A raucous meeting of the Environmental Sampling Project Task Force last Thursday was further disrupted when a city commissioner allegedly kicked an empty chair which in turn struck another chair occupied by a political opponent. 

After a heated public comments period, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory consultant Owen Hoffman was about to give a presentation on tritium air monitoring stations when a woman in the audience began to interrupt the meeting.  

The woman, Barbara George, president of Women’s Energy Matters, refused requests by members of the task force and the audience to be quiet.  

According to witnesses, Community Environmental Advisory Commissioner Gordon Wozniak, who was also sitting in the audience, asked George to be quiet several times and finally told her to shut up in a loud voice. When she didn’t, Wozniak, who was seated two rows behind George, allegedly kicked an empty folding metal chair. The chair then struck the back of George’s chair, witnesses said. 

According to a report from the Berkeley Police Department, George called police and said she was intentionally attacked. However, Wozniak said he never intended for the chair to strike George’s and only kicked the chair for emphasis.  

“Each party had supporting witnesses,” the report read. 

Berkeley Police issued Wozniak with a citation which he signed.  

Woziak has been a lightning rod for controversy since City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque issued an opinion that he should resign from the CEAC because his job at LBNL, where he is a senior chemist, creates a conflict of interest. The CEAC considers multiple issues related to the lab. 

Wozniak has refused to resign and the city is legally powerless to remove him. The City Council is currently considering enacting a new ordinance that would give it authority to remove commissioners under certain circumstances. 

Wozniak, a longtime Berkeley resident who has served on several city commissions, has cooperated with the city attorney and the City Council in trying to reach a compromise. 

Wozniak’s refusal to resign from the CEAC has infuriated members of the Commission to Minimize Toxic Waste and some other members of the CEAC. Two regular meetings of the committee have collapsed under the weight of confusion and acrimony since the city attorney issued her opinion. 

The meeting, held at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, was scheduled to discuss a planned air monitoring system to measure the release of tritium – a radioactive isotope that can cause cancer if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin – into the air by the National Tritium Labeling Facility located at the Lab.  

The Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste, a community organization that largely consists of neighbors of the lab, has aggressively opposed the tritium facility. They have also actively campaigned for Wozniak's removal from the CEAC. George said she is closely associated with the committee. 

One audience member, who asked not to be identified, said it did not appear that the kicked chair struck George's chair with much force. The witness also said George appeared to be fine immediately after the incident and it was only after someone told her a minute or so later that it was Wozniak who kicked the chair that she began yelling that she had been attacked.  

George said she was in shock at first and it took several moments for her to realize she was injured. She said she drove herself to Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center where she was treated and released.  

She said the doctor told her she was experiencing bruising and muscle spasms related to the trauma. “They told me to go home and ice the area and take aspirin,” George said. “They also recommended I go to counseling because of the attack.”  

While out of town this weekend, Wozniak said the incident is clearly being blown out of proportion.

Monday, April 2

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free  

Call Jason Meggs, 549-RIDE 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Tritium in Berkeley 

4 - 6 p.m. & 7 - 10 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Multipurpose Room  

Bernd Franke will make a presentation on his independent findings of the tritium releases and radiation hazards associated with the National Tritium Labeling Facility, located at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Presented by the City of Berkeley and the Community Environmental Advisory Commission.  

705-8150 or e-mail: toxics@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Hedda Gabler  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St.  

Aurora Theater Director Barbara Oliver will talk about the new play “Hedda Gabler.” Limited free matinee tickets will be given out for the April 7 performance.  

644-6107 

Tuesday, April 3

“Great Decisions” - Conflict Resolution in Africa  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Mandarin Lessons 

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

With Cecilia Wan. Free 

644-6107 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will be about financial planning, investments, tax, and the stock market. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Community Organization  

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.  

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd 103  

A “Real Deal” seminar with Don Stalhut and David Mann on community organization. Bring a lunch.  

849-8229 

Wednesday, April 4

Stagebridge Free Acting &  

Storytelling Classes for  

Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Library  

1901 Russel St.  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

The Voiceless Poor  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of why low-income people have no say in local development battles. Free 

April Birthday Party  

1:15 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

UC dancers will entertain and refreshments will be served. 

644-6107 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

“Women’s Scholarship as  

Prophetic Voices” 

6:30 - 9 p.m.  

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Hewlett Library  

Dinner Board Room  

The Annual Women’s Theological Forum.  

649-2490

Tree removal not just government’s problem 

Editor: 

I have to disagree with my colleague Elliot Cohen. While the destruction of eight street trees does portray government incompetance well, the people who agreed to the “compromise” requiring the removal of dozens of healthy trees downtown need to accept a share of the responsibility. 

Carol Denney 

Berkeley 

Levi’s having worldwide problems; Haas School of Business goes on 

Editor:  

If you’ll pardon the expression, Levi’s are losing their pants all over the world... 

• Laid off 18,500 workers since 1997; closed 29 plants 

• Profits dropped 55 percent in the first quarter of this year 

• There are over 110 different brands of jeans on the market  

• Hurting Levi’s are the failures of department stores in the U.S. and Japan (S.F. Chronicle, March 21)  

Okay, enough of that; what should be pointed out (but never is) is that Levi’s are owned by the Haas family, which also underwrites the “Haas School of Business” at UC Berkeley; here, students go to earn their MBAs in “Market Strategy” to avoid such pitfalls as above.  

As an old Yiddish song goes, “Sam, you made the pants too long.”  

George Kauffman 

Berkeley 

Congregation Beth El project should be moved forward by City Council 

Editor: 

Congregation Beth El’s new synagogue has been approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board. This decision was welcomed by hundreds of Berkeley residents. Yet a small group of opponents of the project continues to attack it in the Daily Planet and elsewhere. 

Perhaps it’s time to ask, “How do these opponents really want the property to be used?” 

As a park? Years ago, the city turned down the opportunity to buy this land to add another park across the street from Live Oak Park when other areas of the city had few or no parks. 

As an apartment complex? As the site of a “monster” luxury home? Such uses would destroy the historic unity of the site and would not preserve the lot’s green border and many beautiful trees. 

One wonders if any reasonable use of the land would satisfy the opponents of this project. 

A few years ago, Congregation Beth El bought this land from the church that owned it and has made plans to build on it in accordance with all city zoning regulations. The environmental impact report gave the project a thumbs up. As part of its overall plan, Beth El intends to restore and protect parts of Codornices Creek, which have been neglected for decades. 

In addition, Congregation Beth El’s world-renowned architects have designed a facility that respects and sustains the beauty of the site; that fits the style of the neighborhood; that meets the desperate need of the congregation for a larger facility; that incorporates suggestions from interested citizens and from members of the Zoning Board, the Design Review Commission, the City Planning Department; and that resolves parking and traffic problems. 

No other plan exists that accomplishes all of these objectives. 

One hopes the City Council will approve this project, so Beth El can move forward – as a good neighbor, continuing to serve the spiritual, social and welfare needs of our community. 

James Sinkinson 

Oakland 

Republican Congress blind to many people’s issues – except the wealthy 

Editor:  

Extreme measures meant to stimulate this Republican-led economy may also cause a bigger gap between the haves and have-nots, as well as undermine public confidence.  

The dominant side of Congress appears unwilling to see Americans on the right, who are beyond their wage-earning years, and Americans on the left, who are yet to achieve the level of earnings necessary to be a substantial payer of income taxes. What, no refunds? No lower tax rate? Congress seems centered on only helping the wealthy of today.  

Many former and current workers, rural people, as well as consumers of yesterday also helped to build and nourish today’s great American surpluses.  

Don’t panic – fix a tax system that may not be broken, nor blindly rush to extremes, causing profound mistakes. Instead, pay down the national debt and then reward individuals with one simple windfall early this year and next, if surpluses remain.  

Let’s actually act now, as President George W. Bush says so often, “leaving no child behind.”  

John Bauer 

Martinez 

Small construction project a big burden on area 

Editor: 

Let us have a moment of silence for the dearly departed. 

Not a person, but a small tract of land on the northeast corner of Virginia Avenue and Oxford Street. The University of California has decided it needs the land to build more parking and has hired the construction firm of CW Roen to do its dirty work. UC also plans to raze a tiny university research garden along the west side. 

This construction comes on the tail end of the recent private demolition of another, more overgrown garden down the street that for a while served as an outdoor antique shop. Walking through it was like visiting a natural sanctuary that someone had forgotten to destroy. 

I suppose we residents of the Northside should be grateful for the years that Virginia between Oxford and Shattuck was a large expanse of field and garden, and that its owners had left it idle. 

But the new construction fundamentally changes the feel of the neighborhood. I pity those living in the apartments around the perimeter of the tract, and all of us for losing another bit of nature. 

On the corner of Walnut, half a dozen toddlers sitting in a big red wagon watching curiously as the heavy moving equipment churned up the earth. 

(They’re just getting a lesson in property rights.) 

A woman was leered at as she walked past the construction site. This was no longer a pleasant walk to lunch, just another urban gauntlet filled with the usual burly suspects. 

Almost brazenly, she called out to one of them: “Do you like ruining everything you see?” 

“Yeah,” One of the workers answered gruffly. 

Roger Marks 

Berkeley

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Judah L. Magnes Museum “Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season” Through May, 2002 An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. 2911 Russell St. 549-6950  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exhuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; “Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience” Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations; “Ernesto Neto/MATRIX 19” A Maximum Minimum Time Space Between Us and the Parsimonious Universe, Through April 15. Made from disposable materials such as styrofoam pellets, glass, paper, paraffin wax, and nylon stockings, Neto’s sensual sculptural works provoke viewers to interact with his art; “Ed Osborn/MATRIX 193” This Oakland-based artist will use low-tech gadgetry to turn the museum into a sound sculpture as part of his site-specific installation Vanishing Point; “A Passion for Art: The Disaronno Originale Photography Collection,” April 4 - 18 Featuring the work of photographers worldwide who have demonstrated passion and excellence; $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 642-0808. 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection. “Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. “Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. “Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. “Pteranodon” A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history.“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing.This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge.“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Vision,” Through April 15 Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process infomation. “T. Rex on Trial,” Through May 28 Where was T. Rex at the time of the crime? Learn how paleontologists decipher clues to dinosaur behavior. “Fossil Finding with Annie Montague Alexander” March 31 & April 21; “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership. April 6: Link 80, Lucky Strike, 5th Wheel, Kung Fu Chicken; April 7: The Plus Ones, The Evaporators, The Pattern, Dukes of Hamburg, The Goblins/Disgoblins/Skablins/Gothblins; April 13: The Locust, Dead & Gone, Honeysuckle Serontina, Tourettes Latrec, Last Great Liar 525-9926  

Albatross Pub All music begins at 9 p.m. April 3: pickPocket ensemble; April 4: Whiskey Brothers; April 5: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 7: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet; April 10: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; April 12: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 17: pickPocket ensemble; April 18: Whiskey Brothers; April 19: Keni “El Lebrijano” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ashkenaz April 8: “A Little Houseboat Music for Annie” is a benefit concert to help Oakland’s Archway School’s art teacher, Annie Clark, replace her houseboat, which was destroyed in a fire in February - performances by Michael James Quartet, The Wild Buds, Jim Stice Orchestra, Nova Trova and Ray Cepeda and the Neo-Maya Experience; April 29: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. April 1: Darol Anger’s Fiddle Congress & Melee w/Stuart Duncan & Bruce Molsky; April 3: Nerissa Nields & Pam Houston; April 5: Battlefield Band; April 6: Garnet Rogers; April 7: Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro; April 8: Martin Simpson & Jessica Radcliffe; April 10: Kevin Burke; April 12: Tony Marcus & Patrice Haan, Julian Smedley & Allison Odell; April 13: Ray Wylie Hubbard; April 14: Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally, Eddie & Marthie Adcock 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com

Oakland slugger sets the tone on young club 

As the Oakland Athletics prepare for their opener today, they will be taking on an unfamiliar role: the favorite. 

No players remain from the last time the A’s were the favorite to win the American League West. That was in the early ’90s, the end of the powerful dynasty founded on Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Dave Stewart. Most of the players on this year’s roster were still in high school back then. 

The elder statesman of the current version is Jason Giambi, at the ripe old age of 30. With designated hitter John Jaha starting the year on the shelf, Giambi is the only starting position player older than 27. But these A’s, despite their youth, are one of the best teams in the game. 

It all starts with Giambi. Last year’s AL MVP, he sets the tone both on and off the field. He is exactly the type of player the organization has tried to develop for the past few years: a masher who only swings at strikes. Don’t look for stolen bases and sacrifice bunts from this squad; they prefer a leisurely stroll around the bases. They get on base any way they can, then wait for someone to drive them in with the longball. 

Giambi is joined in the middle of the lineup by up-and-coming stars Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez. Tejada is a shortstop who is rapidly making his way towards the big three of Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter at the top of the heap at the position. His 30 homers and 115 RBI last season would make him an All-Star in any other era, but right now he’s got to wait his turn behind the superstars. 

Chavez joins him on the left side of the infield, a third baseman with outstanding power and a rapidly improving fielder. But he’s just another guy for the A’s, who have eight players on their roster who could hit at least 30 homers this year. 

The biggest change for the A’s this season will be at the top of the order. Johnny Damon, the left fielder acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the offseason, may be the best leadoff hitter in baseball. With him setting the table rather than center fielder Terrence Long (who could drive in 100 runs from the seven hole), the A’s are even more dangerous than last season, when they scored the third-most runs in the league. 

But unlike the teams that have a lineup full of giants and a rotation full of weaklings (see: Texas Rangers), the A’s don’t have to score 10 runs every night to win. They have a staff that can carry them through any rough patches. It all starts with ace Tim Hudson, a 20-game winner at the tender age of 25 last year. If fellow youngsters Barry Zito and Mark Mulder can live up to their promise, Oakland could have the best rotation this side of the Yankees. They will hand the ball off to a solid bullpen, with setup men Jeff Tam and Jim Mecir bridging the gap to developing closer Jason Isringhausen. Isringhausen saved 33 games last year in his first try as a closer, and should improve his secondary numbers this year. 

With Giambi’s contract status still up the air after a spring training full of negotiations, this season could end up being a one-year window of opportunity. It’s possible both he and Damon could leave the club as free agents after this year, which would punch a great big hole in the team general manager Billy Beane has put together so carefully. The three-time defending champion Yankees aren’t getting any younger, and they look more vulnerable than ever right now. The last A’s dynasty netted just one World Series championship. If they don’t win it this year, this young team may never even make it that far.

Israeli matzoh boycott hits home 

A new movement on the part of Jewish Americans in support of Palestinian rights challenges the notion that there is a monolithic Jewish voice in support of Israel. Saturday one such group, Jews for Divestment, handed out leaflets in front of Berkeley supermarkets to organize a boycott of Israeli matzoh for this year’s Passover on April 8. 

“I think the Jewish community that I’ve seen has been very torn about it,” said Morgan Fichter, a member of Jews for Justice and Women in Black, groups that try to call attention to the situation in Palestine.  

“Jewish people are speaking out, saying ‘not in my name,’” she said. 

The boycott is in support of a general boycott by the Arab anti-discrimination committee on Israeli products and people in front of the Berkeley Bowl reacted strongly. 

Sylvia Levy pushed a full shopping cart empty of Israeli matzoh out of the market yesterday. She said that she will be buying U.S. matzoh this year although she has purchased Israeli matzoh in the past.  

“It brings the issue into reality,” she said. “Here you have a product from Israel. You have a choice.” 

The boycott, she said, forces people to recognize that purchasing goods from Israel is in effect supporting the Israeli state, something that she does not feel comfortable doing.  

On the other end of the spectrum, Tom Schatzki left the market enraged.  

“They’re living in someone else’s land,” he said, pointing to the group trying to organize the boycott. “In 1948, in the War of Independence, the Arabs had one goal, to destroy the Jews.”  

The woman with him was so angry that she simply made an obscene hand gesture towards the group but otherwise remained silent. 

Schatzki struggled to retain his cool. “I’m liberal as hell,” he said. “But I’m not crazy.”  

Passover, a time for reflection on the liberation of the Jewish people, is a particularly sensitive time to call a boycott. And Matzoh, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover, is central to the Passover celebration. The organizers planned it that way. 

“Passover is a celebration of the liberation of Jews, the struggle for Jewish freedom in Egypt,” said Cindy Shamban. “It’s also a time when people are thinking about the issues of freedom and the issues of repression. Israelis can not have their freedom on the backs of other people.” 

Shirley Hamburg said that an obvious division in the Jewish community around the Israeli-Palestinian question is new.  

“There’s never been any significant number of Jewish people that have come together in criticism of Israel,” she said. “I think it’s a new generation that has come up and does not really feel more secure in the world because of Israel. They feel less secure.” 

Hamburg didn’t have any obvious or certain explanations for the new movement amongst progressive Jews for Palestinian rights, but she said her parents generation grew up with a tremendous amount of anti-Semitism. She also said her parents believed that Jewish security would be supported if there was a homeland where Jewish people could control their own lives. 

Although Hamburg said children learn to unconditionally support the actions of Israel, she added that was changing.  

“They realize that actually to support our people is to support the Palestinian people. There can’t be security without peace. The whole thing is turned on it’s head,” she said. 

The boycott is not expected to make a strong economic difference to Israel, said organizers. But supporters took heart in the small movement.  

“I think it’s 50 years late,” said Khalil Bendib.  

Bendib said that ever since the movement to divest from South Africa in protest of apartheid he had hoped people would take the same tack with Palestine.  

“I was always wishing there wouldn’t be a double standard,” he said.  

Although all supporters of the boycott recognized that the boycott at this stage is simply a symbolic gesture, they hoped to use it as a means for spreading information about the injustices they believe are committed on the Palestinian people, in part to counterbalance what they see as a widespread bias towards Israel in the media. 

Bendib described problems he sees in media coverage of the Israeli-Arab conflict.  

“You really have to scrutinize the paper to find the word ‘occupation.’” he said, referring to the fact that according to the United Nations, Palestine is under occupation by the Israeli military. 

Instead he said, “You’re led to believe that Palestinians are naturally violent,” because there is no explicit statement of the reason for their fight.  

Bendib believes the bias carries over into descriptions of the intifada, and the consequent Israeli crackdown.  

“Palestinians ‘die in clashes,’ as though it were an act of god,” he said. “Israelis are ‘killed by Palestinians.’.

Golden Bear Gymnastic Team members Ryan Race, Marissa Tolero and Jane Hartman, the only representatives from Berkeley, participated in NorCal’s Level 7 State Championships in Rohnert Park over the weekend of March 24-25 and came home winners. 

On Saturday, Marissa Tolero competed with 53 top gymnasts in the 11-year-old category and waited until the final rotation of the four-event rotation before winning the state title with her performance on the balance beam, scoring 9.3 and beating eventual all-around winner Stephanie Cheng of San Jose. Tolero has now won the state beam championship three consecutive years in three different Levels. 

On Sunday, 12-year-old Ryan Race won the state uneven bars title by posting a score of 9.5 over 53 other gymnasts. She also placed second in vault (9.35) and all-around (37.4), then third in the balance beam with a score of 9.325, respectively. Race was named to the All-State Team by virtue of her all-around score.  

Jane Hartman, also 12, tied for silver with a 9.45 score in the floor exercise. The trio’s Golden Bear teammates Michelle Estrada of Pinole, Amanda Wolf of Orinda and Lani Fung of Piedmont contributed their scores to help win the Second Place Team Trophy. 

The three Berkeley participants all attend Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley. 

They are now concentrating on competing at the upcoming USAIGC Regionals being held at San Dimas on May 5-6 to qualify to the National Championships.

Several people handing out leaflets from the group Jews for Divestment were forced to leave the Berkeley Bowl parking lot yesterday as they tried to organize a boycott against Israeli matzoh.  

Berkeley Police were called and the group left without incident, but Sgt. Robert Baum later said people have the right to hand out leaflets on private parking lot property. 

At noon, the manager asked the protestors to move onto the public sidewalks, claiming that they have no right to leaflet on the market’s private property. He told them they were welcome to leaflet on the public sidewalks, but not on the private parking lot or at the entrance to the Berkeley Bowl itself.  

Because of the way the Berkeley bowl parking lot and entrance are situated, there is not much traffic along the sidewalks and people handing out leaflets disregarded that option as an effective means of getting out that message. 

Baum arrived to enforce the request. The group left, not wanting to risk violating the law or antagonizing the manager of the Berkeley Bowl. 

“Our point isn’t confrontation with the stores. Our point is to get the information out,” said Cindy Shamban.  

At the time, Baum believed that the law indicated that private businesses, “have a right to decide who can stand on their property.” 

After reviewing the law, Baum discovered that according to free speech rights, people can leaflet on private parking lots. He called and informed both the manager and the Daily Planet. 

“Apparently I was incorrect. The law is, as far as I can determine, that it’s a matter of free speech and people have the right to distribute handbills on private business parking lot areas,” he said. “As long as the people are not impeding the ingress or egress of the customers or doing any other activity which could be determined disruptive it is legal for them to be there.” 

Between five and 10 people handed out leaflets. When there seemed to be too many earlier in the morning, a group relocated to the Safeway at Claremont and College avenues to decrease the density of the group, said Shamban. 

The group stood well away from the doors, passed out flyers to passing customers and discussed the boycott. Shamban said that she often finds people handing out leaflets in front of the popular Berkeley Bowl grocery store, known for its high quality produce.  

The manager, Sam Zarnegar, refused to explain his decision in asking the leafletters to leave the Berkeley Bowl parking lot, simply stating that he “believed” there was a policy to require people in front of the Berkeley Bowl to contact management ahead of time.  

Shortly after the protesters left, at approximately 1 p.m., a man registering people to vote set up in front of the doors of the Berkeley Bowl. He said that he had never contacted the management ahead of time to use the parking lot space. In fact, he said he was quite pleased to find the area empty today, and to have the whole area to himself.

“How can we create schools that expect all children to reach for their dreams?” 

“I felt guilty that I was teaching children who, by the end of the year, I hadn’t reached the way I wanted to…” 

These are just some of the comments a small group of Berkeley High School parents and teachers heard one day last week as they gathered during the school’s lunch period to watch a film entitled, “Tell No Lies.” 

Produced by The Small Schools Workshop of Chicago — a group of educators, organizers and researchers working to promote smaller public schools — the film tells, among other stories, how Chicago’s Vocational High School has reorganized into “small learning communities” to address the increasing alienation of poor performing students.  

Since last fall, Berkeley High has made use of a $50,000 federal planning grant to examine whether small learning communities might solve some of the school’s most intractable problems, such as the achievement gap between white students and students of color. 

If enough parents, teachers and students lend their support to the concept by this spring, the school’s Small Learning Communities Committee will be charged with drawing up a proposal. The proposal, in turn, would be used to apply for up to $1 million in federal money to implement small learning communities at Berkeley High for the fall of 2002. 

All around the country, large schools are looking at the idea of small learning communities as a way to offer alternatives for students who learn in different ways and have different academic goals. It is no longer realistic, parents and educators argue, to expect all students to adhere to a one-size-fits-all curriculum. 

Supporters point to research that shows small learning communities: raise student achievement and engagement by having a team of teachers dedicated to the success of a small group of students; reduce feelings of isolation and anonymity by placing students into groups small enough to have a sense of community; increase attendance and lower drop out rates by assuring that all students can find a course of study of interest and of use to them; elevate teacher satisfaction and reduce incidents of violence and disruptive behavior. 

“It’s astonishing that a nation so hugely, flagrantly nostalgic for the personal touch and the family doctor, the community festival and the small town, has watched quietly while its high schools have grown into big cities,” observed a Newsweek article last week, examining the connection between bigger schools and the raging epidemic of school shootings. 

Average school enrollment in the United States increased fivefold between 1940 and 1990, the article reported. With 3,200 students, Berkeley High ranks with Chicago Vocational High School among the largest high schools in the country.  

Berkeley High teacher Rick Ayers is coordinating the small learning communities planning process at the school. He has been meeting with small groups of teachers since last fall and is now expanding the process to larger community meetings, including two that have been scheduled tentatively for April 17 and May 3. 

Ayers, who began as a elementary school teacher in Berkeley and now teaches some of the same students in high school, said he’s seen too many students who were engaged in the lower grades lose interest by the time they reached high school. 

“When did the dreams crash?” Ayers asked after showing the segment of “Tell No Lies.” on Wednesday. “What happened and what can we do?” 

Frances Martinez, one of the Berkeley High parents in the audience Wednesday, said she has already seen a small learning community work for her son, who is part of Berkeley High’s Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) program.  

“It’s given him an opportunity not to be lost in this vast school,” Martinez said. “(CAS Teachers) know their students and they care about what they’re doing and it really shows.” 

Berkeley High has three small learning communities already up and running and one more on the way. The programs were launched by groups of teachers with a vision to enhance students’ experience of the Berkeley High curriculum by creating schools-within-a-school, each with a specific mission. CAS students learn to use modern media tools to work on projects that promote social justice. Students in the Common Ground program, another small learning community, focus on ecological literacy and then work to promote environmental causes in the larger community. 

Still, Ayers said, the success of these programs rests largely on the dedication of the small group of founding teachers who go to extraordinary lengths to keep it functioning. If these programs are to continue to thrive, Ayers said, the whole school needs to move to a small learning community model. 

Berkeley High parent Iris Starr has played a central role in organizing the small learning community planning process at the school.  

“It’s not like a brand new, untested thing,” Starr said. “People are doing it. What we’re doing isn’t working, so there’s no harm in looking.” 

But for the planning process to be legitimate, Starr said it is important to have teachers, parents, students and administrators all working together. 

“We’re trying to have a long enough open period so people can get an idea that this is being discussed before anything moves,” Starr said. “We’re trying to form this so everybody has a clear say.” 

For more information about small learning communities at Berkeley High, contact Rick Ayers at 644-4586.

Alex Setzepfandt, who attends private school in Berkeley, is just like any other 11-year-old kid, except that he plays chess good enough to be called a champion.  

Setzepfandt’s mother, Patty, said she never directly exposed Alex to chess, but that he has a natural love for the game. When he was 6, Patty said he was out in the car with his dad when they passed a café in Berkeley where some people were playing chess outside. The boy asked his dad to stop so he could watch the game.  

According to Alex, he got bored playing computer Monopoly, and in his search for a game that challenged him, found chess.  

“The calculation in chess is endless and there’s a lot of strategy,” he said.  

Initially, Alex said he and his dad learned how to play out of a book. In his first year of play, Alex went to the California state championships and, as his mom proudly said, “won every game.”  

Around the same time, while still in kindergarten, Alex created a complete chess set in his ceramics class, including a hand-painted board.  

Just five short years later, Alex is rated second in the nation in his age group in the United States Chess Federation.  

His current rating of 1864 makes him an A-level player, just 400 points shy of master level. According to his mom, Alex should reach master level by the time he’s 13.  

The most memorable match Alex ever played was in Los Angeles and lasted six hours, he said. The game lasted 102 moves, while the average game usually lasts only about 40. A move consists of each player moving one of their pieces.  

Alex works on his chess game an average of two hours a night, has a lesson every week and often plays in tournaments on the weekends. Despite the long hours of play, his mom said Alex has the usual fun that kids his age have.  

“He is constantly joking. He has a ‘Woody-Allen’-type personality,” Patty said. “He puts people before chess. He’ll always choose a birthday party over a tournament.”  

Not surprisingly, Alex scored in the 99th percentile in national math tests. He is also interested in science, currently reading a textbook on microbiology, but would ultimately like to attend Stanford and become a lawyer. 

Sometime when adults play Alex, his mom said, they won’t give up because they don’t want to lose to a kid. Some ultimately lose to Alex, but he is always gracious and takes his victories in stride. He also never cries when he loses, according to Patty.  

“He just tries to figure out what he can do better,” she said.

Caltrans will close Interstate Highway 80 near University Avenue in Berkeley this week to set up construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will connect the city with its marina. 

All lanes of of westbound I-80 will be closed Thursday, April 5, from 12:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., and the University Avenue on ramp will be closed beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday. 

During the closure, west-bound traffic will be diverted off the University Avenue off-ramp, to San Pablo Avenue, to Ashby Avenue and then back on the freeway. 

On Friday, April 6, the eastbound lanes of I-80 will be shut down, and the Ashby Avenue on ramp from eastbound I-80 will be closed from Thursday at 10 p.m. until Friday at 6 a.m. 

During the eastbound closure, traffic will be detoured at Ashby Avenue, and lead to the University Avenue on ramp via San Pablo Avenue. 

Caltrans promises the closures and the detour routes will be clearly marked to advise motorists where to go. The $4.5 million construction project is scheduled to continue until the fall.

The 650-member Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley is asking for donations of products, services or gift certificates from local businesses for its annual Goods and Services Auction on April 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  

Church programs include: the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, providing a daily meal at the Richmond Souper Center; the Social Action Council, which reduces hunger and homelessness, protects children from abuse and neglect and helps refugees; the Jubilee Committee, church members who volunteer tutoring and other assistance in elementary schools; the Good Neighbor Offering, which supports 12 human services organizations.  

Pick-up will be at the convenience of the donator. Donations can also be sent to: Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, Attn.: Auction Committee, One Lawson Road, Kensington, 94707. Interested businesses may also call Gordon White at 522-8383.

SAN ANSELMO – Like 70 percent of America’s high school students, junior Jesse Gross is one of about 1,000 other teen-agers at his school. But unlike some of his peers, Jesse doesn’t feel isolated, insignificant or swallowed up by the huge school. 

Jesse attends Academy X, about 80 students and a small group of teachers, within Sir Francis Drake High School. 

It’s part of a national movement that’s gaining steam with each school shooting. 

“It’s nearly impossible to be an outsider in a community like this,” Gross said. “No one’s really shunned, and in this intimate an environment it would be hard not to notice someone who was that angry.” 

Backed by a growing body of research and a sense of desperation, large high schools are breaking themselves down into smaller, more personal communities. They’ve won the financial support of the federal government and several major foundations, which, in the wake of the Columbine school shooting, believe smaller could mean better and safer. 

“I really believe many of the (other) things we’re doing in school reform are just so much shifting of deck chairs on the Titanic, so long as we continue to herd children into huge impersonal schools,” said researcher Kathleen Cotton of the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory in Portland. 

About 70 percent of U.S. students attend high schools of more than 1,000 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and many attend schools with 2,000 to 5,000 students. 

Reform-minded educators taking a fresh look at most American high schools see factories instead. Each year, hundreds of teens are inserted into a school, scheduled into standard rotations of course work, and, hopefully, squeezed out at age 18 with a diploma. But many get lost among their thousands of peers. 

Cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia are now knee-deep in the small school movement. Oakland has made small schools a top priority. San Francisco’s new superintendent is proposing breaking schools into smaller learning communities, as are high school leaders across the Bay Area. 

Spurred by the deadly shooting at Columbine High, Congress passed a bill to nurture the development of smaller learning communities. It gave $45 million to help 354 schools begin breaking down in size this year and will give another $125 million in December. 

California school districts won 38 of those grants. Bay Area winners included all six high schools in Mount Diablo Unified, Sir Francis Drake High, Berkeley High, Pinole Valley High, Balboa High in San Francisco, five Oakland high schools and Antioch High. 

Foundations also have stepped in, particularly the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which last year gave $37 million to develop smaller learning communities in California. 

Students in the academies usually take three to four classes together with the academy’s small group of teachers. But many other students at those schools are in a traditional high school program. 

Sir Francis Drake’s academies serve about three quarters of its students, but the school plans to use grant money to make sure all students belong to an academy. 

“This environment has brought a lot of personality out of me,” Jesse said. “I think I would have kept to myself a lot more if I hadn’t joined one of these academies.”

State to pay $75 for appliances 

SAN JOSE — An ambitious program to slash electric use will pay Californians $75 for their extra refrigerators and freezers. 

There’s no charge for the pickup and everyone gets a check as long as the appliance works. 

Energy analysts say refrigerators are the single largest energy-consuming appliance in most homes. It’s responsible for 9 percent of a household’s total electric bill. 

Appliance Recycling Centers of America has already picked up 8,000 freezers and fridges in the San Francisco Bay area. There’s enough $75 checks left to pick up 15,000 more. 

To schedule a pickup, call 800-599-5798 or go online at www.8005995798.com. 

Golden Gate U. to cut programs 

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden Gate University will keep its schools of law, business and technology. But it will shed most of its other programs in the next year. 

The 148-year-old school has fought dwindling enrollment. About 5,400 students are now enrolled. That’s a 20 percent drop during the last seven years. 

Ninety percent of the school’s students attend the schools of law, business and technology. 

University President Philip Friedman will discuss the changes at a staffwide meeting Monday. 

Emeryville gets rid of billboards 

EMERYVILLE — In exchange for one large freeway billboard near Ikea, Eller Media removed 15 smaller signs in downtown Emeryville. 

Eller’s competitor Infinity still has a couple billboards along the San Pablo corridor, but Eller’s absence will go a long way toward making Emeryville nearly billboard free. 

Both Berkeley and Oakland have tried and failed to trade billboards for billboards or for self-cleaning toilets or bus shelters. 

Eller says it’s loathe to remove billboards, but it was worth it to keep the exposure on large freeway sign brings. 

The smaller signs were expected to be removed Saturday. 

Murder trial off to rocky start 

REDWOOD CITY — The trial for the man accused of killing Tracey Biletnikoff has gotten off to a rocky start. 

Lawyers for Mohammed Haroon Ali called for a mistrial three times in four days. The chief deputy district attorney also was admonished for telling jurors that Ali has a prior conviction for kidnapping. 

San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Carl Holm said he will decide whether the trial needs to start over.

CAMPBELL – CDworld.com folded two weeks ago after six years in business. The company’s 11 workers have been let go and the small offices in a strip mall are nearly bare. 

But the music, video and games e-tailer is still hoping to unload some valuable merchandise — namely, the nuts and bolts of the Web site itself: a Cisco Systems device that directs Internet traffic, a refrigerator-sized server by Sun Microsystems and smaller ones from Sun, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Compaq. 

“I’m sure we will sell it,” said Annette Martin, who ran CDworld.com with her husband, Bruce Pettyjohn. “We’ve got good equipment.” 

It just so happens that Martin also is a psychic adviser who has appeared on television. But it doesn’t take a sixth sense to know that the used pieces of her Web site will find buyers. 

Like ants swarming over remnants of a summer picnic, obscure equipment resellers all over the country are reaching out for the wealth of inventory becoming available from dismantled dot-coms. Almost all those parts can be sold again — to another startup chasing a dot-com dream, perhaps, or an equipment-leasing company looking for a good deal. 

“There’s a lot of used equipment on the market right now,” said Ben Nelson, who handles online sales for UsedRouter.com, a 17-employee company in Las Lunas, N.M. He said the slowing economy has “encouraged companies to go out and search for used equipment.” 

The dot-com meltdown ripples through the rest of the high-tech economy. Hardware companies are moaning that demand for everything from personal computers to telecommunications equipment has all but vanished, and the availability of tons of inexpensive used equipment makes it that much harder to dig out. 

Secondhand equipment generally doesn’t appeal to large businesses that want custom-built networks, service contracts and warranties. But smaller companies or service providers with technical know-how can do well digging into the scrap heap. This isn’t like buying a used car — the switches and hubs that make up networks, for example, generally don’t suffer from wear and tear. 

Gary Sapp, president and CEO of Tangent Communications Inc., an electronic equipment reseller in Des Plaines, Ill., says a quarter of his inventory comes from dead dot-coms that defaulted on equipment leases or declared bankruptcy. The rest comes mostly from large companies that have scaled back or changed their technology. 

Not surprisingly, economic conditions are lowering prices. For example, one Cisco router — which directs traffic on a network — that a year ago cost between $3,500 and $4,000 on the secondary market today goes for $2,500 to $3,000. New, it sold for $10,200. 

“It’s definitely increasing the ability to buy inventory,” Sapp said. “We had some holes in our inventory — we filled those.” 

Tangent isn’t immune to the high-tech demand slowdown, but Sapp believes that when the economy revives, he will be waiting with some very good deals. Another Cisco router that sold new for $2,495 can be had used from Tangent’s site for $595. 

“It’s just a matter of time before there will be demand, and there probably will be pent-up demand,” Sapp said. “It could pay dividends nine to 12 months from now.” 

At Excess Solutions, a seven-employee electronic parts broker working out of a ramshackle white building in a San Jose industrial zone, owner Mike Giordano is buying up as much as he can while prices are low. 

The strategy isn’t guaranteed to work, especially if manufacturers come out with significantly better products by the time the economy turns around. 

“I’m afraid when the market does turn back, the technology will be so far past what’s sitting on the shelf,” he said. 

Cisco spokesman Tom Galvin said dot-coms have accounted for only a fraction of sales, so his company won’t be hurt by the hand-me-downs. “This phenomenon is more interesting than impactful to Cisco,” he said. 

Cisco will likely be safe because most of its sales are to high-end network infrastructure providers, agreed Seth Spalding, an analyst at Epoch Partners. Companies such as 3Com Corp. that sell easier-to-use network gear for small businesses are more likely to get pinched. 

“It will eat up some of the revenue base,” Spalding said. “It’s part of anticipated demand that’s just not going to be there.” 

When asked about the resale market Wednesday, 3Com CEO Bruce Claflin did not address the subject directly, though he acknowledged that the dot-com collapse and overall high-tech slowdown are causing serious inventory problems. 

“I think what we have in the industry is over-hype that led to over-investment that led to overcapacity ... too many people building too many things chasing a diminishing demand,” he said. 

Kasey Holman, a spokeswoman for Sun — which boasts it is the “dot in dot-com” — said the company’s servers “have always enjoyed a rich aftermarket.” But she wouldn’t say whether the secondhand world is posing a tougher challenge now. 

She noted that Sun’s revenue grew 60 percent and 44 percent in the last two quarters, and since the economy has slowed, Sun and its sales-channel partners are “working to get inventory levels back down to normal.” 

Hewlett-Packard’s server division is “seeing this issue to only a slight degree,” said Mark Hudson, HP’s marketing manager for business-critical computing. 

Even so, real problems could arise if the resale inventory helps keep some big high-tech companies from raising prices, said Paul Sagawa, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein and Co. 

“I think it’s something for them to worry about,” he said. “It might not be something that’s affecting them now, but it may be something that could make the recovery more difficult to accomplish.”

Drawn by high-tech jobs, immigrants are making communities more diverse 

OAKLAND – Lured by the high-tech boom, California’s Asian population has surged over the past decade to become the fastest growing race in the state, census data show. 

Immigration propelled the increase, reinforcing California’s standing as a distant cousin to Asia, itself a strikingly diverse continent. More than one in three of America’s 11.6 million Asians now lives in California, the survey reported last week. 

About 3.8 million California residents identified themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander, up from 2.7 million in 1990. An additional 550,000 people said they were part Asian or Pacific Islander — an option for the first time as the 2000 census allowed respondents to check multiple races. 

While the state’s population rose 14 percent, to 33.9 million people, those identifying as at least part Asian jumped 61 percent. 

That disproportionate increase was not confined to established Asian communities around Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Asians percolated into high-growth suburbs as well as cities sprinkled along the Central Valley. The Asian population more than doubled in some cities including Folsom, Tracy, and Galt. 

The trend also extend to native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. About 116,000 people in California identified themselves as an islander, slightly more than in the state of Hawaii itself. 

Asians are not proliferating everywhere. Kettleman City, a Central Valley town of 1,500 residents, lost all three of its Asian residents during the 1990s. Overall, though, 373 of California’s towns and cities saw a gain in Asian population, while just 86 lost Asians. 

Asians are now a majority in five cities: Cerritos, Monterey Park, and Walnut Park, all in the Los Angeles area, and Daly City and Milpitas, both south of San Francisco. 

Across the state, immigration was the driving force behind the rise in the state’s Asian population. Although the census hasn’t yet broken down respondents into country of origin birth, California netted 731,000 Asians or Pacific Islanders through immigration and 528,000 through births during the 1990s, according to Mary Heim, a demographer with the state’s Finance Department. 

Work originally drew Asian immigrants to California in the 1850s and work was again the main enticement in the 1990s, analysts said. 

But while Chinese first came to help mine the Sierras and build the rail system, the state’s recent high-tech gold rush is the new stimulus — and it is attracting a broad mix of immigrants. 

“It’s job-based immigration,” said Chin Ming Yang, a Taiwan-born regional planner who came to Philadelphia for school but settled in the Bay Area. 

Yang’s financial success motivated six nieces and nephews to earn advanced degrees at U.S. universities and settle within an hour’s drive of their uncle. Demographers call it “chain migration,” and it was a powerful force over the last decade as recent immigrant communities settled in the state. 

Asians have reached a critical cultural mass in many California communities. San Jose and Orange County have Vietnamese language papers, while Asian shopping districts, cultural centers and many other public spaces abound across the state. 

In the Silicon Valley bedroom community of Fremont, for example, the Asian population more than doubled in the 1990s. During that span, the city acquired a Hindu temple where many Indian computer programmers and engineers worship. 

“Asians want to come to already established communities,” said William Frey, a demographer at the Milken Institute in Santa Monica. “Because of these kinds of community ties, California remains the top destination.” 

While Chinese and Japanese immigrants first came generations ago, many new groups have come for political reasons. 

Refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia began immigrating after the United States pulled troops from Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Filipinos were already immigrating after considerable damage to their country during World War II. 

Once the first members of those groups settled they attracted their extended families, in part because immigration laws make it easier for immigrants to come if they already have a relative who is a U.S citizen. 

Also, newer immigrants tend to have higher birth rates than longer-established Chinese and Japanese immigrants, Heim said. That produced a spike in the number of children born to Asian parents, she said. 

Asian explosion in the 1990s 

The following is a look at how California’s Asian and Pacific Islander population increased during the 1990s. 

• Population of Asians-Pacific Islanders in 2000: 3.8 million. 

• Number of people who identified as Asians-Pacific Islanders and another race in 2000: 550,000. 

• Total number of people who identified as at least part Asian-Pacific Islander: 4.35 million. 

• Population of Asians-Pacific Islanders in 1990: 2.7 million. 

• Increase in Asian-Pacific Islander population from 1990 to 2000: 61 percent. 

The following is a look at California cities where Asians are a majority of the population. The city is followed by its total population in 2000, its population of Asians and native Hawaiians-Pacific Islanders in 2000 and how much that population of Asians and native Hawaiians-Pacific Islanders increased between 1990 and 2000. 

• Monterey Park; 60,051; 37,162; 6 percent 

• Cerritos; 51,488; 30,187; 25 percent 

• Walnut Park; 30,004; 16,752; 54 percent 

• Milpitas; 62,698; 32,875; 87 percent 

• Daly City; 103,621; 53,462; 32 percent 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

About 200 people, half of whom were grade-school students, gathered to celebrate the state’s first César Chávez Day with poetry, dance and learning. 

César Chávez Day of Service and Learning was signed into law last year by Gov. Gray Davis, making  

California the first state in the United States to so honor the Latino labor leader. Chávez, who founded the United Farm Workers, died in 1993 at the age of 66 after a life of dedication to the struggle to achieve rights for migrant farm workers. 

Students from Craigmont, Martin Luther King, Jr, Thousand Oaks, Rosa Parks and John Muir elementary schools, – many of them carrying bright red UFW union fla gs – took part in a project that taught them about tracking the sun’s movement across the sky. Ancient agricultural civilizations learned to track the sun to determine the best times of the year for planting and harvesting, they learned. 

The learning projects, conducted with assistance of employees from Lawrence Berkeley Hall of Science, were a sample of what park visitors will be able to learn at the proposed César Chávez Memorial Solar Calendar. The solar calendar is an architectural structure that keeps track of the seasons by monitoring length of the sun’s shadow. 

According to the event’s program notes, classic examples of solar calendars are Stonehenge in England, the El Castillo Pyramid in Mexico and the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming. 

The solar calendar will be built on the Horizon Mound, one of the many rolling hillocks in the park. “This is a fabulous location,” said Santiago Casal, director of the calendar project. “It will be a field classroom where people can learn about the seasons. How the sun, earth and moon work to create our climate.” 

Chávez’s nephew, Frederico Chávez, a Berkeley resident, said the event would have made his uncle very proud. He said the annual holiday will assure Chávez’s life-long struggle for fairness and humane treatment for migrant farm workers would always be remembered. “The effort of the state to honor his legacy shows they understand the essence of his message,” he said. 

Students were separated into four groups, which represented the four compass points and a concept. The East is non-violence, the West is perseverance, the North is courage and the South is hope. 

Several students from Thousand Oaks read poems they had written for Chávez. Afterwards, they formed a single file line and marched across the park, labor flags overhead, to tour the future site of the solar calendar and then returned to their four groups to read tributes to Chávez. Then the students were led in eight rounds of the chant “Que viva César,” for each year since the labor leader’s death. 

Mayor Shirley Dean addressed the crowd calling the event historic and reminding the students of the importance of the work Chávez did. Councilmember Dona Spring and several city department heads attended the event as well, including City Manager Weldon Rucker, Parks and Waterfront Director Lisa Caronna and Health Human Services Director Fred Merdrano. 

Dressed in traditional Aztec vestments, the Cuauhtli Mitotiani Mexica dancers, Berkeley students ranging in age from 5 -17, performed an Aztec fuego (fire) dance. The dance group’s program director, Adrianna Betti, said the dance is purification ritual. 

As the event came to an end, Rosa Parks third-grader Mayahuel Montoya was laughing with her classmates as they walked toward the parking lot. “I think it’s really great for it to be here in such a natural place,” she said. “It was really good.”

