In a speech that touched on topics both local and global during his campaign stop at the Berkeley YWCA Sunday, Democratic presidential contender John Edwards sent a message to UC Berkeley. 

“The greatness of a university is not only measured by its great men and women or by its great resources. But greatness is also recognized in how you treat those who work hard every day to make this university what it is,” said Edwards, referring to the UC custodians who are locked in a labor dispute with university authorities. 

“We stand in solidarity with the men and women of this university who deserve the dignity of earning a livable wage,” he said to a cheering crowd of more than a thousand people who had crammed alleyways and parking lots to listen to him speak at his “Tomorrow Begins Today” rally. 

Edwards said he was at the YWCA instead of the campus to show his support for campus janitors who are part of the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees. 

“How about if we actually have a living wage in the U.S.?” he asked. “How about if we make it easier, not harder for workers to join unions?” 

Edwards said that unions were the future of America. 

Michelle Wasserman, president of the Cal Berkeley Democrats, said that she endorsed John Edwards because she believed he would bring about specific change. 

“I am tired of the increasing tuition and the cuts in university grants,” she said. “Edwards cares about the people. He cares about the lives of women—as a lawyer, a senator, a husband and a father of two daughters.” 

When asked if he approved the public-private partnership between UC Berkeley and BP (formerly British Petroleum) for academic research during a press meet at a back room of the YWCA, Edwards admitted that he did not have enough details about the deal to make a decision. 

“I don’t have the facts but any kind of public-private partnership between a public and a private institution is a terrific idea,” he said. 

Reminiscing on the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery that led to black voting-rights marchers being brutally abused and beaten up by state troopers, Edwards said the march for equality was still continuing. 

“I was 11 years old at that time and living in the south which was filled with discrimination,” he said. “Segregation still exists today. I remember the ‘whites only’ signs in the diners. The white kids sitting downstairs at the movie theaters and the black kids upstairs.” 

He added, “The march for equality at UC Berkeley is part of the greater march for fairness.” 

When reporters asked Edwards if he was seeking an apology from author Ann Coulter—who had called him a “faggot” at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington last week, Edwards said he wasn’t. 

“I think it’s important we don’t reward selfish, hateful, childish, racist behavior,” he said, adding that the slur was no more tolerable than the language he had heard being directed at African Americans while growing up. 

Edwards also spoke strongly on the genocide in Darfur, global warming, HIV Aids in Africa, and the war in Iraq. 

“I voted for the war and I was wrong to vote for it. No excuses,” he said. “Congress should use constitutional power to stop George W. Bush from accelerating troops in Iraq. They should force him to bring back troops by next year. The president has already exceeded his authority by monitoring civil war in Iraq.” 

Calling the current healthcare system dysfunctional, Edwards said that he was the only presidential candidate who had plans for a universal detailed health care system that involved $90 to $120 billion in funds. 

Critics of the proposed agreement between UC Berkeley and BP — the rebranded British Petroleum — should take their best shots now, because once the deal is signed not only Big Oil, but Big Academy and Big Government Lab will mobilize their own PR folks to fire back. 

Should a final contract be signed as UC Berkeley proposes, the collective public relations efforts of academia and the corporation will be formally obligated to uphold the project as the world’s leading research in alternative energy, implicitly holding up biofuels as the preeminent solution to world energy woes. 

What’s more, venture capital firms have promised to marshal their lobbying efforts to catch the ears of hesitant legislators and other government leaders. 

All these efforts will target would-be critics of a project that proposes nothing less than to re-engineer living plant cells to toil away as microfactories, delivering the raw materials to other living cells toiling away to turn plantstuff into fuel to keep cars and trucks on the road.  

These facts—and many more—emerge from a close reading of the 93-page submission, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Planet, which was used by UC Berkeley, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana (UI) to win the promise of a half-billion dollars from the global oil giant,  

One commonly understood phrase is missing though omnipresent throughout the first 56 pages of the document and appears only in the final and shortest item in the research program—and then only as a warning that “This research will profit from paying significant attention to the evolving regulatory and societal response to genetically modified organisms at the domestic and international level.” 

Genetically modified organisms—or GMOs—have provoked political firestorms, and bans in Europe and protests and suicides by Indian farmers have heightened the controversy around their creation and use. 

But, as the document makes clear on page 56, “Synthetic biology is a core function with the EBI,” with “synthetic biology” being the reframed and university-and-BP-preferred alternative name to GMO. 

“Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities—such as enzyme, genetic circuits and cells—or the redesign of existing biological systems,” states the proposal. 

Still to be finalized is a basic legal document for the project, which is to be negotiated between and signed by UC Berkeley and BP, with the University of Illinois and LBNL serving as subcontractors to Cal. 

BP itself would create a proprietary subsidiary to conduct its own research in separate quarters in the same building. 

Designer genes 

While some gene-engineered microbes are eating GMO plantstuff and excreting ethanol and other fuels, other microscopic forms of “synthetic biology” could be slaving away deep beneath the earth’s surface, chomping down on hard-to-reach oil and rendering it easier to extract or digesting coal into cleaner forms of liquid fuel. 

But most of the emphasis is on biomass—chopped up bits of cropped plants—as the likely source of the energy-creation efforts of the Energy Biosciences Institute, or EBI. 

The proposal lists three potential sources of biomass to be used for fuels in addition to corn: fast-growing poplar trees, switchgrass and miscanthus—with the emphasis on the last, a tall, hardy perennial already being used in European pilot programs. 

Experiments will focus on developing GMO strains tweaked to overcome biological factors that make it hard for microorganisms to digest. 

Tasked with creating the new plants are the Biomass Engineering, Lignin, Feedstocks and Breeding laboratories. The Feedstock Pretreatment, Enzyme Discovery, Enzyme Evolution and Engineering and Biofuels Chemistry laboratories will explore processing the plants, and the Laboratory for Integrated Bioprocessing will focus on treating a single organism that would both produce enzymes to break down biomass and convert the resulting compounds to fuels. 

The Pathway Engineering Lab, aided by the Host Engineering Laboratory, will identify the genes that produce critical enzymes and develop organisms that thrive in harsh industrial conditions in the presence of compounds that might otherwise destroy the microbes in their naturally occurring forms. 

Several more labs will focus on enzymes. 

The Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery and Fossil Fuel Bioprocessing labs will concentrate on petroleum and coal, respectively, while the Biological Carbon Sequestration lab will seeks ways to trap more carbon and keep it from the atmosphere. 

Another lab will focus on harvesting, transport and storage. 

The remaining labs will focus on marketing, social and environmental implications, and developing tools to implement, evaluate and regulate the emerging GMO-derived fuel industry. 

Construction sites 

The proposal sites the main offices and labs in a purpose-built facility at LBNL. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged $40 million in state funds for the structure, and the university has lined up $15 million in private contributions and $30 million in state lease revenue bonds, based on revenues anticipated from BP. 

The structure, envisioned as a three-story building, will be located next to a planned new parking lot with 150 spaces—the same number as the anticipated number of staff positions. 

Initially, the program would operate in two existing structures, Hildebrand Hall, a research building, and the Calvin Laboratory, a structure scheduled for demolition to make way for a new office and meeting complex joining the university’s law and business schools. 

Initial plans call for a three-story building at LBNL with special containment labs designed to prevent release of any of the organisms created at the lab. The lab rated Biohazard Safety Level 2 on a scale from one to four, with four covering the most lethal agents. BSL 2 is the level mandated for handling the HIV, influenza and hepatitis viruses. 

The proposal accepted by BP last month declares that UC Regents are scheduled to approve the structure this month, with detailed design work to start by summer. 

That schedule is dependent on approval of the Environmental Impact Report for LBNL’s Long Range Development Plan, now the subject of public hearings, including an upcoming joint meeting of the city’s Planning, Landmarks Preservation, Transportation and Community Health commissions. The session begins at 7 p.m. Mar. 14 in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The City Council will add its own comments the following Tuesday. 

The deadline for all public comments is March 23. A copy of the draft EIR is available on the lab’s website at www.lbl.gov/LRDP/. 

A smaller, 6,748-square-foot lab will be housed in an existing building at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in the Institute of Genomic Biology building. 

The project will use a variety of other facilities and scientific equipment at LBNL and will occupy some of the space in a new 11,600-square-foot Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center.  

Plans also call for use of the university’s Oxford Tract and Growing Field and yet another university-own site three miles from campus. 

In addition to controlling all of the research conducted by its own scientists, BP has the right to review all research conducted by faculty and students at the institute to make sure no trade secrets for corporate research leak out. 

In addition to testing crops at sites provided by UI, the Biofuels Markets and Networks and the Biofuels Evaluation and Adoption laboratories will seek out test sites in Europe, China and Africa and field research sites in the U.S., Europe, China, India, Africa and Latin America—looking at both growing conditions and the political and regulatory climates. 

PR and outreach 

The public relations push is mandated on page 56 of the proposal, which calls for the combined PR efforts of BP, the two universities and the lab “to ensure that the EBI maintains national and international visibility as the world’s premier energy research institute.” 

Implications of this massive PR push for other forms of energy research, including solar, wind, tidal and even nuclear, aren’t mentioned. The universities have committed to pushing biofuels as the premier solution to the world’s energy crisis—and as a lab representative told the Berkeley Planning Commission, the primary purpose of the fuels is to keep transportation moving. 

The proposal also recruits the extension services of the two university systems to sell the institute to students at the universities and in public schools, and to grant access to both forms of academia to BP engineers and scientists to encourage the young to pursue careers in the field. 

Scientists will also get to work on marketing their work with the help of MBA. students from UC Berkeley’s Management of Technology Program, a joint effort of the Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering and the School of Information. 

Senior industry executives and venture capitalists have pledged to support the program by: 

• Investing in BP spinoff companies and other businesses needed to solidify the emerging industry. 

• Bringing in new corporate partners in line with BP’s interest. 

• Mentoring EBI graduate and post-doctoral students looking for jobs in the industry. 

• “Advocating for” federal and state policies supporting EBI and the biofuel industry. 

The closest the proposal comes to a watchdog body is the Social Interactions and Risk Laboratory, which is staffed by two economists, a biologist, an MBA and a Harvard-trained lawyer. There is no provision for lay membership or an ombudsperson.  

Rights 

Patent rights to inventions and discoveries fall into two classes: BP-only and open research. 

The first category involves the work of BP scientists in the half of the building they lease from the university, a space from which university staff are “excluded entirely in performance of their university activities.” 

However, BP will also contract with faculty and do research jointly with faculty members, resulting in more complex financial relations. 

University-only research would belong to the university, but profits from discoveries by joint teams would be shared, as would the fruits of research by BP scientists using university or LBNL facilities. 

Next week, Mayor Tom Bates will introduce the “Public Commons for Everyone Initiative,” a proposal some say could provide the needed muscle to displace those who sit endlessly in the city’s public spaces adjacent to businesses. Others contend the mayor’s plan would erode the civil rights of those targeted, especially the homeless and mentally ill. 

The proposal, if adopted in principle by the City Council, will then go to the city manager and several commissions for their input, before returning to the council in May.  

Chamber of Commerce President Roland Peterson, also director of the Telegraph Avenue Business Improvement District, says the city needs new tools to address inappropriate street behavior. 

He describes the problem as groups of youths “who sit for hours on end” on the street. While generally they don’t block stores or the public right of way, he says, most objectionable is that they verbally accost passersby, sometimes asking for money, sometimes being crude, even sometimes being witty. And when they get up and move on, they leave a lot of litter behind them, he says. 

“I hope we can get some restrictions on long-term sitting,” Peterson said, underscoring that the restrictions would exclude such activities as sidewalk dining or watching a parade. 

Attorney Osha Neumann, who often defends homeless and poor people, said the mayor’s plan could lead to “civil rights violations without trying to get to the root of the problem.” 

Neumann said there is nothing illegal about sitting on the sidewalk and asking for money and condemned those who say the homeless are responsible for the death of Cody’s, the Telegraph Avenue bookstore that closed last summer. “[The homeless] are the easiest possible target,” he said. 

Mayor Tom Bates was not available for comment. The proposal, which comes from his office, underscores the role the city plays in providing services: “Our community has a long and strong history of funding and supporting services dedicated to improving the lives of people who are homeless or living in poverty and for people facing issues of substance abuse and/or mental illness,” it says. 

out that the actions of added police and mental health teams on Telegraph Avenue have “the unintended consequence of transferring some of the street behavior problems to the downtown and surrounding areas.” 

Bates’ proposal speaks to the needs of the business community. While lack of parking and Internet sales plays into businesses leaving Berkeley, another factor is the “social deterioration of our streets,” the proposal states. 

The proposal speaks to “working with local merchants to develop clear expectations for street appearances,” addressing social conditions by “improving outreach and access to services and by creating consistent community standards for public behavior—specifically preventing behaviors such as prolonged sitting and smoking in front of businesses, yelling at people as they walk along the corridor, and/or selling or consuming drugs.” 

The proposal includes providing “effective legal tools for keeping the sidewalk free from obstruction.” 

Like Neumann, Councilmember Dona Spring said she fears the measure will interfere with people’s civil rights. “I don’t want to see a double standard,” she said, noting that people would still be allowed to sit on the sidewalk in front of cafes. “They don’t want people without money sitting down,” she said, adding that in the recommendation there was no mention of new funding to expand services. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said the emphasis should be on attracting vibrant businesses. When there’s a bustling business, such as the new Peet’s on Telegraph, “the homeless fade into the background,” he said. 

Deborah Badhia, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association, hadn’t seen Bates’ proposal when reached by the Planet Monday afternoon, but said the DBA wants public space available for everyone who visits downtown. Now that space is sometimes “dominated by negative street behavior,” she said. 

Berkeley has a host of services, she said, and may need increased enforcement against negative behavior. “The DBA wants a good, healthy balance between services and enforcement,” she said. 

Stepped-up enforcement may be particularly necessary for people on the lower end of the economic scale who don’t benefit from the same kind of financial safety net as middle-class people, whose family might help them get needed physical or mental health treatment, Badhia said. Law enforcement can direct people into treatment programs. “If it’s the right moment, people will accept treatment,” Badhia said. 

In an undated article posted on the Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) website, BOSS executive director boona cheema writes about the differing views people have of panhandlers: “We cannot find consensus as to how to end poverty and homelessness and respond to its most visible prodigy, the panhandler. People who beg for survival or to feed their addictions or supplement their mediocre wages are seen as the failures of this great country … [They are written] violations until misdemeanors become felonies and [we] put them in jail where we seem to be warehousing everyone who seems like a threat to this great society. Whether to criminalize them, or to allow them the right to beg, sleep, lie or sit in our streets has been at the heart of calm and heated debates in the history of the United States.”  

The debate moves to the Berkeley City Council March 13.

On a 5-0-2 vote, Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) raised a challenge to expansion plans for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Thursday night. Commissioners Miriam Ng and Fran Packard abstained on the vote. 

The major concern of the majority was the impact of a massive construction program planned over the next 18 years in Strawberry Canyon in the Berkeley hills. 

The comments came in response to a formal request to contribute concerns about the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) filed on the lab’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) 2025. 

“We’re concerned that the LRDP does not recognize the impact on a potential cultural landscape,” said Lesley Emmington. 

“It’s incorrect to say the projects will have no significant impacts,” said Chair Robert Johnson, citing the conclusions of the DEIR, adding that the university should include mitigations or alternatives lacking in the document. 

Commissioners will get a second chance to comment next Wednesday when they and three other city commissions conduct a 7 p.m. public hearing in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The EIR motion came near the end of a long session that featured a presentation from UC Berkeley on plans to turn the exterior of the old UC Printing Plant into a projection screen for displaying electronic art pending demolition of the landmark to make room for a new museum. The session also included hearings on plans for two other landmarks and efforts to designate the endangered Iceland as a city landmark. 

Members also got a sneak peak at a new development planned for downtown Berkeley, the renovation of the landmarked Fidelity Savings Building and construction of an adjacent six-story apartment-over-retail building on a narrow lot at 2323 Shattuck Ave. 

Architect Jim Novosel drafted the plans, which call for restoration of both the interior and exterior of the landmark. 

“The foundation of this project is preservation,” he said, and the developer had agreed to forego the right to add additional height to the landmark while adding the mixed -use building to the north, which features solar energy collectors on the roof of a traditionally styled exterior. 

Inclusion of units reserved for lower-income tenants would allow the addition of a sixth floor above the five normally permitted downtown, he said.  

While commissioners had qualms about some of the details of the upper two floors, the plan met with general approval and seems likely to win a final nod.  

The Iceland hearing pitted attorney Rena Rickles against advocates of the rink whose owners say is too expensive to run. 

With the rink slated to close at the end of the month, Rickles asked commissioners to wait on acting on the landmark application so the owner could negotiate a compromise that would allow for development plans that would remove the unique earth berms built to help cool a structure which retains most of its original construction details. 

Plans being formed by developer and broker John Gordon would call for alterations to the building, while preserving the Milvia Street facade and maintaining a smaller skating area while adding new uses. 

Iceland produced two world-class ice skaters in Peggy Fleming and Brian Boitano, said Tom Killelea, who hopes to keep the rink intact. The building also housed the first national skating events west of the Mississippi, he said. 

Elizabeth Grassetti, president of the University Skating Club, also argued for preservation. “We want to see it stay a skating rink for the next 100 years,” she said. 

When Mother Nature upstaged Rickles with a twitch precisely at 8:40 p.m., after a brief moment of startled silence, the first words were about numbers, the precise spot where the temblor tickled the Richter Scale, sparking a series of speculations settled minutes later when a number arrived by Steve Winkel’s PDA (a pocket-sized computer called a personal data assistant). 

Rickles, unfazed, had already picked up precisely where she’d been halted moments before, offering a small joke. The attorney urged compromise, adding, “We would very much not like to appeal.” 

Commissioner Jill Korte said any effort to limit the initiative was premature before the commission had determined which features of the building were architecturally significant, and colleague Gary Parsons, an architect, said the earth berms were “pretty radical” at the time of construction, a green idea amazing for the time. 

Emmington said supporters should explore ways to find additional funds in the same way proponents of the Richmond Plunge had helped save that landmark public swimming facility. 

Members opted to create a subcommittee consisting of Johnson, Winkle and Packard to work on a final application with proponents and Rickles. 

Members also opened a hearing on modifications to the landmarked South Pacific station at 700 University Ave. needed to let Brennan’s Irish Pub take up quarters in the Spanish-style landmark. 

The move was made necessary by plans to level the surrounding block, including the pub’s current home, to make way for high-density housing over a retail complex. Barring a sudden reversal, approval seems likely at next month’s LPC meeting

Supporters of a new multi-school education center for Oakland Unified School District’s Second Avenue properties moved quickly to capitalize on the momentum gained from the collapse of the deal to sell that property, winning key commitments from local political and agency leaders for their project at an overflow mass meeting of more than 300 parents and students at Laney College last Thursday night. 

Meanwhile, although the property sale to another developer is not completely dead, it appears less likely to be able to re-materialize this year after a spokesperson for state Sen. Don Perata said that there was no bill currently pending before the state Legislature to extend the deadline for the sale of that property past the current June 30 date. The date has passed for any new legislation to be introduced for the current legislative term.  

Perata was the power behind the original drive to sell the Second Avenue properties. 

With the Laney Forum so packed at last week’s mass meeting that there was standing-room-only along the auditorium’s upper railing high above the stage area, State Assemblymember Sandré Swanson and Oakland City Councilmember Pat Kernighan as well as representatives of Oakland Unified School District State Administrator Kimberly Stathan and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums all voiced support for the education center project. 

The meeting was organized by a loose coalition representing the five schools currently on the Second Avenue property, the Oakland Community Organizations, the East Bay Asian Youth Center, and OUSD’s Office of Community Accountability. 

A spokesperson for Stathan said that her office would begin setting up the planning process for the development of the facility.  

Assemblymember Swanson, who has introduced a bill in the assembly to return local control the Oakland schools, told the cheering gathering that he came to the meeting personally “because I wanted to hear for myself the enthusiasm you have for this project. I am so proud of you. You are Oakland, and Oakland is you. You have to have your schools built on the Second Avenue properties because this is what you deserve.” 

The loudest cheers were reserved for School Board President David Kakishiba, who represents the area where the Second Avenue properties are located, and who has led the fight on the board of trustees to preserve the schools in their present location. Kakishiba spoke only briefly, saying that the board had gone on record last September in support of the education center construction, and “that position is the current position of the board of education.” 

Neku Pogue, representing Don Perata, gave qualified support for the project, saying that “the decision lies with the district. The district is supporting it, and the senator certainly will not step on their toes.” When one community resident asked Pogue if Perata would commit to meeting personally with representatives of the five schools to talk about the project, Pogue said that Perata was a “busy person,” but she would try to set up a meeting.  

Asked if Mayor Dellums would discourage developers from continuing efforts to purchase the Second Avenue properties, Dellums’ educational representative, Kitty Kelly Epstein, said that “the mayor is a very persuasive person. He has already used that persuasion to discourage the purchase of that property by developers. I assure you that he will do so in the future.” 

Five schools—Dewey Academy High School, MetWest High School, La Escuelita Elementary School, Centro Infantil Child Development Center and Yuk Yao Child Development Center—currently sit on the 8.25-acre property along with the district’s aging Paul Robeson Administration Building. 

Last September, at the end of public hearings on state Superintendent Jack O’Connell’s proposed sale of the Second Avenue properties to the TerraMark/UrbanAmerica East Coast development team, OUSD’s advisory board of trustees voted 6-1 (trustee Kerry Hamill voting no) to oppose the proposed sale and to support trustee Noel Gallo’s proposal to build new facilities on the site to house the child development centers, a multi-school kindergarten to high school program, and new district administrative facilities. 

Under SB512, the general state education bill passed in 2005, the state superintendent’s office has until June 30 to sell the Second Avenue property under special guidelines that allow the streamlining of the sale procedures, as well as allow the proceeds of the sale to go towards helping to retire OUSD’s debt to the state. After that date, the sale would be more difficult to carry out, and the proceeds could not be used to help retire the state debt. 

Last month, state Administrator Statham and state Superintendent Jack O’Connell announced that the state and TerraMark/UrbanAmerica had reached a mutual agreement to break off negotiations over a contract for the East Coast developers to purchase the land. 

At the same time, O’Connell refused to rule out the sale entirely to any other developer, stating only that there were no current plans to sell the land. Under the original RFP issued two years ago, there were two other developers—Gilbane Properties of Palo Alto, and a development team including Oakland-based Strategic Urban Development Associates. While the state would not have enough time to solicit new development proposals to beat the June 30 deadline, there still remains time for O’Connell to reach agreement with one of the two remaining developers from the original RFP. 

Topical folksinger, hero, revolutionary, teacher, social worker, ex-political prisoner, Annette Auguste—best known as So An—is celebrated among Haiti’s poor majority for her commitment to the tiny nation’s struggle for sovereignty and democracy, according to members of the Berkeley-based Haiti Action Committee, which is bringing So An to the Bay Area this week. 

So An, 65, grew up in Porte-au-Prince. She had a happy childhood and, as her parents were factory workers, she was able to attend school.  

The presidency of Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, beginning in 1956, cast a shadow over the country. “In Duvalier’s time nobody could say what they wanted to say or talk normally because we were so afraid of Duvalier and the Tonton Macoutes,” So An told the Daily Planet, speaking in French—her second language after Haitian Creole—in a phone interview Saturday from Port-au-Prince.  

“That’s why I left to go to New York City [as a young adult]. There I found people who had the same outlook as I. We fought against Duvalier from New York.” 

There, So An participated in radio broadcasts, which helped cohere the U.S. anti-Duvalierist movement, according to Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti Action Committee, who told the Daily Planet he was inspired as a young Haitian refugee by the broadcasts’ anti-Duvalierist and feminist messages. 

Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier succeeded his father and was forced out in 1986; a succession of rulers followed him. In 1990, Jean Bertrand Aristide, an outspoken priest who preached liberation theology, was elected president, but overthrown by a military coup seven months into his rule. 

Three years later, with the help of the U.S. Marines, Aristide was returned to power. That’s when So An decided it was time to go home. 

In Haiti she did social work, “helping people go to school and to get something to eat, taking sick people to the hospital,” she said, all the while, working to strengthen the movement for democracy.  

“The fight for democracy is something everyone must do. The democracy is us. It brings honor to everyone. With Aristide, there was real democracy because everybody could talk to each other and demonstrate if they wanted to,” So An said. 

Aristide served the remainder of his five years in office after which René Préval was elected and served five years. A president cannot succeed himself in Haiti, and so Aristide did not run for office again until 2000, when he was re-elected president by 92 percent of the vote. 

But on Feb. 29, 2004, according to Aristide, the U.S. Marines “kidnapped” him and forced him into exile. (Some insist that Aristide asked the U.S. to help him leave, as some 200 former Haitian soldiers were threatening to march on Port-au-Prince.) Aristide remains in South Africa today.  

With Aristide gone and with the backing of the U.S., France and Haiti, Gérard Latortue, a Haitian living in Florida, was named interim prime minister, and the unelected Haitian government, with the help of the Multinational Interim Force (MIF)—made up mostly of American, French and Canadian military—started rounding up Aristide allies. (The MIF was replaced by mostly South American military under U.N. command in June 2004.) 

So An was among those packed into Haiti’s prisons. 

In a call for her release in January 2006, Amnesty International describes So An’s arrest: “Annette Auguste… a prominent folk singer, community leader and supporter of the Fanmi Lavalas party [Aristide’s party] was arrested at her home around midnight on 9 May 2004, by a contingent of U.S. Marines [belonging to the MIF] on suspicion of possessing information that could pose a threat to the U.S.-military force deployed in Haiti…. 

“During the arrest they reportedly used explosives to open the front gate; shots were fired and the door to the house was forced open, even though the Marines reportedly met no resistance. According to Lt. Col Dave Lapan, a spokesman of the MIF, U.S. soldiers searched Annette Auguste’s house but no weapons or evidence on the allegations was found.”  

Nevertheless, along with some ten members of her family, including a five-year-old grandchild, So An was handcuffed and arrested. The others were freed, but So An was imprisoned for two years and three months, without a trial. 

“Imagine that I could threaten America, the most powerful country in the world!” So An said. “They wanted to attack me because I’m a friend of Aristide’s.” 

So An survived her time in the sweltering overcrowded women’s prison by doing just what she did on the outside: “I taught people to read and to do crochet. There are a lot of people in prison who don’t know how to read or write.” 

So An did more than merely survive in prison: “I went to prison with my pride and came out with my pride as well,” she said, pointing out that while she is out of prison, the jails are still crowded with Aristide supporters. 

The U.S.-backed interim prime minister is back home in Florida; Préval took office as president last year. “I said to myself that now there is a president who was elected democratically, he has to do what is necessary. He needs to do something for the political prisoners,” So An said. 

But she said she found that “this democracy wears a mask.” In fact, she said, Haiti is now run by a “disguised occupation”: the U.N. military forces. The superpowers “do not want to show openly they are an occupation,” she said.  

Today there are 8,550 uniformed U.N. personnel in Haiti, including 6,782 troops and 1,768 police, supported by 432 international civilian personnel, 642 local civilian staff and 166 United Nations volunteers, according to the U.N. website.  

Of the U.N. military incursions into Cité Soleil, the large impoverished shantytown where many innocents have been reported killed by the U.N. military, So An said: “We have [the U.N. military] in Haiti. If you take a look in Cité Soleil, they are the masters.” (The U.N. contends its forces go into Cité Soleil to apprehend criminals.) 

U.S. supporters can help grassroots Haitians, So An said.“You have to help denounce those things and write it in your newspapers.” 

So An will speak at 7 p.m., March 10, at The Uptown, 401 26th St, Oakland. Music will be by Vukani Mawethu and So An, accompanied by her husband, master drummer “Tido” Wilfrid Lavaud. At 7 p.m., March 14, at the Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland, So An will introduce a new film by Oakland/Port-au-Prince filmmaker Kevin Pina, Haiti: We Must Kill the Bandits. 

The membership of the City of Oakland Blue Ribbon Affordable Housing Commission that appeared in the Feb. 20 Planet story “Oakland’s Inclusionary Housing Commission Under Fire” had a number of errors. 

Katherine Kasch was listed twice, once as a De La Fuente appointee, and again as a Dellums appointee (misspelled as Catherine Cash). She is a Dellums appointee. Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente’s appointee is Gregory McConnell, who heads up the real estate developers group the Better Housing Coalition. Councilmember Nancy Nadel’s appointee’s name was misspelled. His name is Michael Rawson. 

In the March 2 story “Local Booksellers Cheer Barnes & Noble’s Demise,” quotes attributed to Pegasus Books store owner Amy Thomas should have been attributed to Pegasus Books (Shattuck Avenue) store manager Tim Rogers.

“I’m free at last,” said Zachary Running Wolf, after his release from jail last Wednesday following his Feb. 23 arrest by UC Berkeley Police on a charge of threatening a peace officer. 

Running Wolf sparked the ongoing protest in the grove west of the university’s Memorial Stadium, which helped draw the eyes of national news media to challenges to the school’s massive building plans at the landmarked site. 

The tree-in began before dawn on the morning of the Big Game, Dec. 2, when Running Wolf scaled a stately redwood and took up residence high in the branches, with other protesters finding perches in nearby oaks. 

The university plans to level most of the trees to make room for a $125 million, four-story gym featuring the latest high-tech devices for enhancing the speed and agility of members of the university’s sports teams, with the football squad heading the list. 

University fundraisers have already collected $100 million of the needed funds, and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour recently emailed donors that the university would prevail against lawsuits now challenging the Student Athlete High Performance Center and other projects in the stadium environs. 

While neighborhood activists and city officials targeted the project largely on the grounds of impacts on nearby streets and views, Running Wolf and his fellow arboreal activists have drawn media attention to the trees. 

When John English, a retired planner and a preservation activist, filed initiatives to have the stadium declared a city landmark and an official entry on the National Register of Historic Places, university officials had no objection to listing the stadium, but asked that his inclusion of the surrounding grounds be cut back. 

English said Thursday that he had cited the trees in the applications because they play a significant role at the landmark site, helping both to soften the impact of the massive stadium and to highlight the landscape of Piedmont/Gayley Way, itself a city landmark designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s Central Park and the founder of modern American landscape architecture. 

The City Council nearly complied with the university’s request to ax the grove from the landmark filing, then drew back when members realized that their action would effectively remove the stadium’s landmark status during the critical period when the city was itself challenging the university’s Environmental Impact Report encompassing the stadium, the gym and a planned nearby underground parking garage. 

Running Wolf said he is scheduled for arraignment on two charges next Thursday: the accusation that he threatened a police officer and for vandalizing stop signs. 

An environmental activist, he was arrested in possession of spray paints and a stencil with cutout letters spelling out DRIVING. 

Many stop signs in Berkeley and Oakland have had that word sprayed beneath the larger letters reading STOP, and a miniature stop sign similarly ornamented was among the items confiscated during one of the two police raids at the grove last week. 

Running Wolf, who denied making a specific threat to officers who arrested him, said he believes he was charged “because they’re trying to knock me out of the mayor’s race.” He said he plans to challenge Mayor Tom Bates again when the incumbent’s term ends in two years. 

He said he was released after Karen Pickett of Copwatch found a sponsor willing to post the $2,000 cash deposit needed to make his $20,000 bail. 

Meanwhile, campus police were back out in force at the grove Thursday morning, gathering up the few items protesters had on the ground, “a couple of cardboard signs, some orange peels and some bits of rope,” said Doug Buckwald, who has been organizing support for the tree-sitters. 

Buckwald spent part of the afternoon at another protest on campus, the student-led demonstration outside California Hall protesting the $500 million alternative energy accord between the former British Petroleum, the university, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Illinois. 

Two 19-year-old UC Berkeley students were arrested at that demonstration, Nathan Murthy and Ali B. Tonak. 

Each was charged with trespassing on campus property with the intent to damage or obstruct after they dumped molasses in front of California Hall, where Chancellor Robert Birgenau has his offices. 

After booking at Berkeley City Jail, both students were released pending court appearances.

The property housing Cody’s Books at 2 Stockton St. in San Francisco is being marketed to new tenants, raising speculation on whether Cody’s will be moving from the location as well, according to a recent story by Sarah Duxbury in the San Francisco Business Times . 

Andy Ross, former owner and current president of Cody’s Books, did not return phone calls from the Planet on Monday. 

Started by Pat and her late husband Fred Cody in 1956, Cody’s flagship store on Telegraph Avenue was sold to Ross in 1977. Ross added the second store at Fourth Street in Berkeley and a new one in San Francisco. Cody’s on Telegraph closed in July, citing poor sales. Ross sold Cody’s to the Tokyo-based company Yohan, Inc, in September. 

During the announcement, Hiroshi Kagawa, CEO of Yohan, Inc., vowed to strengthen Cody’s. Yohan also bought Berkeley-based Stone Bridge Press last year. 

Leasing agent Cushman & Wakefield have already shown the property to prospective tenants on behalf of the landlord—a Morgan Stanley-managed pension fund—according to Duxbury’s report. 

