A worker scoops an oil-soaked duck from the water along the Berkeley waterfront. Photograph by Ron Sullivan.
A worker scoops an oil-soaked duck from the water along the Berkeley waterfront. Photograph by Ron Sullivan.

Extra

Flash: UC Signs BP Contract;

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The $500 million pact between UC Berkeley and one of the world’s largest oil companies went into effect Wednesday, though actual work had begun in June. -more-



Page One

City Restricts Access to Waterfront, Trains Volunteers to Contain Spill

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Seventy-nine volunteers from across the East Bay underwent four hours of training on cleaning hazardous oil spills from the shoreline by the City of Berkeley and the East Bay Regional Park District at the Berkeley Marina Monday. -more-



Mayor Berated For Refusal to Let Disabled Speak Early at Council Meeting

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Berkeley is home to the movement for the independence of disabled people and winner of the National Organization on Disability’s 2006 Accessible America competition, yet the disabled community expressed outrage at what people said was the mayor’s insensitivity at the Nov. 6 council meeting. -more-



Ethel Dotson Remembered At Citizen Group Meeting

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 13, 2007

“We have something to celebrate and something to mourn,” Joe Robinson told fellow members of the citizen panel advising the state on toxic cleanups in southern Richmond. -more-



Minority Communities Need More Parks, Report Says

By Angela Rowen, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 13, 2007

A new report takes aim at the East Bay Regional Park District for not doing enough to ensure that low-income minority communities have access to open space. -more-



First Person: By Any Means Necessary...

By Bryce Nesbitt, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Today I conducted an act of civil disobedience (my first in quite some time). Using a common kitty litter scoop, I peeled globs of oil from a beach, and placed them in a bucket. I defied not only the Coast Guard, but our own city manager, Phil Kamlarz, who has declared the shore off-limits. -more-



Features

Army Recruiters Offer Fun and Games on UC Campus

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Second Lt. Joseph Perkins described it as a small carnival—with its Humvee, Apache Helicopter simulator and climbing wall. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Perkins was one of the army recruiters on campus Thursday, Friday and Saturday. -more-


State Nominates Berkeley High Historic District to National Register

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The State Historical Resources Commission unanimously approved the nomination for the Berkeley High School campus to be listed on the National Register as a historic district Friday. -more-


Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Lawsuit Dropped for Lack of Funds

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Members of the Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Committee have decided to drop their lawsuit over Oakland City Attorney John Russo’s decision last year to throw out petitions calling for a citizen vote on the controversial development project. But opponents and proponents of the lawsuit were as divided over the reason for voluntary dismissal as they were over the lawsuit itself. -more-


State Control Is Bad, Except in Oakland, Says O’Connell

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday November 13, 2007

California State School Superintendent Jack O’Connell said in an e-mail to an Oakland education activist this week that despite his belief that state school takeovers should be a “last option,” local control of the Oakland Unified School District will continue to be withheld until “the time is right.” -more-


Berkeley Tree-Sitter Falls; Santa Cruz Vigil Continues

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The Memorial Stadium tree-sit sustained its second major casualty Sunday night when one of the protesters fell, breaking an arm and a leg. -more-


Liquor Law, Density Bonus on Planning Commission Agenda

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Berkeley Planning Commissioners will tackle Demon Rum Wednesday night—or, more precisely, a proposal to tighten the rules on its purveyors. -more-


School Board to Vote on Hiring Architects for Demolition of Old Gym

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The Berkeley Board of Education will vote Wednesday on whether to hire Emeryville-based Baker Vilar Architects to design Berkeley High School’s new bleachers and prepare plans for demolishing its old gym. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday November 13, 2007

FRESH AIR? -more-


Commentary: KPFA Needs Dialogue, Not Demonization

By Sasha Lilley
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Despite its mission of dialogue, KPFA has become a venue for increasingly nasty attacks, which exhaust the station and turn listeners off. I would like to set the record straight on a number of allegations that have been printed in these pages and to ask the question: can KPFA afford to be at war with itself? -more-


Commentary: The Bitter Fight to Control KPFA

By Raymond Barglow
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The current conflict within the KPFA community is a cauldron of bitter feelings and resentments. There are three slates of candidates currently running for the Local Station Board. I’ll discuss the two slates that are most directly at loggerheads: “Peoples Radio” and “Concerned Listeners.” The former group has severe criticisms of current station management and governance—criticisms that have been voiced quite persuasively here in the pages of the Planet, one of the venues where this debate has taken place. -more-


Commentary: Vibrant Urban Neighborhoods Need Lower Buildings

By Andy Singer
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Despite how he tried to portray himself in a recent East Bay Monthy article, Patrick Kennedy is no “Jane Jacobs.” He’s more like Jane’s nemesis, Robert Moses —the infamous developer who decimated New York City with freeways and oversized housing projects from 1920 to 1970. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Vox Populi, Vox Deae

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday November 13, 2007

If anyone wonders if there’s a role for classical music in the hard-edged 21st century, they should acquaint themselves with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, which had its season’s opening on Friday night at the Paramount in Oakland. We go to a good number of musical events, some of them really big hits with their audiences, but it’s only at the Paramount with Maestro Michael Morgan wielding the baton that bravura performances are rewarded with shouts of “right on” from the balcony. Sometimes (horrors) they come even after a particularly thrilling movement, in defiance or ignorance of the classical convention which counsels waiting until the whole piece is finished to cheer. It’s not just polite clapping, or even the vigorous foot-stomping on the wooden floor of Berkeley’s First Congregational Church which is used to applaud the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. When the enormous Paramount audiences like something, it’s expressed by full-throated roars, often ornamented with the kind of piercing whistles normally heard at rock concerts or baseball games. -more-