Saturday, March 31

Shelter Operations Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Sunday, April 1

Berkeley Historical  

Society Gala Celebration 

3 - 7 p.m. 

Hotel Shattuck  

2086 Allston Way  

Dancing, a silent auction, special guest speaker, a tour of the facility, and more. $30 - $65 

Buddhist Sacred Sites and Symbols  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Eva Casey, meditation instructor, will discuss the symbolic images found at sacred sites and the teachings they convey. A slide presentation of the major holy places of the Buddha. Free 843-6812 

Designing Your Own Seder 

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A workshop designed to stimulate thought about how to best combine the talents and needs of those who are attending in combination with the best of what the tradition provides. $5 848-0237 x127  

Once Upon a Time  

3 p.m.  

St. John’s Community Center  

Sanctuary  

2727 College Ave. (at Garber)  

Master storyteller and actor Fritz Brun brings to life the greatest tales of . 

Christian Anderson, including The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Nightingale. Children may be asked to become characters in the stories. $5 704-0701 

Gender Games  

4 - 7 p.m. 

Pacific Center  

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Play games or just relax in a trans and gender-friendly space. For everyone who is transgender, transsexual, intersex, genderqueer, genderquestioning and their friends, family and significant others. Free 548-8283 or visit  

www.pacificcenter.org 

Monday, April 2

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free 549-RIDE 

Free Writing, Cashiering  

& Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Tritium in Berkeley 

4 - 6 p.m. & 7 - 10 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Multipurpose Room  

Bernd Franke will make a presentation on his independent findings of the tritium releases and radiation hazards associated with the National Tritium Labeling Facility, located at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Presented by the City of Berkeley and the Community Environmental Advisory Commission.  

705-8150 or e-mail: toxics@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Hedda Gabler  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St.  

Aurora Theater Director Barbara Oliver will talk about the new play “Hedda Gabler.” Limited free matinee tickets will be given out for the April 7 performance.  

644-6107 

Tuesday, April 3

“Great Decisions” - Conflict Resolution in Africa  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 526-2925 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 548-3333 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Mandarin Lessons 

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

With Cecilia Wan. Free 644-6107 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit  

www.pacificcenter.org 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will be about financial planning, investments, tax, and the stock market. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Community Organization  

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.  

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd 103  

A “Real Deal” seminar with Don Stalhut and David Mann on community organization. Bring a lunch. 849-8229 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Wednesday, April 4

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Library  

1901 Russel St.  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

The Voiceless Poor  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of why low-income people have no say in local development battles. Free 

April Birthday Party  

1:15 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

UC dancers will entertain and refreshments will be served. 

644-6107 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

“Women’s Scholarship as Prophetic Voices” 

6:30 - 9 p.m.  

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Hewlett Library  

Dinner Board Room  

The Annual Women’s Theological Forum.  

649-2490 

Sproul Standup Comedy Protest  

Noon  

Upper Sproul Plaza  

UC Berkeley  

The Heuristic Squelch is sponsoring a protest, calling for an increase in cleavage, popsicles, and black light posters of David Horowitz. Featuring comics Bruce Cherry, Rob Cantrell, drop-in guests, and up and coming UC student comedians. Free  

Pedestrians should take responsibility  

Editor; 

Drivers are not the only ones who need to take some responsibility for pedestrian/vehicle accidents.  

Many pedestrians will start strolling leisurely across a heavily-trafficked street with the red don’t-cross figure steadily lit. Others cross, equally leisurely, in the middle of a street, without even bothering to look and see if cars are coming. 

Equally, drivers don’t yield to pedestrian right of way when they have the green light, probably at least in part because of the behavior of pedestrians. 

Once again I repeat a recommendation I first made many years ago and have made several times since: at major intersections, institute the “Barnes dance.”  

Named for former Baltimore and New York City traffic commissioner Henry Barnes, it involves turning all the lights at an intersection red simultaneously so pedestrians can cross every which way.  

When the lights are turned to green for each of the two directions in succession, pedestrians WAIT. What I believe makes this work is that pedestrians don’t have to play dodge-em with cars and drivers get a fair chance to complete a turn, right or left, without having to wait for pedestrians.  

Joann Lee 

Berkeley 

Remember when cars stopped for pedestrians? 

Editor: 

You have done a great public service by printing on the front page of Vol. 2 Issue 297 regarding the long-neglected but extremely serious problem of pedestrian safety while crossing certain streets in this town. 

There was a time, in California, when as soon as a pedestrian stepped off the sidewalk automobiles stopped. 

Those days are long gone. Now, for example, to get across the street from the clearly marked pedestrian crossing between the French Hotel and the Post Office across the street is more dangerous than some of the “EXTREME SPORTS” events , we see on the TV. 

How many more people have to be killed before some long overdue action by the police? 

If the cops would stop hiding in the bushes in some remote street corner to catch someone who has not come to a 100 percent stop at a street sign, and would begin catching drivers who run red lights and endanger foot traffic crossing busy crossings I for one could feel safer than I do now. 

Max Stec 

Berkeley 

Less homework makes for lighter backpacks 

Editor: 

I find it very surprising that Berkeley parents are only now seeing the great problems of hefty backpacks and shoulder bags for young students. 

But what is more surprising is that parents are equating the problem to the number of books their children need to take to classes instead of looking at real solutions to the backpack issue. 

A former B.U.S.D. student myself (Oxford School), I think it would be more appropriate if, instead of giving students roller cases to carry books in, that parents demand that after school programs which long have been the haven of the recess-seeking child switch to more of a homework club format, allowing students to keep heftier books at school- in lockers. 

The backpack issue is not new, but it certainly has brought the painful back-small child issue to a hysteria level in recent weeks. What next? 

Parents demanding nap time for overworked high school students? 

John Parman 

Ashland, Oregon 

First mourn, then go somewhere else 

Editor: 

I’ve spent many good hours at the UC Theatre throughout the years. I’m sorry it’s closing.  

But the quote from Janet McColl, “We have no other venue in the East Bay...” is absolutely not so. We have been very lucky to have the wonderful art films and warm atmosphere in the Fine Arts Cinema on Shattuck these last few years, sometimes with live music. Let’s keep that going!  

Rita Wilson 

Berkeley  

Opera in English good for laughs 

Editor: 

It’s rare for me to laugh out loud at an opera but I did at Berkeley Opera’s performance of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” March 25. Not only did my friends and I laugh at all the sly jokes but also at all the comic turns and steps that the cast played so naturally and easily. The visual and verbal jokes were done with marvelous timing and just rolled with Mozart’s magical and comic music.  

I marveled that I was having a better time in this small theater (the Julia Morgan Center) than in London’s or Berlin’s much grander opera houses, with famous singers. Perhaps it was easy to laugh because I could understand the jokes and the convoluted plot because of the brilliant new English libretto (by Sherwood Dudley based on the original libretto of Lorenzo Da Ponte).  

The whole show was perfect: the cast, the direction, the music, the costumes.  

Especially wonderful were Shawnette Sulker as Susanna and Sonia Gariaeff as Cherubino. There will be more performances this weekend of “Figaro”, including today and tomorrow. Don’t miss this marvelous show, Go! 

Ying Lee 

Berkeley 

Continuing failure of governance is eroding Pacifica 

The following letter by Beth Lyons of New York was forwarded to the Daily Planet by Councilmember Kriss Worthington. It is Lyon’s letter of resignation from the Pacifica Board which governs the five Pacifica radio stations, including Berkeley’s KPFA. 

To: David Acosta, Chairperson, Pacifica National Board (PNB) 

Since I was seated on the Pacifica Board in June 2000, I have witnessed a conjuncture of crises resulting from management decisions, which have been executed at many levels.  

These crises include, but are not restricted to, the still unresolved concerns at KPFA; the treatment of Amy Goodman, the sole remaining host of Democracy Now!; the terminations of the Station Manager at WBAI, Valerie Van Isler, Program Director, Bernard White and producer, Sharan Louise Harper; the banning of long-term volunteers, including thirty-year veteran producers Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash; the resignations of Juan Gonzalez and Mario Murillo (from Wake Up Call); and, most recently, the on-the-air interruption and severance of an interview with Congressman Major Owens, a senior ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

As a board member, I do not categorize these situations as “day-to-day management” decisions outside of my purview. Each has risen to the level of policy, due to the lacunae in the prudent, sound judgment and democratic decision-making processes, which are consistent with the mission of Pacifica, as described in its Articles of Incorporation and demonstrated during more than five decades of broadcasting. 

The continuing failures of governance and management (which start with, but are certainly not limited to, the national level) are eroding Pacifica. 

This situation demands that a Pacifica national board member exercise constant vigilance and diligence to fulfill her fiduciary responsibilities, and her accountability to the listeners, supporters, communities and unpaid and paid staffpersons who have kept Pacifica on the air for more than half a century.  

I can no longer, for personal reasons, carry out these obligations and responsibilities. Therefore, I am submitting my resignation, pursuant to the Pacifica Foundation By-Laws, Article Eight, Section One, effective March 25, 2001. 

My brief tenure on the PNB has affirmed my conviction that Pacifica is uniquely positioned on the cutting edge as one of the few remaining media venues for people, ideas, struggles - both domestically and internationally - which can not be voiced and can not be heard in the increasing corporatized, conglomeratized and globalized media. Contrary to those who contend that Pacifica is an anachronism in need of radical alteration in its form and substance, Pacifica Foundation and its networks, defined by and committed to the original mission, are a vital necessity in this 21st century. 

As Frederick Douglass stated, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”  

Make no mistake, the fundamental struggle here is one of power, 

Who controls Pacifica and how will that control be exercised?  

As I stated in Houston, the PNB was presented with a window of opportunity to re-affirm Pacifica’s original objectives, and I urge the PNB to exercise its leadership and accountability affirmatively and constructively to that end. The Board’s responsibilities to the mission of Pacifica demand no less. 

Lastly, I want to thank the WBAI Local Advisory Board which nominated me for the privilege to serve as a board member.  

I especially want to express my deepest respect and admiration for Pete Bramson, Leslie Cagan, Rabbi Aaron Kriegal, Tomas Moran and Rob Robinson, who enabled my individual work to become a contribution to a larger whole. 

Beth S. Lyons 

New York

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 31: The Jocks, The Cost, The Fleshies, Quest for Quintana Roo, Chi Chi Nut Nut & The Pinecone Express; April 6: Link 80, Lucky Strike, 5th Wheel, Kung Fu Chicken; April 7: The Plus Ones, The Evaporators, The Pattern, Dukes of Hamburg, The Goblins/Disgoblins/Skablins/Gothblins; April 13: The Locust, Dead & Gone, Honeysuckle Serontina, Tourettes Latrec, Last Great Liar 525-9926  

Albatross Pub All music begins at 9 p.m. April 3: pickPocket ensemble; April 4: Whiskey Brothers; April 5: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 7: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet; April 10: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; April 12: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 17: pickPocket ensemble; April 18: Whiskey Brothers; April 19: Keni “El Lebrijano” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ashkenaz March 31, 9 p.m. : SoVoSo, Kotoja; April 8: “A Little Houseboat Music for Annie” is a benefit concert to help Oakland’s Archway School’s art teacher, Annie Clark, replace her houseboat, which was destroyed in a fire in February - performances by Michael James Quartet, The Wild Buds, Jim Stice Orchestra, Nova Trova and Ray Cepeda and the Neo-Maya Experience; April 29: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March ,31: House Jacks; April 1: Darol Anger’s Fiddle Congress & Melee w/Stuart Duncan & Bruce Molsky; April 3: Nerissa Nields & Pam Houston; April 5: Battlefield Band; April 6: Garnet Rogers; April 7: Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro; April 8: Martin Simpson & Jessica Radcliffe; April 10: Kevin Burke; April 12: Tony Marcus & Patrice Haan, Julian Smedley & Allison Odell; April 13: Ray Wylie Hubbard; April 14: Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally, Eddie & Marthie Adcock 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Cal Performances April 4, 8 p.m.: Pianist Chucho Valdes $18 - $30; April 13 & 14, 8 p.m.: Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia and the Paco de Lucia Septet $20 - $40 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra April 3 and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“The Marriage of Figaro” through April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Pete Escovedo March 31, 9:30 p.m. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Doors 7 p.m. Pete Escovedo is leaving the Bay Area and is wishing farewell by playing these two shows. Featuring musical guests: Shiela E., John Santos, Karl Perazzo, Ray Obedio, Narada Michael Walden, and many others. $25 Kimball’s Carnival 522 Second St. Jack London Square  

“A Musical Night Out” March 31, 7 p.m. A four-hand piano concert featuring Andrew Canepa and Stephanie Smith performing the works of Dvorak, Debussy, Barber and more. $10 - $15 Pacific School of Religion Chapel 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8280  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

“How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

“From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Emergency String Quartet & Carlos Actis Dacto Solo April 1, 8 p.m. Part of the ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series TUVA Space 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 649-8744 

Gala Celebration Fund-raiser April 1, 3 - 7 p.m. The second annual presented by the Berkeley Historical Society. Performing will be the Joel Abrahamson Dance Band. Patrons are encouraged to come in vintage costume and relive the glamour of yesteryear. Shattuck Plaza Hotel 2086 Allston Way $30 - $65 848-0181 

Berkeley High Jazz Lab Band & Steel Band April 5, 7 p.m. $3 - $8 Berkeley High School Little Theater  

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for 20 years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

Dastan Ensemble with Namah Ensemble April 15, 8 p.m. Dastan Ensemble is a Persian classical music ensemble founded in Germany in 1991. A group of four to six dancers who communicate the mystical Persian tradition. $25 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave.  

Jazz Singers’ Collective April 19, 8 - 10 p.m. With Mark Little on piano. Anna’s Bistro 1801 University Ave. 849-2662 

Kensington Symphony Orchestra April 21, 8 p.m. Featuring UC Berkeley student and soprano, Vanessa Langer performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G and other selections. $8 - $10 First Baptist Church 770 Sonoma St. Richmond 251-2031 

Sharon Isbin April 22, 4 p.m. Isbin won a Grammy earlier this year for her album “Dreams of a World: Folk Inspired Music for Guitar.” She will be making a rare Bay Area appearance in a benefit concert for the Crowden School. $20 - $30 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 559-6910 

Kids Carneval! Brazilian Dance for the Whole Family April 22, 2 p.m. The Borboletas Children’s Dance Troupe will transport children and their families to Brazil and promises to have the audience dancing in and out of their seats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300  

Bella Musica April 28, 8 p.m. & April 29, 4 p.m. Hear how various composers through the ages view the plight of the lovelorn, from the ardent exclamations of Morley’s “Fire, Fire” to the intoxication of the “Coolin” by Samuel Barber. $9 - $12 St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison St. (at McGee) 525-5393 or www.bellamusic.org 

Tribu May 17, 8 p.m. Direct from Mexico, Tribu plays a concert of ancestral music of the Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, Zapotec, Purerpecha, Chichimec, Otomi, and Toltec. Tribu have reconstructed and rescued some of the oldest music in the Americas. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

Satsuki Arts Festival and Bazaar May 19, 4 - 10 p.m. & May 20, Noon - 7 p.m. A fundraiser for the Berkeley Buddhist Temple featuring musical entertainment by Julio Bravo & Orquesta Salsabor, Delta Wires, dance presentations by Kaulana Na Pua and Kariyushi Kai, food, arts & crafts, plants & seedlings, and more. Berkeley Buddhist Temple 2121 Channing Way (at Shattuck) 841-1356 

Theater 

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through Apri 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play Through April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

Stagebridge presents the 10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

“Moment’s Notice” A monthly salon devoted to improvised music, dance & theater April 7, 8 p.m. $7 Western Sky Studio 2525 8th St. 540-7782  

“Death of a Salesman” April 6 - May 5, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. plus Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m. The ageless story of Willy Loman presented by an African-American cast and staged by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. $10 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 528-5620 

Films 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour April 7 & 8, 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Including films from Slovakia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, England, and the U.S. which reflect a wide range of mountain experiences, from mountain sports to mountain culture and the environment. $12 - $15 Wheeler Auditorium UC Berkeley Tickets available at REI 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-7377 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Lost & Found” Documentaries from the Graduate School of Journalism April 15, 5:30 p.m. Three documentaries from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism explore the possibility of redemption in the face of immeasurable loss. Lisa Munoz’s “Chavez Ravine,” Kelly St. John’s “In Forever Fourteen,” and Zsuzsanna Varga’s “Screw Your Courage.” Pacific Film Archive 2621 Durant Ave. 642-5249 

Films of Julio Medem April 13, 7:30 p.m. & April 14, 7 p.m. Medem is recognized as one of Spain’s leading filmmakers. On April 13, “The Cows” and “The Red Squirrel” will be shown. April 14, “Earth/Tierra” and “Lovers of the Arctic Circle” will show. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412  

Exhibits 

Berkeley Historical Society “Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage” Through April 14 An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development. Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free. 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

“Sugar N’ Spice N’ Everything Nice: Live, Loves and Legacies of Women of Color” Through April 21, Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Works by Aissatoui Vernita, Flo Oy Wong, Tomoko Negishi, Consuelo Jimenez and many others. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth Street Oakland 763-9425 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. Through April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

Nylan Jeung and David Lippenberger Lippenberger renders figures in acrylic and Jeung work with ink and watercolor on rice paper, using traditional eastern techniques. Through April 7, Wednesday through Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Recent Works of Narangkar Khalsa & Pete Glover Through March 31 !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. Oakland 428-2349  

“The Art of Meadowsweet Dairy” Objects found in nature, reworked and turned into objects of art. Through May 15, call for hours; Opening reception: April 6, 6 - 9 p.m. Current Gallery at the Crucible 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511  

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” The art of Amy Berk and New Color Etchings by James Brown & Caio Fonseca Through April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings. Through August 8 Maisner works in miniature as well as in large scales, combining his mastery of medieval illumination, gold leafing, and modern painting techniques. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 849-2541 

“Scenes from The Song of Songs/Images from The Book of Blessings” Landscape and still life oil pastels by poet and artists Marcia Falk Through May 2, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon - 7 p.m.; Opening reception April 11, 7 p.m. Flora Hewlett Library Graduate Theological Union 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 2: Alan Rinzler facilitates part two of Cody’s three part writer’s workshop; April 3: Ann McGregor, Dick Meister, Cindy Wathen, and George Ballis give accounts of living and working with Cesar Chavez; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 5: Herbert Bix talks about “Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan”; April 9: Mark Morris visits to celebrate “Mark Morris’ L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Modertato: A Celebration”; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young; April 12: Stanley Williams explores “Surviving Galeras”; April 15: Poetry of John D’Agata & Joanna Klink; April 16: Isadora Alman talks about “Doing It: Real People Having Really Good Sex”; April 17: Michael Parenti discusses “To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia”; April 19: Andrew Harvey talks about “The Direct Path: Creating a Personal Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Spiritual Traditions”; Poetry of Maxine Hong Kingston & Fred Marchant; April 27: Poetry of Michael Heller & Carl Rakosi; April 29: Poetry of Gloria Frym & Lewis Warsh 

1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 10: Amy Tan reads from “The Bonesetter’s Daughter”; April 20: Susie Bright discusses “The Best American Erotica 2001”; April 26: Mother of three Wynn McClenahan Burkett will read from “Life After Baby: From Professional Woman to Beginner Parent”  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 3: Environmental Activist David Bolling will give a slide presentation and talk on “Living and Dying on Everest: An Inside Look at Everest Expeditions and Environmental Issues”; April 5: Mary Olmstead will discuss “Hidden Wine Country” about the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino areas; April 11: Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps with regional recruiter Cristina Punzalan and Susana Herrera, author of “Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be In My Skin”; April 19: Bruce Feiler will discuss “Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses”; April 26: Julie Lavezzo will give a packing demonstration for a three week trip with two climates 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays Through June, 2001, 1 - 3 p.m. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 549-2970  

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. April 5: Barbara Minton; April 12: Alice Rogoff; April 19: Garrett Murphy; April 26: Ray Skjelbred. Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike April 21, 6:30 p.m. Open to all poets and performers, opening at it’s new home at the Berkeley Art Center. Featuring poet Giovanni Singleton. Free Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 527-9753 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. $3 general; $2 seniors; $1 children; free on Thursday. Daily, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours All tours begin at 10 a.m. and are restricted to 30 people per tour $5 - $10 per tour April 29: Susan Schwartz leads a tour of the Berkeley Waterfront; May 12: Debra Badhia will lead a tour of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Arts District; May 19: John Stansfield & Allen Stross will lead a tour of the School for the Deaf and Blind; June 2: Trish Hawthorne will lead a tour of Thousand Oaks School and Neighborhood; June 23: Sue Fernstrom will lead a tour of Strawberry Creek and West of the UC Berkeley campus 848-0181 

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

California Colloquium on Water Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design speak about water resources and hopefully contribute to informed decisions on water in CA. April 10, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “Understanding the Delta - An Engineering Perspective” Richard Denton, water manager of the Contra Costa Water District; May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

“The Monster of Troy: Fossil Discoveries In Classical Antiquity” April 1, 3 p.m. Adrienne Mayor will describe some literary and archaeological evidence for discoveries of the huge fossil remains of extinct animals in ancient Greece and Rome. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley  

“The Gene’s Eye View of Creation” April 4 & 10, 4:10 p.m. Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, a leading thinker in modern Darwinism, will deliver a lecture “The Genetic Book of the Dead” April 4 and “The Selfish Cooperator” April 10 International House Auditorium UC Berkeley 

Leonard Breger April 9, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Breger will critique club members’ art and will show some of his own works. Breger is known for his paintings of cut-out masonite shapes, both animal and human. El Cerrito Community Center The Garden Room 7007 Moeser Lane 524-6739  

Jazz Singers’ Collective April 19, 8 - 10 p.m. With Mark Little on piano. Anna’s Bistro 1801 University Ave. 849-2662 

Kensington Symphony Orchestra April 21, 8 p.m. Featuring UC Berkeley student and soprano, Vanessa Langer performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G and other selections. $8 - $10 First Baptist Church 770 Sonoma St. Richmond 251-2031 

Sharon Isbin April 22, 4 p.m. Isbin won a Grammy earlier this year for her album “Dreams of a World: Folk Inspired Music for Guitar.” She will be making a rare Bay Area appearance in a benefit concert for the Crowden School. $20 - $30 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 559-6910 

Kids Carneval! Brazilian Dance for the Whole Family April 22, 2 p.m. The Borboletas Children’s Dance Troupe will transport children and their families to Brazil and promises to have the audience dancing in and out of their seats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300  

Bella Musica April 28, 8 p.m. & April 29, 4 p.m. Hear how various composers through the ages view the plight of the lovelorn, from the ardent exclamations of Morley’s “Fire, Fire” to the intoxication of the “Coolin” by Samuel Barber. $9 - $12 St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison St. (at McGee) 525-5393 or www.bellamusic.org 

Tribu May 17, 8 p.m. Direct from Mexico, Tribu plays a concert of ancestral music of the Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, Zapotec, Purerpecha, Chichimec, Otomi, and Toltec. Tribu have reconstructed and rescued some of the oldest music in the Americas. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

Satsuki Arts Festival and Bazaar May 19, 4 - 10 p.m. & May 20, Noon - 7 p.m. A fundraiser for the Berkeley Buddhist Temple featuring musical entertainment by Julio Bravo & Orquesta Salsabor, Delta Wires, dance presentations by Kaulana Na Berkeley Buddhist Temple 2121 Channing Way 841-1356 

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through April 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new proscenium stage. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play Through April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

“Moment’s Notice” A monthly salon devoted to improvised music, dance & theater April 7, 8 p.m. $7 Western Sky Studio 2525 8th St. 540-7782  

“Death of a Salesman” April 6 - May 5, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. plus Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m. The ageless story of Willy Loman presented by an African-American cast and staged by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. $10 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 528-5620 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour April 7 & 8, 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Including films from Slovakia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, England, and the U.S. which reflect a wide range of mountain experiences, from mountain sports to mountain culture and the environment. $12 - $15 Wheeler Auditorium UC Berkeley Tickets available at REI 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-7377 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Lost & Found” Documentaries from the Graduate School of Journalism April 15, 5:30 p.m. Three documentaries from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism explore the possibility of redemption in the face of immeasurable loss. Lisa Munoz’s “Chavez Ravine,” Kelly St. John’s “In Forever Fourteen,” and Zsuzsanna Varga’s “Screw Your Courage.” Pacific Film Archive 2621 Durant Ave. 642-5249 

Films of Julio Medem April 13, 7:30 p.m. & April 14, 7 p.m. Medem is recognized as one of Spain’s leading filmmakers. On April 13, “The Cows” and “The Red Squirrel” will be shown. April 14, “Earth/Tierra” and “Lovers of the Arctic Circle” will show. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412  

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 2: Alan Rinzler facilitates part two of Cody’s three part writer’s workshop; April 3: Ann McGregor, Dick Meister, Cindy Wathen, and George Ballis give accounts of living and working with Cesar Chavez; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 5: Herbert Bix talks about “Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan”; April 9: Mark Morris visits to celebrate “Mark Morris’ L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Modertato: A Celebration”; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young; April 12: Stanley Williams explores “Surviving Galeras”  

1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 10: Amy Tan reads from “The Bonesetter’s Daughter”; April 20: Susie Bright discusses “The Best American Erotica 2001”; April 26: Mother of three Wynn McClenahan Burkett will read from “Life After Baby: From Professional Woman to Beginner Parent”  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 3: Environmental Activist David Bolling will give a slide presentation and talk on “Living and Dying on Everest: An Inside Look at Everest Expeditions and Environmental Issues”; April 5: Mary Olmstead will discuss “Hidden Wine Country” about the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino areas; April 11: Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps with regional recruiter Cristina Punzalan and Susana Herrera, author of “Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be In My Skin”; 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

California Colloquium on Water Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design speak about water resources and hopefully contribute to informed decisions on water in CA. April 10, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “Understanding the Delta - An Engineering Perspective” Richard Denton, water manager of the Contra Costa Water District; May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

“The Monster of Troy: Fossil Discoveries In Classical Antiquity” April 1, 3 p.m. Adrienne Mayor will describe some literary and archaeological evidence for discoveries of the huge fossil remains of extinct animals in ancient Greece and Rome. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley  

“The Gene’s Eye View of Creation” April 4 & 10, 4:10 p.m. Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, a leading thinker in modern Darwinism, will deliver a lecture “The Genetic Book of the Dead” April 4 and “The Selfish Cooperator” April 10 International House Auditorium UC Berkeley 

Leonard Breger April 9, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Breger will critique club members’ art and will show some of his own works. Breger is known for his paintings of cut-out masonite shapes, both animal and human. El Cerrito Community Center The Garden Room 7007 Moeser Lane 524-6739  

By Jared Green 

Daily Planet Staff 

It’s rare that a baseball game is over before it starts. But Friday’s game between Berkeley and visiting Richmond was never in doubt, even before the first pitch. 

The Oilers, all 11 of them, piled out of their bus as the ’Jackets were about to take infield practice. They took their time getting ready, taking warmups without a centerfielder. Their starting pitcher didn’t warm up, apparently needing just the seven quick tosses before he threw his first inning. Richmond didn’t even have enough uniforms for their two reserves, and their substitutions included a handing off of the departing player’s jersey to his replacement. 

In the middle of all this chaos, the ’Jackets managed to put together a fine performance, scoring 10 runs in the third inning on their way to an abbreviated 15-0 win. The game lasted just four and a half innings, thanks to the “slaughter rule,” which ends a game after the losing team’s half of the fifth inning if they are down by more than nine runs. Berkeley broke that mark with ease, as Cole Stipovich gave up just one scratch hit in five innings for a shutout. 

“The opposition didn’t show us much today, but we played good baseball,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. “We got solid pitching and solid defense.” 

The ’Jackets scored three runs in the first inning, then broke the game wide open in the third, as the first nine batters all reached base and eventually scored. They amassed 11 of their 18 hits in the inning, and Richmond helped out with four errors. Symbolic of the combination of Berkeley excellence and Richmond pratfalls was centerfielder Bennie Goldenberg’s Little League-style “homerun.” Goldberg knocked a line drive into left field for a single. But the Richmond outfielder let the ball go through his legs. Goldenberg quickly rounded second base and headed for third. The Oiler relay throw went far over the third baseman’s head, and Goldenberg scored easily. 

“You hope that the other team can play smart and flawless defense so we have to earn everything we get,” Moellering said. “When a team makes errors in a big inning like that, it just opens the floodgates, and we took advantage.” 

With the pressure off, Stipovich proceeded to strike out four of the last six batters he faced, and the game ended before the bottom of the fifth.

Education expert Alfie Kohn, one of the nation’s most outspoken opponents of high stakes standardized tests, told hundreds of Bay Area teachers Thursday that California is leading the race to the bottom in public education by overemphasizing standardized tests. 

“Congratulations on being number 50,” Kohn boomed, to the applause and laughter of teachers and others packed into the Oakland High School Auditorium. 

Don’t believe the hype that says standards are successfully reforming education around the country, Kohn told the group. “Even if our motives are good we’ve stumbled into something destructive,” he said. 

In more than two hours of remarks, punctuated by bursts of applause from an apparently adoring audience, Kohn said he has yet to meet a good standardized test. Over reliance on tests like the Stanford 9, used to measure California students performance in grades two through 11, and the new California High School Exit Exam makes students less motivated to learn, Kohn argued. 

“When you overemphasize results or achievement you get kids who see learning as a chore,” he said. “It’s the difference between getting kids to focus on how well they’re doing (instead) of focusing on what they’re doing.” 

Education based on long lists of specific standards (Kohn compared such lists to the Los Angeles white pages) makes it impossible for teachers to engage in the kind of spontaneous projects that help engage students and build their enthusiasm for a subject, Kohn said. 

“Standards perfectly suit the worst teachers who thrive under (them)” because it means they don’t have to work as hard, he said. 

Kohn said standardized tests promote a one-size-fits-all approach to education that hampers teachers’ ability to meet the individual needs of their students. Faced with continued moves in this direction, more and more teachers will leave the profession, he warned. 

“If teachers are turned into test prep technicians they will leave,” he said. 

Kohn said the tests are culturally biased because African-Americans and Latinos from underfunded city schools can’t be expected to perform as well as white students in wealthy, suburban school districts. 

Pointing to research showing strong connections between students’ socio-economic status and their performance on standardized tests, Kohn said the tests don’t measure students’ ability so much as “the size of houses near the school.” 

Calling standardized tests a form of “educational ethnic cleansing,” Kohn said they disproportionately punish African-American and Latino students and will cause drop-out rates among these students – already far higher than drop out rates for whites – to rise still further. 

“It’s really not about helping kids learn better,” Kohn said of educational standards. “This movement is about ensuring that we leave more children behind.” 

Finally, Kohn argued that the whole movement towards standards in schools is antidemocratic because the standards are created by experts and imposed by politicians without allowing for input from teachers, parents and students. 

“You don’t make change by demanding, you make change by supporting,” Kohn said, calling for more equitable funding for public schools, higher salaries for teachers, and more professional development based on best practices. 

Teachers from Marin, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland who turned out to hear Kohn speak Thursday largely shared his views on the evils of standardized tests. 

“This year is terrible,” said Oakland elementary school art teacher Debbie Koppman. “The Oakland school district is under enormous pressure to raise test scores. Teachers feel like they’re damaging kids.” 

“Assessment is doing exactly what he’s saying,” said Alisa Winiecki, a math and science teacher at Oakland’s Brewer Middle School. “Advantaged kids are passing and disadvantaged kids are not.” 

Winiecki said school districts should focus on other ways to hold teachers accountable for student learning, like observing teachers in the classroom, interviewing their students and looking at samples of their classroom work. 

Politicians who emphasize testing as a solution to underachieving students vastly underestimate the dimension of the problem, Winiecki said. 

“The whole educational system needs to be reformed, starting with teaching preparation programs,” Winiecki said. “I haven’t heard of one good (teacher preparation program), at least in the Bay Area. They’re horrible.” 

Alameda County Board of Education member Jerry Wiggins, a resident of South Berkeley, said in an interview Friday that tests such as the California High School Exit Exam are a shortsighted political response to the long-term problem of underperforming schools in the state. 

“It’s a feel-good thing from a political perspective,” Wiggins said. “They’re trying to make a quick splash (before their terms are up).” 

The politicians would do better to focus their efforts on getting more money to the schools, Wiggins said. California still ranks behind much poorer and less populous states in terms of per pupil spending, he said. 

But members of the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education defended California’s academic standards and the use of standardized tests Friday. 

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” said Berkeley school board Director Shirley Issel. “When you set goals and objectives that allow you to state clearly the skills that you expect students to develop...and you help parents, teachers, students and managers to understand what those skills are...you have a means of knowing how you’re doing.” 

Issel took issue with many of Kohn arguments. Just because teachers follow state academic standards in the classroom does not mean they are taking a more simplistic approach to education, she said.  

“To be an effective teacher you have to be innovative and creative,” she said. “The most effective teachers are the ones who do the best in the standardized curriculum.” 

As for the idea that the tests promote a one-size-fits-all approach to education, Issel said it is often standardized tests that allow educators to identify students individual needs and adjust their teaching accordingly. 

Standardized tests prepare students for the real world because “In this world we all take standardized tests over and over again,” Issel argued. 

Board Director Ted Schultz said standardized tests help educators identify what’s working and what isn’t. 

“It’s nice to be able to compare to different parts of the country or state because if they do better in some areas then that can give you some clues as to how to improve your system.” 

Bears get early commitment from New Orleans prep star 

Just one day after head coach Ben Braun signed a contract extension that ties him to Cal basketball through 2009, the Bears got an early commitment from New Orleans high school star Derek Burditt. 

Burditt, a 6-foot-6 junior forward at Ehret High, cannot sign a letter of intent until November. But after visiting his father in the Bay Area last summer, he liked what he saw at Cal. When Braun signed the extension, Burditt’s decision was clinched. 

“It has been crazy, but the pressure has been taken away,” Burditt told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I don’t have to worry about what school I’m going to now.” 

Burditt was the New Orleans Times-Picayune All-Metro Large Schools Player of the Year and is rated by Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports recruiting service as a top-30 player in next year’s prep senior class. He averaged 17.6 points this season, leading Ehret to a 33-3 record. He has been compared to Josh Childress, who has signed to play at Stanford next season. 

Roberson named to All-State team 

Berkeley High’s Robin Roberson was named to the All-State First Team by Cal-Hi Sports. Roberson, who will attend Arizona next fall, led the Lady ’Jackets to their second straight NorCal Division I championship this season. Berkeley center Sabrina Keys was named to the All-Junior Team. 

St. Mary’s guards honored 

Guards DaShawn Freeman and John Sharper were named to the Division IV All-State Team by Cal-Hi Sports. The backcourt duo helped lead the Panthers to the Division IV CIF State Championship, the school’s first state title. Freeman was also named to the NorCalPreps.com second team. 

Cal swimmer wins national title 

AUSTIN, Tex. – Cal freshman swimming sensation Natalie Coughlin captured another national title Wednesday when she won the 100-meter butterfly at the USA Swimming National Championships.  

Coughlin covered the distance in 59.38, edging out Mary Descenza (59.39).  

“I’m pretty tired,” Coughlin said of her hectic schedule. “This is my spring break, and I’ve had a long season. My goal was just to make the (World Championship) team. It doesn’t matter in what. I did (make the team) and I’m happy.”  

Earlier this month, Coughlin was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year after winning three events at the NCAA meet – the 100- and 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly – setting NCAA marks in each event. Her times both backstroke events were also American records.  

In addition, Coughlin, who is a nominee for the Honda Sports Award in swimming, helped the Bears to three second-place NCAA finishes in the relays, as well.

If the newest census figures are to be believed, Berkeley’s population has scarcely grown in 10 years. But the population has shifted. 

While the census counted 102, 724 residents in 1990, it counted 102,743 in 2000.  

The most dramatic change is the apparent shrinkage of the black community, from almost 19 percent to about 13.6 percent and the growth of the Hispanic community, from almost 8 percent to about 10 percent. The Asian population increased from 14.7 percent to 16.3 percent and the Caucasian community decreased from 62 to 59 percent. 

“We started seeing anecdotal evidence,” said Tim Stroshane, senior planner in the housing department. “We were seeing more elderly African Americans selling their properties. Some had owned it for 40 years.” 

The only information currently available is the total population and breakdown by race for Berkeley. Detailed information such as the age of the population, its economic status and how it is housed is not available. 

“We won’t know the absolute answers until one year from now,” Stroshane said. 

Giving an educated guess, however, Stroshane said he thinks the city has seen a shift in age and housing modalities. “The median age is going up,” he said. As for housing, new construction has been multifamily dwellings along transportation corridors.  

The housing is “higher density,” he said. “There are more people in a smaller space.” 

As detailed data emerges, more will be know about the ethnic composition of the city. A new category this year allowed people to check a multi-racial box. It will not be known until later, what ethnicities these individuals identify themselves as. 

Another interesting question to pose is where Berkeley students said they were living. The census asked where the individual was on April 1, 2000. On that date, many students were on spring break – with their parents. Stroshane said he thinks most students would not take the question literally and if they lived in Berkeley most the year, would probably write in their Berkeley address. 

City council watchers will also have their eyes on population shifts within council districts. Based on an analysis of these figures, districts will be reconfigured according to the loss or gain in population. 

Berkeley Observed 

Looking back, seeing ahead 

The area just north of the university campus is mostly residential and was initially subdivided in the 1880s by a man named Daley, who called his subdivision Daley’s Scenic Park.  

Daley laid out the streets in a regular grid pattern.  

The steeper hilly area north of Cedar Street was developed after the introduction of the electric streetcar line along Euclid Avenue in 1903 and the streets were graded along the contours of the hills.  

Cedar Street, the northern boundary of Daley’s Scenic Park, and Eunice Street, at the north edge of Codornices Canyon, were graded in the late 19th century and are the last streets, except for Marin Avenue, that were cut straight up the hillside. 

During the first quarter of the 20th century houses, schools, churches and clubhouses in this area were predominantly built in a rustic natural style advocated by the neighborhood Hillside Club.  

The club’s activities included a campaign to retain the natural beauty of the hills by promoting “artistic homes that appear to have grown out of the hillside and to be part of it.”  

The unique quality of this neighborhood was described by The San Francisco Chronicle in 1904: “Wander if you will on the Berkeley slopes north of the University of California campus to have your faith in human kind renewed.  

Wander up Ridge Road until you come to the shingle and clinker brick houses set in the midst of gardens, a lesson in peaceful, harmonious, artistic and natural living, an architectural picture rarely attained, (where) 90 percent of the houses are built in brown shingle.”  

By 1920 the hills north of the university were covered with homes built in this distinctive architectural idiom.  

The essence of what Berkeley signifies in the history of American residential architecture was developed and fully expressed in this small neighborhood between 1892 and 1923.  

But tragedy struck on the hot, dry, windy afternoon of Sept. 17, 1923 when a raging wildfire swept through this neighborhood.  

The fire started in Wildcat Canyon and swept over the hills. The number of buildings destroyed was somewhere between 500 and 600; reports vary.  

Like the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, the 1923 Berkeley fire changed an entire neighborhood; where brown shingle houses once stood, stucco-sided buildings with tile roofs now stand. Walking up Virginia Street from Euclid Avenue, the edges of the fire line can still be easily determined: brown shingle houses are pre-fire and stucco-sided ones are post fire.  

Susan Cerny authors this column in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

The eye as a camera has been a powerful metaphor for poets and scientists alike, implying that the eye provides the brain with detailed snapshots that form the basis for our rich experience of the world. 

Recent studies at the University of California, Berkeley, however, show that the metaphor is more poetic than real. What the eye sends to the brain are mere outlines of the visual world, sketchy impressions that make our vivid visual experience all the more amazing. 

Even though we think we see the world so fully, what we are receiving is really just hints, edges in space and time,” said Frank S. Werblin, professor of molecular and cell biology in the College of Letters & Science at UC Berkeley. Werblin, a member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, is part of UC Berkeley's Health Sciences Initiative, a collaboration among researchers throughout the campus to tackle some of today’s major health problems. 

The brain interprets this sparse information, probably merging it with images from memory, to create the world we know, he said. 

In a paper in this week’s issue of Nature, doctoral student Botond Roska, M.D., and Werblin provide evidence for between 10 and 12 output channels from the eye to the brain, each carrying a different, stripped-down representation of the visual world. 

“These 12 pictures of the world constitute all the information we will ever have about what’s out there, and from these 12 pictures, which are so sparse, we reconstruct the richness of the visual world,” Werblin said. “I’m curious how nature selected these 12 simple movies and how it can be that they are sufficient to provide us with all the information we seem to need.” 

While scientists have known that the eye forwards several parallel representations of the world to the brain, what these are and how they are produced has been a mystery.  

“What we have done," Roska said, “ is show that the retina creates a stack of image representations, how these image representations are formed and that they are the result of cross-talk between layers of cells in the retina.” 

The results are a big step toward producing a bionic eye employing a unique computer chip that can be programmed to do visual processing just like the retina. The chip, called a Cellular Neural Network (CNN) Universal Machine, was invented in 1992 by Roska's father, Tamás Roska, and Leon O. Chua, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley. “The biology we are learning is going into improving the chip, which is getting more and more similar to the mammalian retina,” Roska said. 

“Nevertheless, a bionic eye is a far-fetched notion until someone figures out how to connect it to the neural circuitry of the brain.” Over a period of nearly three years, Roska painstakingly measured signals from more than 200 ganglion cells in the rabbit retina as he flashed pictures of a featureless square or circle. Ganglion cells are the eye's output cells, forming the optic nerve connecting it to the brain. 

“We made very simple measurements on retinal cells, recording excitation and spiking when we flashed squares and moving spots in front of the eye,” Roska said. From these, he and Werblin determined that there are about a dozen different populations of ganglion cells, each spanning the full visual space and producing a different movie output. 

One group of ganglion cells, for example, only sends signals when it detects a moving edge. Another group fires only after a stimulus stops. Another sees large uniform areas, yet another only the area surrounding a figure. 

“Each representation emphasizes a different feature of the visual world – an edge, a blob, movement – and sends the information along different paths to the brain,” Werblin said. 

The two researchers shared these detailed findings with software designer David Balya in Hungary, who modeled the visual processing on a computer, a preliminary step before actually programming a CNN chip to simulate the image processing that goes on in the eye.  

From the UC Berkeley press office.

SAN FRANCISCO — California power regulators already have approved the biggest electricity rate hikes in state history. Now they must decide which customers get hit hardest. 

Under a proposed plan, between 30 percent and 40 percent of customers of two major utilities – Southern California Edison Co. and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. – may see no increase in their rates, said PG&E spokesman Ron Low. 

On Tuesday, the state Public Utilities Commission approved rate increases of as much as 42 percent for Edison customers and 46 percent for PG&E customers. 

It also released a plan by commission president Loretta Lynch to implement the hikes via a tiered-rate system that would have customers pay based on how much energy they use in relation to a baseline amount. 

Lynch said tiered rates are just a proposal. She is open to adjusting the structure before it hits customers’ bills in May. “It is a starting point to get people to think about it,” Lynch said  

At the moment, Lynch’s plan exempts utilities’ customers who use less than 130 percent of their baseline. The baseline is about 50-60 percent of the average amount of electricity used in residential areas that are similar in geography and seasonal climate. 

Those in more extreme climates, more dependent on heat and air conditioning, typically have a higher baseline than those in temperate zones. For example, in San Francisco, the summer baseline is 7.7 cents per kwh per month, Low said. In most of the Central Valley, the summer baseline is 16.6 cents per kwh per month. 

When Lynch announced her plan Tuesday, she said that more than 40 percent of customers would see no change to their bills. However, nearly 70 percent of PG&E customers exceeded 130 percent of their baseline amount last year, Low said. 

More than half of Edison customers used over 130 percent of baseline amounts last year, said Gil Alexander, an Edison spokesman. Since the increase is an average of 3 cents per kilowatt hour, that means customers with large homes or large families will be those who exceed the PUC limits and end up carrying the higher rates for everyone else. 

Baselines consider an area’s use but don’t account for home size or its number of residents. So, someone living alone in a studio apartment could have the same baseline as a family of six living in a nearby house. 

But of the almost 70 percent of ratepayers who exceed the 130 percent of baseline, 13 percent are within a few kilowatt hours of that figure, Low said. So that means if they conserved a little more, they could become exempt under the proposed plan. 

Lynch’s plan also provides help for the poor by changing the eligibility requirements for participation in the California Alternate Rates for Energy program, or CARE. 

Now, customers in the program must be within 10 percent of the national poverty standards to receive a 15 percent cut in the electric bills. 

Lynch’s plan would allow those whose income is 175 percent of the poverty level to participate. For example, a one- or two-resident home is now eligible with an income of $18,200 or less. That would rise to $21,233 or less under Lynch’s plan. 

On Monday, the PUC will meet to determine how best to hear from as many different groups as possible before implementing the increase. 

“My goal is to hear from all parties and frankly, most importantly, to hear from (the Department of Water Resources),” Lynch said. 

Since January, the DWR has spent nearly $50 million a day buying electricity on behalf of the customers of PG&E, Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric. The PUC on Tuesday also ordered Edison and PG&E, who say they are nearly $14 billion in debt, to begin paying the state back for its power purchases. 

The state has been less than forthcoming about how much long-term electricity contracts will cost utility customers in the future, which left the PUC without exact numbers to use for ratemaking purposes. 

Nettie Hoge, director of The Utility Reform Network in San Francisco, said that rate increases will only show out-of-state power companies that California’s pocketbook is open, and will do little to curb energy prices. 

