LAURA OFTEDAHL and her dog Victor use a Bank of America ATM in Berkeley that is formatted for the visually-impaired.
LAURA OFTEDAHL and her dog Victor use a Bank of America ATM in Berkeley that is formatted for the visually-impaired.

Page One

Berkeley is Livable City for the Blind

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Friday July 11, 2003

The television cameras were rolling, a photographer snapped away and all eyes were on Anthony Candela. But Candela, speaking before City Council Tuesday night, didn’t see any of it. -more-



Berkeley This Week

Friday July 11, 2003

FRIDAY, JULY 11 -more-



Letters to the Editor

Friday July 11, 2003

CULTURE APLENTY -more-



Arts Calendar

Friday July 11, 2003

FRIDAY, JULY 11 -more-



‘It’s Chaos, It’s Theater’ — Mime Troupe Returns

By FRED DODSWORTH
Friday July 11, 2003

There are few modern aspirants to Berthold Brecht's throne of thorns, the proudly avowed political, comic opera. This is both a matter of pride and of concern to Berkeley's Ed Holmes, a 17-year member of San Francisco Mime Troupe. -more-



Journalist Held In Indonesia

By PAUL KILDUFF Special to the Planet
Friday July 11, 2003

A former Berkeley political activist turned investigative journalist is under arrest in Indonesia. William “Billy” Nessen, who was filing reports for the San Francisco Chronicle and England’s Observer newspaper on the movement to establish a free state in the Aceh province of northern Indonesia, is being held by the country’s army. -more-



Bush’s Africa Trip: Substance or Scam?

By MAUDELLE SHIREK and NUNU KIDANE
Friday July 11, 2003

Bush’s trip to Africa is being heralded by the U.S. media as if he is the Messiah who will solve all of Africa’s problems. -more-



Arts Funding Threatened By Two State Assembly Bills

By ANGELA ROWEN
Friday July 11, 2003

Artists and advocates for the arts plan to gather on the steps of city hall in San Francisco on Wednesday to protest the proposed gutting of the California Arts Commission, the state agency that gives about $17 million per year to artists and arts organizations throughout the state. -more-



Workers’ Comp Claims Skyrocket

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Friday July 11, 2003

Spiraling workers’ compensation costs are threatening the city’s bottom line and raising questions about workplace safety, city officials said this week. -more-



Republican Budget Proposal Is Demeaning To Women

By BARBARA ELLIS
Friday July 11, 2003

So. The media reports that the GOP offers the State of California a budget. The Democrats turn it down. Let’s see where some of the holes in that GOP proposal might be. Here are just a few. -more-



Bringing Organic Food To Poor Neighborhoods

By ANGELA ROWEN
Friday July 11, 2003

When Joy Moore began researching her idea for a farmers market in West and South Berkeley two years ago, she was dismayed, but not shocked, by what she learned. -more-



City to Keep Closer Tabs On Lawrence National Lab

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Friday July 11, 2003

City Council took steps Tuesday night to keep closer tabs on Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which has clashed with city officials and neighborhood activists in recent months over a pair of large, proposed construction projects that activists say will damage the environment. -more-



Features

Scientists Warn of Toxins In San Francisco Bay

By ANGELA ROWAN
Friday July 11, 2003

Bay Area fish lovers could be risking their neurological health, as well as that of their unborn children, says a report released Thursday by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization based in Oakland and Washington, D.C. -more-


City Planning Commission Approves Southside Plan

Friday July 11, 2003

The city Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night on a plan charting the future of the area just south of the university campus. The vote was the culmination of five years of debate among city officials, neighborhood activists and UC Berkeley staff. -more-


Berkeley Hires New Planning Director

Friday July 11, 2003

The former planning director for the city of Fremont has been appointed Berkeley’s new Interim Director of Planning. -more-


BOSS Wins Digital Divide Grant

Friday July 11, 2003

One of Berkeley’s leading homeless services organizations won an $83,500 grant last week to help bridge the “digital divide” separating the computer savvy well-to-do from the technologically-challenged poor. -more-


A Room of Her Own In New York City

From Susan Parker
Friday July 11, 2003

Before heading to the Edward Albee Foundation’s artist residency program in Montauk, New York, I stopped to visit my friend Marlene. Marlene pulled up stakes and moved from San Francisco to New York City several years ago. Not so remarkable, you may think. People do it all the time. Hell, New York may even be cheaper than San Francisco these days. -more-


President Welcomed in Nigeria, But Nigerians Not Welcome Here

By KAREN POJMANN Pacific News Service
Friday July 11, 2003

As Nigerians prepare to welcome President Bush into their capital on his whirlwind African tour this week, the United States, in contrast, remains inhospitable to many Nigerians. -more-


Preserving Oakland’s Preservation Park is Essential

J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR
Friday July 11, 2003

You folks will forgive me if I have trouble understanding Oakland City Council’s decision to try to sell Preservation Park. Maybe some of those folks with those nice Urban Planning Degrees from UC Berkeley will write me and make it all plain. Right now, it just don’t make sense to me. -more-


