For Planning Commissioner Gene Poschman, University Avenue represents more than an unfulfilled vision. -more-

TUESDAY, DEC. 2 -more-

PLAYING PERCENTAGES -more-

Mortgaging the Earth is the name of John Halle’s new work for two sopranos and chamber ensemble, being presented tonight [Tuesday Dec. 2] in a program by Composers Inc. The text is a doozy, an internal memo from Lawrence Summers (then chief economic advisor to the World Bank, now president of Harvard). “Just between you and me,” Summers wrote,” shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging more migration of the dirty industries to the Less Developed Countries? I can think of three reasons.” Those reasons, and the music they inspired, comprise the piece. -more-

TUESDAY, DEC. 2 -more-

Berkeley voters will get to weigh in on a proposed tax hike this March after all. On the same evening Council withdrew a proposed parcel tax hike, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place a half-penny tax increase on the March ballot to bail out cash-strapped public medical facilities. -more-

The recent downing of U.S. Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq is yet another example of how the aid supplied by the CIA to Islamist terrorists in the 1980s has contributed to the escalation and spread of terrorism everywhere in the world. -more-

The Chairperson of Berkeley’s Commission On Disabilities joyfully hailed Berkeley City Council’s recent decision to authorize five wheelchair-accessible taxis in the city, even though the number was halved from the originally requested 10. -more-

Editors, Daily Planet: -more-

Berkeley City Council crafted a possible solution to the lingering Public Safety Building antennae tower controversy Tuesday night, holding off threatened legal action by downtown area residents. -more-

Now that my first semester of graduate school at San Francisco State is winding down, it’s time to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and learned. Until Sept. 1, I hadn’t been back on a college campus in 32 years. It turns out that I had a lot of catching up to do. -more-

Last week I had a chance to take a look at a little exhibit in the basement of International House, the residence hall near the UC campus where students from all countries live together in order to, as their web page says, “foster intercultural respect and understanding, lifelong friendships and leadership skills for the promotion of a more tolerant and peaceful world.” -more-