The Cushman & Wakefield website lists the property size as 21,720 square feet with 2,500 square feet ground floor area and 19,220 square feet basement area. Cody’s occupies approximately 22,000 square feet and is the property’s sole occupant. 

The Business Times also said that Cody’s was paying in the “neighborhood of $600,000 annually.” 

Over the weekend, it was business as usual at the Cody’s Union Square location. Both staff and customers said they were unaware of the report. 

Kazuko Morgan, the real estate contact for Cody’s Books, told the Planet Monday they were looking for tenants for 2 Stockton St. but couldn’t confirm whether it was for the space housing Cody’s. 

Only hours before they were to become public record as part of Oakland City Council’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Affordable Housing, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums released its second set of task force policy recommendations last week, calling for several proposals for a “coherent and responsive public policy to address affordable housing needs in Oakland.” 

Two of the Housing Task Force’s recommendations were virtually identical to the areas being scrutinized by the Blue Ribbon Commission itself, developing an inclusionary zoning policy for the city, and changing Oakland’s condominium conversion policy. In addition, the task force made recommendations in seven other housing policy areas, including the development of a city industrial land conversion policy that prioritizes the rezoning to affordable housing where such land is rezoned, and strengthening Oakland’s rent control law. 

In its summary, the Housing Task Force said that its recommendations “will need courageous and bold leadership” and that the city “should lead the effort to chart a new course of responsible public policy for housing and ensure our community remains both economically and racially diverse.” 

The task force added that its recommendations represented “a major shift in housing policy from a speculative development to people-oriented and sustainable development.” 

In the period between his election last June and his taking of office in January, Dellums organized 41 volunteer citizen task forces to make recommendations in various city policy areas. The task forces turned over those recommendations to the Dellums administration earlier this year, but until last week, only the public safety recommendations have been made available to the public. 

Dellums has not commented publicly on the housing recommendations, and staff members have said privately that the mayor’s office will not necessarily adopt all of the recommendations, but will most likely go through them point by point to develop them into a working housing strategy. 

While the Housing Task Force report includes a minority report of those members who dissented on the main decisions of the group, the deepest division appeared in the recommendation to strengthen the city’s rent control law, with 10 task force members voting for the recommendation, five voting against it, and 6 abstaining.  

A recommendation to prioritize allocation of public funds to the neediest passed 19 to 4. A recommendation to create a separate housing department within the city’s Community and Economic Development Agency passed 20 to 4, a recommendation to change the city’s condominium conversion policy to strengthen protections for renters, to prevent renter displacement, and to provide affordable housing for all income levels passed 21 to 4. And a recommendation to expand resources and funding for affordable housing passed 21 to 1. 

The Dellums administration has given no timetable as to the release of recommendations from all of the task forces, but appeared to speed up release of the Housing Task Force report after city staff members said they were going to make the report a part of the Blue Ribbon Commission packet, making them available to the public. 

Both the Housing Task Force and the Blue Ribbon Commission are pushing for city elected officials to take action on affordable housing issues before the summer break, with the task force setting a May 1 deadline for implementation of a city inclusionary zoning policy. 

Ron Carlisle, one of the two co-conveners of the Housing Task Force, said that the May 1 deadline was “a big issue” for task force members. 

“At the time the task force was meeting, City Council was debating both the inclusionary zoning ordinance and a change in the city’s condo conversion law,” Carlisle said by telephone, “with the council splitting down the middle on the issue. There were charges by some of the task force members that some of the opposition to affordable housing in Oakland wanted to leave these issues unresolved. In addition, several people were charging that the outgoing administration [of Jerry Brown] was delaying the process.” 

Carlisle said that as a co-convener to the task force, he remained neutral on that issue. 

But Carlisle believes that the task force and the Blue Ribbon Commission are in sync with trying to make changes in Oakland’s housing policy quickly. 

“The commission chairman is committed to bringing something to the council as soon as possible,” he said.

Matthew F. Stolz, retired professor of political science at San Francisco State University, died of cancer at his Berkeley home Feb. 20. 

Professor Stolz, 71, led the life of a political theorist in the classical tradition of Plato and Aristotle, constantly interrogating himself, his students, and his colleagues in his quest to understand the political world. A highly dedicated teacher, he also contributed to scholarship by publishing Politics of the New Left (Glencoe, 1971). He also wrote about the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt in political science journals. At the time of his death, he was at work on a series of essays on the political thought of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.  

In the 1970s, Professor Stolz founded the San Francisco State Political Theory Colloquium, for which he received an official commendation. The colloquium gave tangible form to his commitment to political dialogue by bringing together graduate students, visiting scholars, and S.F. State faculty to participate in intensive readings of current political theory. He co-authored papers with members of the group and drew graduate students into the process of publication. Visiting British scholar Harro Hopfl, who met Professor Stolz in the colloquium, characterized him as a “brilliant political theorist” who imbued his students with a full sense of the seriousness of political and civic discourse.  

Born in Oakland in 1935, Professor Stolz was educated at Fremont High School and the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated from Berkeley in 1956 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and as political science scholar-of-the-year. He continued in graduate studies at UC Berkeley, receiving his doctorate in 1965.  

As the son of working-class parents, he appreciated the price students paid for their education and was devoted to redeeming that investment. He declined employment at a prestigious private college to teach at public institutions in Northern California—first the University of California at Davis and then S.F. State. He joined the S.F. State political science department in 1967 and retired in 2004. For the past two decades he was senior faculty member in political theory and unofficial “dean” of political theorists at the university.  

Professor Stolz was a demanding teacher with high standards and expectations for his students. Instead of lecturing formally, he turned his classrooms into arenas for thoughtful discourse. He insisted that his students master the primary texts in political theory, and he dazzled and tutored his department’s most gifted students. A soft-spoken and gentlemanly scholar, his commitment to theory was not as an academic specialty but as a vocation. As one of his protégés wrote in dedicating a recent book to Professor Stolz, “He was a brilliant teacher who taught me how to dwell in thinking.”  

Although a quiet man, Professor Stolz often spoke out as the conscience of his department. He said the best department meeting he ever attended was one in which the chair threw an eraser at him. He was passionate about politics and considered the 1960s a glorious moment in which theory and practice came together. He was a union member and walked the picket lines in civil rights demonstrations and in the 1968-69 S.F. State strike. He was also active in protests against the Vietnam War and both Iraq wars.  

Professor Stolz loved San Francisco State and identified with its students. He brought his wide-ranging reading to the classroom in an array of courses from Hegel to the Frankfurt School to the Italian tradition of political theory. But his first love was always the Greeks and the Classical tradition. A few days before his death he was asked if he would like a non-denominational spiritual counselor, and replied, “I would prefer a political theorist.”  

In private life he was a voracious reader, dubbed “the fastest reader in the West” by colleague Mason Drukman. With an extensive library of books and music shelved and stacked throughout his house, he ingested prodigious quantities of classical and modern literature and literary criticism, contemporary philosophy, and all periods of European and American history and music. In his later life—after overcoming a long disinclination to air travel—he enjoyed visits to Europe, especially sabbaticals in Florence and Bologna.  

Professor Stolz blended his love of reading with a love for the outdoors through walks and conversations. He greeted nature with a sharp eye, taking pleasure in identifying plants and birds, especially at Inverness and the Marin seashore. His greatest botanical pleasure was an annual search for the uncommon species Fritillaria biflora, the chocolate lily. While walking with great vigor he would bring up ideas from whatever he had been reading, talking about them the way other people gossip or discuss sporting events. In this way he clarified his thoughts by testing them against the responses of his companions.  

In his last days, Professor Stolz was surrounded by the people he loved most, including his wife, Kathleen Kahn, his stepdaughter, Sasha Crehan, and his granddaughter Olivia Feinstein, all of Berkeley; his granddaughter Melissa Crehan of Eugene, Ore.; and his many close friends and colleagues.  

In lieu of flowers, his family suggests that donations to fund a Matthew Stolz scholarship for political-theory students be sent to Professor Gerard Heather, Political Science Department, S.F. State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, 94132.  

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District reviewed Pacific Steel Castings’s (PSC) final emissions inventory report and released it to the City of Berkeley and the public on Feb. 23. 

In an e-mail statement to community members, District 1 councilmember Linda Maio, who represents the neighborhood the West Berkeley based steel foundry falls in, said the report was completely open. 

“This means that PSC has not withheld any information as ‘trade secrets’, as we previously thought they might,” she said. “The report will serve as the basis for completion of the health risk assessment.” 

Under the Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Information and Assessment Act of 1987, PSC’s Berkeley Facility is required to quantify air emissions of listed substances resulting from operations at the facility. 

Berkeley Hazardous Materials Manager Nabil Al-Hadithy told the Planet on Thursday that the report of the emissions from the three plants at PSC contained a year’s worth of analysis. 

“The data itself will not tell us anything about the health risks involved,” he said. 

“The information will be transferred into a dispersion model after which the doses will be converted into a health risk assessment report.” 

The dispersion model is software created by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment—part of the California Department of Health Services—which has been employed by the air district to carry out the assessment.  

Consultants from the city as well as PSC have started working on the health risk assessment report which will be available in mid-April. 

ENVIRON International Corporation assisted PSC with the development of the final environmental impact report (EIR). The report summarizes the methods used by ENVIRON to develop emission estimates for the EIR and provides the results to the air district for their final review and approval. 

The report includes a description of the facility and its processes, the substances used, produced, or present at the Facility and the processes and equipment that emit the listed substances and ENVIRON’s emissions estimation methodologies for these substances at relevant process units at the Facility. 

Located at 1333 Second St., PSC produces steel castings that are used in different industries. Area residents have complained for years about noxious odors and emissions which they feel impose a health risk.  

A previous version of the emissions report was submitted to the air district on Nov. 16, 2006. 

This final version of the report incorporates the changes asked by the district in its Feb. 5 letter to PSC. 

The inventory report can be found at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/council1/images/PSC_EIR_021507.pdf

DAPAC to Mull Report by Town/Gown Panel 

DAPAC members face a full agenda Wednesday night, including possible action on a subcommittee report on suggested ways the city can influence construction on university properties downtown. 

DAPAC, short for Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee, is tasked with setting guidelines for a new city plan that arose out of a city lawsuit challenging UC Berkeley’s plans for expansion into the city center. 

Wednesday night’s meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the North Berkeley Senior Center, will feature three significant discussions. 

First up is consideration of the report of the Subcommittee on City Interests in University Properties, a joint town/gown panel tasked with finding ways to accommodate city aspirations along with university plans to add 800,000 square feet of construction and 1,200 parking places downtown. 

The report was adopted by the subcommittee last week with the only significant dissent coming from Planning Commissioner Helen Burke. 

The report may face a rockier reception at the full committee, where Burke has been on the winning side of several critical votes. 

Another key question to be resolved is whether or not the plan will contain an element focusing on the university, a suggestion actively discouraged by the university and DAPAC Chair Will Travis. 

Also slated for discussion is a staff report on possible ground floor uses in downtown buildings, given the character of each street and transportation models. 

The third item for consideration is a proposed draft chapter on goals and policies for inclusion in the plan’s Economic Development element. 

—Richard Brenneman 

Zoning Board Considers Kelly House, Wright’s Garage 

The Kelly House and Wright’s Garage are on the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) agenda Thursday. 

Applicant Bruce Kelly will once again appear before the ZAB to request a use permit for a two-story single-family dwelling with 1,460 square feet of floor area, two parking spaces, at an average height of 24 feet, on a 3,295-square-foot vacant lot. 

At the Feb. 24 hearing, Kelly described the proposed project as a small, sustainable and affordable design—something that should be encouraged by the city. Neighbors and members of the Panoramic Hill Association opposed the Kelly project, calling it a threat to their health and safety because of the area’s poor access, potential fire hazard, and location on an earthquake fault. 

The neighborhood is bound to the north and west by lands owned by UC Berkeley, to the south by the East Bay Regional Park District’s Claremont Canyon Preserve, and to the east by the Berkeley-Oakland Border. 

The Fire Department is requiring a fire access stairway from lower Panoramic Way, on the southern side of the property. 

Kelly told ZAB members that he proposed to widen the road in front of his house from fifteen to twenty feet at his own expense in order to make the neighborhood safer for residents. 

ZAB members had asked Kelly to submit an arborist’s report before commenting on the project. The item first appeared before the ZAB on Jan. 11. 

• • •  

Applicant John Gordon will appear before the ZAB for the fifth time to request a use permit to convert an existing commercial building at 2629-2635 Ashby Ave. (the Wright’s Garage Building) into a multi-tenant commercial building. 

Gordon had first made the request on Dec. 14. Area residents worry that a large-scale full-service restaurant at the proposed building, currently zoned for a car repair shop, would lead to traffic and parking problems in the neighborhood. 

City staff told board members at the Feb. 8 board meeting that they were working with the applicant to address parking concerns. 

—Riya Bhattacharjee 

UC Extension Hearing 

San Francisco has postponed the public hearing on the draft environmental impact report for the rezoning and development of the UC Berkeley Extension Laguna Street campus from March 8 to March 15. 

A specific time has not yet been set for the hearing. The deadline for written public comments has also been extended to March 19. 

The controversial 55 Laguna St. development project has received opposition from the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, Save the UC Berkeley Extension Laguna Street Campus group and Friends of 1800. 

Community members want to retain public zoning of the historic six-acre campus, which has had 150 years of public use. UC Berkeley has engaged a private developer, A.F. Evans, to convert the site into a high-density housing and shopping center. Their proposal is currently under review by the San Francisco Planning Department.  

—Riya Bhattacharjee 

The firestorm of controversy over the $500 million pact tying UC Berkeley to one of the world biggest and most criticized oil giants intensified this week, with a teach-in, a demonstration, a pointed exchange between students and a key administrator and at least one arrest. 

The central issue is the role BP—the company formerly known as British Petroleum—will play on the campus of one of the nation’s premier public research universities. At the heart of the deal is a plan to genetically engineer grass and microbes to produce ethanol. 

According to a UC Berkeley historian Monday night, BP’s half-billion-dollar deal is nothing less than massive greenwashing by a corrupt corporation—supported by a governor eager “to keep his eight Hummers running on alcohol.” 

Iain Boal, professor of social and environmental history in the geography department, joined three other professors, an award-winning science writer and a coalition of students for the first teach-in targeting the controversial plan revealed in a press conference last month. 

The BP project has garnered an impressive collection of political endorsements, ranging from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates to Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama—whose own state of Illinois is another beneficiary of the project. 

But opposition is growing as well, with the student activists staging two major events this week—Monday night’s teach-in and a protest Thursday afternoon outside California Hall, the seat of campus administration and the offices of Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. 

Students also spoke up during a closed meeting Wednesday noon with Paul Ludden, dean of the College of Natural Resources, according to two participants. 

Then, at 1 p.m. Thursday, demonstrators gathered outside California Hall to stage a bit of guerilla theater, and two of them, clad in white lab coats emblazoned with the BP logo, each dumped a yard weed sprayer tank of dark liquid outside the main entrance. 

Campus police, present in numbers and armed with video cameras as well as more traditional hardware, took the pair into custody, and hauled at least one, Ali Tonack, off to the Berkeley city lockup. 

A series of speakers, including professors Miguel Altieri, Ignacio Chapela and Gray Brechin, joined students in denouncing the agreement. As a final gesture to demonstrate the harmlessness of the liquid, Chapela pushed through police, dipped his finger in the substance, tasted it and pronounced it be molasses. 

“It’s organic, too,” called out one of the students. 

Among those who spoke was Hillary Lehr, an undergraduate in the Conservation and Resource Studies program at the College of Natural Resources (CNR). 

The day before, she had confronted Dean Paul Ludden moments after he began his presentation to a group of students and faculty, asking the 50 or so present for a show of hands [check] on whether they had serious questions about the agreement. 

“An overwhelming majority did,” said the witness, a critic of the project. “It was wonderful. Most were worried, and they asked questions.” 

When Ludden told faculty members they’d have ample opportunity to become involved, “he was immediately challenged by” ecosystem science Professor Andrew Paul Gutierrez, who said the agreement threatened academic freedom. 

Ludden responded that “any researcher can do anything he wants” at the university. 

When students protested the commercialization of research, Professor David Winickoff, a faculty member who helped Ludden draft the proposal, said they should ask legislators to revise the Bayh-Dole Act, federal legislation which gives universities the right to patent research and work with corporations to profit from its exploitation. 

“I don’t think it went the way they expected,” said the witness. 

“Their answers were very inadequate,” said Maren Poitras, one of the organizers of Monday night’s teach-in. “It became very clear that they weren’t going to change the process.” 

“I asked the dean if he took the Novartis guidelines into account. He said no, the university had not adopted them.” 

Those guidelines were drafted by researchers at Michigan State University, who were contracted to examine the university’s controversial agreement with Novartis, a Swiss agro-pharmaceutical corporation which entered into an agreement with the CNR to fund $25 million in research. 

That deal sparked a national controversy over the increasing role played by corporations in modern universities, and drew the attention of science writer Jennifer Washburn. An article on Novartis she wrote for The Atlantic magazine was expanded into her book, University, Inc., She was one of the speakers at Monday’s teach-in. 

“It’s really critical that you get hold of the agreement,” she told the students who gathered into the auditorium at Morgan Hall. “I called the university to try to obtain a copy and I was denied access to anything.” 

Kamal Kapadia, a CNR graduate student, did get a copy, reported in some detail at the teach-in. The San Francisco Chronicle got a look at one and published excerpts Tuesday. 

Much of the research will be aimed at creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), a highly controversial research agenda critics fear will create significant unintended consequences, especially in lesser developed countries where they fear already threatened rain forest will be destroyed to clear ground for planting crops to fuel American cars. 

At Monday’s teach-in, Boal said oil companies are increasingly setting research agendas for universities around the world, with the $100 million 2003 ExxonMobil accord with Stanford serving as an increasingly typical example. 

The 10-year BP agreement with Berkeley he described as part of a “massive greenwashing campaign” funded by a minuscule fraction of the fraction of corporate profits, which amounted to more than $22 billion in 2006. 

The same firm has shown a ruthless hand in dealing with critics, he said, hiring a former Central Intelligence Agency to break into the home of one critic and tap his phone, while another was targeted with a fabricated file offering specious evidence of an adulterous affair that never happened. 

“How could a major oil company behave differently?” he asked, because of the fiduciary responsibility of directors to generate the highest possible profits for investors. 

Under the corporate regime, he said, “science has become capitalism’s way of knowing the world.” 

Washburn told students that lack of public disclosure of corporate/academic agreements has become all too common at a time when corporate funds are a steadily growing part of university research budgets. 

Even though federal coffers remain the largest source of university research dollars, the corporate moneys that accounted for about 7 percent of university research funds in 2000 influenced between 20 and 25 percent of research projects because of matching fund and cost-sharing agreements. 

“I am not opposed to corporate/academic relationships,” Washburn said. “They have been an integral part of the advance of science and knowledge ... The problem is the way the relationships are organized and structured,” jeopardizing the university’s core missions of education an independence. 

Miguel Altieri, a professor of agroecology at CNR and an advocate of sustainable agriculture, said the corporatization of research has virtually ended research on non-chemical means of pest control, once a strong emphasis on the Berkeley campus. “The discipline has disappeared,” he said. 

By focusing research in fields where corporations can hope to harvest patents, other field of science vanish, along with expertise. 

Already, patented GMO crops occupy between 80 million and 100 million hectares (one hectare is 2.47 acres), most farmed in vast tracts beyond the scale of traditional farming techniques because farmers who own less than 500 acres simply can’t afford the essential machinery. 

Reliance on so-called biofuels doesn’t make sense, Altieri charged, and will increase energy consumption in fuel production and raise carbon dioxide emissions.  

He criticized BP in particular for working with paramilitary groups in Colombia who have kidnapped and murdered critics of the oil company. 

“Will we feel satisfied when filling our cars with a mixture containing six percent of biofuels coming from the Amazon, where peasants and indigenous people were violently displaced, leaving thousands without food security?” he asked. 

Altieri described what he call “the green fuel mafia,” a consortium of oil, biotech and agricultural businesses allied with car manufacturers and environmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Federation, Conservation International and the Nature Conservancy. 

Civil and environmental engineering Professor Tad W. Patzek is one of the university’s most outspoken critics of biofuels, and worked for Shell Oil before joining the Berkeley faculty. 

“What troubles me is this alignment of public research with corporation goals,” he said, resulting in “a public institution now completely aligned with corporate interests.” 

Patzek’s research has yielded evidence which he says proves that biofuels like ethanol are not viable because, when all costs are added up, including the loss of natural resources diverted to production, only red ink results. 

The notion that research on ethanol will solve an energy crisis that stems in large part from over-consumption is dangerous, “and our complicity in this delusion is dangerous and runs against my feelings about the ethics of scientists at a public institution,” he said. 

While research has shown the productivity of techniques that don’t require GMOs, pesticides and major applications of fertilizer and irrigation water, that’s not the work that draws grants. 

“I personally know the chief scientist at BP and I know how things work there,” Patzek said, adding that he was “quite opposed” to the agreement “because they don’t know what they want,” while the corporation itself “wants an increases in the value of their stock by using a public institution” to make it possible. 

“We are a public institution in dire straits in many, many ways. We are here, hat in hand, begging for any donations from any source.” 

“The university has been penetrated and transformed from the inside,” said CNR Professor Ignacio Chapela, who was denied tenure and released by the university following his outspoken criticism of the Novartis agreement. 

Chapela told teach-in participants that the university had seen the loss of a once-strong tradition of faculty governance in Berkeley in the face of secret corporate agreements approved by trustees acting for the public. “We are losing the trust of the people,” he said, and the people are losing their trust in science. 

The proposed agreement between a British oil company and UC Berkeley won't be discussed Monday during a presentation at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, as had been reported in Friday's paper. 

That account was based on incorrect information received by the newspaper. 

Monday's program is “The Big Bang, COBE, and the Relic Radiation Traces of 

Creation”, presented by Nobel Laureate George Smoot. It begins at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St.

More than four dozen writers, independent filmmakers, radio producers and technicians who tenant the seven-story tower at 10th and Parker streets are facing hefty rent hikes that could squeeze them out of Berkeley, said screenwriter Karen Folger Jacobs, an 18-year tenant at the Saul Zaentz Media Center, the only renter among several contacted by the Daily Planet willing to allow her name to be used for this story. 

Wareham Development of San Rafael, self-described as Berkeley’s largest commercial property investor and developer, recently paid more than $20 million for the 2.64 acre property. On Jan. 24, the day after the deal went through, Wareham immediately informed tenants there would be two or three-year leases that would include rent increases for most.  

Wareham has insisted on meeting individually with tenants and has asked for increases up to 100 percent, Jacobs said. 

“The situation is very tense here. We’re quite vulnerable,” one tenant, an independent film maker, told the Planet when reached by phone on Thursday, explaining why he could not allow his name to be used for this story. 

Tim Gallen, spokesperson for Wareham, said Wednesday that he knew nothing about rent increases in the building. He said he would try to get the information, but did not get back to the Daily Planet before deadline on Thursday. 

Wareham owns at least three other properties in Southwest Berkeley and others nearby in Emeryville.  

For most tenants in the building, their work is a labor of love that sometimes brings honors, such Sundance Film Festival prizes or nominations for Academy Awards, but brings in minimal cash. 

“It’s unlike anywhere in the country; it’s a center of social issue documentary,” said an anonymous tenant, noting there is a special collaboration among the tenants.  

When a film editor is needed, a fellow tenant can often find the person, perhaps between films, in need of picking up an extra job. Or when someone needs a critical eye on a rough cut of a film, she will invite a neighbor over for an opinion, said another tenant. 

Jacobs said during the time the Wareham purchase was going through, she had talked to Mayor Tom Bates at a social gathering about possible rent increases. “He had told me there would be no rent increases. He said if there are, we should come to him,” Jacobs said. 

On Wednesday a group of tenants met with Councilmember Linda Maio and Mayoral Aide Calvin Fong. Fong did not return calls before deadline. 

Maio told the Daily Planet on Thursday that in the long term, she thought tenants should organize themselves as a nonprofit and buy a building, perhaps with the city’s help.  

But tenants say it’s not clear that they can last in the building long enough to save their community. 

About two years ago, perhaps in preparation for the property sale, tenants got large rent increases from the previous landlord. “I’m now paying 75 percent more rent than I did in April 2005,” one tenant told the Planet. 

“After receiving a new lease proposal with a large rent increase, one 25-year veteran of the building wrote back to Wareham questioning his ability to sign a lease with such a large increase, but expressing his desire to stay. In response he received a 30-day eviction notice,” said a written statement sent to the Planet by one of the tenants. 

Some complained that the new owners were in the midst of construction projects for which the tenants got little or no notice. Wareham spokesperson Gallen said the construction is positive. The building “needs a lot of work,” he said, noting that the owners want to make the building “the soul of a new entertainment/technology district” that would stretch to Emeryville’s Pixar Animation Studios and include enterprises such as those which use and those who produce, for example, digital-sound engineering.  

Wareham also owns:  

• a 38,000 square-foot property at 800 and 830 Heinz St. that once served as the headquarters for Durkee Famous Foods; the development includes live-work units and a childcare facility.  

• an office building at 2910 Seventh St. whose tenants are Xoma, Ltd and Bayer Healthcare. 

• a property at 2929 Seventh Street that houses Dynavax Technologies, a Wells Fargo Bank and the Wooden Duck, a furniture builder/restorer. 

Wareham gave $10,000 to the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, contributing to the successful effort to defeat Measure J, an initiative that would have made it more difficult to demolish or remodel landmarked buildings.  

Arguing for city help to keep rents affordable in the building, one tenant pointed to the mayor’s State of the City address in which he praised the local arts scene and named a number of prize-winning films created by tenants of the 10th Street Building. Among them are Academy Award nominations: Berkeley in the 60s, Complaints of a Dutiful Daughters, Promises; and Sundance Grand Jury Prize winners: Freedom on My Mind, Daughter from Danang and Long Nights Journey into Day. 

With little dissent, the joint town/gown subcommittee charged with finding ways the city can capitalize on UC Berkeley’s massive downtown expansion adopted guidelines Tuesday that members hope will become part of the new downtown plan. 

Only Planning Commissioner Helen Burke dissented on more than one of the 21 items in the 11-page document drafted by Chair Dorothy Walker, a retired UCB Assistant Vice Chancellor for Property Development. 

The Subcommittee on City Interest in University Properties will present the fourth and final draft of its report to the Downtown area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) when it meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave.  

Burke’s dissent began immediately after the sole public speaker, environmentalist Sylvia McLaughlin, who urged the group to call for preservation of the crescent, the expanse of lawn at the western entrance to the campus along Oxford Street between University Avenue and Center Street. 

McLaughlin, 90, recently made the New York Times for joining City Councilmember Betty Olds and former Mayor Shirley Dean on a platform in the oak grove west of the Memorial Stadium, where tree-sitters are protesting university plans to fell the trees to make way for a new gym. 

“A pedestrian bridge across Oxford would also enhance the city/university connection,” McLaughlin told the subcommittee. 

Lone dissenter 

Criticism of the membership of the subcommittee surfaced during last week’s DAPAC meeting. 

Chair Will Travis had appointed the group, rejecting requests by two of the emerging DAPAC majority which has challenged him in other votes—Jesse Arreguin and Patti Dacey. Most of those he did appoint have sided with him on losing votes. 

Burke’s dissents began immediately after McLaughlin finished, starting with an objection to the way Walker drafted the report—which Burke said she considered a violation of Berkeley’s emphasis on open process. 

At issue was whether Walker should have followed the same procedures laid out for city commissions, where all communications must be filtered through the city staff to avoid any joint electronic consultations by a majority of the body. 

Burke said she objected because deliberations should be conducted in full public view during open meetings. 

“In my opinion the process by which the final draft report was arrived at is flawed,” she said. “In Berkeley especially it is important to have a transparent process—and particularly when it relates to sensitive issues like land use, density and UC property in the downtown.” 

Burke said Planning and Development Director had told her the policy didn’t apply to subcommittees, and Walker said Marks had told her the same thing. 

While fellow subcommittee member and U.C. Lecturer Linda Schacht called Burke’s criticisms unfair and “a tempest in a teapot,” members agreed to go through the document and vote separately on each of the points, rather than on the document as a whole as originally suggested or in sections, a compromise Walker offered. 

Member and Planning Commissioner James Samuels said the report should serve as the element on the university some DAPAC members have called to be included in the new plan, but Travis and Walker said the findings should simply be folded into the overall plan, and not featured separately.  

Final report 

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the document approved Tuesday is the call to locate much of the city’s new housing growth in the downtown, a plan that calls for building new high rises in the city center. 

The panel did not approve the call for new housing “for at least 3,000 new residents” and substituted the words “a sufficient number of” for the specific figure. The goal is “to create a critical mass of people to support small grocery stores and neighborhood support services.” 

City planning staff had offered a model that would have added 3,000 new residential units in 14 16-story “point towers” located throughout the downtown. That many units would have housed at least 6,000 residents. 

The plan also includes a recommendation for city zoning and possible bonuses to encourage new offices that would house so-called incubator businesses in structures that would also house new retailers on the ground floor. 

Among the other points approved Tuesday, the document says that: 

• Downtown isn’t going to attract a major department store; 

• Shattuck Avenue can’t serve as the retail hub of the city center, and east/west streets should play the key role in generating retail sales; 

• The city should work to attract so-called junior retailers, specialty retailers smaller than department stores such as merchandisers of electronic goods, appliances and men’s clothiers or stores like Pottery Barn to the buildings the university will build at the site of the old Department of health Services building and other key retail locations; 

• The downtown should play on its two major strengths, the arts district and the university, and encourage the university to bring more museums downtown in addition to the already planned Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive; 

• The city should urge the university to bring the Haas School of Business’s Executive Education program downtown instead of its planned relocation to Bowles Hall;  

• Owners of downtown movie theaters should be encouraged to upgrade their facilities; 

• Bringing more university people downtown would help retailers and encourage new businesses, so the university should plan to add housing of all types in the central city; 

• New buildings at the site of University Hall and on the adjoining university-owned property to the west should be designed as gateways between city and university; 

• The university’s “surge” building, designed to house employees dislocated during seismic retrofit of buildings on campus, should be constructed at the site of the old Purcell Paint building on the block bounded by Oxford and Walnut streets, Berkeley Way and University Avenue; 

• The eastern terminus of University Avenue should be narrowed and re-landscaped to form both a terminus and a gateway to the university. 

• Small-scale buildings around the intersection of Shattuck and University avenues should be redeveloped with greater height and density, and the city should build a new parking structure at its Berkeley Way parking lot to accommodate the new business and office developments; 

• The city should develop new locations to house new programs to meet the needs of the homeless, both “to restore the image of Berkeley as a caring city” and to aid retail business owners, who say the sight of homeless folk on the street discourages potential patrons; 

• The Tang Center site at the southeast corner of Fulton Street and Bancroft Way, now listed as the proposed site of the “surge” building, should be used for faculty housing and offices, with another potential use being a multicultural center for students from the campus, Berkeley High School and other young adults.

A small but spirited group of AC Transit bus riders brought their case against the contract for new Van Hool buses to the Metropolitan Transit Commission this week, and got what they called a “surprisingly” more attentive and favorable hearing than they expected. 

Led by San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, several commissioners sharply questioned AC Transit’s decision to continue a contract to purchase 50 buses from the Belgian-based Van Hool company in the wake of testimony from several riders against the Van Hool buses AC Transit currently owns and operates. 

Ammiano said he found the testimony of Van Hool opponents “compelling,” and asked AC Transit Deputy General Manager Al Gleich, “but you are saying something contrary. How do you reconcile those two positions? Are you saying that these people are lying? Have you accompanied these people on their attempts to navigate the buses? With all due respect, you just blew off everything that they said. I’m not comfortable with this. It’s a he-said, she-said situation, and it would be incumbent on this commission to find out what’s going on.” 

And former San Mateo Mayor Sue Lempert, representing the cities of San Mateo County on the commission, said that “while on the one hand, I don’t think the commission should get involved in telling a transit agency what equipment to purchase, when you get this many people coming to you with complaints, you just shouldn’t go back and say business as usual.” Calling the protesters “pretty savvy,” Lempert said that “after all, what we’re trying to do is to convince people to ride public transit.” 

And Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, recently elected as MTC vice chair, asked to see statistics on the new buses from AC Transit. “I’ve never been a fan of buying buses in Belgium when we have Gillig down the street,” Haggerty said, referring to the Hayward-based bus manufacturers. “I’m in favor of ‘Buy America.’” 

“I’m sort of in a state of shock,” Van Hool opponent Joyce Roy later said by telephone. “This is the first time we’ve been listened to and responded to. I think this is a good start.” 

The Metropolitan Transit Commission, made up of representatives of elected government bodies in the greater Bay Area, has no direct authority over AC Transit purchases. However, MTC is the funneling agency for federal and state transit funding in the Bay Area. In addition, MTC provides approval for the complicated government funding swapping scheme that allows AC Transit to free up enough money to purchase the buses. 

