Before a highly-charged crowd of South Berkeley residents, the Zoning Adjustments Board declared Brothers Liquor, at 3039 Shattuck Ave., a public nuisance at its Thursday meeting, and imposed a restrictive set of regulations on its future operations. 

Neighbors allege the store is the center of serious criminal activity in the area.  

In a recent six-month period, the police department responded to more than 200 calls at or near Brothers Liquor. Nineteen of those calls resulted in arrests for crack cocaine possession or sales, prostitution, public drunkenness or creating a public disturbance. 

In her report to the ZAB, Victoria Johnson, the city’s senior zoning enforcement officer, presented the board with two possible solutions.  

The first allowed the liquor store to remain open with sharply curtailed hours of operation, the posting of security guards and the obligation to submit to ZAB review every three months. The second would shut the store down completely. 

The ZAB voted 7 - 2 for the first option, and added an extra conditions of its own. 

Board chair Carolyn Weinberger suggested the store be mandated to chain-off its parking lot when it closed its doors at 9 p.m. Board member Deborah Matthews added that the store should be required to clean and maintain its exterior. 

At the suggestion of Mark Rhoades, the city’s director of current planning, the board also put language into the declaration that would automatically trigger another public hearing on the store – one which would presumably result in its closure – if the Berkeley Police Department receives more than four calls having to do with store activities per month. 

Monsoor Ghanem, the store’s manager, said Friday that the charges against his store were unwarranted, and he would appeal the ZAB’s decision to the City Council. Members of the audience hissed and shouted when the board discussed the option of leaving the store open with restrictions. Several ZAB members addressed the crowd directly, assuring it that the conditions imposed on Brothers were very tough, and any deviation from them would be swiftly punished. 

“We’re giving them enough rope to hang themselves,” said Weinberger. 

Rhoades said city staff came up with the compromise declaration after consulting with the city attorney’s office. He said the imposition of conditions as a first step would bolster the city’s case if it were sued by the store’s owners. 

“The courts take a very dim view of cities closing businesses without giving them a chance to clean up their act,” Rhoades said. “But if, after three months, this business does not comply with the conditions, we can set another public hearing and the ZAB can close them down. You will already have declared them a public nuisance.” 

Board member, Gene Poschman, provoked applause from the audience when he said he favored putting the store out of business. 

“I want to revoke the thing,” he said. “I think the city attorney is being far too cautious. We’ve got six, maybe eight votes here for revocation here.” 

But, he said, the staff report had swayed him. 

“The staff is the reason we’re not revoking their business tonight,” he said. “That means there will be a special weight on staff to monitor this closely.” 

Matthews, a resident of South Berkeley, shared Poshman’s reservations, but she, too, voted for the compromise option. 

“I have a hard time accepting the recommendations of staff,” she said. 

“In the community of South Berkeley, in a five-mile radius we have probably 10 liquor stores, each of them with the problems we have here before us.” 

“It’s really important to me that we develop some kind of standard for identifying and dealing with these issues.” 

Rhoades told the board and the audience that the new restrictions – especially the police department “trigger” he had proposed – would assure that the store would be severely punished if the problems continue. 

“There’s 40 or 50 pairs of eyes and ears in this room tonight that will be monitoring this situation,” he said. 

“Do you hear that?” Weinberger asked the audience. “If three months from now it hasn’t improved, you come back to us and we will yank their business.” 

Only board member Paul Schwartz and Marie Bowman, who substituted for board member Mike Issel at Tuesday’s meeting, voted against the declaration. 

Schwartz said he was in favor of the restrictions on the business, but he wanted to vote for complete closure to expedite matters.  

“I don’t think they’re going to be able to stay in business with these restrictions, so they’ll probably end up shutting down anyway,” he said. 

At the end of the hearing, Rhoades thanked the board for voting for the staff’s recommendations. 

“I know it was a very difficult decision,” he said.

Saturday, Oct. 27

Bay Area Coalition to End the  

Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento  

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Saturday Morning Children’s  

Program 

10:30 a.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Charlie Chin presents traditional Chinese folk tales told in the “tea house” style. $4 adult, $3 children 

Berkeley Child Safety Seat  

Check-Up 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (drop-in)  

Kittredge Street Parking Facility  

2020 Kittredge Street (the old Hinks Parking lot), 2nd Floor 

Trained child passenger safety technicians will inspect your safety seat installation, inform you of any recalls, and assist you in using your child safety seat properly. Free, sponsored by the Berkeley Public Health and Police Departments, 665-6839, dquan@ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Raising the Bar: Latino and  

Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Booth Auditorium 

An unprecedented gathering of Latino judges from across the country to celebrate and critically examine the contributions of Latinos on the bench. 643-8010 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The city is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

Sunday, Oct. 28

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Our Visual Heritage 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Ashkenaz 

1613 San Pablo Ave. 

Deaf and Hearing Project of Berkeley presents an ASL (American Sign Language) accessible event, in recognition of World and Domestic Violence Prevention Disability Awareness Month featuring, music, dance, information and more. $10, Children under 12 free. 644-2003, 644-2000 (TTY) 

Berkeley, Where Is It Going 

8 p.m. 

BTVU ch. 25  

Notable Berkeley neighborhood supporters give important informa 

tion about the General Plan that will be before the Council in Public Hearings on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. 

Spirit Day at the West  

Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue, between 3rd and 4th sreets  

Spirit Day will host an outdoor community alter to honor our elders and the people who have lost their lives since Sept. 11. Family-oriented weekly market. Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 654-6346 

Vespers of St. Demetrios 

4 p.m. 

PAOI 

2311 Hearst Ave. 

A prayer service celebrating St. Demetrios, patron saint of the chapel of Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. 649-2450 

Monday, Oct. 29

Franciscanism, Understanding  

the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Lecture - Discovery of Quilting 

7:30 p.m. 

First Unitarian Church 

1 Lawson Road, Kensington 

This is Dianne Hire’s own story, her personal expression of the intimate desires to create, to imagine and to express through the medium of quilting. $3 834-3706 www.hirealternatives.com 

Affordable Housing Advocacy  

Project 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Learn about the latest changes in affordable housing at the state and federal level. 800-773-2110 

Race, Immigration and  

American Politics Speaker  

Series 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley, 119 Moses Hall 

David Sears, UCLA, “Race, Religion, and Sectional Conflict in Contemporary Partisanship.” 642-4608 

– compiled by Guy Poole 

In 1877 John G. Wright, an Englishman, opened Berkeley’s first wholesale-retail bakery at 2026 Shattuck Ave., just north of where the Kress building stands today. The original bakery which is pictured here, was a two-story wood frame building that had tall storefront windows and a covered wood veranda in front. The owners, as well as their bakery workers and student boarders, lived on the second floor. 

The bakery produced 26 varieties of bread, twelve types of cakes and pies and also had a catering service, dining room and retail sales shop. By 1905 the business had grown so large that it had a fleet of 40 horse-drawn trucks and motor cars.  

Wright was active in organizing the bakers union which was formally established in 1904 at the Golden Sheaf Bakery. But unionization led to the demise of family run bakeries and the rise of large companies. In 1909 the Wright family sold their business to Wonderbread and the old bakery building was torn down.  

Around the corner at 2071 Addison St. is a remnant of the Golden Sheaf Bakery. The brick-sided building was constructed in 1905 as a storage building and loading area for the bakery. But despite its rather humble use, the building was designed by noted architect Clinton Day.  

It is a Classic-inspired, two-story red brick and terra-cotta building with a three-part composition. Four pilasters frame three vertical bays, which contain three sets of paired arched windows on the second story. Above the central bay there is a sign molded in brick-colored terra-cotta depicting a sheaf of wheat and under this, the bakery’s name. Molded terra cotta was also used for the bases and capitals of the pilasters and for the cornice. The terra cotta was made by the Gladding McBean Company. 

After the bakery was sold, the building served as offices and shops until 1927, when it was converted into a garage. On July 20, 2000 a dedication ceremony was held for the Nevo Educational Center of the Berkeley Repertory Theater. The remodeled bakery-warehouse building will provide space for the theater’s education program.  

Susan Cerny, author of “Berkeley Landmarks,” writes this series in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

Conventional warfare questioned in fight against terrorism 

The missile camera films and the aerial photos of bombs hitting Afghanistan targets looks little different to me than the 8th. Air Force’s “precision” bombing of NAZI targets I saw from the waist window of our B-24 four engine Liberator from early April to May 9, 1944. That was the day our plane was shot down and six of our 10 crew members bailed out over Belgium. The tons of bombs we POW’s saw falling in our direction from Allied planes bombing nearby German targets looked and felt no different to us than is being experienced by Afghani civilians on the edge of Afghani military targets – it is breath stopping terror. 

Remarkably that same W.W.II aerial warfare strategy is paralleled by the high-tech bombing, satellite surveillance, night vision technology now being used in the Middle East. Another similarity is the claim that precision bombing avoids civilian casualties and the dichotomy that despite sixty years the U.S. bombing errors, over-runs, and “accidents” continue to occur. To understand why is to realize that the high-tech advancements in airplanes, armament, rocketry, and guidance systems has the primary purpose of protecting Air Force planes and air crews from casualties. Now the planes are bigger, faster, and carry larger bomb loads, and yet require fewer crew. During 1941 through 1944 the Royal Air Force and the American air crew losses were up to 50 percent, some of whom became POW’s. 

Today’s B-51 has a crew of four compared with ten men each in W.W.II’s B-17 and B-24 bombers. Although WW II bombers flew lower and slower making accurate bombing apparently easier, technical and human errors by navigators, bombardiers, and pilots, and the interference by enemy German ack-ack and fighters caused unintended bombing of residential areas, churches, hospitals, Red Cross trains and convoys, and even harmless villages regularly. The WW II press seldom learned about those tragedies, but there lies the “collateral” damage rational of the military mind. Similarly, ground forces face the same moral dilemma, every U.S. war has been shrouded with “unintended” civilian 

deaths. 

The common denominator in the above comparisons to today is they are all “conventional” wars. “America’s New War” has been referenced to the “crusades,” and a “campaign ” or an “action,” the terms used historically for incursions into other countries when “war” is not politically correct. In this war all the military and patriotic rhetoric that have been used in past wars are present again. Today’s military-industrial complex, inherited from W.W.II, is making full use of the hardware capacity accumulated from pork-barrel Defense Department budgets that focus on modern warfare technology, but conventional in concept: bomb “them” into submission, use minimal ground forces, and get out. 

We need a new strategy that incorporates a geo-historic-cultural-political-moral concern for civilians. The proposed “Department of Peace” may not be too late to save us from retaliations from other terrorist cells, loss of support from the Muslim world, and alienation from those who normally are our allies. The admonitions and cautions about fighting terrorism have been heard long before Sept. 11, and immediately following the W.T.C. attack we were reminded again: the “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” avenging of our losses on 9-11 can not justify fighting world terrorism conventionally. 

Terror is a bitter pill, composed of fear, anger, hate, and the inevitable retaliation, and it never tastes good. War is for cowards – shoot if it moves, ask questions later. To do otherwise is to the disadvantage of the soldier. Our nation will better endure by exercising our power of social, economic, and environmental justice for all. The escalation of the war in Afghanistan is too close to reality to allow the “old guard” unquestioned power. There are alternatives, if we stop, look, and listen. 

Ken Norwood is a Berkeley resident. 

Robert L. Smith, a Berkeley resident since 1950, served as a medic in the 28th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1945. He aided the wounded in combat, helping to liberate Paris. Smith served approximately two months after the D-Day landings. 

Robert L. Smith’s new book, “Medic!” A WWII Combat Medic Remembers, chronicles his entry into the army, his plethora of experiences on the battlefield and some events he went through immediately after returning home – such as even though he was a discharged veteran with a Purple Heart, he was not yet 21 years old and too young to qualify for a California driver’s license.  

In the latter part of Smith’s book, he describes returning to Europe with his wife, Fran, in 1997-98. The Smiths travelled through many of the same areas he’d been half a century earlier. Fran’s photographs reference and counterpoint the fact-filled text.  

While the book reads, in part, like a really long post card, the story is riveting in parts and is almost always engaging.  

A quiet strength and steady bravery inform Smith’s voice. 

Smith’s comments about K rations, the combination of terror and tedium soldiers experienced and the forms of segregation he witnessed are sobering.  

Smith describes many of the individuals he came into contact with. 

Smith eloquently tells of the moral strength and honor shown by some American soldiers. For instance, Smith describes Caleb A. Converse, a litter bearer from Columbus, Ga.: “A slow, steady person who consistently was brave. Every night Converse carried out our critical cases on his back, one at a time, making three or four separate trips down the hill and across the fields and river to safety on the American side. He did something that none of the rest of us would do. Yet he did it voluntarily, never asking for help. He simply went on saving the lives of men who otherwise would not have survived.” 

Smith also describes the actions of some of the enemy soldiers and civilians he came into contact with. At one point an enemy soldier told Smith, in perfect English, that he is behind enemy lines and sent Smith in another direction, which probably saved his life.  

Smith’s perspective as a medic puts him in the center of both the physical and spiritual action. A medic’s job is to be heroic. As Smith explains: “Anyone else could yell for the medic, but I was the medic.”  

Smith portrays the challenges of trying to save lives in the heat of battle. Medics are called upon to provide immediate relief to injured soldiers during combat. The wounded call to them. Sometimes medics have the skills and materials they need to disinfect wounds and immediately affect the balance of life vs. death. At other times a medic’s skills and desire to bring relief are insufficient to remediate devastating damage.  

Smith writes: “I had gone to war full of conviction and came out having lost my naivete about some things that had previously been absolutes.” 

As we see in All Quiet On the Western Front, the classic WWI novel by Erich Maria Remarque, going to war is unlike any other human experience. And there are some stories only a warrior can tell. 

Sari Friedman teaches writing at local colleges and can be reached at literate2@earthlink.net 

924 Gilman St. Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; Nov. 2: Mood Frye, Manic Notion, Cremasters of Disaster, Bottles and Skulls, Lorax, Sociopath; Nov. 3: Cruevo, Nigel Peppercock, Impaled, Systematic Infection, Depressor; Nov. 9: Hoods, Punishment, Lords of Light Speed, Necktie Party; Nov. 10: Sunday’s Best, Mock Orange, Elizabeth Elmore, Fighting Jacks, Benton Falls; Nov. 16: Pitch Black, The Blottos, Miracle Chosuke, 240; Nov. 17: Carry On, All Bets Off, Limp Wrist, Labrats, Thought Riot; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

The Albatross Pub Nov. 3: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Both shows 9 p.m. 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 albatrosspub@mindspring .com  

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Oct. 27: 9:30 p.m., Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, $11; Oct. 28: 1:30 p.m., Derique McGee and Jazz Design, $ sliding scale; 9 p.m. Itals, Ras Jacob, Kanawah, DJ Ras D, $12; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., Bluegrass Benefit Concert for the NY Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, Mike Marshall, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, Bluegrass Intentions, Kathy Kallick Band, Detour; $20. 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5099 www.ashkenaz. com 

Blake’s Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs. berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Oct. 27: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney $18.50 - $19.50; Oct. 28: True Blue with Del Williams $15.50 - $16.50; Nov. 1: Si Kahn $17.50 - $18.50; Nov. 2: Don Edwards $16.50 - $17.50; Nov. 3: Barbara Higbie $17.50 - $18.50; All Shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note Nov. 4: 4:30 p.m. SoVoSo, $15; Nov. 11: 4:30 p.m. Dave Le Febvre Quintet, $12. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts Oct. 27: 8 p.m., Empyrean Ensemble, $18, $14 children. 2640 College Ave. 845-8542/ www.juliamorgan.org 

Jupiter Nov. 1: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 2: Lithium House; Nov. 3: Solomon Grundy; Nov. 7: Go Van Gogh; Nov. 8: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 9: Xroads; Nov. 10: Post Junk Trio; Nov. 14: Wayside; Nov. 15: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 16: 5 Point Plan; Nov. 17: Corner Pocket; Nov. 21: Starchild; All shows 8 p.m. and free. 2821 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625/ www.jupiter.com 

La Peña Oct. 28: 7:30 p.m., Mezcla from Cuba, $15dr. 320 45th St., Oakland 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

La Lesbian @ La Peña: A Lesbian Performance and Film Series Oct. 25: 8 p.m., comedian Elvira Kurt, $16; Nov. 1: 8 p.m., Singer/songwriters Faith Nolan and Megan McElroy, $14; Nov. 4: 5 - 9 p.m., Salsa, merengue, cumbia from DJs Rosa Oviedo and Chata Gutierrez, $7; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., I Love Lezzie, 20 member comedy troupe, $14; 320 45th St., Oakland 654-6346 www.lapena.org 

MusicSources Oct. 28: Keyboardist David Buice; Nov. 18 Harpsichordist Gilbert Martinez. Both shows 5 p.m. $15-18. 1000 The Alameda 528-1685 

The Stork Club Oct. 23: 9 p.m., Earwig, Butch Berry, $5; Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Cruevo, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Brainoil, Life in a Burn Clinic, $5; Oct. 25: 10 p.m., Painted Bird, Tinman, Fenway Park, $6; Oct. 26: 10 p.m., Birdsaw, Wire Grafitti, Breast, $5; Oct. 27: 10 p.m., Oxbow, Replicator, 60 Foot Time, $6; Oct. 30: 9 p.m., Simple Things, Tombshakers, Ultrafiend, $5; Oct. 31: Oppressed Logic, Eddie Haskells, TBA, $5; 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 444-6174  

Yoshi’s Restaurant and Jazz Spot Oct. 29: 8 & 10 p.m., The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, $10. 238-9200 www.yoshis.com 

Cal Performances Nov. 2: 7 p.m., Sightlines, Pre-performance discussion with guest artists. 8 p.m., “Music Before 1850,” with Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. $32. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Theater 

“The Odd Couple” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27: 7:30 p.m. The female adaptation of Neil Simon’s classic play. Directed by Antoine Olivier. $5 students, $7 adults. Bobby Barrett Theater, St. Mary’s campus, 1294 Albina. 981-1167 ruthcrossman@yahoo.com 

Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Oct. 26: 8 p.m., Oct. 28: 3 p.m. Presented by the Oakland Lyric Opera, continuing the company’s opera showcase series of short, one-act operas and opera scenes, semi-staged concert performances. First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. $25, $18 students and seniors, $15 children. 836-6772 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them”Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m., matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Tomas Carrasco of Chicano Secret Service” Nov. 15: 4 p.m. Performance by member of L.A.-based sketch comedy troupe that uses humor to tackle hot-button racial and political issues. Free. Durham Studio Theater, UC Berkeley 

“Lost Cause” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Three space travelers stranded on a forgotten colony, find themselves in the middle of a bloody civil war, and have to decide between what’s right, what’s possible, and what will save their lives. Written by Jefferson Area, directed by Sarah O’Connell. $7-12. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 464-4468 www.impacttheatre.com 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

Cal Performances “The Car Man” Oct. 30, 31: 8 p.m.; Nov. 1: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Nov. 2: 8 p.m.; Nov. 3: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne and his company re-invent Bizet’s “Carmen,” spinning the tale of a mysterious drifter in a small mid-western town, who changes the lives of its inhabitants forever. $32 - $64; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” more than 30 singers, dancers, and musicians present a musical synthesis of the authentic Roma styles. $18 - $30; Nov. 8: 11 a.m., SchoolTime Performance, “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” $3 per student or chaperone, in advance only; Nov. 8: 8 p.m., “Orquesta Aragón,” $18 - $30. Nov. 11: 3 p.m., Recital - Angelika Kirschschlager, Bo Skovhus, and Donald Runnicles. “Wolf/ Die Italienisches Liederbuch,” $45; Nov. 16 - 17: 8 p.m., “La Guerra d’Amore,” director and choreographer, René Jacobs, conductor, Ensemble Concerto Vocale. Modern dance and early music from German choreographer Joachim Schlömer, $34 - $52; 

UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 through Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Saint Joan” Oct. 26 through Dec. 2: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m. George Bernard Shaw’s epic of a young girl determined to drive the English out of France with only her faith to support her. Directed by Barbara Oliver. $26-35. Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St. 843-4822 www.auroratheatre.org 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Search” Nov. 4:30 p.m. 1948 drama of American soldier caring for a young concentration camp survivor in post-war Berlin, while the boy’s mother is desperately searching all Displaced Persons camps for him. $2 suggested donation. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

Exhibits 

“Photographs of Yosemite” by Richard Blair, Oct. 25: 5 - 8 p.m. Mr. Blair served as Park Photographer for Yosemite National Park in the early 1970’s and continues to photograph there often. Holton Studio, 5515 Doyle St., No. 2, Emeryville. 450-0350 www.holtonframes.com 

Panel Discussion on Documentary Photography Oct. 25: 7:30 p.m. Panelists include photographers Nacio Jan Brown, Jeffrey Blankfort, Cathy  

Cade, Ken Light and Michelle Vignes in discussion with moderator Scott Nichols. Free. UC Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, 120 North Gate Hall 644-6893/ www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“African Harmonies,” the artwork of Rae Louise Hayward. Through Oct. 31: Hayward’s art celebrates the beauty of African culture: its people, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and music. Tues. - Thurs. 1 - 7 p.m., Sat. noon- 4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286/ www.wcrc.org 

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Architects of the Information Age” Through Nov. 10: A solo exhibit showcasing the works of Ezra Li Eismont. Works included in the exhibition are mixed media paintings on panel and assemblage works on paper and canvas. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland 836-0831 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“In Through the Outdoors” Through Nov. 24: Featuring seven artists who work in photography and related media including sculpture and video, this exhibit addresses the shift in values and contemporary concerns about the natural world that surrounds us. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St. www.traywick.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“Furniture Art” Through Dec. 7: An exhibit of metal and wood furniture that revisits furniture not only as art but as craft. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. The Current Gallery at the Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; Oct. Janell Moon will read from her new book, “Stirring the Waters: Writing to Find Your Spirit.”; Oct. 27: Pat Schmatz reads from “Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.”; Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Poet Janet Mason will read from “When I Was Straight” and present her “Boobs Away.”; Nov. 3: Editor Danya Ruttenberg and contributors Loolwa Khazzoom, Emily Wages, Billie Mandel will read their selections in the new anthology, “Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism.”; Nov. 9: Lauren Dockett will read from her latest book, “The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression.”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 23: Michael Downing will talk about “Shoes Outside the Door: Scandals of Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center; Oct. 24: Anita Roddick returns with “Take It Personally”; Oct. 25: Eric Muller discusses “Free To Die For Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II”; Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; Oct. 27: Gregory Maguire reads “Lost”; Oct. 28: Christopher Hitchens with “Letters To A Young Contrarian”; Oct. 29: Arturo Pérez-Reverte reads from “The Nautical Chart”; Oct. 30: Ruben Martinez recounts “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail”; Oct. 31: Barry Lopez reads from “Light Action In The Caribbean”; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Oct. 25: Simon Winchester discusses “The Map That Changed The World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology”; Oct. 26: Alice Medrich delivers “A Year In Chocolate: Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts”; Oct. 27: 11 a.m., Addi Someckh and Charlie Eckert - The Balloon Guys, play with “The Inflatable Crown Balloon Hat Kit,” for young readers; Oct. 28: 4 p.m., Darren Shan with “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Vampire’s Assistant,” for young readers; All shows 7 p.m. unless noted, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

“Michael Moore” Oct. 29: 7:30 p.m. Author and film maker reads from his new book “Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation”. $12-15. Sponsored by Cody’s. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California through Nov. 25: Pasajes y Encuentros: Ofrendas for the Days of the Dead, highlights three thematic “passageways” that connect the dead with the living: tradition, humor and spirit. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.org 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

After a heartbreaking loss to rival Kennedy last week, the St. Mary’s High football team needed a game to get out some aggression while keeping everyone healthy. A game with Albany was just what the doctor ordered. 

St. Mary’s jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead against the Cougars on Friday afternoon and cruised home with a 34-6 win. Tailback Trestin George ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries and quarterback Steve Murphy threw for two scores to wide receiver Courtney Brown in the victory. 

“We knew if we played a good first half that we could get ahead of them,” St. Mary’s head coach Jay Lawson said. “It’s nice to get an easy win once in a while.” 

The Panthers (4-4 overall, 2-1 BSAL) came into the game looking to put heat on Albany quarterback Harold Lueders, and they did just that. They sacked Lueders three times in the first quarter, including two by linebacker Omarr Flood, and knocked him out of the game early in the second quarter. His replacements, J.P. Koehn and Garin Hecht, were clearly in over their heads, completing just 6-of-23 for 83 yards with Lueders on the bench with a possible separated shoulder. Koehn, who played most of the second half, also threw two interceptions, including one that George returned 100 yards for a score. 

“We have better athletes in our secondary than they have at receiver,” Lawson said. “We thought our defensive backs could man up and let us get a lot of heat on the quarterback, and we did that.” 

Flood, who also had an interception to go with his two sacks, enjoyed the freedom to blitz for most of the game. 

“Being aggressive is the name of the game on defense,” he said. “We sent them a message that we weren’t playing out there.” 

Linebacker Julian Taylor got the ball rolling with a punt block on Albany’s (3-5, 0-3) opening possession, giving the St. Mary’s offense the ball on the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Murphy threw a quick pass to Brown, who juked one defender and found the end zone to open the scoring. 

George came up big on the next drive, running three times for 54 yards. In fact, the entire series was on the ground, as St. Mary’s ran the ball seven times for 78 yards. George finished the drive with a spectacular 19-yard touchdown run during which he broke five tackles and destroyed one Albany defender on his way to the end zone. In fact, it looked as if George was actually looking for defenders to hit instead of the other way around. 

“I was just hungry to run somebody over,” George said. “I lowered my shoulder, then put on a little shake. Then the last guy stepped up and I hit him as hard as I could.” 

Brown put on a show of his own early in the second quarter, taking a short pass over the middle and turning it into a 55-yard score, juking two defenders and racing up the right sideline to make the score 22-0, a lead the Panthers took into halftime. 

The second half was a slow-paced affair, with the Panthers looking to run out the clock and Albany unable to get anything going on offense. George took control early with runs of 19 and 20 yards on the first drive of the half, capping it with a nine-yard touchdown run. 

Albany answered back with a good drive, keyed by a screen pass to running back Michael Estis for 34 yards that put the ball inside the St. Mary’s 10. Estis scored from a yard out sson after for Albany’s lone score of the day.  

But the next Albany drive turned into George’s interception return, and it was clear there would be no comeback. All that was left was the self-destruction of the Albany offense, including an unforced fumble that St. Mary’s Jerrell Booker recovered and an easy interception by safety Jason Bolden-Anderson.

In the wake of Principal Frank Lynch’s departure last week, Berkeley High School’s vice principals will run the school as a team until a new principal can be found.  

“(We) built the model being optimistic that we could get someone by second semester, but if we couldn’t, it could certainly go through the end of the year,” Superintendent Michele Lawrence said. 

Vice principals Mary Ann Valles and Laura Leventer will be co-principals, vice principal Mike Hassett will primarily oversee the ninth-grade program, and Executive Vice Principal Larry Lee will oversee day-to-day operations and discipline. 

In addition, the district placed job announcements Thursday for two new deans, who will oversee student discipline and report to Lee. 

“We’ve had deans in the past, but it is a new position,” said Chris Lim, the associate superintendent for instruction. 

District administrators met with Berkeley High staff on Wednesday to unveil a detailed list of the duties for each of the vice principals. 

Valles, who led the San Francisco schools technology program until coming to Berkeley High last summer, will primarily look after attendance, grades, and student services. Among those are counseling and the Student Learning Center, which provides tutoring. She will also continue to act as liaison to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as the school struggles to be renew its accreditation next fall. 

Leventer, the high school’s former math department chairwoman, will coordinate scheduling, field trips, the Web site and “E-tree,” assemblies, clubs, and relations with the Parent Teacher Student Association. She has been designated lead contact person for parents and the press. 

Hassett, a longtime English department chair before taking on his administrative post, will be the lead person on testing in addition to the ninth-grade retention programs, including the new Critical Pathways program, which is intended to remedy the “achievement gap” among African-American and Latino students. 

“Don’t be deceived by the short list of tasks he has,” Leventer wrote in a community e-mail Thursday. “This is probably the most challenging job there is and Mike is the most qualified for it.” 

Lee, who served as interim principal for three years before Lynch’s predecessor, Teresa Saunders, will manage the buildings and everything from disaster preparedness to relations with the Shattuck Avenue merchants and others in the surrounding community.  

Lawrence said she had decided against hiring an interim principal this time because she was “concerned... not to throw another variable into a school that has had so many over this period of time. And seeing how well the four administrators work together, I was convinced that that relationship could sustain the school.” 

Lawrence said during recent meetings with representatives of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which has demanded changes at the school before renewing its accreditation next fall, she has pared down the 11 areas of concern it cited last spring to five: Discipline and safety, attendance, decision-making processes and collaboration, retaining low-achieving ninth-graders and teacher training. 

These goals, she said, would be spread among the vice principals. 

“I felt that by more clearly aligning the responsibilities that each of them could shepherd through one of those important aspects of meeting the WASC requirements,” Lawrence said. 

The new plan also calls for a “shared governance committee,” made up of teachers, administrators, and small school leaders, with the power to vote on school policy and longer-term decisions. 

“There will be command decisions that will be made by the co-principals and vice principals, but a lot of decisions you want more input from staff members,” said Leventer. “There’s always been something where teachers felt they didn’t have a voice in administrative decisions and they wanted a sub-group. What we’re doing here is to pull that subgroup into the administrative body in order to be more focused.” 

The shared governance committee will have a representative from the School Site Council, mandated by the state to oversee staff development and the site plan. It will combine functions of an older shared governance committee that lacked decision-making power and another made up of department district chairs. 

Teachers are to elect three of their own to the committee: one representing the union, another the Parent Teacher Student Association, and another “at large,” Leventer said. 

“We actually want teachers to come up with the system to do that, since it shouldn’t come from administrators,” she said.  

A teacher who asked that her name not be used said the new plan suits the school better than having a single principal. 

“I think they’re working towards a model that we should look at as a permanent plan for administration,” the teacher said. “I think a cadre or team is a much better model for a school this size.” 

School Board President Terry Doran said the board and superintendent needed to look at the principal’s job in its current form and “ask what are the aspects of the job that are driving people away.” 

“We need to solve that and come up with some answers before we begin trying to find a new principal,” Doran said.

Editor, 

The loud groans heard across the East Bay last week were from local Green activists upon hearing Audie Bock announce for Congress. Though her departure from the Greens to the Democrats improved both parties, let there be no doubt; the local, state and national Green Party supports Barbara Lee and her brave vote against a blank check for war making. Audie Bock threw away the only constituency she ever had when she left the Green party and it was a slap in the face to a lot of hard working people. 

She obviously didn’t hear the voice of the voters when she failed to get re-elected, and like any other politician needing another campaign, she seems to think she can go to Washington on the back of a brave congessional leader besieged during troubled times. As one who groaned the loudest, I want to apologize to the voters of the 16th District for foisting Audie on them in the first place. In politics, sometimes you get a lemon. 

Hank Chapot 

Oakland

Playing the best they have all year, the Berkeley Yellowjackets destroyed Encinal on Friday night, forcing five turnovers and holding the Jets to 103 yards of offense in a 47-0 win. 

The ’Jackets (4-3 overall, 3-0 ACCAL) were a team on a mission against the Jets, and it showed in their pure aggression in all facets of the game. They scored on plays of 45, 29, 23 and 20 yards on offense, as well as getting their first defensive touchdown of the season, a 75-yard interception return by linebacker Leonard Scarborough in the third quarter. The Berkeley defense was flying all over the field, punishing the Encinal running backs every time they touched the ball and breaking up several passes with huge hits. 

“I can’t imagine it happening any better for us,” Berkeley head coach Matt Bissell said. “One player makes a good play, and it’s contagious. Everyone wants to get it on it. It’s like a mob mentality.” 

The game was clearly out of hand by the second half, and the Encinal (3-4, 3-2) coaches waved the white flag by asking the officials to let the clock run before the fourth quarter began. 

The ’Jackets had their long passing game working on Friday, with quarterback Raymond Pinkston hooking up with wideout Sean Young for nearly identical touchdown passes of 45 and 29 yards, both fly patterns into the right corner of the end zone. Young, who runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, has become the deep threat that the ‘Jackets need to keep teams from ganging up on their stable of running backs. 

“Raymond and I are just hooked up right now. We practice it all the time and now we’ve got it down perfectly,” Young said. 

The one-two punch of tailbacks Germaine Baird and Craig Hollis has become a potent one. Baird ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Hollis crammed 72 yards and a score into just four carries. Throw in fullbacks Aaron Boatwright and Roger Mason, who each scored touchdowns themselves, and the ’Jackets piled up 228 yards on the ground. 

But while the offense has come to life in the last four games, the Berkeley defense really broke through with a big game against a tough opponent. Besides the five turnovers, the ’Jackets held Encinal’s senior running back, DeAndre Geen, to just 68 yards on 21 carries, and completely shut down the Jets’ passing game, allowing just five completions for 15 yards. 

Several Berkeley players said the game was a statement directed at ACCAL rival Pinole Valley, the league’s other undefeated team. The two will clash in two weeks in the regular season finale for both teams. 

“We want Pinole to look at this score and know we ain’t backing down,” said linebacker Akeem Brown, who had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on Friday. “We want them to know we’re coming for them.” 

“It’s just between us and Pinole now,” defensive end/kicker Greg Mitchell said. “We thought this would be a big game, but now we know it’s all about the last game.” 

Bissell said he wants his players to concentrate on next week’s game against Richmond, but realizes that may be unrealistic. 

“Obviously we’ve got the Pinole game looming ahead of us, so it’s hard not to look past Richmond,” he said. “But we’ve got our eyes on the league title, and we have to take it one game at a time.” 

NOTES: The Berkeley-De Anza game postponed earlier this season will not be rescheduled, the league announced this week... In junior varsity action, Berkeley defeated Encinal 24-12 on Friday. 

Century-old trees diagnosed with Dutch elm disease 

Neighbors on quiet, tree-lined Elmwood Avenue are preparing themselves for the removal of the street’s namesake – 100-year-old American elm trees that have been diagnosed with the relentless Dutch elm disease. 

“We understand that the trees have to come down,” said neighbor Naomi Janowitz. “We’re just in mourning over them.” 

Residents on Elmwood Avenue, located in the southeast Berkeley “Elmwood District,” say they are concerned about what type of tree will be planted in place of the stately elms that have characterized the neighborhood for the last 90 years. 

Jerry Koch, the city’s senior forestry supervisor, said Berkeley is working with neighbors to try and determine what type of tree to plant in place of the elms. 

“We’re trying to work with the neighborhood to come up with a suitable species that will be resistant to disease,” he said. “We do have guidelines though, we are not going to plant a redwood tree in a two-foot plot.” 

Koch said whatever the new trees are, they will have to be compatible with the homes, utilities and sidewalks in the neighborhood. “We want to put in a beautiful tree that will be there for a good number of years.” he said. “But the city will be responsible for maintenance, trimming branches and repairing damaged sidewalks and utility wires, so we’re not going to get ridiculous about it.” 

Koch is meeting with a group of neighbors Sunday and says he will present them with a frontier elm, which the city has been planting in other sections of town. 

However, neighbors say they are not yet sold on the frontier elm, which only grows to 40 feet, much shorter than the American elm. They said they may consider the liberty elm, which grows as high as 100 feet, might be a more appropriate replacement. 

The American elms were diagnosed with Dutch elm disease last year. Caused by a fungus, the disease is transmitted by two species of bark beetles.  

Once the fungus is established within a tree, it spreads rapidly via its water-conducting vessels. The presence of the fungus damages the vessels, which causes the tree to wilt and eventually die.  

The first known case of Dutch elm disease was discovered in Ohio more than 70 years ago. It has now spread throughout North America and has destroyed more than half the elm trees in the northern United Sates. 

So far, only one tree has been felled on Elmwood Avenue. Janowitz pointed to a tree, marked with a blotch of red paint, across the street from her home.  

“That one comes down on Monday,” she said.  

The only elm tree not being cut down on Janowitz’s street is the one in front of her home. She said she is glad it is still healthy because her 10-year-old son, Noah, likes to watch the squirrels and hawks that nest in the tree from his bedroom window.  

Another neighbor, who declined to give her name, said she feared that whatever trees replace the American elms would be about five feet tall and grow at a rate of one foot or so a year. 

“In other words we’ll all be dead before we see trees like this again,” she said with an upward nod.

Editor: 

Though I support Barbara Lee's lone stand in Congress, I can understand that there are others who may disagree. I urge them to support an opposition candidate who speaks from principle rather than Audie Bock who, by her shameless exploitation of patriotism, war fever, and human tragedy, has once again shown herself to be a well-lubed weathervane that turns in the direction of big money. 

Gray Brechin 

Berkeley 

Ripmaster scores game’s only goal as Bears win upset 

The California men’s soccer team outlasted the fourth-ranked Huskies, 1-0, Friday afternoon at Edwards Stadium in its Pac-10 home opener.  

California drew first blood as senior Austin Ripmaster slipped past two defenders and launched a shot from 20 feet out at 18:28 for his team-leading fifth goal of the season. It turned out to be the game winning goal as the Bears went on to win, 1-0, against their sixth nationally ranked opponent this season.  

“We were pushing hard to make their defense give us the ball on the counter-attack,” said Ripmaster. “Angel (Quintero) and (Chris) Roner stepped up, played it to Carl who slotted it perfectly with me and the keeper for a one-on-one chance. I was able to slip it past him.”  

UW had two great opportunities in the half. The first came in the 29th minute as Seth Marsh took a shot that went just over the cross bar.  

The other chance came when a shot was misdirected, landing in front of Kyle Fukuchi just five yards from goal. Kyle Navarro came to the defense as Saunders dove in to salvage an otherwise sure score.  

In the second stanza, the Huskies came out strong, forcing Cal back on its heels. UW controlled possession for most of the first five minutes but the Bears staved off the initial wave of attacks and settled in allowing five shots on goal the rest of the way. The battle was at midfield in what ultimately turned out to be a defensive battle in the second half for both sides.  

“Washington came out strong in the second half and put a lot of pressure on us” said coach Kevin Grimes. “We weren’t able to capitalize on the counterattack but our defense played solidly and we came out with the win.”  

The Bears defeated a ranked opponent for the second time this season after edging No. 14 San Jose State, 3-2, on Sept. 16. Cal hosts Oregon State Sunday at 2 p.m. at Edwards Stadium.

SAN FRANCISCO – At Berkeley’s Alta Bates Medical Center – and at hospitals across the country – panicked people are showing up, wanting to be tested for exposure to anthrax. 

“There’s a lot of anxiety-mongering going on out there, and the media are fanning the flames,” said Carolyn Kemp, spokesperson for Alta Bates. “It’s a scary time, and there’s a lot of incorrect information out there.” 

Judging by the concerns of infectious disease experts gathered this week across the Bay, the problem is growing. 

Sunday is the last day of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s 39th annual meeting, which was held Oct. 25 - Oct. 28 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.  

Bioterrorism – previously scheduled as a small part of the conference – has understandably become the focus of this year’s event. 

A hastily-planned slate of events geared toward answering questions in the wake of the current anthrax scare started off Friday with a well-attended discussion led by two experts on bioterrorism. 

The question-and-answer session, which will be repeated this morning, was led by James Snyder, an anthrax expert from the University of Louisville, and Maj. Jon Woods, a doctor in the United States Air Force. 

As they took questions from the audience, it was apparent that many of those in attendance are under pressure from the public to administer anthrax tests and antibiotics – even when it is inadvisable. 

“Nasal swabs are not that productive except for epidemiological purposes,” said Snyder. 

Woods agreed. 

“(Nasal swabs) are really not useful for deciding who should receive treatment,” he said. “It’s foolhardy to use them to decide if a person is going to receive prophylactic (treatment).” 

But many in the audience said they are having a hard time convincing the public. 

One man, who works in Long Island, New York, said he is being pressured by unions. 

“Two of the unions in our area represent a lot of postal workers,” he said. “They are not asking but demanding to be given a nasal swab.” 

He said he explains to them the uselessness of the swab for disease detection, but “their response is: ‘Are you not going to know until the first person dies?’” 

The answer, at least for now, seems to be yes. 

“We don’t know who the future targets are going to be,” said Woods. “You can’t do swabs on 260 million people. So for now, that first person in a new group is unfortunately going to be very hard to save.” 

Many in the audience – most of whom never work with bioterrorism – attended out of curiosity. 

Suzanne Phelps, 33, of Alameda said the discussion of nasal swabs “did kind of surprise me. But it makes sense when I think about it. You don’t want to go give swabs to the whole state of New York, but you don’t want to make the search so narrow that you miss anyone.” 

Phelps works for an Oakland project which studies infectious diseases – but not anthrax. She said she understands the public concern but also sees how, in excess, it could itself become a problem. 

“You have to look at the risk of exposure, “ she said. “Right now, if you’re not in Florida, Washington, D.C., New York or New Jersey, you’re not at risk. And you’re just taxing important resources if you insist on being tested.” 

Kemp agreed. The Berkeley hospital instituted a bioterrorism response plan early last year, she said, and is prepared to deal with both real threats and panic. 

“If you come in and you’re worried that you feel sick, and you’re afraid the white powder next to the coffee machine might have made you sick, we need to find that out,” said Kemp. 

Editor: 

Having lived in Albany for over 70 years, my memories go back to old John Glavinovich, our Town Marshall prior to the new City Charter. He stood on the corner of San Pablo and Solano, directed traffic and escorted children across the street. In 1927, the new City Charter gave John the title of Chief of Police. He oversaw 3 persons, 2 of whom were motorcycle officers, without radios. Woe to the person who exceeded 25 miles per hour in Albany, as tough cop Frank Davis mercilessly gave out tickets. 

The Charter made the Chief's office elective, as did most small cities in those days. We in Albany have been fortunate to have had citizens living in Albany who had the qualities to head a small town department. As cities grew, most every city found that to obtain qualified chiefs, they had to select them from outside their boundaries. Only two cities in all of California still elect their Chief, one being Albany. To select a Chief for a modern department with all its complexities and problems, a city had to advertise the opening, demanding experience and qualifications, just as we do now for our Chief Administrative Officer, Public Works and Zoning Officers. 

By voting "YES" on Measure C, we do not give up any voting rights. After our present Chief retires, Measure C would allow our duly elected representatives on the Albany City Council to select a qualified experienced person from amongst a pool of applicants, who are screened and interviewed as to qualifications to head our department. Would we give up any rights as citizens if Measure C passed? A hearty NO! At present anyone having a non-police problem in the city can complain at weekly City Council meetings and have a hearing. If we have an unresponsive Council, we can elect new Councilpersons every two years, with persons who will listen to the citizens. On the other hand, at present, what citizen not satisfied with any action of the Police Department, would have the temerity to criticize the Police Department or its Chief should they have a problem. They would have to wait for four years to make any kind of change via an election. 

How long can we be so fortunate as to have qualified applicants for chief living in the city? The answer is to keep our Police Department out of politics and let our elected City Council and its Chief Administrative 

Officer handle the administration of every department of the city while allowing each Department Head to perform his or her duties. For Albany's future we must adopt Measure C by voting YES! 

Jerome Blank,  

former councilman and mayor 

Albany

STANFORD – The Cal women’s volleyball team lost to No. 4 ranked Stanford, 3-0 (30-16, 30-18, 30-20) Friday night at Maples Pavilion. The Bears were led by seven kills by sophomore Gabrielle Abernathy and six kills apiece from senior Candace McNamee and sophomore Jessica Zatica. Sophomore middle blocker Heather Diers added four block assists for Cal.  

Stanford, which outhit the Bears, .464 to .138, was led by junior Olympian Logan Tom’s 12 kills.  