“Its not a solution to the core problem if we don’t discipline the wholesale market,” Hoge said earlier this week. “It’s not a supply problem, it’s a market power problem.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison Co.: http://www.sce.com 

SAN FRANCISCO — Here in the city where so many have died from what at first was known as “the gay disease,” some say the move of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Atlanta is like another loss in their family. 

But the quilt’s founder says it can be a stronger force for change in the South, since infections among blacks are rising sharply. 

“The power of the quilt is not limited to serving the gay community,” said Cleve Jones, who stitched the first panel in 1987 to remember his best friend. 

More than 40,000 quilt panels are dedicated to 80,000 people who have died from AIDS. In a farewell ceremony Friday, the final 12 foot by 12 foot section will be folded and sent to Atlanta. The NAMES Project Foundation, keeper of the quilt, is moving its offices to Washington. 

And while the move is a happy event for those accepting it in Atlanta, many here say the 54-ton canvas is a a symbol that belongs in its birthplace. 

“I think it’s better for me not to be there, because I would just cry my eyes out,” said Felicia Elizondo, an HIV-positive transgender woman who has sewn nearly 60 panels since 1988. “It’s just like any unfolding of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, it’s sad. It’s all those people who have died. I think my heart would just fall to the ground if I saw the last panel leaving.” 

But it has a purpose in going to Atlanta: Although HIV infection numbers are again rising in gay communities nationwide, the disease also is striking other groups. “The epidemic has really changed and grown to African American and Hispanic communities,” Jones said. 

The quilt’s power in educating and preventing new infections should follow that shift, despite the memorial’s long history in San Francisco, Jones said. 

“At this point, I think strategy is more important than sentiment,” he added. 

The idea for the quilt originated when Jones attended a 1985 candlelight memorial march for former San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk. The two politicians were gunned down by former supervisor Dan White in 1978. 

AIDS was beginning to take its toll on the city’s gay population and Jones felt the need to keep their memories alive. The newspapers were brimming with obituaries of AIDS victims. 

“I knew almost every one of them. They were friends. They were neighbors,” Jones said. 

He handed out cardboard squares and felt-tip markers to those in attendance at the memorial, urging them to jot down something about a loved one lost to AIDS. The crowd responded, and then pasted the cardboard panels on a downtown health services building, covering the outer wall with their words and drawings. 

Jones mentioned to a friend that the panels looked like a quilt – and the memorial movement was born. “The power of the quilt is not limited to serving the gay community,” Jones said. In Atlanta, the quilt will be housed in a secure, climate-controlled warehouse in the Inman Park community.

TEMECULA — Horse lovers and cattle ranchers once were drawn to this remote valley for its leisurely pace and lush hills.  

Now, Californians fed up with the urbanization of their suburbs are filling the pastures with stucco strip malls and Spanish tile-topped tract homes. 

Road crews struggle to keep pace with the rapid housing and commercial construction, leaving drivers stuck on dead-end streets or congested, unfinished thoroughfares.  

Road signs directing travelers to innumerable housing developments mark the city’s entrances, and the smell of construction dust and the constant sound of power tools fill the air. 

Suburbanites from cities near Los Angeles and San Francisco are flocking to outlying counties like Riverside in the south and San Benito in the north.  

They come in search of affordable housing, better schools and less crime.  

They bring with them traffic, pollution and crime, longtime residents say. 

“People wanted a more country place and then look what happened to it,” said Irene Hotchkiss, a 67-year-old resident who brought her five children to live here 30 years ago. “It’s terrible.” 

Hotchkiss and her husband, Tommy Hotchkiss, moved out of the city’s core when they saw the population boom on the horizon and realized the days of riding horses around town and knowing everyone by name were over.  

Tommy Hotchkiss, 71, has lived here since the 1940s when he left Los Angeles some 90 miles to the northwest and came to work as a ranch hand.  

Temecula’s population has grown 113 percent from 27,099 in 1990 to 57,716 in 2000, according to the census figures released this week.  

Nearby Murrieta grew 2,620 percent from 1,628 in 1990 to 44,282 in 2000.  

Placer County just east of Sacramento grew by 43 percent for similar reasons, and San Benito County, south of Jan Jose, grew by 45 percent. 

Los Angeles County and San Francisco grew by only 7 percent, which is about half of the state’s average growth rate over the past decade.  

Residents have been moving away from the urban core since the 1980s, state demographers say, but as the suburbs have become increasingly crowded residents have begun to move even farther.  

That search has led them to once remote areas previously known more for agriculture than for their low cost of living.  

Some Temecula residents commute to jobs in places like San Diego, about 60 miles to the south, or Orange County to the east, although many have found work locally as the area has grown. 

New schools and parks have sprung up alongside avocado groves and vineyards across Temecula as part of developers’ master plans.

For most of us, a home is the single biggest investment we will make in a lifetime. so, we spend lots of time, money and energy doing what we can to maintain its integrity and improve its value. It’s no wonder that Americans spend more than $150 billion annually on home improvement and repair. 

Are you maintaining, upgrading or both? Maintenance is necessary to preserve the integrity of a home by preventing damage from wind, water or rain. An improvement can be characterized as an upgrade that will enhance comfort, safety and/or appearance, but is usually not a necessity. 

Some projects qualify for both categories. Take painting the outside of your home, for example. A fresh coat of paint (and the thorough preparation that precedes it scraping, sanding, patching, caulking and priming) will not only protect the shell from deterioration, it will do wonders for the home’s “curb appeal” as well. 

When it comes to improvements, the most popular do-it-yourself projects are those that will add comfort, enhance appearance and add value for the least amount of money. Paint, wallpaper, landscaping and interior moldings top the list of improvements that lend the best “bang-for-the-buck.” They are projects that most do-it-yourselfers feel confident to tackle, and the cost of materials (when combined with “sweat equity”) is usually a fraction of what it would cost to have the work performed by a pro – which, by the way, might be the best, most cost-effective alternative for people that are home-improvement challenged. 

If you’ve painted and papered your heart out and your thumb is as green as it gets and you’re still looking for something to dress up the interior of your home, try installing decorative molding. Moldings also called interior “trim” are used routinely throughout a home’s interior; around windows (especially wood), doors and at the base of a wall where it meets the floor (baseboard). There are various other locations where moldings can be used such as the ceiling-to-wall connection (crown molding), and midway up a wall (chair molding). 

If you live in a pre-World War II home, chances are good that you have molding in most of these locations. If your home was built during or before the turn of the last century, crown molding, chair rail, wood wainscot (partial-height wall paneling) and other decorative moldings were standard equipment. Unfortunately, with mass production and the need to cut costs to produce affordable housing, decorative trim was eliminated. 

Armed with the proper tools – a pry bar and hammer to remove existing trim; a measuring tape, miter saw, coping saw and some finish nails – you can convert your plain-Jane rancher into a baronial estate. The molding metamorphosis is remarkable.  

Tip: don’t choose moldings or use them in areas that are not compatible with the architecture of your home. When in doubt, check with an architect, designer or visit your local library to brush up on the subject. 

The first step is to decide where you will be installing molding and how much material will be needed. Always buy extra to account for mistakes that invariably occur. If you are satisfied with the existing door, window and base moldings, consider installing crown molding or chair rail. 

Crown is used where walls meet the ceiling. Although it comes in various styles and sizes, consider creating your own specific look by layering and/or joining more than one piece of trim. Miter or cope joints with the appropriate saw. Always remember to measure twice and cut once. Crown should be nailed to the ceiling joist and wall studs. Install blocking between ceiling joists when installing crown parallel to ceiling joist. 

Chair rail – used to protect walls from backs of chairs – makes a room look wider. It is also a means of separating wallpaper and paint or as a cap for a decorative wood wainscot. For a seamless installation, don’t butt joints along straight runs – miter them at a 30-degree angle. Nail the chair rail to the wall studs. 

If your door and window trim or baseboard need a lift, yank them out with a pry bar (being careful not to damage surrounding finishes) and replace them with fancier stuff. The sky is the limit when it comes to choices. The moldings that you use around doors can be used around windows and vice versa. Mitered corners is the standard, however butted corners or blocked corners can be used depending upon the style of trim selected. 

Door and window moldings should be nailed to the edge of the jamb and to the framing, using finish nails. 

Base moldings or “baseboard” are functional and decorative. They are used where walls meet floors to hide uneven edges. Like crown molding, base molding can consist of one piece of material or can be built up by using two or more pieces of trim. For example, an elaborate base molding can consist of a 3-to-4-inch rectangular base board, a sculptured base cap, and a quarter round base “shoe” where the baseboard meets the floor. 

When it comes to sprucing up the old homestead, the possibilities are endless with decorative moldings. 

If you plan to do lots of trim, consider renting a nail gun and compressor. It will make the job easier and produce superior results. 

For more home improvement tips and information, visit our website at www.onthehouse.com. 

James and Morris Carrey are feature writers for The  

Associated Press 

LOS ANGELES — Cameras should be barred from the courtroom during the bomb conspiracy trial of former SLA fugitive Sara Jane Olson because the testimony could teach viewers how to make bombs, prosecutors argued Friday. 

Defense lawyer Shawn Chapman countered that such information was readily available on the Internet and in fact was given in great detail Thursday night during an ABC-TV Prime Time special about Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. 

Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler said if he decides to allow cameras in the courtroom, he might bar them during testimony describing how bombs are manufactured. 

However, the judge did not immediately rule on the motion brought by Court TV and joined by other broadcast media. 

Attorney Kelli Sager argued that there is wide public interest in the trial of the Minnesota housewife who was arrested 25 years after the Symbionese Liberation Army made headlines.  

She is charged with planting bombs under police cars in Los Angeles as retaliation for the deaths of six SLA members in a fiery police shootout.  

The bombs never went off. 

Olson remained a fugitive for more than two decades and led an apparently crime-free life as a doctor’s wife and mother of three children until she was arrested in June 1999 near her home in St. Paul, Minn.  

She has pleaded innocent and is free on $1 million bail. 

The debate over cameras in the courtroom was heard before, but when a new judge was appointed to the case, it had to be re-examined.  

Fidler told the prosecution: “There is going to be coverage of this case and the print media is free to report on what happens in this trial. You have to tell me how the television coverage differs.” 

Deputy District Attorney Eleanor Hunter said the district attorney’s office, which normally favors camera coverage, is opposing it in this case because of the bomb evidence and because there may be another trial eventually involving a 1975 murder committed during a Sacramento area bank robbery. 

Investigation of that long-dormant case has been reopened at the request of Hunter and her co-counsel Michael Latin, even though Sacramento authorities have said often that there is insufficient evidence. 

In her remarks Friday, Hunter suggested that former SLA member Emily Harris shot Myrna Opsahl at the bank, a contention made by Patty Hearst in her book about the case.  

Hunter worried aloud that if that allegation was raised in Olson’s trial and was broadcast on TV, Harris would argue she couldn’t get a fair trial in Sacramento. 

“There is a real possibility that the Carmichael case will be filed,” Hunter said. 

Sager told the judge such considerations were irrelevant because neither Harris nor Olson has been charged in the Sacramento case and the information would be disseminated by the print media in any case. 

Hunter told the judge she and Latin were going to Sacramento next week. 

“Can I assume you won’t be talking about legislation?” the judge said sarcastically. 

Chapman said she would file a motion Monday to continue the April 30 trial date for Olson because of a continuing avalanche of discovery documents being produced by prosecutors. She said she has received some 22,000 pages of evidence.

NEW YORK — Wall Street’s gyrations can be attributed to many causes, but, ultimately, the volatility comes down to a question of who is buying stocks and who is selling. 

A lot of the credit for this week’s market fluctuations has been given to professional money managers, the people who buy and sell billions of dollars in stocks on behalf of institutions, mutual funds, pension funds and other businesses. 

These large customers are the 800-pound gorillas of the markets.  

Although individual investors are more involved with stocks than ever, their influence pales when compared with institutions, whose transactions of tens of thousands of shares at a time can make or break a stock. 

Institutional buying and selling has always dominated Wall Street, but that role received more attention than usual this week because March 30 was the end of the fiscal first-quarter. 

“Mutual funds are required to report earnings four times a year to the Securities and Exchange Commission and twice a year to shareholders,” said Paul Dykstra, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law.  

“So, shortly before the end of the quarter, some funds will sell stocks in portfolios that are in disfavor.” 

Managers will also buy stocks that are doing better to improve their portfolios. The effects and extent of these transactions, pejoratively referred to as “window-dressing” because they are designed to make funds look more profitable and competitive than they might actually be, are debatable. 

Some argued that alternating waves of buying and selling this week – the markets generally rose Monday, Tuesday and Friday but fell Wednesday and Thursday – reflect the quarter-end buying and selling. 

“There’s no doubt that this puts a lot of pressure on the markets,” said Larry Wachtel, a market analyst at Prudential Securities.  

“There’s a lot of end-of-quarter stuff going on. Mutual funds sell their tech stocks, for example, because they don’t want to show their losers on the books.” 

But it’s hard to know how much of the activity is really “window dressing” rather than profit-taking in a bear market. 

Ciena Corp., for example, traded lower by about 50 percent this week, during a time when 91 percent of the stock’s trades were institutional.  

Similarly, institutions accounted for about 52 percent of the trades in Juniper Networks Inc., which fell as much as 45 percent off its weekly high. 

The chip sector, of which both companies are a part, also saw analysts this week downgrade some companies or express concerns about their outlooks ahead. 

“This tells you that institutions were making most of the trades and the declines show they’re quite clearly not buying,” said Thomas Kee, chief executive of Stock Traders Daily, which compiled the Ciena and Juniper data.  

“But these institutions might not all be mutual funds, so it’s hard to tell exactly how much of this might be window-dressing.” 

“I tend to think the market overplays what fund managers do,” said John Forelli, portfolio manager at Independence Investment Associates.  

“If I wanted to get rid of Yahoo!, for example, why would I have waited until now to do so?” 

In any case, the end-of-the-quarter activity is a reminder of the power institutional buyers command. 

“Institutional buying and selling is the primary mover of the markets,” said Todd Clark, co-head of trading at WR Hambrecht.  

“A year ago, you could have said that day trading was moving some of the Nasdaq stocks, but that’s no longer true. Institutional buyers buy more and more often.” 

Statistics from the two biggest stock marketplaces also show the influence of large buys. 

Nearly 52 percent of the volume on the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 came from block trades, which are transactions of more than 10,000 shares.  

On the Nasdaq Stock Market, block trades made up 25 percent of the volume during the same time. 

But size isn’t everything and, at the end of the day, individual investors still have a lot of power. Although they may not directly buy the most stock, their investments are the engine for the stock market’s growth and activity. 

“The underlying money that institutional buyers are using is coming from individual investors,” said Bryan Piskorowski, market analyst at Prudential Securities, who points to recent studies suggesting investors are focusing on bond and money market funds, rather than equities, as one way individual investors are influencing the market’s direction. 

“Investors voting with their dollars to go to money markets or bonds rather than equities speaks volumes about the health of the market,” he said.  

“Ultimately, investors’ weight on the market comes to bear in where they invest. Right now, it’s not in stocks. And that’s evident on the market.” 

For the week, the Dow gained 374, or 3.9 percent, closing at 9,878.78 after advancing 79.72 on Friday. 

The Nasdaq fell 88.42, or 4.6 percent, for the week. It closed at 1,840.26 after gaining 19.69 Friday. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 20.50 to post a 1.8 percent weekly gain. The S&P climbed 12.38 on Friday to end the week at 1,160.33. 

The Russell 2000 index, which measures the performance of smaller companies stocks, gained 7.26 points, or 1.64 percent, for the week. It closed Friday at 450.53, up 9 points. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index – which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues – ended the week at $10.65 trillion, up $17 billion from the previous week. A year ago, the index was $14.30 trillion.

To Anthony Maramarco, an informed investor, a renewed appreciation of value can be observed in America today, and the stock market reflects it. Value investing, he says, is back on the front burner. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise, he suggests, because if you keep your eyes open you can see a return to basics everywhere. Value is back as certainly as is good, old home-cooking. 

“To understand what’s cooking in the stock market today,” he said, “consider that one of the hottest items on the menu at Boston’s trendy Grill 23 is meat loaf and mashed potatoes.” 

That menu is as basic as building a portfolio of stocks that are managed well, that have a viable business plan, good products, and earnings and dividends rather than just a story and promises of someday connecting. 

Maramarco is an analyst at David L. Babson & Company, which began managing stocks at the tail end of the Great Depression, way back in the pre-technology days. Understandably, he sees value as the way to go. 

George Gilder is far from convinced. Gilder, is the author of the “Gilder Technology Report,” a newsletter providing deep insight into about 40 high-tech, New Economy corporate leaders – creators of the “Telecosm.” 

Gilder’s awesome influence can be measured by the quick upward thrust of stocks that managed to get newly added to his list. He is followed not just in Silicon Valley but in high-tech mountains and valleys everywhere. 

While the Warren Buffetts and other value investors are “giddy with vindication” these days, he says, the upcoming “new phase of wealth creation .....will leave the Buffetts in the dust.” 

He believes the crash of tech stocks has even been helpful. How? “By shaking out flakier firms, technologies and business models,” leaving the strong survivors to lead the way into phase two of the “Telecosm.” 

Telecosm is the world of electronic communications, wired and wireless, that Gilder is convinced will continue to change the world. He believes that, with powerful backing from venture capitalists, technology’s creations will make the next decade even more promising than the last. 

Though Gilder claims not to choose stocks but simply to identify technology companies capable of making profound changes, most readers recognize that such companies are likely to earn big dollars doing so. 

And, while recognizing the powerful possibilities of technology, Babson has a long tradition of valuing companies by more classic methods, putting a premium on the historical ability to report consistent profits. 

As such, the two represent decidedly different views of what investors should do today. And for those who look to others for assistance in making decisions, that creates a dilemma. 

In fact, you can say it’s the dilemma of the entire market: Which is the way to go – value or growth. Growth had been the way of the market for several years. Things changed. Is growth or value the way of the future? 

A widely accepted view of the current market is that it cannot rise with any consistency until all belief is driven out of investors who placed their faith in the New Economy. 

Unconvinced, Gilder remains firm in his faith in technology and growth, saying “It takes technology and innovation to make an economy grow and to sustain the value of ’value’ investments.” 

Maramarco concedes that “it’s important to realize that each style works well in the long run.” But many investors still don’t have a long-term view of things. Not after years of thinking short-term. 

But clearly, his leaning is toward value and the long-term. 

“As tempting as eating out at a Michelin 3-star restaurant every night might seem,” he said, “sometimes you might just want to have meat loaf and mashed potatoes for dinner.” 

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Your financial life flashes in front of you in a matter of minutes: your mortgage, income, bills, life insurance, taxes. You’re being grilled under oath in a room full of strangers, each awaiting a turn under the spotlight. 

“Still got the ’91 Honda Civic?” attorney Gordon Peyton asked a man while scanning a document listing what the man had and what he owed. “Are you expecting a tax refund this year?” 

Watchers sat solemnly in rows of comfortable chairs. Some spoke in anxious tones with their lawyers. A nervous din filled the hallway outside, while on a brick veranda, cement urns were loaded with fresh cigarette butts. 

Peyton is a bankruptcy trustee who conducts these one-on-one public meetings with people who want to wipe away their debts under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Mandatory sessions like this take place across the nation. 

People come here for many reasons – job loss, medical disaster, divorce, drug addiction. It’s the0 culmination of a financial struggle for many, marked by pressing phone calls from creditors and sleep-starved nights. Some are eager to tell their story to a reporter but are too embarrassed to have their name printed. 

Proponents of overhauling the bankruptcy laws say it’s too easy to erase credit-card and other debts under Chapter 7, and that the system is being abused. Both the House and Senate this month passed bills to toughen the rules, and President Bush has signaled he would sign such legislation. 

Congress proposes a new income-based test for those seeking Chapter 7 protection. If a person were found to have sufficient income to repay at least 25 percent of the debt over five years, debtors generally would be required to file instead under Chapter 13, which requires a court-approved repayment plan, rather than dissolution of unsecured debts. 

For about 500 years in England, imprisonment for defaulting on debts was the order of the day. Creditors in ancient Rome were authorized to carve up a debtor’s body, according to scholars. 

There are no debtors’ prisons in this country. The closest this system comes to a public pillory may well be these meetings under Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code. 

In Alexandria, across the Potomac from Washington, dozens of people were interviewed on a recent afternoon. Each was sworn in while sitting alongside his or her lawyer at a large table, and on the other side sat Peyton and his two assistants. Occasionally a creditor’s lawyer – from a department store or bank, for example – pulled up a chair. 

The filers were young and not-so-young, men and women, whites and African Americans and Asians and Hispanics. Their occupations include postal worker, delivery driver, candy store owner, retail clerk. They live in upscale suburbs like Falls Church as well as rural towns in northern Virginia. 

Many were casually dressed. Nearly all had an attorney. 

“These people wanted to live the American dream,” lawyer Joel Steinberg said. “Their kids have doctor bills, they have car problems, they begin to dip into the credit cards.” 

Steinberg said many of his Chapter 7 clients have fallen on hard times in an expensive area of the country despite jobs that pay fairly well. That means they likely would fail the means test in the new legislation and be forced into Chapter 13 reorganization. 

Peyton and other trustees are private attorneys appointed by the Justice Department. Their job is to clear out the underbrush, to administer a heavy load of cases so most of them don’t have to go before a judge. At the federal bankruptcy courthouse, six blocks away in Alexandria’s historic Old Town district, some days go by without any cases being heard. 

“This is where the rubber meets the road,” Peyton said after the grueling four-hour session. He averages 12 interviews an hour and is paid $65 per case, regardless of how simple or complex. He is a bit like a circuit-riding judge, coming to preside at these meetings once every two weeks. 

A large, affable man, Peyton wishes several of the debtors “Good luck” with a hint of sympathy when he releases them from the interview. 

When he suspects abuse, Peyton’s good humor vanishes. He sharply scolds an immigrant woman with an apparent gambling problem who he believes to be less than honest. If she doesn’t file her back tax returns in 30 days, he says, he’ll recommend to the bankruptcy judge that she be incarcerated. 

“Then she’s going to be back in front of that judge to explain why she shouldn’t go to jail,” Peyton told her lawyer and translator. “I want some truthful answers. I want to know how come she owes this casino $2,700.” 

In return for debtors’ clean financial slate under Chapter 7, the trustee legally takes over their property, except for basic necessities such as a car, clothing and work tools. 

Property with value is sold to pay creditors. Debtors generally are allowed to keep some personal items and possibly some of the equity in their home, depending on state laws. 

“Still got the Olds?” Peyton asked another woman. “They’re not going to make those any more – you’d better hold on to it.” 

WASHINGTON — Expected low inventories of gasoline could set the stage for regional supply problems and another summer of high fuel prices, government and industry experts told lawmakers Friday. 

The federal Energy Information Administration reported that stocks of gasoline going into the heavy driving season are expected to be below last year’s levels. 

This “could set the stage for regional supply problems that once again could bring about significant price volatility, especially in the Midwest and on both coasts,” said John Cook, director of the EIA’s petroleum division. 

With little cushion from inventories, any unexpected problems with supply, increased demand, refinery problems or pipeline interruptions could spark a run-up in prices, he told the House Commerce energy subcommittee. 

In separate testimony, Gregory King, executive vice president of San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corp., said a shortage of MTBE, an additive that makes gas burn cleaner, could add to supply problems in some urban areas where the additive is needed in gasoline to meet air quality requirements. 

High natural gas prices and increased demand have made less gas available for making MTBE, so stocks of the additive in February were 22.4 percent lower than at the same time a year ago, according to EIA. The agency said MTBE production has been 9.2 percent below last year’s levels. 

Warnings of potential gasoline shortages this summer also came in a report issued Friday by the Federal Trade Commission on last year’s Midwest gasoline price spikes. 

The FTC cited a variety of reasons, including poor planning by industry, pipeline problems and requirements for cleaner gasoline, for high prices last year that soared past $2 a gallon in Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit. 

“There is no evidence that the price increases were a result of conspiracy or any other antitrust violation,” FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky said in a statement. 

But the report said there were “conscious but independent choices” made by market participants, often to maximize profits, that contributed to the price spikes. 

“Unless gasoline demand abates or refining capacity grows, price spikes are likely to occur in the future in the Midwest and other areas of the country,” the FTC report warned. 

Some Republican lawmakers cited the FTC report Friday as evidence that last summer’s price increases largely were due to Clinton administration requirements for a new blend of cleaner burning gasoline. The report listed that as only one of a number of causes. 

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said the investigation showed that the Clinton administration’s “rigid environmental regulations” and “incoherent energy policy” were major factors in the price increases. 

The report demonstrated that the Clinton administration’s refusal to waive reformulated gas requirements for the Milwaukee and Chicago areas “stuck Midwest drivers with last summer’s high gas prices,” said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. 

On the Net: Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov 

Sensenbrenner statement: http://www.house.gov/judiciary 

Commerce Committee: http://www.house.gov/commerce 

WASHINGTON — Unions, struggling in many industries, are flying high on the nation’s airlines. 

At Comair, pilots are walking picket lines, and Northwest mechanics and Delta pilots are threatening to walk out, too. 

It’s symbolic of the bargaining clout that organized labor enjoys among airline workers, even as the percentage of all American workers in unions lingers at a six-decade low – just 13.5 percent. 

Those numbers are much higher among airline, as well as railroad, workers. Both are governed by a labor law that gives unions an unusual amount of power – although it’s also more difficult for them to strike. 

Among pilots and navigators, 60 percent are in unions. For air traffic controllers, it’s 58 percent. And two in three transportation attendants are in unions. 

Union membership is even higher at railroads, with nearly 85 percent of conductors and yardmasters in unions, and 73 percent of signal and switch operators organized, according to Bureau of National Affairs’ numbers. 

These industries transport people and goods across the country, and the threat of a walk out often translates into a noisy, high-profile dispute, said Rick Hurd, Cornell University’s director of labor studies. 

“There’s more leverage for those unions because they play such a crucial role in our society,” Hurd said. “Unions have more potential for strength because if they engage in any kind of work stoppage, it affects everybody.” 

But strikes are unusual. About 97 percent of all National Mediation Board cases have been resolved without interruptions to public service, said Jim Armshaw, spokesman for the board. 

The Comair pilots strike, which began Monday, is the first for an airline since 1998, when Northwest Airlines pilots walked off for 15 days. There were only six strikes in the 1990s – one of which lasted just 24 minutes and another that was 89 minutes. Twenty-four airline strikes have occurred since 1980. 

The Railway Labor Act of 1926 makes striking difficult because it requires extensive negotiations and allows the president and Congress to intervene. 

“The procedures of the act are effective in protecting the public,” said Josh Javits, a Washington labor lawyer and former National Mediation Board member. 

But the act, combined with circumstances unique to transportation, has helped create much of the unions’ strength. Among the reasons: 

• Unlike unions in the private sector, there is no procedure for an employer to decertify a railroad or airline union, meaning once they’re organized, they are there to stay. 

• These unions must organize an entire fleet of workers, not just certain hubs or cities. That’s tough to do, but it leads to powerful unions. And because the industry is heavily organized, a new company finds it difficult to remain union-free for long. 

A sign of their strength: A union airline pilot or navigator earns an average of $48.87 an hour compared to the same worker who is not in a union, who makes $28.12 an hour, according to the Bureau of National Affairs. 

• In other industries, unions have lost clout as companies move overseas or to other parts of the country to avoid them. But airlines and railroads can’t do that, said Pat Cleary, a former National Labor Relations Board chairman who now works for the National Association of Manufacturers. 

• While mergers hurt unions in other industries, airlines and railroads are heavily organized, and workers tend to keep their jobs and the unions survive. 

—Many airline and railroad employees — particularly pilots and mechanics — are not easily replaced, making it harder for employers to replace them if they walk out, experts say. 

—Airline unions, especially the pilots, gained strength before the industry was deregulated, Hurd said. Faced with paying higher wages, airlines could simply demand higher fares from the federal agencies that regulated their prices. 

“You didn’t have a tradition of strong resistance,” Hurd said. “In that setting, pilots established themselves and gained an awful lot of influence in the industry and developed a very strong national union.” 

On Monday, the 1,350 pilots of regional carrier Comair walked out after failed contract talks, which have been under way since June 1998. Comair has canceled all its flights — about 800 a day — through the morning of April 7. 

At Delta Air Lines, pilots are free to strike on April 29 unless federal mediators ask President Bush to step in. Delta and its 9,800 pilots have been negotiating for nearly 19 months. 

Northwest Airlines mechanics were three days away from striking earlier this month when Bush intervened, requiring another 60 days of negotiations overseen by a presidential emergency board. 

Meanwhile, at American Airlines, flight attendants resume talks Monday at the National Mediation Board in Washington. Negotiations between the union and company have lasted more than two years. 

The flight attendants at American — like other airline workers — aren’t allowed to strike unless federal mediators give permission. So far, that hasn’t happened. 

After a tough start to their league season, the Berkeley boys’ lacrosse players couldn’t be blamed if they got down on themselves. Instead, they took advantage of their first favorable matchup, beating Novato 13-7 on Thursday. 

The ’Jackets (2-6 overall, 1-4 league) were led by midfielder Stefan Isaksen, who scored six goals and one assist in the game. Isaksen said his big game has been a long time coming. 

“That’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Isaksen said. “I just haven’t been able to pull it off until today.” 

Isaksen kicked the scoring off early, putting the ball into the Novato net less than a minute into the game. Novato answered right back with a goal, but Isaksen then found attacker Joe Rabinowitz in front of the goal, and Rabinowitz converted an easy chance for a 2-1 Berkeley lead. 

Both teams dug in their heels on defense for the rest of the first quarter, and there were no more goals for either team. But Berkeley came out firing in the second, as attacker Nick Schooler asserted himself. He took a Rabinowitz pass and bulled his way to a goal to open the period. After a Novato goal, Schooler took matters into his own hands, pulling the ball out and then forcing his way back in for an unassisted score. Berkeley led 6-3 at the half. 

With the outcome still in doubt, Isaksen’s teammates set him up for two more goals early in the second half. First Andres LaFlor stole a pass from the Novato goalie, triggering a fastbreak that ended with an Isaksen goal. Then, after a Novato slashing penalty gave Berkeley a power play, Berkeley patience paid off with another score as the ball swung all the way around the goal to a finish by Isaksen. 

“Stefan has been the one guy who works as hard in practice as he does in games, and it translated in to goals today,” Berkeley coach John Rubin said. “He’s a great example of improving in practice.” 

The ’Jackets let up a bit with an 8-3 lead, and Novato made them pay. First attacker Jesse Cohen carelessly committed an offside penalty, then Isaksen was whistled for a slash. Both penalties resulted in Novato goals, and the Berkeley lead was whittled down to three goals. But Isaksen made up for his transgression, using a nifty spin move to set himself up for a left-handed shot that dented the Novato net with 39 seconds left in the third quarter. 

The final quarter started with a three-minute power play for the ’Jackets, as the officials determined one of the Novato sticks to be illegal. Berkeley couldn’t convert for two minutes, but Novato was nailed with an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving the ’Jackets a two-man advantage. Schooler missed a close shot, but the ball came back around to him and he converted his second chance, finishing his hat trick for the day. 

Novato’s comeback attempt ended after two more goals, as Isaksen sealed the deal with his final goal for a double hat trick.

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Judah L. Magnes Museum “Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season” Through May, 2002 An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. 2911 Russell St. 549-6950  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. “Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience” Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations; “Ernesto Neto/MATRIX 19” A Maximum Minimum Time Space Between Us and the Parsimonious Universe, Through April 15. “Ed Osborn/MATRIX 193” This Oakland-based artist will use low-tech gadgetry to turn the museum into a sound sculpture as part of his site-specific installation Vanishing Point; “A Passion for Art: The Disaronno Originale Photography Collection,” April 4 - 18 Featuring the work of photographers worldwide who have demonstrated passion and excellence; $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 642-0808. 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection. “Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. “Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. “Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. “Pteranodon” A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history.“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge.“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Vision,” Through April 15 Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process infomation. “T. Rex on Trial,” Through May 28 Where was T. Rex at the time of the crime? Learn how paleontologists decipher clues to dinosaur behavior. “Fossil Finding with Annie Montague Alexander” March 31 & April 21; “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 30: Deathreat, Ahimsa, F*** God In the Face, The Black, Creation Is Crucifixion; March 31: The Jocks, The Cost, The Fleshies, Quest for Quintana Roo, Chi Chi Nut Nut & The Pinecone Express; April 6: Link 80, Lucky Strike, 5th Wheel, Kung Fu Chicken; April 7: The Plus Ones, The Evaporators, The Pattern, Dukes of Hamburg, The Goblins/Disgoblins/Skablins/Gothblins; April 13: The Locust, Dead & Gone, Honeysuckle Serontina, Tourettes Latrec, Last Great Liar 525-9926  

Albatross Pub All music begins at 9 p.m. April 3: pickPocket ensemble; April 4: Whiskey Brothers; April 5: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 7: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet; April 10: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; April 12: Keni “El Lebrijano”; April 17: pickPocket ensemble; April 18: Whiskey Brothers; April 19: Keni “El Lebrijano” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ashkenaz March 30, 9:30 p.m.: Johnny Nocturne Band, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 31, 9 p.m. : SoVoSo, Kotoja; April 8: “A Little Houseboat Music for Annie” is a benefit concert to help Oakland’s Archway School’s art teacher, Annie Clark, replace her houseboat, which was destroyed in a fire in February - performances by Michael James Quartet, The Wild Buds, Jim Stice Orchestra, Nova Trova and Ray Cepeda and the Neo-Maya Experience; April 29: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 30 & 31: House Jacks; April 1: Darol Anger’s Fiddle Congress & Melee w/Stuart Duncan & Bruce Molsky; April 3: Nerissa Nields & Pam Houston; April 5: Battlefield Band; April 6: Garnet Rogers; April 7: Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro; April 8: Martin Simpson & Jessica Radcliffe; April 10: Kevin Burke; April 12: Tony Marcus & Patrice Haan, Julian Smedley & Allison Odell; April 13: Ray Wylie Hubbard; 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Cal Performances April 4, 8 p.m.: Pianist Chucho Valdes $18 - $30; April 13 & 14, 8 p.m.: Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia and the Paco de Lucia Septet $20 - $40 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra April 3 and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“The Marriage of Figaro” through April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Pete Escovedo March 30 & 31, 9:30 p.m. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Doors 7 p.m. Pete Escovedo is leaving the Bay Area and is wishing farewell by playing these two shows. Featuring musical guests: Shiela E., John Santos, Karl Perazzo, Ray Obedio, Narada Michael Walden, and many others. $25 Kimball’s Carnival 522 Second St. Jack London Square  

“A Musical Night Out” March 31, 7 p.m. A four-hand piano concert featuring Andrew Canepa and Stephanie Smith performing the works of Dvorak, Debussy, Barber and more. $10 - $15 Pacific School of Religion Chapel 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8280  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

The American Bach Soloists present “How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

Berkeley Broadway Singers present “From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Music on Squirrel Hill presents Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Emergency String Quartet & Carlos Actis Dacto Solo April 1, 8 p.m. Part of the ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series TUVA Space 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 649-8744 

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for 20 years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

UC Alumni Chorus presents “Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra presents “Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

Dastan Ensemble with Namah Ensemble April 15, 8 p.m. Dastan Ensemble is a Persian classical music ensemble founded in Germany in 1991. Namah Ensemble is a group of four to six dancers who communicate the mystical Persian tradition to everyone. $25 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Kensington Symphony Orchestra April 21, 8 p.m. Featuring UC Berkeley student and soprano, Vanessa Langer performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G and other selections. $8 - $10 First Baptist Church 770 Sonoma St. Richmond 251-2031 

Kids Carneval! Brazilian Dance for the Whole Family April 22, 2 p.m. The Borboletas Children’s Dance Troupe will transport children and their families to Brazil and promises to have the audience dancing in and out of their seats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300  

Satsuki Arts Festival and Bazaar May 19, 4 - 10 p.m. & May 20, Noon - 7 p.m. A fundraiser for the Berkeley Buddhist Temple featuring musical entertainment by Julio Bravo & Orquesta Salsabor, Delta Wires, dance presentations by Kaulana Na Pua and Kariyushi Kai, food, arts & crafts, plants & seedlings, and more. Berkeley Buddhist Temple 2121 Channing Way (at Shattuck) 841-1356 

Theater 

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through Apri 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play Through April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

Stagebridge presents the 10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

“Death of a Salesman” April 6 - May 5, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. plus Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m. The ageless story of Willy Loman presented by an African-American cast and staged by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. $10 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 528-5620 

Films 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour April 7 & 8, 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Including films from Slovakia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, England, and the U.S. which reflect a wide range of mountain experiences, from mountain sports to mountain culture and the environment. $12 - $15 Wheeler Auditorium UC Berkeley Tickets available at REI 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-7377 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Lost & Found” Documentaries from the Graduate School of Journalism April 15, 5:30 p.m. Three documentaries from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism explore the possibility of redemption in the face of immeasurable loss. Lisa Munoz’s “Chavez Ravine,” Kelly St. John’s “In Forever Fourteen,” and Zsuzsanna Varga’s “Screw Your Courage.” Pacific Film Archive 2621 Durant Ave. 642-5249 

Films of Julio Medem April 13, 7:30 p.m. & April 14, 7 p.m. Medem is recognized as one of Spain’s leading filmmakers. On April 13, “The Cows” and “The Red Squirrel” will be shown. April 14, “Earth/Tierra” and “Lovers of the Arctic Circle” will show. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412  

Exhibits 

Berkeley Historical Society “Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage.” An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development. Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free. 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

“Sugar N’ Spice N’ Everything Nice: Live, Loves and Legacies of Women of Color” Through April 21, Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Works by Aissatoui Vernita, Flo Oy Wong, Tomoko Negishi, Consuelo Jimenez and many others. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth Street Oakland 763-9425 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. Through April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

Nylan Jeung and David Lippenberger Lippenberger renders figures in acrylic and Jeung work with ink and watercolor on rice paper, using traditional eastern techniques. Through April 7, Wednesday through Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Recent Works of Narangkar Khalsa & Pete Glover Through March 31 !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. Oakland 428-2349  

“The Art of Meadowsweet Dairy” Objects found in nature, reworked and turned into objects of art. Through May 15, call for hours; Opening reception: April 6, 6 - 9 p.m. Current Gallery at the Crucible 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511  

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” The art of Amy Berk and New Color Etchings by James Brown & Caio Fonseca Through April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings. Through August 8 Maisner works in miniature as well as in large scales, combining his mastery of medieval illumination, gold leafing, and modern painting techniques. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 849-2541 

“Scenes from The Song of Songs/Images from The Book of Blessings” Landscape and still life oil pastels by poet and artists Marcia Falk Through May 2, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon - 7 p.m.; Opening reception April 11, 7 p.m. Flora Hewlett Library Graduate Theological Union 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 2: Alan Rinzler facilitates part two of Cody’s three part writer’s workshop; April 3: Ann McGregor, Dick Meister, Cindy Wathen, and George Ballis give accounts of living and working with Cesar Chavez; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 5: Herbert Bix talks about “Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan”; April 9: Mark Morris visits to celebrate “Mark Morris’ L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Modertato: A Celebration”; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young; April 12: Stanley Williams explores “Surviving Galeras”; April 15: Poetry of John D’Agata & Joanna Klink; April 16: Isadora Alman talks about “Doing It: Real People Having Really Good Sex”; April 17: Michael Parenti discusses “To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia”; April 19: Andrew Harvey talks about “The Direct Path: Creating a Personal Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Spiritual Traditions”; Poetry of Maxine Hong Kingston & Fred Marchant; April 27: Poetry of Michael Heller & Carl Rakosi; April 29: Poetry of Gloria Frym & Lewis Warsh 

1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 10: Amy Tan reads from “The Bonesetter’s Daughter”; April 20: Susie Bright discusses “The Best American Erotica 2001”; April 26: Mother of three Wynn McClenahan Burkett will read from “Life After Baby: From Professional Woman to Beginner Parent”  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 3: Environmental Activist David Bolling will give a slide presentation and talk on “Living and Dying on Everest: An Inside Look at Everest Expeditions and Environmental Issues”; April 5: Mary Olmstead will discuss “Hidden Wine Country” about the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino areas; April 11: Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps with regional recruiter Cristina Punzalan and Susana Herrera, author of “Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be In My Skin”; April 19: Bruce Feiler will discuss “Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses”; April 26: Julie Lavezzo will give a packing demonstration for a three week trip with two climates 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays Through June, 2001, 1 - 3 p.m. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 549-2970  

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. April 5: Barbara Minton; April 12: Alice Rogoff; April 19: Garrett Murphy; April 26: Ray Skjelbred. Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. $3 general; $2 seniors; $1 children; free on Thursday. Daily, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours All tours begin at 10 a.m. and are restricted to 30 people per tour $5 - $10 per tour April 29: Susan Schwartz leads a tour of the Berkeley Waterfront; May 12: Debra Badhia will lead a tour of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Arts District; May 19: John Stansfield & Allen Stross will lead a tour of the School for the Deaf and Blind; June 2: Trish Hawthorne will lead a tour of Thousand Oaks School and Neighborhood; June 23: Sue Fernstrom will lead a tour of Strawberry Creek and West of the UC Berkeley campus 848-0181 

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

California Colloquium on Water Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design speak about water resources and hopefully contribute to informed decisions on water in CA. April 10, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “Understanding the Delta - An Engineering Perspective” Richard Denton, water manager of the Contra Costa Water District; May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“The Monster of Troy: Fossil Discoveries In Classical Antiquity” April 1, 3 p.m. Adrienne Mayor will describe some literary and archaeological evidence for discoveries of the huge fossil remains of extinct animals in ancient Greece and Rome. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley  

“The Gene’s Eye View of Creation” April 4 & 10, 4:10 p.m. Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, a leading thinker in modern Darwinism, will deliver a lecture “The Genetic Book of the Dead” April 4 and “The Selfish Cooperator” April 10 International House Auditorium UC Berkeley 

Leonard Breger April 9, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Breger will critique club members’ art and will show some of his own works. Breger is known for his paintings of cut-out masonite shapes, both animal and human. El Cerrito Community Center The Garden Room 7007 Moeser Lane 524-6739  

Let people have enough medicine 

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to the City Council: 

Regarding the proposed Berkeley Medical Marijuana Ordinance, the Berkeley Health and Human Services Dept., headed by Director Fred Medrano, feels that “it was wisest to keep allowable plant numbers low and 'include a provision in the ordinance for additional amounts if a doctor says its OK'.” (BDP, 3/26/01) If the Health and Human Services Dept. was concerned about the negative health impact of growing 144 plants at a time or having 6 pounds of dried marijuana a year, then I would expect to see these fears stated in this article. But the only health concern is raised by Berkeley health officer Dr. Poki Stewart Namkung when she said, in regard to someone consuming 6 pounds of marijuana a year, “I would be very worried about the quality of that patient's life.” Yet, Dr. Namkung is an advocate for the staff's plan which allows up to 9 pounds a year with a doctor's approval. It seems that Dr. Namkung is really worried about self-treatment rather than treatment per se. 

Which would be a reasonable concern if we were dealing with a substance of known danger, like alcohol or tobacco, or aspirin.  

But marijuana has no record of causing, by itself, any deaths. Has Dr. Namkung or the Berkeley Health and Human Services Dept. taken a stand opposing over-the-counter sales of aspirin, which can be bought by anybody - including children - who can afford it? 

So what's really going on here? City staff is waging a rear-guard battle against Proposition 215, the 85 percent of Berkeley voters who supported it, and the people who use it medicinally. Finally having to admit that marijuana does have medicinal value, they now want to limit access to this medicine. Not because of any danger due to the toxicity of marijuana, because their is none. No, the reason is that the Berkeley Police Dept. is concerned “that large amounts of marijuana grown in households might encourage home invasion type robberies, home burglaries and possibly violence.” 

And the Berkeley Police Department should know of what they are talking, since they themselves have invaded patient's homes and taken their medicine. These violations of Proposition 215 by Berkeley Police have resulted to date in the City of Berkeley having to pay approximately $80,000 in ensuing law suits. If the City Council endorses the staff's proposal then we can expect larger amounts of money to be paid out as settlements in the future. 

Let's get real. The people of Berkeley have made our will clear. We support the right of people to use marijuana medicinally. Period. We support a Medical Marijuana Ordinance that allows people to have access to as much marijuana as they need. Period. Berkeley citizens should have the same rights as Oakland citizens. According to the Oakland Police Department their have been no crime problems due to the Oakland medical marijuana standards. 

So I say it is wiser to have higher limits because people will have their medicine as they need it, and the citizens of Berkeley will not have to pay thousand of dollars for lawsuits. Its a win-win solution. 

Robin M. Donald 

Berkeley 

Beth El process flawed 

Editor: 

What’s with the development review process in Berkeley? 

A proposal comes in for a 35,000 square foot development in the middle of a single family neighborhood. It is for a landmarked site astride the most open creek in Berkeley with a grove of protected live oaks along the bank. A public path runs beside it.  

There are known problems. The outfall from illegal culverting has undercut creek banks and is causing slides. The sewer has overflowed in this area. Street connections are kinky and residents rely heavily on street parking.  

Would not the proposal merit the attention of public works staff, the traffic engineer, the city forester, a representative from the parks and recreation department, and the preservation planner who handled the previous permits on the site? No, the team to handle this proposal consists of three lawyers, including the city attorney herself, and three planners evidencing no background on the historic and open space issues. 

