The Week

First Day of School By Jakob Scholler: Victoria Falmenco, 21, a junior, puts her new UC Berkeley ID card in her wallet while Khenti Lee, 2, enjoys the sun on Sproul Plaza Monday afternoon. Lee was on campus with is mom, Jasmine Lee, a fourth-year African American Studies major, for the first day of classes.r
First Day of School By Jakob Scholler: Victoria Falmenco, 21, a junior, puts her new UC Berkeley ID card in her wallet while Khenti Lee, 2, enjoys the sun on Sproul Plaza Monday afternoon. Lee was on campus with is mom, Jasmine Lee, a fourth-year African American Studies major, for the first day of classes.r
 

News

BUSD Gears Up For New School Year By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Two days before students are scheduled to come streaming into the halls and classrooms, two Berkeley public schools showed radically different approaches to preparation this week. -more-


District Urges Caution Despite Extra Money By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday August 30, 2005

The Berkeley Unified School District is projecting that it will have $346,000 more for the school year than it anticipated last June when the 2005-06 budget was passed, but district officials cautioned that it’s not quite the time to open up the checkbook to more spending. -more-


Redevelopment Foes Challenge Oakland Project By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday August 30, 2005

“Redevelopment is very simple to understand,” said Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby at Sunday’s community meeting on proposed redevelopment in Oakland. “It’s a land grab by corporate interests, big-box retailers and developers to grab land from people like you.” -more-


‘Flying Cottage’ Encounters Turbulence at ZAB Meeting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday August 30, 2005

South Berkeley’s Flying Cottage hit yet another patch of turbulence Thursday night, this time from members of the Zoning Adjustments Board. -more-


City Officials Call on County to Implement Instant Runoff Voting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Berkeley election activists rallied on the City Hall steps Monday afternoon to call on Alameda County to hire a voting machine vendor that will support independent runoff voting (IRV) and provide a verifiable paper trail. -more-


Palestinians Struggle to Hold on to Land, Watering Holes By HENRY NORR Special to the Planet

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Life in the tiny Palestinian hamlet of Qawawis seems straight out of the Old Testament, but that doesn’t stop the Jewish settlers in the hilltop outposts that surround the place from doing their best to destroy it. And if something isn’t done soon about the settlers’ latest threat—denying Qawawis’s shepherds access to watering holes their flocks depend on—the villagers might have no choice but to abandon their ancestral homes and lands. -more-


News Analysis: Despite War of Words, U.S.-Venezuela Ties Remain Strong By VINOD SREEHARSHA Pacific News Service

Tuesday August 30, 2005

CARACAS, Venezuela—“I support Chavez for standing up to U.S. imperialism,” said Sean, a 16-year-old Canadian. He was one of 15,000 youths representing 144 countries at the recent 16th World Festival of Youth and Students, a communist splurge organized by Venezuela’s president and self-proclaimed revolutionary Hugo Chavez. -more-


News Analysis: Latinos Feel Brunt of Job-Based Insurance Drop By HILARY ABRAMSON Pacific News Service

Tuesday August 30, 2005

If every working California adult is “headed over the cliff” for lack of affordable health insurance, as the co-author of a new statewide study contends, then Latinos will be the first to go. -more-


Going to the Dogs By Ashley DuValSpecial to the Planet

Tuesday August 30, 2005

I knew I didn’t have long before they would spot me in my hiding place. There were so many that someone was bound to see me. There must have been 40 or 50 of them hanging around the fence and peering through the trees to the spot where I sat breathlessly. They seemed to be searching for wildlife—they found it all right. -more-


Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS

Tuesday August 30, 2005

http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Workj -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday August 30, 2005

WELCOME, BETH EL -more-


Column: The Public Eye: Defeat of Measure P Disguised Housing Crisis By ZELDA BRONSTEIN

Tuesday August 30, 2005

When 79 percent of Berkeley voters nixed Measure P, a.k.a. the Building Height Initiative, in November 2002, were they expressing satisfaction with the current state of planning and development in this city? That’s what some prominent individuals have been saying ever since that bitterly contested election. -more-