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates was recently elected to the MTC to represent Alameda County’s cities. 

Early last month, the AC Transit Board of Directors voted to move forward with a contract with Van Hool for 50 new 40-foot buses, with an option for the transit district to purchase 1,500 more. The new 40 footers are modified versions of the Van Hool buses currently operated by the district, based on engineering changes recommended by the district, including a reduction from three doors to two, and structural changes which staff members said would provide for a “smoother ride” and a “significant improvement” over the current Van Hool 40 footers. The new buses are currently being built in the prototype stage. 

AC Transit currently operates 100 40-foot Van Hools, along with 63 60-footers and 12 30-footers manufactured by the same company. 

Many of the same community dissenters—mostly elderly and disabled riders—who spoke against the Van Hool contract at the AC Transit meeting in early February brought those same concerns to the MTC meeting on Wednesday morning at MTC headquarters near the Lake Merritt BART station. 

The most dramatic testimony at public comment was provided by AC Transit rider Lisa Bloomer of Alameda, who came to the speakers podium using a white walking cane and telling commissioners that she is “visually impaired” and going blind. Bloomer said that she has measured the height of the first step of the Van Hool buses, and said it is 11 inches.  

“That high,” she said, struggling to raise her foot a foot off the floor to demonstrate what that meant. “I’ve fallen more than a dozen times trying to get on these buses. I call them death traps.” 

Bloomer also said that she’d seen “numerous people propelled ten feet and hitting their heads inside these buses” while the Van Hool buses were in motion. “I ask you to freeze AC Transit funds,” she said. “People are getting injured daily.” 

Interrupted repeatedly by hoots and comments from the Van Hool protesters, AC Transit Deputy Executive Director Gleich disputed those claims, saying that the number of “falls and injuries on the Van Hool buses is not higher than on the older buses. It’s probably lower.” He called the Van Hools “substantially safer. We have listened.”  

When Gleich said that two earlier rider surveys of Van Hools showed a 75 percent popularity rating and added that “I’m sure if you’d do it again today you’d get the same result,” one of the protesters shouted out “do it!” 

Gleich also said he took exception to the assertion that the Van Hools were not safe for the disabled, in particular. 

“I am disabled,” he said. “I have been active in the disabled community. The new Van Hools have better accessibility for wheelchairs than other buses.” 

Gleich, who is ambulatory, has a visible disability in one leg. He agreed with Bates’ suggestion that one of the new buses be brought to the MTC so that commissioners could inspect it, and also agreed to a request from commissioners that the MTC be provided with information on the number of seniors and disabled in the earlier AC Transit survey of the Van Hools. 

Bates said following the meeting that he was unfamiliar with the Van Hool buses, and needed to inspect them before giving his opinion on the issue. 

Two problem cops, apparently friends, have left the Berkeley Police Department. 

Officers Steven Fleming and Sean Derry, both 30 years old, were put on paid administrative leave in August, before leaving the department, having allegedly committed very different offenses, according to Chief Doug Hambleton, interviewed by the Planet on Tuesday.  

Records detailing the Berkeley police investigation show at least five cases in which investigators suspected that Fleming might have stolen money or other property belonging to people he either arrested or booked into the Berkeley jail. However Assistant Alameda County District Attorney Marty Brown told the Planet he declined to prosecute the case because the evidence wasn’t strong enough to get a conviction. 

Derry was arrested Aug. 12 by San Francisco police, accused of discharging his service revolver while drunk in his San Francisco home. His case is expected to come to court in San Francisco in the near future. Harry Stern, Derry’s attorney, did not return Planet calls for comment. 

Hambleton, who called on the California Department of Justice to assist in the investigation, put Fleming on paid administrative leave in August.  

“We interviewed as many people that he had arrested as we could over the past six months. Several people had credible stories,” Hambleton said. Investigators went back only six months because Fleming had been off duty for a period before that time, Hambleton said without elaborating. 

A three-inch police report details the investigation. Fleming arrested one of his alleged victims Feb. 2 on an outstanding warrant. In an August interview with the arrestee, the police report says the individual was booked into jail after signing a property receipt form, without reading the form. He told investigators that after being taken to Santa Rita Jail, he looked at the receipt and saw it did not reflect the sum he had when arrested. 

“He said he did not tell anyone, because he simply wanted to let it go,” the investigator’s report said. The arrestee was leaving town “and did not want to be bothered by the incident.” 

Another incident involved a person Fleming arrested for vandalism on March 23, who told investigators he had a $100 gift card when arrested; the card was not recorded on the property receipt. Another person Fleming arrested on a DUI claimed his belongings lacked a silver earring when his property was returned to him on his release.  

Another arrestee said Fleming had him stand with his back to him as he was searched. Fleming removed the man’s wallet from his back pocket. The arrestee said there had been $170 in his wallet, but when asked, Fleming said he did not see any money in it. “[The arrestee] said Fleming opened the wallet in front of him and the money was gone,” the police report said. 

According to the police report, the alleged victim said something to Fleming about the missing money, noting: “Fleming sarcastically said something to the effect, ‘You want to file charges against me, file charges.” The arrestee signed the property form under protest, the booking officer told investigators.  

Another officer present during the booking process told investigators that the arrestee told Fleming “I’m not saying you stole it, but I had more money than this.” Fleming then became agitated, saying, “This is motherfucking bull shit” then began to pace in the booking area, according to the second officer, who told investigators she thought Fleming should leave “because she did not want any type of incident to occur.” The officer told investigators that when Fleming left, “He hit a window in anger.” 

Fleming joined the Berkeley force March 9, 2003, after leaving the Richmond Police Department during an initial probation period, according to Hambleton. Fleming’s last day with Berkeley Police was Jan. 31. He earned $94,333 per year and about $47,000 in benefits. 

Fleming refused to speak to investigators, according to the police report. 

Fleming’s stepmother, Capt. Stephanie Fleming, retired in January. Hambleton, who praised Capt. Fleming for her work in the department, said the retirement had been planned for more than a year and was unrelated to accusations against the younger Fleming. 

Sean Derry joined the force as a trainee in January 2003 and became an officer June 27, 2004. His resignation was effective Wednesday. His annual salary was $88,510 plus about 50 percent in benefits. 

Interviewed as part of the investigation into the Fleming case, Derry said he had no knowledge of malfeasance on Fleming’s part or of money problems Fleming might have had. He told investigators that he and Fleming would get together socially for drinks and to smoke cigars. Their families would get together, Derry told investigators. 

“The most important thing about my job is maintaining the integrity of the department,” Hambleton told the Planet. The chief was unable to detail the reasons for the officers’ exits from the department, as they are privileged personnel matters. 

Last year Cary Kent, formerly a BPD sergeant, resigned from force after pleading guilty to felony charges of stealing drugs from the evidence room of which he was in charge. Kent tampered with as many as 286 evidence envelopes in cases dating back to 1998, court records say. He retired from the force rather than submit to an investigation and was sentenced in May to one year of home detention. 

Among the decisions the Berkeley City Council made Tuesday night was to spend a $3.3 million windfall from unexpected revenues from investments and parking fines. 

The council also voted to uphold a carry-out business on Euclid Avenue, hold a workshop on a loophole in the inclusionary housing ordinance, support the Shattuck Cinema workers and extend permit parking. 

It was past 11 p.m. when the council voted 7-1, with Councilmember Betty Olds having left the meeting and Councilmember Kriss Worthington voting in opposition, to distribute the funds to a variety of projects: $200,000 to continuing Telegraph Avenue improvements, including extra policing and mental health services; $500,000 for economic development activities; $200,000 for upgrades in computer technology for public safety; $100,000 to Sustainable Berkeley to produce a plan for reducing greenhouse gases locally; $1 million to the fire department to end rolling fire station closures and $1.3 million for infrastructure needs. 

Much of the discussion turned around a proposal by Worthington, which went down to defeat, to hold the infrastructure money aside for housing, traffic and crime, specifically to address the increasing number of robberies.  

But Councilmember Darryl Moore was firm: “We have infrastrucure needs in West Berkeley,” he said. “We want the $1.3 million for infrastructure.” 

The council had called for details on economic development expenditures, among which will be: 

• $75,000 for a half-time project coordinator, 

• $53,000 for a half-time data analyst to map the city’s commercial properties, including vacancies 

• $20,000 for a consultant to help set up Business Improvement Districts in south and west Berkeley, 

• $20,000 to support film office activities for the city’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau 

• $50,000 for south Berkeley’s façade grants,  

• $85,000 for short-term work for a senior planner to, according to Economic Development Director Michael Kaplan, “dig into the questions of West Berkeley zoning,” 

• $60,000 for a shop-local marketing effort. 

While detailed questions were asked about most of the expenditures, councilmembers refrained from queries about the $100,000 to be given to Sustainable Berkeley, a grouping of individuals, non-profits and UC Berkeley. Funds supposed to be used to write a plan to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions will not be allocated until a contract is approved by the council, according to Mayor Tom Bates. 

Public police information  

A Contra Costa Times effort to review public information efforts of a number of police departments gave Berkeley a failing grade of F-, along with a number of other cities’ police departments, and so Councilmember Dona Spring called on the Berkeley department for improvements, particularly in keeping neighborhoods current about crime waves and in accessibility to police reports. 

Police Chief Doug Hambleton responded saying that the department has retrained its personnel and would be more responsive. 

Euclid appeal 

While some neighbors were upset with the idea of yet another “carry out” food service outlet, the council upheld the zoning board decision to allow Jamal Fares, owner of the Euclid Avenue Hummingbird Café, to open a second establishment across the street. 

The vote to uphold the decision of the zoning board and not hold a new public hearing was 6-3, with Councilmembers Max Anderson and Kriss Worthington voting in opposition and Spring abstaining. 

The council also voted: 

• To hold a workshop on the loophole in the inclusionary housing ordinance for smaller projects that include a mix of live-work and regular apartment units. 

• To support workers at the Shattuck Cinema, who are working for Landmark Theatres without a contract. 

• To extend residential parking permits to Parker Street between Milvia Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, to Emerson Street between Shattuck Avenue and Wheeler Street and to Prince Street between Wheeler and Deakin streets. 

City councilmembers voted themselves out of the job of running the Berkeley Housing Authority on Tuesday when they approved a new governance structure expected to be in place by July. 

The Housing Authority board is currently constituted of the City Council members plus two BHA renters, but the agency has been in “troubled” status since the fall of October 2005. A new, independent body would have more time to direct the agency that oversees Berkeley’s low-income housing, councilmembers said. 

The new board of seven members, to include two tenants, will all be appointed by the mayor with council approval and will function independently of the council. (While commissions are generally appointed in equal numbers by the mayor and councilmembers, state law says the mayor will appoint the new entity, said Housing Director Steve Barton.) 

Councilmember Dona Spring had hoped for some continued oversight by the council and asked for regular reports on housing inspections and recertification of housing voucher holders. “The buck stops with us,” she said. 

But it doesn’t, said City Manager Phil Kamlarz, explaining that the body will have ultimate decision-making powers. Reports, however, will be public and available to the council, he said. 

“The buck doesn’t stop here, but it comes from here,” quipped Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, referring to a statement by the city manager’s in which he said that the city will need to kick in $600,000 to $1 million to keep the BHA afloat. 

Bates said he will appoint Councilmember Darryl Moore as liaison with the council. Those interested in serving on the authority can contact the mayor at 981-7100. 

Despite protests and pleas from students, teachers, and parents who marched eight miles from the East Oakland Community High School in the Oakland hills to the Oakland Unified School District Administrative headquarters Wednesday afternoon, OUSD State Administrator Kimberly Statham ruled Wednesday night that she was following her staff’s recommendation to close the school.  

With the Oakland Unified School District under state control, Statham has the sole authority to decide whether or not the school will be closed. 

The school closing will take place at the end of the school year in June. Because of OUSD’s open enrollment policy, students currently enrolled will have the opportunity to enroll next year in any high school in the district that has the room to accommodate them. With many of the district’s high-choice high schools already at capacity, however, students currently at East Oakland Community will be “defaulted,” according to district representatives, to the high school in whose attendance zone they live.  

East Oakland Community is a district-operated small school housed in the school building on Fontaine Drive above 82nd Avenue formerly occupied by Kings Estates Junior High School. It is within a short walking distance of Castlemont High School on MacArthur Boulevard. 

On Wednesday afternoon, more than 150 marchers left the school to walk through East Oakland to present their concerns to Statham at Wednesday night’s administrator/trustee meeting. Marchers held signs reading “Give Us Time To Shine In Oakland,” “East Oakland Schools Deserve District Support, Too,” and “Keep EOC Open.” 

Included in the marchers was OUSD trustee Noel Gallo, carrying an American flag in one hand, who told marchers at a pre-march rally on the school grounds that “I am here because I believe in you. All of our schools should join you to demand better education for our district. You have the right to be here. You have the right to have quality schools. That right is guaranteed in the Constitution.” 

One of the organizers of the march, Abundant Life Ministries minister Rev. Zenzile Scott, the parent of a 10th grader at East Oakland Community, said that “this is a school worth saving. I really love this school. My child has only been here six weeks, but already, she is thriving at this school. I’ve never seen her be a part of something like this in the schools before. Something special is happening within these walls.” 

A leaflet passed out during the march by march organizers said that “we want more time and support to build on our strengths, to address our weaknesses, and to become a great school.” 

In its recommendation to Statham at last week’s administrator/trustee meeting, OUSD staff members cited several reasons for recommending East Oakland Community’s closure, including what staff called the “largest drop in [California Standards Test] scores in the district” in the past school year and what staff called a “very low” California High School Exit Exam passing rate in both math and English. In addition, staff said that students at East Oakland Community “are not offered the appropriate coursework to graduate and attend a four year university and that “student transcripts are inaccurate and student schedules do not reflect district course sequence.” Staff also said that enrollment at the school is down, and that ‘long-term enrollment projections show a continued decline within the Castlemont attendance area.” 

OUSD Public Information Officer Alex Katz said by telephone that the district feels “it is always a very serious decision to close schools” and that “where it was possible, the district has intervened in other situations to begin to bring schools up to state standards.”  

Commenting on student and teacher presentations at Wednesday night’s meeting to keep East Oakland Community open, Katz said that “it is impressive to see kids enthusiastic about their school, and it is really powerful to see teachers so committed to their school, as well. But at the same time, the district has a responsibility to make sure that kids graduate.” 

Katz said that two-thirds of the junior class at East Oakland Community “are not going to graduate” because they will not be able to obtain the full credits required by the State of California. “The district is not blaming the teachers for that,” Katz said. “There’s no lack of effort or ability on the part of the teachers that caused this.” 

But Katz said that while “there are a lot of positive things going on in the program” at East Oakland Community, “you have to have academic standards that are real and that the students and the parents can count on, and the students have to have the opportunity to get the credits that they need to graduate.” 

Katz said that in giving her reasons for the closure, Statham told school supporters on Wednesday night that “the district shares the responsibility for not making the school work and for not living up to the proper standards for the last few years.” 

East Oakland Community was one of four schools Statham ordered closed at Wednesday night’s administrator/trustee meeting. The other school closures are Kizmet Middle, Merritt Middle, and Sherman Elementary. Housed at Merritt Community College, Merritt Middle is being closed, according to the staff report, because Merritt College “has decided to end the Memorandum of Understanding with OUSD to use the facilities space for other purposes.” 

At a press conference held shortly before the administrator/trustee meeting, the Oakland Education Association announced its opposition to the closures. In a prepared statement, OEA President Betty Olson-Jones said that “these closures and the threat of more to come speeds a continuing downward spiral of instability in the district. If the district succeeds in closing these schools, it will have a devastating impact on our students.” 

Olson-Jones questioned why Sherman Elementary was being closed when “it is only now being wired for internet access, after years of requests by staff had been ignored. Why now? We have to wonder: Does this mean the school is being upgraded so that it can be contracted out as a charter school?” 

In its Feb. 28 recommendation, OUSD staff said that Sherman was being recommended for closure because of “significant decline” in California Standards Test scores in the last two school years, that “current reform efforts are insufficient to provide the accelerated academic achievement for students,” that there has been “significant enrollment decline” at the school over the past five years, and that “long-term enrollment projections indicate a continued decline over the next five years.” 

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) was sued by Friends Protecting Berkeley's Resources (FPBR) Friday for an inadequate environmental impact report (EIR) on the demolition of the gymnasium and warm water pool within its Berkeley High School South of Bancroft Master Plan. 

“The lawsuit is a CEQA challenge in the public interest to enforce environmental laws protecting the historic 1922 Berkeley High School gymnasium and warm water pool,” said Susan Brandt-Hawley, of Brandt-Hawley Law Group—the environmental and preservation law firm representing FPBR—in a telephone interview with the Planet from Washington D.C. 

BUSD superintendent Michel Lawrence told the Planet on Wednesday that the school district had not taken a look at the lawsuit yet. 

“The only thing we have been notified about is that a lawsuit has been filed. We don’t know why it has been filed or what their intentions are. We cannot speculate about anything at the moment,” she said. 

Brandt-Hawley described The Friends as a newly formed group of concerned citizens who came together earlier this year to protect Berkeley’s resources. 

According to the lawsuit, “the District was urged to further consider feasible alternatives to demolition that could be developed to meet all or most of the District's objectives” but “the EIR did not justify its findings.” 

The Berkeley school board voted unanimously on January 17, 2007, to accept the Berkeley High School EIR on the Berkeley High School South of Bancroft Master Plan and to approve the Master Plan for the project. 

The approval signals the beginning of the process of selecting a committee to hire an architect for the proposed construction of the South of Bancroft project.  

The Master Plan involves the southern part of the campus at 1980 Allston Way and the adjacent school-district-owned parking lot on Milvia Street. 

Marie Bowman, a member of FPBR, described the gymnasium and the warm water pool as a “jewel in the crown of Berkeley.” 

“It’s not just a cultural and historical resource but also a community resource. There’s no doubt about it. It’s confusing why the school district would want to tear down such an asset,” she said. 

Berkeley voters approved a ballot measure in 2000 for $3,250,000 to reconstruct, renovate, repair and improve the warm water pool facilities, including the restrooms and locker space.  

“In spite of approving funds for improving this beautiful building, nothing has been done about it yet,” Bowman told the Planet. 

The School District proposes in its Master Plan to demolish the old gymnasium that houses the warm water pool at the very end of the project, which they say will give them time to work on a plan with the city to save the pool. 

“It’s not clear what the BUSD is proposing to do with the city, or if anything will be done at all. What guarantee is there after what happened with the ballot measure in 2000 that they will save the pool?” Bowman said. 

The warm pool is used by hundreds of seniors, disabled adults and children, as well as by athletes recovering from sports injuries and rehabilitation patients who use the pool for physical therapy. 

Designed by renowned Bay Area architects William C. Hays and Walter H. Ratcliff Jr., the warm water pool and the gymnasium are both eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

Both are representative of early seismic engineering work and are rare examples of an early 20th century high school gymnasium. 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission will receive an application to landmark the Berkeley High School gymnasium and warm water pool on April 5. 

The Barnes & Noble bookstore located in downtown Berkeley will close May 31, a piece of news that has left local independent booksellers ecstatic. 

“I am overjoyed, to say the least,” said Tim Rogers, store manager for Pegasus Books located right across the street from the Barnes & Noble. 

“This is great news for us,” he said. “Although we were not in direct competition with BN, it was interesting working so close to a big chain. I am sure this will improve business for us.” 

Store employees declined to comment Thursday on the reason for closure. Barnes & Noble customer relations could not be reached before press time. 

“Berkeley’s a tough market to break into when it comes to selling books. We have some tough competition here in the form of local bookstores,” said Michael Caplan, the city's economic development manager. “The Barnes & Noble on Shattuck was a smaller store for the chain compared to its other locations. It just wasn’t doing the preferred volume. I guess that’s one of the reasons for it closing down.” 

Rogers said that the model that helped local book stores such as Pegasus survive was to deal in used as well as new books. 

“Sometimes you just need to do things differently,” he said. “Berkeley is a great book town and we think Pegasus has what it needs to cater to booklovers here. New book stores sometimes have it harder than used bookstores.” 

Pegasus was started 30 years ago in the Bay Area, and it has two other locations, on Solano Avenue in Berkeley and on College Avenue in Oakland. It is currently owned by Amy Thomas, a Berkeley resident. 

“What we have is a mixture of old and new,” she said. “We sell books, we buy books, we trade books. Our staff is friendly and knowledgeble and we indulge in all kinds of fun stuff such as free poetry broadsides, author readings and even the occasional Harry Potter midnight party.” 

Thomas said she is not sad to see Barnes & Noble leave Berkeley. 

“They ran the place like a business,” she said. “For us it’s more of a community thing. People who work at Pegasus and buy from Pegasus live in Berkeley. As a result the money is going back into Berkeley. But this is not the case for chains such as Barnes & Noble.” 

Pegasus reported an increase in revenue during Christmas, which store employees said was likely the result of Cody’s on Telegraph closing down in July. 

“It’s not as if I have anything against chain stores, but if a customer asks me about a book we don’t have in the store, I’ld rather direct them to Moe’s or local stores rather than Barnes & Noble,” Thomas said. 

“My first thought was happiness,” said Doris Moskowitz of Moe’s Books. “When the Barnes & Noble first moved into Berkeley, the smaller book stores were afraid it would mean less business for them. Big powerful bookstores don’t belong in a city like Berkeley. Now that they are moving out, it’s a big relief.” 

Moskowitz inherited the bookstore from her father Moe Moskowitz who started the new and used book store in 1959. 

“Their sales were pretty good, but there were some things in there which just didn’t make any sense to me,” she said. “For instance, that fountain in the middle of the bookstore. Why do you need that? Moe’s is like a theatre to the mind. It’s clean, bright and lovely, an absolute pleasure to be in.” 

Councilmember Dona Spring, who represents the district Barnes & Noble is located in, said that the closure, while possibly a boon for local book sellers, leaves Berkeley with still fewer bookstores. 

“I don’t think it is good news,” she said. “A lot of people enjoyed going there and browsing through the large collections. It had good parking and was safe. The Internet is leaving us with less and less book stores now, which is really sad.” 

The Berkeley Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to increase the hours of operation to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and midnight Sunday through Thursday for businesses on Telegraph Avenue that do not involve alcohol sales. These hours may be exceeded with a city administrative use permit. 

The commission voted to extend the “by right” hours of operation for businesses on Telegraph that involve alcohol sales or service to midnight from 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. A permit is required to extend beyond 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday. 

These items—along with several other parts of a Telegraph Economic Development Assistance Package—passed after four public hearings over a six-month period.  

The nine-point Telegraph Avenue package was put together by the city in 2006 to revive the ailing commercial strip. UC Berkeley students and members of the student advocacy group ACCESS lobbied for longer business hours on Telegraph. 

“The time has come to pass this item onto City Council, which has been waiting for you for nearly a year to send them a proposal,” said ACCESS founder Igor Tregub. “Please, for students, for residents, for Berkeley, do it today.” 

Members of the Willard and LeConte Neighborhood Associations requested a 30- to 60-day continuance to discuss concerns about the Telegraph Zoning amendments, especially with respect to the changes to the quota system. 

“We would like to support the neighborhood associations but we have had this issue on the agenda for a while. I am sure someone was watching the agenda,” said commissioner Harry Pollack. 

“Out of deference to all the neighborhoods, If you can’t do everything to help Telegraph tonight, at least do something,” said District 4 councilmember Kriss Worthington, who represents Telegraph. “The businesses in that area need your help.” 

The board agreed to give the neighborhood associations a 30-day time period to discuss the hearing on allowing the quotas for restaurants, beauty and novelty shops to be exceeded with a use permit where a variance was previously required. 

LBNL LRDP 

The Alliance to Preserve the Strawberry Creek Watershed opposed the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and draft environmental impact report (EIR) at the meeting during public comment. 

The Alliance took issue with the following details of the lab’s plans: 

• 17 acres in total of new impervious surfaces that have the potential to increase flooding in the Berkeley flatlands along Strawberry Creek. 

• Earthquake Faults: The EIR fails to present a detailed map showing all the active and inactive faults within the LBNL boundary 

• Landslides: The EIR’s slope stability map is deficient in that it does not show all the landslide areas within the LBNL boundary and vicinity. Landslides have blocked Centennial Drive for lengthy periods thereby blocking ingress and egress to, for instance, the lab’s Hazardous Waste Handling Facility, by the Berkeley Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team at the Berkeley Way Fire Station, in case of fire and/or earthquake 

• Soil contamination: The EIR does not show that new buildings are proposed in areas contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials. 

The public hearing for the lab LRDP and draft EIR has been set for March 14.

Last week the Planet carried a story about the Barnes and Noble store on Shattuck closing, including interviews with managers of other bookstores who expressed satisfaction at the impending departure. With all due respect, we’d like to differ with their analysis, even though one of them is a much-valued long-term Planet advertiser. 

There’s an old business school discussion about why you often see four gas stations on a single corner. It’s been generally conceded that this is a good situation for all four, because the motorist looking for gas knows just where to look. The service station existing in splendid isolation suffers from it.  

The gas station business has changed a bit, though the corners near our home and office do still have multiple stations, but in the bookstore business clustering works for everyone. Shopping on Telegraph for books and music has always been the number one entertainment for our out-of-town visitors because they can find a variety of choices in easy walking distance of one another. Downtown was starting to get a similar reputation, in part because the—dare we say it—parking lot at Barnes and Noble made a good base for out-of-towners with cars, who also checked out the offerings at Pegasus and recently Half-Price Books.  

Non-mall retail of all kinds everywhere in the country continues to suffer from America’s radically changing buying patterns, and that’s as true of bookstores as it is of any other kind of business. The phenomenon was first described in a seminal 1985 book, The Malling of America: An Inside Look at the Great Consumer Paradise, by William Severini Kowinski, and the trend continues. It has now been joined by a trend that’s even more threatening to booksellers, the easy availability of books on the Internet.  

And the publishing industry isn’t helping matters. A recent San Francisco Chronicle article about the demise of the Los Angeles Times book review section reported that “some insiders believe that book review sections are disappearing because publishing houses and chain bookstores now advertise almost exclusively in national magazines or the New York Times.” 

David Cole, publisher of News Inc., a weekly newsletter tracking the industry, was quoted saying, “If Barnes & Noble took out full-page ads every week, there would be more book review sections.”  

But Paul Bogaards, director of publicity at Alfred A. Knopf, differed with him: “Where are the ads in the sports section?” he asked the reporter. “If you put out a great newspaper or a great magazine, the readers will come. Consumers want credible reporting on books in newspapers.”  

Someone has to pay for the printing, even of “great newspapers” which have plenty of readers, and traditionally it’s been advertisers. The Planet does have a monthly book review section, and we don’t have a sports section. The Chronicle has continued its book reviews too. We do get a few small ads from bookstores and the very occasional publisher or author. (We have almost no ads from sports purveyors, but then neither does the Chronicle, despite devoting a whole section every day to sports.) In other words, both papers do pretty well by book readers, but it seems to make very little difference to book sellers, wholesale or retail. Publishers used to pay for “co-op” ads in local papers, but no more. Advertising continues to decline. 

A popular scapegoat for Berkeley business woes is “street behavior.” That’s code for rude or rowdy homeless folks, some of them even substance abusers or uncooperative mental patients, who tend to congregate in non-mall retail areas. They like retail areas because that’s where the money is: charitable shoppers with their hands already in their pockets for parking meter change.  

And now comes the news in the San Francisco Business Times that Cody’s San Francisco store is closing too. With all the Berkeley-bashing that attended the closing of its Telegraph store, will we see downtown San Francisco blamed for this one?  

One reason spare-changers are more often on city streets than in malls, conveniently overlooked by doctrinaire planners, is transit. That’s right, transit. Non-mall retail areas (Telegraph, downtown Berkeley, Union Square) are well-served by BART and buses, and disreputable street beggars tend not to have cars to drive to malls. Many don’t even have bus fare, which is why they cluster on city streets near sources of sustenance.  

Local politicians are always quick to jump on the blame-the-beggars bandwagon. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates is sending to the City Council this very week a request for the smarmily-named “Public Commons For Everyone Initiative (PCEI)”.  

It uses ’80s style communitarian jargon to contend that the reason local retail is in trouble is because a few bad apples have landed in the midst of our otherwise lovely community. Bates’ memo proposes “creating consistent community standards for public behavior—specifically preventing behaviors such as prolonged sitting and smoking in front of businesses, yelling at people as they walk along the corridor, and/or selling or consuming drugs.”  

Lots of luck. Those standards don’t need to be created: They already exist, but are more honored in the breach than in the observance. It’s not the standards that are lacking, it’s the remedies. 

And will sanctions be uniformly enforced? Will prolonged sitting on the median in front of the Cheeseboard subject pizza-eaters to discipline? Will furtive smokers at the French Hotel be arrested? Will football fans who yell “Go Bears” of a Saturday afternoon be detained? Will Peet’s, Berkeley’s biggest drug dealer, be run out of town?  

One more time: Local street-side retail is in trouble everywhere, even in towns where they routinely run the homeless out of town on sight. Bookstores in particular are in trouble, because it’s so easy to buy books by name on the web that books have become a fungible commodity, and publishers are doing nothing to help.  

If we really value our Berkeley bookstores, and I really do, we need to come up with genuine solutions to the very real problems of those estimable institutions which let us enjoy a comfortable browse through their stock even when they suspect we might go home and make our purchases on the Internet. I suspect that almost all of the dedicated readers in Berkeley (and we have a lot of them) read the Planet, so I’d like to ask you all to make some creative suggestions for what we can do to help save our beloved remaining booksellers before it’s too late. 

Sometimes it’s hard to keep your eyes on the big picture. Sy Hersh was on Terry Gross’s Fresh Air radio program, which ran twice on Tuesday, and both times I managed to listen only to the first half. He was pumping his latest New Yorker piece, which explains one more time and in even greater detail how mad dogs at the top of the current national administration, notably Dick Cheney and Elliott Abrams, really are planning to bomb Iran. Since he’s predicted this at least twice before, he knows that some are going to regard him as more Chicken Little than Paul Revere, but he convinced me. 

The normally glib Terry Gross kept rephrasing Hersh’s central hypothesis in a hesitant tone, as if she just couldn’t believe that’s what he was really saying. Briefly, it seems to be that the above-mentioned mad dogs have decided that, despite the facts that Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Moslem and the United States has installed Shiites in the current Iraq leadership, they’re now worried about the emergence of a “Shiite crescent” led from Iran, so they’re shifting their weight to back the Sunni faction, and they plan to bomb Iran to solidify their stance, using Iran’s continued nuclear research as a pretext.  

The main actors in this melodrama are guys who first worked together in the Iran-Contra caper, when Abrams and friends financed covert action against Nicaragua, which Congress had declined to fund, by arms dealing in the Middle East. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national-security adviser, is playing the same kind of role these days as he played in Iran-Contra. A pretty picture indeed. 

After getting the gist of the analysis on the radio, I tried to check it out in the Internet edition of the New Yorker, since my print magazine hadn’t come yet, but I found myself simply unable to read through to the end. When my copy finally arrived in the mailbox, I tried again, but deep denial ruled the day, and I wasn’t able to finish it. 

Like many consumers of the news, I’m just overwhelmed by the enormity of the manipulations going on at the national level, at the same time Democrats are fooling themselves into thinking that they control the country just because they control the Congress and have a shot at the presidency. There’s a sense in which things are looking up at the national level, but it might be too little too late, as long as people like Cheney and Abrams are still in positions of power. Hersh says that they believe that the insanely broad resolution which kicked off the war in Iraq authorized them to do as they please in the Mid-East, so that Congress is now out of it. Their experience in Iran-Contra taught them that there are many ways of raising money to do what you want, and of course just for starters the Saudis have a bunch of money. And the planes and bombs are already there. 

Can we do anything about this insane plan from here? The Planet’s faithful corps of signers of form letters is going heavily for impeachment, some of Bush, others of Cheney. Impeachment of either one would certainly slow them down, but are there enough votes to impeach? It’s doubtful that the House would vote for impeachment, and even more doubtful that the Senate would convict even if one of them were put to trial.  

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reluctance to put her few congressional eggs in the impeachment basket is understandable. There’s more than enough that needs doing in the reality-based world, so it’s hard to insist that all of the country’s real needs should be sacrificed in an attempt to impeach Cheney that might very well fail. Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters and Lynne Woolsey have put forward a gutsy proposal, House Resolution 508, which would set a six-month deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq, but it has no chance of passing and would have no effect on the bomb-Iran boys anyhow.  

More and more, we have the sense that events at all levels are simply spiraling out of rational control. It’s not that there have never been irrational elements in the national government before, of course, the self-same Iran-Contra, which the nation finally turned around, being the prime example. But the damage to Nicaragua which was done by that particular nutty episode persists until the present day, and where nuclear technology is involved, as in the case of Iran, even worse damage could be done to the whole world.  