Is it too practical to work out best runoff and noise reduction options, too pedestrian to work on pedestrian safety and a bus stop connection, too down and dirty to work on creek bank stability and tree protection before the project is recommended for approval? Are the lawyers there to handle liability after approval of a project that pollutes the creek, kills protected oaks, creates traffic hazards, and violates noise standards?  

Vital recommendations from regional agencies, organizations and other city departments were not even included in staff reports, such as the advise of the Regional Water Quality Control Board to open the covered part of the Creek and to move the driveway and parking lot as far away as possible from the Creek. 

The void was apparent. At a “special” Design Review Committee session (preceded by flawed notice and followed by no review of revisions), citizen reviewer Omer Baltan asked, “Isn’t there a creek czar on staff ?”  

Instead of insisting that the Draft Environmental Impact Report include an open creek alternative evaluation, the ranking planner and attorney for the City had concentrated on gagging four members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission who questioned the adequacy of the environmental document.  

With four Commissioners gagged, the LPC was not able to review the design for this landmarked site. A permit was about to be automatically granted due to the state “permit streamlining” law, even though there were no review-scale drawings to show what was now proposed to be demolished, cleared and built. Oh well, at least a “replacement check” for the review had arrived the week before.  

Fortunately, substitutes for the four gagged Commissioners were appointed and they had studied the record in time to act March 5. The site Alteration Permit was denied (maybe, since the “team” hasn’t yet released the notice of decision). 

But the use permit was approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board with the critical vote and urging of Board member Michael Issel, appointed by Betty Olds.  

He understood the needs of Beth El’s program well; his family was a member when the site was purchased. He insisted it was impossible to make any changes to break up the massive building in order to fit it into the neighborhood. He suggested that placing parking under the building to save the creek was genocidal. And moving mature creekside oak trees was a snap.  

Horst and Eva Bansner 

Berkeley 

Friday, March 30

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the Buffalo Field Campaign’s front-line efforts to protect the buffalo herd. Sponsored by A First Amendment Center, Berkeley. Free 

287-9406  

Cesar Chavez Day  

Commemoration  

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park (Northwest Corner)  

Four fourth and fifth grade classes from area elementary schools will present the virtues of Cesar Chavez, followed by a dance by the Azteca Dance Group. Mayor Shirley Dean, School Board President Terry Doran, Fr. Bill O’Donnell, and Federico Chavez will speak. 845-0657 

Saturday, March 31

Shelter Operations Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services. 644-8736 

Sunday, April 1

Berkeley Historical Society  

Gala Celebration 

3 - 7 p.m. 

Hotel Shattuck  

2086 Allston Way  

Dancing, a silent auction, special guest speaker, a tour of the facility, and more.  

$30 - $65 

Buddhist Sacred Sites  

and Symbols  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Eva Casey, meditation instructor, will discuss the symbolic images found at sacred sites and the teachings they convey. A slide presentation of the major holy places of the Buddha. Free 

843-6812 

Designing Your Own Seder 

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A workshop designed to stimulate thought about how to best combine the talents and needs of those who are attending in combination with the best of what the tradition provides.  

$5 848-0237 x127  

Once Upon a Time  

3 p.m.  

St. John’s Community Center  

Sanctuary  

2727 College Ave. (at Garber)  

Master storyteller and actor Fritz Brun brings to life the greatest tales of . 

Christian Anderson, including The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Nightingale. Children may be asked to become characters in the stories. $5 704-0701 

Gender Games  

4 - 7 p.m. 

Pacific Center  

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Play games or just relax in a trans and gender-friendly space. For everyone who is transgender, transsexual, intersex, genderqueer, genderquestioning and their friends, family and significant others. free 548-8283 or visit  

www.pacificcenter.org 

Monday, April 2

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free 549-RIDE 

Free Writing, Cashiering  

& Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Tritium in Berkeley 

4 - 6 p.m. & 7 - 10 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Multipurpose Room  

Bernd Franke will make a presentation on his independent findings of the tritium releases and radiation hazards associated with the National Tritium Labeling Facility, located at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Presented by the City of Berkeley and the Community Environmental Advisory Commission.  

705-8150 or e-mail: toxics@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Hedda Gabler  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St.  

Aurora Theater Director Barbara Oliver will talk about the new play “Hedda Gabler.” Limited free matinee tickets will be given out for the April 7 performance.  

644-6107 

Tuesday, April 3

“Great Decisions” – Conflict Resolution in Africa  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. $5 single session 526-2925 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Mandarin Lessons 

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

With Cecilia Wan. Free 

644-6107 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will be about financial planning, investments, tax, and the stock market. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Community Organization  

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.  

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd 103  

A “Real Deal” seminar with Don Stalhut and David Mann on community organization. Bring a lunch.  

849-8229 

Wednesday, April 4

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Library  

1901 Russel St.  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

The Voiceless Poor  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of why low-income people have no say in local development battles. Free 

April Birthday Party  

1:15 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

UC dancers will entertain and refreshments will be served. 

644-6107 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

“Women’s Scholarship as Prophetic Voices” 

6:30 - 9 p.m.  

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Hewlett Library  

Dinner Board Room  

The Annual Women’s Theological Forum.  

649-2490 

Thursday, April 5  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Barbara Minton and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Library  

1125 University Ave. 

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Lavender Lunch  

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd 100  

Rev. Nancy Wilson on “Queer Church: The Early History of the Metropolitan Community Church.”  

849-8206 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This meeting is titled “Inspired Utterance Night.”  

654-5486 

Bicycle Touring in Europe  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Independent bicyclists and budget travelers Tim O’Mahoney and Kathie Strell will give a slide presentation of their three month, 2,000-mile journey through France, Switzerland and Austria. Learn to execute your own bicycle tour. Free  

527-4140 

Taking Care of Your Large Intestine  

1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.  

Summit South Pavilion  

3100 Summit St., 3rd Floor Auditorium  

Oakland 

Harvey Olsen, gastroenterologist, will discuss Colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Olsen will explain changes in lifestyle and simple tools for early detection that can save thousands of lives a year.  

869-6737  

Disability Awareness Day  

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  

Sproul & Dwinelle Plazas 

UC Berkeley  

An opportunity to learn about disabilities, to find resources for yourself or someone you care about, and to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities. One of the major focuses of this years awareness day is on “hidden disabilities.” Free  

666-9647 

Ballroom Dance Lessons 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

With Roman Ostrowski. Free 

644-6107 

Friday, April 6  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more.  

Pre-register by calling 642-5461 

$20 for all five sessions, $10 per individual session  

Taize Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing)  

An hour of quiet reflection and song.  

848-3696 

TREES Forum  

12:30 p.m. 

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Hewlett Library  

Board Room  

Michael Warburton on local environmental issues.  

E-mail: trees@gtu.edu 

Don Giovanni, Pt. 1  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

The opera.  

644-6107 

Saturday, April 7 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

Earthquake Retrofitting Class  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center  

812 Page St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Inside Interior Design  

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A look into the world of interior design with certified interior designer and artist Lori Inman. $35 

525-7610 

Small Press Distribution Open House 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

Small Press Distribution  

3141 Seventh St. (at Gilman)  

With poetry readings at 2 p.m. with featured poet Clark Coolidge and others. Free  

524-1668 

Straw Into Gold 

9 a.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship  

1924 Cedar (at Bonita)  

A rummage sale and intergenerational open mic. coffee house. All proceeds benefit the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. Free 

841-4824  

Sunday, April 8  

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Tibetan Yoga and Healing  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Kum Nye teacher Jack van der Meulen will present this Tibetan yoga and will demonstrate several exercises for self-healing. Free 

843-6812 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Open House  

3 - 5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Culture which will include a prayer wheel and meditation garden tour, Tibetan yoga demonstration, discussion of how useful ancient teachings are in contemporary society, and more. Free 

843-6812 

A Humanistic Passover Seder 

6 p.m.  

Albany Community Center 

1249 Marin Ave.  

Albany  

Kol Hadash will read from the Humanistic Haggadah, and will eat with friends and family. Miriam Solis will lead the group in song.  

$20 - $45  

925-254-0609 

Monday, April 9  

Ask the Doctor 

10:30 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

Dr. McGillis will speak and answer questions on radiologically, hormonally, and genetically modified foods.  

644-6107 

Tuesday, April 10 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Living with HIV 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd Bldg., Room 100 

Joe MacMurray will offer reflections on his personal experiences as an HIV-positive man who is preparing for ordained ministry in the Metropolitan Community Church.  

849-8206 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Sunrise Business Mixer  

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.  

Skates on the Bay  

100 Seawall Drive  

Wake up and smell the coffee at this mixer sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Complimentary breakfast provided by host Skates on the Bay. Free to chamber members.  

RSVP, 549-7003 or e-mail chamber@dnai.com  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Magic Brown  

2:30 p.m. 

South Branch Library  

1901 Russell St.  

Pamela Brown, a magician and storyteller, will tell stories of tricksters and fools from around the world, interspersed with magic tricks. She will be teaching the audience tricks to take home with them. For kids, 5 - 10 years old. Free 

649-3943 

Magic Brown  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library  

1170 The Alameda 

Similar program to above. Free 

649-3943 

Seeds of Fiction  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

Berkeley author Dorothy Bryant will speak on seeds of fiction and drama. Free 

644-6107 

Wednesday, April 11 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Magic Brown  

11 a.m.  

West Branch Library  

1125 University Ave.  

Pamela Brown, a magician and storyteller, will tell stories of tricksters and fools from around the world, interspersed with magic tricks. She will be teaching the audience tricks to take home with them. For kids, 5 - 10 years old. Free 

649-3943 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Bicycle Maintenance 101  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

REI bike technician Paul Ecord will show attendees how to perform basic adjustments on bikes and how to keep them in good condition. Demonstrations of how to clean/replace a chain, adjust derailleurs and replace brake and derailleur cables. Free  

527-4140 

Magic Brown  

3:30 p.m. 

Claremont Branch Library  

2940 Benvenue Ave.  

Pamela Brown, a magician and storyteller, will tell stories of tricksters and fools from around the world, interspersed with magic tricks. She will be teaching the audience tricks to take home with them. For kids, 5 - 10 years old. Free 

649-3943 

Thursday, April 12 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Alice Rogoff and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Humanist Forum  

7 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway)  

Oakland  

“The future of religion: Dialog and discussion.”  

451-5818 

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Friday, April 13  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst St.  

With Allen Stross. Free 

644-6107 

Saturday, April 14  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  

Seaborg Room, Men’s Faculty Club 

UC Berkeley  

A one-day conference that will address ethics and globalization by focusing on three areas which bear much of the weight of globalization: International financial institutions and the flow of capital, immigration and refugee flows, and the role of private and local capital and political action. Free and open to the public.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Eggster Hunt & Learning Festival  

10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.  

West Campus, UC Berkeley  

In front of Life Sciences Building  

A day of egghunts, cultural performances, educational booths, arts and crafts, games and entertainment. Free for all and handicapped accessible. Proceeds benefit five non-profit Bay Area children’s organizations.  

643-2033 

Before the Build  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by builder Glen Kitzenberger on what you need to know before you build or remodel your home. Learn to solder pipe and more. Free 

525-7610 

Choosing to Add On 

Noon - 2 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by author and instructor Skip Wenz on the pros and cons of building an addition. Free  

525-7610 

Sunday, April 15  

The Buddhist Prayer Wheel  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Instructor Miep Cooymans will talk about prayer wheels and how to participate in their creation . Free 

843-6812 

Monday, April 16  

Dino Safari 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Learn how paleontologists sift through evidence to make predictions about the size and behavior of dinosaurs. Included with museum admission. 

$3 - $7  

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Before the Build  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by builder Glen Kitzenberger on what you need to know before you build or remodel your home. Learn to solder pipe and more. Free 

525-7610 

TREES Forum  

12:30 p.m. 

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Hewlett Library  

Board Room  

Michael Warburton on local environmental issues.  

E-mail: trees@gtu.edu 

Systematic Theology  

7 p.m. 

PLTS  

2770 Marin Ave.  

Great Hall  

Conversation with Dr. Oswald Bayer, professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Tuebingen, Germany.  

524-5264 

Tuesday, April 17 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Real Deal Seminar 

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.  

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd 103  

Bill O’Neill on “Ethics of Social Reconciliation and/or Human Rights.” Bring a lunch.  

849-8229 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on the question of how your life conflicts with your ideals. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Chaos Theory  

7 p.m. 

CDSP  

2451 Ridge Rd.  

Common Room  

Dr. Laurie Freeman on “Method in Science and the Humanities: What Does Chaos Theory Have to Offer?”  

848-8152 

Wednesday, April 18  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Thursday, April 19 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Garrett Murphy and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This meetings discussions will center on “Eroticism and Spirituality.”  

654-5486 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

Celebrating Our Past, Envisioning Our Future 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

The PSR Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry hosts its first annual conference which will address racism and heterosexism; being “out” in ministry; queer spirituality; queer and Asian; queer theory and comparative religions and other topics. This is a two day event.  

849-8206 

Light Search & Rescue 

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

EcoCity Message of Curitiba, Brazil 

7:30 p.m. 

Chan Shun Auditorium  

Valley of Life Sciences Building  

UC Berkeley  

The chief representative of the policies, designs, planning and projects that have made Curitiba the ecological development model to the world will share strategies for long term success of cities on planet Earth.  

$5 - $10 donation  

649-1817 

Chiapas Support Committee 

7 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

The delegation to Mexico will report back about the EZLN march and its aftermath with video footage, first-hand accounts, slides and more.  

654-9587 

Estate Planning for the Living 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Norlen Drossel, an estate planning attorney, will cover such topics as the difference between a will and a living trust, durable power of attorney for health care, and other topics of importance to those who don’t plan on dying.  

601-4040 x302 

Exploring Grand Staircase  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Liz Hymans, a leading panoramic photographer in the U.S. will share slides and stories of the making of “Hearst of the Desert Wild,” which celebrates the spirit of Grand Staircase - Escalante. Free  

527-4140 

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Friday, April 20 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Trash Bridges 

1 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

Join Trash Bridges, garbage detective, in this Science Discovery Theatre performance as he explores how recycling, reusing, reducing and composting can help us tackle the ever-increasing garbage humans create. Free with museum admission.  

642-5132 

Saturday, April 21  

California Native Plant Sale  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Regional Botanical Garden  

South Park Drive & Wildcat Canyon Road 

Tilden Regional Park  

A variety of plants will be for sale and proceeds benefit Botanic Garden programs.  

841-8732 

Family Farm Day  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market  

Center St. at MLK Jr. Way  

As a complimentary event to Earth Day Berkeley, taking place in Civic Center Park, this w

Calling for public ownership of power, more than 75 people crowded onto the sidewalk at Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in front of the PG&E payment office at noon on Thursday. 

Their signs read “not with my tax $$$,” and “no pay in May;” their chants called for “people power, solar power,” and said “Governor Gray, we won’t pay,” – passing drivers honked horns and waved. Similar demonstrations took place simultaneously in Oakland and San Francisco. 

Reading from a proclamation, demonstrator Susan Rodriguez sat in front of Pacific Gas and Electric company’s doorway, calling over a bullhorn: “We the people of California, declare by our right of eminent domain, all power companies based on California soil, built by human labor...to be the property of the people of California.” At the request of a PG&E employee, Rodriguez was handcuffed and arrested by two Berkeley police officers. She was taken across the street to the police station where she was cited for blocking access to the building, given a court date and released, police said. 

On Thursday, Gov. Gray Davis asked the legislature to approve spending another $500 million to buy power, raising the state funds committed to power buys to $4.7 billion. Scared off by PG&E and Southern California Edison’s poor credit ratings, the power generators are refusing to sell to them, so the state is paying the electricity and natural gas suppliers directly. 

Protester Kuo Yee, whose friend carried a sign saying “no bailout,” called on the governor to do just the opposite: “The only solution is that they go bankrupt so we can purchase the power,” he said.  

Protester Gary Brechin, author of Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power/Earthly Ruin, said the power crisis educates the public and reveals the structure of the ownership of the power companies. “They’ve taken off their masks,” he said, pointing out that PG&E profits from the high use of energy. “We’re like the lambs, about to be turned into shish-kebab,’ he said. 

Demonstrators said the call for public power is not pie-in-the sky. It may be possible to form a public power network through the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which currently provides water, demonstrator Tim Gordon said. Power should be public, from its generation, through its transmission “not just the transmissions lines,” he added. 

The Berkeley City Council has taken a first step toward public power ownership by voting to have a study done of its feasibility. 

Public ownership is just part of the solution, said protester Hal Carlstad: “We need recycled energy – sun and wind – and conservation.” Carlstad said the public is bombarded with advertisements encouraging the overuse of power. “They’re advertising to make you use it,” he said. 

As the protest was winding down, demonstrator Susan Rodriguez moved up the steps and sat down in front of the doors of the PG&E office, blocking the entrance and exit of those who had come to pay their bills. Moments before the police led her away in handcuffs, Rodriguez called out: “I’m here for the poor and the elderly, the disabled and the children. I do this in the name of Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. I refuse to submit.” 

Cal scored 28 unanswered points in the second half of its match with British Columbia Wednesday, claiming a 34-11 victory as well as the annual home-and-away series between the two heavyweights of North American collegiate rugby. 

The Bears trailed 11-6 at the break, but a 45-meter drop goal from fullback John Buchholz just five minutes into the second period sparked Cal’s comeback. At the final whistle, the Bears had tallied three tries to UBC’s one. 

“There are few victories that match up to winning against the Thunderbirds on their home field,” noted Cal head coach Jack Clark. “We were very physical with a couple of goal line stands plus guys hitting rucks and making tackles all day.” 

Buchholz marked his return from injury with 18 points, keeping the Bears in touch with two first half penalties, and then the enormous drop goal that had even his opponents congratulating him after the match. 

The three-pointer signaled a turning of the tide as, shortly after, prop Mike MacDonald came off the side of a ruck to run over a couple of defenders, and drag still others with him into the try zone. 

The Bears made it a one-two punch with No. 8 Shaun Paga making a 30-meter break just minutes later and deftly looping a pass to hooker Chris Draper, who finished the try. The Cal team kept up the pressure and scrumhalf Andy Armstrong crossed for the Bears’ third try later in the half. 

The win returns the “World Cup” to Berkeley and counter-balances the Bears one loss of the season which came in February when UBC managed a 27-25 defeat of Cal. 

The Cal team next plays April 21 in the national championship round of 16.

Our society is based on violence. Looking back on U.S. history, it is plain to see that our society was built on a racist, sexist, and violent foundation. Out in Santee and pretty much every middle-class bedroom community, there is an attitude that they are safe. So when it hits home, when their child is lying in a hospital bed, or in a coffin, that is when there is this outrage. No one knows what happened – they were such good kids…. 

And in the midst of all of this, when for a moment the spotlight is being taken off of urban youth the story is spun around. All of a sudden there is a “violence problem” at Berkeley High. In order to please voters, (note: majority white) - the mayor, superintendent, and school board members jump at this problem of violence. Students report that possibly one-third of BHS students are involved in fighting. That is 1,200 students out of 3,600 students attending BHS. 

Is this really an accurate estimate? How many students gave this statistic, and secondly, what student knows all 3,599 of their counterparts at BHS? This “problem of violence” that is being attacked is going to affect students of color and not even City Councilmember Linda Maio denies this when she says: “We don’t want t be in a position where we hear shouts from the community that this is racist.” 

In her comment alone, Maio reveals the probability that the solution to the “problem of violence” is going to affect students of color. Do they need ideas on how not to be racist? From what I read, they seem to be getting very biased opinions from students and parents. Quick to spend money on a truancy program or other means to reduce “school violence” at BHS. 

Here are a couple of better ideas: 

Give students an after-school program, supervising a basketball court after school, add classes of student interest to keep kids in school, improve the curriculum and relate it to students’ lives, hire more qualified teachers. 

There seems to be this pattern of running around the underlying issues, not getting to the root causes of the “violence problem.” 

Problems? The problem is society, and although we cannot erase history we can cultivate ideas and input from students to enforce positive programs. Can we try a new concept for once, counter the negative with the positive and gain a positive outcome? 

There is much talk of “the problem” but the administrators want “to put their foot down” and stomp out violence and what a coincidence! – California passed Prop. 21 and now “liberal” Berkeley has a problem on their hands and the mayor and city council and superintendent turn to the same racist, ageist approach of Proposition 21. 

Sade Bonilla is a ninth grader at Berkeley High School.

The City Council postponed considering a recommendation for a Sunshine Ordinance, intended to allow the public greater access to government information, until it’s determined whether it’s needed.  

The recommendation, put on Tuesday’s City Council agenda by Councilmember Kriss Worthington, asked the City Manager’s Office to evaluate nine measures to improve citizen access to public information. They include better public notice for meetings, creating a Web site where all public records can be accessed and encouraging law enforcement to make police records, logs and other related information more readily available. 

The recommendation was removed from the consent calendar by Councilmember Polly Armstrong – items on the consent calendar are approved unanimously without discussion. Armstrong said she wanted the council to consider the need for an ordinance carefully and to evaluate whether it would make the government process more cumbersome and inefficient. 

“I’m in favor of open government but you can take things to an absurd level,” she said. “So if we can make it easier to do the right thing, then I’m in favor, but if it’s more complicated, I’m not.” 

Oakland has a Sunshine Ordinance and San Francisco strengthened its existing ordinance in November 1999, with voter approval of Measure G. 

Worthington said the ordinance would create a friendlier environment as well as make it easier for people to participate in government decisions. “I don’t think  

giving the public more access to information is anything to be afraid of,” he said. “And for that matter, I don’t think giving city councilmembers more access to information is anything to be afraid of.” 

The need to streamline diffusion of information is critical, said Worthington, noting that he was often frustrated in his attempts to get copies of documents from former City Manager James Keene. 

Thomas R. Burke, a San Francisco attorney who was a principal author of Measure G, said it’s important to strengthen public information laws. “The Brown Act and the Freedom of Information Act are broad and encompassing, but government officials continually figure out ways of operating in secret,” he said. “Anyone in favor of open government can’t be in opposition to a Sunshine Ordinance. 

Councilmember Mim Hawley said she approves of open government, but said she agreed the ordinance needs to be scrutinized more. She said some of its requirements might already be in effect. 

Hawley said the cost should be closely examined as well. 

“We have an energy crisis and a housing crisis and our youth programs need funding,” she said. “We have to be careful about our resources.” 

Worthington said he examined the cost of establishing the Sunshine Ordinances in San Francisco and Oakland and suggested Berkeley phase in an ordinance over time, rather than commit resources all at once. 

“There’s a lot of hidden costs and the way Oakland and San Francisco implemented their ordinances created unnecessary expense,” he said. “We should create a timeline that implements the ordinance in phases that fit into our budget.” 

For example, scanning all the city’s documents onto a Web site would be costly. 

Berkeley resident Howie Muir, a member of the community group Neighbors for Responsible Development, said he would like to see policies streamlined and organized so information is easier to obtain. 

Muir’s group is opposed to the design of a controversial, four-story proposed development in his neighborhood. He said community groups are usually unfamiliar with city bureaucracy that puts them at a disadvantage with developers who often know the system well.  

“First you have to find out what department you have to go to,” he said. “Then you find out it’s the Planning Department, but when you arrive, you discover there’s a Current Planning Division and an Advanced Planning Division. And then you wonder ‘Does that mean there are other planning divisions and which one do I go to?’” 

Muir said during the development’s approval process, planning staff did not provide him with a copy of an Environmental Impact Report he requested until the same night the Zoning Adjustments Board voted on the project. “There was no way I was going to be able to review it in time.” he said. 

Muir said because it’s difficult for novices to navigate the city bureaucracy, the quality and completeness of their information is compromised and “they have a harder time getting their opinions heard in a meaningful way.” 

The City Council will consider the Sunshine Ordinance at it’s next meeting on April 17.

Berkeley Police are relying heavily on the nonprofit Donald P. McCullum Youth Court program to make sure first-time juvenile offenders, cases the understaffed District Attorney’s Office often don’t get to, face some concrete consequences for their actions. 

The national juvenile caseload has more than quadrupled since 1960, from 400,000 cases a year to nearly 1.8 million, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

District attorney offices around the country, overwhelmed by the growth in juvenile crime cases, often only prosecute the most serious cases. For every 1,000 juvenile vandalism cases in 1997, for example, nearly 400 were  

simply dismissed without coming to trial. 

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has been no exception to this trend. 

“What they’re doing is choosing cases of habitual offenders and prosecuting them,” said Amy Halbrook, director of youth services for Alameda Country.  

The problem with this approach, said Halbrook and others, in that first-time offenders who commit lesser crimes such as vandalism and petty theft develop the impression that there are no consequences for their actions.  

In some cases, their parents aren’t even notified of their arrest, according to youth court literature. Faced with no consequences, the youth continue to commit crimes, said Halbrook and others. 

That’s why Sergeant Steve Odom of the Berkeley Police Youth Services Division has used the youth court alternative for more than 30 of Berkeley’s first-time offenders since the Berkeley Police Department began participating in the program last summer. And he’s continuing to refer cases the “court” as fast as he can.  

“Typically, you can almost see the pattern beginning with kids where they’re not admitting guilt,” Odom said. “That kind of ignoring reality is dangerous,” he said. This is because kids see no reason not to move on to bigger and bigger crimes, he said. 

“If you’re looking to reintegrate them back into society they have to be able to say, ‘I was wrong,’ and move forward from there,” Odom said. 

Halbrook says the program works. According to an informal study by the Oakland police department, 42 percent of all first time offenders reoffend within two years. That compares to only 16 percent of youth court offenders who reoffend within two years, Halbrook said. 

The youth court process begins with a police referral. Youth court coordinators then contact the offender’s parents and call them and their child for a conference. If the youth admits his guilt, he or she is eligible to participate in the youth court. As an incentive, every youth court defendant who complies in full with his sentence will have his record wiped clean. 

Youth court is in session two nights a month in the real courtrooms of the Alameda Country Administration Building. Typical cases include petty theft, vandalism, graffiti, simple assault, battery and trespassing on a school campus. 

Youth Court juries are made up of past youth court defendants. They get to take on the defendants one-on-one, asking them pointed questions, watching them squirm as they try to come up with answers. 

“If you could go back and change one thing, what would you change?” one teen-aged juror asked Wednesday, gazing across at the Berkeley teen defendant on the witness stand. 

“I would have went home when I went down to the corner,” the youth said sheepishly. “I would have went straight home.” 

Charged with stealing a bicycle and possessing alcohol, the youth admitted to drinking, but said it was his friends who took the bike. He would not have been charged, he claimed, if he’d left his friends when he saw they were committing a crime. 

After about 20 minutes of noisy deliberation inside the jury room, the jury announces a verdict: the offender must attend a conflict resolution class, serve once as a juror at a youth court hearing, complete 17 hours of community service, attend alcohol and drug counseling, and write a letter of apology to his grandmother. 

All sentences include a conflict resolution workshop and at least one tour of duty as a juror. Beyond that, the jury uses its discretion to recommend up to 60 community services hours, a variety of counseling programs and classes, introspective essays and letters of apology.  

“There is a sense of fairness because they’re being judged by their peers,” said Ismail Ramsey, a member of the Donald P. McCullum Youth Court Board of Directors who volunteers as a judge for the youth court. “That’s something youth don’t have in the (regular juvenile justice system), when you’ve got some judge on high who decrees the sentence.” 

Judges are the only adults inside a youth court, where prosecuting attorneys, defending attorneys, bailiffs and the clerks are all youth volunteers from local high schools.  

The judges’ job is to impress upon the kids the seriousness of the courtroom proceedings. At the outset of each hearing they remind the youth that, since they are charged with real crimes, they could easily have ended up in the real juvenile justice system, where punishment is meted out in the form of jail time and hefty fines. Furthermore, they tell youth court defendants that if they fail to comply with their youth court sentence, they could be referred back to the DA’s office for formal prosecution. 

“It’s serious enough so that they think, ‘if this is going on here, who knows what’s going on inside a real juvenile (courtroom),” said youth court judge Butch Ford, a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. 

But for youth court coordinators, the bottom line is less about punishment than it is about helping kids who need positive intervention in their lives. 

“Tonight is the night that is most uncomfortable for youth, but after the hearing we try to put the offense in the past,” said Oakland Youth Court Coordinator Jarvis Hurts. 

“To me, I don’t want to punish any kid,” Hurts said. “I’m just trying to show them what’s going on and help them out. 

“It was a dumb mistake. All kids make dumb mistakes. How can we hold them accountable and give them some different skills.” 

Kids and parents alike are sometimes cynical at the beginning of the youth court process, Hurts conceded, but they become more and more involved as time goes on, he said. 

Once a youth court jury hands down a sentence, the youth court coordinators work with the offenders and their parents to choose community services and counseling options that appeal to them. Through a careful process of case management, they try to address some of the underlying problems that may have driven the kids to criminal behavior.  

They also schedule community service hours and other commitments during after-school hours when children across the country are most likely to engage in criminal behavior if left to their own devices. 

“All kinds of studies show that kids who are involved in after-school programs commit fewer crimes.” Halbrook said.  

“(Through the youth court process) they have some practice making positive decisions, and also the have a support network,” Halbrook said. “Our kids become friends. The really support each other.” 

“We try to empower them,” said Hurts. “Because if you can empower youth, they’ll take over from there. They know where to go.” 

Berkeley High student Malaika Umrani, a youth court volunteer, said the youth court is a constructive alternative to the traditional juvenile justice system, which “just scares and traumatizes young kids.” 

Umrani said there will always been those kids who take advantage of the system. 

“For some kids its just like, ‘Oh, I have to do this for so many hours,’ and then they go right back to what they were doing,” Umrani said.

Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve spending $500 million more to buy power for two struggling utilities as Republicans escalated their criticism of the Democrat’s handling of the energy crisis. 

Davis’ request, expected to win approval from the Legislature’s majority Democrats, would bring the state’s power purchases on behalf of credit-poor Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric to $4.7 billion since the buying started in early January. 

Both utilities said they are starting to pay the state back for the previous power purchases, complying with an order Tuesday by the state Public Utilities Commission. 

Edison paid the state $43 million and PG&E paid $65.2 million for power purchased by the state in January and February. 

Republicans stepped up their criticism of Davis and his fellow Democrats during an Assembly session Thursday morning. 

It was the first legislative session since Assembly Republicans chose a new minority leader this week, Assemblyman Dave Cox of Fair Oaks, who pledged to take a harder line on energy negotiations. 

Assemblyman Jay La Suer, R-La Mesa, ridiculed Davis’ offer of 20 percent rate cuts for consumers who cut their electricity use 20 percent from last summer. 

“My people can’t save 20 percent. They’ve already cut to the bone,” La Suer said. 

He and others blamed Davis for record rate increases of up to 46 percent the PUC ordered this week for Edison and PG&E customers. 

Republicans noted that the PUC is dominated by Davis appointees. Davis has denied any influence and criticized the rate hike as premature. 

Eleven Assembly Republicans filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court asking the court to order Davis to provide more details on the state’s power purchases, saying they need the information for state budget decisions. 

“Governor Davis has an information gray-out,” said Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks, who led the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit, similar to one filed last week by The Associated Press and several newspapers, seeks details on long-term power contracts the state has signed and the short-term purchases it is making for Edison and PG&E customers. 

Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio accused Republicans of engaging in political “bomb-throwing and obstructionism,” saying the information they want to make public would help power suppliers get higher prices from the state. 

He joined Assembly Democrats in accusing the Republican Bush administration and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of not doing enough to rein in soaring wholesale electricity costs. 

“When are we going to realize that we’ve gotten FERCed?” quipped Assemblywoman Helen Thomson, D-Davis. 

She said Californians are hearing “a giant sucking sound” as their electric payments flow to out-of-state electricity generators. 

Maviglio said the crisis is the product of the 1996 deregulation law signed by then-Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. 

“To think Governor Davis can clean up this mess in a matter of months is just ludicrous,” Maviglio said. 

Cox invited Davis to attend a GOP caucus to discuss energy. Davis spent two hours briefing Democrats on Wednesday. 

Also Thursday, the Assembly resumed hearings in its investigation into California’s highest-in-the-nation natural gas prices. 

Southern California Gas Co. Vice President Rick Morrow vehemently denied allegations in a Los Angeles lawsuit that his company conspired with El Paso Gas Co. at a 1996 hotel meeting to drive up California natural gas prices. 

“That allegation is absolutely absurd,” Morrow told two Assembly subcommittees investigating the gas price-spike. 

The companies are defendants in a lawsuit filed last week by the city of Los Angeles. 

Chris Garner, director of Long Beach Energy, said the spike has cost his customers between $25 million and $30 million. Long Beach gas prices are tied to the cost of gas at the California border, which peaked this winter with costs up to six times as high as in neighboring states. 

California has struggled with soaring natural gas prices, rising electricity costs and a tight power supply for months. 

The state was under a Stage 1 power alert Thursday, with reserves approaching 7 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

California ISO: www.caiso.com 

LOS ANGELES — The Hispanic population in California soared by 43 percent over the past decade and nearly one out of every three state residents is a member of the fast-growing ethnic group, according to U.S. census figures released Thursday. 

The strong Hispanic growth in California coincides with dramatic increases reported by the Census Bureau in other states. In Arkansas, the bureau reported a 337 percent increase in Hispanics and Florida logged a 70 percent growth rate for Hispanics. 

While the growth in California was not as steep in terms of percentage, the sheer numbers were significant, experts said. 

“The growth outside of California reflects a continuous progress of Latinos moving out of traditional areas, but there’s also a continued concentration in the places they were before,” said Leo Estrada, an urban planning professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “There’s enough population growth to allow that to continue simultaneously.” 

The number of Hispanics grew by 3.3 million in the 1990s, from 7,687,938 in 1990 to 10,966,556 in the decennial survey taken in April, 2000. The state’s overall population, meanwhile, grew 13.8 percent to 33.9 million people. 

The Hispanic population nationally grew by 58 percent to 35.3 million, or about 13 percent of the U.S. population. Nearly one in every three Hispanics nationwide lives in California. 

“I think it’s kind of peculiar and kind of comical that people are shocked that the number of Latinos are going up,” said Gregory Salcido, 32, a history teacher at El Rancho High School in the predominantly Hispanic suburb of Pico Rivera, east of Los Angeles. “No matter where you go, you’ll see people my skin shade and who have a last name that ends in a vowel and are bilingual, which is a great skill.” 

California remains a key destination for newly arrived Hispanic immigrants and growth also is occurring among Hispanics who have long made the state their home, said Albert Camarillo, a history professor at Stanford University. 

Past Census statistics and more recent state data show that about two-thirds of the increase in the Hispanic population has been due to natural increase – or more births than deaths. Immigration has accounted for only about one-third of the Hispanic population’s growth, Camarillo said. 

“We’re also seeing the second- and third-generations are moving to the suburbs, which has been true for the last 20 years,” Camarillo said Thursday. “When people have the economic means, they will leave the more concentrated Mexican-American barrios.” Census 2000 showed the suburban area of San Bernardino County registering a 77 percent increase in Hispanics in the 1990s; the ethnic group makes up 39 percent of the county’s 1.7 million residents. 

The growth rate was less robust in Los Angeles County, which has more Hispanics than any other county in the state. The Hispanic population in the county increased 27 percent to 4.2 million – or about 45 percent of the 9.5 million county residents. 

The competition for jobs among immigrants in the greater Los Angeles area may be a contributing factor to the slower growth rate among Hispanics, Camarillo said. 

In some of the state’s largest cities, Hispanics made up sizable portions of the population. Of the 3.7 million residents in Los Angeles, about 1.7 million, or 47 percent, identified themselves as Hispanics. 

In San Diego, 25 percent of the city’s 1.2 million residents were Hispanic, while 38 percent of Riverside’s 255,166 residents listed themselves as part of the ethnic group. 

In San Francisco, 14 percent of its 776,733 residents identified themselves as Hispanic. 

Hispanics, of course, have a long relationship with California, which was part of Mexico until it was lost in 1848 following the U.S.-Mexico War. 

Signs of the region’s Hispanic roots can be found throughout the place once called Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula), which has been shortened to Los Angeles. 

KMEX-TV, a Spanish-language station that is the flagship of the Univision Television Group, has the highest rated newscasts in Los Angeles, regardless of language, according to Nielsen Media Research. 

In 1998, the state also elected its first Hispanic to a statewide office since 1871 when Cruz Bustamante became lieutenant governor. 

In the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral race, Antonio Villaraigosa, 48, and Xavier Becerra, 43, are vying to become the city’s first Hispanic mayor in more than a century. 

Salcido, the high school history teacher, also has become active politically and is in his first term as a Pico Rivera city councilman. 

“I truly believe that the things I want for my wife and family and the security I’m looking at for my friends, those are the same things that someone in Toledo, Ohio wants,” Salcido said. “Allow us to be a part of the American dream, just as everyone else has wanted and has been able to take a part in. We don’t want to take away from anyone, we just want to get in.” 

———— 

On the Net: 

http://www.census.gov 

http://www.state.ca.us 

Q: We have a slow knocking sound coming from inside a wall. The sound occurs when the upstairs bathroom faucet is turned on. I have been told that this could be the pipes banging against the wall. Is this a serious problem? 

A: Knocking pipes aren’t usually a serious plumbing problem, but they can drive you nuts. 

Knocking or banging pipes can be caused by several factors; excessively high water pressure (over 55 psi), air in the water lines or a failing faucet washer. Sometimes the knocking radiates along hot water pipes from a sediment-laden water heater that is in need of flushing. However, the banging would occur at more than one faucet (not just the upstairs bathroom faucet, as you describe) if the source of the problem were any of the aforementioned. 

We have a hunch that the knocking is caused by vibration due to a brittle or deteriorating washer. If the faucet consists of two handles, try to determine whether the knocking occurs when using “hot” or “cold” water. 

Once you have narrowed it down to one or the other, close the shut-off valve (usually in the cabinet below the faucet) and remove the decorative handle, packing nut and valve stem. The washer is attached to the bottom of the valve stem with a small screw. Remove the existing washer and replace it. Reassemble the faucet in the reverse order that you took it apart. If your faucet is a “single-lever” model, remove the handle and packing nut as you would a two-handle model. However, instead of replacing a valve-stem washer, you will use a washer replacement kit. 

Q: How do I change a leaking toilet tank? 

A: The first step in repairing a leaking toilet tank is to determine where the leak is located and what is causing it. There are several possible causes, the most obvious of which is a hairline crack in the tank – often virtually undetectable. Other possible causes are the four factory penetrations at the bottom of the tank where connections are made to the water supply, where the tank is bolted to the bowl, and at the location where water flows from the tank to the bowl. 

Each of these locations has a rubber washer designed to ensure a watertight connection. An easy means of determining the location of the leak is by placing a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. Wait about an hour and return to the scene to search for colored water at the outside of the tank. If the leak is at one of the factory penetrations, use a wrench or screwdriver to tighten the connection. Dry the area and return in another hour to see if the problem has been solved. If not, try replacing the washers. 

Drain the tank by turning off the water supply and flushing the toilet. Disconnect the water supply and remove the two bolts that anchor the tank to the bowl.  

Before you get set on tearing out your toilet tank, be certain that your leak isn’t a sweating tank. 

A sweating tank is caused by condensation that occurs on the outside surface of the toilet tank due to the difference in temperature between the water in the toilet tank and the air in the room. If the problem is condensation, it can be remedied in one of two ways – with a tank liner or a tempering valve. 

The tank liner consists of a rubber membrane that is installed in the interior surface of the tank as a layer of insulation. The tempering valve is a bit more complicated. It requires removing the existing water supply valve and replacing it with a model that mixes a small amount of hot water so that the water in the tank isn’t so cold, thus eliminating condensation. The former is a common do-it-yourself project, whereas the latter often requires a plumber. 

British-born Pamela Harper has been gardening in the United States for over three decades, and gardeners in all parts of the United States have much to learn from her latest book, “Time-Tested Plants: Thirty Years in a Four-Season Garden.” 

With a keen eye for observation and a mind both tolerant and unforgiving, Harper shares both her grand successes and failures with plants and offers hope for green and black thumbs alike. 

Harper takes the reader through four seasons at her two-acre Virginia garden on a sheltered tidal creek off the Chesapeake Bay, offering detailed descriptions and stunning photographs of hundreds of trees, shrubs, and perennials that happily co-exist in her garden. All but two of the 250 photographs were taken in her own garden, and they are testament to her outstanding talent for beautiful and striking plant combinations (Mexican bush sage against the yellow autumn foliage of climbing hydrangea or holly fern with the red-flowered Fashion azalea). 

Each plant in the book is described by Harper in loving and beautiful descriptive detail, with instructions for culture and care. Writing of different varieties of the silverbell tree, Harper says that “because the floral contribution of these flowers is so brief, one silverbell would really be enough, but which? I’d choose Halesia diptera var. magniflora (Zone 5) with flowers that have the ethereal loveliness of Swan Lake ballerinas.” 

Harper’s philosophy of gardening is a no-nonsense one that is also ruthless, giving all gardeners the courage to pull out plants that simply do not work. “Thumbs down for purple-leaf plums,” she declares, “which attract innumerable pests, including borers and Japanese beetles that turn their leaves to netting.” 

Gardening in England for 15 years or so before she moved to the United States gave Harper a different background and outlook toward horticulture. Her experience in Britain, she said, taught her to emphasize plants instead of design, to rely on thorough soil preparation before planting, and to favor chartreuse, purple, and cleanly variegated foliage instead of leaves with spots and streaks. 

The climate in America is very different from England, however, and Harper was forced to change some of her preferences and methods. “For example, the gentle pastel colors that work so well in England look bleached out and insipid in brilliant sunshine, and I now use stronger colors. And in a region of great heat and fairly heavy rainfall, plants grow a lot faster and need much more frequent pruning.” 

Harper said she finds gardening in the United States exciting these days, particularly because of “the much greater variety of garden styles” and “a readiness to experiment.” 

The greatest lesson a gardener can learn, she explained, is that “a garden, if it is not to be boringly mundane, always involves experiment and mistakes, that it is unlikely ever to be perfect, and that the pleasure lies in the doing.” 

Harper’s previous books include “Perennials: How to Select, Grow and Enjoy” (1985) which has gone through 17 printings but is now out of print, and “Designing with Perennials,” named in 1997 by the American Horticultural Society as one of the 75 best American gardening books. 

Gardeners who are particularly enthusiastic about flowers will like “Flowers A to Z” It’s a beautiful guide on how to keep them alive once you bring them inside. Heffernan, a floral designer from Jackson Hole, Wyo., gives specific instructions on how to buy and cut flowers to make them last longer, what kind of tools and techniques to use, how to encourage blossoms to open, and how to plant and care for flowers in the garden. 

The photographs in this book are stunning; even gardeners who dislike floral arrangements will find it hard to resist. Heffernan says that “flowers are not just for the rich and famous or for special occasions,” but they can “be a part of every day life and not totally break your wallet.” 

Heffernan guides the reader through various stages of a flower’s life, and with detailed, close-up photographs shows how to support cut flowers and prolong vase life, how to handle thick and thin stems, how to trim leaves and thorns, how to use special floral tools. 

Each flower has its own special section, listing varieties, growing tips, the meaning of the flower’s name, and hints on how to prolong the blooms and how to use them in arrangements. 

According to Heffernan, the most long-lasting arrangements are those that contain the same type of flower. “If you buy all tulips or all roses or all gerber daisies,” she said, “they’re going to last longer than if you mix all three types together.” The book does tell the reader, however, how to successfully mix flowers and which ones work best together. 

Although the book only covers 26 flowers, it’s certain to become a classic and will find a rightful and prominent place on many coffee tables around the country. 

PASADENA — Twin volcanic plumes that rise 250 miles above the surface of Jupiter’s fiery moon Io appear in images taken by two NASA spacecraft and released Thursday. 

Scientists have known about one of the towering plumes for the past four years, as it has continued to spew gas and dust from a volcano called Pele each time the Galileo probe has flown past Io. 

But when Galileo was joined at Jupiter this winter by the spacecraft Cassini, the two probes caught a second plume in the act. 

Peering at Io in ultraviolet wavelengths on Jan. 1 and 2, Cassini spied the new plume near the moon’s north pole. The discovery was the first of an active plume in that region and the first to rival Pele’s plume in size. 

Images taken days earlier by Galileo but transmitted to Earth just this month show a red ring circling a volcanic area called Tvashtar Catena. Scientists said the new ring of deposits makes Tvashtar the likely source of the new plume. 

Scientists working on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission hope Galileo will give them a closer look at Tvashtar in August when the spacecraft will pass just 224 miles above the area, going directly through the plume — if it’s still present. Unlike the risks that volcanic ash and debris pose to aircraft here on Earth, the plume is tenuous enough that it will not endanger Galileo. 

Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Because Io orbits so close – 260,000 miles – to giant Jupiter, the planet’s gravitational tug constantly flexes the moon like a metal bar bent back and forth. That constant flexing causes the moon’s extreme volcanism. 

Galileo has orbited Jupiter since 1995 and will continue to do so until NASA sends it plunging into the planet’s atmosphere in 2003.  

Cassini swung past Jupiter this winter to gain a boost on its way to a 2005 arrival at Saturn. 

The Associated Press 

LOS ANGELES — A half dozen hate crimes a day are reported in California, according to experts who say they are certain that number would be even higher if all victims were willing to come forward. 

A hate crimes commission created in the aftermath of the 1999 North Valley Jewish Community Center shooting in Los Angeles concluded that people who are potential targets of hate need to know they can go to the police and be protected. 

“We know there’s about six hate crimes reported each day, unfortunately, there’s probably more not being reported,” California Attorney General Bill Lockyer told a news conference called Thursday to unveil the commission’s report. 