Police Blotter

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Friday July 11, 2003

Shaw’s ‘Arms and the Man’ An Absurd Wartime Farce

By BETSY M. HUNTON Special to the Planet
Friday July 11, 2003

The short version of this review is that everyone needs to drop everything and get out to Orinda to see California Shakespeare’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man.” -more-


Iranian Twins’ Death Mirrors Nation’s Identity

By WILLIAM O. BEEMAN Pacific News Service
Friday July 11, 2003

The deaths of two beautiful, intelligent young women would be tragic in any part of the world. However, the death of Ladan and Laleh Bijani, the Siamese twins whom doctors attempted to separate on July 8, carries an especially strong symbolic message for Iranians. -more-


Over the Russian River and Through Armstrong Woods

By KATHLEEN HILL
Friday July 11, 2003

Guerneville, the Russian River, and Armstrong Woods State Reserve in Sonoma County are perfect for a quick redwood forest fix, and less crowded than Muir Woods. -more-


Summer Noon Concerts in Downtown Berkeley

Friday July 11, 2003

The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. -more-


Editorial

Pace of City’s Construction Not Likely to Subside Soon

By ROB WRENN Special to the Planet
Friday July 11, 2003

This is the last in a three-part series on Berkeley’s housing boom. -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Pace of City’s Construction Not Likely to Subside Soon 07-11-2003

City Weighs Closer Watch on LBNL 07-08-2003

News

Berkeley is Livable City for the Blind By DAVID SCHARFENBERG 07-11-2003

Berkeley This Week 07-11-2003

Letters to the Editor 07-11-2003

Arts Calendar 07-11-2003

‘It’s Chaos, It’s Theater’ — Mime Troupe Returns By FRED DODSWORTH 07-11-2003

Journalist Held In Indonesia By PAUL KILDUFF Special to the Planet 07-11-2003

Bush’s Africa Trip: Substance or Scam? By MAUDELLE SHIREK and NUNU KIDANE 07-11-2003

Arts Funding Threatened By Two State Assembly Bills By ANGELA ROWEN 07-11-2003

Workers’ Comp Claims Skyrocket By DAVID SCHARFENBERG 07-11-2003

Republican Budget Proposal Is Demeaning To Women By BARBARA ELLIS 07-11-2003

Bringing Organic Food To Poor Neighborhoods By ANGELA ROWEN 07-11-2003

City to Keep Closer Tabs On Lawrence National Lab By DAVID SCHARFENBERG 07-11-2003

Scientists Warn of Toxins In San Francisco Bay By ANGELA ROWAN 07-11-2003

City Planning Commission Approves Southside Plan 07-11-2003

Berkeley Hires New Planning Director 07-11-2003

BOSS Wins Digital Divide Grant 07-11-2003

A Room of Her Own In New York City From Susan Parker 07-11-2003

President Welcomed in Nigeria, But Nigerians Not Welcome Here By KAREN POJMANN Pacific News Service 07-11-2003

Preserving Oakland’s Preservation Park is Essential J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 07-11-2003

Police Blotter By DAVID SCHARFENBERG 07-11-2003

Shaw’s ‘Arms and the Man’ An Absurd Wartime Farce By BETSY M. HUNTON Special to the Planet 07-11-2003

Iranian Twins’ Death Mirrors Nation’s Identity By WILLIAM O. BEEMAN Pacific News Service 07-11-2003

Over the Russian River and Through Armstrong Woods By KATHLEEN HILL 07-11-2003

Summer Noon Concerts in Downtown Berkeley 07-11-2003

LBNL Plans to Fill Valley for Parking By ANGELA ROWEN 07-08-2003

Berkeley This Week 07-08-2003

Four Myths About Berkeley Becky O'Malley 07-08-2003

Arts Calendar 07-08-2003

Disabled Kids Thrive in Sports Program By FRED DODSWORTH Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

Letters to the Editor 07-08-2003

Southside Plan Deal in Works By DAVID SCHARFENBERG 07-08-2003

Oxford Street Housing Project Will Not Satisfy Family Needs By SUE FISCHER 07-08-2003

Exit Exam Protest Set for Capitol By ANGELA ROWEN 07-08-2003

Democrats Have No Easy Answers in Election By MATTHEW HALLINAN and SANDRA CHELNOV 07-08-2003

Code Violation Unit to Aid Appeals By ANGELA ROWEN 07-08-2003

Academia and Opera Give Way to the Pen By DOROTHY BRYANT Special to the Planet Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

Merging Books and Literature With the Visual Arts By FRED DODSWORTH Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

New Political Cartoon Collection Presents Muslim Perspective By SUSAN PARKER Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

A Cartoon Culture War: Soiling Disney’s Image By CHRISTIAN NEWTON Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

Silverman’s Midwest Journey a Social Critique By ALYCE MILLER Special to the Planet 07-08-2003

A Dark Turn For Harry Potter By MEGAN GREENWELL 07-08-2003

Summer Noon Concerts in Downtown Berkeley 07-08-2003