting. 

“The Hong Kong stars are much more popular than our Malaysian actors,” Chong said. “They’re much more glamorous and they are better actors.” 

Soap operas, whether from Australia or Asia, appeal to viewers through a classic formula of common emotions and fantasy settings, said Christina Slade of the University of Canberra, who organized a recent conference on soaps in Australia. 

For many in poverty-stricken developing countries, the appeal of escapism — beautiful homes, beautiful people — is self-evident. 

“The themes are about love, sex, fidelity, domestic arrangements and money,” she said. “There are very few societies outside that range of issues.” 

Many of the popular soaps are not Hollywood exports; they’re made and principally marketed within the region. 

Since the late 1990s, South Korea has become a soap opera powerhouse, producing and exporting programs to China, Taiwan and Singapore. 

Park Jae-bok, general manager of MBC Production, which exports TV dramas, attributes the success to fans’ desire to see Asian faces. 

“Asians are growing sick and tired of Hollywood products. They are sick of seeing white people and black people on their screens,” Park said. 

In Vietnam, posters of South Korean stars like Jae Young-joon adorn many teenagers’ walls, and their photos are exchanged like baseball cards. 

“South Korean soap operas are attractive to young Vietnamese viewers because it’s close to their daily life, plus the shows have beautiful artists with fashionable clothes and makeup,” said Nguyen Kim Trach of state-run Vietnam Television. 

Trendy youths in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City wear the darker makeup and body-hugging fashions of Seoul’s soap stars. One Korean soap, “Yumi My Love,” about a fashion designer, sparked the opening of Yumi fashion shops in Hanoi a few years ago. 

SOAPS/From Page 23 

 

Die-hard Taiwanese fans of the tear-jerker series, “Autumn Story,” went on a tour last year to Sok Cho, a city about 100 miles northeast of Seoul, where the show’s lead characters grew up and reunited. 

China’s costume-heavy period pieces are also a good draw in Vietnam. 

The lead actress of one, Zhao Wei, is so popular that publishing houses printed her photo on the cover of school notebooks. Children bought copies of her royal headgear for the annual full-moon festival. 

Ngoc Thach, who translates Chinese soap operas for Hanoi TV, believes the appeal lies in the common background. 

“Vietnam and China share many similarities in their history and culture, so Vietnamese viewers feel like they are part of it when they watch Chinese movies,” he said. 

Chinese and South Korean soaps bring in advertising dollars. Local television stations sometimes show nearly 30 minutes of commercials before the start of a soap opera. 

In the Philippines, Latin American soap stars are mobbed during promotional appearances. 

The reaction of some countries’ governments sometimes isn’t so enthusiastic. 

Last month, China banned a popular Taiwanese soap, “Meteor Garden,” which depicted the high school romance between a poor girl and a member of a gang of spoiled rich kids. Complaining that it was a threat to young minds, China pulled the plug after the show ran for less than a month. 

And in Vietnam, a state-run newspaper put the dominance of Chinese and South Korean TV programs on its list of the ”10 most embarrassing cultural events of 2001.” 


History

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Today is Friday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2002. There are 242 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight 

Two hundred years ago, on May 3, 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city. 

 

On this date: 

Two hundred years ago, on May 3, 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city. 

On this date: 

In 1916, Irish nationalist Padraic Pearse and two others were executed by the British for their roles in the Easter Rising. 

In 1921, West Virginia imposed the first state sales tax. 

In 1937, Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone With the Wind.” 

In 1944, U.S. wartime rationing of most grades of meats ended. 

In 1945, Indian forces captured Rangoon, Burma, from the Japanese. 

In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable. 

In 1971, anti-war protesters began four days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C., aimed at shutting down the nation’s capital. 

In 1978, “Sun Day” fell on a Wednesday as thousands of people extolling the virtues of solar energy held events across the country. 

In 1979, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher was chosen to become Britain’s first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections. 

In 1986, in NASA’s first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control.


Tilden stabbing suspect still sought by park police

Bruce Gertsman Special to the Daily Planet
Friday May 03, 2002

Rangers say other vehicle-related crimes are on the rise in area parks 

 

The East Bay Regional Park District Police Department has released a sketch of a woman suspected of stabbing a 29-year-old El Cerrito man in Tilden Park on Monday. 

Park police say they believe the woman may have been the victim of serious crimes herself and may need assistance. 

A visitor to the Berkeley park reported the stabbing, which happened at about 2 p.m. at the end of Brook Road near Lake Anza. First responders found Andrew Ting stabbed several times in the chest and neck. 

Ting was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland where he is in stable condition and is expected to recover fully from the knifing. Ting told officers he picked up the woman and drove to Tilden Park, where she stabbed him while they were parked inside his car. 

After the woman stabbed Ting she took off in his car, a gray 2001 Honda Accord coupe with a California license plate number of 4SHX791. The car may have a roof rack. 

The suspect is described as a blonde white woman, approximately 19 years old. Her hair was in a ponytail at the time of the stabbing, when she was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. While many East Bay residents visit regional parks in Berkeley and Oakland to hike beneath the redwood and eucalyptus trees, crime in the park is on the rise — especially vehicle break-ins and robberies. 

“It's on the rise, probably throughout the Bay Area,” said Jeff McKenna, a park ranger at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. “People have their guard down because it's not a city street,”  

As a result, they tend to feel comfortable leaving money, jewelry and other valuables in their cars. 

Although the park's public safety department has not conducted a formal analysis, the daily incidence (in reference to car break-ins) logs show that throughout all 59 regional parks, robbers broke into 23 autos in March, compared to 13 in the same month last year — a 77 percent increase.  

Robberies like these have popped up mostly in parking areas around Tilden, Wildcat Canyon, Redwood and Roberts Regional Parks as well as The Lafayette-Moraga Trail, said Lieutenant Pete Small of the park police. He said that park thieves often turn out to be drug addicts and take anything that can be quickly resold. Purses, wallets and backpacks that can be seen from the otherside of a window invite break-ins because of the money and jewelry that might be waiting inside. While many robbery victims end up with a smashed window, lost cash and a headache from canceling credit cards, others end up worse. 

In early April, a robber pried open the door of a car parked near the Lafayette-Moraga Trail and got away with a purse carrying a diamond ring. The police estimated an $8,000 loss. 

To stop these break-ins, the Special Enforcement Unit of the park police sets up undercover officers to watch cars in areas of repeated crimes. In other cases, they set up “bait,” like a purse sitting on a car seat, and hide in nearby bushes. A few weeks ago officers two people busting into a car at the Tilden Golf Course parking lot. When police catch thieves, they often find jewelry and money stolen from previous park break-ins, Small said. 

He suggested that the best way to keep property safe is to keep it out of the parks.  

“We recommend that people leave valuables at home and only bring ID on their person,” he said.  

Small said 55 officers patrol the regional parks, which includes 1,000 miles of trails and about 92,000 acres, an area about 20 times larger than the city of Berkeley. 

The park police often work with local city police to catch robbers, said Jeff Wilson, superintendent of Tilden Regional Park. Wilson said that the number of break-ins has remained consistent in Tilden over the past couple of years. But he said now more thieves than usual are active.  

“It's usually one or two people. Right now it's two or three groups of people working the same places,” he said.


California Senate passes bill curbing car exhaust

By Jim Wasserman, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SACRAMENTO — The California Senate, in a bow to environmental activists and fears of global warming, passed the nation’s first bill Thursday proposing to limit carbon dioxide emissions from vehicle exhaust. 

Senate Democrats prevailed in a 22-13 vote to override fierce objections of global carmakers and auto dealers who called the bill a backdoor attempt to make them sell smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles. 

“It’s going to whiplash our California car market without any benefit for our consumers,” said Peter Welch, representing the California Motor Car Dealers Association. “We just think it’s a dumb idea.” 

The legislation, which passed the Democrat-dominated state Assembly in January, now returns to the Assembly for agreement on Senate changes. If the Assembly agrees, the bill goes to Gov. Gray Davis. 

Davis spokesman Russ Lopez said the governor has not indicated a position. 

Davis, running for re-election in November, faces a barrage of lobbying on one of the year’s most contentious bills. Support includes the state’s largest cities, Silicon Valley business executives, water districts that rely on Sierra Nevada snowmelt and celebrities ranging from Leonardo DiCaprio to Barbra Streisand. 

Opponents lining up with carmakers and car dealers include the United Auto Workers Union, the California Farm Bureau Federation and California Chamber of Commerce, representing much of the state’s business community. 

The bill, sponsored by the San Francisco-based Bluewater Network and other environmental groups, gives global automakers until 2009 to begin restricting their California output of carbon dioxide, a natural byproduct of fuel combustion. Backers say 40 percent of California’s “greenhouse gases” that contribute to global warming come from California’s 22.8 million cars, trucks and buses. 

“We think is great news,” said Bluewater campaign director Elisa Lynch. “If this bill passes it will finally force the auto industry to put money into hiring engineers to make better vehicles instead of hiring lawyers and lobbyists to fight good legislation.” 

But opponents maintain that California vehicles create one-tenth of one percent of the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions. 

The bill, AB1058 carried by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, requires the California Air Resources Board to write regulations by Jan. 1, 2005, to limit carbon dioxide from noncommercial cars and light trucks. Pavley has said she hopes other states follow California’s lead. 

Legislators would have a year to review the regulations and carmakers and three more years to begin complying with them. 

Domestic and international automakers have maintained through a contentious series of committee hearings this year that restricting natural gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide and methane are greatly different from past efforts to limit toxic emissions such as ozone and diesel soot. Industry representatives said no technology exists to restrict natural gases. 

Republican senators, including Sen. Maurice Johannessen, R-Redding, called Thursday’s vote a “rush to judgment” and questioned the scientific legitimacy of global warming itself. 

“There’s enough evidence to debunk that,” Johannessen said. 

Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Northridge, said, “This is not some sort of exotic pollutant. We’re talking about carbon dioxide. We’re talking about the stuff we all exhale.” McClintock ridiculed the bill as part of a California cultural phenomenon he called “Kumbayah uber alles.” 

Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, expressed harsh criticism of carmakers, citing their past resistance to seat belts, air bags and catalytic converters. 

“Their credibility,” she said, “is so low the only thing to do is just ignore them.”


State short-cutting logging approvals, environmental suit alleges

By Don Thompson, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SACRAMENTO — California approved hundreds of logging plans affecting hundreds of thousands of acres although a regional water board failed to review the plans as required by law, an environmental law suit charged Thursday. 

The Department of Forestry is required to have the timber harvest plans reviewed by other agencies before approval. 

But the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board repeatedly told the department it couldn’t review the proposals because it didn’t have the staff, according to records obtained by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and made available to The Associated Press. 

The regional board has responsibility for water quality protection for more than half the state’s commercial timberland. Its jurisdiction runs from the Oregon border to south of Bakersfield, covering the entire Central Valley and the western Sierra Nevada. 

“We probably review substantially less than 10 percent of the plans within our region,” said James Pedri, the board’s assistant executive officer. 

Because it couldn’t review the plans meant they were likely in violation of the California Forest Practices Act and California Environmental Quality Act, the board repeatedly told the department. 

LOGGING/From Page 5 

 

But the department routinely declared in public records, incorrectly, that the regional board had reviewed the plans, the suit alleges. The department also repeatedly failed to hold the second of two required review team meetings for timber plans that fell within the regional board’s jurisdiction, the suit says. 

“With or without the water board, water quality issues are being addressed” by the department’s own staff, said department spokesman Louis Blumberg. “We certainly invite other agencies to participate, but there’s nothing in the law that requires other agencies to participate.” 

He said the department conducts a second review team meeting only when necessary. 

By law, the department must deny any plans it can’t have properly reviewed, the suit contends. 

PEER’s suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, asks for an injunction blocking the department’s approval of logging plans until the problem is corrected. 

The regional board has just two state-paid employees reviewing harvest proposals, compared to the 28 doing the same job for the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. This is despite the fact the average 352-acre size of a logging project in the Central Valley board’s jurisdiction is more than twice as large as those in the North Coast region. 

Pedri said the North Coast has received more staff funding because logging there has been more controversial. 

“It is inexcusable that wholesale clear-cutting of the Sierra is occurring with virtually no environmental review except by CDF, which sees its mission as promoting the timber industry,” charged Karen Schambach, California director for the Washington-based nonprofit group. 

 

 

 

——— 

On the Net: Read the suit at www.peer.org 


Ask the Rent Board

By Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

 

The Berkeley Rent Board receives more than 300 inquiries a week ranging from very specific questions about individual units, to broader questions about rent control in general. In this column we will reproduce some of the more interesting questions and answers. Our topics will include permissible rent ceilings, the effects of vacancy decontrol, permissible grounds for eviction, habitability of units, the rules concerning security deposits and other issues of interest to renters and property owners. You can e-mail the City of Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board at rent@ci. berkeley.ca.us with your questions, or you can call or visit the office at 2125 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA. 94704 (northeast corner of Milvia/Center Streets) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., and on Wednesday between noon and 4:45 p.m. Our telephone number is (510) 644-6128. Our Web site address is www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent/. 

 

 

Question: 

My lease says I can have overnight guests for up to 10 days a year. My girlfriend stays over about twice a week, and the manager of my building has been giving me a hard time about that and about other friends who come over. Don’t I have a right to have visitors whenever I want? 

 

Answer: 

Not necessarily. A landlord has a right to establish the occupancy level of a unit, and having frequent overnight guests increases the wear and tear on the unit. Therefore, the landlord has the right to restrict the number of overnight stays, and a limit of 10 times a year is probably legal. If your landlord believes that you are violating the lease by exceeding the allowable number of overnight guest stays, he or she can issue a written notice to stop; and if you continue, the landlord may have grounds to evict you.  

As for visitors who don’t spend the night, the landlord cannot limit the frequency of visits, as long as your visitors do not disturb other tenants. 

 

 

Question: 

My lease includes a $20 a day late fee for rent paid after the first of the month. Last month I was 3 days late paying rent, and my landlord says I owe him an additional $60. Is this legal? Isn’t there at least some sort of grace period? 

 

Answer: 

A late fee may be charged as long as it does not exceed the reasonable costs the landlord incurs by your tardiness, such as lost interest and the cost of processing a late payment. A $60 late fee for a payment that is three days late is probably excessive. A late charge such as yours that increases daily should be more in the range of, say, $5 a day, with an upper limit of about 4 to 6 percent of the total rent. Sometimes a late charge is a flat fee, usually around $20 to $25, depending on the amount of rent. Grace periods from one to five days are common, but not required, so a landlord may legitimately impose a late fee for rent that is one day past due.  

If you think your late charge is excessive, ask the landlord to justify it or lower it. If you choose not to pay all or part of it, he can take you to small claims court and a judge will decide its validity.


Free Tibet protesters stop traffic in downtown SF

Daily Planet Wire Report
Friday May 03, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters for the cause of Tibet and the island of Taiwan were at the corner of Taylor and O'Farrell streets in San Francisco yesterday demonstrating against the official visit of Chinese Vice President Hu Jingtao. 

Approximately 250 demonstrators gathered and chanted, “You are the butchers” and “Shame on China.”  

They are speaking out against the visit by Hu, who met last night with Gov. Gray Davis, Mayor Willie Brown and other officials at a banquet at the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  

John P. Yu, spokesman for the Northern California Formosan Federation, said that Hu is “following in the old Chinese footsteps.”  

Formosa is the former name of Taiwan. William Chou of Walnut Creek, the pastor of the East Bay Formosan United Methodist Church, said that the Chinese sovereignty claim over Taiwan is “ridiculous.” “ 

It's like (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair claiming sovereignty over the U.S.,” Chou said. He also called for the removal of Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan. 

Topden Tsering, president of the San Francisco Tibetan Youth Congress that claims 10,000 worldwide members, said his message to Hu is that the “blood of hundreds of Tibetans killed is still fresh on your hands.” 

Tsering claimed that before becoming vice president Hu oversaw the Tibetan region where he allegedly personally ordered the killing of hundreds of peacefully demonstrating monks and nuns. 

Tsering said he wants Hu to recognize the Dalai Lama as an ally.


Monterey Market mirrors the city’s fresh faces and variety

By Molly Bentley, Special to the Daily Planet
Friday May 03, 2002

The man in the cowboy hat walked into Monterey Market like a poor man’s Johnny Cash. Dressed in black, right down to the leather vest and matching boots, he coughed into a closed fist and strode passed the Japanese cucumbers and fresh bread and into the sliver of a liquor isle.  

It was 9:30 a.m.  

Unlike the real Man in Black, as incongruous as this cowboy appeared, he failed to turn heads. It’s Berkeley, after all. And Bill Fujimoto can sum up his his clientele as succinctly as he does his produce.  

“There’s variety,” he said, referring to turnips at the time.  

These days, however, there’s more variety than ever at Monterey Market. As Berkeley’s Asian and Latino populations have grown since Bill’s father Tom began the business 40 years ago, the store has expanded into soybean paste soup, dried seaweed, “cloud ear” fungus and a wide selection of chilies. 

“Berkeley is a cosmopolitan neighborhood, ethically and culturally,” said Fujimoto, whose father immigrated to California from Japan and started the business in 1961 on a corner across from the market’s present location. “Everything has a cultural reason for being here.”  

It also has an economic reason. Fifteen years ago, the vast majority of the store’s produce came from California, which meant that many foods were unavailable off-season. As national and international food trafficking supplied merchants with seasonal food year-round, people came to expect tomatoes and mangos in winter. To stay competitive, said Fujimoto, with the chagrin of a businessman whose compromise brings profits, Monterey Market went global. Today, much of the market’s off-season produce comes from the same wholesalers who supply the large chains. The food originates in Israel, Mexico, Chile, and other foreign countries. Fujimoto said he would rather buy locally, where he knows the farmers and their growing methods. In California he can even follow the weather and consider its affect on crops.  

 

See PRODUCE/Page 11 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“When it comes from Mexico, you have no control over the growing practice,” he said. A clerk stocking tomatoes later whispered that the “quality wasn’t as good” with the imported foods. Still, Fujimoto said that as the buyer, he takes full responsibility for what’s in the store. He grew up working along side his father and, he said, and can tell you what everything in the store tastes like raw. 

A man considering the grapefruit turned to a checker. “What’s the difference between a Pomelo and a Oro Blanco?” The answer is lost among squeaky carts and two women chatting in Italian. You are as likely to hear a romance language, Farsi or Mandarian at the market, as you are English.  

 

On a recent Tuesday, a Chinese woman hustled her son indoors, where the market smells at first of oranges, then of the dankness in a root cellar. Here an elderly woman furiously sifted through yellow onions. She selected and discarded rapidly, like a secretary through index cards, and filled a clear bag. Her friend sorted red onions and spoke in Slavic language.  

 

“Are you going to use those?” asked an Indian woman, waiting behind them. She saw that the bags didn’t hold onions at all, but onionskins.  

 

“It’s Easter dye,” said the red onion woman, who said that she boiled them in water with eggs. The dark skins turn the eggs purple. And the yellow skins “turn them yellow or brown, depending on how long you soak them.” she said. “And it’s all without chemicals.”  

 

The women left, narrowly avoiding a cart of bread. “You can barely get around here,” a clerk named Mickey, admitted, “it’s all road blocks.” Which is how he likes it. 

 

“It’s like shopping in a time warp,” he said, “the way things used to be.” He said that the small size and earthiness remind him of shops he went to with his parents in the 1950’s, before the slick commercial stores took over.  

 

Monterey Market has retained its homegrown feel, even as it bows to some forces of modern economics. It is now a corporation - for tax purposes - but it is still a family business. Fujimoto took over the store – along with his two brothers and sister, who have minimal roles - after his father died six years ago. He still calls it his “father’s business.” He said that he returned to the market after a short stint as an engineer where he earned more money, but felt like an anonymous drone.  

 

“In engineering, if there’s a problem it’s well documented and then filed away,” he said. As a storeowner, he has to act. “If there’s a rotten batch of tomatoes,” he wants to know right away, and they’re tossed. 

 

The lack of formality appeals to Mickey. “It’s not so modern,” he said, comparing Monterey Market with the bigger corporate stores, where he used to work. “There’s no ATM, there’s no intercom. The prices are just called out.” Not just prices. 

 

“Mickey!” a cashier shouts over the heads of customers, one bread isle and four cash registers away. “You’ve got a phone call.” 

 

The market’s variety reflects cultural traditions, Fujimoto said, which helps keeps the customers loyal. He doesn’t turn a profit on hard-to-find items like Cardoons, and he doesn’t try to stock everything. Although one wonders what leafy vegetable he’s over-looked. “Everything we have in the store is for somebody,” he said. That may include soft dried cuttlefish, displayed near the cashiers, or something more ordinary.  

 

The man in black emerged from the liquor isle empty-handed. He turned the corner and landed in the baking section. A checker shows him a tube of vanilla beans. “Like these?” he asked.  

 

“No, those are beans,” said the man. “What about extract?”  

 

He was handed a small bottle of Pure Vanilla Extract. The man turned it over in his hand, “Ah – yes.” He smiled from under his black Stetson, and headed for the cashier.  


Lynette Jennings keeps it real

By Carol McGarvey, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

Television decorating guru Lynette Jennings is a strong advocate of personal style. From her program on the Discovery Channel, “Lynette Jennings Design,” to her own diverse two homes, she lives it. 

“Design is not absolute. Its beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” she says. “We need to own up to who we are and what we like and then have the courage to live the way we want, with what we want. Now that’s design. Taste is personal. Period.” 

With direct encouragement, Jennings tells homeowners to shed perceived “shoulds” and “musts” around them. “It’s about saying no to stuff you don’t like.” 

