Five days after this week’s Berkeley High-Oakland Technical High football game was abruptly canceled by Principal Jim Slemp, Berkeley school officials were still trying to reschedule the game for an alternate site—but apparently not in coordination with their counterparts at Oakland Tech. 

And given the publicity surrounding the cancellation, the Oakland Tech Athletic Director expressed doubts that the game should be played at all. 

The game between Berkeley and Tech, originally scheduled for this Friday at the Berkeley High campus, was canceled by Slemp last Wednesday after receiving word from the Berkeley Police Department about threatened violence from spectators planning to attend. 

Berkeley Police Department spokesman Kevin Scofield said Monday afternoon that it is “still unclear as to the exact nature of” the threatened violence. 

“It is my understanding,” he added, “that [the problem] was not between people on the two teams, but between other people who would come and create a problem.” 

Scofield said he had no information as to whether the “other people” involved students from the two schools or non-students. 

While acknowledging the potential danger of the threatened violence, Oakland Tech Athletic Director Karen Jones wondered why she and other Tech officials were not included in the decision to cancel the game. 

Jones said that she did not learn about the cancellation until Thursday of last week, the same day the San Francisco Chronicle made the announcement in a front-page story. 

Slemp declined to comment on the affair, and his secretary referred reporters to Berkeley Unified School District spokesperson Mark Coplan, who said Monday that the district was actively seeking out another site to hold the game 

Jones said she wasn’t being consulted on that matter, either. 

“Before it got to that point of cancellation, maybe what we should have done first was to talk about the alternatives among police personnel and officials of both schools,” Jones said, wondering why there was such a rush to unilaterally cancel the game a week and a half before it was scheduled to be held. 

“I’m wondering if we should even move forward with this now, because too much has been stirred up. Now if you try to correct it and start publicizing where the game is going to be, then that could be a problem. And if those people weren’t thinking about doing something before, now they are.” 

If the game is still to be played, Jones suggested two alternative sites: Skyline High School in Oakland, and Oakland Tech itself. 

“Oakland Tech would be ideal,” she said, adding that if the game were held there this year, she would recommend that it include no spectators “because of this community war that’s going on. Because we are not able to identify those community people, then the best thing to do would be to just have the players at the game.” 

Jones said Tech’s field “has four gates which could be easily locked, and you can’t see the game from the street. I look at that as being more of a safe haven, and more of a controlled environment [than Berkeley High]. This was a two-game contract, and Oakland Tech was scheduled to host the game for next year. We could have flip-flopped and gone to Berkeley next year instead. Hopefully, by then, all of this would have died out.” 

But BUSD spokesperson Coplan, who said an alternate field must be found by noon Tuesday if the game was still to be played on Friday, nixed Tech as a site. 

Coplan said he wanted to locate a field that the potential troublemakers wouldn’t “go looking for.” Although Coplan remained hopeful that an alternate field could be found, he said that several campuses had already turned him down “because there’s been so much press about this.” 

Marty Price, vice principal at Oakland Tech, said he doesn’t think the game should have been canceled. Although he called the information about the potential violence “credible” and stressed that police may have more information than they are revealing, Price said that given the information currently available, he thought the game could have been played at Berkeley High with parents and students with school identification in attendance. 

“We hold dances at [Oakland Tech] under those circumstances. Students have to get ID bracelets from the office in advance of the dance, and they can’t get in without one,” Price said. 

“Berkeley could have beefed up its police force for the game. They could have treated it like security personnel normally treat a Raiders game or a 49ers game,” he said. “We could have worked it out.” 

Price also revealed a possible source for the initial information about the threatened violence. He said it may have initially come to officials’ attention from an Oakland Tech football player, who warned his mother not to come to the game. 

The mother then contacted a Berkeley Police official who volunteers at after school Oakland Tech athletic activities. 

Price blamed the cancellation on the jumpiness of Berkeley school officials. “This may have been a problem with a first-year principal who doesn’t know the culture here yet,” he said. “He should have waited and looked at the alternatives first.” 

Meanwhile, people associated with Berkeley High were divided over the cancellation. 

“I would have been scared to death to have gone while things are this hot,” said Laura Menard, parent of a Berkeley High student and chairperson of the Russell, Oregon, California Street Neighborhood Association, the South Berkeley neighborhood where much of this summer’s violence has been centered. “I would prefer to err on the side of caution.” 

But students thought the game should go on. 

“I think it’s a bunch of crap,” said Julian Jones, a Berkeley High football player. “If it’s a safety issue, maybe we should have more cops and more security.” 

Lita Jackson, a Berkeley High cheerleader, said she didn’t believe any violence was imminent. “It’s not going to be big thing,” she said. “We all grew up with Tech people.” 

Tech AD Jones called the whole situation “one of those unfortunate things,” and said if the game isn’t played, it would be “a big disappointment” to Oakland Tech players. “A lot of them played Pop Warner football together and it’s been a number of years since Oakland Tech played Berkeley. So they were looking forward to it. They were excited.”

TUESDAY, SEPT. 9 

“Four Decades of Saving the Bay,” with Sylvia McLaughlin, Co-Founder of Save the Bay, at 5:30 p.m. at 105 North Gate Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Water Resources Center Archives. 642-2666.  

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club meets to discuss the Re- 

call and Prop. 54 at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 733-0996. 

Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters meets at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., near Rockridge BART. 835-6303.  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke Seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us call 215-7672.  

“Aftermath: Unanswered Questions From 911” A film produced by the Depleted Uranium Education Project, at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. www.geocities. 

com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 525-3565. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Morris Dancing Workshop Free. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. www.talamasca.com/berkmorris 

“Holocaust and Genocide: Entanglement of Master Concepts” with Prof. Dirk Moses, Dept. of History, University of Sydney, Australia, at 4 p.m. in 201 Moses Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Institute of European Studies. 643-2115. hsutton@uclink.berkeley.edu 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 

Circles of Hope: Pre-Emptive Peacemaking, participate in the nationwide Circles of Hope called for by Families for Peaceful To- 

morrows. Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th and Broadway, Oakland (12th St/City Center BART). Sponsored by Peoples NonViolent Coalition. 839-5877. www.pnvrc.net 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities. 

com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Community Dances, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. For information call 548-0425. 

Free Marketing Workshops, sponsored by Sisters Headquarters, for women entrepreneurs, every Wed. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 643 17th St. Oakland. For information call 238-1100. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 

September 11 Tribute at noon in the Peace Bell Courtyard behind the MLK, Jr. Civic Center Building at 2180 Milvia. 

Joining Voices: Community Singing for Peace and Healing at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar and Bonita. Donation $8-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 525-7082.  

“Take Another Look: Human Rights Law and Politics in a Globalized World,” with Rita Maran, Ph.D., at 7:30 p.m. International House, Home Room, Piedmont at Bancroft Ave. 642-9460. 

St. John's Prime Timers Tap Dancing class meets on Thursday mornings at 9:15 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church at 2717 Garber St. Class is free and open to anyone over 50. 527-0167. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave, for “Fish Story Night.” Grizzly Peak’s flyfishers will share thrilling tales of their summer adventures. 547-8629. rorlando@uclink4.berkeley.edu  

Lawyers in the Library, at 6 p.m. in the South Branch, Russell at MLK Jr. Way, 981-6260. 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 

International Marketplace on San Pablo and University Aves opens at 11 a.m. with a celebration at the Spanish Table, 1814 San Pablo Ave. 981-2490. 

“Israel’s Secret Weapon,” a documentary on Israel’s wea- 

pons of mass destruction and whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. 528-5403 or 548-3048. 

The Freedom Archives will celebrate the release of their new audio documentary CD, “Chile: Promise of Freedom,” commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Chilean coup, at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Rosemary Mucklow, Executive Director, National Meat Association, “Making Meat Safe for Americans.” Luncheon 11:45 a.m. $11.50 - $12.50, Speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020. 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 13 

Free Emergency Preparedness 

Class on Responding to Terrorism, for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to noon at 997 Cedar St., between 8th and 9th Sts. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or call 981-5506. 

“Hidden Walks in the Bay Area,” a talk by Stephen Altchuler, at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Ave. at Arch. Sponsored by the Berkeley Path Wanderers Assoc. and the Hillside Club. 

Walk and Write by the Berkeley Pier, sponsored by the Solo Sierrans. Meet at 3:30 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of Berkeley Pier, last stop on University Ave M bus. Bring writing supplies, water, snacks, sun protection, and small tarp, cushion, or other seating. 527-3857.  

Berkeley Path Wanderers walks the historic pathway up Chater Hill. Meet on UC Campus outside Wurster Hall at 10 a.m. stuart60@pacbell.net 

Agricultural Roots Fair featuring street foods from around the world, farmers’ and agrarian crafts markets, produce tasting, educational displays about healthy eating and local farms, and competitive exhibits, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, at 10th St. 433-9443. www.sagecenter.org 

Creating an Ecological House, with Skip Wenz, on modeling houses on ecosystems, natural building materials, solar design and alternative construction methods. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. For information call 525-7610.  

Composting in Urban Areas: The Real Dirt, a free class with Kathi Kinney, covering what composting is and its benefits. From 10 a.m. to noon at the 59th St. Community Garden, between Market and Adeline, Oakland. karenjoy@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Trees, Shrubs and the Law, a free class with Judy Thomas, Landscape Horticulture Professor, Merritt College, at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-1992. 

Project Completion workshop for writers, with Elizabeth Stark and Nanou Matteson.From 2 to 4 p.m. at Boadecia's Books, 398 Colusa Ave. For information call 527-2234. www.creativeprojectinstitute.com 

Organic Cooking Demon- 

stration and Book Signing with Annie Somerville of Greens at 11 a.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

The Silence of Our Friends Workshop presented by The UNtraining, a program for untraining white liberal racism. From 1 to 5 p.m. at University of Creation Spirituality, 2141 Broadway, at 22nd, Oakland. Sliding scale $20-50. For more information call 235-3957. www.untraining.org 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 

Solano Avenue Stroll Booths, theme parade with floats, horses, drill teams, marching bands and more. Sidewalk sales, carnival games, hand-made arts and crafts for sale, silent auction and more than 100 entertainers. 527-5358. www.solanostroll.org  

Jim Hightower at the East Bay ACLU Chapter meeting at 2 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 464-1330.  

Slingshot Publishing Collective, volunteer meeting, at 1 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Community Art Day from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Bring supplies or snacks to share. 644-6893. 

Introduction to Tango Start correctly by learning from a master, Paulo Araujo, founder of the Instituto Brasileiro do Tango in Rio de Janeiro. Today and Sept. 21, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Cost is $15 class or $25 for both classes. The Berkeley Tango Studio. For registration and directions email smling@msn.com 

Tibetan Buddhism, Sylvia Gretchen on "Introducing Tibetan Buddhism," at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, SEPT. 15 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 6 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING  

Free Smoke Detectors for City residents and UC Berkeley students who live off-campus. Applications are available from the Environment, Health & Safety office of UC Berkeley, at any Berkeley Fire Station, or at the Fire Admin. Office located at 2100 MLK, Jr. Way. 981-5585.  

Free Energy Bill Payment Assistance The City of Berkeley has money to help low-income households pay their gas and electric bills. For applications contact the Energy Office at 644-8544. TDD: 981-6903. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy 

Prose Writers Workshop We're a serious but lively bunch whose focus is on issues of craft. Novices welcome. Experienced facilitator. Community sponsored, no fee. Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. For information call 524-3034. 

Folk Dancing, a new eight week class begins Sept. 9 and meets every Tues., 7:45 - 9:45 p.m. in Live Oak Park, 1301 Shattuck. Cost is $20. For information call 525-1980. www.berkeleyfolkdancers.org 

Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra rehearsals for Fall Season begins Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. at Walnut. For audition information please call 525-5393 or email info@bellamusica.org 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors, offered by Stagebridge. Wed. and Fri. at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., beginning Sept. 10, and may be joined anytime. At Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., close to BART and AC Transit. For information, call 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Paul Church, 981-6342. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/homeless 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Claremont Branch, 2940 Benvenue Ave. Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruth Grimes, 981-7481. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Barbara Attard, 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/policereview 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thurs., Sept. 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/earlychildhoodeducation  

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 11, at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/health 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Sept. 11, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.ber- 

keley.ca.us/commissions/zoning 

Two-by-Two Meeting of elected City and School officials to dicuss common concerns, Thurs., Sept. 11, at 12:30 p.m., in the Redwood Room, 6th floor, 2180 Milvia St. 644-6147.

So, now begins the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, as the English poet John Keats described it. Labor Day is over. Squirrels are having noisy battles in oak trees over this year’s acorn crop. The swallows are packing up to leave Capistrano. And here in Berkeley, citizens can celebrate the seasonal return of the City Council to take up their civic responsibilities—for a couple of weeks at least. Since we’re in California instead of England, we can expect the mists of August to lift somewhat in September and October. But the miasma that lately seems to hang over decision-making in Berkeley shows no signs of abating.  

This year, the Berkeley City Council has certainly been into “mellow.” They’ve been praised in suburban papers for agreeing most of the time on just about everything, and for ending meetings at the pleasant hour of 9:30, thus permitting suburban reporters to go home early. With very little fanfare, Berkeley has shifted over to “government lite.” The formerly contentious electeds are leaving much more of the business of government to the lifers, the people who stay on at City Hall year round and who know what the real city agenda is most of the time.  

What was once a four week summer recess has now almost stretched into October. This fall one of only three September meeting was cancelled so as not to interfere with a trip the mayor is planning. City staffers, not surprisingly, don’t complain. In fact, the office of the city clerk was lavishly decorated with “aloha” trappings to celebrate the Council’s July departure. 

In the six months between July and December of 2003, the City Council will have held only 11 regularly scheduled meetings, an average of fewer than two a month. One of the two meetings is devoted to public hearings and other non-action duties, so the Council typically considers “action items” only once a month these days. Even the “action items” tend to be lite: “nasty fences,” traffic circles on bicycle boulevards, etc. Major policy making takes place elsewhere, presumably, but you don’t see it much any more on cable TV at 7 on Tuesdays. Some special work sessions start at 5 p.m. on regular meeting days, where topics like “the budget” are discussed out of the glare of the public eye. Votes on such topics, by agreement, don’t usually happen at these sessions, though the published agenda carefully reserves the right for the Council to take action on any item if they choose. 

And setting the agenda in the first place is where the real decisions often take place. When Mayor Tom Bates took office, he brought a Sacramento-style decision-making process to Berkeley, featuring backstage deals instead of noisy public debates where possible. His first effort was to create an all-powerful “Rules Committee” like the one in the State Legislature (where he spent at least 25 years) which exerts tight control over what reaches the floor. Vocal objections from Councilmembers Spring on the left and Olds on the right eventually resulted in a shift to an “Agenda Committee” with less draconian powers. The Agenda Committee, nevertheless, is still a forum for off-camera wheeling and dealing. And it can be used to prevent controversial items from being discussed in public. It now might take a month or more for an item to reach the Council’s action agenda. 

Even worse, it can make it impossible to deal with urgent though non-controversial topics in a timely way. The current foolish and embarrassing dispute over hanging banners downtown to celebrate Berkeley Symphony Conductor Kent Nagano’s 25th anniversary in Berkeley is a case in point.  

There is absolutely no reason to believe that any elected policy maker in Berkeley, present or past, has ever intended to prohibit the publicly funded signposts in the downtown area from being used to pat a local non-profit arts organization on the back. And yet some constellation of ill-informed city employees has ruled that the symphony banners are verboten in Berkeley. The Planet’s story quoted Cisco DeVries, Mayor Bates’ Flack-in-Residence, repeating a bunch of faux-constitutional analysis which someone in the city attorney’s office dreamed up to support the ban. Never mind the fact that other cities like San Francisco hang signs for non-profits all the time. The University of California displays banners on city poles picturing Nobel Prize winners. The Downtown Berkeley Association, with many commercial members, hung banners advertising their Front Row Festival. And why shouldn’t they? 

This discussion has been going on since July, and it gets goofier and goofier. The Berkeley City Council is not perfect, by any means, and they do have their disagreements, but collectively they have more common sense than whatever non-elected city employees created this mess. The bottom line is that the Symphony celebration will take place on Sept. 29, regardless, but the Council will not be able to vote to approve the banners until Sept. 16, because they haven’t been around much lately. When they finally get a chance to vote on it, they’ll straighten it out, but by that time it will probably be too late to hang the banners.  

And that’s bad news for the concept of democratically elected government. These particular banners are no big deal in isolation, but the real strength of having elected citizens making timely public decisions in open meetings is that it keeps silly outcomes like this one to a minimum. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Daily Planet. She confesses to also being a non-voting member of the Berkeley Symphony’s board of advisors, and to being an inactive member of the State Bar of California. She doesn’t particularly like mass-produced banners of any kind.  

TUESDAY, SEPT. 9 

FILM 

“Aftermath: Unanswered Questions From 911,” a documentary by Guerrilla News Network at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. Sponsored by Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil.html 

Alternative Visions: “In the Mirror of Maya Deren,” at 7:10 p.m. Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808.  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Minds on Fire: Conversations with UC Press Authors with art historian Sidra Stich, at 7 p.m. at 2120 Berkeley Way. 642-9828. camille.crittenden@ucpress.edu 

Louise Murphy, a Berkeley author, reads from her novel, “The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival,” set in Eastern Poland during the Nazi occupation, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Writers Workshop on promotion and publicity at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861.  

Peggy Vincent reads from her memoir, “Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Courtableu performs classic Cajun dance-hall music at 8:30 p.m., with a dance lesson with Patti Whitehurst at 8 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dayna Stephens House Jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 

FILM 

“We Are Salvadorans,” a documentary by Susan Figueroa about three Salvadorans who fled the civil war, at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation of $5-$10 requested. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “The American Soldier” at 5:30 and 9:10 p.m. and “Gods of the Plague” at 7:10 p.m. Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808.  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tom Barbash introduces his novel of smalltown politics, “The Last Good Chance,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Café Poetry and open mic, hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jennifer and Erik Niemann will show slides and read from their book, “Chasing Summer: Exploring the World on an 18-Month Honeymoon” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave at Rose. 843-3533. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Rabbi Alan Lew, of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco, discusses “This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation,” at 7:30 p.m. Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert Songs of Devotion from the Medieval Mediterranean. Chev- 

ron Auditorium at International House, corner of Bancroft and Piedmont Aves. Admission is free. 642-4864. 

Carlos Oliveira and Brazilian Origins, acoustic Brazilian folkloric jazz, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Othello Molineaux, Trinidad’s steel drum master, at 8 p.m. p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Nicole McRory at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

Schoolhouse Rock at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 

FILM 

“The Truth and Lies of 9-11,” presented by The Robber Barons at 7 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Free. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Genetic Screenings: The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Airplane,” the spoof, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751.  

www.thelonghaul.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Melody Ermachild Chavis will discuss “Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

Aiden Hartley, reads from his novel about a father and son, both casualties of imperialism, “The Zanzibar Chest: A Story of Life, Love, and Death in Foreign Lands,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Mystery Night with authors Bruce Balfour, James Clader and Cara Black at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Guided Tour: Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m., Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Susan Birkel and Lucy Day, followed by an open mic, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. For information call 526-5985 or 205-1749.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Septiembre en la Memoria, a celebration of 30 years of the Chilean 9/11 and tribute to Orlando Letelier at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Téada, Irish traditionalists, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Newal, Afro-Arabic singer/ 

songwriter from the Comoros Islands at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $6-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.com 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

The Skindivers, funky blues rock, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

ACCI Gallery, “SensuouS + A Jewelry Exhibition,” 5 to 7 p.m. Exhibition runs to Oct. 4. Gallery hours are Mon. - Thurs. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave.  

843-2527. acciart@aol.com, www.accigallery.com 

Addison Street Windows Gallery, “Sculptures by JP Long,” 7 to 8 p.m. at 2018 Addison St.  

“Ourselves Through the Camera, 2003,” third annual exhibit of photographs of Rockridge by people who live or work around the Rockridge neighborhood, opening 6 - 8:30 p.m. at Rockridge branch library, 5366 College Ave. at Manila in Oakland. Exhibition runs through Oct. 12. 

CHILDREN 

Biscuit Dog and storyteller at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

FILM 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “Beware of a Holy Whore” at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“September 11” A collection of short films at Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 464-5980. www.LandmarkTheatres.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Margo Adair introduces her book on meditation, “Working Inside Out,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mark Morris Dance Group, featuring a world premiere set to the music of Bartok; Grand Duo and Serenade, both set to works by Lou Harrison; and Going Away Party, set to recorded songs by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Live Oak Concert with David Cheng, violin, Marvin Sanders, flute, Amy Brodo, viola da gamba and ‘cello, Paul Rhodes, ‘cello, Katherine Heater, harpsichord, performing works by Bach, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $10, BACA members $8, Students and seniors $9. Children under 12 free. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Trio Caminante, Latin American music in a special appearance for the documentary “Chile: Promise of Freedom,” at 7 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation of $10-$20 requested, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Native Elements with Dub Congress and Pacific Vibrations at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Collective Amnesia at 9 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

The Waybacks, acoustic mayhem, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Linn Brown, CD Release celebration, at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $6-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.org 

Growth of Alliance, The Caps, Toxic Possum at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Woman, live indy rock, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 13  

The Shotgun Players, “Mother Courage and Her Children,” by Bertolt Brecht, at 4 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “Effi Briest” at 6:30 and 9:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Landfill,” a local documentary about the homeless community that developed at the Albany Bulb, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751.  

www.thelonghaul.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gail Sheehy, reads from her new book, “Middletown, America,” about a New Jersey community devastated by the events of September 11th, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Rhythm and Muse with Seth Augustus, Tuvan singer/songwriter at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“Gimmicks vs. Lyrics,” a discussion of Hip Hop theater aesthetics at 1 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Free. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Philharmonia Baroque performs Handel’s final oratorio, “Jephtha,” at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $29-$60 available from City Box Office 415-392-4400, or on-line at www.philharmonia.org.  

The White Stripes, at 8 p.m. at the Greek Theatre, UC Campus. 642-0212. 

Mark Morris Dance Group, featuring a world premiere set to the music of Bartok; Grand Duo and Serenade, both set to works by Lou Harrison; and Going Away Party, set to recorded songs by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Homage to Victor Jara with Rafael Manriquez and Trio Quijerema at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

African Drum Workshop with Wade Peterson. Beginners from 10 to 11:30 a.m., experienced from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The Jazz House. Cost is $15-$25, and advance registration is encouraged. 533-5111. 

The Waybacks, acoustic mayhem, and Jack Cassidy, bassist from the Jefferson Airplane, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Samba Ngo, Congolese singer, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Creation performs Caribbean Reggae at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Celtic Meltdown with Wild Hunt, Blue on Green and Ian Butler at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut at 9 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Midnightmare, S.C.A. at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Annual Guinness and Oyster Festival, from 3 p.m. on, at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com  

SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 

FILM 

The Films of Germaine Dulac: “La Mort du Soleil” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Guided Tour: Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, at 2 p.m., Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Making Worlds: Artists, Scientists, and Genomics,” a panel discussion by three innovative artists together with three noted scientists on the interrelations between art and genetics, at 3 p.m. in the Museum Theater, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $8, Free to UC staff, faculty and students. 643-6494. tctorres@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Poetry at Cody’s with Diane Di Prima and Maria Mazziotti Gillan at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mark Morris Dance Group, featuring a world premiere set to the music of Bartok; Grand Duo and Serenade, both set to works by Lou Harrison; and Going Away Party, set to recorded songs by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Live Oak Concert with David Cheng, violin, Marvin Sanders, flute, Amy Brodo, viola da gamba and ‘cello, Paul Rhodes, ‘cello, Katherine Heater, harpsichord, performing works by Bach, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $10, BACA members $8, Students and seniors $9. Children under 12 free. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Nawal performs Indo-Arabian-Persian music from the Comoros Islands, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8 in advance, $10 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Cafe Bellie: Belly Dance Showcase at 7:30 p.m., with a class at 6:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Mary Gauthier, American gothic originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Margins, Los Burbanks at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $3. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Fun with Finnoula, Irish jamming session at 7 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

MONDAY, SEPT. 15 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ted Nace reads from “Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy” at 7:30 p.m. Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

Christopher Marquis reads from his novel, “A Hole in the Heart,” about a young woman who must rebuild her life after losing her husband on Mt. McKinley, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Poetry Express, open mic featuring Selene Steese, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dervish, traditional band from Ireland, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $4. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com

A year and a half of walking picket lines in the heat and rain is not enough to deter the Claremont Hotel employees who are currently organizing to form a union and sign a new contract at the upscale hotel on the Oakland-Berkeley boarder. 