In game one, Cal (7-12 overall, 2-9 Pac-10) jumped out to a 4-2 lead with the help of a McNamee kill, a service ace by sophomore Ashleigh Turner and a kill by junior Leah Young. That was the highlight for the Bears as Stanford (18-2, 10-1) broke away from a 16-12 lead by going on a 8-0 run for a 24-12 advantage, finally winning game one, 30-16.  

A highlight for Cal in game two was the Bears coming back from a 9-5 deficit to take a 10-9 lead behind two kills from Abernathy, two service aces from junior Reena Pardiwala and a kill by McNamee. However, Cal only had one more lead after that, 11-10 on another Abernathy kill, before falling 30-18. In game three, the Bears fell behind 5-0 early and were never really in the contest, losing 30-20. .  

Cal will next travel to Oregon Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at McArthur Court, before facing Oregon State, Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.

SACRAMENTO — California voters will act on six ballot measures when they go to the polls for the March 5 primary election, state officials said Friday. 

The measures include five proposals put on the ballot by the Legislature and an initiative that would extend term limits to allow lawmakers to serve up to four more years. 

That proposal will be Proposition 45, the secretary of state’s office said. 

Also appearing on the ballot will be: 

— Proposition 40, a $2.6 billion bond measure to pay for park, clean-air and a variety of other environmental programs. 

— Proposition 41, which would allow the sale of $200 million in bonds to buy updated voting equipment. 

— Proposition 42, a constitutional amendment that would earmark gasoline sales taxes for transportation programs. 

— Proposition 43, which would create a constitutional guarantee that a voter’s vote will be counted. 

— Proposition 44, a measure to crack down on auto insurance fraud. 

The numbering of propositions for an election generally starts where the previous election left off, although legislators can designate numbers for the measures they put on the ballot. 

The numbering reverts to Proposition 1 every 10 years. 

———— 

On the Net: Read the legislation — AB1602, AB56, ACA4, ACA9 of 2001 and SB1988 of 2000 — at www.senate.ca.gov and the initiative at www.ss.ca.gov 

Editor: 

Those who are calling for a Berkeley city boycott, and others who oppose the Berkeley City Council resolution calling for an end, as soon as possible, to the bombing of Afghanistan should consider the following: 

Regardless of political persuasion, the people of the United States need to come to terms with the fact that the weapons in the U.S. arsenal are extremely toxic. They include depleted uranium, among other harmful chemicals, and the residues will continue killing the people of Afghanistan for generations to come. 

As in Iraq, the people of Afghanistan can expect high rates of cancer and birth defects as a result of these attacks. Doctors in Iraq report sharp increases in all types of cancer, especially childhood leukemia, and the hospitals around Basra report many babies born with birth defects. Of those babies, approximately two each day are severely deformed, such as babies born with no limbs or no recognizable facial features. The damage to the Iraqi gene pool is permanent, and the land can never be cleaned up. 

In addition to the environmental and genetic damage, the bombing in Afghanistan is creating a humanitarian crisis of immense proportion. Numerous international aid agencies serving Afghanistan are calling for a cessation in the bombing so that essential supplies can be delivered into the area before winter sets in. It is estimated that 7 million people, almost a third of the population, will perish without these supplies. Many of those who die will be children, as half of the population of Afghanistan is under the age of 16. 

As our nation mourns, we must question the wisdom of inflicting this horrific and lasting damage upon the people and environment of Afghanistan. 

Margo Shafer 

Berkeley

Editor: 

I have received several very angry e-mail messages lately, trashing Berkeley, and one even calling me a traitor for living in this city. I now have a standard reply, and here it is: 

A lot of very irresponsible and erroneous news stories about Berkeley have appeared in nationally known and respected newspapers since destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Contrary to what you may have heard or read: 

There have been no pro-bin Laden or pro-Taliban rallies in Berkeley! There are no stores in Berkeley with pictures of Osama bin Laden or Mohammed Omar (the head of the Taliban) in their windows. 

Berkeley is well-known for it’s left-wing politics. The people who run the government of Afghanistan torture and murder leftists, socialists, and communists. 

The domestic policies of the Taliban are universally despised in Berkeley. In Afghanistan, the penalty for teaching girls to read is death. Women are prohibited from working outside their homes, even if they are starving and work is the only way they can earn money to buy food. Flying a kite is punishable by death. (I don’t know why. I can’t figure that one out.) Homosexuals are publicly executed by dropping concrete blocks or collapsing walls on them. 

Anyone who thinks that policies like these are popular in Berkeley or that they are supported by anyone in Berkeley city government has absolutely no idea what Berkeley is really like! 

Also, despite claims to the contrary, there have been no fund-raisers in Berkeley for Osama bin Laden or the Taliban. Bin Laden is a millionaire many times over. Nobody is quite sure how much he is worth, but it’s more money than he’s going to spend in his lifetime. 

The Taliban controls and taxes opium production. Half the world’s heroin originates in Afghanistan, and the Taliban makes billions of dollars a year in opium taxes. 

Why would people in Berkeley (or anywhere else) hold fund-raisers for people like this?!? It’s utterly ridiculous! 

The attack on the World Trade Center saddens, angers, and frustrates us all. We don’t know who is responsible. The people who hijacked the airplanes on Sept. 11 are all dead and can’t be punished or even questioned. I don’t know who to blame either, but there is no point in blaming Berkeley. 

Mark Tarses 

Berkeley

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, two armed robbers held up the Office Depot store at 1025 Gilman Street, according to Berkeley Police Department Spokesperson Lt. Cynthia Harris. 

The men approached two employees as they closed the store for the night. They forced the employees back inside the store and made them hand over an undisclosed amount of cash. No merchandise was taken. 

The suspects are described as black males in their 20s, one around 6 feet tall and 170 pounds., the other around 5 feet 6 inches tall and 160 pounds. Both were wearing black, hooded, long-sleeve sweatshirts, baggy black jeans and black tennis shoes. Both carried handguns. 

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the BPD Robbery Detail at 981-5742. 

Three juvenile females robbed a purse from a woman near the corner of Shattuck and University avenues on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m., according to Harris. 

One asked the woman for the time as she walked down the street. When the woman stopped to check her watch, another juvenile allegedly reached into a bag the woman was carrying and pulled out her purse. The three then fled on foot. 

Police have no suspects at this time. 

There were reports of shots fired Tuesday evening. 

Many neighbors near the corner of Derby and Milvia Streets reported hearing a series of gunshots around 9:40 p.m. One witness said he saw what appeared to be one male firing at another.  

Police were unable to find any suspects or victims in the neighborhood. 

– Hank Sims

Editor: 

We all seek peace, for ourselves, our families, our nation, and indeed, the world. Our nation is engaged in a national debate on how we achieve that peace. The City Council resolution asks that we work to break the cycle of violence and urges that we make an investment in our security, in achieving peace.  

The loss of innocent lives at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the destroyed aircraft is a horrifying shock to people throughout the world. Our hearts go out to the victims, to their families, and to their friends, who have suffered so deeply. We are a nation in mourning.  

We need to ask how the perpetrators could have reached such levels of hatred and frustration. The explanation that they are brainwashed by a perverted leader who holds seemingly magical power over them has to be a dangerous simplification. Such anger can only have been constructed over time, through a combination of historical events resulting in a deep sense of threat and sustained exclusion. Our nation’s response has everything to do with whether we reinforce this alienation and thus provide the soil, seeds, and nutrients for future cycles of revenge and violence. Or whether it changes. 

Our enemies believe they are fighting an evil system that wishes to eradicate them and their people. We need to destroy this myth, not their people. Military action that attacks already vulnerable civilian populations will sow more hatred, confirming those who regard us as evil and nurturing yet another generation of recruits prepared to attack us at all cost.  

Monumental times require monumental change. Now is the time for a different, an unexpected, response from the United States. Countries like Pakistan, Tajikistan, and yes, Iran and Syria should be approached by the West, and especially by the United States, with a question of strategic importance: How can we help you meet the fundamental needs of your people? The single greatest pressure we can put on our enemies now is to remove the justification for their “holy” war. We can overcome terror by making it irrelevant. Let’s do exactly what our enemies do not expect. Let’s seek justice, of course, but at the same time work vigorously to create a different future, one that does not breed hatred and make the world unsafe for Americans everywhere. 

Our global challenge is how to engage others effectively to ensure a new kind of future, a future based on the life-affirming ethics that are present in every cultural tradition. Our challenge is to engage with people everywhere, deeply respecting their own traditions and religious beliefs, to help them meet their own fundamental needs. Such an effort will bequeath to the generation of our children’s children a legacy far more secure than could result from any amount of military might. The current situation poses an unprecedented opportunity for this to happen. Let us have the wisdom and strength to rise to it, to seize the opportunity to construct a better future for ourselves and, indeed, the world. 

We need to respond to well-organized, decentralized, self-perpetuating sources of terror by thinking and acting differently. Our enemies are now counting on us to strike back, harm the innocent, and create more desperate and lasting rage. Let us not fulfill their prophecy by providing them with the martyrs and justifications they need. They changed the face of war. They entered our lives by turning our own tools against us. We will not win peace, justice, or security with the traditional weapons of war. We need to change the terms of engagement.  

Linda Maio 

city councilmember 

with help from John Paul Lederach

SAN FRANCISCO — Transit officials will have to pay more than $1 million for stopping construction on a project near the airport while wildlife officials investigated a rare dead snake found at the site. 

In all, $1.07 million will be paid by Bay Area Rapid Transit to Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, the construction company that was working near San Francisco International Airport. 

Work on the BART extension project was halted for 18 days after an endangered San Francisco garter snake was discovered dead at the site. 

The pencil-thin snake, which has a turquoise blue belly and vivid red and black stripes, is listed as endangered by the state. It also is found in parts of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, where it lives primarily in ponds, creeks, marshes and meadows. 

State Department of Fish and Game sleuths were unable to figure out who was responsible for the snake’s death, so BART will pay the bill for stopping construction. 

“Nobody has ever been able to find out what happened to the snake,” said BART spokesman Mike Healy. “There was no evidence that the contractor or anyone was directly at fault.” 

BART already has spent close to $6 million to comply with environmental laws. The transit agency captured and relocated 77 snakes during construction near wetlands in San Bruno. Those snakes have been returned to their original habitat. 

New safety standards were set after the dead garter snake was discovered. The speed limit in the construction area was slowed to 10 mph and workers now arrive at the site by bus rather than in their personal vehicles to limit snake squishings. 

Extending the BART transit line to San Francisco Airport is estimated to cost $1.48 billion and be completed by December 2002. 

Editor: 

Whether the Berkeley City Council passes resolutions or not; whether we, as individuals, support or reject these resolutions; whether we are vocal or silent on the issue of the United States attacking or not attacking Osama bin Laden and the Taliban forces in Afghanistan ? What difference does it make? 

I am not a Christian, nor do I follow any religion. But I do believe in cause and effect, and so do the various scriptures. In the King James version of the Bible, in Galatians 6:7, it is written “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” 

What happened in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 was an effect. The bombing of Taliban forces in Afghanistan is also an effect. Whatsoever Osama bin Laden sowed, it is certain that he shall also reap. Whatsoever anyone of us sows today, that too shall he or she reap. 

It should be somewhat obvious, then, that every moment of our lives we are simply receiving our just harvest. And if this is true, then the issue at hand isn’t one of religion or politics, but rather of agriculture! We can be more careful what we sow. 

Carl da Costa 

Berkeley

OAKLAND — A San Francisco International Airport air traffic controller who had been struggling with a series of personal and financial problems pleaded guilty Friday to a bank robbery spree. 

Rick Lee Davis, 43, the president of the air traffic controllers’ union local, changed his plea after originally pleading innocent. He pleaded guilty Friday to six counts of bank robbery. 

Davis, nicknamed the Robust Robber because of his stocky build, was arrested Aug. 3 after a spree of nine Bay Area bank robberies over a 10-month period. Police say he made off with $40,000. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 15. Davis faces a sentence of 120 years in prison. 

Davis had been working as an air traffic controller at SFO since 1998, earning $98,000 a year. In 1996, Davis was seriously hurt when his car hit a cow in Hawaii, where he had been living with his wife and two sons. Davis later divorced and filed for bankruptcy. 

Editor 

I am also against war and for quick conclusion to the problems instead of killing poor people and achieving nothing.  

I am with your city and will support you in all possible ways and I am very sure most of the Americans are also with your city. It’s just few crazy people trying to ruin the reputation of the city and trying to scare the people by saying they will boycott Berkeley. I am sure that not even they have the guts to boycott Berkeley because I am sure they will not survive without Berkeley.  

I am very proud of people of Berkeley and wish them to keep up the good work. 

Satnam Bains 

Yuba City

SACRAMENTO — Demand for electricity in California has been so low at times that the state has had to give away power and even pay utilities to take it, according to state financial records. 

The state lost a total of $26 million in its first three months of trading power on the daily wholesale electricity market as demand and prices declined, documents released this week show. 

“They’re selling electricity that taxpayers paid for at 10 cents on the dollar,” said Harvey Rosenfield of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. 

State officials say Gov. Gray Davis’ power-trading program averted blackouts this summer. 

The state began buying power in January but didn’t begin selling it until April when the daily scramble to meet power needs eased. 

State traders gave away a total of 1,414 megawatt-hours. 

A few times the state had to pay a utility to take the excess power in order to avoid paying penalties that the operator of the state’s power grid charges for dumping surplus electricity, said Oscar Hidalgo, spokesman for the state Department of Power. 

DWR is the state department charged with managing the state’s power buys. The state stepped in to purchase power on behalf of three utilities in January, when high wholesale electricity prices led the companies to the brink of bankruptcy. 

Editor: 

In this time of intense patriotism, who among us is truly ready to risk death for our freedoms? I suspect that many people deeply believe that they are. But which freedoms will they risk death to preserve? The freedom of privacy? Of habeas corpus? Of speech? Of free assembly? Of free expression? The freedom from unreasonable search and seizure? Are we willing to risk death at the hands of terrorists as the price of these freedoms? 

I see many people waving our flag and – remarkably – at the same time proclaiming that we must give up our constitutional freedoms in order to be safer. I see members of Congress quick to legislate away our freedoms for our safety. Where is the courage and patriotism in that? 

Now that we must chose between safety and freedom, we must not flinch if our flag is to mean anything: The courage of our convictions is being tested by history. We should let our representative know that we are not so fearful as to have them legislate away the freedoms and privacies that other generations have died to give us. 

Dennis M. Burke 

Phoenix, Arizona  

SAN FRANCISCO — Hours after President Bush signed an anti-terrorism bill granting police unprecedented powers Friday, a former Ukrainian prime minister on trial here argued the new legislation proves he did not commit a crime on U.S. soil. 

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavel Lazarenko is on trial for allegedly laundering millions of dollars in the United States with money obtained by extorting or bribing Ukrainian businesses, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed in July. 

In a court hearing Friday, Lazarenko’s attorneys urged a federal judge to dismiss the case. 

They argued that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 broadens money-laundering crimes that were not expressly outlawed when Lazarenko was accused.  

That means he cannot be prosecuted because it was not a crime before Friday’s law was created, said Lazarenko’s attorney Dennis P. Riordan. 

Senate amendments to the bill for the first time include acts “for money laundering, the very conduct by a foreign official with which Lazarenko is charged in the pending indictment,” Riordan argued. 

Wearing brown jail smocks, Lazarenko sat quietly and listened to the two-hour proceedings translated through a Russian-language interpreter. 

Riordan argued that prior to the new law, money laundering was only a crime for foreign public officials in the United States if the money was obtained through extortion or drug deals — not bribery. 

The package Bush signed Friday changed that to also criminalize money obtained through bribery. 

Federal prosecutors said Lazarenko can still be prosecuted under the old law because he extorted millions from Ukrainian businesses. Extortion, the government maintained Friday, is the same as bribery. 

“For this case, Congress didn’t need to make the amendment,” argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha Boersch. 

But Lazarenko’s attorneys said the U.S. Supreme Court has outlined extortion as a “violent or terrorist act” for which Lazarenko is not accused. Some charges allege Lazarenko took money from businesses, which in return received government favors. 

U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins said he would rule on the dispute before Nov. 20. 

Lazarenko is a political centrist who fled his country for the United States in February 1999. He was named prime minister in 1996 by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, serving 13 months before losing a power struggle. 

He fled to the United States after the Ukrainian government accused him of stealing about $2 million. Lazarenko has maintained the accusations were part of an attempt by his enemies, including Kuchma, to silence political opposition. 

The U.S. government has accused Lazarenko of conspiring to transfer about $200 million in ill-gotten funds to U.S. bank and brokerage accounts to conceal their origin. 

Officials want forfeiture of Lazarenko’s 41-room home in Novato, north of San Francisco, and the laundered money. 

In February, meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors instituted a criminal case against opposition leader and former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko, who was dismissed by Kuchma in mid-January after prosecutors accused her of wide-scale corruption. She is charged with paying millions of dollars in bribes to Lazarenko. 

The case argued Friday is United States v. Lazarenko, CR-000284. 

OAKLAND — Attorneys for three former Oakland police officers accused of criminal misconduct said Friday they will seek to have their clients tried outside of Alameda County. 

Michael Rains, attorney for Clarence Mabanag, said pretrial publicity in the so-called “Riders” case would make it hard to seat a panel of unbiased jurors. 

A trial date for the former police officers, Mabanag, Jude Siapno and Matthew Hornung, has not yet been set. A fourth officer, Frank Vazquez, fled soon after the investigation began. 

The officers were fired by the Oakland Police Department after they were accused of beating suspects and falsifying police reports during a two-week period in June of 2000. 

About 25 activists from the community group PUEBLO, People United for a Better Oakland, held a rally outside of the Oakland courthouse and urged a more comprehensive investigation. 

PUEBLO claims that misconduct runs rampant within the Oakland Police Department and that the investigation should not be restricted to the four defendants charged. 

SAN FRANCISCO — The Exploratorium here hosted more than a dozen of the brightest minds in the world Friday as it marked the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize. 

Four Nobel laureates took time to discuss the impact of the Nobel Prize. Chemist Paul Berg and economist Milton Friedman were among those who described how they earned their awards and how the prize changed their lives. 

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious award in science, and California’s universities and research facilities lay claim to more Nobel laureates than any other place in the world. 

On Saturday, the Exploratorium hosts a live event called “Stump the Scientist,” where Nobel Prize winners will try to explain some of the curious Exploratorium exhibits for members of the public in attendance. 

SACRAMENTO — California is sending inmates to prison at a far lower rate than just a few years ago, but the prisoners are serving longer sentences, figures released Friday show. 

The number of prison inmates is expected to drop in the next two years from the current 159,114 to as low as 155,720 in mid-2003 before beginning a slow climb to about 164,620 by mid-2007. 

That’s thousands fewer inmates than prison officials predicted just six months ago. 

However, the slumping economy could boost crime and convictions beyond projections, said California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Margot Bach. 

Prison population swings tend to be cyclical, she said, and it remains unclear if the drop in imprisonments is a long- or short-term trend. 

The trend stems largely from policy decisions and runs counter to California’s rapidly growing population, said Frank Zimring, a University of California, Berkeley law professor who has studied California prisons for more than 20 years. 

For instance, most of the slowdown is in minimum- and medium-security inmates, particularly women, in large part because of a state initiative that took effect July 1 requiring treatment instead of prison or jail for first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders. 

The drug initiative will cut the prisons’ population by about 5,440 next year and by more than 7,700 inmates by 2007, the department predicts. 

However, the state’s maximum security population, particularly inmates serving life terms and extended sentences under the three-strikes law, continues to grow, according to the department’s fall report now being reviewed by the governor’s office. Those inmates require higher security prisons and more supervision, Bach said. 

The number of inmates serving life in prison has grown from about 9,800 or 10 percent of the total population a decade ago to 20,429 or about 12.8 percent of the total today, Bach said. 

The state’s prison admission rate has also dropped significantly, from 293.5 felons per 100,000 Californians five years ago to 239.2 per 100,000 today. 

However, prison sentence length throughout the system has grown by 20 percent in less than a decade, from an average 47.9 months in 1993 to the current 54.6 months, the figures show. 

Actual time behind prison walls has grown from an average 23.6 months to 35.7 months when early release incentives and time spent in county jails prior to imprisonment are taken into account. 

That increase could partly be a function of weeding out inmates like drug offenders who would have served shorter sentences, Zimring said. 

The state’s prison population is expected to grow 6.3 percent over the next 10 years, Bach said, down sharply from the 14.5 increase in the number of inmates California saw during the 1980s. 

“California’s prison rate kept growing while the crime rate kept dropping,” said Zimring. “We were defying gravity until 1999. That’s when we stopped toughening up (anti-crime policies). That’s when the declining crime rate could catch up.” 

The 19,725 inmates who entered California prisons in the first half of this year is 4.5 percent lower than the number of incarcerations during the same period last year. 

The number of parolees returned to prison for parole violations is also fewer than projected by prison officials just six months ago. 

Bach said the drop was due to changes in police crime-fighting tactics, a state program to help recently released inmates succeed on parole, and an emphasis on keeping persons with two convictions from committing a third crime that would bring a far longer sentence under the state’s three-strikes law. 

Supervision of twice-convicted parolees was doubled so that one parole officer now oversees about 40 parolees instead of 70 or 80, Bach said. 

“We want to keep them from coming back for their third strike,” she said. 

. 

POMONA — Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by police led to the 1992 Los Angeles riot, pleaded guilty Friday to drug-related charges and was ordered to spend a year in treatment. 

King, 36, unexpectedly entered the pleas during a brief hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

King admitted to three misdemeanor counts of being under the influence of PCP and one count of indecent exposure, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. 

He was ordered to spend a year in the American Recovery Center, a live-in drug treatment facility in Pomona. 

King, who was free on $7,500 bond, checked into the center after the hearing, defense attorney Antonio J. Bestard said. 

“I think he will be successful because he wants to get rid of this,” the attorney said. “He’s had a very bad time this year.” 

“I think this was the best result,” he added. “I think the court, particularly, was very understanding.” 

Prosecutor Thomas Gowen had sought a year in county jail for King, who could have faced more than three years in jail if he had gone on trial and been convicted. 

But district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons called the sentence acceptable. 

“It’s obvious that Mr. King needs some help and, hopefully, he’ll get it there,” she said. 

King was arrested earlier this month in Pomona for allegedly driving while under the influence of a psychedelic drug. 

On Sept. 29, he was arrested by Pomona police for allegedly being under the influence of PCP and exposing himself. 

And earlier last month, he pleaded innocent to another charge of being under the psychedelic drug, stemming from an Aug. 28 arrest by Claremont police at a hotel. 

His guilty pleas end all three cases, but he faces a Nov. 20 hearing in San Bernardino County for allegedly violating probation in a 1999 misdemeanor domestic abuse case. 

King’s 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police led to the 1992 riot when a jury acquitted four officers of most state charges and deadlocked on one count. Two officers were later convicted in federal court of violating King’s civil rights. 

King won a $3.8 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent study on more than 80,000 preschoolers demonstrates a new vaccine is highly successful in preventing the bacteria that causes meningitis, one of the co-authors of the study said Friday. 

Meningitis causes about 200 deaths in preschoolers nationwide each year, and more than 1 million deaths worldwide annually among infants and toddlers. 

A vaccine to protect older children and adults against pneumococcal infections, the principal cause of meningitis, has been available for 20 years.  

But a vaccine for children younger than 2 was just approved last year. 

The valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or PNCV7, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in February 2000, but this study was the first of its effects in the general public, said Dr. Steven Black, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland and one of the study’s co-authors. 

Researchers say one of the most relevant findings of the study is a herd immunity effect, which means that vaccinated infants and toddlers seemed to be protecting those who had not been vaccinated. 

“It lowers the percentage of children who carry the disease in their throat,” Black said. “In fact, some evidence from the CDC shows adults are also being protected.” 

The pneumococcal bacteria can cause meningitis — an infection of the lining of the brain — which can lead to death, blindness, deafness, paralysis and learning problems. 

The bacteria also causes blood stream infections, pneumonia and middle ear infections. The bacteria is spread through close contact, including sneezing. 

“I would predict a decrease in the disease in the adult population as well,” said Black, a pediatrician with 25 years of experience, who explained that 20 percent of adults living with a young child contracts the disease — compared with only 5 percent of adults who don’t have any contact with preschoolers. 

The study will be presented Saturday during the 39th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in San Francisco. 

“The vaccine is highly effective, it is important not only for the U.S. but also for countries in the developing world,” Black said. 

No serious side effects to the vaccine were reported during the study, Black said. Common side effects are similar to those of other vaccines and include soreness and redness at the injection site, as well as fever. 

The FDA recommends all children up to 24 months of age be given the vaccine in four doses, at 2, 4, 6 and 12 to 15 months of age.  

Black said the vaccine already is available in some countries in Europe, South America and Australia. 

HAYWARD — Exploiting a lack of checks and balances, an accountant in the Cal State-Hayward fundraising department embezzled more than $150,000 over five years, regaling himself with gifts including a personal computer and home improvements, according to a university audit. 

The employee was fired over the summer, but not before he used a series of accounting tricks to take the money beginning in July 1996, the report by the Cal State system auditor said. 

The audit, which ran from May through late September, did not use the employee’s name. It said campus police were investigating the employee, but neither spokesmen from the campus nor the system’s headquarters returned calls abut the status of that probe. 

The employee worked for Cal State-Hayward’s Educational Foundation, an organization affiliated with the campus that solicits donations from alumni and grant makers. He was the primary accountant for the foundation’s vice president. 

According to the audit, which was dated Monday, the man forged documents to buy $5,200 in personal computing equipment and made more than 40 fraudulent disbursements to get cash and pay contractors remodeling his house and credit card bills. 

The report suggested the fundraising office implement a series of tighter accounting procedures.

SAN FRANCISCO — A significant rise in syphilis infections is being driven by gay men having unprotected sex with multiple partners, according to city public health officials. 

At 116 reported infections this year through September, the caseload may not be overwhelming — but the rise is precipitous. The city’s department of public health reported just 39 cases in 1998, 47 in 1999 and 71 in 2000. 

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can be treated with penicillin. The telltale sore often goes unnoticed, however, and over time, it can damage organs. 

The number of infections more than doubled among gay and bisexual men from 2000, according to a report city officials will deliver Saturday at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting in San Francisco. 

There have been 93 cases among gay or bisexual men so far this year, up from 47 last year. There were just 10 such reported cases in 1998. 

The study suggests the rise comes because gay and bisexual men are having unprotected sex with unfamiliar partners they meet in sex clubs and adult bookstores, and on the Internet. The 93 men reported having 1,225 sexual partners and could identify only 8 percent of them by name. 

Similar syphilis spikes have been reported in San Diego, Florida, Boston and Chicago, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/ 

ANDERSON — The state’s largest timber company is shifting its logging practices from selective thinning of forestland to clearcutting, in order to help small trees grow big, it says. 

Sierra Pacific Industries says the shift also will cut down on fire danger, with new techniques making clearcutting more efficient and safer. But environmentalists and some neighbors charge that clearcuts are not good fire management tools. 

One thing is clear. With California’s fire season drawing to a close after more than 293,700 acres of wildland was burned, the issue of whether clearcutting is an effective fire management tool is heating up. 

“We try to design these along major ridge lines or roads so we can control fire better,” said Mike Mitzel, a district manager for Sierra Pacific Industries. 

Environmentalists say clearcuts eventually could lead to greater fire danger if the replacement trees are allowed to grow back too densely. 

“If you take everything away, a fire’s not going to burn effectively,” said Sierra Club organizer Warren Alford. “But in eight to 10 years, in a dense forest, that’s an increasingly dangerous fire opportunity.” 

The company plans to use a technique called “visual retention” on 70 percent of its 1.5 million acres, about 3.7 percent of forestland in California. Visual retention is a harvesting technique that leaves four to eight trees per acre in what otherwise would be a clearcut. 

Once the company completes the visual retention or clearcuts, it will go back to selective harvests, said Mark Lathrop, community relations manager for Sierra Pacific. That could take decades. 

On average, timber companies clearcut about 8,350 acres of the state’s 279,000 acres that are harvested in a typical year, according to the California Forestry Association. 

All agree that the Sierra forests where trees grow so thick that their trunks are inches apart and their branches are indistinguishable are not as healthy as those where the trees grow as much as six feet apart and the sunlight filters down to the forest floor. 

Fire is a natural, important part of a healthy Sierra Nevada forest — it leaves old, dead trees, called “snags,” for birds and other animals to nest in; it clears away small trees and leaves the large ones to provide habitat; it keeps the trees from crowding each other; it helps return nutrients to the soil. 

But the fires that consume unhealthy dense forests can burn so hot they burn up all the nutrients in the soil and make the ground as hard as concrete. Even water can’t penetrate it, and the water and ash run off into streams. 

Logging almost always increases fire danger, said Steve Pyne, professor and fire historian at Arizona State University. 

“All of the large fires in American history have followed logging or land clearing,” he said. “Because you’ve created a huge amount of fuel. A lot of material may be used, but a huge amount is left — branches, needles, small stuff or slash, that’s particularly vulnerable to fire.” 

And the trees planted to replenish the clearcuts are susceptible to fire because they are young and small. Older, bigger trees are more resistant to fire. 

But harvesting trees can be beneficial if they are properly maintained. 

“Where logging works as a fire protection measure is really kind of gardening,” Pyne said, “where you convert it to a garden and you intensively weed it and manage it and cultivate it.” 

That practice, however, can cost the forest biodiversity and ecosystem health, and it’s expensive and labor-intensive, Pyne said. 

The threat of intense, catastrophic fires has increased because the more frequent, cooler fires typical of the Sierra Nevada have been suppressed, and the forests don’t receive the fires’ restorative benefits. 

That’s where clearcutting comes in, according to Sierra Pacific Industries. 

“If you want to keep a system, you need disturbance,” said Cajun James, principal research scientist for the company. 

Sierra Pacific maintains the clearcuts or visual retention will provide the disturbance needed to let new trees grow to restore the health of the forest, and help prevent intense fires. 

“Nothing can stop a fire in these dense stands,” James said. “We’ve suppressed fires long enough that when they get that intense, they can’t fight them.” 

The Sierra Club’s Alford counters that clearcutting does not mimic a healthy fire in the Sierra Nevada. He said too much is taken out for a healthy forest to grow back in its place, and the herbicides that are put on clearcuts — to keep down the vegetation that might interfere with replanted trees — can be harmful to people. 

Clearcutting is controversial throughout the state. Even the U.S. Forest Service has significantly cut back on its clearcutting, cutting only a few acres at most and doing it rarely, said spokesman Matt Mathes. The Forest Service used to clearcut and sell the timber. It stopped the practice in 1992. 

“Society has made it fairly clear to us that they want to see less emphasis on timber harvesting,” Mathes said. “The laws of the land to protect wildlife and water quality have been factors in our move away from clearcutting.” 

Instead, the Forest Service thins the forests, taking out brush and small diameter trees, then finishes up with a “prescribed” burn, which means it sets controlled fires in the spring and fall to clear the rest of the fuel that could feed a catastrophic fire. 

The Forest Service owns 20 million acres — or one-fifth of the land in California. About 4.5 million acres of that is designated as wilderness and has no timber cutting done on it. Another 600,000 acres in river corridors are not cut either. 

According to the California Forestry Association, state loggers do a relatively low amount of clearcutting. There are 40 million acres of forest land in the state and 16.7 million of that is harvestable, the association says. 

Lumber from California in general brought in more than $1.6 billion in 1999, the latest year for which numbers were available, said Butch Bernhardt, director of information services for the Western Wood Products Association in Oregon. 

Fighting wildfires is costly for the state, consuming 90 percent of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s $450 million budget. 

END Advance 

So you finally found the ideal general contractor for your major home-improvement or repair job. The interviews went well. The background checks checked out. You really trust this person. 

But what’s with these new faces on the job? 

They’re probably subcontractors — specialists hired by the general contractor to perform specific jobs. According to an expert who shepherds home-improvement tasks for a living, homeowners should understand their relationship and responsibilities to subcontractors. 

“Subcontractors work indirectly for the homeowner because their contract is with the general contractor,” says Michael Christy, director of market development for the Home Service Store. “Some homeowners assume the general contractor performs all the work and are surprised when other workers show up at the front door.” 

The role of the general contractor is to coordinate the project. Dozens of tasks, such as drywall, plumbing, wiring and roofing are farmed (subcontracted) out to independent contractors, who specialize in a particular trade. Homeowners usually have no role in the selection of subcontractors. However, homeowners who have heard from friends and neighbors about the good work of a subcontractor can suggest names to the general contractor. 

Christy says general contractors “should be very clear with homeowners about the jobs and work schedules of subcontractors. Homeowners need to insist upon a work calendar that shows approximate time frames when subcontractors will be on the job. That’s the only way everyone stays on the same page and the job stays on track.” 

Subcontractors, or subs, are paid by the general contractor. The payments are often drawn against an amount of money the homeowner provides to the general contractor to pay for project costs.  

“Homeowners would do well not to make the advance payment one large, lump sum,” says Christy. “Instead, they should add money to the fund only when certain jobs involving subcontractors are performed.” 

Although subcontractors are not paid directly by the homeowner, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make certain the general contractor makes payments on time. Christy says payments are due when the subcontractor is at a point when critical materials are needed or when the job is done. 

If the general contractor does not make payments, subcontractors can take action against the homeowner.  

These actions, often filed as liens, place the financial burden squarely on the homeowner’s shoulders. If liens aren’t taken care of quickly, work on the project can grind to a halt. “Worse still,” says Christy, “liens may show up years later when the home goes up for sale. No sale can be completed until past liens are resolved.” 

The working relationship with subcontractors is the general contractor’s job. He or she makes sure the quality of workmanship and materials by subcontractors is in line with project plans or homeowner expectations. 

The general contractor makes certain subcontractors have the necessary licenses and insurance. 

The homeowner can exercise some clout on subcontractor performance.  

Christy says “a cost of delay clause should be inserted into the contract with the general contractor. If the subcontractor doesn’t show for work, the general contractor can be held financially responsible.” 

If the homeowner believes subcontractor work is shoddy, Christy advises the homeowner to first bring the problem to the attention of the general contractor.  

If that does not yield results, the homeowner can seek arbitration between the parties. The last resort is litigation. 

In extreme cases, subcontractors can be removed from the job for failure to perform, argumentativeness or drug and alcohol abuse.

LOS ANGELES — Employment in the entertainment industry has hit a four-year low, as an already tumultuous year in Hollywood was made worse by the terrorist attacks. 

State employment figures show that  

September was the slowest month for movie, television and video production since June 1997.  

A total of 143,500 people were employed in the industry last month — down from 158,300 in November 1998, the high mark of the last four years. 

The latest numbers do not include the thousands of independent contractors who are also out of work. 

“This is a worse hit than anyone expected, and we really don’t know the full ramifications,” said Stephen Katz, an independent analyst who monitors employment in the industry.  

“There’s a trickle-down effect, and what’s so concerning is that these companies are laying off their full-time employees.” 

All across Hollywood, projects have been delayed or even canceled since Sept. 11, weakening the already fragile industry. 

The Entertainment Industry Development Corp. found that location shooting for feature length films in Los Angeles last month was half of the September 1999 total.  

Commercial shooting was down nearly a third from the same period. 

Alternately frenetic and stalled, the industry saw a rush to production in the past year, driven by fear of dual strikes by the actors and writers unions.  

Once they were averted, the industry had to deal with a minor slowdown caused by an excess of projects. 

Business was just starting to pick up when the terrorist attacks struck New York and Washington. 

“We were anticipating things would start back up again in September,” said Gabe Videla, president of Special Effects Limited. “And then all of the sudden the World Trade Center happened, and we got hit below the knees.” 

Industry officials have said production is unlikely to pickup until late winter or early spring 2002. 

LOS ANGELES — The Joint Strike Fighter program may be the single largest defense project in history, but its impact on California’s economy will be a far cry from what it might have been in the 1980s, when the state was the center of the national aerospace industry. 

Most of the work on the $200 billion fighter project will be done at the Lockheed Martin Corp. plant in Ft. Worth, Texas. 

Friday, the Department of Defense awarded Lockheed the contract to develop the next-generation, supersonic stealth fighter. Lockheed will be the lead contractor, working with Northrop Grumman Corp., based in Los Angeles, and BAE Systems of Great Britain. 

Northrop Grumman said the award will mean a total of 1,600 new jobs for the company across the nation, with 1,200 in California. Officials declined to estimate the financial impact of the award on the company. 

Most of the California jobs will be in El Segundo, where Northrop will design and assemble the plane’s center fuselage. 

Lockheed competed with Boeing Co. for the contract. But no matter which company received the lucrative contract, tech companies in California were expected to benefit from subcontracting work.  

Still, the impact will be nowhere near what it would have been a decade ago, when Southern California was heavily dependent on defense spending. 

“It seems likely this is the beginning of a very slow upturn, but not the beginning of defense dependence or anything like that again,” said Stephen Levy, an economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. 

Levy said the 1,200 new jobs in the state must be seen in the context of the 280,000 defense jobs that left California in the 1990s. 

“Getting hotel occupancy back up again will have a far greater economic impact than this,” he said, referring to the current collapse of the state tourism industry. “But it should have some confidence-building impact in terms of Southern California remaining a place to do business for this kind of work.” 

Northrop Grumman is the last big defense contractor with headquarters in California. With a handful of other firms, it will likely benefit from a general increase in defense spending as the country fights its new war on terrorism. 

“We have ongoing expertise in military satellite capabilities and defense systems that might be part of a national missile defense system, which seems to have a head of steam now,” said Tom Lieser, senior economist for the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “The impact on the companies may be more significant than the impact on the economy.” 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My son, who is a certified mechanic and sells lots of tires, tells me that if I go to a higher-profile tire on my '98 Chevy Cavalier for a softer ride, terrible things will happen: The computer will sizzle, gas mileage will drop to 4.3 miles per gallon and I will roll the car on the first lane change. He says he has been told this in his certification classes (he has stripes down his sleeve like a sergeant major). On the other hand, I have a couple of college degrees and a lot of experience, so I don't believe it. What do you clowns believe? – Richard 

TOM: Gee, Richard, I'm surprised your son didn't mention the rapid hair loss and the rash on your butt that will last a month. 

RAY: The kid does have a flair for exaggeration, Richard, but the truth is, he's right. He's right to discourage you from switching to a non-manufacturer-recommended tire size. 

TOM: Here's the story. When a car is designed, it's tested for handling and emergency-control characteristics with a certain size and type of tire. If you change that, you, by definition, alter the handling characteristics of the car. Enough to fry the computer? No. Enough to seriously alter your gas mileage? No. Enough to flip the car in a lane change? Probably not. 

RAY: But the problem is, nobody knows exactly what the new handling characteristics of the car will be, because the car has never been tested using higher-profile tires. 

TOM: Now, if you make a modest change in tire size in one direction or the other, chances are the car will still be safe. In fact, you probably won't even notice any difference; most cars probably have a reasonable safety margin built in. But if you're dealing with a sport utility vehicle or something else that already handles peculiarly, then changing the type or size of the tires can be very dangerous. And that's why your son is taught to recommend against it. 

RAY: And we're with him, Richard. 

How to break into a car 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My dear, departed daddy told me that if you broke in a new car engine at slow speeds, it would always be slow and sluggish. Is this true? What's the real skinny? Is there a preferred break-in protocol? – Susan 

TOM: Great question, Susan. But since we never speak ill of the departed, we can't answer it. 

RAY: Actually, I'm sure your daddy was right about many OTHER things and was a superior human being in all other regards. 

TOM: But his story about break-in is an old myth, Susan. And we don't know how it got started. Probably by some teen-age boy who got caught racing his dad's new car. 

RAY: It assumes that the car somehow "learns" to go slow when it's young, and then it never knows how to go at normal speeds later on. Kind of like my brother at work. 

TOM: But it's just not true. There IS a legitimate protocol for breaking in a new vehicle. It varies slightly from car to car, but the main purpose is to allow the piston rings to "seat," or conform to the exact shape of the cylinder walls so that they make a tight seal. And most experts agree that the best way to do this is to keep the engine rpm below 3,000 and to vary the engine speed (i.e., don't drive at one constant speed for a long time). 

RAY: And the break-in period generally lasts anywhere from 500 to 1,000 miles. Or until your check clears at the dealership, whichever comes first. 

TOM: If the piston rings don't seat correctly, your car might burn oil later on. And nobody wants that. 

RAY: So the speed at which you break the car in might have an effect on how much oil it burns. But it has absolutely no effect on how fast or slow the car goes. 

TOM: Last time we checked, that was mostly affected by the position of your foot on the gas pedal.  

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web. (c) 2001 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Before a highly-charged crowd of South Berkeley residents, the Zoning Adjustments Board declared Brothers Liquor, at 3039 Shattuck Ave., a public nuisance at its Thursday meeting, and imposed a restrictive set of regulations on its future operations. 

Neighbors allege the store is the center of serious criminal activity in the area.  

In a recent six-month period, the police department responded to more than 200 calls at or near Brothers Liquor. Nineteen of those calls resulted in arrests for crack cocaine possession or sales, prostitution, public drunkenness or creating a public disturbance. 

In her report to the ZAB, Victoria Johnson, the city’s senior zoning enforcement officer, presented the board with two possible solutions.  

The first allowed the liquor store to remain open with sharply curtailed hours of operation, the posting of security guards and the obligation to submit to ZAB review every three months. The second would shut the store down completely. 

The ZAB voted 7 - 2 for the first option, and added an extra conditions of its own. 

Board chair Carolyn Weinberger suggested the store be mandated to chain-off its parking lot when it closed its doors at 9 p.m. Board member Deborah Matthews added that the store should be required to clean and maintain its exterior. 

At the suggestion of Mark Rhoades, the city’s director of current planning, the board also put language into the declaration that would automatically trigger another public hearing on the store – one which would presumably result in its closure – if the Berkeley Police Department receives more than four calls having to do with store activities per month. 

Monsoor Ghanem, the store’s manager, said Friday that the charges against his store were unwarranted, and he would appeal the ZAB’s decision to the City Council. Members of the audience hissed and shouted when the board discussed the option of leaving the store open with restrictions. Several ZAB members addressed the crowd directly, assuring it that the conditions imposed on Brothers were very tough, and any deviation from them would be swiftly punished. 

“We’re giving them enough rope to hang themselves,” said Weinberger. 

Rhoades said city staff came up with the compromise declaration after consulting with the city attorney’s office. He said the imposition of conditions as a first step would bolster the city’s case if it were sued by the store’s owners. 

“The courts take a very dim view of cities closing businesses without giving them a chance to clean up their act,” Rhoades said. “But if, after three months, this business does not comply with the conditions, we can set another public hearing and the ZAB can close them down. You will already have declared them a public nuisance.” 

Board member, Gene Poschman, provoked applause from the audience when he said he favored putting the store out of business. 

“I want to revoke the thing,” he said. “I think the city attorney is being far too cautious. We’ve got six, maybe eight votes here for revocation here.” 

But, he said, the staff report had swayed him. 

“The staff is the reason we’re not revoking their business tonight,” he said. “That means there will be a special weight on staff to monitor this closely.” 

Matthews, a resident of South Berkeley, shared Poshman’s reservations, but she, too, voted for the compromise option. 

“I have a hard time accepting the recommendations of staff,” she said. 

“In the community of South Berkeley, in a five-mile radius we have probably 10 liquor stores, each of them with the problems we have here before us.” 

“It’s really important to me that we develop some kind of standard for identifying and dealing with these issues.” 

Rhoades told the board and the audience that the new restrictions – especially the police department “trigger” he had proposed – would assure that the store would be severely punished if the problems continue. 