The Civil Rights Commission on Hate Crimes, charged with finding ways to encourage the reporting of hate crimes, was created by Lockyer in 1999 after White supremacist Buford O. Furrow went on a shooting rampage that killed a man and wounded five other people.  

Furrow was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole earlier this week. 

After wounding three children, a teen-age girl and a woman at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the San Fernando Valley, Furrow fatally shot Filipino-American mail carrier Joseph Ileto. 

The commission, comprised of educators, officers, lawyers and activists from around the state, found that hate crimes tend to be underreported because of cultural or language barriers, fear of retaliation and lack of education. 

The report recommended launching a multi-lingual public awareness campaign, creating a toll-free hot line and passing legislation that will promote tolerance programs in schools and provide money for community programs. 

It also recommended that law enforcement agencies work together by identifying and responding to hate crimes, whether the crime is based on race, sexual orientation, disability or gender. 

“It’s a model of how to attack the problem not only in the state but nationwide,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca who attended Thursday’s news conference at the Museum of Tolerance. 

Some of the report’s recommendations have already been turned into legislation. State Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, has authored two bills, one to provide grants to groups promoting awareness, and another to create a toll-free hot line for people to report hate crimes. 

Another bill, authored by Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, would require schools to train teachers and students to recognize hate crimes. All three bills are expected to be taken up by the Legislature next month. 

Ismael Ileto said Thursday he was grateful for the effort to fight hate crimes that his brother’s murder helped inspire. 

“I realize there are a lot of issues – schools, housing, you name it – but in my opinion it doesn’t do any good if we’re hating each other,” he said.

SACRAMENTO — State Democrats are descending upon the traditionally Republican stronghold of Orange County for what they bill as a weekend-long “Bush-bashing” fest. 

Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., are scheduled to headline the three-day Democratic state convention in Anaheim. The event starts Friday. 

“We are going to spend the first and the last hour bashing Bush – and all through the weekend,” state party spokesman Bob Mulholland said. 

Bush lost California’s 54 electoral votes to Democrat Al Gore despite pouring far more time and money into campaigning here. 

But Democrats will also spend time talking about power, and not the political kind, Mulholland said. 

Though California Democrats enjoy a substantial lead over Republicans in voter registration, have comfortable legislative majorities and hold every statewide office except the secretary of state’s, the energy crisis is providing valuable fuel for the GOP. 

Republicans already have unleashed attacks on Davis and the Democrat-controlled Legislature for what they call lack of action to prevent statewide rolling blackouts and record electricity rate hikes. 

In addition, consumer advocates are threatening a ratepayer revolt on the 2002 ballot, planning to sponsor an initiative that would share the ballot with Davis. 

The governor’s first GOP challenger in 2002, Secretary of State Bill Jones, announced last week that the state’s power crisis will be a centerpiece of his campaign. 

Davis plans to address the delegates Saturday. The speech is expected to focus on energy and Saturday’s first-ever state holiday honoring United Farm Workers union founder Cesar Chavez. 

Davis will play host at an invitation-only party Friday night at Disney’s new California Adventure theme park, where party officials say actor Martin Sheen might make an appearance. 

On Saturday, some 2,000 delegates are expected to unanimously re-elect party chairman Art Torres, who is unopposed for a second four-year term. 

The election likely will be a stark contrast from the state GOP convention last month, when the party narrowly elected Beverly Hills conservative Shawn Steel over moderate Brooks Firestone in a contentious campaign that consumed much of the three-day event. 

Also scheduled to speak at the Democratic convention: Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe; U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who unseated GOP Rep. Robert K. Dornan in 1996 in traditionally Republican Orange County. 

On the Net: 

Read the convention agenda at http://www.ca-dem.org

LAS VEGAS — The days of fumbling for enough change to buy that candy bar from the vending machine are over. Whip out your cell phone, call a number and charge the candy bar to your bill. 

Vending machines are going high-tech. Customers can get weather and news updates while choosing a soda or use credit cards and cell phones to pay for a bag of trail mix. 

“It’s getting people who don’t have the correct change,” Jason Allen, account director for Atlanta-based Marconi Online Systems, said Thursday during the Spring National Automatic Merchandising Association conference. 

About 6,000 vending operators are attending the show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where 250 exhibitors displayed their latest food products, trends and technology. 

Remember the frustration when a machine wouldn’t accept a dollar bill? What about being a nickel short to buy that soda? The agony! 

This is the convention of solutions. Marconi Online created the cell phone purchase concept to end those pet peeves.  

Customers approach a machine with their phone, dial an 800 number, enter the machine’s code and soon, the snack is delivered. The charge shows up on the customer’s cell bill. 

The company predicts the new machines will be in operation in 12 to 18 months. 

Machines also are being designed to accept credit or debit cards for a small fee. As you wait, check out the day’s news headlines or the weather report on a computer screen. 

If it seems like an awful lot of time to be spending at a vending machine, the company isn’t worried. “It’s no more difficult than making a phone call,” Allen said. 

Vending machines are a $36 billion a year business. Of course, soda remains the most popular item, but for snacks, Snickers candy bars win the contest, according to NAMA, the trade association for the vending industry. 

“It’s really the unsung hero of feeding people,” said Dan Mathews, senior vice president and chief operating officer of NAMA. 

Vending machines have come a long way since 1876, when NAMA says the first machine sold sticks of gum for 1 cent in the New York City subway system.  

Now, it’s gourmet coffee, fresh french fries in 45 seconds, fresh popped popcorn, ice cream and frozen meals. 

Insert money in an ice cream machine at the show and a robotic arm opens a freezer, selects an ice cream bar by sucking it up with a vacuum hose and delivers it to the buyer.  

Another company wants to know what consumers think of buying frozen pizza from a vending machine. The only problem? It’s frozen and has to be cooked in an oven. 

“Delicious,” said Gary Netolicky, sampling a cup of popcorn from a new machine. He was tasting products for his wife’s company, Video Vending, Inc. of Ames, Iowa. 

Another company, Computer Associates of Islandia, N.Y., developed software that, through wireless technology, lets vending machine operators see what products need to be restocked without having to visit the machines. 

But what about that annoying little problem you swear always happens to you? The money goes in, but the snack gets stuck and won’t come out. 

There’s a solution – finally – to that, too. Crane National Vendors of Bridgeton, Mo., created “SureVend,” a machine with sensors that can tell if the product dropped or not. If it didn’t, a motor rotates until it does. 

On the Net: 

http://www.vending.org

SAN DIEGO — Gateway Inc. shuttered 27 of its stores around the country this week as part of a broad strategy to improve the bottom line at the nation’s fourth-largest computer maker, company officials said Thursday. 

About 500 Gateway Country Store employees were notified Monday that the stores they worked in were closing immediately. They will be offered jobs elsewhere within the company, said Bart Brown, senior vice president of the company’s consumer division. 

“This is just part of our back-to-the-basics strategy,” Brown said. “We determined we could maintain the same coverage with fewer stores.” 

Nine of the closing stores are in California, with all but one in the greater Los Angeles area. Three stores are in Virginia; two each in Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas; and one each in Georgia, Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. 

The 299 remaining stores are a key part of the company’s mission of “humanizing the digital revolution.” Shoppers enter a welcoming environment decorated with the company’s trademark cow spots where they can try out Gateway products. Free training clinics are offered to help users beef up their computer skills. 

“It’s all about customer satisfaction,” Gateway spokesman Brad Williams said. “That’s what built our company up more than any advertising campaign.” 

Brett Miller, an analyst with A.G. Edwards & Sons, remains a fan of the stores, but applauded the closures, saying the company had oversaturated large metropolitan areas. 

“The store is a wonderful concept,” he said, offering a unique relationship with the customer. “Every store I’m in – and I’m in quite a few –I’m seeing people who know the person behind the counter on a first-name basis,” Miller said. 

The closures come after Gateway’s stock took a beating since July, falling more than 75 percent. While investors have been fleeing technology stocks, Gateway’s shares fell harder than any of its larger rivals – Hewlett-Packard Co., Compaq Computer Corp. and Dell Computer Corp. 

Investors felt the company lost its focus of delivering the best products at the lowest prices, Miller said. 

“We’ve got a jittery market to begin with,” he said. “Then you’ve got a company going through a formidable restructuring.” 

The store closings continue a round of belt-tightening at Gateway that began in January, when the company announced it would lay off about 3,000 of its 24,000 workers and take a charge of between $150 million and $275 million in the first quarter related to restructuring. 

About 140 jobs at Gateway’s computer network server plant in Orange County are being eliminated. Operations will be shifted to an existing manufacturing plant in North Sioux City, S.D. by the end of March, spokeswoman Donna Kather said. 

Co-founded in 1985 by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ted Waitt in an Iowa farmhouse, Gateway reported revenues of $9.6 billion last year. Waitt retook the helm as CEO in January. 

NEW YORK — Earnings worries thwarted the stock market for a second straight session Thursday, making for a choppy and ultimately directionless day on Wall Street. 

Analysts said the market is unsure about what to expect when profit reports begin next week. End-of-the-quarter buying and selling by portfolio managers also influenced trading. “It’s the same basic problem: earnings,” said Larry Wachtel, market analyst at Prudential Securities. “The market is going to act like this until investors have a better of idea of where the economy is headed.” 

The market’s sour mood reflects a mix of worry about the economy and doubts about when the Federal Reserve will next lower interest rates. The Fed, which has already cut rates three times this year, is expected to act again at its mid-May meeting. Many investors would like to see another reduction before then, 

— The Associated Press 

The government’s gross domestic product figures released Thursday showed the economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.0 percent during the last three months of 2000, the weakest performance in more than five years. But the number of new claims for state unemployment insurance fell last week, although the level still suggests employers’ needs have decreased. 

Analysts attributed some of the market’s volatility to professional money managers who have been buying and selling to give their portfolios the best results possible when the fiscal quarter ends Friday. Institutional buyers make up the bulk of trading activity on U.S. stock markets and exchanges. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 15 to 14 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.47 billion shares, compared with 1.53 billion Wednesday. 

The Russell 2000 index slid 0.67 to 441.53. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average tumbled 5.0 percent in reaction to Wednesday’s technology losses in the United States. The declines were less severe in Europe. Germany’s DAX index was down 1.1 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 was off 0.5 percent, and France’s CAC-40 slid 0.1 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

NEW YORK — Earnings worries thwarted the stock market for a second straight session Thursday, making for a choppy and ultimately directionless day on Wall Street. 

Analysts said the market is unsure about what to expect when profit reports begin next week. End-of-the-quarter buying and selling by portfolio managers also influenced trading. “It’s the same basic problem: earnings,” said Larry Wachtel, market analyst at Prudential Securities. “The market is going to act like this until investors have a better of idea of where the economy is headed.” 

The market’s sour mood reflects a mix of worry about the economy and doubts about when the Federal Reserve will next lower interest rates. The Fed, which has already cut rates three times this year, is expected to act again at its mid-May meeting. Many investors would like to see another reduction before then, 

— The Associated Press 

The government’s gross domestic product figures released Thursday showed the economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.0 percent during the last three months of 2000, the weakest performance in more than five years. But the number of new claims for state unemployment insurance fell last week, although the level still suggests employers’ needs have decreased. 

Analysts attributed some of the market’s volatility to professional money managers who have been buying and selling to give their portfolios the best results possible when the fiscal quarter ends Friday. Institutional buyers make up the bulk of trading activity on U.S. stock markets and exchanges. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 15 to 14 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.47 billion shares, compared with 1.53 billion Wednesday. 

The Russell 2000 index slid 0.67 to 441.53. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average tumbled 5.0 percent in reaction to Wednesday’s technology losses in the United States. The declines were less severe in Europe. Germany’s DAX index was down 1.1 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 was off 0.5 percent, and France’s CAC-40 slid 0.1 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

On a perfect day for baseball, it was almost a perfect game for the Yellowjackets. Almost. 

With ace pitcher Moses Kopner out with an arm injury, sophomore Sean Souders stepped in an pitched a complete-game masterpiece, leading Berkeley to a 7-1 victory over De Anza in the ACCAL opener. Souders, who threw six innings of no-hit ball against Freedom on Friday, should have had a shutout, but a two-out error in the seventh inning handed De Anza its lone run. 

“Statistically, it’s a little disappointing, but I’m just glad we were able to open the season with a win,” Souders said. 

Souders, who only found out he was starting an hour before the game, allowed just three hits and three walks on the day. He had the De Anza hitters pounding the ball into the ground all day, getting 12 ground ball outs. 

“It’s easy when you get good defense, because you aren’t afraid to throw strikes and let them hit the ball,” Souders said. 

When Souders got in a little trouble in the fourth inning, the defense helped bail him out. After Clint Tanaka singled to open the inning, catcher John Mello gunned him down trying to steal. De Anza’s Kyle Toy followed with another single, but Berkeley second baseman Lee Franklin snuffed the threat with a diving stop for the third out. 

Meanwhile, the ’Jackets (7-3 overall, 1-0 ACCAL) were chipping away at De Anza starter John Schlager for seven runs in four innings. It started in the first, as Berkeley strung together three singles and a walk for two runs. Two innings later, right fielder Bennie Goldenberg knocked a clutch single to left, bringing home two more runs for a 4-0 lead. 

Berkeley finished its scoring in the fourth inning with another two-out hit. Center fielder Jason Moore came up with men on first and second and lined a triple into the right-centerfield gap, scoring both runners. Left fielder Clinton Calhoun followed with a single to plate Moore, and Souders had more than enough cushion. 

“We got timely hitting when we needed it, and we took advantage of opportunities,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. 

But just when it looked like Souders had a shutout locked up, the Berkeley defense faltered. With two outs and runners on the corners, De Anza’s Brian Hansen hit a routine grounder to replacement second baseman DeAndre Miller. Miller booted the ball, tossing to second just late, and De Anza had its run. 

“Sean has been outstanding lately. He’s hardly given up any hits,” Moellering said. “He gets better every time he goes out there.

The City Council adopted a Medical Marijuana Ordinance Tuesday that advocates called conservative and a disservice to the chronically ill, while city officials described it as responsible and mindful of public safety. 

Before 40 disappointed medical marijuana supporters, the council approved the Medical Marijuana Ordinance recommended by the city manager. The new ordinance will allow doctor-approved patients to grow up to 10 plants and have 2.5 pounds of dried marijuana in their possession at any time. Medical marijuana advocates supported an ordinance that would be similar to Oakland’s guidelines that allow individuals to grow as many as 144 plants and possess up to 6 pounds. 

The council voted three times before finally approving the city manager’s recommendation. The first two motions called for larger amounts. The first motion was for an individual to possess 6 pounds and no limit on the number of plants. The second motion was different only in that it limited the number of plants to 144. 

Both motions failed by a 5-4 vote with Mayor Shirley Dean, Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek and Councilmembers Polly Armstrong, Betty Olds and Miriam Hawley voting in opposition.  

The recommendation that was finally adopted was approved by an 8-1 vote with Councilmember Dona Spring, who supported the larger amounts, voting against the motion. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he will put the issue back on the agenda at the next meeting to try to increase the allowable numbers. 

When Spring cast her vote she said “I’m voting ‘no’ because what we have now is better than what we’re voting on.” 

Police spokesperson Lt. Russell Lopes said the current Berkeley policy is for officers to make decisions on a case-by-case basis. If officers discover 20 plants in a back yard, they can use their professional judgment to decide whether the plants are intended for medical or recreational use. Lopes said the policy requires a supervisor to evaluate the officers’ decision and determine whether the plants should be confiscated. 

The council’s decision settled 14 months of wrangling between city staff and the Community Health Commission over the allowable amounts for individuals. 

CMC Chair Mark Chekal said the commission recommended 144 plants and 6 pounds per individual because growing marijuana is a complex operation and there is no guarantee each crop will be successful. He said the higher amounts would provide patients with a better chance of having enough marijuana to take care of their medical needs. 

The city Health Officer Poki Stewart Namkung said the higher amounts were beyond the need of most patients. “Two and half pounds is a very generous dose,” she said. “The universal reaction I received from medical professionals to 6 pounds was astonishment.” 

Health and Human Services Director Fred Medrano said the 2.5 pound allowance was based on a dosage of three joints a day. He said the ordinance is flexible and can accommodate patients who need higher doses of marijuana provided they get approval from a doctor. 

“This ordinance does not set a limit,” he said. “There’s no real ceiling and that’s an important distinction to make.” 

Chekal argued, however, that doctors are reluctant to prescribe larger amounts because despite Proposition 215, which allows medical use of marijuana, it is still illegal and doctors are worried about their reputations. 

Police Chief Dash Butler told the council that approving larger amounts could encourage abuse. “There has to be a reasonable line drawn,” he said. “If not, we will undoubtedly have some type of violence.” 

The council report included three examples of home-invasion type robberies, which police claim were motivated by the presence of marijuana and cash. According to the report, a home invasion by two armed men on March 30, 2000 was at the home of a former director of a local cannabis club. 

The report estimates the street value of marijuana to be between $3,500 to $4,500 per pound. 

Chekal argued that most of the robberies involved drug dealers and that Oakland, which has had its policy since 1998, has not had any robberies or violence associated with its allowance of 144 plants and 6 pounds per patient. 

Armstrong drew cheers when she said it was her personal opinion that marijuana should be legalized, but the audience became quiet when she added that she supported the recommendation for the lower numbers of plants and less of the dried cannabis. 

“I don’t want Berkeley to become the Amsterdam of the East Bay,” she said, “Most of the people I spoke with said start in moderation and see how it goes. By nature I’m moderate so that sits well with me.” 

After the vote Director of the Cannabis Buyers Club Don Duncan said he was disappointed with the council’s decision. He said he felt the council voted for the more conservative amounts out of fear rather than compassion for the chronically ill.  

“We’re advising patients not to follow the ordinance,” he said. “We’re advocating zero compliance and encouraging patients to take care of their medical needs. I don’t want anybody to compromise their health because of arbitrary numbers set by the City Council.” 

Outside the Council Chambers, Worthington said he voted for the city manager’s recommendation in order to revisit the issue at the next City Council meeting. 

“I want to try and raise the numbers and in order to put the recommendation on the agenda I had to vote for the prevailing side,” he said. “I’m hopeful that when the community understands we came within one vote, they will continue to write letters and contact the their city councilmembers.” 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Help the Abused  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Gary Hines will discuss how to recognize if a peer is in an abusive situation and what to do. Free  

644-6107 

Special Education  

Parents Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

LeConte School Cafeteria  

2241 Russell St.  

Discussion of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District. 558-8933 

Environmental Sampling  

Project Task Force  

6:30 p.m.  

First Congregational Church of Berkeley  

Channing Large Assembly Room  

2345 Channing Way  

Berkeley Lab responds to comments on the Tritium Sampling and Analysis Plan and discussion of the technical basis for siting ambient air monitoring stations at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.  

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the Buffalo Field Campaign’s front-line efforts to protect the buffalo herd. Sponsored by A First Amendment Center, Berkeley. Free 287-9406  

Cesar Chavez Day  

Commemoration  

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park (Northwest Corner)  

Four fourth and fifth grade classes from area elementary schools will present the virtues of Cesar Chavez, followed by a dance by the Azteca Dance Group. Mayor Shirley Dean, School Board President Terry Doran, Fr. Bill O’Donnell, and Federico Chavez will speak. 845-0657 

Shelter Operations Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Berkeley Historical  

Society Gala Celebration 

3 - 7 p.m. 

Hotel Shattuck  

2086 Allston Way  

Dancing, a silent auction, special guest speaker, a tour of the facility, and more. $30 - $65 

Buddhist Sacred Sites  

and Symbols  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Eva Casey, meditation instructor, will discuss the symbolic images found at sacred sites and the teachings they convey. A slide presentation of the major holy places of the Buddha. Free 

843-6812 

Designing Your Own Seder 

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A workshop designed to stimulate thought about how to best combine the talents and needs of those who are attending in combination with the best of what the tradition provides.  

$5  

848-0237 x127  

Once Upon a Time  

3 p.m.  

St. John’s Community Center  

Sanctuary  

2727 College Ave. (at Garber)  

Master storyteller and actor Fritz Brun brings to life the greatest tales of . 

Christian Anderson, including The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Nightingale. Children may be asked to become characters in the stories. $5 704-0701 

Gender Games  

4 - 7 p.m. 

Pacific Center  

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Play games or just relax in a trans and gender-friendly space. For everyone who is transgender, transsexual, intersex, genderqueer, genderquestioning and their friends, family and significant others. free  

548-8283 or visit  

www.pacificcenter.org 

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA 2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free 549-RIDE 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. www.ajob.org 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Tritium in Berkeley 

4 - 6 p.m. & 7 - 10 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Multipurpose Room  

Bernd Franke will make a presentation on his independent findings of the tritium releases and radiation hazards associated with the National Tritium Labeling Facility, located at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Presented by the City of Berkeley and the Community Environmental Advisory Commission.  

705-8150 or e-mail: toxics@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Great Decisions” - Conflict Resolution in Africa  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will be about financial planning, investments, tax, and the stock market. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Library  

1901 Russel St.  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

The Voiceless Poor  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of why low-income people have no say in local development battles. Free 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Barbara Minton and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Library  

1125 University Ave. 

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This meeting is titled “Inspired Utterance Night.”  

654-5486 

Bicycle Touring in Europe  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Independent bicyclists and budget travelers Tim O’Mahoney and Kathie Strell will give a slide presentation of their three month, 2,000-mile journey through France, Switzerland and Austria. Learn to execute your own bicycle tour. Free  

527-4140 

Taking Care of Your Large Intestine  

1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.  

Summit South Pavilion  

3100 Summit St., 3rd Floor Auditorium  

Oakland 

Harvey Olsen, gastroenterologist, will discuss Colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Olsen will explain changes in lifestyle and simple tools for early detection that can save thousands of lives a year.  

869-6737  

Disability Awareness Day  

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  

Sproul & Dwinelle Plazas 

UC Berkeley  

An opportunity to learn about disabilities, to find resources for yourself or someone you care about, and to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities. One of the major focuses of this years awareness day is on “hidden disabilities.” Free  

666-9647 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more.  

Pre-register by calling 642-5461 

$20 for all five sessions, $10 per individual session  

Taize Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing)  

An hour of quiet reflection and song.  

848-3696 

Saturday, April 7 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

Earthquake Retrofitting Class  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center  

812 Page St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Inside Interior Design  

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A look into the world of interior design with certified interior designer and artist Lori Inman. $35 

525-7610 

Small Press Distribution Open House 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

Small Press Distribution  

3141 Seventh St. (at Gilman)  

With poetry readings at 2 p.m. with featured poet Clark Coolidge and others. Free  

524-1668 

Straw Into Gold 

9 a.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship  

1924 Cedar (at Bonita)  

A rummage sale and intergenerational open mic. coffee house. All proceeds benefit the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. Free 

841-4824  

Sunday, April 8  

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Tibetan Yoga and Healing  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Kum Nye teacher Jack van der Meulen will present this Tibetan yoga and will demonstrate several exercises for self-healing. Free 

843-6812 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Open House  

3 - 5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Culture which will include a prayer wheel and meditation garden tour, Tibetan yoga demonstration, discussion of how useful ancient teachings are in contemporary society, and more. Free 

843-6812 

A Humanistic Passover Seder 

6 p.m.  

Albany Community Center 

1249 Marin Ave.  

Albany  

Kol Hadash will read from the Humanistic Haggadah, and will eat with friends and family. Miriam Solis will lead the group in song.  

$20 - $45  

925-254-0609 

Tuesday, April 10 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Living with HIV 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd Bldg., Room 100 

Joe MacMurray will offer reflections on his personal experiences as an HIV-positive man who is preparing for ordained ministry in the Metropolitan Community Church.  

849-8206 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Sunrise Business Mixer  

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.  

Skates on the Bay  

100 Seawall Drive  

Wake up and smell the coffee at this mixer sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Complimentary breakfast provided by host Skates on the Bay. Free to chamber members.  

RSVP, 549-7003 or e-mail chamber@dnai.com  

Wednesday, April 11 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Bicycle Maintenance 101  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

REI bike technician Paul Ecord will show attendees how to perform basic adjustments on bikes and how to keep them in good condition. Demonstrations of how to clean/replace a chain, adjust derailleurs and replace brake and derailleur cables. Free  

527-4140 

Thursday, April 12 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Alice Rogoff and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Humanist Forum  

7 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway)  

Oakland  

“The future of religion: Dialog and discussion.”  

451-5818 

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Friday, April 13  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Saturday, April 14  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  

Seaborg Room, Men’s Faculty Club 

UC Berkeley  

A one-day conference that will address ethics and globalization by focusing on three areas which bear much of the weight of globalization: International financial institutions and the flow of capital, immigration and refugee flows, and the role of private and local capital and political action. Free and open to the public.  

Eggster Hunt & Learning Festival  

10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.  

West Campus, UC Berkeley  

In front of Life Sciences Building  

A day of egghunts, cultural performances, educational booths, arts and crafts, games and entertainment. Free for all and handicapped accessible. Proceeds benefit five non-profit Bay Area children’s organizations.  

643-2033 

Before the Build  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by builder Glen Kitzenberger on what you need to know before you build or remodel your home. Learn to solder pipe and more. Free 

525-7610 

Choosing to Add On 

Noon - 2 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by author and instructor Skip Wenz on the pros and cons of building an addition. Free  

525-7610 

Sunday, April 15  

The Buddhist Prayer Wheel  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Instructor Miep Cooymans will talk about prayer wheels and how to participate in their creation . Free 

843-6812 

Monday, April 16  

Dino Safari 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Learn how paleontologists sift through evidence to make predictions about the size and behavior of dinosaurs. Included with museum admission. 

$3 - $7  

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Before the Build  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Building Education Center  

812 Page St. 

A free lecture by builder Glen Kitzenberger on what you need to know before you build or remodel your home. Learn to solder pipe and more. Free 

525-7610 

Tuesday, April 17 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on the question of how your life conflicts with your ideals. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Wednesday, April 18  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Thursday, April 19 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Garrett Murphy and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This meetings discussions will center on “Eroticism and Spirituality.”  

654-5486 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

Celebrating Our Past, Envisioning Our Future 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

The PSR Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry hosts its first annual conference which will address racism and heterosexism; being “out” in ministry; queer spirituality; queer and Asian; queer theory and comparative religions and other topics. This is a two day event.  

849-8206 

Light Search & Rescue 

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

EcoCity Message of Curitiba, Brazil 

7:30 p.m. 

Chan Shun Auditorium  

Valley of Life Sciences Building  

UC Berkeley  

The chief representative of the policies, designs, planning and projects that have made Curitiba the ecological development model to the world will share strategies for long term success of cities on planet Earth.  

$5 - $10 donation  

649-1817 

Chiapas Support Committee 

7 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

The delegation to Mexico will report back about the EZLN march and its aftermath with video footage, first-hand accounts, slides and more.  

654-9587 

Estate Planning for the Living 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Norlen Drossel, an estate planning attorney, will cover such topics as the difference between a will and a living trust, durable power of attorney for health care, and other topics of importance to those who don’t plan on dying.  

601-4040 x302 

Exploring Grand Staircase  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Liz Hymans, a leading panoramic photographer in the U.S. will share slides and stories of the making of “Hearst of the Desert Wild,” which celebrates the spirit of Grand Staircase - Escalante. Free  

527-4140 

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Friday, April 20 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Trash Bridges 

1 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

Join Trash Bridges, garbage detective, in this Science Discovery Theatre performance as he explores how recycling, reusing, reducing and composting can help us tackle the ever-increasing garbage humans create. Free with museum admission.  

642-5132 

Saturday, April 21  

California Native Plant Sale  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Regional Botanical Garden  

South Park Drive & Wildcat Canyon Road 

Tilden Regional Park  

A variety of plants will be for sale and proceeds benefit Botanic Garden programs.  

841-8732 

Sunday, April 22 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

The Value of Meditation  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Bob Byrne will discuss how you can bring the benefits of meditation into your life. Meditation instruction will be included. Free 

843-6812 

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to repair a flat tire from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

Monday, April 23  

Cold War Civil Rights 

4 p.m.  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley 

Mary Dudziak, USC, will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Free  

Tuesday, April 24  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Wednesday, April 25  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

The New Math  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of the common misunderstandings in the economics of development. Free 

Thursday, April 26 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ray Skjelbred and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Fire Suppression Class  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Trail of a Lifetime  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Deborah Brill and Marty Place hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, from the snowy northern terminus

I am guilty of a homicide. 

I did not act alone. We, the taxpayers of California, performed the killing collectively. The man we killed was my friend. 

I came to know Bob Massie about 15 years ago when he wrote to tell me he admired my writings about the death penalty. Over the years we met many times and exchanged copious communication. Bob's letters were always filled with citations from capital cases, and always included an attempt to convince me of the soundness of his legal thinking. 

He argued that the state law mandating an automatic appeal in any case where the death penalty is imposed amounts to trying someone twice for the same crime. This – double jeopardy – is unconstitutional. Therefore, he insisted, he should be set free. 

Massie decided he could best prove his point by refusing to appeal and demanding to be put to death. It became the singular goal of his sad life. 

Last January, Massie asked the court to dismiss his federal petition for review. He asked me to increase my visits and witness his execution so I could write about his death and make the citizens of California understand that he was dying for the cause of abolition. He was “on a mission.” 

I told him I did not understand how this could end the death penalty, and that I had no desire to witness his execution. But I agreed so I could continue visiting and to try to dissuade him. 

One week before his execution, I went to court as his “next friend,” to try to block the execution on the grounds that he was mentally ill, unstable, profoundly depressed, and therefore not competent to waive judicial review. 

From that moment, I was Massie's enemy. He saved his most passionate hatred for the lawyers who continued to try to save his life, and now he cast me into that despised category. 

I never got around to asking my friend if he had any recollection of his mother giving him up to the care of the state when he was not yet six years old. I know he remembered – because he told me he wanted to forget – his years in foster homes, spread-eagled beatings, his head pushed down into the toilet bowl and held under. 

In juvenile hall at age 11, he had a few new experiences. Small of stature and somewhat effeminate, he was gang raped repeatedly. But he never talked much about any of that, did not think it mattered, did not see a connection to his current mental health. “Everybody's a victim,” he would say. 

He did share one searing memory. At 12, my friend was put on a Virginia chain gang. The boys went out in all weather, chained together, and dug trenches that they then filled. One day, one of the boys just fell over dead. A guard unchained the dead body and tossed it into the pit. The chained boys covered him over and continued working. 

Massie was pleased to know that I work with young writers in juvenile hall. He told me to pass them a message of understanding and solidarity. They understood him – not knowing that when he was their age, medical reports described him as “a very disturbed little boy who will need care outside of his home for a long period of time.” 

The little boy got no care. Ever. At 17, beginning to fall apart, he was transferred to a prison medical facility and evaluated as having “undergone a severe personality disorganization.” Outside, he began to treat his symptoms with alcohol, methamphetamines, and other drugs. In 1965, strung out on his “medicines,” my friend killed a fellow human being in a robbery attempt gone bad. 

He pled guilty and was sent to California's death row. He tried, unsuccessfully, to waive his appeals. A prison psychologist diagnosed him with a disorder “tantamount to an acute schizophrenic reaction.” 

Then, in 1972, the death penalty was declared unconstitutional. A few years later, after a brief period of freedom, my friend was involved in an altercation in a San Francisco liquor store. As he was leaving, the proprietor grabbed him from behind. A lifetime in prisons had conditioned him to fear above all else being held from behind. He freed one hand, drew out a revolver and aimlessly fired three times. One shot hit the proprietor and killed him. 

During his trial, my friend was “in and out of competence,” he said. He had been taking drugs steadily, and the jail medical staff prescribed lithium to control his paranoia and depression. 

But he remembered that at the very time he was being tried, convicted and sentenced to death for his unplanned homicide, Dan White was being sentenced to a short term of years in a courtroom just down the hall for methodically killing the mayor of San Francisco and Supervisor Harvey Milk. 

Massie wanted to die. He tried to kill himself. He failed. He tried again. Another failure. By the time of his 1989 retrial, he was insanely committed to his theory of double jeopardy. But, as every attorney who had represented him or corresponded with him had warned, no court would accept his theory, and he was again sentenced to death. He saw all this as proof that the courts are corrupt and that defense lawyers were his real adversaries. 

To overcome them, he decided, he had to die – dismiss his appeals and seek to be executed. But he realized that a court would not allow him to do that if he was seen as irrational or incompetent. 

So he stopped seeing psychiatrists. He stopped creating a record of his mental status, so that by the time the question of his competence came up again, there was no recent record. By chance, the lawyer appointed to represent him had no experience in criminal law and would do whatever hewas told by an intelligent client. 

My friend, Bob Massie, maneuvered the state of California into assisting in his suicide. He had his own lawyer doing the dance of death with the attorney general and managed to avoid being declared incompetent. 

A brilliant performance. But brilliance is not the same as mental health. I greatly admired, and shall greatly miss, Bob Massie's intelligence. At the same time, I feel guilty relief that he no longer has to wrestle with 

the demons of his dark mental processes that rendered him irrational and incompetent, despite the courts' rulings. 

And I believe that my efforts to prevent the suicide of this mentally unstable man unwittingly gave Bob Massie a triumphant exit, proof that he could outsmart and outmaneuver any conspiracy to keep him alive. 

How satisfying it must have been at last to have been led into the chamber. How competent he must have felt. I hope the last thought he had before we killed him was, “Ha ha! I beat them all. I won.” 

Pacific News Service associate editor Michael A. Kroll is a veteran death penalty abolitionist and founder of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

On a perfect day for baseball, it was almost a perfect game for the Yellowjackets. Almost. 

With ace pitcher Moses Kopner out with an arm injury, sophomore Sean Souders stepped in an pitched a complete-game masterpiece, leading Berkeley to a 7-1 victory over De Anza in the ACCAL opener. Souders, who threw six innings of no-hit ball against Freedom on Friday, should have had a shutout, but a two-out error in the seventh inning handed De Anza its lone run. 

“Statistically, it’s a little disappointing, but I’m just glad we were able to open the season with a win,” Souders said. 

Souders, who only found out he was starting an hour before the game, allowed just three hits and three walks on the day. He had the De Anza hitters pounding the ball into the ground all day, getting 12 ground ball outs. 

“It’s easy when you get good defense, because you aren’t afraid to throw strikes and let them hit the ball,” Souders said. 

When Souders got in a little trouble in the fourth inning, the defense helped bail him out. After Clint Tanaka singled to open the inning, catcher John Mello gunned him down trying to steal. De Anza’s Kyle Toy followed with another single, but Berkeley second baseman Lee Franklin snuffed the threat with a diving stop for the third out. 

Meanwhile, the ’Jackets (7-3 overall, 1-0 ACCAL) were chipping away at De Anza starter John Schlager for seven runs in four innings. It started in the first, as Berkeley strung together three singles and a walk for two runs. Two innings later, right fielder Bennie Goldenberg knocked a clutch single to left, bringing home two more runs for a 4-0 lead. 

Berkeley finished its scoring in the fourth inning with another two-out hit. Center fielder Jason Moore came up with men on first and second and lined a triple into the right-centerfield gap, scoring both runners. Left fielder Clinton Calhoun followed with a single to plate Moore, and Souders had more than enough cushion. 

“We got timely hitting when we needed it, and we took advantage of opportunities,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. 

But just when it looked like Souders had a shutout locked up, the Berkeley defense faltered. With two outs and runners on the corners, De Anza’s Brian Hansen hit a routine grounder to replacement second baseman DeAndre Miller. Miller booted the ball, tossing to second just late, and De Anza had its run. 

“Sean has been outstanding lately. He’s hardly given up any hits,” Moellering said. “He gets better every time he goes out there.

In a game that featured more plot twists and suspense than an Academy Award-winning drama, the Bears were unable to come up with the requisite happy ending. Pacific’s Jason Walker smacked an opposite-field homerun to give the Tigers (16-15) a 9-8 victory over Cal in 13 innings at Evans Diamond.  

The Bears (15-14) are now 7-11 in games decided by two runs or less.  

“We need to find a way to win these games; the telltale sign of this ballclub will be how we come out of this,” said Cal head coach David Esquer. “There’s better things in store for us.” 

Walker’s homerun, his third of the season, came off of reliever Matt Payne (0-1), who was making his first appearance as a Golden Bear. Todd Culp (1-3) pitched four innings in relief for the Tigers to pick up the win.  

Though the game lasted nearly four hours, the first six innings zipped by at a crisp pace. Cal catcher Creighton Kahoalii opened the scoring with a two-run homerun to left, giving the Bears a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Cal starter David Cash was sharp, allowing only one run in six innings of work and striking out a career high 11 batters. 

The Bears plated three more runs in the fifth, making the lead 5-1. Everything seemed in control. Everything was an illusion. 

Ryan Lubener started the seventh in place of Cash. Two outs, four hits, and two runs later, he was relieved by Blake Read. Read faced only one batter, Brian Hackett, whom he walked. With cleanup hitter Rick Morton due at the plate, Coach Esquer made the decision to go to his ace reliever, Matt Brown.  

Brown fell behind Morton 3-0, then threw a fastball that Morton slapped over the rightfield fence for a grand slam and a 7-5 Pacific lead.  

“We were in position to win, and we didn’t hold them,” said Esquer after the game. “We made a couple of pitches that we would like to have back.” 

The Bears fought back to tie the score with two in the ninth. Ben Conley scored on a single by Clint Hoover, and with Horowitz representing the tying run at third, Conor Jackson beat out a double play, allowing Horowitz to tie the score at 9-9. 

The teams traded sacrifice flies in the tenth, and both squandered opportunities in the eleventh inning. Pacific left the go-ahead runner on third when Payne got centerfielder Joel Summers to ground out to second base. Spencer Wyman came up with the bases loaded in the bottom half, but grounded into a double play to end the threat.  

“They’re trying hard, sometimes too hard,” said Esquer. 

Horowitz’s 23-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-5 performance. The freshman outfielder’s streak now stands as the longest in Cal history.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court took a first look at prescription pot Wednesday, hearing arguments on an issue that has pitted the federal government against cancer, AIDS and other patients who sometimes regard marijuana as a wonder drug. 

As far as the federal government is concerned, marijuana is illegal and should remain so. Federal enforcement efforts have led to confrontations and arrests in California and other Western states. 

The issue for an openly skeptical Supreme Court is whether a patient’s need for marijuana trumps a 1970 federal law that classifies it as an illegal substance with no known medical value. 

President Bush supports federal prohibitions on marijuana, but also respects states’ rights to pass voter initiatives, as was the case in California, spokesman Ari Fleischer said. 

“The president is opposed to the legalization of marijuana, including for medicinal purposes,” he said Wednesday. 

Lawyers for the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative in California want to make what they call a “medical necessity” defense in federal court, and argue that federal judges and juries have the power to decide if the drug is warranted. 

Several justices seemed to think that approach was a stretch at best. 

“I thought the medical necessity defense was for an individual,” Justice Antonin Scalia said. “You would extend it to the person prescribing the drug, and even to opening a business,” to dispense it. 

“That’s a vast expansion beyond any necessity defense I’ve ever heard of,” Scalia said. 

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy seemed to agree. 

“You’re asking us to hold that this defense exists ... with no specific plaintiff before us, no specific case,” Kennedy told the club’s lawyer, Gerald Uelmen. 

The court’s ruling is expected by the end of June. 

A ruling for the Oakland club would allow special marijuana clubs to resume distributing the drug in California, which passed one of the nation’s first medical marijuana laws in 1996. 

A ruling for the federal government would not negate the California voter initiative, but effectively would prevent clubs like Oakland’s from distributing the drug openly. 

One of the most vocal opponents of legalized prescription marijuana is Barry McCaffrey, the Clinton administration’s drug policy director. He once dismissed the practice as “Cheech and Chong medicine,” a reference to the comedy team that celebrated pot-smoking. 

Advocates of medical marijuana say the drug can ease side effects from chemotherapy, save nauseated AIDS patients from wasting away or even allow multiple sclerosis sufferers to rise from a wheelchair and walk. 

There is no definitive science that the drug works, or works better than conventional, legal alternatives. Nonetheless, nine states have laws allowing the legal use of marijuana to treat a host of ailments. 

Scalia challenged Uelmen to list medical emergencies that could require marijuana treatment. 

“Death, starvation, blindness,” Uelmen began. 

“Stomach ache?” Scalia interrupted with an edge of sarcasm. 

Representing the government, Barbara Underwood, a holdover from the Clinton administration Justice Department, said the 1970 Controlled Substances Act “leaves no room for the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative” and others to act as “marijuana pharmacies.” 

Bush’s choice as chief advocate before the Supreme Court, Theodore Olson, has not been confirmed by the Senate. 

Several states are considering medical marijuana laws, and Congress may revisit the issue this year. A measure to counteract laws like California’s died in the House last year. 

Activists on both sides gathered outside the court. 

The Clinton administration sued to stop distribution by the Oakland group and five other California clubs in 1998. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, brother of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, sided with the government. All the clubs except the Oakland group eventually closed down, and the Oakland club turned to registering potential marijuana recipients while it awaited a final ruling. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, ruling that medical necessity is a legal defense. Charles Breyer followed up by issuing strict guidelines for making that claim. 

Stephen Breyer will not participate as the other eight justices consider their ruling. Should the court divide 4-4, the appeals court ruling would stand. 

Voters in Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington also have approved ballot initiatives allowing the use of medical marijuana. In Hawaii, the Legislature passed a similar law and the governor signed it last year. 

The case is United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, 00-151. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Supreme Court site: http://www.supremecourtus.gov 

For the appeals court ruling in U.S. v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative: http://www.uscourts.gov/links.html, and click on 9th Circuit. 

Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative: http://www.rxcbc.org 

Reviewer shouldn’t have trashed play 

Editor: 

This is in response to a March 17 review of “The Tempest,” by John A. Grant of “The Tempest.” 

The Daily Planet is providing a valuable service to the community by regularly covering and critiquing the local arts scene. And certainly, the necessity of objective and unbiased art reviews cannot be denied. Unfortunately, Mr. Grant’s article did not come across so much as a review, as it did as a hit piece. As for me, I am a simple theater buff and frequent patron of Sub Shakes. I enjoyed this version of “The Tempest” so much, that I have seen it twice. Obviously, that doesn’t mean it should be garnering rave reviews. But at the same time, I find it most curious that Mr. Grant did not so much as give a solitary mention to several outstanding performers. 

Christine Blake’s portrayal of Ariel is truly outstanding. The skills of the very talented and accomplished actors, Chetana Karel and Maureen Coyne, raise the play to a higher level. The comedy provided by David Lee Cameron, Diane Jackson and Geoff Pond is top notch. The entire cast is wonderful. It is a crime that the excellence and hard work of these dedicated performers was not so much as acknowledged  

However, it is apparent that Mr. Grant was not as interested in reviewing this play, as he was in crucifying the producer-director-actor, Stanley Spenger. Grant’s two-part review consists first, of his informing the reader of his own cleverness, and the correctness of his personal interpretation of Shakespeare. The second part consists of his diatribe against Spenger. “Spenger mugs and poses his way through a childish and mercurial portrayal.” And: “Spenger is neither a strong actor, nor a strong director.” 

That last remark is brutal. It is also general and nonspecific, and therefore crosses the line to becoming inappropriate. It is not the criticism, but rather the fact that Mr. Grant could not possibly have knowledge regarding the entire body of Spenger’s work and career. He does not have a foundation to base such statements upon. The reviewer also implies that Spenger took the lead role for himself out of vanity. The truth of the matter is that Spenger, due to circumstances, had no choice but to take over that part. Spenger is also accused of being a “theatrical autodidact,” when in fact, he is broadly studied in theater. No artist, regardless of the quality of his or her work, deserves to be smeared and damaged by an uninformed and biased review. I can only hope that in the future, The Daily Planet will take more care.  

Kevin R. Moore 

Berkeley

Cal men’s head basketball head coach Ben Braun signed a four-year contract extension this week. The new contract lasts through the 2008-09 season. 

The extension reaffirmed Braun’s commitment to the program. The coach was reportedly a leading candidate for job openings at Michigan and Wisconsin, but declined to submit his name for consideration. 

“We talk to our players about being committed, and it should be no different for coaches. This is my way of committing to a program for the long term,” Braun said. “I think great things are happening at Cal, and I like the direction our program is going.”  

Braun recently completed his fifth season with the Golden Bear program and led Cal to a 20-11 overall record and a berth in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Overall, Braun has a 95-61 record with the Bears, which includes an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1997 and a National Invitation Tournament title in 1999. Braun won Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1997. 

Acting Athletic Director Bob Driscoll announced the extension, holding it as an example of the commitment by the school to improve the program. 

“This new contract extension shows our commitment to Ben Braun and what we’re trying to achieve in our basketball program here at Cal,” Driscoll said. “It provides the continuity necessary to attain national prominence over the next several years.”

Residential neighborhoods may soon begin to feel some relief from the influx of illegal parkers. 

After a series of complaints, the Finance Department changed the restrictions on obtaining parking passes to make it more difficult for people to obtain the passes illegally, and the City Council approved the hiring of five new enforcement officers to ticket abusers. 

“We had tried to become customer friendly and make it as easy as possible and people were misusing them,” said Fran David, city finance director. 

Pamela Speichs, member of the new Residential Permit Parking citizen’s group to advise on the program, said the problem became so egregious one day she realized that action needed to be taken. “On Parker Street one side of the street was (without parking) for street sweeping, the other side of the street was completely filled with people parking with temporary permits,” she said. The residents are left without parking. 