To shouts of “no justice, no peace” and carrying signs that read “Why are so many spa workers injured?” around 60 workers, union organizers and community supporters were at it again on the sidewalk in front of the Claremont’s Ashby entrance, demanding what they say is only fair. 

The event was staged to highlight the number of injuries activists say workers at the Claremont are incurring because of what they claim is the resort’s tendency to overwork employees. Added to that is the inability to pay for raising health care costs, leaving many workers with no choice but to quit or work through the pain. 

“You can’t stay healthy working here in the spa,” said Norine Madrid, the lead aesthetician.  

Madrid, who was bothered by a pinched nerve in her shoulder a couple of months back, never consulted a doctor because she said the company’s health insurance plan was both too expensive and too complicated. 

She explains that with all the referrals she had to seek it just wasn’t worth it. “I thought it was a hassle, it didn’t seem like anything I could benefit from,” she said. 

Madrid, who is seven months pregnant and had just ended her shift, sat on the grass by the sidewalk to support those walking the line. 

“It just makes sense to take care of the employees. [If] you have healthy employees you have happy clients,” she said. 

The Claremont’s Housekeeping Department currently operates under a union contract that is set to expire on Sept. 15, and the Food and Beverage Department’s agreement expired almost two years ago. Along with the spa, whose employees have been trying to negotiate their first contract, the resort workers and the union are targeting KSL Recreation Corporation, which bought the resort five years ago, to sign a new master contract for the entire hotel. 

Started by Mike Shannon and Larry Lichliter—who both previously worked for the Vail resort in Colorado—in partnership with investment bankers Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., KSL owns a number of other well known resort properties throughout the country, including three others in California. 

Much of the firm’s financing comes from pension funds. 

“People are mad, they are ready to fight until they get contracts and recognition for the spa,” said Claire Darby, Boycott Coordinator for the Oakland-based Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE-IU) Local 2850, which is organizing the workers. 

After Friday’s rally the Claremont released a statement expressing disappointment with the way “the union continues to put energy into these types of stunts while they refuse to put the same energy into serious negotiations at the bargaining table.” 

Darby points out that these same sentiments are felt on the other side as well. Employees and the union say that Claremont management has not come to the bargaining table with what they feel is a reasonable proposal concerning the expired Food and Beverage Contract, nor have they chosen to acknowledge a card check agreement that would officially validate the union in the spa. 

The workers’ frustration with the process is the original catalyst for a boycott that has now been running for almost two years. 

The boycott has been successful in pressuring several large groups to abandon their use of the facility for retreats and meeting space. The most recent group to pull out was the Cal Football Team, which formerly stayed at the resort before home games. 

Darby said the union joined with several student groups on campus to pressure the administration to respect the boycott 

The school’s decision to pull out came as a real surprise, Darby said. “It was awesome, no one thought they would agree. I consider it a huge victory.” 

Bob Rose, communications director for the Cal Football team, said that the decision to pull out was “definitely because of the unresolved labor issue.” 

The team now stays at the Berkeley Double Tree, which also recently signed a union contract with HERE-IU Local 2850. 

Other groups that have pulled out include HMO giant Kaiser-Permanente and Barbara Lee’s office. 

Drivers on Ashby Friday honked their horns and shouted from their windows in support of the pickets, many of whom dressed in fake slings and bandages. 

Darby said that many community supporters in Berkeley had immediately stopped using the Claremont as soon as they learned about the boycott.  

All the workers and union organizers on the line Friday said they were resolute about their commitment to sticking with the boycott and organizing drive until everyone received a fair contract. 

Darby, who has seen her share of ups and downs during the duration of the boycott, remains convinced that the workers will win. 

“This has gone on too long for us not to win, and it’s too important for us not to win,” she said. “Through the good and bad these workers have been incredibly strong and the support from the community has also been strong, and I have no doubt that we will win.”

WELDON RUCKER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What a sad day for Berkeley it will be on Nov. 1. We get a wonderful city manager who treats everyone fairly, and then he moves on to the joys of retirement. Those are very, very big shoes to fill. I just want to publicly thank you Weldon for everything you have done for all of us.  

Kriss Worthington 

• 

CONNERLY RESPONDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Although Mr. J. Douglas Allen-Taylor and I reach different conclusions about Proposition 54, I respect the civil manner in which he articulates his position. And, I must say that he makes several observations with which I agree. His is an important contribution to the debate about race that our society ought to be having. 

Ward Connerly 

SOUND AND FURY  

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The more sound and fury in the run up to the Oct. 7 vote the more I am convinced that nothing significant will happen. The reason is that California is, for better and for worse, simply too big (ranked sixth among the economies of the world) to be much moved by one person at the helm. Turning the wheel produces very little change in direction because there’s just too much necessary bureaucracy connecting the bridge to the rudder. It’s wiser, therefore, to stay with the ills we have. 

Marvin Chachere  

San Pablo 

• 

EAST BAY DEPOT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As someone who worked with the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse in various capacities for seven or eight years, I want to express my support for the statement published here regarding the “Depot” (Daily Planet, Aug.29-Sept.1). This store was started with good intentions, and for some time it served a valuable role in the arts, education and environmental communities, but in the last few years it has become a corrupt, repressive and reactionary institution. 

Its workers found that the only way they could get respect from their bosses was to affiliate with a union. Then, even before a contract could be finalized, the Depot fired or laid off almost all its union workers. The union members who were not fired were intimidated and harassed into leaving the union. The scabs who were hired to replace the union workers are understandably afraid to get involved with the union because they know they would lose their jobs as a consequence. Yet the Depot continues to masquerade as a progressive, community-based organization. This must change. 

Although, as an artist, I used to do a lot of shopping at this store, I have vowed to not spend another dime there until there is a change in management, and real reform in labor practices at the Depot’s store and and in its other programs . I urge all supporters of workers’ rights to do the same. 

Doug Cover 

• 

LABOR RESPONSE  

As an employee of the City of Berkeley and a member of a labor organization, I feel compelled to respond to a recent commentary by Barbara Gilbert promulgating breaking labor contracts by invoking sections of their Memoranda of Agreements which actually pertain to drastic economic conditions. 

Admittedly, I do not have the vantage point of a previous mayor’s aide, but I believe I have a more balanced perspective of the city’s economic struggle by virtue of actually having participated in formal negotiations between the City of Berkeley and Labor Union IBEW Local 1245. I must take exception to Ms. Gilbert’s intimation that labor employees are primarily responsible for the city’s economic problems. Her assertion that 80 percent of the city’s deficits are directly attributable to employee costs is misinformed and grossly exaggerated. 

Virtually all employee benefits, whether continuing or newly acquired, are obtained in lieu of actual pay. When negotiating, it must be understood that city workers are targeted for the median and are not necessarily at the top of “comparable” municipalities based on total compensation. 

The economic reality is that the cost of living is high not only for the taxpayers of the City of Berkeley but also for the workers who reside elsewhere in the Bay Area, and if the workers cannot obtain a cost of living increase they are not even treading water. 

Labor costs are relatively predictable and stable. They are not likely to jump out of nowhere, which is why we have formal negotiations often resulting in long-term contracts. Labor unions have the unenviable job of trying to hold the status quo. Amidst our president’s optimism for our economic future and California’s obvious distress it is not at all apparent that it is “necessary” to break union contracts and circumvent the legitimate negotiation process. 

If the City of Berkeley were to renege on its contractual responsibilities, there would be a devastatingly chilling effect on future negotiations. What would be the point to negotiating if either party could just not honor its commitments? All credibility would be lost. 

To Ms. Gilbert, I would say that we workers are not the cause of your economic malcontent. Rather, it is the selection by your city officials and administrators of which programs to adopt that determines whether or not large sums of money are well spent. Not only existing but also newly promoted programs all draw on the General Fund and tend to contribute to deficits. In all fairness, it is a daunting responsibility to prioritize and choose which programs to endorse particularly in such a diverse and vibrant community which demands a multiplicity of services from it’s employees. 

All programs are proposed as laudable but are they necessary and affordable? It takes courage to deny any program. Perhaps that is why it is almost impossible to “just say no” to any “special-interest” group. 

Regardless of the program, we city workers are the people that make your city officials’ promises real. Services simply do not exist without us. We believe that the taxpayers of the City of Berkeley acknowledge, appreciate and support our continuing commitment to serve them to the best of our capability. 

Despite our efforts, it seems that in essence, Ms. Gilbert is demanding that labor not only provide the necessary services but also fund them as well. 

Inevitably, when times are lean, there are those opportunists who immediately adopt the convenient expedient of targeting employee benefits which falls under the general rubric of “let’s cut the fat” while deflecting attention from the real costs. It is the proponents of just this kind of glib anti-labor rhetoric that reduces the American standard of living for workers. 

So, Barbara, while you are busily exhorting the taxpayers to cut the fat, can’t we also cut the crap? 

Rick Chan 

• 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH 

Editors, Daily Planet 

What’s up with Susan Parker’s ongoing rant about San Francisco State? If it’s supposed to be humor, I don’t find it funny. If it is expose, it’s so narrow and one-sided that it undercuts the useful information. Her latest installment (“San Francisco State: A Kafka-Like Experience,” Daily Planet, Sept. 5-8) was actually troubling. Why is she going out of her way to prove that the institution’s problems are systemic and have nothing to do with California’s current economic mess?  

I went through SF State’s graduate writing program in the late 70s and returned briefly in the mid-90s. My experience wasn’t at all like Ms. Parker’s or those she quotes. I mean, sure, there were a few absurd seeming hoops to jump through and this or that was misplaced or moved like molasses through the system. I was obliged to make phone calls to keep things moving or arrive at school an hour early to deal with some office or another. All of this was a bit of a pain, but nothing to get in a tizzy about. As for the staff, though a few seemed to take pleasure in their own ignorance, most were competent enough. Indeed, a few were patient with me, pointing out in measured tones that if I’d just paid closer attention to instructions I wouldn’t be in whatever small mess. 

So I was taken aback by Ms. Parker’s second column. Had I missed something? Been one of the passive sheep without knowing it? Lucked out? I called around to a few friends, family members and acquaintances who had been to SF State to see where I stood. I was born in the East Bay and have spent most of my 51 years in Berkeley. The group consisted of those who had been undergraduates, graduate students, both, and in various fields of study. Their time of attendance spanned from the early 60s to 2001 and their responses were very similar. They all had some specific complaint or another, some story, but—in overview—they just shrugged and said “It’s a system, you learn to work it.” Since these weren’t a bunch of wussy folks by any means, I felt relieved. 

Given this, what was I (or any of the Planet’s readers) to make of Ms. Parker’s article? I was happy that she had the nerve to complain so vocally—a public service!—but wasn’t there something a little dangerous in her presenting such a skewed characterization? Especially when the Bush administration seems hell bent on privatizing everything from the public schools to the National Park Service? There are now and have always been inefficiencies in large public institutions. This is an important issue. But we’re in serious trouble when the liberal press begins taking ill-considered potshots at the public sector. Not that we should follow an “If 

you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” policy, but, c’mon, give us a break. Ms. Parker sounds like a Republican in liberal clothing and I’m surprised her articles slipped past the Planet’s editorial staff.  

Enough is enough! 

George Porter 

Berkeley  

For the last quarter-century, writer Peter Manso’s notes from an old interview for a now-defunct magazine have gathered dust, locked away in storage and largely forgotten. 

Then a resourceful journalist dug up a copy of the magazine, and Manso’s ancient interview rocketed into the headlines, gathering far more publicity today than it did when it first appeared in print. 

That’s because the interview subject now wants to run California—and he’d told Manso about things he’d just as soon not have people discussing. 

Manso, an internationally know writer who divides his time between Berkeley and Provincetown, Mass.—where his home once belonged to celebrated Marxist author John Reed—he was a 35-year old freelancer in 1977 when he interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger for Oui, a now-defunct sister publication of Playboy. 

The article appeared that August. 

The would-be governor was an apt interview candidate back then because he was starring in a just-released documentary, “Pumping Iron,” a film that became both a popular success and a cult hit. 

“The idea for the piece was mine,” said Manso, who was living in New York at the time. “The interviews stretched out over three or four sessions in Boston and New York. 

“I went with him to the [film’s] premiere in Boston, and I found him bright, charming, verbal, responsive, and clearly unusual.” 

Manso wasn’t all that surprised when Schwarzenegger talked openly about his sex life—receiving oral sex before winning the Mister Olympia title, partaking in a gangbang at his favorite gym, and his preference for large breasts. 

“That was just the 70s,” the writer said. “Not long after my piece on Arnie, another Berkeleyan, Bob Scheer, did an interview with Jimmy Carter in which he admitted to lusting after women in his heart. That’s just the way it was then.” 

What did surprise the interviewer was the way that, “at age 29, he’d figured out the course of the rest of his life. “Pumping Iron” would be his springboard to Hollywood.” 

The would-be actor also had a keen awareness that major Hollywood stars have a built-in half-life, and he would have to have a second career in business or politics.” 

Schwarzenegger’s often outrageous conduct towards women has been an open secret for years, Manso said. “This guy’s a narcissist. Arnold lives by Arnold’s rules,” he said. 

The muscleman turned-actor-turned-candidate generated headlines in England after he grabbed various portions of the anatomies of two women who interviewed him, and he’s said outrageous things even after he floated his first gubernatorial trial balloons. 

Because he’s a huge star overseas, Manso said the Oui flap has gathered headlines in London, India, Belgium, South Africa and elsewhere. 

Ever since the interview resurfaced in late August, Manso said he’s been swamped with requests for interviews. “I’ve done Good Morning America, CNN, Fox, NPR, and a lot of local TV in Boston.” An Associated Press interview appeared Sunday. 

Manso said Schwarzenegger’s response to the flap has gone through three distinct phases. 

“Initially, he said, ‘Oh, I used to say and do crazy and ludicrous things back then.’ Then, at the state fair in Sacramento, he said, ‘I have no memory of those things I said 25 years ago.’ And then Chris Matthews—a man who isn’t as smart as he thinks he is—gave him an out on ‘Hardball’ when he asked him, ‘Isn’t it possible you made those things up’” to promote “Pumping Iron?” “And he grabbed at it.” 

Manso said that “on one level” Schwarzenegger’s response “Is charming, energizing, even entertaining. But you’re a fool if you don’t see it as narcissism writ large. It’s really astonishing. How does he expect to get away with it?” 

The writer observed that those on the writ who made much of former President Bill Clinton’s sexual conduct and non-inhaling marijuana use have been strangely silent about Schwarzenegger’s admitted womanizing and his enthusiastic former use of hashish and marijuana. 

“The double standard employed in these matters is disgusting,” he said. 

Manso is no stranger to political flaps resulting from his interviews. A 1982 Playboy interview with New York Mayor Ed Koch appeared just as he announced his plans to run for governor of New York in 1982. Koch’s condescending remarks about Albany, the New York state capital—“life at its worst,” among others—are credited with costing him the election after they were reprinted on the front page of the New York Times. 

“He wasn’t planning to run at the time of the interview, and he realized it was his own fault. We became friends,” something he doesn’t expect will happen with the would-be California governor. 

Manso is best known for his biographies of actor Marlon Brando and writer Norman Mailer, and his latest book, “Ptown: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape,” has stirred up a fair amount of controversy, too, since its publication in July of 2002. 

A history of his alternate hometown in Massachusetts, the book has generated a storm of debate for its account of the transformation of the East Coast’s artist’s haven into a citadel of wealthy gays. 

Berkeley residents can brace for more of the same, because Manso’s training his literary sights on his other hometown as the subject for his next book. 

He’ll be returning to Berkeley later this month, ready to make up for lost time. 

“I’ve lost a week-and-a-half on my Berkeley book” because of the Schwarzenegger flap, Manso said.

Residents in North Berkeley have been trying to stop wireless base-station antennas proposed by Sprint at 1600 Shattuck in a residential area. This battle has been going on for 10 months. After months dealing with the City, neighbors of 1600 Shattuck have reached the conclusion that some city staff are back stabbing them to support Sprint by any means possible. Misconducts and actions of the City has caused monetary damages and emotional distress to the neighbors. Neighborhood groups around Berkeley might have similar experiences with the City. A chronology of events regarding antennas is as follows: 

From July through November of 2002, Sprint and the Planning Department worked together stealthily to complete an application for a use permit. In this period, according to the Berkeley Telecommunications Ordinance, Sprint was required to have a dialogue with the community. However, Sprint never got the community involved. Only in August 2003, a year after, Sprint held a belated meeting with the public. A dozen neighbors showed up, but left quickly, because they realized that the meeting was a sham. 

Around Thanksgiving 2002, the neighbors received notices for a Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) Public Hearing to make a final decision on the use permit for Sprint. The notification was poorly done. The law requires that neighbors in a 300 foot radius be notified. However, Arts Magnet Elementary School, which is within 200 feet, was not notified. 

In the ZAB Public Hearing, 11 neighbors talked against the antennas. There were 18 letters and e-mails opposing the antennas. The ZAB had already made up its mind to approve the use permit, regardless of how many objected to the plan. Finally, the ZAB granted a permit to Sprint. 

The Planning Department erred many times in reports. In the staff report by Ms. Sorensen, it was written that three neighbors, instead of 18, wrote to object to the antennas. In the notice of decision, Mr. Rhoades reported unanimous approval of the antennas. Neighbors objected to this because only seven ZAB members approved the antennas. 

Two neighbor groups filed two appeals by the end of January 2003 with the city clerk. 

In the process of writing their appeals, the appellants discovered illegal steps were taken by Sprint. They brought these points to the attention of City Council. However, the Planning Department wrote false reports to cover up for Sprint. The appellants bought the audio tape of the ZAB hearing from the Zoning Department. This tape reveals that the Planning Department made false statements in the Action Calendar of April 1. 

Some 800 neighbors and residents signed petition forms and sent e-mails to express their opposition to the antennas. The Planning Department, however, worked very hard to have both appeals dismissed. On April 1, 2003, a large crowd holding signs attended City Hall. City Council granted public hearing to the appellants which was scheduled on June 17, 2003. 

In early June, the Planning Department made a motion to postpone the public hearing, saying that the city is seeking a report by a third party engineer to evaluate the coverage needs of Sprint. The report was due in mid July. City Council decided to postpone the hearing until Sept. 16. Meanwhile, the Planning Department let Sprint install the antennas at 1600 Shattuck Ave., ignoring the pending public hearing. Residents objected to the installation. However, Mr. Rhoades claimed that the antennas are only “mock.” Residents have a detector that when pointed at 1600 Shattuck shows microwave radiation beyond the safe levels set by the FCC. 

Residents questioned the legality of mock structures, since they are not defined in any ordinance, and hence it is not clear if they require permits. The city attorney, Ms. Albuquerque, in her e-mail of June 23, agreed that there is no law regarding mock structures. She, however, strongly defended Sprint’s mock antennas. 

According to the Berkeley Telecommunications Ordinance, the city should provide the public with information regarding existing and proposed wireless 

facilities in Berkeley. To support Sprint, the Planning Department refused to provide such information to the appellants. On Aug. 22, a lawsuit was filed against the city for unlawful conduct, discrimination against the appellants in favor of Sprint, and causing emotional distress to them. Only then, on Aug. 25, Ms. Cosin of the Planning Department informed us of the availability of a complete inventory. On Aug. 26, Assistant City Attorney Cowan sent a letter to the appellants anxiously seeking their lawsuit. 

After two and half months, the Planning Department together with Ms. Albuquerque are now seeking another postponement of the hearing, saying that the report by the third party engineer is not available. This is yet another scheme by the Planning Department to diffuse efforts of appellants and give time to Sprint agents to collect signatures on their misleading petition forms. The appellants have made arrangements with an attorney who is coming from LA to represent them in the Public Hearing on Sept. 16. The city will be held responsible with lawyer’s fees, if the attorney flies from L.A. to only find out that the hearing is postponed. 

All things considered, neighbors of 1600 Shattuck believe that in applying for a use permit Sprint has breached laws, the Planning Department has tried to cover up for Sprint, and some city staff have been devotedly helping Sprint. Moreover, City Council is turning a deaf ear to what the neighbors are saying.  

The public is invited to attend the public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 in Old City Hall, to see City Council and Sprint vs. the public. 

Shahram Shahruz, PhD is a research scientist specializing in systems and circuits, a CAL Alumnus, a Berkeley resident for 20 years, and an appellant of the case at 1600 Shattuck Ave.

Bus drivers have abandoned plans for a one-day walkout after cash-strapped AC Transit temporarily restored some of the service cuts they had scheduled for December. 

AC Transit’s Board of Directors voted 4-3 Wednesday to return $2.5 million to this year’s operating budget, effectively delaying cuts on several lines through June while the transit agency explores ways to bolster revenues. 

Transit planners have not released the full list of service restorations, but officials say that major Oakland and Richmond Routes 47, 68, 72 will be spared and Routes 57 and 50 will avoid service reductions. Berkeley Transbay Route HX is still scheduled for elimination this December. 

In July, AC Transit announced the elimination of 34 bus lines and the alteration of 37 other routes to help plug a $50 million budget deficit. The cuts trimmed about $13 million from the deficit and were met with fierce opposition from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192, whose members feared heavy driver layoffs and the loss of service to poor and minority neighborhoods. 

The union threatened to stage a one-day walkout, which transit officials warned would further drive riders from local bus service.  

The $2.5 million slated to keep the busses rolling until June had been allotted to AC Transit’s reserve fund, which budget cuts had wrung dry in recent years. To keep the restored service over the long haul, the transit agency, with union approval, is considering a plan to float bonds tied to the employees’ pension funds. 

The plan would pump money invested by bondholders into the pension fund. Money AC Transit would have been obligated to devote to the pension fund would then be used to keep service intact. The pension fund would invest the money and AC Transit would be responsible for paying interest to bondholders. If the pension fund received high yields on its investments—as it has historically—AC Transit could pay less into the pension fund and continue to pay to operate the bus lines slated to be saved. 

The employees’ pension would not be at risk under the plan. If the pension did not make a healthy profit on its investments, AC Transit would still be obligated to make up the difference. In 2003 AC Transit paid $17 million to the pension fund. 

Several counties, including Marin and Contra Costa, use this type of financing according to AC Transit Deputy General Manager Jim Gleich. If the plan falls through, Gleich said the agency would only lose the $2.5 million allocated to continue service through June. 

Three directors worried that the bond plan was too vague.  

“It was haphazardly put together. I wanted more information before I agreed to it.” said Ward 2 Director Greg Harper, who felt the agency rushed the plan before the board to prevent a union walkout.  

The union was set to receive strike sanction from the Alameda Council of Labor last Friday—which it received—and a strike could have been called for any day. 

Service restorations will not affect expected bus driver layoffs this December. On Wednesday the board doubled monthly health benefits for drivers who retire at 60 with the hope of persuading older drivers to retire early. 

Still, Gleich did not expect enough drivers to take the package to spare some younger drivers their jobs. “Even with the delay [in service cuts] there will probably still be people laid off,” he said. 

ATU Local 192 President Christine Zook said the union was continuing to work with transit officials to secure more service restorations before the December service cuts go into effect.

