Six months after a hacker broke into a UC Berkeley research computer containing the names and Social Security numbers of more than 600,000 health care workers and patients, the university has suffered another embarrassing security breach: the theft of a laptop containing personal information on nearly 100,000 graduate students. 

In a press advisory released this week, two weeks after the March 11 robbery at the Graduate Division offices, UC Berkeley Director of Media Relations Marie Felde said that the theft occurred when the office doors were momentarily left unlocked and unattended during the noon hour. The laptop was stolen from a worker’s office inside the division. 

“Campus police believe this was just a crime of opportunity, with someone seeing a chance to steal a purse or anything they could get their hands on,” Felde said in a telephone interview. “It didn’t appear that the thief would have known what information was in the computer.” 

Felde said that an employee saw someone walking out with the computer and notified campus police. The theft is still under investigation. 

Even though UC officials do not believe that the personal information was the actual target of the theft, California law requires the university to attempt to contact all of the individuals whose personal information was listed in the computer to inform them that they are potentially the targets of identity theft. Felde said that attempts to contact the individuals by mail are being hampered by the fact that some of the contact information is 30 years old. 

Felde said that the university waited until this week to begin notifying potential victims because “campus police thought they had a good chance of identifying the suspect and recovering the computer.” She said that when that didn’t occur, university officials decided they could not wait any longer to begin the notification process. She said that in addition to the news release, e-mails and letters to the 98,369 present and former graduate students, whose information was in the computer, began going out on Monday. 

The university has also set up a web page at http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/security/grad/ to inform potential victims of steps to take to ensure their identity information has not been compromised, as well as a toll-free information number (800-372-5110) and a contact e-mail address (idalert@berkeley.edu). 

The stolen computer contained names and Social Security numbers of individuals who applied to non-law school graduate programs at the university between fall 2001 and spring 2004, graduate students who enrolled at UC Berkeley between fall 1989 and fall 2003, and recipients of doctoral degrees from 1976 through 1999. Felde said that in addition, at least one-third of the files contained either birth dates or addresses of the individuals. 

Felde said that the laptop was password-protected but the data was not encrypted. 

“The university has been systematically installing encryption software on all personal computers containing such data,” she said. “This particular computer had been scheduled to be encrypted within a day or two of the theft, so it was of particular bad luck that the computer was stolen at that time.” 

Felde said that “the encryption software installation has been accelerated” in the wake of the theft. “We are ensuring that doors are being kept locked” leading to areas in the university that might have sensitive data, and “the university is conducting training on how to protect personal property.” 

The West Berkeley warehouse, declared a fire hazard by city officials, could have a potential buyer who wants to preserve the building as a live-work space for artists. 

The Northern California Land Trust has inquired about the property, said Executive Director Ian Winters. 

“There have been a number of tenants and residents who have approached us to see if it were possible to purchase the building,” Winters said. He added that the agency would need more time to determine if it might make a bid. 

Meanwhile the owner of the Drayage warehouse, at the corner of Addison and Third streets, said he would declare bankruptcy should the city make good on its promise to charge him to post a fire company outside the building. 

“I’m not a developer, I don’t have deep pockets,” the property owner, Dr. Lawrence White, a physician, said in a Friday interview. 

At the urging of city councilmembers and the more than two dozen warehouse residents, city officials last week extended a 15-day evacuation order from April 1 to April 15, on condition that White pay roughly $5,500 a day for a fire company to safeguard the building. 

White had previously agreed to sell the building to developer Ali Kashani for $2.05 million, but the deal fell through after Kashani learned there were residential tenants. An address confirmation inquiry by Kashani led to a fire inspection that found 255 code violations at the property. 

At a Friday meeting with his tenants, White suggested that Kashani had used his influence with city officials to send building inspectors to the site because he knew it wasn’t up to code. “I think Kashani wanted to bring down the price of the building,” White told his tenants. “He just wanted to steal it.” 

Kashani, the former head of Affordable Housing Associates, rejected White’s charges. “The city doesn’t follow my orders,” he said.  

White said he thought the city’s demand that he pay for the fire company was a pressure tactic for him to sweeten the deal for tenants to leave the building by April 1. At Friday’s meeting he offered to pay for hotel rooms for each of them for two weeks beginning on the first, but the residents remained adamant that somehow they would find a way to stay in their homes. 

“This is not going to happen in Berkeley,” said Claudia Viera, a resident who runs a mediation business out of her loft. “I see a lot of opportunity to fix a lot of the issues the fire marshal is concerned about, while allowing people to live here.”  

But Deputy Chief Orth, who also serves as the city’s fire marshal, said that ultimately the tenants would have to vacate. “The way the living spaces have been constructed, there’s a huge fire risk,” he said. “This is the type of building where we would lose a lot of firefighters.” 

On the list of violations, the Fire Department was especially concerned that several of the tenants used propane stoves, had built multi-story residences without proper railings, and set up welding shops next to living spaces. 

Although the City Council cannot overturn a decision of the fire marshal, Councilmember Kriss Worthington, noting that Orth had initially wanted the warehouse evacuated immediately, said he saw some potential wiggle room for the tenants to remain. “When the community expresses concerns, there is always some flexibility,” he said. He added, however, that he not yet seen any workable solution to keep tenants at the building past April 15. 

White, who bought the warehouse for $1.08 million in 1997, owns other East Bay properties, according to county records. In 2000 he bought a medical building on Webster Street for $1.125 million. In 1999 he paid $850,000 for a commercial property at 759 San Pablo Avenue. In 1998 he purchased an office building at 1307 Solano Avenue for $290,000. 

After White and his former wife, Michelle J. Schwartz, divorced in 2003, she assumed sole ownership of a mixed-use building at 1700 Shattuck Ave. that the couple bought for $1.375 million in 1999. 

White said he stands to pay more than $75,000 in fire expenses should the tenants remain at the warehouse through the 15th. If tenants stay past the deadline, the city could choose to continue billing him for the fire company and fine him an extra $2,500 a day. 

›

Forget the gaping, empty stare and the gross green garb. New owner John Gordon said that when he is finished, the bedraggled old Victorian on College and Ashby avenues is going to make a dramatic comeback. 

The distinctive structure, clad in mal de mer green stucco, has been sitting vacant for years, right in the vital heart of one of Berkeley’s most vibrant commercial neighborhoods. 

The Victorian relic is just part of the bloc of property Gordon’s firm purchased from the heirs of its previous owner, who neighbors said had resisted any attempts to improve the property. Gordon had been the listing agent. 

Gordon refused to say how much he had paid for the bloc of buildings, which consist of six retail spaces, only saying that he paid a reasonable price. He added that he would have to put a lot of money into renovations. Escrow closed on the building around the beginning of March. 

Gordon said he has submitted his renovation plans to the city for design review. He said the building is not listed on any historic registry, so no review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission would be required. 

The corner building, built around 1906, is possibly the oldest commercial structure in the Elmwood commercial district, said Anthony Bruce, a staff member of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. 

Should things turn out as Gordon hopes, the bedraggled old hulk may soon shed decades of stuccoed neglect like a chrysalis and emerge anew in all her former glory—at least as soon as Gordon can find out just what that was. 

“We’re looking for pictures,” said Gordon, a leading player in Berkeley’s commercial real estate world both as a broker and, increasingly, as a property owner teamed with partner Jim Novosel. 

The sale hangs a cloud over the future of one tenant, Wright Automotive, whose lease is soon to expire, Gordon acknowledged. 

Wright is one of three businesses which have been located in the attached storefronts extending west along Ashby Avenue. One, Picture It Sold!, an outfit that displays and sells customer belongings on e-Bay, le3ft months ago for a West Berkeley location, and the other, Dream Fluff Donuts, has a solid lease and “we intend to keep them,” said Gordon. 

But the car repair shop is another question. 

An in-person inquiry about the fate of the garage met with a terse response Monday. 

“You’ll have to talk to the owner,” declared a gentleman with receding salt-and-pepper hair. “Not the owner of this business, but the owner of the building.” 

“Is that something the neighborhood wants?” Gordon mused aloud. “But that’s for the second phase,” he adds. “Right now, I’m worried about the corner building.” 

Gordon is asking the public’s help in locating any photographs that might show the building in its earlier incarnations to aid in restoration.  

Workers have already removed a small section of stucco next to a second floor window on the Ashby Avenue side of the corner building, revealing the original alternating wide and narrow planking that once faced the street and may do so again. 

Restoration won’t be simple. Gordon says he’ll be installing a new roof, handicapped restrooms and other upgrades, along with a voluntary seismic retrofit. 

Once the main building is restored, the question then becomes, who moves in? 

That’s not a simple question in the Elmwood, which is one of Berkeley’s regulated commercial districts, where certain businesses are restricted by a quota system established to protect existing businesses, especially those serving the surrounding residential community. 

“It took months to figure out the quota system on College,” said Gordon. “The quotas in the neighborhood were done 20 years ago, and a lot of things are very different now.” 

The neighborhood is currently maxed out on eat-in restaurants, bookstores and clothiers. The latter category prompted the most recent quota battle, triggered by the latest expansion of the ever-growing Jeremy’s clothing outlet catercorner from Gordon’s new building. 

Gordon said he is working closely with Moriarty, City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak and neighborhood councils in the area to make sure the final project addresses their concerns.›

A key state official with a vital say over the funding of the planned Ed Roberts Center says he can’t make his decision and placed the blame this month on city officials. 

The Ed Roberts Center, planned to rise above the site of the Ashby Bart Station at 3075 Adeline St., is supposed to be the crown jewel of universal design, a building equally accessible to all with disabilities. 

Located at a crucial transportation hub in a city famous for embracing activism, it will house a wide range of training and service programs and the offices of disability rights activist groups, located in an easily accessible locale. No one has questioned the need for the center nor its location. The only bones of contention have been scale and the appropriateness of the architectural plans for the surrounding neighborhood. 

Before federal funds can be allocated to the project, the state Office of Historic Preservation must sign off on a statement about the project’s potential adverse impacts on nearby properties included in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

Though final approval of the federal appropriation has yet to come, no federal funds can flow to the project until the state agency signs off on the project. Federal law requires that before the Department of Housing and Urban Development can release funds to such projects, the relevant state agency must evaluate the impact on any properties in the immediate area of potential effects (APE) that are included in or might be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

And therein lies the city’s failure, State Historic Preservation Officer Milford Wayne Donaldson informed Tim Stroshane of the city Housing Department in a March 9 letter. 

In a Feb. 2 letter from the city claiming that the project wouldn’t have any adverse impacts on the architectural heritage of the surrounding neighborhood, the city acknowledged that nationally eligible properties might lie within the APE—but then made no effort to identify them. 

“I do not believe that the city has made a reasonable level of effort regarding the identification and evaluation of historic properties,” Donaldson wrote. Until the city does that, Donaldson said any evaluation by his office would be premature. 

Citing papers by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and historical consultants Page and Turnbull, Donaldson wrote that the area around the site may include “one or more National Register eligible districts.” One focuses on the neighborhood’s development structured around the turn of the 19th century streetcar networks and the other on the profusion of Colonial Revival houses in the area. 

Donaldson also faulted the officials for failing to present the issue to the Landmarks Preservation Commission until January 2005. At their January meeting, commissioners gave the project their blessings, finding no adverse impacts on the surrounding area.  

The tempest remains confined to a bureaucratic teapot until the federal appropriations measure makes it all the way through the legislative process and wins a signature from President Bush. 

?

Many Berkeley residents looking for a cheap and easy way to dispose of computer monitors, televisions, herbicides or other toxic substances lying around their house can now have the items picked up at their doorstep. 

Through a $120,000 state grant the city will provide the hazardous waste pick-up service for eligible residents through next March. 

The service, which started last week, is open to seniors, the disabled, low-income households (income under $52,000), and households without a car. A $10 co-pay is required. 

“We’ve found that Berkeley has a lot of eccentrics who collect interesting stuff,” said Berkeley Hazardous Materials Manager Nabil Al-Hadithy, explaining why the city applied for the grant. “We get a lot of calls from realtors saying there’s a bunch of vile stuff in here.” 

Acceptable hazardous waste includes paints, herbicides, aerosols, batteries, oil filters, pesticides, antifreeze, televisions, computer monitors, circuit boards, mercury and other chemicals. The program does not cover explosives, fire extinguishers, gas cylinders, radioactive materials, ammunition, or any containers that are unlabeled or more than five gallons. 

Although California last year passed a law requiring residents to dispose properly of unwanted computer monitors and televisions, Al-Hadithy said Berkeley must still contend with residents who leave the items on the curb. 

“The public works department picks them up at a tremendous cost,” he said. Hazardous waste picked up in Berkeley is hauled off to a county hazardous waste facility, the closest one of which is in Oakland. 

The city encourages eligible residents to call 1-800-449-7587 to learn more about the program and schedule a pick up. For residents who don’t qualify, the Alameda County Computer Resource Center will dispose of monitors for $10, televisions for $15, and computers for $5 at their Berkeley location, 1501 Eastshore Highway. Computer monitor and television drop-offs are free on Fridays. The agency will schedule pick-ups for a minimum cost of $500.i

The assistant Alameda County district attorney in charge of juvenile prosecutions says that he has not yet seen a report on a female student accused of bringing a gun on to the Berkeley High campus one month after Berkeley police officials say they sent it to the district attorney’s office. 

“Where this stuff has gone is anybody’s guess,” said Assistant District Attorney Walter Jackson. “The Berkeley police told me they put it in the mail, but because we don’t have anybody’s name that they gave it to, I don’t have anybody to contact directly to find out where the report is. I still haven’t seen hide nor hair of it.” 

The student was arrested by Berkeley police and later expelled by the Berkeley Unified School District for allegedly bringing a loaded pistol to school in her backpack in early February. Berkeley High officials said that the girl told them that the gun was given to her for safekeeping by her father, and brought to school inadvertently. Because she is a juvenile, the student’s name has never been released by either the school district or the police department. 

Berkeley Police Information Officer Joe Okies said earlier this month that the report was turned over to the district attorney’s office the first of March. The district attorney could charge either the student or her father, or both, but not without first seeing the police report. 

Jackson said police reports on possible crimes by juveniles first go to an officer in the Alameda County Probation Department and then to the district attorney’s Office. “But some of the probation officers are so backed up, it takes months to get a report off their desks,” Jackson said. He added that he recently had one case where the probation officer had not processed a report for a year. 

Calls to the Juvenile Division of the Probation Department concerning the case were not returned. 

The 16-year-old girl who authorities say slashed the throat of a Berkeley woman near the Rose Garden was with a county worker, assigned to juvenile hall, at the time of the attack, said County Supervisor Keith Carson. 

Carson, who would not disclose the woman’s name, said she had not called police after the incident and had been placed on administrative leave from her part-time job as a guidance counselor. 

He added that it was county policy for social workers stationed at Juvenile Hall not to spend time with clients off the premises, other than in special sanctioned cases. 

The suspect, identified as “Marilyn” of Oakland, is currently in custody at Juvenile Hall awaiting the results of a psychiatric exam requested by her defense attorney. Carson did not know if the counselor had been assigned to the girl during her previous stays in the detention center. 

“We still don’t know if her presence [at the crime scene] was a coincidence or if it was sanctioned by county authorities,” he said. 

Berkeley police officer Steve Rego confirmed that police have spoken to the counselor and added that they would soon turn over their findings to the district attorney. At the time of the March 16 incident, police labeled the counselor as an accomplice, but after they arrested the 16-year-old, they said they knew the identity of the companion and that she was not a suspect. 

In her original statement to police, the counselor said she was merely passing by at the time of the attack, according to Assistant District Attorney Walter Jackson. She has since provided a second statement, he said. 

“I’m going on the assumption that she was the second individual who was at the scene,” said Jackson. 

The 16-year-old has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon for grabbing a 75-year-old Berkeley woman by the neck and slashing her throat with an eight-inch kitchen knife. 

The Berkeley Federation of Teachers has publicly rejected the Berkeley Unified School District’s offer of a 1.2 percent teacher pay raise, saying that the contract offer would actually amount to a $2,000-a-year net loss to teachers when coupled with the district’s medical benefits proposals. 

BFT President Barry Fike said in a telephone interview last week that “no settlement is in sight.” 

BUSD Public Information Officer Mark Coplan revealed the district’s offer in an interview in the Daily Planet last Tuesday. The BFT issued their reply following a day-long bargaining session last Thursday between union and district contract negotiators through the state-appointed mediator. The Thursday meeting was the second of two bargaining sessions held last week. 

The next bargaining session is scheduled for April 21, but with an ongoing teacher “work to rule” action having a continuing effect throughout the district, representatives of both sides said they were attempting to move up the date for the next round of contract talks. 

Up until now, details of those talks have been secret. 

But Coplan said the district decided to release details of its contract offer “because the community made it clear to us that they wanted some information on what was going on.” Coplan said that BUSD Superintendent Michele Lawrence released the information only after clearing it with the school district’s attorney. 

Lawrence was unavailable for comment. 

According to Coplan, Lawrence made a request of BFT representatives at last Monday’s bargaining session that “any future information from the negotiations be put out jointly by the BFT and the BUSD.” 

On Wednesday of last week, however, after BUSD’s contract offer appeared in the Daily Planet, BFT instead sent out a document to its members entitled “BFT Negotiations Update.” In the document, later released to the Planet, the BFT said that “until now, BFT has refrained from disclosing either side’s proposal details. However, now that BUSD has chosen to publicly announce their specific raise proposal [in the Daily Planet] and since they have done so without providing it within the context of their total compensation proposal, BFT felt it was important to inform [its members] of the bigger picture.” 

In a flyer released at the same time as the update, the BFT estimated that the district’s 1.2 percent salary increase proposal would amount to an average of $647 in extra pay for Berkeley teachers in 2005-06. The union said that the district offered no salary increase for 2006-07. 

In addition, the union says that “the District offered to pay one-fourth of an expected 12 percent increase in medical benefits for 2005-06 and to pay for zero percent of an equally large increase in 2006-07. If we were to accept this ‘offer,’ the average teacher would pay an additional contribution of over $2,710 to benefits during the next two years. That’s a net loss of over $2,000.” 

The BFT flyer called the district benefits proposal “particularly dangerous for teachers with children. Their net loss ranges from $2,768 to $3,971, depending on their health plan.” 

In addition to comparing salary and benefit proposals, the BFT negotiations update also compared proposals on the other issue dividing the two sides: class size. The BFT said that the BUSD “proposes contract provisions centered around class size averages” without a maximum class size cap, a policy which, the union says, has “resulted in the dramatic class size increases we have experienced over the last few years.” The BFT says it has proposed both class size averages and a class size limit of 30 students for kindergarten through fifth grade, 32 for sixth, seventh and eighth grades, and 33 for ninth through twelfth grades. 

Asked if the public release and counter-release of negotiating positions by the two sides might hurt the ongoing mediation effort, Coplan said, “potentially,” but added that “the district has looked over the union’s release, and we don’t think there’s anything in it that is detrimental to the negotiation effort.” Coplan said that “we’re still hoping we can work together” with the union to put out joint releases from the negotiations, rather than separate releases by each side. 

Meanwhile, BFT president Barry Fike said that the union is mobilizing its members to attend the April 6 meeting of the BUSD Board of Directors “to express their frustration about the district’s contract position.” Fike said that a rally is planned for the steps of Old City Hall shortly before the 7 p.m. starting time of the meeting.›

A Berkeley developer’s plans for a $700 million luxury casino resort at the foot of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will move another step closer to realization Thursday night. 

The Point Molate casino proposal, the brainchild of environmental clean-up expert-turned-gambling entrepreneur James D. Levine, will be the subject of a federal hearing starting at 7 p.m. in Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza. 

Conducted by officials of the Sacramento office of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the meeting will feature comments from anyone who signs up to speak on the proposal. 

Levine’s plan is one of two surviving Las Vegas-scale slot-machine and table game resorts proposals still flourishing in the Richmond area. 

A third proposal, calling for a 2,500-slot-machine gaming palace at the Casino San Pablo card room, was withdrawn last week in the face of federal hearings and strong opposition in the state Legislature. 

The withdrawal by the Lytton Rancheria Pomos isn’t a concession of defeat, and the tribe could revive its proposal later. 

For his proposal, Levine has teamed with the Guidiville Rancheria Band of Pomo tribespeople, gambling giant Harrah’s Entertainment, former Defense Secretary William Cohen and Loew’s Entertainment to present plans for a massive four-hotel resort with a major showroom at the site of the former Point Molate U.S. Navy fueling station. 

Thursday night’s hearing is an environmental scoping session to gather the widest possible range of written and verbal comments to be used in preparing an environmental impact statement on the proposal. 

Before a casino can be built at Point Molate, the Bureau of Indian Affairs would have to first agree to take the land into trust for the tribe. 

The financially strapped Richmond City Council has been the project’s biggest backer, looking for new jobs for its residents, a major stimulus to ailing businesses and millions in payments from the tribe. 

If approved, the resort would feature a massive casino installed in the landmarked Winehaven building, featuring 2,500 to 3,000 slot machines and 125 to 160 table games. 

In addition to running the casino, Harrah’s would operate its own 350-400 room hotel at the site, with Loew’s running the remainder of Point Molate’s 1,100 rooms. 

The other Richmond proposal comes from Noram Richmond LLC, a special purpose corporation formed by a Florida firm to team with the Scott’s Valley Pomo band to purchase a 30-acre site between Parr Boulevard and Richmond Parkway in North Richmond, where they have planned the Sugar Bowl Casino, a 225,000-square-foot, 1,940-slot Las Vegas-style gambling palace. 

That proposal is much further along in the regulatory process. The BIA scoping session on Sugar Bowl was held last summer. 

Two lawsuits dog the Point Molate proposal. The first, filed by environmental groups, challenges the city’s sale of the property. 

The second, filed by the same Florida developer behind the Sugar Bowl proposal, charges that the Point Molate developers improperly enticed the Guidivilles to breach a contract with Noram that predated the firms involvement with the Scott’s Valley Pomo tribe.

CORRECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for the story on my appointment to the Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees and for your coverage of the library in general. The Daily Planet has certainly tapped into a major concern for many people in Berkeley concerned about the welfare of the library following the failure of the tax measure this last November.  

I have a correction to make however. The Planet was correct in quoting me as saying that “I didn’t believe in tracking library checkouts,” but I did not say that I am opposed to the board’s decision to install RFID (radio frequency identification devices). When asked about the adoption of the system I said that I did not know enough about RFID and needed to learn more. There will be an opportunity for all of us to learn more about RFID as the board decided, at its March meeting, to hold a public forum on RFID; the date of that forum has yet to be decided. Please note that I was not yet a trustee of the library and therefore did not vote on the motion.  

Ying Lee 

• 

JUDICIAL NOMINEES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

All judicial nominees are evaluated by the American Bar Association (ABA) that is composed of individuals of all political persuasions. Traditionally, those approved by this organization were virtually assured of being appointed. Things have now changed. Severe criticism of appointees has come from pressure groups despite overwhelming approval of the ABA! The criticism has been patently false on several occasions (claiming appointees were racist even though the black community testified against the charges)! And now the Senate minority is insisting on 60 votes for approval rather the traditional majority vote! Why use these obstructionist tactics? Does it mean that your cause is a weak one and therefore requires activities that deny American traditions of honesty and integrity? If your cause is just you should win, but, if not there will be an overwhelming backlash to these tactics! 

Charles L. Pifer 

Orinda 

• 

CREEKS TASK FORCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’d like to thank Matthew Artz for his intelligent Feb. 11 article on the Berkeley Creeks Task Force. Although I’ve been following this issue closely and consider myself well-informed, Mr. Artz’s article provided new and relevant information. He demonstrated a good grasp of the complexities of the issue, and I think he could make an important contribution to the community by closely following the work of the task force. I hope the Daily Planet makes this coverage a priority. Somehow I missed Mr. Artz’s article when it appeared, but I found it tonight when I visited the Neighbors on Urban Creeks website.  

Thanks again for this reporting.  

Joan Sprinson 

• 

DRAYAGE BUILDING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m writing in response to Matthew Artz’s March 25 article “Eviction Reprieve For Drayage Tenants, But Fight Continues.” City officials were correct in granting a two week extension to the April 1 eviction deadline of all residential tenants who occupy the site, regardless of the political pressure that had to be imposed upon them to do so. However, that does not go far enough. The City Council should also add this issue as an agenda item to be discussed at the April 12 meeting when they receive a staff report on the property. 

One rogue Fire Chief such as Steve Orth should not be allowed by the city to play good cop/bad cop with the lives and livelihoods of over two dozen Drayage residents because he feels it’s for their own good. Chief Orth’s classification of the property as an extreme fire hazard and an imminent danger to its occupants appears to be an egregious attempt to quickly render vacant for development the last low-income, live-work space in West Berkeley. Is it not the responsibility of the Fire Chief to thoroughly inspect the entire building on an annual basis? Why were these violations just recently discovered upon the owner’s interest in selling the building? I find it very hard to believe that Fire Chief Orth had no prior knowledge of the history of the Drayage’s residential occupants before this recent inspection. 

West Berkeley has a long history of social and civic activism of neighbors, labor activists, business people, and artists committed to making the neighborhood a place where many different kinds of people can flourish. Ultimately, I believe that West Berkeley’s diversity of people and businesses is its greatest strengths. The City Council must incorporate multi use, affordable, warehouse space such as the Drayage into the future planning and development of the West Berkeley area in order to preserve the integrity and long standing diversity of such a unique neighborhood. 

Nancy A. Whalen 

El Cerrito 

• 

VIOLENCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a Berkeley resident for over 25 years my personal experience and observation has proved to me that batterers, rapists and other violent criminals are treated with the utmost leniency in the City of Berkeley. So much so that friends of mine who are criminal defense lawyers, in other cities, are shocked to hear the kinds of violent crime that goes unpunished (or even acknowledged) in Berkeley. 

I would submit, respectfully, because I am not familiar with the work of Jane Litman or the Peace and Justice Commission, that the commission is “misguided and a waste of time” for its ineffectiveness and irrelevance. 

Berkeley has lost its way with regard to violence in its own city. 

In my opinion, the City of Berkeley has little right to voice its supposed moral superiority regarding the rest of the world. 

John Herbert 

• 

JEFFERSON SCHOOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I do not, in any way, condone slavery. But I did go to Jefferson School, Garfield School, and I walked down Grove Street. I see little point in changing names. Named places make a city what it is. 

Instead of focusing all the energy on changing the names of school (tokenism) why not use the same energy in eliminating slavery where it still exists in this world today? 

Cultural norms change. In 350 years today’s do-gooders may be vilified for riding in combustion powered vehicles, consuming more than they produce, spending more for arms than education or allowing CEOs earn more than 1,000 times the minimum wage. 

It probably doesn’t matter, as those who think changing the names of schools is important won’t be remembered in 350 years. Before you vilify Jefferson, do something important yourself. 

Gary Herbertson 

• 

A NEW NAME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding the re-naming of Jefferson Elementary School, how about George Orwell Elementary School? 