Jennings suggests that families take a good look at their space. If time is spent mostly with the kids, then why do so many family rooms wind up in the basement with no view or natural light? Do you “save” the living room for guests? Realistically, just how often do guests come to see it? 

“It’s time to make homes conform to your needs. The American house plan hasn’t kept up with our varying cultural lifestyles,” she says. 

It’s all about freedom, Jennings explains. It’s time to get rid of the so-called rules that guide home decorating. Kitchens don’t have to be yellow, a 1940s throwback. Little girls’ rooms don’t have to be pink. And if you want a pool table in the middle of the living room, go for it. 

“Remember, design is about life,” Jennings warns. “With five kids, we soon learned that a sandwich-making corner in our kitchen was a must.” 


– Q&A –

By Morris and James Carey The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

 

 

Question: 

I have a humming noise in my water lines, caused by a vibration that results when the tank float valve in my toilet nears shut-off. Is there a way to fix it other than by replacing the float and shut-off valve assembly? 

 

Answer: 

You don’t have to replace the entire valve. You need to replace the gasket within it. It’s an inexpensive repair. Turn off the water to the toilet and flush it. That will empty the tank. Next, remove the shut-off valve cover. How you do this will depend on the brand, however, most have four screws on top. Carefully remove the screw and then the top. Locate and remove the gasket and use the disassembly as a guide for replacement and reassembly. It is almost always easier to replace the entire unit. The humming is the ballcock assembly telling you it has a gasket that is almost completely worn out. 

 

Question: 

Jennifer asks: I think my house is haunted. I know I saw it in a Three Stooges movie once. My husband and I recently bought a 100-year-old home. In the process of painting the plaster-walled library we’re running into some bizarre paint problems. The walls were triple painted in a brush pattern — we think within the last 10 years. We bought flat paint and proceeded to apply two coats. After letting them dry we noticed dark stripes down the walls and the whole surface is crackling in 1/8th-inch sizes. We went to the hardware store where we bought the paint and explained our problem. We bought a new primer and primed the entire room. Now the primer is doing the same thing as the other coats — as is a small spot we test-painted over the primer. What can we do now? 

 

Answer: 

We assume the three-color painting detail to which you refer is sponge or splatter paint. We make this assumption because the glaze that is used with sponge or splatter paint — once painted — will render the crackling effect you are experiencing. Now that you know the cause of the problem you need to eliminate it — the cause, that is. The problem will then go away. There are several ways to do this: You can sand, but that’s messy. You can use paint remover — even messier. Or, you can try to encapsulate the problem by painting it with a material that will not be affected by the existing glaze. This we think would be the easiest way to go. Try using a coat of oil-base primer. Do a 2-square-foot area. Water-base will not work. Once it’s sealed with the oil-base primer, any kind of finish coat can be used. If the oil-base primer doesnt work, you would probably be best off covering the walls with a quarter-inch-thick layer of gyp board.


Try fluorescent lights

By Morris and James Carey The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

 

 

If your fluorescent ceiling light is humming and flickering, and there are eight generations of dead insects on the upper side of the lens, read on. 

There is nothing more energy-efficient or easier on the eyes than fluorescent lighting. We tend to take it for granted because there is such a long interval between bulb changes. 

Using a stepladder, remove and wash the lenses and change all the bulbs. If flickering continues, replace the ballast unit. They cost about $8 or $10 each and take about 20 minutes to install. Your kitchen will be brighter and your eyes will feel better. 


BAY BRIEFS

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

Mineta names CHP top cop to SFO post 

SAN FRANCISCO — Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has named a former commander of the California Highway Patrol in Los Angeles as the first federal security director of San Francisco International Airport. 

Edward Gomez, 59, will now act as the No. 1 aviation security official in the Bay Area, giving him sole power to shut down San Francisco airport in case of a security breach. He also will be responsible for making sure security checkpoints are effective in stopping future terrorist acts. 

Gomez, who commanded CHP’s largest unit for 13 years, was the first Latino commander of the Southern Division. 

“It’s one of the highest callings I’ve ever had in law enforcement,” Gomez told the San Jose Mercury News. “I have great hopes to make San Francisco Airport one of the safest in the country.” Gomez is the second California law enforcement officer to be named airport security director by Mineta. Former Los Angeles Police Chief Willie Williams was named in March as security director of Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport. 

Suspect found in mother’s beating  

SAN JOSE — The son of a woman found badly beaten inside a trash dumpster is scheduled to be arraigned Friday for attempted murder. 

San Jose police arrested An Vinh Nguwen, 31, after his 69-year-old mother was found, barely alive, in a dumpster behind an apartment complex, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Steve Dixon. 

Nguwen’s mother was taken to San Jose Medical Center, where she was in critical condition Thursday. 

Police arrested Nguwen inside his mother’s apartment after he gave them conflicting statements about what happened, Dixon said. Although he did not live with his mother, neighbors say he spent a lot of time at her apartment. 

Nguwen was being held Thursday in Santa Clara County Jail. 

 

Student sues in name of first amendment  

SAN RAFAEL — A high school journalism student is suing the Novato Unified School District for blocking an opinion editorial article deemed too controversial. 

Novato High School senior Andrew Smith alleges the district violated his constitutional right to free speech when they refused to print an article titled “Reverse Racism.” 

The opinion piece was a follow-up to an original article that ran in the Novato High School newspaper, The Buzz, in November, slamming illegal immigrants. 

In the original article, Smith argued that Immigration and Naturalization Service agents should approach anyone who looks “suspicious” and implement an English language test. “If they answer ’Que?’ detain them and see if they are legal.” 

The article prompted many students and community members to call school officials to complain.  

Smith’s father said his son has been harassed and called a racist since the article’s publication. 

 


SF Advanced TelCom Group declares bankruptcy

By Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — One-stop telephone service Advanced TelCom Group filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday and said it will try to sell the company while it dismantles an expansion that backfired in the high-tech slump. 

With its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Santa Rosa-based ATG becomes the latest casualty of an economic downturn that has been especially harsh on telecommunications companies selling Internet equipment and services. 

Founded in 1998, privately held ATG offers local and long-distance phone service as well as high-speed Internet access over digital subscriber lines in small and medium-sized cities in eight states. The company has more than 35,000 customers and about 400 employees, down from a peak of 700 workers six months ago. 

ATG plans to lay off another 100 workers this month, said Executive Chairman Gary Cuccio, who was hired in late 2001 to try to turn around the company. 

The company plans to pull out of four states — New York, Connecticut, Virginia and Maryland. ATG customers in those states already have been notified that they need to find new providers. ATG has about 5,000 customers in those Eastern states, Cuccio said. 

The company will focus on the markets in the four states — California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — where it has been losing the least amount of money, Cuccio said. 

At least five bidders have expressed interest in buying all or part of ATG, Cuccio said. “Hopefully, by limiting our liabilities, we will be more attractive,” Cuccio said. 

ATG has about $220 million in liabilities and $190 million in assets, Cuccio said. The company burned through about $500 million in venture capital and loans before landing in bankruptcy court, Cuccio said. 

Other Internet service providers to succumb to bankruptcy during the last two years include NorthPoint Communications, Covad Communications, Rhythms NetConnections and ExciteAtHome. Meanwhile, major telecom equipment suppliers such as Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks and Lucent Technologies have laid off thousands of workers while suffering huge losses. 

A group of telephone industry veterans led by Clifford Rudolph founded ATG to fill a perceived void in smaller markets traditionally neglected by the telecom industry. 

The company quickly built a network of 21 offices through a series of acquisitions, including Baltimore, Md.-based NewComm Inc., Olympia, Wash.-based OlyWa, Reno, Nev.-based SourceNet and the Pacific Northwest customers of FairPoint Communications.


Calif. citizens can sue Nike over ads

By Karen Gaudette, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s highest court has ruled Nike Inc. can be sued by a man alleging the athletic shoe and apparel maker violated false advertising laws with an ad campaign defending the wages, treatment and safety conditions of workers at overseas factories. 

In a 4-3 decision Thursday, the state Supreme Court overturned lower court decisions and ruled Nike’s efforts to quell accusations of worker mistreatment constitute commercial speech, which is subject to a California consumer protection law that is one of the nation’s least friendly to businesses. 

“Our holding, based on decisions of the United States Supreme Court, in no way prohibits any business enterprise from speaking out on issues of public importance or from vigorously defending its own labor practices,” wrote Justice Joyce L. Kennard. 

“It means only that when a business enterprise, to promote and defend its sales and profits, makes factual representations about its own products or its own operations, it must speak truthfully.” 

The court emphasized its ruling does not indicate whether the Beaverton, Ore.-based company made any false representations. Attorney David Brown, who represents Nike, said the company may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. 

“We’re greatly disappointed with it because we feel that Nike’s position is legally the correct one,” Brown said, adding he was happy the court was silent on the case’s merits. 

The highly publicized suit, which had been dismissed by a trial court and a state appeals court, claims Nike’s 1996-1997 campaign in defense of its wages, treatment of workers and health and safety conditions at Asian plants run by contractors was a misleading business practice, not the First Amendment-protected political debate that Nike has argued. 

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

Those claims were refuted by studies by labor and human rights groups, news media investigations and — most damaging of all — a January 1997 audit by the firm of Ernst & Young, commissioned by Nike, said the suit filed by San Francisco resident Marc Kasky on behalf of California citizens. 

Kasky helps manage a foundation that preserves Fort Mason, a former San Francisco military base-turned-recreation area. 

Kasky’s attorney, Alan M. Caplan, was excited by the ruling. 

“For four years basically we’ve not litigated the merits of the case. It’s all been the one issue of whether Nike’s speech was commercial speech,” Caplan said. Thursday’s ruling will hold companies “to the standard of telling the truth.” 

The three dissenting judges wrote it was unfair to deny Nike and other corporations uninhibited speech when defending their reputations against unrestricted public accusations. 

“While Nike’s critics have taken full advantage of their right to ’uninhibited, robust, and wide-open’ debate, the same cannot be said of Nike, the object of their ire,” wrote Justice Ming W. Chin. “When Nike tries to defend itself from these attacks, the majority denies it the same First Amendment protection Nike’s critics enjoy.” 

Nike officials said Thursday the company has since improved standards for workers by raising minimum age requirements and using water-based adhesives to assemble products rather than petroleum-based. 

Shares of Nike rose 55 cents to close at $54.24 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. 


Handspring’s CFO resigns

Staff
Friday May 03, 2002

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Dow Jones/AP) — Handspring Inc.’s chief financial officer, Bernard Whitney, will resign for personal reasons effective July 1, the company said Thursday. 

Whitney, 45, has been chief financial officer of the maker of handheld computers since June 1999. 

The company said it hired an executive recruiting firm to begin a search for a replacement. 

The sudden resignation comes after Handspring reported disappointing first-quarter earnings and revenue April 15. The company had said it needed more time to educate consumers about its devices. 

Handspring’s most recent model, the Treo, combines the functions of a Palm personal digital assistant and a cell phone. 

Additionally, Handspring said it would not be profitable until the last quarter of this year, instead of the third quarter. 

Shares of the company finished at $2.21 in after-hours trading, after closing the regular session at $2.32, down 20 cents, or 7.9 percent. 


Click and Clack Talk Cars

Tom & Ray Magliozzi
Friday May 03, 2002

Dear Tom and Ray: 

Our 1995 Chevy Cavalier was parked on the street where we live, about eight blocks from the World Trade Center, on Sept. 11. The car was covered with a light coating of dust -- but not inundated, like the cars right next to the WTC. We've barely driven the car since then. We're trying to decide whether to have the car's engine "detailed" to remove any contaminants that might be in the ventilation system. Does that make sense to you? -- Cindy 

TOM: Well, the first thing you should do is call your insurance company. If you were close enough to the disaster to have debris on your car, a professional cleanup might be covered under your comprehensive auto policy, and that would be the best thing to do. 

RAY: But after they weasel out of helping you, you'll have two separate issues to deal with. 

TOM: One issue is the engine. And you don't have to worry too much about that. 

RAY: The engine has an air filter to prevent airborne contaminants from getting inside the combustion chamber. So changing the air filter and wiping out the snorkel with a disposable wet cloth (and as much of the rest of the engine compartment as you can reach) should be all you need to do to protect the engine. And if a little bit of dust happens to get in there, it'll just get combusted and sent out your tailpipe. 

TOM: But the second -- and more important -- issue is the ventilation system. The passenger compartment's ventilation system is probably also covered with WTC dust. And as you probably know, there have been conflicting reports about how much asbestos and fiberglass are in that dust. 

RAY: The New York City Department of Public Health recommends that, at a minimum, you clean the car's interior and as much of the vents as you can with a HEPA-equipped vacuum. Then it recommends driving the car on the highway with the ventilation system off to allow the motion of the car to scatter some of the remaining dust. 

TOM: That will certainly get rid of some of it -- but not all of it. The DPH also has a list of "optional" steps that it DOESN'T really recommend but that you CAN take if you're worried. Without going into detail, since there are too many to list, they basically involve removing, cleaning and sterilizing everything from the tassel hanging from your rear-view mirror, to the doggie on the back shelf with the head that goes up and down (we've posted the whole DPH list on our Web site, the Car Talk section of www.cars.com, for those who want to see it). 

RAY: I'll tell you what I'd add to the basic DPH list: After driving with the ventilation system off, I would then open all of the windows and run the ventilation system with the fan on full blast for a while. 

TOM: And the best thing to do, if you're really concerned about safety (or if you have asthma or breathing difficulties), is have all the ductwork of the ventilation system removed and wiped clean. It's expensive -- it's many hours of work -- but it's the only way to really get most of the dust out. 

RAY: I'm not sure what I'd do if it were my car. After all, the same dust that's on your car was in the air for days or weeks, so you've already been breathing it. But on the other hand, the inside of a car is a closed environment, and you don't want to lengthen your exposure unnecessarily. 

TOM: Well, I know what I'd do. 

RAY: What's that? 

TOM: After I drove the car around with the fan on and the windows open, I'd lend it to my brother-in-law for a trip to Maryland. That no-good bum has been sleeping on my couch for two months. 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

On behalf of women around the world, I would like to voice a frustration I feel about my regular trips to the mechanic. I know a lot of mechanics read your column. I thought about taking out an ad or writing a letter to the editor, but I feel there's a better chance that mechanics will hear my voice through you guys. My complaint is that I am often referred to by the mechanic as "honey," "sweetie," "kid" or any number of terms of endearment. It's bad enough to be told that you need $500 worth of repairs. But to add insult to injury, the guy will say, "Honey, I'm going to explain this nice and slow, so even you can understand it." This (or a variation of it) has happened many times at many different places. Who do they think they're dealing with? Their mother? Their girlfriend? Their daughter? No. I'm a stranger who brought in a car to get repaired. And my name isn't Honey, Darlin' or Young Lady. My request is that mechanics stop treating me like I'm too dumb to understand. They can call me by my name, or "Ma." I hope some mechanics are listening and that more women are spared further frustration. Thanks. -- Megan 

TOM: Well, you sure told them, Toots! 

RAY: Yeah. It's a complaint we hear a lot from broads like you, Megan. 

TOM: Actually, we have a service on our Web site that recommends good mechanics. It's a database called the Mechan-X-Files. Our readers and listeners can recommend mechanics they really like so that other people can find them. 

RAY: And one of the questions you answer when you're recommending a mechanic is whether, in your opinion, he treats women the same way he treats men. 

TOM: So you might want to check the database (it's at the Car Talk section of www.cars.com) and look for a mechanic in your area who gets high scores in respect for female customers. 

RAY: And maybe some other mechanics who want to be recommended will read your letter and take down their Ridgid Tool calendars. Or at least hang them behind their toolboxes.


Congressman questions impartiality of BIA official

By Don Thompson, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SACRAMENTO — A second congressman raised questions Thursday about a top Interior Department official’s impartiality in dealing with West Coast Indian tribes. 

U.S. Rep. Doug Ose, R-Sacramento, questioned whether Wayne Smith, Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for Indian affairs, could act fairly while being lobbied by a former colleague at the California attorney general’s office. 

Federal ethics regulations required Smith to get advance permission to consider the matters if there is a professional relationship “that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question his impartiality,” Ose said. 

Attorney Tracey Buck-Walsh, who worked with Smith at the attorney general’s office, is a registered lobbyist for the United Auburn Indian Community of Placer County and the Pechanga tribe of Temecula Valley. 

Ose noted that Interior spokesman Eric Ruff told The Associated Press Smith would disqualify himself from considering the Pechanga’s land acquisition, only to be corrected by Smith himself later the same day. 

Ose’s natural resources subcommittee of the Governmental Reform Committee oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where Smith is the No. 2 official. His letter Thursday was to Smith’s boss, Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb. 

“All of this is being reviewed internally,” said BIA spokeswoman Nedra Darling, who said she hadn’t seen the letter. Smith asked the FBI and Interior’s inspector general to investigate. 

“This project has been scrutinized by both the Clinton and the Bush administrations for over six years,” said Auburn spokesman Doug Elmets. “It’s clear that there is no conflict whatsoever.” 


Davis suspends tech agency head; GOP seeks federal probe

By Steve Lawrence, The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis’ office dispatched highway patrol officers Thursday to prevent document shredding at a state department involved in approving a much-criticized state computer contract. 

Davis suspended the director of the department, Elias Cortez, and announced that another state technology official, Arun Baheti, the director of e-government, had resigned. 

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers called for a federal investigation of the contract, citing a newspaper report that Davis aides were trying to cut short a legislative probe of the case. 

A spokesman for Davis, Steve Maviglio, said there were no efforts to curtail the legislative investigation. 

The CHP officers were sent to the Department of Information Technology to seize shredders and trash after the Democratic governor’s legal affairs secretary said he received an unsubstantiated report about “possible document shredding.” 

“While we had no conclusive evidence that any shredding or destruction of documents occurred, the mere suggestion that it may have occurred has led us to take these steps,” Barry Goode said in a statement. 

Goode ordered several state agencies, including DOIT, to retain “all documents and electronic files that pertain to information technology systems, contracts, planning or negotiations.” 

The state attorney general’s office sent a team to investigate the shredding report, saying destroying documents dealing with the contract “could pose the potential for obstruction of justice.” 

Maviglio said there was no indication that Cortez was involved in any shredding that may have taken place at the department, but Davis decided to suspend him until investigations of the contract are completed. 

Baheti’s resignation was the second brought on by criticism of the contract. Barry Keene, director of the Department of General Services, stepped down on Friday. 

In a resignation letter to the governor, Baheti said he should have “more vociferously raised questions” about the contract before it was signed. 

“Had I asked more questions of (the Department of Information Technology and Department of General Services), they might have seen the potential problems,” he said. “For that, I must take responsibility.” 

At a news conference earlier in the day, Assembly Minority Leader Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, and two other GOP lawmakers urged the U.S. attorney’s office to investigate the contract. 

The lawmakers said they were only relying on a newspaper report and had no evidence of wrongdoing. Maviglio called the Republican request “just another political attack.” 

“There has been absolutely no attempt to stonewall (or) slow down this investigation,” said Maviglio. “We have cooperated fully.” 

A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney John Vincent, the chief federal prosecutor in Sacramento, said her office would not discuss the request. 

“We don’t comment on investigations,” said Patty Pontello. “Most of the time we don’t even comment that we even have one.” 

Cox called his news conference after the San Jose Mercury News quoted Assemblyman Dean Florez as saying administration officials, other lawmakers and lobbyists had pressured him to cut short an investigation into a computer software contact the state signed with the Oracle Corp. 

Florez, D-Shafter, heads the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which is holding hearings on the Oracle deal. 

A state audit released last month concluded that the six-year, $95 million contact could end up costing the state $41 million instead of saving $16 million through volume discounts, as Oracle claimed. 

“It appears this deal was fast-tracked because of cozy relationships with no analysis of the true cost of taxpayers,” Cox said. “Because there’s an ongoing attempt to keep details from coming out, we are more convinced than ever that a thorough, nonpartisan and timely investigation must occur.” 

He said he did not believe that asking the U.S. Justice Department, an agency run by Republicans, to investigate a Democratic administration would result in a partisan investigation. 

But Florez criticized Cox’s request, saying it was “political” and would only “slow things down at this point.” 

“I’m not interested in politics,” he said. “I’m interested in getting our money back.” 

Asked who had told him to curtain his investigation, he said, “There are people all over the (Capitol) building who are saying it isn’t a good idea for political reasons. Once I tell them it’s a good idea in terms of getting our money back, they say great.” 

The contract is already being investigated by the state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, but state Sen. Richard Ackerman, Lockyer’s Republican opponent in the November election, said Lockyer should drop his probe because he received $50,000 in campaign contributions from Oracle in the last 18 months. 

A spokesman for Lockyer, Nathan Barankin, said Lockyer didn’t have a conflict of interest and that the investigation would continue. 

“The California attorney general’s office is vigorously investigating all aspects pertaining to the Oracle contact,” he said. “We have the strong support of the governor. We intend to see it through to the end, wherever it may lead.” 

Bill Simon, Davis’ Republican opponent, held a news conference in San Francisco to also call for a “thorough investigation” of the case. 

“The people of California have a right to know whether this is a result of corruption or just plain incompetence,” he said. “And they have a right to know if this has grown into a cover-up.” 

Maviglio said Davis was unaware of the contract before it was signed. “If you know the governor’s experience with technology, he is completely mystified by it.”


Assemblyman Tom Bates likely mayoral candidate

By Kurtis Alexander Daily Planet Staff
Thursday May 02, 2002

The burning question in certain political circles is whether former state Assemblyman Tom Bates will run for Berkeley mayor this November. 