With her Cody’s bag clutched to her Armani suit, 44 year old Buffy McNoodles doesn’t look like a threat to Telegraph’s streetlife, yet three decades of local Berkeley coverage prove she is. 

“Once her ‘perceptions’ of danger go into print via the Telegraph Avenue Association (TAA), we end up in jail whether we violate the law or not,” explained one homeless youth named Nameless. 

“The latest arrest figures show police have upped enforcement. Of the 466 arrests made on Telegraph this year, 87 were made in the past two weeks. Thirty-four of those arrests were for trespassing.’(Daily Planet, Sept. 5-8.) 

Some homeless youth stated that they were trying to co-exist with the shoppers, but found their attire offensive, their language objectionable, and their customs baffling. 

“Her SUV’s emissions and her profligate consumerism are a burden on the earth, no question about that,” commented Nameless. “But her most dangerous attribute is her lack of compassion. Coupled with the opportunism of the TAA, it puts those of us with the least resources in grave danger.”

Enthusiastic supporters from Berkeley crossed the Bay Saturday to hear presidential hopeful Howard Dean address 1,100 unionized health care workers in San Francisco. 

“I had to show up to support Dean. He’s our best hope” said Quinn Costello, who was among at least a dozen Berkeley residents attending a Dean rally in Yerba Buena Gardens after the union event. 

The former Vermont Governor whose grassroots Internet-based campaign has propelled him to the top of the Democratic field for the 2004 nomination has found particularly fertile ground in Berkeley. 

Last Wednesday approximately 130 residents swarmed Au Coquelet and the public library for the most recent of their monthly Dean campaign meet-ups—events held the first Wednesday of every month in cities across the country that give Dean supporters, connected through the Internet, a chance to meet in person to further the campaign. 

Six other East Bay towns held Dean meetings last Wednesday, but attendees in San Leandro, Oakland and Alameda estimated attendance at 35-50 people. 

Dean fever has spread to the UC Berkeley campus as well. Dave Borelli started Berkeley Students for Dean in April and after months of diligent recruitment the fledging club boasts 250 members, making it one of the largest student groups on campus. 

Student groups for Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. Kucinich of Ohio are just getting organized. 

At first glance, Dean and Berkeley progressives seem like odd bedfellows. Dean fancied himself as a moderate governor who balanced budgets and even opposed stricter federal gun control laws. 

But in both style and substance Dean has seduced progressives. He has campaigned as the anti-Clinton, abandoning empathy for anger, and tapping into the Left’s furor over the Bush administration. 

His take-no-prisoners style was on display in San Francisco, where Dean told members of Service Employee International Union Local 250 that he would send Attorney General John Ashcroft back to Mississippi and House Majority Whip Tom Delay back to Houston. 

“He has chutzpah and speaks to the anger a lot of us have about Bush,” said Paul Hogarth, a Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, who co-hosted a house party for Dean last June that raised $4,000. 

Dean’s credentials as the standard-bearer of Berkeley progressives derive from two key acts: his opposition to the war in Iraq and his signing of the most comprehensive gay partnership benefits of any state in the country. 

The bulk of his support comes from young voters, gays and pacifists—all of which Berkeley has in abundance. Many supporters at the San Francisco rally sported Dean buttons emblazoned with rainbow flags or peace signs. 

Berkeley progressives say Dean’s willingness to take politically dicey stands, combined with the lack of a viable candidate to his left and their disgust for President Bush, have allowed them to stomach his moderate positions on other issues. 

“He isn’t as progressive as most of us in Berkeley,” said Hogarth—who like many Dean backers considered supporting Rep. Kucinich until he determined the Ohio Democrat stood no chance in a general election. “It’s not that we love Dean; it’s that we hate Bush.” 

Pragmatism has become the mantra for local progressives, who after the disputed 2000 election are eager to return to the Democratic fold, but want a candidate they can rally around. 

Dean appears to be their compromise with the rest of the party. After three successive elections of being asked to swallow a moderate candidate who party leaders thought could appeal to the Left, progressives see Dean as a liberal who could appeal to moderates. 

“After the war we felt like we needed to do something. We thought Dean was the right person to make the push,” said Berkeley resident Dan Robinson. 

While Dean’s Berkeley base is fired up, many traditional Democratic constituencies remain lukewarm to him. After addressing the diverse union audience, Dean staged a rally attended by about 500 supporters. Like those at his Berkeley meet-ups, nearly everyone at the rally was white. 

Dean stressed his commitment to minority voters Saturday, telling health care workers that instead of pandering to swing voters he would focus first on, “people who have been with us from the beginning: African Americans and Latinos...” 

After the rally, Dean told reporters that he supported a recently signed California law granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. 

Inside the convention hall many union members said they were impressed, but didn’t know much about Dean. 

“I hadn’t heard of him,” said Mabel Davis, a home care worker. “His vision is for a younger, 20-something group.” 

At local meet-ups, Dean’s core supporters are trying to transmit their enthusiasm beyond Dean’s predominantly white base. Last month supporters formed a Latino Outreach Committee, which will concentrate on largely Latino neighborhoods like Fruitvale and West Berkeley and seek endorsements from Latino civic organizations. 

Monika Plazola, one of the leaders of the effort, said issues that have galvanized support for Dean so far—support for gay marriage and opposition to the war—won’t resonate with Latinos. “Those issues haven’t come up,” said Plazola. “People are more concerned with immigration, the economy and civil rights.”

Mark Morris and his Dance Group regularly perform for Cal Performances at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall—so much so that some claim the globally renowned dancer/choreographer as an honorary citizen of the People’s Republic of Berkeley. 

Certainly Morris is a member in good standing in the “cultural revolution,” as his footprints are stomped all over what is modern in today’s dance world. In addition to founding the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1980, Morris was one of the founders of the White Oaks Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov. 

The Mark Morris Dance Group opened the Cal Performances season with “L’Allegro il Penseroso ed il Moderato” on Sept. 4 and returns to Zellerbach Hall Sept. 12-14 with a repertory program of dance featuring the music of the late West Coast composer Lou Harrison, a world premiere of dance to the music of Béla Bartók, and a nine-song dance cycle to the recorded music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. 

As we spoke, Morris—clad in shorts and a plain t-shirt—laughed easily. Unexpectedly pudgy for a dancer, and with longish, straggling gray hair, the 40-something Morris had just spent the afternoon wandering unnoticed around Berkeley. 

Daily Planet: Your music is rhythmically challenging. How do you teach dancers to work with complex rhythms? 

Mark Morris: How do I teach rhythm? I’m good at it and smart and my dancers are brilliant and we practice. You have to have something to start with though. If you’re interested in something you work on it. If you need it for what you do, if you have an interest in it, then it can come true. If you don’t need it and you’re not interested, you’ll never learn it. (laughs) 

Daily Planet: You’re in your 40s, as we age our bodies change, how does that effect you, as a dancer? 

Morris: Well, I don’t know. I’m going to dance a little bit longer, not a whole lot longer. I’ll keep performing some but not forever. Because it’s less… it’s more… it’s more trouble than it’s worth at a certain point—to warm up for two hours to dance for five minutes when it used to be the other way. It takes longer to recover from injuries. 

Of course I’m way smarter about certain things, I’d be much better at some things, if I could [just] do those things but that’s always how it works. That’s normal. 

You know I’m a lovely dancer and I continue to be, and when I don’t want to, I won’t. But I’m a very good teacher and I can still choreograph and I’d rather watch other people than watch me. (laughs) 

Daily Planet: Can you envision doing dance for older bodies? 

Morris: I already do. The youngest man in my company is 28, which doesn’t seem like much but in dance or in other things that require that sort of work, you know, like athletics or something, that’s very late in your career. So it’s different if you’re an instrumentalist or a writer or a painter or a choreographer, of course that’s different. 

But I work with… they are already older dancers, they’re in their 40s and that’s old for dancers and that’s great but you have to have been a good dancer and then stay a good dancer. You know just cause you’ve made it, you’re old and you’re still dancing doesn’t mean you’re good. It just means you’re old. It doesn’t mean you’re wise. It means you’re old.  

I was co-founder of the White Oaks Dance Project, which was originally older people, but it changed as it went along so that just Misha was an old ‘thang.’ It’s fine. It’s a possibility. I don’t think it’s the future of dancing, is everybody getting old. If you can still dance when you’re old and you make stuff up and there’s still good work to do than it’s great but it’s not like a mission. (laughs) 

I don’t work with little teenagers, I mean they’re great and they’re fun sometimes. At the San Francisco Ballet I’m working with much younger people and that’s fine but to tour and work and live with these people… I don’t want them to be 17. There aren’t very many good dancers anyway, old or young. But also that’s… if you’re 20… I mean, come on, who wants to see a naked old person? And that’s the market. 

Daily Planet: Is that your market, kids in their 20s? 

Morris: They’re all over the place. It’s mixed, but there’s a certain demographic that spends the most money on certain things. It’s not necessarily what I want to watch. I don’t like contemporary popular music very much ,but I never have. 

It’s not like I’m now old and there’s nothing like the Beatles were. I never really liked the Beatles that much. I mean for a minute I did, but it’s never been a big interest of mine. It’s not like I’m an old curmudgeon, it’s just like I don’t really spend the time doing things that I don’t like to do very much. 

Daily Planet: Bob Wills was once popular music. 

Morris: Yeah, in the 30s and 40s. Absolutely. I like lots of popular music. I just don’t like contemporary popular music. I like music from the 20s. It’s not a rule, it’s just a preference. It’s not like, ‘Oh, this is from the 50s therefore I don’t like that.’ I don’t think that way at all. It’s, ‘Oh. I like that song, what’s that?’ There are exceptions. But I don’t buy that music. It’s not interesting to me. 

Daily Planet: What is the story behind your Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys dances? 

Morris: I work with live music but this particular piece is one that’s not. It’s to recorded music because it’s a particular recording session that I like. I could hire a cover band but this is them [Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys] very, very old. He died sort of the next day. 

This is from the early-middle 70s, they’d been a band for 40 years. It’s them… they’re all very old on this recording. That’s what I like. It’s not a period recording from the 30s. It’s fantastic. If you listen to their music from the 30s and the 40s and then from the 70s, they’re relaxed and they don’t have to pay any attention to each other and they know each other and they read each other’s minds and they play fabulously and their rhythm is perfect and it’s great. It’s wonderful.

Way back in 1947 Roger “Bob” Gilmore went to work for Byron and Rhoda Bolfing at their Elmwood Hardware store on College Avenue in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood. 

Fresh out of World War II and not that long out of Berkeley High School (“I’m a Yellow Jacket, class of ‘41” ), Gilmore was employed by a local engine manufacturing company when his new mother-in-law suggested the Bolfings would enjoy talking with him. 

“I’d been selling something from the time I was a little kid, selling magazines in the Depression years and everything. There wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t selling something. But after the war manpower was a tough situation. My mother-in-law was working for them part-time,” Gilmore recalled. 

“We got together and decided to try it out for a while and see how we liked it. We thought we’d meet later and find out whether it was going to work or not but we never got around to that second meeting,” he said laughing. 

Their relationship and the store grew for the next 22 years, the store doubling in size in the early 60s. In 1969 Byron and Rhoda decided to retire and offered the shop to their longtime employee.  

“We had a little talk and they asked if I wanted to take on the responsibility,” Gilmore recalled. “I said I’d love to if we can make something because I didn’t have a lot of big money stored up. So we wrote a contract.” 

Like the Bolfings, Gilmore and his beloved wife Jeanette ran the store together until she passed away early last year. 

With his 80th birthday approaching this Wednesday, Sept. 11th, the tall and lanky man decided to retire. Like the Bolfings before him, Gilmore offered the store and building to his former employee and longtime friend and tenant, 45-year old Tad Laird and his wife Nancy. 

In his 57 years on College Avenue, Gilmore has watched Berkeley grow from a modest college town into a city with an international reputation for academic excellence and progressive political positions.  

“It’s not just a college town any more; it’s a city and a very metropolitan city,” Gilmore said. “It’s a place where there’s room for everyone’s opinion, no matter what the opinion. 

“You’ve got people as far in left field as you can get, and you’ve got people as far in right field as you can get. And they all blend in Berkeley and this is the beauty of it.” 

Elmwood Hardware has been in continuous existence since 1923. “It was born the same year I was,” said Gilmore with a smile. 

Standing behind the counter in a neighborhood hardware store, helping generations of Berkeley and North Oakland residents, has given him a deep appreciation for his community and his place in it. 

“A hardware store is the supplier of the things to keep your house functioning,” said Gilmore. 

“If you want to fix it, the tools are there and the knowledge is there. We try to be not only the supplier of tools but the mentors and the education of it. When we sell a can of paint we try and make sure they do it right so they’ll still be pleased five years from now in the job they did.” 

While he decries big box stores, like “Home Despot,” as he refers to Emeryville’s megalithic competitor, Gilmore speaks fondly of his local competitors at family-owned Berkeley Hardware. 

In fact Gilmore speaks warmly of everyone and holds close to his family of customers, fellow merchants in the Elmwood, and members of his various social organizations, including Berkeley Rotary, the Berkeley Breakfast Club and his Masonic brothers. 

Gilmore says he plans to spend his new found leisure time restoring a home he recently purchased in Montclair, but his agreement with Laird includes an extended stint of “helping out” the new owners of Bolfing’s Elmwood Hardware. 

Bolfing’s Elmwood Hardware and The Elmwood Merchants Association have invited residents to join them for an evening in recognition and celebration of Roger “Bob” Gilmore’s 80th Birthday and honoring his 56 years of continuous service to the Elmwood District at Bolfing’s Elmwood Hardware on Tuesday, Sept. 16t at Shen Hua Restaurant, 2914 College Ave. 

A no-host bar opens at 5:30 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner at 6:30, followed by music, dancing and reminiscing until the doors close. Tickets are available at many Elmwood Merchants for $20 in advance or $22 at the door.

People’s Park Boardmember Sought 

UC Berkeley is looking for volunteers to serve on the People’s Park Community Advisory Board, a citizen panel that makes recommendations to the school about Berkeley’s most contested piece of real estate. 

Board members are picked by the university’s Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services and can serve a maximum of three one-year terms. 

People’s Park, a half block west of Telegraph Avenue between Haste Street and Dwight Way, remains an icon of the 60s and the sight of literal and legal battles between students, street people, and UC administrators. 

The advisory board is UC’s main source of outside input on park programs and policies and is charged with guiding implementation of the school’s long-term conceptual planning for the land. 

Board members come from both campus and the surrounding community. 

Applications will be accepted through Sept. 30 for the 2003-2004 term. For more information call the People’s Park office at 642-3255 or email pplspark@uclink.berkeley.edu 

BCF to Hold Open House 

The Berkeley Community Fund, a nonprofit foundation that provides grants and scholarships to community organizations and students, will hold an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in their new offices in the Cooper Building, 800 Jones St.  

In the annual grant cycle just ended, the foundation handed out over $62,000 in grants to community organizations and provided $20,000 in scholarships to Berkeley High School and Vista Community College students.  

Dog Owners to Take a Lickin’ 

Dog owners willing to suffer a modest degree of humiliation will have a chance to show off their pets and donate a little bit of cash to a deserving cause at noon Saturday if they enter the Great Dog Lick-Off. 

Sponsored by and held at Alan’s PETzeria, 843 Gilman St., the contest pits pooch against pooch, with the winner determined by which canine is quickest at licking off peanut butter smeared on his/her/its master’s/mistress’s face. 

All of the entry fee and five percent of the store’s sales for the day will go to the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society.  

City Terrorism Plans Explained 

Berkeley’s plans for responding to a terrorist threat will be presented during a special three-hour class Saturday at the Fire Department Training Center, 997 Center St. 

Open to anyone age 18 and over who lives or works in the city, the 9 a.m. to noon session will be presented by the city’s Office of Emergency Services (OES). 

For more information or to register, call OES at 981-5605—TDD 981-5799—of the CERT program coordinator, 981-5506. Online registration is availavle at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html  

State Bar Honors Berkeley Lawyer 

A Berkeley attorney who battled without payment to win medication coverage for a Vallejo man faced with the loss of Medi-Cal benefits for his AIDS medication has been honored with the State Bar President’s Pro Bono Public Service Award. 

Thomas A. Ostly, 31, was praised by his client, who told the State Bar that “Prior to his involvement, I was fighting a losing battle that no one seemed interested in taking on.” 

Ostly volunteered his services through Berkeley’s East Bay Community Law Center. 

He received the award from California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George and State Bar President James Herman during the State Bar’s annual meeting in Anaheim Friday.

Berkeley residents holding visitor parking permits must either use or exchange them by next Monday, thanks to a change in city parking ordinances. 

The road to the new policy began two years ago after several of residents complained to the city about the number of extra permits floating around, said Susie Monary-Wilson, Customer Service manager for the Berkeley Finance Department. The city then held several public forums to investigate what people were calling misuses and abuse of the permits. 

On March 5 of that year, the city sent out a letter advising residents about the new policy that would require holders to exchange extra permits, and a final decision was then made to create an exchange period that started in July of this year and ends on Sept. 15. 

Starting Sept. 16, anyone using one of the old passes will be cited for a parking violation. 

While well intentioned, the policy has proven frustrating for some residents who have found the exchange process more complicated than they expected. 

Katherine Pyle, a Berkeley resident who has a number of old visitor parking permits—some 10 years old—recently waited in line for over an hour and a half, only to walk away without being able to exchange all her permits. 

Pyle had a number of one-day passes that she was able to exchange but was upset to find—after standing in line for 90 minutes—that to exchange her 14-day permits she had to provide information on the vehicle assigned to use the permits, which would then be good for only five weeks. 

Armed with that information, she had to return to the back of the line and work her way forward once more to make her exchanges. 

Unlike the one-day permits, 14-day permits require license plate information and can be issued only three weeks in advance. They are not what Monary-Wilson calls “wild cards,” where they are issued and can be used whenever the holder wants within a one-year time period. 

The exchange process activates the permits, leaving holders only three weeks to use them, and giving Pyle only three weeks before she loses out on what are now $60 worth of permits—for which he paid only $2 originally. 

Monary-Wilson said the limitations were imposed on the 14-day permits because they were being abused more frequently than the one-day passes, prompting the original complaints that were the catalyst for the exchange program. 

Monary-Wilson also explains that the city tried to warn people about the new policy and encouraged people to use their 14-day passes before the deadline. 

Pyle, while sympathetic to the city’s attempt to alleviate the abuse problem, is still upset about possibly losing her permits. 

“It’s bizarre,” Pyle said. “I guess they have good intentions but it’s just a nightmare.” 

For more information please contact the Berkeley Finance Department at 981-7200.

Murder in South Berkeley 

A man was shot to death and dumped from a car in the area of Alcatraz Avenue and Adeline Street Friday night, police said. 

The murder—Berkeley’s fourth this year and the sixth along the Berkeley-Oakland border—raised fears that a dispute between rival South Berkeley and North Oakland factions may be heating up. 

Police, however, said there is no evidence linking the murder to the year-long dispute. 

Witnesses to the crime said they heard gunfire and upon looking over to a gray car, saw one of the car doors open and the victim shoved out. 

Berkeley Fire Department medics attended to the victim and rushed him to Alta Bates Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

Berkeley Police are withholding the victim’s name until his family is located. He was described as a white male between 25-27. 

Cyclist Robbed 

Six teenagers tossed a Berkeley man off his bike Sunday night and stole his wallet, police said. 

The victim was riding south on the Ohlone Greenway between Cedar and Virginia Streets when six teenage boys stepped in his way. When the cyclist tried to avoid them, they yanked him off his bike and jumped on top of him, threatening to punch him if he didn’t surrender his wallet. One of the boys rifled through his pockets and grabbed the wallet and all of the boys raced down the bike path towards Virginia Street. 

Parole Violator Nabbed 

When a police officer making a traffic stop at the intersection of Curtis Street and University Avenue early Monday morning spotted a red pick-up truck double parked, a quick investigation discovered the car was stolen. The officer then arrested the driver, who was sitting inside the car. A search revealed two grams of methamphetamine in the driver’s pants pocket. Wayne Berger, 44, was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and violating parole. A later investigation found that Berger also had a parole violation.

Blacks Struggle With Including Gay Rights Under Civil Rights Banner 

African Americans continue to grapple with the issue of gay rights, which have only recently been discussed openly in the community, gaining steam under the umbrella of civil rights, reports the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a black newswire in Washington D.C. 

At the recent commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King III, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Al Sharpton, and Coretta Scott King all linked the struggles of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders with that of African Americans to gain equal footing in the United States, according to the report by Hazel Trice Edney 

Some blacks don’t agree with this view. “I think one of the things that’s happened with the Civil Rights Movement is that it has been broadened to include so much that what it has done is effectively put the black issue to the side,” says Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper, pastor of the Metropolitan African-American Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. “I think that there are some folks who, because they need public attention, grab a hold of every issue and want to be politically correct.” 

Rev. Joseph Lowery, former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was quoted as saying he doesn’t think that the gay rights struggle is synonymous with the civil rights movement. “I think there are similarities,” he said. “It always has been divisive, but it’s time for the choir to sing. I don’t mean just an excluding choir. I mean an inclusive choir. And if I’m going to err in terms of critical issues like that, I’m going to err on the side of inclusiveness.” 

Chinese American Police Officers Accused of Racial Profiling 

Incidents of racial profiling and police violence have been in the spotlight in Bay Area cities recently. The Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily highlighted an incident where the alleged offenders were uncharacteristically two Chinese American officers. 

Palo Alto police officers Michael Kan and Craig Lee pleaded not guilty of felony assault on Aug. 22 They were accused of beating 59-year-old Albert Hopkins, an African American, with a baton and pepper spray, according to the paper. 

Answering a call from a nearby resident, Lee approached Hopkins, who was sitting in a parked car on the evening of July 13. Lee questioned him, but Hopkins refused to get out of the car or tell Lee his name. Lee then called for backup. When Kan arrived, he asked Hopkins to step out of the car, but he did not comply, according to the report. 

Peter Waite, Deputy District Attorney of Santa Clara County said that Officer Kan tried to pull the driver out of the car and a struggle ensued. The two officers used batons and pepper spray to arrest Hopkins. Paramedics were later called and Hopkins was treated for bruises. 

After the incident, the Palo Alto police began an investigation and ordered the two officers to take a two-day administrative leave, the Sing Tao said. If found guilty of the charges, the officers could face three years imprisonment. 

English-Only Education for Immigrants Has Failed 

Five years after California voters approved a proposition that virtually eliminated bilingual education from public schools, it appears the new approach of immersing immigrant students in English-language study has failed, writes an analyst. 

Backers of Proposition 227 claimed ending bilingual education would enable immigrant students to learn English within a year, writes Domenico Maceri, a foreign language professor at Allan Hancock College. But in fact, he says, recent statistics from the California Department of Education show that only 32 percent of students in English-only immersion programs can speak basic English. 

In a front-page commentary for Central Valley’s El Mexicalo bilingual weekly, Maceri writes, “The promise of Proposition 227 has clearly not been kept. Five years after its passage, California’s foreign-born children are not learning English in a year.” 

He said that despite other successful statewide educational measures that have reduced class sizes and increased standardized testing to hold teachers more accountable for results, immigrant students are still lagging notwithstanding the immersion programs. 

Plus, he says, state statistics also show that a majority of students in immersion programs are not graduating to normal English classes in one year and also are performing dismally in statewide high school exams. 

He contrasts these results with what he says is the more successful approach of schools using a “dual-language” model, in which all students are taught in English and a foreign language. He cites Cesar Chavez Elementary School in San Francisco, which is an English-Spanish dual-language school, as an example. Maceri says that last year only 3 percent of the school’s students were proficient in English, according to the California English Development Test. This year, that number jumped to 38 percent under a dual language policy. 

Andrew Lam, Donal Brown, Kai Lui, Kapson Lee and Marcelo Ballve contributed to this report.

