A city-commissioned voter survey predicts that over six out of 10 Berkeley residents would support a bond referendum for a $250 per year average increase in city property taxes in order to maintain city services at their current levels—which may or may not be good news, depending on how and when the city eventually presents the notion to voters. 

Support among Berkeley voters jumps to close to seven out of 10 if a property tax increase is combined with such measures as exempting low-income residents from the tax and including a sunset provision. 

The telephone survey was conducted earlier this month by EMH Market Research of Sacramento. 

Some combination of raising revenue and service cuts is necessary for the city to stave off a projected budget deficit of $8 million to $10 million next year. City Council ordered the survey with an eye towards a possible bond referendum on the March, 2004 ballot. 

The David Binder Research company of San Francisco drafted the survey, which has a plus-minus error rate of 4.9 percent. CEO David Binder is scheduled to discuss details of the survey results to City Council on October 14 at its 5 p.m. Budget/Ballot Measures working session. Binder reports a wide variety of research clients, including the cities of San Francisco and San Diego, EBMUD, State Senator John Burton, the California Teachers Association, the AFL-CIO, Kaiser Permanente and Pacific Bell. 

Surveyed residents listed education, homelessness, and housing as the “single most important issues facing Berkeley today.” 58 percent of the surveyed residents said Berkeley is moving in the “right direction,” while they felt just the opposite about California, with 68 percent feeling that the state was on the “wrong track.” 

A large majority, 71 percent, reported feeling that the city was doing a good job in providing city services. The figure dropped to only a plurality, 39 percent, who thought that the city was doing a good job at managing taxpayer dollars. 

City Manager Weldon Rucker said the results show “strong support for new tax measures in order to avoid service reductions” and “strong opposition to service cuts, especially in social, youth and senior, health, homeless and public safety programs.” Rucker also said the survey concluded that “voters are happy with the services provided by the city.” 

Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz said that the Binder survey served two purposes. “One was to see if there was a potential for (raising) new revenue. The second was to get some sense of priorities among citizens, so that if we have to make some reductions, (they can be based upon) feedback from the community about their priorities.” 

Berkeley citizens listed fire, emergency medical, and city-funded schools as their top three priorities for city services. Among their lowest priorities were downtown parking, new housing, and the building or business permit process. Presumably, City Council would begin making any necessary service cuts in the areas that citizens listed as its lowest priorities. 

The specific percentage of voter support for a bond measure is critical not just for possible passage, but also for its timing. A bond referendum to raise money for specific city programs—such as library or fire services—requires a two thirds vote for passage. A bond referendum for money to go into the city’s general fund only requires a majority vote. While the specific program bond referendum could be held as early as next March, by law a general fund bond referendum must be held during the city’s general election. The next Berkeley general election will be held in November of next year. 

Given the city’s looming projected budget shortfall for next year, Kamlarz listed what he called “intermediate steps” for the city to take in the event it was determined that all money could not be made up in a bond referendum next spring. “Instead of a big ballot measure in March we could go for a couple of smaller measures, just to shore up some of our deficiencies in some of our smaller funds.” he said. 

Kalmarz mentioned libraries, parks, and emergency medical services as among the most important needs. “There are a couple of strategies we’re playing around with. The survey helps inform that decision.” 

The survey included a telephone poll of 400 registered voters and was restricted to citizens with working telephone numbers who had voted in one of the last two primaries and one of the last two general elections. 

The sample population was somewhat older and whiter than Berkeley’s actual population. While more than 21 percent of Berkeley’s population is between 18 and 25, that age group only represented 12 percent of the surveyed residents. And while close to 17 percent of Berkeley’s residents are Asian and close to 14 percent African-American, the survey only included five percent from each group. Whites, who make up a little under 60 percent of Berkeley, accounted for 76 percent of the survey participants.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30 

“The Bush White House: How Covering the President Has Changed,” with Helen Thomas, newspaper columnist, UPI and White House bureau chief for 57 years; Daniel Schorr, reporter and commentator, senior analyst for NPR; and Scott Lindlaw, White House Correspondent, AP, at 7:30 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism and The Commonwealth Club. Tickets are $10, $5 CC members, Students free with i.d. 642-9988.  

“Defend Environmental Justice, Defeat Prop. 54!” A forum with KPFA commentator and community activist Joy Moore and representatives from the Coalition for an Informed California, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-2220 ext. 233. 

“The Arab-Israeli Conflict: View from a Dove,” with Marcia Friedman, former member of Knesset and president, Bit Tzedek Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0327, ext. 112. www.brjcc.org 

“Post- War Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone” with Susan Shelper, Dept. of Education, UC Berkeley, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall. Sponsored by the Center for African Studies. 642-8338. asc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Super Sidewalk Book Sale University of California Press offers new and slightly scuffed books from our warehouse, $5 for paperback and $10 for hardback. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2120 Berkeley Way, between Shattuck and Oxford. 642-9828. 

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

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.  

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1 

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 

Meetup for Howard Dean, at 7 p.m. at three Berkeley locations: Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave; Espresso Roma Cafe, 2960 College Ave.; and Sweet Basil Thai Restaurant, 1736 Solano Ave. Free. Wheel- 

chair accessible. For information call 843-8724. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Hide-A-Way Café, 6430 Telegraph Ave. For information call Fred Garvey, 925-682-1111, ext. 164. 

Amnesty International Berkeley Community Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1606 Bonita Ave., at Cedar St. Join fellow human rights activists to help promote social justice one individual at a time. 872-0768. 

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. 548-0425. 

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 

THURSDAY, OCT. 2 

“Direct Order,” a film on the use of the anthrax vaccine by the Dept. of Defense, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, at Cedar and Bonita. 528-5403. 

“The California Recall: Who, Why and What it Means for the Environment,” with panel-ists Susan Rasky, Political Journalist and Professor, School of Journalism, Fred Keeley, Executive Director, Planning & Conservation League, and Jim Bushnell, Research Director, The University of California Energy Institute, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Morgan Lounge, 114 Morgan Hall, near Hearst and Arch Streets, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Resource Development. 643-4200. 

“How Can Peace Be Achieved Between Israelis and Palestinians?” a moderated debate sponsored by the Associated Students of UC, at 7 p.m. at 2040 Valley Life Sciences Bldg, UC Campus. 655-6384.  

UC Botanical Garden Docent Training at 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fee and registration required, 643-1924. 

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

FRIDAY, OCT. 3 

“The Shellmound Sites and Berkeley’s Early Native People,” with Malcolm Margolin and Kent Lightfoot, at 7 p.m. at Finn Hall, 10th St. near Hearst. Lecture is part of the 150th Anniversary of Ocean View, Berkeley’s earliest settlement, sponsored by The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and Berkeley History Society. Tickets are $12. For information call 841-8562.  

Master Class with Spanish Classical Guitarist Jaume Torrent, from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Participants $20, public $5. For registration and information call 528-4633. 

North African Homecoming Dinner with a screening of “Play it Again Maurice” at at 7:30 p.m. at International House, Piedmont at Bancroft. 642-9460. 

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, OCT. 4 

Northern California Solar Energy Association Annual Tour of Solar Homes in Berkeley. Self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning at Cedar-Rose Park. Cost is $15 per group of up to 5 people, with $5 discounts for pre-registration by Oct. 1, and for NorCal Solar members. Visit www.norcalsolar.org/tour for tour details and online registration or contact Suzie Zupan, 415-332-3676, skzupan@ 

yahoo.com 

Quarterly Bird Walk from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $5, members, free. Registration required. 643-8155. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden  

California Bulbs with Wayne Roderick from 10 a.m. to noon at the Visitor Center, Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Learn to identify brodiaeas, lilies, alliums, fritillaries, and many more in this workshop. Cost is $25 members, $30 non-members. Sponsored by the East Bay Regional Park’s Botanic Garden and the Native Plant Society. To register call 925-935-8871 or 925-820-1021. www.nativeplants.org 

Fall Permaculture: Seed Saving Find out when and how to harvest seeds from your garden and discover a good way to keep your favorite vegetable varieties year after year, at 10 a.m. at Wildheart Gardens, 463 61st Street, at Telegraph, Oak- 

land. Cost is $10 Ecology Center members, $15 others, no one turned away. For information call 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Pet Adoptions, sponsored by Home at Last, from noon to 5 p.m., Hearst and 4th St. 548-9223. 

Sick Plant Clinic is offered by the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, from 9 a.m. to noon. Free. 643-2755. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 5 

Feast of St. Francis Celebration at 10 a.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St., at Spruce. Join us in a celebration of creation, with an Earth Mass and a Blessing of the Animals. Fur, feathers, fins, skins - all are welcome! 848-1755. 

Free Sailboat Rides between 1 and 5 p.m. with the Cal Sailing Club. Bring warm waterproof clothes and come to the Berkeley Marina. Learn how to sail or windsurf. For more information see www.cal-sailing.org 

“Meditation for Balance and Healing,” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 6 

The National Organization for Women will hold its monthly meeting at the Central Labor Council Building, 70 Hegenberger Rd. Oakland, cross street is Pardee. Meet in the parking lot at 6 p.m. for chapter elections, then phone bank in the building, to remind people to vote against the recall and against Prop. 54. 287-8948. 

In Celebration of the Free Speech Movement: Larry Flint at 7 p.m. in the Pauley Ballroom West, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Berkeley ACLU. 816-0563. abraham@berkeleyaclu.com 

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  

UC Berkeley’s Long Range Development Plan Public Comment Period has been extended to Oct. 10. For more information on the plan, visit http://ldrp/berkeley.edu Written comments can be emailed to 2020LRDP@cp.berkeley.edu or mailed to Jennifer Lawrence, Principal Planner, Capital Projects, 1936 University Ave., Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94720-1382. 

Flu Shots will be offered at a number of Berkeley locations during the month of October, by Sutter VNA and Hospice. For a location near you plaese call 1-800-500-2400 or visit www.suttervnaandhospice.org 

“Berkeley Speaks” a community program for activists and artists on Berkeley Community Media, BETV Channel 25. For information on being on the program please call 848-2288. or visit www.betv.org 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors, offered by Stagebridge. Wednesdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., close to BART and AC Transit. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

People's Park Community Advisory Board is seeking members. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30. They are available at the People's Park office, 642-3255; the UC Office of Community Relations, 643-5299; and via e-mail to plspark@uclink.berkeley.edu. 

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 

Swim a Mile for Women with Cancer The East Bay’s Women’s Cancer Resource Center is seeking participants, supporters, and in-kind donations for its annual non-competitive fundraising event, to be held on Oct. 4-5 at the Trefethan Aquatic Center, Mills College. For more information on how to register for this event, please call 601-4040, ext. 180 or email swimamilewcrc@yahoo.com 

Cal Community Service Days Students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members are invited to participate in a series of workshops and community service projects from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4. For information on how to get involved, see ttp://students.berkeley.edu/calcorps/cad.html 

Fair Trade WeekOctober 6th through October 12thcoffee, organic tea and chocolate. Products bearing the Fair Trade Certified(tm) labelAndronico's Market www.transfairusa.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5106. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

School Board meets Wed. Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Thurs.,Oct. 2,  

at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 2, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/housing 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Oct. 6, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Youth Commission meets Mon., Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth

Generations of Berkeley jazz fans have gone to San Francisco’s North Beach to get regular fixes of their favorite kind of music. They were not happy when one of the last real jazz venues in San Francisco—Pearl’s, at Columbus and Broadway—closed its doors in April, but they will be delighted to learn that Pearl’s has re-opened as Jazz at Pearl’s, thanks to a strong infusion of East Bay talent. 

The new owners are vocalist Kim Nalley and her husband Steve Sheraton. 

She’s a UC Berkeley alumna who sang with the Cal Big Band circa 1991, but she’s gone on to greater triumphs since then. Her up-to-the-minute Web page boasts this quote from Phil Elwood, dean of Bay Area jazz critics: “Her ability to shift vocal styles and to work through all types of songs with informal ease are the kind of cross-town leap that few singers, anywhere, can handle.” 

She’s even appeared with Michael Tilson Thomas (another jazz fanatic) and the San Francisco Symphony. 

In the course of getting her jazz chops up to speed, Nalley took lessons from some of the older generation of jazz masters. One of her teachers, saxophonist Hal Stein, will be featured at Pearl’s this Thursday, Oct. 2, in the lineup for the shake-down week which precedes the club’s official grand opening on Oct. 11. Nalley reminiscences about her lessons with Hal: “Oh, this was maybe eight years ago when I was a student at Cal.  

“I would go to his house in Berkeley and he would teach me all the hip scales and melodies to sing over difficult chord changes. He would charge me almost nothing and spend hours with me.” 

Hal Stein has plenty to teach. He played tenor sax at New York City’s Town Hall with Don Byas in 1943, when he was only 15, and he’s been playing with the greats ever since. He counts himself as part of the Charlie Parker tradition. He’ll be appearing on Thursday with his quartet.  

Nalley and Stein are familiar to Berkeley jazz fans from their recent appearances at Downtown, on Shattuck Avenue. Other East Bay stalwarts who will appear at Jazz at Pearl’s include Jeff Chambers, who lives in Albany, Kim’s pianist Dave Mathews, a longtime resident of Kensington, and Oakland’s Charles McNeal with his bassist Ron Belcher, Richmond-born and raised.  

WHEN: Jazz at Pearl’s is now offering music Monday through Saturday, with a grand opening party Oct. 11 and 12. The Hal Stein Quartet appears on Thursday, Oct. 2. Show times are 9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. weekdays, 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. weekends. The doors and the kitchen open at 7 p.m., with chef Stephanie Chan promising real food, a significant upgrade from the perfunctory kitchen maintained by the previous owners. 

WHERE: 256 Columbus Ave., at Broadway, San Francisco. (415) 291-8255.  

COST: Ticket price $5 weekdays, $10 weekends (except for special shows), no drink minimum.  

SCHEDULE: www.jazzatpearls.com.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30 

FILM 

“Poetry is Not A Luxury,” documentaries in tribute to poet and activist Audre Lorde, at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Library’s Central Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6233. 

The Films of Germaine Dulac: “The Seashell and the Clergyman” and other films at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jhumpa Lahiri, 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, reads from her new novel, “The Namesake” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Thomas Swick introduces us to “A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania with a Maverick Travel Editor” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave at Rose. 843-3533.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Cocodrie at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson with Diano Castillo at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Los Halos, Pine Martin at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1  

FILM 

Heddy Honigmann: “Crazy” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive, with the filmmaker in person. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Mike Perry reads from his new novel about small town living, “Population 485,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Nazelah Jamison and Karen Ladson, featuring DJ Tek Neek, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert with Cary Koh, violin and Miles Graber, piano, at the Chevron Auditorium, International House, corner of Bancroft and Piedmont Aves. Admission is free. 642-4864. 

Peter Rowan and Don Edwards, lonesome cowboys, perform at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Robert Ball Benefit Concert with Jason Collins & The Funkonauts, Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble, DeWayne Wiggins, Jimmy Dright, and MC Greg Bridges of KPFA/KCSM at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

irishpub.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 2 

FILM 

Genetic Screenings: “Underexposed: The Temple of the Fetus” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Campus, with Robert Thomas, who won the Poets Out Loud award. 642-0137.  

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Clara Hsu and Don Brennan, followed by an open mic, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985 or 205-1749.  

New Word Series, Preliminary Poetry Slam Bouts, co-presented by Youth Speaks as part of the 3rd Annual Living Word Festival, a spoken word expo featuring internationally recognized spoken word artists, at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Poetry Is Not A Luxury” Forrest Hamer, Jewelle Gomez and Sharon Doubiago, and Theresa Harlan. California Arts Council Poet Fellowship recipients and affiliates read from their work and state the case about the demise of government arts support, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library’s Central Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6233.  

Albany Library Prose Night, featuring Jan Steckel reading her short stories, followed by an open mic for prose. From 7 to 9 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room, Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

“Jewish Humor in American Cinema” with Maimone Attia, Thursdays, Oct. 2-30, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $45 for members, seniors and students, $50 for the public. 848-0237. www.brjcc.org 

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 

James Carroll will read from his latest novel, “Secret Father,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core and John Schott’s Typical Orchestra at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $7-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Hal Stein Quartet, with Berkeley saxophonist Hal Stein, at Jazz at Pearl’s, 256 Columbus Ave at Broadway, SF, at 9 p.m. Cost is $5. 415-291-8255. www.jazzatpearls.com, www.halsteinjazz.com 

The Cushion Theory, Ned, and Audrey Sessions at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Community Drumming Circle at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5-$7. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Jimmy LaFave and Kevin Welch, with Michael Fracasso, Joel Rafael and others, perform music in the spirit of Woodie Guthrie, 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 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

The Shots, traditional Irish, American Bluegrass at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

FRIDAY, OCT. 3 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Berkeley Arts Festival Headquarters Opening from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2110 Shattuck Ave. 665-9496. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

Cecile Moochnek Gallery, “Numinous Surfaces,” new paintings by Carol Dalton and Michael Shemchuk. Reception 6 to 8 p.m. Exhibtion runs Oct 3. to Nov. 16. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wed. through Sun. 1809-D Fourth St. 549-1018. www.cecilemoochnek.com 

Emeryville Art Exhibition opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring the work of over 100 artists and craftspeople. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5616 Bay Street. Exhibition runs Oct. 4 through Oct. 26. 652-6122. www.EmeryArts.org 

FILM 

Heddy Honigmann: “Mind Shadows” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive with the filmmaker in person. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa. 

berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Christian Parenti reads from his new book, “Soft Cage: Surveillance in America From Slavery to the War on Terror,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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 

Gallery Talk: Japanese Figure Style with Lynne Kimura, Academic 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. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Djialy Kunda Kouyate, from West Africa, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Shorty Long, Faraway Brothers, and Stiles and Ivey Ragtime Band perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jaranon y Bochinche, traditional and contemporary Afro-Peruvian music and dance at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core and John Schott’s Typical Orchestra at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $7-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Noggin, unplugged violin duo with Henry Kuntz, solo saxophone at 3111 Deakin St. at  

8 p.m. Cost is $8. Presented by Acme Observatory Contemporary Music. 665-1980. http://music.acme.com 

Rahim Alhaj, Iraqi oud master, performs 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 

Sterling Dervish, acoustic rock and roll at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

Fleshies, Toys That Kill, Killer Dream, Swing Ding Amigos, Civil Dysentery 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. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 4 

Himalayan Papermaking Demonstration with Nimto Sherpa, papermaking master from Kathmandu, and Carol Brighton, Berkeley artist and papermaker, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Arts Festival Headquarters, 2110 Shattuck Ave. 665-9496. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Trax Gallery, “Summer Work” by Matt Metz and Linda Skikora, at 5 p.m. at 1812 5th St. 540-8729. 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Colibri, music from Latin America, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Seventh Madcat Women’s International Film Festival: “Traditions and Trajectories” at 7 p.m., and “Educated Ladies” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Eat the Rich” at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751.  

www.thelonghaul.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jean Shinoda Bolen, reads from her new book, “Crones, Don’t Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

Bruce Balfour, author of “The Digital Dead” at the Dark Carnival Bookstore, 3086 Claremont Ave, at 2 p.m. 654-7323. 

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 

New Millennium Strings, with soloist Jaume Torrent, Spanish Classical Guitar, conducted by Laurien Jones, at 8 p.m. at University Christian Church, 2401 Le Conte Ave. Suggested donation $10, seniors $7. Children under 12 free.  

528-4633. 

Live Oak Concert with Matthew Owens, ‘cello, at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Tickets are $8-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Festival Antiqua, “The Ladder of Gold,” songs of Balkan Sephardic Jews at 8 p.m. at the Parish Hall, St. Alban’s Church, 1501 Washington St., Albany. Tickets are $12-$15. 486-2803 or 524-7952. www.timrayborn.com/Festival 

Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Primary Colors, celebrating the release of their new CD “Every Mother’s Son,” at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Luminaries: National Independent Talent Showcase, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Genres include Hip Hop, R & B, and Reggae. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  

849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FARWest, Folk Music and Dance Alliance regional meeting at noon, with evening showcases beginning at 7 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. For more information and to register, see www.far-west.org 

Zydeco Flames at 9:30 p.m., with a dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13.  

525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Daevid Allen’s University of Errors, The Spindles perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

Scott Amendola, Dave MacNab and John Witala at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers perform traditional jazz vocals at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Champion, For the Crown, The Damage Done, Allegiance, Lights Out 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. 

Anima Mundi Dance Company previews “Mountains and Rivers Without End,” at 2 p.m. at Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Jack London Square. Admission is $10-$15 sliding scale. 233-5550. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 5 

Berkeley Potters Guild Tour and Demonstration Members of this 32 year old, 20 member guild will demonstrate potters’ wheel throwing and hand buil- 

ding techniques, at 1 p.m. at the Potters Guild, 731 Jones St. at 4th. 524-7031. 