A campaign by the 20-year Sacramento veteran would prompt progressive favorite Councilmember Kriss Worthington to step aside in the race and, according to many insiders, would present the greatest likelihood of unseating eight-year incumbent Mayor Shirley Dean. 

“I have no comment [about my candidacy],”said a curt Bates yesterday afternoon. 

This Saturday, the November Coalition for a New Mayor – a group of Berkeley residents which includes a handful of Progressive councilmembers – is scheduled to endorse a candidate to run against centrist Dean in November. 

Sources close to Bates say a win at Saturday’s nominating convention is just what Bates needs to commit to running. 

“He has indicated to me that if he is drafted by the gathering on Saturday that he will heed to the call,” said friend Max Anderson, chairperson of Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board. 

 

Leading members of the November Coalition, including Worthington, said they have been urging Bates to accept the group’s nomination for months. 

“It would be wonderful of him to put his decades of elected service to work for the people of Berkeley,” Worthington said. He confirmed that he would drop his consideration of running for mayor if Bates decides to run. 

Worthington also made clear yesterday that his own candidacy for the office is still speculative, despite reports in another newspaper of his declared intention to run. 

While the November Coalition has been considering five possible nominees for Saturday’s endorsement, steering committee member Howard Chong said only one candidate is currently expressing genuine interest — Worthington. 

Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn, Peace and Justice Committee Member Elliot Cohen and Barbara Lubin, director of the nonprofit Middle East Children’s Alliance are other considerations, as is Bates, according to steering committee members. 

Chong left open the possibility that the November Coalition might support one candidate initially and later change the endorsement, foreseeing a case in which Bates announces his candidacy after Saturday’s convention.  

The filing deadline for mayoral candidacy is August. 

“The most important thing for us to do [as progressives] is to keep control of the City Council,” Chong said, noting that if Worthington runs for mayor, he can not run for another term on council.  

Without Worthington’s widely recognized name on the ballot, the progressives are at greater risk of losing a council seat to a more moderate candidate, she explained. 

Currently, there are five progressive seats and four moderate votes in council. 

A mayoral bid by former Assemblyman Bates would not only allow Worthington to run for reelection and likely retain his council seat but it would result in more votes for a progressive mayoral candidate and elevate the chance for victory, claimed progressive Councilmember Dona Spring. 

“Tom Bates really spans the political spectrum and has broad appeal,” she added. 

A close friend of Bates, Mal Burnstein said Saturday’s convention would play into Bates’ decision to run — though he stopped short of saying it would single-handedly make his decision. 

“We’re very interested in the results of the convention. We won’t run without the support,” Burnstein said. 

He confirmed that Bates was in the process of assessing his support within the community. 

Dean declined to comment on who her challenger might be in the November race, but said her long list of accomplishments over the past four years would fare her well in the running, no matter who the opponent. 

“I always run hard no matter who the challenger is,” she said, referring to back-to back mayoral victories in 1994 and 1998. 

 

Contact reporter: 

kurtis@berkeleydailyplanet.net 


History

The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

Today is Thursday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2002. There are 243 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight 

On May 2, 1863, Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Va.; he died eight days later. 

 

On this date: 

In 1519, artist Leonardo da Vinci died at Cloux, France. 

In 1670, the Hudson Bay Co. was chartered by England’s King Charles II. 

In 1890, the Oklahoma Territory was organized. 

In 1932, Jack Benny’s first radio show made its debut on the NBC Blue Network. 

In 1936, “Peter and the Wolf,” a symphonic tale for children by Sergei Prokofiev, had its world premiere in Moscow. 

In 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin, and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria. 

In 1957, Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, the controversial Republican from Wisconsin, died at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. 

In 1960, convicted sex offender and best-selling author Caryl Chessman was executed at San Quentin Prison in California. 

In 1965, the “Early Bird” satellite was used to transmit television pictures across the Atlantic. 

In 1972, after serving 48 years as head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover died in Washington at age 77. 

 

Ten years ago:  

Los Angeles began to recover from rioting that had erupted in the wake of the Rodney King-taped beating acquittals; about 2,800 National Guard troops patrolled the city while 3,200 others stood by. Former House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur D. Mills died in Searcy, Ark., at age 82. 

 

Five years ago:  

President Clinton and congressional Republicans came to terms on a plan to balance the budget over five years. A new national memorial honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt was officially opened in Washington, D.C. Tony Blair, whose new Labor Party crushed John Major’s long-reigning Conservatives in a national election, became at age 44 Britain’s youngest prime minister in 185 years. 

 

One year ago:  

President Bush and Republican congressional leaders clinched a budget deal embracing most of the president’s tax and spending goals. Germany inaugurated its new Chancellery in Berlin amid concerns the building was too grandiose. A landslide destroyed a nine-story apartment building in China, killing at least 79 people. 

 

 

Today’s Birthdays:  

Actor Theodore Bikel is 78. Actor Roscoe Lee Browne is 77. Rock musician Link Wray is 67. Bianca Jagger is 57. Country singer R.C. Bannon is 57. Singer Lesley Gore is 56. Singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin is 54. Rock singer Lou Gramm (Foreigner) is 52. Actress Christine Baranski is 50. Actress Elizabeth Berridge is 40. Country singer Ty Herndon is 40. Actress Jenna Von Oy is 25. 

 

– The Associated Press


Third World shouldn’t grow Berkeley’s coffee

Thursday May 02, 2002

To the Editor: 

The current proposal to ban non-organic coffee in Berkeley (as reported on Wednesday) may be well-intended, but organic or not, importing food from far-away places undermines the natural order of the universe and threatens the health and well-being of all people on this planet. 

Foods grown in tropical places, whether they be mangoes, bananas or coffee are not normally consumed, on a regular basis, in our temperate climate. They create an unbalanced condition quite quickly. As human beings, it has always been our history (until most recently) to consume foods that are grown locally; and for good reason. Our personal health depends on us understanding and establishing a close relationship to the land we are a part of.  

Additionally, the lands used to grow these foods for export would be better used to grow grains and vegetables to feed the struggling people who inhabit those lands. 

Trade, free or not, has more to do with concern for profit, not concern for people. Why else would indigenous people give up so much of their native land to grow so much exported food? If we in Berkeley are serious about doing what is right in restoring the natural order, we would boycott all imported foods, including coffee. 

The fact that we are addicted is no excuse. 

– Michael Bauce 

Berkeley


Arts Calendar

Thursday May 02, 2002

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell. Faithful copies of several artists from the past, Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

 

“Errata” through May 4: An exhibition of the photographic work by Marco Breuer, focusing on the gaps, mistakes and marginal events that occur in daily life. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214. 

 

“Open: Objects” through May 4: An exhibition featuring sculptural objects by Los Angeles artist Karen Kimmel. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214. 

 

“Urban Re-Visions” Through May. 4: A two-person exhibition featuring the colorful anthropomorphic sculptures of Tim Burns and the figurative/narrative paintings of Dan Way Harper. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com. 

 

“Quilted Paintings” 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. 

 

“Re: Figuration” May 10 through Jun. 8: A two-person exhibition by Jody Sears and Michele Ramirez. S ears presents sculpture made from wood, and Ramirez showcases her paintings of Oakland, its streets, people and geography. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831. 

 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” 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” 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. 

 

“Marion Brenner: The Subtle Life of Plants and People” Through May 26: An exhibition of approximately 60 long-exposure black and white photographs of plants and people. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

“The Image of Evil in Art” 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” 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 

 

“East Bay Open Studios” Apr. 24 through Jun. 9: An exhibition of local artists’ work in connection with East Bay Open Studios. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland, 763-9425, www.proartsgallery 

 

“Solos: The Contemporary Monoprint” Apr. 26 through Jun. 15: An exhibition of two modern masters, Nathan Oliveira and Matt Phillips, as well as monoprints from other artists. Call for times. Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave., 549-2977, kala@kala.org. 

 

“Komar and Melamid’s Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project” Through May 26: An exhibition of paintings by elephants under the tutelage of Russian-born conceptual artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu


Calendar of Events & Activities

Thursday May 02, 2002

Thursday, May 2 

A Taste of Oakland 

5- 7 p.m. 

A celebration of Oakland’s diversity and culture through its ethnic cuisine 

RSVP by April 19, call 839-9000 

 

The Amigos Chicano Latino Employees Association of the City of Oakland 

Live Music, DJ and a Mexican American singing duo 

11:30 - 1:15 p.m. 

Frank H. Ogawa Plaza 

Oakland 

Free 

 

A Century of Collecting 

Drawing from 3.8 million objects collected over a century, A Century of Collecting examines artifact collecting as a form of cultural representation. At the same time, the display explains how anthropology museums go 

about their work of preserving and interpreting the world’s diverse cultures.  

In conjunction with the exhibit  

A Century of Collecting- Panel Discussion:  

Collecting the World 

A discussion about how three anthropologists  

made their collections for the Hearst Museum. 

A reception will follow the program. 

6:30 PM-8:30 PM 

160 Kroeber Hall 

 

 

Thursday, May 2 

Jai Uttal with Stephen Kent and Jim Santi Owen 

Ayurveda International Symposium 

University of California at Berkeley 

Berkeley, CA 

Ticket prices vary 

For registration and questions: 800-292-4882 

www.ayurveda-caam.org 

or email to: mamtal@aol.com 

Event runs May 2 - 5. 

 

 

Thursday-Saturday, May 2-4 

Volunteer Opportunity 

“Through the Looking Glass”, a community based non-profit serving families with disabilities - babies, children, parents, grandparents - is holding it’s 2nd annual International Conference on Parents with Disabilities. Volunteers are needed to assist in registering conference participants. Work alongside staff, meet conference participants, learn about important social issues affecting families.  

Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland 

For further information or to volunteer call 848-1112, ext. 110 

 

 

Saturday, May 4 

Word Beat Reading Series 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

Entertainers of all kinds come together for this free show featuring “Press 62” starring Johanna Mangahas, You-Fong Benedicte Chang, Anthony Scott and Jason Zahorchak 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

 

Shelter Operations: Emergency Preparedness Class. 

Learn how to take care of yourself before the disaster. 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar Street 

Berkeley 

to register: 510-981-5605 

 

Saucy Sounds Community Event 

Oakland Youth Chorus Preview Concert  

2 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Oakland 

27th & Harrison 

Oakland 510-287-9700 

Free 

 

Children’s Movies 

Tom & Jerry, The Movie (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

The Oakland Symphony Chorus 

8:45 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. 

6013 Lawton Ave., Oakland. 

STYLES SAMPLER Workshop. Three music workshops presented on Spirituals with Trente Morant, Barbershop with Dr. Robert Campell and Feasts and Seasons, Music of Spain and America with Juan Pedro Gaffney. 

Morning snacks and lunch will be provided. $30. $25 in advance. 465-4199. 

 

Berkeley Rep/UC Berkeley Joint Symposium, 

featuring discussions and workshops inspeired by HOMEBODY/KABUL 

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St., Berkeley 

Free & open to the public, call 510-647-2966 for reservations (not required)  

 

Low-Cost Hatha Yoga Class 

6:30 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center 

1720 8th St. 

$6 per class. 981-6651 

 

Meet the Candidates Convention 

For a new Berkeley Mayor 

Chris Worthington, Rob Wrenn, Elliot Cohen, Barbara Lubin and Tom Bates have been invited & asked to share their vision for Berkeley’s future. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK) 

Berkeley 

510-540-8543 

Free 

 

 

Saturday, May 4-5 

The 9th Annual Benicia Artists Open Studios 

10 a.m.- 5 p.m. 

Benicia Chamber of Commerce 

601 First Street 

Over sixty local artists will display their work from many different art forms including drawing, painting, photograph, collage, jewelry, glass works, digital art and video. Free. 

For more information contact Marie Muscolino at 707-747-0131 or artsbenicia@aol.com 

 

 

Saturday, May 4th-June 9th 

“What Cats Know” by Lisa Dilman 

Directed by Rebecca J. Ennals. Four thirty-somethings play a game of gotcha with unexpected consequences.  

Thursdays- Saturdays 8 p.m. $20, 

Sundays 7 p.m.- Pay what you can 

Transparent Theater 

1901 Ashby Avenue 

510-883-0305 

www.transparenttheater.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Native Californian Cultures 

A major focus of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum 

of Anthropology has been the Native peoples of California. Today, with 260,000 catalogue entries, the museum preserves the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection devoted to the region. In this gallery, we present an overview of Native Californian cultures demonstrating the great diversity of the Californian peoples. 

The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall at the corner of Bancroft Way and College 

The phone number is (510) 643-7648. 

#00020000062D00001DBE627,Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and $.50 for  

children 16 and under- Free to the public on Thursdays. 

 

Sunday, May 5 

27th Annual House Tour: “The Making of a Streetcar Suburb” 

1-5 p.m. 

Meets at the entrance to the Clark Kerr Campus 

The corner of Warring and Parker Streets 

Hosted by The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association,tour includes the interiors and gardens of ten classic houses from the early 20th century. $30. $25 for members. 

For more information call 510-841-7421 

 

20+ Person Yard Sale benefit for “We The People” 

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

We The People Auditorium 

200 Harrison (at 2nd) 

Oakland 

510-836-3273 

 

Children’s Movies 

Tom & Jerry, The Movie (in Spanish) 

Shows at 1 & 3 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Thursday, May 9 

FBI & Local police: partners in Repression 

Forum, Speakout & Music 

7 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Bonita 

Berkeley 

For Info: Copwatch, 510-548-0425 

$5-$15  

 

Saturday, May 11 

Word Beat Reading Series 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

Entertainers of all kinds come together for this free show featuring readers Rita Flores Bogaert and Ann Hunkins 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

3-on-3 Basketball Tournament 

Fun for everyone, whether competing or watching. At the New Gym at Albany High in Albany California. Hosted by and benefiting Athletics at Albany High School. Players sign up today to play in one of four divisions. 64 teams compete for $500 First Prize & $250 Second Prize in each division with final game to be played Sunday, May 12 

#0002000007DF000023E57D9, 510-525-2716 

 

Children’s Movies 

Beauty & the Beast (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) Events: 

Paper Flower Making 

Get ready for Mother’s Day with the Klutz “Tissue Paper Flower” kit and learn to make tissue paper flowers. Age 8 and up.  

 

LHS Film- Happy Birthday, Mr. Feynman 

Film Plays Continuously from 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. 

To celebrate the birthday of Nobel laureate, maverick physicist, author, and teacher extraordinaire Richard Feynman, 

LHS presents the film, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. This fifty-minute film presents Feynman telling fascinating 

stories from his life and research. Produced by Christopher Sykes. 

 

LHS- The Idea Lab 

Opens May 11 

See what LHS is developing as new hands-on exhibits. Test out exhibit prototypes of activities and give your opinion of them. Testing and experimenting is the idea behind the Idea Lab. This new permanent exhibit begins with explorations of magnetism.  

10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 

$8 for adults; $6 for youth 5-18, seniors, and disabled; $4 for children 3-4. 

Free for children under 3, LHS Members and full-time UC Berkeley students. 

LHS is on Centennial Drive- 

above the UC Berkeley campus 

Parking is 50¢/hour. 

LHS is accessible by AC Transit 

and the UC Berkeley Shuttle. 

 

Saturday, May 11-12 

33rd Annual California Wildflower Show 

Saturday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

Exibit with 150 species of freshly gathered native flowers 

$6 general admission, $4 senior and students with ID, free fo five and under. 1-888-OAK-MUSE.  

 

Saturday, May 11 

Valley Christian Schools Discovery Center will present  

an English Song Recital featuring Kirk Eichelberger, bass, with Christopher  

Luthi, piano  

7:00 p.m.  

Valley Christian High School, 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose.  

Tickets are available for a $100 tax-deductible donation.  

All proceeds benefit the Discovery Center’s educational therapy program. 

#00020000046F00002BBE469, 

Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Auditions 

Live Science Demonstrations 

In this directed activity, children “audition” to be a dinosaur in an upcoming dinosaur movie. They learn about the variety of dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park exhibit as well as dress up, act, and roar like a dinosaur. These demonstrations explore recent discoveries, fossils, and how scientists know what they know about dinosaurs 

Monday-Friday at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. 

Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m. 

$8 for adults; $6 for youth 5-18, seniors, and disabled; $4 for children 3-4. 

Free for children under 3, LHS Members and full-time UC Berkeley students. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive-above the UC Berkeley campus 

Parking is 50¢/hour. 

LHS is accessible by AC Transit 

and the UC Berkeley Shuttle. 

 

Sunday, May 12 

Children’s Movies 

Beauty & the Beast (in Spanish) 

Shows at 1 & 3 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Monday, May 13 

Jai Uttal with Bhima-Karma 

A Celebration of Devotion: An Evening of Chanting and Dialogue 

7:00 p.m. 

California Institute of Integral Studies 

#0002000005300000302752A,1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 

$20.00 

For questions and tickets: 415-575-6150 

www.ciis.edu 

or e-mail info@ciis.edu 

 

Saturday, May 18 

Word Beat Reading Series 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

All kinds of entertainers come together for this free show. Featuring readers Dancing Bear and C. J. Sage 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

 

Children’s Movies 

Fern Gully (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Writer as Publisher: Independent Publishing Seminar 

Learn how at this all day seminar. 

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Asian Cultural Center 

Pacific Renaissance Plaza 

388 Ninth Street 

Oakland 

510-839-1248 or www.writeraspublisher.com 

 

The Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus third annual spring concert, “Turn the World Around,” which celebrates spring and welcomes summer with love songs and traditional favorites. 

May 18, 8 p.m., Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland; 

May 19, 7 p.m., Crowden School, 1475 Rose St.  

Suggested donation is $15 at the door; $12 in advance. (510) 239-2239, ext. 2576, www.oebgmc.org.  

 

Saturday, May 18-19 

3rd Annual Satsuki Arts Festival and Bazaar 

The Berkeley Buddhist Temple 

Featuring Bay Area and National Taiko drumming ensembles and Kenny Endo from Hawaii 

#00020000063F00003551639, 

Sunday, May 19 

Jazz On 4th 

6th Annual jazz on Forth, a benefit for Berkeley High School Performing Arts. Balloons, Raffle, Face Painting. 

Free Live Performances by The Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble & Combo, Big Belly Blues Band, Jenna Mammina Quartet, Jesus Diaz with Sabor A Cuba. 

12:30 to 4:30 p.m. 

Forth Street Between Hearst and Virginia 

For more information 510-526-6294 

 

Children’s Movies 

Fern Gully (in Spanish) 

Shows at 1 & 3 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Saturday, May 25 

Word Beat Reading Series 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Gand, Oakland 

All kinds of entertainers come together for this free show. Featuring Kera Abraham and Ruth Levitan 

 

Children’s Movies 

Pinnochio (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Saturday & Sunday, May 25 & 26 

19th Annual Himalayan Fair 

Outdoor celebration of the great Mountain Cultures! Authentic Himalayan Art, craft, Music & Dance, exotic food & stage entertainment. Benefits Himalayan Grassroots projects. 

Sat. 10-7, Sun. 10-5:30 

Live Oak Park 

Shattuck & Berryman 

$5 Donation 

 

Children’s Movies 

Pinnochio (in Spanish) 

Shows at 1 & 3 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

Friday, May 31 

Paramount Movie Classics-  

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, 1958 

Doors at 7, Mighty Wurlitzer at 7:30, Newsreel, Cartoon, Previews, and Prize give-away game Dec-O-Win and feature Film 

2025 Broadway 

Oakland  

$5 

 

Saturday, June 1 

50th anniversary of the Little Train at Tilden Regional Park 

Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas in Berkeley 

#00020000033C00003B8A336,For more information, call 544-2200 

 

Sand Castle and Sand Sculpture Contest 

9 a.m. for participants registration 

9- 12 p.m. (Judging starts at noon) 

Crown Beach, Otis and Shore Line Drives 

Alameda 

For more information, call 521-6887 or 748-4565 

Free 

 

Anthropology Museum Opening  

Native Californian Cultures - Family Day 

Sunday, June 2, 1:30 PM-3:30 PM  

Hearst Museum Courtyard 

Storytelling, children’s games and basketry 

with Julia and Lucy Parker. Julia Parker, a cultural  

interpreter, supervises the Indian Cultural Program  

in Yosemite. Lucy Parker is a traditional artist who 

crafts jewlery and baskets as well as games. 

The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall at the corner of Bancroft Way and College 

The phone number is (510) 643-7648. 

Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and $.50 for  

#0002000004ED00003EC04E7,children 16 and under- Free to the public on Thursdays. 

 

Sunday, June 9 

Concert of Traditional Persian Music 

Hossein Alizadeh and Madjid Khaladj 

Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Avenue, Berkeley 

7:30 PM 

$22 

925-798-1300, www.theatrebayarea.org. 

 

JUNE 9-12 

The 2nd Annual California Bluegrass Association MUSIC CAMP 

Nevada County Fairgrounds, GRASS VALLEY, CA  

INSTRUCTORS: 

Banjo—Pete Wernick and Avram Siegel, Fiddle—Laurie Lewis and Jack Tuttle, Mandolin—John Reischman and Tom Rozum, Guitar—Jim Nunally and Dix Bruce, Dobro—Sally van Meter Bass—Trisha Gagnon, Oldtime fiddle—Bruce Molsky, Oldtime, guitar—Tom Sauber, Oldtime banjo—Evie Ladin, Autoharp-Ray Frank 

Beginner and intermediate instrumental classes; jam classes; electives including vocal harmonies, music theory, band rhythm, critical listening, clogging, and more! 

http://www.cbamusiccamp.org 

 

Monday, June 17th 

Lesbian, Gay, Bi Sexual, Transgender National Day of Honor Planned to honor LGBT loved ones lost on 9/11  

The LGBT National Day of Honor, about creating a Day when all Lesbian,  

Gay, Bi Sexual, Transgendered, & questioning people and our supporters,  

can come together to help further our fight against continued second class  

citizen treatment in the United States.  