Residential permit parking programs limit parking in certain neighborhoods. Anyone parking over two hours must have a residential sticker or they will face a fine. 

Neighborhoods opt into the Residential Permit Program after the community requests to join by petition and the city traffic engineer examines the viability of the program. Once a neighborhood joins the residential parking program, residents must register their cars at their addresses in the Berkeley neighborhood in order to purchase an annual permit. 

But residents can obtain special daylong or 14-day permits for friends or visitors to park in the neighborhood. A one-day permit costs 50 cents, a substantially reduced rate from downtown parking costs. 

In order for the program to work, enforcement officers must ticket people parked in residential neighborhoods without passes, and battle the fraudulent use of short-term permits.  

“The enforcement job is a considerable one,” Speichs said. 

She lives in the Le Conte neighborhood and keeps track of the use of permits and passes on her street. Speichs said that people mastermind ways to circumvent the system: they reproduce passes at copy centers and bleach out old passes by leaving them on their dashboards – then they fill in new dates.  

Some of the abuse had to do with the laxity of the previous system, David said.  

People were “stockpiling” permits, she said, by picking up “the maximum allotted each year.” The abuse included people around the university reselling permits on Cal football days for up to $30, or passing them on to people living temporarily in the area.  

David hopes that the changes implemented on March 1 will change all that. 

In the new system people must go in person to pick up their permits, they can only pick up a limited number of permits at a time, and they must be used on a specific date. The resident must also list the license plate number of the vehicle using the permit.  

Speich said those changes are working. “It’s already had a positive effect. On Parker we keep statistics on a daily basis, people are switching to one-day passes,” she said.  

Despite some of the inconveniences of the new system, said Speichs, “The neighbors are ecstatic.” “Everybody’s in agreement that we want to have a neighborhood feeling,” she said. “Reinvigorating the residential parking program is the way we can do it.” 

By Ben Lumpkin 

Daily Planet Staff 

Parents packed into the Martin Luther King Middle School library Tuesday night to hear Berkeley High School freshman counselors talk about some common pitfalls that affect Berkeley High ninth-graders. 

“The big difference between high school and middle school is that there is more freedom in high school,” Berkeley High School Freshman Counselor Susan Werd told the group, explaining that one of the first “red flags” for students struggling with the transition into high school is absence from class. 

Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch is developing a plan for a “closed campus” for freshman beginning next year to deal specifically with the temptation students have, when they leave campus for lunch, to simply stay in downtown Berkeley with friends and miss the remainder of their classes. 

Under the proposed “closed campus” policy, freshman would be required to stay on campus all day next year. The restriction would expand to include sophomores in the fall of 2002. 

Werd and Freshman Counselor Jennifer Antonuccio are traveling to each of Berkeley’s three middle school campuses this week to help eighth graders sign up for their first year of classes at Berkeley High. Their talk Tuesday focused on how to make sure new students develop a curriculum plan for their four years at Berkeley High that meets there own needs, the schools graduation requirements, and eligibility requirements for entering the University of California system. 

“We want kids to know that the choices they make in the ninth-grade can impact them when they’re seniors,” Werd said.  

A Berkeley High senior who suddenly decides he or she wants to attend a four year college might find they aren’t eligible because they didn’t take at least two years of foreign language, or three years of math, she warned. 

“We can’t applaud you enough for being here tonight,” Werd told the parents.  

“We need to have you encourage them,” she said. “They don’t read the information on their own.” 

Werd warned parents to take into consideration the children’s performance in middle school before signing them up for challenging high school classes. Too often kids are “setup” to fail, she said, which can have negative emotional consequences for freshman already struggling to adapt to their lowly status at the bottom of the high school social structure. 

“If your kid is struggling with math in the eighth grade, don’t have them take a foreign language freshman year (at BHS),” Werd said, explaining that a student’s performance in math is often a good indicator of how they’ll perform in foreign languages. 

Antonuccio said Latin and Honors Geometry are two of the most demanding courses available to freshman and should be reserved for the most dedicated of students. “They’re the kind of classes that a student really needs to want to take,” she said. 

In response to parents’ questions, Werd explained two of Berkeley High’s Small Learning Communities, programs within Berkeley High where selected students can work with a dedicated network of teachers throughout their four years at Berkeley High. 

The Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) program gives students long-term projects where they use modern communication tools to promote social justice. In the Common Ground program teachers work closely with students on projects that promote ecological literacy. In both small learning communities, teachers work to integrate the program’s curriculum into students’ regular core curriculum classes at Berkeley High.  

Students must apply for admission to the programs prior to their freshman year, but Werd emphasized that students of varying academic backgrounds are accepted. One of the underlying principles for these communities, she said, is that students of diverse backgrounds will learn from each other if brought together in one small, cohesive learning community. 

“What they’re looking at is students who do really well and students who don’t do real well,” Werd said of the admissions process. “If you put those two kids together they have skills they can share with each other.” 

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court threw out a $107 million verdict against anti-abortion activists Wednesday, ruling that a Web site and wanted posters branding abortion doctors “baby butchers” are protected by the First Amendment. 

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously said the activists could be held liable only if the material authorized or directly threatened violence. 

The ruling came two years after a jury in Portland, Ore., ordered a dozen abortion foes to pay damages to Planned Parenthood and four doctors. They had sued under federal racketeering laws and the 1994 federal law that makes it illegal to incite violence against abortion doctors. 

The case was widely seen as a test of a recent Supreme Court ruling that said a threat must be explicit and likely to cause “imminent lawless action.” 

“If defendants threatened to commit violent acts, by working alone or with others, then their (works) could properly support the verdict,” Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski wrote. “But if their (works) merely encouraged unrelated terrorists, then their words are protected by the First Amendment.” 

Planned Parenthood said it would ask the court to reconsider its decision, or petition the Supreme Court to review the ruling. 

“We are obviously disappointed with the panel’s decision and firmly believe that it is wrong,” said Maria Vullo, the group’s attorney. 

Planned Parenthood and the doctors were portrayed in the Old West-style wanted posters as “baby butchers,” and a Web site called the “Nuremberg Files” listed the names and addresses of abortion providers and declared them guilty of crimes against humanity. 

Don Treshman, who said he has been arrested about 200 times for blockading abortion clinics, said he no longer has to pay $8 million, his share of the jury’s verdict. 

“We were all accused of creating an umbrella of fear in the minds of abortionists that it wasn’t safe for them to go to work,” the 57-year-old Baltimore man said. “We now retain the free speech right to call abortion what it is: cold-blooded murder of a baby in the womb.” 

The anti-abortion activists argued that their posters and Web site were protected under the First Amendment because they were merely a list of doctors and clinics – not a threat. 

“I think it’s a great relief that our posters are just as protected by the First Amendment as the posters of any other movement,” said Christopher A. Ferrara, the attorney who represented the activists. 

During the trial, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones instructed the jury to consider the history of violence in the anti-abortion movement, including three doctors killed after their names appeared on the lists. 

One was Dr. Barnett Slepian, who was killed by a sniper in 1998 at his home near Buffalo, N.Y. Slepian’s name was crossed out on “The Nuremberg Files” Web site later that same day. 

Doctors who were on the list testified that they lived in constant fear, used disguises, bodyguards and bulletproof vests, and instructed their children to crouch in the bathtub if they heard gunfire. 

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., who sponsored a bill that Congress approved in 1994 prohibiting violence or threats of violence at abortion clinics, said the ruling was a blow to that legislation. 

“My fear is that if this decision stands, we will see a renewed effort to intimidate, threaten and harm women and doctors in an effort to shut down clinics,” he said. 

The defendants maintained they were political protesters collecting data on doctors in hopes of one day putting them on trial just as Nazi war criminals were at Nuremberg. 

After the jury’s verdict in 1999, the judge called the Web site and the wanted posters “blatant and illegal communication of true threats to kill.” 

The man who ran the Nuremberg Web site was not a defendant in the lawsuit, but his Internet provider pulled the plug on the site after the verdict. 

Among the defendants was Michael Bray of Bowie, Md., author of a book that justifies killing doctors to stop abortions. Bray went to prison from 1985 to 1989 for his role in arson attacks and bombings of seven clinics. 

Another defendant was Cathy Ramey of Portland, an editor at Life Advocate magazine and author of “In Defense of Others,” which defends people who refuse to condemn the killing of abortion providers. 

The case is Planned Parenthood vs. American Coalition of Life Activists, 99-35405. 

OAKLAND — The state’s lone commercial medical waste incinerator continues to spew toxins into the air, according to critics of the plant who want the burning sharply cut back. 

Residents of east Oakland say the dioxin produced by Integrated Environmental Systems is poisoning the neighborhood, despite the company’s claim that the emission output is far below state and federal limits. 

“This facility is poisoning the people of Oakland,” said Katie Silberman, of the city’s Center for Environmental Health. 

IES responds that it is handling waste materials in an environmentally responsible manner. 

“If we have a safe and effective process that meets all the standards, why shouldn’t we continue?” said IES general manager Jim Bateman. 

An agreement could be reached this week where IES would burn less waste, but not stop the process completely. 

The plant receives medical waste for processing through burners six days per week. 

The nine other medical waste facilities in the state use steam sterilization or microwaving techniques before shredding the refuse and shipping it to landfills. 

IES burned 5,000 tons of medical waste last year. 

Many of the plastics that are burned contain polyvinyl chloride, which creates dioxin when burned. Opponents of the incineration process say those syringes could be recycled by sterilization and reused. 

IES upgraded its system in 1996 to meet the air district’s tough emission standards, but still has racked up more than 100 violations of its air permit since then.

“Heck fahn” literally means “Eat rice” in Chinese, and the connotation is that it’s time to eat, time for something important and nutritious.  

I don’t know how to speak Chinese but I do know this: If you want an important and informed view of the Asian American experience in the last decade – read “Yellow Journalist” by William Wong. 

Wong, popular writer for The San Francisco Examiner, The Oakland Tribune, Asian Week, and The Wall Street Journal, and former regional commentator for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer; has collected 75 of his essays, columns, and commentaries into an anthology.  

Topics range from the complex dynamics of the Human Cargo Trade – in which profit-oriented pirates smuggle desperate people into America; and what Wong calls “The ‘Hottest’ Dating Trend” happening today: white men dating Asian woman.  

Wong views with distaste the views of one theorist: that white men can’t deal with strong, independent white women; and that Asian men are the most sexist of sexists. 

Wong shows particular interest in issues of political and social importance. He urges us to remember “The Rape of Nanking,” in which Japanese military efforts led to the death of more than 300,000 Chinese, biological and germ warfare and forced prostitution for thousands of women. Essays study the varying Asian American responses to the Honda resolution, and they describe the mocking anti-Asian diatribe made by former New York Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato against Judge Ito, who presided over the O .J. Simpson trial.  

In pieces titled “The Golden State of Bigotry,” “Swastikas in the Sunset,” “Yellow Chic” and “I am a Gook,” Wong takes on stereotypes, painful ill-fitting cliches, fear, intolerance, prejudice, greed and superficiality of all kinds. 

Wong has praise for organizations such as The Prime Time Performers, in which Asian American basketball players from a Buddhist league and African American players in Oakland joined to win a championship. 

Born in Oakland’s Chinatown in 1941, and now a resident of a spacious five-bedroom split-level home in predominantly-white Piedmont two miles away, Wong chronicles his personal history.  

He fondly recalls playing “Firecracker Wars” on Webster Street in Oakland, and watching the pastry chef in his parents’ restaurant, the Great China Café (“Aye Joong Wah” in his family’s See Yip dialect) make strawberry and banana whipped cream cakes.  

Wong worked as a sportswriter for the student newspaper at UC Berkeley, served three and a half years in the Peace Corps, lived in Asia, and in the 1970s he wrote about Asian American issues for The Wall Street Journal.  

As a media representative for all of Asian America, Wong tells the stories of ethnic Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Asian Indians, Cambodians, Laotians, Thai, Hawaiians, Samoans, Pakistanis, Burmese, Singaporeans and more. We read about Poch Seap, born in Cambodia and killed in Oakland at the age of twenty while defending his sister.  

We read about the efforts of Bay Area residents such as Sharon Lumho to keep alive the history of Hawaii, in which Queen Lili’oukalini was removed from rule by largely non-native interests – who favored various corporate and tourist industry causes. 

Wong talks of his yearning for Chinese soul food of salted-fish steamed pork patties and stir-fried boy choy. Reading Yellow Journalist qualifies as well. 

Sari Friedman, whose short fiction and poetry appears in various literary magazines and anthologies, teaches writing at Vista, Laney, and Merritt colleges, and at the College of Alameda.

SAN FRANCISCO — The dot-com meltdown is flooding the San Francisco office market with vacant space and lowering average rents in the city’s main business district for the first time in more than two years, according to a new real estate study. 

Rents for prime downtown San Francisco office space averaged $74.16 per square foot in the first quarter, down 7.5 percent from an average of $80.16 per square foot in the fourth quarter, according to the Berkeley-based Rosen Consulting Group. 

It’s the first quarter-to-quarter rent decline for so-called Class A space in San Francisco’s financial district since the end of 1998, when landlords charged an average of $47.75 per square foot.  

Despite the decline, average Class A rents for new San Francisco financial district leases remain 9 percent higher than a year ago. 

San Francisco’s office rents are still the highest in the country. New York’s midtown Manhattan office market is the second most expensive at $67.75 per square foot, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate brokerage that supplied the data used in Rosen’s report. 

Internet companies accounted for 77 percent of the 3 million square feet returned to the San Francisco office market between October 2000 and February 2001, the report said. 

In an unusual step, Cushman & Wakefield distanced itself from Rosen’s report, which the brokerage called “premature.”  

The firm said it planned to release a more extensive report Thursday comparing San Francisco to other cites facing an economic downturn. 

The Rosen report portrays San Francisco as a city in the early stages of an economic hangover. 

Propelled by a wave of venture capital-backed Internet start-ups, the city’s Class A office rents soared from $31.42 per square foot in early 1997. 

San Francisco added about 170,000 new jobs during the last four years, with much of the work tied to the Internet. Rosen estimates that Internet companies accounted for as much as 60 percent of all San Francisco office leases signed from January 1999 through September 2000. 

The leasing frenzy left the Class A vacancy rate the shakeout is painful for the workers and investors involved, the decline in office rents is probably a healthy development, said San Francisco Bay area economist Tapan Munroe. 

“Real estate prices were becoming part of the whole Internet bubble,” he said. 

“The prices were getting so high that it was becoming a negative factor in the growth of new businesses in San Francisco.” 

The demise of Internet companies and a broader slowdown in the technology industry that drives the Bay area economy still hasn’t brought down the region’s home prices. 

A mid-priced Bay area home sold for $393,000 in February, up 2 percent from the prior month and an 18 percent increase from the same time last year, according to Dataquick Information Services.  

In San Francisco, the median price was $524,000 in February, a 5 percent increase from January and up 25 percent from the prior year. 

On The Net: 

http://www.rosenconsulting.com

NEW YORK — Wall Street made an expected retreat Wednesday, sending technology and blue chip stocks sliding on a mix of earnings worries and profit-taking from the Dow Jones industrials’ big three-day rally. 

The technology-focused Nasdaq composite index fared the worst, falling 6 percent on a profit warning from Nortel Networks that stoked fears of more problems ahead for networking and telecom stocks. 

“We had broad-based selling pressures in technology today,” said Tom Galvin, chief investment officer at Credit Suisse First Boston. “Clearly, some people are still very worried about this sector and how it’s going to perform in the months ahead.” 

But some giveback was also to be expected after the market’s rally. 

“You’ve had a 10 percent run-up in the indexes since last week,” Galvin said. 

The selling was no surprise. The warning from Nortel after regular trading ended Tuesday sent tech stocks down in the market’s extended session, and set Wall Street up for Wednesday’s selling. 

Nortel, which also announced another 5,000 job cuts for a total of 15,000 planned this year, fell 16 percent, down $2.76 at $14. The news hurt other networking stocks, including Cisco Systems, which tumbled $2.38 to $15.75, a 13 percent drop. 

Investors also pummeled Palm, which fell $7.44 to $8.06 for a 48 percent loss, after the handheld computer company announced job cuts and reduced its quarterly forecast. News of job cuts at Disney sent its stock down 84 cents to $28.36. 

Stocks began recovering late last week from a 10-session slump that included a 1,468-point drop in the Dow. A better-than-expected consumer confidence report Tuesday, which suggested consumer spending might be able to lift the economy out of its malaise, added to buyers’ enthusiasm. 

But by Wednesday, pessimism had reasserted itself on Wall Street, as investors realized weak corporate earnings might continue for a while. 

— The Associated Press 

“The desperation was last week. Now we’re finally getting to the acceptance phase. The casino has closed,” said Scott Bleier, chief investment strategist at Prime Charter. “You have to let nature take its course. There may be no magic bottom and this may take a while.” 

The Russell 2000 index fell 10.68 Wednesday to 442.20. 

Declining issues led advancers more than 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to nearly 1.52 billion, compared with 1.59 billion Tuesday. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 0.9 percent. Germany’s DAX index slid 2.0 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 lost nearly 2.0 percent, and France’s CAC-40 fell 1.6 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

If investors were termed overly exuberant when they pushed the stock market to unsustainable heights, what term is to be used in describing the newfound confidence of the American consumer? 

The recent burst of consumer enthusiasm for the future, as measured by The Conference Board this week, suggests a confidence and expectancy that awes even those cocky Wall Streeters who told you to buy stocks a year ago. 

Wall Streeters are busy lowering their forecasts for the year to come, cutting earnings estimates and downgrading their old favorites. Corporate profits are down and liable to stay down for a while. Layoffs are rising. 

Through these clouds the consumer seems somehow to have spotted a glowing Eden on the horizon, with business conditions improving and the job market becoming less dangerous than it had been a few months ago. 

The attitude represents a stunning, confounding dichotomy between producers, whose actions indicate they remain fearful, and consumers, who after five straight months of gloom have come alive like springtime. 

Have they read last year’s results from their 401(k) provider? Don’t they know that the new quarterly report they’ll be receiving in the next few weeks is likely to be worse? Haven’t they been reading the newspapers? 

You could go on asking questions like this, but what’s the point? Except that all we have are questions without answers. Something like $5 trillion of wealth has disappeared in the stock market debacle and the reaction as measured in surveys is “Oh, well.” 

The impossibility of treating such losses so casually is clear when you realize that perhaps a third of American families live hand to mouth after taxes, car payments, energy bills, credit-card debt and mortgages. 

Could recently lower interest rates, including on home mortgages, have produced the spurt in confidence? Could slightly lower fuel bills have contributed? Maybe, but enough to reverse five months of growing fear? 

Could it be that after a long period of economic stability and growth Americans have forgotten what it’s like to have a recession? Does the newest generation believe it is immune to economic catastrophes? 

One elemental change that might be examined is the pervasive sense of security you can hear expressed everywhere – that Alan Greenspan (through interest rates) and George W. Bush (through a tax cut) will see to it that the worst doesn’t happen. 

Whatever the factors involved, the crazy, mixed-up situation provides a rare opportunity for consumer specialists at the nation’s universities to seek some explanations where only speculation now exists. 

Has the American consumer been gifted with foresight that defies the reasoning of those who claim to be experts? That is, could the consumer’s expectations be right on the mark? 

Is the new confidence just another aspect of the irrationality that earlier in the expansion drove stock prices to mathematically unsustainable levels? 

Should the methodology of consumer forecasts, whose prominence in economic affairs has risen greatly during the expansion, be re-examined for possible flaws? 

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press

IRVINE — The slowing economy will force HomeBase Inc. to fire more than 2,600 workers and close 25 home improvement centers originally listed for conversion to home furnishings centers. 

HomeBase said Tuesday that it now plans to open 42 House2Home stores, down from the 67 conversions previously planned. The layoffs, including 140 at its headquarters, represent more than 25 percent of its work force. 

The slowing economy prompted reconsideration of the “scope and pace of the rollout,” including the wisdom of opening a new concept in several states where it had not yet been tested, HomeBase spokeswoman Michele Feller said. 

HomeBase also said it will take a $90 million to $100 million after-tax charge associated with the store closures. 

The pullback sent shares falling 70 cents Tuesday to $1.70 on the New York Stock Exchange.  

It was down 20 cents to $1.50 in afternoon trading Wednesday. 

“They’re making a smaller bet,” said Brett Hendrickson, an analyst with B. Riley & Co. “It makes the ultimate pot of gold at the end of the conversion process somewhat less, but it also takes away a lot of the risk, because they’re going to have a lot less debt.” Some questioned whether there will be a pot of gold of any size for HomeBase. 

“I think when you’ve got a retailer who changes his colors midstream ... it should be a huge red flag that flies up,” said Brian Postol, an analyst with A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.  

“I don’t think you can convert from a home improvement to home furnishings mentality. I just don’t see it happening.” 

Last year, HomeBase launched its House2Home concept, which brings under one roof a wide variety of products, from towels and flatware to dining room sets and lawn furniture. 

The company announced in December that it was abandoning the home improvement business and would permanently close 22 HomeBase stores. 

HomeBase said it expects to report a net loss of $3.50 to $3.75 per share for the first fiscal quarter ending April 28. For the fiscal year ending in January, the company expects its losses to total $4 to $4.25 a share. Previously, HomeBase said it expected to lose $2.13 a share for the year. 

When the teachers at John Muir Elementary School have a message they want to deliver loud and clear to students they’re apt to break into song. 

“I know that I can still remember songs that I learned when I was a kid, so I know that’s a good way to get kids to remember,” reflected John Muir second grade teacher Kristine Fowler, after an assembly Tuesday where Principal Nancy D. Waters and teacher-musicians led the students through a series of songs in commemoration of Music in Our Schools Month. 

Musical assemblies are a common occurrence at Muir, where Waters – a music teacher for many years before she shifted to the administrative side – has actually composed a song to reinforce some of the “life skills” featured in the school’s curriculum. 

“By having this boogie-woogie kind of song that they can relate to” elementary students are able to remember words like responsibility, respect and cooperation, Waters said, so when a teacher talks about these concepts the students aren’t caught by surprise. 

John Muir’s 250 students didn’t need much prompting Tuesday to break into a enthusiastic rendering of Waters’ song, entitled “Team Esteem”. 

“Together we can do it. We’ll strive for success. We’ll grow in character. We’ll pass the test,” they sang, as Waters played a base saxophone she keeps in a cradle by the door of her office.  

Other songs in the assembly were designed to teach, entertain and energize all at once. After hearing a lecture about California labor leader Cesar Chavez – who will be honored by a state holiday this Friday – students sang in Spanish a song that Mexican migrant farm labors might have sung while working in the fields. 

During a talk about the importance of recycling, the teachers chanted the word R-E-C-Y-C-L-E and the students chanted back. 

“The more animated and excited we are the more they pick it up,” said Kat King, an English Language Development teacher at John Muir who played piano at Tuesday’s assembly. 

The only thing John Muir’s 250 students seemed to struggle with Tuesday was deciding if they wanted to sing, dance or sign language (because the school includes several hearing impaired children, all students are taught basic sign language). Most students ended up doing a variation of all three. 

“Signing and singing helps their reading because a lot of the signs start with the first letter of the word,” said John Muir kindergarten teacher Anne Donker. 

“You’re touching more than one kind of intelligence or sense, and it really makes the information so much more accessible,” King said of the singing assemblies. 

“Every year we do it and everybody just feels so good.” 

Wed., March 28

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling Classes for  

Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755  

or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe/Reinhabitory Theatre legends Judy Goldhaft, Jane Lapiner and Peter Berg 

$6 - $8 Call 849-2568 

Police Review Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St.  

Discussion will include the commission budget, a tour of the Tsukamoto Public Safety Building, and upcoming national and international Civilian Oversight Meetings.  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

CA Telephone Access for Low Vision 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Frances Franco. 

644-6107 

Elder Fraud: Prevent & Public Policy  

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Berkeley Gray Panthers Leyla Zabih and Robin Vota. Free 

548-9696 

Bay Area Toll Authority Meeting 

9:30 a.m.  

Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter  

Lawrence D. Dahms Auditorium  

101 Eighth St.  

Oakland 

Discussion will include amendment of the Carquinez Bridge Project budget to increase the budget by $46.5 million to a total budget of $479.7 million.  

464-7700 or visit www.mtc.ca.gov 

Thursday, March 29

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Help the Abused  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Gary Hines will discuss how to recognize if a peer is in an abusive situation and what to do. Free  

644-6107 

Special Education Parents Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

LeConte School Cafeteria  

2241 Russell St.  

Discussion of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

558-8933 

Environmental Sampling  

Project Task Force  

6:30 p.m.  

First Congregational Church of Berkeley  

Channing Large Assembly Room  

2345 Channing Way  

Berkeley Lab responds to comments on the Tritium Sampling and Analysis Plan and discussion of the technical basis for siting ambient air monitoring stations at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.  

Friday, March 30

 

 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the Buffalo Field Campaign’s front-line efforts to protect the buffalo herd. Sponsored by A First Amendment Center, Berkeley. Free 

287-9406  

 

Cesar Chavez Day  

Commemoration  

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park (Northwest Corner)  

Four fourth and fifth grade classes from area elementary schools will present the virtues of Cesar Chavez, followed by a dance by the Azteca Dance Group. Mayor Shirley Dean, School Board President Terry Doran, Fr. Bill O’Donnell, and Federico Chavez will speak. 845-0657 

 

Saturday, March 31  

Shelter Operations Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Sunday, April 1  

Berkeley Historical  

Society Gala Celebration 

3 - 7 p.m. 

Hotel Shattuck  

2086 Allston Way  

Dancing, a silent auction, special guest speaker, a tour of the facility, and more.  

$30 - $65 

 

Buddhist Sacred Sites  

and Symbols  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Eva Casey, meditation instructor, will discuss the symbolic images found at sacred sites and the teachings they convey. A slide presentation of the major holy places of the Buddha. Free 

843-6812 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

 

Designing Your Own Seder 

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A workshop designed to stimulate thought about how to best combine the talents and needs of those who are attending in combination with the best of what the tradition provides.  

$5  

848-0237 x127  

 

Monday, April 2  

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free  

Call Jason Meggs, 549-RIDE 

 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

 

Tritium in Berkeley 

4 - 6 p.m. & 7 - 10 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Multipurpose Room  

Bernd Franke will make a presentation on his independent findings of the tritium releases and radiation hazards associated with the National Tritium Labeling Facility, located at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Presented by the City of Berkeley and the Community Environmental Advisory Commission.  

705-8150 or e-mail: toxics@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

 

Tuesday, April 3  

“Great Decisions” - Conflict Resolution in Africa  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will be about financial planning, investments, tax, and the stock market. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

 

Wednesday, April 4  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

 

Word for Word  

3:30 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Library  

1901 Russel St.  

Dramatic group Word for Word returns to the library with a brand new play for children, the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.” 

Call 649-3943 

 

The Voiceless Poor  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of why low-income people have no say in local development battles. Free 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

The destruction of eight trees in front of the Berkeley Public Library is the most recent manifestation of a problem that plagues Berkeley government, usurps the democratic process, and shields policy decisions from public scrutiny until it is too late to effect the outcome.  

When the city proposed the Public Safety Building, area residents were promised they would be consulted about the design. But misleading design plans, sneaky weekend construction and failure to seek Zoning Adjustments Board review, effectively broke that promise. After the communication tower went up there was a huge outcry. The resulting investigation, sanctioned no one, except, perhaps, Berkeley taxpayers, who are now paying to replace the structure. The tower fiasco was not, in my view, a mistake, but was instead, an arrogant miscalculation on the part of those who favored the tower and believed that although people would complain, the tower would remain.  

Students of political science can study again this phenomenon of “government by broken promise” by watching to see how the Berkeley City Council handles the tree cutting incident. When idiotic plans were announced to spend two and a half million tax dollars ripping out hundreds of established trees, to replace them with new trees, it created an uproar. But since Councilmember Linda Maio favored the proposal, it couldn't be stopped. So a compromise, that included a promise relocate the eight trees, was agreed too. But last week, with no public notice, City Staff issued an order to destroy the trees. 

This pattern of promising citizens and council members what they want to shut them up, and later breaking the promise, followed by spreading the blame far and wide so the people responsible can not be identified, is a routine we have seen before: The tower fiasco, the purchase of the poisoned parcel on Harrison street, and now with the order to destroy these trees. 

From what I can piece together it seems project manager Sam Lee, rather then Jerry Koch, who lacked authority to make the decision, should be held responsible, but my speculation is hardly conclusive. Ultimately responsibility must rest on our elected officials. The City Council should investigate this matter by requiring testimony under oath so anyone who misleads them can be charged with perjury. The person or persons responsible should be identified and seriously sanctioned, either fired or subject to suspension without pay. If City Staff tries to protect the culprits by spreading the blame to make it difficult to determine who is responsible, then everyone involved should be sanctioned.  

There is more at stake here then the fate of these trees. If disregarding legislative policy does not result in serious consequences we might as well abolish the City Council, and admit we are governed by an administrative state, where policy is decided by bureaucratic fiat, and where the voice of the people will not be heard. 

Elliot Cohen worked for the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, as environmental aide to Councilmember Ruth Messinger, and practiced law in NYC before moving to Berkeley. He sits on the Peace and Justice Commission. The views expressed here are his own.

A recent pedestrian fatality has highlighted the problem of pedestrian safety in Berkeley.  

While there’s no disagreement among policy makers around the importance of the issue, the tension of limited resources ignited a battle about how police forces should be used, and whether new funding is best spent on increasing the number of police. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong adamantly believes in enforcing current traffic laws to keep motorists driving with caution. 

“Without enforcement even people who mean to do well, don’t,” Armstrong said. “Somehow we just have to raise the amount of enforcement so that even when there’s no cop around they think that there might be.” 

In December of last year the council requested that the City Manager’s Office develop a proposal to decrease traffic violations by increasing enforcement measures. The police presented their proposal at the City Council meeting last week, giving a simple answer: no can do. 

The written proposal said that patrolling is the primary duty of the police department. Because the department is understaffed, traffic officers must support patrol officers. According to the report, of the 157 officer positions available, 33 are not filled with active cops because of injuries, training, or because positions are vacant. To create the necessary enforcement, the police traffic division would have to be increased by three officers, from seven to 10. 

Armstrong was not convinced. 

“I felt it was pretty non-responsive,” Armstrong said. “They said, ‘We have a lot of things that cops need to do.’ That to me was not, ‘Yes indeed we understand.’ It was reasons why we can’t do it, and not ways we could do it.” 

Police Chief Dash Butler said although officers were not ever removed from traffic enforcement, because of the decreased force many officers get called to other activities, including Berkeley’s most famous activity: demonstrations.  

Berkeley is a compact city with large volumes of booth foot and automobile traffic. 

Armstrong said she believes that combination makes traffic enforcement a high priority. “I want people who get up at eight o’clock and give speeding tickets until five o’clock in the afternoon and people who give tickets to people who don’t stop at crosswalks,” she said.  

While disagreeing on some of the specifics – many beat officers also write tickets – Butler agreed on the whole with the council’s attempt to increase traffic safety. “Council is right, it’s a serious serious problem,” he said. “Overall people drive too fast. They don’t understand or appreciate pedestrian right of way; they’re not considerate of others in their driving.” He said that many of the traffic accidents occur when motorists don’t yield to pedestrians, bikes, or other motorists.  

To address the lack of respect for pedestrian right of way, Armstrong said she’d like to see more use of “pedestrian stings,” when undercover officers cross at crosswalks and arrest drivers who don’t stop. 

Although pedestrian safety activists hesitantly supported the call for more enforcement, they all unanimously agreed that new officers would not, on their own, prevent the traffic fatalities that haunt the city. There have been at least five pedestrian fatalities since 1997, according to city records. 

“Enforcement is part of the picture, but not the most important part,” said Zac Wald, executive director of BayPeds, a pedestrian education group. “Berkeley like most places, needs to come up with a vision of how they want cars and pedestrians and bicyclists to share the public right of way. The long term goal should be a change in the culture.” 

Wald urged that enforcement not be looked at as a panacea to the traffic problems. 

“When it’s viewed just a transgression of motor vehicle laws that can be fixed by enforcement, you’re looking at a chronic problem with no solution,” he said. “It’s only when you put enforcement together with education and engineering have there been successes in this field in other cities.” 

The balancing of different approaches to pedestrian safety comes to a head when competing programs start asking for money. Pedestrian safety advocates implied that funding from the city for extra police enforcement may not go to other safety improvements. 

“If you look at spending $500,000 for traffic enforcement, you might want to say, ‘what are our outcomes?’” said Nancy Holland, member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Task Force. “There are things we could do that wouldn’t be that expensive that would create a real sense that Berkeley cares about safety. I think that’s what we have to weigh.” The three new officer positions carry an estimated price tag of almost $300,000 the first year. 

Holland and Wald support a proposal by the mayor to create a new city position for a pedestrian safety planner, and to re-engineer streets to make them safer and make traffic slower. The proposal was on the City Council agenda Tuesday night. 

Chief Butler had his own solution to the problem of speeding and unsafe drivers – education combined with higher penalties. “Some of them could be brought up to where it really stings when you get cited for some of this stuff,” he said. 

He said a painfully priced ticket may dissuade people from taking the risk of speeding. 

ZAB studied Beth El project and gave approval 

Editor: 

A recent letter to the Daily Planet asked a number of questions about Congregation Beth El’s planned new synagogue on Oxford Street. All of those questions were answered at Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) meetings during the months of hearings that led to the ZAB’s approval of the project.  

Since not everyone interested in the new building attended those meetings, here is the information requested by the letter writer:  

• Runoff: Runoff from the project’s driveway will be appropriately filtered before it reaches Codornices Creek, unlike street runoff that flows directly into the creek.  

• Creek: Beth El’s development will improve the open section of the creek, which has been seriously neglected for years. The underground part of the creek is 27 feet deep, and, even if it were daylighted, would not be visible to the public.  

• Parking: On-site parking at the project will be a model for Berkeley, much better than parking provided by Berkeley schools, senior centers and other comparable institutions.  

• Sound: Plantings around the lot and the thoughtful building design focus sound toward the center of the property and away from adjoining neighbors. Beth El’s permit also limits hours of use.  

The bottom line is that Zoning Adjustments Board members spent countless hours carefully studying these issues and many others. They examined every detail of the huge Environmental Impact Report, questioned experts, listened to citizens’ testimony, and visited the site repeatedly.  

Then, based on the facts, they approved the project. 

Debbie Leon 

Orinda 

BART should have planned better 

Editor: 

BART should have set up a uniform procedure to be followed for all extensions, to cover the circumstances, costs, etc. to be used in each instance. 

Fundamentally many things are wrong with BART and need correcting sooner rather than later: width of rails, earthquake safety, flood gate in SF, distances between water outlets in tunnels, reliability of station equipment, etc. 

BART should have used the taxing system when the 1016 Twin Peaks tunnels in SF were built with a tax on the owners of property near the stations, the principal beneficiaries of rail systems. The increased value of their property from the public investment is known was as “unearned increment” by Adam Smith, J.S. Mills, Jefferson, Paine, and rediscovered by Henry George in his 1879 book Progress and Poverty. 

BART should have been built after well-functioning bus system was in place with BART built on the most heavily used bus routes. Taxing owners who do not get good service from BART is bad public policy. 

See the book “Great Planning Disasters” by Peter Hall, U C Press with a chapter on BART.  

Charles L. Smith 

Berkeley

A Department of Public Works crew relocating a traffic light pole struck a gas main Tuesday, causing the evacuation of nearby residences and businesses, including a health care center. 

The rupture occurred at the southwest corner of Sixth Street and University Avenue at 9:10 a.m., closing the Ashby-Interstate 80 on and off ramps and re-routing traffic on University Avenue between Fifth and Seventh streets.  

Deputy Director of Public Works Patrick Keilch said a public works crew was moving the pole, which Keilch described as a traffic hazard, several feet from the corner when a drill struck the four-inch steel gas main located three feet below the surface.  

No injuries were reported. 

Assistant Fire Chief David Orth said all of the businesses at the intersection and four nearby homes were evacuated for two hours while the pipe was repaired by a PG&E crew.  

“We could see the vapors shooting about 15 feet in the air,” said Steve Gauthier, assistant manager of The Art Store, which is located across the street from the pipe rupture. “The fire department told us to get out.” 

The leak was repaired by 11:15 a.m. and traffic resumed normaly, and those who had been evacuated returned to their homes and jobs. 

PG&E spokesperson Jennifer Ramp said there wasn’t significant danger posed by the leak. She said even if the gas were ignited it would not cause an explosion but it would cause flames to shoot out of the pipe until the gas was shut off. 

Three city clinics were disrupted at 830 University Ave. Ricardo Blea, HIV/AIDS program director, said the family planning, sexual transmitted diseases and Women, Infants and Children clinics had to be evacuated because of the strong smell of natural gas. 

Blea said the easterly winds blew the gas into the clinic and the smell was overwhelming. “We were told first to close the windows and then to evacuate the building,” he said. “We were lucky we were able open up in the afternoon.” 

Blea said no patients were injured but the disruption of clinic services could cause scheduling problems. 

“It’s always serious when we can’t see clients. It seriously interrupts our scheduling flow,” he said. “We don’t want people to wait a week to take care of their health.” 

Concerned about the fumes, Black Pine Circle Upper School officials moved the sixth- through eighth-grade students to a building farthest away from the pipe rupture. A school staff person said the students were in their normal classrooms right after lunch. 

Keilch said his department notified the Utilities Service Agency, an organization that keeps track of underground utilities, of the project last Wednesday and had no response from them. If USA determines there’s some kind of service line under the project site, they will notify the appropriate agency to come out and paint markings on the surface directly above the utility line.  

“Normally they respond in three to four days but there were no markings at the site,” Keilch said. “So the crew assumed there was nothing below and began to drill.” 

Ramp said since January, PG&E crews have responded to three mainline ruptures in the service district that stretches from Berkeley to the Carquinez Bridge.

A man armed with semi-automatic pistol robbed a couple just after midnight Friday morning, police said. 

The couple was walking near the intersection of Oregon Street and Shattuck Avenue when a man approached them. After taking all the couple’s personal items the suspect allegedly placed the gun to the side of the male victim’s head and told both victims to lay flat on the pavement until he had made his escape, police said.  

Police said the suspect was wearing a dark-hooded jacket and a red bandanna. The description matches that of a man who committed armed robbery Sunday, said Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes. 

On Sunday the suspect approached a couple just a block away from the site of the Friday morning incident, demanded money and disappeared, police said. 

••• 

Police said two youths driving a white Ford Taurus or Escort committed two armed robberies on Friday. 

The two first struck about 11 p.m., leaping from their car with hand guns and demanding money and other personal items from a couple walking along the 2100 block of Parker Street, police said. About 20 minutes later they allegedly struck again, robbing a couple near the intersection of Rose Street and Euclid Avenue. Police are investigating the robberies, no arrests have been made.  

••• 

Two youths claiming to have a gun told a employee of Spenger’s Fish Grotto to hand over a case of bottles about 11 p.m. Saturday.  

The employee was carrying the bottles from a storage area outside the restaurant to the restaurant when he was accosted, police said. He handed over the case without argument. 

The suspects apparently thought the case contained bottles of liquor, said Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes. The case was filled with bottled water, Lopes said.

The preservation and expansion of California's desperately-needed affordable housing supply will require substantial, stable and consolidated funding, enforcement of existing laws requiring affordable housing, and giving nonprofit developers with proven track records an edge when issuing funds. 

These are the recommendations of a group of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, in a report funded and recently released by the California Policy Research Center. 

The researchers explored the affordable housing scene throughout California, where poor renters living in overcrowded housing far outweigh the national median and Los Angeles and Orange counties are the hardest hit. They also said only three states have lower home ownership than California, where the homeownership rate stands at 55.6 percent, and that the expensive housing market is making it harder for businesses to draw new workers. 

The report challenged prevailing economic theory that private builders and landlords essentially provide for everyone from the rich to the poor with a supply chain constantly scaled by an increasingly affluent population. In exceedingly tight housing markets such as California's, the researchers said, there is a point where rents do not cover costs and where few can afford to do business. Enter the nonprofit housing developers, who in California, the report said, account for about 6,000 new units each year and the rehabilitation of another approximately 3,000 units. The numbers aren't high in terms of the estimated 60,000 such units that should be built every year for the next two decades to meet the need, but few others are entering the field, researchers said. 

Nonprofit housing developers, in fact, are the preferable developers for this market because of their sensitivity to community needs, the report said. 

“California's nonprofit housing developers are an important state asset,” according to the research group headed by Karen Christensen, an assistant professor of city and regional planning at UC 

Berkeley. “Their productivity in the face of scarce, sporadic federal and state funding illustrates their dogged adaptability and resourcefulness. Yet, the survival of these organizations is continually threatened.” 

UC Berkeley's researchers surveyed the 211 nonprofit housing developers working in California between 1997-98. Some 147 developers participated in the survey, and researchers also conducted in-depth, related interviews. California's nonprofit housing organizations must compete for a complex assortment of “scarce and sporadic” funds that range from redevelopment money to federal block grants, housing trusts, iffy tax credits or traditionally meager state funds, the report said. Nonprofits commonly use 10 to 12 funding sources per project, and it is not uncommon for projects to collapse because of the complex and varying requirements and timetables, researchers said. 

“The good thing is that the state has recognized it needs to do something, but the procedures continue to be very complex,” Christensen said.  

While California has committed some additional funding for affordable housing in recent years, those monies remain at risk without a dedicated funding source, Christensen said. To increase the supply of affordable housing, researchers said, the state should avoid a policy followed by most funding sources that requires nonprofit developers to get matching funds. 

Researchers also said the state should limit low-income housing funding to nonprofit developers with good performance histories. Some local governments already follow this practice, they said. 

“Although this proposal appears to close entry and stifle competition, new organizations could work as subcontractors of seasoned nonprofits,” researchers said. “Indeed, some of today's successful nonprofits began by doing joint ventures with more experienced nonprofits and are now helping smaller, newer organizations.”

SACRAMENTO — State health officials are taking the first step toward setting safe drinking water standards for chromium 6, a potential carcinogen that has been found in some water sources in Southern California.  

The state has been investigating the extent of chromium 6 contamination, requiring water districts to test for the chemical by summer 2002. 

Initial results have found more chromium 6 than expected. 

“Conventional wisdom was that there was more chromium 3 and very little chromium 6 in the groundwater,” said David Spath of the state Department of Health Services said Tuesday.  

“We found the opposite, which heightened the issue.” 

State health officials said Tuesday they will look at the health effects of ingesting chromium 6. It’s the first step toward setting a safe drinking water level for the chemical. Chromium acquired a high profile thanks in part to the film “Erin Brockovich,” about a 1996 case in which residents of the California desert town of Hinkley won a $333 million settlement from Pacific Gas & Electric when the utility company’s tanks leaked high concentrations of chromium 6 into ground water. 

Chromium can take two different forms in water – chromium 3, which is found naturally in food and is an essential dietary nutrient, and chromium 6, which scientists say can lead to cancer when inhaled. 

State health officials say it has not been conclusively proven that chromium 6 is a carcinogen when ingested. Under state law, the health department must evaluate technical feasibility and treatment costs before deciding whether to establish drinking-water standards. 

The University of California will convene a panel to study chromium 6 and help set the health standards, Spath said. The state will spend $100,000 on the panel and preliminary work on setting safe limits. 

Matthew Shaffer of the California Public Interest Research Group, a consumer organization, said he was concerned that the state was spending money on research that could have been spent on upgrading water treatment plants. 

“It is clear that there are a number of pollutants in our drinking water that haven’t been tested. We believe it would be wise to upgrade treatment,” he said.  

Chromium 6, a byproduct of industrial manufacturing, has been found in concentrations as high as 30 parts per billion in the San Fernando Valley aquifer, a source of drinking water for Los Angeles and other cities.

EL CAJON — Spare ammunition was found in the home of an 18-year-old student accused of shooting five people at his high school last week, officials said. 

Police seized shotgun and handgun ammunition, Navy SEAL literature and hunter safety certificates in Jason Hoffman’s name at his home following the shooting, authorities said in court documents unsealed Monday. 

Police said Hoffman sought to kill a vice principal, who escaped harm during Thursday’s attack at Granite Hills High School near San Diego. 

But Hoffman, speaking through a shattered jaw Monday, told a judge he was innocent of attempted murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. 

Hoffman, who was shot in the face by a police officer during the rampage, bowed his head, held a cloth to his face and mumbled his plea without looking at the judge. 

Public defender William Trainor said his client was “very emotionally upset about the events of the last few days.” 

Hoffman could face 44 years to life in prison if convicted. He will be held without bail pending a May 10 preliminary hearing. 

Earlier Monday, an arraignment was postponed for 15-year-old Andy Williams, who is accused of killing two classmates and wounding 13 people in a March 5 shooting spree at Santana High School, in nearby Santee. 

The slightly built boy cast his eyes downward for most of the brief court appearance. His parents, who are divorced, sat in the front row. His mother broke into tears upon seeing Williams. 

Williams did not enter a plea. 

Under a California law approved by voters last year, Williams automatically was sent to adult court for trial on two counts of murder, which could send him to prison for life. If Williams were to be convicted as a juvenile, he would face a minimum of 10 years in a youth facility. 

“We believe the adult criminal system has no constitutional jurisdiction over this juvenile matter,” said public defender Randy Mize, who plans to challenge the law. 

Outside, relatives of one of the victims, Bryan Zuckor, expressed their opposition  

to moving the trial to  

juvenile court. 

“The killer in this double murder, whether young or old, is not the victim,” said Bryan’s aunt, Carol Lynn Briens. 