Phil Allen 

• 

RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for printing the letter by Don McKay about the Library Board of Trustees and the RFID system. I had been wondering about the way that the RFID decision was made. I knew of no publicity about the choice to use this expensive system, no publicity about the large amount of money that had to be borrowed. I think that this decision involved so much money and so much change for library users and staff that information should have been given out and citizen opinion asked for before any decision was finalized. 

I agree with Don McKay that making the RFID decision without publicity and without citizen input was like the action of an authoritarian government; it was not a democratic decision. 

I’ll be walking by the main library to see if I can find Gene Bernardi. 

Julia Craig 

• 

DICTATORSHIP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The signs of a U.S. dictatorship are getting kind of hard to ignore. The head of the Democratic Congressional delegation, a liberal San Franciscan, goes to Iraq (eight hours isolated in the Green Zone) and proclaims that there is progress in the imperial war and we must continue the occupation (and Faluja-ization) in the name of U.S. democracy. Keep up the murder ‘n’ torture boys. That’s the opposition party. The Congress and president tell us that we should die on their terms (with a feeding tube in place or a Humvee on our back). They strip out laws to protect women’s right to abortion and eliminate laws to prosecute terrorist actions against women’s clinics. And a Court says that testosterone King Arnold can spend as much money as he wants to create a smokescreen special election to remove the democracy Californians hold dear. Call this democracy? That’s Orwellian. 

Marc Sapir 

• 

TEACHERS’ UNION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley writes in her March 22 editorial that “there’s no easy answer to the question of whether a teachers’ union is good or bad for students,” pointing out that the all-time worst and two of the best Berkeley teachers she’s known were all high officials in the teachers’ union. 

But the main issue is not whether good teachers or bad teachers belong to teachers’ unions. Naturally, both do. The main issue is why the union goes to such great lengths to protect the job of the all-time worst teacher. 

Our teachers, most of whom are excellent, ought to ask themselves whether they would enjoy far more public support for higher pay and benefits if their union didn’t so stubbornly resist getting rid of the bad ones. 

Russ Mitchell 

• 

MORE ON RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a businesswoman and taxpayer, I am dismayed to learn that the Berkeley Public Library has invested $600,000 in a new RFID system which depends on proprietary hardware and software from Checkpoint Systems, Inc. I have to ask, will Checkpoint—or any other company—always be there in the future when the library may need new equipment, software upgrades, or even a new batch of tags to keep its RFID system up and running. 

Historical evidence is not promising. RFID is a new technology, in use in only about 1 percent of America’s 13,000 public and academic libraries so far. It is usual for new technologies like RFID to attract lots of competing companies (as was the case for early cars, computers, and VCRs.) Over time, only a few of the companies survive, ones with the very best technologies to sell and the most money to outlast the competition. Companies that are financially weaker or can only offer inferior products disappear (as did Yugo cars, Commodore computers, and Betamax VCRs.) The unfortunate buyers of such failed technologies are left with total losses. 

Today there are about 100 companies developing RFID systems. Along with Checkpoint, they include such giants as IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Texas Instruments, SAP, and Sun Microsystems. Checkpoint’s primary business has been installing closed circuit televisions and other security devices in stores. They enter the RFID field as a relatively tiny competitor, with a research and development budget of just $16-million a year. By comparison, IBM alone is investing $250-million in its rival RFID system. Of course, these companies hope to use RFID for more than just libraries, but if they can develop systems that are more secure and reliable, easier to install, less expensive, and perhaps safer, there is no reason to think any of them would ignore such a potentially valuable and wide-open market as libraries. 

One way to reasonably estimate Checkpoint’s possibility of success against such formidable rivals in this market is to see how it has been doing as a business. Checkpoint’s working capital—a good measure of its ability to continue to finance research and competitive expansion—has declined 67 percent since 1996. And, where investors risk their own money, its stock price has declined over 50 percent in the same period. Checkpoint was in better financial shape and worth more as a company before it entered the RFID business. 

It could be Checkpoint will be in the RFID business five or ten years from now, but what if Checkpoint and its proprietary hardware and software are gone. What does a public library with Checkpoint’s RFID system do then? Will the library be left to buy an entirely new system? Is it prudent to assume that another company will step in with a compatible system? Having spent so much public money on Checkpoint’s system, one would have hoped that the Public Library had conducted not only a sophisticated risk analysis of the likelihood of Checkpoint’s failure, but would have also insured their RFID investment against just such a failure as well. Apparently, they did neither. 

Sylvia Maderos-Vasquez 

• 

POLICE STATE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was in a long line in the post office on Monday. The man next to me told that he has had a post office box for more than 10 years. Now that he was renewing it, he had to prove his U.S. citizenship by showing his California driver’s license and his U.S. passport to the window clerk. He was furious that now the post office scrutinizes him for a little post box. Later, I found out that almost all post office box holders had received letters requiring that they had to prove their citizenship to receive mail. The letter was threatening box holders that failure to do so in five days would lead to termination of services by the post office. The clerk at the window told the man that the information collected by the post office will be entered in a central computer.  

I was thinking to myself that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the Read ID ACT. This Act soon will become a law. Then, next time you are renewing your driving license, you have to prove your US citizenship and provide lots of other documents. Your information will be stored in a central database system. 

And people in Berkeley are worried about the RFID in the library books? Get this. Yesterday, it was in the news that biometric passports have started to get into circulation. Such passports have RFID tags on them. So, you will be on constant watch. Not long ago, people in occupied Europe would have been stopped by Gestapo to show their papers. We will be experiencing the same fate; except, it is now done electronically! 

Helena Bautin 

• 

DEFENDING TEACHERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In his most recent diatribe against teachers, local political gadfly and teacher-hater Michael Larrick claims that teachers get one “free” period a day. He uses this canard and the notion that teachers do not work beyond their seven-hour duty day to extrapolate how teachers are overpaid compared to other workers. 

As a Berkeley teacher these past 15 years I can attest to the fact that this “free” period (commonly known as a prep period) is certainly not free from work. Indeed the prep period is used by teachers to grade papers, make photocopies, fill out forms and complete myriad other tasks. Larrick’s decision to view us through the prism of the seven-hour day is similarly misleading. Most teachers stay late to help students and, when he do get home, we have papers to grade. There are also phone calls to make, e-mails to answer, and sometimes research to be done. (As teachers work to contract—the seven- hour, 10-minute day—it is hoped that the Berkeley community will realize just how much we do above and beyond the call of duty.)  

Teachers are by necessity a reflective group. We are constantly reviewing our days, how classes went, assessing interactions with individual students, wrestling with how to handle an on-going discipline issue, preparing for a parent conference the next day, considering ideas for the betterment of the school to be brought to the next staff meeting, etc. It is impossible to measure the time spent tossing and turning over decisions made or to be made during our teaching day—our spouses and significant others can attest to the on-going work-related insomnia that plague many of us.  

Larrick is part of an American culture that not only fails to appreciate teachers and public education in general, but also denigrates us at every turn. While many of our high school and college classmates with comparable or even lesser academic achievements are raking in considerably more money, teachers have to make do with what then California Gov. Jerry Brown referred to as psychic income. We, as teachers, think so much of our community’s children and place such importance on nurturing and inspiring their souls and minds that we sacrifice the chance at a yacht or summer home in Cape Cod. 

And when we want a fairer share of the pie, guys like Larrick answer with a figurative slap in the face. 

Here is your conundrum Mr. Larrick: You obviously hold us in low regard. You want better class of people in the teaching profession? You’re going to have to pay them, pal. Meanwhile you’re stuck with us, and just because we’re altruistic doesn’t mean we’re suckers. 

Richard Hourula 

Teacher, Willard Middle School  

• 

SIERRA CLUB ELECTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

For the second year in a row, those sleepy Sierra Club national elections have turned into a battleground. If you’re a Sierra Club member, you have either received or are about to receive a national club ballot. Please consider the following before you vote. 

Last year Sierra Club members voted in record numbers to defeat a hostile takeover attempt by outside groups trying to promote their anti-immigration agenda. Now they’re back—they’ve placed an anti-immigration measure on the 2005 ballot that would change the Sierra Club’s neutral position on immigration and force the club to advocate for more restrictions on immigration into the U.S.—a policy that will do nothing to protect the global environment but will distract, divert and divide the club. As Robert Redford has said, “It’s disheartening to see the board of directors and membership of one of our nation’s most powerful and influential groups, the Sierra Club, distracted and diverted by a struggle over immigration policy, of all things.” 

That’s why I and other concerned Sierra Club volunteers, along with Robert Kennedy Jr. and Carol Browner, are working to defend the Sierra Club by urging members to vote no on the ballot question on immigration. (For more information, go to www.groundswellsierra.org.) 

On the same ballot, I am asking you to vote for five of the following six experienced club leaders committed to the club’s core conservation agenda supporting parks and open space, clean air, clean water, and clean and efficient energy. (Note: Vote only for five; if you vote for six, your ballot will not be valid): 

Joni Bosh, Phoenix, AZ, former board member 

Jim Catlin, Salt Lake City, UT, current board member and wilderness advocate 

Jennifer Ferenstein, Missoula, MT, former club president 

Chuck McGrady, Tuxedo, NC, former club president 

Barbara Frank, La Crosse, WI, club leader or Jim Dougherty, club leader 

Helen Burke 

• 

SCOPING SESSION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Lawrence Berkeley Lab is holding a scoping meeting for the public from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at the North Berkeley Senior Center to present its plan to demolish the Bevatron and Building 51. The University of California will prepare the environmental impact report for this seven-year project.  

The dust and debris from the tens of thousands of tons of radioactive/hazardous waste produced from the smashing of the concrete shielding blocks and metals in these facilities will contain toxic materials (which may also be radioactive) such as asbestos, mercury, lead, PCBs, chlorinated VOCs, and aromatic hydrocarbons. Some of the radioactive materials include Cobalt 60, Cesium 137 and Europium 154. Radioactive energy from Cobalt 60 can be 59 times greater in intensity than that of an ordinary X-ray.  

These radioactive and hazardous wastes will be hauled by thousands of heavily loaded trucks down Hearst Avenue to Oxford, south on Oxford to University Avenue and down University to I-80. From there they will proceed to landfills in Altamount, the Nevada test site, and Clive, Utah. The lab anticipates this will take seven years.  

An alternative to demolition and removal would be the sound environmental practice of containment thus allowing the radioactivity to decay in place. This would also preserve the historic aspects of the Bevatron, as it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the research in particle physics, which resulted in four Nobel prizes.  

If you don’t want Radioactive Asbestos Dust in your neighborhood, stores, or at bus stops, or in a truck next to your car on the street, come to the scoping session and express your concerns.  

James Cunningham 

Pamela Sihvola 

Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste  

• 

JEANNETTE RANKIN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In regard to the article on Jeannette Rankin: While I have nothing but respect for Jeannette Rankin in general, and understand that her vote against  

entering World War I was a reasonable and honorable position to take, agree with it or not, I do not understand her vote against entering World War II, except as an expression of rigid ideology. Without actual warning Pearl Harbor had just been bombed, several thousand Americans killed, much of the Pacific fleet destroyed, American soldiers and sailors in the Philippines were also attacked, and she still voted against entry into the war? 

We were at war, like it or not. If someone stabs you, kicks you and punches you, you are in a fight, whether or not you approve of fighting. 

And, as awful as war is, some wars have to be fought. The United States in 1941 was by our standards today, terribly sexist, racist, and homophobic. And, it was part of a great coalition that destroyed one of the worst menaces in human history, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi nightmare. Does anyone actually think that World War II settled nothing?  

Now, imagine if Hitler had won his war; imagine a Nazi empire stretching from the Atlantic coast of France or Britain to Siberia; imagine a vast dreadful empire of slavery, murder, and death protected by nuclear weapons, the latest technology, and the sickest ideology in human memory. Does anyone actually think that if Hitler had won his war the death camps would have stopped, or that he would have limited his victims to Europe’s Jews? (He had already killed millions of others in those camps) Had Hitler won his war, hundreds of millions of innocent victims of all ethnicities and religions whose only crime was that of being born, would certainly have been exterminated by the Nazi death factories. Think about it. 

And, imagine now, if Hitler’s close ally, Imperial militarist Japan had won its war in the Pacific. Nobody to this day knows how many Chinese died under Japanese occupation. Conservative estimates are in the millions. Ask the people of the Philippines, of Korea, of China, of Burma, how they would have felt about Japanese victory in Asia. 

Japan and Germany had to be defeated, their visions for the future of humanity had to be destroyed. And if the world that came from the war was imperfect, troubled, dangerous, unfair, racist, sometimes painfully blind, and if it nearly destroyed itself in nuclear fire during the Cold War, that also is the story of imperfect human beings, often doing their best, often making terrible mistakes... 

Its history...I know, I teach the stuff. (And yes, for the record, that fact that I teach the topic doesn’t make me always right!) 

Michael Steinberg 

• 

LIVING WILLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A profound growth process may occur when people embrace the pain of loss and death. The internal transformation toward awareness and compassion doesn’t occur in a heated political battle like the Schiavo case in Florida, or the Wendland case in California. A new documentary film by Nancee Sobonya, The Gifts of Grief, explores how seven remarkable people learn to live with their loss and now engage life on a higher level. 

A simple legal form called Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (living will,, advanced directive) can help prevent an ugly public spectacle. Readily available from stationary stores, the California Medical Association, or Kaiser, a person declares how far they want health care providers to go in prolonging their life in the event of terminal illness, irreversible coma, or persistent vegetative state. One may also choose another to make health care decisions in the event one is unable to do so. 

Most people with living wills are affluent middle-aged people who have consulted pricey estate planning lawyers. However an affordable and accessible option is available. For the past five years I have guided hundreds of people through the process in evening classes at the Albany and Berkeley Adult Schools. Everyone should have a living will, especially young adults. 

Lynn Sherrell 

• 

UC CONTRIBUTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I read with interest Steve Finacom’s March 18 commentary (“University Contributes Much to Public Projects”). If his list is complete, it serves to reinforce my long-standing impression that the university’s material contributions to the city over the past century have been rather paltry. 

In particular, I would like to take issue with Steve’s statement that “in May of 2004 the Northside Neighborhood Association wrote to city officials applauding this project and stating ‘this is a great example of how the city, the university and the community working together can achieve positive solutions for the challenges that we face.’” 

The letter was not from the Northside Neighborhood Association but from a handful of individuals who represent only themselves and not the neighborhood at large. 

Far from applauding the university for agreeing to pay 50 percent of the cost of improving the Hearst/Le Conte/Arch intersection, we think that the traffic at that intersection is at least 50 percent UC-related, and UC should pay to mitigate it. 

Furthermore, we believe that helping to improve one intersection is a patently inadequate mitigation for the cumulative negative impacts heaped on the Northside neighborhood by UC’s Northeast Quadrant building boom. 

The author of the letter cited by Steve shares this opinion. 

Daniella Thompson 

• 

RIDER-UNFRIENDLY BUSES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a regular rider of the new fleet of AC Transit buses, I concur with the complaints of Dorothy Bryant and others, published previously in the Berkeley Daily Planet. Ideally the ghoulish Van Hools could be gutted and their interiors restored to the design of the rider-friendly older buses. 

These new vehicles, borrowing technology from the old, address the needs of wheelchair-bound passengers. But many other members of the community who need to use public transit have significant vulnerabilities that put them at risk in the Van Hool models. 

For example, a passenger with low bone density could sustain a nasty spill if, while her foot was planted in the narrow low trench of an aisle, she attempted to bend up into the (gripless) high seat above while the bus—invariably in motion at such a juncture—lurched to a sudden stop. Bruises and broken ribs could be a painful result of this bad aisle/seat geometry. A spiral fracture of her lower leg could be a serious and actionable result. 

Public funds may not be forthcoming to correct design dangers in these hundreds of buses: the train has, so to speak, left the station. But couldn’t the incumbents of the AC Transit District Board, several of whom approved this hideous design, insist that their drivers always wait until a passenger is fully seated before they hit the accelerator? 

Anne Richardson 

Albany 

• 

SPECIAL ELECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s call for a special election in November is ill conceived and self-serving. We don’t need an election which will cost up to $70 million, when a regularly scheduled election will take place only six months later. What’s the rush? Arnold is trying to make an end run around election laws by bringing his agenda before the voters in 2005. In that way, he can continue to raise funds from his base of millionaire supporters, something he would not be able to do once he declares his candidacy for re-election in 2006. Equally important is the fact that in 2006, California law will require a voter verified paper trail. A special election in 2005 will have no paper trail and no way to validate the results if they are questioned. We don’t want what happened in Ohio to happen in California. 

Michael Marchant  

Albany 

• 

STOP THE MONEY MACHINE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Are you as sick of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s corporate fund-raising as I am? Ever since he got into office, Schwarzenegger has broken records for campaign cash and sold off social policy to the highest bidder. The most egregious examples include his slashing the education budget and cutting the ratio of nurses to patients in hospitals, all for the good of his big-bucks buddies. 

Let’s do something about it. 

On April 5, the California Nurses Association, as well as a wide variety of labor, education, and other progressive groups, are going to mobilize 10,000 people into the streets outside a major corporate fund-raiser that the governor is holding in San Francisco. It will be at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 5 in front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at the corner of Stockton and California Streets. Please join us. To learn more, write Allies@CalNurses.org, visit www.CalNurses.org, or call 273-2240. 

Of course, if you have $89,000 you can just buy a seat at the table. If so…please ask the governor to do right by patients and students. 

Mary Orisich 



Click here to view the latest work by Planet cartoonist Justin DeFreitas›

Dateline New York, Spring Break, 2005: Now that I’m a coed, after a 31 year hiatus, I get to celebrate spring break with my fellow party-going students. I don’t remember spring break being a big deal when I was an undergraduate, or if we even had spring break, but then I don’t recall much about 1970 through ‘74.  

Back then I may have hitchhiked to and from Florida along not quite finished Interstate 95, gotten arrested in a small town in Georgia, and waited until dawn to be released. It could have happened, but it probably didn’t. More than likely I worked at a fast food joint during the holiday and returned to the dorm in my sticky polyester uniform smelling like the deep fryer and dreaming of mad chickens.  

So here I am in 2005 with a 10-day break from school and no vacation plan. I see a photograph in a newspaper of buxom, bikini-clad women laying on a white sand beach and read the caption that appears underneath. I learn that San Pedro Island, Texas is the most popular place in North America to celebrate spring break. Mmm, I don’t think so. I don’t have the body, the bucks, or the mindset to go to Texas so I do what I always do when it’s party time: I head for my parents house in New Jersey where I’ll get my pants beat off playing cutthroat Scrabble (who says I can’t spend spring break partially unclothed?), and, like my imagined jail time in Georgia, wait until dawn to escape. 

Alas, this year there is an exit route. I’m invited by my friend Taffy to spend part of the week at her cabin in the Catskills. Could there be any better way for a 53-year-old coed to celebrate spring break than to spend it fully-clothed, huddled around a fireplace in the dreary, depressive Catskills? I accept immediately, take the bus from Atlantic City to Manhattan, and settle in for the drive over the Tappan Zee and up 87.  

We get off the thruway at Woodstock where I’m reminded of another youthful humiliation: failure to show up for the concert, but who wouldn’t believe me if I said that I didn’t go because of traffic? My friends Mac and Susie use this excuse with their kids every time they mention their disappointment with their parents’ unhipness. “We were gonna go but the thruway shut down,” explains Mac. “No excuse,” shouts their daughter Amy. Cursed with uncool parents, she slinks off to Cancun for her spring break, the number nine most popular place to spend it I have read in the Times.  

Back in the Catskills Taffy and I play Trivial Pursuit (the ‘60s version), Texas Hold’em Poker, and cutthroat Scrabble. I take long walks in the snow-covered woods and bake chocolate chip cookies. Taffy says they’re the best cookies she has ever eaten but next time I should add oatmeal to the recipe. I remind her that they have oatmeal in them already. 

“Yes, of course,” she says, “and next time you should add walnuts too.” I tell her that she must be eating around the walnuts because they are included.  

“Perfect,” she says. “No,” I counter. “I forgot to put raisins into the batter.” “Forget it,” she says. “I don’t like raisins.” I decide right then to beat the imaginary hotpants off Taffy at Trivial Pursuit (winning question: What British quartet appeared on Ed Sullivan 18 times?), Texas Hold’Em (I’ll bluff my way into claiming the “ten million dollar” pot), and Scrabble (she doesn’t know I play once a month with the incredibly accomplished Scrabblettes of Berkeley). 

“You know,” says Taffy, ignoring the fact that I have just made BINGO for the second time in five marathon games, “the problem with these cookies is that they don’t have pot in them.” 

“I don’t think so,” I argue. “The problem with these cookies is that we’re eating them in the village of Fleichmanns when we should be laying half nude somewhere along the Florida coast.” 

“Been there, done that,” says Taffy, grabbing another cookie. “It’s your turn, and I raise you five million.”  

Spring Break Chocolate Chip  

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 

1?2 cup butter 

1?2 cup brown sugar 

1?2 cup white sugar 

1 egg 

1?4 teaspoon baking soda 

1?4 teaspoon baking powder 

1?2 teaspoon vanilla 

1?2 cup flour 

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

3?4 cup walnut pieces 

3?4 cup raisins 

Cream butter with sugars. Beat in egg. Add vanilla and dry ingredients. Drop by tablespoon on foil covered 

cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  

Knife Robbery 

A man with a knife demanded cash from a woman pedestrian outside the Pet Food Express at University and San Pablo avenues just before 9 a.m. Thursday. When the woman complied, the bandit fled on foot, said police spokesperson Officer Steve Rego. 

Hot Prowl 

The resident of a dwelling near the corner of Sacramento Street and Hearst Avenue received an unpleasant surprise shortly before 3:30 p.m. Thursday—a burglar busting in his back door. 

Mutually stunned by their encounter, the burglar bolted and the resident called police. No suspects were arrested. 

Teen Knife Flasher 

A 13-year-old boy called police after a 14-year-old confronted him with a knife near the corner of Derby and Sacramento streets Thursday afternoon. 

Simulated Pistol 

Two fellows confronted a pedestrian near the corner of University and San Pablo avenues Thursday afternoon. While one made with the “I’ve-got-a-pistol-in-my-pocket” gesture, the other heavy jumped their victim, grabbing his wallet before they fled. 

Uncooperative 

A Berkeley police officer got more than he bargained for when he stopped a pedestrian near the corner of Mabel and Parker streets shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday. 

The 65-year-old pedestrian turned on the officer, and when the dust settled, the fellow had accumulated a hefty set of criminal charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, injuring a police officer, destroying evidence and parole violation, said Officer Rego. 

Middle School Knife Flasher 

Police are looking into the case of a Willard Middle School student who reportedly shoved and cursed at a teacher after being ordered to the school office Friday morning, then returned after school to flash a knife with a three-inch blade, said Officer Rego. 

Aquatic Park Blaze 

Police responded to Aquatic Park along with the Berkeley Fire Department after three youngsters were seen fleeing the area where a grass fire started about 4 p.m. Friday. 

While firefighters doused the blaze, police searched the area for the three youths believed to have set the fire but came up empty-handed. 

Teenage Strong-Arm 

Three teenagers, one with gold caps on his front teeth, robbed a woman of her purse and cell phone outside the Berkeley Public Library on Kittredge Street about 6:15 p.m. Friday, said Officer Rego. 

Officers found a 19-year-old Oakland man in possession of some of the woman’s property. He was booked on suspicion of robbery and possession of stolen property. 

Young Robbers 

Alerted by the screams of a victim, a resident of the area near the corner of College Avenue and Garber Street called police just before 10 p.m. Friday. 

Arriving officers found that a pair of strong-arm robbers, their ages estimated at between 12 and 15, had robbed a pair of pedestrians. 

Small Silver Gun 

A 24-year-old man called police about 1:15 Saturday morning to report that two darkly clad men had just robbed him with a small silver gun near the corner of Bowditch Street and Bancroft Way, said Officer Rego. 

They made off with a wallet and cell phone. 

Gotta Smoke—er, Wallet? 

Two young men approached a pedestrian near the corner of University Avenue and California Street about 4:40 a.m. Saturday and asked for a smoke—then proceeded to mug the hapless fellow for his wallet. 

They had already rung up a charge on one of the stolen credit cards by the time they were reported missing. 

Bronco Brandishers 

A caller told police that both occupants of a white Ford Bronco had brandished pistols in his direction near the corner of Dwight Way and Dana Street just before 6 p.m. Saturday. The vehicle and its pistoleros were last reported headed southbound on Telegraph Avenue, said Officer Rego. 

Strange Shooting 

The occupant of a residence near the corner of Derby and California streets called police at 11 p.m. Saturday to report that a fellow had fired off a pistol round inside his domicile about ten minutes before. 

Described as a fellow in a black peacoat, the gunman had possibly departed in a gray motor vehicle of uncertain make. 

Home Invasion 

Police are investigating a reported home invasion at a Panoramic Way residence near Orchard Lane about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, said Officer Rego. 

Two suspects knocked on the door, and when the resident answered, the pair forced their way in, tied him up and proceeded to ransack the home before fleeing in a gray Nissan Altima. 

Officer Rego said the resident was uncertain what, if anything, had been taken in the incident. 

There is a dire need for more foster parents, as well as for “fost-adopt”” parents (adults who are approved to pursue the adoption of foster children), throughout the county and state, and in many other parts of the country.  

Each day children of all ages—everyone from drug exposed newborns to emotionally scarred teens—enter the foster care system in Alameda County; “truckloads,” says one veteran social worker. Typically, these are children who have been sexually or physically abused, exploited, abandoned, or taken from negligent parents. 

Children brought into the foster care system (some with little more than the clothing on their backs) start unwittingly to amass a legal paper trail not unlike that of an incarcerated adult, one which can involve social workers, adoption caseworkers, lawyers, and hearings. Some foster children eventually return home, but others never will. The fortunate ones are placed in high quality private foster homes, or in fost-adopt homes. 

But when no appropriate placement can be found, as is often the case with older foster children, they wind up in group homes. And group homes are rife with tales of the kids no one wants: the violent ones; the ones with emotional problems; children and teens whose already shaky sense of self-worth is further eroded by loss and upheaval. A domino effect can ensue: As diminishing confidence results in increasingly alienating behaviors, these foster kids become less and less likely ever to be adopted, even youth whose parents’ rights have already been terminated. 

Here in Alameda County, it’s possible to become a foster parent or a fost-adopt parent in just a few months or less, by either having your home licensed as a foster family home through the county, or being certified by a private agency. In both cases the process includes completion of a foster parent training program; a background check, interview, paperwork, Home Study, CPR and first aid classes, and you must be over 21. There is no fee, nor is there a fee for adopting a foster child. The county offers stipends to help offset the costs of caring for both foster and adopted foster children, and there are generous tax incentives for adoptive parents as well. And in California, unlike in some other states, gay and single parents can foster and adopt children. 

In an overburdened social services system with frequent staff turnover, children are too often the ones who get shortchanged. For once they’re in the foster care system, they can be swept up in a bureaucratic maze characterized by burned-out social workers, or social service agencies that bear the weight of ill-conceived permanency plans for the children in their jurisdiction. Media scare stories of horrific foster care placements are no help, and even people who might consider fostering are uneasy about taking on responsibilities for some of society’s most troubled children. 