FILM 

Seventh Madcat Women’s International Film Festival: “Clear Visions, Silent Filmmakers” at 5 p.m. with live music by Epic and introduction by Heather Stilin; “Cut Snip Ooze: Contemporary Animated Films by Women” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa. 

berkeley.edu 

Arab Film Festival, Cinemayaat: 

“Planet of the Arabs,” “Lord’s Song in a Strange Land,” at 2 p.m., “Souha Surviving Hell,” “Meantime in Beirut,” at 3:45 p.m., “Travel Agency,” “Under the Sky of Baghdad,” at 5:30 p.m. Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $9, students and seniors $7. Closing Night Party at 10 p.m., $20. www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry at Cody’s with John Brandi and David Meltzer at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Jonathan Lethem reads from ”The Fortress of Solitude,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

2004 Slingshot Organizer, book release party and dinner at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New Millennium Strings, with soloist Jaume Torrent, Spanish 

Classical Guitar, conducted by Laurien Jones, at 3 p.m. at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremont Blvd. Suggested donation $10, seniors $7. Children under 12 free. 528-4633. 

Takács Quartet with Richard Stoltzman at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $30-$52. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

The Balance: Poetry and Jazz The Word-Music Continuum, from 2 to 5 p.m. with Kirk Lumpkin, poetry and percussion; Mark Randall, bass; Paul Mills, guitar and The Real Band. Peralta Community Garden, Hopkins and Peralta. 231-5912. kirklumpkin@mac.com 

Crowden School Recital with Wei He, violin, and Miles Graber, piano, playing works of Bright Sheng, Beethoven, Strauss, and Ysaye, at 3 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $10, free for children 18 and under. 559-6910. www.thecrowdenschool.org 

Early Music with Zachary Gordin, countertenor; Glibert Martinez, harpsichord perform vocal music of Vivaldi, at 4 p.m. at MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, at Marin. 528-1685. 

www.sfems.org/musicsources  

Baroque Etcetera, “London Meets Paris,” instrumental and vocal works by Händel, Lully, Purcell, Jacquet de la Guerre, Boismortier and Draghi, at 5 p.m., at St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. Suggested donation is $10, no one turned away. 540-8222. www.baroquetc.org 

Navarati Festival of Indian Folkdancing, with “Raas-Garba” from 3 to 6 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6-$10 sliding scale. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Alice Stuart performs country blues favorites 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 

New Era of Cuban Music, an Afro-Cuban celebration in honor of the Orishas, Orunmila, Eleggua, Oggún and Ochoshi, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15 in advance, $18 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Hemispheres, world-infused jazz and free improvisation, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Structure of Lies, Animosity, All Shall Perish, Hacksaw to the Throat at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926.

Of the two constitutional amendments on the Oct. 7 ballot, the one getting the least publicity this summer and fall—Proposition 53—could end up having the more dramatic long-term effect on the state of California. 

If passed, the Funds Dedicated for State and Local Infrastructure Constitutional Amendment would lock in up to a maximum of three percent of the state budget each year for repair and development of the state’s aging parks, highways and bridges, water resources, and state-owned public buildings. 

Currently there are no restrictions on how much—or how little—the state legislature spends on such items. 

The Berkeley City Council has come out in opposition to the amendment, saying that it “could have dreadful effects on the state budget” and charging that it is “not a practical or intelligent way to...maintain and improve our infrastructure.” 

There is no disagreement that California’s state-owned infrastructure needs both maintenance and improvement. 

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently listed roads and water as being of particular concern in the state, citing the fact that “72 percent of California’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition (and) 28 percent of California’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” 

The society estimated the cost of repairs to the state’s drinking water infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure, and the “most critical” dams over the next two decades at nearly $30 billion. 

According to the Yes On Proposition 53 organization, this situation came about because the state legislature “failed to set aside adequate revenue for infrastructure during the last 30 years.” 

If passed, Proposition 53 would amend the California Constitution to mandate that one percent of the state budget in fiscal year 2006-07 be placed in an Infrastructure Fund. That amount would rise each year until it reached a maximum of three percent of the budget in fiscal year 2012-13. 

The state’s Legislative Analyst has estimated that the amounts set aside would run from “roughly $850 million in 2006-07 and grow to several billions of dollars in future years.” The proposition also has provisions to lower the set-asides in years of slow economic growth, and is specifically written not to conflict with the minimum education set-asides of Proposition 98, passed by California voters in 1988. 

Support for Proposition 53 ranges from civil engineering and construction trade organizations to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the East Bay Regional Park District. 

Opposition to the proposition has been led primarily by the California League of Women voters, which has traditionally supported bond measures to support infrastructure projects. 

However, the League opposes constitutional amendments containing “provisions which inhibit flexibility of governmental action to meet changing conditions.” In addition, the League feels that Proposition 53 will both conflict with other budgetary priorities and will not provide year-to-year funding stability for infrastructure projects. 

The ballot argument against Proposition 53 was signed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell.

IMPORTANT WORK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was disturbing to see Mr. Spitzer’s diatribe (Letters, Daily Planet, Sept. 19-22) against the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). His words were an attack on each of us who have volunteered with ISM. The charge that we “aid and abet the murder of innocent Israelis” is without factual foundation, and must be particularly hurtful to groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, and all those who have supported ISM in its brief two year history. 

Contrary to Mr. Spitzer’s assertion that human rights groups have distanced themselves from ISM, a consortium of human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have issued a statement of concern regarding the increased harassment of human rights monitors, such as volunteers with ISM, by the Israeli government. The statement calls on the Israeli authorities to “put an end to harassment, intimidation, threats, and deliberate attacks on human rights defenders” and demands that the Israeli authorities abide by the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN, which states that “Everyone has the right…to promote and strive for the protection and realization of human rights …at the national and international level.” 

This is what Rachel Corrie was doing, and what ISM continues to do—promote international law and human rights as the path to a lasting peace for all the people of the Middle East. We will not be deterred by false accusations and the violence of those who would rely on a military solution. This work is too important for all of us.  

Jim Harris 

• 

A NEW LOW 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I thought that I was pretty inured to Israeli spin, but Dan Spitzer’s attempted justification of Rachel Corrie’s murder (“In sum, Rachel Corrie, who probably died by accident, was a young woman whose ideals were superseded only by her ignorance”) struck me as a new low of callousness. In sum, the rationale of Zionist imperialism here triumphs over Jewish ethical traditions. 

Such arguments as Spitzer’s typically begin in the middle of a chronology of injustices about which the American public is woefully uninformed. Can he, or anyone, enlighten me about the meaning of “Greater Israel,” or why there are any (let alone expanding) Jewish-only colonies on Palestinian territory? 

Furthermore, why am I—an American taxpayer—made to finance these expropriations and their perpetual incitement to further violence both there and here? 

Gray Brechin 

• 

YES ON PROP. 54 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There is a difference between the Berkeley Daily Planet under the present management and that under its previous one. As with many things in Berkeley, the present management appears comfortable, both with a masthead that is false as to the paper’s frequency of issue and also with its tight reins on expression not totally congruent with local political correctness. I am in alignment with most local liberal viewpoints but am not a Birkenstock mentality. 

Given that Proposition 54 spells out clearly that it exempts, from all medical clinical and medical research activities (as well as from all law-enforcement uses for identifying individuals), its mandate of cessation of all our state government’s “classifying” (“collection and use,” as termed by the legislative analyst)—“in the operation of public education, public contracting, or public employment”—of information on “race, ethnicity, color, or national origin”—I would like voters to question why so many people appear to accept this proposition’s opponents’ frantic screams that its passage would greatly impede both the clinical and research health concerns of the people of this state. 

This opposition relies on argumentation of this sort contained in the section on Prop. 54 in the voter’s guide mailed out by the state. But the authors of those spins are mostly either an executive whose departments would be diminished after passage of this proposition (with the saving of public funds) or an ex-bureaucrat who hasn’t forgotten such manner of thinking. While the medical profession may be notoriously looked up to in our state, every day in the papers we are treated to facts that indicate truth is not as pervasive as we might desire in much of medicine. Instead, any voters who don’t believe that the wording of Prop. 54 will be adhered to should note that the racial/ethnic classifications of the state are very far from any biological-science categories that are useful either in care of individuals’ health or in determination of their relative susceptibilities to disease as consequent to their genetic makeups. 

It is further incongruous why Steve Geller (Letters, Daily Planet, Sept. 19-22) should fear, that we might have “to pretend there’s only one sex,” should Prop. 54 pass. As the state’s legislative analyst comments, Prop. 54 “[d]oes not prohibit classification by sex.” The functions of the state mentioned as subject to the mandate of the proposition clearly have functional interests in the sexual classification of persons they deal with. Given this concern, Mr. Geller could also demand that the three Prop. 54-targeted functions of the state be required to record the religions of those with which they deal. 

Political correctness should not be allowed to transcend otherwise sound horse sense and science. 

Raymond A. Chamberlin 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

I agree completely with Janice Thomas’s opinion piece (“Save Canyons for Open Space,” Daily Planet, Sept. 26-29). There should be no development in Strawberry Canyon. But if Thomas is head of the Panoromic Hill Association, she should admit that her house and the house of other association members are also development in Strawberry Canyon. When it comes to generating traffic and reducing the canyon’s value for recreation and wildlife habitat, each resident does more damage than each UC employee who commutes into the canyon.  

Thomas writes that she considers it a privilege to see owls, foxes, and quail near her house. But I don’t think those animals consider it a privilege to have her and her neighbors living in the canyon and constantly driving through their habitat.  

Charles Siegel  

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

After reading the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America endorsement of Bustamante (Letters, Daily Planet, Sept. 26-29) I won’t be surprised to next see Stalinists for Schwarzenegger (which would make more sense). 

At this point, no one can predict with certainty the recall outcome. What can be safely predicted is that if a Democrat fails to win the governorship, there will be much whining, and blaming Indie Arianna and Green Camejo as “spoilers.” Never mind the continual betrayal of progressive goals by the Democratic Party and its centrist strategy. This strategy gave us George Bush via failing to fight over the 40,000 African American Floridians purged from the voting rolls and Gray Davis with a 40 to 1 prison funding budget compared to education. This centrist strategy has been the “spoiler.”  

The recall is an opportunity to reject the expedient short term view that only results in the lesser of two evils, always netting a lesser, still evil.  

Still, Schwarzenegger is a horror. So I suggest voting no on the recall and voting your visionary conscience for a possible replacement. 

Maris Arnold 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley sidewalks have been hazardous and obstructive for many years. Fred Lupke rode in the street to avoid breaking his wheelchair, and lost his life.  

As a disabled citizen of Berkeley of more than thirty years, I want to mention the efforts that I have made in the past 10 years to have Berkeley sidewalks cleared and repaired. This is not the first accident to a disabled citizen in Berkeley this month (Karen Craig was also hit by a car). 

In the past two years I have three times cut myself on objects left by merchants or drivers on sidewalks (on Shattuck in the past month). I have fallen over planters several times on sidewalks. Often I have tripped over recycling containers or rubber cones which are obstructive to people in wheelchairs, to those on crutches, and are particularly dangerous to blind pedestrians (when suctioned down in a stationary position). 

Once when I reported a dangerous situation, I was threatened by a police officer with a ‘5150’. 

The last time I reported being cut on the street, I was told by a city employee (Department of Public Works) that the object could not be found. 

Arlene Merryman 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

AWOL-dot-Com 

As terrorists rained death upon our land 

He darted through the air, here, there, and back 

Emerging later as if in command, 

A tailored leather jacked stuffed with flak. 

He lit upon the Lincoln like a flea 

To take a sound-bite and pop off again 

And smirk and then incite the enemy 

To kill our kids, on whom we all depend.  

He cannot face the soldiers whom he leads, 

He cannot beat the people he invades, 

He cannot face the record of his deeds 

Nor face himself as he ducks and evades 

Us all, less like a president than thief, 

Our AWOL-dot-Commander-not-in-Chief. 

Jonathan Christian Petty 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Food, politics and much humor. Marty Schiffenbauer’s article (“Selective Satiation”) was a gem. How clever of the editors to run this just before the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” parade. Keep up the good work. The Planet is terrific. 

Burl Willes  

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the movie “Field of Dreams”, the hero hears a voice which says: “Build it, and they shall come!.” He was building a baseball field, his own field of dreams. The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD), along with the Berkeley City Council have their own version of this movie in which they take that field of dreams and create a parking lot! The plot thickens as the Berkeley Adult School (BAS) is ripped from it’s present home (against that neighborhood’s wishes), and stuffed into the Franklin Elementary School Site. Dragged along are 1,200 car-driving students.  

The first of many miracles now occurs when the BUSD’s “Field of Parked Cars” is found to have more than enough parking spaces for all the students and faculty.  

The second miracle unveils itself when there is absolutely no impact on pedestrian safety, noise or gridlock in and around the neighborhood. 

Later, the hero faces the BUSD and in a passionate plea states: “Your plans fly in the face of Berkeley’s Measure L (1986) in which the city promises to jealously protect all existing open spaces and aggressively create more whenever possible!” 

“We have decided,” answers BUSD, “That open space is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and besides, We answer to a higher authority!” 

“God?” asks the Hero? 

“No,” retorts BUSD, “The state!”  

Saul Grabia 

Consider the local scene, circa 1926. 

“Berkeley is an exceptionally well regulated and well governed city with practically no vice nor crime conditions,” future California Governor Earl Warren tells the local League of Women Voters that year. “A better government is always found when women pay attention to civic affairs.” 

Fast forward to 2003.  

Against the booming, amplified, backdrop of Berkeley’s exuberant outdoor “How Berkeley Can You Be?” celebration, locals gathered at the Berkeley History Center Sunday to help open a new exhibit, “Early Berkeley Women: 1878-1953.”  

Curator Phyllis Gale, who organized the exhibit on behalf of the Berkeley Historical Society and the Berkeley Chapter of the American Association of University Women, said she remembered raising her children in Berkeley and “finding out that the girls took everything for granted” about opportunities for women in American society. 

“They had no clue what had gone on before.” 

What had gone on? 

As the exhibit shows, quite a lot. 

The exhibit begins in the post-Civil War era, also coincident with the years of Berkeley’s founding, when American women were beginning to realize that political and social reforms they cared about required that they secure the vote. 

The women’s suffrage movement was the result, along with a burgeoning array of other causes and activities championed by women. 

The history of women in Berkeley “mirrors that time—and it’s here for you to read and see,” Gale told the crowd. 

Exhibit sections profile numerous women, grouped by occupation or activity, from health care to politics to architecture. 

Want to find out about Berkeley’s first woman dentist?  

She’s here, as are several other health care pioneers, teachers, architects, and Berkeley’s first two women City Councilmembers (Carrie Hoyt and Agnes C. Moody, 1923).  

In addition to individuals, organizations are profiled, particularly the clubs that served a variety of philanthropic, political and social ends and also constituted almost a “shadow government” in Berkeley, according to Gale. 

One powerful organization was the local League of Women Voters that, in the first half of the 20th Century, advocated for proper local sewage disposal, promoted school bonds and good municipal administration and “waged war against rats” to keep Berkeley healthy. 

These are the little gems scattered throughout the displays, bringing to life women who sought to change their times in meaningful ways.  

For example, take Berkeley’s first policewoman, Elizabeth G. Lossing, trained in social work and hired in 1924 by progressive Chief of Police August Vollmer. 

Lossing started the “Children’s Room,” described as an “unofficial probation program” in which she counseled and assisted more than 500 underage offenders referred by the local courts.  

Then there’s Mary Hyde who in 1877 “had come West to help lost, mistreated Indians, but could not find any,” in Berkeley at least, according to an account by her daughter. 

Undeterred, Hyde opened the first school in the eastern part of Berkeley. 

Or consider Theresa Maria Jacquemine who marched into the Alameda County Recorder’s office and demanded she be registered to vote—in 1896. 

The exhibit opening featured several costumed figures from Berkeley’s past, including architect Julia Morgan (Betty Marvin), UC Regent and philanthropist Phoebe Hearst (Linda Rosen), and Bishop George Berkeley himself (local artist Stefen), who had also marched in character in the morning’s parade. 

“Julia Morgan” spoke to the crowd, describing her life and career in the East Bay, and noting the care she had taken as an architect to design decent quarters and facilities for women in domestic work and those other occupations “that made life tolerable but were not well compensated.” 

“I’m sure your time has dealt with these inequalities,” she added, to an amused and appreciative audience. 

The exhibit includes art and textiles by local women and some other material objects, the majority of the displays are panels that incorporate both text and photographs. Come prepared to read. 

Some visitors may find the amount of text wearying, while others will appreciate the care taken by the exhibit’s organizers to present more than a superficial gloss of history. 

Much of the information on individuals in the exhibit came from oral histories. “I can’t tell you how important these oral histories have been. Without them we may have lost their voices,” Gale said. 

She also made a plea that local residents search their family records for information on Berkeley women and organizations of yesteryear and donate materials—or copies, at least—to local historical repositories, so part of Berkeley’s cultural history won’t be lost.  

“I am convinced that there is more information on Berkeley women in the attics and basements of this town that there is in the Bancroft Library and historical societies,” she added. 

Displays on individual women and organizations are supplemented by a wall-length timeline of early Berkeley history prepared by former Historical Society President Linda Rosen. 

Gale chose 1953 as a cutoff date for the women and organizations featured in the exhibit. “Most of them have passed away and I don’t have to argue with them. We just put them up on the walls,” she joked. 

The exhibit will be augmented in coming weeks by additional display panels, and a future exhibit may be organized to cover local women’s history from the more recent half century. 

The Berkeley History Center is typically open 1–4 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The free exhibit continues until early 2004.  

Visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ for more information, or call 848-0181. 

An upcoming event related to the exhibit is an Afternoon Tea on Oct. 12, honoring the Women’s Club movement in Berkeley and featuring Carol O’Hare, speaking on the Suffragette Movement and her book, “Jailed for Freedom.” The event is free. Call 528-3284 to reserve your space. 

Steven Finacom is a local historian and a Board member of the Berkeley Historical Society. 

Frederick J. Lupke, III, known to his many Berkeley friends as Fred, died Thursday, Sept. 25, as a result of injuries he received when he was struck by a car on Ashby Avenue near the South Berkeley Senior Center. 

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 18, 1945, and a graduate of Rochester High School in Rochester, Mich., he began his studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as a chemistry major, but was drafted and served in the US Army Signal Corps in Korea for two years. 

When he returned to the University of Michigan in 1970, he decided to study linguistics, was accepted for doctoral studies under Professor George Lakoff (now at the University of California Berkeley) and received a Master’s degree. 

In late 1973, he was diagnosed with a spinal tumor. Following surgery, he completed his doctoral course work, but after his medical condition got worse, he decided to give up his studies and look for an environment more amenable to his long-term prognosis. In 1986 he found a solution to his situation when his close friend, Richard Rhodes, was offered a position at the 

University of California, Berkeley. 

Fred had spent summers in Berkeley as a young child with his grandmother, who lived on Spruce Street. In August of 1986 Fred and Richard moved together into a faculty apartment where the current Foothill dormitory complex is now located. 

The following summer, when Richard’s family came to join him in California, Fred moved first to an inaccessible apartment. His condition continued to deteriorate until he became permanently wheelchair-bound, so he found an affordable accessible apartment on Shafter Avenue, just over the Oakland border, where he lived at the time of his death. 

After a period of adjustment to life in a wheelchair, he became progressively more involved with community affairs, especially in Berkeley, with which he felt a special affinity. 

Long-time Berkeley activist Nancy Carleton, campaign manager for the parks measures on the Berkeley ballot in 2000, and coordinator of the joint campaign for libraries, parks, and water pools in that same election, said Monday that “Fred possessed the rare ability to reach across Berkeley’s political lines to elicit support for the basics of a healthy community—pools, parks, libraries, schools, accessibility. I believe he was able to accomplish so much because he always saw you as a person first, not as a political category.” 

As a wheelchair user himself, Fred served disabled citizens by both political and practical activities. He was often seen in public places with his tape measure out, measuring doorways for wheelchair accessibility. 

But Fred went beyond his personal situation to think of Berkeley’s general welfare. He worked for the preservation of the warm water pool at Berkeley High School, which he used to maintain his own health, and in the process became an effective advocate for all public school funding—even though he was not a parent himself. In the period preceding the invasion of Iraq, he was an active participant in anti-war protests. 

As a well-educated man of scholarly temperament, Fred loved the Berkeley Public Library. He kept a careful eye on its recent renovation, and worried about proposed downtown buildings which he feared might encroach on it. This concern led him to become a diligent researcher and active participant in Berkeley’s ongoing discussion about the appropriate relationship between the urban landscape and affordable housing needs. 

He was a great reader, and a strong supporter of the free press in general and the Berkeley Daily Planet in particular. When the original Planet went out of business, he took a vigorous role in the process which eventually resulted in its resurrection under new ownership. 

