Jakob Schiller: Pedal Express worker-owner Keeth Koler makes one of several deliveries on Shattuck Avenue Monday afternoon..
Jakob Schiller: Pedal Express worker-owner Keeth Koler makes one of several deliveries on Shattuck Avenue Monday afternoon..

Page One

Berkeley Cancels Pedal Express Contract Despite Protests By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday May 03, 2005

A Berkeley-based bike messenger cooperative appears to be the latest organization to suffer from Berkeley’s budgetary woes. -more-



Neighbors, ZAB Blast University Ave. Project By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

They came. They saw. They scoffed. -more-



Plaintiffs Finally Victorious in Third Pepper Spray Lawsuit By LYDIA GANS

Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 03, 2005

After two hung juries punctuated by appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court, the third “pepper spray trial” finally brought resolution, with a victory of sorts, for the plaintiffs. -more-



‘Flying Cottage’ Approval Near By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

South Berkeley’s “Flying Cottage,” the controversial three-story pop-up at 3045 Shattuck Ave., seems to be headed for a soft landing—with only a question of parking yet to be decided. -more-



Academics, Community Teach on Torture, Look for Answers By JUDITH SCHERR

Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 03, 2005

Electro-shock, unmuzzled dogs, extreme temperatures, sexual humiliation, sodomy—U.S. torture didn’t begin or end with the abuse portrayed in shocking photographs coming out of Abu Ghraib one year ago, nor has U.S. torture been restricted to prisons on foreign soil, according to speakers at Thursday’s Teach-in on Torture, sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies, Asian Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies departments. -more-



Features

Rap Legends Push Personal Responsibility at Laney Conference By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday May 03, 2005

For those whose exposure to hip hop and rap is the occasional video seen while flipping channels, or a gold-toothed face on a magazine at the supermarket checkout counter, the scene at Laney College this weekend would have been unrecognizable. Two rap legends showed up at the third annual Malcolm X Consciousness Conference with no entourages in sight, and an emphasis on think-think rather than bling-bling. -more-


ZAB Resolves Marin Ave. Views, University Ave. Condo Units By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Barring further appeals, the long-running battle that has pitted neighbors against would-be neighbors in a contest over views from the Berkeley hills has come to an end. -more-


Berkeley Commemorates Holocaust 60th Anniversary By MATTHEW ARTZ

Staff
Tuesday May 03, 2005

Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi Germany death camps, Berkeley will hold its third annual ceremony Friday to honor Holocaust Remembrance Day. -more-


Police Review Commission Rules Against Protest Honker By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday May 03, 2005

A Berkeley police lieutenant who ordered officers to ticket motorists who honked in support of a late night union rally last summer did not abuse his discretion, a three-member panel of the Police Review Commission ruled Thursday. -more-


Synagogue and Neighbors Spar Again Over Parking By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Just months before its new synagogue is set to debut, another rift has opened between Berkeley’s largest Jewish congregation and its soon-to-be neighbors. -more-


Correction

Tuesday May 03, 2005

A participant in last Tuesday’s rally of City of Berkeley union employees has informed the Daily Planet that some employees attended during their regular break time, and that her division staggered attendance in order to keep their desks covered. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday May 03, 2005

DOWNTOWN PARKING -more-



Column: The Public Eye: Peak Oil Looms, While U.S. Remains Gluttonous By BOB BURNETT

Tuesday May 03, 2005

If you are a Monty Python fan, you will remember the famous restaurant scene from The Meaning of Life. In it a fawning waiter begs his grossly over-weight client, who has just finished a meal of obscene proportions, to have “just one thin mint.” The diner’s gut is already strained to the breaking point, and when he finally ingests the mint, his body explodes. -more-


Column: Kaiser’s Voice Mail Jail Leaves Patient on Hold By SUSAN PARKER

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Ralph needed a shower chair. The old one we’d purchased five years ago was broken. A wheel had fallen off and a metal support rod snapped. I had to get a new one ASAP. -more-


Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Electrical Blaze Damages Church -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Pistol Whipper Bust -more-


Commentary: Disemboweling Berkeley’s Disaster Response By JESSE TOWNLEY

Tuesday May 03, 2005

In all of the arguing of which cuts to make and which projects to fund, it’s easy to lose sight of the long-range effects of cuts in service and in the commissions which oversee them. -more-