Hersh identifies the three major national players in what the magazine titles “The Redirection” of American Mid-East policy as the Bush administration, the Saudis and Israel. At least two of the three have access to nuclear weapons, which is one of the more frightening aspects of this policy shift. The murkier parts of his piece, which I finally forced myself to read in preparation for writing this, have to do with the political goals of these three players. Influencing the course of events in Lebanon, including getting rid of Hezbollah, is certainly one, and defanging Syria seems to be another. How these goals are aided by pumping up the kinds of Sunni factions which produced Al Qaeda is hard to understand, though Hersh makes a valiant attempt to trace the logic used by proponents.  

At the end of his piece, almost certainly having been instructed by his editors to lighten up a little in the conclusion, he mentions a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing starting Monday which might include some effort to find out what’s going on. But he quotes Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the committee, as saying that “The Bush administration has frequently failed to meet its legal obligation to keep the Intelligence Committee fully and currently informed. Time and again, the answer has been ‘Trust us.’ ” Wyden said, “It is hard for me to trust the administration.”  

That goes for most Americans these days. So what are we going to do about it? It’s a question that we must face up to, even though there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer in the offing any time soon. 

BARNES & NOBLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a downtown Berkeley retailer, it was disheartening to see the Planet’s headline above the masthead applauding the local booksellers cheering the departure of Barnes & Noble from their Shattuck Avenue location. When we opened Ristorante Raphael in the summer of 2003, we were excited to be part of the Downtown Berkeley Renaissance. Major retailers had moved in, and it looked as if retail business was on an upswing. 

Alas, that vision has not come true. We feel the loss of every business that closes its doors, from Paper Plus, to See’s Candies, to Power Bar, and especially our next-door neighbor, the Act I & II movie theater. With the departure of Barnes & Noble, we now face another empty storefront, which will no doubt take years to rent, even with a parking lot. 

The only bright spot in this latest retail downturn is the comment of our Councilmember Dona Spring, as quoted in the Planet, “I don’t think it is good news…” I hope Ms. Spring and the other City Council members are finally realizing that the current business climate of Berkeley must be changed. If a large national retailer such as Barnes & Noble feels downtown Berkeley is not viable, then why would an individual retailer—the art gallery or unique boutique we desperately need—justify taking a chance in our local business environment? 

We have been carefully following the progress of DAPAC, hoping that the future of downtown business would be incorporated into the area plan. I have attended a few DAPAC meetings, and the business perspective is far down the list of priorities. Unless I am mistaken, there is no representation at all of the business community on DAPAC. Morale is sinking amongst retailers, and we do not feel anyone is listening to our perspective. 

Our restaurant is located on Center Street, and the future there indeed looks bright. We can envision the grand pedestrian mall, the hotel, the museum, and the crowds of people it will attract to downtown, and to our business. However, that vision is many years away, and it is the years between now and then that will determine the survival of retail in downtown Berkeley. 

Hope Alper 

• 

SAFETY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There is one thing that we can never get enough of: safety. This is especially true if the costs are hidden or delayed. Thus the Berkeley City Council was cajoled into spending $1 million to end rolling closures of fire stations under the threat of increased response time for fire and medical emergencies. Most people correctly think of Fire Department response time in terms of medical emergencies because there are about eight times more calls for medical help than for structural fires. Fortunately, medical service calls are relatively inexpensive. The Fire Department spends roughly 15 percent of its budget on emergency medical services compared to about 70 percent on fire operations. There is already a special parcel-based paramedic supplemental tax in Berkeley. Furthermore, Berkeley has one station for every 1.4 square miles; whereas, comparable cities have one fire station every two to eight square miles. The hefty $1 million dollar “insurance policy” purchased by the City Council is not buying the safety the public thinks it wants. It is, however, adding to the salaries of the firefighters, a substantial number of whom have salary and benefits of over $100,000 per year. 

Robert Gable 

• 

BP-UC DEAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks to Anne Wagley for her letter exposing the deficits of the BP-UC Berkeley deal so praised by the mainstream media. It is horrifying to think that this colonization, as a student called it, of our potentially great public university by a giant oil company, should be done under cover of presumably beneficent “green” research. The proponents carefully neglect to note that this is GMO research and that besides the potential to corrupt non-genetically-modified plants, it will inevitably result in deforestation and displacement of food crops in Third World countries. It will bring non-academic researchers who answer to a for-profit company into our public university, and it will give BP legal cover, since the University is even harder to sue for malfeasance than is a private corporation. I hope the chancellor will reconsider and the Academic Senate will defend the interests of our university and oppose this terribly misguided plan. The University of California was built by California taxpayer dollars. Influence over its research should not be handed over to a global corporation to further profits in a technology that, given its damage to our planet, must be terminated. 

Charlene Woodcock 

• 

NIMBYISM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley’s Feb. 27 editorial “How About Some Density in the ‘Burbs?” misses the point. An argument for increased density in suburban areas is just that—it is not an argument against new housing in the urban core. Nor is attacking straw-men “who think that every flatlands back yard deserves a condo of its own.” No one is seriously advocating anything of the sort. 

Quite ironically, it is a suburban flavor of the very same NIMBYism epitomized by this piece that has prevented the suburban density O’Malley supports. How can we expect someone else to allow change in their community when we refuse the any growth in our own? 

As far as our Berkeley expatriates are concerned, why is it surprising that people who prefer Lafayette to Berkeley move there? Shall we tear down some high-density housing to get them back? It is preposterous to suggest that higher density will drive out Berkeley residents—most of us live here because we enjoy the density. We wouldn’t be paying through the nose to live here if we didn’t. 

Not once is it shown exactly how recent new housing is detracting from Berkeley’s livability—because it isn’t! It is true Berkeley has at times suffered because of certain developments, but we mustn’t hold all future growth hostage to an amorphous fear from the past. Most Berkeleyans love the city for its walkability, intensity, and vibrancy; additional housing will not only contribute to those things so many enjoy, but allow more people to enjoy them. 

Eric Panzer 

• 

NORTH SHATTUCK PLAZA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Helen Villett’s commentary about the proposed North Shattuck Plaza requires some amplification. First, the “group” she refers to in her commentary is a corporation, and she is vice chair of its board. More information is available at www.northshattuckplaza.org. Second, Ms. Villet says there is a “goal of maintaining the same number of parking spaces.” According to this website, there are 84 existing spaces; of these 17 would remain; 53 new spaces would be created with eight more “possible.” Of the “possible” spaces six could be created right now. My arithmetic: a net loss is 12 spaces. Finally, Ms. Villett says “Most successful shopping areas do not have parking right in front....” I invite her to tour Fourth Street in Berkeley, Rockridge in Oakland, and, if she wants a trip to the suburbs, downtown Walnut Creek.  

Christopher Adams 

• 

TRANSIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Reading about AC Transit and the Van Hool buses has led me to think about my own experiences with buses. As a car-less, partially disabled (bad leg) getting-older person who has used public transportation in both San Francisco and the East Bay for many years, I really like taking buses in San Francisco but I hate AC Transit. In fact, while I will happily travel around The City hopping from bus to bus, I go out of my way (walk, take cabs from the closest BART station, beg rides from my friends, stay home) to avoid taking a bus in the East Bay. 

Why? It’s certainly not because they’re more crowded (San Francisco buses are often packed) or dirtier. And while the Van Hool buses haven’t made it easier, my attitude predates their arrival on the scene. Partly its because San Francisco bus routes seem more logical and intuitive. Easier to understand which helps a lot when I’m going somewhere I have never been before. 

Mainly, though, it’s because I find riding the bus in the East Bay an ordeal. The usual attitude of AC Transit drivers falls somewhere between indifferent and hostile while drivers in The City I find to be at least polite and often friendly and even humorous. Here buses seem to lurch more and, when traffic’s light, will race down the street. If I am going someplace unfamiliar, I have to memorize the streets before the stop in advance and make sure I can see the street signs from the window as there is no interior signage (like in San Francisco) or announcement of the stops, and if I ask the driver to announce my stop when I get on, there is a good chance he will forget. And if I don’t get up and get that button pushed or cord pulled and make my way to the door before the bus stops so I can jump right off, I either get curt comments from the driver, have to wait until the next stop, or both. On the other hand, last time I was in the City I was told (nicely) by the driver to sit back down and wait until the bus came to a full stop. 

Now I don’t think this is because drivers in The City are nicer people than those in the East Bay. I suspect it is more a reflection of the management and where they place their emphasis. Maybe keeping on schedule is seen as of utmost importance. Good customer relations certainly aren’t high on the list of things to do. Which is sad, really, because I would like to take the bus on this side of the Bay. 

Joanne Kowalski 

• 

OXFORD REFERENDUM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We failed to achieve the daunting task of gathering 4,073 signatures within the 30-day period allotted for a referendum of the land giveaway for the “Brower Center” project. Thanks to all those who took the trouble to understand the complicated issues, and brave the cold, rainy weather to sign our petition. 

We initiated the referendum for several reasons. We were concerned about the lack of an environmental impact report, the lack of public process, the loss of parking and its impact upon our downtown, the concealment of the true cost of the project, and the massive impacts that this project would have on the city and on the citizens who will be deprived of funds diverted into it. 

The referendum campaign brought some sunshine into the corrupt process by which this bloated project was approved and funded. Some details of the diversion of city money into this project have been revealed, and more will follow.  

Berkeley citizens need to continue asking questions and demanding answers. We need to get our elected representatives to do a better job of caring for our money and our welfare. If they fail to act in the interests of the people, perhaps it is time to reexamine our City Charter, which gives all the power to the City Council, except for the power of the citizens to take action through an Initiative or a Referendum. 

Gale Garcia 

Barry Wofsy 

• 

IRAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley’s editorial “It Looks Like They Plan to Bomb Iran” highlights a serious problem, but most people remain totally ignorant of or are in denial about the coming war. Another U.S.-launched war would seem ludicrous. But to a president who claims to get directions from God, nothing is extreme. I congratulate the Daily Planet for focusing attention on this issue. 

Will the Democrats stop a war against Iran? Dream on! Hillary Clinton has stated that Iran cannot be allowed to possess nukes and “no option can be taken off the table.” John Edwards echoed her: “At the top of these threats is Iran.…To ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to keep all options on the table. Let me reiterate: all options.” And rising star Barack Obama told the Chicago Tribune in September 2004, “Launching some missile strikes into Iran is not the optimal position for us to be in…On the other hand, having a radical Muslim theocracy in possession of nuclear weapons is worse. So I guess my instinct would be to err on not having those weapons in the possession of the ruling clerics of Iran.” 

Overthrowing the Islamic regime has been a key component of the Bush global strategy of radically reshaping the world, beginning in the Middle East-Central Asian region, in order to solidify the United States as the world’s sole imperialist superpower. Bush’s 2006 National Security Strategy refers to Iran 16 times and states: “We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran.” The Bush regime has created a State Department Office of Iranian Affairs and an Iranian Directorate inside the Pentagon as it created special “intelligence” groups to invent pretexts for war on Iraq. 

Do not be fooled by recent diplomacy. The Bush regime in the buildup to the attack on Iraq also pretended to be exploring all possible diplomatic solutions while it had actually already made the decision to go to war and was preparing for war. 

How do we stop this coming war which will spread death and destruction throughout the Middle East and possibly ignite a world-wide conflagration? It will not be halted by Congress or the courts. Only concerted mass action in the streets will stop it. Only by driving the Bush regime from power can the war be averted. To see how you can help do so, please go to worldcantwait.org. 

Kenneth J. Theisen 

Oakland 

• 

MOTHER NATURE FOR  

PRESIDENT 

Once again the dust has settled in a post mid-term election atmosphere only to be kicked up again by many presidential hopefuls calling for healthcare reform, a plan to stay or exit Iraq, or simply calling each other names. However, one area that has not adequately been addressed is our addiction to oil and the ensuing contribution to climate change. The United States is about 5 percent of the global population but consumes about 25 percent of the world’s oil and contributes 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Any future American president must aggressively attack this problem if there is to be the change necessary to avert dangerous shifts in global climate. According to the most comprehensive study to date, written by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there will be a 2.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees surface temperature increase by 2100. There are two proposals, one in the House and one in the Senate that would reduce emissions by 80 percent below the 1990 levels by 2050. Henry Waxman and Bernie Sanders now need the support of their colleagues if the United States is to tackle climate change at a national level. The only way that either our newly elected officials or presidential hopefuls will address these problems is if we step up pressure from the grassroots. 

Joshua Sbicca 

Canvass Director, 

Environmental Action 

• 

CALL CONGRESS NOW 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

President Bush’s request for nearly $100 billion in supplemental war funding comes up for a vote on Wednesday March 7 in the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. A vote of the full House will occur the following week. A Congressional vote for this supplemental appropriation will enable Bush to expand and continue the war. 

1. Call the Congressional Switchboard Toll-free (800) 614-2803 or (800) 828-0498. 

2. Ask for your Congressional Representative and ask him/her to cut off all funding except that which is needed to bring the troops home. 

3. Call a second time and ask for Democratic leaders from California, Nancy Pelosi or Tom Lantos. 

Marge Lasky 

Grandmothers Against the War

It’s no longer a secret that the Bay Area housing market is in freefall, and that this downturn is spreading nationwide. But this doesn’t seem to have occurred to the investor community. Consider a recent front page of the San Francisco Chronicle business section: “Hershey’s Transfers Production to Mexico.” “Bay Area Housing Market in 24 Month Decline,” “Business Expects Rosy Economic Outlook.” Please go back and read this again, and than ask yourself if there isn’t a massive case of denial happening here. But never fear. For there is a solution to this housing crisis. In a word: condominiums! 

This belief, trumpeted by the likes of Tom Bates, Gavin Newsom, and Jerry Brown, is that condominiums are the magic bullet that will give new opportunities for home ownership in the ever-pricey Bay Area. However, what’s not said here is that these condos will still be way beyond the price range of low and middle-income people. And just who’ll reside in these new buildings? The newly affluent of the new economy, that’s who! Or so proclaims a recent article in the latest issue of San Francisco Magazine. But there‘s a hidden and dangerous flaw in this line of reasoning, for it ignores the fact that personal, corporate, and government debt is at an all time high, with no end in sight. 

The present crisis had its origins about seven years ago. In the wake of the dot-com collapse, real estate soon became the hot investment commodity. The wild feeding frenzy that followed jacked up property values to the point where even so-called “blighted” properties in West Oakland were fetching high six figure sums. But yet, as the history of California is my judge, with every boom comes the harsh and inevitable bust. Last Tuesday’s 500-point drop on the New York Stock Exchange vividly shows the ever increasing fragility of global financial markets. It should concern anyone that the travails of an investment firm in a corner of China can cause earthquake tremors throughout the rest of the financial world. A good look at business web sites shows that even establishment economists are now stating the inevitability of a major recession throughout the United States. The debate now is not whether it will happen, but just when and how deep it will be. Of course, Wall Street, the Federal Reserve, and their media allies reassure us that there’s nothing to worry about. They do what they always do in times like this: damage control. They attempt to calm us with soothing catchphrases like “soft landing,” and “market correction.” We are again told: “Don’t worry! We have everything under control. The market will take care of itself!” But one doesn’t have to be a Nobel laureate to understand the depths of our present financial crisis.  

The legacy of these condo projects is likely to be a lot of empty glass boxes standing vacant in the midst of once-vibrant neighborhoods, along with even more homeless on the streets. And, with an ever-shrinking pool of buyers, the overheated, over-leveraged housing market will likely continue to spiral ever downward. Perhaps more people may then come to realize that the recent real estate boom was resting upon a giant house of cards. The newly affluent of the new economy may soon wake up one day and find that wealth quickly gained is also wealth quickly lost. 

So what can we all do? The first thing is to pay off our debts as quickly and expeditiously as possible. Next of course, would be to vote out of office those officials who advocate these misguided development policies. I would also take the advice of activist Joanna Macy and start setting up informal networks of people who can assist each other in the times ahead. While I in no way know exactly what the future holds, my beliefs can best be summed up by the actress Bette Davis: “Hang on everyone, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” 

John F. Davies is a Berkeley resident.

Many people are attracted by North Shattuck Plaza, the idea of a park-like area where people can sit and eat, have coffee, or read a book or meet their friends in the heart of our neighborhood shopping area (the proposed location would be on the east side of Shattuck between Vine and Rose streets). Some opponents to the plaza idea are so aggressive that they forget or discount the history of the concept. When they do this, they ignore or twist facts. In addition, they make personal attacks on the supporters of the North Shattuck Plaza concept. 

Here are some facts in chronological order.  

2001 

The Berkeley City Council approved a schematic design, done by a planning firm, that included a small park/plaza in the area adjacent to Longs blank wall. The advisory committee to the firm included neighborhood residents, merchants, and property owners. No funds were allocated for development of the idea, which was part of a study of ways to improve the appearance and pedestrian portions of the public right-of-way of Shattuck Ave. between Hearst and Rose Streets. The “North Shattuck Urban Design and Circulation Report” can be found at: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/council5/Nspaza.html. 

2001 

North Shattuck Business Improvement District (BID) was created by agreement of a majority of the property owners, many of whom operate businesses along Shattuck Avenue between Delaware and Rose streets. The owners agreed, in most cases with the agreement of their commercial tenants, to a special property tax assessment, the proceeds of which are used to make physical improvements and conduct activities that enhance business in the area. 

North Shattuck Association (NSA) was formed to administer the Business Improvement District. NSA established a budget that included the implementation of the plaza and other pedestrian safety improvements identified in the 2001 study. 

2005 

NSA was convinced that the improvements proposed for the East side of Shattuck between Vine and Rose Streets would attract more people and improve the business climate in the area. Based on this belief, NSA agreed to use a portion of its income to fund schematic drawings for the North Shattuck Plaza concept. 

January 2006 

North Shattuck Plaza, Inc. (NSPI) was formed to collaborate with NSA in continuing the planning process, fund raising and working with the city to implement the 2001 concept of creating a sizable area for pedestrian use along the east side of Shattuck between Vine and Rose. 

Following a traditional urban-planning concept of weaving public and private efforts, a board of directors was formed consisting of a City Council member, six non-official neighbors, and three NSA members. The Business Improvement District agreed to fund the project through schematic drawings and then seek public input.  

A design firm was hired to oversee a land survey and review the 2001 schematic design. A design committee made up of additional business owners and local design professionals was organized to assist in the design review 

Autumn 2006 

In October, following completion of the survey, proposed revisions to the 2001 schematic drawings were the subject of a public meeting sponsored by NSA and NSPI at the Jewish Community Center. 

The meeting, widely advertised in advance, was to elicit public comment, input, ideas, and reactions to the schematic ideas. 

There were several objections to the ideas: 

• Parking problems were foreseen. 

• An increase in panhandlers was feared. 

• Loss of business during construction was a concern. 

• Responsibility for maintenance of the area was also a concern. 

Despite the fact that the meeting had been called to get public input, there were many complaints that the process did not include public input. This was because of the mis-conception that the schematic drawings constituted a plan—a fait accompli—which was not the case. There was also skepticism that a public-private effort could represent the needs and wishes of the public. 

Where do we go from here? 

NSA and a number of business owners remain committed to implementing the concepts contained in the 2001 study. Also, there are many in the Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association (LOCCNA) as well as the larger community who are interested in improving the area. The most recent positive development is that NSA, NSPI and LOCCNA have agreed to appoint representatives to a newly formed committee that will attempt to find areas of agreement and draft a process for a broad based community effort to move the project forward. 

For anyone interested in being on our mailing list or volunteering to work on this effort, contact us at info@northshattuckplaza.org or visit our web site at www.northshattuckplaza.org 

David Stoloff is the chair of  

North Shattuck Plaza, Inc. and of the Berkeley Planning Commission.

Bush administration accusations that Iran is supplying roadside bombs that are killing American soldiers in Iraq are all too reminiscent of pretexts used by half a dozen previous administrations to justify acts of war. 

Weapons shipments first became a casus belli in 1914 when Woodrow Wilson was president. Determined to prevent revolutionary Mexico from slipping out of U.S. hegemonic control, and a full three years before the United States declared war on Germany, Wilson ordered a U.S. naval fleet to prevent a shipment of German machine guns and ammunition from reaching Mexico. U.S. battleships bombarded Veracruz, the expected port of delivery, and Marines occupied it after several days of bloody house-to-house fighting. Alerted, the German ship sailed down the coast and unloaded at another Caribbean port. The Marines remained in Veracruz for seven months, and U.S. military incursions in Mexico continued for another five years. 

In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge used real or imagined weapons shipments to justify armed intervention in Nicaragua. Faced with a popular revolt against a Washington-supported political faction that was illegally in office, Coolidge charged that Russian Bolshevism threatened Nicaragua and that a Bolshevist-influenced Mexican government was supplying the Nicaraguan rebels with arms. So the Marines, who had guarded American interests in Nicaragua from 1912 to 1925, returned after less than a year’s absence for seven years of counter-guerrilla warfare. 

In 1954, it was Guatemala’s turn. The supposed menace was its mildly reformist government’s purchase of Czech arms to defend itself against an impending military coup engineered by the United States. Citing the Czech arms purchase as proof of “communist infiltration,” the Eisenhower administration unleashed a small army of Guatemalan exiles and Central American mercenaries that the CIA had recruited and trained, and directed their invasion of Guatemala. Democracy was crushed and replaced by a succession of brutal right-wing dictatorships. 

John F. Kennedy dragged the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962 in ordering the interdiction on the high seas of Soviet missiles en route to Cuba, in defense of its revolutionary government against the very real threat of a U.S. invasion. The crisis this blockade precipitated was dispelled only by removal of missiles that had already reached Cuba in exchange for a U.S. secret agreement to remove comparable American missiles from Turkey and to pledge not to invade Cuba. 

In the 1980s, the Reagan administration used the double-barreled pretext that Nicaragua was both receiving Soviet bloc weaponry and supplying arms to anti-government guerrillas in nearby El Salvador to justify a violent campaign to overthrow Nicaragua’s reformist government. While the CIA mined Nicaraguan harbors and blew up fuel depots, bridges and power stations, the U.S. military recruited, trained and supplied a surrogate army of “freedom fighters.” These “Contras” sabotaged rural cooperatives, schools and health clinics. They also murdered civilian supporters of the Sandinista government in a partially successful campaign to destabilize the government and undermine its popular support. 

Since the dissolution of the Soviet bloc, an emboldened and increasingly bellicose U.S. political/military establishment has used ever more flimsy justifications for armed intervention overseas. And weaponry has gained new prominence as a pretext. In 1998, Bill Clinton ordered U.S. Navy warships to fire missiles that demolished a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan, on the strength of a single soil sample taken near the plant that contained a chemical “precursor” in the manufacture of nerve gas. And in 2003, Iraq’s nonexistent “weapons of mass destruction” provided the chief pretext for the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. 

And now comes Iran, a more formidable adversary than nearly all targeted by previous administrations on charges of receiving or supplying weapons deemed threatening to American interests. Attacking Iran for supplying weapons to Iraqi resistance fighters would ensure that this repetition of history would end not in farce but in tragedy for all involved. 

Kent MacDougall is a retired UCB  

professor of journalism. 

WAGES IN EL CERRITO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a former Teamster, and a believer in “Justice for All,” I was saddened to see the El Cerrito Council ditch their previous Prevailing Wage policy and buy into a developer’s cynical ultimatum “Affordable Housing or Prevailing Wages.” 

On Feb. 5, the council approved the Olson Company’s plan to build apartments at the old Mayfair site on San Pablo Avenue. The developers said they would not adhere to El Cerrito’s previously stated policy of paying prevailing wages on city sponsored projects. They claimed that paying union wages would raise costs by 30 percent, and make building “affordable” apartments unaffordable. 

The council accepted this argument though refuted by speakers for the Unions, and did not challenge them. They did not consider other methods of raising the alleged shortfall, like from Redevelopment’s incremental taxes. They agreed, in effect, to a “Sophie’s choice: affordable apartments or prevailing wages.” Nor did they ask the developers to return some of their profit for a affordable housing fund. 

I think this is wrong, it comes close to union busting, and violates the city’s earlier prevailing wage policy, which many other cities still follow. Why should El Cerrito, which prides itself on being liberal, cave in to spurious arguments by developers? Is this what El Cerrito voters want their Council to do? 

It’s hypocritical for senior city staff and council to cut workers salaries by 30 percent yet keep their own. To practice “Justice for All,” senior staff, attorneys, consultants and the council should have a similar reduction in their pay and benefits, in favor of affordable housing, for any work on such projects. 

Rosemary Loubal 

El Cerrito 

• 

EDUCATION NOT INCARERATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I call upon the Bay Area community to take urgent action to stop the closure of East Oakland Community High School (EOC). It is a tragedy that our un-elected state administrator is trying to shut down this innovative community school as part of a nationwide trend to shut down and privatize public schools. It is through a mass movement that we can stop this type of policy and return Oakland schools to local, democratic control. 

EOC is important to us because Education Not Incarceration (ENI) is working with the National Education Association’s 3.2 million members to stop students from being pushed out of school and into prison. EOC represents our four point program to stop pushouts in real world terms.  

1. EOC emphasizes support of positive behavior, rather than punitive actions such as expulsion and suspension.  

2. EOC provides a strong, culturally aware staff, and curriculum that empowers youth by relating learning to their lives.  

3. EOC supports the growth of the whole child by involving the entire community in the education of each student.  

4. EOC prepares students for higher education or living wage jobs by carefully connecting students to opportunities based on their individual passions. 

EOC is not only about preparing students to pass a test, it is about teaching students to be positive, caring, successful members of our community. 

Please become a decision-maker and contact School Board members, Mayor Ron Dellums and the state-appointed administrator. 

Nuri Ronaghy 

• 

UC-BP DEAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The UC/BP agreement should be of concern to all Berkeley residents. 

The University of California Berkeley’s $500 million dollar deal with BP (formerly British Petroleum) is generating much needed concern on the campus. This concern has centered on the secrecy of the agreement, the content of the research, and the implications for academic freedom, all serious concerns. The genetically modified organism (GMO) research will impact our agricultural and ecological future, mostly in developing countries, in unknown ways. 

But the deal should also be of concern to all Berkeley residents. It should concern us not only because of the questionable research using genetically modified organisms taking place in our city, but also because of the cost to the city. 

The city of Berkeley already subsidizes the university $11-$13 million per year for sewer services, fire and police protection, street maintenance, street lighting and all the other municipal services we as residents pay for through our taxes. 

The university does not pay property taxes. The university does not pay the fees and assessments on its buildings. We, the residents of Berkeley pay for the university’s municipal services, and we do this because they are a tax-exempt educational organization. 

But why should we subsidize BP’s research labs? The are a major for-profit energy company doing research under the umbrella and perhaps protection of our state university’s premier campus. This umbrella does not disguise either the controversial work they will be doing, or the fact that this work is for their own profit. 

Berkeley residents and Berkeley elected officials must make it clear to the university that we will not subsidize this for-profit activity, especially controversial for-profit activity, in our town. 

Anne Wagley 

• 

CANVASSER LOVE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley has a long tradition of community organizing and activism, and to this day the tradition continues. For example, the university’s plan to build a new athletic center on a fault line, at the cost of a grove of oak trees, has sparked much debate. Tree sitters are using their right to protest until the situation is resolved. Yet, on another side of community organizing we have your neighborhood canvasser. These often young and idealistic people knock on your door to raise the visibility of issues, whether they be environmental or political, they knock on your door to increase the level of grassroots contributors and ultimately they knock on your door to get you to take concrete actions like writing or calling representatives, attending rallies, or pressuring industry to have people’s interest in mind over profit. Going door to door has long been a strategy to achieve positive social change and yet again we are faced with a global record of environmental degradation that demands attention and therefore has many canvassers working on the issue. The time is now to answer the call of canvassers who come to your door by not only writing a check, but by changing your lifestyle and spreading the need to quickly change our over reliance and consumption of fossil fuels. When a canvasser comes to your door, take a few minutes and listen to what they have to say. The experience and issues they work on are worth your time. 

Joshua Sbicca 

Canvass Director 

Environmental Action 

• 

STILL A FREE SPEECH ZONE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This year the Ecology Center’s Berkeley Farmers’ Markets will celebrate our 20th anniversary! We have a long and exciting history representing a generation of excellent eating, community building, food justice, and free speech! The current attempt to derail the David Brower Center will undoubtedly be written into this history, as a noteworthy debate and a moment where our dedication to free speech continued to outweigh our organizational support for the creation of this environmentally and socially responsible development. 

Despite the many complaints we have received about allowing the petitioners a space in the market, we feel it is important that diverse viewpoints be allowed to express themselves in civil and appropriate ways. While we find the arguments related to the petition campaign highly questionable and misleading, and we believe that there have already been ample opportunities for dissent, we continue to offer space to voices different from our own. This is representative of the many other wonderful things our markets offer in addition to amazing food from amazing farmers—diversity, education, community engagement, and tolerance. 

For those of you who are annoyed by whole thing, don’t want to be bothered while you shop, or feel these issues have been adequately addressed in publicly noticed meetings over the last three years, we express our deepest apologies, and hope you will continue to support the many dedicated and outstanding farmers at our markets anyway. As a consolation, you can look forward to an exciting season of amazing and edible celebratory events in honor of our 20 years at the heart of your local foodshed!! 

Food for thought. 

Martin Bourque 

Executive Director 

Ecology Center 

• 

BUSH AND CHENEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Has there ever been a period in this nation’s history, when both the president and vice-president were so heartily disliked, and with equal intensity? This sad fact was very evident yesterday at a Kensington luncheon attended mostly by UC faculty wives and Cal alumni, hardly your firebrand Birkenstock radicals. During the course of the luncheon, someone at my table voiced the opinion that Bush should be impeached. This brought indignant response from two or three women, “Oh, God, no! Then we’d have Cheney!” That led to a discussion of Cheney’s near assassination the day before in Afghanistan. One woman commented wryly, “Too bad they missed!” But aware of the total impropriety of this observation, she hastily added, “I shouldn’t have said that, should I? All this country needs is another assassination.” We all agreed with that, of course. But the fact remains that the sentiments expressed by these women echo the frustration of millions of concerned Americans, dismayed by the escalating death rate and horrendous injuries of U.S. soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians, yet powerless to stop the carnage. Will those two obstinate, arrogant leaders in the White House ever get the message that we’re fed up and sick to death of this hellish war? 

Dorothy Snodgrass 

Berkeley 

• 

LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a Cal alumnus, I am disturbed by the arrest of Zachary Running Wolf and the manner in which campus officials are refusing to listen to the concerns of the community and of the First People, not only on the specific issue at hand, the preservation of the Memorial Oak Grove, but on many other issues. I do not know Mr. Running Wolf well, having met him only once. I do know him by reputation as a dedicated and respected activist for the local community and for Native American issues. 

As an anthropologist, I have spent many years working the members of the Gabrielino/Tongva and Juaneno/ Acjachemen people of Southern California in their efforts to save the sacred creation center of Puvungna on the Cal State Long Beach campus. During this time, I have come to have great respect for Native American activists such as Mr. Running Wolf who are attempting to preserve their heritage while educating the rest of us about the importance of that heritage. After many years, campus officials at Cal State Long Beach have finally come to recognize the wisdom of listening to the voices of the community and of the First People of California. Steps are now being taken to properly honor the Puvungna site. 

In the interest of justice and for sake of the university itself, I hope the UC administration will drop whatever charges it may have against Mr. Running Wolf. The concerns he is raising are widely felt, and he should be honored, not condemned, for his commitment. 

Campus officials need to listen to the people. 

Eugene E. Ruyle 

Emeritus Professor of Anthropology 

California State University, Long Beach 

Cal class of ‘63 

• 

FOOD MILES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am an eighth grade student at the Athenian Middle School in Danville. In our science class, my group and I conducted a research report on a type of pollution that we feel is overlooked far too often. This pollution is called “food miles.” 

Food miles is a serious issue. Food miles is the distance that food travels from food to plate, from the farm to the consumer. The idea is that there is a lot of unnecessary transportation that occurs. The actual pollution is from the planes, trains and automobiles used in the shipping process. Basically, to make ketchup for example, a tomato can be picked in a field, put on a truck, driven to a packaging center, then driven to a distribution center, where it is distributed to stores, and then the consumer drives all the way to the store and back home. Often times, foods are imported from far away by plane, especially fruit, because it is so perishable. Planes give off ungodly amounts of carbon-dioxide. The basic kiwi found at Safeway is imported from New Zealand, and the tomato from Mexico. This is silly, as here, near the Central Valley, we have some of the best agriculture available. Also, foods are often bought out of season, which isn’t necessary. 

It’s not just foods that are contributing, but other products as well. Bottled water is horribly inefficient, as the bottling is done before shipment, and water can be imported from very far away. Sparkling water is even worse. The top sellers, Perrier & Pellegrino are from France and Italy, whereas Calistoga is from here in California. Beer is similar; Heineken for example is imported all the way from Amsterdam. 

In terms of prevention, there are many things the consumer can do. First off, the consumer needs to be aware. They need to look at where foods are bought from and buy more local foods. Secondly, then need to try to shop at local farmers’ markets as much as possible. If not markets, then some stores feature more local foods, such as Whole Foods, which buys their produce form Happy Boy Farms in California. The consumer needs to know what foods are in season and stick to those groups as much as possible. They can drink their tap water, to reduce bottled water consumption, or if it’s bad, they can get a filter for around 30 dollars from any local supermarket. Once again awareness is the key. Food miles is a serious issue and needs to be treated accordingly. 