#0002000004E1000043A74DB,For more information, call 802.859.9604 

 

 

Friday, June 21 

Paramount Movie Classics-  

The Mummy, with Boris Karloff, 1932 

Doors at 7, Mighty Wurlitzer at 7:30, Newsreel, Cartoon, Previews, and Prize give-away game Dec-O-Win and feature Film 

2025 Broadway 

Oakland  

$5 

 

Friday, June 28 

Paramount Movie Classics-  

The General (1927), starring Buster Keaton, a silent film with live Wurlitzer organ accompaniment by Jim Riggs, playing his original score. 

Doors at 7, Mighty Wurlitzer at 7:30, Newsreel, Cartoon, Previews, and Prize give-away game Dec-O-Win and feature Film 

2025 Broadway 

Oakland  

$5 

 

Saturday, June 29 

Stanford Jazz Festival, June 29-August 10 

Early Bird jazz for kids and families with Jim Nadel & Friends 

10:30 a.m. kids 7 & under, 11:30 a.m. kids 8-12 

Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford Campus  

Free 

 

July 6 

Stanford Jazz Festival 

Hirahara/Sickafoose/Amendola Trio 

8 p.m. 

Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford Campus  

With Art Hirahara on Piano, Todd Sickafoose on Acoustic Bass and Scott Amendola on drums, this Bay-Area based Trio draws on the eclectic influences and masterful playing of its members to re-interpret jazz standards and bring fresh, new compositions to the bandstand. 

$20 General, $18 Students/Seniors/PAJA members


Souders, Miller lead ’Jackets past Pinole Valley Berkeley High hands Spartan ace Koehler his first loss in more than two seasons

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday May 02, 2002

Sean Souders threw a two-hitter and DeAndre Miller had a pair of clutch singles as the Berkeley Yellowjackets beat Pinole Valley, 4-0, on Wednesday at San Pablo Park. 

Berkeley (15-4 overall, 8-1 ACCAL) handed Pinole Valley ace Kurt Koehler his first loss in more than two years, using six singles and excellent situational hitting to get all four runs off of the fireballing senior. Miller struck the first blow in the third inning, slicing a single to left to score Lee Franklin from second base. Miller also had the big hit in the ’Jackets’ three-run fifth, a two-run single through a drawn-in infield. Franklin had just blooped an RBI single of his own over the Pinole Valley (6-3 ACCAL) infield. 

Miller, who plays summer ball with Koehler and considers him a good friend, said he finally found an approach that works against the right-hander’s impressive arsenal. 

“I remember the exact pitch sequence when he struck me out last year. He got me on a changeup, and that’s how he got me in my first at-bat today,” Miller said. “I know how he pitches now, and I went up there with an idea. I waited for a fastball and just put it through the hole.” 

The four runs were more than enough for Berkeley starter Sean Souders. The junior had been looking forward to his matchup with Koehler all season, and he responded with a sterling outing. After giving up a single to Adrian Smith to start the second inning, Souders retired 16 of the next 17 Spartan hitters, the only hiccup an error by shortstop Jason Moore. 

“I felt great today. I hardly ever missed,” Souders said. “I can’t really think of any time when I couldn’t hit my spots.” 

Souders struck out nine and walked only two, both with two outs in the seventh inning. The final inning was the toughest for Souders, as he loaded the bases on another Smith single and the two walks, but he struck out the side, including Anthony Jones for the final out after a talk with head coach Tim Moellering. 

Wednesday was Souders’ second win over the Spartans this season, the first being a 16-2 beating on March 29 with Koehler playing shortstop instead of pitching. Although this was their second look at the Berkeley ace, the Pinole Valley hitters often looked helpless, flailing at balls in the dirt and swinging through fastballs. 

“As long as I can get the ball over the plate, I should be able to beat anyone,” Souders said. “If I hit my spots, it shouldn’t matter if I face a team once or 10 times.” 

The win was sweet revenge for the ’Jackets, as Koehler shut them out last season at Evans Diamond on the Cal campus. That loss sent Berkeley spiraling down to finish the season with four straight losses, which doomed the team to a low seed and quick exit from the North Coast Section playoffs.  

With a senior-laden team this season, the ’Jackets are hoping to win the ACCAL, get a high NCS seed and go deep into the postseason. Wednesday’s win kept Berkeley in first place in the league, with El Cerrito and Encinal each a game back. The ’Jackets still have to face both of the second place teams again, but both must take on Pinole Valley as well as each other before the season ends. 

“If we can handle our business on Friday (against Alameda), we’ll definitely be in the driver’s seat,” Franklin said. “As long as we keep playing hard, we can let the other teams beat each other up a little.” 

Moellering hopes beating Koehler will have an inverse effect on his players from last season’s late-season nosedive. 

“Last year when Kurt shut us out, our kids lost confidence rather than giving the pitcher the credit he deserved,” Moellering said. “This was the same team and the same pitcher and we won this time. Hopefully that will give us a bunch more confidence as we go down the stretch.”


City budget cuts inevitable Staff reductions appear to be unavoidable

By Kurtis Alexander The Daily Planet
Thursday May 02, 2002

Staff reductions, budget cuts and reserve spending — these are increasingly familiar words, piercing the ears of corporations and communities nationwide, will not escape the city of Berkeley. 

City leaders learned this week they must prune the city’s financial ledger or they will end up $2.86 million in the hole next year. 

“On one hand, we’re probably better off than other municipalities in the county and in the state,” said City Manager Weldon Rucker, at a special budget session on Tuesday. But by the same token, there’s a problem to deal with, he said. 

City councilmembers who must decide how to address the budget problem, hearing the numbers for the first time his week, were slow to offer solutions. But employee cutbacks seem to top the list of thankless options. 

City finance officials are recommending cutting the city’s payroll by about 14 employees. Seven positions are already vacant, which means not filling them, and seven others would be selected for deletion. 

“We hope to place them [laid-off staff] in a position that is vacant and find them another job within the city,” said Paul Navazio, the city’s budget manager. 

Mayor Shirley Dean noted that the city’s staffing-reduction recommendation also left open the possibility of reclassifying other city employees at a lower pay rate. 

Prior to this week’s budget report, the city manager had asked department heads to come up with ways to reduce their budgets by five to 10 percent, in anticipation of the city’s shortfalls. 

But according to Dean, the deficits they learned about this week are greater than what was anticipated. “This was far more serious than I think we knew,” she said. 

In addition to next year’s shortfall of nearly $3 million in the city’s $105 million General Fund budget, the city is on pace to rack up a cumulative shortfall of $8.4 million by 2007. 

“Everyone’s waiting for the economy to turn around and it hasn’t happened,” noted Assistant City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

With department-specific cuts still being studied, another budget-trimming recommendation offered by city finance officials is tapping the city’s $5 million reserve fund, of which $2 million is in loans. 

The action, which Kamlarz called a “last resort” but viable, received some criticism at Tuesday’s budget session. 

“I’m really not very comfortable with that,” said Councilmember Polly Armstrong. “What if we have a major earthquake and need extra money?” 

But while it appeared easy to say what didn’t need cutting at the meeting, it wasn’t easy to say what did. 

“We can’t say we’re not going to take any cuts and that they’re not going to be painful,” said Mayor Dean. 

City finance officials and councilmembers will meet several times to discuss where the cuts will be made before June 25, when next year’s budget must be balanced. The next budget meeting is May 14. 

City leaders attribute the budget problem to a mix of revenue losses and spending increases over the past year. 

On the revenue side, tax income on utilities and tax revenue from hotels have fallen, according to the recent budget report. 

Bogging down expenditures, among other things, is the increasing cost of labor. Workers compensation costs, medical costs, and retirement costs have all made it more expensive to employ a staff member. 

 

Contact reporter: 

kurtis@berkeleydailyplanet.net 


BEST Coalition supports Outback Senior Homes

Thursday May 02, 2002

Letter to the Editor: 

We, the members of the Berkeley Ecological and Safe Transportation (BEST) Coalition, are writing in support of the Affordable Housing Associates’ "Outback Senior Homes." 

Outback is a mixed-use, low-income senior housing project located on the corner of Blake and Sacramento streets. This project is not only appropriate in light of our current housing shortage, but it is also well located at a transit convergence and mixed-use node with sidewalk retail. Transit service in this neighborhood is both local and regional, including the intersecting AC 88 and 65 lines, which connect to BART, and Transbay route H. 

In addition, the neighborhood can easily accommodate improved transit and non-automobile mobility, making it a logical neighborhood for increased mass transit, pedestrian, and bicycle density. The scale of the project is comparable to the newly completed, four-story "Over Sixty" Health Center at Sacramento and Alcatraz streets. 

The city of Berkeley has pledged to significantly increase its housing stock, as indicated in the Housing Element of the General Plan Revision. The Outback Senior Home Project complies with this pledge in a way that is both beneficial to the neighborhood and in harmony with Smart Growth principles. The BEST Coalition works to enhance community health, safety, livability, and equity by advocating for and encouraging comprehensive and collaborative transportation, land use, and design strategies that move away from automobile dependency and towards healthier patterns of habitation and mobility. We believe that the Outback Senior Homes development project meets these criteria. 

We urge Council to honor the lengthy process of review and redesign that has already taken place. The Affordable Housing Associates are offering the community a project that will provide quality living for some of our aging residents who need immediate access to transit lines and shopping facilities. Outback Senior Homes is a good example of a sound project meeting the needs of the community and demonstrating smarter coordination between land use and transportation. This project should be approved. 

 

- The Berkeley Ecological and Safe Transportation Coalition


Campaign finance reform falls off Berkeley’s November ballot

By Jamie Luck Special to the Daily Planet
Thursday May 02, 2002

Any reforms to current campaign finance law will not be enacted in time to affect the elections in November, due to the City Council’s voting through of a substitute measure when it readjourned Monday evening. The passing of any substitute measure kills the initial measure, which in this case would have referred several proposals to the city manager’s office. 

The initial measure sponsored by Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring would have required the city manager’s office to come up with a viable matching funds plan. This plan would then have to go back to council for approval or be placed on the November ballot for a citywide vote.  

To make the ballot, the measure would have to be handled like a top priority, and it would require the immediate attention of the city manager and city attorney. 

The time-sensitive measure has already been tabled twice by council.  

A substitute measure suggested by Councilmembers Polly Armstrong and Miriam Hawley would refer the entire issue of reform, particularly the possible range of costs, to the budget process. This effectively kills reform’s chances of affecting the November election — Council votes on the budget on June 25 and the process of allocating funds to takes a minimum of several months. 

 

But questions over whether implementing a matching funds program is financially feasible during a time of budget cuts, and whether election reform is necessary in a city that already has strict limits on campaign contributions, have emerged.  

Council learned on Tuesday of a budget deficit totaling $2.86 million, and now face the task of cutting programs and staff to try to reach a balance. They may not have been aware of the specific numbers involved, but they knew on Monday there was a budgetary shortfall. 

“The biggest reason for the measure’s failure at present is because there isn’t any money,” Mayor Dean said. “But there was also no discussion in the community, in council, or with the [Fair Campaign Practices] commission previous to this. I think there was a lack of groundwork by Worthington and Spring. While I’m by no means opposed to campaign finance reform, I do want to know what the details are.”  

Armstrong questioned the necessity of finance reform in Berkeley.  

“The fact is that years ago we took a lot of steps to be sure that big money didn’t have a role in our elections. No corporation or organization can donate, and the maximum amount for an individual is $250,” Armstrong said. 

“I think the BERA (Berkeley Election Reform Act) is fair, and I believe no one in the government’s vote is going to be determined by a $250 check,” she added. 

Currently, under the Berkeley Election Reform Act, campaign contributions are limited to $250, and they can only come from individuals. Corporations, unions and organizations such as nonprofits are not allowed to contribute.  

Finance reform proposals submitted under the initial measure were drafted by the Berkeley Party and by the UCB chapter of Common Cause. Common Cause is a grass roots lobbying group with the mission statement of promoting honesty, accountability and integrity in government. Jody Schnell of Common Cause says they will continue to seek public financing for future elections — the common thread of both proposals — and are open to input from all sectors of the community.  

“We think that public financing gives the utmost amount of people the chance to run, so we really want to continue talking about these issues,” she says. She also says that from their perspective, the intent isn’t to fix an existing problem in Berkeley, but to be proactive in creating the fairest and most encouraging election system in a nonpartisan matter.  

With the continuing effort by such groups, local campaign finance reform is bound to reappear.  

Until then, it is Armstrong’s opinion that the current campaign finance law is sufficient and fair.  

“I’ve been active in Berkeley for 16 years, and no matter how angry I got or how hard I looked, I’ve never seen a sign or shred of anyone making a decision based on money, and that’s’ politicians as well as employees,” she said. “Instead of tying ourselves in knots, we should be patting ourselves on the back.” 

Councilmembers Worthington and Spring were unavailable by press time. 

 

Contact reporter: jamie@berkeleydailyplanet.net


City Council meetings need order, civility

Thursday May 02, 2002

To the Editor: 

I attended the City Council meeting last Tuesday night, April 23, and sat inside the chambers during the council discussion of and vote on the contentious Peace and Justice Commission resolution concerning Israel and Palestine. I applaud your stand on the issue, but this letter is not about that resolution. Rather, it concerns something that I view as more fundamental – the obligation and duties of both citizens and their representatives engaged in civic discourse. 

I could not help but notice the shouting and cat-calling coming from the audience inside the council chambers. Several of these people interrupted the councilmembers as they spoke. The discussion was not a public hearing (the public comment period had occurred earlier in the meeting) but a discussion on the resolution between councilmembers with the public as observers only. Your offer to permit applause or “boo’s” only after a councilmember had spoken was magnanimous, but your comment, “Well, this is Berkeley,” when the audience constantly interrupted council members with whom they 

disagreed was downright wrong. 

In my view, people who interrupt speakers with whom they disagree (or for any other reason, for that matter) are impeding democracy, free speech and civic discourse, the foundations of our nation. As you said to the public present in the chambers, everyone is entitled to present their own opinion. But it must be done in a civil manner. 

I feel that it is incumbent upon you, as the highest elected official in Berkeley, to set and enforce a high standard for the citizens of our city to follow. It is your duty to have all attendees of City Council 

meetings adhere to the highest standards of public discourse. If a person speaks out and interrupts a councilmember that person should be warned and then, if the action reoccurs, should be removed 

from the council chambers. It is only by enforcing the highest standards in your own house, the council chambers, that you will be able to encourage others to emulate you outside of the chambers in other public venues and in the city as well. 

Yelling or shouting are not conducive to communication. They are confrontational and inflame emotions, preventing the other side from hearing or responding to the content of the point of view presented. 

Please set a standard for for civil discourse that the city of Berkeley and the world can follow. Berkeley is always under the microscope of world opinion and, in a way, we can use this reputation as an “oddball” place to our advantage by showing how democracy can be effective. 

Please be loud and firm when it comes demanding that our citizens act responsibly. Do not allow the citizens of our city or anyone else who wishes to enter into our public discourse to pervert the freedom that we all hold so dear. 

Allen F. King 

- Berkeley


BHS small schools consider morphing into charter schools

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet Staff
Thursday May 02, 2002

Leaders of Common Ground and Communications/Arts/Sciences, two schools-within-a-school at Berkeley High, said they are seriously considering a break from the high school and formation of a charter school in fall 2003.  

“Berkeley needs qualitative, serious alternatives to Berkeley High School,” said Dana Richards, co-founder of Common Ground. “We want to provide one small alternative.” 

Richards and other small schools leaders have complained for months about a lack of support from district headquarters and the high school administration. 

They said the last straw was Superintendent Michele Lawrence’s recent decision to reject a series of requests they made in January for greater autonomy. CAS and Common Ground called for their own separate administration and greater control over curriculum and staffing decisions, among other things.  

“She came in really ‘rah-rah,’” said Common Ground co-director Tammy Harkins, discussing Lawrence’s initial response to the proposals. “What followed was dilution and then nothing.” 

“In terms of autonomy over curriculum, it seems they’ve had that for some time,” said Lawrence. 

Lawrence added that the current fiscal crisis and a vacancy in the high school principal’s office made the request for a separate, small schools administration impossible. 

“We have unions we have to deal with, and we’re in the middle of layoffs and we have no principal,” she said, explaining her decision. 

“I support the superintendent,” said Board of Education member John Selawsky. “I think some of that stuff was premature.” 

Selawsky said once the district gets its finances and business systems in order, it should be able to lend more support to the existing small schools.  

But small schools leaders said they are tired of waiting. 

“The only thing we can look at is actions and not words,” said Rick Ayers, who heads CAS. “And our small schools have not been given the support they need to stay viable.” 

 

Planning 

Richards said Common Ground will lead the effort to establish a charter school, initiating a year of planning and dialogue this fall. Ayers said he might join several other CAS teachers in moving to the charter school if it gets off the ground. 

The fate of the five year-old CAS program would be “a question mark” at that point, Ayers said. 

“We could just declare that we’ve had a great run and we’re done,” he said. 

Ayers added that CAS’s future is in doubt even if small schools leaders do not form a charter school. A lack of administrative support and the inherent scheduling difficulties of operating a school-within-a-school have become significant burdens, he said. 

 

The Model 

Richards, Ayers and Harkins discussed a range of possible models for the school, which would serve about 250 students, according to Richards.  

The school could focus on Common Ground’s theme of environmental justice, or mix that theme with CAS’s emphasis on social justice and the humanities, Ayers said. 

Harkins raised the possibility of functioning within the district and sharing programs like athletics with BHS. 

 

The process 

Charter school proponents can apply to their local school board, county school board or the state board for approval. California law favors the formation of charter schools, and school boards are only supposed to reject a charter bid if it lacks an adequate number of signatures, a viable academic plan or other basic requirements. 

“I’m very open to people exercising their rights,” said Berkeley school board president Shirley Issel, indicating that she would not stand in the way of the charter school movement. “(But) I would hope we could make these two schools comfortable within Berkeley High School.” 

“I can understand their frustration,” added school board member Terry Doran. “But I don’t want them to form a charter school.” 

Doran was the only member of the board who endorsed a push, earlier this year, to convert BHS into wall-to-wall small schools. The board majority tabled the proposal in December, arguing that it needed further study and the district, which faces a $5.4 million deficit next year, needed to face its fiscal crisis. 

“I want to believe our position on small schools will prevail,” said Doran, encouraging the schools-within-a-school to hold tight. But, he said he would strongly consider the charter request if it was clear that the board was not going to move on wall-to-wall small schools. 

“If that’s what people decide to do, that’s their priority,” said Selawsky, referring to the charter school push. “But I’m not going to go out of my way to support it.” 

Selawsky raised concerns about the charter school diverting state funding from the high school. Per pupil funding would go to the charter school if it siphoned off BHS students. 

But Issel said the district should be willing to absorb the cost if the move served the best interests of the students. 

Eileen Cubanski, who manages the charter school office for the California Department of Education, said the two biggest hurdles most charter schools face are securing a building and learning the administrative ropes. 

“I think it’s biting off more than they realize,” said Berkeley’s Associate Superintendent for Instruction Chris Lim. 

Richards acknowledged the difficulty, and said he does not yet have any solid leads on a building. But he said he was confident of success. 

“My hope is that we look back in 10 years when we have an extraordinary charter school...and we say, we sure are glad we persevered through those hurdles,” Richards said.  

 

Contact reporter at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net.


Lawsuit would void state’s long-term energy contracts

The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

PASADENA, Calif. — A lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks to void the $43 billion in long-term energy contracts that California signed to end last year’s power crisis. 

The suit contends that contracts reached last year with 30 energy providers are improper because one of the state’s consultants had a conflict of interest. 

Vikram Budhraja of Pasadena was on a $100,000 retainer for the parent of Southern California Edison while advising the state on deals designed to rescue the utility from bankruptcy, according to the suit. 

Decisions should not be “tainted by the kind of financial entanglements as are abundant with these energy contracts,” state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, one of eight GOP legislators who filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. 

The suit names Budhraja, the energy providers and the state Department of Water Resources, which was involved in the power contracts. 

McClintock, who is running for state controller and has long opposed the energy policies of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, contends that the contracts overcharged California by as much as $14 billion. 

Budhraja disclosed the retainer in conflict of interest forms, and stayed out of deals that specifically would have benefited Edison, said Oscar Hidalgo, spokesman for the Department of Water Resources. 

He noted that the state attorney general’s office and the federal Fair Political Practices Commission began investigating the potential conflicts of interest last year. 

“There’s nothing new here. It’s a recycled item,” Hidalgo said. “It strikes as a political ploy to keep this issue somehow alive and in the news during an election year.” 

“We’re confident that this lawsuit will be laughed out of court,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for the governor. 

California signed 56 long-term power deals last year at the height of the power crisis. The Department of Water Resources began buying electricity in January 2001, after high wholesale costs sent Edison and two other utilities deep into debt and left them unable to purchase power for their customers. 

Davis has credited the long-term deals, which range up to 20 years, with taming the market and providing reliable supplies. At the time, the contract prices for the state’s power sales were 75 percent lower than spot market rates, Maviglio said. 