The statistics are dismal: over 500,000 foster children in the United States. California, with a population of 34 million, has about 100,000 alone. Over 120,000 foster children are available for adoption across the U.S. Some of these children have already suffered trauma greater than many adults will ever face.  

About 20,000 18-year-olds foster youth age out of the system every year, and find themselves alone in society. Without the backbone of support from a loving family, they are expected to go on in school or find gainful employment. It’s no surprise that rates of homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration are higher within this population. 

As grim as this picture may seem, there have been some improvements. It was in 1980 that the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act was signed into law, encouraging the adoption of children from foster care by providing the first federal subsidies. In 1994, President Clinton signed the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act, which stipulates that race cannot be used as the sole determining factor in adoptive placement. 

Yet there are still far too many children whose lives have been compromised from insufficient numbers of good foster homes, or fost-adopt placements. 

A vital component of taking on foster children is a commitment to meet challenges beyond those of normal parenting. It’s not for everybody. Bonds and trust can be broken as quickly as they are created, and undertones of attachment and loss are commonplace. 

But being a foster parent--embracing a slice of humanity as vulnerable as any; or becoming a fost-adopt parent and providing a permanent home for a child who otherwise may never have one, can be enormously gratifying. 

What if all the all the politically minded folks of the Bay Area; the ones committed to positive social change, and as passionate about their politics as their produce, considered adopting a foster child? 

Imagine that. 

Freelance writer Annie Kassof lives in Berkeley. She adopted her first foster child in 2001, and continues to foster other children. She is certified with A Better Way Foster Family and Adoption Program, which is always recruiting new foster and fost adopt parents. They can be reached at 601-0203.›

Have you smelled it? For more than three decades, Berkeley residents have told stories about encountering the mysterious, Oceanview burnt pot handle smell. These citizen accounts often describe this nauseous odor as “burning rubber” and “toxic.” In fact, this northwest Berkeley phenomenon of the burnt pot handle smell has generated more nuisance phone calls to city officials and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) than any other environmental concern in Berkeley.  

Even today, calls about the stink of burnt pot handles, or BPH, continue. Those who now telephone the BAAQMD Hotline to report this historic nuisance may be surprised to hear the tale of the BPH and why this odor continues unabated.  

History has not recorded the first of what must now be hundreds of telephone complaints over the BPH or exactly when this smell began to blanket west Berkeley neighborhoods. Fifty years ago, the odious BPH would have been but one component of the primordial mix of industrial odors that hung over the Oceanview district. In the early 1970s during west Berkeley’s redevelopment, greater attention was brought to the area’s air quality. Not long after, the BPH odor was finally connected with the operations of Pacific Steel Castings (PSC), a large steel foundry that currently operates three plants at Second and Gilman streets.  

Public controversy over the stink culminated in 1984 when PSC was forced into a series of zoning hearings to address the odor nuisance. As a result, the foundry was facing the closure of plant No. 2. However, instead of forced reductions in operations, PSC was placed under an unconditional order of abatement. The abatement decree appeared to be a step forward since PSC was forced to install odor emission controls. In addition, PSC was also subject to a complaint process to ensure compliance. But even after the installation of a million-dollar odor abatement system, the number of complaints from neighbors about the BPH smell did not lessen.  

It should be noted that the BPH odors are thought to be sporadic and puff-like in nature. This helps explain why sustaining five official confirmations of this nuisance has been so problematic. BAAQMD has made minor changes in the complaint process, but little has changed in this cat-and-mouse game.  

New Incinerator  

Today, the presence of BPH in northwest Berkeley is linked to the city’s historic pro-business stance regarding Oceanview. Because of PSC’s considerable tax base, the city has protected the foundry in every round of neighborhood insurgency over the BPH stink since 1984. This reluctance to confront the BPH nuisance or questions about community health was never more apparent than in 1997 when the City of Berkeley and BAAQMD authorized PSC to install an incinerator.  

The incinerator was permitted at the same time PSC was under an abatement order that restricted any increase in emissions and odors. Approving the incinerator made a complete mockery of both the court-ordered nuisance abatement and air district’s hearing process.  

From the beginning, PSC’s incinerator was little more than greenwashing since the new equipment has only exacerbated the area’s air pollution problems. The incinerator, which is called a thermo recycler by PSC, burns up the chemical binders used in their sand molds so they don’t have to haul those waste materials off site.  

PSC’s argument for the incinerator was based on a claim that sand from the trucks hauling the sand molds off site caused a fugitive dust problem in the area. This was certainly true, but look at what PSC is allowed to do instead. Now the foundry stack is dispersing the same dust and pollutants into the air, impacting even a greater portion of the area’s residences. And predictably, the foundry’s incinerator has only added to the BPH odor emissions.  

The sand recycler system may have saved PSC lots of money, but at what cost to residents and other local businesses? No wonder Oceanview has earned the dubious distinction of having the worst air quality in the city! Clearly, the incinerator was inappropriately zoned given its close proximity to neighborhood residences, schools and childcare activities.  

Health Risks  

After PSC cranked up its new incinerator, the City of Berkeley gave the foundry an environmental award, a real slap in the face for long-suffering and outraged residents. In response to increased public agitation over PSC’s operations, council requested that BAAQMD conduct a health risk screening for the factory’s emissions.  

The air district has ignored this request for more than two years. The fact that the air district’s toxic screening has never flagged PSC or required a health risk evaluation of this “hot spot” is unconscionable given the huge amount of pollution produced by the foundry. Even if the health analysis is ever completed, the BAAQMD risk evaluation will mean little without verification via ambient air and soil testing.  

The city also asked the air district to conduct a study of the cumulative impact of all permitted air dischargers within a quarter mile of PSC. Such a study would let nearby residents know if the concentration of so many BAAQMD discharge permits has adversely impacted their health.  

The air district was quick to publicly take on this task, but now refuses to follow through. After all, such a study would show how inadequate the city zoning is when it allows live-work housing, residential neighborhoods, and our city’s homeless shelters to locate under the stacks of Oceanview’s industry.  

Perfume and Politics  

Despite the dismissal of its the longstanding, court-ordered abatement, PSC is still being scrutinized by its neighbors. The complaint line has never stopped ringing. Perhaps this is why PSC began to mask the BPH smell with a scented air freshener product. Over a year ago, BAAQMD was queried about this practice of scenting emissions. The air district callously responded that PSC wasn’t using anything that couldn’t be bought over the counter in any convenience store in Berkeley.  

Today residents are discouraged from wearing scented products to city functions and must stand 20 feet from any business door if they choose to smoke. So why should PSC, or any business, have the right to perfume an entire neighborhood area without some kind of broader community health discussion. Masking the BPH smell may make a pervasive odor less obnoxious, but it doesn’t erase the concern over the toxicity of these scented emissions or other “odorless” airborne pollutants.  

Another round of PSC community discussions is being orchestrated by the mayor’s office and Oceanview representative Linda Maio. Neighbors should expect little from this pro-business councilwoman. History shows that Maio has failed to address this reoccurring community concern about PSC’s stink in her dozen years of elected office. She has supported the new incinerator and the increase in PSC’s pollution as well as the overexpansion other large business operations in her district such as Berkeley Asphalt. It’s not surprising that this northwest neighborhood is choking, too!  

The time has come to stop pointing the finger at Oceanview’s smaller industrial polluters and Interstate 80 auto activity instead of the 800-pound guerrilla, PSC. Have you smelled it? ?

Sometimes news consumers should take a breather, stand back, and try to make sense out of what we are hearing. By juxtaposition maybe we can learn more than facts. I would like to consider three stories side by side: the 59th Street/ Shattuck Avenue neighborhood activist, Patrick McCullough, who shot and wounded a young neighbor who was allegedly part of a North Oakland drug gang; the young Ashley Smith who “disarmed” the Atlanta gunman with religion and pancakes, and my own story. 

How does a “good citizen” deal with the criminal element that threatens our life or our way of life.? That is a question that we all must face from time to time. Although from different circumstances, Patrick McCullough and Ashley Smith had different answers to that question.  

Ashley was held hostage by her gunman for just a short time. Her quick decision to treat her captor as a human being and relate to him as an individual and not as the enemy saved her life and possibly many other lives. Everyone was very lucky that she did not try to use a gun. On the other hand Patrick and his family felt like they were being held hostage in their own home for many years by neighborhood drug dealers. It seems that the relationship between Patrick and some of his neighbors grew more and more contentious over the years until it resulted in a shooting this year. Could there have been a different outcome?  

My own story could be illuminating. I was part of the Splinter Group woodworking cooperative in a very marginal neighborhood of West Oakland for 20 years. We were surrounded by grinding poverty, crime and “gangs of drug dealers.” For many years the surrounding crime and social pathology resulted in many broken windows and some break-ins. Unlike our friends in the streets we only experienced property losses. Over time we recognized that those drug dealers were young jobless kids from the neighborhood who had parents, brothers, sisters, and friends many of whom were killed or in jail. We would see them come and go. Their world was a war zone and we were right in the middle of it during our working hours. 

Because we did not have the resources and were unable to move our shop to a better neighborhood we decided to try to reach an agreement with our young entrepreneurial neighbors. We invited the leaders into our shop for a talk. We told them that we were in business and that we needed to have a safe and secure place to work. We suggested that they also needed a safe and secure place to work and live. We made a deal. If they conducted their activities in a business-like manner we would not call the police. 

Even though many kids were still hanging out and dealing they became our friends and toned down their more obvious illegal activities. Some kids (the lucky ones are now adults) worked for us and their families looked out for our shop. Never once in the 35 years at this West Oakland location did anyone in the Splinter Group ever use or want a gun. We did not threaten them and they did not threaten us. We used the Ashley Smith method, but without the pancakes or the religion. This last year we were unwillingly forced to move out of that West Oakland neighborhood and we miss our friends. Those kids are just like everyone else, they want work, education and hope. 

Bill Hamilton is a Berkley resident. 

Ã

In 1965, the late Hunter Thompson got his first break as a journalist when he was asked to write an article for the venerable Left journal The Nation, about Berkeley after the Free Speech Movement. 

His piece is of interest automatically, as the first significant work by a fellow who came to be regarded as a seminal figure in transforming the journalism of an era. Many will scan it for early developmental traces of Thompson’s famous “gonzo” style. But in truth, those exuberant flights of prose, those feverish fictions illuminating sordid realities, that sprang from his subsequent adventures with the Hells Angels and mind-loosening drugs, are barely hinted here. What interests me instead—in this reflective portrait of the social fauna and culture of this seminal town in a seminal time—is how clearly Thompson recognized and characterized the polarities of “cultural” and “political” activism whose complex interaction and effect in the larger society worked out during the next decade. 

It’s notable that his observations and analysis were made entirely within the young white activist community—with only tangential reference to Berkeley’s proportion then of 25 percent Negroes, and no hint that this high point preceded a population decline as dramatic as the paradoxical rise of black power in the city’s bureaucratic politics. But hey, why not? Why shouldn’t Thompson have focused simply on white youth activism as a barely-differentiated generative force? It was the moment after the FSM made everything strange and catalyzed a community that could begin to wonder what it was; it was the moment before the anti-war movement began to march, the day before the name “hippie” was coined to explain a conundrum away. By late spring of 1965, when he wrote, the local Civil Rights movement had hardly advanced past summoning white sympathizers from the campus to sit-in against job discrimination—let alone to calling itself Black. The Farmworkers had just begun to march, half a state away, not yet calling for grape boycott. The women’s movement had not yet become aware that it was emerging; ditto for the gays’; the modern ecology and environmental movement(s) were pregnant unphrased as growing numbers of young whites began to smoke weed and sense the pulses of grass and planet, pollutions of air and food.  

In this moment of complex, opened potentials in the yeasty culture of a still-white-university town, Hunter focused on the mythical and actual persona of the “non-student.” His entire article explores only this—but in this, how observant and clear he was, and how much ground he covered! The divergences, tensions, and dialectic between “hippies” and “politicos”; the incipient commune movement; the deinstitutionalization and alternative-institutionalization of higher education; the development of underground media—all these and more are visible here in presage, as early traces of profound developments, more surely than the early traces of Thompson’s peculiar style. From this distance, 40 years later, he is visible working entirely within the journalistic canons of the time, as a journalist quietly superb.›

At the height of the “Berkeley insurrection” press reports were loaded with mentions of outsiders, nonstudents and professional troublemakers. Terms like “Cal’s shadow college” and “Berkeley’s hidden community” became part of the journalistic lexicon. These people, it was said, were whipping the campus into a frenzy, goading the students to revolt, harassing the administration, and all the while working for their own fiendish ends. You could almost see them loping along the midnight streets with bags of seditious leaflets, strike orders, red banners of protest and cablegrams from Moscow, Peking or Havana. As in Mississippi and South Vietnam, outside agitators were said to be stirring up the locals, who wanted only to be left alone. 

Something closer to the truth is beginning to emerge now, but down around the roots of the affair the fog is still pretty thick. The SprouI Hall sit-in trials ended in a series of unexpectedly harsh convictions, the Free Speech Movement has disbanded, four students have been expelled and sentenced to jail terms as a result of the “dirty word controversy, and the principal leader, Mario Savio, has gone to England, where he’ll study and wait for word on the appeal of his four-month jail term—a procedure which may take as long as 18 months. 

As the new semester begins—with a new and inscrutable chancellor—the mood on the Berkeley campus is one of watchful waiting. The basic issues of last year are still unresolved, and a big new one has been added: Vietnam. A massive nation-wide sit-in, with Berkeley as a focal point, is scheduled for October 15-16, and if that doesn’t open all the old wounds, then presumably nothing will. 

For a time it looked as though Governor Edmund Brown had sidetracked any legislative investigation of the university, but late in August Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh, an anti-Brown Democrat, named himself and four colleagues to a joint legislative committee that will investigate higher education in California. Mr. Unruh told the press that “there will be no isolated investigation of student-faculty problems at Berkeley,” but in the same period he stated before a national conference of more than 1,000 state legislators, meeting in Portland, that the academic community is “’probably the greatest enemy” of a state legislature. 

Mr. Unruh is a sign of the times. For a while last spring he appeared to be in conflict with the normally atavistic Board of Regents, which runs the university, but somewhere along the line a blue-chip compromise was reached, and whatever progressive ideas the Regents might have flirted with were lost in the summer lull. Governor Brown’s role in these negotiations has not yet been made public. 

One of the realities to come out of last semester’s action is the new “anti-outsider law,” designed to keep “nonstudents” off the campus in any hour of turmoil. It was sponsored by Assemblyman Don Mulford, a Republican from Oakland, who looks and talks quite a bit like the “old” Richard Nixon. Mr. Mulford is much concerned about “subversive infiltration” on the Berkeley campus, which lies in his district. He thinks he knows that the outburst last fall was caused by New York Communists, beatnik perverts and other godless elements beyond his ken. The students themselves, he tells himself, would never have caused such a ruckus. Others in Sacramento apparently shared this view. The bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 54 to 11 and the Senate by 27 to 8. Governor Brown signed it on June 2. The Mulford proposal got a good boost, while it was still pending, when J. Edgar Hoover testified in Washington that 43 Reds of one stripe or another were involved in the Free Speech Movement. 

On hearing of this, one student grinned and said: “Well I guess that means they’ll send about 10,000 Marines out here this fall. Hell, they sent 20,000 after those 58 Reds in Santo Domirigo. Man, that Lyndon is nothing but hip!” 

Where Mr. Hoover got his figure is a matter of speculation, but the guess in Berkeley is that it came from the San Francisco Examiner, a Hearst paper calling itself “The Monarch of the Dailies.” The Examiner is particularly influential among those who fear King George III might still be alive in Argentina. 

The significance of the Mulford law lies not in what it says but in the darkness it sheds on the whole situation in Berkeley, especially on the role of nonstudents and outsiders. Who are these thugs? What manner of man would lurk on a campus for no reason but to twist student minds? As anyone who lives or works around an urban campus knows, vast numbers of students are already more radical than any Red Mr. Hoover could name. Beyond that, the nonstudents and outsiders California has legislated against are in the main ex-students, graduates, would-be transfers, and other young activist types who differ from radical students only in that they don’t carry university registration cards. On any urban campus the nonstudent is an old and dishonored tradition. Every big city school has its fringe element: Harvard, New York University, Chicago, the Sorbonne, Berkeley, the University of Caracas. A dynamic university in a modern population center simply can’t be isolated from the realities human or otherwise, that surround it. Mr. Mulford would make an island of the Berkeley campus but, alas, there are too many guerrillas. 

In 1958, I drifted north from Kentucky and became a nonstudent at Columbia. I signed up for two courses and am still getting bills for the tuition. My home was a $12-a-week room in an off-campus building full of jazz musicians, shoplifters, mainliners, screaming poets and sex addicts of every description. It was a good life. I used the university facilities and at one point was hired to stand in a booth all day for two days, collecting registration fees. Twice I walked almost the length of the campus at night with a big wooden box containing nearly $15,000. It was a wild feeling and I’m still not sure why I took the money to the bursar. 

Being “non” or “neo” student on an urban campus is not only simple but natural for anyone who is young, bright and convinced that the major he’s after is not on the list. Any list. A serious nonstudent is his own guidance counselor. The surprising thing is that so few people beyond the campus know this is going on. 

The nonstudent tradition seems to date from the end of World War II. Before that it was a more individual thing. A professor at Columbia told me that the late R.P. Blackmur, one of the most academic and scholarly of literary critics, got most of his education by sitting in on classes at Harvard. In the age of Eisenhower and Kerouac, the nonstudent went about stealing his education as quietly as possible. It never occurred to him to jump into campus politics; that was part of the game he had already quit. But then the decade ended, Nixon went down, and the civil rights struggle broke out. With this, a whole army of guilt-crippled Eisenhower deserters found the war they had almost given up hoping for. With Kennedy at the helm, politics became respectable for a change, and students who had sneered at the idea of voting found themselves joining the Peace Corps or standing on picket lines. Student radicals today may call Kennedy a phony liberal and a glamorous sellout, but only the very young will deny that it was Kennedy who got them excited enough to want to change the American reality, instead of just quitting it. Today’s activist student or nonstudent talks about Kerouac as the hipsters of the ‘50s talked about Hemingway. He was a quitter, they say; he had good instincts and a good ear for the sadness of his time, but his talent soured instead of growing. The new campus radical has a cause, a multipronged attack on as many fronts as necessary: if not civil rights, then foreign policy or structural deprivation in domestic poverty pockets. Injustice is the demon, and the idea is to bust it. 

What Mulford’s law will do to change this situation is not clear. The language of the bill leaves no doubt that it shall henceforth be a misdemeanor for any nonstudent or nonemployee to remain on a state university or state college campus after he or she has been ordered to leave, if it “reasonably appears” to the chief administrative officer or the person designated by him to keep order on the campus “that such person is committing an act likely to interfere with the peaceful conduct of the campus.” 

In anything short of riot conditions, the real victims of Mulford’s law will be the luckless flunkies appointed to enforce it. The mind of man could devise few tasks more hopeless than rushing around this 1,000-acre, 27,000-student campus in the midst of some crowded action, trying to apprehend and remove—on sight and before he can flee—any person who is not a Cal student and is not eligible for readmission. It would be a nightmare of lies, false seizures, double entries and certain provocation. Meanwhile, most of those responsible for the action would be going about their business in legal peace. If pure justice prevailed in this world, Don Mulford would be appointed to keep order and bag subversives at the next campus demonstrations. 

There are those who seem surprised that a defective rattrap like the Mulford law could be endorsed by the legislature of a supposedly progressive, enlightened state. But these same people were surprised when Proposition 14, which reopened the door to racial discrimination in housing, was endorsed by the electorate last November by a margin of nearly 2 to 1. 

Meanwhile, the nonstudent in Berkeley is part of the scene, a fact of life. The university estimates that about 3,000 nonstudents use the campus in various ways: working in the library with borrowed registration cards; attending lectures, concerts and student films; finding jobs and apartments via secondhand access to university listings; eating in the cafeteria, and monitoring classes. In appearance they are indistinguishable from students. Berkeley is full of wild-looking graduate students, bearded professors and long-haired English majors who look like Joan Baez. 

Until recently there was no mention of nonstudents in campus politics, but at the beginning of the Free Speech rebellion President Kerr said “nonstudent elements were partly responsible for the demonstration.’’ Since then, he has backed away from that stand, leaving it to the lawmakers. Even its goats and enemies now admit that the FSM revolt was the work of actual students. It has been a difficult fact for some people to accept, but a reliable poll of student attitudes at the time showed that roughly 18,000 of them supported the goals of the FSM, and about half that number supported its “illegal” tactics. More than 800 were willing to defy the administration, the Governor and the police, rather than back down. The faculty supported the FSM by close to 8 to 1. The nonstudents nearly all sided with the FSM. The percentage of radicals among them is much higher than among students. It is invariably the radicals, not the conservatives, who drop out of school and become activist nonstudents. But against this background, their attitude hardly matters. 

“We don’t play a big role, politically,” says one. “But philosophically we’re a hell of a threat, to the establishment. Just the fact that we exist proves that dropping out of school isn’t the end of the world. Another important thing is that we’re not looked down on by students. We’re respectable. A lot of students I know are thinking of becoming nonstudents.” 

“As a nonstudent I have nothing to lose,” said another. “I can work full time on whatever I want, study what interests me, and figure out what’s really happening in the world. That student routine is a drag. Until I quit the grind I didn’t realize how many groovy things there are to do around Berkeley: concerts, films, good speakers, parties, pot, politics, women—I can’t think of a better way to live, can you?” 

Not all nonstudents worry the lawmakers and administrators. Some are fraternity bums who flunked out of the university, but don’t want to leave the parties and the good atmosphere. Others are quiet squares or technical types, earning money between enrollments and meanwhile living nearby. But there is no longer the sharp division that used to exist between the beatnik and the square: too many radicals wear ties and sport coats; too many engineering students wear boots and Levi’s. Some of the most bohemian looking girls around the campus are Left puritans, while some of the sweetest-looking sorority types are confirmed pot smokers and wear diaphragms on all occasions. 

Nonstudents lump one another—and many students—into two very broad groups: “political radicals” and “social radicals.” Again, the division is not sharp, but in general, and with a few bizarre exceptions, a political radical is a Left activist in one or more causes. His views are revolutionary in the sense that his idea of “democratic solutions” alarms even the liberals. He may be a Young Trotskyist, a Du Bois Club organizer or merely an ex-Young Democrat, who despairs of President Johnson and is now looking for action with some friends in the Progressive Labor Party. 

Social radicals tend to be “arty.” Their gigs are poetry and folk music, rather than poliltics, although many are fervently committed to the civil rights movement. Their political bent is Left, but their real interests are writing, painting, good sex, good sounds and free marijuana. The realities of politics put them off, although they don’t mind lending their talents to a demonstration here and there, or even getting arrested for a good cause. They have quit one system and they don’t want to be organized into another; they feel they have more important things to do. 

A report last spring by the faculty’s Select Committee on Education tried to put it all in a nutshell: “A significant and growing minority of students is simply not propelled by what we have come to regard as conventional motivation. Rather than aiming to be successful men in an achievement-oriented society, they want to be moral men in a moral society. They want to lead lives less tied to financial return than to social awareness and responsibility.” 

The committee was severely critical of the whole university structure, saying: “The atmosphere of the campus now suggests too much an intricate system of compulsions, rewards and punishments; too much of our attention is given to score keeping.” Among other failures, the university was accused of ignoring “the moral revolution of the young.” 

Talk like this strikes the radicals among “the young” as paternalistic jargon, but they appreciate the old folks’ sympathy. To them, anyone who takes part in “the system” is a hypocrite. This is especially true among the Marxist, Mao-Castro element—the hipsters of the Left. 

One of these is Steve DeCanio, a 22-year-old Berkeley radical and Cal graduate in math, now facing a two-month jail term as a result of the Sproul Hall sit-ins. He is doing graduate work, and therefore immune to the Mulford law. “I became a radical after the 1962 auto row (civil rights) demonstrations in San Francisco,” he says. “That’s when I saw the power structure and understood the hopelessness of trying to be a liberal. After I got arrested I dropped the pre-med course I’d started at San Francisco State. The worst of it, though, was being screwed time and again in the courts. I’m out on appeal now with four and a half months of jail hanging over me,” 

DeCanio is an editor of Spider, a wild-eyed new magazine with a circulation of about 2,000 on and around the Berkeley campus. Once banned, it thrived on the publicity and is now officially ignored by the protest-weary administration. The eight-man editorial board is comprised of four students and four nonstudents. The magazine is dedicated, they say, to “sex, politics, international communism, drugs, extremism and rock’n’roll.” Hence, S-P-I-D-E-R. 

DeCanio is about two-thirds political radical and one-third social. He is bright, small, with dark hair and glasses, clean-shaven, and casually but not sloppily dressed. He listens carefully to questions, uses his hands for emphasis when he talks, and quietly says things like: “What this country needs is a revolution; the society is so sick, so reactionary, that it just doesn’t make sense to take part in it.” 

He lives, with three other nonstudents and two students, in a comfortable house on College Avenue, a few blocks from the campus. The $120-a-month rent is split six ways. There are three bedrooms, a kitchen and a big living room with a fireplace. Papers litter the floor, the phone rings continually, and people stop by to borrow things: a pretty blonde wants a Soviet army chorus record, a Tony Perkins type from the Oakland DuBois Club wants a film projector, Art Goldberg—the arch-activist who also lives here—comes storming in, shouting for help on the “Vietnam Days” teach-in arrangements. 

It is all very friendly and collegiate. People wear plaid shirts and khaki pants, white socks and moccasins. There are books on the shelves, cans of beer and Cokes in the refrigerator, and a manually operated light bulb in the bathroom. In the midst of all this it is weird to hear people talking about “bringing the ruling class to their knees,” or “finding acceptable synonyms for Marxist terms.” 

Political conversation in this house would drive Don Mulford right over the wall. There are riffs of absurdity and mad humor in it, but the base line remains a dead-serious alienation from the “Repugnant Society” of 20th-century America. You hear the same talk on the streets, in coffee bars, on the wall near Ludwig’s Fountain in front of Sproul Hall, and in other houses where activists live and gather. And why not? This is Berkeley, which DeCanio calls “the center of West Coast radicalism.” It has a long history of erratic politics, both on and off the campus. From 1911 to 1913, its Mayor was a Socialist named Stitt Wilson. It has more psychiatrists and fewer bars than any other city of comparable size in California. And there are 249 churches for 120,300 people, of which 25 per cent are Negroes—one of the highest percentages of any city outside the South. 

Culturally, Berkeley is dominated by two factors: the campus and San Francisco across the Bay. The campus is so much a part of the community that the employment and housing markets have long since adjusted to student patterns. A $100-a-month apartment or cottage is no problem when four or five people split the rent, and, there are plenty of ill-paid, minimum-strain jobs for those without money from home. Tutoring, typing, clerking, car washing, hash slinging and baby sitting are all easy ways to make a subsistence income; one of the favorites among nonstudents is computer programing, which pays well. 