Hoffman’s schoolmates, meanwhile, returned to Granite Hills High on Monday for the first day of classes since the shooting. Parents accompanied many students, walking them past patched-up bullet holes and new glass that replaced windows shattered by gun blasts. 

Superintendent Granger Ward said 93 percent of the 2,800 students, showed up. More than 150 counselors were on hand. 

Derek Haynes, a 17-year-old junior, rode up on a skateboard wearing a bright orange Hawaiian shirt, headphones and sunglasses. Despite his casual demeanor, there was concern. 

“There’s just a real uneasy feeling. I don’t feel safe at school anymore,” he said. 

For 16-year-old junior Michelle Schreiber, it was anything but a normal school day. 

“It kind of felt like there was something missing,” she said. “It felt like our spirit was gone. It felt like it just went away.”

SAN QUENTIN — Robert Lee Massie welcomed death, pumping his fist to expose a vein for his long-awaited execution. After 13 minutes, the lethal injection ended his stint as California’s longest-serving condemned inmate. 

Massie, 59, had served 28 years, and he was simply tired of fighting: “Forgiveness: giving up all hope for a better past,” were his last words.  

He died at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday in the San Quentin State Prison death chamber. 

Despite a last-ditch plea from lawyers hired by a capital punishment opponent, Massie – known as the “Dean of California’s Death Row” – said he gave up his appeals to protest the snail’s pace of California’s death penalty system. 

California is home to the nation’s most clogged death row, incarcerating nearly 600 condemned prisoners. All but Massie were challenging their sentences. 

“I don’t see any use in continuing this charade,” Massie said in a recent interview. 

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a few hours before the execution that Massie was mentally fit to decide to die. 

The Supreme Court also let stand a federal judge’s order requiring the state to show more of the execution process, resolving a case joined by The Associated Press and other media organizations that asserted the public’s right to know about such details. 

Since 1996, California prison officials had prevented witnesses from seeing condemned inmates being strapped down and having the needles inserted into their arms.  

Warden Jeanne Woodford said the point was to protect the executioners’ identity and security. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled otherwise. 

The five prison staff members who strapped Massie down and inserted the needles removed their identification badges, but otherwise made no efforts to conceal themselves. 

“That was probably the best we could do under the circumstances,” said prison spokesman Russ Heimrich. 

Massie was the ninth inmate executed since Californians overwhelmingly voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1978. Hundreds of others still haven’t been provided an attorney for their mandatory first appeal to the California Supreme Court, the initial stop in a maze of state and federal appeals. 

At a vigil outside the prison, hundreds of death penalty opponents outnumbered victims’ rights demonstrators.  

Many prayed and chanted, carrying white wooden crosses and signs that read “Thou shalt not kill.”  

One man carried a sign protesting the lengthy appeals process. 

Another death penalty opponent, San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, also sided with the petition orchestrated by Michael Kroll, a freelance journalist in Oakland who is opposed to the death penalty and who befriended Massie while interviewing him. 

Massie, who murdered in 1965 and again during a brief foray outside prison in 1979, spent his childhood in sometimes abusive foster homes.  

By 11, he was put in a boarding school for runaways.  

By 17, he was in adult prison for stealing a car, and was gang-raped by four men. 

He shot Mildred Weiss of San Gabriel and seized her car on Jan. 7, 1965, during a Los Angeles-area crime spree that involved robberies or assaults on five people. 

At one point, Massie came so close to execution for that killing that he ordered his last meal. But in 1972 – the same year the U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty – his sentence was commuted to life. 

He was paroled in 1978, and on Jan. 3, 1979, Massie killed San Francisco liquor store owner Bob Naumoff, shooting him three times in the chest during a robbery. 

Massie’s only personal witnesses Tuesday were his lawyer and spiritual advisers. Victims’ witnesses included Mildred Weiss’ son Ron and six relatives of Naumoff. 

“This event was supposed to happen in April of 1965,” Ron Weiss said. “If that had happened, the Naumoff family would not have had to go through this.”

Two lawyers whose dogs fatally mauled a woman in the hallway of her apartment building in late January were indicted Tuesday night by a grand jury on murder and other charges, and were arrested in a small town in far northern California. 

Marjorie Knoller and her husband, Robert Noel, surrendered in a house in Corning, about 170 miles northeast of San Francisco. They are set for arraignment Wednesday, and are expected to be returned to San Francisco within a few days. 

Knoller, 45, was charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous dog that killed a human being. She was being held in lieu of $2 million bail. 

The second-degree murder charge carries a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison, Hallinan said, adding that “the charge of murder is one not likely to be plea bargained.” 

Noel, 59, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous dog that killed a human being. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail. 

“He’s angry at me, and he’s going to be a lot angrier when he goes to prison,” Hallinan said. 

Knoller and Noel were caring for the two Presa Canario-mastiffs when the dogs – a 120-pound male named Bane and a 113-pound female named Hera – mauled St. Mary’s College lacrosse coach Diane Whipple, 33, on Jan. 26. The lawyers lived next door to the 110-pound Whipple. 

The animals were raised as part of a dog-fighting ring run out of Pelican Bay State Prison by inmates Paul Schneider and Dale Bretches, prison officials said, adding that the dogs were trained to guard criminal operations such as methamphetamine labs. 

Schneider and Bretches are serving life sentences without parole. Schneider is doing time for robbery and attempted murder. Bretches was convicted of murder and assault with a deadly weapon while behind bars. Both belong to the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison gang. 

In one of the case’s many strange twists, Noel and Knoller adopted Schneider as their son in a procedure that became official just three days after Whipple’s death. 

A few days later, Noel sent a letter to prosecutors blaming Whipple for the attack, suggesting she should have gone inside her apartment and not aggressively reacted to the dogs. He also accused Whipple of striking his wife as Knoller tried to pull the dogs away. 

Noel also speculated in his letter to prosecutors that the attack may have been brought on by pheromone-based cosmetics Whipple might have been wearing, or that the lacrosse coach may have used steroids that could have attracted the dogs. 

Hallinan seemed relieved the couple finally was behind bars and that the curious series of events seemed to be coming to an end. 

“The adoption of the Aryan Brotherhood guy. The sending of this 18-page letter to me in the middle of the night by way of a TV station. The other things that they did, which to my mind will raise a problem for them if they do seek a change of venue because they’re the ones that created this publicity,” Hallinan said. 

The indictments capped a bizarre day for the lawyers. They testified Tuesday afternoon before the 19-member grand jury, and paramedics were called to assist Knoller after she suffered an anxiety attack while testifying. 

A short time later, Noel was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers near Woodland — about 95 miles northeast of San Francisco — and cited for driving at more than 85 mph in a 65 mph zone. They were arrested a few hours later in Corning. 

A San Francisco police officer in an unmarked car followed the couple as they drove north, a highway patrol officer said. The police called the highway patrol and requested them to stop the couple’s car for driving recklessly, investigators said. 

“They were driving at a high speed in a northerly direction out of the jurisdiction of San Francisco,” Hallinan said, though he stopped short of saying the couple was attempting to flee. 

LOS ANGELES — A Miami surgeon filed a claim against the Police Department Tuesday, contending that racial profiling led officers to pull him over on a freeway, mistakenly arrest him and give him career-damaging injuries in the process. 

“I want to stand up for justice, to stand up for an end to racial profiling,” Dr. Angelo E. Gousse, 37, said at a news conference outside Los Angeles Superior Court. “We cannot allow this to continue.” 

The claim, filed with the city attorney’s office, calls for unspecified damages for wrist and arm nerve damage Gousse says occurred when police arrested and tightly handcuffed him Feb. 11 on Interstate 10, then detained him until early the next morning at the Rampart station. 

Gousse, who is black, also seeks compensation for civil-rights violations, lost earnings and post traumatic stress. 

Police spokesman Sgt. John Pasquariello said no complaint had been filed in connection with the incident before Tuesday, and that police and city attorneys will investigate the claim. 

A ban on racial profiling and better oversight and training are among the LAPD reforms the city agreed to in a consent decree finalized in November. The federally monitored reforms stem in large part from a corruption scandal in which Rampart station police admittedly lied under oath and shot and maimed innocent people. 

Gousse, wearing braces and bandages on his hands, said the injuries have left him unable to drive, play with his two children or perform the surgical procedures he specializes in. He said he is one of only a few physicians trained in pelvic flow reconstruction, which is used to treat female incontinence. 

Gousse said he was pulled over after 10 p.m. as he was returning to his Los Angeles International Airport-area hotel room from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he had attended a tribute to a urology professor. 

Interstate 10 is the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol, not the LAPD. Gousse attorney Browne Greene said that according to a Rampart officer, Gousse was stopped by officers who saw his vehicle while delivering something to another station. 

Instead of approaching Gousse’s rented 2000 Ford Taurus, police shined a light on him and talked to him through a bullhorn as the freeway was closed and about 10 police cars and a helicopter gathered, Gousse said. 

“I knew then that I was going to experience a night of terror in Los Angeles,” said Gousse, who came to the United States 18 years ago from Haiti and graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine. 

Police ordered him to toss his car keys on the pavement, then to lie face-down on the roadway. “I felt completely humiliated. ... At this point the tears were essentially coming out of my eyes,” he said. 

Police arrested and handcuffed him. Gousse said he told police who he was and that the rental car contract was in the glove compartment, but “it was as if I was talking to the pavement.” 

Gousse said police knew by his medical ID that he was a physician, but refused to tell them why he was being arrested or why they were driving him to a police station several miles away. 

He said one officer responded to his questions by saying, “Hey, boy, you don’t know where you are now? You’re in Los Angeles, California.” 

Gousse said officers uncuffed him and put him in a cell at the station, then released him sometime before 2 a.m. Feb. 12. They told him he had been arrested because of a problem with the car’s license plates, but offered no apology, he said. 

Gousse said he went to an emergency room after his release to have his wrists examined, and is now under the care of a specialist in Miami. He said he may require surgery, but is hopeful that will not be necessary. 

The city attorney has six months to decide whether to reject the claim, Greene said, and Gousse has a year after that in which to file a lawsuit. 

SAN FRANCISCO — In another sign of the technology industry’s jarring about-face, the amount of money flowing into Silicon Valley companies from the public markets is quickly evaporating, according to new data provided to The Associated Press. 

Silicon Valley firms received $2.7 billion from the sale of stock and other securities through March 15, down from $14.1 billion during the first three months of last year. The first quarter also figures to be down sharply from the final three months of last year, when Silicon Valley companies raised $6.5 billion from the public markets. 

The report, compiled by financial publishing company Bowne & Co. from Thomson Financial Securities data, provides a snapshot of how much faster the Silicon Valley is slowing than the rest of the nation – and even other parts of California. 

Nationally, companies raised $361 billion from the public markets through March 15, down from $407 billion during the first three months of last year and up from $213 billion in last year’s final quarter. 

In Southern California, companies raised slightly more cash from the public markets than they did last year – $4.8 billion through March 15, the report said. 

To a degree, the severity of this year’s plunge in Silicon Valley investment reflects a mania that peaked in early 2000. Until last year, the Silicon Valley had never raised more than $1.9 billion from the public markets during the first quarter, according to the report. 

The Silicon Valley’s current cash drought extends beyond the public markets. The venture capitalists that showered cash he first quarter aren’t available, but virtually all venture capitalists expect the numbers to reflect a steep decline. 

The decrease in money pouring into Silicon Valley companies is bound to have a ripple effect on households and businesses throughout the region, economists said. 

That’s because companies that receive cash from the public markets redistribute the money by hiring more workers, buying new equipment and investing in new offices. 

“This (data) sort of cements it for me. You are going to get a serious downturn in the Silicon Valley economy,” said Tom Lieser, a senior economist for the UCLA Business Forecasting Project. 

An investment slowdown such as the one emerging in Silicon Valley frequently has a viral effect. As more businesses conclude their customers won’t have as much money to spend this year, they table their own expansion plans and hold off on raising more cash from investors. 

“We probably won’t see this economy bounce back any time soon,” predicted Gary Schlossberg, a senior economist with Wells Fargo Capital Markets. 

The biggest difference between last year’s activity and this year’s is the stock market’s appetite for the initial public offerings of tech companies. 

Through March 15, just three Silicon Valley companies – Align Technologies, Riverstone Networks and Loudcloud – had completed IPOs, raising a total of $387 million. In the first quarter of last year, 16 Silicon Valley companies raised a total of $2.5 billion from IPOs, the report said. 

With the stock market in a stingy mood, more Silicon Valley companies borrowed money from the public markets. Securitized debt raised in the Silicon Valley totaled $1.85 billion through March 15, up more than threefold from $502 million in last year’s first quarter. 

On The Net: 

http://www.bowne.com

NEW YORK — A better-than-expected consumer confidence report sent stocks climbing Tuesday on hopes that Americans’ spending could revive company profits earlier than anticipated. The Dow Jones industrials picked up 260 points, their third straight triple-digit gain. 

But analysts were doubtful the rally would last, saying the market remains nervous about the broader economy’s prospects amid other weaker economic data. An earnings warning from Nortel Networks and mixed results from Palm after the market closed added to the likelihood that stocks would give back some of their gains. 

“We’re continuing to bounce back from the low trading levels we saw last week,” said Robert Harrington, head of listed trading at UBS Warburg. “The question now is of sustainability. When do earnings start to improve? Will it be a third or fourth-quarter story?” 

Harrington attributed much of Tuesday’s rally to institutional buying by portfolio managers as the end of the fiscal quarter approaches. He stressed that many individual investors, burned by the Dow’s 1,468-point drop, remain skittish. 

Nortel’s warning and announcement of 5,000 more job cuts adding to 10,000 previously announced – the latest bad news in the telecom sector – sent its stock down $1.76 to $15, a 10 percent drop, in extended trading. 

Handheld computer maker Palm also fell in late trading, tumbling $5.50 to $10, a 35 percent drop, after beating third-quarter expectations but announcing 250 job cuts and that it was reducing operating expenses. 

Other technology stocks fell in the after-hours session, making it more likely the market would see some selling Wednesday. 

Losses in chip stocks had already limited technology’s overall gains during the day. Wall Street worried that the sub-sector will suffer in the weak economic environment punished stocks including PMC-Sierra, which lost 86 cents to $31.40. 

— The Associated Press 

But investors did buy Dow technology bellwethers Microsoft, up $2.19 at $58.25, and IBM, which rose $4.10 to $99.50. 

Other winning blue chip sectors included oil and retail. ExxonMobil closed up $2.39 at $80.64, while Wal-Mart gained 69 cents to $50.29. Both are Dow stocks. 

Tuesday’s advances came after the Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index shot up to 117 from a revised 109.2 in February. Analysts were expecting a drop to 104.1. The industry group said the rebound was triggered by optimism about the economic outlook and employment prospects over the next six months. 

The numbers are also important because of the role that they might play in a future interest rate cut. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates at its meeting last week and indicated another cut might be possible before its May meeting if data showed the economy’s weakness was accelerating. 

“The consumer confidence numbers probably make the Fed a little less likely to act intra-meeting. But there will be more reports later that might change its mind,” Harrington, the UBS Warburg trader, said. 

The Fed would likely also consider other economic data, including a Commerce Department report Tuesday showing orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods fell in February for the second straight month, led by a drop in demand for cars, planes and other transportation equipment. 

“A better consumer confidence number leaves more hope that the profit picture might turn in a more favorable direction,” said Michael Strauss, managing director and senior economist at Commonfund. “But I don’t consider it a major economic indicator and I don’t think the Fed does either.” 

Also Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson said it plans to buy drug delivery specialist Alza Corp. for $12.3 billion in stock. J&J fell $2.13 to $83.25, while Alza rose 25 cents to $39. 

Advancing issues led decliners 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume was 1.58 billion shares, compared with 1.34 billion Monday. 

The Russell 2000 rose 5.50 to 452.88. 

Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 1.6 percent, but the news was better in Europe. Germany’s DAX index was up 3.7 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 gained 2.7 percent, and France’s CAC-40 rose 2.2 percent. 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

NEW YORK — The Walt Disney Co. will eliminate 4,000 full-time jobs, or about 3 percent of its work force, citing “increasingly pressing challenges of the softening economic environment.” 

The media and entertainment giant said Tuesday it will try to achieve the cuts through a voluntary program within the next month, but that layoffs will occur if the full reduction is not achieved. 

The cuts will come across all operating areas, including the company’s corporate staff in Burbank, Calif., and would be accomplished by July, the company said. 

The company employs 120,000 workers worldwide, with the greatest concentration – 55,000 – in Orlando, Fla. 

Disney spokesman John Dreyer said the cuts would result in $350 million to $400 million in annual savings. The company will take a one-time charge of less than $250 million, he said. 

In a letter addressed to “fellow cast members,” Disney chairman Michael Eisner and president Robert Iger said the company has been working to contain costs and operate more efficiently. 

“But despite our progress, the economy has become more challenging in recent months and we must continue to seek ways to manage our businesses even more productively,” the letter said. 

Disney said it would offer special severance incentives, including extended benefits and outplacement services. The company would not provide details of the offer Tuesday. 

Since January, the company has laid off 535 workers from its Walt Disney Internet Group. The company also said at that time it would eliminate its tracking stock for the Internet division after failing to make inroads into the portal marketplace, dominated by Yahoo! and America Online. 

In a separate move, Walt Disney World, central Florida’s largest employer, ordered a hiring freeze. Only critical positions will be filled there. 

The company’s ABC Television network has struggled recently with a softening advertising market due to a general weakness in the economy. And analysts have been concerned that declining consumer confidence would hurt attendance at the company’s theme parks. 

“The news has been anticipated,” Christopher Dixon, an analyst at UBS Warburg, said Tuesday. “There has been major concerns in the advertising market and Disney has been expanding. Disney has had an ongoing focus on cost cutting and is clearly using the current weakness in the marketing environment to trim some excess fat.” 

Disney announced the job cuts after the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where it finished up $1.28 to close at $29.20. 

CHICAGO — The “crack baby” phenomenon is overblown, according to a study that suggests poverty and the use of cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs while pregnant are just as likely as cocaine to cause developmental problems in children. 

Blaming such problems on prenatal cocaine use alone has unfairly stigmatized children, creating an unfounded fear in teachers that “crack kids” will be backward and disruptive, according to the study, an analysis of 36 previous studies. 

“I’m not trying to be Pollyanna-ish and say there are not problems” with cocaine use by pregnant women, said Dr. Deborah A. Frank, an associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University who led the analysis. “I’m saying there are many more serious risks to children’s development.” 

The analysis appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. The perception that crack babies are a unique phenomenon stems from an overreaction to research that did not adequately take into account such factors as family environment and cocaine mothers’ use of other substances while pregnant, the researchers said. 

Women who use cocaine while pregnant often smoke, drink, take other illegal drugs and live in poverty or otherwise unhealthy environments. 

These factors can explain all or some of the problems once solely blamed on cocaine’s presumed effects on the developing fetus, such as low birth weight, small head size, low scores on mental-development tests and behavioral problems such as attention deficits, the researchers said. 

Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said that while researchers believe the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure “are not nearly as dramatic as people initially thought,” the study should not be misinterpreted to suggest that cocaine during pregnancy isn’t harmful. 

“Most of the effects are thought to be on behavioral characteristics, most of which won’t be apparent until kids are getting older,” Leshner said. 

Whether prenatal cocaine use can cause developmental problems that do not appear until after age 6 or at puberty is being studied. 

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Wendy Chavkin of Columbia University said the crack baby “has become a convenient symbol for an aggressive war on drug users because of the implication that anyone who is selfish enough to irreparably damage a child for the sake of a quick high deserves retribution.” 

“This image, promoted by the mass media, makes it easier to advocate a simplistic, punitive response than to address the complex causes of drug use,” she said. 

The JAMA study follows last week’s Supreme Court ruling barring public hospitals from testing pregnant women for drugs and giving the results to police without consent. That case involved a South Carolina hospital’s now-abandoned drug-testing policy, designed to stop pregnant women from harming fetuses by using crack. It resulted in 30 arrests. 

Frank was among doctors and medical groups, including the American Medical Association, who filed briefs opposing the drug-testing policy. 

Pharmacologist John A. Harvey, co-editor of a 1997 New York Academy of Sciences report that linked prenatal cocaine exposure with subtle neurological damage, said Frank’s review muddles science with politics. 

“They play up the problems of tobacco and alcohol very appropriately ... and then they say, ‘Well, cocaine is no worse,”’ said Harvey, of MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. “Well, that makes it pretty bad.” 

Smoking and drinking during pregnancy have been linked to developmental and behavioral problems in children. 

Animal studies suggest cocaine use alone in pregnancy hampers nerve cell development in the fetal brain, resulting in behavioral problems that get worse with age, Harvey said. 

——— 

On the Net: 

JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org 

NIDA: http://www.nida.nih.gov 

DETROIT — The University of Michigan law school’s admissions standards are unconstitutional because they use race as a factor in judging applicants, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. 

In a case that could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman granted the plaintiff’s request for an injunction and ordered the law school to stop using race. 

“There is no question about the long and tragic history of race discrimination in this country,” Friedman wrote in his ruling. However, he said, that the law school’s justification for using race – to assemble a racially diverse student population – is not a compelling state interest. 

Even if it was in the state interest, the law school has not narrowly tailored its use of race to achieve that interest, the judge wrote. 

Miranda Massie, an attorney for a group of students who intervened in the case on the university’s side, vowed to appeal, saying Friedman’s opinion intensifies existing racial inequalities. 

“This decision threatens to resegregate higher education and to increase the unfair racist stigma that is faced by minority students in higher education,” Massie said.  

“We don’t need any institutions in this society to be reserved for white people alone. If this decision is sustained, that would be its impact.” 

A university spokeswoman said she was waiting to read Friedman’s ruling before commenting on Tuesday’s ruling. 

Friedman heard more than 64 hours of testimony.  

His job was to determine whether affirmative action is needed to offset biases that minority students face, whether the law school uses a double standard to admit minorities, and to what extent Michigan uses race when making admissions decisions. 

In a separate lawsuit, another federal judge ruled late last year that the university’s undergraduate admissions policy, which also takes race into account, is constitutional. Both suits are being closely watched by educators and could wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The suits were brought by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Individual Rights, a conservative group. 

“The University of Michigan spent millions and millions of dollars assembling the best possible legal defense,” said Terence Pell, the group’s chief executive. “For Judge Friedman to strike down the law school admissions system after all that money and time to the defense, that represents a huge shot across the bow for the entire higher education community.” 

The center brought down affirmative action at the University of Texas law school in 1996.  

The Texas school, like Michigan, argued that race-conscious admissions foster diversity. But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that while schools can consider an applicant’s economic and social background, race cannot be taken into account. 

The Supreme Court chose not to hear the Texas case because the school had already decided to end affirmative action. 

The law school case was brought on behalf of Barbara Grutter, who claimed that she was denied admission in 1997 because less-qualified minorities got unconstitutional preferential treatment.  

As a white applicant, she said the law school discriminated against her while accepting minority students with lower test scores and grade-point averages. 

University attorney John Payton has said the law school has one set of standards and a policy that is compliant with California’s Bakke case of 1978, in which the Supreme Court allowed consideration of race in university admissions but outlawed racial quotas. 

In December, U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan affirmed Michigan’s undergraduate admissions standards in place since 1999 on the grounds that they are a constitutional way to achieve diversity.  

He found an undergraduate admissions system in place from 1995 to 1998 was more like a quota and was unconstitutional. 

That case had been brought in a 1997 lawsuit filed on behalf of two white students denied admission to the school.

Protests that began in Berkeley two years ago against the Pacifica Foundation governing board – which holds the license to five listener-sponsored radio stations – have spread across the country, with demonstrations at New York’s WBAI against the firings and bannings of staff and volunteers, pickets at Houston’s KPFT and a mass meeting of supporters of Los Angeles’ KPFK.  

The governing board is fighting back, alleging in a media campaign that “dissenters” are using the tactic of physical assault and death threats as part of their tactics. 

Friday evening some 1,200 persons attended a panel discussion on the “Dirty Tricks by Pacifica Execs” in a Los Angeles church.  

And on Saturday in Berkeley, about 200 people paid $50 a pop to go to the Freight and Salvage Coffee House  

to hear the same folks – Democracy Now! radio host Amy Goodman, Dan Coughlin, former Pacifica news director who was fired after talking on air about a one-day Pacifica boycott by various stations carrying the Pacifica News; and Bernard White, recently fired from his post as program director at WBAI. 

The event was billed as a fund-raiser for the KPFA program Flash Points, whose host, Dennis Bernstein said he wanted to hire one of the fired New York programmers to work on his five-day-a-week international news magazine. 

Bernstein, active in the protest against Pacifica for two years, introduced the topic of the day – fighting back against the governing board: “If there’s a fire in the theater and you don’t shout, then you must stand responsible for the fire.” 

At the end of March 1999, popular KPFA station manager Nicole Sawaya was terminated by Pacifica Management. On-air calls for her reinstatement led to gag orders from Pacifica management, followed by the firing of national talkshow host Larry Bensky, the termination of volunteer programmers and an eventual lock-out of station employees and volunteers. Daily protests and a march of more than 10,000 were part of the summer’s events, which saw the station re-open, lawsuits filed, but no resolution to the long-term question of how the listener-sponsors get a voice in the governance of the station. 

Coughlin blamed the firings and bannings at WBAI, which began in December and have been dubbed the “Christmas coup,” on a “political purge,” targeting activist programmers.  

As news director “I was told to tone down the news coverage,” said Coughlin, who was removed from his post in November 1999. He accused the Pacifica management of not wanting the listeners to “hear about our boys dropping bombs and killing babies in Iraq.” 

Pacifica spokesperson Angela Jones said Monday she tried to get Executive Director Bessie Wash to return a Daily Planet call for comment, but Wash was in meetings. 

Goodman told the audience at the Freight and Salvage that she is being harassed by management who argue that calling the network “’Free speech radio’ is an escalation (of Pacifica-listener tensions).” She regularly signs off her show saying that it emanates from the station of “the fired and the banned.” 

“There has been tremendous pressure to stop saying that,” Goodman said. 

She said she’s filed a grievance with her union, because she’s employed in a “hostile work place.” 

Goodman’s complaints called garbage 

Board member John Murdock, of Epstein, Becker & Green – the law firm working on behalf of the Pacifica Foundation fighting the listener, Local Advisory Board and staff lawsuits – called Goodman’s complaints “garbage” and said she can talk about anything on the air “except personnel issues.” 

Murdock added that “If she felt that strongly, she should take her show and go somewhere else.”  

Dissent has escalated at Pacifica's New York Bureau where some 15 programmers and volunteers have been fired and banned from the station, according to Coughlin. About a month ago, programmer Juan Gonzalez, who had co-hosted Democracy Now! with Goodman, resigned from the show and started what he is calling the Pacifica Campaign. This is a fund-raising drive outside the station, aimed at supporting programs without funding Pacifica itself. The foundation takes 17 percent of funds raised for its operations. Dissidents point out that Pacifica's use of the funds includes fighting two listener-sponsored lawsuits as well as the one filed by fired staff. 

“Turn off the water,” Coughlin said. “Stop the funds from going to Pacifica.” 

The Freight and Salvage audience members appeared somewhat divided on the question. Some responded by questioning the wisdom of defunding KPFA, where programmers are not under gag orders. One member of the Local Advisory Board said she would ask the board to support the tactic.  

Station manager Jim Bennett said Monday, however, that without station fund-raising, the basic bills would not be paid. He supports raising only the minimum funds needed to pay the station bills. He said he believes Pacifica is using other funds, such as interest on stocks, to pay for costs such as lawyers’ fees. More than half of the 17 percent that goes to Pacifica, supports Democracy Now! and national news, he said. 

Murdock called the campaign “a shame.” He said he did not know how many people had been fired in recent months from WBAI, but “out of several hundred volunteers and staff, there is remarkably little turnover.” 

Accusations of violence 

The Pacifica Foundation has launched its own campaign – a media initiative to show that the dissenters are practicing violence. Executive Director Wash broke into programming Monday morning to say that a female employee at Pacifica's Houston, Texas station had been assaulted by a demonstrator at an event for the station. Board Chair David Accosta read a similar message on the air at about 11 a.m. 

Calling the Pacifica campaign, a “bitter campaign of misinformation,” a press statement says: “a small group of dissidents who are attempting to unseat Pacifica's National Governing Board of Directors has once again been marred by physical attacks against Pacifica employees.” It goes on to talk about charges “filed against protester Edwin Johnston, a supporter of the ‘Pacifica Campaign,’ an anti-Pacifica effort aimed at recruiting Pacifica listeners to not make contributions to Pacifica.”  

Murdock said Johnston was accused of assault and Houston Police spokesperson John Leggio confirmed that Johnston had been charged with a “class C” assault. The complaint alleged that the suspect had pushed Molly Ganter, relative of station manager Garland Ganter, yelled in her face and then hit Ganter. There were no injuries reported, he said.  

Leggio likened a class C violation to a parking ticket. The suspect pays a fine and is not required to go before a judge. 

Ganter, who was interim station manager in Berkeley when KPFA staff and volunteers were locked out of the studio, did not return Daily Planet phone calls. 

Murdock says the alleged attacks were part of the dissidents’ overall tactics of violence. He cited people going into his law firm and refusing to leave – there have been regular demonstrations at Murdock’s offices in the east and San Francisco. He claimed the protesters pushed a staffer out of their way, but was unable to say whether assault charges had been filed. “They show up outside private residences,” he said.  

Murdock said he agreed with the right to dissent: “Dissent is a healthy thing, but the right to dissent in a non-violent manner. ” 

Pacifica spokesperson Angela Jones alleged dissidents had made late-night phone calls that included a death threat. She declined to say, however, to whom or by whom the calls had been made, in what city, or if there is a police record of the calls. 

Speaking at the event on Saturday, fired programmer Bernard White waxed philosophical when speaking about his termination. Quoting Marcus Garvey, he said: “When all else fails to organize people, conditions will.” 

Tuesday, March 27

“Great Decisions” – European Integration  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy. $5 single session 526-2925 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. www.ajob.org 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

1 p.m. - Dusk  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Derby St. @ MLK Jr. Way  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

548-3333 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Alice Meyer 644-6107 

Wed., March 28

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling Classes for  

Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe/Reinhabitory Theatre legends Judy Goldhaft, Jane Lapiner and Peter Berg 

$6 - $8 Call 849-2568 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets. 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107 

CA Telephone Access  

for Low Vision 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Frances Franco. 644-6107 

Elder Fraud: Prevent & Public Policy  

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Berkeley Gray Panthers Leyla Zabih and Robin Vota. Free 

548-9696 

Thursday, March 29

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Help the Abused  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Gary Hines will discuss how to recognize if a peer is in an abusive situation and what to do. 644-6107 

Special Education Parents Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

LeConte School Cafeteria  

2241 Russell St.  

Discussion of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District. 558-8933 

Environmental Sampling  

Project Task Force  

6:30 p.m.  

First Congregational  

Church of Berkeley  

Channing Large Assembly Room  

2345 Channing Way  

Berkeley Lab responds to comments on the Tritium Sampling and Analysis Plan and discussion of the technical basis for siting ambient air monitoring stations at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.  

Friday, March 30

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets. 644-6226 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the  

287-9406  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Saturday, March 31  

Shelter Operations Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

Cesar Chavez Day Commemoration  

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park (Northwest Corner)  

Four fourth and fifth grade classes from area elementary schools will present the virtues of Cesar Chavez, followed by a dance by the Azteca Dance Group. Mayor Shirley Dean, School Board President Terry Doran, Fr. Bill O’Donnell, and Federico Chavez will speak.  

845-0657 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Gaia higher  

Editor:  

For several months this past fall and winter, I wondered what was under the huge black shroud that dominated the skyline east of Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley.  

A few weeks ago, the shroud was removed, and lo and behold, there was the steel framework for the much discussed “GAIA Building” rising several stories above everything around it.  

My recollection was that after strong opposition from preservationists, the City Council has approved an 87 foot structure, on the condition that a “cultural center” be located at street level.  

Well, it turns out the developer, Patrick Kennedy of Piedmont, has managed, with the concurrence and connivance of the Zoning Department, to raise the height of the building to 116 feet, or 11 stories, far above what the permit allows, and far above what the majority of Berkeley citizens want to see downtown.  

What we now have are several upper-level lofts, two offices, and a two-story elevator tower that are not in the permit, and a “mezzanine” above the ground floor retail area that exceeds the state building code.  

On top of this, there is no obligation at this point that any type of cultural center will actually occupy street-level space, as the GAIA bookstore, which was to serve this purpose, is out of business.  

How the City Council and the Zoning Department let this brazen developer get away with all these violations would make an interesting story, especially when any attempt to raise the height limits downtown has repeatedly met with strong, broadbased opposition from Berkeley residents.  

Could it be that Berkeley is like many other places and Mr. Kennedy’s contributions to a number of City Council campaigns is keeping our guardians of the public trust quiet?  

Art Goldberg 

Berkeley 

Berkeley votes for those who support rent control 

Editor:  

In their respective op-ed letters assailing the City of Berkeley Draft General Plan’s (DGP) inclusion of language supporting the city’s 20 year-old, voter-approved Rent Stabilization Ordinance, both Peggy Schioler ( “Increased Supply Will Solve Housing Woes,” March 9) and Frank Davis, Jr. ( “city Must Not Include Rent Control in Plan,” March 13) demonstrate that they are dramatically out of touch with the overwhelming majority of Berkeley citizens.  

In criticizing the DGP, Ms. Schioler and Mr. Davis ignore reality: Since 1994, Berkeley voters have elected commanding affordable housing majorities to the city’s Rent Stabilization Board.  

Affordable housing candidate slates have won the last four consecutive Rent Board election contests. The DGP’s language simply reflects this fact, and the mandate of Berkeley’s citizens.  

In defending her rental property owner group’s efforts to expunge DGP Rent Ordinance language, Ms. Schioler - an unsuccessful, real estate industry-backed Rent Board candidate - insists it is a “popular misconception” that Berkeley tenants are low income. Ms. Schioler’s statement is factually inaccurate.  

According to the 1990 U.S. Census, Berkeley’s median yearly tenant household income was $19,500. By any reasonable standard, this figure would be considered very low income. For comparison, Berkeley’s median yearly owner-occupied household income was about $50,000 (these respective figures, relative to 1990, will increase upon release of the 2000 U.S. Census data).  

Ms. Schioler also criticizes the DGP’s goal of constructing, rehabilitating and/or purchasing 6,500 affordable rental units over the next decade or so to confront the city’s unprecedented affordable housing crisis. She asks where the city will acquire the funds for this critical goal.  

One potential source is a small percentage of the enormous windfall profits that large rental property/real estate firms and companies operating in Berkeley have reaped since 1996 (when the state Costa-Hawkins rental vacancy decontrol law became effective).  

Increasing the city’s business license tax by a modest one percent on real estate firms owning large rental unit buildings would generate millions of affordable housing dollars over several years.  

Chris Kavanagh 

Berkeley 

Move for Berkeley power not new 

Editor: 

The modern history of public power in Berkeley dates to a proposal by the late Dr. Walter E. Packard, a reclamation expert. In 1965 he requested that the City Council investigate the feasibility of acquiring the electrical distribution facilities of PG&E. 

City Manager John Phillips then drew up Reports No. 65-514 and No. 66-19, both of which favored the Packard proposal. On February 15, 1966, further discussion of the matter was scuttled abruptly by a vote of the Council, which was unanimous except for one absent member. Mr. Phillips shortly thereafter resigned to accept a similar post at Pasadena, a city which already had public power. 

Angered by the cavalier treatment of the power issue by elected officials, the three candidates running for the Council in March, 1967, under the banner of the Community for New Politics, advocated an immediate feasibility study of take-over of PG&E.  

While none of these three were elected, the power issue surfaced again in the early seventies via two successive voter initiatives that would force the Council to launch the feasibility report. The second of these lost only by the absentee ballot.  

In a speech before an executive seminar in Santa Barbara on February 27, 1975, Richard A. Clarke, an official of PG&E, revealed some of the methods used to turn back the threat of municipalization. A purloined copy of the speech inspired an article "How to Steal an Election", which appeared in a small local newspaper (Grassroots, May 19-June 1, 1976).  

The matter of public power lay dormant in Berkeley for the next quarter of a century. However, with the revelation that PG&E has been sending profits to a holding company while claiming bankruptcy, the prospect of yet another bailout, and the threat of escalating rates, the issue has experienced something of a recrudescence.  

By the narrowest of margins the Berkeley City Council on March 20 of this year voted funds to accelerate examination of the merits of public power. 

Ratepayers and taxpayers are once more aroused and are starting to wonder why it is so difficult to stimulate the interest of elected officials in public power, a community asset of proven value.  

J. B. Neilands 

Berkeley 

Conflict  

of interest 

The Daily Planet received this letter directed to the Fair Campaign Practice Commission.  

I am writing to bring to your attention unfair campaign practices by City Councilmembers Margaret Breland and Maudelle Shirek.  

Margaret Breland and Maudelle Shirek each had campaign headquarters at 2517 Sacramento St. (formerly the address of the Outback Clothiers), from September through November, 2000. I have two separate issues concerning this:  

• Shirek reported no rent payment for her use of this space. Breland reported rent only for September. This property is owned by developer Ali Kashani. Considering the great amount of business Mr. Kashani does with the city of Berkeley, this constitutes an unfair campaign practice.  

• Having taken contributions-in-kind in the form of free rent from Kashani, I believe that Breland and Shirek were obligated to recuse themselves from the vote on the HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program, Item 60, on the Berkeley City Council Agenda of Tuesday, March 20, 2001. Kashani is site owner and developer for the proposed University Neighborhood Apartments, and as such will be a major recipient of funding provided by this program.  

The vote on this item by Shirek and Breland, profiting as it does their benefactor, therefore constitutes a conflict of interest.  

Merrilie Mitchell  

Berkeley 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Judah L. Magnes Museum “Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season” Through May, 2002 An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. 2911 Russell St. 549-6950  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; “Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience” Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations. “Ernesto Neto/MATRIX 19” A Maximum Minimum Time Space Between Us and the Parsimonious Universe, Through April 15. Made from disposable materials such as styrofoam pellets, glass, paper, paraffin wax, and nylon stockings, Neto’s sensual sculptural works provoke viewers to interact with his art. “Ed Osborn/MATRIX 193” This Oakland-based artist will use low-tech gadgetry to turn the museum into a sound sculpture as part of his site-specific installation Vanishing Point. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 642-0808. 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection. “Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. “Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. “Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. “Pteranodon” A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22-23 feet. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history.“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing.This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge.“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Vision,” Through April 15 Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process information. “T. Rex on Trial,” Through May 28 Where was T. Rex at the time of the crime? Learn how paleontologists decipher clues to dinosaur behavior. “Fossil Finding with Annie Montague Alexander” March 24-25, 31 & April 21; “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 30: Deathreat, Ahimsa, F*** God In the Face, The Black, Creation Is Crucifixion; March 31: The Jocks, The Cost, The Fleshies, Quest for Quintana Roo, Chi Chi Nut Nut & The Pinecone Express 525-9926  

Ashkenaz March 27, 9 p.m.: Bayou Pon Pon, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 28, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding, Kathy Kallick Band, Bluegrass Intentions; March 29, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Grateful Dead DJ Nite w/Digital Dave; March 30, 9:30 p.m.: Johnny Nocturne Band, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 31, 9 p.m. : SoVoSo, Kotoja; April 29: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 27: Maria Muldaur; March 28: Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner; March 29: Tom Paxton; March 30 & 31: House Jacks 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 27 - 29, 4 - 10 p.m.: Student Winter Recitals; April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Cal Performances April 4, 8 p.m.: Pianist Chucho Valdes $18 - $30 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu March 25, 3 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform music of Beethoven, Ravel and Tchaikovsky $32; Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra April 3 and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“The Marriage of Figaro” through April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Pete Escovedo March 30 & 31, 9:30 p.m. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Doors 7 p.m. Pete Escovedo is leaving the Bay Area and is wishing farewell by playing these two shows. Featuring musical guests: Shiela E., John Santos, Karl Perazzo, Ray Obedio, Narada Michael Walden, and many others. $25 Kimball’s Carnival 522 Second St. Jack London Square  

“A Musical Night Out” March 31, 7 p.m. A four-hand piano concert featuring Andrew Canepa and Stephanie Smith performing the works of Dvorak, Debussy, Barber and more. $10 - $15 Pacific School of Religion Chapel 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8280  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

The American Bach Soloists present “How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

“From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Emergency String Quartet & Carlos Actis Dacto Solo April 1, 8 p.m. Part of the ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series TUVA Space 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 649-8744 

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for 20 years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra presents “Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through Apri 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play Through April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

“Conversations in Commedia” March 28, 7:30 p.m. Featuring San Francisco Mime Troupe/Reinhabitory Theatre legends Judy Goldhaft, Jane Lapiner and moderator Peter Berg $6 - $8 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 849-2568 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Lost & Found” Documentaries from the Graduate School of Journalism April 15, 5:30 p.m. Three documentaries from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism explore the possibility of redemption in the face of immeasurable loss. Lisa Munoz’s “Chavez Ravine,” Kelly St. John’s “In Forever Fourteen,” and Zsuzsanna Varga’s “Screw Your Courage.” Pacific Film Archive 2621 Durant Ave. 642-5249 

Berkeley Historical Society “Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage.” An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development. Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free. 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

“Contemporary Photogravure” Printing from hand-inked plates etched from a film positive, a unique exhibition of photographs with luxurious tones. Through March 30, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. Through April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

Recent Works of Narangkar Khalsa & Pete Glover Through March 31 !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. Oakland 428-2349  

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” The art of Amy Berk and New Color Etchings by James Brown & Caio Fonseca March 28 - April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Opening reception: March 28, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 28: Poetry of Craig Van Riper & Jaime Robles; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 29: Katherine Widing, author of “Cycling France” will give a slide presentation/talk on just that; April 3: Environmental Activist David Bolling will give a slide presentation and talk on “Living and Dying on Everest: An Inside Look at Everest Expeditions and Environmental Issues”; April 5: Mary Olmstead will discuss “Hidden Wine Country” about the Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino areas 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays Through June, 2001, 1 - 3 p.m. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 549-2970  

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. March 29: Georgia Popoff; April 5: Barbara Minton; April 12: Alice Rogoff; April 19: Garrett Murphy; April 26: Ray Skjelbred. Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

“Jewish Cooking in America” March 29, 7 p.m. Joan Nathan, author of this successful cookbook and PBS television series, will discuss her new book, “The Foods of Israel Today.” $18 - $50 Berkeley Hillel 2736 Bancroft Way 848-0414 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. $3 general; $2 seniors; $1 children; free on Thursday. Daily, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours All tours begin at 10 a.m. and are restricted to 30 people per tour $5 - $10 per tour April 29: Susan Schwartz leads a tour of the Berkeley Waterfront; May 12: Debra Badhia will lead a tour of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Arts District; May 19: John Stansfield & Allen Stross will lead a tour of the School for the Deaf and Blind; June 2: Trish Hawthorne will lead a tour of Thousand Oaks School and Neighborhood; June 23: Sue Fernstrom will lead a tour of Strawberry Creek and West of the UC Berkeley campus 848-0181 

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

California Colloquium on Water Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design speak about water resources and hopefully contribute to informed decisions on water in CA. April 10, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “Understanding the Delta - An Engineering Perspective” Richard Denton, water manager of the Contra Costa Water District; May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“The Monster of Troy: Fossil Discoveries In Classical Antiquity” April 1, 3 p.m. Adrienne Mayor will describe some literary and archaeological evidence for discoveries of the huge fossil remains of extinct animals in ancient Greece and Rome. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley  

“The Gene’s Eye View of Creation” April 4 & 10, 4:10 p.m. Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, a leading thinker in modern Darwinism, will deliver a lecture “The Genetic Book of the Dead” April 4 and “The Selfish Cooperator” April 10 International House Auditorium UC Berkeley  

The Berkeley School Board may have violated a state law governing public meetings when it voted March 21, to approve a new “small learning community” program at Berkeley High School, according to one expert.  

The agenda for the school board’s Wednesday meeting listed, as one of several action items, a motion for “approval of the on-going study of the Berkeley Academic Choice/International Baccalaureate Program for the Fall of 2001 at Berkeley High School.” 

The board voted against the approval of the “on-going study” Wednesday, but then, in a separate motion, voted to approve the implementation this fall of the Academic Choice Program. 

Berkeley School Board President Terry Doran told the Daily Planet last week that he believed members of the public who are opposed to implementation of the Academic Choice program did not attend Wednesday’s meeting because it was not indicated on the meeting agenda that there would be a vote for implementation of the program. 

“The board did not have the benefit of a group of parents and staff who had a different opinion of what was coming before them,” Doran said. “That disturbed me.” 

School boards and other local legislative bodies are required, under California’s Ralph M. Brown Act, to post agendas with brief descriptions of every item to be discussed or transacted at a meeting at least 72 hours in advance. 

The purpose of the requirement is to help interested members of the public determine if they want to monitor or participate in the meeting.  

If the description of an item on the agenda is misleading it can constitute a violation of the Brown Act, said Terry Francke, general counsel for the California First Amendment Coalition.  

In the case of the Berkeley School Board agenda, if the Academic Choice item was misleading to the public it could be “grounds for a serious complaint,” Francke said. A member of the public could demand a “cure or correction”, he added, requiring the board to suspend any action on the item until “the community had a chance to react to an implementation proposal” for Academic Choice. 

The board would then have to vote on the question of implementation again, Francke said. 