The latest round of labor troubles at Berkeley-based non-profit Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) stemmed not from managerial malice but from improperly filed time sheets that delayed paychecks to employees last week, Executive Director boona cheema said Tuesday. 

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) halted payments to the homeless advocacy group in late July, she said, after a HUD audit found that the agency had unwittingly filed incorrect paperwork for its eight grants with the federal agency. 

Employees represented by the California Professional Employees Union Local 2345 filed a complaint Friday with the California Division of Labor Standards after BOSS failed to make its scheduled payday. A finding in favor of the union could cost BOSS $50 for each of the roughly 100 unionized workers made to wait for their checks. 

Union leaders said they were furious with management for risking the welfare of workers, about half of whom were at one time homeless and live paycheck to paycheck. 

“BOSS workers will have to become clients if Boss doesn’t uphold their responsibility to pay their employees on time,” said Christopher Graeber, Business Representative for BOSS employees. 

Graeber ripped management for promising to provide five days notice before missing a payday, but then alerting employees on Sept. 2 that BOSS checks scheduled to go out on the fifth would be delayed until Wednesday. 

BOSS Director of Human Resources Paul Sedler said the Labor Day holiday prevented BOSS from giving employees earlier notice and that employees in dire straights were given cash advances. 

cheema blamed the funding mix-up on new rules implemented by the Bush administration that have changed billing procedures. She said that months of payroll forms and time sheets must be resubmitted to comply with new rules before funding resumes. 

BOSS plans to send revised paperwork to HUD next week in hopes that it will regain funding by the end of the month. 

Without its bimonthly deposits from HUD, BOSS maxed out its credit line and found itself unable to meet payroll. cheema said that the agency recently received grant money from state agencies that will allow it to meet payroll on Wednesday, but that another delay is possible. 

“I hope that this will not happen again, but I can’t promise that it won’t happen again,” she said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series on the history of Memorial Stadium. 

“Where once Strawberry Creek turned in its leisurely course to the bay, man has reared a great concrete bowl where more than seventy thousand people may gather to watch athletic contests and to see their sons and daughters graduate from college walls.” 

—Robert Sibley  

“The Romance of the University of  

California,” 1928  

Before Memorial Stadium was constructed, Strawberry Canyon was Berkeley’s most popular place to experience nature. It was a place for contemplation, bird-watching and walking in the woods, and a rustic neighborhood grew up on Panoramic Hill overlooking the canyon. 

Although the north side of the hill had been subdivided in 1888, it was not until 1904 when the entire hillside was purchased by Warren Cheney that the hill began to be developed for houses. Cheney was the former editor of the literary magazine The Californian and owner of the Warren Cheney Real Estate Company.  

Professor Charles Reiber’s house was one of the earliest built on the hill in 1904. The house, designed by noted architect Ernest Coxhead, is unique in that it wraps around the base of the hill where Panoramic Way intersects with Canyon Road. A sprawling shingle-style house, it was designed to blend with its natural rustic surroundings and look out over the canyon. 

As Panoramic Hill developed, many rustic yet sophisticated shingled houses were built, including 1 Canyon Road (1905), also designed by Coxhead for Frederic Torrey, a San Francisco art dealer. Other houses on the hill include several by Julia Morgan, Walter Steilberg, Walter Ratcliff, Bernard Maybeck and even one designed by Frank Lloyd Wright at 13 Mosswood. 

Most of the houses were built by university professors who wanted to live in the country, but within walking distance of the University and downtown. To this end, developer Cheney built the elegant Classic staircase, Orchard Lane, in 1909, and several footpaths and connecting staircases for pedestrian convenience.  

Even today, the hill has a remote unspoiled quality in spite of its proximity to the stadium and the bustle of the streets below. 

The special ambiance of this neighborhood is best experienced by walking, using the footpaths and staircases. Early 20th century homes of various sizes can be seen through a thick garment of greenery. A self-guided walking tour, giving the date and name of architect when known, is available for a small fee from Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (841-2242). 

The proposal to build the stadium into Strawberry Canyon provoked opposition not only from the neighborhood, but also from architects (see part one of this article in the Sept. 2-4 edition of the Daily Planet), the director of the California Academy of Sciences and the directors of the Greek Theater. 

Professor Reiber, whose house was designed expressly built to look over a wilderness, was so upset that he moved away. 

The university paid no attention to complaints, calling them “selfish,” planned the stadium in Strawberry Canyon and then declared in the 1923 Blue and Gold (Volume 49, page 42): “Surrounded by the natural beauties of Strawberry Canyon, the Stadium will be a monument which every Californian will be proud to have a part in the building.”  

Susan Cerny is author of the book “Berkeley Landmarks” and writes this in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

Members of one South Berkeley neighborhood say their home has a lot going for it, and they gathered Sunday to create a mural to share their exuberance with the world. 

After months of planning and weeks painting, neighbors partied and painted throughout the afternoon to give the city its newest public art display, adorning the wall of Grove Liquors at the corner of Ashby Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

One-by-one, children, adults, old-timers and recent transplants slabbed their handprints and scrawled messages onto a mural designed, funded, planned and painted entirely by their friends and neighbors. 

“South Berkeley Shines” is the theme, with “Shine” outlined in block letters a dozen feet high. Showcased within each character, the artists painted in such local treasures as the Thai Temple, the Ashby Flea Market, and the Community Gardens. 

Singled out for special artistic attention was Joseph Charles, a Berkeley legend who for thirty years stood outside his house two blocks away at the corner of MLK and Oregon Street, waving with his signature yellow-orange gloves at motorists zipping past on their way to work. 

“We decided we wanted [the mural] to represent how fabulous our neighborhood is,” said Eve Cowen a four-year resident who spearheaded the project. Envisioning a mural that could both beautify and unify the neighborhood, she took to the streets passing out fliers to drum up interest in a project she hadn’t yet received permission to undertake. 

Over fifty neighbors attended the first meeting in February, bandying about ideas for the wall and debating strategies to get the project moving. 

Help came from Epic Arts—a South Berkeley nonprofit art collective that guided Cowen through raising money, finding free paint and getting city support—and the Nasser family, which has run the corner store for 15 years. 

The Nassers live just a few blocks from the shop, where they have long supported independent art. Two years ago the graffiti-scrawled wall blossomed with a globe symbolizing world peace, but after the artwork came under repeated assaults by spray paint-wielding taggers, everyone agreed it was time for a new mural. 

The family set up a collection box in the store which eventually collected the bulk of the $1,000 donated. Their generosity extended to the artists Sunday, whom they supplied with food and drink, including some wine and tequila. 

The eight artists, selected by community members from a pool of 15 applicants, received no pay, but said the opportunity to leave their mark on the famous wall was worth the labor. 

“We’ve been wanting to be part of this wall for 15 years,” said Brian Wallace a Berkeley-born graffiti artist who, along with partners Noah Daar and Rosario Archimedes, has made the leap from underground graffiti art to commercial and public art projects. 

Susan Bruckmeier, chosen to paint the homage to Joseph Charles, spent hours at the Berkeley Historical Society researching the man whose gloves sit under glass at the museum. She remembered seeing him as a kid growing up in Berkeley, but said the assignment helped her grasp how much he meant to the community.  

“It touched my heart that Mr. Charles spent all that time out in the neighborhood spreading good will,” she said. Once she started painting, neighbors stepped up to compliment her work and share their stories of Charles, who began waving in 1962 and didn’t stop for thirty years. He died last year at the age of 91. 

Neighbors were quick to heap praise on the new mural Sunday, with one woman declaring the new creation “hotter and spicier” than previous works. If there was any complaint, it was that the artists didn’t manage to squeeze in all of the legendary figures of South Berkeley. 

Idella Melton, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, questioned the absence of Councilmember Maudelle Shirek and Mabel Howard, a community activist who led the fight to make sure BART passed through South Berkeley underground so it wouldn’t rattle the neighborhood. 

“It’s a fun wall, but you should have serious people up there too,” she said. 

Several neighbors said they hoped the mural would help foster community spirit and lift the mood in South Berkeley, which has recently suffered from a series of shootings believed to be connected to a rivalry with some residents of North Oakland. 

“This [mural] blows me away,” said Debby Segal. “This neighborhood needs a good feeling about itself right now. We need a reminder here that the neighbors are good, decent people.” 

The artwork should be a lasting tribute to the neighborhood, thanks to the plastic coating artists applied which they said will shield their creation from graffiti banditry.  

Cowen insists the mural is just the beginning of a community movement to get neighbors working for a better world. She plans to use any left over money for new projects, perhaps planting trees on MLK or adding murals to other South Berkeley locals. 

“We want this to be an annual mission of rejuvenation that will unite and inspire people to make a lasting difference,” she said.

Oakland writer Mary Monroe is an inspiration in perseverance. She wrote her first book, “The Upper Room,” in 1974. After hundreds of rejection letters, and eleven years, the novel was finally published in 1985. It got great reviews and quickly disappeared. 

Fifteen years went by, along with a thousand rejection letters. Agents and editors came and went before she got her next big break. 

Her second book, “God Don’t Like Ugly,” was published in 2000. It was an overnight success and, after years of struggle, Monroe has finally cashed in. She got a three-book contract from Kensington, and then a second three-book contract. Mary Monroe is on a roll! 

I met Mary at Café Giovanni on Shattuck Avenue, a place she’s been frequenting several times a week since she moved to the Bay Area in the early 70S. 

Originally from Alabama, Mary grew up in Alliance, Ohio, a working class town just south of Cleveland. She always knew she wanted to be a writer and she always knew she wanted to leave Alliance. 

While a teenager she wrote for tabloid magazines, True Confessions and Bronze Thrills. 

“I was good at titles,” says Mary. “I invented stuff like ‘I Married My Rapist’, and ‘My Husband and His Lover Tried to Kill Me With Voodoo’. My super-religious grandfather took me aside and said, ‘Mary, you’ve got a god-given talent. Don’t waste it.’ The next day I came up with ‘A Homosexual Preacher Stole my Husband!’” 

Mary’s first choice of escape from Ohio wasn’t California. At nineteen she visited relatives in New Jersey and took a bus into Manhattan. 

She turned around and took another bus right back out of the city and returned to Alliance. 

Then she tried Erie, Pennsylvania. After days of looking for a place to stay and being turned away because of her color, she finally found a room at the Richmond Hotel. 

“I took it as a sign,” she says. “I had an aunt in Richmond, California and I decided that was where I ought to be, not downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.” 

After settling in Richmond, she worked temp jobs all over the East Bay and San Francisco. But during her lunch hours and at nights she wrote and wrote and wrote. Her inspirations were Alice Walker, Ishmael Reed, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Ann Rice. 

In 1989 actress Robin Givens contacted her about her writing. Mary whipped out a screenplay she called “Girlfriends.” Robin liked it but then everything fell apart. Mary laughs as she tells the story. 

“Back then Robin was having all those marital problems. I guess you can blame Mike Tyson for everything, including my failed connection with Robin.” 

But Mary’s knack for titles helped save the day. She rewrote “Girlfriends” as a novel and gave it a new name, “God Don’t Like Ugly.” It was a winner. Now in its fourteenth printing, readers from all over the country have been begging Mary to follow up with a book that starts where “God Don’t Like Ugly” ended. And that’s just what Mary has done.  

“God Still Don’t Like Ugly” (another great title) has just hit the bookstores. It’s the continuing tale of Annette Goode who thinks all men are as low-down as the father who deserted her, the boarder who abused her and the fiancé who walked out on her. She has severed ties with her murderous best friend, Rhoda, but then, after five years of separation, Rhoda saunters back into her life. And so does Annette’s old, apologetic daddy. 

Based loosely on Mary’s real life, “God Don’t Like Ugly” depicts a young woman learning to forgive and in doing so finding herself and the happiness that has eluded her. 

“What’s next?” I asked Mary. 

“’God Ain’t Through Yet,’” answered Mary. 

You can say that again. He’s definitely not through with Mary and for that we can be thankful.  

She’ll be appearing to talk about her newest offering on Oct. 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Marcus Books, 3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland. 652 2344. 

Every Uncle Henry Book has the Uncle Henry Promise printed in the front. It takes up a full page, but the central premise is that “you will always have fun when you read it.” In fact, says Uncle Henry, sometimes “adults will laugh so hard they will fall on the floor and roll around clutching their stomach.” 

I road-tested “The Vile-Burgers,” the first Uncle Henry book, on my 7-year-old granddaughter Sophia, and I have to say frankly I didn’t do that, but it is indeed a very funny book—for an adult.  

The story involves a little girl from New York who sets off on a trek to Texas, accompanied by a peculiar group of ghouls who emerge from a Halloween pumpkin, to search for her “socialite archeologist” parents who disappeared on a quest for the lost Oiltec civilization. 

It’s told as a series of short takes, almost like a movie or TV script, with a sentence or two to set the scene followed by a few paragraphs of snappy dialogue. The snappy dialogue certainly made Grandma giggle, but Sophia was captured by the cliff-hanging plot turns. She didn’t really think it was funny—she took it seriously, and insisted on hearing scene after scene, so we got mostly through the book on the first reading.  

She was also able to read a lot of it herself, even though she’s not quite eight and the book is pitched for nine-year-olds. That’s the idea. Grandma reads until she wants to take a break, and then the kid is hooked and has to do some of the work herself to find out what happens. This is possible despite the inclusion of some fancy vocabulary, some but not all of which is defined in Appendix 1: “dastardly, adj. A really rotten thing to do is a dastardly act. Like when your little brother sneaks into your room at night in the dark and whilst you are sound asleep secretly ties one of your pant legs to the chair so when you get up late in the morning and need to rush out to catch the bus you can break your leg just trying to pull your pants on. That’s seriously dastardly.”  

Kids, of course, love fancy vocabulary, and will even sound words out if they must. The Uncle Henry series, funny as it is, has lots of well-disguised but serious educational goals based on the experience of Uncle Henry, in real life Hank Schwarz, once the president of a very successful L.A. advertising and marketing company. He’s spent the past few years working with inner city kids, reading to them at the local public library and as a volunteer art teacher in the 5th grade classroom of his wife Patricia in L.A.’s award-winning Solano Elementary School. Oh, and he draws all of the clever cartoon-like pictures for his books too. 

The Uncle Henry series is an interesting experiment in branding and packaging, clearly benefiting from Schwarz’s previous career. It’s being launched not as one book or even as a series, but as a publishing house, Uncle Henry Books, complete with Web site, which is in turn a division of Schwarz’s Prototype Entertainment Products. 

The books will be for sale initially on the Internet, and they will also be offered directly to schools and libraries. Traditional bookstore distribution may or may not follow.  

The series is definitely high-concept, as Schwarz explains in his tongue-in-cheek initial press release, which of course he wrote himself. He claims that his books are “(a) immensely funny” and “(b) completely orphan-free.” But also, “the other important aspect of Uncle Henry Books, which should be of interest to almost no one but a few humorless teachers and librarians, is that the idea was born as we watched the development of young children in school in the inner city over the years. 

We saw all the best educational practices in teaching and reading techniques that were possible to maximize literacy development at an early age like 8 or 10—even among the children of immigrants with no prior English experience. A typical classroom of 26 children might have seven to nine home languages. But the way they could read after only a few years, right up there with native speakers—that really caught our attention.”  

So there’s definitely a mission behind the madness in Uncle Henry books. Hank and Pat Schwarz have tried to capture all they’ve learned about teaching kids, and have put it in a peppy format which should successfully compete with television in capturing the imagination of young readers. 

The Web site, according to the release, will have “ a very serious Teacher Center with extensive notes on literacy development theory, strategies for reading development imbedded in Uncle Henry books, lesson plans, and further site references.” Not too serious, of course.“We still have our doubts,” said Uncle Henry, frowning, “about homework.” 

I’ve also read, but not road-tested, one of the other books which will be on sale Oct. 1, “How The Tooth Fairy, of All People, Saved the Day,” which is aimed at the 7 and up age group. It’s funny too, and similarly challenging.  

All I know about the third book is in Uncle Henry’s press release, and therefore may or may not be for real: “For the older, age 10 and up crowd including grad students who should probably be studying for their information science or organic chemistry finals instead, there’s the deceptively simple but intelligent sci-fi story “Biode.”  

“What would happen if an ordinary kid somehow created a heuristic artificial intelligence but then couldn’t tell anyone he had it? What would happen if you could ask it to do anything you wanted and no one knew about it? And what would happen if the one instruction you gave it was to learn everything about everything in the world, and it did?”  

Is Uncle Henry serious here? This seems a bit heavy for the average 10-year-old. And of course Uncle Henry is almost never completely serious about anything, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the book is about when it’s out, promised with the other two for Oct. 1.

Faced with a long stretch of unemployment the vast majority of upstanding, college-educated people who live indoors, bathe regularly and use deodorant would find the prospect of turning to panhandling intolerable. The sheer degradation of it would frighten even the most thick-skinned human from even considering it. 

But, as cruel as it may sound, the bleak prospect of resorting to handouts to make ends meet is not as completely out of the question for civilized folk as you might think. 

Just ask Bruce Moody, author of the recently published “Will Work for Food or $—A Memoir from the Roadside.  

Moody is the last person you’d think couldn’t figure out a way to keep off the median strip. A writer whose short fiction has appeared in the New Yorker and National Lampoon, Moody’s also published a novel, “The Decline and Fall of Daphne Finn,” and worked as an actor. 

After a stint as a advertising copywriter where he moonlighted writing fiction, Moody decided he couldn’t be true to both disciplines and decided to quit advertising and only do general office work to support his writing habit. 

This approach led to a comfortable office job that lasted nine years until he was summoned into his boss’ office and summarily fired. Pushing 60 and without any unemployment insurance (he had always worked as a contract employee), Moody suddenly found himself not just unemployed, but seemingly unemployable.  

“Maybe I looked too old to be out of a job,” writes Moody. “Maybe people hiring wanted people younger than they were themselves. Maybe I looked like everybody’s father and they didn’t want him working under them. I went out on a lot of interviews. I went to reemployment classes and worked up ten resumes for different fields. No takers.”  

With $4,000 saved, he continued to look for work and wrote a play about Christopher Columbus that went nowhere. Soon the money began to run out along with Moody’s optimism that he’d find another cozy office gig. 

“There was another option and that was to be homeless. And I contemplated it and thought about it and prayed about it,” says Moody who now works as a gardener, writer and actor. “I tried doing temp work. I would go into the agency everyday and I would get jobs occasionally but in the old days you could go into an agency and get temp jobs that lasted six months or longer while you were getting yourself re-focused. 

“At age 60 they didn’t want to hire me to drive the doughnut truck—which I would have been glad to do—‘cause they were going to have to let me go in five years” due to union retirement regulations. 

On New Year's day 1993, during the country’s last recession, Moody turned to the unthinkable: holding up a hand-lettered sign proclaiming his sincere interest in working for either food or money. 

His nondescript perch was the southbound Appian Way exit off of I-80 in Pinole, just a few minutes from his Crockett home and anyone who might recognize him. He stayed there for four months. 

Still with a roof over his head, Moody took the meager contributions to his cause and the work opportunities graciously. On the advice of a panhandler he approached his new line of work as just that, work. 

“Behave so as to be proud of yourself,” the beggar told him. “You think you’re a panhandler? But you don’t really know. Standing here on the roadside isn’t my story. So, whenever anyone gives you money, offer your service. Make that your story.” The man also instructed Moody to say “Bless you” to all he came in contact with whether they gave him anything or not. 

Moody took the stranger’s words to heart. He didn’t just merely take money from passersby; he worked for them as well. In his run on the roadside, Moody painted and did gardening work for the people who stopped to speak to him—even if they tried to stiff him in the end. 

Living frugally, he “managed to make the $750 a month necessary to eat and hold on to his apartment.  

Every night after coming home Moody would jot down his thought s and impressions in a journal. The result is his memoir. 

In the end perhaps the most important lesson Moody learned from his roadside sabbatical is that kindness is alive and well, especially in the Bay Area. 

“Most people were really kind and the book is a testament and a tribute to the kindness and generosity of Bay Area people," says Moody. He was especially struck by the gifts of people in not much better circumstances than himself, folks he describes as being "very close to where I was." 

“I caught a dose of kindness. Humiliation is the most fecund field for learning anything momentous in life,” says Moody. “I can give love to anyone. And everyone. And I do. I say “God bless you” to the freeway turnstile folks, to the checkout lady, to the gas station attendant, and I’d say it to the Queen of England if I met her. It’s the greatest gift any human can give another, and beggars are the ones who most frequently give it.”  

Bruce Moody will be appearing at a writer’s workshop tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Barnes & Noble on Shattuck Avenue. For more information, call 644-0861.  

About the same time my memoir came out, Gene Simmons of the legendary glam-rock band Kiss published “Kiss and Make-Up,” his official biography. We share the same publishing house and the same New York publicist even though our life stories are astronomically different. 

Gene Simmons was born in Israel and grew up in Brooklyn without enough toilet paper. His family was dirt poor. Now he is 55 years old, a husband, a father, a multi-millionaire, a semi-retired bona fide rock star. And he claims to have slept with 4,600 women! 

For the past year, ever since our books were published simultaneously, I have been trying to calculate how many trysts he has had per day.  

In some ways it is kind of thrilling to share something in common with Gene Simmons (book publication dates, not sleeping arrangements). But in other ways it is extremely disappointing.  

Our mutual publicist at Crown has a floor-to-ceiling poster of Gene Simmons in his cubicle. But he doesn’t have a single picture of me tacked to his walls and as far as I know there’s not even a photograph of moi hidden among the stacks of papers upon his desk. 

Shortly after I read Gene Simmons memoir, I called “our” publicist.  

“That Gene Simmons is quite a guy,” I said, trying to make my voice sound casual. 

“Yes,” answered the publicist. “He’s a real businessman and superstar.” 

“Four thousand women they say.” 

“Four thousand six hundred,” he corrected. 

“How is that possible?” I asked. 

“Well,” he said. “You know those rock stars. They get around.” 

“Yes,” I said. “I suppose they do.” 

He quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Suzy, there are a few things I want to clarify with you.” 

“Do you want to know how many men I’ve slept with?” 

“Good god, no,” he said. “I want to know how many people you think you can draw to a New York event.” 

“Not as many as Mr. Simmons, I’m afraid.” 

“Of course not. But realistically, how many do you think will come to a reading of yours in New York City?” 

I silently did a few calculations in my head. I knew about eight people in Manhattan, four in Brooklyn, one in Scarsdale and three in Jersey City. 

“Fifty,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. 

There was silence on the other end of the phone. 

“No, probably 75,” I stammered. “At least 75. I’m sure.” 

I thought I heard a sigh. 

“Listen, I’m no Gene Simmons. I mean, I know he slept with Diana Ross and Cher and he’s friends with all his ex-lovers, but I’ve got some friends too. I really do.”  

“Okay,” he said. “I’m just trying to get an idea of what we can expect and what kind of venue we should look for.” 

“Probably not Madison Square Garden,” I said hoping to be helpful. “Maybe a little bookstore somewhere. A really little book store,” I added. 

“All right,” he said quickly. “I’ve got a call coming in. I’ll get back to you.” 

I heard the other end of the line go dead. I went to my bookshelf and pulled out “Kiss and Make-Up.” But I couldn’t concentrate. I’m 51 years old. If I sleep with one new person a day, everyday for the next 13 years, I will have Gene Simmons’ record beat. If I sleep with at least two people per week for the next 38 years I will be 89 years old and I will still be ahead of Mr. Simmons. 

Maybe if I put on a slick stretchy jumpsuit, spread on some black and white face paint, stick out my tongue, breathe fire, spit blood and make a lot of noise I can get more than 40 people to a book signing. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I can get 55. 

Gene Simmons’ newest book, “Sex Money Kiss” is available in hardback from New Millenium Press (264 pages; $25.05). “Kiss and Make-Up” is available in paperback from Three Rivers Press (304 pagers; $14).