Therefore, Berkeley’s nonstudents have no trouble getting by. The climate is easy, the people are congenial, and the action never dies. Jim Prickett, who quit the University of Oklahoma and flunked out of San Francisco State, is another of Spider’s nonstudent editors. “State has no community,” he says, “and the only nonstudent I know of at Oklahoma is now in jail.” Prickett came to Berkeley because “things are happening here.” At 23, he is about as far Left as a man can get in these times, but his revolutionary zeal is gimped by pessimism. “If we have a revolution in this country it will be a Fascist take-over,” he says with a shrug. Meanwhile he earns $25 a week as Spider’s star writer, smiting the establishment hip and thigh at every opportunity. Prickett looks as much like a Red menace as Will Rogers looked like a Bantu. He is tall, thin, blond, and shuffles. “Hell, I’ll probably sell out,” he says with a faint smile. “Be a history teacher or something. But not for a while.” 

Yet there is something about Prickett that suggests he won’t sell out so easiIy. Unlike many nonstudent activists, he has no degree, and in the society that appalls him even a sellout needs credentials. That is one of the most tangible realities of the nonstudent; by quitting school he has taken a physical step outside the system—a move that more and more students seem to find admirable. It is not an easy thing to repudiate—not now, at any rate, while the tide is running that way. And “the system” cannot be rejoined without some painful self-realization. Many a man has whipped up a hell broth of reasons to justify his sellout, but few recommend the taste of it. 

The problem is not like that of high school dropouts. They are supposedly inadequate, but the activist nonstudent is generally said to be superior. “A lot of these kids are top students,” says Dr. David Powellson, chief of Cal’s student psychiatric clinic, “but no university is set up to handle them.” 

How then are these bright mavericks to fit into the super-bureaucracies of government and big business? Cal takes its undergraduates from the top eighth of the state’s high school graduates, and those accepted from out of state are no less “promising.” The ones who migrate to Berkeley after quitting other schools are usually the same type. They are seekers—disturbed, perhaps, and perhaps for good reason. Many drift from one university to another, looking for the right program, the right professor, the right atmosphere, the right way to deal with the deplorable world they have suddenly grown into. It is like an army of Holden Caulfields, looking for a home and beginning to suspect they may never find one. 

These are the outsiders, the nonstudents, and the potential—if not professional—troublemakers. There is something primitive and tragic in California’s effort to make a law against them. The law itself is relatively unimportant, but the thinking that conceived it is a strutting example of what the crisis is all about. A society that will legislate in ignorance against its unfulfilled children and its angry, half-desperate truth seekers is bound to be shaken as it goes about making a reality of mass education. 

It is a race against time, complacency and vested interests. For the Left-activist nonstudent the race is very personal. Whether he is right, wrong, ignorant, vicious, super-intelligent or simply bored, once he has committed himself to the extent of dropping out of school, he has also committed himself to “making it” outside the framework of whatever he has quit. A social radical presumably has his talent, his private madness or some other insulated gimmick, but for the political radical the only true hope is somehow to bust the system that drove him into limbo. In this new era many believe they can do it, but most of those I talked to at BerkeIey seemed a bit nervous. There was a singular vagueness as to the mechanics of the act, no real sense of the openings. 

“What are you going to be doing 10 years from now?” I asked a visiting radical in the house where Spider is put together. “What if there’s no revolution by then, and no prospects of one?” 

“Hell,” he said. “I don’t think about that. Too much is happening right now. If the revolution’s coming, it had better come damn quick.”™

Edward Rowland Sill was once as well known as Mark Twain or Bret Harte. He was certainly important here in Berkeley—the first star to appear in the galaxy of poets we’ve come to associate with our city.  

Born in Windsor, Conn., in 1841, he grew up in what he described as a “green and peaceful countryside” among “cornfields and hayfields, and maple-shaded houses.” This sunny childhood idyll ended with the death of his mother and, two years later, when he was 14, the death of his father. Forlorn, the young orphan was sent to live with an uncle in Cuyahoga Falls, a village near Cleveland, Ohio. His uncle proved kind, giving him a good home and providing for his education, even sending him to Yale. 

As a religious child in a religious society, Sill probably tried to reconcile himself to the death of his parents as the will of God. But the trauma lasted, leaving him with deep feelings of insecurity. One manifestation of this in his later life was an eccentric need to use unnecessary pseudonyms. This began at Yale, where his first poems were published and everybody knew him, and continued throughout his career. He published under his own name, of course. But the pseudonyms seem to have given him the freedom to write without feeling he was tempting the fate that befell his parents.  

After his graduation from Yale he sailed by clipper ship to California, hoping to improve his lifelong poor health. His ship departed New York in December, 1861. Skirting the shores of the Confederacy, it sailed south to Argentina, and then north to San Francisco, arriving in March, 1862. He kept a journal, later published as Around the Horn, which gives a lively account of this voyage. 

He made his way to Sacramento, where he accumulated the kind of resume many poets have today—mail clerk, ranch hand, teacher, handyman—and discovered a love of camping and outdoor life. All this time he kept writing poems, publishing them, and wondering what to do with his life. His religious impulse led him to decide in 1867 to enter the ministry. Gathering up his poems, published and unpublished, he traveled East to the Harvard Divinity School. 

At this time the United States was still an intensely religious country, shaped by belief in the historical truth of the Bible. There was what amounted to a national consensus that the quest for salvation on Biblical terms gave life its meaning. Right and wrong depended on the Scriptures. The Pilgrim’s Progress and Ben Hur were the popular novels.  

When Sill arrived at Harvard, he found (as Santayana remarked) “a provincial little college” buffeted by strange new doctrines, especially the theory of evolution and—just arrived from Germany—the Higher Criticism of the Bible.  

As Darwin’s theory appeared to make the Biblical story of creation untenable as fact, the “Higher Criticism,” which subjected Scripture to the methods of modern linguistic analysis, seemed to demonstrate that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible. 

Together Darwinism and the Higher Criticism severely damaged the national consensus on the authority of the Scriptures, and appeared to cut the historical ground out from under Christianity (and Judaism and Islam as well, for that matter). We experience the aftershocks of that cultural earthquake whenever school boards try to put Genesis back into high school science curricula. 

While Sill’s professors at the Divinity School wrestled with modern thought, trying to salvage something from the Bible, Louis Agassiz lectured nearby on the classification of fish fossils that were thousands of years older than they should have been, according to Genesis. We know Sill attended these lectures avidly. He went through a devastating crisis of belief from which he emerged as an agnostic. He abandoned theological studies within a year.  

Taking stock of himself, he finally realized that poetry—not the ministry—was his real vocation. He committed himself to writing as his profession, assembled his published work and put out his first book, The Hermitage. To support himself he worked as an editor at the New York Evening Mail. Then he had the good luck to marry his cousin Elizabeth, who helped him to keep his life on a solid footing. They returned to California, and he took a high school teaching job in Oakland. Despite the pseudonyms, he became widely known as a promising poet. 

In 1874 an opening occurred for a professor of English at the fledgling University of California. Two candidates stepped forward: Sill and Bret Harte. When Sill was chosen for the job, no one felt the University had settled for second best. In Berkeley, Sill came into his own. He was tall and slender, a romantic figure, with a rich and flexible voice. His dramatic flair helped make him an inspiring teacher. He became, as George Stewart wrote, “a loved and conspicuous figure” as he rode around the small town on a handsome black horse. 

The Sills lived in a flower-covered cottage. They enjoyed climbing in the hills behind the campus and joined the geologist Joseph Le Conte on camping expeditions in the mountains. Sill’s literary career continued to prosper. Locally, his work appeared in the University of California Magazine, The Californian, and the famous Overland Monthly. Nationally he was a regular contributor to The Atlantic, often under the name “Andrew Hedbrooke.”  

In 1880 he had the unpleasant experience of being attacked by Oakland newspapers for spreading atheism through his teaching. He was not an atheist, even though he remained conflicted in his beliefs. In his writing and in his teaching, Sill freely expressed his engagement with issues of doubt and disbelief. He told the truth as he saw it; and for him, the meaning of life remained a riddle. He put it clearly in “The Book of Hours,” a smoothly-written, unflinching sonnet: 

As one who reads a tale writ in a tongue 

He only partly knows, -- runs over it 

And follows but the story, losing wit 

And charm, and half the subtle links among 

The haps and harms that the book’s folk beset -- 

So do we with our life. Night comes, and morn: 

I know that one has died and one is born; 

That this by love and that by hate is met. 

But all the grace and glory of it fail 

To touch me, and the meanings they enfold. 

The Spirit of the World hath told the tale, 

And tells it and ‘tis very wise and old. 

But o’er the page there is a mist and veil: 

I do not know the tongue in which ‘tis told. 

To a friend who reproached him for staying in a backwater like Berkeley and not pursuing his literary career more vigorously, he wrote, “I am contented to die unknown if I can arrive at the truth about certain great matters and can put others in the way thereof...Let a man work his work in peace.”  

In 1883 he resigned from the University staff in order to return to Cuyahoga Falls. But he lingered in Berkeley for another six months, helping Millicent Shinn revive the Overland Monthly and preparing his second volume of poems, The Venus of Milo. This slim volume has the distinction of being the first book ever published consisting largely of poems written in Berkeley.  

Back in Ohio, Sill took to full time writing like a duck to water. As he became increasingly prominent, he remained prolific, sending out large numbers of pieces under his own name and under his pseudonyms. He kept in touch with his friends in Berkeley. “It is evidence,” he wrote to one, “of the irrational attachment one gets (as cats do) to places that the Berkeley postmark gives me always a pleasant twinge of homesickness.”  

But he died suddenly, on Feb. 27, 1887. When the news reached Berkeley, his friends grieved at his passing. They felt a permanent sense of loss. Nine years later Joseph Le Conte named a mountain peak for him in Kings Canyon National Park.  

In Boston, on the other side of the country, Sill’s editor at Houghton Mifflin wrote that for quite some time after Sill died, new poems by him kept appearing in the latest magazines. It was, he said, as if after Sill turned a corner and disappeared from view, “we could still hear him singing as he went on his way.” 

Sill’s reputation rose for another decade, and collected editions of his works were published. Then the language and style of poetry changed, and time began to wash his work away, the good with the bad, leaving little of interest for readers today. He has become invisible, even in Berkeley. His name is not on the Berkeley Poetry Walk, and the public library does not keep his poetry on the shelves. Sill’s friends believed his fame was secure and we would remember him as the Shelley of their generation. They were mistaken. The truth is, none of us can read the future, and we can never tell  

...what names immortal are; 

‘Tis night alone that shows  

How star surpasseth star. 

This jewel box of a bookstore/newsstand sits a half-block north of the UC Berkeley campus, where it serves a select clientele. The person browsing beside you might be a nationally renowned author who teaches at the nearby UC journalism school, or a Los Angeles Times or San Francisco Chronicle columnist who lives nearby. 

Perhaps that explains the surprisingly rich selection of international newspapers and magazines. Looking for the previous day’s edition of La Repubblica, at about the same price you’d pay in Rome? It’s here. 

Owner Nima Shokat and his predecessors have built up an equally stellar book selection to challenge their print-hungry patrons. I often learn more about new, must-read books by scanning this store’s front table than by reading two weekly book reviews. 

Also prominent are graphic novels, art books, prints, and edgy McSweeney’s publications (or what one fellow patron calls “irreverent-looking books for smart and arrogant young people.”) 

But you’ll need to bring your own arrogance, because this is a very friendly store. Shokat—who recently purchased and renamed it—is a welcoming presence, as are his literate staffers. A Berkeley native, Shokat has ink in his blood: His father used to run Albany Press, a local print shop that published books and poster art. 

—Michael Katz 

Analog Books (formerly Signal Books) 

1816 Euclid Ave., Berkeley 

843-1816 

›

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 

THEATER 

The Shotgun Players Theatre Lab, “Monster in the Dark” at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. at MLK. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: The Birdpeople” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

An Evening in Honor of Thomas Flanagan at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Jeff McGowan describes “Major Conflict: One Gay Man’s Life in the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Military” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Eugene David and John Rowe at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Music for Tsunami Relief with David Grisman, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, Geoff Muldaur and others at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50- $25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bill Jackman & Terry Hilliard at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Sweetbriar, The Brownbums, THe San Antonio Kid, alt country, at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174. www.storkcluboakland.com 

Opie Bellas at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Randy Craig Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 

CHILDREN 

Berkeley Youth Arts Festival Students from Whittier EDC celebrate peace and love through poetry and song at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Blues Paintings and Beyond” mimimalist collage and haiku by Wavy Gravy at The Trout Fram Antiques, 2179 Bancroft. Runs to April 19, Wed.- Sun. 1 to 5 p.m. 843-3565. 

“Rhythmic Seasons” a Metal/Textile BFA exhibition. Reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at California College of the Arts, Irwin Center Gallery, 5215 Broadway, Oakland. 

FILM 

Cine Contemporaneo: “El Leyton: Hasta que la Muerte nos Separe” at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

History of Cinema: “Rashomon” at 3 p.m. and Games People Play: “Death Race 2000” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Cokie Roberts introduces her new book, “Founding Mothers” at 7:30 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $10, available from Cal Performances 642-9988.  

Kala Fellowship Artists Talk with Inga Dorosz on digital print and video works and Laura Splan on digital print and drawing combinations at 7 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

Elizabeth George talks about her mystery novel “With No One as Witness” at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Tickets are free with purchase of the book. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, “Masterpieces from early 17th century Italy” with Passamezzo Moderno at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music of Easter An organ concert at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. www.firstchurchoakland.org 

Jennifer Clevinger and Dennis Geaney at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Mal Sharpe & Big Money in Gumbo at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Orquestra America, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Cheryl Wheeler at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Memoir, The Scatter at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174.  

Muraski Ensemble at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 

THEATER 

“A Single Woman” The life, times and fortitude of the first US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. Tickets are $10 sliding scale. 587-3228. http://ncmdr.org/singlewoman 

EXHIBITIONS 

“La Causa” Photographs of the Farmworkers’ Movement at The Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus, through Oct. 482-3336. 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-1295. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Blind at the Museum” guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-1295. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Film and Video Makers at Cal: “Cries of the City” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jennifer Washburn describes “University Inc. The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

David Riggs discusses “The World of Christopher Marlowe” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Eugene David and John Rowe at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dhol Patrol, Bhangra and Pan-Arabic beats, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

LoCal Music Expo, acoustic folk/rock, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Cheryl Wheeler at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Steve Poltz at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $12. 841-2082 www.starryplough.com 

Peter Barshay Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Kenny Garrett at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $10-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Woodblock Prints by Paul Jacoulet” opens at the Schurman Fine Art Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. 524-0623. www.schurmanfineartgallery.com 

“Irish Crochet Lace: 150 Years of a Tradition” Reception at 6 p.m. at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. 843-7290. www.lacismuseum.org 

FILM 

“EarthDance: The Short-Attention-Span Film Festival” at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. After-party at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5-$8. Reservations recommended. 238-3818. www.museumca.org 

Edgar G. Ulmer: “Bluebeard” at 7 p.m, and “The Strange Woman” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

THEATER 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. and runs through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Motown Story” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 6 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15-$38. 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org 

“Proof” by David Auburn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through May 7 at The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Ticlets are $13. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “The Just” by Albert Camus. Thurs.- Sun. at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through April 10. Tickets are sliding scale $10-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Iris Stewart introduces “Sacred Women, Sacred Dance” at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. www.belladonna.ws 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Cudamani, Balinese music and dance, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-9988.  

“The Motown Story” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 6 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15-$38. 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org 

Rafael Manríquez & Duamuxa at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Erik Aliana and Korongo Jam, African, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Sherry Austin & The Hog Ranch Rounders at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

David K. Matthews Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Lost Cats, jazz at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

The Bottom Dwellers, Real Sippin’ Whiskeys, A.J. Roach at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryplough.com 

Tragedy, Nightmare, Riistetyt at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Monkey, The Struts, The Barbary Coasters, ska, rock n’ roll, at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Vinyl, Brown Baggin’ at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Kenny Garrett at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $14-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 

CHILDREN 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Kevin Griffin and Alisa Peres, songs from traditional folk to Latin America, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5. 849-2568.  

Paper Characters with Elisa Kleven, author of “Abuela, The Paper Princess” at 2 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Interlude” Reception and book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. at A New Leaf Gallery, 1286 Gilman St. 525-7621. 

Soul Salon 10, “Trouble Man” in homage to Marvin Gaye. Reception from 1 to 4 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland. Exhibit runs to May 28. 637-0200. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

FILM 

Edgar G. Ulmer “American Matchmaker” at 9:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading from 3 to 5 p.m., at Strawberry Creek Lodge Dining Hall, 1320 Addison St. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz House Tribute to Mingus and Dolphy with saxophonist Howard Wiley at 9 p.m. at 21 Grand Art Gallery, 449B 23rd St., Oakland. Cost is $10. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Trinity Chamber Concert “Duo Terra Antiqua” with Zoe Vandermeer, soprano, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Cost is $8-$12. 549-3864. http://trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Vox Populi “Mother and Son,” devotional music from 15th cent. England at 8 p.m. at the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, 2316 Bowditch St. Free. www.vox-pop.org 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-9988.  

Larry Karush, jazz pianist and composer, at 8 p.m., at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $10-20 at the door. 527-0450. 

“Bare Bones” Randee Paufve Dance at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2547 Eighth St. Tickets are $12, available one hour before the show. www.paufvedance.org 

Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mujeres: Rebeca Mauleón & Quintet at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Aux Cajunals, Cajun, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eric Crystal Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Samantha Raven at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Braziu at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$12. 548-1159.  

Moore Brothers, Mandarin, Thread at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryplough.com 

Joe Rut, Jason Kleinberg, indy rock, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Tape, Pomegranate, The Wearies at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $4-$7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Love Songs, Angry for Life, Darlington at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-1295.  

FILM 

Crying in Color: “How Hollywood Coped When Technicolor Died” at 4:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Sophie Cabot Black and David Breskin at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

“Painting Out of Conflict: Velasquez, Rubens, and the Dutch in Time of War” with Svetlana Alpers, Prof. Emerita, Art History, at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Takacs Quartet at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

San Francisco City Chorus and Berkeley Chancel Choir with California Chamber Symphony performing Mozart’s Requiem, at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $13-$20. 415-701-SONG. www.sfcitychorus.org 

Klezmatics with guest Joshua Nelson at 4 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Followed by party at BRJCC. Tickets are $23-$50. www.brjcc.org 

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373.  

Imagining Peace with Betsy Rose, Edie Hartshorne, Nicole Milner and others at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Green and Root, James Lee Stanley, acoustic folk pop, at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Darin Schaffer at 10 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

RU36, Fuller at 4 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. All ages show. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

7 Seconds, Groovie Ghoulies, Whiskey Rebels at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, APRIL 4 

FILM 

Buddhism and Film: “My Dinner with André” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Richter describes “The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Sidra Stich will show slides and introduce “art-SITES- Northern Italy” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Actors Reading Writers “Russian Masters” stories by Sholom Aleichem and Anton Chekhov, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave.  

Poetry Express, 3rd Anniversary featuring Nazelah Jamison from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

The Last Word Poetry reading with Carlye Archibeque and Scott Wannberg at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Songwriters Symposium at 8:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886.  

Dimitri Matheny’s “Nocturnes” at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.comw

There are only a few fernleaf Catalina ironwood trees in public places in Berkeley. These include a couple on the west end of Ohlone Park; in Strawberry Creek Park, where the creek was daylighted, near Bonar; and a row of them against a wall on the Camellia Street side of REI’s San Pablo Avenue store. Once you’ve seen this distinctive small tree, you’ll likely start noticing more. 

Lyonothamnus floribundus subspecies asplenifolia is a California native. It’s one of many trees called “ironwood,” but isn’t related to most of them; like a lot of things, it’s in the rose family. It hails from the Channel Islands, down by Santa Barbara, and is a good example of that substrate of biology (and marvelous demonstration of how evolution happens) called “island biogeography.” That phenomenon happened a lot in California, as our mountains and deserts, climatic zones, odd mineral substrates, and geologically shifting terrain make effective biological islands on which populations get isolated to develop into species. For more on this subject, read some of the late Ernst Mayr’s work, which is accessible to read and not hard to find. 

In its home habitat fernleaf ironwood doesn’t make many seedlings, though its tine seeds are easily enough dispersed by wind. It reproduces by sprouting new trees from underground runners. This makes for dense single-species groves without much understory. I’ve never heard of a cultivated Catalina ironwood throwing sprouts from runners, though. That’s more a concern with things like wisteria, which can slowly take over a yard under the right conditions without some attention. 

Aside from the handsome notched leaves, fernleaf ironwood can be distinguished by its flat panicles of little white flowers and its narrowly shredding bark, which starts out brown and weathers to gray. On the islands, that bark serves one odd purpose: island scrub-jays, larger and a bit brighter than our closely related local scrub-jay species, use the spaces behind the shreds to cache their food, often alligator lizards. Apparently scrub-jays, like shrikes, appreciate lizard jerky. 

The other living Lyonothamnus subspecies, L.f. ssp. floribundus, appears, despite its name, to be derived from the fernleaf sorts of ironwood and its simple, long leaves often have a notch or two at the base, a sort of vestigial trace of its ancestry. The fossil record shows Lyonothamnis species with very similar ferny leaves in places as scattered as northern Oregon, Nevada, southern California, and a simpler-leafed sort right near us, in Moraga. In general, the plain floribundus types have been found in more coastal locations, and the fernleaf types in the interior. Pliocene fossils of the asplenifolius sort have been found in Death Valley.  

(Joe, that guy who writes about Berkeley wildlife on opposite Tuesdays, and I just got back from a quick trip to Death Valley. I have urgent advice: Drop everything and go. Make motel reservations first, in Beatty Nevada or Ridgecrest California; lodging is tight this year, but the park itself absorbs its masses easily. It’s even better than you’ve heard. Drive in, get out of the car, stand still, look carefully, and inhale. The scents of the desert flowers are as symphonically gorgeous as the geologic, meteorologic, and biologic vistas.)  

This ironwood’s journey to our area is a homecoming of sorts. The species—any variation of it—no longer occurs naturally on the mainland. But in 1894, a botanist named Francesco Franceschi, brought some seeds and a live tree back from Santa Cruz Island. He and his two sons were sailing back to Santa Barbara with their precious cargo when their little boat was beset by high winds, rough seas, and suspicious coast guards, who thought the little family group were outlaws—smugglers, I suppose.  

The guards fired shots at the vessel, which was being swamped already, and it began to sink. Dr. Franceschi navigated while his sons bailed water, and all survived to reach harbor safely. The imperiled tree flourished in Franceschi’s nursery, and within three years in produced enough stock to be introduced to the nursery trade.  

I’d like to see more of this tree in Berkeley. If it’s tough enough to ride out the ages and survive attack by proto-Homeland Security agents, let it encourage us all.  

›

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Island picnic site to look for the birds of the Botanic Garden. 525-2233. 

“Sacred Mountains: A Pilgrimage in Yosemite and Tibet” a slide presentation with Chris Bessonette and Joanna Cooke at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Eat in Season” for National Nutrition month with cooking demonstrations at 3:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

“Invisible Children: The Effect of the Sudanese Civil War on Children” with UCB Prof. Darren Zook at 6:15 p.m. at the FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. fsm-info@library.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley PC Users Group Problem solving and beginners meeting to answer, in simple English, users questions about Windows computers. At 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St. corner of Eunice. All welcome, no charge. 527-2177.  

Sing-A-Long every Tues. from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic. All ages welcome. 524-9122. 

Tap Into It Jazz and Rhythm Tap classes at Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Ave., Oakland. Experienced at 6:30 p.m., beginners at 7:30 p.m. 482-7812. 

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. This is a project of Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Family Story Time at the Kensington Branch Library, Tues. evenings at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. 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. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 

Great Decisions 2005: “Middle East” with Abbas Kadhim, Grad. student UCB, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. Cost is $5. For information and reservations call 526-2925. 

Community Meeting on 700 University Avenue Mixed Use Development A meeting to provide an overview of plans for the property, the planning process, and to gather input from the community at 7 p.m. at 700 University Ave., Southern Pacific Railroad Station. For information call Dan Deibel at 650-340-4340. ddeibel@urbanhousinggroup.com 

“Judi Bari’s Victory Trial” dcumentary at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St,. midtown Oakland. Donation of $5 requested.  

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Bayswater Book Club discusses “The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity” by Hyam Maccoby at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Coffee Shop, El Cerrito Plaza. 433-2911. 

AARP Free Tax Assistance for taxpayers with middle and low incomes, with special attention to those 60 years and older. From 12:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. This service will continue through April. Appointments must be made in advance. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Artify Ashby Muralist Group meets every Wed. from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, to plan a new mural. New artists are welcome. Call Bonnie at 704-0803. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Chanting Circle for Women Wed. at 7 p.m. through April 6, at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Tuition is $160. For information see www.edgeofwonder.com 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

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

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the end of Taft St., Albany, for a steep hike down Albany Hill for see woodland and creekside birds. 525-2233 

“Celebrating the Environmental Leadership of Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Movement” with the film “Fight in the Fields” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“Reducing Violence Against Women” a town hall meeting sponsored by Black Women Organized for Political Action, at 5:30 p.m. at Laney College Forum, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. 763-9523. www.bwopa.org 

“Estate Planning and Power of Attorney” with Priscilla Camp, attorney, at 7 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 

Outings on Fridays with Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Tour of the Cohen-Bray House (1884) in Fruitvale, at 11 a.m. Cost is $15. Reservations required. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Bear Swimming Open House for ages 5 to 11, at 4 p.m. at the West Campus Pool, 2100 Browning at Addison. Bring your swim suit and towel. 287-9010. bearswimming.com 

“Citizenship and Power” A conference hosted by the Center for Popular Education, UCB, at First Unitarian Church, Oakland. For details see www.cpepr.net  

First Friday at St. Joseph the Worker with the documentary “Romero” honoring the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 482-1062. 

“Fifty Years in Science and Religion: Ian G. Barbour and His Legacy” panel discussion and reception at 7:30 p.m. at Badé Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-8152. www.ctns.org 

“Three Beats for Nothing” a small group meeting weekly at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center to sing for fun and practice, mostly 16th century harmony. No charge. 655-8863, 843-7610.  

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 

Sick Plant Clinic UC plant pathologist Dr. Robert Raabe, UC entomologist Dr. Nick Mills, and their team of experts will diagnose what ails your plants from 9 a.m. to noon at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Charter Hill and the Centennial of the Big “C” led by Steve Finacom, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ 

Ponds, Creeks and Puddles An introduction to water chemistry to discover what is there besides bugs and algae, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center, Botanical Garden, Tilden Park. Cost is $30-$35. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Spring Rhododendron Walk with Elaine Sedlack, horticulturist, at 10 a.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$12, registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Succulents for Bold Garden Effects with Hank Jenkins at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Tilden Toddlers An afternoon of exploration to look for amphibians, for ages 2-3 with adult companions, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

“Gardening from the Ground Up” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bay-Friendly Demonstration Garden, Lakeside Park, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. To register call 444-7645. www.bayfriendly.org 

Landscape Watering Systems Learn how to conserve water with proper design and installation of drip irrigation, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $50. 525-7610.  