David Young 

Danville  

• 

VOTE WITH OUR DOLLARS? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Outside Zellerbach auditorium, where critical journalist Michael Pollan has just debated the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, audience members are suspicious that this fight was rigged, its champions giggling away their time in “I’m for choice” banality. And why wouldn’t they? Both speakers, and a jubilant majority of the audience, agree in a fundamental way that it’s high time to vote with your dollars—a lot of them. 

The problem is that voting with your dollars, like voting in general, isn’t doing anything other than shuffling allegiances between our masters whenever it’s in their interest to cast the illusion of choice. What of using our human faculty to create something new and better, which will correspond perfectly with our beliefs and give back to us more than the energies we happily put in? 

Alas, most of us are cursed to chase these scraps of green paper which stuff the ballot box of our discontent late after a long night of work. 

But this is the worst problem of all: some of us don’t have as many dollars to vote with. Some of us, maybe farmers of certifiable mangoes in the desert that violent greed is so quickly pacifying fertile Earth into, must desperately trade our sweat, mangoes, farm, everything, in need of the bleached, subsidized and “humanitarian” flour which by ruthless exportation conquered our ancestor’s agriculture, or desperate to enroll children in a school, to do better than this. 

The people with votes to spare are the rich few, and we already know that in their hands, nothing of substance will change. How easy it is for us to find contentment in the decision to buy only products rated highly by this very rich man and his very rich company. What “intelligence and discipline” we display. Come on, my people! This is the same old emperor. As a wise old Panther once told a room, “They’ll paint the White House black if they can keep making a buck.” As ever before, kings today are busiest extracting wealth and hoping to leave us helpless to do anything but follow their decrees. 

I’ll pose a real alternative, which Tuesday’s debate was lacking: Vote with your own creativity and energy. 

Maybe spend a few hours a month helping make real food real cheap at one of the co-op farmstands in Berkeley, plant some collard greens at your community garden, write your deep thoughts on the signs for United Fruit Co. garbage at your grocery store—and refuse anything short of complete freedom, complete justice, and complete equality! 

Adam Wight 

• 

PASSING TRESSES,  

CROSSING RAILS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After reading the confusion caused by a simple typo (“tresspass instead of trespass”), I provide this entry for the Beware-of-Spelling-and Double-Meaning File:  

Once on a London Tube platform I read a sensible warning sign: DO NOT CROSS THE RAILS, followed by a wag’s reasoning: IT TAKES US HOURS TO UNTANGLE THEM. 

Thanks again for being serious but never stodgy, 

Patrick Fenix  

• 

IMMIGRATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Where is the compassion and unity as new hard-core and mean-spirited immigration proposals take shape in Texas. Is blaming and demonizing hard working immigrants the most pressing problem the state is facing or are we seeing a distraction from failed policies? 

Republicans and anti-immigration forces are attacking the most vulnerable members of society denying American born children of immigrants benefits and services. Leave it to the GOP to come up with immigrant-bashing legislation to stoke the fires of its conservative constituency. Why does this still feel like racism and discrimination? 

Ron Lowe 

Grass Valley 

I thank the Daily Planet for providing such extensive coverage of the zero waste transfer station plan now seeking public attention. As the rhetoric about zero waste reaches forward to the “put up or shut up” phase, a few concerns rise to the surface.  

1. Nobody’s ever done this before on a big scale. There are probably 10,000 to 15,000 people in the United States who have taken a zero waste pledge. In manner similar to a chastity or abstinence pledge, the zero waste pledge involves a commitment not to use any garbage services but to reuse, recycle or compost all products and materials that come into your hands. I took the pledge in 1986; it took a while to develop the infrastructure in my house and yard and to find the markets for the materials that would allow me to fulfill this pledge, but now about 99 percent of what I dispose of goes to reuse, recycling or composting; the other materials have no markets, no matter how hard I look.  

But this model of behavior has never been rolled out on a large scale. The president of DuPont said 10 years ago, “Zero emissions, zero waste, zero accidents: makes sense to me.” As a goal on paper, or a CEO talking point, it’s great, but DuPont still has plenty of garbage. The current poster child for zero waste in California is a Japanese firm that makes machines to produce airline baggage labels, but they burn 13 percent of their materials outflow in an incinerator, not what anyone in Berkeley wants to do. So, we’re gonna invent the wheel here.  

2. Lots of materials have no scrap markets. Recycling has made progress so far because the technologies to recycle paper, metals and glass have been around for centuries; what we’ve learned in the last 20 years has been how to recycle plastics (not a complete success story yet but a matter many Berkeleyans refuse to (or begrudgingly) acknowledge) and some wood products. But then think about particle board; seven billion square feet made in the last reported year and nobody wants it for reprocessing. Or mylar: Hershey’s switched their candy bar wrapper from a foil-backed paper liner and glossy paper wrapper to a single layer enclosed mylar package; nobody anywhere will recycle this stuff (or foil-backed paper, for that matter). Packagers and product manufacturers in the United States are totally free to design and market products and packaging that have no further use; the extended producer responsibility laws currently much touted are moving very slowly on products and packaging and the packaging professionals are fighting them every step of the way (with a few exceptions).  

Building a zero waste transfer station isn’t going to change this state-of-affairs very much. Someday we will look at a non-recyclable material like an incurable disease; there will be an NIH-type braintrust that will spend public (or private) money figuring out how to give this product or that material a new, end-of-life, destination; “recyclable or ban” the zealots cry. But it hasn’t happened yet, and Berkeley’s success with a ZWTS will only underscore the lack of materials planning and control elsewhere in our culture.  

3. A lot of stuff gets thrown away because people don’t know what to do with it; the markets may exist but the sorter is uninformed. Recently at a meeting of recycling coordinators from San Francisco hotels, I said, “It’s easier to put something into storage than to take it out.” All those present nodded knowingly. Yesterday I was at the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale warm-up show; I walked in by the 30 yard debris box from the garbage company in which a volunteer was happily dumping old audio tapes and 33 LP records; she didn’t think they would sell. Putting a zero waste slogan on a building isn’t going to create or find a path to market for the products and materials that enter there. And will everyone who works there know what they’re doing? Not in my experience.  

4. Our society disinvests in the end-of-life. You can do a funeral and burial for less cost than one day in ICU. When my friend’s 94 year old father had a heart attack, the doctor shrugged his shoulders and asked, without words, “He’s an old man; what do you expect?”  

There’s a lot of those feelings of rejection and low expectation about used materials and products in our culture; “Let it go; we’ve got more; why do you want to fool with that old stuff.” It’s easy to get a fetish about old this or old that but a lot of people go broke every year trying to get others interested in what they think is important but the world thinks is trash.  

This is particularly a problem among so-called solid waste professionals. The upper echelon of this occupation believes that people don’t care about their discards and won’t pay for their proper management. “Garbage is,” my friend says, “a simple answer to the Industrial Revolution.” The cost of something we buy in a store is 97 percent putting it together and getting it to the store; the materials in the things we buy are worth mere pennies on the dollar. When all you have to make a venture worthwhile is the material, you’re between a rock and a hard place; the annals of our recycling industry are full of folks who’ve gone broke thinking used this or used that ought to be valuable.  

5. A lot of stuff gets thrown away because it’s dirty. I worked two and a half years at the transfer station in San Francisco. Presumably leaving Gap to work for Levi’s, Sally Smith puts all her Gap clothes in a bag and they go to the dump. “Why doesn’t she give them to Goodwill or Salvation Army?”, you ask. I don’t know, she just doesn’t. I can pull them out and send them to St. Vincent dePaul’s; that’ll work. 

But what if they’re dirty? Off to the dump. Yesterday I pulled a nice sweatshirt out of a garbage can on Durant Street; it had had bleach dripped on the blue material and was unsalable in America (our poor people are proud, or they can get it at Target). It might end up in Afghanistan, warming some refugee, but it’ll never sell in the states. “Oh, it could be re-dyed,” say the liberals. 

So, I wish the City of Berkeley lots of luck. I would trust Dan Knapp more than ESA to come up with a workable plan, but it will take a lot of “what if” questions along the way to test any models that will get built. Turning personal behavior into public policy is a lot easier than implementing that policy amidst the myriad of stuff we easily trash today. My wife’s cousin’s husband was an engineer on the design of the North Slope oil drilling platforms in the 1970s. “It’s a bitch,” he said, “you do all the drawings and reviews and simulated stress tests but you don’t really know if it’ll work until you float it up there and see what the wind and the ice will do.” Hopefully, anybody’s plan will have lots of cautious questions asked and answered. Berkeley might well be the first out of the gate, and that’s always a dangerous position. Remember the new Denver Airport’s innovative baggage handling system, or Betamax, etc.  

Arthur R. Boone is an Oakland resident, a recycling professional since 1983 and the environmental representative on the Alameda County Recycling Board.  

I typically find the critical coverage of Berkeley development and city planning issues reported by the Daily Planet polemical yet comforting since this type of in-depth coverage of planning issues reassures me that our community is taking a critical and balanced look at growth in our unique city.  

However, in reading the Feb. 23 cover story, “High-Rise Tower Plan Proposed for Downtown,” I was surprised by the pithy and dogmatic negative reaction to the high-density option for the downtown plan reported in your interviews with the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee. One committee member is quoted as saying “density for density’s sake sucks.” Another is reported to be capable of both “never” supporting the high-density alternative while simultaneously being “prepared to support a range of options.”  

I’m concerned about the Advisory Committee’s ability to objectively shape the vision of our downtown. The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee and the City Council need to have the foresight to envision a populous, livable, and lively downtown that is as vibrant and inspiring as the world class university that put this city on the map. I take pride in the environmental prescience of our city leaders—they speak for me when they decry suburban sprawl and promote environmental protection, energy conservation, alternatives to the automobile and affordable housing.  

Paradoxically, as the Daily Planet reporting reveals, many of those same leaders are philosophically opposed to higher-density construction in our downtown. I find this hypocritical at best and irresponsible at worst, since concentrating our population is how we get the economies of scale we need from our infrastructure. Concentrating housing and business in a vital downtown is a planning strategy from antiquity; by concentrating housing, jobs and services in downtown we can accommodate the inevitable growth of our population and still allow for low density and no-density open spaces elsewhere. Density helps us address the social and environmental concerns that face the entire Bay Area, if not the world. To appropriate a turn of phrase from the advisory committee member, preservation for preservation sake sucks—while charming in concept, low-density downtown corridors are the feeble signature of dying business districts throughout Middle America. The crude visual simulations pictured in your article and shown by the planning staff look monolithic and jarring if you take them literally. They don’t concern me because I’m confident that those featureless blocks are as malleable as clay in the able hands of our city’s fine architects, planners, artists, advisory committees, councilmembers and everyday citizens who take the initiative to make their opinion heard.  

It’s easy to take political pot shots at the visual simulations shown by the city planners. Rather than choosing to see them as an easy target, I see those simulations simply as a conceptual placeholder; though featureless as a nascent concept they temporarily reify a vision for our downtown where the people who work and play in downtown also make a home there.  

Downtown Berkeley should be a place where responsible historic preservation is balanced against the benefits that new buildings and a critical mass of residents can bring to the downtown. A silent majority of Berkeley residents, those who do not make careers out of engaging in city politics, are truly progressive. We want a vibrant downtown brewing with exciting new businesses and residents. We want a mature downtown community that simultaneously serves the needs of the vital, somewhat seasonal, university population plus providing a home for a year-round downtown community of families, single urban professionals and the elderly who can walk, bike or take transit to work and other destinations throughout the city and region.  

A populous and diverse downtown would invigorate and expand the arts and other existing cultural institutions from the Farmer’s Market to the theatre. Residents who want a vibrant, livable city that they and future generations can be proud of would be wise to communicate to the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee and the City Council that they support higher density development in the place where it makes the most sense—downtown! 

Erin Bradner is a Berkeley resident.

The AC Transit General Manager says the Van Hools are the best bus we’ve ever had. But some riders are calling these nice new buses “Van Hell.” 

What’s the problem? 

AC Transit has been trying hard to make bus riding more attractive, so more people will ride transit—especially to and from work—instead of driving alone in a car. Because Europeans ride buses far more than we do, AC Transit decided to get “European style” buses. They couldn’t get the right kind from any U.S. bus manufacturer, not even from Gillig in nearby Hayward. So AC Transit bought Van Hool buses in Europe. 

Van Hool of Belgium has a fine reputation world-wide; they have been making buses since 1947, and they have sold city buses all over Europe, Asia and Africa. Van Hool tour buses can be seen at Fisherman’s Wharf. In local politics, however, it really looks bad that AC Transit bought buses from Belgium, while cutting service in Berkeley. Riders resent the money spent on management and staff trips to Belgium instead of improving our bus service. It turns out finally that the interior layout of our Van Hools was not designed by a specialist at Van Hool but by somebody on the AC Transit staff. Van Hool could have given AC Transit plenty of excellent ideas for seat layouts, drawing on their world-wide experience. I’m sure there are seniors in Europe, Asia and Africa who have just as much trouble climbing into those high seats as our seniors do here. 

AC Transit also required three doors on the new buses. US bus designs generally have only the front and rear doors, so the extra door became a custom item, which drove up the cost and effectively prevented any U.S. manufacturer from making a successful bid.  

Originally, the purpose of the three doors was to speed up boarding. AC Transit was going to implement POP fare collection, where people obtain proof-of-payment (POP) before they ride the buses instead of fumbling for their fare as they board. This system vastly speeds up boarding because people can enter and exit through all the doors; the buses can make faster trips. POP is used on Muni streetcars, on Caltrain, on buses in Oregon, Canada, Europe and Brazil. But according to AC Transit management, POP is too expensive for the East Bay, because of the salaries of the fare inspectors needed to keep East Bay riders honest. Well OK, but if POP wasn’t an option, why were the three doors required? This looks very bad. 

Personally, I started off rather liking the Van Hools. They do cut a fine figure as they go by, and their clean diesel is quiet. I’m a big guy, so I find it relatively easy to negotiate the high seats. But as I’ve aged, I’ve gotten a little unsteady on my feet, so I find it frightening when I have to stand, and there’s no place to grab hold while the bus swerves and lurches about Berkeley. This kind of thing can make a bus ride a “Van Hell” for a senior. The grab-bar problem is worst in the front of the bus, next to the first set of facing seats. I hope AC Transit will install some traditional hanging straps in that part of the bus, if they can’t put in more grab-bars.  

Speaking of tradition, I think we should go back to pull-cords for signaling when we want to get off, instead of those push-buttons. On a 40-foot Van Hool, if you’re sitting in the right front seat next to the window, and there’s someone seated next to you in the aisle seat, there is no way to reach the push-button, which is across the aisle, without flopping over your neighbor. Pull-cords and strap-hangers were invented over 100 years ago, and are still a good idea. 

The Van Hools should have more bench seating—the traditional seats facing the aisle from the wall of the bus, not just those folding jump-seats. A good use for the hump over the wheel is a platform to store packages, as on the NABIs and the new 30-foot Van Hools. Berkeley needs to catch up with other cities and deploy Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The plan is for the BRT vehicle to be the same 60-foot articulated Van Hool bus now in regular service on the 40L route (where the BRT will run). I want to see more people traveling about Berkeley on buses, not continually clogging the streets with cars and spewing greenhouse gases.  

It would be great to have the big Van Hool operating as a BRT, delivering people to their jobs along Telegraph, Bancroft and Shattuck. We need more transit action, less controversy. Employers should strongly support the Commuter Check program. Employees should stop taking parking spaces away from shoppers and visitors. People working in Berkeley should be using the bus, not feeding parking meters. The Van Hools could be fixed so that riders are happy. Then we could concentrate on making sure our buses provide fast and frequent service. We need to implement BRT, POP and bus-only lanes. We need to stop being so negative. 

Steve Geller is a Berkeley resident.

Your recent article on the North Shattuck Plaza Forum left out many supportive statements made at the workshop, and seemed to emphasize the negative ones, many based on misrepresentations that need correction. 

Some said that the proponents of the plaza are “outsiders” and “our distrust of outsiders rises from when the Temple Beth El was built.” Outsiders can hardly apply to an institution and to citizens who have been in the neighborhood for decades. Moreover, 17 of the 20 active members of our group either live or work in the north Berkeley neighborhood. I personally have lived and shopped here since 1960. This is where my husband and I manually built our home and raised our children. 

The North Shattuck Plaza (NSP) group was referred to as a “private self-selected group.” This term would apply to just about any group that is formed to influence public policy or improve the infrastructure, including LOCCNA, Friends of the Fountain and Friends of the Rose Garden. 

“The process is not democratic. . . .” Democracies rely on the dedication of individuals organizing to contribute to their community, from the local to the national level. Our group was formed at the request of the North Shattuck Association (NSA), an organization of merchants from Rose to Delaware, to help implement one of the recommendations of the “North Shattuck Urban Design and Circulation Report” approved by the City Council in 2001. Further, in the fall of 2005 the City Council passed a motion to support our efforts. 

“How can a group of people …decide what to do with a strip of land that belongs to the city.” We are not deciding anything. After 18 months of work by volunteers and urban designers (whose fees are paid by the NSA), we are proposing an idea for public review and input. Only the City Council can approve a specific plan. Such a plan would require neighborhood consensus. 

Opponents “wanted to know whether the plaza was a precursor to high-rises.” Based on the clarifications stated above, the answer is no.  

The merchants who have organized in opposition are working contrary to the goals of their own business association (NSA). To say that “Seventy-five percent of the merchants have signed a petition opposing the development” is misleading. It may have been signed by 75 percent of owners, or their staff, adjacent to the study area, but that is not 75 percent of the NSA. It is understandable that some merchants would be concerned about the issues as they are described. However, I would hope that with dialogue and good will, we could resolve potential problems for the benefit of our shopping district. 

This area of Shattuck has an inefficient layout of roadways and parking spaces that can be reconfigured to gain a pedestrian plaza, with the goal of maintaining the same number of parking spaces. Most successful shopping areas do not have parking right in front but have satellite parking lots. An inviting gathering place with pedestrian amenities will actually bring more neighbors and shoppers to the area and will help the businesses thrive. 

Helene Vilett is a member of the North Shattuck Plaza group.

The catastrophic occupation of Iraq is evidence of far more than the incompetence of the Bush administration; it is proof that the conservative worldview is fatally flawed. As the forty-third presidency staggers to an ignominious finale, liberals must prepare not only to govern America, but also to proclaim a new vision. Liberal foreign policy should be based upon 10 elemental concepts: 

1. America needs to lead by example, rather than by force. While it seems obvious to most Americans that the United States should practice what it preaches, this essential moral maxim was abandoned by a Bush administration whose operating philosophy is: “Do what I say, not what I do.” Bush conservatism brought a host of problems to US democratic process: stolen elections, denial of civil rights, and unlawful expansion of presidential authority, to mention only a few. Liberal leaders must practice democracy and set foreign policy from that moral ground. 

2. Propagating democracy requires a multinational effort, rather than unilateral action. Americans believe that democracy should be spread throughout the world; the question is by what means. Conservatives maintain the US has unique moral status in the world and, therefore, the privilege to govern the world community: “We’re the biggest and, therefore, the best.” This conceit, the belief in American exceptionalism, serves as an excuse for U.S. imperialism. Liberals believe that a multipolar effort is required to spread democracy. 

3. Democracy cannot be imposed; it has to be nurtured. Bush conservatism argues that American military power can catalyze western-style democracy in non-democratic states: “Might makes right.” Liberals believe that while multinational police forces can protect human rights they can’t guarantee democracy. 

4. There’s more to foreign policy than shaking a big stick. Conservative foreign policy presumes that a strong military is America’s best ambassador: “Adopt democracy or we’ll shoot you.” This big-stick approach hasn’t worked in Afghanistan or Iraq and shows no sign of working in the rest of the world. Liberal foreign policy recognizes that diplomacy is an essential tool both in promoting democracy and building coalitions in the national interest. 

5. Democracy is not synonymous with capitalism. The Bush administration advocates a cardboard version of democracy that emphasizes property rights and open markets, and glosses over the necessity for human rights and civil society. Its approach stems from an elemental conservative maxim: “In a democracy, free markets inevitably solve national problems.” Predictably the application of this doctrine in non-western societies produced authoritarian, plutocratic states featuring rampant inequality and environmental degradation. 

6. Some emerging democracies cannot support western-style capitalism. Because of their confidence in the power of the open market, Bush conservatives invariably get the cart before the horse: “Ensure capitalism and democracy will surely follow.” In many non-western states, democracy must be nurtured—by engendering civil society—before it is strong enough to support free-market capitalism. In the meantime, capitalism must be limited or national resources will be squandered and plutocrats will prevail. 

7. The global marketplace is not a substitute for global civil society. Coincident with their belief in spreading democracy through militarism, Bush conservatives have deregulated the international economy. They’ve promoted globalization in the naïve belief that this would inevitably remedy international economic, environmental, political, and social problems: “The market will provide.” The results have been devastating: economic inequality and environmental destruction—to name only two problems—have spiralled out of control. Liberals believe in the importance of international governance. 

8. The United Nations and other international organizations need to be revamped rather than abandoned. Conservatives argue that the U.N. doesn’t work and, therefore, should be replaced by a coalition of democracies headed by the United States. They believe that because America is the pre-eminent world power, it should determine international policy on all important matters: “We’re number one; therefore, we call the shots.” Liberals argue that America should redefine its role to that of building coalitions, exercising its power judiciously in a multipolar world. 

9. America needs to close its overseas military bases and bring American troops home. The United States maintains more than 700 overseas military facilities and has an active military presence in more than forty countries. Bush conservatives argue that this guarantees national security: “We’re safer because of our military hegemony.” Liberals believe that conservatives continue to fight the cold war; that the socio-political realities of the 21st century, and the campaign against terrorism, dictate that the US should bring its troops home, beef up homeland security, and strengthen international alliances. 

10. America needs to replace military spending with foreign aid. Conservatives ignore the economic and social roots of terrorism, the reality that rampant globalization fostered the conditions that produced Al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. In place of a systemic analysis, Bush conservatives proffer platitudes: “They hate us because of our freedoms.” Liberals recognize that eliminating the conditions that foster terrorism requires the rich nations of the world to help the poor, to guarantee the elemental human rights that underpin democracy. 

The key to transforming U.S. foreign policy is for American liberals to practice democracy at home. 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net.

At a dinner party last week I announced to everyone at the table that I needed a job. Soon. Very soon. My guests nodded in approval. They had professional careers. A few were mothers who worked part-time. One was a doctor, another a nurse. At the table were several writers, a scientist, and a union member. I was the oldest person in the room, and the most minimally employed.  

“Write,” said Sarah. “That’s what you do best.” 

“No,” said her husband Rob. “She needs to make money.” 

“Why not go back to the climbing gym?” suggested Fred. “You liked it there. Work and stay fit at the same time.” 

“I think I’m a little old for the gym scene,” I said. 

“Nonsense,” shouted someone much younger than me. “What are you 50, 55? That’s not too old. Sixty is old, but not 55.” 

“Better hurry,” whispered the young man sitting next to me.  

“What kind of job do you want?” asked Rob.  

“That’s a problem,” I said. “I don’t know.” 

“Full or part-time?” said Fred. 

“Part-time, I think.” 

“Clerical or managerial?” asked Sarah. 

“Clerical,” I said. “No responsibilities.” 

“A job without responsibilities,” said Tom. “Is there such a thing?” 

“Not a lot of pressure,” I tried to explain. “Something I can do easily, but get personal satisfaction from. And…” 

“And what?” 

“I want a short commute. Walk, bike, or take the bus.  

“Sandwich making at Genova’s,” said Rob. “You can walk there. I love their Italian combo.” 

“I- 

“How ‘bout the Bowl,” suggested someone else. “That might be fun. All that food.” 

“Aisle Two,” said April. “Creams and potions. Aisle Two smells good. But don’t be a checker. You have to memorize too many things. Those green leafy vegetables all look alike.”  

“What about the bulk section?” 

“Same thing. If the customer doesn’t put the right code on it, you’re screwed. You have to come around the counter and compare what’s in the bag to everything in the bins.”  

“Not a security guard,” said Nance. “I don’t think you’d be good at it.”  

“Ticket taker on the ferry,” said Fred. “I’ll take you down to the union hall next week. Sign the book. Go through training. It’s unpaid, but you’ll learn everything you need to know. Just smile and point the riders to the right box. Say ‘put your ticket here,’ and nod your head. People love being told what to do.” 

“I- 

“But don’t be the ticket seller. Be the taker, not the giver. Sellers sit in a little kiosk. Takers get to stand outside.” 

“I- 

“Eighteen dollars an hour,” he continued. “Seasonal. You get the whole winter off to do other things.”  

“Like look for another job,” said Rob. 

“Okay, let’s go back to the beginning,” said Tom. “You want a part-time job with no responsibilities that you can bike to, right?” 

“Some responsibilities,” I said. “I can handle some.” 

“And you have no idea where or what kind of work you want to do,” said April. 

“Some place exciting,” I explained. “A place that does something I can get into. But not a hospital,” I added. “I’ve spent too much time in hospitals.”  

“Let’s clarify this more,” said Rob. “It sounds like you want a boring job in an exciting place, as opposed to an exciting job in a boring place. Is that correct?” 

“I think so,” I said.  

“That’s it,” he shouted. “I’m quitting my job and becoming a career coach.” 

“Yes,” everyone agreed. “You seem to have the knack.” 

I got up to the clear the table. Maybe I could be a waitress. I’d spent a lot of time working in restaurants 35 years ago. “Coffee, anyone?” I asked. 

“Peet’s!” said April. “You could get a job at Peet’s.”  

“Exciting and excitable,” said Rob. “You’ll be wired for life.”  

“And at your age,” whispered the whippersnapper next to me, “that might be the benefit you need the most.” 

I’ve been birding in California long enough that new species are hard to come by. Every couple of years, something exotic may blow in from Siberia, but I’ve met just about all the natives and regular visitors. There are still surprises, though. Familiar birds—birds you think you know reasonably well—keep doing unexpected things. 

A week or so ago I went to the Flyway Festival at Mare Island, a sort of birder’s expo featuring conservation exhibitors, book and optics vendors, and field trips. I hooked up with a trip to an area that was new for me, the American Canyon Wetlands: tidal marsh with freshwater inflows abutting a new development. We saw a fair number of hawks, ducks, and saltmarsh songbirds, but nothing extraordinary for most of the morning. 

Then, as I was distracted by a male yellowthroat that kept popping in and out of the gumplant near the water’s edge, there was a commotion among a nearby flock of coots. Although the coots didn’t take wing, the whole flotilla was moving out into deeper water. What had cause the exodus was a hawk—a female northern harrier, we realized once someone had trained a scope on it—standing in the shallows, its feet planted on a submerged coot. 

In the right habitat—open grasslands, wet or dry—harriers can be common, especially in winter when local birds are augmented by migrants from the north. In more than 40 years of observation, I had never seen a harrier take a coot. I couldn’t recall even having read about it.  

Harriers are consummate rodent-hunters: their owl-like facial feathers allow them to target mice and voles by sound alone. They’ll sometimes pick up a vole’s nest, shake it to dislodge the occupant, and snag it as it drops. The books say rodents make up the bulk of a harrier’s diet, with a few songbirds thrown in.  

Clearly, though, there were exceptions—and I later found references to harriers drowning waterfowl. They’ve been known to kill birds as large as ducks, bitterns, grouse, and pheasants, with females taking on larger prey than males.  

The harrier stood there. There was no sign of struggle in the water. Once a peregrine falcon swooped over her, and she flinched. Then a western gull swam up to inspect. The gull dwarfed the hawk, but she held her ground, glaring over the shoulder at the larger bird. She didn’t seem to be trying to lift off with her prey, and we speculated as to whether she could get airborne with a pound and a half (according to the Sibley guide) of dead weight. A reporter from the Napa Register, who happened to be on hand, interviewed the witnesses. 

The harrier must have decided she couldn’t, and she took off. The gull moved in. The coot, not quite dead, gave one last spasmodic thrash as the gull towed it to a mudbar. That was it, though. The gull began working at the carcass; lacking a raptorial beak, it didn’t seem to be making a lot of headway. “This guy needs a can opener,” someone said.  

And then a new player arrived. An adult red-tailed hawk touched down and claimed possession of the coot. The gull, prudently, moved away—but not too far. Now the redtail had to deal with the aerodynamic issues. It stood there on the coot as if working things out. It was at about this point that we noticed that the tide was coming in. The water was up around the hawk’s thighs. It didn’t take off, and it wouldn’t give up the coot. And I thought, there has to be a metaphor here.  

Eventually, the redtail, like the harrier before it, gave up. Back came the gull. As the group of birders dispersed, it was working away at the coot again, sending a drift of black feathers into the water. Just another day in the food chain, and a salutary reminder that there can be a lot more to bird behavior than you’d ever guess from the field guides.  

A female northern harrier; males are gray and white. Photograph by Ned Kroeger.

“The Supreme Lord said: I am death, the mighty destroyer of the world, out to destroy.” 

—Shiva 

Bhagavad-Gita  

Chapter 11, Verse 32 

According to the great Hindu text, Shiva, in the guise of Vishnu, delivered that speech to Prince Arjuna before a great battle almost eight millennia ago. Physicist Robert Oppenheimer paraphrased it in 1945 to describe the creation of the atomic bomb. Its current reincarnation might be what an Israeli commander told Meron Rapport of the newspaper Ha’aretz about last summer’s war with Lebanon: “What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs.” 

The commander was decrying the way Israel, the United States and Great Britain wage war these days, which has increasingly become an exercise in mass destruction. 

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fired some four million cluster munitions at southern Lebanon during the recent 34-day war, at least one million of which are still waiting in ambush for unwary farmers and children. According to UN Relief Coordinator David Shearer, “nearly all of these munitions were fired in the last three or four days of the war.” 

According to the United Nations, the IDF destroyed airports, harbors, water and sewage plants, electrical generators, 80 bridges, 94 roads, over 900 businesses, and 30,000 homes. Retreating Israeli soldiers, reports the New York Times, systematically destroyed village infrastructures and deliberately polluted water tanks and wells. Some 1,183 Lebanese were killed, 4,054 wounded, and one quarter of Lebanon’s population—900,000 in all—were turned into refugees. Lebanon is hardly unique. 

Since 1991, according to Handicap International, the United States and Britain have dropped over 13 million cluster munitions on Iraq and strewn the countryside with more than 500 tons of toxic depleted uranium ammunition. A John Hopkins University study found that anywhere from 426,369 to 793,663 Iraqis have been killed since the March 2003 invasion. The war has also driven 1.8 million Iraqis out of their country and created 1.6 million internal refugees. 

Since last January, almost 4,000 people have died in Afghanistan, over 1,000 of them civilians. The United States has dropped more than three times the number of bombs in that country over the past six months than it did in its first three-year campaign against the Taliban. B-1 bombers are routinely unloading 19,000 pounds of explosives during bombing runs, while AC-130 Spectre gunships spitting 155 mm howitzer shells and tens of thousands of 40 mm cannon shells, prowl the skies. In September, an AC-130 killed 31 shepherds.  

Three of the most powerful armies in the world attacked countries that militarily are only marginally in the same century as Israel, the United States and Britain. Yet in spite of overwhelming firepower, Israel was fought to a standstill in Lebanon, the Americans in Iraq are in increasingly desperate straits, and British forces in Afghanistan, according its former chief of staff, Field Marshall Peter Inge, face the possibility of outright defeat. 

How is this possible?  

There was a time when a thin red line of British regulars ruled the Indian subcontinent, when a few brigades of U.S. Marines could keep Central American safe for the United Fruit Company, and when the IDF smashed far larger armies in a week of fighting.  

But the thin red line faced mostly tribal warriors, and the Marines were up against unarmed peasants. The Arab armies were big, but poorly led and technologically inferior.  

All empires—whether they are based on colonies or economic domination—are built on uneven development. There was a time when industrial capitalism was all-powerful, and when the people it conquered often did not even think of themselves as “nations.” 

When the people in those conquered countries did think of themselves as a nation, the road to empire could be a rocky affair. Tiny Ireland tied down more British regulars in the 19th century than did India.  

Eventually the development of nationalism made it impossible for the colonial powers to retain direct sovereignty over Asia, Africa and the Middle East, though many of those former colonies are still economic and political vassals. The thin red line withdrew because it suddenly faced hundreds of millions of people who were united in wanting it out, and push came to shove, would fight to make it so. 

The great powers retreated, but they always believed that their superior military power gave them a final vote in matters concerning their interests. For many, that illusion of superiority held even when reality demonstrated the opposite. Hence, Vietnam was lost not because the United States could not hope to defeat an entire nation, but because — as Vice-President Dick Cheney currently argues — because the U.S. political and military leadership lacked resolve. 