Election Section

Commentary: Looking Toward the Future in Downtown Berkeley By RAUDEL WILSON

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Last week the Daily Planet published an article by Zelda Bronstein regarding parking in Downtown Berkeley. Unlike Ms. Bronstein I am a resident of the downtown and I have worked downtown for the past nine years. -more-


Commentary: Holocaust Remembrance By KRISS WORTHINGTON

Tuesday May 03, 2005

“Nazis are bad; nuns are good.” That was my friend’s synopsis of The Sound of Music. The sentence could just as easily summarize much of the popular -more-


Commentary:Instant Runoff Voting Held Up by Diebold By LAURENCE SCHECHTMAN

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Is the Diebold Corporation, famous for hackable, paperless voting machines, trying to strangle election reform in Berkeley? Or are they merely greedy, lazy and incompetent? -more-


Commentary: Bogotá Mayor Rules with Theatric Enforcement By AARON TUKEY

Tuesday May 03, 2005

To a packed audience that over flowed into the corridors of an embarrassingly small venue, Antanas Mockus, the innovative two-term mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, spoke April 15 at the conference on “Violence and the Americas,” hosted by the Center for Latin American Studies. His talk on “Law Enforcement and Citizenship Building” focused largely on enlisting collective social disapproval and participatory stake holding—instead of legal penalties—to help shape civic behavior. While obviously proud of the reduction in violence experienced in the unruly capital city during his tenure, the ever humble and self-mocking former mayor gave only a hint of how his creative strategies have empowered Bogotá’s 7 million inhabitants—and how these ideas might be applied to beleaguered urban areas here in the US. -more-


News Analysis: Iraq Labor Leader: ‘We Will Defend Our Oil’ By DAVID BACON

Pacific News Service
Tuesday May 03, 2005

LONDON—As U.S. and British forces entered Baghdad on April 9, 2003, and the Saddam Hussein regime crumbled, those who had been driven underground by Hussein’s rule began to breathe again. From Syria, Britain, Scandinavia and elsewhere, exiled trade union radicals began to make the long journey home. -more-


UC’s International House Has Fostered Friendships for 75 Years By STEVEN FINACOM

Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 03, 2005

“The plain fact is that we are members one of another and that we are not living in accordance with the nature of things—That is, we are not living in accordance with the facts, if we think only our own thoughts, and sit nowhere ever except upon the lonesome throne of our own outlook,” University of California President Benjamin Ide Wheeler, told Berkeley students in 1907. -more-


Motor Oil and Mortality: What Would Jesus Do? By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 03, 2005

The Eastenders Repertory Company is back on the boards in the East Bay at the Ashby Stage, after producing last year’s One Hundred Years of Political Theater at the Eureka Theater across the Bridge, with the premiere of WWJD? Some Good Old Medieval Morality Play Motor Oil, by San Jose playwright Scott Munson, running alternately with Eastenders Founding Artistic Director Charles Polly’s new play, A Knight’s Escape. -more-


‘Words and Music’At UC Berkeley By KEN BULLOCK

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Participants in a UC Berkeley “Words and Music” seminar led by composer William Bolcom, visiting Ernest Bloch lecturer in music, and poet (and UC professor) Robert Hass will present performances of their completed projects of what Bolcom has referred to as “the way words and music marry” in a Wed. May 4 afternoon reading and workshop, 2-5 p.m. at the recital hall in Morrison 125, and in a recital setting, incorporating more material (including electronic media), 8 p.m. Sat. May 14 at Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT), 1750 Arch St. The performances are open to the public; admission is free. -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday May 03, 2005

TUESDAY, MAY 3 -more-


Cliff Swallows Use Social Strategies for Survival By JOE EATON

Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 03, 2005

Walking across the UC campus in mid-April, I noticed a couple of cliff swallows orbiting Hertz Hall and spotted a jug-shaped mud nest under the building’s eaves. I seem to recall a long-running battle between the swallows and the university’s maintenance crews which involved blasting the nests away with hoses. But the persistent birds keep coming back. -more-


Editorial

Next Stop for BART: Parking Fees? By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday May 03, 2005

Facing a $30 million deficit, BART is considering charging passengers up to $5 a day for parking, and the stations most likely to see parking fees are in Berkeley and Oakland. -more-


Columns

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday May 03, 2005

TUESDAY, MAY 3 -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Next Stop for BART: Parking Fees? By MATTHEW ARTZ 05-03-2005