Alameda County Criminal Records Expungement Summit Find out about your rights, what you do and don’t need to tell employers, and learn about possible court remedies, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Laney College, 900 Fallon St. Sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the East Bay Community Law Center. 548-4040, ext. 373. www.ebclc.org 

Church Divinity School of the Pacific Open House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2451 Ridge Rd. Faculty seminars, tours, and discussions. To register call 204-0755. www.cdsp.edu 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

“AAUP and Women in the Academy” with Mary Burgan, past president of the American Assoc of University Professors, and Debra Rolinson on “Time to Thrive, not Just Survive” at 1:30 p.m. at 180 Tan Hall, UC Campus. www.wage.org 

Progressive Democrats of the East Bay meets at 1 p.m. at the Temescal Oakland Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave. 526-4632, 524-4244. wjlawler@hotmail.com 

“Visualization for Health” with LauraLynn Jansen at 4 p.m. at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave. at 58th St., Oakland. Free, pre-registration requested. 420-7900, ext. 111. margo@wcrc.org 

“Why Study Theology?” Panel discussion for prospective students with all nine GTU schools, from 9 a.m. to noon at Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2460. gtuadm@gtu.edu 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 

Alan Rinzler’s Writer’s Workshop First-come, first-served at 3 p.m. at Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852. 

Hands-on Bicycle Clinic: Safety at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

The Light and Dark of Life Learn about biological clocks, and how plants tell time, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Six-Legged Sex: The Erotic Lives of Insects from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Alternative Materials: Cob and Strawbale A workshop on two natural building methods from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610.  

Cuba Solidarity Event including a report on the Cuban 5 case at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

War Tax Resistance Workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at 3122 Shattuck Ave. Sponsored by California War Tax Resistance. 843-9877. www.nowartax.org 

Tour of the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library at 3:30 p.m. at the Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. Reservations required. 649-2420. 

Family Film Sunday “The Music Man” at 11 a.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $5 at the door.  

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Elderflower WomanSpirit Festival with entertainment, workshops, food, and crafts, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Cost is $25-$40. http://elderflower.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Erika Rosenberg on “Heart Practices for Daily Life” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 4 

Tea and Hike at Four Taste some of the finest teas from the Pacific Rim and South Asia and learn their natural and cultural history, followed by a short nature walk. At 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233.  

Bird Watching Basics with Dennis Wolff, Audubon Society member, Mondays through April 25, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $65-$75, registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Jumping Jupiter! You’ll have to wait to 2010 to get a better view of Jupiter than right now. Meet at Inspiration Point, Tilden Park, and we’ll walk down Nimitz Way to see this gas giant and other worlds and stars. 525-2233. 

Romero Presente! A week-long celebration of the life of Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, at the Graduate Theological Union. For details contact RomeroPresente@fst.gtulink.edu 

National Organization for Women Oakland/East Bay Chapter meets at 6 p.m. at the Oakland YWCA, 1515 Webster St. The speaker will be Melanie Sweeney Griffith, from Black Women Organized for Political Action. 

Trivia Cafe at 6:30 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael 2132 Center St. 644-9500. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60 years and over meets Mondays at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Join at any time. Cost is $2.50 with refreshments. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 5 

Mid-Day Meander in Briones to see the spring migratory birds. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. For details call 525-2233. 

Bird Walk along the Martin Luther King Shoreline to see marsh birds at 3:30 p.m. for information call 525-2233. 

“California Wild” A slide presentation with author and photographer Tim Palmer at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Robert Reich on “How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap?” at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Free, but tickets required. 642-9988. 

“American Labor and the Cold War: Grassroots Politics and Postwar Political Culture” with authors William Issel, Kenneth Burt and Don Watson at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Central Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100.  

“Advice for Small Business Owners” with Susan Urquhart-Brown, author of “The Accidental Entrepreneur: Practical Wisdom for People Who Never Expected to Work for Themselves” at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512. 

“Resolving Conflicts Through Dialogue” with Drs Jerry Diller and Meshulam Plaves, Tues. April 5, 12, 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the BRJCC. Cost is $40. 848-0237, ext. 110. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss Tax Reform from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Please bring snacks and soft drinks to share. No peanuts please. 601-6690.     

“Will Your Bones Carry You into the Future?” with Beverley Tracewell, CCRC, at 4 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. This is a project of Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Introductory Buddhist Meditation Class at 7 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, in Berkeley. Suggested donation $7-$10. For directions call 559-8183. www.kadampas.org 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Introduction to Legal Assistance at 11 a.m. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Creeks Task Force meets every Monday at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center through April 4. Erin Dando, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/creeks 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., April 4, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. April 4, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon., April 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., April 4, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Solid Waste Management Commission Mon., April 4, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. Tania Levy, 981-6368. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/solidwaste 

Youth Commission meets Mon., April 4, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth ™

The military recruitment budget is $3 billion annually; 90 percent of the people killed in war are civilian noncombatants; 91 percent of Berkeley High students believe the war in Iraq is wrong and illegal; 65 percent of veterans never get their education benefits; 33 percent of homeless men are veterans….  

It was more than these factoids splashed across the screen in the school auditorium and the anti-war rap pulsating in the background that kept the Berkeley High students riveted to their seats Wednesday. It was the real life lesson in war, taught by some who touched battle up close and by others who escaped it that kept the teens’ attention.  

The idea of the anti-war teach-in—four different presentations given to four groups of about 300 students—was hatched by students studying social justice and social action in CAS, Berkeley High’s Communication Arts and Sciences school. The project was guided by CAS teacher Joanna Sapir.  

The first presenter, Aidan Delgado, a 23-year-old conscientious objector, brought the war home to the audience, which sometimes gasped in shock, other times tittered with discomfort, as they viewed images depicting the graphic reality of war they had never seen on the evening news.  

Delgado was 19, just a bit older than the students he was addressing, when he signed the Army Reserve contract that changed his life. The son of a diplomat who grew up in Egypt and other countries abroad, he said he did not go into the service for college money—his family was paying his way—but because he wanted a change in his life. He thought he’d join the reserves and put on a uniform a couple of days each month.  

Soon after the war began in March 2003, Delgado’s unit was deployed to Iraq. “I got to Iraq and felt totally unprepared,” he said.  

He told the students that he had always been opposed to war intellectually, but in Iraq he began to understand the meaning of pacifism and began studying Buddhism. After three months, he told his commanding officer that he wanted to apply for conscientious objector status. The process took two years and he was honorably discharged in January.  

Delgado said he was upset by many things he observed in Iraq. On various occasions he would see a group of civilians walking and U.S. soldiers would tell them to stop. “They didn’t understand. (The soldiers) would shoot them down,” he said.  

Delgado knows Arabic and was able to communicate with the people. For most of the soldiers, though, “every Iraqi was an enemy,” he said. 

They would call them “Hajjis,” (normally a reference to those who have made the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca), using the term to denigrate them. He saw a fellow soldier whip children who had annoyed him with a Humvee antenna. He would watch soldiers break bottles over the head of Iraqis as they drove by.  

His unit spent six months working at Abu Ghraib, where prisoners were punished with the removal of their tents and blankets during the cold months. Once when the prisoners rebelled and started throwing stones, the guards responded by shooting several of them dead and wounding others.  

Delgado showed the Berkeley High students pictures of dead children, and of soldiers degrading corpses. “That’s the reality of war,” he said. “This is what you have to think about.”  

Student organizers also invited a recruiter for the Army Reserve, Sgt. First Class Marco Ramos. Responding to a question about what he had thought of Delgado’s presentation, he said, “I don’t know anybody who agrees with war. War is bad. But unfortunately, war is going on in the world. It’s always a challenge to go to war.”  

Ramos said he has never seen combat and does not feel responsible for sending people to war. His job is to recruit them. Others are responsible for deploying the units. He underscored the positive aspects of soldiering: “Helping build schools, hospitals, taking care of people.”  

The panels explored military recruitment, the question of a possible draft and how people can resist it if they choose to do so.  

Evelyn Chang of the American Civil Liberties Union said she wanted students to know their rights when approached by a recruiter. She said the ACLU hears reports of students who are coerced and misled. Students need to understand, she said, that “the military is a contract, not a job, like others. You can’t quit. It’s a commitment for eight years, even though active duty is two-to-four years.”  

Chang said students need to understood the No Child Left Behind Act. Unless a parent signs an “opt out” form, schools must turn over to recruiters the names, addresses and phone numbers of every student in order to get federal education money. (Berkeley High, however, has adopted an opt-in strategy whereby parents sign up to have their students’ names turned over to recruiters.)  

On Tuesday the Alameda County Board of Education postponed voting on a resolution to encourage parents to opt out of releasing their children’s information to military recruiters on high school campuses. The board is expected to take up the issue again at its April 26 meeting. 

The possibility of a draft was on the minds of students and panelists. Speaking from the audience, one student asked if a draft would be more equitable than recruiting low-income youth as is done today. (A bill with this intent, authored by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, was defeated in the House in October.) 

Ed Hasbrouck, from the National Resistance Committee, served six months in a federal prison camp for refusing to register for military conscription. Millions do not register, but the government wanted to make an example of 20 vocal opponents, Hasbrouck told the students. 

On Thursday Associated Press reported that the Army, which has increased recruiting bonuses, raised the number of recruiters on the streets by 33 percent and increased the maximum age of National Guard and Reserve recruits from 34 to 39, missed its February recruitment goal by 27 percent and is predicting that the goals will fall short in March and April.  

Oakland City Council candidate Aimee Allison, who was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector from the Army during the First Gulf War, counseled students who think they might have moral or religious grounds for opposing the war. She told them to begin a file now to prove their beliefs in case of a draft. For example, they might include papers they’ve written for school, a letter to the editor, proof of membership in a social activist club, pictures of them at an anti-war march.  

As panelists took audience questions, the students who spoke seemed generally against war and against serving in the military. However, student Mateo Guttierez challenged the panel, asking, “Do you think it’s immoral or unpatriotic to use tax-payer time during school to give information on draft resistance?”  

Ed Hasbrouck answered the question, saying that he believed the country was founded on principals of resistance. “Schools give people a chance to grow and learn,” he said. “It would be an immoral use of schools to educate people to kill.”  

A Counter-Military Recruitment Forum and Conscientious objector workshop will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 27 at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St. Panelists will include Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq, Steve Morse, of the GI Rights Hotline, Jeff Paterson, of Not in Our name, Robert Reynolds, a Berkeley High School student, and the Rev. Craig Scott, UU minister.  

More than two dozen tenants of a West Berkeley live-work warehouse that was declared “an extreme fire and life safety hazard” will be able to stay in their homes for two extra weeks under the protection of the Berkeley Fire Department, the city’s fire marshal announced Thursday. 

Under political pressure, city officials extended an order to vacate The Drayage, a warehouse at Third and Addison streets, to April 15.  

A fire inspection earlier this month found 255 code violations at the property, including propane tanks for cooking, untested gas lines, stoves and heaters installed without permits and insufficient access to exits in the event of a fire. After the inspection, city officials sent the landlord a 15-day evacuation notice, demanding that all residential tenants leave by April 1. Commercial tenants have been allowed to remain. 

The extension will not come cheap for the property owner, Dr. Lawrence White. The city is requiring that White pay for a three-person engine company around the clock at the warehouse beginning April 1. The cost is estimated to run several thousand dollars a day, said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth, who also serves as Berkeley’s fire marshal. White faces $2,500 a day in fines if he does not evacuate the building by April 15. 

Orth said the extension came in response to the requests of City Councilmembers and residents of the Drayage. He said he is requiring the owner pay for fire department surveillance because he wasn’t comfortable allowing residents to remain in their homes. 

“This is an extremely hazardous situation,” Orth said. “If a fire starts in the building, I don’t feel we could stop it. I don’t see any option of making the structure code compliant.” 

The city has ordered White to post a 24-hour-a-day security guard at the warehouse. White did not return telephone calls for this article after the city announced the extension Thursday evening. 

The residents, most of whom are artists with attached studios, said they appreciated the reprieve, but planned to continue to fight the pending eviction. 

“I want a solution that lets me stay in my home with my neighbors,” said Maresa Danielsen, who has lived at the warehouse for eight years. 

Additionally the City Council will receive a staff report on the property at their April 12 meeting. It could choose to discuss the warehouse at the meeting, but does not have the power to overturn a decision by the fire marshal, Deputy City Attorney Zach Cowan said. 

Some residents questioned the timing of the city crackdown 24 years after artists first moved into the warehouse. The building is up for sale, and Orth said that the inspection was prompted by a request from developer Ali Kashani for an address verification. Kashani has since withdrawn his offer to buy the building. 

Understanding that a vacant building is worth more on the open market than an occupied one, residents charged that by evicting them the city was serving the landlord’s interests. 

“Why is the city assisting a landlord who has failed to provide a safe space and stands to make millions from our eviction?” said Claudia Viera, who has lived at the warehouse for 10 years. 

Orth said the Fire Department hadn’t been aware that the building was also a residence and that past fire inspections had only looked at commercial spaces and common hallways. “It just came up on the radar in the last few weeks,” he said. 

According to a city report, during the early 1980s the warehouse was apparently subdivided into 28 multi-use, multi-level units without city permits. Residential gas, water and electrical lines were also installed in the units without permits. 

White, who bought the building eight years ago, said in an interview Thursday morning that he had it inspected before closing and was told it was up to code. A recent electrician’s report found no major problems with the wiring, he added.  

White said he never considered the financial benefit he stood to reap by the evictions when he put the building on the market several months ago. “I never looked at it that way,” he said. “I assumed that any future owner wouldn’t do anything with it for a few years.” 

White said he has lost money by operating the property, and had a deal in place to sell it to Kashani for $2.05 million.  

Kashani, the head of Memar Properties Inc., said he canceled escrow after he found out about the residents. Should the city go ahead with the evictions, Kashani said he still might bid on the property. He had considered tearing down the warehouse to build lofts or townhouses. 

If the tenants are forced out, under city laws they will be entitled to a lump sum of $200 and moving expenses, plus the difference over three months between the rent they paid and $1,395, the average city rent for a one-bedroom apartment. 

Because the property is zoned commercial, White doesn’t have an obligation to find new quarters for artists and crafts tenants as he would under the West Berkeley Plan if the property had been zoned for manufacturing or light industrial. 

Residents said they knew the building wasn’t up to code, but thought that it could be made safe without evacuating them. “If they installed a sprinkler system, upgraded the electricity, installed railings, that is all stuff that can be done,” said Jeffrey Ruiz, furniture maker, who pays $1,375 for an apartment and workshop at the warehouse. 

“There is nowhere else in Berkeley I can get that kind of deal,” Ruiz said. 

The residents’ pleas made a strong impact at the City Council Tuesday. 

“It would be a terrible misjustice to let these individuals bear the full brunt of this while the landlord gets to sell his building,” said Councilmember Max Anderson. 

Should residents remain past April 15, Orth said the city could choose to keep billing the owner for the engine company. “If it’s just a couple of tenants we might have to make some hard choices about evacuating the building,” he said. 

u

Aimee Allison has come a long way from the 17-year-old kid at Antioch High who joined the Army Reserves to get an education. The 35-year-old Stanford graduate and Green Party candidate for Oakland’s District 2 write-in election (to replace a councilmember who quit) spoke at Wednesday’s Berkeley High military recruitment teach-in, explaining how she joined the Army.  

“Aimee, you can do whatever you want to do in life,” she recalls the recruiter saying. One of six children, her parents could not afford to send her to college. “I wanted to go so bad, I was desperate to find a way, any way to go to college.”  

So she became an army medic and was in the Army Reserves for several years. As a student in education at Stanford, she came to realize the extent to which she opposed war and won conscientious objector status during the First Gulf War. She’s been counseling others on how to do that ever since and Wednesday, urged students who don’t want to go into the military to explore other options for funding their education.  

“When I was 17, nobody asked me to think about what it would be like to leave my family, go into training, put on the battle-dress fatigues, and shoot M-16s and kill. Realize that you have rights.”  

The issue of a draft is becoming critical, she told the students. “Many people believe that the question isn’t if there’s going to be a draft, but how it’s going to be implemented,…You have rights; there are those of us who will support you whatever you decide to do.” And the question isn’t just for men. Addressing the young women in the audience, she said: “If you think the draft will not target you, I think that you are mistaken.”  

She told students that it isn’t too early to start preparing a file of their anti-war participation, if they feel strongly against war. 

“Maybe you’ve seen pictures of soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. They look just like you. Young men and women of different races from different parts of the country,” she said.  

Making a name for herself in the anti-war community—and taking a strong anti-war stand in her run for Oakland City Council—Allison also spoke at Saturday’s rally in San Francisco marking the second anniversary of the war in Iraq. 

“We cannot end this war without the soldiers joining us,” she said, proposing that cities become a sanctuary for those who refuse to fight.  

Speaking out more strongly at the rally than in the high school auditorium, Allison took aim at military recruiters. “We need to get the blood-sucking recruiters off our campuses,” she said.  

Nine candidates are running for the District 2 seat, vacated by Danny Wan who said the $60,000 council salary was insufficient to help him care for his aging parents. (He reportedly earns twice that amount in his new Port-of-Oakland job.) The election will be held by mail. Registered voters will receive ballots between April 18 and May 7 and must return them by 8 p.m. on May 17.  

District 2 nearly circles Lake Merritt and includes Chinatown. When the area was redistricted in the early 1990s, it was intended to give Asians a district in which they would develop political clout.  

Those running for council seat with Allison, who his endorsed by former councilmember Wilson Riles, are: 

• Shirley Gee, a manager at Stanford University who pushed for a heavily Asian area in the original redistricting. She is endorsed by the North Alameda National Women's Political Caucus.  

• Pamela Drake, a former council aide and longtime community, schools and peace activist. She has the endorsement of former school superintendent Dennis Chaconas.  

• David Kakishiba, director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center, who has won the endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee.  

• Patricia Kernighan, aide first to City Attorney John Russo when he was councilmember and then to Danny Wan. She is endorsed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. 

• Justin Horner, former chief of staff for Councilmember Jane Brunner—and endorsed by her. He sits on the board of directors of Sentinel Fair Housing and is Vice President of International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21.  

• Paul E. Garrison, a vice president for Wells Fargo and member of the city’s Public Ethics Commission, is president of the Haddon Hill Neighborhood Association.  

• Todd Plate, who identifies himself as a non-profit consultant. 

• Margaret “Peggy” Moore, who identifies herself as a community outreach specialist. 

Upcoming Candidates’ Forums  

Monday, April 11, 6 -7:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway (at 2nd St. near Jack London Square).  

Sunday, April 10, 2-5 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd.  

›

Aimee Allison has come a long way from the 17-year-old kid at Antioch High who joined the Army Reserves to get an education. The 35-year-old Stanford graduate and Green Party candidate for Oakland’s District 2 write-in election (to replace a councilmember who quit) spoke at Wednesday’s Berkeley High military recruitment teach-in, explaining how she joined the Army.  

“Aimee, you can do whatever you want to do in life,” she recalls the recruiter saying. One of six children, her parents could not afford to send her to college. “I wanted to go so bad, I was desperate to find a way, any way to go to college.”  

So she became an army medic and was in the Army Reserves for several years. As a student in education at Stanford, she came to realize the extent to which she opposed war and won conscientious objector status during the First Gulf War. She’s been counseling others on how to do that ever since and Wednesday, urged students who don’t want to go into the military to explore other options for funding their education.  

“When I was 17, nobody asked me to think about what it would be like to leave my family, go into training, put on the battle-dress fatigues, and shoot M-16s and kill. Realize that you have rights.”  

The issue of a draft is becoming critical, she told the students. “Many people believe that the question isn’t if there’s going to be a draft, but how it’s going to be implemented,…You have rights; there are those of us who will support you whatever you decide to do.” And the question isn’t just for men. Addressing the young women in the audience, she said: “If you think the draft will not target you, I think that you are mistaken.”  

She told students that it isn’t too early to start preparing a file of their anti-war participation, if they feel strongly against war. 

“Maybe you’ve seen pictures of soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. They look just like you. Young men and women of different races from different parts of the country,” she said.  

Making a name for herself in the anti-war community—and taking a strong anti-war stand in her run for Oakland City Council—Allison also spoke at Saturday’s rally in San Francisco marking the second anniversary of the war in Iraq. 

“We cannot end this war without the soldiers joining us,” she said, proposing that cities become a sanctuary for those who refuse to fight.  

Speaking out more strongly at the rally than in the high school auditorium, Allison took aim at military recruiters. “We need to get the blood-sucking recruiters off our campuses,” she said.  

Nine candidates are running for the District 2 seat, vacated by Danny Wan who said the $60,000 council salary was insufficient to help him care for his aging parents. (He reportedly earns twice that amount in his new Port-of-Oakland job.) The election will be held by mail. Registered voters will receive ballots between April 18 and May 7 and must return them by 8 p.m. on May 17.  

District 2 nearly circles Lake Merritt and includes Chinatown. When the area was redistricted in the early 1990s, it was intended to give Asians a district in which they would develop political clout.  

Those running for council seat with Allison, who his endorsed by former councilmember Wilson Riles, are: 

• Shirley Gee, a manager at Stanford University who pushed for a heavily Asian area in the original redistricting. She is endorsed by the North Alameda National Women's Political Caucus.  

• Pamela Drake, a former council aide and longtime community, schools and peace activist. She has the endorsement of former school superintendent Dennis Chaconas.  

• David Kakishiba, director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center, who has won the endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee.  

• Patricia Kernighan, aide first to City Attorney John Russo when he was councilmember and then to Danny Wan. She is endorsed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. 

• Justin Horner, former chief of staff for Councilmember Jane Brunner—and endorsed by her. He sits on the board of directors of Sentinel Fair Housing and is Vice President of International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21.  

• Paul E. Garrison, a vice president for Wells Fargo and member of the city’s Public Ethics Commission, is president of the Haddon Hill Neighborhood Association.  

• Todd Plate, who identifies himself as a non-profit consultant. 

• Margaret “Peggy” Moore, who identifies herself as a community outreach specialist. 

Upcoming Candidates’ Forums  

Monday, April 11, 6 -7:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway (at 2nd St. near Jack London Square).  

Sunday, April 10, 2-5 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd.  

b

As Berkeley seeks to close an $8.9 million budget deficit, the City Council Tuesday voted to ensure that an unanticipated $3.4 million property tax windfall doesn’t bail out threatened programs. 

Following the advice of City Manager Phil Kamlarz, the council voted 7-2 (Olds, Worthington, no) to set $2.4 million to pay for a new police dispatch system. The remaining money would go to street repairs, technology upgrades, a match for a solar bond fund, a plan for the city to buy its own electricity instead of PG&E, and a lawsuit against UC Berkeley.  

The vote followed the narrow defeat of a competing proposal to postpone the decisions until June, when the city must adopt its budget. (Worthington, Moore, Spring and Anderson supported the delay.) 

Also, the council named Ying Lee to the Library Board of Trustees and gave its blessing to a Fire Department plan to save $1.1 million by periodically closing fire companies rather than by permanently shutting down one of its two fire trucks.  

The budget vote was a victory for City Manager Phil Kamlarz, who in two previous meetings failed to win council approval for his recommendations. Kamlarz has been adamant that the council should not spend the unexpected revenue to bail out city programs, a move he said would only delay painful cuts until next year. 

With the city scheduled to begin community budget workshops this week, opponents of the Kamlarz plan argued that it was too early to dedicate the money. 

“With one stroke here all of the community concerns would be moot,” said Councilmember Max Anderson. “It doesn’t build public confidence in what we’re doing.” 

Kamlarz replied, “My experience in this city is when we have community meetings, people are going to be asking to restore program cuts.” 

As a compromise measure the council agreed that each member would provide Kamlarz by June 14 with a list of programs they would like spared from deep cuts. That move angered councilmembers Laurie Capitelli and Betty Olds, who feared the council would add pork to the budget that the city couldn’t afford. 

The bulk of the unexpected revenue ($2.4 million) will go to pay for the new police dispatch system. 

Of the $1 million to go to city upgrades and repairs, $200,000 would go to pay for a portion of a city centralized call center database, designed to give city operators access to information to answer residents’ questions without having to transfer them. 

According to a city report, last year the city received 17,114 calls for service, 62 percent of which had to be redirected. Seventeen percent of callers hung up instead of waiting for an answer. 

Kamlarz said the system would recoup the estimated $850,000 price tag for the database within four years and save $700,000 annually in future years by eliminating the need for nine positions. 

Councilmember Dona Spring questioned the plan based on previous technology improvements she didn’t think improved worker efficiency. “I would like to see an accounting of all the money we’ve spent on this and where it’s gone to,” she said. 

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak countered that by making staff more efficient, the council would have more money in the long run to pay for programs it doesn’t want cut. 

Fire Service 

Rather than closing one of the city’s two ladder truck companies this July to cut a required $1.1 million, the Fire Department has opted to close different service companies periodically throughout the year. 

The roving company closures will give department brass greater staffing flexibility and spread the effects of reduced service throughout the entire city, Chief Debra Pryor told the council. Since November, the city has closed a truck company in North Berkeley at night as a cost saving measure to balance this year’s budget.  

Response time for the truck company in South Berkeley to respond to a North Berkeley call has increased by two to four minutes during the closure, said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. 

Under the fire department’s plan, up to two fire companies could be out of service at a given time, and minimum staffing levels would be reduced from 34 to 28. Closures would be targeted to occur during times of lower call volume and minimal fire danger, Pryor said.

Opposition from Republican lawmakers has apparently halted a bid to name Berkeley’s main post office after the 93-year-old local civil rights icon Maudelle Shirek. 

Earlier this month, GOP leaders abruptly withdrew the bill introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) from a vote on the floor of the House. 

Ceremonial matters like the naming of a post office typically sail through the Congress, but according to published report in The Hill, a weekly congressional newspaper, “Certain members in the California delegation believe that Shirek is a socialist or a communist.” 

Shirek, who reportedly once dined with Fidel Castro, served on the Berkeley City Council for 20 years before losing her bid for re-election last year. She was a seminal figure in the local civil rights movement and played a major role in combating housing discrimination in Berkeley. Shirek did not return phone calls for this story. 

Robert White, a spokesperson for the House Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill, said the committee removed it because of opposition from other California representatives. 

The committee, White said, typically doesn’t move ceremonial bills unless they have the support of the entire state delegation. In the case of the Shirek bill, White said, Committee Chair Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) agreed to move the bill as long as no one in the state delegation opposed it. 

But that’s just what a couple of members did, White said. He added that he wasn’t aware of which members raised objections or the nature of their concerns. 

Shirek’s friends were puzzled to hear that the bill had been derailed. “I definitely want to know who blocked it,” said Dale Bartlett, her former legislative aide. 

For her part Lee remained optimistic she could still honor the woman she considers a mentor. 