Fred hated to miss a meeting or a party, which is probably why he viewed the calendar as the most important part of a community paper. To make sure that the new Planet had a calendar which met his exacting standards, he volunteered to work on gathering information and proofreading, putting in as many hours as his health permitted twice a week until his death. 

Fred was the son of the late Frederick J. and Marian W. Lupke. He is survived by his sister, Alice Strang of Charlottesville, Va., her husband, Harold, a niece, Dana Hartling, and a nephew, John Strang. Other survivors include beloved long-time friends, Richard and Mary Rhodes of Castro Valley, and their three children, Betsy, Russell, and Edwin, and many others. 

Funeral services will be Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m. at the Sunset View Cemetery at Fairmount and Colusa in Kensington. Directions can be found at www.sunsetviewcemetery.com. The gravesite was chosen to be accessible, according to family friend Rich Rhodes, who said that people in wheelchairs should arrive early to get to the gravesite. Berkeley friends are hoping to organize a community memorial to be held later this fall at a time and place to be announced. 

In memory of Fred, his family suggests contributions to the following nonprofit groups: 

BPFP/United Pool Council Fund 

c/o Karen Davis 

2329 Carleton St. 

Berkeley, CA 94704 

Center for Independent Living 

2539 Telegraph Avenue 

Berkeley, CA 94704 

Earmark in lower left corner: In memory of Fred Lupke

The following was addressed to Berkeley City Council and the Berkeley School Board.  

A few years ago my kids were victims of racial attack in our local park. It was not investigated as a hate crime. We live in the historically black neighborhood of South Berkeley, perhaps now the most racially and economically diverse area of the city. My sons are white and the boys and parents who encouraged this attack were black. The park was filled with families; no one did anything to stop the violence. They watched my 13-year-old get kicked repeatedly in the head. It is not difficult to understand how deeply impacted we were by this brutality and bigotry. Worse yet is living in a community where there is a code of silence from the city and school leadership about racial violence against whites.  

Since that day we have seen more and more of the boys we know become victims. Many do not believe it worthwhile to make police reports. Some contact the police and are told that this type of violence is a part of the youth culture; others learn this has been going on for years and it is a shame. Rarely have I seen the responsible youth held accountable or the racial factor identified or discussed. A few weeks ago two 11-year-olds were slugged in the head at the corner store. In this case the victim’s parents were so upset and demanding of the police that they got some action. Another change was when I went over to the park and spoke to the recreation program directors, who then asked around the center, found out who was involved, called the parents, and the kids were held accountable. This is the way a community can share common values. However, there is resentment from some because the police came around and because the victim’s mother was so upset. There is still much dialogue and understanding needed to move forward. .  

I spoke out about my experience at the City of Berkeley Hate Crimes Forum last year. I felt supported and validated by the closing statement from City Manager Weldon Rucker. Rucker acknowledged that our community needed to improve its response and understanding of black on white teen violence. The local newspaper account of the forum left this out of their reporting. The reporter gave a detailed account of all the speakers except for the parents who spoke about this issue. I sent a letter to the editor, which was not published.  

How is this silence helping the community? It does not help the targets or the perpetrators. In fact, the silence continues to assign kids these roles while the adults ignore their responsibilities.  

At the end of the last school year, hate graffiti appeared in South Berkeley. I contacted the Public Works Department to remove the graffiti. It took four neighbors complaining and over a week to get the graffiti removed from the second location. While one police officer told me “it must be intimidating for white kids who have been victimized to read a message that says “ Whitey will pay,” another officer suggested that “whitey” could be someone’s name.  

I know exactly what was meant by the graffiti. I have lived in south Berkeley for 25 years and been chased by “ratpacks,” bitch-slapped by angry teenage girls who had been out all night drinking and doing drugs, told to get my white ass out of the neighborhood and, worst of all, the stomping of my son in the park. My sons have heard “no white kids in the park” yelled at them when going to sports practice. The answers should be in the data collected by the police and the schools. How many white kids have been the target of this bigotry and ignored?  

The victims are further harmed by the code of silence. It is not safe to discuss how they felt targeted because of their skin color. In questioning this silence I hope to encourage parents and community leaders to adopt common community values for our kids and develop a sense of our shared humanity.  

Laura Menard has been a South Berkeley resident for 25 years.  

Thanks in part to the recall election, those error-prone punch cards are well on their way out in California. The bad news is that their replacement has some voters fearing the cure may be worse than the disease.  

At issue are the new touch screen voting machines now being used throughout Alameda County—which critics say have the potential for skewing voting outcomes in ways far more serious than chad-hanging punch card ballots. 

Critics say the notorious potential for hacking posed by computer-driven systems, plus the inherent fallibility of computer systems combined with the absence of paper-based verification, could prevent accurate recounts. 

“With these machines you have no way to really confirm the outcome of an election,” said Katherine Forrest, co-founder of the Commonweal Institute, a Menlo Park think tank, who discussed the issue last week with members of Berkeley’s Gray Panthers organization. 

“Based on what we’ve heard from computer experts, there are real questions about the reliability and security of the machines,” Forrest said. “There is a fear that the election will not represent the will of the voters.” 

The machines used in Alameda County are manufactured by Diebold, one of three large companies that make the majority of touch screen machines used in the country. 

Alameda County Registrar of Voters Brad Clark said the county first used the machines in 1999, and within three years they were the only voting mechanism used. 

Clark said the county started looking to replace the old voting system in 1995, and settled on the touch screen because of features they thought would facilitate and expedite clean and fair elections.  

Proponents of the machines downplay security concerns, saying the devices are rigorously tested and certified to ensure accuracy. 

Frank Kaplan, Diebold’s Western Region Manager, said tests go on for months at a time and include verification by Wylkie Industries, an outside consulting firm. 

Tests include a line-by-line examination of source code for bugs and any glitches that could affect the machines’ accuracy. They are also put through several voting simulation tests before they are put into use. 

Clark and Kaplan disagree with the accusation that there is no way to create an accurate paper trail, pointing out that after each voter verifies his or her choices, the computer captures a digital image of the ballot which is then stored in case of a recount. 

Under California election law, every county must do a hand recount of at least one percent of the precincts to ensure accuracy, hence the reason for the digital image capture. 

None of this satisfies opponents. 

Judy Bertelsen of the Wellstone Democratic Club in Berkeley has been researching the machines and charges that the systems contain numerous vulnerabilities.  

She says that the digital image stored on the machine could be an exact copy of a mistake. 

“How can I be assured that my vote was cast accurately and how can I assure that is was counted accurately?” she asked. 

David Dill, a computer science professor at Stanford University, said the problems posed by Bertelsen and other critics show exactly why the machines could be problematic. 

“Why should we trust a machine?” he said. “Nobody has been able to answer that.” 

Dill says that even though the machines go through testing, there is still room for error because they are programmed by humans. Bugs are inevitable—and without a means to double check how the machine processed the vote, such as a paper receipt, voters are leaving their choices to chance, hoping that they get recorded and counted accurately. 

“What happens if the machine goes up in smoke? You can’t go back and check the paper trail,” said Dill. 

Opponents also point out that the software Diebold uses to run the machine is proprietary, which Diebold’s Kaplan said is necessary to protect that company’s livelihood. 

Kaplan said Wylkie Industries has had access to the code and, acting on a request by Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, another independent firm, Science Application International Corp., just concluded a favorable review of the Diebold machine and its code. 

Dill said that much of what the firms check for is malicious code written by programmers that could do things like change votes after they are cast. He said a well-written string of malicious code could recognize a test and function correctly, then begin manipulating the vote once it recognized that the balloting was official. 

He said one possible means of spotting test versus real voting might be time recognition, where it would recognize that more votes were being cast at certain times—like early morning, the lunch hour, and then in the evening, while in a test votes might be cast at random times. 

Independent investigations are not satisfactory, Dill said, adding that what is really needed is public disclosure of the code in order to accurately and fairly assess the software. 

Another negative review came from a team from John Hopkins University, who stumbled across the software for the Diebold machine on an unprotected Web site. After conducting a number of tests, they concluded that the software was full of flaws. 

Diebold said that the software was an outdated version no longer in use, but Bev Harris, who runs the blackboxvoting.org, posted an article written by Wired.com that found that the code had been used in the November, 2002 general elections in Georgia, Maryland and in counties in California and Kansas. 

Harris, who many call the Erin Brockovich of voting equipment, is a writer and literary publicist who has dedicated much of her time to monitoring new touch screen voting machines, and has time and time again found what she declares are major flaws. 

Diebold recently got her Web site taken briefly offline after Diebold threatened a suit for copyright infringement.  

Among Harris’s finds was an open Diebold FTP site where she found a software patch that had been applied to all the voting machines in Georgia just before the 2002 election. Because the site was openly accessible to Web surfers, many critics worried that the patches were malicious.  

Several people are also concerned about the Diebold software counties use to run the servers that tally votes for all precincts. 

Kaplan said that the firm’s software and the servers the counties use are reliably isolated, and when a county’s results are sent out they are first copied onto a CD from the server and only then sent over the Internet—and from another computer that is not connected to the county’s server in any way. 

He said the server is locked behind a pair of code-locked doors and that the server’s software, like that on the individual touch screen machines, is also closely tested. 

Critics again point to the fact that machines make mistakes, and that many of the same problems that apply to the individual voter machines also apply to the server. 

Diebold is not the only company drawing fire. 

Election Systems and Software (ES&S) attracted considerable media attention after Chuck Hagel, the Republican Senator from Nebraska, and the former CEO of ES&S—at the time called American Information Systems—ran in and won two elections where 85 percent of the votes were counted by ES&S machines. 

Hagel held stock in the company during both the elections, and in 1996 he scored one of the biggest upsets of the year, becoming the first Republican to win a Nebraska senatorial campaign in 24 years. 

Here in Berkeley, City Clerk Sherry Kelly says that the city has had no serious problems with the Diebold machines. When several voters were unable to complete their votes last November, the machines were cleared and restarted and the voters were eventually able to cast their votes successfully. 

Still, critics are not satisfied, remaining skeptical about a procedure they believe could potentially damage a crucial part of the democratic process, the right to vote. 

In the meantime, those who are hesitant about the new machines are voting absentee, which leaves a paper trail. They encourage others to get their paper ballots in before the deadline Tuesday.

The following was an address to Berkeley City Council on Sept. 7. 

We are all aghast at how inflamed passions and explosive hatred in the Middle East have spun out of control, causing endless death and destruction. How much blood must be spilled and how many human beings maimed or killed before a rude awakening occurs to the reality that the strategies of the Israeli government and Palestinian suicide bombings are a dead end and are counterproductive.  

During my lifetime I have witnessed several seemingly intractable, entrenched conflicts of momentous scope resolved through nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela will always be regarded as inspiring heroes.  

As a Holocaust survivor, the terror of violence and repression deeply engrained in my being, I have felt throughout my life a calling to work for Jewish security. Over the years I have observed that neither upward economic mobility, racial segregation, nor military might have provided safety for Jews. Israel, which had been envisioned as a safe haven for Jews, has instead become a most dangerous place. I came to realize that only experiencing what Martin Buber would call “the immense otherness of the other,” growing friendship and community, will create real security for Jews. 

I commend the Berkeley City Council action to support House Resolution 111, calling for an investigation into the death of Rachel Corrie, because I believe that their action reflects a desire to reduce the level of violence in the Middle East. If the investigation reveals a callous use of force by the Caterpillar operator, it would provide deplorable evidence of the hardening and brutalizing of young Israeli soldiers, which threatens the erosion of human decency in Israeli society. Resultant political pressures might have a humanizing effect on Israeli society.  

Reducing military power worldwide is a pressing need. Nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare represent an unfathomable threat to life on earth. Nonviolent conflict resolution based on meaningful dialogue has become a survival imperative for humanity.  

The Berkeley Council’s action occurred as Jews were still reeling from news of yet another devastating suicide bombing. This triggered deep-seated Jewish fears for life caused by centuries of persecution. We should mourn the victims of all the suicide bombings and the Palestinian victims of Israel’s current political and military policies, along with the death of Rachel Corrie.  

I wish that the killing in the Middle East rather than polarizing our Berkeley community would motivate us to reflect on the preciousness of our precarious existence here on earth and celebrate our shared humanity. 

Karl Linn is a member of East-Bay Dialogue Group of Arabs and Jews and president of Berkeley EcoHouse.

Ursula Sherman Village—Berkeley’s most ambitious proposed home for homeless families—is two steps closer to becoming a reality, but environmental and funding concerns are forcing an outcome somewhat different than the original design. 

Two weeks ago, teams from Golden Gate Tank Removal Inc. removed a pair of underground storage tanks—measuring three feet by eight feet—buried beside Harrison House, the existing homeless shelter at the site of the proposed homeless village at Harrison and Fourth Streets. 

Removal took five days and cost $75,000, paid for with money from the city public works department and city housing funds that had been earmarked to upgrade Harrison House. 

The tanks, discovered when a vent was spotted protruding above ground, were found to contain small amounts of gasoline and required disposal at a state-approved facility, said Deputy Manager of Public Works Patrick Keilch. 

They were just the latest in a series of environmental concerns the project has had to overcome since Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) first conceived of it four years ago. 

BOSS envisions the project as a supportive, self-contained four-building village where about 40 homeless families and 80 individuals can live and receive social services on site. The non-profit has secured city and state funding to build two homes to house abut 35 families next to Harrison House, which they also operate. 

A planned community center with some extra housing for residents remains unfunded. 

The shelter’s location on city property away from residential neighborhoods in the heart of industrial West Berkeley has been both a blessing and a curse. 

While BOSS planners haven’t had to placate any neighborhood groups, air pollution blown in from the project’s closet neighbors—the Berkeley Transfer Station, Interstate I-80 and the Union Pacific Railroad—nearly derailed the project. 

Air samples collected last year by the city’s Department of Toxics showed elevated levels of particulate matter—airborne solids or liquids from various sources—that at times exceeded state standards. The dirty dust, much of it coming from vehicle exhaust, is known to aggravate asthma. 

In July, the city’s Zoning Adjustment Board approved air quality mitigations listed in the project’s Environmental Impact Report, giving BOSS the green light to proceed. 

“Yes, it’s not wonderful air quality, but the project has overriding social value,” said Berkeley Housing Director Stephen Barton. “It’s healthier than if [the residents] were out on the street.” 

To reduce risk to shelter residents, the city has implemented mitigations at its garbage transfer station across the street from the shelter. After installing a mist system inside the station last year to knock the dust particles from the air, Tom Farrell, manager of the city’s recycling and solid waste division, said the city recently erected a 16-foot vine-covered fence to trap some of the dust before it blows to the shelter. The city also planted poplar trees to block dust and designated a street sweeper to clean the grounds at the station. 

Because transfer station modifications may fail to reduce particulate matter below state standards, BOSS reworked their building plan. 

Originally designed as a state-of-the-art sustainable structure using straw bail insulation, BOSS is now focusing costs on purifying the air inside the buildings. 

“We want to give [the residents] the best air possible so we are going with a higher end air filtration system,” said BOSS Executive Director boona cheema. Residents with a history of respiratory problems will be housed at a different BOSS shelter. 

Diminished funding forced BOSS to scale back plans for the community center. “We’ve shrunk the project a little bit in terms of the community space because we don’t think we will be able to raise the money,” cheema said, adding that government money earmarked for housing cannot be used to pay for amenities like a child care center or a job training lab. That money comes from private foundation grants, which have dried up recently, she said. 

cheema said she hopes to sign a long-term lease with the city in November and start construction on the two housing projects in January. Harrison House itself will have to wait until at least another year.

After almost five months of organizing, Berkeley Bowl workers filed a formal request with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Friday, asking them to schedule a date for a union election. 

According to Tim Hamann, president of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Butcher's Union Local 120—the union helping the workers organize—the NLRB should schedule a secret ballot vote within four to six weeks, where all eligible employees will have a chance to cast votes to decide whether or not to allow the union to represent them in contract negotiations with the store. 

Workers who had originally proposed a card check agreement that management rejected said they have been left with no recourse but to move forward with an NLRB election.  

Workers had tried to avoid an election through the NLRB because they say it favors management, who will now have time to run what they expect will be a strong anti-union campaign. As a compromise, workers had advocated a card check followed by an NLRB election within a week that would be monitored by a neutral third party. 

Management has not released a statement concerning the filing.

Proposition 54, the Oct. 7 ballot measure that promises to create a colorblind society, doesn’t look quite so benign to medical researchers in Berkeley and environs, who say that, author Ward Connerly’s protestations notwithstanding, the measure could do severe damage to public health programs. 

Take Contra Costa County, where health department officials have used racial data to reverse a long-standing gap between black and white women in early stage breast cancer detection rates. 

Opponents of Prop. 54, which would prevent state agencies from classifying people by race, ethnicity or national origin, say that if the initiative passes, programs such as the one in Contra Costa County would not be possible. 

But proponents of the measure, including Connerly, disagree. They say the medical exemption clause clearly allows researchers to gather such data. 

The measure seems to have stalled in the polls, and the health community appears united in its denunciation of the measure. 

They point to cases like Contra Costa County’s breast cancer program as an outreach program that would have been impossible without 1992 racial and ethnic data from the Northern California Cancer Center and the California Cancer Registry. 

In 1991 only 40 percent of Contra Costa County black women with breast cancer were diagnosed at an early stage where treatment is more likely to lead to a positive outcome, compared to 71 percent of white women. 

It was this knowledge, health officials said, that gave the county’s Breast Cancer Partnership a basis for targeting their outreach efforts. 

By 2001, their efforts succeeded, and new data showed that 71 percent of both white and black women were diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage.  

“This was a huge issue, we knew through research that early detection was a key ingredient in successful treatment,” said Kim Cox, program manager for women’s health in Contra Costa County Health Partnership. “We knew one of the reasons had to be access.” 

According to language included on the ballot set for Oct. 7, the proposition states that “otherwise lawful classification of medical research subjects and patients shall be exempt.”  

But Dee W. West, the chief scientific officer for the Northern California Cancer Center, believes the work of the Northern California Cancer Center would suffer from the confusion the law would create. 

“Cancer rates are reported by hospitals and by physicians to the regional registry,” West said. “I don’t think hospitals will be as likely to act in getting that information if they’re not sure whether they should be doing it and if state agencies aren’t asking them to do it. If that information is not included in a person’s medical record, we’re going to have a tough time collecting it.” 

Rachel Moran, a law professor at UC Berkeley, said the “medical exemption” language included in the ballot initiative is too vague to determine who would be considered “medical research subject” or “patient.”  

So while researchers may be able to collect data from people who are currently classified as “patients” or “subjects,” it may preclude getting the same from breast cancer survivors no longer considered patients, Moran said. 

It may also prevent researchers from determining whether there are cancer clusters within certain racial or ethnic communities, she said. 

“When you’re surveying people, they are not necessarily ‘a patient’ and they’re not necessarily ‘a medical research subject,’” Moran said. “Sometimes cancer runs in families, something it varies by race. Technically, none of these people would be considered research subjects.”  

Moran said the language might also create problems for health and social welfare researchers. 

“The exemption also raises the question of what will or will not count as medical research,” Moran said. “This may create a problem for researchers who want to gather data on...communities [at risk to] develop alcohol and drug addiction. Do these surveys really count as ‘medical?’ You could also make the argument that community based health that is preventive in nature rather than reactive would also not be included.”

Foiled Robbery 

A clerk at a San Pablo Avenue jewelry shop single-handedly stopped a woman from stealing $1,400 worth of jewelry Sunday. According to police, a woman walked into the store on the 2300 block of San Pablo Avenue, snatched a handful of jewelry from a display rack and bolted for the door. The clerk raced after her and corralled her outside the shop. The burglar punched the clerk in the face, bit her arm and pulled her hair, police said, but the clerk held on until officers arrived, arresting Kamella Lemmons, 21, of Oakland. During a search, they found she was carrying heroin and needles. 

Robbery 

A man claiming to be carrying a gun robbed a pedestrian late Saturday night at the corner of Eighth and Grayson Streets. According to police, the victim was searching for a house party when the robber approached him, threatening to shoot if he didn’t hand over his wallet. The victim complied and the robber escaped in blue Chevrolet Astrovan. 

Fistfight 

Two men were arrested for fighting on the 1500 block of Oregon Street yesterday afternoon after a witness saw the pair squaring off to fight and called police. When an officer arrived, the two had just started to brawl and about eight onlookers rushed to encircle them and watch the fight. The officer called for backup and then tried to stop the fight. Neither combatant wanted to quit, so the arriving backup officers had to subdue both. Charles Durant, 28, of Berkeley and Eric Perry, 39, of Berkeley were each arrested for battery. 

Reward in Berkeley Murder 

The city of Berkeley is offering $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the murder of a Mark David Sorensen, a 29-year-old Berkeley resident. Sorensen was shot to death and dumped from a moving car at the corner of Alcatraz and Adeline Avenues at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 5. Witnesses described the car as silver, similar to a Nissan, with tinted windows. Police have no suspects or motives at this time.