Editorial: Electing a Pig in a Poke By BECKY O'MALLEY 04-29-2005

News

Berkeley Cancels Pedal Express Contract Despite Protests By MATTHEW ARTZ 05-03-2005

Neighbors, ZAB Blast University Ave. Project By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 05-03-2005

Plaintiffs Finally Victorious in Third Pepper Spray Lawsuit By LYDIA GANS Special to the Planet 05-03-2005

‘Flying Cottage’ Approval Near By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 05-03-2005

Academics, Community Teach on Torture, Look for Answers By JUDITH SCHERR Special to the Planet 05-03-2005

Rap Legends Push Personal Responsibility at Laney Conference By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 05-03-2005

ZAB Resolves Marin Ave. Views, University Ave. Condo Units By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 05-03-2005

Berkeley Commemorates Holocaust 60th Anniversary By MATTHEW ARTZ Staff 05-03-2005

Police Review Commission Rules Against Protest Honker By MATTHEW ARTZ 05-03-2005

Synagogue and Neighbors Spar Again Over Parking By MATTHEW ARTZ 05-03-2005

Correction 05-03-2005

Letters to the Editor 05-03-2005

Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 05-03-2005

Column: The Public Eye: Peak Oil Looms, While U.S. Remains Gluttonous By BOB BURNETT 05-03-2005

Column: Kaiser’s Voice Mail Jail Leaves Patient on Hold By SUSAN PARKER 05-03-2005

Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 05-03-2005

Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 05-03-2005

Commentary: Disemboweling Berkeley’s Disaster Response By JESSE TOWNLEY 05-03-2005

Commentary: Looking Toward the Future in Downtown Berkeley By RAUDEL WILSON 05-03-2005

Commentary: Holocaust Remembrance By KRISS WORTHINGTON 05-03-2005

Commentary:Instant Runoff Voting Held Up by Diebold By LAURENCE SCHECHTMAN 05-03-2005

Commentary: Bogotá Mayor Rules with Theatric Enforcement By AARON TUKEY 05-03-2005

News Analysis: Iraq Labor Leader: ‘We Will Defend Our Oil’ By DAVID BACON Pacific News Service 05-03-2005

UC’s International House Has Fostered Friendships for 75 Years By STEVEN FINACOM Special to the Planet 05-03-2005

Motor Oil and Mortality: What Would Jesus Do? By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 05-03-2005

‘Words and Music’At UC Berkeley By KEN BULLOCK 05-03-2005

Arts Calendar 05-03-2005

Cliff Swallows Use Social Strategies for Survival By JOE EATON Special to the Planet 05-03-2005

County School Board Moves to Shield Students From Recruters By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 04-29-2005

Council OKs UC Bridge Plan, Demands Higher Sewer Fees By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-29-2005

Battle Over City Landmarks Ordinance Dominates Planning Commission Meeting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-29-2005

Neighbors File Suit Against Owner of Alleged Drug Den By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-29-2005

BAHA Spring Tour Features Stellar Homes and Scenery By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-29-2005

City Workers Rally Against Mandatory Time Off By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-29-2005

Library Director Griffin Receives Jeers at Board Meeting By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-29-2005

Campus Bay-Inspired Bills Clear Assembly Committee By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-29-2005

Peralta Trustees Approve Laney Art Annex Contract By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 04-29-2005

Author Calls for Islamic Reforms During UC Talk By MICHAEL KATZ Special to the Planet 04-29-2005

Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 04-29-2005

Letters to the Editor 04-29-2005

Column: Oakland is Not to Blame for the State of its Schools By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR Undercurrents 04-29-2005

Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-29-2005

Commentary: Host Cities Battle University Expansion By KIM STANLEY ROBINSON 04-29-2005

Commentary: City Denied Due Process in Drayage Case By JEFFREY CARTER 04-29-2005

Commentary: Berkeley Thai Temple Responds to Critics 04-29-2005

Exhibit Highlights the Work of Women in California By STEVEN FINACOM Special to the Planet 04-29-2005

Berkeley Rep Production Revisits the People’s Temple Tragedy By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 04-29-2005

Arts Calendar 04-29-2005

A Writer’s Odyssey Through Literary Dublin By MARTA YAMAMOTO Special to the Planet 04-29-2005

Berkeley This Week 04-29-2005

Columns

Berkeley This Week 05-03-2005