“Well, you would never want to bet on the schedule in Congress, but I am hopeful that we will pass this bill and honor a woman whose leadership, service and commitment to our community have been an inspiration to us all,” she said in a released statement. 

To win passage for the legislation, Lee will either have to resolve the objections of her colleagues in the state delegation or persuade Davis to move the bill in spite of the opposition, White said. 

Lee has signed on 43 colleagues as co-sponsors for the bill. Nearly all of the nine members of the state delegation not co-sponsoring the legislation are Republicans. 

One of the 11 Republicans to sign on to the bill, Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs), recently considered withdrawing her support, a spokesperson said. “It was something we talked about because other members were pulling off, but she decided to stay on,” said Kimberly Pencille. 

According to congressional records, Rep. John Doolittle (R-Roseville), who initially co-sponsored the bill, has withdrawn his support. 

If Lee ultimately wins passage for the bill, the post office building at 2000 Allston Way will be recognized as the “Maudelle Shirek Post Office Building.” 

?

Poitier McDaniel, 26, gets his daily exercise Thursday by lifting a chunk of old concrete on Ashby Avenue..

The 16-year-old girl charged with slashing the neck of a 75-year-old Berkeley woman will undergo a psychiatric evaluation and remain in custody, her attorney said Thursday. 

“I think there are signs that an exam is needed before we proceed,” said Assistant Public Defender Mike McCormick. 

The 16-year-old, identified as “Marilyn,” made her first appearance in juvenile court Wednesday. She will return before the judge next Wednesday after results of the tests are known. 

The girl has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon for the attack. According to authorities, while walking on the 1200 block of Euclid Avenue on the evening of March 16, she grabbed the victim by the neck and slashed her throat with an eight-inch kitchen knife. 

The victim was treated in intensive care for two days after the attack and is recovering at her North Berkeley home. 

Assistant District Attorney Walter Jackson said the girl has refused to speak to authorities. Jackson had filed a motion to try the girl as an adult, but said he could still choose to withdraw it.  

“I’m still deciding how this case is best handled,” he said. 

If the girl is charged as a juvenile, and convicted, she would be up for release from the California Youth Authority on her 25th birthday, McCormick said. As an adult, she faces a maximum of life in prison. 

Neither attorney offered details of the girl’s background or whether she has a criminal history. McCormick said the judge ordered her to remain in custody because she was considered a flight risk and a danger to others. 

Jackson did confirm that the BMW the victim and her companion fled in belonged to the victim’s companion. The companion has not been charged in the case.›

After two years of fierce debate, the parents, students and staff of Jefferson Elementary School will decide if they want their building to continue to bear the name of a slaveholder. 

Earlier this week Jefferson Principal Betty Delaney released a list of eight names for the school community to vote on in an election scheduled for early April. The top vote getter will then be placed in a runoff election against Jefferson in late May. 

“I’m for getting the name Jefferson off the school,” said Dora Dean Bradley, the parent of a third grader. “I don’t care that he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He didn’t write it for me.” 

Bradley served on an oversight committee of parents and teachers that sifted through name change suggestions offered by students and parents. 

The proposed names include four people: Cesar Chavez; Ralph Bunche, a Nobel Prize winning African-American diplomat and graduate of Jefferson High School in Los Angeles; Sojourner Truth, a freed slave who became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and Florence McDonald, a former city councilmember and the mother of Berkeley musician Country Joe McDonald. Other proposals are Ohlone, Peace, Rose and Sequoia. 

The oversight committee rejected one suggested name, Wavy Gravy Elementary, in honor of the Berkeley-based artist. 

“We were hesitant to propose someone who was still alive, because we didn’t want someone who could still make a mistake,” said Chris Hudson, a parent who also served on the oversight committee. 

Not everyone is in favor of a name change. Hudson said he remains cool to changing the school’s name. “I don’t think the name change process should have started at all,” he said. “There are many more important school issues to deal with.” 

Berkeley has a history of changing school names. Shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., James Garfield Middle School was renamed in his honor. Abraham Lincoln Elementary became Malcolm X under a groundswell of community support, and four years ago Christopher Columbus Elementary was rebuilt and renamed after Rosa Parks. 

In 2003, supporters of renaming the school collected signatures from more than 20 percent of parents and teachers. Last year, more than 20 percent of students also voted to move ahead with the name change, a move which triggered the formation of the committee. 

Some parents and teachers have been leery of having younger students vote on an issue that they fear they might be unable to grasp fully, but Superintendent Michele Lawrence has insisted that the school follow district policy and allow all students to vote. 

“That’s a dangerous road to go down saying young children can’t be educated on issues that are controversial in nature. I don’t agree with that as a parent or as an educator,” she said previously. 

According to a letter from Principal Delaney, over the next two weeks students will attend assemblies and have classroom discussions on the proposed names, while parents will receive a voter information packet. A town hall meeting with historians discussing Jefferson is planned for before the final vote in May. 

While Bradley said she was leaning towards Ohlone Elementary, she expected her daughter and many of her classmates to choose Cesar Chavez. “They’ve all studied him, it’s a name they are all familiar with,” she said. 

Country Joe McDonald was in Italy, his wife said, and not available to comment on his mother’s nomination for the school. As for Wavy Gravy, he said he won’t be mounting a write-in campaign. “I never though I stood a chance,” he said. “All they have to do is Google me and there’s my checkered past. It’s enough to be an ice cream flavor.” 

›

The story sounds familiar. A teenager shoots five of his fellow high school students, his grandfather, his grandfather’s wife, a security guard, a teacher and himself. Newspapers report he wore a long black coat, and may have posted messages on neo-Nazi websites. It is said he was teased at school.  

But the teen, Jeff Weiss, was not white. He hailed from a long line of Chippewa Indians. And the shooting, like others preceding it, did not happen in suburban America. It happened in Indian Country, on a stretch of wooded reservation with a glistening body of water known as Red Lake.  

Whether this matters—or should matter—in the somber telling of this developing story is something that Native American media outlets, most of which are staffed by members of various national tribes, are considering in a way different from their mainstream counterparts.  

When residents of the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California looked at Columbine, “most of the opinion was, ‘Well this doesn’t happen here,’” says Joseph Orozco, station manager and radio host for Hoopa Tribal Radio. “But now it’s Red Lake, a reservation, a native student. That one’s a little tougher.” It hits close to home, Orozco says, because of the belief that common tribal cultural standards should have prevented such tragedies from happening on reservations.  

Some members of Native media are looking to cover the story in a way that will help tribal elders and members of various national tribes examine the demise of their traditional networks.  

“The social contracts that used to be in place are not as strong or as cohesive as they once were,” says Tim Johnson, executive editor of Indian Country Today, the largest U.S. Native American newspaper, with a circulation of 50,000. “And really, this requires our tribal leaders to respond in real time to these amazing shifts in mainstream society.” Johnson is planning a series of stories that will examine the rise of anti-Indian sentiment across the country, as well as the rise of violence on reservations.  

When something like this happens, Johnson says, Native tribes immediately consider what he calls “the social-spiritual balance” in someone’s life. “When we see something like this we see that some folks in our community have lost their way, have lost their attachment to their own culture.”  

“I don’t think (the Red Lake shooting) is indicative of Indians any more than David Koresh” represented white people, says James May, the West Coast correspondent for Indian Country Today, referring to the former leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. “Some of it has to do with just poor rural life.”  

Many media stories have focused on the now-familiar profile of Red Lake—it is remote, poor and isolated—as telltale signs of why the violence may have happened there.  

Hoopa Radio’s Orozco believes cultural elements in Native culture, beyond a shared oppressive poverty, do play a role. “It goes deeper than just being poor,” he says, “Poverty is a symptom of our whole existence.” Something else is being lost, he says. “The people who have carried on these traditions for a long time are somehow getting squeezed out, and that does damage to the psyche.”  

He believes teens who are the most traditional and spiritual have the hardest time meshing with mainstream high school culture.  

But Duane Beyal, editor of the Navajo Times, believes that cultural and spiritual grounding are precisely what may keep teens from self-inflicted or outward violence. “For example, with the Navajo, if you have trouble, we would say you are out of harmony with yourself and the world. A lot of our ceremonies are geared toward restoring the harmony.”  

Walk across Navajo Nation, he says, and you will see these types of ceremonies happening all the time. “Obviously this youth was troubled and did not have that kind of mechanism in place to help him.”  

But the lack of traditional cultural support may not be much different from the lack of other support networks—like sports or family—that afflict many mainstream American teenagers, some say.  

“Here we have clearly an unhinged kid, just like in Colorado,” says Indian Country’s May.  

Youth violence, after all, has not been confined to Native American Indian reservations. “They’re just things that strike out of the blue,” says Navajo Times’ Beyal. “You can’t see them coming. In that sense it’s not a Native American thing, or a racial thing. It’s a societal thing.”

NO BRAINS 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Explain to me again why George and Tom aren’t offering to personally pay for Terri’s hospital bills? But money isn’t everything. So explain to me why George and Tom aren’t down in Florida kindly changing Terri’s diapers? Okay so compassion isn’t everything. So explain to me why George and Tom haven’t sent Terri off to Iraq? Okay so killing people is a selective thing. So explain to me why George and Tom are running our government and Terri isn’t? As far as I can tell, all three appear to be brain-dead! 

Jane Stillwater 

• 

LITMAN’S RESPONSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: I take my position serving the people of Berkeley as a Peace and Justice Commissioner very seriously. I was thus surprised and disappointed to see a letter in the Daily Planet by Nancy Delaney that misquoted me, and I appreciate being given the opportunity to correct Ms. Delaney’s mischaracterization of my remarks and to respond to her misquote. 

There is no question that the violent physical sexual assault of a woman (rape) is a terrible crime. In addition, I agree with Ms. Delaney that the use of rape as a battlefield tactic, as in Bosnia, is a human rights violation. However that was not the issue before the Peace and Justice Commission. The resolution in question recommended to the City Council that the rape of female soldiers by male soldiers in the United States Army be reported to the United Nations as a human rights violation. The sexual assault of female soldiers is a military violation, it is a crime, it is indicative of serious problems in the U.S. Army in regard to gender, violence, training, and troop discipline. It needs to be pursued with vigilance and dedication. However, it is not a violation of international human rights. If it were, then the term would be meaningless. The United States Army needs to be held to account for the safety of its female soldiers and the criminal acts of some of its male soldiers. I fully support this. The United Nations has no power or responsibility in this matter, and it is misguided and a waste of time to think that it does. Our City Council has more pressing concerns about protecting the real life women on the streets of Berkeley than indulging in this kind of abstract political posturing in relation to the United Nations. 

As to my personal life—I greatly resent Ms. Delaney publicly speculating if I have been a rape survivor. It is of course this kind of salacious prying into victims’ personal lives that makes it hard to prosecute rape. I believe my very personal history is my business, not that of Ms. Delaney or the readers of the Daily Planet. As to my record as a feminist, I have been an advocate for women’s rights for 30 years, since I was a student at Cal in the seventies and co-organized the anti-rape group there. I invite skeptics to Google my name on the web, and they will certainly see my long history of feminist activism. In addition I invite them to read my book, Lifecycles Two: Jewish Women on Biblical Themes in Contemporary Life, which is filled with feminist content, including an essay by me on sexuality which specifically condemns rape both as a violent crime and for the general fear it causes women. I hope that your readers will feel free to contact me and get to know me themselves by dropping by Congregation Beth El or writing me at JaneLitman@bethelberkeley.org. 

Jane Rachel Litman 

Peace and Justice  

Commissioner 

• 

SACRIFICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: I am writing in response to Zelda Bronstein’s March 22 letter, in which she implies that unionized employees of the City of Berkeley are not being asked to make any sacrifices in response to the city’s current budget woes. Ms. Bronstein is apparently not aware of the following points: 

• The managers at the city of Berkeley were given their raise (27 percent) all at once. Union rank and file were promised raises over a six-year period, so we haven’t yet seen the 28.5 percent raise Ms. Bronstein cites. 

• Members of the city’s various employee unions voluntarily deferred 2.26 percent of our cost of living adjustment (COLA) last fiscal year. While this deferred adjustment will be restored later this year, union members will not receive retroactive pay for the 11 months that we sacrificed our COLA. 

• City employee wages have also been retroactively reduced by the union membership’s agreement to participate in the closing of city offices (voluntary time off), and taking time off without pay.  

• Finally, the 28.5 percent raise that we were promised but have not yet received was intended to raise city employees to parity with other comparable cities.  

It is citizens like Ms. Bronstein who will make major sacrifices in reduced quality of city services if the wages offered by the city are allowed to sink significantly behind those of neighboring cities and Berkeley’s qualified and competent workers respond by seeking employment that will allow them to support their families. 

Heath Maddox 

City of Berkeley Employee 

Member, SEIU Local 535 

• 

PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Editors, Daily Planet: I read with interest two articles in Tuesday’s edition regarding the Berkeley Public Library. The first dealt with the appointment of Ying Lee to fill a vacancy on the Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees. I trust she is a fine person with a great interest in the well being of our library system. But what amazed me was the process by which she gained her new position: “...the Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees has selected a veteran of local political battles to join its ranks.” 

In other words, the board is a self perpetuating aristocracy that requires no public input in order to determine its own membership. This method of selection brings back memories of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party Politburo. It too selected its own members to rule the Party and the nation. It had the authority to pick its First Secretary who had the effective rule of the Party and the nation. Berkeley’s Politburo picked Jackie Griffin to run the library, again with no public input. The City Council must approve of Lee’s appointment but it appears this is only a formality. Members of the Board of Trustees can only be removed by impeachment voted by a majority of the City Council. No wonder public input on their decisions means next to nothing. It’s very generous of them to stage monthly public meetings to provide at least the pretense of public input. 

Later in the same article reference is made to the possibility of a community meeting to be scheduled by the trustees to discuss the RFID system and possible layoffs of library staff. The value of such a meeting was explained by Board President Laura Anderson: “There is no way RFID is not coming to the library.” In other words, if you have nothing better to do with your time, attend this meeting. Or if you are stupid enough to think that your point of view will have any impact of this Board of Trustees, be sure to attend. 

It is clear that the present Board of Trustees is very much like George Bush: Its members never make a mistake! The $500,000 they foolishly expended on RFID, $500,000 they had to borrow with interest to be paid out of scarce library resources, is now committed to this dangerous scheme of Jackie Griffin. How many books or other library materials might have been purchased with this half million dollars? 

A second article told of Gene Bernardi’s attempt to gather petition signatures in front of the Main Library. The security guard ordered her to move out of the Plaza and go to the sidewalk with the threat of police action. Clearly the guard was acting at the direction of the library management. I phoned the city attorney’s office today to ask if all government properties were off-limits to petitioners. The response I got was that the library was acting legally in that it was keeping entrance and exit to the library free and clear. Anyone who has seen the front of the Main Library knows there are four large double doors and that the space is at least 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep from the stairs to the sidewalk. One person gathering signatures presents no threat to other persons coming and going. Of course, Bernardi represented a threat to Director Jackie Griffin, thus the action of the security guard. Again, in the best traditions of an authoritarian mentality. Be warned: If you stop in front of the doors of the Main Library to talk to a friend be aware of the right of Griffin to force you off “library” property. You thought that area was “public” property. You were wrong! Apparently Griffin believes in the First Amendment provisions only when it is convenient to her cause. 

At least Board President Anderson made one point that all can agree with regarding the board: “We all felt like she (Lee) was of the community and had a lot of experience working with the community. That’s something we’re finding all of us need some skill at.” This on the job training regarding community relations seems to be coming very slowly for this out of touch board. 

Don McKay 

• 

SLOW-MOTION COLLAPSE 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

The end is near: The illegitimate Bush regime is collapsing in slow-motion on a day-by-day basis now: The whole phony edifice may come crashing down to the ground any day now... The uncalled for offensive busy-bodying interference into the sad case of the nearly brain-dead Florida woman by Tom Delay, Bill Frist, Jeb Bush, George Bush and other Republican opportunists is actually a symptom of their increasing desperation to distract the American people from their long string of failures.  

All of the Bush-G.O.P.-neo-con grand schemes have turned sour: The Bush plan to destroy Social Security has flopped big-time: The more people hear about his corrupt plan to privatize it the less they like it. Their neo-con fantasy of the beflowered cakewalk in Iraq has turned into an endless nightmare with no end n sight: This neo-con quagmire/rat-hole has so far cost us over 1,500 dead American soldiers, thousands more American soldiers wounded and crippled for life, at least 100,000 Iraqis dead and several hundred thousand more Iraqis wounded and crippled for life. All this devastation costs us well over $100 billion per year with no end in sight. 

The obscene Bush tax cuts for the absurdly rich have bankrupted the federal budget and when the Asian banks decide to stop lending us any more money to finance our ever-growing budget deficits, our interest rates will go through the roof and our economy will then collapse into the worst recession since the Great Depression. The Bush regime, which has stolen two presidential elections in a row, will finally be called to accounts by an increasingly pissed-off America. The Bush gang will finally all resign en masse and will surrender their illegitimate executive power in exchange for immunity from future prosecution for their many war crimes, lies and financial corruptions.  

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

• 

ONE-INDUSTRY TOWN 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Jesse Townley’s response (Letters, Mar. 22) gives us a laudable resume of his good works, and attributes his freedom to give so generously of his time to the low rent he enjoyed in west Berkeley. If the community values those services, which it should, then they should be supported from the general fund, not through an outdated zoning policy that artificially suppresses rents in one sector and places the burden of our shrinking tax base on property owners throughout the rest of the city. In my letter I did not mean to suggest that he or his landlord received a direct cash subsidy, but that’s what rent suppression, in effect, provides.  

Due to changes in the way commerce is conducted, Berkeley is quickly becoming a one-industry town—UCB, which contributes nothing to our tax base, and very little in other assistance. In fact, the massive construction of student housing will put all that student rent money into the university’s coffers, rather than into the hands of landlords, who would recycle it into the local economy. The only hope for fending off Berkeley’s impending economic collapse is to make pockets of west Berkeley, near the freeway exits, available to the new reality of commerce—car dealerships and big-box retail. Either that, or a marina casino— your choice, friends. 

Jerry Landis 

• 

SOCIAL SECURITY 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

In the 1980s they made a huge increase in our Social Security (FICA) tax, telling us that the increase would go into a trust fund and would save the Social Security system from insolvency. 

Now Bush tells us that there’s nothing in the trust fund (just worthless IOU’s). 

So we paid this huge increase in our Social Security tax for nothing. 

So give us our money back! 

Myrna Sokolinsky 

• 

INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

I am very disturbed by reports that Diebold and Registrar of Voters Brad Clark have been stonewalling implementation of instant runoff voting (IRV) for Berkeley. It is my concern, and the concern of many of the people who worked on Measure I and many of the 20,000-plus people that voted for it here in Berkeley, that one company and one man are thwarting the will of 72 percent of the voters.  

Despite San Francisco’s ability to run IRV elections, Mr. Clark says Alameda County cannot do it and Diebold is claiming it will need millions of dollars and several years to implement IRV, despite contrary statements in their response to the county’s RFP in regards to ranked ballots and their bidding on a contract to supply the voting machines for Ireland, which uses IRV in their elections. 

Berkeley may be forced to put a new initiative on the ballot to guarantee IRV for Berkeley without the county and without Diebold.  

Diebold is one of the least trusted companies in Berkeley, especially after what happened in Ohio last November and I’m sure many Berkeleyans would be happy to see our elections run without their equipment and software. 

Dave Heller 

Coordinator Measure I campaign 

Click here to view the latest work by Planet cartoonist Justin DeFreitas›

We have a break in the rain so I’m sitting out here in my backyard listening to my 10-year-old son and his buddy setting up GI Joes in preparation for war. That Jason even has such a vast army is somewhat startling to this middle-aged hippie who refused to buy him a single toy gun until a few years ago, when I broke down in the middle of an unusually hot summer and bought water pistols for both my son and daughter. Since then, I have been needled, harassed and otherwise tricked into purchasing numerous toy soldiers and their gear, all of which Jason insisted were just for display but I now see are being readied for serious battle. 

“I get the bazooka!” “Then I get the AK-47!” “Check out this camouflage!” 

“This is so cool!” 

Then, the pre-war bickering begins: “I get the black soldier!” “No, I get the black soldier!” “I called it first!” “No you didn’t!” 

And I recall how difficult it was to find black and brown soldiers in both the small, local independent toy stores and the huge chains. This, despite the fact that the military is composed of disproportionately high numbers of black and Latino soldiers—not in the front offices but on the frontlines, out there dodging bullets with all the other GI Joe’s. About 23 percent of our active Army soldiers are black. Of course, this figure can’t compare with the numbers of black men incarcerated in U.S. prisons but, even so...seems a bit high, don’t you think? 

I had similar difficulties locating black Barbie dolls for my daughter nine years ago when her godmother—over my strenuous objections centered on sexism and conformity—gave her a blonde Barbie doll for her sixth birthday, opening the floodgates to a trim pink and perfect population with matching accessories. I felt compelled to seek out a darker hued Barbie that might approach resembling my daughter. As with the darker GI Joe, it was difficult to find. Even fair skinned brunettes had trouble at one North Berkeley drugstore—they stocked only blonde Barbies. On a recent visit to this very same store I looked up to find that this particular section of Berkeley was still lacking in skin tone diversity, some nine years later. The surrounding neighborhood hadn’t diversified much either, so perhaps the segregation was merely reflective of the environment. It was more of a class thing, really. 

Anyway, the boys surmised that another mercenary-looking action guy sporting a blue hood and matching gloves could be black underneath. They declared him so and the fighting began. 

“I’ve got you surrounded!” “No you don’t! I have a secret escape route!” “No you don’t. I bombed it!” “Did not!” “Did too!” 

Aah. The sweet sounds of children at play. I decide to get out of the range of fire and prepare an early dinner. Perhaps I can entice these soldier-boy-wanna-be’s-who-have-no-clue-what-war-is-really-like young recruits away from the grassy battlefield by offering a plate full of steaming hot dogs and ketchupy fries. As I head inside I hear my innocent young son declare:  

“Hey! You know what? I bet Bush has a lot of these!” 

Perhaps so. But, that’s another story. 

(Names have been changed to prevent me from embarrassing and being therewith scorned by my otherwise adoring children.)

Cops Take a Blow 

A 21-year-old man didn’t take kindly to being stopped by police on the 2400 block of Dwight Way Wednesday morning, Berkeley Police Department Public Information Officer Joe Okies said. Steven Houston, from parts unknown, struck two officers before being subdued. He was arrested for assaulting an officer. 

Spit and Shove 

A 27-year-old women called police Monday afternoon after being attacked by two women at the corner of Shattuck and Durant avenues. Okies said the three women got into an argument and the two suspects spit on and shoved the victim before fleeing the area.  

Robbery 

A man walked into the 7-11 at College and Russell Monday evening and demanded money from the cashier, Okies said. Although the man never brandished a weapon, the clerk emptied his cash register and the robber escaped with the money. 

Marijuana Bust 

Police stopped a juvenile walking in the area of Oregon and California streets Tuesday afternoon, according to Okies. During a search they found he was carrying marijuana. Police arrested him for possession with intent to sell. 

School Yard Brawl 

Two girls beat up a classmate at Berkeley High Tuesday afternoon. The two attackers were both arrested for battery, Okies said. 

?

Berkeley Fire Marshal David Orth has classified the Drayage building as an “extremely hazardous situation,” even though he knows of no fire incidents or injuries in the past 20 years connected to the residents living in this “situation.” Mr. Orth brushes off this strong history as “lucky.” 

If the fire marshal classifies a building as “extremely hazardous,” I can see 30 people living there without incident for perhaps three months, or maybe a year if they are really lucky. Three years of stability, and luck is an unlikely explanation. Five years, and luck has nothing to do with it. Ten years, the building is not in an “extremely hazardous situation.” Twenty years residency, surviving the Loma Prieta earthquake undamaged, renders Mr. Orth’s classification as clearly inaccurate. 

He says his main worry is for the residents sleeping in the building at night. Did he take into account that every room has a fire extinguisher and many residents have bought their own smoke detectors? There is a smoke detector in the hallway. Why doesn’t he just have the landlord, Laurence White, make sure there are smoke detectors in all the rooms? In addition, a Drayage resident has completed the fire department’s own CERT program, and continues to be an active CERT member for the community. 

We are adult, intelligent people living here, Mr. Orth. Yes, we choose to lead an artistic life, pursuing knowledge and creativity, and not just wealth. The building is a little funky with murals and collages (pictures http://homepage.mac.com/vincemazzi/). I am sorry if our lifestyle scares you, Mr. Orth. Maybe you have your own deep artistic yearning suppressed. 

Possibly, Mr. Orth just made a rash judgment that lead to his mistaken classification. I am sure he is a busy man in a stressful job. We all make some mistakes. Fine. Let’s fix it. If uncorrected, this mistake will cause severe disruption to the lives of 30 residents of Berkeley, in addition to disrupting the places where they work: the library, Fourth Street shops, and the school, among others, and Berkeley will lose one of its last live/work artistic communities. 

I really think Mr. Orth just made a rushed judgment that resulted in his mistake (although I am not entirely sure he can see his own bias, how many of us can?) In any event, if it is not a mistake, then it can only be one of the following explanations: 

The building is in the process of changing ownership and the new owners want to eject the current tenants, tear the building down, put up condos, and make more millions. Mr. Orth is helping this along. Smells of corruption? 

Another possible explanation: Mr. Orth has made an unsound decision. Can we have someone at Mr. Orth’s level, directly affecting people’s, lives with the inability to make sound decisions? (His power to impose decisions is above the City Council and even the mayor, according to the city attorney.) 

The building inspector, Joan MacQuarrie, cites the stairways as not being quite up to code (the rails need to be the proper number of inches) as an additional reason the residents need to be “evicted immediately.” Twenty years going up and down those stairs, daily, without incident, and she chooses to say that she needs to evict everybody (even apartments without stairs) because the residents are in imminent danger? Joan seems to me to be a genuinely caring official that was just strong-armed by Mr. Orth into backing him up on his rash decision. 

The fire marshal and the building official inspected my apartment and cited three code violations as the reason why I am in “imminent danger” and must leave in 15 days. The code violations cited are: 

1. Electrical extension cords are improperly used. BMC 19.30.010 (I have a computer hooked up to a power strip. What space in Berkeley does not have this violation?) 

2. Electrical breakers lack ready access. BMC 19.30.010 (My breakers are 30 feet down the hall in the electrical room, my breakers have never tripped while I have been living here.) 

3. Plumbing work performed without inspection and permit. BMC 19.28.080 (I have performed no plumbing work. Whenever the sink was put in, 

possibly 20 years ago, the landlords should have filed a permit. Maybe they did, I do not know for sure. Nonetheless, the sink works fine.) 

Do any of these violations warrant an “extreme hazard” classification? Is Mr. Orth concerned about my safety, or does he just want all 30 of us to leave Berkeley, and our unique, low-income, artist building torn down? 

What if the fire marshal came to your house, do you think he would find any code violations? How would you feel if you came home one day to a posted sign on your front door ordering you to be out of your house in 15 days? This is our current reality (nightmare)! I am “lucky.” I can go stay with some relatives 2.5 hours away and take a leave from my work, but there are others in the building who won’t be able to find a place, can’t come up with a security deposit and will have to live on the street. 