Doran declined to comment of the question of a Brown Act violation Monday, saying only: “I was much more disturbed because we were given a recommendation at the last minute.” 

Other board members admitted to being somewhat perplexed by the question of whether a Brown Act violation did indeed occur. 

When an action item is considered by the board “the language often changes” before the board actually votes on the item, said Board Director John Selawsky. 

“Usually the staff makes a recommendation and then the board has the freedom to make a motion different than the recommendation,” said Board Director Joaquin Rivera. 

Rivera said he thought there was adequate notification for the public, since the agenda clearly indicated that the Academic Choice program would be “discussed” at the meeting. 

“At this point, if it was (a Brown Act violation) we’ll just put it back on the agenda and vote again,” Rivera said.  

“The votes are there.” 

The Board voted to approve the Academic Choice program for implementation in the fall of 2001 by a vote of four to one, with Doran the sole vote against approval. 

Academic Choice would create a school-within-a-school for 90 juniors and 90 seniors at Berkeley High next fall, and would expand the following year to include sophomores. Student accepted into the program would be encouraged, with the support of a dedicated network of teachers, to take a number of the most rigorous and advanced classes offered at the school. 

The City Council will consider a proposal tonight that could put an automobile at residents’ fingertips while liberating them from the tyrannies of automobile ownership. 

The council will likely approve a $115,000 funding request to the city manager for the creation of Berkeley City CarSharing, a nonprofit company that would allow members to go online or make a phone call to reserve a car whenever they need one. It would cost members $2.50 an hour and 45 cents a mile. 

Councilmember Mim Hawley, who sponsored the recommendation with Councilmembers Linda Maio and Polly Armstrong, said Berkeley is a good town for a car-sharing project. “This would be a good place because there are a lot of students who might be able to take advantage of it,” she said.  

The program would be run by the organizers of City CarShare, which started in San Francisco last February with 12 new Volkswagen Beetles that are stored in four garages in different parts of town. Co-director Kate White said the city’s program has been a success so far.  

She said the company plans to increase its fleet of cars to 50 by the end of the year. 

“We currently have 200 members and have received applications for 500 more,” she said. 

Members reserve cars online or by telephone and then show up at the designated garage with a “smart key” that operates the vehicle and keeps track of time used and distances traveled. Members are billed monthly. To join there is a refundable $300 deposit plus an administrative fee of $10 per month. 

Car sharing is modeled on programs in Europe and Canada. In the United States, there are car-sharing programs in Chicago, Boston and Portland. 

The most immediate goal is to reduce the demand on parking in urban areas. So far the San Francisco program has been successful in increasing the ratio of persons per parking space from one owner per space to 16 members per space. 

Long-term goals include energy conservation and the creation of more housing at less cost. Most urban areas have ordinances requiring a set number of parking spaces be developed for each residential unit. If the car-sharing program is a success, the mandatory number of parking spaces could be reduced thereby freeing up more space for residential development. 

White said the program would ideally attract car owners who drive less than 10,000 miles a year, although she said many of the initial members in San Francisco joined because they couldn’t afford a car. “CityShare can also be a form of preventive car ownership,” she said. 

Maio said she’s not sure if there will be enough money in the city budget to fund the startup. “There’s so much competition for money I don’t know if it’s going to shake out,” she said. “We really won’t know until June if we’ll have the money.” 

Maio said the funding would be a one-time allocation for the first year because the nonprofit would be self-sufficient once it was up and running. 

White said Berkeley would be able to benefit from the San Francisco program because so much of the footwork has been done. White spent three years and nearly $1 million in federal and environmental foundation grants to get the San Francisco program started.  

Most of the money went into the development of the technology that keeps track of the cars, mileage and billing. “All we need in Berkeley to get started is $115,000 and the parking spaces,” White said. She said developer Patrick Kennedy has donated three spaces in the Gaia Building, which is currently under construction at 2116 Allston Way in the downtown area. 

By John Geluardi 

Daily Planet Staff 

The City Council will be considering a recommendation to contract with a engineering company to design the second phase of the Public Safety Building project, which includes the demolition of the old Hall of Justice and Fire Administration building to develop a parking lot. 

According to the council report, the city manager is asking for approval to enter into an $80,000 contract with PERMCO Engineering and Management of Clayton for design and construction support services. 

PERMCO was one of two engineering firms that responded to the city’s request for bids on the project and the other withdrew before a final decision was made. 

Sunshine ordinance 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington is  

asking the city manager to study a Berkeley Sunshine Ordinance, which would make it easier for the public to obtain public information. 

According to Worthington’s council report, access to public documents is the core of the democratic process. 

“Adoption of a Sunshine Ordinance in Berkeley would create a friendlier environment for the public during meetings, and make it easier for all citizens to access a wider array of public information to become better informed about their government,” according to the report. 

The ordinance will address a number of areas of public information including City Council, commission agendas that more accurately describe what issues are to be considered. It would also encourage law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the public and press in making police records, logs and other information available. 

If approved Worthington would like to see it include a provision that “all public records, documents and digital e-mails and files” be available on the web. 

Reporting lost firearms  

The city manager is asking the council to adopt a new ordinance that will require gun owners to report their lost or stolen guns to the police. 

The council requested the city attorney create the ordinance in February 2000 because there is no state law that requires citizens to report lost or stolen firearms. There is, however, a state law that requires licensed firearms dealers and gun manufacturers to report missing weapons. 

According to the proposed ordinance the purpose is to facilitate the arrest of criminals who commit crimes with stolen weapons and deter the use of stolen and lost weapons. The ordinance is also designed to deter gun owners who illegally sell a firearm from claiming the weapon was lost or stolen to avoid punishment for an illegal firearm transfer. 

Gun owners will be required to report missing firearms within 48 hours of discovery of the loss. 

Public hearing on permit parking 

There will also be a public hearing on a proposal to expand residential permit parking to the west side of Milvia Street between Russell and Oregon streets. 

According to the council report, 75 percent of the residents of the area have petitioned to “opt into the Residential Permit Parking Program.” 

The regular meeting is preceded by a meeting of the Housing Authority, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Among other subjects, the authority will discuss the budget for 14 units of rental housing.  

SAN QUENTIN — The “Dean of California’s Death Row” spent what he hoped would be his last day alive Monday as a small group of lawyers tried against his wishes to block his looming execution. 

At about 6 p.m. PST, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an application to stay the execution of Robert Lee Massie, the man who killed in 1965 and 1979 and has spent more time on death row than any other currently condemned man in the state. 

Massie said he gave up 21 years of appeals to protest the snail’s pace at which California’s death penalty system moves. 

California is home to the nation’s most clogged death row, incarcerating nearly 600 condemned prisoners. Massie is the only inmate eligible to die – the others are still challenging their sentences. 

Massie was scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday at San Quentin State Prison. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday declined to revisit its ruling that said a lower court was correct to decide Massie was competent to drop his appeals. 

Other litigation regarding Massie’s execution concerned just what witnesses to the execution – including media representatives – are allowed to see. The state wanted to open the death chamber’s curtain only after Massie has been strapped to a gurney and had the needles inserted into his arms. 

The state calls this a security measure, saying the executioners’ identity must be protected. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled otherwise, saying the state must show the entire process. The 9th Circuit appeals court Monday rejected a state challenge to that ruling. 

Late Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court backed Walker’s decision and denied a motion to stay his ruling. 

Massie is to become only the ninth inmate to be executed at San Quentin State Prison since California voters overwhelmingly voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1978. 

Hundreds of others still haven’t been provided an attorney for their mandatory first appeal to the California Supreme Court, the initial stop in a maze of state and federal appeals. 

“I don’t see any use in continuing this charade,” Massie, 59, said in a recent interview. 

But a pen-pal of Massie has had other ideas. Michael Kroll, a freelance journalist in Oakland who is opposed to the death penalty and who befriended Massie while interviewing him, said he believes the killer isn’t mentally fit to give up his appeals. Kroll hired the lawyers pursuing the last-ditch plea. 

In California, local district attorneys choose whether to seek the death penalty or a life sentence in capital trials. San Francisco’s current district attorney, Terence Hallinan, opposes capital punishment and sided with Kroll’s petition. 

Massie’s first murder was during a Los Angeles-area crime spree on Jan. 7, 1965. He shot Mildred Weiss of San Gabriel while robbing or assaulting a total of five people. 

At one point, Massie came so close to execution he had ordered his last meal. But in 1972 – the same year the U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty – his sentence was commuted to life. 

He was paroled in 1978, and on Jan. 3, 1979, Massie killed San Francisco liquor store owner Bob Naumoff during a robbery. 

Victims of his terror say it’s now time for him to die. Once such man is Charles Harris, who survived a bullet from Massie’s gun, but saw his friend Naumoff die. 

“I want an end of this, and that’s that,” Harris said. 

SACRAMENTO — Republican Secretary of State Bill Jones announced Monday he will challenge Democratic incumbent Gray Davis for governor in 2002. 

Jones, the only Republican holding statewide office in California, said his top campaign issues will include the state’s energy crisis, education and jobs. 

“I believe I have the leadership, the experience and the vision to lead California,” Jones said at a news conference. 

Jones said he will set up campaign committees as the first step to running for governor. He filed his statement of candidacy Monday, and plans a statewide tour within the next several weeks to officially kick off his campaign. 

Davis, who is expected to run for a second four-year term but has not announced it, has a huge lead in fund-raising. 

Davis has raised at least $27 million since taking office in January 1999 and had $25.87 million in the bank at the start of 2001. He spent $35.3 million in his fall 1998 campaign against then-Attorney General Dan Lungren. 

Jones had $118,336 in his campaign fund at the start of 2001. He said he has hired a national fund-raising firm to help his campaign, but declined to identify it. 

“If money was everything, I suppose it’d be Governor Checchi now instead of Governor Davis,” Jones said, referring to Al Checchi, Davis’ multimillionaire Democratic rival in the ’98 race, who spent $40 million of his own money on his unsuccessful campaign. 

Jones has tried to make an issue of Davis’ aggressive fund-raising, particularly campaign donations the governor has taken from utilities, now at the center of California’s energy crisis. 

The contributions include at least $48,500 from Pacific Gas and Electric and $15,000 from Southern California Edison last year. Davis’ campaign also drew at least $67,000 from energy wholesalers in 2000. 

Davis’ chief political adviser, Garry South, predicted Jones’ lack of money will handcuff his campaign. He said Davis had no choice but to step in when the utilities could no longer buy power. 

Jones said he disagrees with Davis’ decision to buy power for Edison and PG&E and spend billions to acquire their transmission lines. The spending will eventually be paid back by utility customers. 

“Basically socializing the energy business – it is just clearly the wrong way to go,” Jones said. 

Jones said the utilities’ parents should put money back into their subsidiaries.  

also wants to encourage private investors to build new power plants in California. Jones declined to outline a specific plan, saying he was working on the details. 

Other potential Republican candidates include wealthy investment banker William E. Simon Jr. The political novice expects to decide by late spring or early summer whether to run. 

GOP leaders are courting others with deep pockets, such as Silicon Valley venture capitalist and school voucher sponsor Tim Draper, and high name recognition, such as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to challenge Davis.

LOS ANGELES — White supremacist Buford O. Furrow apologized for wounding five people at a Jewish center and murdering a postal worker, and was sentenced Monday to life in prison without possibility of parole. 

“I want to try, although it is impossible, to convey my deep sorrow,” Buford O. Furrow, 39, read from a paper in a courtroom filled with sobbing victims of his 1999 shooting rampage and uniformed postal workers. 

“I think about what happened every day and I will grieve for it every day for the rest of my life,” he said. 

U.S. District Judge Nora Manella imposed two life sentences plus 110 years in prison and payment of restitution totaling $690,294. 

Furrow blamed mental illness, saying he wished he had been kept in a mental hospital to which he tried to commit himself before the shootings. 

He insisted he does not harbor any hatred of his victims because of race or religion. 

“I’m sorry for how I traumatized your lives,” he said to families in the courtroom. “I would give anything for this not to have happened.” 

Furrow stormed into the North Valley Jewish Community Center on Aug. 10, 1999, and raked it with gunfire, wounding three boys, a teen-age girl and a woman. He then headed into the San Fernando Valley neighborhood and killed Filipino-American mailman Joseph Ileto. 

In a plea bargain, Furrow pleaded guilty in January to 16 federal charges. The slaying of the Ileto was a federal offense because he was a government employee. 

Furrow fired more than 70 bullets into the Jewish center, which was packed with children attending day programs. Ileto, killed hours later, was shot nine times. 

He surrendered in Las Vegas the next day and stunned authorities by declaring he intended to send a “wake-up call to America to kill Jews.” 

“Your actions were a reminder that bigotry is alive,” the judge said, referring to Furrow’s “wake-up call” statement. “If you’ve sent a message it is that even the most violent crimes can strengthen a community.” 

Furrow sat at the counsel table, his hands and feet shackled, and appeared a pale and docile figure, shrunken from the swaggering, hate-filled man who first faced the court 19 months ago. 

His remarks were followed by emotional speeches from Ileto’s survivors, parents of little boys shot at the Jewish center and two women who told how being shot changed their lives. 

The most anguished was Mindy Finkelstein, who was a 16-year-old camp counselor at the center. 

“I’ve been to hell and back,” she told the judge. “Buford Furrow tried to kill me and he failed. But in a way he succeeded.” 

She said she finished her last year of high school sustained by public sympathy and the interest of celebrities who visited her. But after that, she said, she tried to begin college, lasted one week and returned home with psychiatric problems. 

“When I was admitted to the psychiatric ward I found myself sympathizing with the defendant,” she said. “I thought I was as sick in the head as he was. But I realized I could never kill someone because of my problems.” 

She sobbed as her parents, David and Donna Finkelstein, addressed the court. They said they wished for the death penalty for Furrow and pleaded for him to be kept in solitary confinement, “unable to pollute anyone else with his hateful thoughts.” 

“Mr. Furrow taught me to utilize an emotion I never had,” said the father. “Mr. Furrow taught me the meaning of hate.” 

David Finkelstein said he told the prosecutor he would have been willing to kill Furrow himself but now wants only for him to be kept away from others for the rest of his life. 

“His beliefs are a cancer in our society, which should never be allowed to grow again,” he said. 

The mother, brother and sisters of Ileto made emotional speeches describing the devastating loss to their family of a loving man. 

“Sometimes I hope this was just a nightmare and my son will come to the front door,” said Lilian Santos Ileto. “But I’m afraid it’s not so. I will never get over the loss of my son.” 

Furrow, of Olympia, Wash., had a history of involvement with anti-Semitic groups in the Pacific Northwest, among them the Aryan Nations. 

He also had a history of mental problems and had tried to get help without success, his lawyers said when they argued to spare his life. 

During his January plea hearing, Furrow said he was taking nine psychotropic drugs to control his illness and now felt clear headed. 

The most seriously wounded victim at the center was Benjamin Kadish, then 5, who spent over a month in the hospital. Also shot were 6-year-olds Joshua Stepakoff and James Zidell, and receptionist Isabelle Shalometh. 

“He saw Buford Furrow shooting at him and he did his best to run away even though his leg was broken by a bullet,” Stepakoff’s mother, Lauren Lee, told the court. 

Gail Powers, mother of a boy who wasn’t shot but has since suffered nightmares, said he recently told her he wanted to visit Furrow. 

“He said, ’Well, mom, maybe if somebody was nice to him he wouldn’t want to be a bad guy anymore,”’ she said. 

SACRAMENTO — Assembly Republicans voted unanimously Tuesday to oust their leader, Orange County Assemblyman Bill Campbell, and replace him with Sacramento area Assemblyman Dave Cox. 

Republicans chose Campbell to be minority leader shortly after last year’s November election, but some lawmakers have complained he has not been aggressive enough in pushing Republicans’ agenda on California’s energy crisis. 

Cox, R-Fair Oaks, said he wants to be more active not just on electricity, but related looming problems like spiking natural gas prices and a water and hydroelectric shortage. 

Cox called the vote a “family matter,” and declined to say why Campbell was ousted. He said he wants Campbell, R-Villa Park, to continue to be involved in Republicans’ energy negotiations with Democrats, who hold a 49-29 edge in the Assembly with two vacancies. 

Cox, 63, was a Sacramento County supervisor for six years before his election to the Legislature in 1998. Before that he was a Sacramento Municipal Utility Board member from 1992-97.  

He represents the 5th Assembly District, which covers the Sacramento suburbs of Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Antelope, Rio Linda, Folsom and Fair Oaks. 

Campbell, 58, was first elected to the Assembly in 1996. He is the founder of BIMA Corp., which runs Taco Bell franchises in Southern California. 

He represents the 71st Assembly District, which includes Orange, Villa Park, Tustin, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Irvine and much of southern Orange County. 

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Microsoft Corp. increased its Silicon Valley presence Monday by launching a new technology center that the software titan hopes will help its expansive new strategy for Internet-based services. 

Microsoft has housed some divisions in the area for years and has 1,500 employees here, but the vast majority of operations are based in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, making a rare public appearance in the valley, and other company executives stressed the company needs partners here. 

“We’re learning an amazing amount from this community of talented individuals by really, really listening to them,” CEO Steve Ballmer said in a videotaped address. 

The new center is ostensibly a research lab where e-commerce companies can spend two weeks to two months testing the usefulness and reliability of their software applications.  

Microsoft also runs such labs in Toronto, Boston and Austin, Texas; one is scheduled to open in Chicago this spring. 

The Mountain View lab has the added benefit of putting Microsoft in closer contact with software developers and technology gurus at other companies who must be involved if Microsoft is to enact its broad Web-services strategy, known as .Net (pronounced “dot-net”). 

“Only if we get literally tens of thousands of people to do work around .Net will it achieve a critical mass,” Gates told 1,000 people packed into a large white tent on the center grounds.  

“This will be measured by how many .Net solutions we can build here.” 

Microsoft executives said the center, which will employ 30 to 50 people, cost more than $10 million without being more precise. Unisys Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. also have invested in the center and provided servers. 

“I think it’s a pivotal position for Microsoft in the sense that this will be the place where a great deal of the .Net applications will be developed and tested,” said technology analyst Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Inc.  

“They recognize that Silicon Valley is at the heart of where a great deal of next-generation technology development takes place.” 

Gates described .Net as a vision that PCs, handheld computers and new hybrids could work together better to share information.  

He said .Net would be as important to the next phase of computing as the DOS operating system was to early personal computers and Windows was to the next era. 

He dismissed the suggestion that such talk was the same kind of hype about the Internet that was deflated in the recent dot-com collapse. 

“Although there were excesses in some of the things that took place, the dream is very much alive,” Gates said. “And the breakthroughs in hardware and software are going to go even beyond what was expected.” 

On the Net: 

Net pages: http://www.microsoft.com/net/ 

Microsoft Technology Centers: http://www.microsoft.com/business/ecommerce/techcenter/default.asp

NEW YORK — The new, standard, all-purpose, no-risk stock market forecast is: “the market may not have reached its bottom yet – too many still feel bullish – and when it does, don’t expect a sharp recovery.” 

Such subjective advice was not sufficient for Gerald Perritt. Holder of a doctorate in mathematics, which he once taught, he compiled his own index, a misery index based in hard, factual, historical evidence. 

Perritt’s misery index assumes that one: the more the stock market falls, the worse people feel, and two: those feelings of dread are magnified by the length of time during which prices fall. 

And so, combining the percentage of stock market declines with their duration, he measured all 12 of them back to midyear 1946 – and then observed what happened thereafter. He reached two conclusions: 

1. The greater the index value, the greater the likelihood investors feel so miserable they dump their stocks; 2. the market’s greatest advances tend to occur shortly after the misery index becomes abnormally high. 

He terms his current misery index “abnormally high” at its current level, although there is no assurance is won’t go even higher. 

At this point, his latest reading tells him, he writes in “Gerald Perritt’s Mutual Fund Letter,” to “get ready for the onset of a significant rebound,” maybe even into new statistical highs. 

“The financial press would have you believe investors are not feeling enough pain for the bear market to end,” he writes, to which he responds, “baloney!” 

The 35.3 index tells him investors already have suffered greatly. It does not, however, tell him if they might suffer even more. And as the historical evidence suggests, that could happen before a rebound. 

He found that you have to go back to the stock market meltdown in late 1987 to get a misery index value greater than this. At that time the index rose to 36.8, based on a 33.5 percent decline over a 3.3-month period. 

As the record demonstrates, that decline was followed by a prolonged though oft interrupted, market advance. 

More than coincidentally, the most painful post-war decline, to an index of 69 at the bottom of the 1973-1974 bear market, was followed by a two-year advance in the S&P 500 that produced an 80 percent total return (including dividends). 

The message, Perritt suggests, is not to let misery blind you to the probability that the best of opportunities might be ahead when misery is prevalent. 

What’s missing from the index is a standard for telling when misery is at its worst.  

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Dow Jones industrials scored their second straight triple-digit gain Monday, as investors grew more optimistic that Wall Street might be recovering after two weeks of heavy losses. 

Although the market extended a rally that began Friday, analysts warned there are no guarantees that the gains would be sustained in the long term. 

“I don’t see any conviction behind it,” said Tony Cecin, senior managing director and head of equity trading at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc. “We need to see three, four, five days of plus-Dow movement on increasing volume every day before people begin to feel this is something they can maybe pin their hats to.” 

While the general atmosphere was improving, the market still showed its vulnerability. 

Cisco Systems dropped 81 cents to $17.87, hitting a 52-week low, after two analysts lowered their estimates for the Internet networking company’s third-quarter and fiscal 2001 results.  

The decline also followed a Financial Times report in which chief executive officer John Chambers predicted the economic downturn would continue for at least three quarters. 

But analysts saw some strength in the market despite Cisco’s slide. Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co. said it was a “very telling statement” that the Nasdaq, while lower, for the most part held its own although one of its leading stocks was struggling. 

“My personal feeling is that most – if not all – the damage has been done on the Nasdaq,” said Cecin. 

Other losers on the Nasdaq included Intel, which fell 50 cents to $28.31, Sun Microsystems, down $1.01 at $17.24 and Microsoft, which declined 50 cents to $56.06. 

Sectors that were hard-hit the past two weeks recovered Monday, including health care. Merck rose $2.50 to $71.48 and Pfizer was up $1.21 at $38.74. Financial stocks also were ahead, with Bear Stearns up 96 cents at $47.35 and Cigna gaining $2.02 to $105.03. 

— The Associated Press 

Utility stocks benefited from news that California’s top power regulator proposed a 40 percent increase in electricity rates. Pacific Gas & Electric rose $3.10 to $13.75 and Edison International shot up $3.35 to $14.55. 

The market also drew some strength from expectations of lower interest rates. 

Alan Ackerman, executive vice president of Fahnestock & Co., suggested investors are anticipating that the Conference Board’s report on consumer confidence, due out Tuesday, will raise the prospect of a slowdown in consumer spending and encourage the Federal Reserve to lower rates before it meets again in mid-May. 

In addition, the government reported Monday that new home sales fell 2.4 percent in February, providing additional evidence that consumers are cutting back because of the slowing economy. 

Analysts believed that Monday’s advance, while a good sign, might not be sustainable because companies are still in the process of issuing warnings about disappointing first-quarter earnings. So it is quite possible that more selling is ahead. 

The Dow closed Friday at 9,504.78, down 1,139.84, or 10.7 percent, during the previous two weeks and 18.9 percent off its peak of 11,722.98, reached Jan. 14, 2000. 

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by nearly 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 1.34 billion, down from the 1.58 billion traded Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies stocks, was up 4.11 at 447.38. 

Overseas market were higher Monday. Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed up 4.9 percent. 

In Europe, Germany’s DAX index rose 3.3 percent, Britain’s FTSE 100 advanced 3.2 percent, and France’s CAC-40 climbed 3.5 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

CLAREMONT — Six students protesting development of open space chained themselves to cement-filled trash cans and blocked college administrators from their offices Monday. 

The students filled the trash cans with cement and attached the chains at 3:30 a.m., said Ruth Cusick, a member of their group, Students for the Field Station, and a sophomore at Scripps College, one of the Claremont Colleges. 

The seven-college consortium shares a 350-acre campus that includes 88 acres of open space, mostly coastal sage scrub habitat, known as the Bernard Field Station. 

A group called Friends of the Bernard Field Station dropped a lawsuit fighting the development last month after reaching a compromise with Claremont University Center and Keck Graduate Institute to preserve 45 acres of the field station for 50 years. 

That’s not good enough for Students for the Field Station, who are concerned that developing some of the land could ruin the entire ecosystem, Cusick said. 

The land, which students use in science classes, is a rare piece of Los Angeles County open space with native flora and fauna, she said. Parts of it are home to vernal pools that hold endangered fairy shrimp, she added. 

College officials were trying to convince students to unlock themselves and allow staff in to do the payroll work needed to pay employees. 

“We have told them we’re not willing to negotiate until they’re willing to negotiate about the Bernard Field Station,” Cusick said. “We’re not just going to unlock and let them do payroll.”

The Julia Morgan Center for the Arts has been awarded its first major grant under new board and executive leadership. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will invest $150,000 so the JMCA can develop a pilot program based on the Lincoln Center Institute, a unique arts education program of New York's Lincoln Center. 

The funds will help develop a program of "aesthetic education" which trains professional artists as "teaching artists" who, in turn, train classroom teachers in the same LCI method. Artists and teachers then pair up to take the method back into the classroom for the benefit of students. 

The Lincoln Center Institute model of aesthetic education has been in practice for 25 years in New York and has been successfully replicated in 21 affiliated institutes around the world. The programs provide intensely personal learning opportunities in the arts for teachers and students. 

This year alone, LCI affiliated institutes are touching thousands of teachers and 1.5 million students around the nation, in Australia and Hong Kong. 

"The impact (of the grant) is not just financial, enabling us to launch the Northern California presence of this terrific arts and education process. We can see the impact in the quality of eyebrow raising when we tell people about the Hewlett Foundation's support. The eyebrows go way up and are accompanied by that thoughtful kind of 'oh, really' smile that conveys respect. This significant grant is opening a lot of great conversations for us with other potential funders,” said Sabrina Klein, new executive director of the JMCA. 

Board and staff of the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts have been planning for the past year to establish an LCI affiliated institute starting in June of this year 

The Hewlett grant now makes this possible. The JMCA is one of five additional affiliated institutes to emerge this year.  

"We propose that the model we develop this year will be extended over the next 10 years to become the largest such institute outside New York," Klein said. 

The grant period runs through February of 2002 and underwrites planning and outreach, artist training, a two-week summer intensive for 40 teachers from at least eight Bay Area schools, and partial support for implementing the model at the schools for one year.  

So far, participating schools for the coming school year include Thousand Oaks and Longfellow middle schools in Berkeley, Mira Vista in Richmond and Irvington High School in Fremont. 

The teaching artists who take part in the program will lead the teachers through a two-week intensive process that allows them to become intimate with works of art.  

The teachers return to the classroom and, with the teaching artists, team-teach their students using the same methods and same works of art.  

Teacher and student alike gain a new, deeper and more personal experience of and understanding of art. Studies have shown this deeper appreciation of art can last a lifetime. 

In addition to Executive Director Klein, the new leadership at the JMCA is comprised of Elizabeth McKoy and Tim Choate, who together have invested more than $500,000 in the new JMCA in the past two years. Skip Franklin, William Byrne, Judith McKoy and Gail Simpson make up the rest of the board. 

With the goal of nurturing the artist in each of us, the JMCA seeks to break down barriers to art in everyday life. Through its aesthetic education program based on the LCI model, the JMCA puts the artist in the classroom so that teacher and student alike experience the arts first hand.  

This approach is designed to remind us all that artists are an indispensable part of our community and that art is for everyone.

Berkeley Unified School District classified employees were looking forward to collecting their March pay checks Friday because of 6 percent raises approved by the school board last week, retroactive to July 1 of last year.  

But they got even more than they bargained for. 

Because of computer difficulties and clerical errors, members of Public Employees Union Local One – clerks, secretaries, accountants and maintenance personnel, among others – received double the amount they should have received for the retroactive payments. 

The employees were supposed to receive their retroactive raises for the last eight months in one lump sum on Friday’s pay check, but they got the sum times two. Since Berkeley teachers received a retroactive raise last spring after successful contract negotiations, the district was eager to get raises to their classified employees, said BUSD Public Information Officer Karen Sarlo. As a result, Sarlo said, the process was “kind of rushed.”  

Sarlo said district clerical staff didn’t catch the error until late Thursday, at which point district administrators decided that it would be unfair to withhold the checks for one week in order to correct the error. Instead, they opted to pay the employees as scheduled and then withhold an amount equal to Friday’s unexpected bonus from a future paycheck. Sarlo said the district will withhold the amount from classified employees’ May pay checks, giving the district a month to work through glitches in its new payroll computer system and calculate just how much it overpaid each employee.

Trying to keep your home comfortable while preventing your utility bill from going through the roof can be a balancing act. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a whopping 44 percent of the average American utility bill goes for heating and cooling. Clearly, this figure is less for more energy-efficient homes and more for drafty homes with gas-guzzling furnaces. That you can enjoy comfort and a low utility bill without taking additional steps to ensure these conditions is wishful thinking. 

No matter what kind of heating system you have, you can save money and increase comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energy-efficient furnace alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using the whole-house approach. You may have a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace, but if the ducts leak and are not insulated, and your walls, attic, windows and doors are not insulated, your energy bills will remain high. 

By using proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, weatherization, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy bills and greatly improve comfort. 

Regardless of the type of heating or cooling system you have, keeping it in tiptop operating shape comes first. Replacing a dirty filter is one of the simplest and most obvious maintenance tasks. Clean or replace the filter monthly during the heating season. Depending upon the filter style, a new filter can cost from $1 to $5, but can reduce your heating bill between 1 percent and 4 percent. Moreover, a clogged filter can reduce airflow and thus the efficiency of the furnace. 

On older furnaces, a loose fan belt that drives the blower is a common energy-waster. A furnace that makes a screeching sound when it kicks on is a sure sign of a loose or deteriorated fan belt. To inspect, adjust or replace the fan belt, simply remove the furnace front panel to expose the belt. Depress it with your finger; it should give no more than an inch (1/2 to 3/4 of an inch is normal). Use a wrench to loosen the fan motor adjustment bolt(s) and move the motor away to tighten the belt and closer to loosen it. These steps also can be used to replace a worn or damaged belt. 

Are you heatingor cooling your attic or crawl space? Crushed, deteriorating or damaged ducts are a tremendous source of wasted energy.  

Annually inspect the condition of the ducts – especially where sections are joined. Repair or replace damaged sections and ensure that all joints are airtight, using a metal duct tape. This metal reinforced tape is stronger than the traditional fabric duct tape. 

Are some rooms too hot or too cold? Try adjusting the dampers at the registers (adjusting them closed in rooms that are too hot and opening them in rooms that are too cold). I 

f your system has them, you can control the amount of air going through a warm-air duct by adjusting the dampers located within the ducts. 

Perhaps your furnace needs a boost – a booster fan, that is. Booster fans can be used at either the register, within a duct, or at both locations. A register booster fan, found at most hardware stores for $25 to $50, is installed in place of the standard register cover. The fan is designed to kick in when it detects a small amount of warm air coming from the furnace. 

If that doesn’t do the trick, and you need more horsepower, consider installing a low-wattage in-duct booster fan.  

As the name implies, this booster fan is installed in the duct and is usually wired to the main furnace blower fan to kick on at the same time.  

It can also be wired to a separate thermostat or to a manual switch when more air is needed in a particular room. An in-duct booster fan will set you back a bit more than the register-mount model. Plan to spend about $200 to $500 for professional installation by a heating contractor. 

Before running off to the hardware store or calling in a contractor, you might be able to take the chill off by simply moving a piece of furniture. Often, the return air duct (the duct that draws air into the furnace) or the register (the return air supply through which heat is delivered) is obstructed by a piece of furniture or heavy drapes prohibiting each from doing an efficient job.  

Making sure there is ample clearance in front of each of these registers can solve this. Plastic air deflectors can also be installed at locations where drapes or other window treatments impair the performance of supply registers. 

There are many other steps that you can take to improve comfort and energy-efficiency: 

• Cut down on drafts by caulking or weather-stripping around windows and doors. 

• Check the condition of your insulation. Do you have enough, and is it in good condition? Compressed insulation loses its value. Many utility companies offer a free energy audit that uses infrared technology to identify heat loss. 

• Installing a setback thermostat will give you heat when you most need it and will shut the system off when no one is at home. 

• Turn down the thermostat. Turning the temperature down just one degree can reduce your heating bill by 2 percent to 3 percent. Thus, turning the thermostat down from 72 F to 68 F can reduce your heating bill by up to 12 percent. Set the thermostat for 62 F at night or if you’re at work all day. 

• Close the fireplace damper when the fireplace is not in use. 

• Vacuum vents and registers, and have the furnace and ducts professionally cleaned. 

• Install decorative ceiling paddle fans and run them in the reverse direction to circulate hot air trapped at ceilings. 

• Open window coverings to allow sunshine in and to create natural air currents. Be sure to close them at night. 

• Finally, don’t forget that one of the best ways to take the chill off is by throwing on a sweater. 

For more home improvement tips and information, visit www.onthehouse.com.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal review of an explosion that killed four workers at the Tosco refinery in 1999 has concluded better management could have prevented the fire. 

The fire happened when workers tried to replace a leaky petroleum pipe attached to a tower while the unit was in operation.  

That released naphtha, a highly flammable petroleum product similar to gasoline, which ignited in a fireball.  

The workers were on scaffolding more than 100 feet above the ground, leaving them little chance for escape. 

The report faulted management for leaving the unit, an oil distillation tower, in operation while workers tried to fix it.  

Workers were unsuccessful in an attempt to isolate and drain the pipe, the report said, so they decided to replace it while the unit was operating. 

Managers should have been present and should have insisted on shutting down the unit, according to the report. 

The study makes recommendations for Tosco and Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, which bought the refinery last year. 

“We’re hopeful Tosco will do these audits to see if they have these problems at their other facilities,” said Phil Cogan, a spokesman for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which did the study. 

The report makes a number of recommendations, which aren’t binding but will be sent to Congress and President Bush.  

The companies’ progress on the recommendations will be tracked, and Congress and other agencies can then take action if they’re not satisfied. 

Tosco did not return calls for comment Wednesday. Recommendations for Tosco include auditing safety practices for non-routine maintenance and management oversight of safety, as well as documenting the audits for the workers and tracking and implementing the audit recommendations. 

Recommendations for Ultramar include having a written hazard evaluation, having work authorizations for highly hazardous jobs, having management have a significant presence at the facility and auditing the safety program periodically. 

Ultramar spokesman Jon Ballesteros said the company, which took over the facility in September, already has taken steps to make operations at the site safer. 

“We hope to use the recommendations and the findings to help us to ensure that what we’re doing here for safety is all we can do,” he said.

The Associated Press 

Amid the jeers of protesters yelling “Hell, no, we won’t pay,” the state Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve electricity rate hikes of up to 46 percent for customers of California’s two largest utilities. 

The increases for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co., which take effect immediately, are the largest in California history. 

PUC commissioners, who voted 5-0 for the rate hikes, said they were necessary to head off blackouts this summer and to keep the cash-starved utilities from going under. 

However, the PUC simultaneously ordered the nearly bankrupt utilities to pay the state for billions of dollars of electricity it has bought on behalf of their customers, and to pay producers of renewable energy for future electricity deliveries. 

“The PUC has done all it can,” commission president Loretta Lynch said. “We have fought back hard in every venue possible against these unjust energy prices.” 

Not all PG&E and Edison customers will face higher bills. The PUC said it would create a tiered system that will protect low-income customers and penalize those customers who use the most electricity. 

Ratepayers have labeled the plan a “rip-off” that could hit as many as 10 million homes and businesses fighting to stay cool amid rolling blackouts and spiraling energy costs. The rate hikes could effect as many as 25 million Californians. 

The increase is on top of a 9 percent to 15 percent rate hike the PUC approved in January and made permanent Tuesday. An additional 10 percent increase already is scheduled for next year. 

“Our bills have gone from $26 to $70 for a stinking studio apartment and we don’t have a heater, we use the oven to heat up the studio,” said Belinda Lazzerini, 40, who serves fruit smoothies at Jitters & Shakes in downtown San Francisco. “The laundromat has gone up from $1.50 to $3, so now we will have to clean our clothes by hand and dry them in the basement. It’s crazy.” 

Though utilities still cannot set their own rates for electricity because of a rate freeze mandated by the state’s 1996 attempt at deregulation, the PUC has the authority to increase rates. The rate freeze must end by March 2002. 

The meeting was disrupted at least five times by screaming protesters. Before the meeting, a group led by former Green Party senatorial candidate Medea Benjamin stood in the PUC chambers with yellow signs saying “We Won’t Pay.” 

Jason Zeller, an analyst for the state Office of Ratepayer Advocates, said the hikes will be by far the largest in state history. 

Sam Sahouria, owner of the Fox Plaza Grocery and Deli in San Francisco, said such rate hikes could be too much for his family-run store to bear. 

“It’s terrible, we will probably go out of business,” said Sahouria, who has owned the deli for 15 years. “It’s very simple – we cannot afford any rate increases.” 

The increase was unveiled Monday by Lynch, who said she hoped the increases would force Californians to conserve more energy and would send a message to “electricity hogs” to ease up on power usage. 

“Electricity hogs will have to pay more for the electricity they use, especially over the summer,” said Lynch, who was appointed by Gov. Gray Davis. “The most important aspect of any tiered rate proposal is to motivate conservation.” 

Standard and Poor’s kept California under credit watch with negative implications Tuesday after news of the rate increase. The credit rating service said it was not clear how much revenue the state could expect to see, particularly if the tiered rate system prompted more conservation. 

Consumer groups said they’re fed up with rate increases. 

“We are being held hostage by a handful of energy companies that, under deregulation, got control of our electricity supply,” said Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. “Until our elected officials start acting to protect us, we are going to be at their mercy, at the mercy of this rip-off.” 

Residents already pay on average $65 a month for electricity – 7.2 cents per kilowatt hour to Southern California Edison and 6.5 cents per kwh to Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the state’s two largest utilities. 

Lynch’s proposal would mean a 42 percent increase for Edison customers and 46 percent for PG&E customers for electricity alone. But the basic rates for electricity are bundled with transportation costs, transmission costs and conservation programs, making the average price of a kilowatt hour closer to 12.5 cents for Edison customers and 10.5 cents for PG&E customers. 

Spokesmen for both utilities say it’s impossible to calculate how much Lynch’s plan would cost customers because the impact of the tiered system is not yet clear. 

Davis has repeatedly said he is not in favor of electricity rate increases. But in a speech Monday, the governor said he didn’t have the power to order the PUC, an independent body, to maintain current rates. 

“It’s still my expectation that we can work within the existing rate structure,” said Davis, who has appointed three of the five PUC commissioners. “As governor, I have not decided there should be a rate increase, and as governor, I have not decided that tiered pricing makes sense.” 

Last Friday, Davis administration officials informed several key state Assembly members Friday that the state’s power buying for credit-poor Edison and PG&E could cost $23 billion by the end of next year — far more than lawmakers and Davis estimated when they approved legislation authorizing the state’s power purchases. 

PG&E and Edison say they’ve lost more than $13 billion since last summer due to high wholesale electricity costs that the deregulation law prevents them from collecting from their customers. 

Expectations of the rate hikes cheered the utilities’ shareholders. Shares in PG&E Corp. surged 29 percent on Monday and Edison International’s stock gained 30 percent. Both companies had slight losses Tuesday. 

Also Tuesday, California’s Independent System Operator declared a Stage 2 alert, which means electricity reserves were approaching only 5 percent of available power. The ISO, manager of most of the state’s power grid, urged consumers to limit electricity use. 

The alert follows two days of statewide rolling blackouts last week. 

ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle said the state started the day 10,000 megawatts short due to power plant repairs, and is missing nearly 3,000 megawatts because many alternative generating facilities remain off-line, in part because haven’t been paid by the utilities. 

The Stage 2 alert was triggered when another 1,000 megawatts unexpectedly was lost from the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday afternoon. McCorkle said she didn’t know what caused the loss of Northwest power. The alert was scheduled to stay in effect until 10 p.m. 

——— 

On the Net: 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison Col: http://www.sce.com 

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s top power regulator proposed immediate electricity rate hikes of up to 46 percent Monday, saying this should encourage customers to cut back on usage and conserve enough power to avoid blackouts this summer. 

Loretta Lynch, president of the Public Utilities Commission, said rates for customers of two cash-strapped utilities should be increased by an average of 3 cents per kilowatt hour. 

The increase later would be subject to a tiered rate system designed to protect consumers who conserve, while charging heavy users more, Lynch said. 

“Electricity hogs will have to pay more for the electricity they use, especially over the summer,” Lynch said. “The most important aspect of any tiered rate proposal is to motivate conservation.” 

The current residential rate for electricity alone averages 7.2 cents per kilowatt hour for customers of Southern California Edison Co. and 6.5 cents per kwh for customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. — meaning Lynch’s proposal would work out to a 42 percent increase for Edison customers and 46 percent for PG&E customers for electricity alone. 

But power bills actually are much higher. The basic rates for electricity are bundled with transportation costs, transmission costs and conservation programs, making the average price of a kilowatt hour closer to 12.5 cents for all Edison customers and 10.5 cents for PG&E customers. 

The average Edison residential bill now is $70 a month, and the average PG&E residential bill is about $60. Spokesmen for both utilities said Monday it was impossible to determine how much of an increase in those bills Lynch’s proposed hikes would entail, because the impact of the proposed tiered system is not yet clear. 

The higher rates could go into effect as early as Tuesday, when the PUC meets. 

“Never mind unfair, there is no justification for them,” said Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica. “Why should anyone be forced to pay higher rates when we don’t know what it is for? 

“Basically we are being held hostage by a handful of energy companies that, under deregulation, got control of our electricity supply. And until our elected officials start acting to protect us, we are going to be at their mercy – at the mercy of this ripoff.” 

At a speech in Los Angeles, Gov. Gray Davis said he is not in favor of electricity rate hikes, but has no power to order the PUC to maintain current rates. 

“It’s still my expectation that we can work within the existing rate structure,” Davis said. “As governor, I have not decided there should be a rate increase, and as governor, I have not decided that tiered pricing makes sense. 

“I can’t order or direct an independent body,” added Davis, who has appointed three of the five commissioners at the PUC. “I’ve not given any advice to them on the subject of a rate increase.” 

Davis administration officials told several key Assembly members Friday that the state’s power buying for credit-poor Edison and PG&E could cost $23 billion by the end of next year – far more than lawmakers and Davis estimated when they approved legislation authorizing the state’s power purchases. 

At the time, they projected they would need $10 billion in revenue bonds to buy power for the two utilities over a decade. The bonds will be repaid by the utilities’ customers over several years. The prospect of significantly higher electricity rates in California sent the stock of the utilities’ parent companies much higher Monday. 

Consumer advocates said the PUC, Davis and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are not doing enough to bring down exorbitant rates charged by out-of-state power generators. 

“The generators should be forced to take lower prices,” said Michel Florio, a senior attorney for The Utility Reform Network, who added that the state should use its powers of eminent domain to seize the power plants and run them itself. 

“If the governor isn’t willing to seize the power plants, then maybe we will,” Florio said, adding that TURN and other consumer groups have been considering statewide initiatives to remedy the state’s failed attempt at deregulation. 

Lynch’s proposal is at odds with that of administrative law judge Christine Walwyn, who recently advised the PUC that rate increases were not necessary. Any increase would be on top of the 9 percent to 15 percent rate increase the PUC approved in January, and an additional 10 percent increase already scheduled for next year. 

The governor repeatedly has said he is confident the state’s power crisis can be resolved without further rate hikes. But Davis aides have concluded that rates must rise, given that wholesale power costs remain high. Several lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, have said a rate increase is inevitable. 

“It’s obvious to me that unless you rob a bank or win a lottery you are not going to be able to do this without raising rates,” Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, said Monday. Administration officials have been negotiating with PG&E, Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric about purchasing the utilities’ transmission lines to give the companies cash to pay their bills – a process that could take two years, according to Assemblyman Fred Keeley. 

Keeley said he believes the state should ask for utilities’ hydroelectric plants instead, which he says will produce revenue and income for the state and would mitigate the cost of power the state would have to buy. 

“Deregulation is an abject failure in California, but to engage in essentially institutional denial will only make it more expensive to solve the problem,” said Keeley, D-Boulder Creek. “The governor was right to try and prevent rate increases. That was a noble goal. We’re now past the time of noble goals.” 

PG&E and Edison say they’ve lost more than $13 billion since last summer due to high wholesale electricity costs that California’s 1996 deregulation law prevents them from collecting from their customers. 

WATER WARNINGS 

If water agencies aren’t protected from rolling electricity blackouts, water might not be available for drinking and fighting fires, says a water agency group. 

The Association of California Water Agencies is challenging a proposed state Public Utilities Commission ruling that would allow power to be cut off to water utilities. A decision that could come as early as Tuesday. 

The PUC issued a draft decision March 16 proposing that water districts not be included as “essential facilities” exempt from power outages. 

The association said Monday that many water utilities have backup generators, but said those systems were designed for use during disasters like fires, floods or earthquakes, not as alternative power sources. 

If water treatment facilities were disrupted by a two-hour blackout, it could take two days to restore safe drinking water after flushing potentially contaminated water through the system, ACWA said. 

Cutting off power to water agencies could also hurt fire-fighting efforts, the association warned. 

It represents 438 local agencies that together provide about 90 percent of the state’s water.