Unfortunately, the hallucination that war is still a relevant strategy is not confined to the neo-conservatives and a few right-wing Republicans. Many Democrats share it as well, even if they happen to disagree with the current White House about the tactics for employing military power. 

The Democrats have voted overwhelmingly to support the almost $600 billion yearly military budget, including the unneeded $65 billion F-22 program, and $256.6 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a plane no one seems to want. Ike Skelton (D-Mo), the new chair of the House Armed Services Committee—a recipient of numerous campaign donations by leading arms manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon—has lobbied for years to expand the military.  

Lockheed Martin makes both the F-22 and the F-35. 

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently endorsed President George W. Bush’s proposal to enlarge the military. “I have been calling for such an expansion for several years,” he told the press. 

In a recent editorial, the New York Times called such an expansion essential for the kind of “extended clashes” the United States will face in the future from “ground-based insurgents.” But “extended clashes” are exactly the kinds of wars that make military superiority irrelevant. The Bush administration’s “surge” of troops into Iraq will make not an iota of difference, any more than the Vietnam escalations did a generation ago.  

The cost of all this, however, is extraordinary. The Department of Defense will spend $2.3 trillion over the next five years—actually more if you count nuclear weapons, veterans’ benefits, and the cost of the wars themselves. The price tag for Iraq alone is $450 billion and climbing. 

What all this massive (and expensive) firepower does do, however, is inflict damage of almost Biblical proportions. The Israelis bombed Lebanon back to the stone age, and Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians are still being blown up by three-decade old cluster weapons. Iraq may find it harder to recover from its “liberation” than it did from the Mongol invasions. 

We cannot “win,” but like the Romans of old, we can sow the earth with salt. What we reap will not be acquiescence or compliance, however. 

Commenting on the recent Lebanon War, Augustus Richard Norton, a former army officer who served in Southern Lebanon and currently teaches at Boston University, pointed out that previous Israeli invasions and occupations “created the conditions for the recent war. Hezbollah had 20 years to hone their skills and hatred against Israel. That hatred was created by Israel; it wasn’t there in the beginning.” 

Substitute the United States, Britain, and Russia for Israel; and shift the locale to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Chechnya, and that is where the strategy of destruction takes you in the end. 

Given the almost universal community and political opposition inside Oakland to the proposed deal between State Superintendent Jack O’Connell and a group of east coast developers for the sale of the Lake Merritt-area Oakland school properties, it shouldn’t be surprising that there was almost universal relief expressed in Oakland with the announcement last week that the deal had been killed. 

But “almost universal” is not universal, and so we had the editor of the East Bay Express, in grumbling dissent, posting to the Express’ blog the following on February 23 under the headline “Oakland Schools Must Like Servitude And Debt”: 

“Despite years of impotent rhetoric from area educational leaders about the importance of resuming local control of the Oakland schools, the district and the state have shelved what appeared to be the only viable option for making that happen. As Jill Tucker notes in today’s Chronicle, the district and the state have killed a proposed downtown property sale that could have helped pay off the bulk of the district’s $100 million debt. Elimination of this debt is a likely precondition to the state returning control of the public schools to Oakland’s elected school board. A multitude of critics had opposed the property deal for reasons ranging from opposition to development to support of a competing plan to general obstreperousness. But school board member Kerry Hamill got it exactly right when she called the deal’s death a ‘terrible, wasted opportunity.’ For the complete story of how the deal could have bailed out the schools, check out Robert Gammon’s 2006 feature “The Plot To Oust Randy Ward.”  

While one is tempted to treat this as the old-time Arabs used to do (“the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on”), the Express is a powerful corporate voice whose opinions will be read—and believed—far from the Oakland borders. And so, we offer our own opinion on the subject. 

While Mr. Buel is free to reach his own conclusions in any way he sees fit, the facts he alleges in his blog posting don’t fit the facts on the ground, like they say in the military. 

When Mr. Buel says that “elimination of [OUSD’s] debt [to the State of California] is a likely precondition to the state returning control of the public schools to Oakland’s elected school board,” he is flat wrong. Repayment of the state loan as a condition of return to local control is not included in SB39, the state law that authorized the state takeover (all of the conditions of return to local control are set out in Section 5(e) of SB39, which is available on the web, if any of you care to check on this). SB39 only requires that the district come up with and carry out a budget and a plan which calls for the eventual repayment of that loan. 

And, in fact, other California school districts in recent years have been returned to local control after state takeover, while still owing—and paying back—the state loan that triggered the takeover. The West Contra Costa Unified School District was taken over by a state administrator in 1991 because of a state fiscal bailout, but was returned to what we call local control (where a state trustee has veto power over budgetary items, but the local board of trustees sets policy and hires a superintendent to run the school) a year later, with payments on the original debt still due to the state through 2018. 

But this does not mean that repayment of the state loan by Oakland Unified would not be a good thing. The annual debt service on that loan, something like $4 million, is an enormous burden on Oakland Unified’s back, taking money away from needed programs, buildings, equipment, and staff and teacher pay. 

But could the proposed TerraMark/ UrbanAmerica purchase of the OUSD Administration Building and lands and five adjoining schools have “helped pay off the bulk of the district’s $100 million debt,” as Mr. Buel asserts? It’s not likely. 

That’s because the TerraMark/ UrbanAmerica proposed land purchase was one of those “government brie” deals (poor people get government cheese, developers get the bigger stuff) that has given Oakland the name of “Moneytown” in developer circles around the country. And so the $65 million price tag for the 8.25 prime property acres which got thrown around in the local media so much was not actually the guaranteed price that the developers were offering; instead, their proposal always indicated this was the price they would pay if conditions were met by the City of Oakland that allowed the developers to make maximum money off of their development. One of those conditions was selling the developers a portion of 2nd Avenue so they could put one of their high-rise condominiums on it; a second was that the Oakland Planning Commissioner and the Oakland City Council agree to allow the developers the maximum number of floors and individual housing units they were seeking. 

Given the opposition of Mayor Ron Dellums and all eight members of the Oakland City Council to the proposed deal, it is not likely that the developers would have gotten everything that they were asking from the city. That would have dropped the price OUSD was paid in the contract, providing less money to pay back the loan. How much less it would have been, no-one knows. 

The second variable that made the TerraMark/UrbanAmerica such a bad deal was the unknown relocation costs—and district disruption—that it would have mandated. The two day care centers and the one elementary school, La Escuelita, on the 8.25 acre site serve residents in the Chinatown/East Lake area, so they would have had to be relocated somewhere in that area. But OUSD staff have never publicly identified any land parcels in the area large enough to relocate those facilities, and school board members—who had gone on previous school site searches—doubted that any such sites existed. In addition, the two high schools on the site also needed to be located in that immediate area, MetWest because it offers classes at nearby Laney College as part of its curriculum, Dewey because it draws on students from all across the city, and needs to be near a transportation hub. 

In fact, it was opposition from parents and students of these schools—and their supporters—that provided the most vigorous community dissent against the proposed land sale, and probably what sank it. When Mr. Buel says that opposition to the land deal came from people with “reasons ranging from opposition to development to support of a competing plan to general obstreperousness” (and, no, I don’t know what general obstreperousness is off the top of my head and, no, I’m not going to look it up for you), he leaves out one of the most important factors in that opposition. 

Meanwhile, the one person cited in Mr. Buel’s commentary in support of the proposed OUSD land deal—Trustee Kerry Hamill—was not all that enthusiastic about the terms of the TerraMark/UrbanAmerica deal herself while it was still on the table, and recommended that the state superintendent and state administrator continue to negotiate for better terms. What Ms. Hamill was most concerned about—during the three public hearings on the proposed land deal—was that the district not hold onto valuable “administrative” property when it had so many unmet educational needs. And other OUSD trustees wondered why there was so much attention by the state superintendent to the Lake Merritt properties when there were other surplus administrative properties owned by the district that could be sold—with much less controversy—to help pay down the debt. 

Finally, Mr. Buel’s proposition that the land-sale-would-have-substantially-paid-down-the-state-debt-and-the-repayment-of-the-debt-would-have-led-to-return-to-local-control is wrong because, while land and money may have been the ultimately reason for the original state takeover, the situation has since passed far beyond that. Stripped of the ability of Oakland residents to stop it, the Oakland Unified School has become a vast educational experimental ground, where people come from all over the country to try out their various ideas on Oakland children. 

It is one of the key testing grounds for President George Bush’s No Child Left Behind, to see how much public education can be corporatized and privatized and profitized. Under the fog that fell down on Oakland with the loss of local oversight, these folks have established a firm foothold in the school district, and will not now easily give it up. They have powerful friends in high places. 

If Oakland is to regain control of the education of Oakland children, that is where the next battle will have to be fought. 

In March 1933, the Long Beach Earthquake destroyed 70 schools, and another 120 suffered major structural damage. The Great Depression was at its height, leaving 25 percent of the nation’s work force unemployed. Things couldn’t have looked grimmer, but one creative mind was busily churning out solutions. 

In December of that year, the Berkeley City Council received for consideration a novel idea submitted by Bernard Maybeck. The architect advocated that waste material from Berkeley’s condemned school buildings be diverted to constructing small homes on city-owned property, with unemployed heads of families providing the construction manpower. 

“Out of the two negatives of waste material and waste time of men might be evolved a positive condition,” wrote Maybeck. “Little houses, little gardens, play spaces for little children—the result a glorified auto camp. Should 1929 roll around again, these same settlements could be metamorphosed into auto camps, of which Berkeley has none.” 

Seeds for planting gardens could be donated by the Hillside Club, of which Maybeck was a member. Other organizations might be prevailed upon to supply furnishings. Many of the unemployed and people working under the Civil Works Administration program would be able to live comfortably if the problem of rent was removed, wrote Maybeck. If he were in Berkeley (the architect was in Elsah, IL, designing the Principia College campus), he would be glad to draft plans for the model settlement—a place that would boast show houses and not be “shackville.” 

It’s doubtful that the Berkeley city council considered the proposal seriously. Maybeck didn’t have a reputation for practicality, while the city was intent on developing taxable property. 

As for the architect, he was simply following the singular path he had begun to hew upon arriving in Berkeley forty years earlier. 

The son of a German-born furniture maker and architectural woodcarver, young Maybeck (1962–1957) apprenticed in the same trade before going to Paris at the age of 19 to study furniture design. Within a year he was admitted to the École de Beaux Arts, where he spent four years studying architecture. Along with the traditional training in the classic orders, Bernard benefited from the study of gothic structure and a mathematical theory of modern structure, both of which would play a decisive role in his future designs. 

Returning to New York in 1886, Maybeck went to work for his Beaux-Arts schoolmate Thomas Hastings at the latter’s firm, Carrère and Hastings. Here he participated in building two Florida hotels and a church for Standard Oil tycoon Henry Flagler. 

In 1889 Maybeck attempted to establish an independent practice in Kansas City. The work was scarce, but the sojourn was fruitful: the architect met Annie White, whom he would marry the following year, and the young architect Willis Jefferson Polk. Polk soon moved to California and lured Maybeck out as well. 

While waiting for an opening in the San Francisco office of the fashionable young architect A. Page Brown, Maybeck had a temporary job at the established firm of Wright and Sanders, architects of the Mark Hopkins mansion on Nob Hill. Next he became principal designer at the Charles M. Plum Company, interior designers and custom furniture makers. 

While designing lavish interiors for Nob Hill mansions, Maybeck lived with Annie in a cottage in the Piedmont hills. Here he had “an experience that profoundly affected his whole artistic outlook,” wrote Charles Keeler in his memoirs. “[N]ext door to him the Reverend Joseph Worcester had a little summer retreat. Looking into Mr. Worcester’s windows, he saw the interior of the cottage was all of unpainted redwood boards. It was a revelation.” 

In 1891, A. Page Brown’s work volume increased, and Maybeck joined his staff. A year later, the Maybecks purchased a double lot in northwest Berkeley, on the corner of West and Gilman. The streets were renamed several times since then. West became Sherman, then Grove, and is now known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The old Gilman is now Berryman Street. 

The area was isolated; for over ten years, the Maybeck property was the only inhabited one on its block. It came with a small, one-story cottage that Maybeck soon began to transform. Lacking the means to hire a contractor, the architect initially did much of the work himself. Over several years, the house doubled its footprint and gained a second story, a low-pitched saddle roof with wide overhangs, a projecting sleeping porch, and a great variety of windows. Two styles of wood shingles adorned the exterior. 

Keeler, who had first met Maybeck in 1891, described the house as it was in 1895: 

I sought out Mr. Maybeck at his home in northwest Berkeley and told him I had come to accept his offer to design our house. I really had no idea what I was getting into when I put myself in his hands. I found his own home was not yet complete and that he was working on it at odd times, with the assistance of Julia Morgan’s brothers. His house was something like a Swiss chalet. The timbers showed on the inside and the walls were of knotted yellow pine planks. There was no finish to the interior, for the carpenter work finished it. There was a sheet iron, hand-built stove, open in front and with brass andirons. Most of the furniture was designed and made by Mr. Maybeck himself. It was a distinctly hand-made home. 

In 1894, Maybeck was appointed instructor in drawing at the Civil Engineering College of the University of California. A school of architecture did not yet exist, so Maybeck offered interested engineering students an independent course in architectural design, given in his house. The students included an impressive array of future luminaries: Wiley Corbett (architect of New York’s Rockefeller Center); Edward H. Bennett (co-author of the Chicago city plan with Daniel H. Burnahm); Julia Morgan; Lewis Hobart (architect of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and Bohemian Club); John Bakewell and Arthur Brown, Jr. (who would collaborate on the city halls of San Francisco and Berkeley); G. Albert Lansburgh (designer of many theatres, including the Warfield and Golden Gate in San Francisco, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and, with Arthur Brown, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House); and Loring P. Rixford (architect of the Sacramento City Library). Bakewell described the course as combining design theory and a period of practical application, during which the students worked on the additions to the house. 

Maybeck would apply the principles tried out in this domestic laboratory to his early private commissions. Keeler was his first client, and the architect not only designed his home but provided lessons in architectural philosophy: 

A wooden house should bring out all the character and virtue of wood—straight lines, wooden joinery, exposed rafters, and the wooden surface visible and left in its natural state. A house should fit into the landscape as if it were a part of it, it should also be an expression of the life and spirit which is to be lived within it. […] whatever was of structural importance should be emphasized as a feature of ornament. […] He was interested in the simple life which is naturally expressive and consequently beautiful. He believed in handmade things and that all ornament should be designed to fit the place and the need. He did not mind how crude it was, provided it was sincere and expressed something personal. 

The Keeler house, built in 1895 on the corner of Highland Place and Ridge Road, was soon joined by three additional seminal Maybecks: Laura G. Hall house (1896), Williston W. Davis house (1897), and William P. Rieger house (1899). They transformed the Northside and served as models for the “Simple Home” gospel promulgated by the Hillside Club. 

The Maybecks continued to live in the Grove St. house until 1907. A block to the south, at 1423 Grove Street, lived Bernard’s first cousin John E. Maybeck. In the family tradition, John was a woodcarver. His grandson, William Maybeck, relates that Bernard, dissatisfied with the quality of workmanship in San Francisco, persuaded his cousin to come out from New York. John started out as a mantel dealer but eventually became a teacher at the Wilmerding School of Industrial Arts in San Francisco, a position he held for many years. 

Bernard and Annie sold their Grove St. house to German professor Ludwig J. Demeter and his wife Rowena and moved to rented digs at 1615 Arch Street while their new home was being built on the corner of La Loma Ave. and Buena Vista Way. 

But this wasn’t the end of the Grove St. house’s connection with architecture. By the late 1950s and early ’60s, it had assumed legendary status among U.C. architecture students. According to architect Richard Ehrenberger its student residents included future folksinger Kate Wolf and her eventual husband, architect Saul Wolf; Howard Ray Lawrence, future professor of architecture at Penn State; and future architect/photographer Jeremiah O. Bragstad. 

The house was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark on February 1, 2007. 

Daniella Thompson publishes berkeleyheritage.com for the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA). 

Photograph by Daniella Thompson 

Maybeck’s first Berkeley house, 1300 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark on Feb.1 of this year. 

I have a terrible confession to make. I feel really bad about it, but it’s probably not going to change any time soon. I don’t care if your roof leaks. O.K., I know that I’m supposed to make a big deal about this sort of thing but I’m not going to. There, I said it and I feel a whole lot better. 

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I do care if your roof leaks, but not that much. And I would argue that you shouldn’t either. Now, if you have OCD you might need to fix it right away to prevent suicide and I would say, “Bully for you, get on with it then” and hand you the phone, to call to the roofer, myself. 

However, for most of us, it’s just not all that important because roof leaks don’t kill people. I’m very interested in everything about the house but I’m much more interested in things that kill people or hurt them seriously or cause a massive loss of value.  

This is what might be called worst-case scenario inspecting and is what I try to do everyday.  

It is very easy to lose perspective when looking at a large list of issues and, to the credit of many of my clients; they will intuit and communicate this when we’re looking at their house, skyscraper or aircraft hangar. Most will, at some point, say “Please tell the things that you think matter the most” or “Can you tell me the five things that you’d do first after I’ve moved in.” 

This is a darned good start and prescient, to be sure, but it’s not enough. These questions should also include, “What’s going to kill me?” and perhaps “What’s going to end up costing me a bucket of money?” and whether I’m asked or not, this robot comes preprogrammed to do this. 

Maybe it’s because I’m a worrier but it doesn’t make any sense to me to look at a range of issues and to fail to list them by hazard-level. 

So let’s take a look at a few things that I would place near the top (and near the bottom) of my worst-case scenario inspecting list and I would virtually always begin with those things related to fire. 

In my world, there’s not much worse than death by fire and there’s so much we can do to prevent it. Not that we can prevent all fires but we can certainly do a lot about preventing deaths caused by fires. So, my favorite inspection item is the smoke detector; low cost, high benefit. That’s another criterion that must be made a part of this thinking: What’s the cost and what’s the benefit?  

Smoke detectors are very rich when it comes to this set of criteria; they have very low cost, high benefit and address needs in a very bad-case scenario. They don’t prevent fires but they do help prevent deaths caused by them. 

CO (carbon monoxide) testers are similar. While fire is much worse and far more common than CO, CO still remains a killer that can be addressed with a $25 device and a $2 battery. By the way, let’s not forget batteries. Installing fresh batteries for smoke and CO detectors has an extremely high yield in our index of safety versus cost. It’s amazing how many smoke detectors I see that lack only a $2 battery to save one or many lives. 

Let’s jump to the other end of the scale and look at our leaking roof (actually, your leaking roof, mine’s fine). If the roof leaks, it is almost impossible for this to cause a death (although my mind, like yours, rushes to all the wild Rube Goldberg linkages that could cause a death). 

In fact, there are, for the most part, only very small amounts of damage done to most houses by roof leaks. This is primarily due to the fact that roof leaks rarely hide (although they certainly can in some cases) and usually become extremely noticeable, if not unsightly, before they’ve done any significant amount of real structural damage. For the most part, roof leaks damage ceiling finishes and, if allowed to advance (if you drink heavily) can do some damage to other components such as wiring and framing. I always like to remind people that wood is not easily damaged by water; they build boats out of it!  

Sheetrock and plaster are quickly damaged and possibly destroyed by roof leaks and this is sort of sad (and sort of not really very much) but it shouldn’t be anyone’s worst-case scenario. 

Flipping back to worst cases again, fire escape is very high on my list. This can include removal of window bars, looking at the needs of the disabled (e.g. can they get downstairs), training of children and installation of rope or chain ladders. Window size and type is also a pretty large issue here. 

If a window doesn’t open enough to climb out (or for a firewoman to climb in!) it’s a big problem. Window locks that require a key are a huge hazard and have a big cost/benefit and worst-case index. The same applies to “double cylinder” door locks that require a key to escape. 

I won’t miss the chance to throw in my person dead-horse (the thing I like to beat), the earthquake. While you may never experience a very large earthquake, the worst-case scenario is very, very high. There can be death (most likely by fire) and there will almost certainly be a great deal of property damage and loss if you experience a very large earthquake. 

If you live where this has a low likelihood, substitute your own disaster (are you reading this Mr. Brown?) and adjust your funding and action accordingly. For my friends in the Bay Area, earthquake concerns should take precedence over roof leaks. I would sooner see my client spend seven grand on seismic retrofitting for an earthquake that they may never experience than one grand fixing a leak that’s occurring today! 

Now, I’m not actually suggesting that you let the roof leak but you get my point. It’s fine and good and terrific to spend money on the things that make you crazy or present themselves to you, dirty paws and all, but it’s vital that we focus a portion of our energy on the things that might do great harm to us, and those we love, even if the event seems way off in the distance.  

And of course, remember to eat out more often, smile a lot and get more hugs. 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Dream Landscapes” works by Billana Stremska opens with a reception at 6 p.m. at at the Claremont Hotel Club Gallery, 41 Tunnel Rd. RSVP to Katy Yong at 549-8512.  

FILM 

Alternative Visions: “Nicky Hamlyn: Film Art Phenomena” with Nicky Hamlyn in person, at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Arab Film Festival Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Here and Perhaps Elsewhere” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

“Little Miss Potentiality Returns” a film by Thalia Drori, at 9:15 at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater, Oakland. thaliadrori.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Eric Dyson discusses “Debating Race” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10. 848-3696.  

“A Short Trip to Italy” multi-media presentation by Countess Alessandra Ranghiasci on her family’s 150 room ancestral palace in Gubbio, Italy's best preserved medieval village, at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 848-7800.  

Daniel Mason reads from his new novel “A Far Country” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Art IS Education Performances and Art Show by students of the Emery Unified School District at 4 p.m. on the steps of Emeryville City Hall, 1333 Park Ave.  

Sauce Piquante at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jenny Ferris and Laura Klein, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Sean Jones at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 

FILM 

Film 50: “The Conversation” with a lecture by Marilyn Fabe, at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

Independent Lens “Black Gold” an expose of the coffee-industry at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Chalmers Johnson discusses his new book “Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic” with Gray Brechin at 7:30 p.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose St. Tickets are $12-$15 at Cody’s. 559-9500. 

Joe Conason discusses why “It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Terrie Odabi Quartet with guest Steve Turre, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Wadi Gad and Junior P, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra Universal at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

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

Joshua Eden at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SF Jazz High School All Stars at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808 

FILM 

Women’s HerStory Film Series “Unbought and Unbossed” at noon at 4 p.m. at Laney College Forum, 900 Fallon St. http://laney.peralta.edu/womensherstorymonth 

Arab Film Festival Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Lebanon/War” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Women of Color Film Festival “Gathering Strands” with filmmakers in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Speaking Fierce” in honor of International Women’s Day, with Eli PaintedCrow and Anuradha Bhagwati, veterans, Kaylah Marin, Aimee Susara and others at 6:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harison St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15 sliding scale. 444-2700. 

“Documenting Oakland” with Erica Mailman, author of “Oakland’s Neighborhoods,” Jeff Norman, author of “Temescal Legacies” and Vietnemense poets from the Vietnamese Artist Collective at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St. 238-3271. 

Nora Gallagher introduces her first work of fiction, “Changing Light,” a love story set in the summer of 1945 in the shadow of Los Alamos and the making of the first atomic bomb at 7:30 p.m. in the Tucson Common Room, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Rd. 204-0710. 

Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz on their new book “Testimonios: Early California through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848” at 1 p.m. at Oakland Museum Lecture Hall, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. 238-2200. 

Spoken Word Swap Meet at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

T Cooper, Michelle Tea and Katia Noyes tell stories at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Stephen Davenport reads from “Saving Miss Oliver’s: A Novel of Leadership, Loyalty and Change” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera presents a free noontime concert at the Central Berkeley Public Library, 5th Floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Jewish Music Festival “Musical Fortunes” with Dan Cantrell, Kitka, Michael Alpert at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $20-$25. 800-838-3006. www.jewishmusicfestival.org 

JGB featuring Melvin Seals with Rainmaker at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Muireann NicAmhlaoibh at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jim Grantham Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Edo Castro and Jeff Schmidt at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

And a Few to Break, The Attachments, Timothy Rabbit at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Headnodic & Raashan Ahmad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Stanley Clarke at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, MARCH 9 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” Fri and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St., Alameda, through April 1. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre Company “The Birthday Party” Wed. - Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through March 11. Tickets are $38. 843-4822 

Berkeley Rep “The Pillowman” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through March 11. Tickets are $33-$61. 647-2949. 

Berkeley Rep “To the Lighthouse” at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. and runs through March 25. Tickets are $45-$61. 647-2917. 

Central Works Theater Ensemble “Lola Montez” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through March 25. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Impact Theatre “Cartoon” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, through March 10. Tickets are $10-$15. www.impacttheatre.com 

“Triumph” A one woman show by Vanessa McDaniel at 3 p.m. at Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $10. 652-2120. 

UC Dept. of Theater “Dolly West’s Kitchen” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$14. 642-9925. http://theater.berkeley.edu 

Virago Theatre “Orphans” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at BridgeHead Studio, 2516 Blanding Ave, Alameda, through March 31. Tickets are $10-$15. 415-439-2456. www.viragotheatre.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Somebody” The New World of Figurative Art Works by seven artists exploring the human form. Reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

“Person Place and Thing” Paintings by Susan Kendall, Renie McDonough and Pam Wright opens with a sidewalk reception at 6 p.m. at the Addison St. Windows Gallery, 2018 Addison St. 981-7533. 

FILM 

Women’s Film Festival and Disgital Arts Club, selected screenings at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 981-2884. 

“Boris Eifman: Work in Progress” A documentary by Alex Gutman at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Mr. Eifman will be present to introduce the film and will answer audience questions afterwards. 642-9988. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tom Odegard and John Rowe read their poetry at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid at Hearst. 841-6374. 

Alfred McCoy, author of “A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, From the Cold War to the War on Terror” at 7:30 p.m. at at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Sharon Lamb describes “Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Christy Dana Quartet Plus Three at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $20. Sponsored by the Berkeley Arts Festival. 524-1124. 

Trillium, harp trio, celtic, world, classical at 8 p.m. at Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Tickets are $15, children $5. 526-9146. 

Tony Bellaver “Interventions” Performance art from 1 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Donations accepted. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

MamaCoatl & Cihuatl Tonali for International Women’s Day, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Danny Hoch Hip Hop Workshop at 8 p.m. at 2116 Allston Way. Tickets are $7-$15. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Classical with a Twist Vicki Trimbach performs at 8 p.m. at the Jazzcafe, 2087 Addison StTickets are $15. 1-800-838-3006, event 6103. 

Carla Zilbersmith & Allen Taylor Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

Womansong Circle Celebrating International Women’s Day in song at 6:45 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donation. $15-$20. 525-7082. 

Swingthing at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. 

Houston Jones, Americana, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Willie Porter at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The Freak Accident, The May Fire, Space Vacuum from Outer Space at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Behind Enemy Lines, Born/Dead, Bumbklatt at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

The Brothers Lekas at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

B-Side Players, Raw Deluxe at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

Suburban Legends, 5 Days Dirty, All the New at 8:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10-$12. 763-1146.  

Chroma, electro-groove jazz, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Stanley Clarke at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 

CHILDREN  

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

Owen Baker Flynn and his “Act in a Box” celebrates National Reading Month Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

8 in 07 A group show of East Bay artists. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibition runs to April 1. 848-1228. 

Recent Works of Changming Chen Artist reception at 2 p.m. at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave., Suite #4. 421-1255.  

“Sexicon: The Art and Language of Erotica” from noon to 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at Living Room Gallery, 3230 Adeline St. www.myspace.com/livingroomcollective 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Guided tour at 1:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

“Facing the Mountain” Armenians and Turks Share Their Stories A Playback Theatre Performance at 8 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $10. For reservations call 642-9460. 

Butchlalis de Panochtitlan, queer theater and comedy, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568.  

FILM 

Women of Color Film Festival “Sidestepping the Eternal Repetition” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Feminist Art” a lecture by Lousie Stanley at 10 a.m. and “Feminist Postmodern Installations” at 11 a.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 981-2884. 

“The Bay Area Concept: Bruce Nauman and the Late Sixties” Symposium from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Joe Hill discusses his scary novel “Heart-Shaped Fox” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Jessica Livingston describes “Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera Company “The Seraglio” at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$40. 925-798-1300.  

West Coast Blues Hall of Fame Awards Show at 7 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Tickets are $30. For reservations call 836-2227. www.bayareabluessociety.net 

The Albers Trio “Eastern European Masters” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. 

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra “Violin and Viola Virtuosity” at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Free. 415-248-1640. 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Jewish Music Festival “Klezmer Buenos Aires” 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St.. Tickets are $22-$26. 800-838-3006. www.jewishmusicfestival.org 

Moment’s Notice Improv music and dance at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Coat is $8-$10. 847-1119. 

Steve Tayor-Ramirez, at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar, in the Strawberry Creek Park complex. 704-9378. 

Faye Carol & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Sila and the Afrofunk Experience at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is TBA. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

John McGaraghan and Scott Waters at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Cascada de Flores at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Clarinet Thing with Beth Custer, Ben Goldberg, Sheldon Brown, and Harvey Wainpel at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Polkacide, The Kehoe Nation, The Whoreshoes and others at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $8-$10. 763-1146. www.oaklandmetro.org 

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

The Ravines, rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Ten Ton Chicken, 7th Direction, Powel St. Jon and Friends at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Cyril Guiraud Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Insect Warfare, California Love, Reagan SS, Noisear at 6 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $8. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 11 

CHILDREN 

Oakland Hebrew Day School “Into the Woods, Junior” at 1 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $5 children, $7 aduults, at the door.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Guided tour at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Works by Ellen Oppenhiemer and Peralta Elementary Students Opening reception at 4 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

FILM 

“Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop” written and performed by Aya de Leon at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jack Tillmany and Jennifer Dowling on “Oakland Theaters: A Pictorial History” at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive Theater. 642-0808.  

Mitchell Schwarzer describes “Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Area: A History and Guide” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Poetry Flash presents poets David Roderick and Rebecca Black at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Aaron and David Requiro, chamber music, at 4 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $12, free for children under 18. 

Soli Deo Gloria and Orchestra Gloria at 3:30 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 5201 Park Blvd., Piedmont. Tickets are $20-$25. www.sdgloria.org 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988.  

Classic Flamenco and Mariachi Dive Bar Piano with Seth Montfort, at 5:30 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $15. 415-362-6080. 

Alarm Will Sound Works by composer Conlon Nancarrow at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. 

Soul at the Chimes with harpist Destiny and Sonata Pi at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes,4499 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. Tickets are $20-$25. www.brownpapertickets.com 

The Hot Club of San Francisco at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Danny Hoch Hip Hop Workshop at 7 p.m. at 2116 Allston Way. Tickets are $7-$15. 647-2949. 

Tinkture, Kumbulus, Storm Temple and others at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10. 763-1146. www.oaklandmetro.org 

Ellen Seeling/Susan Muscarella Group at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, MARCH 12 

EXHIBITIONS 

Paintings of Michael Murphy opens at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth St. and runs through April 13. 649-8111. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Writing for the Greater Good” a panel discussion on the recent issue of Greater Good magazine at 5:30 p.m. at 105 North Gate Hall, UC Graduate School of Journalism, Hearst at Euclid Ave. http://journalism.berkeley.edu 

Fred Alvarado on “Urban Dreamscapes” creating community murals at 5:30 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, César Chávez Branch, 3301 E 12th St. Oakland. 535-5620. 

Jennifer Baumgardner discusses “Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Debra Di Blasi and Paul Vangelisti read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Dinah Lenney reads from “Bigger than Life: A Murder Memoir” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Express with Jan Dederick at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Classical at the Freight with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Danny Hoch Hip Hop Workshop at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $7-$15. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Skyline High School Jazz Ensemble at 8 and $10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

Celebrating both the richness of Jewish musical traditions and new innovations that spring from them, Berkeley’s 22nd annual Jewish Music Festival will explore the diversity and beauty of Jewish music from the world over for the next two weeks. With major artists from Argentina, Italy, Israel and the United States, “in some ways it’s the richest festival we’ve ever had, because it’s so eclectic,” says Festival Director Ellie Shapiro. “There’s everything from Italian Renaissance music to a poetry slam, cutting edge to Israeli pop.”  

The festival opens this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley (FCCB), with Musical Fortunes, a world premiere by Emmy-award winning Bay Area composer Dan Cantrell. Inspired by both klezmer and Romani (Gypsy) music, the song cycle features Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, klezmer multi-instrumentalist, singer and dancer Michael Alpert, Romani musicians Rumen Shopov and Dusan Ristic, dancers, and stage direction by Aaron Davidman of A Traveling Jewish Theatre. 

The festival will also spotlight a little-known but extraordinary body of music by presenting Italy’s superb Ensemble Lucidarium in a program called La Istoria de Purim: Music and Poetry of the Jews of Renaissance Italy. For both Jewish music fans and the Bay Area’s early music community, this Bay Area premiere is a unique opportunity for discovery. The concert takes place at FCCB on Thursday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. 