Prominent Bay Area advocates will debate the core Mideast conflict on the UC Berkeley campus Thursday evening under the sponsorship of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). 

Entitled “How Can Peace be Achieved Between Israelis and Palestinians,” the debate begins at 7 p.m. in room 2060 of the Valley Life Sciences Building. Because of limited seating, early arrival is recommended. 

The debate pits Hatem Bazian, Ph.D., a UCB lecturer in the Near Eastern Studies and Ethnic Studies Departments, and freelance journalist Alison Weir, founder and executive director of If Americans Knew (www.ifamericansknew.org) against David Meir-Levi, director of the Israel Peace Initiative (www.ipi-usa.org) and Dr. Eric Sirkin, Ph.D., a Palo Alto technology firm executive. 

This event is free and open to the public. 

The debate will begin with initial presentations by both sides, followed by rebuttals and a question-and-answer period with the audience.

I recently accepted an assignment to attend a Cybersalon debate entitled “Matchmakers Duke it Out Over Best Strategies.” Though I didn’t think I was the best person to attend since I’m married and haven’t been in the dating game since 1983, I was curious to learn more about this growing social phenomenon. 

And besides, I’m a believer in keeping your options open. You never know when you may need the help of a dating service.  

About 75 people crowded into the Berkeley Hillside Club, located just above Shattuck Avenue on Cedar Street. I looked around the room. I wasn’t much older than a lot of the folks attending. Pizza and beverages were available and as promised, at 7 p.m. the debate began. 

Actually, it wasn’t much of a debate since it took most of the allotted hour to introduce people in the audience and the panel—which included representatives from eMode, Tribes, Table for Six and SmartFlirts. 

Local resident, high tech publicist and moderator Sylvia Paull started the Cybersalon eleven years ago in her home with the goal of gathering together friends and people she admired to discuss how technology is changing society. The events grew so big and popular that she had to move them from her house to a larger venue. 

This is the first year that Cybersalon has taken place at the Hillside Club. 

Among the audience members Sylvia introduced was Lee Felsenstein, the inventor of the world’s first portable personal computer, called the Osborne-1. 

Felsenstein said he met his wife in a chat room on The Well. After several correspondences via e-mail, they met for a live date. She wasn’t his type, he said; she was overweight. But he soon realized his ideal was not necessarily his life partner. 

Seven years later they were married. 

The first panelist to speak was Mark Pincus who is creating a Web site called Tribes. 

“It’s a social network,” said Mark. “A way to connect to each other on the Internet without being buried in a database or spending money to find one another.” 

Mark’s original goal behind Tribes was to get a date for himself. He was attracted to cyberspace matchmaking because his sister had found her husband on jdate.com, a Web site for Jews seeking other Jews. When Sylvia asked Mark if he was currently seeing someone, he said yes. 

“And how did you meet this special someone?” asked Sylvia. 

“The traditional way,” said Mark. “At a party.” 

Psychologist Dr. Courtney Johnson, eMode’s director of research, was the next presenter. 

She said her goal was to find the formula for love by using personality tests that access values, attitudes, bonding and communication styles. She has also developed a compatibility test to match eMode users with others on the site.  

Table for Six founder Julia Paiva was the only representative from the non-Internet variety of dating services. She said that men and women want the same thing and that they need to be physically in front of one another in order to experience attraction. She provides that face-to-face contact by setting up dinners and outdoor activities in which like-minded singles can meet.  

Ned Engelke explained how SmartFlirts utilizes cell phone text messaging to make instant connections with others. He said text messaging “removes the overhead for blind dating,” i.e. getting ready for a date, giving information about your whereabouts to a friend in case you need a bail out, etc. 

With only 160 characters allowed in text messages, Ned enthusiastically declared, “You don’t have to be Tolstoy in order to get a date!” 

Cynthia Typaldos’s angle on cyberspace dating was different from the other panelists. 

She’s mostly interested in connecting professional guilds, but she had originally played matchmaker via a golfing Web site in which she connected golfers with other golfers who were looking for playing partners.  

Last to speak was dana boyd (her name has been legally changed to lowercase), who didn’t represent any company but who has recently arrived in Berkeley (via MIT and Brown) and seems to be an expert on all kinds of humanistic topics including types of dating behaviors which she divides into three groups: random hook-up, asking a friend, and getting to know the “familiar stranger,” the person you see at the bus stop everyday but don’t necessarily talk with. 

Finally, from the audience came a representative of PlanetOut, a highly successful Internet site that connects gays and lesbians, although its CEO, Megan Smith, admitted that she’d first met her life partner in the flesh at a job networking party.  

What’s a 51-year-old woman, who’s been married eleven years and with the same guy for twenty, to think of all this? 

Well, it was nice to be in a room full of optimists, people who believe they can help others to connect with one another, and with folks who are interested in doing the connecting. 

However, being the old-fashioned wedded type, I have to admit that I’m interested in the after effects of marriage more than the beginnings. 

By that I mean, what happens after you meet Mr. or Ms. Right, fall in love, get married and then, suddenly or gradually, the relationship changes? 

As the wife of a man who had an accident after I’d said “I do … in sickness and in health, and until death do us part,” I want to know how one keeps those promises when real life, not cyberspace, intervenes.  

Cybersalon meets at the Berkeley Hillside Club the third Sunday of every month, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

Next month’s forum is entitled Digital Democracy. The speaker is Joan Blades, founder of www.moveon.org. 

For more information about Cybersalon, contact Sylvia Paull at whoisylvia@aol.com. A list of upcoming Cyberspace events can be found at www.hillsideclub.org 

Tribes: www.markpincus.blogspot.com  

eMode: www.emode.com 

Table for Six: www.tableforsix.com 

SmartFlirts: www.smartflirts.com 

Cynthia Typaldos Consulting: www.typ aldos.com 

PlanetOut: www.planetout.com  

You can always count on Berkeley to provide an alternative take on anything, so I expected nothing less from the High Holiday services I attended Friday night, put on by Kehilla Community Synagogue, one of several alternative congregations in Berkeley. 

From parents chasing toddlers down the aisles and the skateboard-toting teenager to the overt progressive political references and the warm, community feel, one had no doubt that these services were far from typical.  

Originally founded in 1983, Kehilla is part of a growing number of Jewish congregations that are part of the Jewish renewal movement founded by Rabbis Shlomo Carlebach and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.  

As defined by the ALEPH: Alliance For Jewish Renewal, Jewish renewal is a trans-denominational sect grounded in Judaism's prophetic and mystical traditions but with an emphasis on tikkun olam, Hebrew for what ALEPH defines as healing the world by “promoting justice, freedom, responsibility, caring for all life and the earth that sustains all life.”  

In Berkeley, Kehilla originally started as a Hebrew school, but two decades later it has grown into a flourishing community organization. 

Burt Jacobson, the group’s founder and first Rabbi, said he started Kehilla to provide individualized teaching for students studying for bar and bat mitzvahs. Today the Hebrew school still exists—but now 400-plus families belong to a rapidly growing congregation. 

What makes Kehilla unique depends on who you talk to, but for many it’s an alternative take to what they have found to be an oppressive and stuffy experience. Members say it is a way for them to be Jewish, but in a non-traditional and much more accepting way. 

Jacobson said he founded Kehilla as a way to mesh convergent parts of his life—his political commitment and his spiritual needs. An anti-nuclear activist, he found himself stranded after the coalition he worked with fell apart. He was also part of the renewal movement that was growing at the time and decided to create “a progressive and religious community that would stick together.” 

“I was never really comfortable with the secular political view. It didn’t account for everything,” Jacobson said. 

From its inception, Kehilla confronted political issues such as the Israel/Palestine conflict from a balanced perspective, advocating for a just solution for both sides—an approach that attracted some and dissuaded others. 

“In the early years there were a lot of people who wouldn’t touch us with a 10-foot pole,” said Jacobson. 

Jewish renewal according to ALEPH was heavily influenced by the women’s movement, and so Kehilla has also made a concerted effort to critique and overcome what Jacobson calls the patriarchal aspect of Judaism. 

For several years, Jacobson said, Kehilla was called “the dyke synagogue” for its stance on equality for homosexuals. 

Kehilla’s commitment to spirituality is strong, and Jacobson said that, for many, the mystical and traditional roots of Judaism still offer a way to understand and adapt to the modern and postmodern world. 

This mix has created a welcoming environment for many Jews—myself included—who, like Jacobson, find that Judaism is a part our lives that works in combination with other themes. And for many, belonging to Kehilla is a way to be Jewish but unconfined and comfortable without being overly religious. 

High Holiday celebrations are a way for many Jews to be Jewish once a year. Like Christians on Christmas or Easter, Jews turn out en masse for the celebrations and Kehilla congregants are no exception—with several times the normal attendance showing up at the Scottish Rite center in downtown Oakland, one of the few regional venues large enough to accommodate the massive turnout. 

Throughout the services, Kehilla’s unique appeal was front and center, as the congregation sang, danced, meditated and celebrated the beginning of the Jewish year 5764. 

Women wore yarmulkes, traditional religious headgear usually reserved for only men. Screaming kids—who usually take away from an event—only added to the warmness, as mom and dads, sisters and brothers rocked and cooed to them. 

New Rabbi David Cooper addressed the audience in a warm, welcoming tone as the cantor and others sang songs that filled the auditorium and moved many to tears. 

Like many others, I left the services renewed and invigorated—unlike the stiff, unfulfilled feelings I’d often experienced after other more traditional services. 

Kehilla was not the sole alternative. Over the weekend, several other organizations and synagogues also catered to the unique demands of Berkeley’s Jewish High Holiday attendees.  

The Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center (JCC) offered a free service at a time when tickets for other services are usually expensive and hard to come by. Executive Director Joel Bashevkin said that the center has been offering a free service for years to people who couldn’t get tickets to other services or who do not belong to a synagogue. 

“All the people who don’t get into the other services get sent to the JCC,” Basheukin said. 

Even the more traditional synagogues, including Beth El, Berkeley’s largest Reform congregation, make an effort to accommodate the wide range of people who attend services. 

With over 500 families, Beth El offered two services, with parts of the congregation spilling into the nearby Episcopalian Church for a special service. Rabbi Ferenc Raj said the two services were held both because of attendance but also because the earlier service was more liberal and the later more conservative. 

As with all the other congregations, the Beth El services focused on self examination as a way to prepare and improve for the new year. 

The cycle of services still isn’t over, so there are still opportunities to attend the Yom Kippur eve and day services which mark the end of the 10-day celebration period that started last Friday. 

Kehilla will have services Sunday, Oct. 5 and Monday, Oct. 6. For more information call 527-5452 ext. 11. Beth El will also offer services on the Oct. 5 and 6. For more information call 848-3988. The JCC will also have services on the Oct. 6. For more information call 848-0237 x 6.

A truck fire rendered a local couple homeless Monday as they were driving to work. 

Sharon and James Clark had been living in their 1983 GMC SUV and working odd jobs to get by, but their most recent assignment proved to be more than their truck’s engine could handle. 

On their way to UC Berkeley to distribute fliers for discount subscription rates on the New York Times, James Clark spotted smoke escaping from underneath his hood. 

“I put in some transmission fluid and started driving again,” Clark said. Smelling burning rubber, Clark pulled over at the corner of Hopkins and Gilman Streets and asked a passerby to call the Berkeley Fire Department.  

The Fire Department fielded the call at 11:01 a.m., arrived three minutes later and extinguished the blaze within ten minutes. 

Deputy Fire Chief David Orth said the fire was located in the engine compartment. He said there was little risk of an explosion because the fire had not spread to the gas tank, shock absorbers or wheels. 

Firefighters managed to salvage the couple’s possessions from the back of the truck as well as the fliers they were hired to distribute. Police are working with the couple to safeguard their belongings while they seek shelter. 

Clark said he didn’t have insurance to pay for repairs and that he hoped the city would junk it for him. 

“I didn’t think it was going to catch on fire,” said Clark. “I was hoping for the best, but it turned out for the worst.” 

Orth said the fire department did not receive the emergency call immediately because the caller dialed 911 from his cell phone, instead of from a telephone. Because cell phone calls are usually routed to the California Highway Patrol via cellular towers on highways, Orth urged Berkeley residents to call the fire department directly at 981-5900 when reporting an emergency on their cell phones.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl stunned the city and university community Wednesday when he announced that he will step down after the end of this school year. 

“It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life to serve as chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley,” Berdahl said. “I believe we have accomplished a great deal and that we have taken the steps necessary to ensure that this campus is fully prepared to continue its great tradition of excellence well into the future.” 

Berdahl assumed the chancellorship during a tumultuous political time and his tenure has been marked by various campus and off-campus crises. He arrived at UC Berkeley in 1998—the year UC implemented Proposition 209 which ended affirmative action—and was immediately thrust into the debate on campus diversity. 

“The Chancellor has been committed to dialog on campus and has made strides for diversity,” said Graduate Assembly President Jessica Quindel. When the Academic Senate was drafting the university’s long range academic plan, Quindel said Berdahl demanded that the document address diversity issues.  

In 1999 a plan to slash the university’s ethnic studies programs led to student strikes, with many demonstrators blaming Berdahl for the cuts. Although the ethnic studies programs were spared, his reputation with diversity advocates remains tarnished. 

Yvette Felarca, an ASUC Senator and member of affirmative action advocacy group By Any Means Necessary, blamed Berdahl for not increasing enrollment of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans during his tenure. “I’m happy to see Berdahl go,” she said. “I’d like to see the university appoint a new chancellor who really fights to diversify the UC Berkeley campus.” 

Around the time of the ethnic studies strike, Berdahl faced another crisis—a student housing shortage that landed some incoming students at local hotels. In 1999 and 2001, student activists camped outside his house demanding more housing. 

“He was a miserable failure on the housing crisis,” said Paul Hogarth, a Berkeley Rent Board commissioner and former UC Berkeley student. Hogarth said Berdahl stepped into a tough situation with the university already behind on building dorms, but never made housing a priority. 

Berdahl did, however, oversee one completed and two ongoing dormitory projects that will create space for 800 students within the next couple of years. 

The chancellor maintained frosty relations with the city, feuding with Councilmember Kris Worthington, and drawing the ire of southside neighborhood activists who feared the a university building boom would damage their quality of life. 

“He never once said hello, visited me, or said a nice word to me,” said Worthington, who was among those camping outside his house during the housing crisis. 

But former Mayor Shirley Dean said Berdahl understood the city’s positions and did the best he could under tough circumstances. 

“He was the first Chancellor to visit Council,” Dean said. “I believe he was sympathetic to our concerns about traffic and [population] density, but he was told by the Regents he had to take 4,000 more students.” 

Dean credited Berdahl with implementing a seismic retrofit project on university buildings that she said would safeguard students and the local economy in the case of an earthquake. 

Since the project’s inception in 1997, the university has spent $479 to retrofit buildings with an estimated $400 million still in the works. 

Berdahl invested heavily in the campus’ buildings and libraries. In June 2003 the Association of University Libraries ranked UC Berkeley as the top public university library in North America and number three overall behind Harvard and Yale. 

“I have believed since my first days on the campus that the most pressing need Berkeley faced was to restore the facilities necessary to attract and retain the best faculty and students,” Berdahl said.  

Students praised him for mostly staying out of their business while giving them a greater voice in the university. “He put students on some committees and gave student leadership a say in some university processes,” Quindel said. 

Students will get to participate in the nationwide search for a replacement that commence next week. Regents, faculty, alumni and staff will also serve on the advisory committee. 

Outgoing UC President Richard Atkinson said Berdahl’s successor will have a tough act to follow. “Bob Berdahl has been an outstanding leader for the Berkeley campus and will be greatly missed,” he said.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 26 

Berkeley City Golf Championship at Tilden, registration beginning at 9 a.m., with shotgun starting at 12:30 p.m. Berkeley High Principal, Jim Slemp, will be putting at 10:30 a.m. for public education. Country Joe McDonald will be the evening’s entertainment. Cost is $115 to play and all proceeds will go to Berkeley charities. Call 841-0972 to reserve a time.  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with George Coffin, MD, Pediatrician, on “Headed- 

ness.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $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. 

Family Literacy Night from 7 to 9 p.m. with storytelling, word games, music, book- 

making and book swaps, at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. 486-8408. 

“The War in Iraq and the American Economy,” with Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist Professor of Econo- 

mics and International Affairs at Princeton University, at noon at Anderson Auditorium, Haas School. Sponsored by The Graduate School of Journalism, Haas School of Business and The World Affairs Council of Northern California. 642-3383.  

Wisdom and Action A three-day conference dedicated to the positive relationship between wisdom and action. This conference honors the person, work, ideals, and influence of Joanna Macy. At St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Cost is $295 for three days. For information call 415-575-6115 or visit www.ciis.edu/pcc/conference 

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

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the west en- 

trance to UC Berkeley, on Ox- 

ford St. near University Ave. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 

Friends of Five Creeks work party beginning 9 am. Plant natives and celebrate new plaques with a picnic at our Codornices Creek at Ohlone Greenway, opposite 1200 Masonic or take Greenway north from Gilman. 848-9358. 

Gardening with Kids at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-1992. 

Green Living Series: Introduction to Sustainable Living Identify the most harmful consumer practices and ways that you can lighten your impact on the earth, including transportation, food, heating and appliances, reuse and recycling, renewable energy, and getting involved in local community. From 10 a.m. to noon at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. For information call 548-2220 ext. 233.  

Gardening for Life: Monoculture vs. Biodiversity Learn to garden in a way that supports a diversity of life. From 10 a.m. to noon at the 59th St. Community Garden, between Market and Adeline, Oakland. For information email karenjoy@uclink.berkeley.edu 

“Palestinian Crisis: Another Catastrophe in the Making,” slide show presentation by Anne Gwynne, at 6:30 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, Community Room, Clark Kerr Campus, 2951 Derby St. Fundraiser for the children of Nablus, $20 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. www.geo- 

cities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

“Illuminations: Cuba’s Fate and Ours” A talk and slide show on sustainable development in Cuba by Philip S. Wenz, editor of “ECOTECTURE: The Online Journal of Ecological Design.” At 7 p.m. at 1450 Hawthorne Terrace. Please RSVP to Kirstin Miller at 419-0850 as seating is limited. www.ecotecture.com  

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Fire Suppression, for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or by calling 981-5506. 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour, Women on UC Berkeley Campus, led by Betty Marvin. Begins at 10 a.m. Reservations and a donation of $8 required. 848-0181. 

Pet Adoptions, sponsored by Home at Last, from noon to 5 p.m., Hearst and 4th St. 548-9223. 

String Band Convention, featuring a string band contest followed by a community dance. Hosted by Suzy Thompson of Bluegrass Intentions California Cajun Orchestra, and co-sponsored by KPFA radio, with Mary Tilson as MC. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org  

Careers in International Trade, a workshop on Sept. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista Community College’s Allston Way Annex, 2075 Allston Way. Register at www.peralta.cc. 

ca.us or call 981-2927. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 28 

How Berkeley Can You Be? Grand Parade and Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parade up University Ave. followed by festival at Civic Center Park. Outdoor stage, live music and dance, food and drink booths, crafts, non-profits and children's activities. 654-6346. www.hesternet/event 

Bay Area Women in Black, Community Tashlich Observance, a Jewish New Year's ritual in which the wrongdoings of the past year are cast off into moving waters. Meet at the Emeryville Marina at 4 p.m. Everyone welcome. For further information call 597-1070 or email bayareawomeninblack 

@earthlink.net 

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are sponsored by the Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. The Berkeley City Club is located at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

“Out and About in Rockridge” Street Fair, Picnic in the Street and Kitchen Tour from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free except for Kitchen Tour. For tickets and information call 644-4228 or visit www.rockridge.org, www.rockridgedistrict.com 

“Genetic Engineering: Who Draws the Line,” with Charles Weiner, Professor of History of Science and Technology, MIT, at 2 p.m. at Museum Theater, Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $10. Registration recommended. 642-4111.  

Fall Plant Sale at the Botanical Garden offering a diverse range of plants for the Bay Area gardener including many which are not widely available: the Chilean bellflower, rare South African bulbs, natives such as the giant coreopsis, as well as exotic carnivorous plants and houseplants. Members only sale at 9 a.m., open to the public at 10 am. 643-2755. botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu  

MONDAY, SEPT. 29 

Rally for Environmental Justice Join California environmental justice leaders to make your community’s voice heard. At 1 p.m. in Preservation Park, 1233 Preservation Park Way, Oakland. 834-8920.  

East Bay Community Against the War Video screening and discussion of “Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election,” at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 530 Lake Park Ave. $1 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. Sponsored by East Bay Community Against the War 658-8994. www.ebcaw.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. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30 

“The Bush White House: How Covering the President Has Changed,” with Helen Thomas, newspaper columnist, UPI and White House bureau chief for 57 years; Daniel Schorr, reporter and commentator, senior analyst for NPR; and Scott Lindlaw, White House Correspondent, AP, at 7:30 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism and The Commonwealth Club. Tickets are $10, $5 CC members, Students free with i.d. 642-9988.  