Columns

Column: The Public Eye: The 2008 Presidential Election

By Bob Burnett
Tuesday November 13, 2007

The presidential election will occur on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, less than a year from now. Because the candidates have been campaigning for 11 months, we already know quite a lot about the likely outcome. -more-


Green Neighbors: When Is a Tree Not a Tree? When It’s a Great Big Grass

By Ron Sullivan
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Bamboo is a plant with many faces and many reputations. It’s invasive, except when it’s not; it’s edible, tough, fast-growing. It’s good for scaffolding, houses, roofs, containers (in sizes from spice-bottle to bazooka), musical instruments (the Malagasy valiha tubular harp and sodinha flute, just for example), bows and arrows and the bowstrings too, fishing rods, curtain rods, flooring, paneling, dishes, kitchen and table utensils as well as the table and most of the kitchen itself, including water pipes. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday November 13, 2007

The Theater: Aurora Revisits Mae West Blockbuster

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 13, 2007

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday November 13, 2007

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Vox Populi, Vox Deae 11-13-2007

It’s Time to Jump on the Worthington Bandwagon 11-09-2007

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 11-13-2007

Commentary: KPFA Needs Dialogue, Not Demonization By Sasha Lilley 11-13-2007

Commentary: The Bitter Fight to Control KPFA By Raymond Barglow 11-13-2007

Commentary: Vibrant Urban Neighborhoods Need Lower Buildings By Andy Singer 11-13-2007

Letters to the Editor 11-09-2007

Taking the Chronicle to Task By Gray Brechin 11-09-2007

Dellums Fails to Address Oakland’s Crime Problem By Jeffrey G. Jensen 11-09-2007

Another ‘Concerned Listener’ By Aki Tanaka 11-09-2007

What’s At Stake in the KPFA Election By Henry Norr 11-09-2007

Council Reverses Position on Cell Phone Antennas By Michael Barglow 11-09-2007

News

Flash: UC Signs BP Contract; By Richard Brenneman 11-13-2007

City Restricts Access to Waterfront, Trains Volunteers to Contain Spill By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-13-2007

Mayor Berated For Refusal to Let Disabled Speak Early at Council Meeting By Judith Scherr 11-13-2007

Ethel Dotson Remembered At Citizen Group Meeting By Richard Brenneman 11-13-2007

Minority Communities Need More Parks, Report Says By Angela Rowen, Special to the Planet 11-13-2007

First Person: By Any Means Necessary... By Bryce Nesbitt, Special to the Planet 11-13-2007

Army Recruiters Offer Fun and Games on UC Campus By Judith Scherr 11-13-2007

State Nominates Berkeley High Historic District to National Register By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-13-2007

Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Lawsuit Dropped for Lack of Funds By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 11-13-2007

State Control Is Bad, Except in Oakland, Says O’Connell By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 11-13-2007

Berkeley Tree-Sitter Falls; Santa Cruz Vigil Continues By Richard Brenneman 11-13-2007

Liquor Law, Density Bonus on Planning Commission Agenda By Richard Brenneman 11-13-2007

School Board to Vote on Hiring Architects for Demolition of Old Gym By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-13-2007

Flash: Army Recruiters Offer Climbing, Fun Stuff on UC Campus By Judith Scherr 11-09-2007

Flash: Berkeley Marina Closed Due to Oil Spills, Rescue Stations Set Up Along Shoreline By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-09-2007

UC Santa Cruz Protesters Climb Redwoods, UCB Bolsters Oak Grove Fence By Richard Brenneman 11-09-2007

City Dredges And Dumps at Aquatic Park Without Permit By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-09-2007

Council OKs Controversial Antennas By Judith Scherr 11-09-2007

Downtown Panel Nixes Point Tower Plan By Richard Brenneman 11-09-2007

Chief Responds to PRC Concerns on Drug Evidence Theft By Judith Scherr 11-09-2007

Oil Spill Closes Local Beaches By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-09-2007

Council Approves Private Solar Power Financing Concept By Judith Scherr 11-09-2007

People’s Park Report Slammed By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-09-2007

Berkeley in the 1932 Election By Steven Finacom 11-09-2007

Columns

Column: The Public Eye: The 2008 Presidential Election By Bob Burnett 11-13-2007

Green Neighbors: When Is a Tree Not a Tree? When It’s a Great Big Grass By Ron Sullivan 11-13-2007

Religion and Foreign Policy: Politics By Other Means by Conn Hallinan 11-09-2007

Looking for Solutions to the Water Riddle for Plants By RON SULLIVAN 11-09-2007

Living With Old Plaster Walls By MATT CANTOR 11-09-2007

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 11-13-2007

The Theater: Aurora Revisits Mae West Blockbuster By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 11-13-2007

Green Neighbors: When Is a Tree Not a Tree? When It’s a Great Big Grass By Ron Sullivan 11-13-2007

Berkeley This Week 11-13-2007

Arts Calendar 11-09-2007

Wilson Wins NY Met Opera Regionals By KEN BULLOCK 11-09-2007

‘A Shirtwaist Tale’ Is the Show to See at the JCC By Betsy Hunton 11-09-2007

Film Collection Offers a Cinematic Time Capsule By JUSTIN DeFREITAS 11-09-2007

Beat Chroniclers Cohen, Levi and Rothenberg Read at Moe’s By KEN BULLOCK 11-09-2007

Notable Films New to DVD By JUSTIN DeFREITAS 11-09-2007

Looking for Solutions to the Water Riddle for Plants By RON SULLIVAN 11-09-2007

Living With Old Plaster Walls By MATT CANTOR 11-09-2007

Berkeley This Week 11-09-2007

Berkeley This Week 11-09-2007