Column: A Confederacy of Excuses By SUSAN PARKER

Tuesday August 30, 2005

If I didn’t have this column to write I could deal with Ralph’s broken wheelchair. It hasn’t worked in over five weeks, forcing him to stay in bed except for the occasions when he must go to doctor appointments and attend meetings at the Center for Indep endent Living, in which case he and chair must be pushed, not an easy task considering their combined weight tops 300 pounds. -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Crime Pedalers -more-


Commentary: KPFA Staff Has Refused to Implement Local Station Board’s Decisions By BILL MANDEL

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Bob Baldock’s commentary in last weekend’s edition is astonishing. It is a combination of contempt of court and frank admission that the entrenched staff at KPFA has no use for the democracy its broadcasts preach to the world. -more-


Commentary: Diebold VP Says Company’s Machines Recorded Tallies Accurately in Test By DAVE BYRD

Tuesday August 30, 2005

A recent guest editorial in your paper inaccurately criticized Secretary of State Bruce McPherson about the latest developments in California’s move to electronic voting machines. The piece misused several figures reported by the Associated Press and Con tra Costa Times about a recent testing of Diebold Election Systems, Inc.’s (DESI) AccuVote-TSX with AccuView Printer Module election voting machines. The author also sarcastically accused a respected public official of poor math skills. One of the misstated facts claimed that during the dry-run test of the Diebold election system, McPherson’s office reported a 10 percent failure rate (the guest writer wondered if the failure rate was actually higher, which it was not). In fact, in that test, 10,720 votes were recorded on 96 voting machines with 100 percent accuracy. Despite 11 paper jams and 21 other problems on the new machine-printer combination, not a single ballot was lost. -more-


Commentary: Library Forum on RFID Revealed Threats to Privacy, Health By WANDA CROW

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Here are some of the things that I learned at the Aug. 1 “community forum” on radio frequency identification devices (RFID) sponsored by the Board of Library Trustees: Patrons’ reading materials cannot be protected from prying eyes, and anyone can buy a reader/scanner for $150. I learned that there are many studies showing that radiation from radio frequency poses a threat to public health, and I discovered that Councilmember Gordon Wozniak studied none of these before he became an expert panelist for the forum. Moreover, Checkpoint (the RFID company that the library contracted with) is negligent in repairing its equipment, and the Berkeley Public Library and its board were, and continue to be, even more negligent in researching the claims of RFID’s efficacy in reducing both repetitive stress injuries and theft of library materials. As well I learned that Checkpoint is not a new company, but one that’s been around since the 1960s. -more-


Arts: Jazz Greats and Newcomers Fill Out Fall Programs By IRA STEINGROOTSpecial to the Planet

Tuesday August 30, 2005

The Bay Area will play host to an abundance of great jazz this fall. The single most important event of the next few months is the San Francisco Jazz Festival with almost 50 events scattered around the city. In Oakland, Yoshi’s continues to bring some of the best jazz musicians in the world to their restaurant/nightclub, while in Berkeley, there will be great jazz offerings at the Jazz-school and at Anna’s Jazz Island. -more-


Books: Two Novels in Support of the Artist’s Right to Privacy By DOROTHY BRYANT Special to the Planet

Tuesday August 30, 2005

A few years ago I attended a performance of a new opera The Aspern Papers, after the Henry James novella. The composer had, of course, taken liberties with the story, juggling generations of time, changing some names, changing the dead poet to a dead composer, changing the setting from Venice to Lake Como so that the poet-cum-composer could drown while taking a midnight swim home from his lady-love’s villa (if you tried to swim down a Venice canal, you’d probably get a nasty case of dysentery, but you couldn’t drown). I accepted these changes, but I became uneasy when private letters were changed to the only copy of a lost opera. And when the finale featured Tina as a woman scorned, burning this manuscript of the last opera by the great composer, I left the hall sputtering condemnations to my bemused companions, who shrugged, “Guess he wanted to make it more dramatic, more operatic.” -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday August 30, 2005

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30 -more-


When Sorting Out Cedars, Take a Look at the Latin By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet

Tuesday August 30, 2005

Alert reader Hal Hoffman called the Daily Planet to note that I’d sent the last tree column, published on Aug. 16, without mentioning the tree’s species epithet. He’s entirely correct, and I’m grateful and abashed; getting that Latin-ish binomial in is a principle of mine. Knowing the scientific name of anything is a key to learning what there is to know about it, from every possible source. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday August 30, 2005

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30 -more-


New Life for Troubled Le Chateau By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday August 26, 2005

The student co-operative long derided as Cal’s version of Animal House has been given a new name and a facelift that has it looking on par with the homes of neighbors who last year filed a nuisance suit against the property. -more-


BUSD Says Derby Might Be Closed By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday August 26, 2005

The Berkeley school board kept the option of closing a portion of Derby Street alive for its East Campus properties Wednesday night. -more-


Opponents of Oakland Redevelopment Target Eminent Domain Issue By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday August 26, 2005

Foes of plans to create a new Oakland redevelopment district just south of the Berkeley border are holding a public meeting Sunday to confront a central feature of the proposal—eminent domain. -more-


New Bike Path on the Way For Old Railroad Line By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday August 26, 2005

Berkeley broke ground Tuesday on its newest bicycle-pedestrian trail—a four-block path the city hopes will one day connect to the Ohlone Greenway and improve access to the I-80 Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge. -more-


This Just In: Elmwood Theater is Open Again

Friday August 26, 2005

Wednesday night the Elmwood Theater had its underground pre-opening. -more-


UC Berkeley Briefs By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday August 26, 2005

Agreement May End Greek Alcohol Ban -more-


Alameda County Could Replace Diebold Machines By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday August 26, 2005

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors Tuesday will consider accepting bids for new voting machines to replace the controversial Diebold touch-screen voting systems. -more-


Column: Undercurrents: A Few More Remarks About Jack London’s Racisim By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday August 26, 2005

Last week, we began a discussion on a troubling aspect of Oakland’s veneration of the writer Jack London, the Oakland native who is probably the most honored person in the city (Mr. Knowland has himself a park, Mr. Ogawa a plaza, Mr. Harris a building, but Mr. London has a whole square). The troubling aspect to which I refer is that some of Mr. London’s writings reflect bigotry against Asian-Americans and African-Americans (haven’t run across any anti-Mexican passages, but I’m still in the preliminary stages of my research). -more-


CORRECTION

Friday August 26, 2005

The story “Bayer Corp. Janitors Hold on To Their Jobs,” in the Aug. 19 edition of the Daily Planet incorrectly reported that ILWU Business Agent Donald Mahon said Bayer had not asked janitors to take a pay cut. In fact, Mahon said that Bayer had asked janitors to accept lower pay.› -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday August 26, 2005

MOUNTAIN BIKING -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday August 26, 2005

Middle school heist -more-


Commentary: Harrassment Charges at KPFA Must Be Taken Seriously By BOB BALDOCK

Friday August 26, 2005

Long-time Berkeley resident Marc Sapir, not a man hesitant to declare his views, chose last week to advance instead in the Daily Planet the words of KPFA manager Roy Campanella, Jr, and two of Campanella’s supporters on KPFA’s Local Station Board. In doing this, Sapir dismissed, or certainly tried to, the sexual harassment claims of eight KPFA women workers—all against the manager, all now filed with the state—by ignorantly belittling them and then by insinuating the claims all have a common and ulterior motivation. This is unbelievably insulting to the women and to those who care about them. In my judgment, each of the women and each of their claims must be taken very seriously. -more-


Commentary: Station Board Members Evaluate Campanella

Friday August 26, 2005

Since May 21, 2005, the KPFA Local Station Board (LSB) has been actively examining the situation at KPFA regarding the conduct of its general manager (general manager), Mr. Roy Campanella II. The LSB was asked to investigate these matters at the invitation of Mr. Dan Coughlin, the former executive director (executive director) of the Pacifica Foundation (parent corporation of KPFA) and Mr. Campanella’s direct supervisor. -more-


Commentary: Primary (Reform Under False) Colors By Thomas Gangale

Friday August 26, 2005

The greatest political issue of 2005 is flying under the publicCs radar: how shall we decide who gets to be on the November 2008 ballot? Ah! To nominate or not to nominate, that is the question! -more-