“Defend Environmental Justice, Defeat Prop. 54!” A forum with KPFA commentator and community activist Joy Moore and representatives from the Coalition for an Informed California, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-2220 ext. 233. 

“The Arab-Isreali Conflict: View from a Dove,” with Marcia Friedman, former member of Knesset and president, Bit Tzedek Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0327, ext. 112. www.brjcc.org 

Super Sidewalk Book Sale University of California Press offers new and slightly scuffed books from our warehouse. Prices are $5 for paperback and $10 for hardback. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2120 Berkeley Way, between Shattuck and Oxford. 642-9828. 

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

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.  

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1 

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 

Meetup for Howard Dean, at 7 p.m. at three Berkeley locations: Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave; Espresso Roma Cafe, 2960 College Ave.; and Sweet Basil Thai Restaurant, 1736 Solano Ave. Free. Wheel- 

chair accessible. For information call 843-8724. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Hide-A-Way Café, 6430 Telegraph Ave. For information call Fred Garvey, 925-682-1111, ext. 164. 

Amnesty International Berkeley Community Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1606 Bonita Ave., at Cedar St. Join fellow human rights activists to help promote social justice one individual at a time. 872-0768. 

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. 548-0425. 

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 

THURSDAY, OCT. 2 

“Direct Order,” a a film on the use of the anthrax vaccine by the Dept. of Defense, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hall, at Cedar and Bonita. 528-5403. 

The California Recall: Who, Why and What it Means for the Environment, with panelists Susan Rasky, Political Journalist and Professor, School of Journalism, Fred Keeley, Executive Director, Planning & Conservation League, and Jim Bushnell, Research Director, The University of California Energy Institute, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Morgan Lounge, 114 Morgan Hall, near Hearst and Arch Streets, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Resource Development. 643-4200. 

How Can Peace Be Achieved Between Israelis and Palestinians?” a moderated debate sponsored by the Associated Students of UC, at 7 p.m. at 2040 Valley Life Sciences Bldg, UC Campus. 655-6384.  

UC Botanical Garden Docent Training at 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fee and registration required, 643-1924. 

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

ONGOING  

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

People's Park Community Advisory Board is seeking members. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30. They are available at the People's Park office, 642-3255; the UC Office of Community Relations, 643-5299; and via e-mail to plspark@uclink.berkeley.edu. 

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 

Swim a Mile for Women with Cancer The East Bay’s Women’s Cancer Resource Center is seeking participants, supporters, and in-kind donations for its annual non-competitive fundraising event, to be held on Oct. 4-5 at the Trefethan Aquatic Center, Mills College. For more information on how to register for this event, please call 601-4040, ext. 180 or email swimamilewcrc@yahoo.com 

Cal Community Service Days Students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members are invited to participate in a series of workshops and community service projects from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4. For information on how to get involved, see ttp://students.berkeley.edu/calcorps/cad.html 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5106. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Thurs.,Oct. 2,  

at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 2, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/housing 

School Board meets Wed. Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320.

FROM THE MAYOR 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Recently, there have been a number of letters regarding the Berkeley School District’s proposed move of the Adult School to the Franklin School site.  

The city has been quite vocal about the potential impact on the Franklin neighborhood. In addition to our city manager’s official letter addressing these concerns, Councilmembers Maio, Breland, and I have met with neighbors, attended community meetings, met with school board members, conferred with the city attorney and discussed these issues at public forums.  

However, state law severely limits the city’s jurisdiction over this move. School districts are exempt from city oversight when building classrooms.  

Despite legal restrictions, we have taken concrete steps to address the community concerns raised. For example, we requested that the city manager assign our transportation director to participate on the Franklin Site Advisory Committee—both to make recommendations to the committee, as well as to the manager and City Council. We are also working with the school district to ensure that they conduct a full environmental study of all potential future school moves that do fall under city oversight—including properties on Oregon Street, Gilman Street, Derby Street, West Campus, and Hillside School.  

It is important to note, however, that the city and the school district have been working in positive ways during this time of great fiscal uncertainty. Working together, we brought police officers back to the middle schools, helped negotiate free vision screening for students, leveraged funding for student and family support services, promoted volunteer programs, and launched a joint youth and education initiative.  

I will join City Council in continuing to work on addressing the serious concerns raised by the Franklin neighbors and others, while continuing the important collaborative work that benefits students, families, and taxpayers. 

Mayor Tom Bates 

• 

TOO MUCH AT STAKE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

With its new policy of assassinating its legally constituted head-of-state opponent, the Israeli government has squandered the last ounce of moral authority conferred on their nation by the idealism of the Zionist movement, as well as international sympathy for terrible suffering at the hands of its most fanatic enemies. Israel could never have been able to survive becoming a global pariah were it not for the one-sided tilt of its powerful American allies, who have on their own accomplished a comparable transformation in the eyes of the world community in a mere 18 months, from the World Trade Center destruction to the invasion of Iraq. Bush and Sharon are wedded by their relentlessness, which they boldly claim is necessary to match the intensity of their terrorist counterparts. 

Should Israel martyr Arafat, there will be no Middle East solution left but for the permanent occupation of Palestine and subjugation of its people. That, the nuclear arming of North Korea and Iran, and whatever we get out of what remains of Afghanistan and Iraq will be the enduring legacy to the world of the Bush administration. 

It looks increasingly unlikely that Bush will be reelected in fourteen months, but also increasingly unlikely that he’s really concerned about it. He’s a man of doing, not a man of arguing, as he likes to say, and he’s already accomplished much of what he set out to do. The last of his opportunities, the chance to pardon those of his buddies who got caught, like whoever (looks like Karl Rove) blew the CIA cover of Ambassador Wilson’s CIA-operative wife, will only come once, and having only one term will make it happen that much sooner. 

When the Constitution was written, there was nothing so vastly destructive that one man could wreak in four years. Our system provides only unwieldy removal tools, so there’s no recourse when its chief executive is proven to care only for his own short but deadly agenda and nothing for world, American, or Congressional opinion, or even his own place in history. When the Bush nightmare is over, we owe it to ourselves and the world to restructure our government along parliamentary lines, so that the chief executive will at least have to answer to an elected body with a longer horizon. Too much is at stake not to. 

Dave Blake 

• 

EXPLANATIONS PLEASE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

John Selawsky’s op-ed piece on FCMAT’s report card (Daily Planet, Sept. 19-22) seemed to echo what we’ve been hearing from Washington. Faced with problems and failings, the answer is always “Things are improving,” without addressing any of the specific issues. What would really be helpful is for the school board to explain why our new boilers are not being maintained. Please explain why some of our schools, including the high school, aren’t so clean. Why are fire and safety code violations, over three years old, not fixed? Please explain why new buildings leak. And most of all, please explain why you gave our well paid administrators a raise more than twice the cost of living while, at the same time, you’re laying off teachers. My sophomore at BHS currently has three classes with more than 40 students in each one. Connection? 

Dan Peven 

• 

SAFETY FOR DISABLED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Two pedestrians have been injured in accidents along Ashby Avenue from Thursday to Sunday (“Activist Fred Lupke Injured in Accident,” Daily Planet, Sept. 19-22). Both were using wheelchairs. 

In the aftermath of these accidents, people are asking what can be done to prevent further harm to disabled members of our community. We propose the following steps as a good beginning and ask for community support. 

Pull the Commission on Disability’s requests for changes to the Transportation Element of the General Plan out of the waste bin and integrate our needs into the city’s blueprint for the future.  

Give priority to traffic management, pedestrian safety and traffic calming where severe accidents are occurring—on arterial and collector streets and at intersections.  

Provide adequate transportation choices so people can avoid dangerous situations. For example, issue permits for wheelchair-accessible taxicabs.  

Adequately fund Berkeley’s Paratransit Program for taxi scrip and van vouchers.  

Begin moving the responsibility for all disability-related transportation programs and facilities into the Transportation Department so transportation professionals are addressing our needs.  

Provide adequate and safe placard parking spaces and pickup/drop-off zones in all areas of the city.  

Continue the rollout of accessible pedestrian signals and way-finding aids.  

Raise public awareness that sidewalks must be kept clear of both temporary (refuse bins, parked cars, etc.) and permanent (tree limbs, damaged surfaces, etc.) obstructions. Give this teeth by having the Parks Department begin proactively enforcing the requirements for clearing vegetation from public rights-of-way.  

By implementing these improvements, we can enhance safety and access, not only for persons with disability but for every person traveling the roads and sidewalks of Berkeley.  

Emily Wilcox  

Chair of the Commission on Disability 

Miya Rodolfo-Sioson  

Past Chair of the Commission on Disability 

• 

SOCIALISTS FOR CRUZ 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The East Bay Democratic Socialists of America voted at its last meeting to endorse Cruz Bustamante on the second part of the Oct. 7 recall ballot. We had previously committed ourselves to a no vote on the recall and on Proposition 54. We thought other progressives might be interested in the reasoning that led to this decision. 

We vigorously oppose the recall of Gray Davis. The recall represents an effort on the part of the Republicans to take back the state house they lost in last year’s election. If the recall fails then the debate over the second part of the ballot becomes moot. However, we cannot assume that this will happen. The recall battle is at the moment too close to call. A vote for Bustamante gives us a fall back position to accomplish the same objective, that of preventing a Republican takeover of the state house. 

The second portion of the ballot is shaping up as a tight race between Bustamante and Schwarzenegger. The choice between the two is quite clear. Bustamante’s victory wouldn’t represent a significant change for either better or worse over Davis. However, a victory for Schwarzenegger would do serious damage to the interests of working people. 

If significant numbers of progressives vote for Huffington or Camejo, they will be taking votes away from Bustamante and helping Schwarzenegger. Every progressive voter we can convince to oppose the recall and vote for Bustamante will be an important blow against Schwarzenegger and the right. 

Karl Knobler 

Chair, DSA-East Bay Local 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Betsy Hunton’s review of the Aurora Theatre’s production of the “The Old Neighborhood” (Daily Planet, Sept. 23-25) included some off the record material that I had mentioned to her in a phone conversation. I don’t think Ms. Hunton understood what “off the record” meant. I never intended this information to be made public. The play will continue to be performed as it is written. It’s doing very well and we’re talking about adding extra performances. 

Sincerely, 

Joy Carlin 

Director of “The Old Neighborhood” 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet:  

So let me see if I got this straight. Both Mr. LaForce and Tom Bates think it better for the environment to have 48 people driven miles on the freeway in order to practice a sport that doesn’t pollute. If these young women were able to hop on bikes or the bus and head to crew practice they would stay closer to home and help the earth at the same time. If the politicians think the birds at Aquatic Park are more important than the citizens, I suggest they hit up our feathered friends for votes next time. Support our high school while using sound science; let the girls’ crew team practice at Aquatic Park! 

Mike Vaughn 

A symphony conductor staying at the helm of one orchestra for 25 years is pretty remarkable, but in the case of Berkeley Symphony Orchestra conductor Kent Nagano it’s a labor of love. 

Now 51, Nagano cut his teeth with BSO when he took over in 1978. 

His presence was immediately felt. 

Originally known as the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra, the group didn’t take itself too seriously, and it showed—from their playing to their casual dress. 

Nagano pushed through a name change, and imposed a strict practice discipline. It wasn’t long before he had them wearing tuxes. 

While whipping his Berkeley group into shape, in the 80s Nagano also embarked on a conducting juggernaut. He continues to garner rave reviews for his work in Paris, Munich, London and throughout Europe as well as Los Angeles. 

Nagano isn’t your typical conductor. He surfs, drives a Ferrari and practices martial arts to hone his mind and body. 

But don’t let this fool you. Beneath the cool exterior is a very serious and demanding musician who gets the most out of his players. 

This Monday BSO launches into its 25th season under Nagano’s baton with a special program celebrating his career. The program begins at 8 p.m. at UC’s Zellerbach Hall and features a performance by Alameda opera star Frederica von Stade. 

Reached at his Los Angeles hotel room recently, Nagano left little doubt that while he may live in San Francisco, he left his heart in Berkeley. 

Daily Planet: “You’ve said your commitment to BSO is all about the players’ commitment to your musical challenges, but are there other non-musical reasons? Is there something about Berkeley itself?” 

Kent Nagano: “I suppose one can always find secondary reasons. For me the primary reason is musical. It’s a privilege to work with such a group of talented musicians who share this dedication and commitment to trying to explore music so that it remains as an absolute priority. 

“Of course, I am a Californian. I come from Northern California. Born in Berkeley’s Alta Bates hospital. My folks are both UC Berkeley graduates. Having seen many extraordinary places in the world it only underscores what a spectacularly beautiful place the Bay Area is. 

“The whole combination of the culture and nature in the Bay Area combines to give the region just a very special ambiance to it. I love California, so certainly that has some bearing, but it’s really not the primary reason. The primary reason is the musical reason.” 

Daily Planet: “It’s hard to imagine the BSO without you. Will it thrive in your absence?”  

KN: “Oh sure, of course. No one person is ever so indispensable that the group becomes artificially limited somehow. 

“That to me would be a goal that I don’t think would be helpful in the long term for the Berkeley Symphony at all. Certainly the day will come when it’s time to have a transition. 

“In the first year I remember there was an enormous amount of speculation of whether or not I would maintain the commitment to the orchestra and I guess every year when we approach the season there is at least a period of discussion whether or not I can still maintain that commitment. But we decided early on that as long as the relationship was bearing fruit then it shouldn’t be artificially ended.”  

Daily Planet: “What is the reaction in Europe and elsewhere where you conduct to your commitment to Berkeley?” 

KN: “To have a long-term partnership is not without precedent. There have been long collaborations that have lasted for many years. 

“I’m thinking of Serge Koussevitzky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra or Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Or Herbert von Karajan. Or more recently Seiji Ozawa with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I suppose that in this day and age it’s more the exception rather than the rule.” 

Daily Planet: “What about the possibility of the symphony making the now vacant UC Theater its permanent home -- do you think that’s going to happen?” 

KN: “At this point it’s hard to tell. We did do quite a bit of research on the UC Theater to see whether or not it could be successfully transformed into a performance space for a symphony orchestra. And the results came back positive. 

“What is appealing about the space is that it seems to enhance what is a very important artistic core to the city. I’m thinking of the important role that the Berkeley Repertory Theater holds and it’s expansion in downtown. I do feel very passionately that it is a natural step for the Berkeley SymphonyOrchestra. 

“Since its inception, the Orchestra, like many part-time professional groups, has had an itinerant home moving from concert hall to concert hall. To have a home which is really the symbol of the Berkeley Symphony I think is an important step that some day really should happen. Whether it’s right now with the UC Theater is a question that needs to be debated between many people. But I think someday it’s important to let this step happen.” 

Daily Planet: “A lot has been said recently about Berkeley having a thriving downtown live theater district—could it really happen?” 

KN: “I think it is happening. And to me it’s consistent with the tradition of Berkeley. The city has always been such a strong and visible community in terms of its pioneering spirit. Its cultural richness. Its intellectual richness. The intersection of cultural influences, national influences, and trends has created a historic environment in which invention and forward-looking esprit can take place. 

“This has all been a part of our long-term history since the very early days of the Spanish land grants. The nourishment for the soul of the community is somehow reflected through the arts and the arts truly do belong to everyone. A theater belongs to everyone.” 

Daily Planet: “What do think of the gutting of music education today in California’s public schools considering your early music training in Morro Bay, CA where the music teacher was classically trained?” 

KN: “It is alarming. I think many people in the field however detect a swinging of the pendulum coming back. For example I’ve heard of a number of school districts that have voluntarily taken very strong moves to reestablish arts programs within the public school system. Sometimes remarkably so. 

“Creations of orchestras, creations of bands or visual art classes simply because of pressure being brought upon the school district by the parents of the children. A few years ago several of us put together a concert to honor our very influential music professor in Morro Bay.  

“It was a great symbolic gesture towards this professor, but it also gave a chance for many of us to look and see what in fact he really did accomplish through his nearly 50 years involvement in public education. 

“And it was clear that of all of the hundreds and hundreds of children that he worked with, his point was not to turn out scores of professional musicians. His goal was a relationship with the arts. 

“That evening the people who came back were mechanics, engineers, architects, bakers, tailors, teachers, farmers, cattle ranchers. The variety of the walks of life was just as I’d remembered it growing up. What was really impressive was no matter what the vocation people chose—heavy machinery or running a cattle ranch—the piece of Beethoven that we played had a deep relationship with every person who was there because they had grown up with it.”

Festival Event 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 

Children 

Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm, celebrates her 40th birthday at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Film 

British Fim Revivals: “A Cottage on Dartmoor” with Neil Brand on piano, at 7:30 p.m. and “How to be Eccentric: The Films of Richard Massingham” at 9:30 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 

“Spirited Away,” Japanese animation ghost story, 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 & Lectures 

“Martin Guitar Masterpieces,” a new book  

in celebration of the 170th anniversary of the guitar maker, will be introduced by Dick Boak and Steve Miller at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books.  

845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Gay and Laney Salisbury discuss the race to Nome in “The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic”  

at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St.  

559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

µ“Grass Roof, Tin Roof Project” Launch, with a free book - one per person, first come, first served - for the simultaneous reading of Dao Strom’s new novel about a Vietnamese family resettling in Northern California. Receive the accompanying lapel pin and locate other “Grass Roof, Tin Roof “ readers around town. At noon  

at all five Berkeley Public Library locations.  

981-6100. 

Music & Dance 

U-Theatre/Drummers from Taiwan perform “The Sound of Ocean” a presentation of complex drumming and martial art techniques exploring the spiritual aspects of contemporary Taiwanese culture, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenez. Cajun dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $13 in advance, $15 at the door. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Strictly Skillz,” a celebration of Hip Hop in its purest forms at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Winfred E. Eye, Moore Brothers, Deers at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6.  

841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com  

Scott Amendola Band, featuring Jeff Parker, Nat Su and Todd Sickafoose, at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Suggested donation $15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Danny Caron and Friends at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Golden Bough, Celtic-American trio, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door.  

548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Phantom Limbs, 400 Blows, Nakatomi  

Plaza, Marathon 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. 

Wig Salad, Brown Baggin at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Indian Classical Music with Jyoti Rout, Pandit Habib Khan, and Prof. Mohini Mohan Pattnaik  

at 7 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15-$20, available from 925-798-1300.  

Tim Barsky, master of beat boxing at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 

Exhibition Openings 

La Peña Cultural Center celebrates Quinque Cruz, aka Claudio E. Duran, author of “Autobiography of an Ex-Chess Player,” with a mutimedia event exploring the idea of aesthetic and terror, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10-$25. 849-2572. www.lapena.org 

Film 

Arab Film Festival, Cinemayaat: “Broken Wings,” at 1 p.m., “I am Palestine,” “Indepen- 

dence,” at 3:15 p.m. “Invasion,” at 5:15 p.m., “The Bookstore,” “El-Kotbia, and “My Jose- 

phine,” at 7 p.m., “Night of Destiny,” “Wind of Beriut,” at 9:45 p.m. Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $9, students and seniors $7. www.aff.org 

Readings & Lectures 

“Where Does the Music Come From?” with Neil Brand on piano, silent film accompanist 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 

Rhythm and Muse with Katherine Harer and Joe Vance, at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Roshni Rustromji reads from her new novel “Braided Tongue” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books  

of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Music & Dance 

U-Theatre/Drummers from Taiwan perform “The Sound of Ocean” a presentation of complex drumming and martial art techniques exploring the spiritual aspects of contemporary Taiwanese culture, at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

University Symphony, David Milnes, director, performs Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 at 8 p.m.  

at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $8, $6 seniors and  

UC staff, $2 UC students, and are available from 642-9988.  

Indian Classical Music with Jyoti Rout, Pandit Habib Khan, and Prof. Mohini Mohan Pattnaik at 7 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15-$20 available from  

925-798-1300. 

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson with Comfort Mensah at 9 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

James McMurtry, Johnny Childs at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Mark Murphy, jazz singer, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20-$25. 845-5373.  

www.jazzschool.com 

Delta Nove at 8 p.m. at Jupiter.848-8277. 

Rama with DJ Dave Mak at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations suggested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Dix Bruce and Jim Nunally, roots country and bluegrass guitar and vocals, at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freight-andsalvage.org 

Alice Stuart at 2 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. www.downhomemusic.com 

Sol Americano, KGB at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes  

On Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com  

Kent Glenn-Putter Smith Jazz Quartet at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Spencer Day Group at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Over My Dead Body, In Control, The Control, Stand Up and Fight, Our Turn  

perform 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. 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 

Exhibition Openings 

Berkeley Art Center, “One Struggle, Two Communities,” at 2 p.m. Late 20th Century Political Posters of Havana, Cuba and the San Francisco Bay Area 644-6893. 