Berkeley City Manager Weldon Rucker stunned city workers and councilmembers Thursday when he announced his retirement—saying he wanted more time to manage himself than his “24-hour, seven-day-a-week job” could offer. 

While Rucker’s announcement sparked concerns about his health—he suffered a heart attack in 1994 and almost rejected the city manager job in 2000 to get away from the grind of City Hall—the well-liked official insisted he’s in good shape. 

“My health is OK, I just think it’s time” said Rucker, 62, a Los Angeles native who has lived in Berkeley for forty years. 

His 32-year career at City Hall will end officially Nov. 1. 

Colleagues described Rucker as the perfect fit for Berkeley. In a city fraught with disparate political divisions and entangled constituencies, Rucker won the respect of nearly every faction and steered clear of personal and political rivalries. 

“People were crying today,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “It’s hard to find someone who was so loved and had so many people committed to him.” 

Rucker worked his way up the ranks from the Young Adult Project to the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, and finally to the city manager’s office as a deputy in 1987. He served as Interim City Manager from 1993-1996 and took over the job permanently in 2000. 

Rucker assumed the role after his predecessor Jim Keene left amid council grumbling. He was picked for the post partly because, as a Berkeley veteran who understood the city’s idiosyncrasies, the council hoped he could soothe tensions and build morale in City Hall. 

“Berkeley is a unique place,” he said. “People here are committed to the democratic process, and that involves a great deal of dialogue and competing interests.” 

In dealing with City Council—which until this past year was beset by partisan bickering—Rucker’s people skills were put to the ultimate test. Instead of getting caught in the crossfire, Rucker stayed above the fray.  

“I never felt that tension,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it, it’s weird. I just tried to stay out of their politics and keep an objective perspective.” 

His straightforward problem solving style won him friends across the Council divide. 

Councilmember Linda Maio said Rucker was “like a dad.” 

Betty Olds, who often tangled with Maio and her City Council allies also praised Rucker’s style. “Weldon knew the tone of the city,” she said. “He knew how to keep it on an even keel.” 

As city manager, Rucker focused on customer service, improving efficiency so that city agencies could better serve the public. He also tried to get city officials—many of whom live outside Berkeley—face-to-face with residents. He transformed National Night Out from a purely police activity to a city-wide event in which department heads and other employees toured neighborhods to meet residents. 

“What we’ve attempted to do is energize the city,” he said. “We don’t want that stereotypic view that we’re just government workers. We want to instill a real concern about solving problems and issues.” 

Rucker acknowledged Berkeley still had problems to solve. Staff turnover remains high and the planning process is often combative. 

“Some people have a difficult time functioning here,” Rucker said. “In Berkeley fit is the X-factor. If you don’t understand how to deal with commissions and residents and Council and a union environment, it doesn’t work.” 

In the Planning Department, Rucker hopes he has found his man in Dan Marks, after a revolving door of Planning Directors left the city under fire. Rucker said he is working on bridging the divide between planners and residents to get citizen input at the beginning of the planning process instead of having the sides battle it out before City Council. 

City officials say they are not worried about life after Rucker. Like most cities in the region, Berkeley is staring at a big budget deficit next year—which Rucker estimates will be about $8-10 million—but Berkeley remains in better fiscal shape than many of its neighbors and retains a high bond rating. 

“It’s a testament to Weldon that the city can function without him,” said Worthington. “When he came in there were gaping holes that required immediate attention He brought staff together and built a much better structure.” 

City officials expect an interim city manager to be named while a nationwide search is conducted. Some Councilmembers expressed preference for another Berkeley veteran to get the post. Worthington already declared his preference for Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz, if he is interested.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 

Twilite Basketball All-Star Weekend, with games starting at 7 p.m. on Fri., and 3 p.m. on Sat. Come support Berkeley youth at the Martin Luther King Youth Services Center, 1730 Oregon St. There is no cost. 981-6678.  

International Literacy Day from 1 to 2 p.m. at the West Branch Library. Learn about programs for lifelong learning. Sponsored by the Berkeley Adult Literacy Coalition. For information call 981-6270. TDD 548-1240. www.berkeley-public.org 

Chairs That Care Twelve, one-of-a-kind celebrity decorated child-size upholstered chairs will be auctioned to benefit Habitot’s Family Outreach Program. At 7 p.m. at Casa de la Vista, Treasure Island. Cost is $100. 647-1111. www.habitot.org/oldsite_chairs1 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 

No on Recall/No on Prop 54 precinct walk, sponsored by the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club meets at 10 a.m. at the Washington School basketball court, MLK, Jr., Way and Bancroft. 548-7645. 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Preparedness for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 to 11 a.m. at 997 Cedar St., between 8th and 9th Sts. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/fire/oes or call 981-5506. 

Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival, hosted by Robert Hass, US Poet Laureate 1995-97. Poetry, music, environmental speakers, and hands-on arts & environmental activities. Co-sponsored by Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers' Market, Poetry Flash, and Ecocity Builders. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Saturday Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333.  

Water Education for Teachers, a workshop on aquatic ecosystems, water conservation, groundwater, water pollution prevention, and wastewater treatment. Includes an Activity and Curriculm Guide. Held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $45 resident, $51 non-resident. For information and registration call 636-1684. 

Solar Electricity for Your Home Now you can produce your own electricity and “sell” the excess back to PG&E, running your meter backwards! Plus you can receive thousands of rebate dollars from the State at the same time. Learn how to size, specify and design your own solar electrical generator. A short field trip to a functioning house/system in Berkeley and current catalog of available equipment are also included. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610.  

Carpentry Basics for Women An introduction to basic carpentry tools and skills for women with little or no previous hands-on experience. After a morning lecture and demonstration, you will build your own bookshelf unit. Students are asked to bring their own hand tools. From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $195, and includes materials. 525-7610. www.bldgeductr.org 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 

Community Meeting on New UC Plans at 5 p.m. at 2180 Milvia St. Help us create an effective response to UC’s new Long Range Development Plan. For information call Councilmember Kriss Worthington at 981-7170. 

Native Bees and Pollination Ecology An introduction to the basics of pollination, different bees and their life cycles and to simple things you can do to encourage these essential beings to visit your garden. At 11 a.m. at the South Berkeley Community Garden, MLK Jr. Way and Russell. 913-8097.  

Beekeeping for the Intrepid Come hear an introduction to honey bees and low-cost beekeeping. Please wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and closed shoes (the idea is to cover as much of your skin as possible). Bees associate dark colors with bear intruders, so wear light colors if you can. Also, if you have them, bring a pair of leather work gloves that cover your wrists and a mosquito net hat. From 1 to 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Community Garden, MLK Jr. Way and Russell. 843-6683.  

Berkeley Rep School of Theatre open house from 1 to 4 p.m. with free workshops, including Hip Hop, Improv and Audition Techniques. This event is free; no reservations are necessary. For more information call 647-2972. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Accessible Tools for the Internet, at 2 p.m. and Accessible Tools for Email at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 3rd Floor Electronic Classroom, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6121. TDD: 548-1240. www.infopeople.org/bpl 

Hands-on Bicycle Repair Clinic from 11 a.m. to noon, at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Tibetan Buddhism, Jack Petranker on “Preserving Ancient Wisdom: Buddhist Texts for World Peace,” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Eckhart Tolle Talks on Video Free gathering at 7:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of “The Power of Now” at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. 547-2024.  

Rabbi Michael Melchoir, former Deputy Foreign Minister and member of the Israeli Knesset speaks at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, Arch and Vine Sts. $10 donation suggested. Sponsored by Bridges to Israel-Berkeley, providing a pro-Israel voice in the East Bay. www.bridgestoisrael-berkeley.org 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8  

Walking in the Twenty-First Century: Health, Equity and Environment panel workshop, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Main Public Library, Third Floor, Shattuck and Kittredge. For information call 883-9725. 

Friends of Five Creeks meets at 7 p.m. and features speaker Paul Maheu of the East Bay Conservation Corps, who will talk about recycling urban trees. Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin. www.fivecreeks.org 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 6 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center, volunteer training, every second Monday of the month, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 5741 Telegraph Ave. To sign up call Emily at 601-4040, ext. 109. emily@wcrc.org 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 

“Four Decades of Saving the Bay,” with Sylvia McLaughlin, Co-Founder of Save the Bay, at 5:30 p.m. at 105 North Gate Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Water Resources Center Archives. 642-2666. waterarc@library.berkeley.edu 

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club meets to discuss the Recall and Prop. 54 at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 733-0996. 

Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters meets at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., near Rockridge BART. 835-6303.  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke Seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672 for information or check our web page, http://home.comcast.net/~teachme99/tildenwalkers or email teachme99@comcast.net 

“Aftermath: Unanswered Questions From 911” A film produced by the Depleted Uranium Education Project, at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. www.geocities. 

com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 525-3565. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Morris Dancing Workshop Learn the basics of an English ritual dance form that predates Shakespeare. Free. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. www.talamasca.com/berkmorris 

“Holocaust and Genocide: Entanglement of Master Concepts” with Prof. Dirk Moses, Dept. of History, University of Sydney, Australia, at 4 p.m. in 201 Moses Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Institute of European Studies. 643-2115. hsutton@uclink.berkeley.edu 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 

Circles of Hope: Pre-Emptive Peacemaking, participate in the nationwide Circles of Hope called for by Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. There will be art activities and music followed by a program of remembrance and a candlelight vigil. Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th & Broadway, Oakland (12th St/City Center BART). Sponsored by Peoples NonViolent Coalition. 839-5877. www.pnvrc.net 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Sta- 

tion, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

South Berkeley Mural Project Community members in South Berkeley are coming together to create a neighborhood mural on the side of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Ashby Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Meetings are held every Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios at 1923 Ashby Ave. For further information on ways to get involved please call 644-2204. 

Community Dances, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

Free Feldenkrais ATM Classes for adults 55 and older at 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut at Rose. For information call 848-0237.  

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. For information call 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 

Joining Voices: Community Singing for Peace and Healing at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar and Bonita Donation $8-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 525-7082.  

St. John's Prime Timers Tap Dancing class meets on Thursday mornings at 9:15 a.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church at 2717 Garber St. Gil Chun, well-known Berkeley dance teacher is the instructor. Class is free and open to anyone over 50. 527-0167. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave, for “Fish Story Night.” Grizzly Peak’s flyfishers will share thrilling tales of their summer adventures (and misadventures). 547-8629. rorlando@uclink4.berkeley.edu  

Lawyers in the Library, at 6 p.m. in the South Branch, Russell at MLK Jr. Way, 981-6260. 

ONGOING  

Vista Community College Program for Adult Education (PACE) Enrollment through Sept. 6. PACE is a college alternative for adults with job and family responsibilities. For information call 981-2864 or 981-2800 or email mclausen@peralta.cc.ca.us  

Free Smoke Detectors UC Berkeley and First Alert, Inc. have donated smoke detectors to be made available to City residents and UC Berkeley students who live off-campus. Applications for smoke detectors are available from the Environment, Health & Safety office of UC Berkeley, at any Berkeley Fire Station, or at the Fire Administration Office located at 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 981-5585.  

Free Energy Bill Payment Assistance The City of Berkeley has money to help low-income households pay their gas and electric bills. For applications contact the Energy Office at 644-8544. TDD: 981-6903. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy 

Prose Writers Workshop We're a serious but lively bunch whose focus is on issues of craft. Drop in to see if we can work together. Novices welcome. Experienced facilitator. Community sponsored - no fee. Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. For information call 524-3034. 

Lifexpressions Workshops, Free Your Innate Creativity Through Visual Journaling with facilitator Elizabeth Forrest. Thursdays, 7 to 9 p.m. beginning Sept. 11. Cost is $150, includes materials. For reservations and location, call 526-0148.  

Berkeley Youth Orchestra will hold auditions during the first week in September. To schedule an audition appointment or to request an application form please call Marion Atherton to 525-8484 or email manager@byoweb.org 

Soli Deo Gloria, a 40-voice concert choir which regularly performs throughout the Bay Area, will hold auditions on Sept. 6, or by appointment. The choir rehearses weekly in Alameda. Call 650-424-1242 or visit www.sdgloria.org 

The East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus is auditioning for new members on Sept. 8 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, at 27th St. Please call 800-706-2389 or email info@oebgmc.org to schedule an audition. 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra rehearsals for December performances of Handel’s “Messiah” begin Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at First Congrega- 

tional Church, Dana St., between Channing and Durant. All are welcome, no experience necessary. For more information call 964-0665. www.bcco.org 

Folk Dancing, a new eight week class begins Sept. 9 and meets every Tues., 7:45 - 9:45 p.m. in Live Oak Park, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Cost is $20. For information call 525-1980. www.berkeleyfolkdancers.org 

Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra rehearsals for Fall Season begin Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. and Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. at Walnut. For audition information please call 525-5393 or email info@bellamusica.org 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors, offered by Stagebridge. Wednesdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., beginning Sept. 10, and may be joined anytime. Held at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., close to BART and AC Transit. For information, call 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

Alameda County Hazardous Waste Drop-Off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 11- 13, at Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste, 2100 E. 7th St., Oakland. Take advantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of paints, auto products such as old fuel, motor oil, oil filters and batteries; household batteries, cleaners and sprays; garden products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Please do NOT bring asbestos, explosives, medical waste, computer monitors, CRTs and TVs, computers & electronic equipment. Call 1-877-STOPWASTE or visit stopwaste.org/fsrecycle. For information on what to do with other items, call 800-606-6606, email HHW@co.alameda.ca.us or visit http://householdhazwaste.org/oakland 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Sept. 8, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

City Council meets Tues., Sept. 9, at at 7 p.m. in City Council hambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Youth Commission meets Mon., Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci.ber- 

keley.ca.us/commissions/youth  

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Paul Church, 981-6342. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/homeless 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Claremont Branch, 2940 Benvenue Ave. Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruth Grimes, 981-7481. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Barbara Attard, 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/policereview 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/earlychildhoodeducation  

Community Health Commission meets Thursday, Sept. 11, at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/health

News, as of the morning of press day, is that Berkeley’s City Manager ( Weldon Rucker, known to almost everyone as Weldon) plans to retire in the very near future. This is not unexpected, since he admits to being in his early sixties, and is known to have had a few health problems in the past. It is, however, sure to be distressing news to Berkeley citizens who care about the health of the body politic.  

Weldon succeeded one of the least beloved city managers in Berkeley’s recent past, a gum-chewing goateed whippersnapper from the Sun Belt who tried to shove through a general plan draft which, if he’d gotten away with it, would have caused Berkeley to look a lot more like Tucson. Weldon, on the other hand, is a real Berkeley kind of guy. He still lives on Dohr Street, historic home of Berkeley’s African American elite. He’s come up through the ranks in city government, making friends at every step because of his genuine and frequently expressed desire to understand all points of view and to do his best to turn problems into solutions. As Deputy City Manager, he usually handled the hard cases, when mouthy citizens were mad at the bureaucracy and not shy about expressing it. As City Manager, he answers his own office number a good part of the time, and he always returns email messages promptly. Last time I checked, even his home phone number was listed in the telephone book. A cordial personal style and unfailing good manners are not the only requirements for success as City Manager, but they go a long way toward making things work as well as possible when times are tough. 

From now on, it looks like times in Berkeley are going to be even tougher. The city barely scraped through without a deficit in the last fiscal year, but current projections are looking at a potential deficit in the $4.7 million range. The new city manager will be saying “no” more often than “yes” to petitioners, it seems, and that won’t be much fun. He or she will certainly need brains, charm, patience and a thick skin, all of which Weldon has demonstrated in his tenure in the job. What else is needed might turn out to be Aladdin’s lamp, since it looks like more than one genie might be required to balance the budget next year. And the year after will probably be even worse. 

Many callers among the sizable number who called the Daily Planet to tell us about Weldon’s retirement expressed the earnest hope that his replacement would be someone who knows and understands the city as well as he does. They were decidedly unenthusiastic about the traditional national search for someone who wants to leave some other city somewhere for some reason, a methodology which had some notable failures in the nineties, both for the city of Berkeley and for the Berkeley Unified School District. The Chamber of Commerce is about to launch a “Shop Local” campaign. We should take their advice, and shop Berkeley first in the search for a new city manager. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Daily Planet.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass brings his talents to the cause of liberating Berkeley’s Strawberry Creek—the city’s premier living stream—at the Eighth Annual Watershed Poetry Festival, to be held Saturday, Sept. 6 at Civic Center Park at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Center Street. 

This unique event features a Strawberry Creek Walk, readings, dancing, music, acting, exhibits and interactive events for the entire family. 

Admission is free. 

Starting with the creek walk, participants will meet at the corner of Oxford and Center streets at 10 a.m. The public is invited to join in for a short hike up Strawberry Creek, through the UC Campus and back through downtown Berkeley, tracing the route of the creek as it tunnels beneath the heart of the city to the site of the festival. 

Berkeley’s premier watershed, Strawberry Creek flows openly from the hills through the UC campus but disappears in a culvert under most of the city as it makes its way to the Bay. The walk will focus on “daylighting” the creek, restoring the stream to the open air. 

At several points throughout the tour, featured readers will offer their insights, local poets will read from their work, and restoration advocates will discuss efforts to expose parts of the creek. At the Watershed Festival site, the creek—which runs directly beneath Civic Center Park—will be “miked,” enabling listeners to hear the stream making its own music as it meanders westward toward the Bay. 

A collaboration between Hass, Poetry Flash, the Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Market, EcoCity Builders and Save the Bay, the Watershed Festival focuses on the connection between the American literary imagination and our landscape, natural history and sense of environmental urgency—a tradition embodied in the works of such writers as Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Wallace Stegner and in the works of more contemporary scribes. 

Readings will be given by Robert Hass, Sherman Alexie, B.H. Fairchild, Sharon Doubiago, Maya Khosla, and Gray Brechin. Hass will also introduce students from River of Words and California Poets in the Schools, who will present their nature poetry. An open mike reading will take place at 12:20 p.m., and those interested in offering their own works should sign up at the Festival before noon. 

Kathryn Roszak’s Anima Mundi Dance Company will present a dance theater adaptation of Gary Snyder’s “Mountains and Rivers Without End,” combining Christopher Castle’s music and visuals with Roszak’s choreography. Roszak and Terese Hoibye will dance and actor and Oakland native Earll Kingston will perform in the role of poet Gary Snyder. Robert Hass will present student poets from River of Words and California Poets in the Schools, who will read their nature poetry. 

Off the main stage will be the “River Village,” an area set aside for interactive arts, all-ages nature activities, and literary and grassroots environmental organizations. 

Berkeley resident Mark Baldridge, chair of Poetry Flash and Watershed Festival’s volunteer director since its inception in 1996, encourages residents to come and join in the festivities. “It’s a full day of music, poetry, dance and advocacy dedicated to the nature around us and particularly to the daylighting of Strawberry Creek, a natural resource that needs to be set free,” he said. 

For more information, contact Baldridge at 526-9105 or check the Poetry Flash website: www.poetryflash.org.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 

ACCI Gallery, “Space, Time, and Temperature” Opening Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

CHILDREN 

Teddy Bear Picnic at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

FILM 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “The Marriage of Maria Braun” at 7 p.m. and “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” at 9:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gray Brechin on “At Work: The Art of California Labor,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Race Relations in America: A Candid Evening of Music and Poetry, with comics Andy Bumatai, Monica Palacios and singer Lalo Guerrero, at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for Arts. Cost is $8 adults, $5 children, available from 925-798-1300. 

Mark Morris Dance Group “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $38-$64 available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Lost Weekend at 9 p.m., with a Western swing dance lesson with David Yearsley at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $18. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

South Austin Jug Band, The Boy’ Oh’ Boys at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Cutumba, members of Santiago de Cuba’s Ballet Folklórico Cutumba in their first West Coast tour at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $16 in advance, $18 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Stung, Meat Plow at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Rebecca Riots, fresh radical folk, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Gail Dobson at 9 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Chantdown Sounds at 8 p.m. at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave. 848-8277. 

Phenomenauts, La Plebé, Third Grade Teacher, Them Apples, Here Kitty Kitty at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Seventy, original pop, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 

A New Leaf Gallery/Sculpture 

site Opening Reception for “Focus on the Figure,” an exhibition of sculpture interpretations of the human form, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 1286 Gilman St. 525-7621. www.sculpturesite.com 

CHILDREN 

Labor of Love, Family Sing-Along with Hali Hammer and Pat Wynne at 10:30 a.m. in the Com- 

munity Meeting Room, Third Floor, Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6121. 

FILM 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “Love is Colder Than Death” at 5 and 9 p.m. and “Katzelmacher” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Antero Ali: “Hysteria” and “Under a Shipwrecked Moon” Vertical Pool Productions presents this double feature with the filmmaker, voted "Best Cult Filmmaker, 2002", SF Weekly, in person, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jazzhouse. Cost is $7-$12 sliding scale, per screening. 415-846-9432. www.verticalpool.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Watershed Poetry Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Civic Center Park. There will be a pre-festival walk along Strawberry Creek with featured poets and restoration advocates beginning at 10 a.m. at Oxford and Center Sts. 526-9105. www.poetryflash.org 

The Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading, 3 to 5 p.m., West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. Free. For information, call 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

Improvised Comedy, at 8 p.m. at Cafe Eclectica 1309 Solano Ave., Albany. Cost is $5. 964-0571. www.eastbayimprov.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Trinity Chamber Concerts, with Diane Grubbe, flute, Rhonda C. Smith, clarinet, and Daniel Reiter, ‘cello at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Admission by donation, $12 general, $8 students, senoirs, disabled. No one turned away. 549-3864. 

Mark Morris Dance Group “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $38-$64 available from 642-9988.  

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

African Drum Workshop with Wade Peterson. Beginners from 10 to 11:30 a.m., experienced from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The Jazz House. Cost is $15-$25, and advance registration is encouraged. 533-5111. 

Jahi and The Life, Organic Flavor at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. The documentary “Redefinitions: The Roots and Future of Hip Hop” will be premiered. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Famous Last Words performs in a benefit for the Center for Infant Deaf at 7 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Lalo Guerrero, legendary godfather of Chicano at 2 p.m. and Téada, from Ireland, at 5 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. www.downhomemusic.com 

Blaktroniks at 8 p.m. at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $11. 848-8277. 

Yellow Wall Dub Squad, featuring Mabrak and Iworld, performs reggae, at 9:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Po’Girl and Christina Kiefer at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Ned Boynton and Friends at 9 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

House Jacks, a cappella quintet at 5 and 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freight- 

andsalvage.org 

The People and Awesome Cool Dude at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Benumb, Blown to Bits, All Shall Perish, Doppelganger, Brutal Death, A Sleeping Irony at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Niclole McRory at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 

CHILDREN 

Café Rumba, Afro-Cuban folkloric drums at 3:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568.  

www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “Katzelmacher” at 5:30 p.m. and “Gods of the Plague” at 7:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gallery Talk: Japanese Figure Style with Lynne Kimura, Aca- 

demic Liaison, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, on the creative explosion of figure styles in Edo painting, at 3 p.m. in Gallery C, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $8, free to UC staff, faculty and students. 643-6494.  

Guided Tour: Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, at 2 p.m., Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Michael Castleman reads from his new novel, “The Lost Gold of San Francisco,” at 2 p.m. at Dark Carnival, 3086 Claremont Ave. 654-7323. 

Poetry at Cody’s with Martha Ronk and Jean Day at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Lawrence R. Smith reads from his new novel, “Annie’s Soup Kitchen” at 7:30 p.m. Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mark Morris Dance Group “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato” at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $38-$64 available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Julian White, pianist, performs sonatas by Beethoven, Prokofieff, and Rachmaninoff at 4 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Admission is $20 general, $15 seniors and students, available from jmwstudio@ 

earthlink.net 

Shashamani Sound System and Jah Light Music at 10 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Duvo Band, Hungarian folk music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Crooked Jades at 4 p.m. at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $11. 848-8277. 