Since they were signed, however, wholesale electricity prices have dropped to less than half the $69 per megawatt hour average of the long-term deals, leading critics to say the state was rolled by the power companies and stuck consumers with a decade of high prices. 

The administration recently renegotiated eight contracts, saving about $3.5 billion, but McClintock contends that the state still was drastically overcharged. 

The lawsuit plaintiffs also include the United States Justice Foundation, a nonprofit group that describes itself as “your conservative voice in the courts”; state Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine; Republican Assembly leader Dave Cox of Fair Oaks and five other GOP Assembly members. 

McClintock and the foundation also sued to void the contracts in November. That suit against Davis and the water resources department claimed the contracts were invalid because they were negotiated in secret and allegedly violated antitrust laws. A hearing in that suit is scheduled for May 17.


Terrorism hurts California tourism less than expected Experts predict California will still lose about $4 billion this summer; state spending more than $12 million to promote travel

The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

LOS ANGELES — With the help of ad campaigns urging residents to vacation in their home state, tourism is on the rebound in California after being severely hurt by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. 

Many travel officials predicted in January that overall summer travel this year would be down 9 percent from last year. But those projections have now been adjusted to reflect an anticipated 5 percent drop. 

That still means California will collect about $4 billion less in visitor spending, which in 2001 reached $76 billion. 

With travel fears gripping the nation after Sept. 11, California tourism officials quickly doled out more than $12 million on a print, radio and television advertising campaign encouraging residents to rediscover their home state. 

The “California, Find Yourself Here” campaign debuted with scenic portraits of the state and music designed to inspire family togetherness. The phase 2 “We’re Californians” strategy showcased famous residents Clint Eastwood golfing at Pebble Beach and Jack Nicholson attending a Lakers game. 

“We knew we had to do something different, and we had to do it quickly,” said Caroline Beteta, executive director of California Tourism, the state’s tourism agency. “So we went straight for Californians and tried to convince them to vacation in their own backyard.” 

By January, requests for travel packets from the state’s tourism Web site jumped 100 percent from the same month last year, and marketing surveys showed that Californians’ awareness about traveling within the state quadrupled, officials said. 

Encouraged by the ad campaign results, state officials now plan a third and final advertising phase this month. But this time they will target four key markets just outside California — Portland, Las Vegas, Seattle and Phoenix. 

“Some destinations simply never realize how valuable the near-in market can be,” said James Cammisa Jr., an analyst at Travel Industry Indicators in Miami. “Targeting the drive market is the only way to pick up the slack from the loss of foreign travelers. 

“The strategy is sound because it recognizes where the consumer’s head is — shorter trips, closer to home.” 


Bill to release Verizon, Pac Bell from profit sharing with rate-payers passes committee

The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

SACRAMENTO — A bill that would suspend rules requiring SBC Pacific Bell and Verizon to share part of their profits with their customers was approved by a legislative committee Wednesday. 

The bill, by Assemblyman Rod Wright, D-Los Angeles, was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and now goes in front of the full Assembly. 

The bill would freeze until 2007 a regulatory framework that’s currently in place for Verizon and Pac Bell, the companies that provide phone service for most Californians. 

It would turn into law a 1998 Public Utilities Commission decision to suspend the profit-sharing rule for one time. 

But the PUC and other opponents say the bill would suspend a key consumer safeguard — a rule that required the companies to share excess profits with ratepayers. 

“This is one of the worst bills for consumers we’ve seen in a long time,” said Lenny Goldberg, a consumer advocate for The Utility Reform Network. 

The PUC and its Office of Ratepayers Advocates warn that it could let the telecommunication giants pocket hundreds of millions more in excess profits. 

Wright said the PUC would still be able to audit companies and set rates. Suspending the rule will encourage companies to invest in new technology and in upgrading their infrastructure in California, he said.


Oracle stocks fall again;another executive leaves

The Associated Press/Dow Jones
Thursday May 02, 2002

NEW YORK — Shares of Oracle Corp. fell as much as 10 percent Wednesday, to its lowest levels since 1999, following negative analyst commentary and the departure of another senior executive. 

Oracle, a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based software company, closed Wednesday afternoon at $9.45, down 59 cents, or nearly 6 percent. Earlier in the day, the stock was as low as $8.88. Oracle stock has fallen 34 percent this year, costing shareholders nearly $26 billion. 

Neil Herman, analyst at Lehman Brothers, lowered his forecasts for the database giant’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends May 31, and next fiscal year. In a research note to clients, Herman wrote “the chances of Oracle hitting consensus estimates for its May quarter are low.” 

The current consensus calls for earnings of 13 cents a share and revenue of $2.76 billion, according to Thomson Financial/First Call. Oracle has fallen shy of estimates in each of the last two quarters as corporations have pared spending on technology. 

Herman, who kept his buy rating on Oracle, now projects fourth-quarter license revenue will drop 39 percent from 2001 levels, rather than drop 28 percent. He predicts earnings of 11 cents on total revenue of $2.57 billion. He previously estimated earnings of 13 cents on revenue of $2.75 billion.


Hydroelectric output expected near normal

The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

SACRAMENTO — California’s hydroelectricity plants should produce about 85 percent of their normal power this summer, the California Energy Commission projected Thursday. 

Nearly 13 percent of the state’s power will be generated by in-state dams and powerhouses, the commission predicted. That’s up from less than 10 percent last summer, when short hydroelectricity supplies across the Pacific Northwest helped contribute to a series of rolling blackouts. 

By contrast, Washington state had near record precipitation this winter, the commission said. 

While Southern California has received just 30 percent of its normal winter precipitation, most of the state’s hydro production occurs in Northern California, which had near-normal rain and snow. 

Runoff into the 13 rivers that produce most of the state’s hydroelectricity is estimated at 84 percent of normal. 


Pro-Palestine protester charged with biting officer

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

Most protesters arraigned on lesser charges 

 

 

The 79 pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall on April 9 were arraigned on charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace at the Berkeley branch of the Alameda County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon. 

Seven of the defendants also face charges of resisting arrest, and 23-year-old student Roberto Hernandez faces assault and battery charges for allegedly biting one UC Berkeley police officer and attempting to bite another. 

Students, activists and lawyers for the defendants attacked UC Berkeley for filing charges and the District Attorney for pursuing them. They also chided the university for suspending Students for Justice in Palestine, the group that led the April 9 takeover, pending an investigation of the incident.  

“These acts are chilling symbols of state attempts to silence activism,” said Heba Nimr of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, arguing that authorities are singling out SJP for its views. 

The student group has called for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and a divestment from Israel by the UC system. 

Alameda County Assistant District Attorney John Adams said the activists’ charges are “specious.”  

 

PROTEST/From Page 1 

 

“I would categorically state that they’re not being targeted,” added UC Berkeley Assistant Chancellor John Cummins. 

Cummins said the university suspended SJP, not because of its views, but because it disrupted classrooms during the Wheeler Hall occupation. 

Hoang Phan, an SJP leader arrested on April 9, said the university has never suspended a student group for peaceful civil disobedience and argued that the move sets a dangerous precedent. 

Cummins replied that SJP is a special case because the university warned the student group well in advance that a disruption of student life would not be tolerated. 

Under the terms of the suspension, SJP is not allowed to reserve rooms or outdoor spaces for meetings and protests and is forbidden from setting up an informational table on Sproul Plaza at the heart of the campus. 

Still, the group set up a table on Monday and received a letter from the Student Judicial Affairs Office warning that the group will face additional charges if it continues to do so. 

In addition, the organization plans a “free speech, free Palestine” protest on Thursday. Activists reserved Sproul Plaza for the event under the name of Mediawatch, a different student group. 

University spokesperson Janet Gilmore said SJP activists will be allowed to protest and leaflet. They simply cannot reserve Sproul Plaza as SJP, she said. 

Osha Neumann, an attorney representing the defendants, called on UC Berkeley to pressure the District Attorney to drop the criminal charges. 

“Once it moves to the DA’s office and the (UC Berkeley) police transfer the case, it is completely up to the District Attorney,” said Cummins, indicating that the university will not attempt to influence the District Attorney’s prosecution of the case. 

Adams said he fully intends to pursue the case, but is open to a potential plea bargain. 

“There’s always room for negotiation,” he said. 

Lawyers on both sides will meet with Judge Carol Brosnahan on Friday. If no agreement is reached, pre-trial hearings for all 79 defendants are set for Monday and Tuesday, and Brosnahan will set court dates at the Oakland branch of the Superior Court.  

 

Contact reporter at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net 

 

 


A modest proposal for a new mayor

- James Day
Wednesday May 01, 2002

To the Editor: 

Berkeley progressives are having trouble finding a grownup to lead them (and what grownup would want to), thus probably conceding the mayor’s race to Shirley Dean, who swears she’s not chortling with glee. 

This means that the rest of us can enjoy yet another round of local government: an uninspiring, sometimes thuggish progressive council majority pitted against the ruthless and regal Dean, with everyone indulging in their political hatreds and puny ambitions at our expense. 

A dreary past repeats itself. What is to be done? 

Well, doing nothing is a sane choice. You could argue that there is so little money to be spent and so little land to be fiddled with that the mayor and Council don’t have that much effect on our lives anyway and that it’s certainly not worth all the wasted energy and general ugliness. A non-political life can be awfully sweet. But of course there are always some issues that truly do matter – from a neighborhood’s zoning to the height of buildings downtown to the intractable racial tensions that are constantly lurking. Positions take shape, and the debate and the politics begin. 

So, as a second possible answer to the quandary and for those who find Dean’s liberalism stodgy if not pretty threadbare, the establishment left is holding a convention to nominate a candidate for mayor from its second string. 

There will be some serious and caring people who will talk until hoarse about a million different important things. Unfortunately, in the end, there will probably be little new to ignite the imaginations of many voters outside the hall.  

The tent of the establishment left is always too small and airless. Is there just no hope for a progressivism without the mind-numbing rhetoric? Is it really in the nature of progress that the vanguard be so humorless and hectoring? It’s not always the press’s fault that the left seems goofy or elitist. 

History doesn’t bode well for the third choice, either. Now and then, an independent-minded person has leapt into the breech hoping to form governing coalitions for the good of the city, etc. 

These innocents are usually ground down between both sides. Sooner or later they quit and after a medicated rest get a hobby and try to live as quietly as possible.  

Still, an independent candidate (or even better, a loosely aligned, almost serendipitous slate of such candidates) is the only real hope, slim as it is. 

What may have been missing in the past and what might work now is a sharper political strategy with candidates who have the following qualities: 

First, a truly progressive outlook. Anything less and this might as well be Piedmont, as Dean sometimes seems to wish – but who reach out beyond the usual base, choose and manage their issues wisely and don’t divide the city with crude grandstanding. 

An example: Barbara Lee did not divide us with her vote against the war resolution. She had the respect of even those who disagreed with her. But the Council majority’s bumbling and arrogance as they pushed their own resolution divided us unnecessarily. 

They must run respectfully (sort of) but forcefully against the establishments of both of the city’s political factions, making their political clubs targets of the campaign, labeling them as outdated impediments to progress. 

A viable candidate should pay attention to the pothole issues. Dean will. Street repair, efficiency in government, a non-confrontational approach to business (while still making sure they toe the line and pay the piper) – paying attention to such things gains you respect and votes and does not dilute your progressive credentials no matter what the fanatics say. 

An excellent candidate will act as a conciliator between the factions, a la Clinton’s new paradigm/triangulation without his smarmy abandonment of basic principles. 

The candidate should rely greatly on a long door-to-door campaign (itself well-advertised for maximum media coverage), and aggressive, inventive and grassroots fundraising.  

This candidate need not automatically come from the city’s boards and commissions, which too frequently are the scenes of war by proxy. (Berkeley is an odd place: the most coveted political payoffs are not city contracts but appointments to obscure commissions, with one or two exceptions who always want the money.) 

All of this is very tricky, but still possible. Paradigms and the status quo are meant to be shattered. That’s what first attracted many of us who moved here from other, dimmer places. It’s just time to face our own status quo, not that of whence we came. 

The question is, where are we going? 

- James Day 

Berkeley 


Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

 

Oakland Museum of California “33rd Annual California Wildflower Show” An exhibition featuring native flowers gathered in the field, brought into the museum and sorted, identified and labeled by botanists. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free children age 5 and under. May 11: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., May 12: 12 - 5 p.m. 

 

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 “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.  

 

 

“Errata” through May 4: An exhibition of the photographic work by Marco Breuer, focusing on the gaps, mistakes and marginal events that occur in daily life. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214. 

 

“Open: Objects” through May 4: An exhibition featuring sculptural objects by Los Angeles artist Karen Kimmel. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214, 

 

“Urban Re-Visions” Through May. 4: A two-person exhibition featuring the colorful anthropomorphic sculptures of Tim Burns and the figurative/narrative paintings of Dan Way Harper. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com, 

 

“Quilted Paintings” 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” 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” 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. 

 

“Marion Brenner: The Subtle Life of Plants and People” Through May 26: An exhibition of approximately 60 long-exposure black and white photographs of plants and people. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way,  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

 

“The Image of Evil in Art” 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 

 

“East Bay Open Studios” Apr. 24 through Jun. 9: An exhibition of local artists’ work in connection with East Bay Open Studios. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland, 763-9425, www.proartsgallery.


Arts & Entertainment

By David Brauder, The Associated Press
Wednesday May 01, 2002

NEW YORK — ABC will set aside its normal programming for a full day and evening on Sept. 11 to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

The coverage will begin with “Good Morning America” at 7 a.m., break for local news in the evening, then continue through “Nightline.” 

“This is the major news event of our lives,” ABC News President David Westin said. “This is a real opportunity go to back and comprehensively and systematically put together the facts as we now know them, and put them into some perspective.” 

NBC and CBS executives are also discussing their Sept. 11 plans, but have made no announcements. 

The 39 million people who watched CBS’ ”9-11” documentary on March 10 indicates there’s interest in looking back at the tragedy, or at least at the insider camera view that special offered. CBS has the contractual right to show ”9-11” once more, and it’s widely assumed it will be in September. 

ABC News’ tackling of major projects with extended programming has become something of a signature. The network drew high ratings for its marathon coverage for New Year’s 2000. 

The network will broadcast memorials on Sept. 11, and will present a prime-time minute-by-minute reconstruction of what happened a year earlier. Peter Jennings is also scheduled to moderate a discussion with children, similar to what he did last September. 

Westin said ABC would use restraint in broadcasting disturbing images from that day, and will warn viewers if some are used. He wouldn’t predict how popular the daylong special would be. 

“The better way of looking at it is how important is it, and how much do we have to say about it, and the people will decide for themselves,” he said. 

In naming Jennings as the day’s host, ABC is also being a little presumptuous: The anchor’s contract expires this summer and he’s currently in discussions about a new one.


ABC programs full day, evening to commemorate 9/11

By David Brauder, The Associated Press
Wednesday May 01, 2002

NEW YORK — ABC will set aside its normal programming for a full day and evening on Sept. 11 to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

The coverage will begin with “Good Morning America” at 7 a.m., break for local news in the evening, then continue through “Nightline.” 

“This is the major news event of our lives,” ABC News President David Westin said. “This is a real opportunity go to back and comprehensively and systematically put together the facts as we now know them, and put them into some perspective.” 

NBC and CBS executives are also discussing their Sept. 11 plans, but have made no announcements. 

The 39 million people who watched CBS’ ”9-11” documentary on March 10 indicates there’s interest in looking back at the tragedy, or at least at the insider camera view that special offered. CBS has the contractual right to show ”9-11” once more, and it’s widely assumed it will be in September. 

ABC News’ tackling of major projects with extended programming has become something of a signature. The network drew high ratings for its marathon coverage for New Year’s 2000. 

The network will broadcast memorials on Sept. 11, and will present a prime-time minute-by-minute reconstruction of what happened a year earlier. Peter Jennings is also scheduled to moderate a discussion with children, similar to what he did last September. 

Westin said ABC would use restraint in broadcasting disturbing images from that day, and will warn viewers if some are used. He wouldn’t predict how popular the daylong special would be. 

“The better way of looking at it is how important is it, and how much do we have to say about it, and the people will decide for themselves,” he said. 

In naming Jennings as the day’s host, ABC is also being a little presumptuous: The anchor’s contract expires this summer and he’s currently in discussions about a new one.


Out & About Calendar

Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002


Thursday, May 2

 

 

A Taste of Oakland 

5- 7 p.m. 

A celebration of Oakland’s diversity and culture through its ethnic cuisine 

RSVP by April 19, call 839-9000 

 

The Amigos Chicano Latino Employees Association of the City of Oakland 

Live Music, DJ and a Mexican American singing duo 

11:30 - 1:15 p.m. 

Frank H. Ogawa Plaza 

Oakland 

Free 

 

A Century of Collecting 

Drawing from 3.8 million objects collected over a century, A Century of Collecting examines artifact collecting as a form of cultural representation. At the same time, the display explains how anthropology museums go 

about their work of preserving and interpreting the world’s diverse cultures.  

In conjunction with the exhibit  

A Century of Collecting- Panel Discussion:  

Collecting the World 

A discussion about how three anthropologists  

made their collections for the Hearst Museum. 

A reception will follow the program. 

6:30 PM-8:30 PM 

160 Kroeber Hall 

 

 


Thursday, May 2

 

Jai Uttal with Stephen Kent and Jim Santi Owen 

Ayurveda International Symposium 

University of California at Berkeley 

Berkeley, CA 

Ticket prices vary 

For registration and questions: 800-292-4882 

www.ayurveda-caam.org 

or email to: mamtal@aol.com 

Event runs May 2 - 5. 

 


Thursday-Saturday, May 2-4

 

Volunteer Opportunity 

“Through the Looking Glass”, a community-based non-profit serving families with disabilities - babies, children, parents, grandparents - is holding it’s 2nd annual International Conference on Parents with Disabilities. Volunteers are needed to assist in registering conference participants. Work alongside staff, meet conference participants, learn about important social issues affecting families.  

Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland 

For further information or to volunteer call 848-1112, ext. 110 

 


Team finish will override individual marks at Big Meet

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

Banged-up Bears take rare underdog role against rival Stanford 

 

The Cal and Stanford track & field teams will face off this Saturday at the 108th Big Meet, and both coaches expect very close finishes on both the men’s and women’s competitions. 

The meet will be held in Edwards Stadium on the Cal campus, which bodes well for the Golden Bears. The Cardinal haven’t pulled out a road win in Berkeley since 1966. 

Cal head coach Erv Hunt, however, considers his teams to be underdogs against the improving program from down south, especially since several key performers will likely watch from the stands due to injury. 

“This is going to be like no other Big Meet since I’ve been here, because Stanford should be favored on both sides,” Hunt said Tuesday. “It’s going to take a big effort by us just to keep this thing close and be competitive. I’m not saying we can’t win the meet, but they just have better people available right now.” 

Hunt has been with Cal since 1971, the year before the Bears started a 25-year men’s winning streak over Stanford. But the Cardinal has made huge strides in the past few seasons, mostly in the distance events, and nipped the Bears last year, 82-81. Hunt estimated that the nine events that could have gone either way all went to Stanford, but the Cardinal’s long-distance dominance clearly gives them an edge right off the bat no matter whom they face. Stanford is home to the Pac-10’s top four runners in the 5,000-meter and two of the top three in the 10,000. 

The women’s side, which began in 1980, has been much more evenly contested, with Stanford leading the series 12-10. The Cardinal women blew away the Bears last season, 101.5-60.5. But the Bears come into this year’s event ranked higher in the Trackwire poll, No. 20, than Stanford, which is 25th. 

“Our women just didn’t compete well last year, and they got beat up pretty good,” Hunt said. “I don’t expect anything like that to happen again.” 

Athletes from both sides agreed that the Big Meet is the most unifying event of the season, a rare occasion when individuals will sacrifice their personal needs for the good of the team. 

“The Big Meet is a great opportunity for everyone from both schools. It gives us something to really care about as a team,” Cal pole vaulter Bubba McLean said. “I really enjoy competing against people I’m supposed to hate, but I end up respecting them. It’s the embodiment of the whole college athletic experience.” 

For the well-traveled Stanford team, Saturday will be a chance for the team to share the same stadium. Last weekend, the Cardinal had athletes competing at three different meets. 

“It’s amazing. It’s intense. You’ve got teammates all over the stadium, and you’ve got teammates watching you compete,” said Stanford’s Robyn Woolfolk. “You do events you’re not used to to get the team extra points, and everyone puts aside their worries about qualifying standards and just competes.” 

The meet will kick off on Friday with the hammer throw. Cal’s Jennifer Joyce, who has the second longest throw in the NCAA this season, said she’s looking forward to setting the tone for the entire meet. 

“It’s become a tradition for us to start the meet on Friday, and it’s really fun,” Joyce said. “I know if I do well, it will get everyone pumped up and have a positive effect on the team.”


Measures would promote ‘fair trade’ coffee, ban ‘out-of-scale’ buildings

By Devona Walker, Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

Some Berkeley residents are hurriedly scouring the commercial districts and neighborhoods and gathering signatures in an attempt to get two separate but perhaps equally controversial initiatives placed on the upcoming November ballot. 

A push by Martha Nicoloff, former president of the North Berkeley Neighborhood Council seeks to preserve Berkeley as a city of “neighborhoods without huge, out-of-scale building projects sticking out of their midst like bulky boulders.” 

The initiative, which has been two years in the making, would essentially outlaw developments larger than four stories within city limits. And Nicoloff says she’s prepared to face those who oppose it. 

“We expect incredible opposition, and we are ready for it,” Nicoloff said. “However, maybe after people have a look at it they will see that we’ve helped out the City Council. We have helped them update their zoning ordinance to be a better match with the general plan they’ve just passed.”  