Berkeley History Center, “Early Women of Berkeley (1878-1953),” at 2 p.m. An exhibit curated by the College Women's Club/Berkeley Branch of the American Assn. of University Women and the Berkeley Historical Society, celebrating how women shaped Berkeley's history, working alone and through their clubs. 1931 Center St. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

Children 

Ecuadorian Dance, Music and Art for the whole family from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way at College Ave. Free with museum admission. 643-7648.  

Film 

Arab Film Festival, Cinemayaat: “Duel in  

San Francisco” at 3 p.m., and “Threads” and “Lost Horizon,” at 8:45 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $9,  

students and seniors $7. www.aff.org 

The Films of Germaine Dulac: “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” 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 & Lectures 

The Editors of The Bark on “Dog is my  

Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World’s Oldest Friendship,” at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Poetry at Cody’s with Jacqueline Kudler and Diane Sher Lutovich at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com 

“Genetic Engineering: Who Draws the Line,” with historian and philosopher of science Charles Weiner, at 2 p.m. preceded by a guided tour at 1 p.m. in the Berkeley Art Museum Theater, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $10 for the general public, free for UC Berkeley students and faculty, and BAM/PFA members. Held in conjunction with the exhibition, “Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics.” To register call 642-4111.  

J. Robert Lennon reads from his new novel ”Mailman” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Music & Dance 

µHow Berkeley Can You Be? Grand Parade and Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parade up University Ave. followed by festival at Civic Center Park. Ceremonial Opening of the Berkeley Arts Festival with the City Council Singers in a tribute to City Manager Weldon Rucker, “conducted” by Gary Ginstling, executive director of the Berkeley Symphony. Outdoor stage, live music and dance, food and drink booths, crafts, non-profits and children's activities. 654-6346. www.hesternet/event 

Crowden Music Center presents Irene Sazer, violin and Gianna Abondolo, cello at 4 p.m. at 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $12 general, free for children 18 and under. 559-6910.  

www.thecrowdenschool.org  

The Matches in an all ages concert to benefit Youth Radio, at 5:30 p.m. at Youth Radio Cafe, 1801 University Ave. at Grant. Cost is $5.  

540-5876. 

In the Balance: Poetry and Jazz at 2 p.m.  

in the Peralta Community Garden on Peralta St. between Hopkins and Gilman. 231-5912.  

kirklumpkin@mac.com 

Deaf Electric, electronic, turntablism, experimental music and visuals, at 7 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $6-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Midnite, reggae quintet from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Party of Seven, world music ensemble, 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 

Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge plays standards and original in Afro-Cuban style at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Astral Realm, The Volumes, Tregenza at  

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

Americana Unplugged Series: High Country at 8 p.m. at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave.  

848-8277. 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 

Exhibition Openings 

“5 x 3” Art exibition opening at 7 p.m.  

Berkeley Public Library Central Community Room. An informal session with three resident artists, Ana Bravo, Malle Malaam and Joseph Alverez. Works will be displayed through October in the Library’s Central Catalog Lobby.  

Readings & Lectures 

Alex Wellen talks about a law-student’s entry into the legal profession in “Barman: Ping Pong, Pathos and Passing the Bar” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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

Kirk Read discusses “How I Learned to Snap:  

A Small Town Coming-Out and Coming-of-Age Story” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books.  

486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Music & Dance 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 25th Anniversary Celebration, honoring conductor, Kent Nagano, with guest soloist Frederica von Stade, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall. Pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. Tickets are $21-$45, students $10, available from 841-2800 or  

www.berkeleysymphony.org 

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

Arty McGlynn and Nolliag Casey, traditional music duo from Ireland world music ensemble, 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 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 

Film 

µ“Poetry is Not A Luxury,” documentaries in tribute to poet and activist Audre Lorde, at 6:30 p.m. in the Berkeley Public Library’s Central Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6233. 

The Films of Germaine Dulac: “The Seashell and the Clergyman” and other films 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 

Readings & Lectures 

Jhumpa Lahiri, 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, reads from her new novel, “The Namesake” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Thomas Swick introduces us to less-often  

visited places in the world in “A Way to See  

the World: From Texas to Transylvania with a Maverick Travel Editor” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave at Rose. 843-3533.  

Music & Dance 

Cocodrie at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson with Diano Castillo at 8 p.m.  

Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dayna Stephens House Jam at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

Los Halos, Pine Martin at 9:30 p.m. at  

The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1  

Film 

Heddy Honigmann: “Crazy” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive, with the filmmaker in person. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5  

UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Readings & Lectures 

Mike Perry reads from his new novel about small town living, “Population 485,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Nazelah Jamison and Karen Ladson, featuring DJ Tek Neek, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough.  

Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Music & Dance 

Noon Concert with Cary Koh, violin and Miles Graber, piano performing Brahms and Mozart at the Chevron Auditorium at International House, at the corner of Bancroft and Piedmont Aves. Admission is free. 642-4864. 

Peter Rowan and Don Edwards, lonesome cowboys, perform at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761.  

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Robert Ball Benefit Concert with Jason Collins & The Funkonauts, Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble, DeWayne Wiggins, Jimmy Dright, and MC Greg Bridges of KPFA/KCSM at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

www.beckettsirishpub.com 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 

Film 

Genetic Screenings: “underexposed: The Temple of the Fetus” 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 

Readings & Lectures 

Lunch Poems at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Campus, with Robert Thomas, who won the Poets Out Loud award and has created a sensation with his first book, “Door to Door.” Former U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Hass will introduce campus figures, from a variety of departments, who will read their favorite poems. Admission is free. 642-0137.  

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

New Word Series, Preliminary Poetry Slam Bouts, co-presented by Youth Speaks as part of the 3rd Annual Living Word Festival, a spoken word expo featuring internationally recognized spoken word artists, at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

µ“Poetry Is Not A Luxury” Forrest Hamer, Jewelle Gomez and Sharon Doubiago, with Theresa Harlan as emcee. California Arts Council Poet Fellowship recipients and affiliates read from their work and state the case about the demise of government arts support, at 7 p.m.  

at Berkeley Public Library’s Central Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6233.  

Albany Library Prose Night, featuring Jan Steckel reading her short stories, followed by an open mic for prose. From 7 to 9 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room, Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

“Jewish Humor in American Cinema” with Maimone Attia, Thursdays, Oct. 2 - 30. from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $45 for members,  

seniors and students, $50 for the public. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St.  

848-0237. www.brjcc.org 

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 

James Carroll will read from his latest novel, “Secret Father,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. www.codysbooks.com 

Music & Dance 

Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core and John Schott’s Typical Orchestra at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $7-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

The Cushion Theory, Ned, and Audrey Sessions at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Community Drumming Circle at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5-$7. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Jimmy LaFave and Kevin Welch, with Michael Fracasso, Joel Rafael and others, perfrom music in the spirit of Woodie Guthrie, 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 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

The Shots, traditional Irish, American Bluegrass at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. beckettsirishpub.com 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 

Exhibition Openings 

µBerkeley Arts Festival Headquarters Opening from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2110 Shattuck Ave. 665-9496. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

Cecile Moochnek Gallery, “Numinous Surfaces,” new paintings by Carol Dalton and Michael Shemchuk. Reception 6 to 8 p.m. Exhibtion runs Oct 3. to Nov. 16. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wed. through Sun. 1809-D Fourth St. 549-1018. www.cecilemoochnek.com 

Emeryville Art Exhibition opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit features over 100 artists and craftspeople. Work includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, textiles, ceramics, jewelery and glass works. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5616 Bay Street. Exhibition runs Oct. 4 through Oct. 26. 652-6122. wwwEmeryArts.org 

Film 

Heddy Honigmann: “Mind Shadows” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive with the filmmaker in person. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Readings & Lectures 

Christian Parenti reads from his new book, “Soft Cage: Surveillance in America From Slavery to the War on Terror,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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 

Gallery Talk: Japanese Figure Style with Lynne Kimura, Academic Liaison, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, on the creative explosion of figure styles in Edo painting and the cross-fertilization of audiences in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japan, 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. 

Music & Dance 

Djialy Kunda Kouyate, from West Africa, at  

9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Shorty Long, Faraway Brothers, and Stiles and Ivey Ragtime Band perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jaranon y Bochinche, traditional and contemporary Afro-Peruvian music and dance at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core and John Schott’s Typical Orchestra at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $7-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Noggin, unplugged violin duo with Henry Kuntz, solo saxophone at 3111 Deakin St. at 8 p.m. Cost is $8. Presented by Acme Observatory Contemporary Music. 665-1980. http://music.acme.com 

Rahim Alhaj, Iraqi oud master, performs 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 

Sterling Dervish, acoustic rock and roll at  

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

Fleshies, Toys That Kill, Killer Dream,  

Swing Ding Amigos, Civil Dysentery 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. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 

µHimalayan Papermaking Demonstration with Nimto Sherpa, papermaking master from Kathmandu, Nepal and Carol Brighton, Berkeley artist and papermaker from 2 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Arts Festival Headquarters, 2110 Shattuck Ave. 665-9496. 

Exhibition Openings 

Trax Gallery, “Summer Work” by Matt Metz and Linda Skikora, at 5 p.m. at 1812 5th St. 540-8729. 

Children 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Colibri, music from Latin America, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Film 

Seventh Madcat Women’s International Film Festival: “Traditions and Trajectories” at 7 p.m., and “Educated Ladies” at 8:30 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 

“Eat the Rich” 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 & Lectures 

Jean Shinoda Bolen, reads from her new book, “Crones, Don’t Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

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 & Dance 

New Millennium Strings, with soloist Jaume Torrent, Spanish Classical Guitar, conducted by Laurien Jones, at 8 p.m. at University Christian Church, 2401 Le Conte Ave. Suggested donation $10, seniors $7. Children under 12 free.  

528-4633. 

Live Oak Concert with Matthew Owens, ‘cello, at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center in Live Oak Park. Tickets are $10 general, $9 students/seniors and $8 BAC members.  

644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Festival Antiqua, “The Ladder of Gold,” songs of Balkan Sephardic Jews at 8 p.m. at the Parish Hall, St. Alban’s Church, 1501 Washington St., Albany. Tickets are $15 general and $12  

students and seniors. 486-2803 or 524-7952. www.timrayborn.com/Festival 

Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are  

$24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Primary Colors, celebrating the release of their new CD “Every Mother’s Son,” at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$15. 845-5373.  

www.jazzschool.com 

Luminaries: National Independent Talent Showcase, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Genres include Hip Hop, R & B, and Reggae. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  

849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FARWest, Folk Music and Dance Alliance regional meeting at noon, with evening showcases beginning at 7 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. For more information and to register, see www.far-west.org 

Zydeco Flames at 9:30 p.m., with a dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13.  

525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Daevid Allen’s University of Errors, The Spindles perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

Scott Amendola, Dave MacNab and John Witala at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers perform traditional jazz vocals at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Champion, For the Crown, The Damage Done, Allegiance, Lights Out 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. 

Anima Mundi Dance Company previews “Mountains and Rivers Without End,” at 2 p.m. at Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Jack London Square. Admission is $10-$15 sliding scale. 233-5550. 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 

µBerkeley Potters Guild Tour and Demon- 

stration Members of this 32 year old, 20 member guild will demonstrate potters’ wheel throwing and hand building techniques, at 1 p.m. at the Potters guild, 731 Jones St. at 4th.  

524-7031. 

Film 

Seventh Madcat Women’s International Film Festival: “Clear Visions, Silent Filmmakers” at 5 p.m. with live music by Epic and introduction by Heather Stilin, “Cut Snip Ooze: Contemporary Animated Films by Women” 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 

Arab Film Festival, Cinemayaat: “Planet of  

the Arabs,” “Lord’s Song in a Strange Land,” at  

2 p.m., “Souha Surviving Hell,” “Meantime in Beirut,” at 3:45 p.m., “Travel Agency,” “Under the Sky of Baghdad,” at 5:30 p.m. Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $9, students and seniors $7. Closing Night Party at 10 p.m., $20. www.aff.org 

Readings & Lectures 

Poetry at Cody’s with John Brandi and David Meltzer at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Jonathan Lethem reads from ”The Fortress of Solitude,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

2004 Slingshot Oganizer, book release party and dinner at 7:30 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 

Music & Dance 

New Millennium Strings, with soloist Jaume Torrent, Spanish Classical Guitar, conducted by Laurien Jones, at 3 p.m. at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremont Blvd. Suggested donation $10, seniors $7. Children under 12 free. 528-4633. 

Takács Quartet with Richard Stoltzman at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $30-$52. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

The Balance: Poetry and Jazz The Word-Music Continuum, from 2 to 5 p.m. Part of “Where Art Meets Garden: A Series” in Peralta Community Garden, with Kirk Lumpkin, poetry and percussion, Mark Randall bass, Paul Mills, guitar and The Real Band. Donation suggested, no one turned away. Peralta Community Garden, Hopkins and Peralta. Wheelchair accessible.  

231-5912. kirklumpkin@mac.com 

Crowden School Recital with Wei He, violin, and Miles Graber, piano, playing works of Bright Sheng, Beethoven, Strauss, and Ysaye, at 3 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $10, free for children 18 and under.  

559-6910. www.thecrowdenschool.org 

Navarati Festival of Indian Folkdancing,  

with “Raas-Garba” from 3 to 6 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6-$10 sliding scale. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Alice Stuart performs country blues favorites 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 

New Era of Cuban Music, an Afro-Cuban  

celebration in honor of the Orishas, Orunmila, Eleggua, Oggún and Ochoshi, at 7:30 p.m. at  

La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15 in advance, $ 18 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Query, world-infused jazz and free improvisation, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is  

$12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Structure of Lies, Animosity, All Shall Perish, Hacksaw to the Throat at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5.  

525-9926. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 

Readings & Lectures 

Loretta Napoleoni discusses “Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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

Last Word Poetry Series presents Bucky Sinister and Dawn Trook from 7 to 9 p.m. at Pegasus Bookstore, 2349 Shattuck Ave.  

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7 

Film 

The Cinema of Ernie Gehr, Program 1, with the filmmaker in person at 7:30 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 & Lectures 

Judy Collins dicusses the death of her son in “Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival, and Strength,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

Music & Dance 

Turtle Island String Quartet, with David Balakrishnan, violin; Evan Price, violin; Danny Seidenberg, viola; Mark Summer, cello; perform jazz, classical and a little of everything else, at at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club. For information call 525-5211. www.berkeleychamberperform.org 

Brass Menagerie performs Balkan music at 8:30 p.m., with a dance lesson with Gerry Duke at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Kirov Ballet and the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42-$110, and are available from 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Dayna Stephens House Jam at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8 

Film 

Heddy Honigmann: “Mental and Melancholy,” 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 & Lectures 

Exhibiting Signs of Age, Panel Discussion at 4 p.m. in the Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall, UC Campus. Participants are Thomas W. Laqueur, Interim Director, Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, and Professor of History, UC Berkeley; Guy Micco, M.D., Director, Center on Aging, and Director, Center of Medicine, Humanities, and Law, UC Berkeley; Beth Dungan, Exhibition Co-curator, Ed Kashi, Photographer; and Julie Winokur, Writer/Producer. 642-0808.  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Curator’s Talk, “One Struggle, Two Communities: Late 20th Century Political Posters of Havana Cuba and the San Francisco Bay Area,” with Lincoln Cushing at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Café Poetry and open mic, hosted by  

Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Gregory Edmont introduces “Spotted in France: A Dog’s Life ... on the Road” 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 

Music & Dance 

Wednesday Noon Concert with Robert Calonico, clarinet and Jacqueline Chew, piano perform Brahms and Milhaud at the Chevron Auditorium at International House, corner of Bancroft and Piedmont Aves. Admission is free. 642-4864. 

Kirov Ballet and the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42-$110, and are available from 642-0212. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Sauce Piquante at 8:30 p.m. with a dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 

Film 

Genetic Screenings: The Snowflake Crusade” 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 

“Daughter from Danang,” a film by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco, at 7 p.m. at 2060 Valley Life Sciences Building. Sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. 642-3609. cseas@uclink.berkeley.edu  

Readings & Lectures 

Ceramic Folk Art of Ecuador Gallery talk with Richard Burkett, professor of ceramics at San Diego State University, at noon at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way at College Ave. 643-7648. www.gal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

Lois Banner discusses her new biography, “Intertwined Lives: Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict and Their Circle,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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

Gallery Tour of Junko Chodos “Requiem for an Executed Bird,” with the artist

The behemoth that is UC Berkeley squatted down on its haunches at a Clark Kerr Campus public hearing Monday night to listen to university students and residents of the city in which it resides, and got an earful on the subject of the university’s 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). 

Speaker after speaker told UC planners that while they supported campus expansion, they did not want it at the expense of Berkeley’s neighborhoods. 

The LRDP is being written to guide the university’s development and growth between 2005 and 2020, and will consider increases of up to 18 percent increase in academic and support space and up to 30 percent in both student housing and parking. 

The plan is being produced in conjunction with an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the state’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which mandated this week’s public hearing. 

Sentiment at the four-hour Clark Kerr Campus hearing—officially a “scoping session”—was evenly divided between those concerned about UC Berkeley development’s effect on parking, traffic, and housing in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus and those concerned about its effect on the creeks and canyon areas in the hills above. 

Some speakers called for a summit between UC chancellors, city representatives, and Berkeley residents to discuss coordination of campus and city development. Others sought an extension of the preliminary public comment period on the LRDP and the EIR, which is scheduled to end Oct. 10. 

By law, issues raised at the session must be addressed in the Environmental Impact Report on the project. 

Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring said “It’s not easy to see our community being gobbled up by this humongous growth. UCB shouldn’t work to preserve its park-like campus while using the surrounding community to spread its development.” 

Carol Schemmerling of the Urban Creeks Council of California expressed her fear that “expansion (in the Strawberry Canyon area) will allow more toxins to go into the creeks.” Schemmerling suggested that the university “tear down (Memorial Stadium) and restore the original waterfall in that area.” 

Schemmerling also took a swipe at the landscaping envisioned in the Chang-Lin Tien Center For Asian Studies—scheduled to be built near the Doe Library—which is being reviewed as part of the development plan. She called the proposed facility “exceptionally bland and boring. Vast lawns and little trees are appropriate for some campuses, but not for UC Berkeley.” 

Juliet Lamont, environmental consultant and UC grad, said “It is the very things I learned in those programs that bring me here tonight. (The problems cited by other speakers) are the same things that were brought up in my classes; the things my professors said that development shouldn’t be doing. You should be practicing what you are preaching in your classes. UC Berkeley should not just protect the surrounding natural resources. It should enhance them.” 

Other organizations and agencies represented included the Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Association, the Telegraph Area Association, the Willard Neighborhood Association, the UC Graduate Assembly, the Associated Students of the University of California, and the mayor’s and city manager’s offices.  

Berkeley resident Corey Limbach summed up prevailing sentiment when he said that “a majority of Berkeley residents don’t want to see UC go down. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean it should get bigger, either.” 

Kerry O’Banion, Interim Project Director of the 2020 Long Range Development Plan, said he was “not surprised” at anything said at the hearing. “I was very encouraged that the comments were constructive, both from the residents and from the city. I think we have a lot of great ideas that we need to start working on, and I’m glad that we’re just at the beginning of the process so that we have the time to really explore all the comments.” 

O’Banion said “citizens should get their written comments in by Oct. 10.” 

If the project goes as planned, UC will produce their draft LRDP and EIR next spring, followed by another round of public comment before final approval.

I am a parent of two children at Malcolm X Elementary School. I led the Malcolm X Parent community as PTA President for two years and now fill the roll of PTA Council President for all the Berkeley public schools. My experience with PTA has given me some insights on the Berkeley Unified School District administration and the parent community. After reading School Board Vice President John Selawsky’s letter to you this past week (“Planet Reportage Lacking, Says School Board VP,” Daily Planet, Sept. 23-25) and the accompanying response from Executive Editor Becky O’Malley, I felt compelled to respond. 

I, like many other Berkeley residents turn to the Daily Planet for local reporting. I do not always expect to hear good news, but I do expect the news to be balanced. Alongside the “bad news” I expect your paper to print the more mundane, but true-to-our-every-day-experience kind of story that reminds us why we live in this city. The recent story on John Muir Elementary School Principal Nancy Waters was a good example of the kind of positive story that I often look for, but so rarely see. 

Every person that is part of this school community—district staff, board members, parents, and teachers—we are all striving to do the best job we can in promoting the well being of all our city’s children. We attempt to align goals and listen closely to one another. But despite our efforts, I sense a siege to dismantle public education as we know it. As our U.S. Congress faces a $15.7 billion dollar price tag on President Bush’s nuclear weapons program, our schools are faced with teacher layoffs and cuts in vital educational and enrichment programs. As parents we maintain funding for school services by watching our children walk our neighborhoods selling wrapping paper and candy bars. We organize ourselves, parents and teachers together, because it is the best tool we have to stem this tide. Public school parents are a devoted crew. We are committed to the ideals of a free, quality, and discrimination-free public school system. We spend endless hours in working towards this vision. 