Turning to an equally unique contemporary repertory, the festival presents Klezmer Buenos Aires, performed by Argentina’s Lerner Moguilevsky Duo, who mix klezmer, tango, jazz and Argentinean folk music. The musicians say they make their music “without anthropological pretension,” but instead create a heady mix that unites the passion and virtuosity of their musical sources on an array of keyboards, woodwinds and percussion. Their performance will take place on the Thrust Stage at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St., on Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m. 

Along with its international reach, the festival’s devotion to local artists includes a homecoming for New York-based, Berkeley-bred jazz musicians Steven Bernstein and Peter Apfelbaum. On Sunday March 18 at Berkeley Rep, they’ll perform music from their Grammy-nominated recording Diaspora Blues, a work inspired by famed cantor Moshe Koussevitsky.  

At 2 p.m. on the 17th, Bernstein and Apfelbaum join fellow musicians Ben Goldberg, John Schott and Basya Shechter for a panel discussion at the JazzSchool, 2087 Addison, exploring the impact of John Zorn’s Tzadik Records and its Radical Jewish Culture series, which has featured all of their work and stretched the boundaries of Jewish music. That evening at 8 p.m., Berkeley Rep will play host to Pharaoh’s Daughter, Schechter’s groundbreaking group that mixes jazz, rock, Hasidic music, and sounds from across the Mediterranean and Middle East. 

The local focus continues with a new work by UC Berkeley composer Jorge Liderman, Aires de Sefarad, a world premiere for violin and guitar performed by Duo46, and inspired by the music of Sephardic (Mediterranean) Jews. This will take place on Thursday, March 22 at 8 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. The program opens with Avi Avital, a remarkable young Israeli mandolinist who at age 22 won Italy’s “Citta di Voghera” competition and has already soloed with orchestras around the world. Avital’s virtuosity will be spotlighted in a concert of his own that afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley.  

Several programs will take place in San Francisco locations, including a concert by Israeli vocalist Noa, and a program of rediscovered chamber music written by composers in the Terezin concentration camp. There are related programs throughout the Bay Area. 

Summing up this year’s festival, Shapiro comments, “We wanted to highlight emerging artists as well as new music this year. We’re a very committed Berkeley organization, collaborating this year with La Peña, the Jazz School, Freight and Salvage, and the Magnes Museum, as well as serving the greater Bay Area. We’re about participation as much as performance, and all this comes together on Community Music Day.” This event concludes the festival with a day of workshops, programs for children and families, an instrument petting zoo, a poetry slam, and much more. It all happens on Sunday, March 25, at the Jewish Community Center. 

JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL 

Information and tickets for all programs are available at (800) 838-3006 or www.jewishmusicfestival.org. 

Photograph: Avi Avital will perform at the  

22nd annual Jewish Music Festival.

A peripheral quality of action and inaction pervades the stage set of Berkeley Rep’s very interesting staging of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. The sensory world juts out and curves through the playing space, projections of flights of birds, enormous raindrops, swirling seas seen from above move on the screens, music and recorded natural sounds pour through, the beacon flashes—and the cast of characters, drawn from Woolf’s memories of family summers on the Isle of Skye, meet at the intersections of social politeness and private thoughts and feelings. 

Woolf’s novel seems to defy adaptation, with its almost complete reliance on that celebrated mode of modern prose, the internal monologue. 

Modern theater in fact had developed a whole panoply of techniques for dealing with the internal, the diffident and the ineffable, from Strindberg and Chekhov (both influenced by Maurice Maeterlinck) through Pirandello and the experiments of Dada and the Surrealists by the time To the Lighthouse was published in 1929, developments which led, after the war, to the Theatre of the Absurd. 

Adaptor Adele Edling Shank and director Les Waters mostly eschew these parallels to the internal monologue, concentrating on a synthesis of self-narrating soliloquies, overlapping like the visual motifs to give a sense of various facets of the characters. 

This bears mixed results, especially as the development of the play is as diced up as the elements of the scenic design and the spoken component of the script. The show progresses from a series of seemingly disjointed vignettes, which then cohere around discussion among the Ramsay family at home about a deferred boating party to the lighthouse and also dialogue between two of their guests about the Ramsays; to a dinner party at a stage-breadth table that plays off the hostess’ (a fine performance by Monique Fowler as Mrs. Ramsay) soliloquizing of her intentions versus the overlapping thoughts of the guests as they observe and react to each other at table; to more conventional scenes of dialogue, then to a long poem about the passage of time; leading to the finale, a kind of opera, when a bereaved Mr. Ramsay and two of his children hoist sail onstage and sail past the ever-vigilant lighthouse while, on shore, old guest Lily Briscoe (Rebecca Watson) finishes a painting.  

Watson sings well to the pizzicato, and Edmond Genest’s distant, blank gaze both counterpoints the more intentional glances of family and guests, which attempt to bind together their common space in lieu of dialogue, and completes his excellent portrayal of this eccentric intellectual and father in glimpses that end in the long, blank look of age and mortality on the world. But the rocky sense of mood that tosses the valiant cast like the rough waves of the sea begs the question: should the show have been all opera, all sung?  

Ethereal, impressionistic, very aesthetic, yet the game’s worth the candle—candlepower?—of what serves as our beacon: the excellent, eclectic cast, both veterans of Broadway and regional stage (Watson, Fowler, Genest, Clifton Guterman, Whitney Bashor) and staunch local troupers (Jarion Monroe, David Mendelsohn, Lauren Grace and Noah James Butler) and young performers (Jack Indiana, Sophie Gabel-Scheinbaum, Gabriel Stephens-Siegler and Amara Radetsky) as the Ramsay children; the score, the design (Annie Mart’s set, Christal Weatherly’s costumes, Matt Frey’s lighting, Darron L. West’s sound and the best of Jedediah Ike’s video) and the director’s conception of the great dinner party. 

“The great revelation has never come, perhaps never will ...” The end effect is, in a way, less that of Woolf’s world of strangely interpersonal solipsism than of the Victorian-Edwardian world she conjures up in this rare, for her, ensemble from memory, very English in its sweeping, impersonal sentimentality, coming alive with vivid apercues and regrets, only to come away with a thronged picture or poem that only reveals what’s missing. “These journeys of remembrance!” 

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE 

Presented by the Berkeley Rep through March 25. $45-$61. 2025 Addision St. 

647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org.

I’ve been birding in California long enough that new species are hard to come by. Every couple of years, something exotic may blow in from Siberia, but I’ve met just about all the natives and regular visitors. There are still surprises, though. Familiar birds—birds you think you know reasonably well—keep doing unexpected things. 

A week or so ago I went to the Flyway Festival at Mare Island, a sort of birder’s expo featuring conservation exhibitors, book and optics vendors, and field trips. I hooked up with a trip to an area that was new for me, the American Canyon Wetlands: tidal marsh with freshwater inflows abutting a new development. We saw a fair number of hawks, ducks, and saltmarsh songbirds, but nothing extraordinary for most of the morning. 

Then, as I was distracted by a male yellowthroat that kept popping in and out of the gumplant near the water’s edge, there was a commotion among a nearby flock of coots. Although the coots didn’t take wing, the whole flotilla was moving out into deeper water. What had cause the exodus was a hawk—a female northern harrier, we realized once someone had trained a scope on it—standing in the shallows, its feet planted on a submerged coot. 

In the right habitat—open grasslands, wet or dry—harriers can be common, especially in winter when local birds are augmented by migrants from the north. In more than 40 years of observation, I had never seen a harrier take a coot. I couldn’t recall even having read about it.  

Harriers are consummate rodent-hunters: their owl-like facial feathers allow them to target mice and voles by sound alone. They’ll sometimes pick up a vole’s nest, shake it to dislodge the occupant, and snag it as it drops. The books say rodents make up the bulk of a harrier’s diet, with a few songbirds thrown in.  

Clearly, though, there were exceptions—and I later found references to harriers drowning waterfowl. They’ve been known to kill birds as large as ducks, bitterns, grouse, and pheasants, with females taking on larger prey than males.  

The harrier stood there. There was no sign of struggle in the water. Once a peregrine falcon swooped over her, and she flinched. Then a western gull swam up to inspect. The gull dwarfed the hawk, but she held her ground, glaring over the shoulder at the larger bird. She didn’t seem to be trying to lift off with her prey, and we speculated as to whether she could get airborne with a pound and a half (according to the Sibley guide) of dead weight. A reporter from the Napa Register, who happened to be on hand, interviewed the witnesses. 

The harrier must have decided she couldn’t, and she took off. The gull moved in. The coot, not quite dead, gave one last spasmodic thrash as the gull towed it to a mudbar. That was it, though. The gull began working at the carcass; lacking a raptorial beak, it didn’t seem to be making a lot of headway. “This guy needs a can opener,” someone said.  

And then a new player arrived. An adult red-tailed hawk touched down and claimed possession of the coot. The gull, prudently, moved away—but not too far. Now the redtail had to deal with the aerodynamic issues. It stood there on the coot as if working things out. It was at about this point that we noticed that the tide was coming in. The water was up around the hawk’s thighs. It didn’t take off, and it wouldn’t give up the coot. And I thought, there has to be a metaphor here.  

Eventually, the redtail, like the harrier before it, gave up. Back came the gull. As the group of birders dispersed, it was working away at the coot again, sending a drift of black feathers into the water. Just another day in the food chain, and a salutary reminder that there can be a lot more to bird behavior than you’d ever guess from the field guides.  

A female northern harrier; males are gray and white. Photograph by Ned Kroeger.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Here and Perhaps Elsewhere” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Civil Rights Tales with Stagebridge Theater at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

“Universal Health Care: What are the next steps?” with Richard Quint, MD, MPH, at noon at the Albany Library, at Marin and Masonic Aves, Albany. Brown Bag Luncheon Series of the League of Women Voters. Bring your lunch, hot drinks provided. 843-8824. 

“A Short Trip to Italy” multi-media presentation by Countess Alessandra Ranghiasci on her family's 150 room ancestral palace in Gubbio, Italy's best preserved medieval village, at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 848-7800.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2 to 3 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Free Legal Assistance the first Tues. of the month at 6 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Advance registration required. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Discussion Salon on Schools and Gangs at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.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. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 

Walking Tour of UC Berkeley Campus with retired East Bay Regional Park District Naturalist Alan Kaplan. Meet at 10 a.m. at the campus entrance gate at Euclid and Hearst for this moderately paced, 2-hour walk. Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. 526-7609. www.berkeleypaths.org  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Teach-In and Vigil Against American Torture every Wed. at noon at Boalt Hall, Bancroft Way at College Ave.  

“Torture, Human Rights and Terrorism” a panel discussion in conjunction with the exhbition of paintings of Abu Graib by Frenando Botero, at 4 p.m. at Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 

Walk, Talk, Buck the Fence What’s at stake in the Ecology of Berkeley’s Strawberry Canyon A walk at 5 p.m. every Wed. with guests to discuss what is at stake in the next proposed steps for the filling of the Canyon by the UC-LBL Rad-Labs, and now British Petroleum. http://canyonwalks.blogspot.com  

“Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic” Chalmers Johnson in conversation with Gray Brechin at 7:30 p.m. at King Middle School auditorium, 1781 Rose St.Tickets are $12-$15. 848-6767, ext. 609. 

“Black Gold” a documentary expose of the coffee-industry at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

New to DVD: “L’Enfant” at 7 p.m. at JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. Discussion follows. 848-0237. 

Beyond the Ivory Tower: Alternative Careers for Asia Specialists, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Flr. RSVP required. 642-2809.  

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Oreintation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 594-5165. 

Accessible Telephones, for those with vision, hearing, speaking and memory loss, on display from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

Lomi Lomi Hawaiian form of bodywork, at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and thinking skills. Commit to 1-2 hours per week during the school day and work one-on-one with students in their English classes. Training from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174. 

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. 548-9840. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2nd Planning Meeting at 4 p.m. at 2180 Milvia St. 5th Floor Redbud Room. 981-7170.  

“Unseen and Unheard: Finding Bats in the Night Sky” with Dr. Joe Szewczak, from Humboldt State Univ., at the East Bay Scence Cafe, at 7 p.m. at Spud's Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. 558-0881.  

The Natural History of the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Proposed New Berkeley/ 

Albany Ferry Terminal Public Meeting to discuss the possible locations, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. For information see www.watertranist.org 

Activism in the Americas for International Women’s Day and the LGBT comunity with speakers Alejandra Sarda and Marcela Rios Tobar at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Sliding scale donation $5-$20. Benefits NACLA Report on the Americas. 849-2568.  

Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Lebanon/War” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Movies and Speakers on the Anti-G8 Movement at 6:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. 

Free Diabetes Screening from 8 a.m. to noon at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand. 981-5332. 

“The Care Crisis: The Problem That Has No Name” with Prof. Ruth Rosen at noon at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 981-2884. 

Family Story Time for children ages 3-7 at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, North Branch, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins. 981-6107. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

FRIDAY, MARCH 9 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Spreck Rosekrans on “Hetch Hetchy” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Help Restore Native Oysters Volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Marina and at other sites in the Bay Area to help Save the Bay gather information about our native oyster population. For information call 452-9261 ext. 109. http://www.savesfbay.org/ 

bayevents 

“Quality Education through Arts Learning” Workshops, panels and resources from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Sat. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Mills College Concert Hall, Oakland. Tickets are $35-$45. Register online at www.artseducation.org 

“The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5 accepted. www.HumanistHall.net 

“Reconnecting with the Root” Spiritual health and empowerment workshop, with MamaCoatl and chihuatl Tonali from 3 to 6 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 

Tibetan Flag Raising Ceremony at 9 a.m. at Berkeley City Hall, 2180 Milvia St. March for Tibetan Freedom continues at 11 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza, S.F. www.freetibetmarch.org 

Let Worms Eat Your Garbage A free worm compost workshop to learn an amazing way to recycle fruit and vegetable scraps. From 10 a.m. to noon at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Hearty Homestyle Italian Cuisine” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $45, plus 435 for food and materials. Registration required. 531-COOK. www.compassionatecooks.com  

Bird House Gourd Crafting Learn the natural history of gourds and how to make a bird house out of one, from noon to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $20-$29. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Art in the Garden” a drawing class with Karen LeGault from 1 to 4 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. COst is $25-$35. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Help “Save The Bay” Plant Natives Volunteers will restore some of the last remaining wetland habitat in the East Bay at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland from 9 a.m. to noon. RSVP to 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org 

“Facing the Mountain” Armenians and Turks share their stories at 8 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $10. For reservations call 642-9460. 

“The Fight Against Capital Punishment: From Baghdad to San Quentin” with Barbara Cottman Becnel, advocate for the late Stanley “Tookie” Williams at 7 p.m. at The Home of Truth, 1300 Grand St., Alameda. Donations accepted. www.alamedaforum.org 

“If Women Ruled the World: Waging Peace in the U.S. and the Middle East” at 12:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 981-2884. 

NAACP Berkeley Branch meets at 1 p.m. at 2108 Russell St. All are welcome. 845-7416. 

African American Basketball Pioneers Panel Discussion and exhibition at 2 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland. 238-6713. 

Haiti Action Committee with Haitian activist and former political prisoner So An at 7 p.m. at The Uptown, 401 26th St., Oakland. Donation $5-$50. 483-7481.  

Burma Human Rights Day Benefit with documentary “Inside the Secret City,” speakers and dinner, at 6 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Cost is $15. RSVP to 220-1323. www.badasf.org  

East Bay Atheists meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Main Library, 3rd Floor Meeting Room 2090 Kittredge St. Burt Bogardus will speak on “The Teachings of Jesus Christ.” 222-7580. 

Hopalong Animal Rescue Come meet your furry new best friend from noon to 3 p.m. at 2940 College Ave. 267-1915, ext. 500. www.hopalong.org  

Luna Kid Dance 15th Anniversary Celebration at 10 a.m. at Haas Pavillion, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. www.lunakidsdance.org 

Dramatically Speaking Toastmasters Club meets at 9 a.m. at 1950 Franklin St., Room 2F. RSVP required, ID needed to get into building. 581-8675. 

Petite Pooches Playgroup for small dogs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one block north of Solano on Ensenada at Talbot. 524-2459. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

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 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.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, MARCH 11 

“Open Garden” Join the Little Farm gardener for composting, planting, watering and reaping the rewards of our work, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cancelled only by heavy rain. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

Clouds and You Learn the names of clouds and their families on a short hike, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Herstory of the Bay Celebrate Women’s History Month on a five mile walk honoring women who have made a difference in our community. From 2 to 5 p.m. at Point Isabel. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Meeting to Plan the People’s Park Anniversary Folks interested in helping with this year’s celebration (to be held April 22) are welome to come to the planning meeting at the Park’s Stage at 4:30 p.m., at Cafe Med if it is raining. 658-9178. 

Community Party for KPFA from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship, corner of Cedar and Bonita. Food donations appreciated. 525-3583. 

St. Patrick’s Day at the Kensington Farmer’s Market with Irish music, soaps, soda bread, marmalade and more from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kensington Farmers’ Market, 303 Arlington Ave. 684-6502. 

Summer Programs for Children Information Fair Learn about all types of camps and day programs for sports, music, drama, computers and more, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. www.aauw-op.com 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.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 

“Sacrifice and Blood: Biblical Images and Their Relevance Today” with Beth Glick-Rieman at 9:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Opening to Light” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, MARCH 12 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at East Pauley Ballroom, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code UCB) 

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. 

ONGOING 

Tax Help at the Berkeley Public Library Sat. from 11:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the South Branch. Call for appointment. 981-6260. Also every Tues. and Thurs. at the West Branch from 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. Call for appointment. 981-6270. 

Berkeley Winter Campaign for Cats We are providing free trapping assistance and spay/neuter to feral and homeless cats in Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont, through March 2007. The cats will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas and returned safely back to their neighborhoods. To report a neighborhood in need or to volunteer, please call 908-0709. 

Medical Care for Your Pet at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society low-cost veterinary clinic. 2700 Ninth St. For appointments call 845-3633. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., March 7, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 981-7550. 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., March 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5190.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed., March 7, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., March 8, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Kristin Tehrani, 981-5356.  

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thurs., March 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Angellique De Cloud, 981-5428. 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., March 8, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., March 8, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410.

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre Company “The Birthday Party” Wed. - Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through March 11. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Pillowman” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through March 11. Tickets are $33-$61. 647-2949. 

Berkeley Rep “To the Lighthouse” at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. and runs through March 25. Tickets are $45-$61. 647-2917. 

Black Repertory Group “Phyllis” Fri. and Sat. at 3201 Adeline St. Call for time and ticket information. 652-2120.  

Central Works Theater Ensemble “Lola Montez” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through March 25. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., at Moeser, El Cerrito., through March 3. Tickets are $15-$24. 524-9132.  

Impact Theatre “Cartoon” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, through March 10. Tickets are $10-$15.  

The Marsh “Shopping for God” Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m. at 2120 Allston Way, through March 3. Tickets are $15-$22. 1-800-838-5750. www.themarsh.org 

TheatreFirst “Nathan the Wise” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Old Oakland Theater, 481 Ninth St. at Broadway, Oakland, through March 4. Tickets are $21-$25. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

UC Dept. of Theater “Dolly West’s Kitchen” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$14. 642-9925. http://theater.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Growing Hunger: The Struggle of Small Farmers in the 21st Centruy” Photographs on display at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. through April 18. 981-6241. 

“Genetic Memories of Graffiti” performance art at 7 p.m. at Lobot Gallery, 1800 Campbell St., Oakland. www.weekendwakeup.com 

All Colors Oakland Celebration with recent art by Raymond Saunders. Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. 465-8928. 

Overhung 3 Over 500 works of art in a garage-sized gallery. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Boontling Gallery, 4224 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 295-8881. www.boontlinggallery.com 

“The Stories We Tell Ourselves” works by Robert Tomlinson and Anna Vaughan. Reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave. at Broadway.  

Deric Caner “Message to Carrier” poster drawings and Zenith Foundation “Devil’s Triangle Reprise” Reception for the artists at 7 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St. at Broadway. 444-7263. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Lassalle-Klein discusses “Love That Produces Hope: The Life and Thought of Slain Salavadoran Jesuit, Ignacio Ellacuria” at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker School, Marian Hall, 2nd Flr., 2125 Jefferson St. Not wheelchair accessible. 499-7080. 

Creative Aging: Bay Area Women Artists Aged 85-105 With Amy Gorman, author of “Aging Artfully” and Greg Young’s DVD, “Still Kicking” at 4 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant. 527-4977. 

Marisa Handler reads from “Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through March 4. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dance IS Festival at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Groove Fest with Frank Martin and Friends at 7 p.m. at the Albany High School Little Theater. Tickets are $5-$10. Benefits Albany Music Fund. 558-2500.  

Organists Ed Teixiera and Ann Callaway perform Lizst’s Via Crucis at 11:15 a.m. at Saint David of Wales Catholic Church, 5641 Esmond Ave. at Sonoma, Richmond. 237-1531. 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$12. 642-9988. 

The Edmund Welles Bass Clarinet Quartet at 8 p.m. at 1510 Eighth Street Performance Space, Oakland. Cost is $5-$15 sliding scale. events@thejazzhouse.com 

William Beatty, piano, Richard Saunders, bass, Alan Hall, drums at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $12. 848-1228.  

Tony Bellaver “Interventions” Performance art from 1 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Donations accepted. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Country Joe McDonald Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7:30 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 287-8700. 

Manicato & Umoverde at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568.  

Gadget, No Strangers, Jokes for Feelings, Sentinel at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886.  

Mo’Fone at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Muziki Roberson Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Prince Diabate & His Band in a benefit for Darfur at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Sherry Austin at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

The Edlos at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Cyndi Harvell and Mike Eckstein at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Sean Smith and Pormpter of Conscience, GoGo Fightmaster at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082  

Verbal Abuse, A.D.T, Eskapo 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. 

The P-PL at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Facing New York, Panda, Tempo no Tempo at 8:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10. 763-1146. www.oaklandmetro.org 

Kurt Elling at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 

CHILDREN  

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

Maggie the Clown celebrates National Reading Month Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art of Living Black” Self-guided art tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond. Directories available from the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.richmondartcenter.org 

8 in 07 A group show of East Bay artists opens at the Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave., to April 1. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 848-1228. 

California College of the Arts 100th Anniversary Art Show opens at 3 p.m. at Montclair Gallery, 1986 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Exhibition runs to April 30. 339-4286. 

Jessamyn Lovell talks about her work “Catastrophe, Crisis and Other Family Traditions” at 4 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.richmondartcenter.org 

FILM 

Women of Color Film Festival “Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena“ with fimmaker Lourdes Portillo at 7 p.m. and “The Devil Never Sleeps” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Andy Couturier on “Writing Open the Mind: Tapping the Subconscious to Free the Writing and the Writer” at 5:30 at at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Bay Area Poets Coalition Open Reading at 3 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street. 527-9905. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through March 4. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988.  

Dance IS Festival at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Groove Fest with Tom Lilienthal, Tim Hyland and Friends at 7 p.m. at the Albany High School Little Theater. Tickets are $5-$10. Benefits Albany Music Fund. 558-2500.  

Nexus: Volti a capella at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $8-$20. 415-771-3352. www.voltisf.org 

The Streicher Trio “Music and Dance in 18th Century Spain” at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725. 

American Bach Soloists Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin, and Mary Wilson, soprano, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $16-$42. 415-621-7900.  

Sacred & Profane “Springtime in Paris” at 8 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. Tickets are $15-$18. 524-3611. 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$12. 642-9988. 

Poulenc Trio, with Vladimir Lande, oboist, at 7:30 p.m. at Regents Theater, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $35-$40. 601-7919.  

Country Joe McDonald Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7:30 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 287-8700. 

John Fizer at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar, in the Strawberry Creek Park complex. 704-9378. 

Oakland Assault at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10. 763-1146.  

Altipampa, traditional sounds from the Andes at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Eric Swinderman Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Bulgarika at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Balkan dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

Sotaque Baino, Brazilian music, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Jon Roniger and Theo Harman at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

Gemini Soul with Ajamu Akinyele at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Carolyn Mark, Amy Honey, Bermuda Tirangle Service at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. 

Rustler’s Moon with Kathy Kallick & Bill Evans at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Gaucho, gypsy jazz, at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5. 843-2473.  

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

Pete Madsen, folk, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Flip the Switch, A Class Act, Chris Murray at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 4 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art of Living Black” Self-guided art tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond. Directories available from the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.richmondartcenter.org 

“Earth in Flowers” Chinese paintings by Y. C. Chiang and Hui Liu, and hand-blown glass by Michael Sosin. Reception at 3 p.m. at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. 204-1667.  

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Guided tour at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Conversations on Art with Ira Nowinski at 1 p.m. at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 549-6950.  

Serena Bartlett introduces “Grassroutes Travel Guide to Oakland” at 2 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Chad Lejeune talks about “The Worry Trap: How to Free Yourself from Worry and Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” at 6 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Abby Seixas on “The Deep River Within: Finding Balance and Meaning in a 24/7 World” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988.  

Chamber Music Sundaes with San Francisco Symphony musicians and friends at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets at the door are $18-$20. 415-753-2792. 

Rudolf Buchbinder, piano at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. 

1920’s Jazz Piano Concert with Seth Montfort, at 5:30 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $15. 415-362-6080. 

Betty Fu, vocals, Ben Stolorow, piano at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. Csot is $10. 644-6893.  

California Bach Society “Consolation and Comfort” at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10-$25. 415-262-0272.  

Golden Key Piano School Recital at 2 p.m. in Berkeley. Call for location 665-5466. 

Liliana Herrera & Rafael Herrera, satirical socio-political songs, at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $7-$15 sliding scale. 849-2568. 

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

Bulgarika Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Country Joe McDonald Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7:30 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 287-8700 

Sambajah, Brazilian, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

My Last Day on Earth, Almost Dead, River Runs Black and others at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10. 763-1146.  

MONDAY, MARCH 5 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Studio Man Ray” Photo- 

graphs by Ira Nowinski opens at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. and runs through August 5. 549-6950. 

“A Visual Journal” Oils and works on paper by Lisa Bruce opens at Bucci’s, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, and runs to March 30. www.lisabruce.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Actors Reading Writers: “Unusual Circumstances,” works by Lorrie Moore, Wallace Stegner, and Jessamyn West at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Free. 932-0214. 

Readings from Golden Handcuffs Magazine with contributors David Bromige, Laynie Browne, Richard Denner, Michael McClure, David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Cara Black reads from “Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis“ at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Dinaw Mengestu talks about “The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Nalo Hopkinson introduces her new novel, ”The New Moon’s Arms” at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Poetry Express with MK Chavez at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Ramon & Jessica and Michael Musika at 6 p.m. at Mama Buzz Cafe, 2318 Telegraph, at 23rd, Oakland. 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Natasha Miller at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Dream Landscapes” works by Billana Stremska opens with a reception at 6 p.m. at at the Claremont Hotel Club Gallery, 41 Tunnel Rd. RSVP to Katy Yong at 549-8512.  

FILM 

Alternative Visions: “Nicky Hamlyn: Film Art Phenomena” with Nicky Hamlyn in person, at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Arab Film Festival Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Here and Perhaps Elsewhere” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

“Little Miss Potentiality Returns” a film by Thalia Drori, at 9:15 at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater, Oakland. thaliadrori.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Eric Dyson discusses “Debating Race” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10. 848-3696.  

“A Short Trip to Italy” multi-media presentation by Countess Alessandra Ranghiasci on her family’s 150 room ancestral palace in Gubbio, Italy's best preserved medieval village, at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 848-7800.  

Daniel Mason reads from his new novel “A Far Country” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Art IS Education Performances and Art Show by students of the Emery Unified School District at 4 p.m. on the steps of Emeryville City Hall, 1333 Park Ave.  

Sauce Piquante at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jenny Ferris and Laura Klein, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Sean Jones at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 

FILM 

Film 50: “The Conversation” with a lecture by Marilyn Fabe, at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Independent Lens “Black Gold” an expose of the coffee-industry at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Chalmers Johnson discusses his new book “Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic” with Gray Brechin at 7:30 p.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose St. Tickets are $12-$15 at Cody’s. 559-9500. 

Joe Conason discusses why “It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Terrie Odabi Quartet with guest Steve Turre, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Wadi Gad and Junior P, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra Universal at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

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

Joshua Eden at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SF Jazz High School All Stars at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Lebanon/War” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Women of Color Film Festival “Gathering Strands” with filmmakers in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Speaking Fierce” in honor of International Women’s Day, with Eli PaintedCrow and Anuradha Bhagwati, veterans, Kaylah Marin, Aimee Susara and others at 6:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harison St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15 sliding scale. 444-2700. 

“Documenting Oakland” with Erica Mailman, author of “Oakland’s Neighborhoods,” Jeff Norman, author of “Temescal Legacies” and Vietnemense poets from the Vietnamese Artist Collective at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St. 238-3271. 

Nora Gallagher introduces her first work of fiction, “Changing Light,” a love story set in the summer of 1945 in the shadow of Los Alamos and the making of the first atomic bomb at 7:30 p.m. in the Tucson Common Room, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Rd. 204-0710. 

Spoken Word Swap Meet at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

T Cooper, Michelle Tea and Katia Noyes tell stories at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Stephen Davenport reads from “Saving Miss Oliver’s: A Novel of Leadership, Loyalty and Change” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera presents a free noontime concert at the Central Berkeley Public Library, 5th Floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Jewish Music Festival “Musical Fortunes” with Dan Cantrell, Kitka, Michael Alpert at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $20-$25. 800-838-3006. www.jewishmusicfestival.org 

JGB featuring Melvin Seals with Rainmaker at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Muireann NicAmhlaoibh at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jim Grantham Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Edo Castro and Jeff Schmidt at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

And a Few to Break, The Attachments, Timothy Rabbit at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Headnodic & Raashan Ahmad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Stanley Clarke at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

PFA HOSTS ANTONIONI RETROSPECTIVE 

Pacific Film Archive is presenting a retrospective of the work of modernist director Michelangelo Antonioni. Antonioni had his roots in the neo-realist school of Italian filmmaking but soon moved beyond it into the langorous, minimalist films that would make his reputation, a body of work that often depicts the world and the human soul as vast, empty landscapes. The series begins Friday and runs through April 22. $4-$8. 2575 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

SELF-GUIDED TOURS OF ‘ART OF LIVING BLACK’ 

A self-guided tour of “The Art of Living Black,” featuring the work of local black artists, will take place this Saturday and Sunday (March 3-4). The show includes the work of more than 90 emerging and established artists in a group exhibition through March 16 at the Richmond Art Center. Additional work is featured by the 2006 Jan Hart-Schuyers Artistic Achievement Award recipients: Aaron Carter, Patricia Patterson and Roosevelt Washington. 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. Noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 620-6772. 

THEATREFIRST’S ‘NATHAN THE WISE’ 

TheatreFIRST brings G.E. Lessing’s masterpiece Nathan the Wise to the stage at the Old Oakland Theater through March 4. This small, game troupe with high production standards and an ambitious, socially aware repertoire based on an internationalist perspective has come close to outdoing themselves with this outstanding show. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. $21-$25. 481 Ninth St., Oakland. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.org.

Le Bateau Ivre—“The Drunken Boat”—that unique coffee house, restaurant and bar will celebrate its 35th anniversary Monday with a special musical program in the recently inaugurated (and very eclectic) Monday night art performance series: Dazzling Divas, operatic arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Bizet, Charpentier and others, sung by Bay Area favorites Pamela Marie Connelly, Tara Generalovich, Kathleen Moss, Eliza O’Malley and MaryAnne Stanislaw, accompanied by Jonathan Alford, piano. Admission is free. 

The divas are familiar faces from the stages of Berkeley Opera, Oakland Opera Theater, SF Lyric Opera, The Lamplighters, Pocket Opera, Opera San Jose and the American Musical Theater of San Jose, as well as bigger houses like the SF and LA Operas and New York City Opera. 

Jonathan Alford’s credits include performances at Zellerbach, with the Oakland Ballet and both onstage and in the recording studio with many top names in jazz and Latin music. 

Since its inception this New Year’s Day, the new Monday night series has featured performances ranging from Klezmer and Bluegrass to Sicilian and French cafe music. 

Thomas Cooper and Arlene Giordano opened their establishment on March 5, 1972, after Cooper had walked in an open side door one day the previous fall out of curiosity, saying to himself, “it would be a nice coffee house.” 

Cooper, from an old East Kentucky family, had come to the Bay Area after seven years in Europe, on his way to Japan, but stayed on in Berkeley. “I’d always fantasized about opening a coffee house,” he said, “but it was never a very solid thought. I’d listen to Vivaldi mandolin music and daydream about it.” 

The daydream became a reality as they began to restore the neglected building. “A couple of brothers owned it, who had got into drugs,” Cooper recalled. “It was almost torn down. One guy we had come in to take a look said it was like the Viet Cong had hit it.”  

Originally a home built by a Frenchman in 1898, the building sported architectural features like a porch supported by four semi-nude female caryatids—until the 1906 Quake. It was renovated twice more before the Second World War. The fireside room in the back, where performances are held, was built of brick in 1940. “It was used as a small theater in the ‘40s,” said Cooper. “When we were restoring it, we sealed in the curtain. Strangely, that’s just where musical groups today want to stand.” Cooper and Giordano bought the building in 1976. 