EarRotator CD release party at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

www.lapena.org 

Music from Scotland, England and Beyond with Allan Taylor at 7:30 p.m. Donation of $12 in advance, $15 at the door. For reservations and location email sally@greenberg.org 

The Cannons at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Fun with Finnoula at 7 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Last Word poetry reading, featuring Jesse Beagle and Lenore Weiss, author of “Public and Other Places,” at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Wendy Knight talks about “Making Connections: Mother-Daughter Travel Adventures” a new anthology, at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave, at Rose. 843-3533. 

Chuck Palahniuk continues to reinvent the horror genre in “Choke” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Gabriel Spera, whose “The Standing Wave,” won the National Poetry Series, reads at 7:30 p.m. Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Express, open mic featuring Allison Seevak, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 

FILM 

“Aftermath: Unanswered Questions From 911,” a documentary by Guerrilla News Network at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. Sponsored by Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil.html 

Alternative Visions: “In the Mirror of Maya Deren,” at 7:10 p.m. Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808.  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Minds on Fire: Conversations with UC Press Authors with art historian Sidra Stich, at 7 p.m. at 2120 Berkeley Way. 642-9828. camille.crittenden@ucpress.edu 

Louise Murphy, a Berkeley author, reads from her novel, “The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival,” set in Eastern Poland during the Nazi occupation, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Writers Workshop on promotion and publicity at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861.  

Peggy Vincent reads from her memoir, “Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Courtableu performs classic Cajun dance-hall music at 8:30 p.m., with a dance lesson with Patti Whitehurst at 8 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dayna Stephens House Jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 

FILM 

“We Are Salvadorans,” a documentary by Susan Figueroa about three Salvadorans who fled the civil war, at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation of $5-$10 requested. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: “The American Soldier” at 5:30 and 9:10 p.m. and “Gods of the Plague” at 7:10 p.m. Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808.  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tom Barbash introduces his novel of smalltown politics, “The Last Good Chance,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Café Poetry and open mic, hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jennifer and Erik Niemann will show slides and read from their book, “Chasing Summer: Exploring the World on an 18-Month Honeymoon” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave at Rose. 843-3533. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Rabbi Alan Lew, of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco, discusses “This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation,” at 7:30 p.m. Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert Songs of Devotion from the Medieval Mediterranean, Chev- 

ron Auditorium at International House, corner of Bancroft and Piedmont Aves. Admission is free. 642-4864. 

Carlos Oliveira and Brazilian Origins, acoustic Brazilian folkloric jazz, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Othello Molineaux, Trinidad’s steel drum master, at 8 p.m. p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Nicole McRory at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

Schoolhouse Rock at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 

FILM 

“The Truth and Lies of 9-11,” presented by The Robber Barons at 7 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Free. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Genetic Screenings: The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Airplane,” the spoof, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751.  

www.thelonghaul.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Melody Ermachild Chavis will discuss “Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

Aiden Hartley, reads from his novel about a father and son, both casualties of imperialism, “The Zanzibar Chest: A Story of Life, Love, and Death in Foreign Lands,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Mystery Night with authors Bruce Balfour, James Clader and Cara Black at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Guided Tour: Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m., Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Susan Birkel and Lucy Day, followed by an open mic, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. For information call 526-5985 or 205-1749.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Septiembre en la Memoria, a celebration of 30 years of the Chilean 9/11 and tribute to Orlando Letelier at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Téada, Irish traditionalists, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Newal, Afro-Arabic singer/songwriter from the Comoros Islands at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $6-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

The Skindivers, funky blues rock, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

We used to be pretty smug about our species’ ability to use tools—the dividing line, some thought, that separated humanity from the rest of the animal kingdom. But naturalists’ observations have laid that notion to rest. 

We now know about tool use by chimpanzees and orangutans, and the sea otters that crack abalone shells with rocks, and, unlikely as it might seem, a variety of birds. 

Egyptian vultures and Australian black-breasted kites use stones to crack the eggs of, respectively, ostriches and emus. The woodpecker finch of the Galapagos Islands employs a small pointed stick to extract insects from crevices. In the southeastern United States, brown-headed nuthatches use fragments of pine bark as wedges to remove more bark, under which insects are hiding. 

So, forget tool use. But surely tool making—intentionally shaping an object for some purpose—is exclusive to us and our great-ape kin? 

Sorry. 

On the South Pacific island of New Caledonia, a species of crow—a perfectly ordinary-looking black bird—has developed the ability to craft insect-probes from the leaves of pandanus trees. 

Gavin Hunt, who has spent years studying these remarkable crows, says the tools are made to a pre-set pattern, and that different populations seem to have distinctive tool traditions. Hunt isn’t prepared to say whether the crows’ tool-making behavior is learned or innate. Either way, it’s hard not to be impressed. 

It figures that if any bird had the cognitive wherewithal to make its own tools, it would be some kind of crow. Crows, ravens, and their relatives are famous for their adaptability, resourcefulness, sociality, and curiosity. As a group, they have the highest encephalization quotient—ratio of brain size to body size—among birds. (The relationship of this measurement to intelligence of some kind is indicated by the its range in mammals, from Homo sapiens and a couple of dolphin species at the high end to the opossum at the very bottom.) 

But is the New Caledonian crow uniquely gifted? According to Carolee Caffrey, a zoologist at Oklahoma State University, maybe not. Caffrey, whose primary concern now is the impact of West Nile disease on crow populations, is a keen observer of the American crow’s behavior. A few years ago she watched a crow investigating a hole in a fencepost. Unable to get its bill very far into the hole, the crow pried off a triangular piece of wood from the post. It held the wood fragment down with its feet and hammered at the tapered end with its beak, then picked the object up by the wide end and poked around in the hole with the pointed end. Caffrey says the crow was distracted by a flockmate and flew away before retrieving anything, leaving the tool behind. Comparing the fragment with the wood from which it had been removed, she saw that the tapered end had been narrowed. Later she found a sizable spider in the hole. 

Okay, it’s not a graduated socket-wrench set. But the crow’s improvised spider-pick is a remarkable enough achievement. (I keep wanting to use the word “manufacture,” which is not really appropriate for a creature that works with its beak). 

Caffrey also says she has seen American crows engaging in another behavior that could be called tool use by proxy. And it’s one that I suspect I’ve also seen among the crows that begin to gather in Hitchcockian numbers in my neighborhood around this time of year. I once saw one swoop down from its utility wire perch after a car had passed, pick up what appeared to be a cracked walnut from the street, and fly off with it. Caffrey has watched crows in Encino “land on wires above a road, drop pecans onto the pavement, and not fly down to inspect or retrieve them until a car had passed.” The inference is that the crows know what will happen to a nut when a car runs over it, and take advantage of traffic to get at the tasty contents.  

This is a topic of some controversy among students of corvids. It appears to have been first reported in 1974, by Terry Maple of the UC Davis psychology department (with walnuts as the food item), and in 1978 by two biologists apparently visiting Long Beach (palm fruit). Some years later, a team of researchers at Davis, headed by Daniel Cristol and Paul Switzer, set out to systematically study whether the local crows were using cars as nutcrackers. They logged over 25 hours of observer time in a neighborhood with walnut trees and a crow roost that housed up to 10,000 birds. Cristol and Switzer concluded that the crows were no more likely to bring walnuts to the study site or to drop nuts on the road when a car was approaching than when the road was empty. (They also noted that none of the walnuts dropped by crows were hit by any of some 200 passing cars). 

What was really going on, Cristol and Switzer decided, was that the crows were trying to crack the nuts by dropping them on the roadbed, and that the presence of the cars was just coincidental. That doesn’t require all that much cognitive flexibility. Even a seagull knows what will happen if you drop a clam onto pavement. (The Greek tragedian Aeschylus is said to have been killed when a passing vulture, mistaking his bald head for a rock, dropped a tortoise on it.) 

But I suspect Caffrey may be right. These birds are not just smart. Read, say, Bernd Heinrich on ravens, and you begin to believe they may have a twisted sense of humor. It would be just like a crow to decide to thwart the researchers: “Okay, now, just lay off the walnuts until those guys with the binoculars are gone.”

Berkeley residents sitting down for dinner Thursday had an unexpected and unnerving guest—a magnitude 3.9 earthquake centered just three miles southeast of town, eight miles directly below Cochrane Avenue in Rockridge. 

Though some anxious residents called the Berkeley Police Department, officers received no reports of injuries or damage from the temblor, which the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park recorded at 6:39 p.m.

ADULT SCHOOL MOVE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) has callously decided to ram through their move of the Berkeley Adult School (BAS) to the Franklin Elementary School Site. They have unilaterally decided to pave over the existing green playing Field in a primitive sacrifice to the God of automobiles; to add 1,700 students, with cars, to the quiet surrounding neighborhoods; to remove this campus as an elementary school forever.  

So to the BUSD I say: Keep your BAS off my Grass! 

Saul Grabia 

Member, Friends of Franklin 

• 

ANNUAL WHINING  

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your recent front page story, “Stadium Neighbors Oppose TV Lighting” and the inside story, “Memorial Stadium Controversial From the Start” (Daily Planet, Sept. 2-4) were both very interesting.  

It seems to be part and parcel of the fall UC Football season in Berkeley: the annual autumn whining about traffic, noise and light by a few local residents living near the Memorial Stadium on the UC campus, which hosts several home college football games. 

The UC Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923, some eighty years ago. Any local neighborhood bitching about traffic and congestion on Fall Football Saturday from anyone younger than 105 years of age is ridiculous: Foot traffic and car traffic were there long before any of the current local residents were even born, let alone old enough to bitch about it.  

It would seem that some of the hillside neighbors living above Memorial Stadium want to have fantastic views of the Bay Area, which is home to several million people, without having any local lights visible in the dusk or evening hours. We all have our selfish demented dreams, I suppose. However, many thousands of Cal football fans across the country will enjoy lighted night games broadcast from UC Memorial Stadium. If you don’t want to live next to a vibrant college campus, perhaps you should consider moving a few miles north to quieter digs in Albany, El Cerrito or El Sobrante. 

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

• 

STUPID AND IMMORAL  

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Is there no prominent Democrat or responsible media commentator who condemns the monumental hypocrisy of ultraconservative Republicans like David Dreier? 

Dreier is the strongest advocate of Arnold Schwarznegger for governor of California—a former muscle man and second rate actor, who had volunteered such disgusting aspects of his past as gang-banging a woman! Aside from the moral aspect of his voluntary disclosure, it reveals that Arnold is as stupid as the night for revealing this matter during an interview with a friendly reporter. He may be financially Reganesque (for which Mr. Dreier values him) but he has a bird brain that makes him unsuitable for the position to which he aspires. Democrats should not let this matter go by without taking a stand on it! 

Max Alfert 

Albany 

• 

A LETTER TO BUSH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I received a “Tax Relief For America” check in the mail a few weeks ago. Like many working people in this country, I am not thrilled about paying taxes. I am especially not thrilled when my hard-earned tax dollars fund war, prisons and repression of people in the U.S. and around the globe. What would bring “relief” is if our taxes funded domestic programs that would help alleviate the many social problems that plague our country. Relief would be to see tax dollars spent on finding solutions and prevention for poverty, substance abuse, violence and acts of hate, fear and ignorance. I, like many others, could find countless ways to spend the unplanned cash that came in the mail from the U.S. government. 

But I want you to know that I have found a way to bring some actual relief. I am turning over my child tax credit to Berkeley Schools Now! Berkeley Schools Now! is an organization that was founded this spring. We are parents of current Berkeley public school students and alumni as well as concerned citizens who are committed to raising money to support our school district in a time of budget cuts and funding shortfalls. We want to raise money as a community for all our schools and allocate funds based on student enrollment to ensure a more equitable distribution. Our goal is to support the many wonderful programs and teachers in our district and ensure their survival and growth. Each school site will determine how to best use the money they receive. Berkeley has a history of supporting schools, public libraries and many other such programs that can benefit everyone who lives here. 

I am urging people in Berkeley to donate their tax rebate to Berkeley Schools Now! so the money goes where it should have been directed in the first place: to our schools. I believe that people in this country want to see positive social programs funded by our tax dollars. As our top national leadership clearly cannot prioritize appropriately and direct resources where they are most needed, we are taking it up on ourselves to do a piece of that work. I am asking everyone who receives a “Tax Relief for America” check to share the relief with Berkeley public schools and donate their rebate to Berkeley Schools Now! We are fortunate to have the technical expertise and fiscal sponsorship of the Berkeley Public Education Foundation which has been supporting our local schools for several decades. For those not receiving a rebate, I’m urging that they donate whatever they can. Our children deserve better. 

Rebecca Herman 

Berkeley Public School parent 

Berkeley activists will take to the streets Saturday to mobilize support to defeat the recall of Governor Gray Davis following a 10 a.m. rally at Washington School, 2300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (across from Berkeley High School). 

After the rally, volunteers will divide up and hit the pavement, walking the city’s precincts to recruit voters to their cause. 

Among those scheduled to speak are Mayor Tom Bates, 14th District Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and Steve Phillips No on 54 Coalition.  

The organizations behind the rally were brought together by Andy Katz, 14th Assembly District Democratic Party chair, even before the election date had been set. Katz said he brought the groups together because he foresaw problems and knew the community had to start organizing.  

Katz, who is also working with Alameda County Against the Recall (ACAR), a county-wide coalition helping with the logistics for the rally, said that one of his principal concerns is that the election is going to cost California counties $70 million—funds better spent on much needed services such as health care and education.  

“We had a democratically elected governor that won fair and square,” said Katz. “This is the Republican party trying to reverse an election they couldn’t win on their own.”  

Another participant, Matthew Hallinan from the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, a progressive Democratic club in Berkeley, says that many people support the recall until they learn more about it. 

“There’s a shift,” explains Hallinan. “They’re finding out that this is a Republican trick.” 

Many of the groups involved aren’t enamored with Davis, but still think that the recall is undemocratic. 

“Davis at least stole the election fair and square,” explains Mal Burnstein, another member of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. 

There are differences of opinion among those organizing to support the Democrats. The Wellstone Club, for example was originally formed by a group of progressives who decided to work within the Democratic Party because they felt it was the only viable option. While strongly committed to shifting the Democrat’s agenda to the left of Davis’ positions, the club remains devoted to defeating the recall. 

Several groups in the coalition were organizing around the 2004 Presidential election when they suddenly found themselves working on the recall. 

Rally organizers also have another target: Proposition 54, initiated by University of California Regent Ward Connerly, which aims to bar state agencies from gathering racial data on Californians. 

Organizers say the measure will have devastating effects on a number of issues relating to race, and will exacerbate racial conflicts in the state. 

Other groups participating in the rally include labor unions and the East Bay Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club, whose members fear that a recall and election of a Republican Governor could derail landmark civil union legislation Davis has pledged to sign. 

Sharon Cornu from the Alameda Central Labor Council says labor is opposed to the recall because under Davis California has made strong gains, such as initiating the first paid family medical leave policy in the country. 

“We fought hard for these wins and we’re not going to go back to the stone age,” said Cornu. 

For more information on the rally, call Andy Katz at 540-5921. 

To many voting Californians, the gubernatorial recall election is being taken as a joke—an unexpected and entertaining twist to the usually boring political scene. But for me and my community, this recall is very important.  

This recall is about me, even if I can’t even register. As a 20-year-old immigrant from El Salvador who is now living in San Jose, this recall is as real as it gets. Many people are losing their jobs, students have to pay ridiculous tuition to get an education even at community college and youth-serving organizations all across California are losing funding.  

I am not a citizen of the United States, so I can’t vote. It’s frustrating to have lived in San Jose for more than 14 years, and yet I can’t play my part in electing the officials who affect my community.  

Even though I can’t vote, I am politically involved. Most of my time is spent working with my community to help out youth that come from the East Side San Jose streets where I was raised. I work with “high-risk” students, mostly Latino and Asians, at the high schools in East San Jose. These are the same schools that are going to be facing even harder times this fall given the budget cuts. In some ways I feel like I’m playing a bigger role in my community than elected officials themselves.  

That’s why this recall is my issue. All of my community work, the well-being of myself and my family, can be affected by the next governor. So I am watching the candidates and the race as more than entertainment.  

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger is an immigrant from Austria, we Latino immigrants can’t trust him. When I listen to him, he doesn’t seem to say anything that is relevant. He seems more Republican than anything else, and my people have had some bad experiences with Republican governors. Pete Wilson was our last one, and he proposed Proposition 187—the initiative which would have made it illegal for some immigrants to have access to health care and education. I was 10 years old at the time, and I can remember my dad telling me I may not be able to go to school anymore.  

Given today’s bad economic times, immigrants may again be the target if someone is looking for a scapegoat.  

If I could vote, I would vote against the recall. Even though he hasn’t done a great job, I would rather have Gray Davis as governor while there is a budget crisis than have a Republican handling the situation. Gray Davis is considering driver’s licenses for undocumented workers. Although this proposal was made to him long ago, for a Republican to bring up the issue would be virtually impossible.  

If someone must replace Davis, it should be Bustamante. He is already getting support from Latinos across California. Many Latino immigrants can relate to him because he used to work in the fields of the Central Valley. I just hope Latinos don’t vote for him simply because of his Mexican name. Here in San Jose, we learned that strategy doesn’t always work out.  

Back in 1998, Ron Gonzalez, a Mexican-American, was voted in as mayor of San Jose. I remember Latinos voting for him because he was “one of us.” Five years later, many Latinos in San Jose still work less than minimum wage jobs with no benefits, go to the worst schools in the city and are facing police brutality that got worse on Gonzalez’s watch. While Latinos hoped that we would have the support from the mayor, instead we had just another politician who did nothing to help or support the Latino people. I hope the state learns that getting a Latino politician into office does not necessarily mean a victory for the Latino people.  

Whether it be Bustamante, Gray, or even Gary Coleman, all I can do on Oct. 7 is hope that the next governor will be someone who cares about immigrants, jobs and education.  

Hector Gonzales, 20, writes for Silicon Valley De-Bug (www.siliconvalleydebug.com), a Pacific News Service publication by young workers, writers and artists in Silicon Valley.  

With her soft brown hair that falls neatly to the sides of her unblemished 19-year-old face, Monique Desindes looks so wholesomely apple pie that it’s hard to believe she is homeless. Yet there she was on Tuesday evening, squatting outside Cody’s Bookstore on Telegraph Avenue, half-eaten food and torn garbage bags strewn to her right. To her left sat Trek, an 18-year-old from Utah, wearing a spiked collar and sporting unkempt blond curls. 

Monique and Trek both arrived on Telegraph about six months ago, part of a mini-migration of nomadic youth to Berkeley—especially the Telegraph area—that has swelled the number of homeless kids in town to roughly 200, according to social service workers. 

Their presence has not gone unnoticed. Telegraph merchants and residents say more homeless kids equals lower quality of life: trash tossed on sidewalks, passerbys blocked from storefronts and harassed for spare change, increased prevalence of illegal drugs and excessive noise and rowdy behavior late into the night. 

“It has never been this bad,” said Doris Willingham, president of the Telegraph Area Association (TAA) and a 28-year neighborhood resident. “They are a deterrent for visiting the avenue. Shoppers are weirded out by these people.” 

Another neighbor who refused to give his name said that walking back to his home at Telegraph and Dwight Way has become like running a gauntlet as he is forced to weave in and out of bodies sprawled out on the street. 

When he called police about 8 p.m. one recent evening to report that youths were shooting bottle rockets, he said officers didn’t respond until three hours later. “There is a general disregard for the community here,” he said. 

To combat what some community members see as Telegraph’s slide into lawlessness, shop owners and residents are pressuring politicians and police for stepped-up enforcement. The TAA met twice with Mayor Bates last month and has urged police to beef up patrols and ticket trespassers. 

Monique and Trek don’t seem like troublemakers. They speak barely above a whisper, their words coming drawn out and slowly. They said they hadn’t witnessed many fights or rowdiness, and that, except for some police harassment, they’ve felt welcomed. 

“I like it here—the vendors, the shops. It’s way better than living with my dad,” said Monique, who makes hemp bracelets she sells from a box on the sidewalk. “We were in Fresno County and came here because we thought we might be able to get a job and there are way more shelters.” 

Berkeley has long been a prime spot on the nomadic youth trail. Along with San Francisco, the city serves as a layover for youth heading from Seattle in summer towards the Southwest for winter. While some hang out on Shattuck Avenue, Telegraph draws the biggest crowds, the kids say, because it’s closer to homeless services and the steady supply of tourists offers better panhandling opportunities. 

Berkeley’s homeless youth population has always been cyclical. The last boom was in 1999, a time merchants say was characterized by increased lawlessness. Homeless advocates and merchants acknowledge that the population has swelled again. 

“We’ve practically doubled the number of people we’re giving service to,” said Ron Kunisawa, who works at the Chaplancy Homeless Youth Drop-in Center in the basement of the University Lutheran Church at Dwight and College Avenue. 

He said the center has been servicing up to 60 youths a day this year, double last year’s numbers. He estimates that about 25 of those kids are just passing through, but the rest are sticking around. 

Homeless advocate Natalie Leimkuhler also commented on the changing face of local homeless youth. “Sometimes, masses of kids are just passing through,” she said, acknowledging that in the past some of their ranks were filled with better-off kids from the other side of the Hills “slumming it” for the summer. “But now we’re seeing more of a hard-core homeless youth population and a lot see Berkeley as their home,” she said. 

Leimkuhler works as a volunteer for Youth Emergency Assistant Hostels (YEAH), a non-profit that opened two winter shelters in Berkeley last year, one for women and the other co-ed. YEAH is part of a burgeoning non-profit effort to help the youth, but she said that despite city financial support, Berkeley still shortchanges the kids. 

“In Seattle if you’re seventeen and gay, there’s a shelter for you. If you’re 19 with a baby, there’s a shelter for you.” Berkeley offers fewer services and is only now coordinating agencies to better help youth, she said. 

In Berkeley, the drop-in center offers homeless kids a meal, a toothbrush, socks, soap and sanctuary from the streets three days a week. They partner with other agencies to provide free medical and dental care, job training, and transitional housing for eight youths at a center in West Berkeley. 

Housing is available only to those who can keep a job and stay off drugs, and Kunisawa said most balk at the offer, not realizing that when they hit 25 the special services will vanish. 

City funds for the drop-in center and the shelters weren’t harmed by budget cuts this year, but homeless advocates say the population surge has stretched resources. 

Lack of funds led Rev. Doug Merritt, executive director of the drop-in center, to cancel plans to operate a booth on Telegraph for homeless kids to sell their crafts, though he said a grant from the Berkeley Community Fund will pay for an evening program at the church this winter that he hopes will lure kids off the streets. 

A money shortage last year closed the women’s shelter after ten weeks and the co-ed shelter after five. The city contributes $15,000 to the project Leimkuhler said, but $60,000 is needed to operate both shelters for the entire winter. 

Separate shelters for youth are essential to protect them from the regular homeless population, Kunisawa said. “Kids are very scared of those guys. In a shelter, they’re like prey.”  

Several street kids acknowledged tension between homeless groups.  

Robert Publik, a relatively clean-cut panhandler in his early 20’s, said that the street youth—who call themselves “gutter punks”—are banding together to push out crack users who had been hassling them to buy their drugs. 

“The crackheads are trying to roll us,” he said. “There comes a time when gutter punks and hippie kids don’t tolerate it anymore.” 

Publik said he’s noticed more crack users on Telegraph recently and that many have come from outside Berkeley because they hear Berkeley crack is more potent.  

Berkeley Police reports don’t support Publik’s claim. Department spokesperson Mary Kusmiss refused to discount that harder drugs might be gaining a foothold on Telegraph, but said recent drug bust operations have not found crack- or cocaine dealing in the area. 

Residents associate any increase in drugs with the surge in youths on the streets. 

Willingham insists that homeless youth have exacerbated the economic slowdown on Telegraph by scaring off some customers. Andy Ross of Cody’s Books wouldn’t go that far, but he wondered if falling evening sales might be related to the youths who squat outside his shop.  