I cannot impress upon you enough how difficult it is for us to maintain our determination and strength with the onslaught of unrestrained criticism that is delivered to us daily from the media. I am first to admit that our district has a ways to go before it reaches its goals, but our goals are high and they reflect the passion and the vision of a dedicated staff and school board. Superintendent Michele Lawrence is doing a tremendous job of fielding the criticism that comes her way, much of it unfounded in my opinion. We are an outspoken community, and one that is strident in its opinions of any bureaucracy or governmental agency, including our school system. 

I have walked into many classrooms in Berkeley schools and continue to be proud of the dedicated teachers, patient and hardworking principals, and the devoted parents who make our district a strong as it is. I am proud to be volunteering my time, my vision and my dedication to such a community. I plan to be a team player in achieving the goals that we set for ourselves and not carp from the bandstands.  

I would like to work with the Daily Planet in the future to ensure that your reporters have the opportunity to write about the successes in our district. Positive stories abound. All your staff needs to do is ask the right questions, and the story ideas will come flowing your way. 

Roia Ferrazares is Council President of the Berkeley PTA.

If you find yourself tooling along near University Avenue this Sunday and you happen to peek in the rearview mirror and see 100 or so cars behind you, customized with hedges, neon lights and aquariums, take a deep breath and resist the impulse to call the police. 

Martians have not landed. It’s just yet another group of participants in the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade, scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. 

While there are a lot of oddball things about Berkeley being celebrated in the parade, the artcars’ place shouldn’t surprise anybody. 

According to Phil Northrup, “art-car-ist” and a co-organizer of the cars that appear in the event, Berkeley houses around one art car for every four thousand residents, the highest density in the country for the decidedly personal art form. 

“One of the things about this festival is there’s a lot of tongue in cheek, a lot of self-effacement, which I think is nice,” says Northrup. He says Berkeley isn’t the only community that welcomes artcars, “but Berkeley thinks it’s especially wonderful and is especially nurturing to it.” 

The artcars, from all over the country and Canada, will make their way up from University Avenue at Sacramento Street in West Berkeley, then park along the perimeter of Civic Center Park to receive the adulations of parade goers. The park is also the scene of the festival portion of the event, complete with entertainment, food and drink.  

Northrup will have two rigs in the parade. He will drive his pride and joy, the “Buick of Unconditional Love,” a 1986 Buick Park Avenue once owned by his dad. 

“A luxury automobile,” says Northrup of his hulking piece of Detroit iron. His artistic touches include welding 1941 Buick fenders on the side, making it eight feet wide, and adding 1959 vintage “Dagmar” bumpers in the back. A reference to the well-endowed 1940s actress, Dagmars are steel bullet bumpers that resemble, well, breasts. 

The Buick also sports a school of spawning mummified fish on the hood and gardens on the back and roof.  

A friend will cruise Northrup’s other rig, the “Truck in Flux,” a 1989 Ford Ranger he bought new and soon equipped with some options not available from his dealers—like a Spanish tile roof, neon-outlined 3-D steel flames on the front, and a live garden in the back. 

“Over the years it has become quite dense,” Northrup says of his terrarium on wheels. 

Northrup, 42, got his start modifying cars into rolling pieces of art over 20 years ago in Eugene, Oregon, while working as an artist making assemblages. 

His first effort was a modest facelift for a 1983 Chevy Vega, a much-unloved vehicle of its time. “It was a piece of crap car that I didn’t think represented who I was very well so I put zebra stripes on it and some deer horn antlers. In retrospect, a fairly modest modification and I got such great feedback I thought wow, this is great,” says Northrup. 

But it wasn’t till Northrup found himself in Los Angeles in the early 90s working at an art museum and the Truck in Flux that he discovered he wasn’t alone. 

Friends told him he needed to go to an artcar show in Santa Monica. Northrup didn’t know what an artcar was, but figured he better check it out. 

There he met fellow artcar enthusiast and Berkeley filmmaker Harrod Blank who can be scene driving around town in his van equipped with dozens of working cameras. 

Blank, who’s made two films on artcars and is finishing up a third, is considered something of a seminal figure in the artcar world, says Northrup. 

Like many artcar builders, Northrup worked in isolation until he met Blank. “He’s a main instigator of the artcar movement. He goes around extensively in his artcar meeting everybody and is very much a galvanizing force,” says Northrup.  

Soon Northrup, who now works as an executive producer of animation CD-Roms in San Jose, joined forces with Blank to create the ArtCar Fest, an annual showing of artcars that coincides with the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade. In addition to the vehicles’ appearance in the parade, today the caravan will visit Bay Area schools and tomorrow they’ll strut their stuff at the San Jose Museum of Art. For more information visit www.artcarfest.com. 

The group defines an artcar as any vehicle that’s been permanently altered, is street legal and insured. 

“These aren’t parade floats. Anyone can whip something together in a weekend that’s twenty feet tall, but it’s something else that’ll take you to work and pass inspection and it’s also a sculpture,” says Northrup.  

In addition to the artcars and other parade entries, this year’s How Berkeley Can You Be? parade will also feature food and drink booths and entertainment beginning at 12:30 p.m. in Civic Center Park. 

The park is located between Milvia and Martin Luther King Jr. Way behind the Civic Center and across from Berkeley High School. Scheduled to perform on two stages will be, among others, emcee and Buddhist radio personality Scoop Nisker, South African dance music group Zulu Spear, the 35-piece Punk Rock Orchestra, beatbox virtuosos Tim Barsky and Vowel Movement and country music heartthrob Loretta Lynch. 

For more information go to www.howberkeleycanyoube.com.

Caught in a blizzard of outdated and conflicting regulations, UC Berkeley is trying to determine whether the student government violated UC laws by funding a campaign against Proposition 54. 

At issue is the Graduate Assembly’s (GA) decision three weeks ago to allocate $35,000, some from compulsory student fees, to the “No on 54” campaign coordinated by members of both the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) and the Graduate Assembly. The money came from funds carried over from the last year’s GA budget. 

The campaign ordered signs, buttons and other materials to mount a fight against the initiative that would bar the state from tracking race-based data. But campus officials said the campaign has withheld payment on all purchases until the top attorney at the UC Office of the President weighs in on the case. 

“The university is looking into the question if university policies were followed,” said UC Berkeley Dean of Students Karen Kenney, adding that the university was determining if ballot measures fell under the student’s right to lobby or the university’s prohibition against using funds for partisan political purposes. 

The conflict led to a raucous scene at the ASUC Senate session Wednesday night. Senator Paul LaFata from the right-of-center APPLE Party demanded the resignation of ASUC External Vice President Anu Joshi and Graduate Assembly President Jessica Quindel, and claimed someone at the UCLA School of Law intended to file suit against the student government.  

Joshi, a major force behind the “No on 54” campaign, insisted she had violated no laws and that ASUC and UC bylaws were in violation of a recent Supreme Court ruling.  

School officials would not comment on any penalties the ASUC might face if it were found to have violated university bylaws. 

When the controversy first broke earlier this week, UC Berkeley quickly rebuked the GA for violating rules against funding groups for “partisan political purposes.”  

But the university tempered its response after a Wednesday meeting with student government officials who provided legal precedents they said vindicated the GA. 

“We are convinced that everything we did is completely legal,” said Graduate Assembly Executive Vice President Cintya Molina, adding that the assembly had received counsel before making the decision. While ASUC bylaws explicitly prevent it from funding ballot initiatives, Molina said the GA was not bound by those rules. 

UC’s guidelines are a muddled collage that raises more questions than answers. 

According to university policy 83.10, compulsory student government fees cannot be used to support political, ideological, or religious organizations or activities. However, this policy was written in 1994, before a California Supreme Court Case and U.S. Supreme Court case granted student governments more say over their fees. 

In 1999, UC—responding to the court decisions—changed its policy to allow the ASUC and the GA to fund political organizations so long as the funding was based on merit, not politics, and providing for a proportional refund to students who disagreed. Included among the types of activities qualifying for the refund are support or sponsorship of ballot initiatives. 

Student government officials said the policy paved the way for funding the campaign, but representatives at the UC Office of the President disagreed. 

Hanan Eisenman, UCOP spokesperson, said the 1999 policy applies only to student organizations, not the student government. Because the “NO on 54” campaign had close ties to both the ASUC and the GA, school officials said it remained to be determined if “NO on 54” could be considered separate from the governments themselves. 

If UC officials determine the campaign was actually an extension of the student government, it would then be illegal, Eisenman said, because the ASUC is an official unit of the university and therefore prohibited by UC bylaws and state law from funding ballot initiatives. 

UC is nearing the end of a two year process of rewriting its Policy on Student Governments. Section 63.00 of the new draft guidelines state that “Positions on issues taken by student governments shall not be represented or deemed to be positions of any entity of the University, other than the student government.” 

A Feb. 10, 2003, letter from UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Genaro M. Padilla offered comments on various passages of the updated policies, but did not recommend changing the language of Section 63.00. In his letter, Padilla said that “unless otherwise noted, our comments...should be read to adopt the suggestions previously presented in the policy outline distributed to the campuses for comment.” 

April Labbe, university affairs director for the Student Association of the University of California—which advocates for UC student governments—said other UC campuses have already begun using the revised policies. “As far as I’m concerned, this is university policy,” she said. “If we had thought that what the student government was doing was illegal, we would have steered them away from it.” 

Eisenman replied that because the language had not yet been adopted, it didn’t apply to the Prop. 54 campaign. 

The student government insists that whatever the current UC bylaws, their right to fund ballot initiative campaigns is protected by the United States Supreme Court. 

In 2000 the court ruled 9-0 that the University of Wisconsin Regents could allow compulsory student fees to be spent on student lobbying as long as the allocations were based solely on merit. In that case, student Scott Southworth argued that using compulsory student fees to fund political speech violated his right not to associate with groups he did not support. 

Student government officials said that the decision effectively freed them to use mandatory fees to fund lobbying as long as it was viewpoint neutral.  

But Boalt Hall School of Law Professor Jesse Choper said the Southworth case doesn’t apply in this scenario. “Southworth is a narrow opinion that tries to decide as few things as possible,” he said. “Southworth said a university may [permit compulsory fees to be used for lobbying]. Nothing in Southworth supports the view that the university must [do that]. This is a case in which the university of California says it won’t let funds be used for any political purposes.” 

Aside from the legal wrangling, students remained divided whether their government should be in the business of taking sides on ballot measures—regardless of legality. 

“The ASUC ought not fund off-campus political campaigns unless it represents the common interests of students,” wrote ASUC Senator Paul LaFata in an e-mail to the Daily Planet. “With Prop. 54 there is a substantial number of students who are on both sides of the issue; it is requiring those students [who don’t agree] to give tax-like money to the other side.”  

Molina countered that collecting race-based data was essential for graduate student research and that the GA was defending their constituent’s interests in funding the “No on 54” campaign. 

“Graduate students voted on this because they knew it was essential to the research mission of the university,” she said. “If you can’t do the research here people will go to New York to do research on race.” 

The biggest losers appear to be the students active in the campaign. Most of the supplies purchased were bought by students who expected to be reimbursed by the money allocated from the GA. 

“I’m one of the ones waiting to be reimbursed,” Molina said.

As suggested by the UC Community Coalition on UCB’s Long Range Development Plan environmental review, community open space should be created in compensation for increased traffic, increased building density, for exceeding by twofold the development goals of the 1990 LDRP, etc. I am writing in support of this recommendation and in addition to advocate for preserving existing open space in Strawberry and Claremont Canyons.  

As the San Francisco Bay, Eastshore State Park, Cesar Chavez Park, Aquatic Park, and the Marina flank the western border of Berkeley, it is easy to forget that there is comparable elegance and inspiration on the city’s eastern border. Not just Tilden Park, but Strawberry Canyon and Claremont Canyon are Berkeley and Oakland treasures. Fire trails and deer paths provide entrance into what feels close to wilderness.  

As a resident of Strawberry Canyon, I feel lucky to know her intimately. I have seen owls sitting in trees on early morning walks and heard them at night before being lulled to sleep, seen foxes scampering about, witnessed coveys of quail scurrying across a path, heard from UCB authorities that a mountain lion was nearby, nearly stepped on a rattlesnake, found a cluster of a native plant that rhymes with tritium, i.e. trillium, found chanterelle mushrooms but was afraid to eat them and instead paid $14.99 a pound at Berkeley Bowl, observed spring wildflowers volunteer profusely, listened in only mild astonishment as a university professor and neighbor described seeing a wild turkey, understood but didn’t mind the annoyance of public agencies which had to mitigate protected habitat for the federally endangered Alameda Whipsnake.  

It is a privilege to live in Strawberry Canyon but in fact we are all privileged by living in a compact town that is in walking or biking distance of the canyon. Although it is a canyon in our collective backyard, for many of us it is an undiscovered treasure.  

Despite the relative abundance of the natural world in parts of Strawberry Canyon, other parts of the canyon are little more than an industrial park. As UCB and LBNL expand, they encroach further into the delicate canyon ecology, in spite of the potential of being cut off from services by the Hayward Fault, despite acres and acres of diseased Monterey Pines, with each project adding to the hazard ranking and probability of disaster.  

It is not just various doomsday scenarios that some of us worry about, but that there is an environmental treasure in a town of environmentalists that might easily be destroyed in our lifetime. For example, had it not been for the water people’s passion and a more open public process, LBNL would have filled in a creek with construction debris in order to build a parking lot. Already UCB has built parking lots in Strawberry Canyon that are left empty because the Space Sciences and Mathematical Research Institute employees resist parking fee hikes. Neighbors have stayed the stadium lighting project although the UCB Athletic Department apparently hungers for the glamour and cheap thrills of permanently installed TV broadcasting lights for the very infrequent occasion that a game might be televised. Meanwhile, a revenue-depleted university would in all likelihood exploit a financial crisis to justify using the well-lit stadium for non-intercollegiate non-football activities, e.g. the infamous two-night Paul McCartney concerts and the Oakland Raiders games.  

Strawberry Canyon at least, and Claremont Canyon probably, are crying out for protection from ludicrous development and further environmental degradation. Already the canyons are a respite for hikers, runners, lovers of the natural world, people who want space.  

To save our canyons, we will need to act now. Our canyons are open space treasures waiting to be discovered, adopted, and endorsed by the larger community. During the scoping session for the Long Range Development, please assert the value for open space in compensation for intensified development. Please identify Strawberry and Claremont Canyons open space in particular.  

E-mail comments to 2020lrdp@cp.berkeley.edu or write to Jennifer Lawrence, Capital Projects, 1936 University Ave., Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94720-1382. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 10. The Notice of Preparation is available on-line at www.cp.berkeley.edu. 

Janice Thomas is president of the Panoramic Hill Association.

Shotgun Players’ new production, “The Water Principle,” takes place at the end of the road at the end of the world. Addie lives alone in a broken-down shack. Water, for drinking or even bathing, has become scarce. Weed, who covets Addie’s land, talks about man as a hunter and farmer, but there’s little left to hunt or to farm. Weed has a stash of canned beans. Addie survives on worms and an occasional crow.  

Eliza Anderson’s grim no-man’s land has its origins in Beckett, and her dialogue, filled with vague menace and unexpected comedy, owes a good deal to Pinter.  

Still, “The Water Principle” feels original and compelling. The short scenes, often connected by sound effects, complement the staccato dialogue. The language sometimes strains for effect, as in Addie’s opening monologue, but is more often sinewy and pungent.  

The production is blessed by three subtle, fully imagined performances. Kate Sheehan is a superb Addie, alternately fierce and resigned but with hints of an almost-forgotten capacity for tenderness. John Thomas is more than a match for her as Weed, whose crazy schemes for an amusement park on her land drive the plot. “Weed’s Wonderland,” he calls it: a false Eden to replace what he and his kind have destroyed. 

The opening series of scenes between the two of them, in which Weed tries to buy, trick, or threaten Addie out of her land, are an absorbing duel between his demented greed and her nearly hopeless but stubborn idealism. To Weed’s bluster about supply and demand and “subsidiary ventures,” Addie has a simple answer. “I’m responsible,” she says.  

Their standoff acquires a new focus with the appearance of Skinner, as accommodating as Addie and Weed are ferocious. Will Weed seduce Skinner with his cans of beans and promises of partnership? Will Addie win out instead with her offer to “put her legs up in the air?” Skinner needs both food and love, and for a while he finds a way to both. Ian Petroni could hardly be better in the part. He makes Skinner’s passivity and detachment seem like a kind of sanity.  

The splendid timing of all three actors and John Warren’s excellent direction keeps the production intense and taut. 

This is theater without frills, performed in a warehouse with less than comfortable seats, but it’s real theater, humming with energy and life. 

The Water Principle runs through Oct. 19 at the Eighth Street Studio, 2525 Eighth St., Berkeley, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 adults, $12 for students, seniors and Theatre Bay Area members. 704-8210 or www.shotgunplayers.org.

Fred Lupke died at 7:30 Thursday night of massive head injuries sustained a week ago when his wheelchair was struck by a car on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley. He never regained consciousness after the accident. His sister, Alice Strang of Charlottesville, Va., and his good friends of thirty years, Rich and Mary Rhodes of San Leandro, were with him at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley at the time of his death. Rich Rhodes said plans for a memorial service are incomplete. Fred Lupke made many friends in Berkeley by participating in community political activities of all kinds, and was much appreciated at the Daily Planet for his work on our calendar and for the pleasure of his company on many occasions. 

—Becky and Mike O’Malley

I love science. 

I especially love science when it helps diminish my guilt about eating calorie-packed, super-rich, sinful desserts. Take, for instance, the latest scientific research on the “Restaurant Syndrome.” This syndrome is what happens to you when you stuff yourself at a restaurant until another bite would be torture. But, magically, your appetite is back in business when the dessert menu arrives. 

What some very intelligent PhDs ascertained, using cutting edge, MRI brain scanning equipment, is the phenomenon of “selective satiation.” Simply explained, there’s a part of your brain that could care less that your tummy is ready to explode, it still wants dessert. 

So, why should I feel guilty when I lust after that luscious rhubarb tart smothered with creme fraiche? 

It’s not a sin, it’s a syndrome. 

To celebrate the major scientific breakthrough on selective satiation, I spent the past month being particularly nice to the dessert region of my own brain. Here are a few of the ways I blissed out those hedonistic neurons. 

O Chame’s Caramel Balsamic Gelato 

For years, my trips to O Chame were prompted by cravings for their green onion pancakes and I ignored their desserts. However, one evening, a friend’s son toiling as an O Chame waiter graciously presented a complementary dish of caramel balsamic gelato to my partner. She politely offered me a spoonful and if a vinegary sweet treat is an acquired taste, I acquired it on the first mouthful. 

You’re wondering precisely what caramel balsamic gelato does taste like? Well, there’s a sublime hint of sour pickle, reminiscent of the homemade variety at Ozzie’s Soda Fountain in Berkeley’s Elmwood District. 

OK, I don’t claim the perspicacious palate of an Iron Chef judge. Look, trust me, when it comes to caramel balsamic gelato it’s the fusion thing; the whole is incomparably greater than the sum of its parts. 

Lo Coco’s Cannolis 

Concluding my feast at Lo Coco, I noticed the couple seated nearby evidencing substantial interest in the cannolis brought to my table. Striking up a conversation, the ex-New Yorkers lamented their quest for a decent cannoli in the Bay Area had been futile. And they recounted the tragic tale of the inferior cannolis the caterer had served at their wedding reception. “You’ve found your Holy Cannoli,” I excitedly exclaimed, “maybe equal to Veneiro’s.” As cannoli connoisseurs, they of course knew New York’s venerable Italian bakery and their eyes lit up in shock and awe. 

Creating a first class cannoli is an art and the LoCoco clan doesn’t cut corners. In fact, when the family cannoli shell specialist is visiting relatives in Sicily you’ll have to make do with tiramisu. I generally frequent the Lo Coco’s Piedmont Avenue 

restaurant where the vivacious Maria keeps the customers entertained. The family also has a Berkeley branch where brother Gilbert presides. To get in shape for a Lo Coco cannoli, try a plate of their scrumptious calamari sauté. 

Kirala’s Sweet Potato Pie 

Kirala has garnered countless accolades for its superb sushi, Robata grill delicacies and top-notch tempura. The praise is deserved. But, if others have raw fish on their mind while waiting on Kirala’s legendary long lines, what I fantasize about is their sweet potato pie. 

Although I’ve been assured by Kirala’s charismatic director of operations, Akira, as well as their affable hostess, Kimi, that the sweet potatoes in the pie are Japanese, what comes across to my culturally deconstructed taste buds is a primo rendition of the traditional soul food staple. Garnished with a dollop of sour cream and sliced strawberries, the smooth texture and yummy, yammy flavor are just right. But, for the full effect, be certain to request the pie be warmed before serving. 