According to Nicoloff the initiative is designed to stop developers from using undue influence and loopholes to get large projects developed. 

“City Council has neglected to updated the Zoning Regulations needed to plug the loopholes,” Nicoloff said. “The City Council has not acted on these important issues, so it is our right as citizens to petition the voters and get the voters opinion.”  

“Developers are using their influence to go beyond four stories out in the commercial areas and we think it is detrimental to the community — if they go beyond four stories,” she added. 

Though she expects there to be opposition, Nicoloff says the initiative has made its way to the table of the planning commission, and she is hoping the initiative will receive fair analysis. 

“But what is most important to us is to find out what people in the community think first,” she added. 

The second petition drive is likely to cause even more controversy. 

COFFEE/From Page 3 

 

Berkeley attorney Rick Young wants to restrict the sale of brewed coffee from business vendors in the city to those brewed from coffee beans which are certified as “organic,” “fair trade” or “shade-grown.” 

Organic coffee is defined by beans that are produced under an approach that views the farm as an ecosystem and promotes long-term protection of the farm with an emphasis on recycling, composting, soil health and biological activity, according to Young. 

“Fair trade certified coffee” meets the standards of the TransFair USA, a nonprofit monitoring organization that certifies that participating traders are following fair trade guidelines.  

“Shade grown coffee” is planted in a shaded, forest-like setting created by a canopy of trees. 

According to Young this initiative would cause a reduction in the use of chemicals applied during coffee cultivation. Young also asserts that consumers need to take more responsibility for how their purchases are affecting the environment. 

But at least one councilmember says he does not think this will be a very popular initiative, if it indeed does make it to the November ballot. 

“Coffee in Berkeley is a bit like a religion,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “Taking people’s coffee away is far more controversial than us deciding to bomb Afghanistan. I don’t know how many people in Berkeley would support that. 

Another possible obstacle facing the city would be the legality of such legislation, and the cost factor of enforcing it, not to mention backlash from existing coffee vendors. 

In the short-term, requiring coffee vendors to sell specific types of coffee would limit the variety of beans that consumers could purchase. 

But Worthington said he thinks that legally there are some things the city could do to encourage and discourage the sale of certain coffee products. 

“The city already buys fair trade coffee. It’s not clear to me that we couldn’t take some steps to discourage the sale of non-fair trade coffee,” he said. 

Worthington pointed to the city outlawing the use of Styrofoam cups as a possible precedent to such legislation. 

Both petition drives will require 2,000 signatures by June to make it onto the November ballot. 

 

Contact reporter: 

devona@berkeleydailyplanet.net 

 


Berkeley is not as dense as some suggest

- Robert Clear
Wednesday May 01, 2002

To the Editor, 

The Planet’s article on height limits (April 14) states that Berkeley is the third most congested city in Northern California, but supports the claim by referring to its ranking in population density. They are not the same. 

Congestion refers to the impediment of flow, especially vehicular flow. Interestingly, the Council of Neighborhood Associations Newsletter notes that "Berkeley is 25 percent denser than the traffic congestion capital, Los Angeles..." Berkeley has less traffic than L.A. because vehicular flow depends upon the pattern of density in a whole region, not just the particular city within a region. 

In the Bay Area, as well as several other areas for which I have examined the data, vehicular ownership and use on a per-household basis is sharply lower in the denser zones. Population growth in the hills or Contra Costa will result in far more vehicles, and more vehicular use, than growth in San Francisco, Daly City or Berkeley. It may sound paradoxical, but population growth in Berkeley should result in less congestion than growth in open areas. 

Neighborhoods are legitimately concerned about the local impacts of growth, but it is disturbing to see so little discussion of the impacts of displacing the growth elsewhere. Kudos to the League of Women Voters for raising the issue. Black marks to the Sierra Club for failing to speak up for its supposed constituency, the flora and fauna that would be displaced by growth outside of already densely built-up areas. This is not a developer versus neighborhood issue; the developers will make money wherever they build. 

The real height limit issue is about office buildings, not housing. The financial district in S.F. has 40- to 50- story buildings on 60- to 70-foot wide streets. The equivalent on Shattuck Avenue would be 80 to 150 stories tall at its widest. Nobody is suggesting such nonsense here. The current height limits are, if anything, conservative in terms of our capabilities to make livable, functional, and even desirable living space. 

 

- Robert Clear 

Berkeley 


ABC chief quits amid ratings drought

Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

LOS ANGELES — Steve Bornstein, president of the ABC television network, resigned Tuesday. 

The announcement was made by Robert Iger, president of The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC. 

Bornstein is leaving the network “to pursue other interests,” according to a statement that Disney released. 

“I have had the good fortune of having some very challenging and rewarding positions with ESPN, ABC and The Walt Disney Company,” Bornstein said in the statement. “There are other interests I wish to pursue and now is an appropriate time to do this.” 

ABC has been struggling in the ratings race and trails rivals CBS and NBC.


Teachers union plans to challenge layoffs in court

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

The Berkeley Federation of Teachers is preparing to go to court to challenge layoff notices for as many as 40 “temporary” teachers, but district officials are confident they will prevail. 

BFT President Barry Fike said the union has collected about 20 “power of representation” forms already, authorizing BFT to advocate for the teachers in Superior Court. He expects more to sign in the near future. 

Fike said many of the teachers will argue that the district has misclassified them. They will contend that they are in fact “probationary” or “permanent” teachers, higher up on the seniority chain, and that the district improperly laid them off. 

But David Gomez, associate superintendent for administrative services, said the district has checked its records and is confident that it has properly classified all the temporary teachers. 

The district issued layoff notices, effective next year, to 173 teachers as part of an effort to cut $5.4 million and balance the budget. According to district figures, 82 of those teachers are probationary, generally first- or second-year teachers with a preliminary or full credential, and 91 are temporary, generally new instructors who are often on an emergency credential. 

Thirty-four probationary teachers participated in layoff hearings April 18-19, challenging district records on their credentials and status. The administrative law judge who presided over the hearing rescinded a few layoff notices at the hearing and is scheduled to issue a judgment on the rest of them Monday. 

 

Contact reporter at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net 

 

 

 

 


History

- The Associated Press
Wednesday May 01, 2002

Today is Wednesday, May 1, the 121st day of 2002. There are 244 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight 

On May 1, 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane near Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. 

 

On this date: 

In 1786, Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro” premiered in Vienna. 

In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition was officially opened in Chicago by President Cleveland. 

In 1898, Commodore George Dewey gave the command, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,” as an American naval force destroyed a Spanish fleet in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. 

In 1931, New York’s 102-story Empire State Building was dedicated. 

In 1931, singer Kate Smith began her long-running radio program on CBS. 

In 1941, the Orson Welles motion picture “Citizen Kane” premiered in New York. 

In 1948, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was proclaimed. 

In 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas. (They divorced in 1973.) 

In 1971, Amtrak — which combined and streamlined the operations of 18 intercity passenger railroads — went into service. 

In 1987, during a visit to West Germany, Pope John Paul II beatified Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. 

 

Ten years ago:  

On the third day of the Los Angeles riots, a visibly shaken Rodney King appeared in public to appeal for calm, asking, “Can we all get along?” President Bush delivered a nationally broadcast address in which he vowed to “use whatever force is necessary” to restore order. 

 

Five years ago:  

Britons went to the polls in a national election that gave the Labor Party a resounding victory over the ruling Conservatives. John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, publicly declared their innocence in the case, and asked for the public’s help in finding the killer of their 6-year-old daughter. 

 

One year ago:  

President Bush committed the United States to building a shield against ballistic missile attack. FBI Director Louis Freeh announced his retirement. Thomas Blanton Jr. became the second ex-Ku Klux Klansman to be convicted in the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Ala., that claimed the lives of four black girls. 

 

Today’s Birthdays:  

Actor Glenn Ford is 86. TV personality Jack Paar is 84. Former astronaut Scott Carpenter is 77. Jazz singer Shirley Horn is 68. Singer Judy Collins is 63. Singer Rita Coolidge is 57. Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Jr. is 48. Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen is 42. Rock musician Johnny Colt is 36. Country singer Tim McGraw is 35. Rock musician D’Arcy is 34. 

 


Tilden Park stabbing witness & car sought

Daily Planet Wire Report
Wednesday May 01, 2002

East Bay law enforcement officials are searching for a gray 2001 Honda coupe that belongs to a man who was found Sunday afternoon in Tilden Park suffering from multiple stab wounds, and a woman he apparently picked up before being stabbed. 

East Bay Regional Park Police spokesman Jon King said their officers and Berkeley police officers responded at about 2 p.m. to Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Spruce Street where they found the victim. The victim had been stabbed with a knife multiple times in the chest and neck, King said, and as of yesterday was undergoing surgery at Highland Hospital. 

“We're looking for the vehicle and the other person,” King said. 

The victim told officers that he picked up the woman and drove into Tilden Park where the stabbing occurred while they were parked at the end of Brook Road near Lake Anza. 

“We don't know exactly what happened,” King said. 

Investigators are not sure whether the victim and the woman knew each other, where the victim picked her up or why he picked her up, King said. Those questions will have to wait until after the victim is out of surgery, he said. 

King said they are searching the area for the woman and the car, which the victim said has a roof rack. The suspect is described as being a medium built white woman, about 19 years old, with a blond ponytail. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.


Dean to disclose “Deep Throat” identity in Salon

Staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — Thirty years after the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, former White House counsel John Dean intends to publish an electronic book revealing who he believes is “Deep Throat,” the anonymous informant who helped unseat President Richard Nixon. 

San Francisco-based online magazine Salon.com will offer the e-book June 17, managing editor Scott Rosenberg said Tuesday. Dean previously has written political commentary and book reviews for Salon. 

“Obviously, he has strong personal interest in the subject,” Rosenberg said. “After a lot of careful research that he details in the book, he’s pretty certain he knows who it was.” 

It won’t be the first time Dean has postulated on the identity of Deep Throat. 

In 1975, Dean said in a speech in Natchitoches, La., that it was Earl J. Silbert, one of the original Watergate prosecutors. Silbert laughed at the idea. 

In a 1982 book, “Lost Honor,” Dean said Deep Throat had to be Alexander M. Haig, who was the No. 2 aide to Henry Kissinger at the National Security Council and later Nixon’s chief of staff. Haig denied it.


Pac Bell, Verizon might escape profit-sharing duty

By Jennifer Coleman, The Associated Press
Wednesday May 01, 2002

SACRAMENTO — Consumer groups and state regulators are opposing a bill that would shelve rules requiring SBC Pacific Bell and Verizon to share part of their profits with ratepayers. 

The bill, by Assemblyman Rod Wright, D-Los Angeles, would freeze until 2007 a regulatory framework that’s currently in place for Verizon and Pac Bell, the companies that provide phone service for most Californians. Pac Bell officials called the bill a “status quo measure.” 

Wright’s bill would turn into law a 1998 Public Utilities Commission decision to suspend the profit-sharing rule for one time. He said Tuesday that decision has stabilized telephone rates and encouraged companies to invest in California. 

“Business people want stability in their rates,” Wright said. “You want to know what your bill is going to be next year.” 

But the PUC and other opponents say the bill would suspend a key consumer safeguard — a rule that required the companies to share excess profits with ratepayers. 

The PUC and its Office of Ratepayers Advocates warn that it could let the telecommunication giants pocket hundreds of millions more in excess profits. 

“The bottom line is, we didn’t feel it protected consumers,” said Regina Birdsell, director of ORA, the independent arm of the PUC that represents consumers. “It lifted oversight from the PUC and that’s the only protection that we think consumers have at this point.” 

The PUC would still be able to audit companies and set rates, Wright said. 

“We’re not tying their hands,” he said. “If the PUC thinks the profits are too high, lower their rates.” 

The ORA has pushed to reinstate the profit-sharing rule, which hasn’t been used in three years, because its audits found Pac Bell and Verizon failed to report billions in profits between 1997 and 1999. 

When it suspended profit-sharing for Verizon and Pac Bell in 1998, the PUC said the rule “distorts incentives” for companies to be efficient and invest in new technology in the state, said Mark Weideman, a Pac Bell attorney. 

“They were right on,” he said, adding that sharing limits “how much a company can earn.” 

When the PUC suspended the rule in 1998, deputy counsel Helen Mickiewicz said, it anticipated more competitive in telephone service, which would reduce rates. That hasn’t happened. 

So regulators need the option of using the profit-sharing rule and the audits to keep the companies from exploiting their “captive audience,” Mickiewicz said. 

The rule is part of streamlined regulatory framework developed in the 1980s to allow Pac Bell and Verizon to react to a changing telecommunication market. 

Californians have benefited, Weideman said, because the system allowed Pac Bell to invest billions to upgrade its infrastructure and offer DSL and other technology to its customers. 

Every three years, the PUC audits the companies and makes changes to the framework. In its latest triennial audit of Pac Bell, the PUC found that the company had understated their 1997-1999 earnings by nearly $2 billion and should refund $350 million to its customers. Had the sharing rule been implemented, another $457 million would have been due to customers, the audit found. 

Pac Bell disputed the audit’s findings. Wright also questioned the accuracy of the audit. 

Then, in a budget subcommittee hearing last week, Wright asked to have the ORA’s telecommunication branch cut from the budget in two years. 

“Right now, we have a $22 billion hole in the budget,” he said. “The people at ORA came in front of my committee twice recently and were just wrong.” 

If the ORA can justify their existence to the Legislature in the next two years, lawmakers can restore their budget, Wright said. 

For a legislator to attempt to “wipe out a whole office of regulators” sends the wrong message to SBC’s headquarters in San Antonio, said Regina Costa, telecommunications director for The Utility Reform Network. 

“These guys are supposed to be working for Californians and not Texas corporations,” Costa said. “You’d think that they’d learned their lesson with Enron.” 

The bill is to be heard today in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


Judge rules HP did not coerce, lie to investors

By Briain Bergstein, The Associated Press
Wednesday May 01, 2002

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Delaware judge Tuesday cleared Hewlett-Packard Co. of allegations it acted improperly in the vicious proxy fight over the Compaq Computer Corp. acquisition, likely paving the way for completion of the high-tech industry’s biggest merger. 

After a three-day trial last week in Wilmington, Del., Chancery Court Judge William B. Chandler ruled that former HP director Walter Hewlett failed to support his charges that HP bullied a big investor into supporting the Compaq deal and lied to investors about the progress of the merger plans. 

“The evidence demonstrates that HP’s statements concerning the merger were true, complete and made in good faith,” Chandler wrote. 

Hewlett can challenge the ruling in the Delaware Supreme Court. The HP heir said in a statement he was disappointed with the decision but planned to review it closely before deciding on his next step. 

Palo Alto-based HP and Houston-based Compaq plan to begin working together May 7. 

“Clearly we’re gratified,” HP spokeswoman Rebeca Robboy said. “We look forward to moving on.” 

Chandler’s ruling concluded another contentious chapter in Hewlett’s fight to stop the $18.4 billion acquisition. 

After HP narrowly won its shareholder vote on the Compaq acquisition, Hewlett tried to block the deal by suing the computing giant, which his father, William Hewlett, co-founded in 1939. He sued in Delaware because HP is incorporated there, as are many Fortune 500 companies. 

That step so angered HP management and its other directors that Hewlett was not renominated for another term on the board, leaving the Silicon Valley institution without a Hewlett or Packard in its boardroom for the first time. 

Hewlett’s statement said he would maintain his involvement with the company and monitor it “to ensure that it acts in the best interests of all stockholders.” 

The Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors in New York also have been looking into how HP acted in the proxy fight. 

“This has been an astonishing sequence of events,” said Gartner Inc. analyst Martin Reynolds. Because of all the scrutiny on the deal since it was announced Sept. 3, “I really believe this is one of the best planned mergers we’ve ever seen,” Reynolds added. 

A preliminary tally released two weeks ago found that HP won its shareholder vote 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent. That amounted to a lead of 45 million shares — likely enough even if the judge had disqualified the 17 million to 24 million shares voted by Deutsche Bank, the investor Hewlett claims was coerced. 

The tally is not yet official because both sides are challenging individual ballots, a process known as “the snake pit.” 

The Delaware trial featured 10 hours of testimony from HP’s top two executives, CEO Carly Fiorina and chief financial officer Robert Wayman. 

Hewlett alleged that HP threatened to withhold future investment banking business from Deutsche Bank unless the investment firm canceled its vote against the deal and voted for it at the last minute. 

In a voice mail for Wayman two nights before the March 19 shareholder vote, Fiorina suggested they do something “extraordinary” for Deutsche Bank. Then in a conference call with Deutsche money managers about an hour before the shareholder vote began, Fiorina said their decision was “of great importance to our ongoing relationship.” Hewlett attorneys also said HP’s proxy solicitor had noted on a planning chart that HP had a “carrot of future business” to use in lobbying Deutsche Bank.


Students, teachers, parents protest ‘high-stakes’ SAT-9 standardized test

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet staff
Tuesday April 30, 2002

With SAT-9 testing set to begin in Berkeley elementary schools this week, a small group of parents, activists and students gathered outside Rosa Parks School to protest the exam and spread the word about a provision in state law allowing parents to opt their children out of the test. 

“What if they gave an unfair, discriminating test and nobody came?,” asked Aaron Reaven, an organizer for the California Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education, which opposes “high stakes” standardized testing. 

Under state law, teachers and districts can inform parents of their right to opt out, but cannot encourage parents to do so. 

Deb Palmer, an English Language Learners resource teacher at Rosa Parks who spoke at the protest, said this provision in the law has intimidated other teachers. 

“Many of my fellow teachers would like to be here, but they’re afraid to be,” she said. 

Palmer was the only teacher at the protest. But over 300 teachers have signed a petition, drawn up by the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, opposing the SAT-9. The teachers ran the petition as an advertisement in the Daily Planet last week. 

Palmer said the prominence of the test and the financial awards attached to it encourage instructors to “teach to the test” rather than focus on important curriculum areas. 

“We certainly don’t support that,” said Les Axelrod, an education research and evaluation consultant for the California Department of Education in Sacramento. “We think the way to prepare kids for the test is to design a good instructional program that’s aligned to the state standards. 

“In practice, I know that’s not happening,” Axelrod acknowledged. But he said it’s up to districts and individual teachers to avoid teaching to the test. 

Activists at the protest argued that the state would do better to spend education money in the classroom, rather than on testing. 

“Don’t waste ink on this,” said Maria Luisa Garcia, parent of a Rosa Parks student, speaking through an interpreter. 

Axelrod said spending on testing and awards, which approached $1 billion out of a roughly $53 billion education budget last year, was “money well-spent.” 

Shirley Issel, President of the Board of Education, said there are problems with the current testing regimen, but argued that standardized testing is a valuable tool. 

“The standards movement is the best hope we have for educational equity,” Issel said, arguing that tests hold educators accountable. 

School board members Terry Doran and Ted Schultz also argued that tests can be useful, but raised concern about the monetary awards attached to test results, arguing that they can be divisive. 

This year, according to Bill Padia, director of the policy and evaluation division for the Department of Education, the state gave $100 million to teachers and $350 million to schools with high-scoring students. The state plans to distribute another $212 million in Governor’s Performance Awards to high-scoring schools in the coming week, but the legislature is holding the money pending an examination of the troubled state budget. 

Next year, Padia said, the $100 million in teacher awards will likely be cut because of the budget deficit and the $350 million, always planned as a one-time expenditure, will not be re-allocated. 

A bill in the state Assembly, authored by Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, would eliminate the awards system and scrap the SAT-9 in favor of a new test, to be developed largely by teachers. The bill narrowly passed through the Assembly Education Committee last week.


History

The Associated Press
Tuesday April 30, 2002

Today is Tuesday, April 30, the 120th day of 2002. There are 245 days left in the year. 

 

Highlight: 

On April 30, 1945, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun. 

 

On this date: 

In 1789, George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States. 

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. 

In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union. 

In 1900, Hawaii was organized as a U.S. territory. 

In 1939, the New York World’s Fair officially opened. 

In 1970, President Nixon announced the United States was sending troops into Cambodia, an action that sparked widespread protest. 

In 1973, President Nixon announced the resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, along with Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and White House counsel John Dean. 

In 1975, Communist forces captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. 

In 1991, an estimated 125,000 people died as a cyclone struck the South Asian country of Bangladesh. 

 

Ten years ago:  

As rioting in Los Angeles entered its second day, President Bush condemned the violence, and said the Justice Department would intensify its investigation of police conduct in the beating of Rodney King. 

 

Five years ago:  

The Senate approved the nomination of Alexis Herman to be labor secretary. ABC TV aired the “coming out” episode of the situation comedy “Ellen” in which the title character, played by Ellen DeGeneres, acknowledges her homosexuality. President Clinton reopened the newly renovated Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. 

 

One year ago:  

California businessman Dennis Tito arrived at the international space station aboard a Russian spacecraft. Intern Chandra Levy was last seen at a health club near her apartment in Washington, D.C., before vanishing (her disappearance remains a mystery). 

 

Today’s Birthdays:  

Princess Juliana, the Queen Mother of the Netherlands, is 93. Actress Cloris Leachman is 76. Singer Willie Nelson is 69. Actor Burt Young is 62. Actress Jill Clayburgh is 58. Movie director Allan Arkush is 54. Movie director Jane Campion is 48. Basketball coach Isiah Thomas is 41. Rock singer J.R. Richards (Dishwalla) is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees) is 29. Actress Kirsten Dunst is 20. Country singer Tyler Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 18. 