“There’s 40 or 50 pairs of eyes and ears in this room tonight that will be monitoring this situation,” he said. 

“Do you hear that?” Weinberger asked the audience. “If three months from now it hasn’t improved, you come back to us and we will yank their business.” 

Only board member Paul Schwartz and Marie Bowman, who substituted for board member Mike Issel at Tuesday’s meeting, voted against the declaration. 

Schwartz said he was in favor of the restrictions on the business, but he wanted to vote for complete closure to expedite matters.  

“I don’t think they’re going to be able to stay in business with these restrictions, so they’ll probably end up shutting down anyway,” he said. 

At the end of the hearing, Rhoades thanked the board for voting for the staff’s recommendations. 

“I know it was a very difficult decision,” he said.

Saturday, Oct. 27

Bay Area Coalition to End the  

Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento  

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Saturday Morning Children’s  

Program 

10:30 a.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Charlie Chin presents traditional Chinese folk tales told in the “tea house” style. $4 adult, $3 children 

Berkeley Child Safety Seat  

Check-Up 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (drop-in)  

Kittredge Street Parking Facility  

2020 Kittredge Street (the old Hinks Parking lot), 2nd Floor 

Trained child passenger safety technicians will inspect your safety seat installation, inform you of any recalls, and assist you in using your child safety seat properly. Free, sponsored by the Berkeley Public Health and Police Departments, 665-6839, dquan@ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Raising the Bar: Latino and  

Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Booth Auditorium 

An unprecedented gathering of Latino judges from across the country to celebrate and critically examine the contributions of Latinos on the bench. 643-8010 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The city is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

Sunday, Oct. 28

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Our Visual Heritage 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Ashkenaz 

1613 San Pablo Ave. 

Deaf and Hearing Project of Berkeley presents an ASL (American Sign Language) accessible event, in recognition of World and Domestic Violence Prevention Disability Awareness Month featuring, music, dance, information and more. $10, Children under 12 free. 644-2003, 644-2000 (TTY) 

Berkeley, Where Is It Going 

8 p.m. 

BTVU ch. 25  

Notable Berkeley neighborhood supporters give important informa 

tion about the General Plan that will be before the Council in Public Hearings on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. 

Spirit Day at the West  

Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue, between 3rd and 4th sreets  

Spirit Day will host an outdoor community alter to honor our elders and the people who have lost their lives since Sept. 11. Family-oriented weekly market. Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 654-6346 

Vespers of St. Demetrios 

4 p.m. 

PAOI 

2311 Hearst Ave. 

A prayer service celebrating St. Demetrios, patron saint of the chapel of Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. 649-2450 

Monday, Oct. 29

Franciscanism, Understanding  

the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Lecture - Discovery of Quilting 

7:30 p.m. 

First Unitarian Church 

1 Lawson Road, Kensington 

This is Dianne Hire’s own story, her personal expression of the intimate desires to create, to imagine and to express through the medium of quilting. $3 834-3706 www.hirealternatives.com 

Affordable Housing Advocacy  

Project 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Learn about the latest changes in affordable housing at the state and federal level. 800-773-2110 

Race, Immigration and  

American Politics Speaker  

Series 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley, 119 Moses Hall 

David Sears, UCLA, “Race, Religion, and Sectional Conflict in Contemporary Partisanship.” 642-4608 

– compiled by Guy Poole 

In 1877 John G. Wright, an Englishman, opened Berkeley’s first wholesale-retail bakery at 2026 Shattuck Ave., just north of where the Kress building stands today. The original bakery which is pictured here, was a two-story wood frame building that had tall storefront windows and a covered wood veranda in front. The owners, as well as their bakery workers and student boarders, lived on the second floor. 

The bakery produced 26 varieties of bread, twelve types of cakes and pies and also had a catering service, dining room and retail sales shop. By 1905 the business had grown so large that it had a fleet of 40 horse-drawn trucks and motor cars.  

Wright was active in organizing the bakers union which was formally established in 1904 at the Golden Sheaf Bakery. But unionization led to the demise of family run bakeries and the rise of large companies. In 1909 the Wright family sold their business to Wonderbread and the old bakery building was torn down.  

Around the corner at 2071 Addison St. is a remnant of the Golden Sheaf Bakery. The brick-sided building was constructed in 1905 as a storage building and loading area for the bakery. But despite its rather humble use, the building was designed by noted architect Clinton Day.  

It is a Classic-inspired, two-story red brick and terra-cotta building with a three-part composition. Four pilasters frame three vertical bays, which contain three sets of paired arched windows on the second story. Above the central bay there is a sign molded in brick-colored terra-cotta depicting a sheaf of wheat and under this, the bakery’s name. Molded terra cotta was also used for the bases and capitals of the pilasters and for the cornice. The terra cotta was made by the Gladding McBean Company. 

After the bakery was sold, the building served as offices and shops until 1927, when it was converted into a garage. On July 20, 2000 a dedication ceremony was held for the Nevo Educational Center of the Berkeley Repertory Theater. The remodeled bakery-warehouse building will provide space for the theater’s education program.  

Susan Cerny, author of “Berkeley Landmarks,” writes this series in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

By Ken Norwood 

The missile camera films and the aerial photos of bombs hitting Afghanistan targets looks little different to me than the 8th. Air Force’s “precision” bombing of NAZI targets I saw from the waist window of our B-24 four engine Liberator from early April to May 9, 1944. That was the day our plane was shot down and six of our 10 crew members bailed out over Belgium. The tons of bombs we POW’s saw falling in our direction from Allied planes bombing nearby German targets looked and felt no different to us than is being experienced by Afghani civilians on the edge of Afghani military targets – it is breath stopping terror. 

Remarkably that same W.W.II aerial warfare strategy is paralleled by the high-tech bombing, satellite surveillance, night vision technology now being used in the Middle East. Another similarity is the claim that precision bombing avoids civilian casualties and the dichotomy that despite sixty years the U.S. bombing errors, over-runs, and “accidents” continue to occur. To understand why is to realize that the high-tech advancements in airplanes, armament, rocketry, and guidance systems has the primary purpose of protecting Air Force planes and air crews from casualties. Now the planes are bigger, faster, and carry larger bomb loads, and yet require fewer crew. During 1941 through 1944 the Royal Air Force and the American air crew losses were up to 50 percent, some of whom became POW’s. 

Today’s B-51 has a crew of four compared with ten men each in W.W.II’s B-17 and B-24 bombers. Although WW II bombers flew lower and slower making accurate bombing apparently easier, technical and human errors by navigators, bombardiers, and pilots, and the interference by enemy German ack-ack and fighters caused unintended bombing of residential areas, churches, hospitals, Red Cross trains and convoys, and even harmless villages regularly. The WW II press seldom learned about those tragedies, but there lies the “collateral” damage rational of the military mind. Similarly, ground forces face the same moral dilemma, every U.S. war has been shrouded with “unintended” civilian 

deaths. 

The common denominator in the above comparisons to today is they are all “conventional” wars. “America’s New War” has been referenced to the “crusades,” and a “campaign ” or an “action,” the terms used historically for incursions into other countries when “war” is not politically correct. In this war all the military and patriotic rhetoric that have been used in past wars are present again. Today’s military-industrial complex, inherited from W.W.II, is making full use of the hardware capacity accumulated from pork-barrel Defense Department budgets that focus on modern warfare technology, but conventional in concept: bomb “them” into submission, use minimal ground forces, and get out. 

We need a new strategy that incorporates a geo-historic-cultural-political-moral concern for civilians. The proposed “Department of Peace” may not be too late to save us from retaliations from other terrorist cells, loss of support from the Muslim world, and alienation from those who normally are our allies. The admonitions and cautions about fighting terrorism have been heard long before Sept. 11, and immediately following the W.T.C. attack we were reminded again: the “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” avenging of our losses on 9-11 can not justify fighting world terrorism conventionally. 

Terror is a bitter pill, composed of fear, anger, hate, and the inevitable retaliation, and it never tastes good. War is for cowards – shoot if it moves, ask questions later. To do otherwise is to the disadvantage of the soldier. Our nation will better endure by exercising our power of social, economic, and environmental justice for all. The escalation of the war in Afghanistan is too close to reality to allow the “old guard” unquestioned power. There are alternatives, if we stop, look, and listen. 

Ken Norwood is a Berkeley resident. 

Robert L. Smith, a Berkeley resident since 1950, served as a medic in the 28th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1945. He aided the wounded in combat, helping to liberate Paris. Smith served approximately two months after the D-Day landings. 

Robert L. Smith’s new book, “Medic!” A WWII Combat Medic Remembers, chronicles his entry into the army, his plethora of experiences on the battlefield and some events he went through immediately after returning home – such as even though he was a discharged veteran with a Purple Heart, he was not yet 21 years old and too young to qualify for a California driver’s license.  

In the latter part of Smith’s book, he describes returning to Europe with his wife, Fran, in 1997-98. The Smiths travelled through many of the same areas he’d been half a century earlier. Fran’s photographs reference and counterpoint the fact-filled text.  

While the book reads, in part, like a really long post card, the story is riveting in parts and is almost always engaging.  

A quiet strength and steady bravery inform Smith’s voice. 

Smith’s comments about K rations, the combination of terror and tedium soldiers experienced and the forms of segregation he witnessed are sobering.  

Smith describes many of the individuals he came into contact with. 

Smith eloquently tells of the moral strength and honor shown by some American soldiers. For instance, Smith describes Caleb A. Converse, a litter bearer from Columbus, Ga.: “A slow, steady person who consistently was brave. Every night Converse carried out our critical cases on his back, one at a time, making three or four separate trips down the hill and across the fields and river to safety on the American side. He did something that none of the rest of us would do. Yet he did it voluntarily, never asking for help. He simply went on saving the lives of men who otherwise would not have survived.” 

Smith also describes the actions of some of the enemy soldiers and civilians he came into contact with. At one point an enemy soldier told Smith, in perfect English, that he is behind enemy lines and sent Smith in another direction, which probably saved his life.  

Smith’s perspective as a medic puts him in the center of both the physical and spiritual action. A medic’s job is to be heroic. As Smith explains: “Anyone else could yell for the medic, but I was the medic.”  

Smith portrays the challenges of trying to save lives in the heat of battle. Medics are called upon to provide immediate relief to injured soldiers during combat. The wounded call to them. Sometimes medics have the skills and materials they need to disinfect wounds and immediately affect the balance of life vs. death. At other times a medic’s skills and desire to bring relief are insufficient to remediate devastating damage.  

Smith writes: “I had gone to war full of conviction and came out having lost my naivete about some things that had previously been absolutes.” 

As we see in All Quiet On the Western Front, the classic WWI novel by Erich Maria Remarque, going to war is unlike any other human experience. And there are some stories only a warrior can tell. 

Sari Friedman teaches writing at local colleges and can be reached at literate2@earthlink.net 

924 Gilman St. Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; Nov. 2: Mood Frye, Manic Notion, Cremasters of Disaster, Bottles and Skulls, Lorax, Sociopath; Nov. 3: Cruevo, Nigel Peppercock, Impaled, Systematic Infection, Depressor; Nov. 9: Hoods, Punishment, Lords of Light Speed, Necktie Party; Nov. 10: Sunday’s Best, Mock Orange, Elizabeth Elmore, Fighting Jacks, Benton Falls; Nov. 16: Pitch Black, The Blottos, Miracle Chosuke, 240; Nov. 17: Carry On, All Bets Off, Limp Wrist, Labrats, Thought Riot; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

The Albatross Pub Nov. 3: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Both shows 9 p.m. 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 albatrosspub@mindspring .com  

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Oct. 27: 9:30 p.m., Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, $11; Oct. 28: 1:30 p.m., Derique McGee and Jazz Design, $ sliding scale; 9 p.m. Itals, Ras Jacob, Kanawah, DJ Ras D, $12; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., Bluegrass Benefit Concert for the NY Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, Mike Marshall, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, Bluegrass Intentions, Kathy Kallick Band, Detour; $20. 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5099 www.ashkenaz. com 

Blake’s Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs. berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Oct. 27: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney $18.50 - $19.50; Oct. 28: True Blue with Del Williams $15.50 - $16.50; Nov. 1: Si Kahn $17.50 - $18.50; Nov. 2: Don Edwards $16.50 - $17.50; Nov. 3: Barbara Higbie $17.50 - $18.50; All Shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note Nov. 4: 4:30 p.m. SoVoSo, $15; Nov. 11: 4:30 p.m. Dave Le Febvre Quintet, $12. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts Oct. 27: 8 p.m., Empyrean Ensemble, $18, $14 children. 2640 College Ave. 845-8542/ www.juliamorgan.org 

Jupiter Nov. 1: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 2: Lithium House; Nov. 3: Solomon Grundy; Nov. 7: Go Van Gogh; Nov. 8: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 9: Xroads; Nov. 10: Post Junk Trio; Nov. 14: Wayside; Nov. 15: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 16: 5 Point Plan; Nov. 17: Corner Pocket; Nov. 21: Starchild; All shows 8 p.m. and free. 2821 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625/ www.jupiter.com 

La Peña Oct. 28: 7:30 p.m., Mezcla from Cuba, $15dr. 320 45th St., Oakland 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

La Lesbian @ La Peña: A Lesbian Performance and Film Series Oct. 25: 8 p.m., comedian Elvira Kurt, $16; Nov. 1: 8 p.m., Singer/songwriters Faith Nolan and Megan McElroy, $14; Nov. 4: 5 - 9 p.m., Salsa, merengue, cumbia from DJs Rosa Oviedo and Chata Gutierrez, $7; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., I Love Lezzie, 20 member comedy troupe, $14; 320 45th St., Oakland 654-6346 www.lapena.org 

MusicSources Oct. 28: Keyboardist David Buice; Nov. 18 Harpsichordist Gilbert Martinez. Both shows 5 p.m. $15-18. 1000 The Alameda 528-1685 

The Stork Club Oct. 23: 9 p.m., Earwig, Butch Berry, $5; Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Cruevo, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Brainoil, Life in a Burn Clinic, $5; Oct. 25: 10 p.m., Painted Bird, Tinman, Fenway Park, $6; Oct. 26: 10 p.m., Birdsaw, Wire Grafitti, Breast, $5; Oct. 27: 10 p.m., Oxbow, Replicator, 60 Foot Time, $6; Oct. 30: 9 p.m., Simple Things, Tombshakers, Ultrafiend, $5; Oct. 31: Oppressed Logic, Eddie Haskells, TBA, $5; 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 444-6174  

Yoshi’s Restaurant and Jazz Spot Oct. 29: 8 & 10 p.m., The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, $10. 238-9200 www.yoshis.com 

Cal Performances Nov. 2: 7 p.m., Sightlines, Pre-performance discussion with guest artists. 8 p.m., “Music Before 1850,” with Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. $32. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Theater 

“The Odd Couple” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27: 7:30 p.m. The female adaptation of Neil Simon’s classic play. Directed by Antoine Olivier. $5 students, $7 adults. Bobby Barrett Theater, St. Mary’s campus, 1294 Albina. 981-1167 ruthcrossman@yahoo.com 

Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Oct. 26: 8 p.m., Oct. 28: 3 p.m. Presented by the Oakland Lyric Opera, continuing the company’s opera showcase series of short, one-act operas and opera scenes, semi-staged concert performances. First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. $25, $18 students and seniors, $15 children. 836-6772 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them”Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m., matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Tomas Carrasco of Chicano Secret Service” Nov. 15: 4 p.m. Performance by member of L.A.-based sketch comedy troupe that uses humor to tackle hot-button racial and political issues. Free. Durham Studio Theater, UC Berkeley 

“Lost Cause” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Three space travelers stranded on a forgotten colony, find themselves in the middle of a bloody civil war, and have to decide between what’s right, what’s possible, and what will save their lives. Written by Jefferson Area, directed by Sarah O’Connell. $7-12. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 464-4468 www.impacttheatre.com 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

Cal Performances “The Car Man” Oct. 30, 31: 8 p.m.; Nov. 1: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Nov. 2: 8 p.m.; Nov. 3: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne and his company re-invent Bizet’s “Carmen,” spinning the tale of a mysterious drifter in a small mid-western town, who changes the lives of its inhabitants forever. $32 - $64; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” more than 30 singers, dancers, and musicians present a musical synthesis of the authentic Roma styles. $18 - $30; Nov. 8: 11 a.m., SchoolTime Performance, “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” $3 per student or chaperone, in advance only; Nov. 8: 8 p.m., “Orquesta Aragón,” $18 - $30. Nov. 11: 3 p.m., Recital - Angelika Kirschschlager, Bo Skovhus, and Donald Runnicles. “Wolf/ Die Italienisches Liederbuch,” $45; Nov. 16 - 17: 8 p.m., “La Guerra d’Amore,” director and choreographer, René Jacobs, conductor, Ensemble Concerto Vocale. Modern dance and early music from German choreographer Joachim Schlömer, $34 - $52; 

UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 through Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Saint Joan” Oct. 26 through Dec. 2: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m. George Bernard Shaw’s epic of a young girl determined to drive the English out of France with only her faith to support her. Directed by Barbara Oliver. $26-35. Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St. 843-4822 www.auroratheatre.org 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Search” Nov. 4:30 p.m. 1948 drama of American soldier caring for a young concentration camp survivor in post-war Berlin, while the boy’s mother is desperately searching all Displaced Persons camps for him. $2 suggested donation. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

Exhibits 

“Photographs of Yosemite” by Richard Blair, Oct. 25: 5 - 8 p.m. Mr. Blair served as Park Photographer for Yosemite National Park in the early 1970’s and continues to photograph there often. Holton Studio, 5515 Doyle St., No. 2, Emeryville. 450-0350 www.holtonframes.com 

Panel Discussion on Documentary Photography Oct. 25: 7:30 p.m. Panelists include photographers Nacio Jan Brown, Jeffrey Blankfort, Cathy  

Cade, Ken Light and Michelle Vignes in discussion with moderator Scott Nichols. Free. UC Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, 120 North Gate Hall 644-6893/ www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“African Harmonies,” the artwork of Rae Louise Hayward. Through Oct. 31: Hayward’s art celebrates the beauty of African culture: its people, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and music. Tues. - Thurs. 1 - 7 p.m., Sat. noon- 4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286/ www.wcrc.org 

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Architects of the Information Age” Through Nov. 10: A solo exhibit showcasing the works of Ezra Li Eismont. Works included in the exhibition are mixed media paintings on panel and assemblage works on paper and canvas. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland 836-0831 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“In Through the Outdoors” Through Nov. 24: Featuring seven artists who work in photography and related media including sculpture and video, this exhibit addresses the shift in values and contemporary concerns about the natural world that surrounds us. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St. www.traywick.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“Furniture Art” Through Dec. 7: An exhibit of metal and wood furniture that revisits furniture not only as art but as craft. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. The Current Gallery at the Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; Oct. Janell Moon will read from her new book, “Stirring the Waters: Writing to Find Your Spirit.”; Oct. 27: Pat Schmatz reads from “Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.”; Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Poet Janet Mason will read from “When I Was Straight” and present her “Boobs Away.”; Nov. 3: Editor Danya Ruttenberg and contributors Loolwa Khazzoom, Emily Wages, Billie Mandel will read their selections in the new anthology, “Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism.”; Nov. 9: Lauren Dockett will read from her latest book, “The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression.”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 23: Michael Downing will talk about “Shoes Outside the Door: Scandals of Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center; Oct. 24: Anita Roddick returns with “Take It Personally”; Oct. 25: Eric Muller discusses “Free To Die For Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II”; Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; Oct. 27: Gregory Maguire reads “Lost”; Oct. 28: Christopher Hitchens with “Letters To A Young Contrarian”; Oct. 29: Arturo Pérez-Reverte reads from “The Nautical Chart”; Oct. 30: Ruben Martinez recounts “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail”; Oct. 31: Barry Lopez reads from “Light Action In The Caribbean”; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Oct. 25: Simon Winchester discusses “The Map That Changed The World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology”; Oct. 26: Alice Medrich delivers “A Year In Chocolate: Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts”; Oct. 27: 11 a.m., Addi Someckh and Charlie Eckert - The Balloon Guys, play with “The Inflatable Crown Balloon Hat Kit,” for young readers; Oct. 28: 4 p.m., Darren Shan with “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Vampire’s Assistant,” for young readers; All shows 7 p.m. unless noted, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

“Michael Moore” Oct. 29: 7:30 p.m. Author and film maker reads from his new book “Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation”. $12-15. Sponsored by Cody’s. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California through Nov. 25: Pasajes y Encuentros: Ofrendas for the Days of the Dead, highlights three thematic “passageways” that connect the dead with the living: tradition, humor and spirit. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.org 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

After a heartbreaking loss to rival Kennedy last week, the St. Mary’s High football team needed a game to get out some aggression while keeping everyone healthy. A game with Albany was just what the doctor ordered. 

St. Mary’s jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead against the Cougars on Friday afternoon and cruised home with a 34-6 win. Tailback Trestin George ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries and quarterback Steve Murphy threw for two scores to wide receiver Courtney Brown in the victory. 

“We knew if we played a good first half that we could get ahead of them,” St. Mary’s head coach Jay Lawson said. “It’s nice to get an easy win once in a while.” 

The Panthers (4-4 overall, 2-1 BSAL) came into the game looking to put heat on Albany quarterback Harold Lueders, and they did just that. They sacked Lueders three times in the first quarter, including two by linebacker Omarr Flood, and knocked him out of the game early in the second quarter. His replacements, J.P. Koehn and Garin Hecht, were clearly in over their heads, completing just 6-of-23 for 83 yards with Lueders on the bench with a possible separated shoulder. Koehn, who played most of the second half, also threw two interceptions, including one that George returned 100 yards for a score. 

“We have better athletes in our secondary than they have at receiver,” Lawson said. “We thought our defensive backs could man up and let us get a lot of heat on the quarterback, and we did that.” 

Flood, who also had an interception to go with his two sacks, enjoyed the freedom to blitz for most of the game. 

“Being aggressive is the name of the game on defense,” he said. “We sent them a message that we weren’t playing out there.” 

Linebacker Julian Taylor got the ball rolling with a punt block on Albany’s (3-5, 0-3) opening possession, giving the St. Mary’s offense the ball on the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Murphy threw a quick pass to Brown, who juked one defender and found the end zone to open the scoring. 

George came up big on the next drive, running three times for 54 yards. In fact, the entire series was on the ground, as St. Mary’s ran the ball seven times for 78 yards. George finished the drive with a spectacular 19-yard touchdown run during which he broke five tackles and destroyed one Albany defender on his way to the end zone. In fact, it looked as if George was actually looking for defenders to hit instead of the other way around. 

“I was just hungry to run somebody over,” George said. “I lowered my shoulder, then put on a little shake. Then the last guy stepped up and I hit him as hard as I could.” 

Brown put on a show of his own early in the second quarter, taking a short pass over the middle and turning it into a 55-yard score, juking two defenders and racing up the right sideline to make the score 22-0, a lead the Panthers took into halftime. 

The second half was a slow-paced affair, with the Panthers looking to run out the clock and Albany unable to get anything going on offense. George took control early with runs of 19 and 20 yards on the first drive of the half, capping it with a nine-yard touchdown run. 

Albany answered back with a good drive, keyed by a screen pass to running back Michael Estis for 34 yards that put the ball inside the St. Mary’s 10. Estis scored from a yard out sson after for Albany’s lone score of the day.  

But the next Albany drive turned into George’s interception return, and it was clear there would be no comeback. All that was left was the self-destruction of the Albany offense, including an unforced fumble that St. Mary’s Jerrell Booker recovered and an easy interception by safety Jason Bolden-Anderson.

In the wake of Principal Frank Lynch’s departure last week, Berkeley High School’s vice principals will run the school as a team until a new principal can be found.  

“(We) built the model being optimistic that we could get someone by second semester, but if we couldn’t, it could certainly go through the end of the year,” Superintendent Michele Lawrence said. 

Vice principals Mary Ann Valles and Laura Leventer will be co-principals, vice principal Mike Hassett will primarily oversee the ninth-grade program, and Executive Vice Principal Larry Lee will oversee day-to-day operations and discipline. 

In addition, the district placed job announcements Thursday for two new deans, who will oversee student discipline and report to Lee. 

“We’ve had deans in the past, but it is a new position,” said Chris Lim, the associate superintendent for instruction. 

District administrators met with Berkeley High staff on Wednesday to unveil a detailed list of the duties for each of the vice principals. 

Valles, who led the San Francisco schools technology program until coming to Berkeley High last summer, will primarily look after attendance, grades, and student services. Among those are counseling and the Student Learning Center, which provides tutoring. She will also continue to act as liaison to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as the school struggles to be renew its accreditation next fall. 

Leventer, the high school’s former math department chairwoman, will coordinate scheduling, field trips, the Web site and “E-tree,” assemblies, clubs, and relations with the Parent Teacher Student Association. She has been designated lead contact person for parents and the press. 

Hassett, a longtime English department chair before taking on his administrative post, will be the lead person on testing in addition to the ninth-grade retention programs, including the new Critical Pathways program, which is intended to remedy the “achievement gap” among African-American and Latino students. 

“Don’t be deceived by the short list of tasks he has,” Leventer wrote in a community e-mail Thursday. “This is probably the most challenging job there is and Mike is the most qualified for it.” 

Lee, who served as interim principal for three years before Lynch’s predecessor, Teresa Saunders, will manage the buildings and everything from disaster preparedness to relations with the Shattuck Avenue merchants and others in the surrounding community.  

Lawrence said she had decided against hiring an interim principal this time because she was “concerned... not to throw another variable into a school that has had so many over this period of time. And seeing how well the four administrators work together, I was convinced that that relationship could sustain the school.” 

Lawrence said during recent meetings with representatives of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which has demanded changes at the school before renewing its accreditation next fall, she has pared down the 11 areas of concern it cited last spring to five: Discipline and safety, attendance, decision-making processes and collaboration, retaining low-achieving ninth-graders and teacher training. 

These goals, she said, would be spread among the vice principals. 

“I felt that by more clearly aligning the responsibilities that each of them could shepherd through one of those important aspects of meeting the WASC requirements,” Lawrence said. 

The new plan also calls for a “shared governance committee,” made up of teachers, administrators, and small school leaders, with the power to vote on school policy and longer-term decisions. 

“There will be command decisions that will be made by the co-principals and vice principals, but a lot of decisions you want more input from staff members,” said Leventer. “There’s always been something where teachers felt they didn’t have a voice in administrative decisions and they wanted a sub-group. What we’re doing here is to pull that subgroup into the administrative body in order to be more focused.” 

The shared governance committee will have a representative from the School Site Council, mandated by the state to oversee staff development and the site plan. It will combine functions of an older shared governance committee that lacked decision-making power and another made up of department district chairs. 

Teachers are to elect three of their own to the committee: one representing the union, another the Parent Teacher Student Association, and another “at large,” Leventer said. 

“We actually want teachers to come up with the system to do that, since it shouldn’t come from administrators,” she said.  

A teacher who asked that her name not be used said the new plan suits the school better than having a single principal. 

“I think they’re working towards a model that we should look at as a permanent plan for administration,” the teacher said. “I think a cadre or team is a much better model for a school this size.” 

School Board President Terry Doran said the board and superintendent needed to look at the principal’s job in its current form and “ask what are the aspects of the job that are driving people away.” 

“We need to solve that and come up with some answers before we begin trying to find a new principal,” Doran said.

Editor, 

The loud groans heard across the East Bay last week were from local Green activists upon hearing Audie Bock announce for Congress. Though her departure from the Greens to the Democrats improved both parties, let there be no doubt; the local, state and national Green Party supports Barbara Lee and her brave vote against a blank check for war making. Audie Bock threw away the only constituency she ever had when she left the Green party and it was a slap in the face to a lot of hard working people. 

She obviously didn’t hear the voice of the voters when she failed to get re-elected, and like any other politician needing another campaign, she seems to think she can go to Washington on the back of a brave congessional leader besieged during troubled times. As one who groaned the loudest, I want to apologize to the voters of the 16th District for foisting Audie on them in the first place. In politics, sometimes you get a lemon. 

Hank Chapot 

Oakland 

Playing the best they have all year, the Berkeley Yellowjackets destroyed Encinal on Friday night, forcing five turnovers and holding the Jets to 103 yards of offense in a 47-0 win. 

The ’Jackets (4-3 overall, 3-0 ACCAL) were a team on a mission against the Jets, and it showed in their pure aggression in all facets of the game. They scored on plays of 45, 29, 23 and 20 yards on offense, as well as getting their first defensive touchdown of the season, a 75-yard interception return by linebacker Leonard Scarborough in the third quarter. The Berkeley defense was flying all over the field, punishing the Encinal running backs every time they touched the ball and breaking up several passes with huge hits. 

“I can’t imagine it happening any better for us,” Berkeley head coach Matt Bissell said. “One player makes a good play, and it’s contagious. Everyone wants to get it on it. It’s like a mob mentality.” 

The game was clearly out of hand by the second half, and the Encinal (3-4, 3-2) coaches waved the white flag by asking the officials to let the clock run before the fourth quarter began. 

The ’Jackets had their long passing game working on Friday, with quarterback Raymond Pinkston hooking up with wideout Sean Young for nearly identical touchdown passes of 45 and 29 yards, both fly patterns into the right corner of the end zone. Young, who runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, has become the deep threat that the ‘Jackets need to keep teams from ganging up on their stable of running backs. 

“Raymond and I are just hooked up right now. We practice it all the time and now we’ve got it down perfectly,” Young said. 

The one-two punch of tailbacks Germaine Baird and Craig Hollis has become a potent one. Baird ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Hollis crammed 72 yards and a score into just four carries. Throw in fullbacks Aaron Boatwright and Roger Mason, who each scored touchdowns themselves, and the ’Jackets piled up 228 yards on the ground. 

But while the offense has come to life in the last four games, the Berkeley defense really broke through with a big game against a tough opponent. Besides the five turnovers, the ’Jackets held Encinal’s senior running back, DeAndre Geen, to just 68 yards on 21 carries, and completely shut down the Jets’ passing game, allowing just five completions for 15 yards. 

Several Berkeley players said the game was a statement directed at ACCAL rival Pinole Valley, the league’s other undefeated team. The two will clash in two weeks in the regular season finale for both teams. 

“We want Pinole to look at this score and know we ain’t backing down,” said linebacker Akeem Brown, who had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on Friday. “We want them to know we’re coming for them.” 

“It’s just between us and Pinole now,” defensive end/kicker Greg Mitchell said. “We thought this would be a big game, but now we know it’s all about the last game.” 

Bissell said he wants his players to concentrate on next week’s game against Richmond, but realizes that may be unrealistic. 

“Obviously we’ve got the Pinole game looming ahead of us, so it’s hard not to look past Richmond,” he said. “But we’ve got our eyes on the league title, and we have to take it one game at a time.” 

NOTES: The Berkeley-De Anza game postponed earlier this season will not be rescheduled, the league announced this week... In junior varsity action, Berkeley defeated Encinal 24-12 on Friday. 

Century-old trees diagnosed with Dutch elm disease  

Neighbors on quiet, tree-lined Elmwood Avenue are preparing themselves for the removal of the street’s namesake – 100-year-old American elm trees that have been diagnosed with the relentless Dutch elm disease. 

“We understand that the trees have to come down,” said neighbor Naomi Janowitz. “We’re just in mourning over them.” 

Residents on Elmwood Avenue, located in the southeast Berkeley “Elmwood District,” say they are concerned about what type of tree will be planted in place of the stately elms that have characterized the neighborhood for the last 90 years. 

Jerry Koch, the city’s senior forestry supervisor, said Berkeley is working with neighbors to try and determine what type of tree to plant in place of the elms. 

“We’re trying to work with the neighborhood to come up with a suitable species that will be resistant to disease,” he said. “We do have guidelines though, we are not going to plant a redwood tree in a two-foot plot.” 

Koch said whatever the new trees are, they will have to be compatible with the homes, utilities and sidewalks in the neighborhood. “We want to put in a beautiful tree that will be there for a good number of years.” he said. “But the city will be responsible for maintenance, trimming branches and repairing damaged sidewalks and utility wires, so we’re not going to get ridiculous about it.” 

Koch is meeting with a group of neighbors Sunday and says he will present them with a frontier elm, which the city has been planting in other sections of town. 

However, neighbors say they are not yet sold on the frontier elm, which only grows to 40 feet, much shorter than the American elm. They said they may consider the liberty elm, which grows as high as 100 feet, might be a more appropriate replacement. 

The American elms were diagnosed with Dutch elm disease last year. Caused by a fungus, the disease is transmitted by two species of bark beetles.  

Once the fungus is established within a tree, it spreads rapidly via its water-conducting vessels. The presence of the fungus damages the vessels, which causes the tree to wilt and eventually die.  

The first known case of Dutch elm disease was discovered in Ohio more than 70 years ago. It has now spread throughout North America and has destroyed more than half the elm trees in the northern United Sates. 

So far, only one tree has been felled on Elmwood Avenue. Janowitz pointed to a tree, marked with a blotch of red paint, across the street from her home.  

“That one comes down on Monday,” she said.  

The only elm tree not being cut down on Janowitz’s street is the one in front of her home. She said she is glad it is still healthy because her 10-year-old son, Noah, likes to watch the squirrels and hawks that nest in the tree from his bedroom window.  

Another neighbor, who declined to give her name, said she feared that whatever trees replace the American elms would be about five feet tall and grow at a rate of one foot or so a year. 

“In other words we’ll all be dead before we see trees like this again,” she said with an upward nod.

Editor: 

Though I support Barbara Lee's lone stand in Congress, I can understand that there are others who may disagree. I urge them to support an opposition candidate who speaks from principle rather than Audie Bock who, by her shameless exploitation of patriotism, war fever, and human tragedy, has once again shown herself to be a well-lubed weathervane that turns in the direction of big money. 

Gray Brechin

Ripmaster scores game’s only goal as Bears win upset 

The California men’s soccer team outlasted the fourth-ranked Huskies, 1-0, Friday afternoon at Edwards Stadium in its Pac-10 home opener.  

California drew first blood as senior Austin Ripmaster slipped past two defenders and launched a shot from 20 feet out at 18:28 for his team-leading fifth goal of the season. It turned out to be the game winning goal as the Bears went on to win, 1-0, against their sixth nationally ranked opponent this season.  

“We were pushing hard to make their defense give us the ball on the counter-attack,” said Ripmaster. “Angel (Quintero) and (Chris) Roner stepped up, played it to Carl who slotted it perfectly with me and the keeper for a one-on-one chance. I was able to slip it past him.”  

UW had two great opportunities in the half. The first came in the 29th minute as Seth Marsh took a shot that went just over the cross bar.  

The other chance came when a shot was misdirected, landing in front of Kyle Fukuchi just five yards from goal. Kyle Navarro came to the defense as Saunders dove in to salvage an otherwise sure score.  

In the second stanza, the Huskies came out strong, forcing Cal back on its heels. UW controlled possession for most of the first five minutes but the Bears staved off the initial wave of attacks and settled in allowing five shots on goal the rest of the way. The battle was at midfield in what ultimately turned out to be a defensive battle in the second half for both sides.  

“Washington came out strong in the second half and put a lot of pressure on us” said coach Kevin Grimes. “We weren’t able to capitalize on the counterattack but our defense played solidly and we came out with the win.”  

The Bears defeated a ranked opponent for the second time this season after edging No. 14 San Jose State, 3-2, on Sept. 16. Cal hosts Oregon State Sunday at 2 p.m. at Edwards Stadium.

SAN FRANCISCO – At Berkeley’s Alta Bates Medical Center – and at hospitals across the country – panicked people are showing up, wanting to be tested for exposure to anthrax. 

“There’s a lot of anxiety-mongering going on out there, and the media are fanning the flames,” said Carolyn Kemp, spokesperson for Alta Bates. “It’s a scary time, and there’s a lot of incorrect information out there.” 

Judging by the concerns of infectious disease experts gathered this week across the Bay, the problem is growing. 

Sunday is the last day of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s 39th annual meeting, which was held Oct. 25 - Oct. 28 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.  

Bioterrorism – previously scheduled as a small part of the conference – has understandably become the focus of this year’s event. 

A hastily-planned slate of events geared toward answering questions in the wake of the current anthrax scare started off Friday with a well-attended discussion led by two experts on bioterrorism. 

The question-and-answer session, which will be repeated this morning, was led by James Snyder, an anthrax expert from the University of Louisville, and Maj. Jon Woods, a doctor in the United States Air Force. 

As they took questions from the audience, it was apparent that many of those in attendance are under pressure from the public to administer anthrax tests and antibiotics – even when it is inadvisable. 

“Nasal swabs are not that productive except for epidemiological purposes,” said Snyder. 

Woods agreed. 

“(Nasal swabs) are really not useful for deciding who should receive treatment,” he said. “It’s foolhardy to use them to decide if a person is going to receive prophylactic (treatment).” 

But many in the audience said they are having a hard time convincing the public. 

One man, who works in Long Island, New York, said he is being pressured by unions. 

“Two of the unions in our area represent a lot of postal workers,” he said. “They are not asking but demanding to be given a nasal swab.” 

He said he explains to them the uselessness of the swab for disease detection, but “their response is: ‘Are you not going to know until the first person dies?’” 

The answer, at least for now, seems to be yes. 

“We don’t know who the future targets are going to be,” said Woods. “You can’t do swabs on 260 million people. So for now, that first person in a new group is unfortunately going to be very hard to save.” 

Many in the audience – most of whom never work with bioterrorism – attended out of curiosity. 

Suzanne Phelps, 33, of Alameda said the discussion of nasal swabs “did kind of surprise me. But it makes sense when I think about it. You don’t want to go give swabs to the whole state of New York, but you don’t want to make the search so narrow that you miss anyone.” 

Phelps works for an Oakland project which studies infectious diseases – but not anthrax. She said she understands the public concern but also sees how, in excess, it could itself become a problem. 

“You have to look at the risk of exposure, “ she said. “Right now, if you’re not in Florida, Washington, D.C., New York or New Jersey, you’re not at risk. And you’re just taxing important resources if you insist on being tested.” 

Kemp agreed. The Berkeley hospital instituted a bioterrorism response plan early last year, she said, and is prepared to deal with both real threats and panic. 

“If you come in and you’re worried that you feel sick, and you’re afraid the white powder next to the coffee machine might have made you sick, we need to find that out,” said Kemp. 

Editor: 

Having lived in Albany for over 70 years, my memories go back to old John Glavinovich, our Town Marshall prior to the new City Charter. He stood on the corner of San Pablo and Solano, directed traffic and escorted children across the street. In 1927, the new City Charter gave John the title of Chief of Police. He oversaw 3 persons, 2 of whom were motorcycle officers, without radios. Woe to the person who exceeded 25 miles per hour in Albany, as tough cop Frank Davis mercilessly gave out tickets. 

The Charter made the Chief's office elective, as did most small cities in those days. We in Albany have been fortunate to have had citizens living in Albany who had the qualities to head a small town department. As cities grew, most every city found that to obtain qualified chiefs, they had to select them from outside their boundaries. Only two cities in all of California still elect their Chief, one being Albany. To select a Chief for a modern department with all its complexities and problems, a city had to advertise the opening, demanding experience and qualifications, just as we do now for our Chief Administrative Officer, Public Works and Zoning Officers. 

By voting "YES" on Measure C, we do not give up any voting rights. After our present Chief retires, Measure C would allow our duly elected representatives on the Albany City Council to select a qualified experienced person from amongst a pool of applicants, who are screened and interviewed as to qualifications to head our department. Would we give up any rights as citizens if Measure C passed? A hearty NO! At present anyone having a non-police problem in the city can complain at weekly City Council meetings and have a hearing. If we have an unresponsive Council, we can elect new Councilpersons every two years, with persons who will listen to the citizens. On the other hand, at present, what citizen not satisfied with any action of the Police Department, would have the temerity to criticize the Police Department or its Chief should they have a problem. They would have to wait for four years to make any kind of change via an election. 

How long can we be so fortunate as to have qualified applicants for chief living in the city? The answer is to keep our Police Department out of politics and let our elected City Council and its Chief Administrative 

Officer handle the administration of every department of the city while allowing each Department Head to perform his or her duties. For Albany's future we must adopt Measure C by voting YES! 

Jerome Blank,  

former councilman and mayor 

Albany

SACRAMENTO — California voters will act on six ballot measures when they go to the polls for the March 5 primary election, state officials said Friday. 

The measures include five proposals put on the ballot by the Legislature and an initiative that would extend term limits to allow lawmakers to serve up to four more years. 

That proposal will be Proposition 45, the secretary of state’s office said. 

Also appearing on the ballot will be: 

— Proposition 40, a $2.6 billion bond measure to pay for park, clean-air and a variety of other environmental programs. 

— Proposition 41, which would allow the sale of $200 million in bonds to buy updated voting equipment. 

— Proposition 42, a constitutional amendment that would earmark gasoline sales taxes for transportation programs. 

— Proposition 43, which would create a constitutional guarantee that a voter’s vote will be counted. 

— Proposition 44, a measure to crack down on auto insurance fraud. 

The numbering of propositions for an election generally starts where the previous election left off, although legislators can designate numbers for the measures they put on the ballot. 

The numbering reverts to Proposition 1 every 10 years. 

———— 

On the Net: Read the legislation — AB1602, AB56, ACA4, ACA9 of 2001 and SB1988 of 2000 — at www.senate.ca.gov and the initiative at www.ss.ca.gov 

Editor: 

I have received several very angry e-mail messages lately, trashing Berkeley, and one even calling me a traitor for living in this city. I now have a standard reply, and here it is: 

A lot of very irresponsible and erroneous news stories about Berkeley have appeared in nationally known and respected newspapers since destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Contrary to what you may have heard or read: 

There have been no pro-bin Laden or pro-Taliban rallies in Berkeley! There are no stores in Berkeley with pictures of Osama bin Laden or Mohammed Omar (the head of the Taliban) in their windows. 

Berkeley is well-known for it’s left-wing politics. The people who run the government of Afghanistan torture and murder leftists, socialists, and communists. 

The domestic policies of the Taliban are universally despised in Berkeley. In Afghanistan, the penalty for teaching girls to read is death. Women are prohibited from working outside their homes, even if they are starving and work is the only way they can earn money to buy food. Flying a kite is punishable by death. (I don’t know why. I can’t figure that one out.) Homosexuals are publicly executed by dropping concrete blocks or collapsing walls on them. 

Anyone who thinks that policies like these are popular in Berkeley or that they are supported by anyone in Berkeley city government has absolutely no idea what Berkeley is really like! 

Also, despite claims to the contrary, there have been no fund-raisers in Berkeley for Osama bin Laden or the Taliban. Bin Laden is a millionaire many times over. Nobody is quite sure how much he is worth, but it’s more money than he’s going to spend in his lifetime. 

The Taliban controls and taxes opium production. Half the world’s heroin originates in Afghanistan, and the Taliban makes billions of dollars a year in opium taxes. 

Why would people in Berkeley (or anywhere else) hold fund-raisers for people like this?!? It’s utterly ridiculous! 

The attack on the World Trade Center saddens, angers, and frustrates us all. We don’t know who is responsible. The people who hijacked the airplanes on Sept. 11 are all dead and can’t be punished or even questioned. I don’t know who to blame either, but there is no point in blaming Berkeley. 

Mark Tarses 

Berkeley

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, two armed robbers held up the Office Depot store at 1025 Gilman Street, according to Berkeley Police Department Spokesperson Lt. Cynthia Harris. 

The men approached two employees as they closed the store for the night. They forced the employees back inside the store and made them hand over an undisclosed amount of cash. No merchandise was taken. 

The suspects are described as black males in their 20s, one around 6 feet tall and 170 pounds., the other around 5 feet 6 inches tall and 160 pounds. Both were wearing black, hooded, long-sleeve sweatshirts, baggy black jeans and black tennis shoes. Both carried handguns. 