Mr. Orth uses his “extreme hazard” classification to justify taking the draconian measure to put 30 people out of their homes, “for their own good.” He says, “I am taking a hard line much like the bad cop, in a good-cop-bad-cop situation like is seen on TV.” Mr. Orth this is not TV; we are real people you are putting on the street. If this is his final stance, I strongly suggest Mr. Orth take his “compassionate conservatism” somewhere where it is appreciated, and fire marshal any number of beautiful towns, in South Carolina for instance, and allow Berkeley to remain a place for truly caring and progressive people to live and work. 

I realize this is a bit of a rant, but not unwarranted due to the aggressiveness associated with the decision to kick 30 people out of their homes. I do have to commend Michael Caplan and the vast majority of the city staff for their compassionate tone. Thank you. 

Vince Mazzi is a Drayage building resident. 



Becky O’Malley’s latest editorial demonstrated a surprisingly shallow understanding of the current contract negotiations between teachers and the Berkeley Unified School District and the realities of teaching in Berkeley.  

Ms. O’Malley suggests that teachers’ unions are protecting “seriously inadequate teachers,” though she doesn’t make it clear whether she thinks this applies to Berkeley.  

The Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) does not want the teaching profession to be undermined by people who do not have the capacity to meet the challenges of the job. The BFT initiated and is working diligently to implement a peer assistance and review program, which is a nationally recognized approach for dealing with ineffective teachers.  

Under this program teachers get intensive support to improve their teaching abilities. Teachers who are unable to improve after a year of this support can be terminated by the superintendent. It may interest readers to know that the BFT has taken the position that principals ought to do more observations to evaluate teachers while the district has argued for fewer evaluations.  

Ms. O’Malley also wonders if class sizes are really that bad in Berkeley. In the last two years class sizes in Berkeley schools have increased tremendously. Many classes at the high school have close to 40 students. Like Ms. O’Malley’s granddaughter’s class in Santa Cruz, fourth and fifth grade classes and middle school classes have 32 to 34 students.  

Having more students in a class means that teachers have less time to spend with each student and must spend more time grading and assessing progress.  

The BFT has asked that class size limits be specified for each grade level. When 72 percent of Berkeley voters supported Measure B, they certainly thought they were voting for reduced class sizes. Yet, the district has refused to commit to class size limits. 

Class size is not the only issue where the school district and the BFT disagree. The last time teachers received a pay increase was September 2002. Teachers received no increase in the 2003-2004 school year and have received no increase in the current school year. To add insult to injury, the latest school district proposal would effectively be a pay cut for a large majority of the teachers in the 2005-2006 school year.  

While the district has trumpeted their offer of an inadequate 1.2 percent raise, they have failed to mention that their latest proposal includes a hard cap on health benefits that would require teachers to pay 75 percent of benefits premium increases beginning this year. The net effect would be a cut in take home pay for teachers who have not received a pay increase in two years. With no offer to pay for even a fraction of premium increases beyond next year, teachers will inevitably face even larger pay cuts into the future. 

In many other districts teachers are receiving pay increases without cuts in health benefits. The latest example is the Los Angeles School District where the recently negotiated tentative agreement calls for a 2 percent raise with no increase in teacher contributions to health or retirement benefits.  

The teachers’ union recognizes that the governor’s reneging on his promises to make up for cuts in the education budget limits the district’s ability to fully compensate teachers for the increase in the cost of living that has occurred since their last raise. However, this does not mean that the district cannot make up for a portion of the ground that teachers have lost to inflation.  

On top of the $8 million dollars Berkeley Unified is getting from Measure B to reduce class size, the school district is also receiving an increase in funds from the state of more than 4 percent for the coming school year. Teachers deserve their fair share of this increase in funds. The district’s refusal to offer teachers their fair share demonstrates that for the School Board the classroom is not a priority. 

Becky O’Malley should be asking the School Board to explain why administration is a higher priority than the classroom. BUSD Superintendent Michele Lawrence is one of the most highly paid superintendents in the entire state. According to the most recent data available from the state, Ms. Lawrence’s salary of $185,000 is way above the average for districts of Berkeley’s size, which was $136,519. Ms. Lawrence also received a generous housing allowance, which assisted her purchase of a home in Berkeley.  

Meanwhile Berkeley’s teachers, especially younger teachers who are just starting out, have trouble affording rents, let alone mortgages in Berkeley. While the cost of housing continues to increase, the school district proposes to reduce teachers’ take home pay.  

Maintaining competitive teacher compensation is not currently a priority for the School Board. Berkeley Unified ranked dead last among neighboring districts last year in terms of teacher salary expenditures per student and was only average in teacher benefits rankings. Meanwhile, 20 local school districts have given fair cost of living raises to their teachers this school year and Berkeley has not. 

Many factors affect the achievement of students in school and, as Ms. O’Malley pointed out, many are beyond the scope of the public schools. Certainly socioeconomic status, the support students receive from their families and other related factors have an impact on student performance. But, research has shown that the single most important school-related factor in the achievement of students is the quality and experience of the classroom teacher. Does the school district expect to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers while it proposes to cut benefits and take-home pay? 

Mary Wrenn is currently teaching at Willard Middle School and is the secretary for the Berkeley Federation of Teachers. Both of her children attended Berkeley Public Schools. 

s

The City Council’s decision to create a Creeks Task Force to review the Creeks Ordinance and to make recommendations back to the council provides the City of Berkeley with a great opportunity to protect creeks while at the same time being sensitive to private property interests and concerns. 

Last November the City Council established a broad-based 15-member Creeks Task Force to review the existing Creeks Ordinance and propose revisions by May 2006. The task force consists of one appointee from each councilmember; one each from four commissions—Planning, Public Works, Parks and Recreation; and Community Environmental Advisory Commission; and one each from Neighbors on Urban Creeks and creek protection groups. The task force has been meeting since Feb. 7 to develop a draft work plan to be submitted to the council by May. Then the task force will have a year in which to come up with proposed revisions.  

This process provides the city with at least four opportunities: 

1) Model Revised Creeks Ordinance. Berkeley has the opportunity to come up with a revised broad-based creeks ordinance that’s a model for other cities in the same way Berkeley’s curbside recycling program has been. The current Creeks Ordinance was one of the first to be adopted in the nation. It’s now time—16 years later—to review it in light of new information including the ecological benefits of creeks while acknowledging and respecting property owners’ concerns. For example, issues to consider include determining setback measurements based on more recent scientific studies, reviewing the definition of creeks overall, and expanding ordinance goals to include improving water quality.  

2) Review the Creeks Ordinance in light of other regulations. Several agencies such as the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, the State Department of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulate specific aspects of creeks and waterways, specifically water quality and stream banks. However, if left only to these agencies, some elements of creeks would not be regulated. For example, land use within 30 feet of the centerline of the creeks. Furthermore, as with many environmental regulations, the overlap and enforcement provided by several jurisdictions result in stronger environmental protection overall which Berkeley citizens have always valued. That is why several other cities like Berkeley and counties throughout the state have also adopted their own local creeks ordinances. The task force will be looking in greater detail at what other agencies do regulate to see if there is any conflict or overlap, and will modify the Berkeley Creeks Ordinance accordingly. The task force will also look at other municipal creeks ordinances to see if we can learn from their experiences; some cities and counties are reviewing their ordinances as well. 

3) Possible day lighting of some creek sections. Berkeley has the opportunity to identify those places on creeks that would be feasible for day lighting. Day lighting means exposing a covered or culverted creek to daylight. Day lighting a stretch of creek could regain some of the benefits of natural channels such as improved flood control thus providing benefits to both private property owners and the larger community. On public property, day lighting can result in a new stretch of creek being open and accessible to Berkeley citizens. The popular Strawberry Creek Park in West Berkeley—one of the first day lighting projects in the nation—is a good example. It might be possible to fund this day lighting work through grants, such as the restoration work in process on lower Codornices Creek, without using any city funds. 

4) Funding for failing culverted creeks. Some of Berkeley’s culverted creeks are failing. Since there is pending litigation between the city and property owners over who is financially liable for repair of the culverts, the City Council has specifically not asked the task force to address the issue of financial responsibility. However, the task force has been asked to look at alternative funding sources, such as grants or possibly raising the storm water fee. 

The task force’s work will continue until May 2006. We’ve been meeting most Mondays at the North Berkeley Senior Center from 7-9:30 p.m. If you want to comment or attend future task force meetings, for more details please check the Creeks Task Force website: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/creeks. Or you can call Creeks Task Force Secretary Erin Dando at 981-7429.  

Helen Burke is chair of the Creeks Task Force. The views expressed herein are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the task force. 

›

Well, maybe not driving six white horses, but Jeannette Rankin of Montana will be coming to Berkeley in a performance of the play, A Single Woman, based on the words and the writings of this unique, pioneering woman. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman to be elected to Congress in 1916, before universal women’s suffrage; she was a pacifist who voted against entry into World War I; then, gerrymandered out of office, she was re-elected in 1940, and was the lone vote against participation in World War II. She was much reviled for this, but she was a feisty woman and ably defended her decision. 

Born into a family of pioneers, Jeannette Rankin grew up on a farm outside Missoula, Montana, where she received her early education, followed by her A.B. from the University of Montana in Missoula. She was already much concerned with women’s right to vote, and this cause was furthered by her time in New York where she attended an institution called “New York School of Philanthropy.” 

By 1910 she was already working in campaigns for women’s suffrage in New York State, Washington, California and Montana. By 1913 12 states had granted women suffrage within their borders, and in 1914 Montana became the thirteenth state. Jannette Rankin participated in meetings, in marches and demonstrations—one march went from New York to Washington in time for Wilson’s inauguration. By this time Jeannette Rankin had developed confidence in public speaking and was eloquent in her persuasive reasoning. 

She became field secretary of the National Women’s Suffrage Association, but relinquished that position to run for Congress from Montana. She ran as an at-large candidate. It is said that she often campaigned on horseback, going to farms and into mines to talk with voters. Her program was original, not the result of a particular mentor or statesman, but ideas learned from her work with the suffrage movement and from her own common sense. She announced that her first issue would be women’s suffrage, to be followed by work for an eight-hour day for women, and for laws providing that women shall receive the same wages as men for equal amounts of work. She also declared her intention to seek extension of child labor laws, mothers’ pensions and universal education. 

(When the women’s movement had that great convention in Houston in l977 we thought we were so innovative in working for the Equal Rights Amendment but Jeannette Rankin had already been there. The ERA never did get passed by Congress.) 

As the only woman in Congress there was curiosity about “the lady from Montana,” but surprising little of that invasive press coverage of our present celebrity oriented media. A brief article in the New York Times of Nov. 12, l916 reads, “Miss Rankin is a very feminine woman, one young woman who had known her here, said yesterday. She dances well and makes her own hats and sews, and has won genuine fame among her friends with the wonderful lemon meringue pie that she makes when she hasn’t had enough other things to do to keep her busy”—so much for an in-depth scoop about her private life. She had admirers, but felt she had much too much to do to take time for marriage. 

Jeannette Rankin served only one term after she was elected to Congress the second time in l940. She continued her work for peace and justice and spoke forcefully against war in many venues. Her opposition to war was not based on emotionalism, but on sheer logic and common sense. She abhorred the stupidity of it. She once said, “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.” And she pointed out that, “War is nothing more that a method of settling a dispute, but it has nothing to do with the dispute. In fact, you never have the same issues at the end of the war that were present at the beginning.” 

She was active with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom with Jane Addams, she was a founder and vice-president of ACLU, and worked with refugees, immigrant women and minorities. She traveled to Turkey and India, South Africa and the Soviet Union, and moved to Athens, Georgia to work with the community there—and started a peace center in Athens. Still going strong in l968 she led a march of 5,000 women, the Jeannette Rankin Brigade, to Washington to protest the Vietnam war. 

This great life is made immediate in the brilliant and inspiring play, A Single Woman, written and performed by Jeanmarie Simpson as Jeannette Rankin, with Cameron Crain as Everyman, the people Rankin encounters. Playwright Simpson, who used material from the UC Bancroft Library Oral History Project, says, “It is vital that people meet Jeannette Rankin, her words, her actions and her remarkable character.  

“The more people become involved, the more of an impact Jeannette’s voice can make on contemporary culture. Let’s face it. We need help in this country and in the world and we don’t have enough voices with the intellectual and moral clarity of Jeannette Rankin’s.” 

›

Under the tracery and flaring supports of the Eiffel Tower, there’s a dining room and a fainting couch on the Berkeley Rep Thrust Stage: Kent Dorsey’s design. 

All stands ready for the mayhem of a Feydeau farce to break out, but first we are addressed by a shambling, professorial older man who introduces himself as Barrington Regent, Eugene Ionesco professor of Philology and Semiotics at Cal State Yreka. 

Some prefatory remarks about the playwright’s late conjugal comedies, as opposed to the more familiar “door-slammers” like A Flea in Her Ear seem in order, but order degenerates as the introductory speaker’s broad, friendly grin becomes an open-mouthed leer while he explains, “The English for ‘farceur’—is farceur. You can look it up. So good to be back in Berkeley—among the intel-li-ghen-zia—which is a Russian word!” 

The entrance of Geoff Hoyle, featured performer (as Bastien Follavoine) and adapter of For Better or Worse (based on From Marriage to Divorce, a projected collection of five conjugal comedies), is delayed, upstaged, by Geoff Hoyle, indecent docent. 

Geoff’s interruption of the start of the play, in order to trip himself up, also gives Berkeley Rep a chance to rib itself, and subscription drives in general. The gags are witty, but how many in the audience took them seriously? Like a parody donation request, buried in a mound of junk mail, a target audience may be hard not to hit. 

But it’s all in good fun, something the comic action that follows isn’t always. Post-comic may be a better term for the kind of farce Geoff’s adapted from these late plays with a bitter taste. As he quotes in his program note from Marcel Achard’s tart description, “Strindberg through a distorting fairground mirror.” 

Strindberg himself, and his successors, up through O’Neill and Pinter, had a strange, deadpan humor running through the disasters of the text that often doesn’t translate in stage production. In trying “to keep the bitter realism underlying these pungent comedies” in order to get “modernity with the period setting” for “something to play with, something slightly outrageous, unsettling and hilarious,” this clown-turned-adaptor’s in ambitious pursuit of an elusive goal. 

It’s expressed in a melange of comic styles, from pantomime that approaches slapstick, to burlesque mugging, to the more elegant rhythms of boulevard farce. There’s often a Manneristic relation between the performers’ styles in David Ira Goldstein’s staging that seems to stem from the funhouse mirror effect in Achard’s description: a trick of perspective seen from another angle, the viewpoint of another character—torqued gestures and expressions of the most banal domestic events to realize a sometimes grotesque humor—what, as Pirandello said, “you find instead of what you expect to find.”  

The cast’s an able one, up to the job. Act one, “Julie’s Early” (supertitles on the Eiffel Tower) opens with Bastien pacing his super-pregnant-but-prematurely ready to deliver wife Julie (Sharon Lockwood), holding her hand, walking her, trying to fit a chair behind her. Bastien is the put-upon, clueless straight man husband. The routines are funny, sometimes hilarious. The maid (sprightly Amy Resnick) whisks in and out, the statuesque mother-in-law (Lynda Ferguson, all manic, deadpan business) arrives in monumental dress and a hat surmounted by wings and sweeping tailfeathers. The expectant parents quibble about everything under the sun in a stream of verbal play. “Is that all you can talk about on the day you’re to be a father?” Waiting for the most important entrance, which doesn’t come, they urge Bastien to don the chamberpot of the little boy they expect—from a dream of Bastien at the racetrack, wearing the pot and inaugurating a new fashion! The silliness escalates into a crazy tableau of “motherhood, mayhem and mutilation”--as Prof. Regent puts it. 

The second act, after the Professor puts some “volunteers” he drafts through a demonstration “door-slammer,” with hilariously improvised results, is “Purging Baby.” 

Zig-zagging between Bastien’s attempt to ingratiate M. Chouilloux (Jarion Monroe, with stopwatch farceur timing), through whom he hopes to sell a military issue of chamberpots, and Julie’s attempts to administer a laxative to their resistant boy, Toto (Gideon Lazarus and Austin Greene, alternately), complicated by the arrival of adulterous Mme. Chouilloux (Lynnda Ferguson again, just as extravagantly got-up) and her “cousin,” Horatio Garcia Zarzuela de Zaragoza y Pau (Rudy Guerrero), the accident proceeds in due course to the intersection of all the comic vehicles, under the prescient eyes of little Toto, and to the crashing of demolished chamberpots, scurrying laxative-bibbers and a general retreat. The madness goes stratispheric. 

Hoyle’s grand experiment has mixed results; he should pursue it further or look into some other European humorists (Pirandello, Valle-Inclan, Adamov) who mix it up. Sometimes the mix of burlesque and farce click (especially between Geoff and Monroe). Other times, lacking the rhythms of the French original, it bottoms out as just old slapstick routines or, in the pas-de-deux with Sharon Lockwood, a little too Punch ‘n Judy. Fawlty Towers may be an inspiration, but Hoyle’s after bigger game yet—I’m sure Prof. Regent will soon be explaining it to us again, in the most maddeningly informative detail. 

For Better of Worse plays at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St., through April 24. 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org.

Gideon Lazarus has a lot going on in his life, but discusses it calmly, with flashes of wry humor that make others laugh. 

A couple of days after the opening of For Better or Worse at Berkeley Rep, his debut on a professional stage, he’s talking about working with Geoff Hoyle, a well-known clown and comic actor, and seasoned players like Sharon Lockwood, Jarion Monroe and Amy Resnick. At 10 years old, he’s the first student of the Rep’s School of Theatre of any age to be cast for a company show. 

“I watch them a lot to get tips—and because they’re so funny,” says the young Berkeley resident. “Jerry makes a lot of funny jokes; with Geoff, it’s in his movement, in his face and his eyes. I watch the way Jerry and Geoff work together--it’s good because of the different styles. In the same style, it’d be boring. With Rudy [Guerrero], I just laugh when he walks in.”  

“He likes to learn,” says his mother, Miriam Janowitz, Professor of Religious Studies at UC Davis. “He’s always telling me, ‘You learn a lot by watching,’” 

Watching is a good deal of what Gideon has to do in his role as Toto. Geoff Hoyle and Sharon Lockwood play his parents in the production. He enters in the middle of the second act, into the eye of a comic storm, defiant at having to take his medicine (“I don’t care! I don’t want any!”) and casts a jaundiced eye on the crazy adult antics that whirl around him. 

Gideon is a student at Berkeley’s Crowden School, the remarkable school for young players of string instruments, where he plays double bass and studies music theory early mornings, followed by academic subjects into the afternoon. 

“On his solo night, he played St-Saens’ Carnival Elephant for his solo at 6:30 p.m., then ran off to his 7:30 p.m. call at the Rep,” his mother says. He also plays piano—his first instrument—and likes Beethoven’s music for piano, Vivaldi for double bass. He’s also listens to jazz at the Jazz School Cafe. “They have very good panini there,” he says, “delicious.”  

Gideon enrolled in Crowden after his family returned from three years in Israel—his mother was involved in a UC Overseas Study program—where he attended preschool through first grade, learning Hebrew and the middle eastern drum, the tarbuka. Speaking another language and traveling developed Gideon’s confidence, his mother says, “though when we came back, certain simple things—the days of the week, the word ‘toenails’—he’d only say in Hebrew.” 

Gideon’s also interested in computers. He thinks he’d like to design computer games or edit movies. He said he could see working half-time in computers, and quarter-time each at music and theater. 

The rehearsal process didn’t bore him; it made plenty of sense. 

“All the parts of the show have to work together,” he says. “They have to be greased. Sort of like a clock. And you have to repair it in rehearsal.”  

Making his entrance in the second act, there’s a long wait beforehand. Gideon says he feels a little nervous as he waits, talks to the other actors—or “sneak in the dressing room and comb my hair.” 

Backstage last weekend, he and Amy Resnick shared magic tricks they know with each other. “The time’s much slower than when you’re out on stage,” Gideon says. “After a minute or two on stage—which’s a long time, compared to how long my part is—I think, ‘Let’s do it; let’s have some fun here!’” 

“He has boundless energy, and a stage presence beyond his years,” says Robert Wyllie, an acting teacher at Berkeley Rep’s 2004 Summer Theatre Camp. “For someone in elementary school, he has obvious comedic skill. Picture Andy Kaufman as a fifth-grader.” 

Hoyle says of both Gideon and 9-year-old ACT acting vet Austin Greene (who alternates with Gideon in playing Toto), “They think about what you say, try to do a credible performance. They’re curious whether they’re doing it right or not. I don’t have to pull any punches with either of them. They chew on the criticism we give them. There’s no swagger. If they maintain their innocence and stay open to the craft as they are now, they’ve got it made.” 

Gideon’s mother says Gidoen is “the kind of kid who likes total immersion. After his first rehearsal, the next day he was off—and he said he wanted to go back and watch. ‘I can’t believe how much I’ve learned,’ he said—and, later, ‘School’s boring, now that I’m an actor!’” 

But Gideon’s not forcing the issue. Asked if he’d like a career acting, he’ll only say, “Time will tell.” 

“He’s unaffected, disarming in a very reassuring way,” says Hoyle. 

“If my brother was sitting here, he’d tell you I’m going to be like Brad Pitt,” Gideon quips, and ends the interview—like the play—with his smile. 

›

FRIDAY, MARCH 25 

THEATER 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works, “Enemy Combatant” at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Performances are Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. through March 26. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Shotgun Players “The Just” by Albert Camus. Thurs.- Sun. at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through April 10. Tickets are sliding scale $10-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Un-Scripted Theater Company “You Bet Your Improvisor!” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through March 26 at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph. Tickets are $7-$10. 415-869-5384. www.unscripted.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Temptations of the Brush” Works by Lisa Bruce, Jeanne La Deaux, Centa Theresa. Reception at 5 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

“David and Goliath” works by M. Sawyer Atkinson. Reception at 6:30 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. 843-2787. 

FILM 

Edgar G. Ulmer: “Detour” at 7:30 p.m. “Man From X” at 9:15 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Christian McBride Quartet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $18-$32. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Tomorrow is Today” dance and martial arts by Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company at 7:30 p.m. at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St. Tickets are $5-$20. 597-1619. www.destinyarts.org 

Native Elements, Dr. Masseuse, Sandfly, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Alam A. Khan, sarode player, performs North Indian classical music with tabla player Debopriyo Sarkar, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15-$25. 701-1787. www.hillsideclub.org/concert  

Dougie MacLean, contemporary folk from Scotland at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761.  

Houston Jones at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Audrye Session, Serene Lakes, Minmae, indie rock at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886.  

Suffokate at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174. www.storkcluboakland.com 

Three Piece Combo, Mitch Marcus, Young Fine Rabbit at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Kitty Rose, tradtitional country originals, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Danny Caron Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Jared Karol & Mike Jung at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Sour Mash Jug Hug Band, Folk This! at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St.. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Keiko Matsui at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Dreaming Mind, The Conscious Mind” a collaborative exhibition between NIAD Art Center and JFK Univ. School of Holistic Studies at 2956 San Pablo Ave., 2nd flr. Reception for the artists from 5 to 8 p.m. Exhibition runs to Mar. 31. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 649-0499. 

“Lexicon of Memory” two and three dimensional works by Lynn Orlando. Reception at 7 p.m. at Nexus Gallery, 2701 8th. St. Also on Sun. from 2 to 8 p.m. and Mon. from 6 to 10 p.m. 847-2744.  

FILM 

Edgar G. Ulmer: “Ruthless” at 7 p.m. and “Moon Over Harlem” at 9:05 p.m.at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Rhythm & Muse with singer/songwriter Kim Rea and guitarist Joe Lococo at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Free. Berkeley Art Center. 527-9753. 

Poets for Peace poetry reading featuring Joyce Jenkins, Ilya Kaminsky, David Reid, and Sam Witt at 8 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

“Composing for Two Pianos” with Jorge Liderman at 7 p.m. at Musical Offering, Bancroft at College. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Emanuel Ax and Yefim Bronfman, piano at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$62. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Tomorrow is Today” dance and martial arts by Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company at 7:30 p.m. at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St. Tickets are $5-$20. 597-1619. www.destinyarts.org 

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Nanette McGuiness, soprano, at noon at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $10-$50. 848-1228. 

Gaucho, Gypsy Jazz at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

The Conscious Cabaret “Twas the Night Before Easter and all through the house...” with Errol & Rochelle Alicia Strider at 8 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Cost is $15-$25. 528-8844. unityberkeley.org 

David Serotkin at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Klez-X, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Georges Lammam Ensemble, classical and popular Arabic music at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Proceeds provide scholarships for youth in the West Bank village of Dier Ibzi’a, outside Ramallah. Cost is $20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Shortie, Super Model Suicide, Downshift, rock, emo, punk, at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6-$8. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Tartufi, Continuous Peasent at 9 p.m. at 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$10, benefit for Rachel Kasa.  

The Art Lande Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazz 

school.com  

Lae with Brown, hip hop pop, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Japanese Girl Pop Punk, The Freak Accident, Titan Go Kings at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Infection, Singularity at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174.  

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Paul & Sheila Smith Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Resist & Exist, Takaru, Gather at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 27 

CHILDREN 

Jewish Songs for Children, with Gary Lapow, at 11 a.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. www.brjcc.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Les Anderson and Tobey Kaplan at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chamber Music Sundaes with members and friends of the SF Symphony at 3:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $7-$19. 415-584-5946. www.chambermusicsundaes.org 

Clare Hedin, singer/songwriter, part of the series “Offerings” at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10. 213-3122. 

Hebrew Hip-Hop, performances and workshops from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $7-$24. 415-276-1511. www.brjcc.org 

Sarah Manning Quartet at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Paul Thorn at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MONDAY, MARCH 28 

THEATER 

The Shotgun Players Theatre Lab, “Monster in the Dark” Mon. and Tues. at 8 p.m. through March 29, at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. at MLK. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“A Single Woman” The life, times and fortitude of the first US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. 587-3228. http://ncmdr.org/singlewoman 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Small Paintings” by John King at North Berkeley Frame & Gallery, 1744 Shattuck Ave. through May 21. 549-0428. 

FILM 

Buddhism and Film: “Tokyo Story” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Adam Mansbach reads from his new novel “Angry White Boy” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

“Sephardic Music” with Judith Cohen at 7:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $13-$17. 415-276-1511. www.brjcc.org 

Poetry Express Theme night “mothers and sisters” from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Songwriters Symposium at 8:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Trovatore, traditional Italian songs, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Hot Club of San Francisco at 2 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 

THEATER 

The Shotgun Players Theatre Lab, “Monster in the Dark” at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. at MLK. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: The Birdpeople” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

An Evening in Honor of Thomas Flanagan at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Jeff McGowan describes “Major Conflict: One Gay Man’s Life in the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Military” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Eugene David and John Rowe at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Music for Tsunami Relief with David Grisman, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, Geoff Muldaur and others at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50- $25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bill Jackman & Terry Hilliard at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Sweetbriar, The Brownbums, THe San Antonio Kid, alt country, at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174. www.storkcluboakland.com 

Opie Bellas at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Randy Craig Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 

CHILDREN 

Berkeley Youth Arts Festival Students from Whittier EDC celebrate peace and love through poetry and song at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Rhythmic Seasons” a Metal/Textile BFA exhibition. Reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at California College of the Arts, Irwin Center Gallery, 5215 Broadway, Oakland. 