UC does not limit students’ free speech rights

Tuesday April 30, 2002

To the Editor: 

News reports of a decision by UC Berkeley to temporarily suspend recognition of Students for Justice in Palestine as a registered student group following an unlawful occupation of a building where classes were being held have led to confusion over the free speech rights of this group on campus. 

It is important to clarify that suspension of the group’s status as a registered student group does not preclude it from free speech activities afforded all students. It does, however, limit the group’s use of university resources, such as reserving classrooms for meetings and the Sproul Hall steps for scheduled events.  

All registered student groups agree to abide by regulations governing the use of campus facilities. The campus may suspend a group’s privileges when its members violate the rules or when the campus has reason to believe a student group will continue to undertake activities that will disrupt the academic mission. 

Free speech is a cherished tradition at UC Berkeley. As Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl said on April 8, the day before the building occupation:  

“This university has a proud history in the defense of free expression. It is our responsibility to provide a neutral forum for individuals and groups to advocate their cause. ... Most importantly, it is our responsibility to protect the rights of all members of the campus community to pursue their reason for being here - the work of teaching, learning, and research - uninterrupted by anyone.”  

 

- Karen D. Kenney  

Dean of Students 

UC Berkeley


Arts Calendar

Tuesday April 30, 2002

 

Theater 

“Pericles, Prince of Tyre” Through May 4: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m., William Shakespeare’s tale of lost hopes and love regained. Directed by Jon Wai-keung Lowe. $14. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, 234-6046. 

 

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” Apr. 12 through May 11: Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents Eugene O’Neill’s story of the Tyrone family. Directed by Jean-Marie Apostolides. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., 528-5620, www.actorsensembleofberkeley.com.  

 

“Time Out for Ginger” May 10 through Jun. 1: The Actor’s Studio presents the famous comedy that sketches the tumult in a family that includes three teenage daughters, one of whom insists on trying out for her high school football team. $12. Check theater from dates and times. The Actor’s Studio’s Little Theatre, 3521 Maybelle Ave., Oakland 

 

“Homebody/Kabul” Apr. 24 - June 23: Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents Tony Kushner’s play about a women who disappears in Afghanistan and the husband and daughter’s attempts to find her. $38-$54. Call ahead for times, 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org.  

 

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

 

Exhibits  

“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. 

 

“Errata” through May 4: An exhibition of the photographic work by Marco Breuer, focusing on the gaps, mistakes and marginal events that occur in daily life. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Open: Objects” through May 4: An exhibition featuring sculptural objects by Los Angeles artist Karen Kimmel. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Traywick Gallery, 1316 10th St., 527-1214 

 

“Urban Re-Visions” Through May. 4: A two-person exhibition featuring the colorful anthropomorphic sculptures of Tim Burns and the figurative/narrative paintings of Dan Way Harper. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, gallery709@aol.com 

 

“Quilted Paintings” 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 

 

“Re: Figuration” May 10 through Jun. 8: A two-person exhibition by Jody Sears and Michele Ramirez. S ears presents sculpture made from wood, and Ramirez showcases her paintings of Oakland, its streets, people and geography. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831 

 

“Jurassic Park: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs” 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” 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 

 

“Marion Brenner: The Subtle Life of Plants and People” Through May 26: An exhibition of approximately 60 long-exposure black and white photographs of plants and people. $3 - $6. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

 


Out & About

Tuesday April 30, 2002

Tuesday, April 30 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church 

941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 525-3565. 

 

Farm Fresh Choice, Community Produce Stands 

Affordable, high-quality nutritious fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and apple juice. Organic and low residue produce. Support small independent African -American, Latino and Asian Farmers continue to farm in environmentally sound ways. 

4 to 6 p.m., every Tuesday 

Three Locations:  

The Young Adult Project at Oregon and Grant, Bahia on Eighth Street at James Kenny Park and The Berkeley Youth Alternative. 

 

Tobacco Industry in Foreign Countries 

4:30 - 6:30 p.m. 

22 Warren Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Dr. Ewa Krolikova of the Czech Republic and Mary Assunta of the Consumers Association of Penang in Malaysia share their efforts to fight the Tobacco Industry in their countries. 

#0002000007C4000009A37BE, 

Low-Cost Hatha Yoga Class 

6:30 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center 

1720 8th St. 

$6 per class. 981-6651. 

 

Peder Sather Symposium 

Foreign Policy Seminar, After 9/11: American & European Perspectives on Security Globalization & Conflict Resolution 

2 - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

Wheeler Hall 

Maude Fife Room 315 

415-986-0766 

 

Thursday, May 2 

A Taste of Oakland 

5- 7 p.m. 

A celebration of Oakland’s diversity and culture through its ethnic cuisine 

RSVP by April 19, call 839-9000 

 

The Amigos Chicano Latino Employees Association of the City of Oakland 

Live Music, DJ and a Mexican American singing duo 

11:30 - 1:15 p.m. 

Frank H. Ogawa Plaza 

Oakland 

Free 

 

A Century of Collecting 

Drawing from 3.8 million objects collected over a century, A Century of Collecting examines artifact collecting as a form of cultural representation. At the same time, the display explains how anthropology museums go 

about their work of preserving and interpreting the world’s diverse cultures.  

In conjunction with the exhibit  

A Century of Collecting- Panel Discussion:  

Collecting the World 

A discussion about how three anthropologists  

made their collections for the Hearst Museum. 

A reception will follow the program. 

6:30 PM-8:30 PM 

160 Kroeber Hall 

 

Jai Uttal with Stephen Kent and Jim Santi Owen 

Ayurveda International Symposium 

University of California at Berkeley 

Berkeley, CA 

Ticket prices vary 

For registration and questions: 800-292-4882 

www.ayurveda-caam.org 

or email to: mamtal@aol.com 

Event runs May 2 - 5. 

 

Thursday-Saturday, May 2-4 

Volunteer Opportunity 

“Through the Looking Glass”, a community based non-profit serving families with disabilities - babies, children, parents, grandparents - is holding it’s 2nd annual International Conference on Parents with Disabilities. Volunteers are needed to assist in registering conference participants. Work alongside staff, meet conference participants, learn about important social issues affecting families.  

#0002000004B7000011614B1,Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland 

For further information or to volunteer call 848-1112, ext. 110 

 

Saturday, May 4 

 

Word Beat Reading Series 

7-9 p.m. 

458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland 

Entertainers of all kinds come together for this free show featuring “Press 62” starring Johanna Mangahas, You-Fong Benedicte Chang, Anthony Scott and Jason Zahorchak 

For more information: 510-526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat 

 

 

Shelter Operations: Emergency Preparedness Class. 

Learn how to take care of yourself before the disaster. 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar Street 

Berkeley 

to register: 510-981-5605 

 

Saucy Sounds Community Event 

Oakland Youth Chorus Preview Concert  

2 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Oakland 

27th & Harrison 

Oakland 510-287-9700 

Free 

 

Children’s Movies 

Tom & Jerry, The Movie (in English) 

Shows at noon & 2 p.m. 

The Actor’s Studio 

3521 Maybelle Ave. 

Oakland 

510-530-0551 

$3 

 

The Oakland Symphony Chorus 

8:45 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. 

6013 Lawton Ave., Oakland. 

STYLES SAMPLER Workshop. Three music workshops presented on Spirituals with Trente Morant, Barbershop with Dr. Robert Campell and Feasts and Seasons, Music of Spain and America with Juan Pedro Gaffney. 

#00020000045F00001612459,Morning snacks and lunch will be provided. $30. $25 in advance. 465-4199. 

 

Berkeley Rep/UC Berkeley Joint Symposium, 

featuring discussions and workshops inspeired by HOMEBODY/KABUL 

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St., Berkeley 

Free & open to the public, call 510-647-2966 for reservations (not required)  

 

Low-Cost Hatha Yoga Class 

6:30 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center 

1720 8th St. 

$6 per class. 981-6651 

 

Meet the Candidates Convention 

For a new Berkeley Mayor 

Chris Worthington, Rob Wrenn, Elliot Cohen, Barbara Lubin and Tom Bates have been invited & asked to share their vision for Berkeley’s future. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK) 

Berkeley 

510-540-8543 

Free 

 

 

Saturday, May 4-5 

The 9th Annual Benicia Artists Open Studios 

10 a.m.- 5 p.m. 

Benicia Chamber of Commerce 

601 First Street 

Over sixty local artists will display their work from many different art forms. Free. 

For more information contact Marie Muscolino at 707-747-0131 or artsbenicia@aol.com. 

 


Demetrius Sommers: High energy athlete

By Nathan Fox Special to the Daily Planet
Tuesday April 30, 2002

Ahh, halftime. Berkeley High midfielder Demetrius Sommers cracks open a cold one - a tall black can, highlights of red and gold. 

From a distance, it looks like he’s drinking King Cobra. But since Sommers is in the middle of a lacrosse game and he’s too young to be drinking malt liquor, that seems unlikely. Sommers pours the beverage into his Gatorade sport bottle and crushes the can, discarding it underneath the Berkeley bench. 

A glimpse of the can reveals a label reading “Double Size, Double Strength” as Sommers takes two giant swigs from the sport bottle, tosses it aside, and hustles over to a photographer to ask him if he managed to get any good shots (of Sommers) in the first half. Sommers smiles broadly. Braces, spiked blonde hair, a gleam in the eye. 

“Cool,” he says. “All right. Very cool.” And runs back onto the field. 

“RockStar Energy Drink,” the can reads. Then, the motto: “Party Like a Rock Star.” 

Berkeley lacrosse coach Jon Rubin can only smile and shake his head when asked about his most rabid defensive player. 

“He has one gear,” Rubin says. “Fifth gear – and that’s it.” 

But compared to the rest of the players on the field, it looks like sixth gear. The second half starts and immediately Sommers, a long-stick midfielder, sprints up the midline to the dead center of the field, where a single Berkeley player and a single Piedmont player are on their knees, skirmishing over the ball in lacrosse’s version of a face-off. The ball squirts out, and Sommers, still in full stride, scoops up the ball and turns upfield. 

Sommers is technically a defender – but one who always seems to be on the attack. 

Moving in a straight line (he doesn’t really need to juke – he just outruns everyone else), Sommers carries the ball directly into the Berkeley offensive zone. He snaps a pass to a Berkeley attacker, turns smartly, and exits the playing field so that an additional Berkeley attacker can join the fray. Total time on the field: 20 seconds at full bore. 

Back on the sideline, there’s just time for one swig from the Gatorade bottle. A Berkeley turnover, and immediately Sommers sprints back into the game. 

“I’m basically busting in and out of the field all the time,” Sommers says. “I figure I run like two or three miles per game out there. I usually drink [RockStar] between halves – it’s like a double-sized Red Bull – and it gives me that extra burst of energy.” 

But a minute later Sommers is out of the game again – this time nursing a sideache. 

“It’s that energy drink you’re drinking,” a teammate yells. Sommers nods, limping, and drags himself slowly to the bench. He sits for a second, dazed. Then – what else - another long pull from the sport bottle, and Sommers pops back to his feet. Seconds later he is back in the game, looking for someone to hit. 

It’s not long before he finds someone. A Piedmont attacker accepts a pass in front of the net, turns, and is flattened by a charging Sommers. The ball floats briefly in the air and Sommers, while leaping over his prone victim, snatches it out of the air. 

The sideache, apparently, has passed. 

Sommers is no lumbering defenseman – he plays much larger than he actually is. He can lie to the DMV all he wants, but standing with him after the game it’s obvious. 

“I’m about five-nine, 150 (pounds),” Sommers says. “Oh. Yeah, you’re right - that might be stretching it a bit. Maybe I’m five-eight and a half. My driver’s license says five-nine so I’ll just go with that.” 

Rubin doesn’t care how big Sommers is – the results are what matter. 

“Against bigger teams, like St. Ignatius and (Bishop) O’Dowd, he’s just been taking over the game,” Rubin says. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a defender change the course of the game like that.” 

Sommers, a 16-year-old junior, is far from leading his Yellowjackets in scoring. A defender contributes in other ways: Sommers picks up eight to ten loose balls per game, mixes in another four to six steals – and at least once per game Sommers sizes up an opponent, takes two or three steps running start and brings the pain. 

“Hitting comes natural to me,” says Sommers, a middle linebacker for the school’s football team. “It feels good to rip somebody and just put them on their butt.” 

Picture the Tasmanian Devil, amp him up on some sort of bizarre energy brew, and now hand him a very large stick – this is Demetrius Sommers on the lacrosse field. In an Ivy League sport, Sommers is all X-Games. 

“I’ve got a couple of dirtbikes,” Sommers says. “And I do downhill skateboarding, I snowboard and surf, wakeboard – oh, and BMX biking - I used to race BMX. I’ve never gone to the emergency room but my stepmom is a teacher at Berkeley High, so I assume we’re covered.” 

At the halfway point in the Shoreline Lacrosse League season, opposing teams might want to double-check their own coverage. Demetrius Sommers has been a monster thus far – and he’s looking to pop the top on a “Double Size, Double Strength” second half.


BUSD reps check out small schools in Boston, New York City

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet staff
Tuesday April 30, 2002

A group of eight Berkeley educators and activists left for an East Coast tour of “small schools” Monday amid controversy over the racial make-up and mission of the delegation. 

The team, composed of Superintendent Michele Lawrence, Berkeley High School co-principal Mary Ann Valles, three BHS teachers, two activists and a student, plans to visit three schools in New York City and two schools near Boston, Mass. during its five-day trip. 

The group hopes to learn more about small schools while Berkeley considers transforming BHS into a series of “small learning communities” with different themes. 

The delegation will consider a wide range of issues, from finances and administration, to staff development, to parental involvement, to concerns about maintaining racial balance among schools-within-a-school. After the trip, the group will work together to prepare a report to the superintendent. Lawrence plans to present the findings and make recommendations to the board about next steps by the end of the school year. 

The visit grew out of a strong push this fall by the Coalition for Excellence and Equity, a community group, to transform Berkeley High School into a series of small schools with different themes by the fall of 2003, in part to address the “achievement gap” separating white and Asian students from blacks and Hispanics. 

The Board of Education tabled the proposal in December, arguing that the plan needed more study and the district had to focus on its financial crisis. But Superintendent Michele Lawrence pledged to arrange for small schools visits by May. 

Vikki Davis, a member of Parents of Children of African Descent, an advocacy group that is part of the larger Coalition for Excellence and Equity, said the district invited coalition member Kalima Rose at the outset, but did not extend an invitation to an African-American parent from PCAD until activists raised concerns. 

Lawrence said there was no attempt to exclude any voices from the delegation. 

“I tried to balance the perspectives as best I could,” she said, noting that she moved to include community members, teachers and a student, and a variety of views on small schools, while keeping the delegation at a reasonable size. 

Rose said she was generally pleased with the final composition of the group, which includes PCAD member Gina Wolley. But she worried that the delegation may not have much authority, given that the report will be funneled through Lawrence’s office and the superintendent will make recommendations to the board. 

Rose said the Coalition for Excellence and Equity will likely hold a community forum of its own to share the findings of the trip. 

Lawrence said the purpose of the trip is to educate the superintendent on small schools, and the process reflects that purpose. 

But she said the public will have ample opportunity to debate the report. 

“Nobody is going to be inhibited in this community from saying whether they like or don’t like the report,” added school board member Ted Schultz. 

 

 


News of the Weird

Tuesday April 30, 2002

Chili feed 

 

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. – The weather can still turn chilly in southwest Wyoming in late April, but that’s not why a snowplow was needed on Interstate 80. 

The westbound lanes about 20 miles west of town were closed for about an hour Thursday after a semi truck with a trailer full of Hormel chili rear-ended another semi. 

The momentum of the wreck caused the chili cans to smash through the front of the trailer. The cans broke open and soon the pavement was slick with beans and meat, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. 

A snowplow had to be called out to clear the mess. 

Emergency crews rescued the trapped driver of the chili truck by cutting through the bottom of the cab. The driver was taken to a hospital for evaluation. 

Patrol Lt. Dave Gray said the crash happened when the first semi, which was pulling a flatbed trailer with a heavy load of cardboard, crept up a hill at about 20 miles per hour. 

The truck with the chili was going much faster and was unable to slow down in time, according to Gray. 

 

‘Fargo’ cabin moving east 

 

MINNEAPOLIS — A piece of disturbing Minnesota movie history is moving to Wisconsin. 

With just seven seconds to spare before bidding closed in an Internet auction, Lindy Martin, 26, bid $10,000 for a small cabin featured in the movie “Fargo.” 

Martin said late Saturday that she and her mother, Elsie Martin, are buying it together. They plan to move it to a lot in Barnes, Wis., about an hour east of Duluth. 

“We thought it would be a quick way to get a cabin, to buy a fully functional one and just get it done,” Lindy Martin said. 

The cabin is the setting for the climactic scene in the 1996 Coen brothers’ movie. Kidnappers hide out at the cabin and one of them meets a gruesome end in a wood chipper.


Standardized tests have value for professionals

Tuesday April 30, 2002

To the Editor: 

I am sympathetic to the many teachers who have argued against standardized tests. However, I should like to point out that large groups of professionals that we all need and mostly trust are the products of systems replete with standardized tests – namely physicians and nurses.  

As a physician I took a standardized test to get into Medical School (the MCAT). To get my license I took three standardized national tests at various places along my training and would not be able to get a license anywhere without having passed these . As a specialist I have taken a standardized test every ten years in my field and would not be able to practice without such a test. 

And as a teacher of medical students it is helpful to me to know that my interns and residents have all passed certain tests and have the same core of knowledge that I can count on.  

Naturally we want our doctors to be tested and certified. This tells us that we can rely on a certain amount of knowledge on their part. 

And so I ask, if it works for doctors (and of course other professionals) why does it not work for students in high school?  

 

- Gessica Johnston 

Berkeley


Cable TV sex expert comes to Berkeley to champion frank exploration of sexuality

By Jamie Luck Special to the Daily Planet
Tuesday April 30, 2002

The second of two live TV forums to discuss the airing of adult material, “Viewer Discretion Advised,” aired on Berkeley’s public access cable channel last night. The show featured independent producers Svetlana Coutoure and Dr. Susan Block facing off over adult content and censorship issues in response to complaints brought to B-TV’s board of directors by Coutoure and her husband about Dr. Block’s show. 

The Coutoures’ claimed the “The Dr. Susan Block Show” featured “unpredictable” content and was on too early. 

“I take that as a compliment,” said Dr. Block, who flew in from LA to take part in the show. “It’s true that I cover human sexuality in all its many splendors, glories, dangers, fun and foolishness. I interview professors and porn stars. Professors tend to talk about an aspect of sexuality, while porn stars tend to take their clothes off. I entertain all aspects of sexuality, and you never know who will be on the show, so it’s true – the show’s unpredictable and spontaneous.” 

The gist of complaint has been that the show, which explores sexual issues and sometimes features nudity, airs early enough for children and teenagers to come across it.  

It currently airs in the time slot designated by the FCC as a ‘safe harbor’ for adult material, which begins at 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Some say that that is early enough for their children to see, particularly on a Friday night. 

Block contends that her program is educational, and though not intended for children, is not harmful. “I try to do my show in good taste, mindful that a child may be watching. I don’t put anything on the show that I think is harmful,” she said. “And I certainly think that all the murder, mayhem and violence we see on news and entertainment shows are a lot more harmful to everyone – children and adults – then a naked body.” 

The board of directors for Berkeley Community Media, which runs the public access station, initially responded to the complaint by slotting material that ‘involves two naked people having sex’ to the hours of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., a move that never happened due to both legal implications and to the fact that none of the material reviewed actually fit into this category. 

The safe harbor rule was established by the FCC with an understanding of children’s viewing habits in mind. Block says she is content with the current 10 p.m. guideline, and that moving adult-themed shows to after 2 a.m. amounts to censorship. “That’s a no-person time zone – no man, no woman, no child,” she says. “That amounts to censorship.”  

BCM executive director Brian Scott says it’s not within BCM’s legal jurisdiction to monitor or censor programming. He says the burden of responsibility is on the parents to monitor what their children watch, yet he also offers information on what other avenues are available to parents, such as blocking out the channel or writing complaints to the FCC, the district attorney, or the local AT&T carrier.  

“We’re prohibited from censoring programs – that goes against the mission of public access and goes against the law,” said Scott. “Our main responsibility here is to get information out to the community.” Hence ‘Viewer Discretion Advised.’ 

The first installment, which aired April 22nd, basically served to inform people about the history of adult content issues, their rights’ rights and what they can do to get involved with public television. 

Last night’s program was a forum to have public discourse on the issues of decency, free speech, and censorship, and was shot live to provide the opportunity for call-ins. 

FCC rules allow for indecent material to be aired during the safe harbor time zone, but prohibit obscene material. Inherent difficulty distinguishing between the two lies in the fact that obscene material has to violate community standards and have no “serious artistic, literary, political or scientific value” – some very subjective criteria. 

Communities may append the rules by passing legislation on the local level. Seattle recently passed an ordinance that restricts adult-themed programming to after midnight. City Council could pass a similar measure or vote to pull funding from BCM, but either move is bound to face opposition both within the council and without. “I think councilmembers should be very cautious about proposing to punish people for what is said in the media, and I would hope that if something like that is put in writing that city council would not vote for such a thing,” said councilmember Kriss Worthington. In addition, over 20 people showed up in protest after BCM’s board made their initial decision to move the shows. 

The ‘adult-themed’ designation itself is entirely voluntary. Producers like Dr. Block tell the station their show is intended for adults, and the station schedules it accordingly. Scott says BCM has never had a problem with anyone abusing this system.