The name came when Cooper told a French friend that he, once a merchant seaman out of the Mediterranean, was thinking of calling the new coffee house The Boat. “‘Why not add ‘Drunken’ to it? ‘Bateau Ivre’,” she said. Both forms of the name stuck, the Coopers using the English version of Rimbaud’s poem title increasingly since 1995. “It’s easier for people. I’ve heard it called The Ivory Boat ... or The Drunken Goat!” 

“We continue to work on it,” Cooper said. “Arlene’s constantly searched out furniture and decor since the beginning. Everything in the building’s been redone, but we try to maintain it as it was, maintain the beauty of the building. We’re its custodians. And it’s essentially the same place it was when we opened. It’s not dated, but has taken on a certain patina after 35 years. It fits our taste. We fixed it up, but tried to keep it simple, down to earth. A simple-hearted yet refined ambiance.” 

DAZZLING DIVAS 

Le Bateau Ivre’s 35th Anniversary 

Monday, March 5 

open 6-10 p.m., performance 7-9 p.m. 

2928 Telegraph Ave., 849-1100

Mark Jackson’s new play, American $uicide, now playing at the Thick House on San Francisco’s Potrero Hill, locks horns with the old saw that it’s lonely at the top. Instead, the message seems to be that when you’re scaling the heights, everybody else is yelling, “Jump!” 

Long before Warhol came up with the notion of any and everybody’s 15 minutes of fame, playwright Nicolai Erdman penned The Suicide, a satiric look at the individual in Soviet society of the 1920s, after years of famine, civil war, blockades by the Western powers, epidemics and the wayward New Economic Policy, which tried to introduce a limited form of capitalism into the avowedly Marxist-Leninist state. His play didn’t make it to the stage for over 50 years. Condemned and banned, The Suicide disappeared from sight, and Erdman never wrote another play. 

Jackson, who both adapted and directed American $uicide, has garnered a reputation in Berkeley and around the bay for the two plays he wrote and staged for the Shotgun Players, The Death of Meyerhold (a kind of biopic onstage of Erdman’s contemporary, the great Russian man of the theater) and The Forest Wars (which just concluded an extended run at the Ashby Stage), and his guest direction of Oscar Wilde’s Salome for Aurora last year, as well as the productions of his own Art Street Theatre from 1999 to 2004. With American $uicide, he takes what’s become something considered as a kind of deferred classic of a great and difficult era of theater and society, adapting it to the post-dotcom, media-saturated America of three quarters of a century later. 

Sam Small (Jud Williford) is an unemployed house husband, frustrated with his asocial nonrole in the world. But while his wife, Mary (Beth Wilmurt) slaves as a waitress, Sam has time to act out his frustrations with vague threats of suicide—and time to dream of really acting, that is, becoming an actor. That’s the way to make a bundle, he reasons, and it’s got to be easy. 

His career takes off faster than he thinks, due to the loopy cast of characters that surround his bland figure and his wife’s demure normality. Getting a book on acting from the neighborhood Avon Lady, who lives down the street in her car (Delia MacDougall as “Gigi Bolt, of Theater Communications Group”), Sam stumbles into being cast in an independent film meant as the comeback vehicle for both its frightwigged director (Michael Patrick Gaffney) and overripe starlet (Jody Flader)—all because he’s threatened suicide, so is seen as desperate, a natural. His web-hustling, across-the-hall neighbor Albert (Marty Pistone) parlays the casting into a stalking horse for something really grandiose, when he appoints himself Sam’s agent, converts the porn site he’s been flooding with videos of himself and new bartender girlfriend (Denise Balthrop Cassidy) to an auction house to sponsor Sam’s suicide by the highest bidder. 

“Mysterious men” (all played by Liam Vincent) appear, both a wannabe terrorist and an undercover G-man, trying to convince Sam to banner their ideology as his last words, while Gigi implores him to “die for the American Theater!” And so midnight draws near, everybody wildly dancing and drinking, waiting for the broadcast of Sam’s last words and the opening of the envelope containing the name of the winner—who (or what) he’ll die for. 

The script provides the opportunity for many quick, funny bits with the cast of loons that surround Everyman Sam, a few as quick slapstick demonstrations of something like Meyerhold’s Biomechanical exercises (as when Albert scuffles with Sam, trying to keep him from killing himself too early in the game—which Sam had no intention of), others as tableaux of the characters in Raquel Barreto’s costumes (Albert as a louche cop, or his girlfriend as a sad, pink-eared Playboy bunny).  

Russian and Soviet drama had (and has) a number of sophisticated techniques--and, more importantly, styles--to realize the stylized performance of ultra-caricatures ... Biomechanics, Eccentrism, Defamiliarized and “alienated” succeeding styles ... all drawn originally from models of popular entertainment, like Commedia Dell’Arte, of which Meyerhold must be counted as one of the modern rediscoverers. These take discipline, and can push past the limits of representation, creating a new kind of satire. “The Grotesque is the triumph of Form over Content,” Meyerhold held forth. Sometimes a joke is more than a joke; it can bend the space around it. 

American $uicide allows a crew of good actors to ham it up, in the best sense, overacting a panoply of cartoonish characters to the point of a balloon about to burst. But, amusing as they are, the portrayals and routines are overblown sitcom material—Albert and girlfriend a contemporary and loopier Fred-and-Ethel neighbor couple. Erdman’s original hit a nerve, was banned ... Jackson’s adaptation sports a populist message, just what’s expected, a facile swipe at the usual straw men, reading more like Meet John Doe, Frank Capra’s silver screen vehicle for Cooper and Stanwyck, adapted as a farce. 

Stylized pictures of American society that touch a nerve prove unpalatable to the same success machine that devours ringers like Sam and Mary, include those by Poe (a hero for many Russian artists) or the Melville of The Confidence Man. Stroheim made Greed out of Frank Norris’ McTeague, book about a dentist obsessed with gold, boldly caricatured. And Sherwood Anderson peopled Winesburg, Ohio with his Grotesques. There are other examples in films by Orson Welles and Samuel Fuller. American $uicide’s sketches are diverting, but don’t find their way in the tradition of stylized satire, Russian or American. 

AMERICAN $UICIDE 

Thick House, 1695 18th St., San Francisco. 

$25-30. (415) 437-6775. www.zspace.org.

Few crime stories have captured the public imagination like the Zodiac murders that terrorized the Bay Area in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The case has become part of local folklore, transforming the mysterious killer who targeted couples in remote lovers’ lanes and threatened to bomb school buses into the de facto bogeyman for a generation of Bay Area children who came of age in the following decade. 

Zodiac, David Fincher’s new film based on the best-selling books by former San Francisco Chronicle editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith, is the first of the story’s many cinematic adaptations to stay true to the facts. Previous films took liberties with the tale, embellishing, altering and simplifying the details for dramatic effect. Thus far only Fincher has had the clarity of mind to focus on the real drama of the story, which is not the depravity of the murders or the killer’s twisted mind, but the investigation itself and the toll it took on the men involved.  

In adapting Graysmith’s work, Fincher and screenwriter James Vanderbilt have focused on the strengths that constitute the enduring value of the books: that they have served as much-needed compendiums of the facts and theories which had hitherto been far flung among competing agencies in the various jurisdictions where the killer struck. 

The film starts with Zodiac’s second attack, after which he sent his first letter and cipher to the press, establishing for the first time in the public consciousness the disquieting reality that a serial killer was at work in the Bay Area. And, with the exceptions of three more scenes depicting later attacks, the film primarily consists of conversations between reporters, editors, detectives and suspects. As such, Zodiac slips into something of a pattern, one familiar from television’s ubiquitous talking head- and dateline-laden forensic dramas. Though the film is well crafted, it still lapses at times into the familiar cliches of the police procedural genre: tense discussions between a skeptical detective and an excited journalist, the latter eager to condense his insights into the “just two minutes” the former has allotted for the meeting; the late-night talks in restaurants featuring notes scrawled on napkins, with utensils positioned as makeshift maps to illustrate pet theories; and why is it that the men in these dramas are so often ravenous, taking huge bites of artery-clogging foods and chewing with their mouths open? Aren’t there any less hackneyed shorthand methods for portraying the driven, the dedicated and the self-destructive? 

The actors are forced to bring their characters alive within the limited confines of the procedural genre, and only Mark Ruffalo succeeds fully. Robert Downey Jr. is charismatic and by most accounts effective in channeling the wit and energy of Chronicle reporter Paul Avery, yet he has little time to do so and limited material with which to do it, resulting in a performance that comes across as too cynical, too sarcastic, too one-dimensionally clown-like to ring true. Jake Gyllenhaal too is limited by the material, yet in his case ample screen time actually works against the performance, giving us scene after scene of him nervously jumping about like an agitated schoolboy. We are not convinced we’re witnessing a case of obsession but are instead acutely aware that we are watching an actor employ the standard theatrical devices for conveying that obsession. Again, the details of the performance may be authentic, but sometimes absolute veracity just doesn’t translate well on screen. 

But Ruffalo, as San Francisco Police Inspector Dave Toschi, really hits the mark. Toschi benefited and suffered at the hands of Hollywood; Bullitt (1968) made him something of a legend, with Steve McQueen taking many details, including his unique holster, from Toschi, while Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (1971) maddened Toschi as the hero’s vigilante-like approach to the “Scorpio” killer only helped to increase public frustration with Toschi and the real-life manhunt that consumed the Bay Area. Here Toschi was tracking a killer who was obsessed and inspired by movies and only now have the movies finally given Toschi his due in the form of Ruffalo’s sympathetic portrayal. Ruffalo’s Toschi is brave, bright, articulate and passionate, but at the same time flawed, tormented and ultimately all too human.  

The most significant flaw of the film is its focus on Graysmith, a character who, though integral to the tale, is hardly the most compelling figure in the story. Really the main character should have been Toschi, with a late digression toward Graysmith once the official investigation had wound down, but later returning again to Toschi to show the effect Graysmith’s discoveries had on the retired inspector as new facts, theories and circumstantial evidence pointed time and again to Arthur Leigh Allen, Toschi’s favorite suspect all along. If the premise of the film, according to its publicity, is that that the men who waged the investigation and were in the end undone by it should be tallied among the killer’s victims, why is the dramatic thrust skewed toward the only character who managed to significantly benefit from the case in the form of best-selling books and Hollywood movie deals?  

For the most part, Fincher’s direction is strong enough to overcome these obstacles, managing to create a film that is stylish without being showy. He stages the murder scenes simply and for the most part accurately, and keeps the investigation scenes moving despite the static nature of the format. One shot adds a chilling but subtle flourish to the murder of San Francisco Yellow Cab driver Paul Stine: The scene opens with an overhead shot of the cab as it winds its way through the streets of the city, the camera shifting with each turn as though locked in place with the car, suggesting care with which the killer choreographed and mapped the encounter, leading Stine on a slow death march from the theater district to the Presidio Heights neighborhood where he would be shot. 

Zodiac may be the definitive celluloid incarnation of the case, one that is unlikely to be bettered, but still it encounters the same dilemma that stymied the creators of last year’s low-budget version, The Zodiac: There’s just no way to effectively conclude the film, for there is no definite conclusion to the real-life story. Once again, Fincher turns to the Graysmith character with a scene in which Gyllenhaal finally gets to look the killer in the eye. But whatever emotional impact the scene might have achieved is undermined by the fact that we, the audience, have already looked into these eyes in an earlier scene. Again, a better conclusion might have been wrung from the fates of Toschi or Avery.  

Instead the anti-climactic encounter is followed simply by the standard coda in which we read what later became of each of the characters. It is a strong film, at times even a powerful film, and its strength lies in its adherence to facts. However, veracity doesn’t necessarily make for great art. Reality is rarely obliging in that way.  

ZODIAC 

Directed by David Fincher. Written by James Vanderbilt. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards. Rated R.  

160 minutes. Playing at the California Theater. 

Photograph: Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. as San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith and reporter Paul Avery in David Fincher’s Zodiac.

In March 1933, the Long Beach Earthquake destroyed 70 schools, and another 120 suffered major structural damage. The Great Depression was at its height, leaving 25 percent of the nation’s work force unemployed. Things couldn’t have looked grimmer, but one creative mind was busily churning out solutions. 

In December of that year, the Berkeley City Council received for consideration a novel idea submitted by Bernard Maybeck. The architect advocated that waste material from Berkeley’s condemned school buildings be diverted to constructing small homes on city-owned property, with unemployed heads of families providing the construction manpower. 

“Out of the two negatives of waste material and waste time of men might be evolved a positive condition,” wrote Maybeck. “Little houses, little gardens, play spaces for little children—the result a glorified auto camp. Should 1929 roll around again, these same settlements could be metamorphosed into auto camps, of which Berkeley has none.” 

Seeds for planting gardens could be donated by the Hillside Club, of which Maybeck was a member. Other organizations might be prevailed upon to supply furnishings. Many of the unemployed and people working under the Civil Works Administration program would be able to live comfortably if the problem of rent was removed, wrote Maybeck. If he were in Berkeley (the architect was in Elsah, IL, designing the Principia College campus), he would be glad to draft plans for the model settlement—a place that would boast show houses and not be “shackville.” 

It’s doubtful that the Berkeley city council considered the proposal seriously. Maybeck didn’t have a reputation for practicality, while the city was intent on developing taxable property. 

As for the architect, he was simply following the singular path he had begun to hew upon arriving in Berkeley forty years earlier. 

The son of a German-born furniture maker and architectural woodcarver, young Maybeck (1962–1957) apprenticed in the same trade before going to Paris at the age of 19 to study furniture design. Within a year he was admitted to the École de Beaux Arts, where he spent four years studying architecture. Along with the traditional training in the classic orders, Bernard benefited from the study of gothic structure and a mathematical theory of modern structure, both of which would play a decisive role in his future designs. 

Returning to New York in 1886, Maybeck went to work for his Beaux-Arts schoolmate Thomas Hastings at the latter’s firm, Carrère and Hastings. Here he participated in building two Florida hotels and a church for Standard Oil tycoon Henry Flagler. 

In 1889 Maybeck attempted to establish an independent practice in Kansas City. The work was scarce, but the sojourn was fruitful: the architect met Annie White, whom he would marry the following year, and the young architect Willis Jefferson Polk. Polk soon moved to California and lured Maybeck out as well. 

While waiting for an opening in the San Francisco office of the fashionable young architect A. Page Brown, Maybeck had a temporary job at the established firm of Wright and Sanders, architects of the Mark Hopkins mansion on Nob Hill. Next he became principal designer at the Charles M. Plum Company, interior designers and custom furniture makers. 

While designing lavish interiors for Nob Hill mansions, Maybeck lived with Annie in a cottage in the Piedmont hills. Here he had “an experience that profoundly affected his whole artistic outlook,” wrote Charles Keeler in his memoirs. “[N]ext door to him the Reverend Joseph Worcester had a little summer retreat. Looking into Mr. Worcester’s windows, he saw the interior of the cottage was all of unpainted redwood boards. It was a revelation.” 

In 1891, A. Page Brown’s work volume increased, and Maybeck joined his staff. A year later, the Maybecks purchased a double lot in northwest Berkeley, on the corner of West and Gilman. The streets were renamed several times since then. West became Sherman, then Grove, and is now known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The old Gilman is now Berryman Street. 

The area was isolated; for over ten years, the Maybeck property was the only inhabited one on its block. It came with a small, one-story cottage that Maybeck soon began to transform. Lacking the means to hire a contractor, the architect initially did much of the work himself. Over several years, the house doubled its footprint and gained a second story, a low-pitched saddle roof with wide overhangs, a projecting sleeping porch, and a great variety of windows. Two styles of wood shingles adorned the exterior. 

Keeler, who had first met Maybeck in 1891, described the house as it was in 1895: 

I sought out Mr. Maybeck at his home in northwest Berkeley and told him I had come to accept his offer to design our house. I really had no idea what I was getting into when I put myself in his hands. I found his own home was not yet complete and that he was working on it at odd times, with the assistance of Julia Morgan’s brothers. His house was something like a Swiss chalet. The timbers showed on the inside and the walls were of knotted yellow pine planks. There was no finish to the interior, for the carpenter work finished it. There was a sheet iron, hand-built stove, open in front and with brass andirons. Most of the furniture was designed and made by Mr. Maybeck himself. It was a distinctly hand-made home. 

In 1894, Maybeck was appointed instructor in drawing at the Civil Engineering College of the University of California. A school of architecture did not yet exist, so Maybeck offered interested engineering students an independent course in architectural design, given in his house. The students included an impressive array of future luminaries: Wiley Corbett (architect of New York’s Rockefeller Center); Edward H. Bennett (co-author of the Chicago city plan with Daniel H. Burnahm); Julia Morgan; Lewis Hobart (architect of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and Bohemian Club); John Bakewell and Arthur Brown, Jr. (who would collaborate on the city halls of San Francisco and Berkeley); G. Albert Lansburgh (designer of many theatres, including the Warfield and Golden Gate in San Francisco, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and, with Arthur Brown, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House); and Loring P. Rixford (architect of the Sacramento City Library). Bakewell described the course as combining design theory and a period of practical application, during which the students worked on the additions to the house. 

Maybeck would apply the principles tried out in this domestic laboratory to his early private commissions. Keeler was his first client, and the architect not only designed his home but provided lessons in architectural philosophy: 

A wooden house should bring out all the character and virtue of wood—straight lines, wooden joinery, exposed rafters, and the wooden surface visible and left in its natural state. A house should fit into the landscape as if it were a part of it, it should also be an expression of the life and spirit which is to be lived within it. […] whatever was of structural importance should be emphasized as a feature of ornament. […] He was interested in the simple life which is naturally expressive and consequently beautiful. He believed in handmade things and that all ornament should be designed to fit the place and the need. He did not mind how crude it was, provided it was sincere and expressed something personal. 

The Keeler house, built in 1895 on the corner of Highland Place and Ridge Road, was soon joined by three additional seminal Maybecks: Laura G. Hall house (1896), Williston W. Davis house (1897), and William P. Rieger house (1899). They transformed the Northside and served as models for the “Simple Home” gospel promulgated by the Hillside Club. 

The Maybecks continued to live in the Grove St. house until 1907. A block to the south, at 1423 Grove Street, lived Bernard’s first cousin John E. Maybeck. In the family tradition, John was a woodcarver. His grandson, William Maybeck, relates that Bernard, dissatisfied with the quality of workmanship in San Francisco, persuaded his cousin to come out from New York. John started out as a mantel dealer but eventually became a teacher at the Wilmerding School of Industrial Arts in San Francisco, a position he held for many years. 

Bernard and Annie sold their Grove St. house to German professor Ludwig J. Demeter and his wife Rowena and moved to rented digs at 1615 Arch Street while their new home was being built on the corner of La Loma Ave. and Buena Vista Way. 

But this wasn’t the end of the Grove St. house’s connection with architecture. By the late 1950s and early ’60s, it had assumed legendary status among U.C. architecture students. According to architect Richard Ehrenberger its student residents included future folksinger Kate Wolf and her eventual husband, architect Saul Wolf; Howard Ray Lawrence, future professor of architecture at Penn State; and future architect/photographer Jeremiah O. Bragstad. 

The house was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark on February 1, 2007. 

Daniella Thompson publishes berkeleyheritage.com for the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA). 

Photograph by Daniella Thompson 

Maybeck’s first Berkeley house, 1300 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark on Feb.1 of this year. 

I have a terrible confession to make. I feel really bad about it, but it’s probably not going to change any time soon. I don’t care if your roof leaks. O.K., I know that I’m supposed to make a big deal about this sort of thing but I’m not going to. There, I said it and I feel a whole lot better. 

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I do care if your roof leaks, but not that much. And I would argue that you shouldn’t either. Now, if you have OCD you might need to fix it right away to prevent suicide and I would say, “Bully for you, get on with it then” and hand you the phone, to call to the roofer, myself. 

However, for most of us, it’s just not all that important because roof leaks don’t kill people. I’m very interested in everything about the house but I’m much more interested in things that kill people or hurt them seriously or cause a massive loss of value.  

This is what might be called worst-case scenario inspecting and is what I try to do everyday.  

It is very easy to lose perspective when looking at a large list of issues and, to the credit of many of my clients; they will intuit and communicate this when we’re looking at their house, skyscraper or aircraft hangar. Most will, at some point, say “Please tell the things that you think matter the most” or “Can you tell me the five things that you’d do first after I’ve moved in.” 

This is a darned good start and prescient, to be sure, but it’s not enough. These questions should also include, “What’s going to kill me?” and perhaps “What’s going to end up costing me a bucket of money?” and whether I’m asked or not, this robot comes preprogrammed to do this. 

Maybe it’s because I’m a worrier but it doesn’t make any sense to me to look at a range of issues and to fail to list them by hazard-level. 

So let’s take a look at a few things that I would place near the top (and near the bottom) of my worst-case scenario inspecting list and I would virtually always begin with those things related to fire. 

In my world, there’s not much worse than death by fire and there’s so much we can do to prevent it. Not that we can prevent all fires but we can certainly do a lot about preventing deaths caused by fires. So, my favorite inspection item is the smoke detector; low cost, high benefit. That’s another criterion that must be made a part of this thinking: What’s the cost and what’s the benefit?  

Smoke detectors are very rich when it comes to this set of criteria; they have very low cost, high benefit and address needs in a very bad-case scenario. They don’t prevent fires but they do help prevent deaths caused by them. 

CO (carbon monoxide) testers are similar. While fire is much worse and far more common than CO, CO still remains a killer that can be addressed with a $25 device and a $2 battery. By the way, let’s not forget batteries. Installing fresh batteries for smoke and CO detectors has an extremely high yield in our index of safety versus cost. It’s amazing how many smoke detectors I see that lack only a $2 battery to save one or many lives. 

Let’s jump to the other end of the scale and look at our leaking roof (actually, your leaking roof, mine’s fine). If the roof leaks, it is almost impossible for this to cause a death (although my mind, like yours, rushes to all the wild Rube Goldberg linkages that could cause a death). 

In fact, there are, for the most part, only very small amounts of damage done to most houses by roof leaks. This is primarily due to the fact that roof leaks rarely hide (although they certainly can in some cases) and usually become extremely noticeable, if not unsightly, before they’ve done any significant amount of real structural damage. For the most part, roof leaks damage ceiling finishes and, if allowed to advance (if you drink heavily) can do some damage to other components such as wiring and framing. I always like to remind people that wood is not easily damaged by water; they build boats out of it!  

Sheetrock and plaster are quickly damaged and possibly destroyed by roof leaks and this is sort of sad (and sort of not really very much) but it shouldn’t be anyone’s worst-case scenario. 

Flipping back to worst cases again, fire escape is very high on my list. This can include removal of window bars, looking at the needs of the disabled (e.g. can they get downstairs), training of children and installation of rope or chain ladders. Window size and type is also a pretty large issue here. 

If a window doesn’t open enough to climb out (or for a firewoman to climb in!) it’s a big problem. Window locks that require a key are a huge hazard and have a big cost/benefit and worst-case index. The same applies to “double cylinder” door locks that require a key to escape. 

I won’t miss the chance to throw in my person dead-horse (the thing I like to beat), the earthquake. While you may never experience a very large earthquake, the worst-case scenario is very, very high. There can be death (most likely by fire) and there will almost certainly be a great deal of property damage and loss if you experience a very large earthquake. 

If you live where this has a low likelihood, substitute your own disaster (are you reading this Mr. Brown?) and adjust your funding and action accordingly. For my friends in the Bay Area, earthquake concerns should take precedence over roof leaks. I would sooner see my client spend seven grand on seismic retrofitting for an earthquake that they may never experience than one grand fixing a leak that’s occurring today! 

Now, I’m not actually suggesting that you let the roof leak but you get my point. It’s fine and good and terrific to spend money on the things that make you crazy or present themselves to you, dirty paws and all, but it’s vital that we focus a portion of our energy on the things that might do great harm to us, and those we love, even if the event seems way off in the distance.  

And of course, remember to eat out more often, smile a lot and get more hugs. 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net. 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Leonard Syme on “Preventing Disease and Promoting Health.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

“The Life and Thought of Slain Salavadoran Jesuit, Ignacio Ellacuria” with Robert Lassalle-Klein at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker School, Marian Hall, 2nd Flr., 2125 Jefferson St. Not wheelchair accessible. 499-7080. 

“Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform” with author Stephan Haggard at 4 p.m. in the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Floor. 642-2809. 

“Power Trip” a film about electricity in the Republic of Georgia at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., midtown Oakland. Donation $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 

Turtle Time Meet the turtles of Tilden Park and learn the difference between native and non-native, male and female, at 11 a.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Kids Garden Club for ages 6-9 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

Sick Plant Clinic Dr. Robert Raabe, plant pathologist, and Dr. Nick Mills, entomologist, will diagnose plant illnesses and recommend remedies. Bring a piece of the plant in a securely sealed container. A zipperlock bag is ideal. From 9 a.m. to noon at Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Bay Area Seed Interchange Library Annual Seed Swap potluck hoedown to share music, food, and home grown garden seeds. From 5 to 8 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $10, free if you bring seeds and a dish to share. 548-2220 ext. 233. 

The Architecture of Oakland’s Downtown Walking Tour Meet at 10 am at the below-street-level fountain just outside the 12th St. BART station. Walk ends at the 19th Street BART. This is a moderately paced, level walk. Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers, and bring water and snack. 848 9358. www.berkeleypaths.org  

Kayak and Walking Tour of Brooks Island with Save the Bay. From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $85-$95. To register call 452-9261, ext. 109. 

Gardening Basics: What is Really Important with Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursey, 729 Heinz Ave., off 7th St. 644-2351. 

“Christian Responses to the World Water Crisis” a workshop with Marian Ronan, professor at the GTU from 1 to 5 p.m. at American Baptist Seminary of the West, 2606 Dwight Way. Sponsored by Corporate Accountability International. 644-4956. 

“Immigration: The Impact Beyond Mexico” with Arnoldo Garcia, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Larisa Cafilla, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, Nunu Kidane, Africa Priority Network at others at 11 a.m. at the Prescott Joseph Center, 920 Peralta St., Oakland. Sponsored by the John George Democratic Club.  

Making Sense of the Medicare Enrollment Period a free workshop at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, 125-14th St. Presented by Jess Strange of Health Insurance Advocacy Program. 238-3138. 

“The Legacy of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade” A luncheon with the men and women who volunteered to defend the Spanish Republic against fascism in 1936 at 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 27th and Harrison Sts., Oakland. Tickets are $35. 582-7699.  

Fundraiser Crab Dinner for Golden Gate Boys Choir at 6:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church, 6013 Lawton, Oakland. Tickets are $35. For reservations call 887-4311. 

“Finding the Creative and Spiritual in Everyday Life” a conference from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 527-2935. www.ahimsaberkeley.org 

Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Party at 11 a.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. All ages welcome. Free but reservations required. 524-3043. 

Oakland Museum of California White Elephant Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 333 Lancaster St. at Glascock, Oakland. free shuttle bus from the Fruitvale BART. 238-2200. 

Hopalong Animal Rescue Come meet your furry new best friend from noon to 3 p.m. at 2940 College Ave. 267-1915, ext. 500. www.hopalong.org  

Produce Stand at Spiral Gardens Food Security Project from 1 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon St. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Petite Pooches Playgroup for small dogs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one block north of Solano on Ensenada at Talbot. 524-2459. 

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 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

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 4 

Shoreline Discovery Walk along San Pablo Bay with Bethany Facendini, naturalist, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Call for meeting place. 525-2233. 

“Open Garden” Join the Little Farm gardener for composting, planting, watering and reaping the rewards of our work, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cancelled only by heavy rain. 525-2233.  

“Climate Change” the first of a series of Sunday talks on Climate Change by Karen Street at 1 p.m. at Berkeley Friends Meeting, 2151 Vine. 653-2803. 

Salon in the Grove Discussion of the tree-sitting protest at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Oak Grove, east side of UC campus just off of Gayley Rd. 548-3609. 

International Women’s Day “Criminal of Poverty” presented by memoir author “Tiny” aka Lisa Gray-Garci from 10 am. to noon at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. 841-4824. 

Berkeley Playreading Group meets at 2 p.m. at 1471 Addison St. at the rear of 1473 Addison. 655-7962.  

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. www.cal-sailing.org 

Cyber Salon with Scott Rosenberg, founder of Salon.com on his new book “Dreaming in Code” at 5 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation $10. 

Holistic Pet Evaluation with animal crisis consultant from 1 to 3 p.m. at Rabbit Ears, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. To schedule an appointment call 525-6155. 

“The Spiritual Journey of a Lifelong UU” with Sue Amgidson at 9:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sandy Olney on “Walking on the Roof of the World” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, MARCH 5  

“Tule Elk: Biggest Wild Animals in the East Bay” A slide show with Mike Moran on one of California’s largest land mammals, at 7:30 p.m. at Montclair Presbyterian Church, 5701 Thornhill Rd., Oakland. Cost is $5, children free. 655-6658.www.close-to-home.org 

“The Big Bang, COBE, and the Relic Radiation Traces of Creation” with George Smoot, 2006 Noble Prize winner at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Free. 486-5183. 

“Black Jews, Jews, and other Heroes” A talk with Howard Lenhoff at 6:30 p.m. at JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at East Pauley Ballroom, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code UCB) 

Free Diabetes Screening from 9 to 11 a.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center.Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand. 981-5332. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Here and Perhaps Elsewhere” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Civil Rights Tales with Stagebridge Theater at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

“Universal Health Care: What are the next steps?” with Richard Quint, MD, MPH, at noon at the Albany Library, at Marin and Masonic Aves, Albany. Brown Bag Luncheon Series of the League of Women Voters. Bring your lunch, hot drinks provided. 843-8824. 

“A Short Trip to Italy” multi-media presentation by Countess Alessandra Ranghiasci on her family's 150 room ancestral palace in Gubbio, Italy's best preserved medieval village, at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 848-7800.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2 to 3 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Free Legal Assistance the first Tues. of the month at 6 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Advance registration required. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Discussion Salon on Schools and Gangs at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.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. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 

Walking Tour of UC Berkeley Campus with retired East Bay Regional Park District Naturalist Alan Kaplan. Meet at 10 a.m. at the campus entrance gate at Euclid and Hearst for this moderately paced, 2-hour walk. Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. 526-7609. www.berkeleypaths.org  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Teach-In and Vigil Against American Torture every Wed. at noon at Boalt Hall, Bancroft Way at College Ave.  

“Torture, Human Rights and Terrorism” a panel discussion in conjunction with the exhbition of paintings of Abu Graib by Frenando Botero, at 4 p.m. at Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 

Walk, Talk, Buck the Fence What’s at stake in the Ecology of Berkeley’s Strawberry Canyon A walk at 5 p.m. every Wed. with guests to discuss what is at stake in the next proposed steps for the filling of the Canyon by the UC-LBL Rad-Labs, and now British Petroleum. http://canyonwalks.blogspot.com  

“Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic” Chalmers Johnson in conversation with Gray Brechin at 7:30 p.m. at King Middle School auditorium, 1781 Rose St.Tickets are $12-$15. 848-6767, ext. 609. 

“Black Gold” a documentary expose of the coffee-industry at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

New to DVD: “L’Enfant” at 7 p.m. at JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. Discussion follows. 848-0237. 

Beyond the Ivory Tower: Alternative Careers for Asia Specialists, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Flr. RSVP required. 642-2809.  

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Oreintation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 594-5165. 

Accessible Telephones, for those with vision, hearing, speaking and memory loss, on display from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

Lomi Lomi Hawaiian form of bodywork, at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and thinking skills. Commit to 1-2 hours per week during the school day and work one-on-one with students in their English classes. Training from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org 

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. 548-9840. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 

“Unseen and Unheard: Finding Bats in the Night Sky” with Dr. Joe Szewczak, from Humboldt State Univ., at the East Bay Scence Cafe, at Spud's Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. 558-0881. 

The Natural History of the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Activism in the Americas for International Women’s Day at at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Sliding scale donation $5-$20. 849-2568.  

Documentaries by Lebanese Women including “Lebanon/War” at 7 p.m. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $6-$8. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Movies and Speakers on the Anti-G8 Movement at 6:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. 

Free Diabetes Screening from 8 a.m. to noon at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand. 981-5332. 

“The Care Crisis: The Problem That Has No Name” with Prof. Ruth Rosen at noon at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 981-2884. 

Family Story Time for children ages 3-7 at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, North Branch, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins. 981-6107. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

ONGOING 

Tax Help at the Berkeley Public Library Sat. from 11:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the South Branch. Call for appointment. 981-6260. Also every Tues. and Thurs. at the West Branch from 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. Call for appointment. 981-6270. 

Berkeley Winter Campaign for Cats We are providing free trapping assistance and spay/neuter to feral and homeless cats in Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont, through March 2007. The cats will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas and returned safely back to their neighborhoods. To report a neighborhood in need or to volunteer, please call 908-0709. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., March 5, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., March 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5510.