Back to Berkeley: Berkeley Abounds in Wi-Fi Hotspots; Many are Free By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday August 26, 2005

While AirBears, UC Berkeley’s wireless Internet connection for students, faculty and staff, offers Wi-Fi on and around the campus, the city of Berkeley and nearby environs offer dozens of restaurants and coffee shops featuring wireless connections for everybody. -more-


Back to Berkeley: The East Bay Offers Scores of Unusual and Intimate Concerts By BECKY O’MALLEY

Friday August 26, 2005

The Bay Area is home to an enormous number and variety of classical musicians. The Arts Calendar in every issue of the Daily Planet lists unusual small concerts by local artists, some with international reputations, which are easily accessible and affordable for music lovers in the Greater Berkeley area. One which is typical of the rich selection available will take place this Sunday afternoon at Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes, part of the “Sunday Afternoon Musicale and Tea Series” presented this fall by the Oakland Lyric Opera organization. OLO’s goal is “to preserve the art form of opera by working with young, local, classically-trained performers who are on a career track and to make high-quality, affordable opera available to everyone.” -more-


Back to Berkeley: A Few Reasons to Stay on this Side of the Bay at Night By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday August 26, 2005

Berkeley is many things, but a San Francisco suburb it is not. Berkeley has its own symphony, its own theater district and an assortment of restaurants that rival any town in North America. -more-


Back to Berkeley: Berkeley Landmarks Are Everywhere You Look By DANIELLA THOMPSONSpecial to the Planet

Friday August 26, 2005

If you’ve driven around California, you’ll no doubt have seen the ubiquitous signs that grace the entrance to various cities, directing you to the historic district (often downtown) or what’s left of it. Berkeley has no such sign—probably because it’s preserved more of its historic heritage than most cities, and because our landmarks aren’t confined to one area but can be found all over town. -more-


Back to Berkeley: Local Spots Where Vegetarians Can Eat Well By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday August 26, 2005

At first blush one would think of Berkeley as a Mecca for vegetarian eateries. But, alas, free speech and soy protein do not always go hand-in-hand. -more-


Back to Berkeley: Local Theater Groups Present Robust Programs By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet

Friday August 26, 2005

Despite grant funding drying up and the competition of movies, video and other cheaper, often in-the-home competition, live theater performance continues to thrive, even spill over in the Bay Area—and Berkeley is no exception. -more-


Back to Berkeley: High School Students Struggle With Stress, Depression By ELIZABETH HOPPERSpecial to the Planet

Friday August 26, 2005

Most adults know that being a high school student isn’t easy. However, many would be surprised to learn that the vast majority of teenagers are becoming depressed and losing sleep over problems that are much less superficial than fashion or the high scho ol social scene. -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday August 26, 2005

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday August 26, 2005

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Experiments Enhance Education By BECKY O'MALLEY

Tuesday August 30, 2005

For those of us who have spent a substantial part of our lives in or near educational institutions—and that’s most of us in Greater Berkeley—the approach of September always feels like the real New Year. Even for small children it’s the chance to start over again and to get it right this time. Over the weekend we attended a small gathering marking the tenth anniversary of the deaths of Page and Eloise Smith, who 40 years ago spearheaded some significant attempts to get education right. -more-


Editorial Welcome Back, Part Two By BECKY O'MALLEY

Friday August 26, 2005

This issue of the Berkeley Daily Planet contains the second of two special “Back to Berkeley” pullout magazine sections. Like the first one (which is still being distributed around town as well) it’s full of insider tips from local residents on how students and other newcomers can make the most of their Berkeley experience. For those of you who can’t find a copy of Part One, we’ll just repeat a bit of what we said earlier. The Planet is the publication for what we call Greater Berkeley: people who live in Berkeley, but also people who work in Berkeley, shop in Berkeley, go to school in Berkeley, or even just wish that they lived, worked or shopped in Berkeley. We believe that Berkeley is a state of mind which has expansive boundaries. Those of us who are lifers here are happy to welcome most of the new faces we see every August. -more-