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the BPD Robbery Detail at 981-5742. 

Three juvenile females robbed a purse from a woman near the corner of Shattuck and University avenues on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m., according to Harris. 

One asked the woman for the time as she walked down the street. When the woman stopped to check her watch, another juvenile allegedly reached into a bag the woman was carrying and pulled out her purse. The three then fled on foot. 

Police have no suspects at this time. 

There were reports of shots fired Tuesday evening. 

Many neighbors near the corner of Derby and Milvia Streets reported hearing a series of gunshots around 9:40 p.m. One witness said he saw what appeared to be one male firing at another.  

Police were unable to find any suspects or victims in the neighborhood. 

Editor: 

We all seek peace, for ourselves, our families, our nation, and indeed, the world. Our nation is engaged in a national debate on how we achieve that peace. The City Council resolution asks that we work to break the cycle of violence and urges that we make an investment in our security, in achieving peace.  

The loss of innocent lives at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the destroyed aircraft is a horrifying shock to people throughout the world. Our hearts go out to the victims, to their families, and to their friends, who have suffered so deeply. We are a nation in mourning.  

We need to ask how the perpetrators could have reached such levels of hatred and frustration. The explanation that they are brainwashed by a perverted leader who holds seemingly magical power over them has to be a dangerous simplification. Such anger can only have been constructed over time, through a combination of historical events resulting in a deep sense of threat and sustained exclusion. Our nation’s response has everything to do with whether we reinforce this alienation and thus provide the soil, seeds, and nutrients for future cycles of revenge and violence. Or whether it changes. 

Our enemies believe they are fighting an evil system that wishes to eradicate them and their people. We need to destroy this myth, not their people. Military action that attacks already vulnerable civilian populations will sow more hatred, confirming those who regard us as evil and nurturing yet another generation of recruits prepared to attack us at all cost.  

Monumental times require monumental change. Now is the time for a different, an unexpected, response from the United States. Countries like Pakistan, Tajikistan, and yes, Iran and Syria should be approached by the West, and especially by the United States, with a question of strategic importance: How can we help you meet the fundamental needs of your people? The single greatest pressure we can put on our enemies now is to remove the justification for their “holy” war. We can overcome terror by making it irrelevant. Let’s do exactly what our enemies do not expect. Let’s seek justice, of course, but at the same time work vigorously to create a different future, one that does not breed hatred and make the world unsafe for Americans everywhere. 

Our global challenge is how to engage others effectively to ensure a new kind of future, a future based on the life-affirming ethics that are present in every cultural tradition. Our challenge is to engage with people everywhere, deeply respecting their own traditions and religious beliefs, to help them meet their own fundamental needs. Such an effort will bequeath to the generation of our children’s children a legacy far more secure than could result from any amount of military might. The current situation poses an unprecedented opportunity for this to happen. Let us have the wisdom and strength to rise to it, to seize the opportunity to construct a better future for ourselves and, indeed, the world. 

We need to respond to well-organized, decentralized, self-perpetuating sources of terror by thinking and acting differently. Our enemies are now counting on us to strike back, harm the innocent, and create more desperate and lasting rage. Let us not fulfill their prophecy by providing them with the martyrs and justifications they need. They changed the face of war. They entered our lives by turning our own tools against us. We will not win peace, justice, or security with the traditional weapons of war. We need to change the terms of engagement.  

Linda Maio 

city councilmember 

with help from John Paul Lederac

SAN FRANCISCO — Transit officials will have to pay more than $1 million for stopping construction on a project near the airport while wildlife officials investigated a rare dead snake found at the site. 

In all, $1.07 million will be paid by Bay Area Rapid Transit to Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, the construction company that was working near San Francisco International Airport. 

Work on the BART extension project was halted for 18 days after an endangered San Francisco garter snake was discovered dead at the site. 

The pencil-thin snake, which has a turquoise blue belly and vivid red and black stripes, is listed as endangered by the state. It also is found in parts of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, where it lives primarily in ponds, creeks, marshes and meadows. 

State Department of Fish and Game sleuths were unable to figure out who was responsible for the snake’s death, so BART will pay the bill for stopping construction. 

“Nobody has ever been able to find out what happened to the snake,” said BART spokesman Mike Healy. “There was no evidence that the contractor or anyone was directly at fault.” 

BART already has spent close to $6 million to comply with environmental laws. The transit agency captured and relocated 77 snakes during construction near wetlands in San Bruno. Those snakes have been returned to their original habitat. 

New safety standards were set after the dead garter snake was discovered. The speed limit in the construction area was slowed to 10 mph and workers now arrive at the site by bus rather than in their personal vehicles to limit snake squishings. 

Extending the BART transit line to San Francisco Airport is estimated to cost $1.48 billion and be completed by December 2002. 

Editor: 

Whether the Berkeley City Council passes resolutions or not; whether we, as individuals, support or reject these resolutions; whether we are vocal or silent on the issue of the United States attacking or not attacking Osama bin Laden and the Taliban forces in Afghanistan ? What difference does it make? 

I am not a Christian, nor do I follow any religion. But I do believe in cause and effect, and so do the various scriptures. In the King James version of the Bible, in Galatians 6:7, it is written “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” 

What happened in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 was an effect. The bombing of Taliban forces in Afghanistan is also an effect. Whatsoever Osama bin Laden sowed, it is certain that he shall also reap. Whatsoever anyone of us sows today, that too shall he or she reap. 

It should be somewhat obvious, then, that every moment of our lives we are simply receiving our just harvest. And if this is true, then the issue at hand isn’t one of religion or politics, but rather of agriculture! We can be more careful what we sow. 

Carl da Costa 

Berkeley

OAKLAND — A San Francisco International Airport air traffic controller who had been struggling with a series of personal and financial problems pleaded guilty Friday to a bank robbery spree. 

Rick Lee Davis, 43, the president of the air traffic controllers’ union local, changed his plea after originally pleading innocent. He pleaded guilty Friday to six counts of bank robbery. 

Davis, nicknamed the Robust Robber because of his stocky build, was arrested Aug. 3 after a spree of nine Bay Area bank robberies over a 10-month period. Police say he made off with $40,000. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 15. Davis faces a sentence of 120 years in prison. 

Davis had been working as an air traffic controller at SFO since 1998, earning $98,000 a year. In 1996, Davis was seriously hurt when his car hit a cow in Hawaii, where he had been living with his wife and two sons. Davis later divorced and filed for bankruptcy. 

Editor 

I am also against war and for quick conclusion to the problems instead of killing poor people and achieving nothing.  

I am with your city and will support you in all possible ways and I am very sure most of the Americans are also with your city. It’s just few crazy people trying to ruin the reputation of the city and trying to scare the people by saying they will boycott Berkeley. I am sure that not even they have the guts to boycott Berkeley because I am sure they will not survive without Berkeley.  

I am very proud of people of Berkeley and wish them to keep up the good work. 

Satnam Bains 

Yuba City

SACRAMENTO — Demand for electricity in California has been so low at times that the state has had to give away power and even pay utilities to take it, according to state financial records. 

The state lost a total of $26 million in its first three months of trading power on the daily wholesale electricity market as demand and prices declined, documents released this week show. 

“They’re selling electricity that taxpayers paid for at 10 cents on the dollar,” said Harvey Rosenfield of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. 

State officials say Gov. Gray Davis’ power-trading program averted blackouts this summer. 

The state began buying power in January but didn’t begin selling it until April when the daily scramble to meet power needs eased. 

State traders gave away a total of 1,414 megawatt-hours. 

A few times the state had to pay a utility to take the excess power in order to avoid paying penalties that the operator of the state’s power grid charges for dumping surplus electricity, said Oscar Hidalgo, spokesman for the state Department of Power. 

DWR is the state department charged with managing the state’s power buys. The state stepped in to purchase power on behalf of three utilities in January, when high wholesale electricity prices led the companies to the brink of bankruptcy. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Hours after President Bush signed an anti-terrorism bill granting police unprecedented powers Friday, a former Ukrainian prime minister on trial here argued the new legislation proves he did not commit a crime on U.S. soil. 

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavel Lazarenko is on trial for allegedly laundering millions of dollars in the United States with money obtained by extorting or bribing Ukrainian businesses, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed in July. 

In a court hearing Friday, Lazarenko’s attorneys urged a federal judge to dismiss the case. 

They argued that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 broadens money-laundering crimes that were not expressly outlawed when Lazarenko was accused.  

That means he cannot be prosecuted because it was not a crime before Friday’s law was created, said Lazarenko’s attorney Dennis P. Riordan. 

Senate amendments to the bill for the first time include acts “for money laundering, the very conduct by a foreign official with which Lazarenko is charged in the pending indictment,” Riordan argued. 

Wearing brown jail smocks, Lazarenko sat quietly and listened to the two-hour proceedings translated through a Russian-language interpreter. 

Riordan argued that prior to the new law, money laundering was only a crime for foreign public officials in the United States if the money was obtained through extortion or drug deals — not bribery. 

The package Bush signed Friday changed that to also criminalize money obtained through bribery. 

Federal prosecutors said Lazarenko can still be prosecuted under the old law because he extorted millions from Ukrainian businesses. Extortion, the government maintained Friday, is the same as bribery. 

“For this case, Congress didn’t need to make the amendment,” argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha Boersch. 

But Lazarenko’s attorneys said the U.S. Supreme Court has outlined extortion as a “violent or terrorist act” for which Lazarenko is not accused. Some charges allege Lazarenko took money from businesses, which in return received government favors. 

U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins said he would rule on the dispute before Nov. 20. 

Lazarenko is a political centrist who fled his country for the United States in February 1999. He was named prime minister in 1996 by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, serving 13 months before losing a power struggle. 

He fled to the United States after the Ukrainian government accused him of stealing about $2 million. Lazarenko has maintained the accusations were part of an attempt by his enemies, including Kuchma, to silence political opposition. 

The U.S. government has accused Lazarenko of conspiring to transfer about $200 million in ill-gotten funds to U.S. bank and brokerage accounts to conceal their origin. 

Officials want forfeiture of Lazarenko’s 41-room home in Novato, north of San Francisco, and the laundered money. 

In February, meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors instituted a criminal case against opposition leader and former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko, who was dismissed by Kuchma in mid-January after prosecutors accused her of wide-scale corruption. She is charged with paying millions of dollars in bribes to Lazarenko. 

The case argued Friday is United States v. Lazarenko, CR-000284. 

Editor: 

In this time of intense patriotism, who among us is truly ready to risk death for our freedoms? I suspect that many people deeply believe that they are. But which freedoms will they risk death to preserve? The freedom of privacy? Of habeas corpus? Of speech? Of free assembly? Of free expression? The freedom from unreasonable search and seizure? Are we willing to risk death at the hands of terrorists as the price of these freedoms? 

I see many people waving our flag and – remarkably – at the same time proclaiming that we must give up our constitutional freedoms in order to be safer. I see members of Congress quick to legislate away our freedoms for our safety. Where is the courage and patriotism in that? 

Now that we must chose between safety and freedom, we must not flinch if our flag is to mean anything: The courage of our convictions is being tested by history. We should let our representative know that we are not so fearful as to have them legislate away the freedoms and privacies that other generations have died to give us. 

Dennis M. Burke 

Phoenix, Arizona  

OAKLAND — Attorneys for three former Oakland police officers accused of criminal misconduct said Friday they will seek to have their clients tried outside of Alameda County. 

Michael Rains, attorney for Clarence Mabanag, said pretrial publicity in the so-called “Riders” case would make it hard to seat a panel of unbiased jurors. 

A trial date for the former police officers, Mabanag, Jude Siapno and Matthew Hornung, has not yet been set. A fourth officer, Frank Vazquez, fled soon after the investigation began. 

The officers were fired by the Oakland Police Department after they were accused of beating suspects and falsifying police reports during a two-week period in June of 2000. 

About 25 activists from the community group PUEBLO, People United for a Better Oakland, held a rally outside of the Oakland courthouse and urged a more comprehensive investigation. 

PUEBLO claims that misconduct runs rampant within the Oakland Police Department and that the investigation should not be restricted to the four defendants charged. 

SAN FRANCISCO — The Exploratorium here hosted more than a dozen of the brightest minds in the world Friday as it marked the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize. 

Four Nobel laureates took time to discuss the impact of the Nobel Prize. Chemist Paul Berg and economist Milton Friedman were among those who described how they earned their awards and how the prize changed their lives. 

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious award in science, and California’s universities and research facilities lay claim to more Nobel laureates than any other place in the world. 

On Saturday, the Exploratorium hosts a live event called “Stump the Scientist,” where Nobel Prize winners will try to explain some of the curious Exploratorium exhibits for members of the public in attendance. 

SACRAMENTO — California is sending inmates to prison at a far lower rate than just a few years ago, but the prisoners are serving longer sentences, figures released Friday show. 

The number of prison inmates is expected to drop in the next two years from the current 159,114 to as low as 155,720 in mid-2003 before beginning a slow climb to about 164,620 by mid-2007. 

That’s thousands fewer inmates than prison officials predicted just six months ago. 

However, the slumping economy could boost crime and convictions beyond projections, said California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Margot Bach. 

Prison population swings tend to be cyclical, she said, and it remains unclear if the drop in imprisonments is a long- or short-term trend. 

The trend stems largely from policy decisions and runs counter to California’s rapidly growing population, said Frank Zimring, a University of California, Berkeley law professor who has studied California prisons for more than 20 years. 

For instance, most of the slowdown is in minimum- and medium-security inmates, particularly women, in large part because of a state initiative that took effect July 1 requiring treatment instead of prison or jail for first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders. 

The drug initiative will cut the prisons’ population by about 5,440 next year and by more than 7,700 inmates by 2007, the department predicts. 

However, the state’s maximum security population, particularly inmates serving life terms and extended sentences under the three-strikes law, continues to grow, according to the department’s fall report now being reviewed by the governor’s office. Those inmates require higher security prisons and more supervision, Bach said. 

The number of inmates serving life in prison has grown from about 9,800 or 10 percent of the total population a decade ago to 20,429 or about 12.8 percent of the total today, Bach said. 

The state’s prison admission rate has also dropped significantly, from 293.5 felons per 100,000 Californians five years ago to 239.2 per 100,000 today. 

However, prison sentence length throughout the system has grown by 20 percent in less than a decade, from an average 47.9 months in 1993 to the current 54.6 months, the figures show. 

Actual time behind prison walls has grown from an average 23.6 months to 35.7 months when early release incentives and time spent in county jails prior to imprisonment are taken into account. 

That increase could partly be a function of weeding out inmates like drug offenders who would have served shorter sentences, Zimring said. 

The state’s prison population is expected to grow 6.3 percent over the next 10 years, Bach said, down sharply from the 14.5 increase in the number of inmates California saw during the 1980s. 

“California’s prison rate kept growing while the crime rate kept dropping,” said Zimring. “We were defying gravity until 1999. That’s when we stopped toughening up (anti-crime policies). That’s when the declining crime rate could catch up.” 

The 19,725 inmates who entered California prisons in the first half of this year is 4.5 percent lower than the number of incarcerations during the same period last year. 

The number of parolees returned to prison for parole violations is also fewer than projected by prison officials just six months ago. 

Bach said the drop was due to changes in police crime-fighting tactics, a state program to help recently released inmates succeed on parole, and an emphasis on keeping persons with two convictions from committing a third crime that would bring a far longer sentence under the state’s three-strikes law. 

Supervision of twice-convicted parolees was doubled so that one parole officer now oversees about 40 parolees instead of 70 or 80, Bach said. 

“We want to keep them from coming back for their third strike,” she said. 

POMONA — Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by police led to the 1992 Los Angeles riot, pleaded guilty Friday to drug-related charges and was ordered to spend a year in treatment. 

King, 36, unexpectedly entered the pleas during a brief hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

King admitted to three misdemeanor counts of being under the influence of PCP and one count of indecent exposure, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. 

He was ordered to spend a year in the American Recovery Center, a live-in drug treatment facility in Pomona. 

King, who was free on $7,500 bond, checked into the center after the hearing, defense attorney Antonio J. Bestard said. 

“I think he will be successful because he wants to get rid of this,” the attorney said. “He’s had a very bad time this year.” 

“I think this was the best result,” he added. “I think the court, particularly, was very understanding.” 

Prosecutor Thomas Gowen had sought a year in county jail for King, who could have faced more than three years in jail if he had gone on trial and been convicted. 

But district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons called the sentence acceptable. 

“It’s obvious that Mr. King needs some help and, hopefully, he’ll get it there,” she said. 

King was arrested earlier this month in Pomona for allegedly driving while under the influence of a psychedelic drug. 

On Sept. 29, he was arrested by Pomona police for allegedly being under the influence of PCP and exposing himself. 

And earlier last month, he pleaded innocent to another charge of being under the psychedelic drug, stemming from an Aug. 28 arrest by Claremont police at a hotel. 

His guilty pleas end all three cases, but he faces a Nov. 20 hearing in San Bernardino County for allegedly violating probation in a 1999 misdemeanor domestic abuse case. 

King’s 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police led to the 1992 riot when a jury acquitted four officers of most state charges and deadlocked on one count. Two officers were later convicted in federal court of violating King’s civil rights. 

King won a $3.8 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent study on more than 80,000 preschoolers demonstrates a new vaccine is highly successful in preventing the bacteria that causes meningitis, one of the co-authors of the study said Friday. 

Meningitis causes about 200 deaths in preschoolers nationwide each year, and more than 1 million deaths worldwide annually among infants and toddlers. 

A vaccine to protect older children and adults against pneumococcal infections, the principal cause of meningitis, has been available for 20 years.  

But a vaccine for children younger than 2 was just approved last year. 

The valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or PNCV7, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in February 2000, but this study was the first of its effects in the general public, said Dr. Steven Black, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland and one of the study’s co-authors. 

Researchers say one of the most relevant findings of the study is a herd immunity effect, which means that vaccinated infants and toddlers seemed to be protecting those who had not been vaccinated. 

“It lowers the percentage of children who carry the disease in their throat,” Black said. “In fact, some evidence from the CDC shows adults are also being protected.” 

The pneumococcal bacteria can cause meningitis — an infection of the lining of the brain — which can lead to death, blindness, deafness, paralysis and learning problems. 

The bacteria also causes blood stream infections, pneumonia and middle ear infections. The bacteria is spread through close contact, including sneezing. 

“I would predict a decrease in the disease in the adult population as well,” said Black, a pediatrician with 25 years of experience, who explained that 20 percent of adults living with a young child contracts the disease — compared with only 5 percent of adults who don’t have any contact with preschoolers. 

The study will be presented Saturday during the 39th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in San Francisco. 

“The vaccine is highly effective, it is important not only for the U.S. but also for countries in the developing world,” Black said. 

No serious side effects to the vaccine were reported during the study, Black said. Common side effects are similar to those of other vaccines and include soreness and redness at the injection site, as well as fever. 

The FDA recommends all children up to 24 months of age be given the vaccine in four doses, at 2, 4, 6 and 12 to 15 months of age.  

Black said the vaccine already is available in some countries in Europe, South America and Australia. 

HAYWARD — Exploiting a lack of checks and balances, an accountant in the Cal State-Hayward fundraising department embezzled more than $150,000 over five years, regaling himself with gifts including a personal computer and home improvements, according to a university audit. 

The employee was fired over the summer, but not before he used a series of accounting tricks to take the money beginning in July 1996, the report by the Cal State system auditor said. 

The audit, which ran from May through late September, did not use the employee’s name. It said campus police were investigating the employee, but neither spokesmen from the campus nor the system’s headquarters returned calls abut the status of that probe. 

The employee worked for Cal State-Hayward’s Educational Foundation, an organization affiliated with the campus that solicits donations from alumni and grant makers. He was the primary accountant for the foundation’s vice president. 

According to the audit, which was dated Monday, the man forged documents to buy $5,200 in personal computing equipment and made more than 40 fraudulent disbursements to get cash and pay contractors remodeling his house and credit card bills. 

The report suggested the fundraising office implement a series of tighter accounting procedures.

SAN FRANCISCO — A significant rise in syphilis infections is being driven by gay men having unprotected sex with multiple partners, according to city public health officials. 

At 116 reported infections this year through September, the caseload may not be overwhelming — but the rise is precipitous. The city’s department of public health reported just 39 cases in 1998, 47 in 1999 and 71 in 2000. 

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can be treated with penicillin. The telltale sore often goes unnoticed, however, and over time, it can damage organs. 

The number of infections more than doubled among gay and bisexual men from 2000, according to a report city officials will deliver Saturday at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting in San Francisco. 

There have been 93 cases among gay or bisexual men so far this year, up from 47 last year. There were just 10 such reported cases in 1998. 

The study suggests the rise comes because gay and bisexual men are having unprotected sex with unfamiliar partners they meet in sex clubs and adult bookstores, and on the Internet. The 93 men reported having 1,225 sexual partners and could identify only 8 percent of them by name. 

Similar syphilis spikes have been reported in San Diego, Florida, Boston and Chicago, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/ 

So you finally found the ideal general contractor for your major home-improvement or repair job. The interviews went well. The background checks checked out. You really trust this person. 

But what’s with these new faces on the job? 

They’re probably subcontractors — specialists hired by the general contractor to perform specific jobs. According to an expert who shepherds home-improvement tasks for a living, homeowners should understand their relationship and responsibilities to subcontractors. 

“Subcontractors work indirectly for the homeowner because their contract is with the general contractor,” says Michael Christy, director of market development for the Home Service Store. “Some homeowners assume the general contractor performs all the work and are surprised when other workers show up at the front door.” 

The role of the general contractor is to coordinate the project. Dozens of tasks, such as drywall, plumbing, wiring and roofing are farmed (subcontracted) out to independent contractors, who specialize in a particular trade. Homeowners usually have no role in the selection of subcontractors. However, homeowners who have heard from friends and neighbors about the good work of a subcontractor can suggest names to the general contractor. 

Christy says general contractors “should be very clear with homeowners about the jobs and work schedules of subcontractors. Homeowners need to insist upon a work calendar that shows approximate time frames when subcontractors will be on the job. That’s the only way everyone stays on the same page and the job stays on track.” 

Subcontractors, or subs, are paid by the general contractor. The payments are often drawn against an amount of money the homeowner provides to the general contractor to pay for project costs.  

“Homeowners would do well not to make the advance payment one large, lump sum,” says Christy. “Instead, they should add money to the fund only when certain jobs involving subcontractors are performed.” 

Although subcontractors are not paid directly by the homeowner, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make certain the general contractor makes payments on time. Christy says payments are due when the subcontractor is at a point when critical materials are needed or when the job is done. 

If the general contractor does not make payments, subcontractors can take action against the homeowner.  

These actions, often filed as liens, place the financial burden squarely on the homeowner’s shoulders. If liens aren’t taken care of quickly, work on the project can grind to a halt. “Worse still,” says Christy, “liens may show up years later when the home goes up for sale. No sale can be completed until past liens are resolved.” 

The working relationship with subcontractors is the general contractor’s job. He or she makes sure the quality of workmanship and materials by subcontractors is in line with project plans or homeowner expectations. 

The general contractor makes certain subcontractors have the necessary licenses and insurance. 

The homeowner can exercise some clout on subcontractor performance.  

Christy says “a cost of delay clause should be inserted into the contract with the general contractor. If the subcontractor doesn’t show for work, the general contractor can be held financially responsible.” 

If the homeowner believes subcontractor work is shoddy, Christy advises the homeowner to first bring the problem to the attention of the general contractor.  

If that does not yield results, the homeowner can seek arbitration between the parties. The last resort is litigation. 

In extreme cases, subcontractors can be removed from the job for failure to perform, argumentativeness or drug and alcohol abuse.

LOS ANGELES — Employment in the entertainment industry has hit a four-year low, as an already tumultuous year in Hollywood was made worse by the terrorist attacks. 

State employment figures show that  

September was the slowest month for movie, television and video production since June 1997.  

A total of 143,500 people were employed in the industry last month — down from 158,300 in November 1998, the high mark of the last four years. 

The latest numbers do not include the thousands of independent contractors who are also out of work. 

“This is a worse hit than anyone expected, and we really don’t know the full ramifications,” said Stephen Katz, an independent analyst who monitors employment in the industry.  

“There’s a trickle-down effect, and what’s so concerning is that these companies are laying off their full-time employees.” 

All across Hollywood, projects have been delayed or even canceled since Sept. 11, weakening the already fragile industry. 

The Entertainment Industry Development Corp. found that location shooting for feature length films in Los Angeles last month was half of the September 1999 total.  

Commercial shooting was down nearly a third from the same period. 

Alternately frenetic and stalled, the industry saw a rush to production in the past year, driven by fear of dual strikes by the actors and writers unions.  

Once they were averted, the industry had to deal with a minor slowdown caused by an excess of projects. 

Business was just starting to pick up when the terrorist attacks struck New York and Washington. 

“We were anticipating things would start back up again in September,” said Gabe Videla, president of Special Effects Limited. “And then all of the sudden the World Trade Center happened, and we got hit below the knees.” 

Industry officials have said production is unlikely to pickup until late winter or early spring 2002. 

LOS ANGELES — The Joint Strike Fighter program may be the single largest defense project in history, but its impact on California’s economy will be a far cry from what it might have been in the 1980s, when the state was the center of the national aerospace industry. 

Most of the work on the $200 billion fighter project will be done at the Lockheed Martin Corp. plant in Ft. Worth, Texas. 

Friday, the Department of Defense awarded Lockheed the contract to develop the next-generation, supersonic stealth fighter. Lockheed will be the lead contractor, working with Northrop Grumman Corp., based in Los Angeles, and BAE Systems of Great Britain. 

Northrop Grumman said the award will mean a total of 1,600 new jobs for the company across the nation, with 1,200 in California. Officials declined to estimate the financial impact of the award on the company. 

Most of the California jobs will be in El Segundo, where Northrop will design and assemble the plane’s center fuselage. 

Lockheed competed with Boeing Co. for the contract. But no matter which company received the lucrative contract, tech companies in California were expected to benefit from subcontracting work.  

Still, the impact will be nowhere near what it would have been a decade ago, when Southern California was heavily dependent on defense spending. 

“It seems likely this is the beginning of a very slow upturn, but not the beginning of defense dependence or anything like that again,” said Stephen Levy, an economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. 

Levy said the 1,200 new jobs in the state must be seen in the context of the 280,000 defense jobs that left California in the 1990s. 

“Getting hotel occupancy back up again will have a far greater economic impact than this,” he said, referring to the current collapse of the state tourism industry. “But it should have some confidence-building impact in terms of Southern California remaining a place to do business for this kind of work.” 

Northrop Grumman is the last big defense contractor with headquarters in California. With a handful of other firms, it will likely benefit from a general increase in defense spending as the country fights its new war on terrorism. 

“We have ongoing expertise in military satellite capabilities and defense systems that might be part of a national missile defense system, which seems to have a head of steam now,” said Tom Lieser, senior economist for the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “The impact on the companies may be more significant than the impact on the economy.” 

Don’t switch tire size 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My son, who is a certified mechanic and sells lots of tires, tells me that if I go to a higher-profile tire on my '98 Chevy Cavalier for a softer ride, terrible things will happen: The computer will sizzle, gas mileage will drop to 4.3 miles per gallon and I will roll the car on the first lane change. He says he has been told this in his certification classes (he has stripes down his sleeve like a sergeant major). On the other hand, I have a couple of college degrees and a lot of experience, so I don't believe it. What do you clowns believe? – Richard 

TOM: Gee, Richard, I'm surprised your son didn't mention the rapid hair loss and the rash on your butt that will last a month. 

RAY: The kid does have a flair for exaggeration, Richard, but the truth is, he's right. He's right to discourage you from switching to a non-manufacturer-recommended tire size. 

TOM: Here's the story. When a car is designed, it's tested for handling and emergency-control characteristics with a certain size and type of tire. If you change that, you, by definition, alter the handling characteristics of the car. Enough to fry the computer? No. Enough to seriously alter your gas mileage? No. Enough to flip the car in a lane change? Probably not. 

RAY: But the problem is, nobody knows exactly what the new handling characteristics of the car will be, because the car has never been tested using higher-profile tires. 

TOM: Now, if you make a modest change in tire size in one direction or the other, chances are the car will still be safe. In fact, you probably won't even notice any difference; most cars probably have a reasonable safety margin built in. But if you're dealing with a sport utility vehicle or something else that already handles peculiarly, then changing the type or size of the tires can be very dangerous. And that's why your son is taught to recommend against it. 

RAY: And we're with him, Richard. 

How to break into a car 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My dear, departed daddy told me that if you broke in a new car engine at slow speeds, it would always be slow and sluggish. Is this true? What's the real skinny? Is there a preferred break-in protocol? – Susan 

TOM: Great question, Susan. But since we never speak ill of the departed, we can't answer it. 

RAY: Actually, I'm sure your daddy was right about many OTHER things and was a superior human being in all other regards. 

TOM: But his story about break-in is an old myth, Susan. And we don't know how it got started. Probably by some teen-age boy who got caught racing his dad's new car. 

RAY: It assumes that the car somehow "learns" to go slow when it's young, and then it never knows how to go at normal speeds later on. Kind of like my brother at work. 

TOM: But it's just not true. There IS a legitimate protocol for breaking in a new vehicle. It varies slightly from car to car, but the main purpose is to allow the piston rings to "seat," or conform to the exact shape of the cylinder walls so that they make a tight seal. And most experts agree that the best way to do this is to keep the engine rpm below 3,000 and to vary the engine speed (i.e., don't drive at one constant speed for a long time). 

RAY: And the break-in period generally lasts anywhere from 500 to 1,000 miles. Or until your check clears at the dealership, whichever comes first. 

TOM: If the piston rings don't seat correctly, your car might burn oil later on. And nobody wants that. 

RAY: So the speed at which you break the car in might have an effect on how much oil it burns. But it has absolutely no effect on how fast or slow the car goes. 

TOM: Last time we checked, that was mostly affected by the position of your foot on the gas pedal.  

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web. (c) 2001 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Veteran educator Thelette Bennett receives award for lifetime dedication 

Thelette A. Bennett, vice principal at Longfellow Arts and Technology Magnet Middle School and a 32-year veteran of the Berkeley school system, received a Berkeley Community Fund Award Thursday for a “lifetime of dedication to educating and nurturing Berkeley students.” 

Bennett, 54, brimming with energy, juggled phone calls and congratulatory flower deliveries while telling a reporter her life story. 

On her desk were a few odd specimens from the many student presents she has received over the years, most prominently a ceramic Fred and Wilma Flintstone. 

“I’m on my second generation of kids here now,” she said. “My kids’ kids are here. I can give them a look and they act right!” 

Bennett, who has lived in Berkeley her entire life – except her first few days at Oakland Kaiser Hospital – went to work as a student activities’ director at Berkeley High in 1969. 

She stayed there for 22 years. 

“I really like and love kids, and I feed off of them most of the time,” she said. 

Terry Doran, school board president, worked with Bennett at the high school and the students loved her so much that each senior class competed to outdo its predecessor in buying the most impressive gift. The contest culminated in a fur coat that “embarrassed” Bennett for its price tag. 

“She just always was able to connect to the wide array of students at Berkeley High in very positive ways,” Doran said. “I really enjoyed working with her.”  

Ten years ago, Bennett moved to Longfellow, first as an activities coordinator and more recently as vice principal with the official title “Director of Community Relations.”  

In the years since, the school has won an astonishing array of awards for its innovative technology curriculum, including the 2000 Smithsonian Technology Award. Bennett insisted the credit for this should mostly go to Nancy Elnor, the school’s technology director, and to Jim Rousey, its ubiquitous technology volunteer. 

Rousey pushed some of that credit back in Bennett’s direction. 

“Without a doubt, Thelette Bennett is one of the single most important factors in the success of Longfellow,” he said . “Her dedication and willingness to sacrifice her personal life to support this school and student population here is without parallel in my 30 years of volunteering in schools.” 

Bennett’s parents, Harold and Laura Bennett, were born in the South but moved the family to Berkeley from Beaumont, Texas in 1944 to escape segregation. “They wanted to give their kids a better opportunity,” Bennett said, and they set an example with longtime commitments to community groups such as the YMCA, the San Pablo Neighborhood Council, and the South Berkeley Church. 

“I grew up with a village of people, and they all made sure I came up on the straight and narrow,” she said. 

Bennett said her parents’ take-charge attitude has shaped her approach to students. When she has to give them a talking-to for fighting, she said, she tells them to refrain from assigning blame or fancying themselves as victims. 

“My mama said: ‘You do the crime, you do the time.’ And my father said: ‘Life isn’t fair – you handle it.’ So I say (to misbehaving students): ‘This is what happened, how are you going to be successful in this setting?’ How could you have done this differently so you don’t get in trouble this time?” 

Bennett said the shock of recent events has made her more convinced than ever that changing the world has much to do with how the next generations grow up. 

“I always tell them: ‘You’ve got to do a better job than we’ve done,’” she said. 

Back in the days when she worked at Berkeley High, Bennett won admiration for her creative and often funny ways of teaching life’s lessons. Marc Breindel, a 1984 graduate and Berkeley resident, said she held class registrations by holding a lottery and letting students into the cafeteria in groups. They then ran around from station to station selecting classes on a first-come, first-served basis. 

“So it was like a game show, or like musical chairs with a thousand kids,” Breindel said. “She would stand in the middle of the hurricane, and she was like the queen of the hurricane, in a good way. She would tell us all she was preparing us for college registration and she would yell, ‘When you’re in the real world you’re going to have to fight for everything just like you have to fight for these classes!’” 

“Everybody loved her,” Breindel added. 

Bennett said: “When I walk through Berkeley there’s always someone hollering, ‘I remember you from high school!’”  

Doran, the school board president, said he had asked Bennett if she wanted to be the Berkeley High principal each time the position has become vacant in recent years. “She said she wasn’t ready,” he said. 

When the question was posed to Bennett on Thursday, she burst into laughter. 

“I have no comment!” she said, her voice up in the high notes. 

“I have some more growing to do. I haven’t grown up yet!” 

The Berkeley Community Fund annually rewards outstanding community leaders and organizations. Bennett is one recipient of this year’s Berkeley Community Award, a non-monetary honor. The other is Regina Minudri, the retired Director of Library Services. Former mayor Jeffrey Shattuck Leiter was awarded the organization’s Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal for longtime service to Berkeley, and two $5,000 grants went to Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, which assists homeless adults and youth, and Youth Radio. Smaller grants were awarded to 21 other community organizations. 

“I’m very humble and I’m very thankful to even be acknowledged in this way,” Bennett said, “but it’s important to stay grounded. If I happened to stand up a little taller, it’s because I stand on other people’s shoulders.”

Friday, Oct. 26

Listen to James Joyce’s  

Ulysses 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hulse Rauh leads a group listening. All are welcome.  

American Political History  

Seminar 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Jean Edward Smith, Marshall University, will talk about his book, "Grant." 642-4608 

Raising the Bar: Latino and  

Latina Presence  

in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Steinhart Courtyard 

Reception honoring Latino Pioneers. 643-8010 

U.S. Relations in the Middle  

East 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Hatem Bazian, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, will give a lecture. $1 

Environmental Ethics 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Graduate Theological Union 

2400 Ridge Rd. 

A forum led by James Donahue. trees@gtu.edu 

Saturday, Oct. 27

Bay Area Coalition to End the  

Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento  

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Saturday Morning Children’s  

Program 

10:30 a.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Charlie Chin presents traditional Chinese folk tales told in the “tea house” style. $4 adult, $3 children 

Berkeley Child Safety Seat  

Check-Up 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (drop-in)  

Kittredge Street Parking Facility  

2020 Kittredge Street (the old Hinks Parking lot), 2nd Floor 

Trained child passenger safety technicians will inspect your safety seatinstallation, inform you of any recalls, and assist you in using your child safety seat properly. Free, sponsored by the Berkeley Public Health and Police Departments, 665-6839, dquan@ci.berkeley.ca. us. 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Raising the Bar: Latino and  

Latina Presence  

in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Booth Auditorium 

An unprecedented gathering of Latino judges from across the country to celebrate and critically examine the contributions of Latinos on the bench. 643-8010 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The City is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

Sunday, Oct. 28 

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Our Visual Heritage 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Ashkenaz 

1613 San Pablo Ave. 

Deaf and Hearing Project of Berkeley presents an ASL (American Sign Language) accessible event, in recognition of World and Domestic Violence Prevention Disability Awareness Month featuring, music, dance, information and more. $10, Children under 12 free. 644-2003, 644-2000 (TTY) 

– Compiled by Guy Poole

Editor: 

As most Americans struggle to understand the enormity of Sept. 11, a small group of opportunists have lost no time rushing to collect the fortunes of war. The pro-deregulation airlines press to collect a $15 billion bailout at the trough of public tax dollars. Oil manufacturers hasten to drill in the ANWAR wildlife refuge while American soldiers fight yet another war to secure their access to oil and natural gas overseas. Arms manufacturers press for public funding for Strategic Missile Defense despite it’s inability to address terrorist attacks. 

Locally, Audie Bock sees her opportunity to run for Barbara Lee’s congressional seat. “Green today, gone tomorrow,” Bock is tossed about by the winds of public sentiment and is incapable of providing leadership during these difficult times. Barbara Lee, however, has remained consistent with her principles and has demonstrated courage unique among her peers. She represents many of us in her district, and millions more throughout our country, who believe that terror cannot be vanquished by terror. I for one am honored to be represented by someone willing to set aside personal and financial interests and represent their moral beliefs as Congresswoman Lee has done. 

David Eifler 

Berkeley

Wrapped in a rope high above a darkened stage, a body wriggles and giggles, drops, rewinds then drops again, smiling and blowing kisses to the audience – Cirque Elioze has come to town, performing “Excentricus” at Zellerbach Hall through Saturday. 

Breaking away from the traditional circus of live animals and “thrills galore,” the Montreal-based company has its roots in theater, dance and music, as well as the circus.  

They have started what they call the “Canadian” tradition of circus.  

Cirque Eloize was founded in 1993 by seven artists – graduates of Montreal’s National Circus School and from the Magdalen Islands near New Brunswick. The name of the group comes from the island word, “eloize,” which means “flash lightning.”  

“We want to reach people by the heart, rather than the somersault,” said Jeannot Painchaud, co-founder and artistic director.  

The company has taken a step in a different direction from the sometimes distant, abstract and imaginary world of Cirque du Soleil, another group from Montreal. Cirque Eloize has added personalities and character development to the traditional circus acts. 

“This keeps the show alive,” said Jamie Adkins, slack wire aerialist and juggler. “The characters change a little each performance – we’re living it on stage – in the moment.” 

The Elioze performers generate warmth and laughter with their engaging characterizations. 

Acrobats, bicyclists, musicians and jugglers – each has developed an individual personality whose playful antics, petulant moods and funny quirks weave a line through the energetic, sometime chaotic, environment. 

The flare and atmosphere of a three-ring circus has been created with inventive lighting and a backdrop of stylized swags, which suggest the Big Top.  

With a wink to the traditional ringmaster, bass player Pat Donaldson was decked out in full tuxedo, a mane of wild hair and an authoritative posture. He and the versatile musicians were involved in the action while playing point and counterpoint to the various acts.  

The original musical score evoked childhood memories, hinted at circus themes, and offered everything from hard rock to cool jazz. 

The audience shouted comments, applauded gravity-defying stunts and snapped their fingers to the sexy sounds of the saxophone. 

An audience favorite was bicyclist Serge Huercio. Mild mannered, glasses slipping down his nose, he rode his bicycle in ways that seemed impossible yet looked so easy: Upside down, backwards, a pirouette.  

An “artistic bicyclist” for 10 years, Huercio told the audience during the question and answer period after the show that the “pirouette” alone took two years to perfect.  

“Now it is like walking down the street,” he added, to the laughter and applause of a charmed audience. 

Each act was a gem of timing, expertise and artistry. A stepladder became a graceful structure in the hands of Daniel Cyr and his work within the acrobatic wheel awed the audience with its elegant movement. The antics of Jamie Adkins with a metal folding chair delighted the audience. And the traditional glamorous aerialists – kissed without a safety net. 

The current 14-member ensemble has been touring together for four years, 233 days a year. This is their first time performing in the Bay Area.  

There will be a post-performance talk with the performers on Oct. 26.

DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Oct. 26: Cats & Jammers, $16.50 -$17.50; Oct. 27: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney $18.50 - $19.50; Oct. 28: True Blue with Del Williams $15.50 - $16.50; Nov. 1: Si Kahn $17.50 - $18.50; Nov. 2: Don Edwards $16.50 - $17.50; Nov. 3: Barbara Higbie $17.50 - $18.50; All Shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note Nov. 4: 4:30 p.m. SoVoSo, $15; Nov. 11: 4:30 p.m. Dave Le Febvre Quintet, $12. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts Oct. 27: 8 p.m., Empyrean Ensemble, $18, $14 children. 2640 College Ave. 845-8542/ www.juliamorgan.org 

Jupiter Nov. 1: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 2: Lithium House; Nov. 3: Solomon Grundy; Nov. 7: Go Van Gogh; Nov. 8: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 9: Xroads; Nov. 10: Post Junk Trio; Nov. 14: Wayside; Nov. 15: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 16: 5 Point Plan; Nov. 17: Corner Pocket; Nov. 21: Starchild; All shows 8 p.m. and free. 2821 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625/ www.jupiter.com 

La Peña Oct. 28: 7:30 p.m., Mezcla from Cuba, $15dr. 320 45th St., Oakland 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

La Lesbian @ La Peña: A Lesbian Performance and Film Series Oct. 25: 8 p.m., comedian Elvira Kurt, $16; Nov. 1: 8 p.m., Singer/songwriters Faith Nolan and Megan McElroy, $14; Nov. 4: 5 - 9 p.m., Salsa, merengue, cumbia from DJs Rosa Oviedo and Chata Gutierrez, $7; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., I Love Lezzie, 20 member comedy troupe, $14; 320 45th St., Oakland 654-6346 www.lapena.org 

MusicSources Oct. 28: Keyboardist David Buice; Nov. 18 Harpsichordist Gilbert Martinez. Both shows 5 p.m. $15-18. 1000 The Alameda 528-1685 

The Stork Club Oct. 23: 9 p.m., Earwig, Butch Berry, $5; Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Cruevo, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Brainoil, Life in a Burn Clinic, $5; Oct. 25: 10 p.m., Painted Bird, Tinman, Fenway Park, $6; Oct. 26: 10 p.m., Birdsaw, Wire Grafitti, Breast, $5; Oct. 27: 10 p.m., Oxbow, Replicator, 60 Foot Time, $6; Oct. 30: 9 p.m., Simple Things, Tombshakers, Ultrafiend, $5; Oct. 31: Oppressed Logic, Eddie Haskells, TBA, $5; 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 444-6174  

Yoshi’s Restaurant and Jazz Spot Oct. 29: 8 & 10 p.m., The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, $10. 238-9200 www.yoshis.com 

Cal Performances Nov. 2: 7 p.m., Sightlines, Pre-performance discussion with guest artists. 8 p.m., “Music Before 1850,” with Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. $32. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Theater 

“The Odd Couple” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27: 7:30 p.m. The female adaptation of Neil Simon’s classic play. Directed by Antoine Olivier. $5 students, $7 adults. Bobby Barrett Theater, St. Mary’s campus, 1294 Albina. 981-1167 ruthcrossman@yahoo.com 

Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Oct. 26: 8 p.m., Oct. 28: 3 p.m. Presented by the Oakland Lyric Opera, continuing the company’s opera showcase series of short, one-act operas and opera scenes, semi-staged concert performances. First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. $25, $18 students and seniors, $15 children. 836-6772 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them”Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m., matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Tomas Carrasco of Chicano Secret Service” Nov. 15: 4 p.m. Performance by member of L.A.-based sketch comedy troupe that uses humor to tackle hot-button racial and political issues. Free. Durham Studio Theater, UC Berkeley 

“Lost Cause” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Three space travelers stranded on a forgotten colony, find themselves in the middle of a bloody civil war, and have to decide between what’s right, what’s possible, and what will save their lives. Written by Jefferson Area, directed by Sarah O’Connell. $7-12. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 464-4468 www.impacttheatre.com 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

Cal Performances “The Car Man” Oct. 30, 31: 8 p.m.; Nov. 1: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Nov. 2: 8 p.m.; Nov. 3: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne and his company re-invent Bizet’s “Carmen,” spinning the tale of a mysterious drifter in a small mid-western town, who changes the lives of its inhabitants forever. $32 - $64; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” more than 30 singers, dancers, and musicians present a musical synthesis of the authentic Roma styles. $18 - $30; Nov. 8: 11 a.m., SchoolTime Performance, “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” $3 per student or chaperone, in advance only; Nov. 8: 8 p.m., “Orquesta Aragón,” $18 - $30. Nov. 11: 3 p.m., Recital - Angelika Kirschschlager, Bo Skovhus, and Donald Runnicles. “Wolf/ Die Italienisches Liederbuch,” $45; Nov. 16 - 17: 8 p.m., “La Guerra d’Amore,” director and choreographer, René Jacobs, conductor, Ensemble Concerto Vocale. Modern dance and early music from German choreographer Joachim Schlömer, $34 - $52; 

UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 through Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Saint Joan” Oct. 26 through Dec. 2: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m. George Bernard Shaw’s epic of a young girl determined to drive the English out of France with only her faith to support her. Directed by Barbara Oliver. $26-35. Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St. 843-4822 www.auroratheatre.org 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Search” Nov. 4:30 p.m. 1948 drama of American soldier caring for a young concentration camp survivor in post-war Berlin, while the boy’s mother is desperately searching all Displaced Persons camps for him. $2 suggested donation. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

Exhibits 

“Photographs of Yosemite” by Richard Blair, Oct. 25: 5 - 8 p.m. Mr. Blair served as Park Photographer for Yosemite National Park in the early 1970’s and continues to photograph there often. Holton Studio, 5515 Doyle St., No. 2, Emeryville. 450-0350 www.holtonframes.com 

Panel Discussion on Documentary Photography Oct. 25: 7:30 p.m. Panelists include photographers Nacio Jan Brown, Jeffrey Blankfort, Cathy  

Cade, Ken Light and Michelle Vignes in discussion with moderator Scott Nichols. Free. UC Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, 120 North Gate Hall 644-6893/ www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“African Harmonies,” the artwork of Rae Louise Hayward. Through Oct. 31: Hayward’s art celebrates the beauty of African culture: its people, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and music. Tues. - Thurs. 1 - 7 p.m., Sat. noon- 4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286/ www.wcrc.org 

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Architects of the Information Age” Through Nov. 10: A solo exhibit showcasing the works of Ezra Li Eismont. Works included in the exhibition are mixed media paintings on panel and assemblage works on paper and canvas. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland 836-0831 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“In Through the Outdoors” Through Nov. 24: Featuring seven artists who work in photography and related media including sculpture and video, this exhibit addresses the shift in values and contemporary concerns about the natural world that surrounds us. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St. www.traywick.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“Furniture Art” Through Dec. 7: An exhibit of metal and wood furniture that revisits furniture not only as art but as craft. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. The Current Gallery at the Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; Oct. Janell Moon will read from her new book, “Stirring the Waters: Writing to Find Your Spirit.”; Oct. 27: Pat Schmatz reads from “Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.”; Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Poet Janet Mason will read from “When I Was Straight” and present her “Boobs Away.”; Nov. 3: Editor Danya Ruttenberg and contributors Loolwa Khazzoom, Emily Wages, Billie Mandel will read their selections in the new anthology, “Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism.”; Nov. 9: Lauren Dockett will read from her latest book, “The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression.”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 23: Michael Downing will talk about “Shoes Outside the Door: Scandals of Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center; Oct. 24: Anita Roddick returns with “Take It Personally”; Oct. 25: Eric Muller discusses “Free To Die For Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II”; Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; Oct. 27: Gregory Maguire reads “Lost”; Oct. 28: Christopher Hitchens with “Letters To A Young Contrarian”; Oct. 29: Arturo Pérez-Reverte reads from “The Nautical Chart”; Oct. 30: Ruben Martinez recounts “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail”; Oct. 31: Barry Lopez reads from “Light Action In The Caribbean”; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Oct. 25: Simon Winchester discusses “The Map That Changed The World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology”; Oct. 26: Alice Medrich delivers “A Year In Chocolate: Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts”; Oct. 27: 11 a.m., Addi Someckh and Charlie Eckert - The Balloon Guys, play with “The Inflatable Crown Balloon Hat Kit,” for young readers; Oct. 28: 4 p.m., Darren Shan with “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Vampire’s Assistant,” for young readers; All shows 7 p.m. unless noted, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

“Michael Moore” Oct. 29: 7:30 p.m. Author and film maker reads from his new book “Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation”. $12-15. Sponsored by Cody’s. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California through Nov. 25: Pasajes y Encuentros: Ofrendas for the Days of the Dead, highlights three thematic “passageways” that connect the dead with the living: tradition, humor and spirit. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.org 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

When you mention this year’s recruiting class for Cal basketball, most fans think immediately of the ongoing drama of Julian Sensley’s eligibility. But regardless of whether Sensley ever plays for the Bears, there will definitely be an impact freshman in the Cal rotation. 

Jamal Sampson was one of the best high school centers in the nation last year, leading his Mater Dei team to a California state championship and dominating the competition despite being hampered by bone spurs in his right ankle. With four of the best prep centers heading straight into the NBA Draft, he may be the most coveted big man in his class to actually attend college. 

The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Sampson will see considerable time on the floor as a true freshman, although he may have a slow start due to his ankle. He had surgery this summer to remove the bone spurs, and Cal head coach Ben Braun estimates him at about half strength right now. 

“Jamal’s coming along slowly because of his ankle, but he can produce for us at 50-60 percent,” Braun said. “He will be excellent once he gets to full health.” 

The Bears will gladly endure Sampson’s rehab on the injury, because it may be the only thing that kept him from joining Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and DeSagana Diop as NBA players. 

“I was real tempted, but surgery isn’t a good thing to have going into the draft,” Sampson said. “I played against all those guys, and I measured up well with all of them.” 

Although Sampson is still confident of his abilities, his first practices with his new teammates has been a bit of a reality check for a player who admittedly coasted through portions of his senior year of high school. 

“I didn’t always have to play hard. In high school I could dominate in every practice and most of the games, but now I’m playing against great players every day,” he said. “College will benefit me from playing against stronger dudes.” 

Sampson will be competing for playing time with three other Bear big men. Senior center Solomon Hughes is the only sure starter in the frontcourt after leading the Pac-10 in shooting percentage last season and proving himself to be a solid shot-blocker. Hughes’ brother Gabriel will be looking to see more action after spending most of his freshman year on the bench, and Israeli import Amit Tamir is also in the mix, although he could miss as many as eight games due to NCAA regulations. 

This year’s NBA Draft was a sign of the times, with just one college senior picked in the first 19 selections. Sampson still plans to head to the NBA at some point, but he’s hesitant to say how long he plans to stay at Cal. 

“I’m like every other guy in that I want to get to the next level, but I’m not going to put a limit on it,” he said. “It could be one, two, three or four years.” 

Braun and Cal fans should hope it’s one of the latter.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to hold public hearings on whether one side of a block of Hearst Avenue should be “downzoned” to restrict large, multi-family housing developments. 

The block in question is the north side of Hearst Avenue, between San Pablo Avenue and Curtis Street. It lies a half-block from San Pablo Avenue and one block from University Avenue.  

The proposed change would affect only 10 properties. 

Neighbors in the area began pushing to rezone the block when Alice Landis, the owner of the property at 1155-63 Hearst Ave., proposed to demolish the six units there and rebuild a three-story, 14-unit complex. 

Landis filed for a use permit on the project on Sept. 12. The day after she filed papers, the City Council asked the Planning Commission to study a neighborhood association’s request to change the zoning of the block so the project would not be allowed. 

Though the tactic would seem to contradict normal city procedures, in which opposition to specific developments are fought at the Zoning Adjustments Board meetings, Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn said Thursday that the neighbors’ request to rezone the block was the result of years of battles about developments. 

“This is more in opposition to a series of battles that have happened over the last few years,” said Wrenn. “They’ve decided to look at the overall zoning rather than fighting each development one at a time.” 

Paul Shain, a neighborhood resident, said that the request to rezone the block was “sparked” by Landis’ project, but in fact is the result of a series of developments is the neighborhood and an “anomaly” in the city’s zoning map. 

“We’re not against development,” he said. “We’re just looking for development that’s in scale with the neighborhood.” 

Linda Hart, Landis’ daughter, said on Thursday that she had been talking to her neighbors for months, informing them of their plans and soliciting their opinions. After investing several months and “tens of thousands of dollars” to try to accommodate the neighbors, Hart said, the neighbors told her that they would oppose any development that exceeded the size of the current building on the lot. 

Shain, though, said that the changes to the project proposed by Hart were superficial in nature, and never really addressed their concerns about the size of the project. 

Though the block does bump up against areas zoned for higher-density development, Shain said most of the residential neighborhoods touching the block are zoned for low-density housing. 

“All through the years there has been development on this street, but it’s developing in a way that’s organic,” he said. “It’s individual homeowners adding a room for a member of their family.” 

“There’s a categorical difference between that and massive development.” 

Hart said her openness to neighbors was what gave them time to prepare to fight the project at the Planning Commission.  

“I think that it sends a message to anyone who wants to build anything in Berkeley,” she said. “Don’t try to negotiate with your neighbors – file your papers quietly and prepare for your battles at the Zoning Adjustment Board.” 

Hart said her attorneys were preparing a lawsuit that would be filed if the Planning Commission and the City Council succeeded in downzoning the block. 

Karen Kho, the director of the Sustainable Cities Project at Urban Ecology, a nonprofit organization that advocates “smart growth,” argued against the rezoning. 

“Encouraging opposition to specific projects to argue for downzoning in response is not a good precedent for the city to set,” she said Thursday. 

“This project is right off San Pablo, which is targeted for rapid bus transit. It’s the kind of place we need to keep for higher density.” 

The Planning Commission has not yet set a date for public hearings on the matter. 

Editor:  

Many thanks and praise to the progressive City Councilmembers who supported Dona Spring’s anti-war resolution. They have understood that this is not an us vs. them scenario; that we are all brothers and sisters. They have, once again, made me proud to live in Berkeley.  

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley

Berkeley Russian School to hold benefit for New York victims’ families 

For the past several years, the Berkeley Russian School has staged a series of benefit performances of classical music to raise funds for the school, whose mission is to provide instruction in Russian culture, especially music, language and art, to children and teens.  

This year a portion of the proceeds will be donated to victims of the attack on the World Trade Center. 

The program will open with Barber’s Adagio for strings, a famously melancholy piece, which is meant to evoke the sadness of recent events and perhaps lead some listeners to purge their grief, using music to heal the wounds of the soul. Although this piece is often performed by a full string orchestra, this time there will be only five players, allowing for a deep appreciation of Barber’s contrapuntal cleverness, which is often lost in the thick lushness of the grand mass of players normally assembled to present this popular work. Fans of the Adagio will be glad to hear this fine quintet present it in small format. Sometimes less is more. 

The program continues with a series of sonatas by Tartini, Marais, Vivaldi, Mozart and Prokofiev. Since most of the performers were trained in Russian conservatories, the level of technical virtuosity is expected to be impeccable, and the level of soulfulness will be deep.  

Pianist Sergei Podobedov was awarded the Queen Mother Scholarship and played a command performance for Queen Elizabeth and the royal family. He will display his virtuosic powers in the Prokofiev piece and his mature musicality in the Mozart soanata. 

Bass player Alex Glikman and violinist Arthur Mikhailov have been playing together since their younger days when they both played in the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, so they bring a sense of ensemble tempered and deepened by decades.  

Pianist Miles Graber raises the task of accompaniment to a high art.  

“It appeals to me to be an accompanist with great chamber music players, feeling oneness with them,” Graber said. 

In the midst of the banquet of sonatas there will be a main course of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, sung by soprano Yulia Ronskaya and mezzo-soprano Sally Munro. This stunningly beautiful work is worth the price of admission by itself. This setting of the Stabat Mater is available in many recorded versions, but the intimacy and directness of a live performance puts all recordings to shame, especially with voices as lovely and rich as these.  

The concert will conclude on an unusually rousing note, as a trio of sopranos renders a medley of Gershwin tunes and finishes with an arrangement of a Russian Gypsy song.  

With any kind of luck, they will add an encore or two from the Russian repertory of songs. This will be a special treat to hear Russian ex-patriots singing their native soul music after presenting some of ours. 

The First Congregational Church is an excellent venue for chamber music. Unfortunately too many chamber music concerts take place in halls intended for large ensembles and so the sound of the music is lost in the overwhelming space. During this concert audience members will be able to hear the full power and the subtle nuances inherent in these pieces. 

This concert will provide a delightful evening of entertainment through high culture, while contributing to one of Berkeley’s important educational institutions and also aiding the families of victims of the tragedy in New York. 

The Berkeley High field hockey team got a double treat on Thursday, scoring their first two goals of the season and picking up their first win. 

Miriam Bellows scored the Yellowjackets’ first goal of the season late in the first half, and Veronica Searles scored the game-winner with just a minute left in the game to beat Marin Catholic, 2-1. The win lifted Berkeley’s record to 1-6-1, while Marin Catholic dropped to 1-1-3. 

After going seven full games without scoring, Berkeley went on the offensive early on Thursday, making several rushes on the Marin Catholic net, but were unable to get any shots. The Wildcats could only mount a couple of counter-attacks under the ’Jackets’ heavy pressure, although Anna Cross showed remarkable power in putting balls into the Berkeley crease. 

With two minutes left in the first half, Berkeley earned a long corner. Merideth Gaber put the ball across the Marin Catholic crease, and Bellows calmly put a shot past sprawling goalkeeper Mary Mahoney to finally break the Berkeley scoring drought. 

“That was just awesome,” Bellows said after the game. “I didn’t think I would make it, but I did.” 

A minute later, Gaber appeared to score on a long penalty shot, but the officials called it back on a Berkeley infraction, and the ’Jackets had to settle for a 1-0 halftime lead. 

But the Wildcats came back strong in the second half, as Cross continued to put dangerous balls toward the Berkeley goal. Karey Palacek nearly scored early in the half, but Berkeley goalkeeper Erin Meggessy made a nice reaction save to keep Marin Catholic off the board. 

Minutes later, however, Cross put a long corner through the Berkeley crease. Danielle Silverman deflected the ball right to Palacek, who slotted the ball past Meggessy to tie the game. 

Meggessy made one more clutch save in the half, kick-saving a long Cross shot. 

With time ticking down, it looked as if the ’Jackets would have to settle for a moral victory. But they earned a short corner with a minute left. In a well-practiced set play, Bellows stopped Alex Pauley’s cross dead and Searles came out blasting. Her shot was deflected over Mahoney’s shoulder for the winning goal. After the final whistle blew soon thereafter, the ’Jackets celebrated wildly, dog-piling in the middle of the field. 

“Our players deserved to win one,” Berkeley coach Amy Meehan said. “They’ve worked super-hard in practice. They’ve been the better team for a while, and they finally put it all together.” 

One Berkeley player said the victory might finally get the team some attention. 

“We’ve been struggling to get respect around school, and that comes with winning,” Joanna Hoch said. “Hopefully this will help.”

The Berkeley High field hockey team got a double treat on Thursday, scoring their first two goals of the season and picking up their first win. 

Miriam Bellows scored the Yellowjackets’ first goal of the season late in the first half, and Veronica Searles scored the game-winner with just a minute left in the game to beat Marin Catholic, 2-1. The win lifted Berkeley’s record to 1-6-1, while Marin Catholic dropped to 1-1-3. 

After going seven full games without scoring, Berkeley went on the offensive early on Thursday, making several rushes on the Marin Catholic net, but were unable to get any shots. The Wildcats could only mount a couple of counter-attacks under the ’Jackets’ heavy pressure, although Anna Cross showed remarkable power in putting balls into the Berkeley crease. 

With two minutes left in the first half, Berkeley earned a long corner. Merideth Gaber put the ball across the Marin Catholic crease, and Bellows calmly put a shot past sprawling goalkeeper Mary Mahoney to finally break the Berkeley scoring drought. 

“That was just awesome,” Bellows said after the game. “I didn’t think I would make it, but I did.” 

A minute later, Gaber appeared to score on a long penalty shot, but the officials called it back on a Berkeley infraction, and the ’Jackets had to settle for a 1-0 halftime lead. 

But the Wildcats came back strong in the second half, as Cross continued to put dangerous balls toward the Berkeley goal. Karey Palacek nearly scored early in the half, but Berkeley goalkeeper Erin Meggessy made a nice reaction save to keep Marin Catholic off the board. 

Minutes later, however, Cross put a long corner through the Berkeley crease. Danielle Silverman deflected the ball right to Palacek, who slotted the ball past Meggessy to tie the game. 

Meggessy made one more clutch save in the half, kick-saving a long Cross shot. 

With time ticking down, it looked as if the ’Jackets would have to settle for a moral victory. But they earned a short corner with a minute left. In a well-practiced set play, Bellows stopped Alex Pauley’s cross dead and Searles came out blasting. Her shot was deflected over Mahoney’s shoulder for the winning goal. After the final whistle blew soon thereafter, the ’Jackets celebrated wildly, dog-piling in the middle of the field. 

“Our players deserved to win one,” Berkeley coach Amy Meehan said. “They’ve worked super-hard in practice. They’ve been the better team for a while, and they finally put it all together.” 

One Berkeley player said the victory might finally get the team some attention. 

“We’ve been struggling to get respect around school, and that comes with winning,” Joanna Hoch said. “Hopefully this will help.”

SAN FRANCISCO – As the California economy slows, Assemblymember Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, warned Thursday that the state’s welfare caseload – in decline for half a decade – may soon rise again.  

Addressing U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services Wade Horn, who invited lawmakers and administrators from five Western states and Guam to the meeting at a San Francisco hotel, Aroner said California needs flexibility to move around federal funds as job losses mount in the state.  

“You’re sitting in a city where I-don’t-know-how-many people have been laid off,” she said. “That’s the reason you’re all getting this hotel at the rates you are.” 

The meeting was the second in a series of five “listening sessions” being conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the reauthorization of a key welfare reform program set to come before Congress.  

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legislation, passed in 1996, provides block grants to the states to help low-income families and transition them from welfare to the workforce. The program expires at the end of September 2002.  

States are free to spend the money as they please, as long as it is used to address one of four areas: assisting working families, promoting job preparation, discouraging out-of-wedlock childbirth and increasing the number of two-parent families. Aroner implored lawmakers to leave spending decisions in the hands of the states.  

“These purposes highlight federal priorities while respecting local authority,” she said.  

Aroner touted California’s welfare reform program, urging federal administrators not to restrict how states spend federal funds doled out to run states’ welfare reform programs.  

“It’s very important that we maintain that flexibility,” Aroner said. “Please don’t take that away from us.”  

Aroner said California will need the freedom to shift TANF funds from programs like childcare and job training, which were considered good investments in times of relative prosperity, to income-maintenance programs as the economy slows.  

Since welfare reform began, the state’s welfare rolls have been nearly halved. According to figures from the California Department of Finance, nearly 1 million families received assistance from the state’s welfare program in 1995. By 2001, that number was down to about 550,000.  

As chair of the Assembly Committee on Human Services, Aroner helps manage the state’s “devolution” process, which she said gives counties a great deal of autonomy in how they use funds from the TANF grants.  

“We make a conscious effort to pass that flexibility on to the 58 counties,” she said. “In effect, we have 58 different welfare-reform programs.”  

But not everyone was pleased with the way the state has administered the program.  

Outside the hotel, several dozen protesters marched and chanted, calling on the decision-makers inside to heed their voices and the voices of the poor.  

“I was on welfare for seven years. I went to UC Berkeley on welfare,” said Aimee Fisher, program specialist at Lifetime, an Oakland-based group that advocates for educational opportunities for families on welfare.  

“The only reason I was able to go to school was because I got in before welfare reform.” 

Fisher said the “devolution” program Aroner praised at the meeting actually takes money away from the people who need it.  

“It would be nice if the counties would use the money for the needs of poor people,” she said. “But the county money gets taken into other programs, into general-use county funds.” 

Inside the hotel, Aroner urged Horn to extend his listening tour to include activists.  

“I think it’s important that we hear from all the advocacy groups,” she said. “There are a lot of folks out there on the sidewalk, rather than at this table. We need to find a place for everybody.” 

Editor: 

Soon the fall air will be growing crisp and folks will be thinking how it would be to build a nice cozy fire in the fireplace or wood stove. And before we know it, Halloween will be upon us and all the excited kids will be out with their costumes going house to house trick-or-treating. But what’s wrong with this picture? It is that kids that are outside trick-or-treating on chilly Halloween Night are likely to be inhaling doses of particulate pollution coming from residential fireplaces and wood stoves. 

It is a well known fact that once the tiny particles that comprise wood smoke are breathed in, they lodge deep within the lung tissue and cannot be expelled. Asthma attacks are triggered by breathing air pollution. Every mother of an asthmatic child knows how devastating an asthma attack can be. Childhood asthma in the United States is approaching epidemic proportions. According to a survey by the Center for Disease Control, one child in seven has been diagnosed with asthma. In the last 10 years the number of children suffering from asthma has doubled. 

Healthy or not, we wouldn’t allow our little ones to smoke cigarettes. But cigarette smoke and wood smoke are very similar in both the chemical components and the size of the particulate matter in them. For more information on how to reduce or eliminate wood smoke pollution, residents can call the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, (BAAQMD) at 1-415-749-4900 and ask for a copy of the Woodburning Handbook. 

Don’t we owe it to our children to leave off the burning for that one night of the year that is so special to them? And parents, wouldn’t it be a good idea to provide good filter masks for kids to wear under their Halloween masks to protect them and their lungs from being damaged by breathing wood smoke? According to 3M, with a good fit, even the kind of N95 or R95 paper masks that can be purchased at any local hardware store for less than $1.50 will filter particles down to .3 micron in size. 

For more information regarding the health effects of breathing wood smoke, please check burning issues.org on the world wide web. 

Jami Caseber  

for Citizens Opposing a Polluted Environment 

St. Mary’s High point guard DeShawn Freeman has given a verbal commitment to play for Sacramento State University next season, his coach said Thursday. 

Freeman, who helped lead the Panthers to a Division IV state championship last season, chose Sacramento State over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Riverside and Portland State. 

“It’s a great opportunity for DeShawn,” St. Mary’s head coach Jose Caraballo said. “He can go in there and have a chance to start right away.”

Speakers respond to Governor Davis’ $24 million subsidy cut 

OAKLAND – The Women’s Legislative Caucus held the first of two public hearings Thursday to collect community input on Gov. Gray Davis’ proposal to cut $24 million from the state’s child care subsidy program. 

A panel including assemblymembers Wilma Chan, D-Alameda and Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro and Sherry Novick, chief of staff to Assemblymember Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, heard comments from nearly 50 parents, child care providers and related advocacy groups during the hearing at the Elihu Harris State Building in Oakland. Another public hearing will be held in Los Angeles on Oct. 29. 

All those who spoke Thursday said cutting the program would be disastrous for the state’s most vulnerable communities. 

“By cutting these programs we are cutting the opportunities of our most vulnerable families and workers,” said Pamela Hayes, legislative representative of the California State Federation of Labor. “Please do not balance the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable families and workers.” 

When Davis signed the 2001- 02 Budget Act in July, he vetoed $24 million in funding from the state’s $1.3 billion child care subsidy program. In his veto message, Davis said the program’s policies were inequitable because welfare to work families had more access to the programs than families who earned very little but had not previously been on welfare. 

Furthermore Davis is concerned about the growth of the program’s budget. In 2000, the Department of Finance projected the program budget would increase by $108 million. The department has since reduced that estimate to $63 million but Davis has still expressed concerns.  

The budget cuts would come from portion of the program known as the Stage 3 set aside. The Stage 3 tier of the program is designed for welfare parents who have entered the work force. 

According to subsidized child care advocates, the stage 3 assistance is often the most critical to parents who are often in a fragile transition phase. They said that is especially true in the Bay Area where the cost of living is higher than the rest of the state. Parents who make the transition from welfare to work are often working at low-paying jobs and are unable able to afford child care, which in Alameda County can cost as much as $600 per month for preschoolers and $500 a month for five to 12 year olds. 

Assemblymember Chan said that child care costs are such a burden that many parents who are transitioning to work are in danger of going back on welfare.  

“Can you imagine, you’re making the effort to work and you have been lucky enough to have found child care that you’re happy with and then you discover that you have to drop it?” she said. “I raised two children and I can tell you, finding good child care is not easy and when you lose it, it’s very, very upsetting.” 

Berkeley resident and single mom Tasha Henneman said she would not be able to work without the child care scholarship she receives from Monteverde preschool her 3-year-old daughter attends. Henneman said that child care in Berkeley can cost as much as $750 per month for preschoolers, higher than the county average. 

“It would be impossible for me to afford child care with my salary,” she said.  

Erica Sorrells, a single mother of two, told the panel that she panicked when she first heard of the proposed budget cuts. “The first thing I did was go over my budget and there is no way I can afford child care,” she said. “I thought I was safe and that nothing like this could happen to me.” 

Sorrells, formerly on welfare, is now working as a counselor for the Alameda 4 Cs, a nonprofit agency that helps parents apply for child care subsidies. She said she often has to tell parents that they will be put on a six- to 18-month waiting list for child care assistance. She said when they hear this, the parents sometimes begin to cry. 

“It touches me so much because I know what they are struggling with.” she said. “They are just asking for chance to get past those struggles.” 

Editor: 

Jim Mellander (Forum 10/22) talks about “root causes” for the 9-11 tragedy first as if the “root causes argument is bogus” but later suggesting that we need to go back to 1453, 1683 and 1912 to look at conflict between the Arab and Western worlds. I suggest we go back to February 16, 1988 when the New York Times reported the incident where the Israeli soldiers were caught burying alive young Palestinians, or the February 25, 1988 CBS Evening News report showing the Israeli soldiers holding down and breaking the arms of the Palestinian children with rocks, just to remind ourselves that the Palestinians of the West Bank and the Gaza strip have sufficient reason to hate their Israeli masters and to be ready for terrorism training camp. Probably we have simply put out of our minds that our Israeli allies have been brutalizing and terrorizing these people for a very long time, and our government, while giving the Israelis stern warnings about their behavior continues to give them all the support they need to continue on their path of terror. Until we stop giving them full support, until we insist on a real settlement of the “Palestinian Problem,” enforced either by the U.N., by NATO or some other regional entity, the escalation of terrorism in this region will not stop. 

Jim, you and I both know that this hotbed of terrorism would have ended decades ago except for the U.S. support of Israeli. I know also that the Palestinians are not mere innocents, and I know that U.S. support for Israeli interests seems to stem from good intentions. But our foreign policy has simply failed to protect our deepest American interests, which can and should include humanitarian interests as well as economic interests. 

I am sorry that you consider Mr. Azevedo’s (Forum 10/19) hope that looking within will be helpful to be naive. Those who succeed in the task of self-understanding surely come to understand that we are all similarly human, with good and bad aspects, and that when we wish to understand our enemies, those who are strangers to us, or simply those who appear different, we need simply put ourselves in their shoes and ask what we might have done. 

If we understand why humans are prepared to commit suicide for a cause, then we can work to solve the need for that cause and the camps for terrorists will very quickly find no new recruits. 

Thomas de Lackner 

Berkeley

EMERYVILLE – Doras Briggs can remember details of her first train ride down to the day, year and Amtrak line.  

“It was the Fourth of July, 1923. My dad gave me a train ride as my fifth birthday present,” said Briggs, who turned 84 on July 4. “It was the Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Northern Line, in Iowa.” 

Nearly 80 years later, Briggs said she could never forget this gift.  

And at an Emeryville City Council meeting this month, the five-foot tall Briggs stepped up to the podium to receive praise not only as a life-long devoted train passenger, but as a powerful Amtrak advocate and “champion of the rails.”  

Briggs, director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers – a group of 16,000 volunteer train advocates – became a mass transit pioneer when she began a host program at the Emeryville Amtrak station. She now trains other volunteers to help passengers with directions, bus schedules, and travel advice.  

When passengers stop at one of her stations when Briggs is on duty, she bustles around providing assistance to anyone looking like they need it. She effortlessly explains the best direct train lines and bus routes, and probably knows the exact time a train pulls into stations around the country. Wearing a jacket with her short, curly gray hair covered by a volunteer host cap, Briggs serves as a brochure-carrying savior to the confused commuter. 

Hers is the first Amtrak-approved station host program in the country, and is quickly spreading to other stations. 

To honor her work, Mayor Nora Davis and other councilmembers declared Oct. 26, as “Dora Briggs/ Amtrak Volunteer Day.” Davis said councilmembers crafted the proclamation because of Brigg’s daily work helping Emeryville passengers.  

“Clearly, she is such an ardent fan of Amtrak, the train, and moving people by rail,” Davis said after the meeting. “For this city, that is so important. Her assistance has been so valuable.” 

Briggs is now training more than 20 volunteers as hosts for the Emeryville, Oakland, and Martinez stations. She said she keeps getting increasing numbers of host applications. 

In the Bay Area, where a BART strike is looming and airport lines are notoriously long, Amtrak West spokeswoman Vernae Graham said she couldn’t have hoped for a better friend for rail passengers. 

“She’s just incredible, she’s a spitfire,” said Graham. “She’s just our best friend.” 

Graham said Briggs also sends her articles about trains gathered from newspapers printed all over the country, usually before Graham receives them from Amtrak’s clipping service.  

“I hope I have that much energy when I’m that age,” Graham said. “It doesn’t get any better than Doras.” 

Briggs and her volunteers help rail passengers with travel tips, as well as information about local lodgings and events. Like Briggs, each host dons a jacket, volunteer station host cap, and a badge while on the job. This week hosts began carrying new security badges, complete with photographs for additional passenger safety. 

“The people behind the counter are so busy,” Briggs said. “We’re really just filling in the cracks.” 

Amtrak Service Manager Jeff Snowden said Briggs and her crew have helped more than they could know. While sitting in his office at the Emeryville station, Snowden said when he moved from Los Angeles last year, he turned to Briggs for information about restaurants and recreation in the Bay Area. 

“Some of our passengers get off the train and look for her,” Snowden said. “And she can’t wait to get out there to give information.” 

For example, Briggs easily listed the departure locations, destinations, and route numbers for buses to each of the major BART stations during one phone interview. 

Briggs has plenty of information about the Bay Area based on her own experiences. While a student at UC Berkeley, where she earned a music degree in 1942, Briggs funded her education by working as a church organist. She also worked as an associate chimes mistress, playing the Campanile bells four times a week. 

After retiring from her job at the university in the late 70s, she started devoting her days to the rails. Briggs, who is also a member of the Train Riders of California and similar groups in Washington and Oregon, frequently takes Amtrak around the country to attend railroad meetings. But Emeryville station employees said she always has time for their station.  

“She knows everybody here,” Amtrak employee Carita Leyx said. “She is just a lovely, lovely spirit.” 

Briggs said she will soon be moving to an apartment next door to the Emeryville station, and can’t wait to live closer to Amtrak. 

As Briggs accepted her honors at the Emeryville council meeting, she encouraged everyone there to ride the rails. 

“I hope I see you all on a train one of these days,” she said. 

Editor: 

Maybe I didn’t make myself clear the last time I voiced my opinion about this journalism you call ‘Berkeley Lite.’ My first issue is simple. You write a ‘Prospective’ or editorial, sprinkling a few facts, use opinions and innuendo, then print it on the front page leaving the impression that it’s news. Fact. Not opinion. You show a great deal of concern in regard to implied abuses of power; what are your thoughts in regard to abuse of the power of the press? Second, you failed to point out that the ‘executive meeting’ you referred to was the superintendent’s employee evaluation; a personnel issue, that would need to be held in closed session. The previous accusations (yours) you referred to didn’t deserve a response. That’s why the so called ‘apologists’ didn’t bother to question their accuracy. While I’m on the subject of accuracy, you complained that the closed meeting wasn’t wheelchair accessible. Since none of the board use a wheelchair, what was your point? And about that comment about the board’s apologists. I am offended. No one is asking you to “sit down and shut up” (10/19/2001). My complaint there, is that you seem to take such great pleasure in bad news. Especially when it involves the Berkeley schools. I have been an active parent in our district for six years. I have been involved at the district level for the past four years, and while I’ve been no one’s apologist, I do not feel that I need to apologize for my actions in standing up to defend the board whenever I have felt they needed support. And when I have felt the need, I didn’t hesitate to tell them when I thought they were making mistakes. I don’t see the value in trying to publicly embarrass people when solid advise is called for, nor have I hesitated to speak out when it’s needed. Our district isn’t perfect, but if we don’t work together, it never will be. If you have concerns about the Brown Act, use your article to print parts of it. Not in this mean spirited way that you have so far, but in a helpful way so that we can all learn together. I can assure you that many of the groups meeting in Berkeley could use that help. It doesn’t make them bad. They are just overworked volunteers (like the board) who could always use any help they could get. Instead of a hard time. Have you noticed any of the good things that Michelle Lawrence has accomplished in her short time here? I ask because I haven’t seen that coverage. 

Why would anyone want to run for the School Board if this is what they can expect for their honest efforts? I am surely having second thoughts. 

I have learned through years of activism, that progress depends on our working together. I know that you have your role as the objective media, but you are a Berkeley paper. Self proclaimed. When you report on our mistakes, our problems, or our kids; don’t enjoy our pain. You can feel it with us while you report the news objectively and with dignity. If you can’t do that, then you should read the Planet’s first year of copy; you’ll see a paper that cared about the community they called their own. If you still don’t care, then change your name to the Star or the Inquirer. Not a community newspaper.  

Mark A. Coplan  

Willard Parent 

Berkeley

The UC Berkeley student-run newspaper is again the subject of controversy.  

An ad published in the Daily Californian Tuesday, which called for “taking out Iran” caused someone to remove Wednesday’s edition from the racks. It also resulted in the organization of outraged students. 

“At least a few thousand” copies of the paper were “stolen” from distribution racks around Sproul Plaza and Doe Library soon after they were delivered Wednesday morning, said Editor in Chief Janny Hu. UC Police captain Bill Cooper said police were investigating, but had no suspects Thursday. 

The full-page ad was written by the Ayn Rand Institute’s founder, Leonard Peikoff, and was titled: “End States Who Sponsor Terrorism.” It states the U.S. would be justified in killing people in order to overthrow states, which sponsor or harbor terrorists. Peikoff singles out Iran as a country the Bush administration should target in its military campaign to eradicate terrorism.  

The United States, he says, has appeased the Middle East for 50 years. Citing a 1999 State Department report, Peikoff calls Iran the “most active sponsor of state terrorism.”  

A version of the ad also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and student papers at other universities including Stanford and Harvard, according to Yaron Brook, the institute’s president and executive director.  

In the Daily Cal, the ad announced a talk Thursday by Gary Hull, director of Duke University’s program on values and ethics in the marketplace. 

Additionally, the ad calls for the United States to engage in a “proper war in self-defense” and advocates “de-Nazifying (Iran), by expelling every official and bringing down every branch of its government.” It suggests the use of nuclear weapons and includes the phrase, “regardless of the countless innocents caught in the line of fire.” 

“He is accusing Iranians of being like Nazism while he has this idea that American people are more precious than people in any other part of the world,” said Behnaz Shahidi, an education graduate student, who was born in and whose entire family lives in Iran. 

“My jaw dropped,” said junior Maryam Gharavi, an Iranian student and member of the Stop the War Coalition. “I could not believe they actually made the choice to print this ad. 

“Paid advertisements are not free speech,” continued Gharavi, who was present at Wednesday night’s ASUC meeting where members of the Iranian Students Cultural Organization asked the ASUC Senate to demand an apology from the newspaper. 

Hu said the Daily Cal’s editorial staff does not see advertisements before the paper is published and referred questions about the ad to its general manager, Hubert Brucker, who could not be reached for comment. 

“Obviously these people believe very passionately in their cause,” Hu said of the ad’s critics. “I don’t think they understand really what the First Amendment is about and what freedom of speech is about. What they’re asking for is tantamount to censorship.” 

Whoever took the papers Wednesday, left copies of an unsigned flier calling on readers to “stop racist hate speech” and boycott the Daily Californian. 

“Yesterday’s ad was the final straw,” the flier said.  

It cited the printing by the paper last year of a “racist ad against reparations for slavery” by David Horowitz, and the publication this fall of a “racist editorial cartoon” by syndicated cartoonist Darren Bell, which depicted two Middle Eastern men celebrating terrorist attacks on America. 

“We must take a stand against the continuation of a systematic policy of eliciting and reinforcing hatred and racism from our student newspaper,” the flier said. “Until the Daily Californian shifts policy we will not allow business as usual to continue.” 

Gharavi said student groups, including the Afghan Student Association and the Sikh Students Association, are coming together to start a petition calling for the abolition of “racist, sexist, homophobic” material from the independent student paper. “This is not a new issue,” Gharavi said. “It seems like a perpetual cycle.” 

Hu said she did not view the ad as “hate speech,” nor did she think it was unconstitutional. Orville Schell, dean of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, said that, while he had not seen the advertisement, “the First Amendment strikes me as probably the operable principle for an advertisement like this. 

“It doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily hate speech,” Schell said. “I mean, if you call for the bombing of Iraq after they’ve invaded Kuwait, is that hate speech?” He said it was important for the media to “provide the proper context,” not only “so that there is not the suffocation of free speech or the First Amendment right,” but also to ensure that “extreme advocacy does not go unchallenged.” 

Thursday’s Daily Californian carried an editorial titled, “First Amendment Freedoms” which Hu said “was mainly to educate about the First Amendment.” 

Sherief Ibrahim of the University of California police department’s bomb squad has an unusual package with him Tuesday.  

It’s an empty cardboard box addressed to a chancellor who no longer works at the university. The words “urgent” and “important” are written on the front. There is no return address. 

“My policy at home is if I get something without a return address, I don’t open it,” said Ibrahim. He says if he thinks it’s his in-laws, he will call and ask them before opening the package. 

One of the most obvious indicators of a bomb inside a package is how it feels when you pick it up.  

“If two-thirds of the weight (of the package) is on one-third of the package, that is a No. 1 concern for me,” said Ibrahim.  

Other indicators include excessive postage, misspelled words, wrong title with names and oily stains on the wrapper. 

Ibrahim’s message is part of several brown bag presentations being held on campus this week by the police department’s Threat Management Division.  

No immediate threat is known to the campus say officials. They are just trying to take precautions and educate people on what to do if something were to occur.  

“Several people have had concerns about different letters and packages that they have received. None of them have proven to be a biological or explosive threat,” said Lieutenant Adan Tejada of the UC Police department, “We don’t have any information that Berkeley is a target.” 

A false alarm occurred last Wednesday afternoon when a wing of the Haas School of Business was evacuated for several hours after a mail clerk reported an unknown white powder to the campus police. The powder tested negative for Anthrax and classes resumed on Thursday. 

Tejada says there is a cross section of people attending the brown bag sessions including people whose primary job is to handle mail, building coordinators and interested individuals. 

“The chancellor’s office has put an emphasis on asking people who handle mail to come to these presentations. When I asked the question earlier to the crowd more than three quarters of the people said they handle mail,” said Tejada. 

Both Ibrahim and Tejada told the crowd it is important not to panic and the possibility that they might get exposed to antharax is very slim. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only a small number of cases become infected even after exposure. 

“The likelihood of actually getting exposed to anthrax is much less than the likelihood of getting the flu,” said Tejada, “but it’s good to be concerned and keep your eyes open.” 

The first main thing to do if you suspect anthrax in a letter is put it inside some kind of plastic protector, like a Ziploc bag, and contact the police, said Tejada. 

“We want doors closed in that room. Don’t let anybody else in that room. Wash your hands and face, and keep all together, all the people in the room (at the time of exposure),” said Tejada.  

In the case of a bomb threat the first thing to do is put the suspicious item down, open the windows to allow the pressure of the explosion to go out the window. 

David Hernes, building manager of Evans Hall, says two weeks ago they had a suspicious package in the mailroom at the math department where he works.  

A professor became suspicious when he didn’t recognize the sender of a large package. In the end it turned out to be four large manuscripts from a Canadian University. 

As he left the Tuesday meeting Hernes said the only thing he would change in his department is to go out and get some Ziploc bags.  

Otherwise he said, “We’re doing the things we’re supposed to do.”

OAKLAND — Subject-oriented SAT II tests do a better job of showing how students will do in college than the better-known SAT I college entry exam, according to a University of California study released Thursday. 

The study comes as UC faculty are considering a request by UC President Richard C. Atkinson that students no longer be required to take the SAT I. 

UC has required students to take both the SAT I (or ACT) and SAT II tests since 1968. 

The new study looked at the relationship between test scores and the records of nearly 78,000 freshmen from fall 1996 through fall 1999. 

The study found that SAT II scores gave a better indication than SAT I scores of how well students would do in college. Adding SAT II scores to high school grades gave a very good idea of student performance. Adding SAT I scores on top of that resulted in only a very slight increase in the ability to predict student success over the four-year period. 

That isn’t enough to justify the effort and expense of the SAT I, the study’s authors say. 

At the College Board, Amy Schmidt, director of higher education research, said she doubted the UC findings could be translated to students across the country. 

She said the SAT I and II, both owned by the board, are “both excellent tests. I just don’t think ... that most institutions would be happy with that (switching to the SAT II only.) Most institutions seem to really prefer the SAT I.” 

The SAT I is a test of language and math skills, based on how well students can reason. The SAT II is more content based, with each test devoted to specific subjects, such as history. Both tests are multiple choice. 

One of the criticisms leveled against the SAT is that it is culturally biased and unfair to disadvantaged students. Defenders say the test is fair; the problem is that not all students have the same educational opportunities. 

Robert Schaeffer of FairTest, which advocates less emphasis on standardized tests, called the UC study the “first truly comprehensive study showing how poor the SAT I is as a predictor.” 

Schaeffer, however, said the answer is not to switch to SAT II, but to stop using it altogether. 

Atkinson has proposed using SAT II tests as an interim measure while new tests are developed that would be more closely linked to the California high school curriculum. 

His proposal to drop the SAT I is being reviewed by the Academic Senate. 

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On the Net: UC study, www.ucop.edu/sas/research/researchandplanning/ 

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court unanimously upheld a verdict awarding a black employee $1 million in punitive damages after he experienced repeated racial harassment on the job at a cardboard company near Seattle. 

Three judges on a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed that Troy Swinton was owed the punitive damages because he was the subject of repeated jokes by co-workers that used “a continuing stream of racial slurs,” Judge Margaret McKeown wrote Wednesday. 

Out of 140 employees at Potomac Corp., 30 miles north of Seattle, Swinton was the only black employee when he worked in the shipping department for seven months before quitting. 

McKeown said Swinton was forced to listen to offensive remarks made in front him while his supervisor stood by without intervening. 

McKeown also said testimony from a trial in U.S. District Court in Seattle “underscored the ubiquity of the racist atmosphere” at the company. 

The Seattle jury awarded Swinton $5,612 in back pay, $30,000 for emotional distress and $1 million in punitive damages. Law experts said it’s one of the largest awards ever for racial harassment based only on offensive language. 