Merchants also blame the police, who they say have cut back patrols and refuse to crack down on anti-social behavior.  

An eight-officer joint city and UC Berkeley bike patrol founded in 1969 was slashed in December 2001 due to staffing shortages. Both forces suffered losses from early retirements and the need to reassign officers to more pressing beats. BPD now supplies two bike officers to complement 12 patrol officers on Telegraph. UC has one officer assigned, but she is injured and not expected back until next month. 

Neither force expects to supplement the three-officer bike patrol anytime soon. 

TAA officials say the decline of the bike control has led to the influx of nomadic youth and have asked the BPD to rigorously enforce the city’s trespassing ordinance and ticket youth who sleep on private property around Telegraph. 

The latest arrest figures show police have upped enforcement. Of the 466 arrests made on Telegraph this year, 87 were made in the past two weeks. Thirty-four of those arrests were for trespassing, according to BPD figures. 

Homeless people arrested for trespassing go to Santa Rita jail—where most spend a night and are then released for time served—but homeless advocates worry for the youth’s safety. Earlier this year, Kevin Freeman, a Telegraph Area regular, was murdered at Santa Rita by his cellmate after he was arrested on a charge of public drunkenness. 

Leimkuhler said police often hassle homeless youth, rousting them awake throughout the night. “Kids are regularly cycled out to Santa Rita,” she said. “Some go to jail pretty regularly.” 

Soda D. Spanger, 36, with his Mohawk haircut and missing tooth, seemed like the kind of guy merchants are complaining about, but he says after three years on Telegraph he hasn’t been arrested once. He refers to beat officers by their nicknames and said he wasn’t rousted as long as he followed their orders and kept his area clean. Still, as he lay sprawled out in front of La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant taking bites from a can of cat food, he didn’t give pedestrians much space. 

“People want to see punk rockers here,” he said. “They love us.” 

About a minute later he yelled at a middle age woman passing by: “Give me all your money or I’ll blow your brains out.” 

The woman shot him a stare of disgust and kept walking past. 

“Guess she didn’t think that was funny,” he said.

President Bush may not face much opposition in Congress to his plan for perpetual preemptive war, but he better watch out for the women.  

Angry over the swagger of violence coming out of the White House, disgusted by the bring-them-on itch for a fight as the solution to political problems, women around the globe are organizing in new ways.  

These gender activists are on the Internet, in the streets, packed into rooms forming more groups and pushing resolutions through the United Nations. Some are setting up an Occupation Watch Center in Baghdad, and others are building a transnational movement. They even have their first martyr in Rachel Corrie, the young American who was killed trying to stop an Israeli bulldozer from destroying Palestinian homes.  

The surge of women’s activism is happening now partly as a response to Sept. 11. That event accelerated the growth of new groups like England’s Global Women’s Strike and Central Asia’s Worldwide Sisterhood Against Terrorism and War.  

Explaining her own reaction to that trauma and the macho strut of both bin Laden and Bush, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin says, “I had feelings and fears I never had in all my years of organizing. The male aggressive voice was so very dominant. We needed to strengthen the voices opposed to that. Mobilizing women was one way to do it.” Her reaction to violent solutions is shared by Indian writer Arundhati Roy who calls bin Laden Bush’s “dark doppelganger.”  

The new organizing is more than an attack on personalities. As Jasmina Tesanovic, a member of Women in Black in Serbia, says, “My enemy is no longer a bad hero, or a politician, or a person in power, but the culture that makes such primitive people possible and empowers them.” The organizing is part of a culture war to end the love of military glory, power, dominance and hierarchy often taught as part of male traditions. New Profile, a women’s group in Israel, demands a complete reevaluation of its country’s “military consciousness.”  

To counter a male habit of imposing power and dominance in postwar periods women diplomats and non-government organizations pressured the United Nations to pass Resolution 1325, calling for women’s full participation in nation building. Now, Iraqi women are organizing to stop Bush from running their country as a Boy’s Club. They are being supported and advised by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Network of Kosovo Women, Women to Women International, PeaceWomen, and a deluge of visiting groups.  

This international alliance is aiding Iraqi women’s own efforts to protest violent rapes, honor killings and the rise of fanatics. “We fear the threat of fundamentalist religious movements which an occupying army inspires,” the Iraqi Women’s League said in a recent statement.  

The activists count on women in postwar and prewar situations to argue for political solutions to macho face-offs. They encourage them to use their social training in settling issues with words, cooperation, and even empathy for enemies.  

There are no illusions about ovaries making all women good and peaceful. Instead, Ann Snitow of the Network of East-West Women urges women to acknowledge their past complicity with men’s wars. Few expect Bush National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to give up her allegiance to traditional male stomp-and-rule values. But men who share their alternate vision are welcome in the movement.  

The women may be waging a culture war, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do down-and-dirty politics with Bush. In an incident that’s an early warning about the 2004 elections, a group of women greeted a fundraising George W. Bush in Los Angeles recently with a 40-foot pink rejection slip that read: “You’re Fired!”  

More significant is the change in young women who haven’t been voting. In a recent article in a weekly magazine on youth voting, 23-year-old Chantel Azadeh said, “The last two years have done a number on a lot of people’s minds. This election I plan on getting involved. I think it’s crucial that we get Bush out of the White House.” An MTV survey showed only 41 percent of the young are planning to vote for Bush.  

The president’s ominous mutterings about nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea are enough to keep gender activism going. Ditto the economic attack on women’s domestic needs in America and in countries that are its once and future allies. Niki Adams of London’s Global Women’s Strike is helping to organize a demand for a Women’s Budget in 24 countries where her group has members including, the United States.  

“Our slogan is ‘Invest in caring, not in killing,’” she says. Even Madonna has joined the post-9/11 resistance with her new music video “American Life” which satirizes the military superhero. Driven by dread, the women activists will continue to multiply. They are haunted by nightmare images of where the punch and counterpunch of superpower and terrorist, occupier and occupied, will lead.  

“This is a desperate moment in our history,” says playwright Karen Malpede, who only half-jokingly adds, “I guess women will have to save the world.”  

Marlene Nadle is a journalist and Associate of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research in New York.

The upcoming celebration planned for a local arts icon has Berkeley city officials scrambling to avoid a potentially embarrassing free speech controversy. 

Late last month, Acting Manager of Economic Development Thomas Myers turned down a request from the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra to hang 30 banners in the downtown area commemorating the 25th anniversary of Kent Nagano as symphony conductor. The request was made in conjunction with the Downtown Berkeley Association, and would have temporarily replaced banners currently hung by the association. 

The anniversary celebration concert is scheduled for Sept. 29. The banners would read “Berkeley thanks Kent Nagano for 25 years,” and would include a picture of Nagano and a small replica of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra logo. The symphony’s name would not appear on the banners. 

Regardless, Myers said that “an effect of the [Nagano] banner[s] [would be] to market and promote the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and Mr. Nagano,” which he said was contrary to a Berkeley city policy that “prohibits [the hanging of banners in public places] to promote private activities or organizations.” 

That brought a quick proposal from Councilmember Dona Spring to change city banner policy to allow the Nagano banners to be hung, along with a pointed note that “the City of San Francisco has a much more liberal policy with regard to banners in the public right-of-way. … [P]erhaps the City Attorney’s office can check with the City of San Francisco regarding this matter.” 

Spring did not return calls requesting a comment for this story. 

At the Sept. 2 Council Agenda Committee meeting, Mayoral Chief of Staff Cisco De Vries tried to get Spring to pull the item from the Sept. 9 agenda, saying that he had worked out an arrangement in which the banners could be hung without changing existing city policy. But Spring, who participated in the Agenda Committee meeting by telephone conference call, said she preferred to hold the issue on the agenda until an agreement had actually been reached, and the executive director of the symphony said later that while he was hopeful an arrangement could be worked out, he was not aware of the details. By mid-week, the issue had been moved to the Sept. 16 Council agenda. 

De Vries insists that a compromise is close at hand. 

“City policy says that banners can only be hung to advertise city-sponsored districts or events,” De Vries said, explaining that there is a distinct difference between an event that the city “sponsors” and one that it merely “endorses.” “The Symphony is a private organization; it’s not the city,” he continued. “But if the city were to hold an event for Nagano in conjunction with the Symphony’s celebration—say, a reception where we present a proclamation—that would constitute an official city event, and the banners could be hung.” 

Symphony Executive Director Gary Ginstling said it’s up to the city to decide what compromise would be acceptable in order to hang the banners. “If sponsoring an event is what they think is suitable, then we’ll support it. If they want to have musicians to play, we’ll provide musicians to play. If that’s what it takes for them to give permission to put the banners up, I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.” 

De Vries said that he was cautious about writing loopholes into the banner policy for specific events or organizations, warning that the practice could lead to unintended consequences. 

Such a consequence was suffered last year by the California Department of Transportation. When the department allowed American flags to be hung from freeway overpasses as a statement of patriotism following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two Santa Cruz women hung an antiwar banner reading “War. At What Cost? $200 billion. 10,000 dead.” When police had the banner removed, the two women sued in federal court where and a federal judge ruled—and the 9th Circuit concurred—that the Department of Transportation could not selectively decide which political sentiments could be hung from overpasses and which could be not. The Department of Transportation eventually had all flags and banners removed from freeway overpasses. 

A quick survey of city banner ordinances around the state showed that Berkeley’s was among the more restrictive. San Francisco allows banners for “any non-profit, cultural, promotional or civic organization located in San Francisco,” and allows logos on the banners. San Jose only requires that banners be non-political, with no private or commercial advertising. San Diego allows street banners “to promote cultural or civic events, or activities of general public interest,” and only prohibits banners that are “political or religious in subject matter” or those “used for advertising a specific product or corporate entity.” 

Los Angeles has perhaps the most liberal of all of the state’s city banner policies. Revamped in 1999, the policy allows banners for community events, charitable events, non-profit events, city events, and “public service or civic announcements or recognition of the existence of the diverse neighborhoods throughout the City of Los Angeles.”

Shannon Williams, the 37-year-old former Berkeley High School employee busted by Oakland police, plead not guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor count of soliciting prostitution. 

Williams, who was the activity coordinator for the school’s independent studies program, was arrested in Oakland Aug. 13 after police said she accepted $250 from an undercover police officer.  

She will appear in the Alameda County Superior Court again on Oct. 1 for a pretrial hearing. 

In the meantime, Williams’ lawyer, Katya Komisaruk of the Just Cause Law Collective, told the Daily Planet she is working on a defense that will challenge the credibility of one of the arresting officers and is gathering information on the other officers present at the arrest. She has asked the community to come forward with any information they might have concerning any past inappropriate behavior on the part of the lead officer. 

During her appearance Williams had support from protesters outside the courthouse who called for legalization of prostitution. Several wore leopard print negligees similar to what Williams had been wearing at the time of the arrest. 

After her hearing last week, Williams also came out in support of legalization. According to Komisaruk, Williams spoke out “because she feels she owes it to other women who are being prosecuted for this type of activity.” 

—Jakob Schiller

The parent of a Berkeley High School student died of apparent natural causes in his van parked in front of the school on Allston Way Thursday afternoon while waiting to pick up his son. The African-American man, appearing to be in his late 30s to mid-40s, was not identified to press by the Berkeley Police pending notification of next of kin. 

While police waited for Alameda County Coroner’s deputies to arrive on the scene, Berkeley High School personnel spent an anxious hour trying to locate the victim’s son before he walked up on the scene. Armed with photocopied pictures of the student, counselors, administrators, and security personnel blocked the area around Allston Way and searched the schoolgrounds. 

The student was located after the body had been removed, and was whisked away to an undisclosed location on the schoolgrounds by a protective group of school personnel. 

Witnesses said that the victim parked his van near Berkeley High’s Allston Way gate about 2 o’clock, and slumped over at the wheel shortly afterwards. A pair of young men on bicycles flagged down a passing police officer after noticing the man was not moving. 

The Alameda County Coroners Office had not issued a cause of death at press time, but a police spokesperson said there was no indication of anything other than natural causes. There were unconfirmed reports that the man was wearing a diabetes medallion around his neck at the time of his death. 

Students gathered in crowds in Civic Center Park across from the school, but school security officers kept them from congregating near the van. A Berkeley police officer covered the body with a sheet, and the victim was not visible to students exiting the school.

Where some just see an old pair of glasses, Raymond Ascher, the 59-year-old owner of Phoenix Optical, sees both beauty and opportunity.  

“I very much enjoy what I do,” Ascher said. “I get a kick out of selling frames. I love the vintage market and I love frames. I never get tired of looking at them. I’ve 14,000 pieces [in stock at his store in Berkeley] and I hungrily went through every single piece and I just look at them and compare. I just drool over a beautiful style. I say, ‘I’ll reproduce that’ or ‘I love that’ or ‘This one’s going to sell.’” 

Ascher’s first job in the family business was helping his mother assemble combination metal and plastic eyeglass frames over 54 years ago in Detroit, Michigan. His uncle, who originally opened the store in 1931, had died, leaving Ascher’s mother and aunt in charge. 

After graduating from college with a degree in chemical engineering, Ascher moved to Europe and worked as a consulting engineer and professor in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe.  

“I didn’t come back to the business until my mother passed away in 1984,” Ascher said. “I thought I’d sell the company and then go back to Europe. But I couldn’t sell it. The company was basically out of business. We were still in downtown Detroit in the same building from 1931 to 1984. It was antiquated and downtown Detroit was decimated. Then I started going through our warehouses.  

“We had warehouses in Europe, in Munich and in Oyonnax, France, and we had warehouses in Detroit. There were frames sitting in the warehouses from years and years and years back. My mother had started throwing away frames in our Detroit warehouse. There were barrels waiting to be thrown in the trash. I came in and stopped all that. We must have had somewhere between a million and two million frames between all of the locations. At that point I figured I was going to save everything, and anything else I could find to buy I’m going to buy it and keep it and put it away.” 

Hoping to keep the family business alive, Ascher opened a series of shops to sell his family’s vast collection of frames, first in the Detroit area and eventually across the country from New York to Hollywood. 

Then, in 1994, he purchased Phoenix Optical in downtown Berkeley and moved his family to Berkeley.  

“I started putting these frames out, original pieces,” Ascher recalled. “We had frames from the turn of the century up to present. Every time I put the frames out, they were gone. So I figured it was a great idea. I don’t know why I saved them before, I didn’t save them for that reason, but it kept going.  

“Any time I saw an old factory going out of business, or that someone had an old warehouse of things, they’d closed up in the ‘60s, I bought the whole thing. I bought everything they had. In Oyonnax I bought everything they had. Oyonnax is the area in France where they manufacture frames. And in Cadore in Italy which is where they manufacture frames. My friend Herbert Kerzenberger had the same idea 20 years earlier, he started buying frames. [Five years ago] we combined efforts and we had, collectively, four million frames. The combination is working very, very well between the two of us.” 

Today the Ascher family only owns two stores, Phoenix Optical in Berkeley where Ray works with his daughter Monica, 20 and his son Julian 25, and the Spectacle Shop in San Francisco, run by daughter Lori, 29. 

But the bulk of the Ascher’s business is not in selling to either Berkeley’s or San Francisco’s near- and far-sighted citizenry. He wholesales approximately 40,000 pairs of frames a year to retailers around the world, both brand new, never-used vintage frames and Ray’s own line of limited edition eyeglass frames manufactured in Europe under the name Eight Below Zero. 

In their local shops, the Aschers only sell frames from their own collection, encompassing everything from original frames from the 1890s to the now much-loved but discontinued stylings of the 1990s. 

“I have never gotten over my passion for the love of frames which started as a young child. My sister was the same way. We were raised that way. I’ll never lose that passion. No matter what happens I’ll stay involved.”

Prostitution Busts 

A team of Berkeley patrol officers conducted an undercover prostitution sting early Wednesday morning, arresting four women along San Pablo Avenue. Two male officers posing as “johns” scoped San Pablo south of Dwight Way between 5 and 6 a.m., arresting Roberta Leflow, 40, of Oakland, Carolyn Wilson, 40, of Berkeley, Mary Hamilton, 20, of Oakland, and Sheila Nuzzo, 45, of Berkeley, on prostitution changes. The sting came in response to complaints by neighbors of rampant prostitution in the area. 

Robbery in the Park 

Four youths jumped a UC student riding his bike through Cedar Rose Park Tuesday around 9 p.m. According to police, a man and a woman materialized “out of nowhere” and blocked his path. When he tried to skirt them, two other males emerged behind him, one grabbing his waist and pulling him off his bike. One of the men told him that they’d hurt him if he didn’t surrender his wallet, and the women demanded his cell phone. Told that he didn’t have one, she searched his pockets and took his keys and wallet. They grabbed the cash from the wallet and raced from the park laughing.  

Hot Prowl Burglary 

Police arrested a Berkeley man on charges of burglarizing three homes. According to police, a resident of the 2600 block of Russell Street came home Tuesday afternoon to find the pins removed from the hinges of his basement door, which had fallen into a storage area. When the homeowner went to investigate, the burglar lunged from a crouching position and raced past him out the door with the homeowner in hot pursuit. The chase went east on Russell and then north on College Avenue, where the homoeowner borrowed a cell phone from a pedestrian and called police. BPD officers arrested Daniel Kiehn, 21, who they found hiding behind the house at 2819 Benvenue Ave. with the two hinge pins in his pocket as well as items reported stolen from two other Berkeley homes that morning.

Proposition 54, the ballot measure proponents claim would lead to a colorblind society, poses serious dangers to the physical and social health of Californians, contend local opponents of the controversial ballot proposition. 

Initiated by University of California Regent Ward Connerly, Prop. 54 would bar “state [and] local governments from using race, ethnicity, color or national origin to classify current or prospective students, contractors, or employees in public education, contracting or employment operations.” 

While Connerly and his supporters say they hope the measure will help solve some of America’s racial tensions, Berkeley opponents—including students, community groups, environmental groups, and health officials, among others—say that it is only going to make things worse. 

They note with particular alarm that Proposition 54 prohibits collection of data health officials use to track information on diseases that affect certain ethnic groups in varying ways. 

Nunu Kidani, a member of the Oakland-based African-American State of Emergency HIV-AIDS Task Force, points out that while only seven percent of Alameda County’s population is African-American, a whopping 44 percent of the people living with HIV and dying of AIDS belong to the African-American community. 

“[Proposition 54] defies complete logic,” said Kidani. “The most marginalized communities are not getting the help they need now and the proposition is only going to continue to impact those communities that are most vulnerable.” 

Without racial data, Kidani explains, nobody would see that a disproportionate number of African-Americans are being infected, eliminating the possibility of special programs targeted at those most in need of help. 

Kidani says AIDS programs in Alameda county receive $14 million, with $11 million of that total coming from the federal government. Without the relevant ethnic data, Kidani wonders how long the programs can survive. 

Proposition 54 also threatens a wide range of education programs, said Peter Gee, a UC Berkeley student and a senator for UC Berkeley’s student government. The ballot measure would prevent collection of data used to monitor disparities in admissions and student enrollment and to monitor things like hate crimes on campus, he said 

Gee, who helped form the Stop Prop. 54 Coalition, has joined with other students to campaign against the measure on campus. 

“We’re organizing because we’re going to be the ones who have to deal with it,” said Gee. 

The Berkeley Unified School District’s Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to oppose Proposition 54. Board Student Director Bradley Johnson said passage of the initiative would “hide both the horrors and the wonders of what we're doing in regard to race.” Other board members expressed concern that the initiative would cripple the district's ability to measure the educational progress of students of various races.  

The Sierra Club has signed on to the fight because the ballot measure could wipe out data that is used to fight environmental racism and to expose the targeting of communities of color for dangerous environmental projects. 

“Communities of Color [in the Bay Area] are constantly being unfairly burdened by freeways and power plants,” said Mike Daley, the Chapter Conservancy Director for the Bay Area Sierra Club. 

Daley says that minority communities in West Oakland were devastated during the installation of the freeways in the East Bay.  

“They certainly didn’t build the freeway through the hills where the rich white people live,” said Daley. 

Groups fighting the proposition are supporting a rally and precinct walk this Saturday in Berkeley, starting in front of the Washington School on Martin Luther King Avenue. The event also addresses the recall election and a number of Berkeley elected officials have promised to attend. 

Other racial initiatives that have started in California, such as Connerly’s anti-Affirmative Action measure, have spread to other states, causing organizers to worry that the same will happen with Proposition 54. 

“California has often been a testing ground. If it works, they export it,” said Frances Beale, an Oakland resident who belongs to the Black Radical Congress, a national coalition that organizes around issues in the African-American community. 

Beale says that in addition to negative effects Connerly’s proposition will have on health and education, negative political implications abound. 

“By wiping out the collection of data, it’s saying we don’t want to know if racism exists,” said Beale. “We don’t want to know about it and we don’t want to deal with it.” 

Jesse Douglas Allen-Taylor contributed to this report.

Morrill Folsom’s a survivor. Just ask any shopowner on Telegraph Avenue, where he’s been doing business longer than anyone else he knows. Specializing in Asian and Renaissance art, antiques and jewelry, Folsom’s House of Kuan Yin on Telegraph Avenue has been around for 45 years. 

On a street where businesses come and go as quickly as passing fads, he has done an amazing job of maintaining his shop’s unique character. It’s a pillar of regularity; what one customer recently described as “the last bastion of civilization on Telegraph.” 

Like his shop, the 83-year-old proprietor is an anomaly of sorts. 

A customer walking into the store steps into a time machine, a setting more in tune with the slower pace of the 1950’s than the 21st Century’s warp-speed techno furor. Classical music hums in the background, the light is dim, and the nose catches that old vaguely dusty scent of an antique shop. 

It’s easy to forget the hustle of Telegraph outside as you browse the eclectic collection of art and antique pieces, some dating back to the late 17th century.  

When Folsom started working at the store as a graduate student, the inventory consisted mainly of limited editions, out of print books and fine graphics. When he bought it soon afterwards, he began importing more art, mostly Italian prints. He also started mounting the prints, slowly phasing out the books. Because of the high demand, Folsom branched out into Asian art, importing the pieces directly. 

The result is a unique blend, where statuettes of the Virgin Mary repose alongside figurines of the Buddha inside the sparkling display cases. 

Folsom named the shop because he specializes in statues of Kuan Yin, revered by Buddhists as a female Bodhisattva, a Buddha in the making. Often compared to the Virgin Mary, she is revered as a spirit of compassion who has renounced Buddhahood until all suffering in the world has ended. 

A Denver native, Folsom developed his taste for foreign cultures during his three years overseas during World War II as a solider in the Army’s Mountain Artillery in Northern Italy and Southern France, the division known as the “Mule Skinners” because they used the animals to transport their equipment. 

He fell in love with the art and history of Italy, the country he describes “as culturally the richest in the world.” His original partner in the store came from Florence and their connection was the catalyst that helped him begin importing Italian prints. He estimates that he has traveled back and forth to Europe around 14 times. 

Young and vibrant in an old photo on display in the store, Folsom still has a youthful air about him. He is phasing himself out of the store—“retiring slowly” as he puts it—but he still makes regular appearances from his living quarters just upstairs. 

At the age of 83, he is full of kick, and while he now relies on a walker, he’s always smiling and given to bright pink shirts and a sun hat.  

He’s also full of stories. Two that stand out come from his war experiences. 

As the Third Reich collapsed, Folsom found himself in Southern Bavaria where he became one of the first Allied soldiers to enter Hitler’s inner sanctum, the Berghof, overlooking Salzburg. He still has two small plates that he took from the house in his private collection. 

His military career also brought him to Paris, where the Army selected him to attend the Sorbornne University in Paris for a semester—giving him the chance to rub elbows with famous artists such as Pablo Picasso and revered intellectuals including Gertrude Stein. 