Among Kirala’s other wares is an extensive assortment of premium sakes. If you’re in the mood to splurge ask Dawa, shogun of the sake bar, for a sample of the Gold Medal Koshi no Kambi Muku. A high roller once poured me a shot and that night I dreamed I was a samurai. 

Mangia Mangia’s Zabaglione 

Too often what’s called zabaglione at a restaurant is some cold, unappealing, over-priced glop pulled from the fridge. Fortunately for zabaglione zealots, Mangia Mangia dishes out the genuine article. Authentic zabaglione is made to order, with the basic ingredients, egg yolks, sugar, marsala and white wine, heated and whipped in a distinctive round-bottom copper pan. The frothy result should then be served warm, accompanied by the requisite ladyfinger flag. And that’s exactly the way it’s done at Mangia Mangia! It’s also gratifying the restaurant doesn’t skimp on portion size, serving their zabaglione in an extra large martini glass with a fresh berry surprise when you hit bottom. 

As you might guess, I’ve never gotten beyond the zabaglione on the Mangia Mangia dessert menu, but I must say I’ve observed numerous ecstatic reactions to their chocolate soufflé. Hmmm. I wonder how my brain would respond to consuming both desserts at a single sitting. The Pavlov in me can’t wait to perform that Nobel-winning experiment. 

Finally, I should add that not only do I have a scientifically based excuse for feeding my dessert habit, it’s also politically correct. Burdened by depressing thoughts at an anti-war demonstration protesting Bush’s Iraq invasion, I discovered myself marching alongside a member of the family owning Mangia Mangia. Reinvigorated by visions of zabaglione, I again got caught up in the camaraderie of the crowed and was inspired to chant my favorite revolutionary slogan: “Eat the Rich!” 

A lawsuit filed by neighborhood opponents of the school district’s planned Adult School move to the former Franklin Elementary School site has no merit, Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Michele Lawrence said. 

“We followed all requirements of laws and held numerous community meetings to work collaboratively with the community and still work in the best interests of the students we serve,” she said. 

A pair of neighbors filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court against the district, charging that its environmental impact report failed to adequately mitigate their traffic concerns and ignored the second half of the district’s plan—moving district administration offices to the current Berkeley Unified Adult School housed at the district’s West Campus site at 1222 University Ave. 

Berkeley City Manager Weldon Rucker—noting past statements by district officials linking the projects— had earlier urged the school board to reject the environmental report and conduct a new one that would study the impact at West Campus as well. 

Lawrence said that any future use for West Campus was purely conjecture. 

“It is perfectly reasonable for the superintendent to express ideas in an open forum. But they do not become subject to any type of legal ruling until the board decides those ideas have merit,” she said. 

Neighbors at both the West Campus and Franklin sites have opposed the move, but the district argued the move is necessary to keep the Adult School viable. The dilapidated Adult School building requires a major retrofit that would take a few years of planning and construction, district officials said. During construction, school functions would have to be relegated to portable classrooms or some other smaller facility—and that would mean cutting classes and firing teachers. 

Meanwhile, independent of the lawsuit, Adult School staff and students and neighbors will meet next week to consider changes to the controversial school site plan. 

Neighbors have complained that the current plan will push new parking spaces right up against their homes and increase traffic on residential streets. 

Among the six neighbors participating in the meeting will be Dietmar Lorenz, a Berkeley-based architect who designed an alternative plan, lauded by neighbors, that would orient the school towards its western edge at San Pablo Avenue and reconfigure its parking scheme. 

“The current layout wastes space for a small amount of parking,” Lorenz said. “It was obvious from the beginning that we could just tweak that to package more cars in less space.” 

Lorenz’s plan calls for using the additional space to plant shrubbery between the edges of the lot and adjacent homes to give neighbors a buffer and would create a pedestrian boardwalk from San Pablo Avenue to the school building to instill “a visual connection” between the proposed main entrance and the school. 

Caleb Dardick, school district community relations consultant, said district officials are open to Lorenz’s ideas and have forwarded them to the district’s architectural firm. 

“The architects are reviewing the plans,” he said. “We are open to improving the landscape design to come up with something everyone can be happy about.” 

All plans hinge on both the outcome of the lawsuit and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) decision to permit a new driveway entrance on San Pablo—which they control as a state highway. Caltrans officials say they are open to the idea, but have not received sufficient information from the district to give approval.

Berkeley’s “Early Women” exhibit 

Berkeley’s fall history season kicks off this weekend with the opening of a new exhibit, “Early Women of Berkeley (1878-1953),” at the Berkeley History Center. 

During the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, women were far from idle in civic affairs. Excluded from voting, office-holding, and many occupations and activities, local women formed their own organizations and networks and took on political, social, and other community-minded causes.  

The movement that ensured Berkeley’s character as a town filled with Arts & Crafts homes was started by women who formed the Hillside Club in the 1890s to lobby for “building with nature” and stand up to both city officials and local developers. 

Berkeley women also organized vigorous chapters of the League of Women Voters, the College Women’s Club/American Association of University Women, and a dizzying array of home-grown social and activist societies from World War I’s Mobilized Women of Berkeley to the Women’s City Club, Town & Gown Club, and Berkeley Political Equality League. 

The exhibit profiles several organizations as well as notable women in early Berkeley history from Barbara Armstrong (first woman law professor in the United States), to Phoebe Hearst (first woman to serve as a UC Regent), Carrie Hoyt (Berkeley’s first woman mayor), architect Lillian Bridgman, and philanthropist and naturalist Annie Alexander. 

Also featured are Berkeley women who pioneered across daunting racial barriers, including artist Haruko Obata, African American schoolteacher Ruth Acty, and activists Frances Albrier and Tarea Hall Pittman. 

Curated by Phyllis Gale and co-sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society and College Women’s Club, the exhibit opens with a special program on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St., in the Veteran’s Memorial Building. 

The opening follows the annual “How Berkeley Can You Be?” parade in Civic Center Park, right in front of the Veteran’s Building. 

Admission to the opening is free, as is admission to the exhibit during the Center’s regular hours, Thursday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m., throughout the fall. 

Two weeks after the opening, on the afternoon Sunday, Oct. 12, a free Afternoon Tea honoring the Women’s Club Movement in Berkeley will be held from 3-5 p.m. in the exhibit space with a special guest speaker.  

Berkeley Y hosts literacy night 

The Downtown Berkeley YMCA holds its first Family Literacy Night from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Y, 2001 Allston Way. 

Funded by a grant from Every Child Counts of Alameda County, the event features storytelling, music, games, book swaps, and a chance to make a book. 

For further information, call 486-8408 or visit baymca.org. 

Smut peddler honors Free Speech Movement 

The Berkeley chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will honor the 39th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement by hosting one of American’s most controversial First Amendment advocates. 

Larry Flynt, recall election gubernatorial candidate and self-avowed smut peddler, will address ACLU members in the Pauley Ballroom West on the UC campus at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 6. 

The publisher of Hustler magazine, Flynt has been an outspoken advocate of free speech rights, and occupies a wheelchair as the result of a near-fatal gunshot wound he received outside a courthouse where he was on trial for selling pornography. 

Flynt’s address will be accompanied by remarks from a panel of First Amendment scholars who will discuss the role of controversial speech in American life. 

Swimmers fight cancer 

The East Bay Women’s Cancer Resource Center is looking for participants, volunteers, and donors for its annual Swim A Mile fundraising event, to be held Oct. 4 and 5 at Trefethan Aquatic Center on the Mills College Campus in Oakland. 

Would-be swimmers can call 601-4040 ext. 180 for registration information or e-mail swimamilewcrc@yahoo.com. For more information on Cancer ResourceCenter Services, call 604-4040 or visit the site online, www.wcrc.org.

Drug bust 

Berkeley Police executed two warrants on homes in Oakland last week netting nearly four ounces of crack cocaine, one-half ounce of cocaine and a semi-automatic pistol. The warrants were served to homes on the 2100 block of 8th Avenue in Oakland and the 900 block of Adeline Street in Oakland. Police arrested Parrish Grayson, 31, of Oakland and Tamara Arnold-Kidd, 29, also of Oakland. 

Offensive gorilla 

Police were called to the 2600 block of Dana Street Tuesday when a resident spotted a stuffed gorilla wearing a red and white San Francisco 49ers jacket with the words “I’m Gay” written on the back. Police have not determined if the incident will be classified as a hate crime. 

Robbery 

A woman at the intersection of College and Ashby Avenues was robbed Tuesday morning by a man who approached her and snatched her purse, he said. The suspect is described as a white male teenager, about five feet nine inches tall, weighing 150 pounds and sporting red, pink and green hair.

Ward Connerly—the man so many Berkeley residents love to hate—showed up on the UC campus this week, speaking at a packed conservative lecture series event to promote passage of Proposition 54. 

While he displayed no signs of the health problems that caused him to cancel a UCB Prop. 54 debate a week ago, the 64-year-old UC Regent appeared to be uncharacteristically tired as he mixed with students following last Tuesday night’s event. 

Proposition 54 is the Connerly-authored initiative on the Oct. 7 ballot that would ban government collection of most race-based data in California. 

The Tuesday night event, held in the Han Shun Auditorium of the Valley Life Sciences Building, was co-sponsored by the Berkeley College Republicans and the California Patriot, a conservative UCB student publication. While it was billed as a lecture, Connerly gave only a brief opening statement, and spent most of his hour-long presentation answering questions from the largely anti-54 student crowd. 

Connerly often scolded the sometimes raucous audience, telling one woman who interrupted his open remarks that, “I wonder if you realize how rude it is to speak out in the middle of someone’s statement.” To another woman who asked how Connerly felt about “being the leading black spokesperson for white racism,” he replied that, “it does not speak well for an intellectual mind to say that people should hold a certain view because of their skin color. Shame on you.” 

To a Native American woman who complained that her people had been marginalized, he reminded her of the powerful political position of Indian tribe gambling interests in California. 

“You may not want to hear that,” he said, “but that’s your problem. It’s the truth.” To charges of ulterior motives, he answered that he didn’t believe in segregation. “There is no right-wing agenda here.” 

Event organizers threatened to eject one woman who repeatedly interrupted Connerly. She finally stopped interrupting after an event security official spoke quietly with her. 

Many students appeared more interested in an actual debate on the substance and possible effects of Prop. 54 than they were on questioning Connerly’s motives. To these, Connerly gave long, back-and-forth attention, at one point seizing the microphone from the young moderator who seemed determined to stop anyone from asking a followup question. 

After Connerly said race-based data was no longer needed because “racism is not as prevalent as it was 30 to 40 years ago,” a young woman asked him, “But what if you’re wrong? How will we be able to get the data to find out what’s happening if your proposition passes?” 

“You’ve got data up the ying-yang right now,” Connerly answered, “but you’re still complaining that your status isn’t improving.” 

Connerly said that the collection of race-based data would have no effect on fighting discrimination. “We didn’t need data during the civil rights movement.” 

A small group of protesters from the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) held a short anti-Connerly rally in front of the Life Sciences Building before the event, carrying signs reading “Connerly = Civil Rights Fraud,” “Keep Jim Crow In His Grave,” and calling on Connerly to resign from his position as UC Regent.

Those of you with long enough memories will recall the time, during the Vietnam War, when the Pentagon stopped issuing the daily reports of actual U.S. deaths. Instead, they went to a system of estimation. 

Each evening the news anchor would come on with a grave face and say, “Today, U.S. forces in Vietnam suffered moderate to heavy casualties,” and everybody would feel bad. The next evening, however, the news anchor’s tone was lighter, and he would report (it was almost always a he, in those days) that “in scattered fighting around the Delta, U.S. soldiers only suffered light to moderate casualties.” Which prompted one soldier to say, in a widely reported remark, that he hoped that if he died in Vietnam it would be on a day of moderate to heavy casualties, since on light-to-moderate days, nobody back home seemed to care.  

Thus must think the residents of Oakland these past few years.  

Unless you’re clever enough to get killed in Oakland while simultaneously living in the “right” neighborhood, or being in the “right” socio-economic class, Oakland murder victims seem to be noticed by the general public (media, most especially) in direct proportion to their relationship to the rise and fall of Oakland’s murder rate. 

Get killed in a year when the murder rate is dropping, and only your close friends and relatives seem to either notice or care. Get killed in a year when the rate is rising, and you find yourself part of something “larger” going on. Politicians and preachers pontificate over your plight. News anchors mention your name several times. You’ll even get your picture on one of those newspaper spreadsheets posted on flatlands storefront windows, the paper turning gradually brittle-yellow in the sun, there for the admonishment of little children and to give them bad dreams in the night. 

Now, staring out at you from the past, is George Peoples. Victim No. 79. Shot on San Pablo and 31st. Your chance for immortality, at least until the Scotch tape at the paper’s corners grows weary and pulls away from the glass.  

It is all politics and perception, of course. 

What’s the difference between a rising and a falling murder rate? We went from 85 to 83 a couple of years ago, if I remember right, and city leaders thumped their chests and talked about how things were getting better, so we needn’t worry. In the ninth month of this year, approaching the somehow “magic” and embarrassing number of 100 for the second year in a row, we argue in the press and scramble for solutions.  

The Oakland police, feeling that they must do something because, after all, they are the police, gather all their compatriots from the sheriff’s department and the highway patrol and flood the flatlands corridors on a hot weekend night. 

Channel Two News, giving away the secret, reports that the police are out there to curb Oakland’s murders and to shut down its “dangerous sideshows.” Oh, yes. If we can’t stop those horrible murders, at least we can do something about those rowdy kids.  

Members of OPD’s homicide squad, who presumably know a little bit about how murders are both prevented and solved, must have been embarrassed. Several hundred police, all cruising the same streets looking warily at the same street corner, and knots of saggy-jeaned Latino and African-American men, can only get in each other’s way. 

On International they parked a patrol car every four or five blocks so that the murderers had to walk over as far as, say, Holly or C Street to get an unobstructed shot. How inconvenient. Apparently bored, the police took to rousting the expanding cadre of East 14th prostitutes. There was, after all, some logic to this action. 

There are few reports of Oakland prostitutes as murderers, but several, recently, as murder victims, so perhaps the police believe that getting potential victims off the street will prevent potential murders. At least something came of this exercise beyond some hundred arrests for DUI’s and unpaid parking tickets. 

Perhaps we should all, out here in the flats, ask to be put in protective custody for the weekends. Deprived of victims, the murderers might go elsewhere.  

Once again, we hear the old cry that Oakland crime could be solved if only Oakland citizens would cooperate with the police. I might, if I could find one who stopped on my block long enough to do more than place a ticket on a stray car. Mostly, they just fly through in their cruisers. They do not smile or wave or stop to chat. I am a grandfather. My jeans do not sag, and there is gray in my beard. Still, the police cannot be sure if I am a citizen to be protected or a criminal looking for my next hit, so I guess they feel they have to be careful and treat us all with the same suspicion. And as for the kids, of course—mine included—the police seem to have no doubt.  

Mars, the war planet, hangs in the sky, bright and hard and heavy, peering into our front porch each night. The murderous Oakland Summer of 2003 passes on into the fall. 

I wish there were some bright solution, or even a clever ending to this column. None seems in sight, so I think I’ll go inside, before the shooting starts. Again.

There was a small traffic jam on Gayley Road on Friday just before noon, like a miniature version of the big tie-ups when pop stars are playing the Greek Theater. I’m not sure of the cause, but it’s tempting to believe that it was because a big crossover star was on the bill at the Haas Business School. That’s crossover between academia and journalism—Paul Krugman, today’s top poster boy for intellectual types who are deeply worried that the United States is seriously, perhaps terminally, ill. Krugman, both a New York Times columnist and a Princeton economics professor, told the overflow crowd at his noon lecture that his own favorite columnist quote was from Molly Ivins: “What I hate most about the Bushies is that they make us feel like paranoid conspiracy theorists all the time.” In the audience, we roared our approval of that one. We are all getting tired of feeling paranoid, it’s true. 

Krugman’s talk was sponsored by the UC School of Journalism, so he was introduced by its dean, Orville Schell, who described the speaker as plain-spoken. Krugman is indeed blunt, but he’s blunt in a very clever way. He gave his standard stump speech at UC, honed to perfection from a long book tour on behalf of his latest release, “The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century.” Like all popular professors, he’s got his lecture down pat, so it’s easy to take notes in outline form. Former Chronicle columnist Lewis Dolinsky claims to have heard it three times, including all the same jokes, but, he says, “I laugh at them every time”.  

It’s whistling-past-the-graveyard gallows humor, for sure. The scariest bullet point is that the U.S. economy, because of the massive deficits created by the Bush administration, is headed for an unprecedented crisis, what he calls “the big crackup.” At present the U.S. is taking in only about 75 percent of what it spends. That contributes to a debt snowball which is heading for a deficit of at least $550 billion each year, give or take $50 billion.  

So why doesn’t anyone do anything about it? The bond markets, he says, are simply “in denial.” 

Krugman thinks that the U.S. will eventually have a “Wile E. Coyote moment,” named for the character who chases the Road Runner in cartoons. Like the Coyote, investors will run headlong over a cliff, then look up and try to backpedal furiously, but will end up crashing all the same. When will this happen? “The U.S. will have a Wile E. Coyote moment at exactly 3 p.m. on May 30, 2008,” says Krugman jocularly, though he admits he doesn’t really know. 

He says that K Street (traditionally the location of lobbyists’ offices) and Pennsylvania Avenue have merged under Bush, so that there’s no policy anymore, just politics. The lobbyists have moved into the White House. 

He compares the administration’s selling of their tax cuts to their selling of the war against Iraq. Both, he says, used similar dishonest tactics. First, the ostensible rationale keeps changing. The tax cuts were originally supposed to return the surplus to the taxpayers. When the surplus suddenly evaporated in 2001, they were sold as the answer to the slowdown in the economy. But, he points out, a $500 billion deficit should produce 10 million average worker’s jobs, and instead Bush will be the first president since Hoover to end his term with a net job loss.  

Also, both the tax cut and the war were sold under false pretenses. The Treasury Department’s tax modeling program clearly showed from the beginning that most benefits will go to a few people at the top of the income chain, and that budget surplus projections were lies. But the administration no longer discloses the results from running the model, though some think tank economists outside government still have access to it. 

Most of the information needed to understand such deceptions is in the public domain, Krugman says. He’s made a rule for himself not to use “insider stuff,” just data available to anyone. Anyone could predict what was going to go wrong in Iraq by reading the foreign press, he says. 

There’s a lot more to his spiel, and it’s terrifying. Asking people around Berkeley this weekend, though, I was surprised to learn that many well-read political people haven’t yet heard about Krugman’s crusade. He’s gone, in three years, from a free market capitalist, almost a neo-liberal, to a neo-Nostradamus, but he’s done it on the op-ed page of the New York Times, and not everyone reads the Times. Since he started his book tour, he’s been on television and radio, so that new people (a checker at Andronico’s, for example) are finally catching his message.  

Why hasn’t his analysis appeared much in other media? Krugman believes that parts of the media, e.g. Fox News, are just components of the administration’s propaganda machine. The rest of the press and media want to be objective, he says, but that’s hard, so they settle for being even-handed, which is not the same thing. He jokes that some papers, when confronted with claims that the earth is flat, would run the headline SHAPE OF EARTH: VIEWS DIFFER.  

When Krugman first started writing for the Times, during the 2000 presidential campaign, he went “from puzzlement to outrage” as he heard what Bush and his allies were saying, but the paper wouldn’t let him use the word “lies” in commenting on it. In the question period J-School faculty member Cynthia Gorney, who used to work for the Washington Post, asked why “lies” was forbidden. He said it was Howell Raines’ decision, a desire to be “gentlemanly.” ( He thinks Raines was “unfairly vilified,” nevertheless.) The Times lets Krugman say anything he wants these days.  

He reports that he’s seen other organizations and journalists get “aversion therapy” from people they’ve criticized, and back off. Paul Krugman is the best argument there is for the academic tenure system. His ace in the hole, he admits, is that he can always go back to being a professor, if journalism gets too uncomfortable.  

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

After seventeen months of wrangling, the UC Berkeley student government made a final lease offer to independent campus newspaper the Daily Californian. 

The proposal, which would run until June 2006, dropped controversial provisions requiring the paper to formulate a code of conduct and hire an independent editor to address concerns from minority students. 

“We just wanted to move on with this issue,” said Taina Gomez of the Associated Students of the University of California Store Operations Board, which negotiates leases for the student government. “We felt like the code would have been valuable, but this has been going on so long and has taken up too many monthly meetings.” 

The Daily Californian has rented space at student government-owned Eshleman Hall since the paper returned to campus in 1994. In the face of the proposed lease provisions that the paper’s editors said would violate its free speech, the paper’s management had signed a non-binding letter of intent to rent an office just across the street from campus on Bancroft Way. 

Daily Californian Editor in Chief Eric Schewe said the final decision whether or not to stay on campus will be made at an Oct. 4 meeting of the paper’s board of directors.