“Although much of what happened here was characterized by management as ’jokes,’ neither the discrimination nor the jury verdict is a laughing matter,” McKeown wrote. 

Circuit Judges William A. Fletcher and Johnnie B. Rawlinson joined her opinion. 

In Potomac’s appeal, it said U.S. District Judge Jack E. Tanner showed bias toward the plaintiff during the questioning of a plant manager. The appeals panel said Tanner’s questions did not reveal anything of consequence. 

Potomac’s lawyer, Richard Winter, said it was “difficult to try the case” before an ”80-year-old black judge,” referring to Tanner. “He was visibly distressed by the evidence of the N-word.” 

Winter said the company has not decided whether to request another hearing before a larger 9th Circuit panel. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that a company cannot be required to pay punitive damages for managers who discriminate against employees if the company has made “good faith efforts” to comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1991. 

Potomac argued it should be immune from paying punitive damages because it had written policies forbidding workplace harassment. 

The federal appeals court rejected that contention, citing decisions from other appeals courts that held companies liable for punitive damages even when low-level supervisors do not respond to harassment complaints. 

“Despite testimony that offensive racial language was ubiquitous, there is nothing to indicate that anyone in the company did anything to combat this problem until officially informed by a state agency that Swinton was charging racial harassment,” McKeown wrote. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A ferry to the former prison island of Alcatraz will be powered by soybean-based fuel thanks to a $25,000 grant announced Thursday. 

The 400-passenger Blue & Gold Ferry is already taking visitors to Alcatraz powered only by the biodiesel fuel, said San Francisco Water Transit Authority spokeswoman Heide Machen. 

The ferry is part of a pilot project to collect emission data on the highly efficient but relatively expensive fuel, which produces 78 percent less carbon dioxide than diesel; pure biodiesel reduces air toxics and cancer-causing compounds by 94 percent. 

The WTA expects a final report by the end of February 2002. 

RICHMOND — The City Council has approved Contra Costa County’s first living wage ordinance, setting higher wage standards than similar measures adopted in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. 

The ordinance requires firms with 10 or more employees receiving more than $25,000 in city contracts to pay employees at least $11.42 an hour with benefits or $12.92 without. The measure also applies to city employees, nonprofit groups with annual city contracts totaling $100,000 and anyone who leases public property with 25 employees and annual earnings of $350,000. 

The council is expected to formally adopt the measure on a second reading next week. 

San Francisco’s wage ordinance sets a $9 per hour minimum for city-hired contractors; Oakland requires $8 per hour with benefits or $9.25 without; San Jose mandates $9.50 with benefits and $10.75 without. 

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CONCORD, Calif. (AP) — Several shopping centers in the East Bay are canceling trick-or-treat events because of concerns over possible terrorism attacks. 

Sun Valley Mall in Concord and Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton have canceled long-standing trick-or-treat traditions, while Richmond’s Hilltop Mall will hold a candy-free event. Michigan-based Taubman Co. owns all three centers and has directed its 31 shopping malls in 13 states not to distribute edible treats in light of anthrax scares. 

Other malls, including Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek and County East Mall in Antioch, are going ahead with edible fright-night delights. County East General Manager Sharon Cooper said it’s important to carry on with the 12-year tradition that draws crowds of up to 4,000 people. 

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A plan to reduce smog in the Bay Area is on its way to state and federal regulators after it was approved Wednesday by a trio of regional panels. 

The Bay Area ozone plan seeks to reduce the two ingredients that make up ozone by 20 percent between now and 2006, largely through measures that are already in place such as improved gasoline formulas and cleaner burning cars. 

The plan includes stricter regulation of paints and varnishes, better valves at refineries and new lower-emission buses. It also promises to study other measures, including a stricter smog check program, that could be implemented in the future. 

Environmentalists speaking at a public hearing complained the plan was not aggressive enough. Representatives of Central Valley municipalities have objected in writing because they believe many of that region’s air quality problems come from Bay Area exhaust blowing inland. 

SAN DIEGO – Six years after identifying Sudden Oak Death syndrome, scientists are still struggling to understand the disease that’s killing thousands of trees in California. 

Since its discovery in Marin County in 1995, the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum has been found attacking oaks in 10 California counties as well as in southwestern Oregon, Germany and Holland. 

It quickly kills certain trees and, even more insidiously, lingers in other plant species that spread the disease while barely showing symptoms themselves. 

“A large part of California could be infected and we just don’t know about it,” Matteo Garbelotto, a forest pathologist at the University of California, Berkeley, said Wednesday at a symposium in San Diego. 

Scientists admitted there is much to learn about Sudden Oak Death. 

Where it came from, how it spreads and how it can be contained remain uncertain, said Mark Stanley, chairman of the California Oak Mortality Task Force. 

The disease is caused by a fungus-like pathogen related to the one that caused the Irish potato famine of the mid-1800s. 

It causes bleeding or oozing of a dark sap in the coast live oak, the black oak and the Shreve oak. In the tanoak, which is not a true oak, it causes drooping in new growth. Weakened trees then become vulnerable to attacks by insects and wood-decaying fungi. 

Recent evidence suggests the disease was brought into the state, possibly through the trade of ornamental plants, Garbelotto said. 

Birds, humans trading plants and even spores wafting on the breeze may spread the disease. 

The state of California has imposed regulations for transporting host plants and material in the 10 counties where Sudden Oak Death has been documented: Alameda, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma. 

But infested host plants — such as bay laurel, rhododendron, huckleberry and many others — could easily go undetected, Garbelotto said. 

“The symptoms are so small and minute that only the very trained eye can see them,” he said. “The problem is this is a microorganism. So if it doesn’t cause a huge tree to die, how do you see it? How do you see a microorganism that is minuscule in a bunch of soil?” 

Experts at the symposium called for a strengthened effort to diagnose and monitor the disease. The state and federal governments have allocated $7.6 million to study and help contain Sudden Oak Death, Stanley said. 

In the meantime, researchers urged Californians to be cautious about moving possibly infected material: Firewood should not be moved from one place to another; cyclists should clean soil from their tires. 

Property owners should dispose of leaves and other debris in proscribed burns or in compost piles capable of reaching a 131-degree temperature. If someone wants to take material to a designated compost facility, they should check with local authorities to see if a permit is needed. If they do move it, they should properly seal the transport container. 

“The worst thing that you could do is to put it in the back of your pickup truck and then drive all across the county with the leaves flying out of the truck,” Garbelotto said. 

ease, people should not move infected leaves, wood or soil. Wood that already has been moved should be burned. Visitors to coastal forests should clean their tires, shoes and animals’ feet thoroughly. Construction workers should wash equipment. Ornamental plants that could be carriers of the disease should not be moved from infected counties. 

LOS ANGELES - The judge in the attempted-murder trial of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson on Thursday rejected a request by prosecutors to formally declare that the SLA was “a terrorist organization.” 

“The motion is denied,” Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said.  

But he noted his ruling covered only the period of pretrial motion hearings on challenges to searches in the case and could be renewed at a later time. 

He noted that “such testimony may have a subliminal effect,” and refused to allow it. 

Defense lawyers have argued that the trial should be delayed because the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will prejudice jurors against Olson, who is accused of trying to kill Los Angeles police officers with pipe bombs in 1975. 

Prosecutors have described the crimes with which she is charged as domestic terrorism.  

Although the charges date back 26 years, defense lawyers worried that jurors could equate the actions of the SLA with the current siege of terrorism. 

“It’s a real concern,” attorney Shawn Snider Chapman said outside court.  

She called the prosecution attempt to inject the concept of terrorism into the case as “very transparent.” 

Chapman said that questionnaires which will be given to prospective jurors next week are being rewritten to address terrorism concerns. 

One question, she said, will ask “whether the events of Sept. 11 would make it more difficult to sit on a case where the defendant is charged with terrorist acts.” 

Deputy District Attorneys Michael Latin and Eleanor Hunter sought the declaration from the judge as they fought a move by the defense to suppress items seized in warrantless searches in 1975.  

The prosecutors planned to argue that police were justified in searching because of “exigent circumstances” which included knowledge that the SLA was involved in terrorism. 

But Chapman said outside court that some officers may not have known anything about the SLA when they conducted searches.  

They swept into several apartments and a mailbox rental office in the San Francisco Bay area after the arrest of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped by the SLA and then joined the group. 

Among items found in the searches were parts of a bomb and 200 feet of safety fuse which prosecutors say were ordered through the mail in letters handwritten by Olson. 

The judge refused a defense bid to challenge the reliability of handwriting analysis and turned down another defense challenge involving fingerprint evidence. He said both are regularly used in courts. 

Olson, 54, is charged with conspiring to kill police officers by planting bombs under police cars.  

The bombs did not explode. Olson was a fugitive until two years ago, living as a wife and mother in Minnesota. 

Her doctor husband and their three daughters have been attending court hearings along with a group of her supporters. 

Outside court, Chapman said Olson is anxious to tell her story in court. 

“She wants to testify,” the attorney said. “She is a very vocal and passionate woman. She’s innocent and has sat silent for a long time. She’d like the world to know that she’s innocent.” 

The judge delayed further hearings until Oct. 31. The absence of Olson’s lead lawyer, J. Tony Serra, who is involved in another trial, has stalled progress in Olson’s trial.

LOS ANGELES — Heightened concern about America’s dependence on foreign oil should provide the strongest incentive yet for the country to boost research in renewable energy and improve energy efficiency, advocates for alternatives to fossil fuels say. 

Foreign countries produced more than half the oil America consumed last year, with Persian Gulf countries — namely Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait — producing close to a quarter of those imports. 

Supporters of alternative energy say the Middle East’s political uncertainty should prompt U.S. policy makers to aggressively pursue homegrown energy sources such as fuel cells, biomass and wind and solar power. 

“The less encumbered our foreign policy is to economic interests, the better,” said Hal Harvey, president of The Energy Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that promotes renewable energy. “When you’re sort of a drug addict trying to negotiate with a dealer, you don’t have a lot of cards.” 

Even if Congress approves a contentious plan to open oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the United States cannot come close to gaining energy independence without renewable sources, said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 

Last week, Reid and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., introduced legislation to renew the federal tax credit for wind power and expand it to include solar, biomass, geothermal and other renewable energies. 

He said concerns over national security eventually will draw more legislators from both parties toward expanding renewable energy. 

“We’re at a point now where I think we have no alternative,” Reid said. 

Others, however, warn that proponents of increased domestic oil drilling continue to take a narrow view of the nation’s energy policy. 

Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., a member of the House Resources and Science committees, said colleagues who see increased U.S. drilling as the most important way to reduce dependence on foreign oil aren’t budging. 

“People have used what happened to reinforce their previous points of view,” said Udall, who supports some additional drilling but opposes President Bush’s plan to tap the Arctic refuge. 

He said the United States must diversify its energy sources, saying the country will have no choice but to rethink its energy policy as world oil reserves shrink in the decades ahead. 

“We can go there with a lot of pain, or we can do it on our own timeframe,” he said. 

The national-security argument to reducing fossil-fuel use applies mainly to petroleum and the motor vehicles that consume most of it. 

Automakers, government officials and environmentalists speak optimistically about the potential of fuel-cell technology, which they say eventually could replace gasoline to power motor vehicles. 

The cells use energy generated when hydrogen, produced by anything from gasoline to electricity, bonds with oxygen to create water vapor. 

“We think it’s a key competitive race among manufacturers: Who’ll be first to produce large volumes of these vehicles?” General Motors spokesman Dave Barthmuss said. “I don’t know that we could move any faster.” 

It is expected to take a decade or more to make fuel cells affordable, to set up fueling stations and to ensure the vehicles safely handle the ultralight, flammable hydrogen they use. 

But in a sign the technology is progressing, GM and several other automakers on Friday will put 65 of their fuel-cell cars and other alternative-fuel vehicles to the test in the Michelin Challenge Bibendum. 

The three-day event includes performance tests at the California Speedway in Fontana and ends Sunday with a 226-mile road rally from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas. 

California has been the source of other advances in alternative-fuel vehicles, thanks to efforts to clean up air that has ranked among the dirtiest in the nation. 

State and regional regulations and subsidies have helped create fleets of low-polluting cars, trucks and buses, including 40 electric postal vehicles unveiled last week in Los Angeles. 

Bush administration officials said the president’s national energy plan, which passed in the House but is languishing in the Senate, sets a course to increase the use of lower-polluting technologies to help reduce dependence on foreign oil. 

But they add that more domestic oil production is needed in the short term. 

They estimate more than 1 million barrels a day — about 20 percent of current U.S. production — could be extracted from the Arctic preserve and advocate drilling on other federal lands. 

Bush’s plan “was on target when it came out and it’s still on target today,” said David Garman, the U.S. Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

More than half of the energy policy’s 105 recommendations relate to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, programs for which the government is spending about $1.2 billion a year, Garman said. 

New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pursuing an alternative to the Bush plan that increases annual research and development funding for energy efficiency programs and renewables to $1.7 billion by 2006 and that scales back increases in domestic oil development. 

The Bush plan doesn’t emphasize reducing oil consumption, Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin said, and thus “would have us at the end of the day more dependent on foreign oil rather than less.”

Several years ago one of us made the mistake of purchasing and installing a pet door in his home without thoroughly studying the issue. The actual installation was no big deal. All he had to do was cut a hole in a door, mount the simple-to-install kit and begin the process of teaching his pet to use it. But, there were a few extremely important things that he was soon to discover. 

He assumed his pets were the only ones that would want to take advantage of the shelter, warmth and nourishment offered inside the home. Big mistake. Soon after the installation the pets seemed to be eating twice as much pet food as they did before. He thought it was because they were getting more exercise. 

Then he discovered what was occurring. Late one evening one of his kids wandered into the kitchen for a snack. She heard scratching and rustling nearby in the laundry-bath and rushed to her parents’ bedroom to report. Moments later they returned to the scene of the crime and turned on the lights to discover four raccoons (mama and three babies) happily partaking of pet food and making quite a mess. Raccoons are cute, but they are ferocious fighters and have long, sharp claws. The Careys managed to have them exit without incident. 

After that, the culpable Carey decided to abandon the pet door. And, not until recently did he realize that he could have prevented the intrusion had he been more aware of choices in pet doors. It was a mistake he would not have made had he asked a few important questions, such as: 

—Are there other domestic animals in the neighborhood that might attempt to use one’s pet door? 

—Are there wild animals in the area that might attempt to use one’s pet door? 

—Will a pet door offer egress or other dangers for a toddler? 

—Is the selected installation location accessible and convenient to a burglar? 

—Is the selected location one that could increase the danger of a house fire? 

Before the raccoon incident a neighbor’s pet did make it into the home — harmless enough. But the incident with the raccoons made us realize that wild animals can exist even in areas that are completely built out with housing. This is something that needs to be considered when opening up one’s home to the great outdoors. Before the incident we were completely oblivious of the possibility of such an occurrence. We had not previously encountered raccoons in our yards, nor did we have any idea that they lived in our neighborhood. 

Toddler safety is another consideration. A pet-door opening could be large enough for a toddler to scoot through. And, believe it or not, there are burglars who are expert at using a pet door to gain access to one’s home, especially if the opening is located near a door lock. 

Then there’s fire. The door between your kitchen and garage is special. It might not look that way, but it is. In the construction industry the door between the garage and home is known as “the fire door.” In most homes this is the only door of its kind. It is specially made to take longer to burn than a regular interior door. Installing a pet door in a fire door is a no-no. Doing so increases the danger of a fire spreading from the garage to the house. 

If you want to install a pet door, look for one where your pet wears a special collar that unlocks the door. Pet doors of this type do exist. How about that — a house key for Fido. At least you won’t have to worry about wild animals joining you at home.  

Your pet door should be in a location that is completely inaccessible to a toddler. And, be sure that the door is the smallest size that your pet can get through. 

For more home-improvement tips and information, visit our Web site at www.onthehouse.com. 

——— 

Readers can mail questions to: On the House, APNewsFeatures, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, or e-mail Careybro(at)onthehouse.com. To receive a copy of On the House booklets on plumbing, painting, heating/cooling or decks/patios, send a check or money order payable to The Associated Press for $6.95 per booklet and mail to: On the House, PO Box 1562, New York, NY 10016-1562, or through these online sites: www.onthehouse.com or apbookstore.com. 

A common sight on autumn mornings is that of plants shrouded in white. These are life-giving shrouds — sheets, newspapers, and old blankets — protecting such cold-tender plants as basil, pepper, and impatiens from nighttime frost. 

Signs of imminent frost are unmistakable, and worth knowing if you want to give your plants some protection. Carried unscathed through the first frosts of autumn, tender plants can continue their offerings for a few more weeks of Indian summer. 

A cool afternoon, with temperatures in the 40s or lower, sets the stage for an even chillier night. Then frost is likely if the air turns eerily still at sunset, and stars glow brightly against a cloudless sky. The cloudless sky is like a giant vacuum, sucking back the day’s warmth. 

The soil, with its great capacity to store heat, keeps releasing heat to warm the air near ground level, perhaps enough to stave off frost on nearby plants. Plants growing in lawn or mulched ground are more likely to freeze than are plants growing in bare soil, because lawn and mulch are insulators, containing the ground’s heat. Old-timers used to loosen the surface of the soil in the garden with a hoe or a tiller to help protect nearby plants from a few degrees of frost. 

Heat lost from the earth’s surface does not necessarily escape unimpeded. Water molecules in the air absorb some of this outgoing radiation, so frost is less likely when the air is moist. And anything between clear sky and the ground can reflect heat rays back to the ground like a mirror, keeping plants warm. So although open lawn might be covered with hoar frost after a chilly night, lawn under a tree might still look lush and green. Similarly, houseplants on a covered porch might come through a frosty night unscathed, while those out in the open might be limp with frost. 

Anything draped over plants to block heat loss offers some protection from frost. Hence autumn’s shrouds. Better insulators offer greater degrees of protection. Thus the temperature stays warmer beneath a blanket than beneath a fabric sheet, and warmer beneath the fabric sheet than beneath plastic sheeting. Reflective materials, shiny side down, bounce outgoing radiation back downward. 

The best covering of all is clouds, quietly rolling in during the night. The mercury stops plummeting once this fleecy blanket covers the sky, and might even rise before morning. 

HAYWARD — Ford Motor Co. settled one of the industry’s biggest auto defect cases Thursday, agreeing to pay for repairs on millions of cars and trucks with an ignition-system flaw that can cause the vehicles to stall in traffic. 

The deal could cost the automaker $2.7 billion, the plaintiffs said. Ford attorney Richard Warmer disputed that figure but offered no specifics except to say that the settlement will have little effect on the automaker’s financial position. 

At least 11 deaths and 31 injuries have been blamed on stalling Ford vehicles that were equipped with the ignition device. 

Ford has maintained that the devices and its vehicles are safe and admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement. 

Under the deal approved by a California judge, Ford will reimburse owners nationwide who paid or will pay to repair ignition systems that have failed, so long as the vehicle had less than 100,000 miles at the time of failure. Ford will also cover related costs, such as towing fees. 

The settlement does not affect any of the wrongful-death and personal-injury lawsuits filed over the defect. 

And it does not remove from the road an estimated 12 million Fords nationwide equipped with the ignition system, which was originally installed in 20 million cars and trucks between 1983 and 1995, including the popular Taurus, Mustang, Escort and Ranger. 

The deal ends years of litigation, avoids a court-ordered recall and averts a trial expected to begin later this year that could have exposed Ford to billions of dollars in damages under California consumer law. 

For the plaintiffs, “I think it’s as good as they could have possibly gotten, short of a recall,” said Jeff Fazio, the lead attorney suing Ford. 

The deal comes amid a series of setbacks for the automaker, including a drop-off in sales. Ford is already spending $3 billion to replace 13 million Firestone tires it blames for deadly rollover accidents involving the Ford Explorer. 

Industry analysts said that whatever its final cost, the settlement is not good news for Ford. 

“Unfortunately it’s a hit to their balance sheet, which is Ford’s last remaining strength,” said David Littmann, chief economist at Comerica bank. 

Ford stock was up 46 cents, or 2.9 percent, to close at $16.52 on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Superior Court Judge Michael E. Ballachey, who said earlier that the automaker was living in an “Alice in Wonderland” dream by denying the ignition modules were defective, signed the settlement after weeks of closed-door negotiations. 

“I thought this wasn’t going to happen,” Ballachey said. 

The agreement came two months after The Associated Press reported on the many deaths and injuries blamed on the defect. The AP also obtained internal Ford memos that show the automaker had evidence its ignition design could make engines suddenly fail on the road. 

Ballachey ruled that Ford knew as early as 1982 that the vehicles were prone to stalling, especially when engines grew hot, and that Ford failed to alert consumers and repeatedly deceived federal regulators. 

The lawsuit challenged Ford’s placement of the thick film ignition module, which regulates electric current to the spark plugs. 

The module was mounted in 29 Ford models on the distributor near the engine block, where it was exposed to high temperatures. According to internal documents obtained by the AP, Ford had designed it this way to save up to $2 per vehicle and increase fuel economy. 

One document indicates Ford knew the devices should not be exposed to temperatures above 257 degrees. Another indicates Ford warned its engineers that many engines ran at temperatures higher than this, raising the risk of “rapid catastrophic failure.” 

A former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigator told the AP that Ford concealed this information from federal regulators, who were studying hundreds of complaints about Ford vehicles stalling. Michael B. Brownlee, who oversaw the defect cases, said the government might not have closed its four investigations if Ford had provided these and other key documents. 

The government decided against a recall years before the memos became known. It cannot recall the vehicles now because the legal deadline has passed, legal experts said. 

Ballachey ordered Ford last year to recall as many as 2 million vehicles in California but had no jurisdiction over vehicles in other states. The settlement ends this recall threat and expands the class to Ford vehicles nationwide. 

Consumer groups backed the accord, but were frustrated nevertheless. 

“If Ford were concerned about public safety, they would have recalled the vehicles,” said Clarence Ditlow, who heads the Center for Automotive Safety. 

Last week, Ford reported a third-quarter loss of $692 million. Standard & Poor’s lowered its credit rating two notches after the automaker said it would cut its fourth-quarter dividend in half. 

The federal government has blamed at least 271 deaths on Firestone tires whose tread peeled away.  

Bridgestone/Firestone Corp. insists the vehicle is partly to blame. Ford says the tire is the problem.

CINCINNATI — Jurors in the trial of a white police officer accused of causing a black man’s death with a choke hold heard a recording Thursday in which the officer told a supervisor he had held the man’s head during a struggle. 

“I had his head wrapped almost the whole time,” Officer Robert Jorg was heard saying on the videotape. A few seconds later Jorg said: “I was trying to hold him down.” 

The tape was recorded by a camera mounted on the police cruiser of Officer Victor Spellen, who said he drove to the scene to assist officers struggling with Roger Owensby Jr. The struggle was not captured on videotape. 

Defense attorney R. Scott Croswell has said his client did not choke Owensby and was holding his head to try to protect him from injury. 

Autopsy findings showed Owensby, 29, died from asphyxia caused by compression of the neck or chest. Death could have resulted from a choke hold or from the weight of officers holding him down, according to a deputy coroner. 

Jorg, charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor assault in Owensby’s death, is the first on-duty city police officer ever charged with a felony offense in a killing. 

Another officer, Patrick Caton, went on trial separately Wednesday on a charge of misdemeanor assault. In opening statements, prosecutor Ernest McAdams Jr. said Caton slugged Owensby after officers subdued him. 

Defense lawyer Merlyn Shiverdecker told the jurors Caton’s actions were “a permissible and lawful use of restraint and force.” 

The trials started almost a month after a judge acquitted Officer Stephen Roach in the shooting of an unarmed black man who was running from police. Timothy Thomas’ death touched off three days of rioting in April. 

Roach sat at the back of the courtroom during Jorg’s trial on Thursday. 

Fifteen black men and a 12-year-old boy have died in confrontations with Cincinnati police since 1995. Eleven of them threatened officers with weapons. 

SACRAMENTO – California faces between an $8 billion and $14 billion budget deficit next year, Gov. Gray Davis said Wednesday after meeting with the state’s top four legislative leaders. 

“The focus now is on reducing expenditures and balancing the budget. That’s the direction we’re heading,” Davis said, following a 45-minute conference with the Democratic and Republican leaders of both chambers of the Legislature. 

The group, dubbed the “Big Five” within the State Capitol, agreed the state may need a special legislative session to fix the growing budget problem, Davis said. 

On Tuesday, Davis imposed an immediate statewide hiring freeze and asked his appointed Cabinet to identify $150 million in cuts to current state spending. 

He also asked state agency heads to prepare plans to cut 15 percent from their budgets next years. 

Attaching a potential price tag to the problem for the first time, Davis said the state could face an $8 billion to $14 billion deficit if revenues continue to lag. His current estimate assumes $12.5 billion in revenue bonds will be issued to repay the state treasury for power purchases. 

Davis said his office and legislative staff must find more cuts to close the gap caused by an already weakening economy and the fiscal fallout from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

He said he asked Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Wednesday for federal financial help, adding that lawmakers must consider ways to boost California’s economy, such as by providing incentives for the movie industry. 

Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, said he told Davis he should call a special legislative session immediately. 

“We need to act now,” Brulte said. 

Davis, however, said he would only call a special session if lawmakers had specific cost-cutting plans to consider. 

Brulte and other Republicans have criticized Davis, saying the state’s general fund has grown by 37 percent since he took office. “We sounded the alarm last year that we had problem,” said Assembly Minority Leader Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks. 

Davis press secretary Steve Maviglio sent a note to reporters Wednesday noting that other governors have increased the state budget at a higher rate than Davis. 

Throughout the nation, states are conducting special legislative sessions to handle falling revenues and the costs of increased security measures since Sept. 11. 

“This is not just California asking for help,” Davis said.

SAN FRANCISCO – Advertising-driven search engine Overture Services Inc. reported its first-ever quarterly profit Thursday, demonstrating that some dot-com companies may emerge from the Internet industry’s rubble as moneymaking businesses. 

The Pasadena-based company earned $9 million, or 15 cents per share, reversing a loss of $46.1 million, or 94 cents per share, in last year’s same period. Overture’s revenue nearly tripled to $72.5 million in this year’s third quarter, up from $25 million a year ago. 

Wall Street had expected Overture to become profitable in the quarter, but not by such a wide margin. The consensus earnings estimate among analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call was 2 cents per share. 

“They had a Barry Bonds-like quarter,” quipped industry analyst Lanny Baker of Salomon Smith Barney. 

Before the company’s earnings breakthrough, Overture’s shares gained $1.02 to close at $19.05 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock climbed by another $3.70, or 19 percent, in after-hours trading. 

With its performance, Overture joins a handful of profitable Internet companies. Despite the weakening economy, Overture remains bullish. It disclosed Thursday that it expects to make $10 million, or 17 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, up from the consensus earnings estimate of 6 cents per year. 

Next year, Overture expects to earn $28 million, or 45 cents per share, on revenue of $345 million, up from the consensus estimates of 29 cents per share on revenue of $317 million. 

“Although we are very excited about this accomplishment, you won’t finding any of us resting on it,” said Overture CEO Ted Meisel. “We know that what we did will probably engender even more competition.” 

Overture, which changed its name from GoTo.com earlier this month, is thriving by auctioning off the rankings in its search engine, a method that has rankled some consumer activists. 

The Web sites in Overture’s database are ranked by how much they are willing to be paid to be listed in specific categories. The more a Web site pays, the higher it appears in Overture’s search results. 

Although online purists argue that the practice misleads Web surfers who believe they are getting objective search results, the method is becoming more prevalent. Popular search engines run by MSN, AOL and AltaVista all draw upon Overture for their search engines. 

As Overture’s search engine emerges as the Web’s version of the Yellow Pages, more sites are paying to be listed in the database. As of Sept. 30, Overture had 49,000 active advertisers, a 53 percent increase from 32,000 advertisers a year ago. In the third quarter, advertisers paid Overture an average of $1,510, up 9 percent from an average of $1,380 a year ago. 

Through the first nine months of the year, Overture lost $605,000, or 1 cent per share, on revenue of $186.9 million. At the same time last year, the company had lost $96.9 million, or $2.04 per share, on revenue of $63.3 million.

The standoff between KPFA Radio and its parent Pacifica network tensed up a notch on Tuesday when staff and volunteers decided at a staff meeting to delay a decision on whether and how to hold an autumn on-air fundraiser. 

“Everybody decided just to hang on and to wait and stall,” said Barbara Lubin, a programming volunteer on “Flashpoints” and leader of alternative fundraising efforts since the network shut down the station for several weeks in 1999. 

Pacifica, which holds the license to KPFA and four other stations, and holds its purse strings, last week sent word that it faced financial difficulties if it failed to raise money.  

“We have been told that we need to do a fundraiser and we need to commence our fund drive soon, that we need basically the cash flow in order to meet expenses,” said assistant station manager Phil Osegueda. 

KPFA normally holds four on-air fundraisers every year, and Lubin said the station should be $300,000 in the black right now. Instead, she said, the station is about $100,000 behind in paying its bills.  

Heading to trial with four listener and staff lawsuits to fight the network’s almost three-year campaign to control and radically change KPFA and the network’s four other stations, KPFA staff is inclined to resist sending listeners’ money to help Pacifica pay for “high-priced spin doctors and lawyers,” said Local Advisory Board Chair Sherry Gendelman.The network has spent $2 million from its member stations’ listener fundraising drives on lawyers, public relations firms, and armed guards, since it launched a battle for centralized control of its affiliate stations when it refused to renew the contract of KPFA manager Nicole Sawaya in March of 1999, according to Lubin. 

“I think they’ve used our money to pay for lawyers, to kill us actually,” Lubin said. “To try and bring us down.” 

Nerves were on edge at KPFA late last week when Pacific Gas & Electric sent notice that unpaid electric bills of over $9,500 would result in a shutdown of the station’s electricity on Monday. 

Pacifica has apparently paid those bills, said Osegueda. But the pressure is on to approach the listeners for money – and with KPFA the last remaining holdout against the national board’s designs, the stakes are high. 

Last fall, with the apparent acquiescence of slim 6-5 majority on the  

Pacifica National Board, executive director Bessie Wash fired management and asserted control at WBAI, the last station beside KPFA to hang onto its programming independence. In August, Pacifica severed its relationship with the staff of the nationally-syndicated Democracy Now! news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and still aired by KPFA and other community stations around the country. 

And in September, the board expanded its majority by five new members in a telephone meeting, during which each new majority-selected member was instantly seated and given the right to vote on all the following nominations.  

“They’re willing to lower their standards to increase the probability of getting what they want through procedural trickery,” said Tomas Moran, one of the five “dissident” pro-KPFA board members. 

Those who attended Tuesday’s meeting kept uniformly silent on Wednesday about the content of the discussion, but all those interviewed confirmed the meeting was a difficult one, centered on the question of whether any fundraising decision could provoke Pacifica or, conversely, appease it. 

A letter handed out beforehand by Robbie Osman, a KPFA programmer who was briefly taken off the air by Pacifica in 1999, quoted Ken Ford, one of the majority board members, in the San Francisco Examiner this week as he speculated on how many lower-power alternative stations the network could purchase by selling KPFA and sister station WBAI in New York. 

“We have to face an admittedly frightening situation,” the letter read. “The present board leadership will not be prevented by our agreeing to be ‘good.’ When there are no longer any obstacles to a sale, our being nice will not keep them from cashing in on what they see as a $150 million asset.”  

Three options were on the table in addition to a normal fundraiser (none was chosen): Raise money on the air for an alternate fund not connected to Pacifica; raise funds on the air while telling listeners that their money might help Pacifica’s efforts, or continue to raise money off the air only. 

Six different funds are already taking donations to help KPFA staff and listener lawsuits against the network, which will require lawyers to fly around the country taking some 20 to 30 depositions. 

The legal showdown is due to begin in Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 7. In four lawsuits against the national network, dissident national board members and KPFA local advisory board members allege that the practices of Pacifica’s national executive committee and board have violated both state law and the non-profit foundation’s bylaws on several counts. They demand that all board members seated since those alleged violations be removed. 

Calls for comment from Pacifica’s public relations firm were not returned on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Amidst maneuvering to keep Pacifica at bay and tension over being a lonely anti-war voice at a fiercely patriotic national moment, KPFA community members are holding their cards close to their vests, keeping a close eye on the door, and dreading the telephone, Osegueda said. 

“My phone rang (when a reporter called) and I’m like, ‘Is it going to be them?’” he said, referring to Pacifica. 

Moran said he feared that with programmer Amy Goodman out of the way, the board may be ready to make another move.  

“I think they could potentially be ready to take on KPFA,” Moran said, “because they need to put this phase of whatever they’re trying to do behind them so they can start fundraising money with whatever their new constituency is going to be.” 

*** 

In other news at KPFA, the station was briefly evacuated and programming ceased Wednesday, when a bomb scare was called into the station at about 5:30 p.m. Police cordoned off the area, searched the building and reopened the station at about 6:30 p.m. Tensions have run high lately at the station, which is broadcasting anti-war programs in a sometimes hostile climate.

With Cal quarterback Kyle Boller ruled out of this Saturday’s game against Oregon State with a back injury, backup Eric Holtfreter will once again get the starting nod. But he might have some competition. 

Redshirt freshman Reggie Robertson got his first college action late in the loss to UCLA last weekend and looked impressive, albeit against UCLA’s benchwarmers. Robertson completed 8 of 16 passes for 99 yards, leading the Bears to a final touchdown in the last minute of the game. Robertson also ran the ball six times for 21 yards. 

“Reggie came in in the fourth quarter and did a very good job,” Cal head coach Tom Holmoe said on Tuesday. “He surprised us in the fact that he had never had a snap in a game and very few reps as far as practice is concerned, yet he showed an unusual amount of poise.” 

Holtfreter led the Bears to a quick 3-0 lead and threw an early touchdown pass to Charon Arnold, but looked overmatched at times against the fierce UCLA defense. The senior finished the day 11-for-29 for 102 yards. 

“As the game progressed there was a little bit of duress, a couple of breakdowns,” Holmoe said. “(Holtfreter) missed a couple of ball, but overall I’d say he played okay.” 

Holmoe made it clear that Holtfreter is his starter with Boller on the shelf, but Robertson could see more playing time against the Beavers. 

“(Robertson’s) strength right now is that he is extremely smart,” he said. “He ran the ball well, made the right reads, threw the ball well and overall just made a very fine impression.” 

Holmoe said he has been happy with the progress shown by both Robertson and true freshman Richard Schwartz, but stopped short of saying either could compete for playing time with Boller next season.

Thursday, Oct. 25

Free Quit Smoking Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

2344 6th St. 

With the option of acupuncture. Six Thursday evenings through Dec. 6. 

Contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program to register and for more information, 644-6422 or e-mail QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Town Hall” Community  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

2700 Park St. 

San Pablo Park Neighborhood Council with support from the City, will be hosting this community meeting. Scheduled to attend: Mayor Shirley Dean, Council Member Margaret Breland, Michael Caplan from the City Manager’s Office, Recreation Director Madeline Law, and Berkeley Police Personnel. 

Latin Dance Class 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Salsa, Cha-cha, Merengue... $10, No partner necessary. All ages and levels welcome. 508-4616 

Berkeley Community Fund 

Eighth Annual Awards Dinner 

6 p.m. 

Radisson Hotel 

Berkeley Marina 

Bestowing the Benjamin Ide Wheller Medal and Berkeley Community Awards. 843-5202 www.berkfund.org  

Harris/UK Seminar 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

201 Moses Hall 

642-4608 

David Edgar, a British playwright working on a two-part cycle of plays for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one play focused primarily on the Democratic and the other on the Republican side of the campaign, "The Drama of Politics and the Politics of Drama." 642-4608 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

12:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology - Warren Sack, UCB, "Information Architecture and the Geometry of Social Relations." 

642-4608 

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 

Open gathering for prayer, chanting, meditation, healing and peace talks honoring the victims of the Sept. 11. 273-2447 

Friday, Oct. 26

Listen to James Joyce’s Ulysses 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hulse Rauh leads a group listening. All are welcome.  

American Political History Seminar 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Jean Edward Smith, Marshall University, will talk about his book, "Grant." 642-4608 

Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Steinhart Courtyard 

Reception honoring Latino Pioneers. 643-8010 

U.S. Relations in the Middle East 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Hatem Bazian, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, will give a lecture. $1 

Environmental Ethics 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Graduate Theological Union 

2400 Ridge Rd. 

A forum led by James Donahue. trees@gtu.edu 

Saturday, Oct. 27

Bay Area Coalition to End the Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento  

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Saturday Morning Children’s Program 

10:30 a.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Charlie Chin presents traditional Chinese folk tales told in the “tea house” style. $4 adult, $3 children 

Berkeley Child Safety Seat Check-Up 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (drop-in)  

Kittredge Street Parking Facility  

2020 Kittredge Street (the old Hinks Parking lot), 2nd Floor 

Trained child passenger safety technicians will inspect your safety seatinstallation, inform you of any recalls, and assist you in using your child safety seat properly. Free, sponsored by the Berkeley Public Health and Police Departments, 665-6839, dquan@ci.berkeley.ca. us. 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Booth Auditorium 

An unprecedented gathering of Latino judges from across the country to celebrate and critically examine the contributions of Latinos on the bench. 643-8010 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The City is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve  

habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

Sunday, Oct. 28

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Our Visual Heritage 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Ashkenaz 

1613 San Pablo 

Deaf and Hearing Project of Berkeley presents an ASL (American Sign Language) accessible event, in recognition of World and Domestic Violence Prevention Disability Awareness Month featuring, music, dance, information and more. $10, Children under 12 free. 644-2003, 644-2000 (TTY) 

Berkeley, Where Is It Going 

8 p.m. 

BTVU ch. 25  

Notable Berkeley neighborhood supporters give important information about the General Plan that will be before the Council in Public Hearings on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. 

Spirit Day at the West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets  

Spirit Day will host an outdoor community alter to honor our elders and the people who have lost their lives since Sept. 11. Family-oriented weekly market. Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 654-6346 

Vespers of St. Demetrios 

4 p.m. 

PAOI 

2311 Hearst Ave. 

A prayer service celebrating St. Demetrios, patron saint of the chapel of Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. 649-2450 

Monday, Oct. 29

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Lecture - Discovery of Quilting 

7:30 p.m. 

First Unitarian Church 

1 Lawson Road, Kensington 

This is Dianne Hire’s own story, her personal expression of the intimate desires to create, to imagine and to express through the medium of quilting. $3 834-3706 www.hirealternatives.com 

Affordable Housing Advocacy Project 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Learn about the latest changes in affordable housing at the state and federal level. 800-773-2110 

Race, Immigration and American Politics Speaker Series 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley, 119 Moses Hall 

David Sears, UCLA, “Race, Religion, and Sectional Conflict in Contemporary Partisanship.” 642-4608 

Under the mountains of newsprint emerging globally every day about events and issues tied to Sept. 11, one story has been almost buried. News reports from both inside and outside the United States suggest America may be on the brink of an invasion into Iraq – and anthrax may provide the pretext. 

For about a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, the press reported tension in Washington between two increasingly intransigent camps. One camp follows the multilateral approach of Secretary of State Colin Powell, and would limit U.S. military response in order to hold together an anti-terrorist coalition that includes Muslim countries. 

The other is centered in the Defense Policy Advisory Board, which is composed of hawk-minded unilateralists such as Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. The immediate objective of the so-called “Wolfowitz cabal” is reportedly to expand the U.S. war by invading and occupying oil fields around Basra, in southeastern Iraq. Doing this, the group knows, would wholly undermine the consensus of the anti-terrorist coalition. It is a price they are willing – perhaps even eager – to accept. 

The conflict between the two camps was first outlined clearly on Oct. 12 by The New York Times. The Times reported that “A tight-knit group of Pentagon officials and defense experts outside government is working to mobilize support for a military operation to oust President Saddam Hussein.” It added, “The group has largely excluded the State Department, where Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has adamantly argued that such an attack would destroy the international coalition.” A two-day meeting of the Wolfowitz group was allegedly not even reported to the State Department. 

Two days later the London Observer reported that CIA and defense officials think Iraq was behind the anthrax attacks in the United States, and that Pentagon hard-liners (including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the “Wolfowitz cabal”) were using the anthrax menace “to press for strikes on Saddam.” 

The Iraq-anthrax question has been handled more discreetly by U.S. media. As if to illustrate the truth of the Observer story, CNN featured former CIA Director James Woolsey, a close Wolfowitz ally, on the question of who was behind the anthrax menace. When asked who masterminded the bio-terror attacks, Woolsey replied, “My first nominee would be the government of Iraq, but I think Iran is not impossible either.” 

In several aggressive stories linking Saddam Hussein to bin Laden's al Qaeda network, there was little or no mention of Hussein and anthrax. Instead there was a press debate as to the grade of the powdered anthrax that hit New York and Washington. Was it so finely milled that only a state (such as Iraq) could have supplied it? No clear consensus emerged on this important question. 

In the last week columnists have also woven elaborate stories linking Saddam Hussein to bin Laden through the contacts of intermediaries. For example William Safire wrote in The New York Times of Oct. 11 that Saddam's secret service director, Faruq Hijazi, had visited bin Laden in 1994. Safire did not mention the source of this allegation, which has been attributed elsewhere to the obviously partisan Iraqi Liberation movement. 

Now the Iraq-anthrax story (along with that of the Faruq Hijazi visit) has at last been given prominence in the Oct. 29 issue of US News and World Report. In an article entitled “The Second Front,” Michael Barone writes that the purity of the anthrax spores suggests an Iraq link, since, according to Fort Detrick specialists in biological warfare, this “wasn't a kitchen or garage operation.” 

There are obviously many in the United States, most prominently the pro-Israel lobby, who have wanted to oust Saddam Hussein for years, long before the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. 

Wolfowitz in particular assured Turkey in the first half of this year that whatever America did in the Middle East, the “territorial integrity” of Iraq would be assured. Translation: Turkey need not fear that the Kurds of northern Iraq would be liberated in any post-Hussein era. (This has not deterred Safire, Wolfowitz's ally, from calling on Washington to “unleash the Kurds.”) 

But for an outsider without access to secret intelligence, it is hard to imagine why Iraq would risk U.S. retaliation, and possible obliteration, by launching an amateurish anthrax attack in which, so far, only a handful of people have died. 

In general, the U.S. media appear to understand the need to be discreet in reporting the alleged Iraq-anthrax connection. A U.S. attack on Iraq could well destroy the global anti-terrorist coalition so patiently assembled by Powell. 

The alternatives were spelled out clearly by the Sydney Morning Herald of Oct. 19: “Britain, Russia, China, Europe and, importantly, the Arab states that have given their backing to the war against Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden have publicly stated their total opposition to any raids on Baghdad, but the cabal, which is named after the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Paul Wolfowitz, is pressing on.” 

PNS commentator Peter Dale Scott (pdscott@socrates.Berkeley.EDU) is a former Canadian diplomat and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and has authored numerous books on U.S. foreign policy. 

The shifting moods of terror and grief in today’s headlines have a lot of people wondering how Halloween 2001 will unfold. In an attempt to be sensitive to current events (or perhaps just to salvage the box office), Hollywood has delayed the release of some of its more violent fare. Flying in the face of that sensitivity comes “Donnie Darko,” an independent film that is not only a chilling movie in a scary time, but one which involves the crashing of a jet engine into a suburban home.  

“Donnie Darko” is not about terrorists, however, and it is by no means sensationalistic. This debut film from 26-year-old writer-director Richard Kelly mostly flies in the face of genre constraints: It is simultaneously a complex teen flick, a wistful horror movie, a dark comedy, and a romantic sci-fi tale involving time travel. The novice director perhaps bites off a bit more than he can chew, but he, in turn, refuses to offer his audience regurgitated baby food and on the whole succeeds in creating a rewarding brain-bender of a movie. 