You could also call him a historian of sorts. After nearly half a century on Telegraph, he has witnessed a lot of changes. He remembers when the street was traversed by a trolley car, and the feverish days of the 1960s when police shot out his windows during the era of the Free Speech Movement. 

Most shop owners on his block were sympathetic to the movement, Folsom said. “We all realized how important these issues were to that generation. Most everyone on this block was supportive.” 

In many ways though, Folsom says that Telegraph has always been the same, with bookstores, record stores and restaurants occupying most of the shop space. The names have changed, but the products have remained the same. 

Like the shop’s collection, the crowd that wanders in from Telegraph is diverse. Folsom and David Murray, a shop employee, say many customers are drawn to the store because they have a specific interest in Asian or Renaissance art. 

Unfortunately there is also a sense that things are changing, evident in the store’s shrine to Folsom’s old partner, who recently passed away. It’s the same picture where Folsom himself looks so youthful. 

Time has taken its toll and it feels like the rest of Telegraph is just waiting to pounce on the open space, and bring it up to speed, make it more conventional. Until then however, the shop will remain a refuge. A taste of the past and a place to escape from the present.

Last week’s column about my less than stellar experiences as a new graduate student at San Francisco State prompted e-mails from people recalling their own frustrations. 

It turns out that long lines, lack of seats and closed classes is just the beginning. 

Julie Lindow wrote, “I hate to tell you this but your tragic story about SF State is old news to ye alumni. Budget cuts or budget blooms, it’s State’s usual mode of operation. I spent seven years dealing with that level of Kafka insanity.”  

Someone else said, “Be patient. State schools seem to hire the same people who get jobs at welfare offices and DMVs. Their goal is not to educate you, but to survive each day, and the way they do that easiest is to ignore you, especially when you need them the most.” 

Doug Konecky had this to say: “Welcome to my sort of ex-Alma Mater. I went to State as a student in International Relations, specializing in Avoiding the Draft. They only gave us one year grad school deferment back then, so when the deferment ran out, I ran out. It was 1968 and I remember the Panthers with their chains and baseball bats and my professor throwing battery acid on typewriters in the admissions’ office and how we all got As even though we never went to class because there never was any class because classes were always suspended while they cleaned up the piles of rubble caused by the radical professors.” 

Well, with the way things are going, like Doug, I may never attend class. And I won’t be getting As unless they suspend school and start throwing battery acid around. That’s because I can’t get into the workshops I’m required to take in order to get a grade of any kind. 

It seems ridiculous that State would accept thirty new MFA students into the program and not have enough class space, but the truth is there are new students who have not gotten into a single graduate course. I am one of the lucky ones. I’m in three classes, none of them my first or second choice, but at least I’ll be receiving the proper credits and I didn’t quit a job or move here from somewhere far away like some of my less fortunate comrades. 

Last week I attended a Graduate School Creative Writing Department orientation where we were welcomed into the program and told what to expect. 

In a room that was bursting with new, enthusiastic students, there was once again not enough places in which to sit down. 

Each professor introduced him or herself and then most proceeded to apologize for the lack of space in their classes. They recommended that we talk to the instructors of undergraduate courses to see if they would allow us into their classrooms and help us develop extra credit projects that we could count toward graduate school. They suggested independent studies and believe it or not, enrolling in another school and transferring those credits to State. 

Too bad we would have to pay for those credits in addition to tuition for State but at least we would be moving forward. 

“Don’t worry,” they said. “It will get easier next semester after people drop out and you get the hang of what you have to do in order to get classes.” 

Then one of the professors added, “We want you to know that you are very special. Over 475 people applied for this program and, as you can see, most of them were turned away. You were accepted because we thought you were the best.” 

He could have added that he was sorry that even though we were special he couldn’t provide some of us with a chair, but maybe that was just too obvious. 

Actually, I felt kind of exceptional leaning against the wall, holding up the back corner of the room. 

Maybe, I thought, that’s why State so eagerly took my tuition check and cashed it. Somehow they knew I’d be extraordinarily good at propping up the building.  

Saddled with $410 million in state cuts this year, the University of California took an unprecedented cost-cutting measure Tuesday, rejecting out-of-hand transfer applications from about 1,600 students for the winter semester. 

“We have tried to find other ways of coping with the budget cuts, but we have reached a point where the educational experience at the University of California will be severely compromised if we continue to grow without funding to support new students,” said UC President Richard C. Atkinson in a statement. “We know our applicants have worked very hard to be eligible to attend UC, and they deserve to attend UC. We deeply regret having to delay their plans.” 

Nearly all of the students affected attend state community colleges which have traditionally served as a pipeline to four-year campuses. 

This fall UC admitted a record 14,665 community college students, 7.6 percent more than in 2002—marking the fifth straight year UC schools have bumped up the number of junior college transfers. Since the state budget did not designate money for scheduled enrollment growth next year, UC decided to sacrifice the transfers in order to preserve academic quality. 

About 500 students with transfer guarantees authorized by their junior colleges and a UC School were not affected by the move. UC will refund the rest their $40 application fee. They have not been granted first access for fall enrollment. 

Several university centers refunded hundreds of applications, but UC Berkeley—which accepted all of its 322 transfers in the fall—was not affected. 

Hardest hit were UC Riverside, which refunded 848 applicants; UC Irvine, 710; UC Santa Cruz, 687 and UC Santa Barbara, 574. 

Manuel Alcala, Transfer Director at Laney College in Oakland, said he hadn’t gauged the fallout from Tuesday’s decision, but he was sure several Laney students were affected and will now be in academic limbo until the fall.  

“People aren’t yelling yet, but they will be,” he said. He said the college has seen a growing number of students transfer to private schools or state schools outside California as UC schools cut enrollment growth and raise fees. 

UC officials warned that Tuesday’s move could be a harbinger of more cuts to come. The Board of Regents will discuss freezing 2004-2005 enrollments at this year’s level, effectively stalling its mandate to increase enrollment by 60,000 by the end of the decade. 

UC Berkeley was slated to add 4,000 students as part of Tidal Wave II, enacted in 1997 to reflect the state’s growing population. University officials said they have already absorbed 3,000 students and that given budgetary concerns, the final thousand wouldn’t be admitted until later in the decade. 

“Given the present indication we are looking at very limited or no growth for the next few years,” said UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor for Admissions Richard Black.

Berkeley Police have released sketches of one of two men sought in the attempted rape of a woman on Aug. 9 in the 1900 block of Addision Street. 

The two grabbed the woman shortly before 10 p.m. as she was walking to meet friends at a nearby cafe. Threatening violence, the two attempted to rape the woman, who successfully fought off her assailants and fled. 

The first suspect is identified as a pale white male aged 22 to 25, about 5’8” tall and weighing approximately 110 pounds. Dressed all in black and wearing heavy “goth” makeup, he sported an earring. Police have released sketches of the man as he might appear with makeup and without.  

The second suspect was a heavily built, deep-voiced male of indeterminate race who stands about 6’2” tall. 

Anyone recognizing one of the suspects is requested to call Detective Keith DeBlasi of the Berkeley Police Sex Crimes Detail at 981-5735.

Opposition to Ward Connerly’s Proposition 54—the “color conscious” initiative—has centered around what opponents call its “hidden agenda.” Prop 54, they say, is the unholy companion to Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative that gutted California’s affirmative action programs. Prop 209 made it more difficult to operate programs in California to counter discrimination against African-Americans and Latinos. In preventing the government from collecting race-based data, the argument continues, Prop 54 would cover up the effects of continuing anti-black and anti-brown discrimination. First the stab in the neck by the assassin’s stiletto. Then the assistant comes to sop up the blood and destroy any evidence of a crime.  

All of that may be true. But actually, it’s the unhidden agenda of Prop. 54 that worries me the most.  

“We are a multi-racial society that defies box-checking,” Mr. Connerly said two years ago in announcing the beginning of the Prop 54 petition campaign, the “boxes” referring to those little squares on forms we fill out, now and then, to designate our race or ethnicity. “The goal of [Prop 54] is to move us beyond the box and closer to a colorblind society. The government should respect our privacy and not collect such personal information, especially since our state constitution no longer allows discrimination or preferences based on an arbitrary social construct such as ‘race.’ Race classifications have never helped anyone. … It’s time California learned this history lesson, and became truly colorblind.” 

The problem is, I don’t think it’s possible for human beings to be colorblind. And if some great god came by offering that as a “gift” to humanity, for myself, I’d pass up the opportunity.  

As far as I can tell from my limited studies and readings, from the very beginnings of our existence it has been in the nature of humans to gather ourselves into small, distinct groups. At first, in the days when we first walked the African savannahs, you couldn’t make out an overall physical difference between these little bands of survivors. If you scrambled the bones of various groups from those early days, an anthropologist would find it impossible to put them all back beside the right campfire. This was before our wanderings into new environments colored our skins, broadened or narrowed our noses, retextured our hair, and generally shaped our bodies into the broad categories we call “race.” And yet, early on, with no physical distinction yet formed, we seem to have developed the habit of creating group distinctions among ourselves.  

Part of this human drive for distinction is of the “us against them” category—the “my clan must survive by controlling the water hole and driving every other clan away” category—that type of visceral, antagonistic, hate-filled distinction from which all religious and racial intolerance has flowed: the Holocaust, the Maafa (the displacement of Africans through the slave trade), the tribal butcherings that have swept every continent, the witch hunts, the Inquisition, and all the world’s holy wars. It is a fear of difference.  

But part of the human drive to divide ourselves into smaller categories comes not because we seek to deny the humanity of those outside our group, but because we can only begin to grasp the enormity of our human connection in small doses. How many people live in the world today? Six billion? Try spending a second—a pitifully inadequate period of time—just looking at the face of each person on earth. If you did that your entire life, and that’s all you did, and your life took up 80 years, at the end of it you’d have only looked at two-and-a-half-billion faces.  

Or take a more horrific example.  

Without looking it up on the Internet, I couldn’t tell you the number of people who died in the attack on the World Trade Towers on Sept. 11. The number wouldn’t mean anything to me, if I could remember it. What is most painful to me about that day—what resonates most in my mind—is the picture of a single individual jumping out of one of the topmost floors, arms flailing, endlessly descending to a certain death. He knew he was going to die in the jump, yet he preferred to jump rather than burn to death in his office. Understanding that single moment of horror allows me a small inroad into the overwhelming, unimaginable horror of that day.  

And that was only one day in thousands and thousands of days of horror on this planet.  

We understand humanity, first, in small doses, and from that which is closest to us. Something strikes a baby, and he experiences pain. At some point, he learns that if he strikes or scratches someone else, their experience will be similar. It is the beginning of empathic consciousness, the understanding that makes all human society possible.  

Consciousness of ourselves, consciousness of our family, consciousness of our clan and tribe, consciousness of our race—these are all paths along the way towards consciousness of our common humanity. The problem is not in the path, I think, but how far we walk it, and what we do along the way.  

To make ourselves colorblind, I think, would be to do away with what allows us to see. I think you’re wrong on this one, Mr. Connerly.

Heaven forfend! UC Berkeley beaten by the California Community Colleges? And for activism, no less! 

Mother Jones Magazine, that bastion of Leftist print, ranked the University of California in ninth place in its annual listing of the most activist college campuses, seven places behind the California Community Colleges. 

First place honors went to the University of Tehran, honored by the magazine for “unflinching dissent in a nation where speaking out can lead to imprisonment or worse.” 

The Iranian students staged massive protests after a popular history professor was sentenced to death for challenging the exclusive right of sanctioned clerics to interpret Islamic scripture—forcing the state to commute the sentence to 74 lashes and an eight-year prison term. 

California community colleges were honored for marching 10,000-strong on Sacramento and 4,000-strong on Los Angeles last March following massive budget cuts and tuition hikes. 

While Berkeley ranked next-to-last in the top ten—honored for the protest of 1,500 students after the outbreak of the war on Iraq—it was the school’s fourth appearance on the list, topped only by the University of Michigan, whose fifth-place ranking (for pro-Affirmative Action protests and demonstrations against Attorney General John Ashcroft’s war on online bong sales) heralded the school’s fifth appearance on the MoJo honor roll. 

The full list appears in the magazine’s September/October issue and online at: http://motherjones.com/news/outfront/2003/36/ma_508_01.html

The first step in a proposed plan to shift half of Berkeley High students into small school programs came Wednesday as the city school board unanimously bestowed formal small school designation on the already existing Communication Arts and Sciences program at the high school. 

Matt Huxley, the newly appointed Vice Principal in charge of overseeing the small school program, said the new school “models the process and serves as an example so that other schools can be established,” said Huxley. 

The school board originally approved the plan to shift Berkeley High students into small schools in June of this year, mandating the shift of at least 50 percent of students by the 2005-2006 school year. 

Currently Berkeley High has a number of small learning communities that model the same ideas as a small school. 

Coming off a period where Berkeley High saw several top administrators come and go, Huxley is excited about moving forward on the small schools program. 

“Small schools aren’t for everyone,” said Huxley. “But they do create a more personal learning environment.” 

Huxley said the programs offer a unique ability to meet student’s needs outside of academics, something that sometimes isn’t addressed at larger schools. He says that beyond academics, small schools can address the students’ social and emotional needs through more personal attention from teachers and more personal interaction among the students in each school. 

Communications Arts and Sciences was initially developed in 1997—so for those working on the project, the school board’s vote means a large step in the shift towards these new learning programs. 

No definitive plans are laid out for the development of other small schools but Huxley says that those involved are planning a retreat sometime during the fall to address the future of the program. For now, Huxley, Ayers and everyone else involved will be working to develop the administrative structure for the first small school.

Continuing labor troubles at a non-profit Berkeley program that provides housing, health care, education and legal aid for the homeless reached a new level of intensity this week after the agency notified staff that their paychecks would be delayed up to five days because of cash flow problems. 

According to Lisa Stephens, union shop steward at Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), members of California Professional Employees Local 2345 received letters Tuesday announcing the pay delay—the second such delay in recent months, she said. 

Christopher Graeber, union business representative for BOSS workers, said that as a result, the union will file a formal complaint with the California Division of Labor Standards. 

In July Stephens’ union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, charging that BOSS breached their contact by unilaterally imposing a wage freeze and increasing worker copayments under their health care plan. 

Approximately 100 workers are covered under the contract, according to Graeber.

Now that two years have passed since the numbers 9/11 burned themselves into the American consciousness, many in Berkeley feel that the time has come to take a different approach in commemorating the events of that awful day. 

While the city government will be conducting a ceremony at the Civic Center, the tone and size of other events throughout Berkeley have changed in favor of new interpretations that in some instances are more personal, and in others more political. 

David Orth, Deputy Chief for the Berkeley Fire Department, said that instead of organizing a larger, formal event that would involve the entire department, city fire stations will each hold their own individual remembrances. 

“The desire is for the event to be more private,” said Orth, who struggled as he tried to explain the complexity of a situation where, on one hand, no one is ready to forget about the events of Sept. 11, but at the same time many don’t feel the need to relive or commemorate the events with the same intensity. 

People want “to both remember and not forget, but at the same time begin to move on,” he said. 

Orth, along with other members of the city fire and police departments, will join in the commemorative ringing of the Peace Bell in front of Berkeley’s Civic Hall at noon on Thursday. The bell, made of recycled hand guns, was created by Berkeley artist Bruce Hanson and was bought by the City of Berkeley in 2000. 

Others are using the second anniversary in more frankly political ways. 

Interpretations and analysis abounded in Berkeley after the terrorist attacks, but many respected the one-year anniversary as a time to remember instead of project. This year, however, they’ve harnessed the day as a way to reiterate their concerns. 

The La Pena Cultural Center is sponsoring an event called “Septiembre en la Memoria, 30 years of the Chilean 9/11,” appropriate since the Center was formed after the Chilean coup lead by the Agosto Pinochet destroyed the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973, giving the day a rather different meaning. 

“We believe that Sept. 11 is 30 years old,” explains Fernando Torres, publicity coordinator for La Pena and a Chilean political prisoner who spent a year in jail after the coup. 

Torres and La Pena Director Paul Chin said that evidence establishes that the United States under Nixon and Henry Kissinger played a large role in backing Pinochet’s coup to oust Allende, contributing to what they see as a terrorist attack in its own right. 

“We [in Chile] have our own bin Laden,” said Torres. “His name is Henry Kissinger.” 

Pinochet’s dictatorial regime killed large numbers of the “disappeared,” and the ailing Pinochet was later indicted by a Spanish judge for human rights crimes. 

The event at the cultural center is also meant to remember Orlando Letelier, an exiled Chilean diplomat who on Sept. 21, 1976 was executed by a team of Chileans, a CIA agent and Cuban exiles. 

Letelier was an outspoken critic of the U.S.-backed coup and his murder has been labeled as an act of state-sponsored terrorism. Letelier’s son Francisco and well known political writer Michael Parenti will appear at the center’s commemoration event. 

A series of films will be shown throughout town including a new release called “September 11” which will be at Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas Sept. 12-18. Produced in France, the film consists of 11 segments from all around the world including one directed by actor Sean Penn. 

The film has generated both rave reviews and considerable controversy. Ed Arentz of Empire Pictures, the company that released the film in the U.S., said that the film was created because 9/11 had global implications, calling for commentary from those outside the U.S. 

“It’s a way to enter into a kind of dialogue with the rest of the world,” said Arentz. 

The film breaks cinematic ground, explains John Scheide, the producer for the American segment. Originally each director was given the same amount of money, 400,000 Euros, and the same amount of screen time, 11 minutes. Some produced documentary pieces like Loach and others created fictional narratives.  

“Whether they disagree or agree with what they see,” said Scheide, “they are certainly going to get a true piece of cinema.”  

Other films offered locally include “Aftermath: Unanswered Questions from 911” at the Berkeley Public Library on Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m., “The Truth and Lies of 9-11” at Ashkenaz on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m., and “Chile: Promises of Freedom,” at the La Pena cultural center on Sept.12 at 7 p.m. 

For those who still feel the need to express themselves, Singing for Peace, a group that formed after Sept. 11 to “sing out our grief for the dead in both New York City and Afghanistan,” is hosting “Joining Voices: Community Singing for Peace and Healing” at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists at Cedar Street and Bonita Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on the 11th. 

For more information about any of these events please see the Arts and Events calendar in this issue.

Reviewing Impact Theatre’s inaugural production at La Val’s Subterranean Theater is a little like trying to pin down a Baskin Robbins menu: Which tastes better: Chocolate Mint? Or maybe Strawberry Wonderful? 

This eager young company is baptizing their new-to-them—and first stable—quarters with their sixth annual program of what they dub “Briefs.” This time, for no decipherable reason, the program is called “Shock and Awe.” 

Since the ten playlets from twelve different playwrights bounce happily from one delightful absurdity to another, the tongue-in-cheek title should probably be summed up as “Why not?” Nothing else would make any sense, either. 

But the production isn’t about “making sense.” It’s about making fun. Perhaps surprisingly, these are not “message” entertainments. Impact Theatre is flagrantly youthful and energetic, deliberately targeting an audience of 18 to 35-year-olds. 

They’re also aggressively looking for new plays and new playwrights. At least in this production, they show no signs of the belligerent idealism that often comes with that package. 

Further, they don’t seem to have any particular guards at the door requiring ID cards. This could be valuable information since it is remotely possible that people over 35 can grasp and even enjoy light hearted satire about sex, drugs and politics, and whatever else happened to hit the playwrights’ minds. (No rock and roll here. The music is limited to a couple of amusing songs by the talented guitarist/composer Steven Klems). 

Klems, alas, is the only performer who can be mentioned by name, since the actors aren’t identified by their roles. They can’t be, since they bounce around so quickly from one to another—demonstrating an extraordinary level of talent. 

Their versatility is little short of awesome—but consistently funny, mind you, funny. 

One actor, for example, appears as a particularly slimy quiz show host, and minutes later is completely believable as a child-like character from “Lord of the Rings.” And then there’s the guy who plays President Bush... 

That playlet alone would justify the cost of a ticket. 

Speaking of which, the company has no illusions about the finances of their target audience in an area dominated by a student population. They’re committed to keeping their tickets comparable to the price of a movie. 

It’s a noble cause, even if they do find themselves pleading for alms from time to time.  

Perhaps one of the things that is most startling about this collection of theatrical bubbles is that the individual little plays are so fully developed. As brief as they are, almost all of them leave a sense of completion; you have seen a beginning, a middle, and an end. 

Equally so, the fact that they are selected from different authors, rather than being a display of works by an individual playwright, provides a variety of tone and style, as well as subject matter. The evening’s experience is far from that of having been jerked around from one playwright’s sensibility to another. It’s pleasant.  

It’s rather nice to go away from a theater having been entertained, not propagandized. 

Impact has a curious hook which presumably can bring an audience back to more than one performance, just out of curiosity. (And it’s nice to report that it’s possible to do that and still be amused all the way through—the actors are worth seeing more than one time). 

Eight of the playlets shown nightly remain the same, while the other two are alternated from one evening to the next. 

The advertisements can give guidance for the deeply committed.

Berkeley merchants, fighting tooth and nail to survive tough economic times, say it’s time for the city to give them a fair shake. 

“We have small businesses in Berkeley saying they can’t get city contracts,” said Lisa Bullwinkel, executive director of Solano Avenue Associates, a North Berkeley business alliance. 

Bullwinkel has teamed up with other city business districts to pressure the city to follow its own law that requires it to buy local when Berkeley businesses can do the job for less than five percent more than an outside vendor. 

The business districts first united to lobby Berkeley’s 10 biggest employers to buy from Berkeley merchants, but Bullwinkel said they decided they couldn’t urge private companies to buy local while the city continued to spurn its merchants. 

City officials acknowledge that the Buy Local Ordinance was not well known among the employees who actually make the purchases, and that most departments bought office items from national chains. 

Moreover, Berkeley participates in a regional purchasing consortium of cities that steers most office supplies sales to Office Depot and all computer sales to Dell. 

The consortium is a sore spot for local retailers because they never had a chance to compete for the business. Prices are fixed by Los Angeles County, which negotiated the Office Depot deal and then offered the same prices to other cities. Because L.A. officials demanded any contractor be able to deliver goods next day to Los Angeles, Berkeley merchants, like the office supply store Radston’s Office Plus, say they never had a chance. 

Buying local could have important consequences for local shops that sell books, office supplies and computers, said Dave Fogerty of the city’s Office of Economic Development, but the city benefits as well. 

One penny from every dollar of sales tax revenue collected by a Berkeley merchant goes into the city’s general fund. Sales tax revenues comprise about $13 million of the city’s roughly $200 budget—the city’s second biggest source of revenue after property taxes. Sales tax revenues have dropped steadily every fiscal quarter since the end of 2000, exacerbating the city’s budget shortfall. 

Cody’s Bookstore owner Andy Ross calculated the percentage of revenue his shop pumped back into Berkeley. He found that for every $10 spent, $4.97 went back into the Berkeley economy in the form of taxes, wages, purchases and charitable donations. 

Office Depot has a Berkeley branch, so the city does recoup sales tax on purchases with the chain, but online retailers such as Dell evade state sales tax—so not only do they have an advantage over local computer sellers who must charge 8.25 percent on every sale, but the city also gets no tax revenue back for its computer purchases. 

Berkeley officials have promised merchants they will seek out local bids, but caution that for many items the regional consortium offers “phenomenal” prices. 

Tom Myers, Acting Manager of Economic Development, said the city’s strategy would be to find items that the consortium doesn’t discount and offer those bids to local merchants. 

“We have to strike a balance between keeping costs down and making sure the city gets revenue from tax dollars,” he said. 

Local business leaders say they are pleased by the city’s response. They met twice with former city Purchasing Manager Andrew Carey, who assured them that he was getting the word out to individual departments to consider buying local. Carey’s sudden resignation this week after less than two months on the job could be a blow to the program, but merchants remained confident they finally had a shot at city business.  

“A door is open to us that has been slammed shut for 20 years,” said Diane Griffin, president of Radstons.