FILM 

Cine Contemporaneo: “El Leyton: Hasta que la Muerte nos Separe” at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

History of Cinema: “Rashomon” at 3 p.m. and Games People Play: “Death Race 2000” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kala Fellowship Artists Talk with Inga Dorosz on digital print and video works and Laura Splan on digital print and drawing combinations at 7 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

Cokie Roberts introduces her new book, “Founding Mothers” at 7:30 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism. Tickets are $10, available from Cal Performances 642-9988.  

Elizabeth George talks about her mystery novel “With No One as Witness” at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Tickets are free with purchase of the book. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryplough.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, “Masterpieces from early 17th century Italy” with the San Francisco period instrument ensemble, Passamezzo Moderno at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music of Easter An organ concert at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. www.firstchurchoakland.org 

Jennifer Clevinger and Dennis Geaney at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Mal Sharpe & Big Money in Gumbo at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra America, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Cheryl Wheeler at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Memoir, The Scatter at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174. www.storkcluboakland.com 

Muraski Ensemble at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 

EXHIBITIONS 

“La Causa” Photographs of the Farmworkers’ Movement at The Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus, through Oct. 482-3336. 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-1295. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Blind at the Museum” guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-1295. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Film and Video Makers at Cal: “Cries of the City” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jennifer Washburn describes “University Inc. The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

David Riggs discusses “The World of Christopher Marlowe” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Eugene David and John Rowe followed by an open mic, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. For information call 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dhol Patrol, Bhangra and Pan-Arabic beats, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

LoCal Music Expo, acoustic folk/rock, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Cheryl Wheeler at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Steve Poltz at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $12. 841-2082 www.starryplough.com 

Peter Barshay Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Kenny Garrett at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $10-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Ah. Rugged mountains. Creamy porridge. Jagged peninsulas. Irish soda bread. Sparkling blue vistas. Guinness stout. Verdant glens. “Shorties” biscuits. Rolling hills. Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.  

This past summer I visited Ireland for the first time. I toured Dublin, amid energy, museums, culture and crowds. I followed roads through picturesque towns, touring famous landmarks and historic sites. But it wasn’t until I walked in the southwest, on the Beara and Dingle Peninsulas, that I finally got that “ah” feeling. This was the Ireland I had come to see. 

Landscape and people define a country for me and the beauty in the southwest of Ireland speaks for itself. Each day’s walk became my newest favorite: a scenic deserted island rich in history and scenery; a 1,000-acre family owned park of glen, mountains, and lakes; a national park of almost overwhelming greenery, and a tower capped hill along sheep tracks and peat walls. The “ah” feeling never left me. 

The Beara Peninsula remains one of Ireland’s secret havens, its uncrowded roads and trails meandering through pristine countryside. From my base in the remote village of Eyeries, I explored Dursey Island and Gleninchaquin Park. 

Dursey Island’s 1,400 acres were once heavily populated; today the few remaining families on this Natural Heritage site are well outnumbered by sheep. Separated from the mainland by turbulent Dursey Sound, the island is accessible by a single wooden cable car, erected in 1970. On one of two benches, limited to six passengers or one person and one cow, the swaying ride carries you 25m above the sea with plenty of time to look for dolphins below.  

On a day of unbelievably warm weather and light breeze, I happily walked on spongy turf among yellow gorse, pink bell heather, and sea pink thinking about those here before me—Bronze Age people who erected the standing stones, farmers who left behind rows of lazy beds where potatoes were grown before the Great Famine, and soldiers during World War II spelling out EIRE in stones as a deterrent to German bombers. Stone ruins were all that remained: an old church, deserted homes, boundary walls and a Napoleonic-era signal tower at the top of a hill.  

After four miles, my picnic lunch tasted unbelievably good as I sat at the most southwesterly tip of Ireland looking out at the Cow, the Bull, and the Calf in waters whose color changed with depth, from blue to turquoise. Before me the endless sea, with guillemots and gannets circling above. Away from the distractions of everyday life, I felt powerful with limitless possibilities stretching ahead. 

In contrast to Dursey Island’s sparse vegetation and salty air, I next walked a verdant glen and woodland in Gleninchaquin Park. Paddy Corkery and his border collie, Dolly, led me along narrow paths, up tracks carved into rock faces and across bridges spanning mountain streams, all built by his family here where he grew up. A soft spoken, reflective man, his love of the land was evident each time we paused. Leaning on his well-worn walking stick, Paddy pointed out treasures easily overlooked: a small butterwort with midges trapped on its sticky secretions, a carnivorous sundew, a milkwort known for its lactating properties, and the distinctive scent of wild chamomile released by our boots. As we climbed the ridge, Dolly never stopped moving, herding sheep, walkers, and even a couple of kites swooping for butterflies.  

After a pot of tea and a picnic lunch, seated in the back garden of the Corkery family home, doubling as a tea house for visitors, we continued exploring the wonders of this park, climbing through meadows and bogs, where Paddy demonstrated the proper technique for cutting peat logs and stacking them to dry. Past mountain lakes, home to sea trout, brown trout and salmon, we finally reached the source of the waterfall tumbling out before our feet. 

Over a pint of Guinness at the Seaman’s Pub, overlooking the Kenmare River, I bade good-bye to Paddy and Dolly while reflecting on the wealth of my day. A lasting memory is Paddy and Dolly at a stone circle set against a dramatic mountain backdrop, cows grazing peacefully nearby. Paddy Corkery, a man of the land, discussing the past, and like Ireland itself, knowing the importance of preserving nature’s gifts. 

Eyeries provided an ideal location to absorb the beauty of the land and replenish the body. Inches House was a ten-minute walk from this “Tidy Town” village of brightly colored houses, just large enough for a few shops and pubs. From O’Neill’s large picture window with views of Ballycrovane Harbor and Coulough Bay, I watched the sun set and never wanted to leave. 

Unfortunately, time doesn’t stand still, not even on vacation. I left Eyeries and headed to Killarney National Park, not realizing that a hard night’s rain had raised the adventure level by several notches. 

At 24,000 acres, Killarney National Park is the last real sanctuary of primeval countryside in Ireland. To walk through this magnificent valley and forested mountains is to walk through land appearing unchanged for thousands of years, where man has left little evidence of his passing. Renowned` for its diverse terrain, a day in Killarney takes you through oak and yew woodlands, heather-clad peaks and moors, and verdant foliage. The color here is green—a luxuriance of green carpeting every surface with bracken, native grasses, and sphagnum moss thickly draped over boulders and trees. 

During my visit, water ruled. Rain at night resulted in swollen creeks and saturated bogs; the sound of tumbling and gurgling water followed me everywhere. To walk a simple trail became a challenge, finding stones or tufts of grass for steps. When choices ran out, it was goodbye to dry boots and socks. Somehow this only added to the experience, besides bringing out coal black slugs and heavily laden dung beetles.  

Overlooking the lovely lakes of Killarney is Muckross House, an ivy-covered Victorian mansion providing a glimpse into the elegant “upstairs” and hard working “downstairs” life style. It also houses the Killarney National Park Visitor Center and the Kerry Folklife Center, where bookbinders, potters and weavers demonstrate their crafts. Outside at the Traditional Farm learn about the skills used before mechanization. 

Night found me in Kenmare, packed with charm and unfortunately, also with cars. A surprising array of color met my eye—homes and shops painted orange, yellow, blue, and red, and beautiful hanging baskets cascading with bright flowers—a very attractive town. That evening, while listening to the bittersweet melodies and words of traditional Irish music at the Bold Thady Quill Bar, I raised my glass in a toast—to rain, to water, to green!  

On to the Dingle Peninsula, where descriptions of scenic splendor never seem enough: shapely mountains bordering gentle glacial valleys and lakes, long golden beaches, curving bays and towering cliffs pounded by an intensely blue Atlantic Sea. This is a land dotted with treasures of ancient times from prehistoric ring forts and ogham stones, to old roads dating back to the 9th century, and early Christian monasteries. The countryside is sparsely populated allowing for wide vistas down fuchsia lined roads past dry stone walls and Ireland’s ubiquitous four: gorse, heather, bracken and sheep. 

The attractive port of Dingle, surrounded by mountains sheltering its harbor, is known for its many craft shops, its 50 pubs, and Fungi, its resident dolphin. Since it was summer, the streets were crowded with those who had come for music, dancing and eating. Before tapping my feet to banjo, bodran and button accordion, I explored what else Dingle had to offer. 

At the marina and quay the combination of pleasure craft and commercial fishing boats produced a cacophony of colors, textures and sounds. From there I followed a footpath around Dingle Harbor where shops were replaced by green fields dotted with sheep. Across the harbor a patchwork of rich green fields stood out against the deep blue of the water. Around Beenbane Strand I reached the cliffs overlooking Dingle Bay and wondered how many visitors would miss this spending their time within a few short blocks.  

For my tour of the Dingle Peninsula, I spent the day with Colm Rothery, Irish guide extraordinaire. A gentleman of great energy, Irish charm and incredible patience, he answered my hundreds of questions with knowledge and humor. 

Our ramble combined stops at several historic sites, a beach paddle and a spectacular coastal hike, as always, the best way to experience the countryside. At Shea Head, overlooking Dingle Bay, Colm pointed out the Blasket Islands and the Sleeping Giant. I watched the currents form “lazy beds” on the surface of the turquoise waters while we both felt the energy coming off the sea. 

At Dunquin we walked down a steep incline to the pier where boats ferry passengers to Blasket Island, and came upon several overturned carraughs. Traditionally, these craft, constructed of a lightweight wooden frame covered with tar coated linen, were used to transport goods and people, while towing an occasional cow, to and from the island. Our close inspection inside left us with souvenirs, smears of tar on clothing and skin. A fair price to pay for a gloriously warm day. 

The Dingle Peninsula is Gaeltacht, a region of Irish speaking culture, and the Blasket Center was built in 1993 as a tribute to the literature, language and culture of the Corca Dhuibhne. It was quite a surprise to come upon this modern, spacious structure perched overlooking Blasket Sound.  

A stop at Clogher Strand provided personal contact with the waters I’d been ogling from afar. White sands and crashing waves—chilly and refreshing. Our final historic visit was Gallarus Oratory. This miniature church shaped like an overturned boat is one of the earliest Christian buildings in Ireland. Over 1200 years old, built only of stone, Gallarus Oratory is completely waterproof, owing to the placement of stones at a slight outward angle. The interior was remarkably dry and also quite crowded; here we had run into the coach tours. It was time to, literally, take to the hills. 

Along track and sheep trails we climbed Ballydavid Head, a few miles but worlds away from tour buses and tourist shops. Our destination for a picnic lunch was the top, site of the ruins of yet another Napoleonic signal tower, and more tremendous views. To the north towering Mount Brandon; to the south the Three Sisters, mountainous fingers reaching out to sea; to the east the broad fertile valley; and to the west the Atlantic. 

Walking past several stacks of stones, Colm reversed roles. “Why are these here?” he quizzed. After guessing walls, boundaries, markers, I blurted out “peat.” Impressing a guide is always a good feeling even when in desperation. They were peat walls placed on the leeward side of the hill, to allow the wind to dry out the stacked peat logs. 

My back against a massive stone warmed by the sun, my eyes never tired of the scene before me: the greens of the fields, blues of the waters, grays of the stones. I reflected on this unspoiled countryside, the warmth of the people and on the respect I felt for their recognition of the worth of their heritage and their land. Ah. Just a few days in paradise—nothing more. 

?

FRIDAY, MARCH 25 

Reduced City Services Today Call ahead to ensure programs or services you desire will be available. 981-CITY. www.cityofberkeley.info 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Michael Perlman on “International Finance and You.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020. 

Shivas Irons Society Golf Tournament at 11 a.m. at Tilden Park Golf Course. Cost is $90, benefits Tilden Golf Academy. 918-2983. www.shivasjournal.org/catalog 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

“Three Beats for Nothing” a small group meeting weekly at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center to sing for fun and practice, mostly 16th century harmony. 655-8863, 843-7610. dann@netwiz.net 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 

Holiday Egg Coloring We’ll collect eggs from the chickens and do some creative decorating. For ages 7 to 11 years, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $3, registration reuired. 525-2233. 

Kids Garden Club For children 7-12 years old to explore the world of gardening. We plant, harvest, build, make crafts, cook and get dirty! From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$6, registration required. 525-2233. 

Drawing and Painting California Wildflowers A two-day workshop with Dr. Linda Ann Vorobik, botanist and artist. Open to students of all levels. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at the Visitor Center, Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Cost is $110 members/$125 nonmembers. 845-4116. 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Urban Nature Hike A 5-mile hike from El Cerrito to Berkeley with Susan Schwartz. Meet at 10 a.m. at the El Cerrito Plaza BART. Wear layers and shoes with good traction, and bring water and lunch. 848-9358. f5creeks@aol.com 

Introduction to Permaculture Covering the philosophy, ethics and principals of permaculture for your garden from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oakland Permaculture Institute, 2135 E. 28th St. Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Ohlone Dog Park Cleanup Day at 10 a.m. at Ohlone Dog Park, on Hearst between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Grant St. ohlonedogpark.org 

Know Your Rights Training Learn what your rights are and how to watch the police effectively and safely, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Copwatch, 2022 Blake St. Free. 548-0425. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 27 

Early Morning Egg Hunt Learn where the amphibians have hidden their eggs, and learn about the life cycle of frogs and salamanders. From 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center. Cost is $5, registration required. 525-2233. 

The Little Farm’s Sheep Celebrate the spring with a visit to see our lambs, discover lots of eggs, pet a bunny and find out what all this has to do with Easter. From 1 to 3 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Town Meeting on Counter-Military Recruitment and Contientious Objection Options at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Suggested donation $5-$10. 524-6064. 

Berkeley City Club free tours 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. 

Anarchist Theory Conference from 10 am. to 5 p.m. at Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sliding scale $1-$10. www.sfbay-anarchists.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

MONDAY, MARCH 28 

Reduced City Services Today Call ahead to ensure programs or services you desire will be available. 981-CITY. www.cityofberkeley.info 

Tea and Hike at Four Taste some of the finest teas from the Pacific Rim and South Asia and learn their natural and cultural history, followed by a short nature walk. At 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

“The Transformation of Transnational Migration in Ecuador” with David Kyle at noon in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

“The Jewish-American World of Philip Roth” a discussion of “American Pastoral,” facilitated by Laura Bernell at at 7:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 848-0237, ext. 110. 

“Discover France Another Way” a slide show with Jackie Grandchamps at 7 p.m. at Changemakers Bookstore for Women, 6536 Telegraph Ave. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60 years and over meets Mondays at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Join at any time. Cost is $2.50 with refreshments. 524-9122. 

“Critical Viewing” an ongoing group that examines the craft(iness) of short film, TV drama, and commercials. Free. co-sponsored by the Berkeley Adult School and BRJCC. New members always welcome. Mon. from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. georgeporter@earthlink.net 

Fitness for 55+ A total body workout including aerobics, stretching and strengthening at 2 p.m. every Monday at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5170. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Island picnic site to look for the birds of the Botanic Garden. 525-2233. 

“Sacred Mountains: A Pilgrimage in Yosemite and Tibet” a slide presentation with Chris Bessonette and Joanna Cooke at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Eat in Season” for National Nutrition month with cooking demonstrations at 3:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

“Invisible Children: The Effect of the Sudanese Civil War on Children” with UCB Prof. Darren Zook at 6:15 p.m. at the FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. fsm-info@library.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley PC Users Group Problem solving and beginners meeting to answer, in simple English, users questions about Windows computers. At 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St. corner of Eunice. All welcome, no charge. 527-2177.  

Sing-A-Long every Tues. from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic. All ages welcome. 524-9122. 

Tap Into It Jazz and Rhythm Tap classes at Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Ave., Oakland. Experienced at 6:30 p.m., beginners at 7:30 p.m. 482-7812. 

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. This is a project of Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Family Story Time at the Kensington Branch Library, Tues. evenings at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. 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. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 

Great Decisions 2005: “Middle East” with Abbas Kadhim, Grad. student UCB, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. Cost is $5. For information and reservations call 526-2925. 

Community Meeting on 700 University Avenue Mixed Use Development A meeting to provide an overview of plans for the property, the planning process, and to gather input from the community at 7 p.m. at 700 University Ave., Southern Pacific Railroad Station. For information call Dan Deibel at 650-340-4340. ddeibel@urbanhousinggroup.com 

“Judi Bari’s Victory Trial” dcumentary at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St,. midtown Oakland. Donation of $5 requested.  

Bayswater Book Club discusses “The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity” by Hyam Maccoby at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Coffee Shop, El Cerrito Plaza. 433-2911. 

AARP Free Tax Assistance for taxpayers with middle and low incomes, with special attention to those 60 years and older. From 12:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. This service will continue through April. Appointments must be made in advance. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Artify Ashby Muralist Group meets every Wed. from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, to plan a new mural. New artists are welcome. Call Bonnie at 704-0803. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Chanting Circle for Women Wed. at 7 p.m. through April 6, at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Tuition is $160. For information see www.edgeofwonder.com 

Winter Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

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

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the end of Taft St., Albany, for a steep hike down Albany Hill for see woodland and creekside birds. 525-2233 

“Celebrating the Environmental Leadership of Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Movement” with the film “Fight in the Fields” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“Reducing Violence Against Women” a town hall meeting sponsored by Black Women Organized for Political Action, at 5:30 p.m. at Laney College Forum, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. 763-9523. www.bwopa.org 

“Estate Planning and Power of Attorney” with Priscilla Camp, attorney, at 7 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 

Outings on Fridays with Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Tour of the Cohen-Bray House (1884) in Fruitvale, at 11 a.m. Cost is $15. Reservations required. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

“Citizenship and Power” A conference hosted by the Center for Popular Education, UCB, at First Unitarian Church, Oakland. For details see www.cpepr.net. 

First Friday at St. Joseph the Worker with the documentary “Romero” honoring the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 482-1062. 

“Three Beats for Nothing” a small group meeting weekly at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center to sing for fun and practice, mostly 16th century harmony. No charge. 655-8863, 843-7610. dann@netwiz.net 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 

Sick Plant Clinic UC plant pathologist Dr. Robert Raabe, UC entomologist Dr. Nick Mills, and their team of experts will diagnose what ails your plants from 9 a.m. to noon at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Charter Hill and the Centennial of the Big “C” led by Steve Finacom, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ 

Ponds, Creeks and Puddles An introduction to water chemistry to discover what is there besides bugs and algae, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center, Botanical Garden, Tilden Park. Cost is $30-$35. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Spring Rhododendron Walk with Elaine Sedlack, horticulturist at 10 a.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$12, registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Tilden Toddlers An afternoon of exploration to look for amphibians, for ages 2-3 with adult companions, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

Alameda County Criminal Records Expungement Summit Find out about your rights, what you do and don’t need to tell employers, and learn about possible court remedies, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Laney College, 900 Fallon St. Sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the East Bay Community Law Center. 548-4040, ext. 373. www.ebclc.org 

Church Divinity School of the Pacific Open House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2451 Ridge Rd. Faculty seminars, tours, and discussions. To register call 204-0755. www.cdsp.edu 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

“AAUP and Women in the Academy” with Mary Burgan, past president of the American Assoc of University Professors, and Debra Rolinson on “Time to Thrive, not Just Survive” at 1:30 p.m. at 180 Tan Hall, UC Campus. www.wage.org 

Progressive Democrats of the East Bay meets at 1 p.m. at the Temescal Oakland Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave. 526-4632, 524-4244. wjlawler@hotmail.com 

“Visualization for Health” with LauraLynn Jansen at 4 p.m. at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave. at 58th St., Oakland. Free, pre-registration requested. 420-7900, ext. 111. margo@wcrc.org 

Junior Rangers of Tilden meets Sat. mornings at Tilden Nature Center. For more information call 525-2233. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

ONGOING 

United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Program provides free tax assistance now through early April to families that earned less than $36,000 in 2004. To find a free tax site near you, call 1-800-358-8832 or visit www.EarnItKeepItSaveIt.org. 

“Half Pint Library” Book Drive Donate children’s books to benefit Children’s Hospital. Donations accepted at 1849 Solano Ave. through March 31. 

Spring Break Program for Children offered by the City’s Recreational Division, March 28-April 1, for children ages 5-12, at the Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St. For information call 981-6640. 

Bike Chain Response is organizing an interfaith bike ride from the Nevada Test Site to Los Alamos National Laboratory, June 19 to July 17, to raise awareness of alternative modes of transportation and the tragedy of the nuclear weapons industry. 505-870-2-ASK. www.lovarchy.org/ride/ 

CITY MEETINGS 

Creeks Task Force meets every Monday at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center through April 4. Erin Dando, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/Creeks/default.html  

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Mar. 28, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/parksandrecreation 

Solid Waste Management Commission Mon., Mar. 28, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. Tania Levy, 981-6368. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/solidwaste

The only dignified voice to appear in the midst of the outrageous media circus which has been created around the slow death of Theresa Marie Schindler Sciavo has been that of the disabled community. Ms. Schindler Sciavo is familiarly called in the media by her childhood nickname, Terri, reflecting her dependent status in recent years as a childlike love object for her birth parents and as the legal ward of the husband she married at a young age. Since she can no longer speak for herself, a great deal of space has been devoted to speculation about what she “would have” or “might have” wanted, with no concrete information available to answer this question.  

Less-than-admirable established politicians were falling all over themselves to take positions which they believed would please a substantial segment of the voting public. Many Republicans came out against the states’ rights position which they preached during the civil rights movement. Some Democrats abandoned their historic reliance on the federal government as the protector of individual rights against possible encroachment by the states. It now appears, if we are to believe the polls, that they all got it wrong.  

A weekend Planet correspondent seems to have captured the real mood of many in the public, both Republicans and Democrats, with a one line unsigned comment: “Where is the money coming from and for the last 15 years, are they paying out from Medicare, and if so is that the reason our monthly payments have increased?”  

That’s exactly what thoughtful members of the disabled community are worried about. This isn’t really about the last wishes of poor young Ms. Schindler Sciavo, whose personal medical catastrophe seems to have been caused by a potassium deficiency which was the result of bulimia, a vomiting disorder often caused by the patient’s belief that she is “too fat.” There’s been little discussion about the circumstances surrounding her purported statement that she might prefer death to disability, no examination of her possible frame of mind when she might have said what she’s not been proven to have said. 

Such questions are raised by thoughtful disabled people when “death with dignity” bills are under discussion. There’s a clear implication in some of these discussions that the life of a disabled person is somehow lacking in dignity, no matter how much bill sponsors choose to deny it. There’s an underlying calculation of the costs of maintaining helpless individuals, with the concomitant temptation to fear, like our correspondent, that “saving her might be costing me.” There’s a tendency to applaud the human tendency to say that “I don’t want to be a burden,” though it often arises from the same kind of low self esteem that is associated with eating disorders in young women like Terri. 

The most compelling irony in the Sciavo situation is that as the disingenuous Congressional Republicans try to exploit it, they are also working hard to dismantle the federal government’s financial support for vulnerable individuals. Without comprehensive no-questions-asked health care, which has never existed in this country and which is getting farther away all the time, being “pro-choice” doesn’t mean much when the question is how disabled or incapacitated people can choose to keep living under extreme conditions without the money to do so. 

A few congressional Democrats are finally trying to make some sense of the legal issues involved. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, who has supported the disability rights movement for many years, told reporters recently that, “Where there is a genuine dispute as to what the desires of the incapacitated person really are, then there ought to be at the end some review by a federal court outside of state jurisdiction.” This only makes sense, since state courts can and do differ wildly on these issues. Just because the Schindler-Sciavo dispute seems to have been captured by the anti-abortion crowd doesn’t mean that there aren’t many important and genuine questions that need to be answered. 

Excellent analysis from the perspective of the disabled community can be found in the online magazine Ragged Edge (raggededgemagazine.com), including Senator Harkin’s complete statement explaining his position. Progressives (and conservatives) are prone to knee-jerk assertions that the correct answers to questions like these are obvious, but that’s not true here. Terri Schiavo will eventually die, whether soon or later, but the dilemma her case has highlighted will not disappear with her death.  

—Becky O’Malley?

This month the United States celebrates National Free Newspaper Week, and on April 1, an auspicious date with lively associations, the Berkeley Daily Planet will be celebrating our second anniversary of revived publication, timed to coincide with the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the city of Berkeley. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years, but here we are, doing well and even expanding. 

Our coverage continues to stretch up and down the East Bay. We started with the concept of “greater Berkeley” as our sphere of interest, and soon learned that the definition stretched all the way north to Richmond and south through Montclair, Grand Lake and others of Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods, because people in all of those areas are eagerly picking up the paper, reading it, and writing us letters about what they read. We’ve discovered that the region between the bay and the hills called the East Bay by San Francisco and West County by Contra Costa County has a unique identity all its own.  

We’re still not breaking even financially, but our growth curve would do credit to a high-tech startup. We’ve doubled our print run since the first issue. Our advertising is robust enough to increase our page count to 28 pages in this issue (we started with 8) and even perhaps 32 pages in the very near future. In April we’re launching a stand-alone real estate insert, because our advertising for that market has grown enough to need it. We’re calling it East Bay Real Estate because we’ve become aware that home buyers are looking beyond Berkeley in today’s hot market. 

Our most cherished small symbol of success is that we were featured in a New York Times crossword puzzle not long ago. (Clue: “city whose paper is the Daily Planet. Answer: Berkeley.”) The good gray east coast metro papers are sometimes slow to get the word about the West, so we’re glad to know that they know that we’re out here.  

Readers have written to us asking us what they can do to help us celebrate. You’ve been doing a lot already with your contributions to our opinion pages, which we think could easily be the best in the country. Unlike some other papers, we don’t pay our op-ed writers, or even solicit or censor them— we just take almost everything you send us, and you’ve sent us some fine copy in the last two years. (By the way, there’s still a lively controversy raging in the national press about why there are not more women’s voices on op-ed pages of other papers, but we’re proud to say that the Planet routinely has full representation from excellent women op-ed contributors.) We also appreciate the congratulatory ads some of you took out last year. 

We thought about renting the Paramount for a big party, but frankly we’re just too busy for anything like that. Twice weekly publication, with our small staff, does keep us running. However, we will let down our hair a bit next Friday, April 1, at the office. We’d love to meet any of our readers or advertisers who’d like to drop by after 2 p.m. to say hello. This is a bit risky, since by some calculations more than 50,000 people might be reading these words, but if everyone keeps their visits brief we can probably handle them by spilling out into the driveway. (Unless it rains, and if it does, don’t come.) We’re looking forward to meeting you.  

—Becky O’Malley 

n