In the middle of an October night in 1988, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), an unhappy adolescent in a psychotropic stupor, escapes death when a giant, talking rabbit named Frank beckons him from his bedroom just before it is decimated by a falling turbine. In the wake of this event, the constantly slumped-over Donnie makes a halfhearted attempt to return to his quotidian existence, perking up only when he meets Gretchen (Jena Malone), the new girl in his English class who has a troubled past of her own.  

Adults struggle to understand the troubled Donnie, but he doesn’t much care for their approval, preferring rather to point out their hypocrisies. His therapist (Katharine Ross) drugs and hypnotizes him. His science teacher (Noah Wyle) refuses to discuss God for fear of losing his job, and his gym teacher forces him to listen to the blather of a self-help guru (Patrick Swayze). The most sympathetic of Donnie’s elders is his sexy English teacher (Drew Barrymore, who also executive-produced). She tries to assuage the pain of puberty by having her students read Graham Greene’s “The Destructors.”  

Apropos of destruction, Frank the spooky rabbit continues to reappear, giving Donnie instructions to create chaos around town. Donnie is beholden to the creature for saving his life and so he commits the brazen acts. In time, he learns that the madness has method, and after a sweet moment of lovemaking at a Halloween party, Donnie embarks on a cosmic journey to alter time and fate, a journey from which he won’t return. 

Other movies echo loudly in “Donnie Darko:” The giant rabbit that only Donnie sees and hears invokes “Harvey;” the self-help charlatan appropriates the Tom Cruise character in “Magnolia;” and the suburban-underbelly exposure points back to “American Beauty,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Nightmare on Elm Street,” among others. But director Kelly doesn’t resort to these references out of laziness. He’s inspired by them and wants to build on them. His voice manages to emerge original and his movie unique. In fact, the director’s will is so strong, he doesn’t leave much maneuvering room for his large cast. They all turn in fine performances, especially Gyllenhaal whose subtle display of teen angst is all muted fury, but they don’t get to sprawl out and make the kind of organic choices you might see in a Robert Altman film. It’s really a director’s picture. 

Fans of 1980s music will be happy to hear INXS, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and Echo & the Bunnymen on the soundtrack. Just don’t get the idea that “Donnie Darko” is a nostalgia trip to the greed decade. It is about time travel, but it’s also timeless. 

924 Gilman St. Oct. 26: Influents, Plus Ones, Divit, Summerjack, Robot Adrenaline, Claredon Hills; Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; Nov. 2: Mood Frye, Manic Notion, Cremasters of Disaster, Bottles and Skulls, Lorax, Sociopath; Nov. 3: Cruevo, Nigel Peppercock, Impaled, Systematic Infection, Depressor; Nov. 9: Hoods, Punishment, Lords of Light Speed, Necktie Party; Nov. 10: Sunday’s Best, Mock Orange, Elizabeth Elmore, Fighting Jacks, Benton Falls; Nov. 16: Pitch Black, The Blottos, Miracle Chosuke, 240; Nov. 17: Carry On, All Bets Off, Limp Wrist, Labrats, Thought Riot; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

The Albatross Pub Oct. 25: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Nov. 3: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Both shows 9 p.m. 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 albatrosspub@mindspring.com  

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Oct. 25: 9 p.m., Tea Leaf Green and Chad, $8; Oct. 26: 9:30 p.m., Kasumai Bare, $10; Oct. 27: 9:30 p.m., Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, $11; Oct. 28: 1:30 p.m., Derique McGee and Jazz Design, $ sliding scale; 9 p.m. Itals, Ras Jacob, Kanawah, DJ Ras D, $12; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., Bluegrass Benefit Concert for the NY Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, Mike Marshall, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, Bluegrass Intentions, Kathy Kallick Band, Detour; $20. 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5099 www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Oct. 25: Psychotica, $5; Oct. 26: Planting Seeds, $6; Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Oct. 25: Peter Mulvey, Erin Mckeown $15.50 - 16.50; Oct. 26: Cats & Jammers, $16.50 -$17.50; Oct. 27: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney $18.50 - $19.50; Oct. 28: True Blue with Del Williams $15.50 - $16.50; Nov. 1: Si Kahn $17.50 - $18.50; Nov. 2: Don Edwards $16.50 - $17.50; Nov. 3: Barbara Higbie $17.50 - $18.50; All Shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note Nov. 4: 4:30 p.m. SoVoSo, $15; Nov. 11: 4:30 p.m. Dave Le Febvre Quintet, $12. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts Oct. 27: 8 p.m., Empyrean Ensemble, $18, $14 children. 2640 College Ave. 845-8542/ www.juliamorgan.org 

Jupiter Nov. 1: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 2: Lithium House; Nov. 3: Solomon Grundy; Nov. 7: Go Van Gogh; Nov. 8: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 9: Xroads; Nov. 10: Post Junk Trio; Nov. 14: Wayside; Nov. 15: Joshi Marshal Project; Nov. 16: 5 Point Plan; Nov. 17: Corner Pocket; Nov. 21: Starchild; All shows 8 p.m. and free. 2821 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625/ www.jupiter.com 

La Peña Oct. 28: 7:30 p.m., Mezcla from Cuba, $15dr. 320 45th St., Oakland 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

La Lesbian @ La Peña: A Lesbian Performance and Film Series Oct. 25: 8 p.m., comedian Elvira Kurt, $16; Nov. 1: 8 p.m., Singer/songwriters Faith Nolan and Megan McElroy, $14; Nov. 4: 5 - 9 p.m., Salsa, merengue, cumbia from DJs Rosa Oviedo and Chata Gutierrez, $7; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., I Love Lezzie, 20 member comedy troupe, $14; 320 45th St., Oakland 654-6346 www.lapena.org 

MusicSources Oct. 28: Keyboardist David Buice; Nov. 18 Harpsichordist Gilbert Martinez. Both shows 5 p.m. $15-18. 1000 The Alameda 528-1685 

The Stork Club Oct. 23: 9 p.m., Earwig, Butch Berry, $5; Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Cruevo, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Brainoil, Life in a Burn Clinic, $5; Oct. 25: 10 p.m., Painted Bird, Tinman, Fenway Park, $6; Oct. 26: 10 p.m., Birdsaw, Wire Grafitti, Breast, $5; Oct. 27: 10 p.m., Oxbow, Replicator, 60 Foot Time, $6; Oct. 30: 9 p.m., Simple Things, Tombshakers, Ultrafiend, $5; Oct. 31: Oppressed Logic, Eddie Haskells, TBA, $5; 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 444-6174  

Yoshi’s Restaurant and Jazz Spot Oct. 29: 8 & 10 p.m., The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, $10. 238-9200 www.yoshis.com 

Cal Performances Nov. 2: 7 p.m., Sightlines, Pre-performance discussion with guest artists. 8 p.m., “Music Before 1850,” with Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. $32. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Theater 

“The Odd Couple” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27: 7:30 p.m. The female adaptation of Neil Simon’s classic play. Directed by Antoine Olivier. $5 students, $7 adults. Bobby Barrett Theater, St. Mary’s campus, 1294 Albina. 981-1167 ruthcrossman@yahoo.com 

Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Oct. 26: 8 p.m., Oct. 28: 3 p.m. Presented by the Oakland Lyric Opera, continuing the company’s opera showcase series of short, one-act operas and opera scenes, semi-staged concert performances. First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. $25, $18 students and seniors, $15 children. 836-6772 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them”Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m., matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Tomas Carrasco of Chicano Secret Service” Nov. 15: 4 p.m. Performance by member of L.A.-based sketch comedy troupe that uses humor to tackle hot-button racial and political issues. Free. Durham Studio Theater, UC Berkeley 

“Lost Cause” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Three space travelers stranded on a forgotten colony, find themselves in the middle of a bloody civil war, and have to decide between what’s right, what’s possible, and what will save their lives. Written by Jefferson Area, directed by Sarah O’Connell. $7-12. La Val’s Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave. 464-4468 www.impacttheatre.com 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

Cal Performances “The Car Man” Oct. 30, 31: 8 p.m.; Nov. 1: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Nov. 2: 8 p.m.; Nov. 3: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne and his company re-invent Bizet’s “Carmen,” spinning the tale of a mysterious drifter in a small mid-western town, who changes the lives of its inhabitants forever. $32 - $64; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” more than 30 singers, dancers, and musicians present a musical synthesis of the authentic Roma styles. $18 - $30; Nov. 8: 11 a.m., SchoolTime Performance, “Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance,” $3 per student or chaperone, in advance only; Nov. 8: 8 p.m., “Orquesta Aragón,” $18 - $30. Nov. 11: 3 p.m., Recital - Angelika Kirschschlager, Bo Skovhus, and Donald Runnicles. “Wolf/ Die Italienisches Liederbuch,” $45; Nov. 16 - 17: 8 p.m., “La Guerra d’Amore,” director and choreographer, René Jacobs, conductor, Ensemble Concerto Vocale. Modern dance and early music from German choreographer Joachim Schlömer, $34 - $52; 

UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall. 642-9988/ www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 through Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Saint Joan” Oct. 26 through Dec. 2: Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m. George Bernard Shaw’s epic of a young girl determined to drive the English out of France with only her faith to support her. Directed by Barbara Oliver. $26-35. Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St. 843-4822 www.auroratheatre.org 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Search” Nov. 4:30 p.m. 1948 drama of American soldier caring for a young concentration camp survivor in post-war Berlin, while the boy’s mother is desperately searching all Displaced Persons camps for him. $2 suggested donation. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

Exhibits 

“Photographs of Yosemite” by Richard Blair, Oct. 25: 5 - 8 p.m. Mr. Blair served as Park Photographer for Yosemite National Park in the early 1970’s and continues to photograph there often. Holton Studio, 5515 Doyle St., No. 2, Emeryville. 450-0350 www.holtonframes.com 

Panel Discussion on Documentary Photography Oct. 25: 7:30 p.m. Panelists include photographers Nacio Jan Brown, Jeffrey Blankfort, Cathy  

Cade, Ken Light and Michelle Vignes in discussion with moderator Scott Nichols. Free. UC Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, 120 North Gate Hall 644-6893/ www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“African Harmonies,” the artwork of Rae Louise Hayward. Through Oct. 31: Hayward’s art celebrates the beauty of African culture: its people, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and music. Tues. - Thurs. 1 - 7 p.m., Sat. noon- 4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., 548-9286/ www.wcrc.org 

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Architects of the Information Age” Through Nov. 10: A solo exhibit showcasing the works of Ezra Li Eismont. Works included in the exhibition are mixed media paintings on panel and assemblage works on paper and canvas. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland 836-0831 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“In Through the Outdoors” Through Nov. 24: Featuring seven artists who work in photography and related media including sculpture and video, this exhibit addresses the shift in values and contemporary concerns about the natural world that surrounds us. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery, 1316 Tenth St. www.traywick.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“Furniture Art” Through Dec. 7: An exhibit of metal and wood furniture that revisits furniture not only as art but as craft. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. The Current Gallery at the Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; Oct. Janell Moon will read from her new book, “Stirring the Waters: Writing to Find Your Spirit.”; Oct. 27: Pat Schmatz reads from “Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.”; Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Poet Janet Mason will read from “When I Was Straight” and present her “Boobs Away.”; Nov. 3: Editor Danya Ruttenberg and contributors Loolwa Khazzoom, Emily Wages, Billie Mandel will read their selections in the new anthology, “Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism.”; Nov. 9: Lauren Dockett will read from her latest book, “The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression.”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 23: Michael Downing will talk about “Shoes Outside the Door: Scandals of Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center; Oct. 24: Anita Roddick returns with “Take It Personally”; Oct. 25: Eric Muller discusses “Free To Die For Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II”; Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; Oct. 27: Gregory Maguire reads “Lost”; Oct. 28: Christopher Hitchens with “Letters To A Young Contrarian”; Oct. 29: Arturo Pérez-Reverte reads from “The Nautical Chart”; Oct. 30: Ruben Martinez recounts “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail”; Oct. 31: Barry Lopez reads from “Light Action In The Caribbean”; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Oct. 25: Simon Winchester discusses “The Map That Changed The World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology”; Oct. 26: Alice Medrich delivers “A Year In Chocolate: Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts”; Oct. 27: 11 a.m., Addi Someckh and Charlie Eckert - The Balloon Guys, play with “The Inflatable Crown Balloon Hat Kit,” for young readers; Oct. 28: 4 p.m., Darren Shan with “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Vampire’s Assistant,” for young readers; All shows 7 p.m. unless noted, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

“Michael Moore” Oct. 29: 7:30 p.m. Author and film maker reads from his new book “Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation”. $12-15. Sponsored by Cody’s. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California through Nov. 25: Pasajes y Encuentros: Ofrendas for the Days of the Dead, highlights three thematic “passageways” that connect the dead with the living: tradition, humor and spirit. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.org 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

Several Berkeley residents who attended a public meeting called by the Army Corps of Engineers Monday are sounding the alarm about a proposed development in the East Bay hills. 

The “Montanera” project is the latest incarnation of a 15-year old plan to build upscale housing in the Gateway Valley area in Orinda.  

Developers are proposing 225 houses, each of which is expected to sell for over $1 million, and an 18-hole golf course. 

Critics of the project say that it would damage critical wetlands and streams, and would interfere with the wildlife migration patterns of the region. 

“This project would devastate the (East Bay’s) wildlife migration corridor,” said Juliet Lamont. “Wildlife uses that corridor to move along the ridges between the regional parks. 

“This project would just shave off yet another corner of that, which should be unacceptable in this day and age.” 

Lamont said that the development could directly affect Berkeley citizens in several ways.  

She said that the effect would be felt most keenly in Tilden Park. 

“I think that if this project goes through, you’d see the impact on wildlife in Tilden,” she said. “It would cut off another corridor into and out of the park, which means less habitat for wildlife to use. You’d see a loss in the number of species and biodiversity in the park.” 

Gateway Valley is located at the east end of the Caldecott Tunnel.  

Its mouth, from which it extends south, is at Highway 24’s Gateway Valley overpass, which was built is the 1970’s in anticipation of a highway spur that would run through the valley and to San Ramon.  

The highway was never developed, but the overpass, which currently leads nowhere, was built. 

The Gateway Valley is home to a number of rare and threatened species, including the red-legged frog and the foothill yellow-legged frog. It’s also a designated habitat for the Alameda whipsnake, a federally listed threatened species, although there is some doubt about whether there any of the snakes currently live on the site. 

Michael Olson, project manager for Montanera LLC, said Wednesday that concerns about the detrimental environmental impact of the project are overblown. He noted that only 300 acres of the nearly 1,000 acre site will be built upon, and that the rest of the property, which lies mostly in the hills, will remain as open space in perpetuity. 

“The wildlife corridor that they’re talking about extends from Tilden Park to Sibley Park over the Caldecott Tunnel,” he said. “It will also continue on the ridges of our property, which will remain undeveloped.” 

Still, according to some activists, the development will affect those areas of the property – the creeks, wetlands and riparian zones – that are most crucial for threatened species. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the developers are applying to fill nearly five acres of wetlands and 20,000 feet of creeks. 

“They’re proposing to create ‘new creeks,’ but there’s no proof that this will work for the wildlife that’s there,” said Lisa Viana, conservation outreach coordinator for the Urban Creeks Council. “They’re destroying wildlife habitat to make these cute little Disneyland creeks.” 

Olson said the developers had taken pains to insure that the project would be acceptable to the entire community, including Orinda, which he said was “environmentally sensitive as anyone else.” 

“I have been working with the city of Orinda for four years,” he said. “At each of the meetings – which probably number in the hundreds – public comment was encouraged, and public comment was used in fine-tuning the project. And we were approved unanimously at every stage. 

“We consider ourselves environmentally sensitive. We have listened to people’s concerns, and we have acted on them.”  

Though the area slated for development is largely rural, it lies within the Orinda city limits, and has already won the approval of the Orinda City Council. But because it calls for alterations to two year-round streams, the Army Corps of Engineers, which is charged with regulating public waterways, must give its assent. The California Regional Water Quality Control Board must give its approval. 

The Corps of Engineers is accepting public comment on the Montaneras project until Nov. 5. Those interested should contact the Army Corps of Engineers’ Regulatory Branch at (415) 977-8448. 

The Berkeley High cross-country team has been chasing league leader Alameda for the last several years, and Wednesday’s ACCAL meet at Tilden Park was no exception, as the ’Jackets finished second to a huge crowd of Alameda runners. 

In the boys’ race, Alameda took the top two spots and five of the top seven in a convincing victory. Nick Ball won the 2.8 mile race in 17:38, with teammate Marty Skeels just holding off Berkeley’s Alex Enscoe for second place, with his time of 17:43 just one second faster than Enscoe’s. After the top three there was a big gap, with Berkeley’s Nic Riley the next best at 18:51. Yellowjackets David Petty and Jonathon Finney also cracked the top 10. 

The result was even more lopsided on the girls’ side, as Berkeley’s Elizabeth Mendelson was the only non-Hornet runner in the race. She finished a respectable third in 23:45, but was beaten soundly by Sarah Orzell and Corinee Roberts, with Orzell finishing in 21:12 and Roberts in 21:39. 

Berkeley’s best female runner, sophomore Grace Nielsen, was held out of the race with an Achilles’ tendon injury, but should be available for the league championship meet next Wednesday. She was just one of several Berkeley runners who didn’t run in the final meet before the league championship. 

“We’ve got some people with nagging injuries, and it just wasn’t worth it to push them to run with the league championship coming up,” Berkeley coach Dave Goodrich said. 

The Berkeley boys’ junior varsity won their second ACCAL meet this season before the varsity races on Wednesday.

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to the City Council: 

Your performance in passing the resolution against the U.S. exercise of its moral and legal right to self defense was truly an embarrassment to those of us in Berkeley who are not members of your cult. You cite the attitudes of many in the Islamic world as proof that the USA is so guilty that it has brought the attacks on itself (”root causes” is the buzzword). What you fail to mention is that the attitudes of many of these same critics on the Jewish question and on the woman question are straight out of Hitler’s playbook. In your eyes, it is OK to be a fascist so long as you are from the “third world” and so long as you hate the United States? 

I have no problem with criticizing the Unitee States and its foreign policy. I spent the 60s doing that, and do it today when criticism is appropriate. But simple hatred and contempt for the United States, its people, and its ideals is not an adequate basis for a rational political philosophy, and certainly not a progressive political philosophy. You will deny that you have these attitudes, but the pattern of your statements and behavior is evidence to the contrary. 

Has it ever occurred to you that some problems in some countries may have to do with something other than the U.S. government? Your belief that everything bad that happens is the doing of America is a perverted form of national chauvinism. It has little connection to reality. 

The problem with Berkeley style “progressivism” is that it is not oriented towards practical improvements in the real world. Freed of any responsibility for results, it is free to wallow in a solipsistic self righteousness, a sort of moral narcissism. A deadly miasma of New Age emotionalism and infantile leftist attitudinizing clouds your minds. Hence the sad results of your governance of the city: crime, lack of rental housing, failing schools, and decaying public services. And hence the spectacle to which you treated the world with your resolution. 

Joe Willingham 

Berkeley 

Other California cities with liberal traditions have so far shied away from joining Berkeley in taking an official stance on the U.S. Bombing of Afghanistan.  

If cities have soul mates, Berkeley might be spiritually joined with Santa Cruz and Arcata. All three are home to universities and long traditions of political, environmental and human rights activism. Each City Council is known for approving resolutions on global issues. 

While both Berkeley’s civic sisters have considered taking official action calling for a speedy end to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, both have so far been reluctant to put such a resolution on their agendas.  

Berkeley narrowly approved a resolution calling for a quick end to U.S. bombing in Afghanistan on Oct. 16 by a 5-4 vote. The action thrust Berkeley into the national spotlight, and city officials have received thousands of phone calls and e-mail condemning the city’s action.  

In addition, there have been widespread threats of an economic boycott of Berkeley businesses, although it has been difficult to ascertain if local merchants have experienced a significant loss of revenue. 

The councilmembers who voted for the resolution have said the hostile response can be attributed to local and national media, which has distorted the meaning of the resolution into a condemnation of the U.S. bombing, though the resolution only called for an end to the military actions “as soon as possible.” 

Santa Cruz Mayor Tim Fitzmaurice said he is not concerned with hostile responses and boycott threats from around the country. Rather, he is worried about properly reflecting the community’s sentiment. 

“I am not worried about being out of step with the rest of the county,” Fitzmaurice said . “But I am concerned about accurately representing the sentiments of the community.” 

Santa Cruz’ seven-member City Council held a Town Meeting on Oct. 17 at which city residents were invited to express their views on the bombing of Afghanistan. According to Fitzmaurice, about 200 people attended and about 60 addressed the council.  

“Nearly all who spoke were against the bombing and about 12 people called for some kind of council action against it,” he said.  

According to the minutes of the meeting at least two people asked the Council to take an action similar to Berkeley’s. 

But instead of writing a resolution, the Santa Cruz City Council, at its regular meeting Tuesday night, chose to send a video tape of the Oct. 17 meeting and all related correspondence received by the city to U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel. The council took no vote on the issue. 

Further north, Arcata’s five-member City Council heard from representatives of the Redwood Peace Coalition last week which requested a council resolution calling for the end to the bombing of Afghanistan.  

But councilmembers there still remember too clearly what happened 10 years ago when the council approved a resolution making Arcata a sanctuary for draft evaders during the Gulf War. The council unanimously rescinded the resolution one week later because local businesses, spurred by boycott threats, protested vociferously and all the councilmembers received multiple death threats. 

Arcata Councilmember Bob Ornelas, who was the first Green Party member elected in California, sat on the council in 1991. 

“I have a lasting memory of several death threats and I’m not anxious to relive them,” Ornelas said. “You couldn’t go for a bike ride in the farm lands without the fear of being run over by some war-crazed redneck.” 

During the meeting, Ornelas offered a challenge to RPC member Dave Meservice.  

“I told him that if he can bring 300 supporters for a anti-bombing resolution to the next council meeting something might happen.” Ornelas said.  

Meservice said he is not planning to organize the 300 people for the council’s next meeting on Nov. 7. 

“We don’t know if it’s worth it to play into the hands of the conservative minority,” he said. “We don’t want to give them the opportunity to do all those nasty things.” 

Locally, Councilmember Dona Spring, who initially wrote Berkeley’s controversial resolution, said she would like to see other cities follow Berkeley’s lead.  

“The more organizations, groups and cities that embrace the path of nonviolence in resolving this conflict, the easier it will be for more people to speak out and momentum to build,” she said. “But, given the harsh reaction Berkeley has received from the rest of the country, I would understand if they didn’t.”

The Cal women’s volleyball team upset No. 19 Santa Clara, 3-2 (30-21, 30-26, 24-30, 25-30, 18-16) Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion. The Bears were led by junior outside hitter Leah Young, who had a career-high 19 kills, 12 digs and a .319 hitting percentage (19 kills, four errors, 47 attempts). Young also served well and had several key plays during the five-game match.  

Cal (7-11) was also paced by sophomore Gabrielle Abernathy’s 17 kills and junior Reena Pardiwala had a solid night, finishing with 10 kills, a .360 hitting percentage (10 kills, one error, 25 attempts) and had a team-high 15 digs. As a team, Cal had its best blocking night of the year, tallying four solo blocks, 26 block assists and a season-high 17 team blocks. The Bears were also playing without freshman Mia Jerkov, who sat out the match with a strained tendon in her left foot. Santa Clara (13-7) was led by a career-high 21 kills from freshman Toni Muratore and 21 kills from Becky Potter.  

The Bears played well in game one, with Young collecting six kills, including the game-winning kill to lead Cal to a 30-21 victory. The Bears also played well in game two, winning 30-26. Game three was a struggle as Cal played poorly, falling behind 9-1 and eventually losing, 30-24. Game four was not much better for the Bears as a bad pass by Abernathy was the final point in 30-25 loss, leading to the fifth and deciding game.  

In game five, a Young kill tied the contest at 15-15. A Cal block went out of bounds to give the Broncos a 16-15 lead, but a Santa Clara service error and a hit by Muratore that went long gave the Bears back the lead, 17-16. Finally, Cal put the match away, 18-16, on block assists by sophomores Jessica Zatica and Heather Diers.  

Cal will next travel to No. 4 ranked Stanford on Friday at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.

Editor: 

I read with interest Mr. James Day’s recent letter about the recent poses and machinations of the Berkeley City Council (10/20) regarding terrorism. However, I was surprised by your following editorial comment which took his use of “High Dudgeon” to task, implying that he had misused the phrase. You stated that “Webster says “dudgeon” is a wood used especially for dagger hilts.” Actually, that use is the second definition and is considered by some dictionaries to be obsolete. The first and primary definition is variously, “a feeling of offense, resentment” (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1995), “anger or resentment, now chiefly in the phrase, in high dudgeon” (Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, 1974) or “sullen displeasure; resentment” [probably from the Welsh dugen, “malice” (Funk & Wagnalls College Standard Dictionary, 1931). So I would suggest that letter writer Mr. Day used the term properly.  

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

To increase awareness of South Asian culture, student groups at UC Berkeley will hold their annual South Asian Awareness Week beginning Saturday. 

The events are not all serious, says one organizer, Rina Shah. The goal includes showing people “the fun aspects of South Asian culture,” she said. 

Every fall for the past 10 years, Shah’s INDUS group has organized South Asian Awareness week with the participation of other South Asian groups at UC Berkeley.  

The organizers believe this year’s awareness week has more relevance in light of the events on and following Sept. 11. Recent hate crimes against South Asian Americans have propelled the different participating groups to deal with the issue while promoting awareness of their own group goals, said Shah, president of INDUS. 

The Sikh Students Association will hold a Sikh Awareness Night to educate the public about their religion and culture. They will focus on recent hate crimes and the Sept. 11 tragedy. 

The Center for South Asian Studies, an organizational research unit part of the university-wide international and area studies program, will screen a documentary film by Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. The film titled “Jang Aur Aman,” deals with the aftermath of the 1998 nuclear tests carried out in India and Pakistan.  

“I think this is most timely,” said Christopher Plummer, the Program Representative for CSAS. CSAS also supports the various student groups in their activities. 

“There’s more relevance in this year’s week because the military actions going on could affect all South Asian countries and communities directly,” he said. 

The new South Asian women’s group, Saheli, will be screening the Hindi movie “Lajja.” The group will facilitate a discussion on South Asian women’s issues immediately after the film.  

“The movie deals with women’s issues and brings out some of the cultural aspects related to South Asian American women that we want to address in our group,” said Simran Tagore, co-founder of Saheli.  

According to Shah, the portrayal of culture is also significant to the week.  

“Although focusing on current events is important, it is also important to keep the nature of the week more upbeat and less political,” Shah said. 

INDUS is organizing a dance called the Raas Garba, which will be the week’s kickoff event. To be held during the evening of Oct. 27, it is a dance originating from the state of Gujarat, India, and will be held in celebration of the festival of Navratri.  

The dancers will also teach the audience the dance’s movements in an effort to involve more participation.  

In addition, the Hindu Students Council will be having an audience interactive Raas demonstration during lunchtime on Oct. 31. Riddhi Mehta, coordinator of HSC, explained that their dance will differ from that of INDUS’ because it incorporates the use of sticks.  

There will also be a Rajasthani dance, a Kannada dance, a Bhangra performance and dances from Hindi films performed during the daytime on Upper Sproul Plaza. A fashion show depicting the regional attire of South Asia will also take place.  

Overall, about 100 performers are expected to take part in the events.  

According to Shah, many students join INDUS just to be able to participate in the dances.  

Its membership is now at 350, but more people are expected to join the club after the awareness week.  

“This is also a good opportunity for freshmen to become involved and to meet other people in the groups,” she added. 

Besides the cultural items, the groups will also have tables and booths in Upper Sproul Plaza. The booths, popular during previous years, will include information on South Asia, Bollywood, hate crime awareness, mehndi, fashion, domestic violence and food.  

“The biggest attraction for many is the Indian food,” Shah said.  

The events generally draw many spectators from both on-campus and off-campus communities, Shah said.  

SIDEBAR 

• Saturday, Oct. 27:  

Dance, Pauley Ballroom, 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Tickets are priced at $6 for INDUS members and $8 for non-INDUS members. 

• Monday, Oct. 29:  

Bhangra dance performance and Hindi Film Dance - Upper Sproul Plaza. Noon -1 p.m.  

Anand Patwardhan documentary screening – 2040, Valley Life Sciences Building 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Free. 

Screening of Hindi film Lajja, Location and time to be announced. Free. 

• Tuesday, Oct. 30:  

Kannada Folk Dance and Rajasthani Dance – Upper Sproul Plaza. Noon - 1 p.m. Free. 

Sikh Awareness night - 2060, Valley Life Sciences Building at 6.30 p.m. Free. 

• Wednesday, Oct. 31: 

Raas Garba and Raas Demonstration – Upper Sproul Plaza. Noon - 1 p.m.  

• Thursday, Nov. 1: 

Hindi Film Dance and Fashion Show – Upper Sproul Plaza from 12 noon - 1 p.m. Free. 

Documentary screening on the fascination with South Asian cultural items in the media and in present day society. Location and time to be announced. Free. 

• Friday, Nov. 2: 

Mini culture show, showcasing of all the performances held on Upper Sproul Plaza during the week – Lower Sproul Plaza 5 - 7 p.m. 

Editor: 

In MY old Webster’s, dudgeon is listed twice. First come three variations involving boxwood dagger handles. The second reads as follows: aggrieved or angered feeling; ill humor; resentment. 

High dudgeon, one has to assume, is associated with the second meaning. 

Robert R. Piper 

Berkeley 

Today 

• 7 p.m. 

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda – Open Gathering for Prayer, Chanting, Meditation, Healing and Peace Talks 

Honoring the Victims of the Sept. 11th Events. All Welcome. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 273-2447 

• 7 - 9 p.m. 

Rebuilding lower Manhattan 

Morrison Room, Main Library,  

UC-Berkeley Campus 

A discussion sponsored by the School of Journalism, the Program on Housing and Urban Policy and BRIDGE Housing Corporation in collaboration with the architecture firm of Kaplan, McLaughlin, Diaz. 

• 7 - 9 p.m. 

Freedom in Jeopardy: Threats to Civil Liberties in the Wake of Sept. 11 

2050 Valley Life Sciences Building 

UC Berkeley campus 

Speakers from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights for the Bay Area, Electronic Frontier Foundation, UC Berkeley administration and hosted by the Berkeley ACLU. 

Speakers will address legislation that organizers say “will drastically threaten the civil liberties of everyone in this country.” 

Thursday, Nov. 1 

• 7 p.m. 

The first Bay Area Appearance of members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan 

Mills College 

Campus Chapel 

5000 Mac Arthur Blvd. 

Tuesday, Nov. 6 

• 7 p.m. 

Dr. Hamid Mavani speaks on “Islam and Its Background” at a free lecture and discussion presented by the Berkeley Public Library. Dr. Mavani is the religious director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, based in Oakland.  

South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library 

1901 Russell St. 644-6860. 

Editor: 

Please continue to stand up and speak out on local matters as well as on those broader issues affecting all of us, such as energy, the environment and national policy. (This is just to show support for your fine publication from a Berkeley resident who remembers the Daily Gazette!) 

J. B. Neilands 

Berkeley 

OAKLAND — More than 1,000 badges that grant access to secure areas at Oakland International Airport appear to be missing. 

Port of Oakland commissioners, who oversee the airport, called for an accounting of where the security badges might be following reports that 10 percent of 10,000 total badges are gone. 

“It bothers me deeply,” said port commission President Phil Tagami.  

He confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration has criticized the airport for not following rules that require no more than 5 percent of the badges be missing. 

Commissioners ordered an audit Tuesday as part of a 30-day review of the airport’s long-term security needs. 

Airport managers have proposed assigning security duties to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department as part of a plan to phase out a private company that has done security work for eight years.  

The port commission has balked at that proposal.

Pacifica Foundation Executive Director Bessie Wash has been fired by the new board chair Robert Farrell, according to a press statement from KPFA advocates and verified by programmer Larry Bensky. 

Farrell has also agreed to court-supervised mediation of the pending law suits. 

Wash, formerly station manager of Pacifica station WPFW in Washington, was named executive director by a board then controlled by former chair Mary Frances Berry.  

She has presided over “the banning of Pacifica's only remaining nationwide program, ‘Democracy Now,’ (and) the ‘mainstreaming’ of the once alternative daily Pacifica Network News,” the press statement says. 

Farrell was not available for comment.

LOS ANGELES — Northrop Grumman Corp., fresh off a government decision that aids its acquisition bid for Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., reported strong third quarter earnings Wednesday, although net income dropped because of investment losses in its pension fund. 

The Los Angeles-based defense contractor reported net income of $117 million, or $1.28 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared to $150 million, or $2.11 per share, in the same period last year. 

Analysts surveyed by Thomson/First Call had expected earnings of $1.47 per share. 

Excluding the pension fund losses, Grumman reported a 58 percent increase in earnings to $161 million, or $1.79 per share, due mainly to its acquisition of Litton Industries and continuing strong demand for the radar, guided missiles and other high-tech systems produced by its Electronic Systems and Information Technology division. 

Grumman said it is on track to report earnings per share of between $6.25 and $6.40 for the year and double-digit earnings growth in 2002. 

Revenue for the third quarter more than doubled to $3.6 billion, compared to $1.7 billion in the same quarter last year. 

The company said its Information Technology Division generated $1 billion in sales during the most recent quarter and won $1 billion worth of new contracts, including a system to provide advanced warning of Internet-based attacks on Department of Defense computers. 

On Tuesday, the Department of Defense said it favors Northrop Grumman’s bid for Newport News over a rival offer from General Dynamics. The Justice Department went to court to block the General Dynamics bid. 

Government lawyers said a merger between the Newport News, Va.-based shipbuilder and General Dynamics would result in a monopoly for building nuclear submarines, a weapon vital to national security. 

Northrop Grumman has offered to buy Newport News for a combination of cash and stock originally worth $2.1 billion. 

Grumman chief executive officer Kent Kresa said his company is almost finished with its due diligence examination of Newport News and hopes to close the deal sometime in November or shortly thereafter if it receives final federal approval. 

Grumman entered the shipbuilding industry earlier this year when it acquired Litton, making it the largest producer of non-nuclear ships in the country. 

Shares of Northrop Grumman were up $3.74 to $103.74 at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

HERSHEY, Pa. — Hershey Foods Corp. plans to close three plants and a distribution facility, eliminate more than 1,100 jobs and turn over production of cocoa powder to outside contractors in a realignment designed to generate at least $60 million a year in savings. 

The company said Wednesday it intends to reinvest the savings to enhance its marketing and selling capabilities. 

“Hershey is a great company with immense strength and an enviable track record. Our strategy both builds on these strengths and capitalizes on significant growth opportunities across Hershey’s business system,” said Richard H. Lenny, president and chief executive. 

About 760 salaried and hourly jobs will be eliminated through the closing of four facilities. 

A manufacturing plant in Palmyra, Pa., that employs 230 people near the corporate headquarters in Hershey, is slated to close during the first half of next year. 

Two others — a Denver, Colo., plant that employs 240 people and a Pennsburg, Pa., plant with 250 employees — are to shut down during the fourth quarter of 2002. 

The company’s western distribution center in Oakdale, Calif., which employs 40 people, is to close in January, officials said. 

Hershey also plans to eliminate 8 percent of its salaried positions, or about 400 people. Lenny said he hopes most of that reduction can be achieved through a voluntary program. 

Hershey employs 14,000 people overall and has 20 manufacturing and distribution plants. 

Company spokeswoman Christine M. Dugan said some employees may find other jobs within the corporation. Severance packages will be available for all displaced workers, she said. 

The realignment is expected to result in charges of $275 million against earnings in the fourth quarter of this year and in 2002. 

BURBANK — The Walt Disney Co. Wednesday competed its purchase of Fox Family Worldwide Inc. for $5.2 billion — about $100 million less than the original purchase price announced in July. 

Disney bought the company from News Corp. and Saban Entertainment, which each owned 49.5 percent. Investment banker Allen & Co owned 1 percent of the company. 

Disney confirmed that the final purchase price included $2.9 billion in cash and the assumption of $2.3 billion in debt. The original deal called for a payment of $3 billion in cash. 

News Corp. was not immediately available for comment. 

Fox Family, which Disney plans to rename ABC Family, reaches about 81 million cable subscribers in the United States. 

The deal expands Disney’s programming reach worldwide with a 76 percent ownership in Fox Kids Europe, a children’s programming channel that reaches 24 million homes, and a 10 million-subscriber channel in Latin America called Fox Kids. 

“We are pleased to have completed this strategic acquisition, and are now turning with excitement to the launch of our new ABC Family service in the United States and the continued expansion of the Fox Kids services, which will ultimately be re-branded, in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere,” Disney chairman and chief executive officer Michael Eisner said in a statement. 

Despite thousands of boycott threats resulting from a City Council resolution calling for a quick end to the bombing in Afghanistan, it has so far been difficult to estimate the actual impact on Berkeley’s businesses and economy. 

“A lot of the calls and e-mail are part of a process of venting,” said Rachel Rupert, chief executive officer of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. “Berkeley has become a national vehicle for expression.” 

City officials, the Chamber of Commerce and the Berkeley Convention & Visitors Bureau have been receiving telephone calls, letters and e-mail from around the country calling for a boycott of Berkeley businesses. But the actual cost to local business has been hard to assess largely because business owners and managers are reluctant to give specific information about revenue losses. 

“It’s a problem because local businesses are playing this very close to the vest,” Rupert said. “They don’t want to give out information that might hurt them.” 

Threats of a boycott began to come in shortly after the City Council approved a resolution related to the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan. The resolution called for a letter to be sent to U.S. representatives asking them to “help break the cycle of violence” by “ bringing the bombing to a conclusion as soon as possible.”  

The resolution also condemned the terrorist acts and expressed grief for the thousands of innocent people who died in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11.  

According to Rupert, it might be months until the real impact of a possible boycott is known. She said businesses will begin to report their earnings from the busy holiday season next March. Those numbers will have to be compared to other business areas similar to Berkeley, such as San Leandro, Alameda and certain sections of Oakland. 

While local business operators are clearly worried about a boycott (some have reported losses to the Mayor’s office and the Chamber of Commerce) the Daily Planet was unable to contact any outside businesses, organizations or individuals who would admit they have canceled contracts, reservations or ended a long-time patronage with a Berkeley business because of the council’s resolution. 

The Daily Planet did verify a cancellation of a 230-person banquet at the Berkeley Marina Radisson for the Reserve Officer Training Corps. But the person who took the reservation would not say why the ROTC canceled, only that he was ordered to do so “by a real army captain.” 

The owner of Ashby Lumber, Jeff Hogan, said he recently lost a $60,000 deal to sell building supplies to a long-time customer because of the council’s decision. But Hogan refused to divulge the name of that customer.  

“Our customer was very adamant that he was trying to make his opinion known to the City Council and he did not want his name given out,” Hogan said. 

An e-mail to the mayor’s office from Tsunami Visual Technologies in Fremont claiming to have canceled a $12,000 deal with a Berkeley media company turned out be a “misunderstanding,” according to Tsunami spokesperson Aaron Davies. 

City officials are not talking about this phenomenon either. 

Bill Lambert, the manager of the Department of Economic Development, met with Rupert and Barbara Hillman, president of the Berkeley Convention & Visitors Bureau, on Tuesday. He was unwilling to make any verification of economic impacts from a possible boycott.  

Councilmember Linda Maio said the national media bears some responsibility for the anger many Americans are expressing toward Berkeley. She said the resolution was mischaracterized by CNN and other news sources as a condemnation of the U.S. bombing. 

Maio said she has spent the last three days personally answering e-mail sent to her office and that many of those people misunderstood the council’s action. 

“Many are writing-in because they believe the City Council condemned the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan,” Maio said. “We never, ever did that, nor did we even come close to doing that.” 

Maio said the resolution simply asked for a quick end to the bombing.  

“Who doesn’t want that?” she said. 

City officials have no way of knowing if the threats of a boycott are serious, but one thing is for sure: The e-mail and phone calls are coming from angry people who appear to need some place to express frustration and rage over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. 

“They don’t know where to put this frustration and Berkeley has given them a place,” Maio said.

Wednesday, Oct. 24 

Free Legal Workshop 

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave. 

This workshop will provide information about State and Federal disability programs that provide cash benefits and health insurance for people unable to work due to a serious health condition. 

Berkeley Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Zoning Ordinance Amendments Re: Wireless Telecommunications. The new regulations shall apply to wireless telecommunications facilities on property other than the public right of way. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. 

Every Wednesday through Nov. 28. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034 

Yoga for People with HIV/AIDS 

10:45 - 11:45 a.m. 

Center for AIDS Services 

5720 Shattuck Ave.  

Free Kundalini Yoga class for people with HIV/AIDS. Mats provided, you may bring a towel. Eating within an hour of class is not advised. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Beginners and drop-ins welcome. 841-4339 

Socratic Circle 

6 - 7 p.m. 

Cafe Eclectica 

1309 Solano Ave., Albany 

Does your brain need a work out? Free and open to all. 527-2344. 

California Politics Seminar  

3 p.m. 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Informal Converation with Alicia Mundy, Washington Bureau Chief of Media Week and author of Dispensing with the Truth: The Victims, the Drug Companies, and the Dramatic Story Behind the Battle over Fen-Phen. 642-4608 

Thursday, Oct. 25 

Free Quit Smoking Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

2344 6th St. 

With the option of acupuncture. Six Thursday evenings through Dec. 6. 

Contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program to register and for more information, 644-6422 or e-mail QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Town Hall” Community  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

2700 Park St. 

San Pablo Park Neighborhood Council with support from the City, will be hosting this community meeting. Scheduled to attend: Mayor Shirley Dean, Council Member Margaret Breland, Michael Caplan from the City Manager’s Office, Recreation Director Madeline Law, and Berkeley Police Personnel. 848-2427 

Latin Dance Class 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Salsa, Cha-cha, Merengue... $10, No partner necessary. All ages and levels welcome. 508-4616 

Berkeley Community Fund 

Eighth Annual Awards Dinner 

6 p.m. 

Radisson Hotel 

Berkeley Marina 

Bestowing the Benjamin Ide Wheller Medal and Berkeley Community Awards. 843-5202 www.berkfund.org  

Harris/UK Seminar 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

201 Moses Hall 

642-4608 

David Edgar, a British playwright working on a two-part cycle of plays for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one play focused primarily on the Democratic and the other on the Republican side of the campaign, "The Drama of Politics and the Politics of Drama." 642-4608 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

12:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology - Warren Sack, UCB, "Information Architecture and the Geometry of Social Relations." 

642-4608 

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 

Open gathering for prayer, chanting, meditation, healing and peace talkshonoring the victims of Sept. 11. 273-2447 

Friday, Oct. 26 

Listen to James Joyce’s Ulysses 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hulse Rauh leads a group listening. All are welcome.  

American Political History Seminar 

noon 

Institute of Governmental Studies 

UC Berkeley 

119 Moses Hall 

Jean Edward Smith, Marshall University, will talk about his book, "Grant." 642-4608 

Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

5 - 7:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Steinhart Courtyard 

Reception honoring Latino Pioneers. 643-8010 

Saturday, Oct. 27 

Bay Area Coalition to End the Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Berkeley Child Safety Seat Check-Up 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (drop-in)  

Kittredge Street Parking Facility 2020 Kittredge St. (the old Hinks Parking lot), 2nd Floor 

Trained child passenger safety technicians will inspect your safety seat installation, inform you of any recalls, and assist you in using your child safety seat properly. Free, sponsored by the Berkeley Public Health and Police Departments, 665-6839, dquan@ci.berkeley.ca. us. 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence  

in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 

Booth Auditorium 

An unprecedented gathering of Latino judges from across the country to celebrate and critically examine the contributions of Latinos on the bench. 643-8010 

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The City is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve  

habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

By Neighbors for Fire Safety:  

Barbara and Bob Allen, Juliann Beckendorf, Barbara & Bob Allen, Juliann Beckendorf (Citizen Fire Commissioner), and twenty others 

Articles in the Oct. 10 Daily Planet imply there significant opposition to the New Hills Fire Station. It must be made clear that this opposition is mainly limited to a few whose homes are in the immediate vicinity of the planned Fire Station 7 to be built at Park Gate and Shasta Roads. In fact, in the Berkeley Hills there is overwhelming support.  