Divest from Israeli and Palestinian businesses or support Israeli military

Tuesday April 30, 2002

To the Editor, 

I was present at the Berkeley City Council meeting as a Jewish person who supports divesting from Israel. Contrary to an implied sentiment that a resolution in favor of divestment is too divisive because it would take sides against Israel, I would claim that not divesting from Israel is taking sides in favor of Israel against the Palestinians. 

Israeli Exports amount to about $23 Billion a year in revenue for Israel. In addition, about $4.5 Billion a year of our tax dollars support Israel. By not divesting from Israel and by not asking our federal government to stop U.S. aid to Israel, our money is being used to fund the continued 35 year occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem although this occupation is illegal according the Geneva Conventions. By not divesting we also are saying to Israel that we support the building and maintenance of illegal settlements in the occupied territories. In addition, we are allowing our money to be used to purchase U.S. made weapons that are killing and injuring thousands of Palestinians. 

As citizens of the United States we should be sending a clear message to the federal government, the citizens of this country, and peoples of the world, that we will no longer take the side of Israel by funding their military which is the fourth largest military in the world. 

 

- Carla Schick 

Oakland 


Terrorism added to list of threats to highways, along with earthquakes

By William McCall The Associated Press
Tuesday April 30, 2002

PORTLAND, Ore. — Earthquakes remain the most serious threat to bridges and freeway overpasses across the nation, but highway engineers say terrorism has been added to the list of concerns. 

“Every man, woman and child in our country has the right to expect a safe and reliable transportation system,” said Gary Hamby, Western regional director of the Federal Highway Administration. 

He told engineers and planners at the third National Seismic Conference on Monday that the highway administration is working with the Office of Homeland Security and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to assess the vulnerability of bridges and overpasses during the next three to six months. 

Hamby said the national highway system must be able to adapt not only to natural disasters such as quakes, but also acts of terrorism that could disrupt transportation and seriously damage the economy. 

“It’s an extraordinary challenge,” Hamby said, “but safety is our top concern.” 

Roland Nimis, Western infrastructure chief for the highway administration, opened the conference by saying earthquakes around the world have taught bridge engineers many valuable lessons since the last conference was held in 1997. 

The 6.8 magnitude Nisqually earthquake near Seattle on Feb. 28, 2001, gave engineers one of their best looks at how well older U.S. bridge designs withstand seismic shock. 


Church attendance alone does not ensure longer life

Tuesday April 30, 2002

To the Editor, 

The current UC study linking regular churchgoing with longer lives, featured by the Planet, is both confusing and misleading. The focus of the study should have been on the comparison of life expectancies between those who choose either a spiritual or a material path. Institutionalized religion has very little to do with it; cemeteries are filled with religious people, both old and young. 

There are no magic pills for a long life; not supplements, drugs or church. The spiritual work that must be done starts with simplifying your life and diet and thus understanding the hidden connections of your life’s events.  

 

- Michael Bauce 

Berkeley 


Global warming bill passes Calif. Senate committee

The Associated Press
Tuesday April 30, 2002

SACRAMENTO — Ignoring pleas of carmakers and business groups, a key state Senate committee passed a bill Monday to curb global warming by further reducing California tailpipe emissions after 2009. 

The Senate Appropriations Commission voted 8-3 to approve the bill, AB1508, and send it to the Senate floor for a vote. 

The Assembly passed the bill Jan. 31. 

The bill, sponsored by environmental groups and carried by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, asks the California Air Resources Board to write regulations reducing carbon dioxide emissions by January 2005. Backers say approximately 23 million vehicles contribute 60 percent of California’s so-called “greenhouse gases” attributed to global warming. 

The bill would apply to new cars and light trucks and not to commercial vehicles. 

Monday’s vote followed testy exchanges between a lobbyist for car dealers who labeled the bill a “physical abomination,” and committee Democrats who called automakers “obstructionists.” 

“When I was in Congress in the seventies, I had a hearing on air bags and the industry was in there like you were going to steal their first born,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco. Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, lectured carmakers to drop their lawyers and lobbyists and hire engineers to “make a better car.” 

Peter Welch, representing the California Motor Car Dealers Association, said the bill will provide “no climate benefits for California” and result only in “additional costs.” 


Fraud detection software firm to be acquired for $726m

By Michael Liedtke The Associated Press
Tuesday April 30, 2002

 

SAN FRANCISCO — Consumer credit scoring firm Fair, Isaac & Co. said Monday it will buy fraud detection specialist HNC Software Inc. in a $726 million deal designed to help businesses do a better job of finding and retaining customers. 

The stock swap, expected to be completed by Sept. 30, will combine two low-profile companies that play a pivotal role in bank’s lending decisions and anti-fraud efforts. 

San Rafael-based Fair, Isaac provides a widely used formula that assesses the creditworthiness of consumers based on their past records. 

Lenders rely on Fair Isaac’s calculations, known as FICO scores, to weed out deadbeats and determine the size and prices on loans. Consumers with low FICO scores often pay higher prices for credit cards, mortgage or auto loans or can’t borrow at all. 

Fair Isaac has sold more than 10 billion FICO scores since they were introduced 17 years ago, raising the hackles of some consumer activists who contend the company wields too much behind-the-scenes power. 

San Diego-based HNC sells a service that tracks customer spending patterns to help identify fraud. Besides protecting lenders from crooks, HNC analyzes its data to help helps banks, insurers and telephone companies identify prospective customers and sell other products to existing customers. 

“This combination makes incredible sense,” said Tom Grudnowski, Fair Isaac’s chief executive officer, who will continue to run the company after the merger. 

The combined company expects to shave $35 million in annual expenses by laying off workers in similar jobs and eliminating other overlapping operations. Grudnowski told analysts that slightly fewer than 10 percent of the 2,700 employees in the combined company will lose their jobs. 

Many industry analysts praised the deal, describing the marriage as an ideal match. 

“This is a deal that needed to be done. It’s going to be a pretty potent combination,” said analyst Brad Eichler of Stephens Inc. 

But the abysmal track record of past high-tech mergers should raise red flags about this combination, said analyst Robert Tholemeier of Wells Fargo Securities. 

“There are always cultural clashes and technology clashes in these mergers,” Tholemeier said. “I expect to see trouble 12 months from now.” 

Investors drove down Fair Isaac’s stock Monday while bidding up HNC’s — a mixed reaction common after a merger announcement. 

Fair Isaac’s shares fell $6.59, or 10 percent, to close at $57.50 on the New York Stock Exchange Monday while HNC’s shares rose $2.08, or nearly 12 percent, to close at $19.52 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. 

The decline in Fair Isaac’s stock decreased the value of the stock swap from $810 million when it was announced to $726 million at the close of Monday’s trading. 

With the addition of HNC’s business, Fair Isaac’s expects its annual revenues to climb from about $355 million this year to $690 million. Fair Isaac predicted the extra business will boost its earnings during the fiscal year ending in September 2003 to $2.85, up from the consensus estimate of $2.77 among analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

Through the first half of the company’s current fiscal year, Fair Isaac earned $27.7 million, a 42 percent increase from the prior year. After nearly doubling in value last year, Fair Isaac’s stock had edged up modestly this year before Monday’s backlash to the deal.


Apple introduces eMac for schools to boost sales; like iMac, but smaller

The Associated Press
Tuesday April 30, 2002

CUPERTINO, Calif. — In an effort to capture more school sales, Apple Computer Inc. on Monday introduced a line of Macintosh computers that will be sold only to educators and students. 

The “eMac” computers, featuring 17-inch cathode ray tube monitors and 700 gigahertz G4 processors, are priced at $999 and $1,199 — less than the flat-panel iMacs introduced in January. 

The new computers are expected to be available starting in May. 

Though shaped like the first iMacs unveiled in 1998, the eMacs are about a third of an inch shorter than the original iMac. They also include 16-watt stereo speakers and a CD-recordable drive. 

A DVD drive is available on the more expensive eMac. 

Apple has seen its share of new sales in the education market decline in recent years, according to the research firm IDC. 

In the fourth quarter, Apple’s share fell 20 percent to 14.7 percent. Dell Computer Corp., meanwhile, saw its share increase from 36.8 percent in the third quarter to 39 percent in the fourth. 

Also Monday, Apple unveiled a new line of Titanium PowerBook laptops, with faster processors, a new high-resolution display and built-in Gigabit networking capabilities. 

The top-of-the-line Titanium, with an 800 GHz processor, is priced at $3,199. A 667-MHz version runs $2,499.


Opinion

Editorials

Secret still Deeply hidden

The Associated Press
Monday May 06, 2002

 

Richard Nixon is dead, Katharine Graham is dead, even Linda Lovelace is dead. But what about Deep Throat?  

Still alive, and still a secret more than a quarter-century after his guidance helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break the Watergate story and unseat a president. 

John Dean says he knows Deep Throat’s identity. And the former White House counsel, whose testimony against Nixon was itself a key moment in the Watergate saga, says he will reveal all in “The Deep Throat Brief.” The electronic book will be published June 17, the 30th anniversary of the Watergate break-in. 

“He’s pretty certain he knows who it is,” said Scott Rosenberg, managing editor of the online magazine Salon, which will offer Dean’s book. 

Of course, Dean was pretty certain in 1975, when he said Deep Throat was Earl J. Silbert, an original Watergate prosecutor. And he was pretty certain in 1982, when he named Alexander Haig, who was eventually Nixon’s chief of staff and Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state. 

Silbert and Haig denied it. This is to be expected. Everyone denies being Deep Throat. 

Including, Woodward says, Deep Throat. 

The shadowy source “was risking a great deal personally and professionally,” he said in 1997. “You may assume that in the course of this he was not truthful with colleagues and family members and he denied that he had provided information.” 

Washington cannot abide a secret, especially one Dean has called “the best-kept secret in the history of the capital.” So while the particulars of Deep Throat’s exploits have faded in memory for many Americans, for others — politicians, historians, journalists — speculation about his identity remains a favorite parlor game. 

Nixon was not immune. Monica Crowley, a young aide to the former president for four years before his death in 1994, quoted Nixon as saying Deep Throat was “someone on the inside. ... One person who thought he had a lot to gain by spilling his guts to those two guys,” someone who wanted to be seen as a liberal because he wanted “a media career.” 

“Woodward had a source in the Executive Branch who had access to information at CRP (the Committee to Re-elect the President) as well as at the White House. His identity was unknown to anyone else,” the book says. 

Woodward promised he would never identify the source or quote him, even anonymously. The source would confirm information secured elsewhere, and might “add some perspective.” 

When he talked with his editors, Woodward called the source “my friend,” until managing editor Howard Simons dubbed him Deep Throat after the porn film in which Lovelace starred. When Woodward wanted to meet, he moved a flower pot with a red flag to the rear of his apartment balcony. When Deep Throat wanted to meet, he got hold of the newspaper delivered to Woodward’s home, circled the number on page 20 and drew clock hands in the circle. Usually, they met at 2 a.m. in an underground parking garage. 

And we assume Deep Throat is still alive. Woodward has said he will reveal Deep Throat’s identity only after the source is dead, because if he did it sooner, sources he deals with today might question whether he can keep a confidence. 


News of the Weird

Staff
Saturday May 04, 2002

Oakland company  

creates future shopping 

 

SEATTLE — At the West Seattle Thriftway, if you touch it, you buy it. 

In addition to using cash, checks or charge cards, shoppers can now pay for groceries by touching their finger to an electronic sensor and linking to their credit cards or checking accounts. 

The new system, operated by Oakland, Calif.-based Indivos Corp., gives customers a convenient and secure way to pay for groceries, store owner Paul Kapioski said Wednesday. 

“It is a hassle to have to pull out your cards,” said Pearl McElheran of West Seattle. “This will be much more convenient.” 

Philip Patten joined hundreds of other customers to enroll in the new system Wednesday. Patten placed his index finger on a small scanner several times, allowing the system to record several points on the pad of his finger. After typing in his phone number and swiping a debit card through a reader, he was able to use the “pay-by-touch” program. 

The store has sensors used to scan fingerprints installed at each of its 14 checkout stands. The sensors cost about $150 each. 

Customers using the program felt secure supplying the company with their fingerprints and credit card numbers. 

“I figure they must have perfected it or they wouldn’t be doing it,” said Judy Waring.


Students may have trouble finding summer jobs

The Associated Press
Friday May 03, 2002

Last summer, Tracey Lomrantz was a paid intern for a New York law firm. This year, with a stack of rejections from journalism internships on her desk, she figures she’ll wait tables. 

“It’s really frustrating,” says Lomrantz, a junior at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. 

Other young people know the feeling. College students who once had their pick of summer work that offered both professional experience and a paycheck are finding this year’s market the toughest they’ve ever faced. 

Some are turning to more traditional summer jobs, which is making it harder for high school students to get seasonal work at all. 

Many companies have cut summer internships. And those who’ve kept them say they’re getting an unprecedented number of applications — even for unpaid positions. In a climate where some college graduates are still looking for jobs or accepting positions that once went to students, experts say an undergrad might need to apply with 20 companies to get one offer — and forgo a wage. 

“This is not the summer to get rich. This is the summer to get experience,” says Steven Rothberg, president and founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, a Minneapolis-based jobs Web site for college students. 

The flooded market is sending an overflow of college-age applicants to some traditional summer employers that, in recent years, have been crying for workers. 

Sue Merrill, director of the Kampus Kampers camp in Boca Raton, Fla., says she’s never been able to fill her counselor positions as quickly as she has this year. 

 

A March survey commissioned by YouthStream Media Networks, a youth marketing and media company, found that nearly 60 percent of college students questioned plan to work or do an internship this summer. Another 19 percent plan to take classes. Of those surveyed, 16 percent also said the recession had affected their summer plans. Some said they had to work full-time or more hours.  

Astrid Fernandez, a junior at NYU’s Stern School of Business, is one of the fortunate ones. She got an internship at NYPR, a New York marketing and public relations firm. 

But she knows many who’ve found nothing — and one of her friends who graduated last May is still looking for a job. 

“I’m very lucky to be graduating next year,” she says. “2002 is a really bad year to be graduating.” 


California Supreme Court agrees to review governor’s parole powers

By David Kravets The Associated Press
Thursday May 02, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — At the Davis administration’s urging, the California Supreme Court said Wednesday it would review whether the governor has absolute power to overturn the Board of Prison Terms’ decision to parole convicted murderers. 

The high court, at its weekly private meeting here, agreed to consider the cases involving two convicted murderers whose parole from prison has been ensnared in a legal limbo that has kept them behind bars. 

The dispute is over Davis’ vetoes of the prison board’s release of Los Angeles County killers Robert Rosenkrantz and Mark Smith. Lower courts overturned Davis’ veto and ordered them freed earlier this year. 

The Supreme Court, however, halted their release. The court now will decide the outcome of a constitutional struggle between the parole powers the electorate granted California’s chief executive office in 1988 and the judiciary’s ability to undo those powers. 

The cases — dealing with politically charged questions of when killers have paid their debt to society and should be freed — have attracted widespread attention among the law enforcement community. 

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, the California Sheriff’s Association and the California Police Chiefs Association urged the justices to side with Davis’ veto powers. 

Davis himself said he was pleased the court would review the issue. 

“By hearing it, the court will examine important constitutional issues regarding the governor’s ability to protect the people of California from murderers who would otherwise be released on parole,” Davis said. 

Defense attorneys and at least one lower court have said Davis has an illegal blanket policy against paroling convicted murderers. Of the 83 homicide cases the parole board recommended for release, Davis vetoed 81 of them. 

The two cases the chief executive did not override were women Davis believed may have suffered from battered women syndrome. 

“It’s not that surprising the Supreme Court would want to decide whether the judiciary can review the governor’s parole decisions because there are two branches of government that are in conflict here,” said Rosenkrantz’s attorney, Donald Specter. 

In January, a state appeals court ruled that Davis does not hold absolute authority to overturn a Board of Prison Terms’ parole decision. That ruling was viewed as a constitutional check on Proposition 89, which voters approved in 1988 granting the governor veto powers over the board’s decisions. 

The Davis administration claimed the governor had the absolute ability to reverse the board as he saw fit under Proposition 89. 

But in a 2-1 decision, the appellate panel had ruled the governor was wrong to assume that position in denying Rosenkrantz parole. 

“The flaw in the governor’s argument ... is the assumption that, in adopting Proposition 89, the voters elevated the governor’s authority to review parole decisions to an absolute and unreviewable height,” Justice Miriam A. Vogel wrote. “There is no support for the governor’s assumption.” 

Rosenkrantz, 33, is serving 17 years to life for the 1985 slaying of his boyhood friend, Steven Redman. The 17-year-old boy was shot 10 times after revealing Rosenkrantz’ homosexuality. Last year, after lengthy litigation, the Board of Prison Terms said Rosenkrantz was suitable for release. 

Davis vetoed the move, reasoning that Rosenkrantz “brutally murdered the victim” and that the crime “demonstrates his dangerous potential for violence.” 

But the appeals court said Davis’ reasoning was “unsupported by any evidence.” 

In the Smith case the Supreme Court agreed to review Wednesday, Smith was sentenced to 16 years to life for the 1985 murder of Rick Diamonon, who was shot and drowned in a creek near Topanga Canyon. The prison board found Smith — who has AIDS — suitable for release. 

Davis vetoed and a judge in March ordered him freed. 

The court did not indicate when it would hear the case. 

The cases are In re Robert Rosenkrantz, S104701 and Davis v. Smith, S105520.


City rethinks Telegraph Ave. traffic lights

By Kurtis Alexander, Daily Planet staff
Wednesday May 01, 2002

Transportation officials admit poor public communication linesZ 

Admitted blunders by city traffic officials sent the Berkeley City Council spinning Monday night, driving councilmembers to rethink the fate of a traffic project on Telegraph Avenue. 

Under heavy fire from South Berkeley neighbors, City Council voted, after nearly an hour of debate, to give itself the option of altering how two long-planned traffic signals on Telegraph will be utilized, if at all. 

Neighbors say they have only recently been informed of the year-old traffic project and, even this late in the process, deserve to play a role in how the increasing numbers of vehicles in the area will be navigated by their homes. 

“There has been very poor public consultation,” conceded Peter Hillier, assistant city manager for transportation, who took the lead on the project, only after he started working for the city just three months ago. “People would have had to have shown initiative to know this was going on.” 

“It’s incredible that this has been going on for more than a year and we just heard about it,” echoed neighbor Wim-Kees vanHout. 

The traffic signals, which are already under construction on corners at Stuart Street and Russell Street, come as part of a half-million-dollar grant, aimed at reducing traffic, from the California Department of Transportation. The signals have long been scheduled to be activated in September.  

As a result of Monday’s Council action, though, the project on Telegraph must be reconsidered by Council late summer before the traffic lights can be turned on. In the meantime, public hearings are slated to continue between neighbors and city traffic engineers. 

Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring expressed concern about bringing the issue back to council and not letting it proceed as planned. The worry, they say, is breaching terms of the Caltrans grant. 

“My problem with this is that we may lose the money,” said Spring. “I assume that Caltrans will come after us for the money (if we don’t complete the project and turn the traffic signals on).” 

At a cost of more than $200,000 per light, Spring worries that the city, after further public hearings, may decide that traffic signals are not the best way to address the area’s traffic problems, yet still be obliged to pay a hefty sum. 

TRAFFIC/From Page 3 

 

“Let’s not jeopardize this,” she said. 

But even with the city leaving open the possibility of not turning on the lights, Councilmember Worthington said this would never happen. 

“They’re going to turn on the lights,” he said of his fellow councilmembers. He called the move of bringing the issue back to council a “political game” and said his colleagues were merely placating opponents by holding additional hearings. Council has no intention but to turn on the lights, he said. 

Neighbors began questioning the project in March when construction began on the traffic lights and new transportation manager Hillier sent out an information letter. Many neighbors said this was the first they had heard about the work. 

Hillier said with his arrival to Berkeley on Jan. 23 and the simultaneous creation of a new city department – Berkeley Office of Transportation – that communication with the public was bound to improve. 

“We’ve gone through a lot of staff people during this process,” noted Worthington. 

 

 

 

 


SF Genentech’s patent lawsuit vs. Amgen restored on appeal

By Paul Elias The Associated PRess
Tuesday April 30, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Monday gave new life to a patent dispute between the world’s two largest biotechnology companies, reinstating Genentech Inc.’s lawsuit against Amgen Inc. 

The two companies are fighting over technology vital to Thousand Oaks-based Amgen’s infection-fighting drug Neupogen, which had $1.3 billion in sales last year. 

U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup had earlier thrown out Genentech’s claims that Amgen had infringed on three of its patents covering the genetic engineering of bacteria to produce human proteins, which is how Neupogen is manufactured. 

On Monday, the appeals court ordered Alsup to reconsider Genentech’s infringement claim. 

It’s still possible that Alsup could once again rule in Amgen’s favor. Nonetheless, Genentech hailed the appeals court ruling as a victory. 

“We are very pleased with this decision,” said South San Francisco-based Genentech spokeswoman Sabrina Johnson. “It allows us to move forward with our infringement case against Amgen.” 

Thousand Oaks-based Amgen spokesman Jeff Richardson said the company had “just received the decision” and would have no immediate comment. 

With a market capitalization of about $54 billion, Amgen is the world’s largest biotechnology company. Genentech is second with a market capitalization of nearly $19 billion. 

Amgen’s shares fell $1.96, or 3.6 percent, to close at $51.88 in trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market Monday. Genentech’s share price lost 25 cents to close at $35.50 on the New York Stock Exchange. Both share prices were unchanged in after hours trading.