Our group, Neighbors for Fire Safety, went door-to-door to collect 1,000 signatures in favor of the new fire station, including more than 100 from residents of the Park Hills neighborhood near the station, the remainder being from the area served by Station 7 and residents from other parts of Berkeley.  

The latest claim by the opposition, that they are concerned only with the legality of Measure G financing for the station, is false: in meeting after meeting over the past year, their questions have focused on how much disruption it would be to their neighborhood, including size, noise, traffic and light. These concerns were addressed in the project’s Environmental Impact Report. 

These specific concerns have been shown to be minimal – the fire station has an average of only 1.4 calls per day, mostly medical calls. Opponents also were dissatisfied with the original design of the station, produced in response to their request that the impact to the neighborhood be limited. The city had the architect respond by designing a station that would match the neighborhood.  

Now that these concerns were addressed, opponents have switched to questioning the legality of use of funds provided through Measure G, approved in 1992 to build a new fire station to replace Station 7.  

The original proposal was intended to develop a jointly funded and manned station with Oakland: “acquiring, constructing and equipping a new fire station, provided however that the council entered into agreements with other jurisdictions” which would contribute proportionately to the cost of construction, equipment or staffing of the new station. This specific intent cannot now be carried out since Oakland has built a new fire station and will not be joining Berkeley. However, Berkeley has succeeded in developing a joint agreement supported by a resolution passed unanimously by the East Bay Regional Parks District Board, so that the new Hills Station would be jointly staffed by firefighters from EBRPD on high fire danger days. The new station will meet accepted standards for fire stations designed to serve urban/wildland interface areas, including four emergency apparatus bays, accommodations for a three or four-person crew and a reserve crew of three EBRPD firefighters.  

Measure G also called for “the repairing and seismic retrofitting of existing fire stations….” But the existing 62-year-old Station 7 cannot protect the hill area adequately, due to slow response time, the need for a larger site to house male and female personnel and equipment required for a modern fire station. It will be retrofitted to house additional wildfire equipment. Both intents of Measure G will be carried out, albeit in modified form. 

Upon approval of the plan by the Zoning Adjustments Board and City Council, the city will file a validation suit to have the courts determine whether the use of the Measure G funds for the new station is appropriate.  

The neighbors’ objection that the new station would not be sufficient to fight a wildfire by itself is rendered moot by the Mutual Response Areas developed by all the fire departments in the region since the 1991 fire.  

Members of Neighbors for Fire Safety who are Berkeley Fire/Safety Commissioners witnessed the rapid response during drills held in Tilden Park this spring.  

At present, we need to face the serious life-safety issue affecting us all. Further delays would leave us exposed to a disaster, not only for the hills, but the entire city, should an uncontrolled wildfire originate in Tilden Park. The new Hills Fire Station 7 is the best location of eight sites within Fire District 7 studied by the Fire Department, providing the best response time for structure fires and medical emergencies.  

Unfortunately, the opposition is still trying to delay the process. Now is the time for all citizens in the hills to pull together for the common good of the city and for our firefighters.  

924 Gilman St. Oct. 26: Influents, Plus Ones, Divit, Summerjack, Robot Adrenaline, Claredon Hills; Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; Nov. 2: Mood Frye, Manic Notion, Cremasters of Disaster, Bottles and Skulls, Lorax, Sociopath; Nov. 3: Cruevo, Nigel Peppercock, Impaled, Systematic Infection, Depressor; Nov. 9: Hoods, Punishment, Lords of Light Speed, Necktie Party; Nov. 10: Sunday’s Best, Mock Orange, Elizabeth Elmore, Fighting Jacks, Benton Falls; Nov. 16: Pitch Black, The Blottos, Miracle Chosuke, 240; Nov. 17: Carry On, All Bets Off, Limp Wrist, Labrats, Thought Riot; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Sister Carol and Junior Jazz, $12; Oct. 25: 9 p.m., Tea Leaf Green and Chad, $8; Oct. 26: 9:30 p.m., Kasumai Bare, $10; Oct. 27: 9:30 p.m., Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, $11; Oct. 28: 1:30 p.m., Derique McGee and Jazz Design, $ sliding scale; 9 p.m. Itals, Ras Jacob, Kanawah, DJ Ras D, $12; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., Bluegrass Benefit Concert for the NY Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, Mike Marshall, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, Bluegrass Intentions, Kathy Kallick Band, Detour; $20. 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5099 www.ashkenaz.com 

Blake’s Oct. 24: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; Oct. 25: Psychotica, $5; Oct. 26: Planting Seeds, $6; Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

La Peña Oct. 28: 7:30 p.m., Mezcla from Cuba, $15dr. 320 45th St., Oakland 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

La Lesbian @ La Peña: A Lesbian Performance and Film Series Oct. 25: 8 p.m., comedian Elvira Kurt, $16; Nov. 1: 8 p.m., Singer/songwriters Faith Nolan and Megan McElroy, $14; Nov. 4: 5 - 9 p.m., Salsa, merengue, cumbia from DJs Rosa Oviedo and Chata Gutierrez, $7; Nov. 7: 8 p.m., I Love Lezzie, 20 member comedy troupe, $14; 320 45th St., Oakland 654-6346 www.lapena.org 

The Stork Club Oct. 24: 9 p.m., Cruevo, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Brainoil, Life in a Burn Clinic, $5; Oct. 25: 10 p.m., Painted Bird, Tinman, Fenway Park, $6; Oct. 26: 10 p.m., Birdsaw, Wire Grafitti, Breast, $5; Oct. 27: 10 p.m., Oxbow, Replicator, 60 Foot Time, $6; Oct. 30: 9 p.m., Simple Things, Tombshakers, Ultrafiend, $5; Oct. 31: Oppressed Logic, Eddie Haskells, TBA, $5; 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 444-6174  

Yoshi’s Restaurant and Jazz Spot Oct. 29: 8 & 10 p.m., The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, $10. 238-9200 www.yoshis.com 

“The Odd Couple” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27: 7:30 p.m. The female adaptation of Neil Simon’s classic play. Directed by Antoine Olivier. $5 students, $7 adults. Bobby Barrett Theater, St. Mary’s campus, 1294 Albina. 981-1167 ruthcrossman@yahoo.com 

Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Oct. 26: 8 p.m., Oct. 28: 3 p.m. Presented by the Oakland Lyric Opera, continuing the company’s opera showcase series of short, one-act operas and opera scenes, semi-staged concert performances. First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. $25, $18 students and seniors, $15 children. 836-6772 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them” Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m, matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 though Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Exhibits 

“Photographs of Yosemite” by Richard Blair, Oct. 25: 5 - 8 p.m. Mr. Blair served as Park Photographer for Yosemite National Park in the early 1970’s and continues to photograph there often. Holton Studio, 5515 Doyle St., No. 2, Emeryville. 450-0350 www.holtonframes.com 

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 23: Michael Downing will talk about “Shoes Outside the Door: Scandals of Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center; Oct. 24: Anita Roddick returns with “Take It Personally”; Oct. 25: Eric Muller discusses “Free To Die For Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II”; Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; Oct. 27: Gregory Maguire reads “Lost”; Oct. 28: Christopher Hitchens with “Letters To A Young Contrarian”; Oct. 29: Arturo Pérez-Reverte reads from “The Nautical Chart”; Oct. 30: Ruben Martinez recounts “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail”; Oct. 31: Barry Lopez reads from “Light Action In The Caribbean”; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s on Fourth St. Oct. 25: Simon Winchester discusses “The Map That Changed The World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology”; Oct. 26: Alice Medrich delivers “A Year In Chocolate: Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts”; Oct. 27: 11 a.m., Addi Someckh and Charlie Eckert - The Balloon Guys, play with “The Inflatable Crown Balloon Hat Kit,” for young readers; Oct. 28: 4 p.m., Darren Shan with “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Vampire’s Assistant,” for young readers; All shows 7 p.m. unless noted, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

Volleyball coaches can teach their players all the fundamentals, including how to pass, block, dig or kill. They can explain the game’s subtle nuances and they can even develop intricate strategies for various opponents. 

But no matter how hard they try, they can’t coach height. And with height comes another volleyball intangible – intimidation. 

At an imposing 6-foot-5, Desiree Guilliard-Young’s sheer presence as Berkeley High’s star middle blocker sends shivers through the opposing team’s front row. Having already pounded more than 150 kills this year, Guilliard-Young recently helped Berkeley remain undefeated in league play by registering one of her best matches of the season. 

“Desiree had an outstanding performance today,” said Justin Caraway, Berkeley’s head coach, referring to Guilliard-Young’s outing against De Anza last week, in which she recorded 11 kills, four blocks and two aces while committing just one error. “It was probably one of her better all-around matches.” 

Judging by her performances throughout the last two seasons, during which Berkeley hasn’t lost a single Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League match, it’s tough to believe that Guilliard-Young, 17, first touched a volleyball just four years ago. 

Before that, basketball was Guilliard-Young’s game. Considering her stature, the senior frequently gets asked why she doesn’t play for the basketball team, a sport that rewards height as much as it does athletic ability. 

“I was playing basketball for other people,” Guilliard-Young said. “My heart wasn’t in it so I decided to end it before I hurt my team.” 

That was in the eighth grade. The following summer, an acquaintance that Guilliard-Young ran into while shopping told her that a Bay Area volleyball club, the Starlings, was looking for players. 

“I hadn’t even heard of volleyball, really,” said the then-6-foot-3 would-be freshman. 

She made the team that summer prior to her first year at Berkeley High. Guilliard-Young then tried out for the Yellowjackets’ squad under Caraway and despite her lack of coordination made the varsity team. From there her volleyball playing ballooned into a time-intensive commitment. 

In the months following her freshman year, Guilliard-Young, began playing for the Oakland-based Golden Bear Volleyball Club and traveled throughout the United States several times during the summer.  

Last year she competed on the youth national team in the 18-year-old division. 

Although she’s comfortable with her height and said she “wouldn’t have it any other way,” Guilliard-Young doesn’t rely solely on her tallness to carry her on the volleyball court. The desire to improve explains her dedication to the sport in the off-season.  

“I wanted to be good, I just didn’t want to be average,” she said. “I wanted to be an athlete, I just didn’t want to be a tall girl playing volleyball.” 

In her four years in a ’Jackets’ uniform, Guilliard-Young has devoted numerous hours to improving her skills on the court. According to her coach at Berkeley, she’s come a long way. 

“She’s improved her coordination and now understands how to move her body,” Caraway said. “She knows how to work her arms and to do the things that good, tall middles need to do.” 

In addition, Caraway said Guilliard-Young has improved her mental focus, ball control skills, defense and overall understanding of the game. 

As she continues to improve individually, it’s teamwork, which drew Guilliard-Young to volleyball initially, which motivates her today.  

“It’s not about how many kills she gets, how many blocks she gets, it’s about did we win the match,” Caraway said. “And if we won, and she only gets three kills, that doesn’t bother her. But if she gets three kills and we lose, she’s a little bit upset.” 

Earlier this season Baylor University in Texas, which made its first volleyball NCAA tournament appearance in 1999, offered Guilliard-Young a scholarship. She’s made a verbal commitment and said she chose the school for its top-notch academic reputation as much as for its volleyball program, as she plans to pursue a degree in advertising and marketing.  

“I wanted to figure out how to channel my creativity and desire to draw,” Guilliard-Young said.  

“I’ve been drawing since junior high and have come up with models and magazine spreads.” 

Caraway, who graduated from Baylor, said he didn’t have a hand in Guilliard-Young’s desire to attend the Waco, Texas, school but he did keep the school on her short list of collegiate choices and said she should be able to adapt to the fast pace of college volleyball. 

“I think she’ll fit in well with the kids they have returning,” he said. “They have the Big 12 freshman of the year (Stevie Nicholas) as well as some great middles.” 

Receiving a scholarship, Guilliard-Young said, has been her greatest volleyball accomplishment.  

Personal achievements aside, Berkeley’s loss last year to Bishop O’Dowd in the opening round of the playoffs and its fifth straight regular season loss to the Dragons earlier this season are fresh in the memory of Guilliard-Young. 

“We’re getting them this year,” she said. “I refuse to lose. I know we can beat them.” 

The unwavering confidence complements the advice Guilliard-Young received from U.S. National Team member, Logan Tom, last year. 

“Be goal-oriented and work hard,” Tom told her. “Never stop giving it your all and never think you know enough about the game because you probably don’t.”

By Judith Scherr 

Daily Planet staff 

When former Mayor Loni Hancock announced Tuesday that she’s running for the 14th District Assembly seat, most everybody already knew she was going after the post held by her husband, Tom Bates, for 18 years. 

Opponent Charles Ramsey, a Richmond resident and Oakland attorney, who says he has both a bigger campaign war chest and more endorsements, said he’d seen Hancock – also a former councilmember – on the campaign trail for weeks. 

Meanwhile, opponent Oakland City Council Vice Mayor Jane Brunner – who did not return phone calls – has said in the past that she can beat Hancock. But from early appearances, Brunner’s strategy is to run against the Berkeley City Council, having sent out a missive asking the public how it feels about three “issues of concern” she ascribes to Berkeley officials. The campaign piece, faxed to the Daily Planet, was probably prepared by Brunner’s campaign manager Larry Tramutola, who did not return calls to his office.  

The concerns Brunner’s flier expressed were that a Berkeley councilmember called the U.S. bombings a “terrorist act,” that the American flags had been taken from the fire trucks and returned only after a public outcry and that the council had condemned the United States for the bombing in Afghanistan. 

Hancock declined comment on the Brunner missive, saying she’s more interested in campaigning on education, the environment, the economy and her experience.  

But Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who’s stepped out of the Assembly race in favor of Hancock, did not hesitate to express himself on the flier. 

“It’s amazing that she has three major distortions and doesn’t say what her position is,” Worthington said, correcting the three “distortions:” While a UC Berkeley student-run newspaper quoted Councilmember Dona Spring saying the bombings were “terrorist,” Spring has said a number of times that she was misquoted. The flags were taken from the trucks for a few hours so that they wouldn’t become targets for UC Berkeley students demonstrating and the council did not “condemn” the bombings, but called for their halt as soon as possible. 

“This gives a very distorted and inaccurate picture,” Worthington said. 

Education in No. 1 

Time will only tell if it takes flashy campaign literature to distinguish the three candidates. When it comes to issues, all three place education at the top of their lists.  

Ramsey, Brunner and Hancock all have expertise in this arena.  

Now an attorney, Brunner was a teacher in Berkeley for a number of years; Ramsey sits on the West Contra Costa school board, and Hancock worked for the Clinton administration in the Regional Office of the Department of Education for seven years. 

“I know what is needed,” Hancock said, pointing to a need for preschool and early childhood education, as well as an increase in teacher and childcare worker salaries and enhanced teacher training. 

Hancock conceded that this is a difficult period to expect funding for schools to increase. “One of the major jobs (for the assemblymember is) to protect funding for schools,” she said, noting that the state expects a $10 billion deficit next year.  

The answer? “Spend the money smarter. Close tax loopholes.” 

Charles Ramsey said his experience on the school board has shown him the detailed workings of the school district, from child nutrition needs, to curriculum. “We put a dentist’s office” in one school Ramsey said. 

Who’s endorsing whom 

Hancock and Ramsey share the dual endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and Rep. George Miller, D-Richmond endorses Hancock. While Ramsey has captured the recommendation of the Service Employees International locals 530 and 790 and a number of other labor unions, Hancock has the endorsement of SEIU local 535.  

Hancock has the endorsement of incumbent Assemblymember Dion Aroner. While she has the endorsement of Richmond Mayor Rosemary Corbin, Ramsey has Richmond councilmembers Tom Butt, Richard Griffin, Gary Bell, Rev. Charles Belcher and Gina Brusatori. 

A spokesperson for Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean, who was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, said the mayor was probably waiting for the Berkeley Democratic Club to make its endorsement, before she made hers. 

Among Ramsey’s long list of endorsers are former Berkeley Mayor/former Alameda County Supervisor Warren Widener and former councilmember Mary Wainwright. 

Former Berkeley councilmember Nancy Skinner, who had considered running for the seat, and Molly O’Shaugnessy are running Hancock’s day-to-day campaign, with San Francisco consultants Staton & Hughes overseeing the effort.  

While Hancock says she’s raising $400,000 and already has $100,000 in the bank, Ramsey says people have donated all the $150,000 he has raised and chides Hancock, saying her war chest has been filled, in part, by personal loans. 

And if Hancock should come out ahead, don’t expect Tom Bates to be her chief of staff. 

“He’ll have no formal role,” Hancock said, noting however, the couple “always shared ideas when I was mayor and he was in the Assembly.” 

Don’t speak for me 

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter addressed to Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek: 

I am a Berkeley resident residing in the district you were elected to represent. I am also your neighbor. 

I am outraged that you have taken it upon yourself to speak for all the residents of your district on matters of foreign policy. 

You were elected to represent our district (sad as it my be) in issues that pertain to running the city of Berkeley, not the country.  

As a private citizen you are free to express whatever opinion you may have on foreign policy. However, I was not asked, nor did I give you permission to represent my beliefs in matters of foreign policy. You have no right to speak for me on matters of foreign policy. 

Ms. Shirek, as someone who claims to have spent her life as an activist, fighting for civil rights I am outraged how quick you are to violate my rights. I can only hope that this term in office is your last. 

Jim Hultman 

Berkeley 

World court - no solution 

The following is a copy of an e-mail sent to the City Council prior to it vote on the anti-war measure: 

I have lived in Berkeley for nearly 30 years. I am amazed, amused, saddened, but not deeply surprised, by the pending anti-war vote before the City Council. I am completely opposed to this measure. Certainly we all have, as individuals, the right to our own opinions, but for the City Council of Berkeley, to pretend that it speaks for the citizens of this city, in regards to such a controversial area of public policy, is absurd. As is the suggestion that we “sue Afghanistan in the World Court.” Yes, as someone once said, the “Devil is in the details.” How nice to sue a nation in some world court. How nice, if only it were practical and possible and worth the effort.  

Is it even remotely possible that the perpetrators of the atrocities in New York and Washington may oh just may ignore a summons before some toothless world court? This measure is wrong-headed, bad policy, mistaken, and nearly megalomaniacal. It is not the business of our city to take a position on this issue. And, for the record, the position discussed in the measure is dead certain wrong. God knows I have no idea if the policy we are pursuing will in the end be either moral or effective, I do know however, that the absence of policy as expressed in some mythical lawsuit before some third party court is ridiculous and an insult to the nearly 14,000 dead and injured in New York and Washington. I strongly urge you to not support this measure. Yes voice your opinion on the policy, I strongly support your right to do that. But please don’t pretend that even in Berkeley, you or those who support this measure are speaking for the great mass of citizens of the city. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. You know, sometimes what seems like an act of courage, may be only an idiosyncratic egocentric expression. 

Michael Steinberg 

Berkeley 

Shop Berkeley 

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter written to the City Council: 

Thank you for your extremely reasonable (and restrained) resolution re Afghanistan. It is disgusting that people such as Rush Limbaugh and his devotees are boycotting Berkeley. I do not live in Berkeley, but I will be sure to shop there at every opportunity from now on. 

Soula Culver 

Richmond 

Thanks to Planet 

Editor: 

Kudos to you and the Planet for upholding the ideals of press freedom in a time of fearfulness. On issues local to international - from the truth about Berkeley High School students’ behavior in Yosemite to the anti-bombing resolution of the City Council - the paper’s policy of reporting is refreshing and increasingly rare. Please continue to uphold the most cherished freedoms of America which differentiate us from those who would erase them. 

Joan Levinson 

Berkeley 

Reconsider boycott 

Editor: 

I am writing to urge the businesses who are threatening boycott to reconsider. Boycott is economic intimidation. It is using force to frighten people not to express differences. 

I am 84 years old. I have lived through many changes in our government. Not so long ago our government sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women (all American) to bomb and kill in Vietnam. Many were killed. Many came back sick or wounded beyond repair. We killed millions of innocent Vietnamese. Now many of us are wondering: what was that all about?  

Vietnam is now our friend. We are spending more taxpayers’ money to rebuild what we destroyed. An expensive “mistake”? Governments are people, hopefully, elected by us. We must keep the right to get information and use it even if that information is unpopular at the time. 

By frightening people into silence we lose our ability to reconsider a possible “mistake”. We have just learned that three million innocent Afghani people will starve to death if the American forces do not pause in their bombing to allow food to be sent in. So far, our government has refused to do so. Is that a “mistake”? Is the person who gives us this information un-American? I don’t think so. 

When a group of terrorists in Oklahoma bombed and killed innocent Americans, did we bomb Oklahoma? No, we utilized the courts to punish them. There are international courts available to us for international crime. We must use them. Every time we use a million dollar missile to kill innocent people in another country, our own government has to cut take money for health care, for schools, for housing. Is this an expensive mistake? I wonder. 

Enforcing silence, closing off information is the way to end our own democracy. Let us preserve that right. It is what makes our country great. 

Frances Rachel, Berkeley  

Berkeley

Members of the Commission on Disability and community activists are asking the City Council to take action against the upcoming Berkeley Free Folk Festival because they allege that Ashkenaz, one of the festival venues, in not fully accessible for people in wheelchairs. 

On Oct.15, disability commissioner, Marissa Shaw, and former commissioner, Karen Craig, sent city councilmembers a letter describing conditions at Ashkenaz. They also described the meetings among the commission, disability activists, city employees, Ashkenaz management and Suzy Thompson, organizer of the Berkeley Free Folk Festival.  

In the letter, Shaw and Craig said Ashkenaz’ entrance ramp for disabled people is inadequate. They also noted that halls leading to the bathroom are too narrow and cramped and that there is no rear fire exit.  

The City Council will discuss the issue at its regular meeting on Tuesday, but according to Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the council can take no action apart from offering the organizers of the festival money to postpone the event to look for alternate locations.  

Earlier in the year, the city gave the festival a grant of $3,000. 

Thompson insisted Tuesday that the festival, scheduled for Nov. 17 and 18, will go on as planned. In addition, she said the process of trying to meet the demands of some members of the disabled community has been so exhausting that this will be her last year as festival director. 

“I’m doing the best possible job I can, and that has to be good enough,” she said. “The festival is not going to be moved this year. 

“I won’t be doing this again,” she added. “I’ve tried to put out nice things for the community, and I’ve been kicked in the teeth for it.” 

Thompson and Allan Katz, the managing director of Ashkenaz, met on Oct. 4, Thompson said, to talk about accessibility issues at the club and try to address the commission’s concerns.  

There, Shaw said, the shortcomings of Ashkenaz as a venue became clear to her.  

“It only takes about four people in wheelchairs to fill up the hallways,” she said. “If you get four people in there trying to go to the bathroom at the same time, that’s it. It’s over. 

“People in wheelchairs may be able to get in the door at Ashkenaz, but four of us shut the whole place down.” 

Thompson said such problems can be addressed by having people directing traffic in the hall. 

“The fact is that neither place (Ashkenaz nor the Freight & Salvage, the other festival location) is ideal, but it’s a lie to say that the festival is being held in completely inaccessible locations,” said Thompson. “What I’d like to do this year is spend my time setting up the two venues as best I can to make them accessible.” 

Thompson said she contacted Shaw several weeks ago to ask her if she would like to volunteer to coordinate access issues at Ashkenaz, or if she could provide information about people who could provide such a service. Thompson said Shaw refused to help her.  

Shaw said she declined to help after some consideration. She said she eventually decided she couldn’t help in good conscience when she didn’t support the choice of the venue. 

Thompson said the entire process has left her bitter. 

“In retrospect, I wish I had given the money back to the city and called this thing off,” she said. “But on the other hand, we’ve got some great music booked this year.” 

One autumn day in October of 1991, Michael Kovac, 44, and his wife Karen returned to their Berkeley home from a weekend trip only to find their home had burned down in the catastrophic Oakland -Berkeley Hills fire. 

Despite the devastation, the Kovacs’ first and foremost worry – after accounting for friends and neighbors – was about their cat, who hadn’t turned up at any of the animal shelters. A few days later, PG&E workers came across her near a house that had just missed the fire. 

“We had accounted for everybody, had accounted for all of the animals, and all the other things suddenly didn’t matter so much any more,” Kovac said. 

Ten years after the wildfire that consumed 3,200 homes and left 25 dead, surviving residents have shifted their concerns from personal security to real estate. 

Houses that used to sell for half a million dollars now attract offers of twice that much.  

“Houses up there are very expensive,” says Nacio Brown, a real estate broker since 1984 at Coldwell Banker in Berkeley. “The minimum price is $700,000, up to and over $1 million.” 

Referring to the owner of a $1.5 million home, Brown said: “Some dot-com guy has got the whole hill.” 

The rebuilding has attracted mixed reviews. Some say the Mediterranean-style villas, which sometimes sprawl across 6,000 feet are gorgeous; others say they are monstrous or ostentatious. 

The critical attention may be a result of new ordinances, which require residents and fire departments to control vegetation. Because of this, houses once completely hidden from Highway 13 by trees are now in plain view.  

“The hardest part of moving in here, at first, was how barren it was,” said Lisa Moscaret-Burr, 45, a Berkeley hills resident. “You’d look out the windows and all you could see were other houses. Until some of these trees grew in, it felt like we were living on the moon.” 

Most people decided to rebuild their homes not out of nostalgia, but because they could make money. 

Kevin Brown, a broker at Berkeley Hills Realty for the past 20 years, said there has been a tremendous appreciation in the homes on the hill during the past few years. People who rebuilt huge houses from their insurance settlements, he said, were just trying “to get the most out of the lot.”  

“The owners made out like bandits,” Nacio Brown said.  

Owners of smaller houses before, he added, were “not using the asset to its max.”  

Brown also said he believes the smaller, surviving houses are more at risk of future fires. 

“(The new houses) have better energy conservation and much better construction,” Brown says.  

The new construction, does not appear to have divided owners of expensive homes from residents who chose not to rebuild. Instead, those interviewed said they found increased cooperation among residents. 

“After the fire, the neighborhood came together like in times of disaster,” Kovac said. “We didn’t know anybody and then we ended up knowing everybody on the block.” 

Residents now take individual and communal measures to protect the area against fire.  

“Everybody has a role,” said Kovac, who has since rebuilt his home. “If something happens, depending on what you need, there’s someone to call.” 

Beyond the money to be made, Moscaret-Burr said a stronger neighborhood association has arisen than what previously existed. 

“There is a command center at a neighbor’s pool house,” she said. “It’s stocked with food. And we’ve been trained on fire hoses. The neighborhood is much more cohesive now. That’s a nice outgrowth. 

“It would have been nice if we could have just gotten to know each other without the fire,” she added. 

According to both real estate brokers, homeowners showed no reluctance to return to their homes after the fire. 

Kevin Brown, citing the San Francisco fire and earthquake of 1906, said this is a normal reaction. 

“People rebuilt their homes after the San Francisco fire, almost a hundred years ago,” he said. “Natural disasters here are very few and far between. Because of the infrequency of those events, people don’t dwell on them.”

SAN FRANCISCO — A new survey of single room occupancy hotels in San Francisco found that over 40 percent of these cramped but cheap accommodations house at least one child. 

The census, released Tuesday, found that the average SRO is a 10-by-10 room without a kitchen or bathroom but occupied by more than three people. About 85 percent of occupants are immigrants whose first language is not English, the study found. 

It was funded by the city and conducted by several community groups. The 450 families interviewed had 760 children, 80 percent under age 12. 

SAN JOSE — EBay co-founder Jeff Skoll said Tuesday he will make a multimillion-dollar donation to help nonprofits suffering a drop in donations. 

Skoll, 36, announced that he is giving $2.5 million worth of eBay stock to Community Foundation Silicon Valley. He wants to raise $25 million — his estimate of what area nonprofits expect to lose with philanthropists focusing on those affected by last month’s terrorist attacks. 

Skoll’s projections are based on a 1999 survey of 151 Silicon Valley non-profits, which reported getting an average of 23 percent of their income from foundations, corporations and other donors. 

Community Foundation Silicon Valley promotes philanthropy, provides charitable giving expertise to individuals and corporations, and makes grants to local nonprofit organizations and schools. It is one of the fastest growing foundations in the nation, with assets exceeding $585 million and awarding grants of $52 million annually. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area home sales fell in September at the steepest rate since the economic downturn began, according to the real estate information service DataQuick. 

A total of 7,201 houses and condominiums changed hands in the region, down 25.6 percent from September 2000. During the first nine months of 2001, 69,404 new and resale homes were sold in the region, down 17 percent from the comparable period last year. 

The median price was $373,000, up 5.4 percent from a year ago, DataQuick said. 

Between March and September, median home prices fell sharply in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, where the slumping technology sector has a heavy presence. But prices rose in areas with less dependence on dotcoms, such as Contra Costa County. 

OAKLAND — Bay Area Rapid Transit management and the transit system’s smallest union spent Tuesday negotiating ahead of a midnight strike deadline. 

The union wants all employees who do the same job to be paid the same wage, regardless of experience or tenure. BART officials said that would bump salaries up to unmanageable levels. 

Bay Area commuters were guaranteed a ride to work Tuesday after the union extended its strike deadline from midnight Monday. 

Local elected officials have gotten involved in the dispute between BART and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, which represents which represents 238 train controllers and supervisors. A strike could strand 300,000 commuters and further clog the Bay Area’s already congested roads. 

“The union graciously granted the 24-hour extension to allow everyone to be able to count on the trains running (Tuesday) without any disruption,” Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, said Monday night. “I think the parties are getting close, and we’re grateful not to have a strike at this time.” 

BART officials were upset the two sides did not settle Monday and that the union waited until late at night to extend the strike deadline. Union representatives did not return calls Tuesday. 

Management at the commuter train network says its offer of a 22 percent pay raise and benefits package is the best it can do. The union says it’s satisfied with the compensation but worries jobs will be outsourced to nonunion contractors and consultants. 

The offer is reportedly similar to the contract that BART unions representing maintenance and train operators accepted September 4.  

Those contracts called for a 22 percent wage increase over the next four years, increased pension plan contributions and continued health care coverage at no added cost to employees. 

A Local 3993 supervisor earns an about $77,500 a year, according to BART officials. A 22 percent raise would increase that salary to $94,550. 

Leaders of the largest two unions have said they will honor AFSCME’s picket line, but BART officials insist they will find a way to keep trains running. 

The supervisors’ union rejected BART’s “best and final” offer Oct. 15. BART officials asked the union to return to the bargaining table and local elected leaders have been trying to get both sides to settle.

The Berkeley Police Department believes that a series of recent robberies, all of which involved hold-ups of individuals at gunpoint, may be related. 

Lt. Cynthia Harris, the department’s chief of detectives, says that in five such robberies, which occurred between Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, the victims’ description of their assailants’ physical characteristics, dress and method of operation were similar enough for the police to conclude that the same individuals were responsible for the crimes. 

The first two cases, which occurred on Sept. 26 and 27, took place near the UC Berkeley campus. In each case, the victims were stopped by a black male wearing a black ski mask, shown a gun and were told to hand over their money. 

The three other cases took place on Sept. 28, Oct. 1 and Oct. 3, on or near the 3000 block of College Avenue. All these cases involved two black males, one of whom wore a black ski mask or scarf. 

Two vehicles – one motorcycle and one unidentified vehicle – were burned in an arson attack Friday night, according to Harris. 

Police were called to the corner of Allston Way and McKinley Avenue, two blocks from Berkeley’s police station, at around 11:30 p.m. They found the two vehicles aflame and called the Fire Department. BFD investigators determined that someone had intentionally set the vehicles on fire. 

Police interviewed several neighbors in the vicinity, but none were able to provide information. A suspect has not been identified. 

A man called the BPD early Friday morning to say that he had been attacked with a knife the night before, according to Harris. 

Police arrived at the victim’s West Berkeley home around 6:30 a.m., and were told that he had been attacked by an unknown assailant Thursday night. He said that the suspect had slashed through his T-shirt and wounded him in the chest. He showed the wound to the responding officers. 

The man was transported to a medical facility and given treatment for the wound. Police have opened an investigation. 

An employee of the Walgreens drug store at the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Gilman Street arrived at work early Thursday morning to discover that the front door had been pried open, according to Harris. 

When police arrived, they discovered that cigarettes had been stolen from the store.  

According to Harris, there is some question about whether the store’s alarm went off. 

The owner of a south Berkeley convenience store was the victim of a hate crime Sept. 16, according to Harris. 

At around 5:50 p.m., a man entered the market and began to shout at the owner of the store. The suspect described the victim as an “Afghan terrorist,” threw food picked off the shelves at the victim and fled in a brown Toyota Corolla. 

The suspect is an African American male, 39 or 40 years old, around six feet tall and weighing around 180 pounds. 

– Hank Sims 

SACRAMENTO — Calling California’s shortage of trained teachers “nothing less than a crisis,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin Tuesday urged the state to increase teacher salaries and phase out the hiring of uncredentialed teachers. 

Eastin presented a task force report she commissioned to teachers, administrators and an eighth-grade video class taping the event at Natomas Middle School. 

“I believe in accountability for students,” Eastin said, “but it isn’t fair for students in schools with 80 percent uncredentialed teachers” to face the new standards without help. 

The state’s school districts have hired tens of thousands of untrained teachers although more than four credentialed teachers exist for every opening, the report shows. 

A 40-member task force of teachers and education administrators said increasing pay and phasing out the hiring of uncredentialed teachers would help increase the state’s pool of qualified teachers. 

“If we are really going to have general reform, we need put a laser-like focus on the educators who will lead our schools,” Eastin said. “We want recruitment and retention, not just of warm bodies but of educators.” 

California has 1.3 million trained teachers and 290,000 teaching jobs, but many openings go unfilled because teachers gravitate toward higher-paying districts, said the report. 

The report criticized the state for paying teachers too little and raising extra barriers for those with out-of-state credentials and teachers returning to the classroom. 

State incentives also encourage people to enter teaching without a credential, making it more likely they will eventually quit teaching, the report said. 

“The problem with emergency credentialed folks is they have no prior training and most are gone within a short time. Forty percent are gone within a year,” said Skip Meno, who co-chaired the task force. “What we’re doing is pouring water into a bathtub with a big hole at the bottom.” 

Last year, California had more than 42,000 uncredentialed teachers, more than any other state. 

Schools in poor communities and those with larger proportions of English learners have higher numbers of uncredentialed teachers. Students in schools with large minority populations are seven times more likely to have untrained teachers. 

Low-performing schools should not be allowed to hire uncredentialed teachers in proportions higher than the state average, the report said. 

Emergency credentials, the task force recommended, should be phased out within five years, which would force district to hire only those with credentials. 

More undergraduate university programs should include teacher training as part of the degree and give students opportunities to teach, the report urged. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court said Tuesday it would revisit a decision allowing battered women and abused children to be granted asylum in the United States. 

Without comment, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it would rehear a case of a Mexican illegal immigrant who fled her country to Los Angeles because her father repeatedly beat her. In March, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit said the 19-year-old girl could stay in the United States. 

It was the first ruling of its kind allowing a refugee to be eligible for asylum by showing severe abuse by a relative, coupled with an inability to find safety in their homeland. 

Normally, asylum is granted to those for religious or political reasons. The court did not indicate when it would rehear the case of Rosalba Aguirre-Cervantes, this time with 11 judges. 

The case is Aguirre-Cervantes v. INS, 99-70861. 

BRISBANE — Many Americans heard about terrorism, security, and a few words about human rights in the few minutes ABC, NBC and CBS spent covering President Bush’s first trip to China. 

But NBC’s Tom Brokaw never mentioned Taiwan pulling out of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shanghai, the latest incident in a decades-long power struggle with China. 

CBS’s Dan Rather didn’t mention the anti-American protests in Indonesia and Malaysia. And ABC’s World News Tonight didn’t report that every resident of Shanghai was given five days vacation during the conference. 

Viewers in the San Francisco Bay area saw these stories and much more Friday on KTSF, the only station in the United States to produce its own nightly Chinese language newscasts. 

U.S. census data shows Asians grew faster than any other group in the United States during the 1990s. Those people, many of them Chinese-Americans, represent a “subterranean market” with a hunger for news about China, says Orville Schell, Dean of the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Journalism. 

“For Chinese in America, China’s always a huge story,” Schell said. Chinese-language media “is very effective, and does reach an enormous number of people.” 

KTSF, an independent station based in suburban Brisbane, has been producing news since 1989, when Mei Ling Sze, a television journalist from Hong Kong, helped launch “Cantonese News.” 

“The Chinese community saw there was a big vacuum,” said Sze, who is anchor and Managing Editor of the nightly, hour-long program. “The community wanted quality newscasts.” 

Sze later helped launch “Mandarin News,” which now airs for a half-hour nightly. 

With an editorial staff of just 14, KTSF takes video from CNN, Hong Kong’s ATV News, Taiwan’s Power TV, and Beijing-based CCTV, and writes its own stories for its Chinese-speaking audience.  

Also, five reporters cover local stories. 

Of the 2,433,000 Chinese in the United States, 980,642 live in California, most concentrated in the San Francisco Bay area, according to the latest census. 

The station’s audience isn’t measured by Nielsen Media Research, but a study commissioned by KTSF found 86 percent of Cantonese-speaking households in the Bay Area were tuning in on any given night, according to Michael Sherman, KTSF’s General Manager. 

“Most of these households are monolingual,” Sherman said. “We almost have a captive audience.” 

Those numbers are borne out in the popularity of Chinese-language newspapers. The Mandarin-language World Journal, owned by a Taiwanese company, claims to be the biggest Chinese-language paper in the United States, with a North American circulation of approximately 350,000. Hong Kong-based Cantonese newspaper Sing Tao Daily disputes this, and claims it is the biggest. 

For many Chinese in America, these are the only sources of news they can access. 

“The Chinese-language news is very much a news ghetto. Relatively few people who watch it are getting any other news,” says Schell. “It’s the linguistic barrier.” 

Though bound together by language, the ethnic Chinese population in the United States includes widely diverging viewpoints, and Sze tries to reflect the different perspectives of mainland China, Taiwan and the United States in her news judgments. 

She keeps a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights close at hand to use as her guiding principle, she says. 

KTSF’s nightly Mandarin-language call-in show “China Crosstalk,” hosted by Jay Stone Shih, must also find that balance. 

“We talk about facts. We try to stay away from rhetoric,” he said. 

Schell says Shih’s program is succeeding. “It’s as balanced as it gets,” Schell says. “The Chinese language media was once very anti-communist. Now it tends to tread very gingerly on those issues.” 

Mainstream American media is not spared the critical eye Chinese have used to view Chinese government-sponsored news for years. 

Shih, Sze and Sherman all point to Chinese-Americans’ reaction to the conflict last spring over the U.S. spy plane that went down on Hainan Island. 

“Their first instinct was not to trust American media,” Sherman said. “They wanted to hear Chinese sources on the same thing.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.ktsf.com 

SACRAMENTO — Pacific Lumber Company began logging in the Hole in the Headwaters area of Northern California Tuesday, days after state regulators gave it final permission. 

The company on Tuesday rejected proposals that it sell the land to the state or federal governments so it could be permanently preserved. 

Pacific Lumber began cutting what it said would be primarily second-growth, roughly 80-year-old redwood and Douglas fir on 595 acres within the Headwaters Forest area. 

The state purchased the Headwaters area of Humboldt County with its old-growth redwoods for $480 million nearly three years ago, but Pacific Lumber retained a 705-acre site in the middle dubbed the Hole in the Headwaters as part of the agreement. The company will not log 110 acres of the site under its state permit. 

The company received final permission to begin cutting Thursday from the State Water Resources Control Board. That ended a 2 1/2-year legal and regulatory battle, but the company said it expects environmental activists to attempt to block timber cutting. 

“It’s a damn shame. It’s an area that clearly should have been part of the original (Headwaters) acquisition,” said Paul Mason, executive director of the Environmental Protection Information Center. 

The company, in a statement, said it is not interested in selling land it was allowed to log as partial compensation for selling other holdings under the Headwaters agreement. It said it already has invested tens of thousands of dollars in preparing to log the site but had been blocked from cutting a single tree until Tuesday. 

While Mason said the logging disrupts the Headwaters watershed, the company said a ridge separates the area from the most of the Headwaters Reserve. 

Mason also said objected that state regulators should have required the company to install water quality monitoring equipment before beginning logging.  

Water quality readings that will be required starting Dec. 1 could be tainted by erosion from logging operations until then, he said. 

The state water board rejected that option Thursday when it set the December deadline for Pacific Lumber and its affiliated Scotia Pacific Lumber Co. to begin monitoring the south fork of the Elk River. 

Company officials said they amended their plans over the last 2 1/2 years to add environmental protections beyond those required by state law. 

Cut trees will be airlifted by helicopter to an existing loading area, and the company’s permit bars new road construction until spring, when water quality monitoring equipment will be in place. The company also will repair more than 60 erosion problem spots along existing logging roads. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Pesticide use for agriculture, pest control and landscape maintenance declined in California in 2000 for the second straight year, dipping to the lowest level since 1992, a state report says. 

That decrease is largely due to increased use of reduced-risk chemicals and practices. That includes scouting the fields to see what pesticides may be present, rather than simply spraying because it’s a certain time of year, said Glenn Brank, spokesman for the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, which released the report Tuesday. 

“We’re certainly encouraged by the reports from the last two years,” he said. “A change in weather and other factors may change those numbers for 2001, but I think there very clearly is an indication that we are going in the right direction.” 

Good weather in 2000 led to a lower number of pests to infect crops, which helped bring down pesticide numbers, Brank said. 

About 188 million pounds of pesticides were used throughout the state in 2000, down from 202 million pounds in 1999. There’s been a drop of almost 27 million pounds since 1998. 

“What it shows is that when people really work on this they can make a huge difference in reducing pesticide use,” said Susan Kegley, staff scientist for San Francisco-based Pesticide Action Network. 

Kegley attributed much of the decline to regulatory and public pressure. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing all pesticides in use and has further restricted many of them. Growers know that others may go the same way, so they’re looking for alternatives, Kegley said. 

The use of soil fumigants, such as methyl bromide and metam-sodium, which are used in higher application rates than many other pesticides, has also been reduced. Methyl bromide use decreased by more than 4.3 million pounds and the use of metam-sodium decreased by 3.9 million pounds statewide. The two chemicals were also used on fewer acres. 

California has the toughest restrictions on methyl bromide in the country, and it’s working on other soil fumigants, Brank said. 

“We’ve launched a statewide initiative to control the use of fumigants in general because we don’t want people to shift from methyl bromide to some other fumigant,” he said. “That just shifts the problem.” 

Kegley said that’s already happening to some degree, with the use of the soil fumigant telone on the rise. 

Pesticide use was down 3 million pounds in wine grape crops, down 2.7 million pounds in raisin and table grape crops and down 2 million pounds in processing tomatoes. 

California’s 6,000 almond growers, who supply 75 percent of the world’s almonds, also decreased pesticide use by 3 million pounds statewide. 

“I think our growers are getting better at looking at their orchards in more of a scientific way, and looking at targeting pests and timing the spraying so that it’s most effective,” said Chris Heintz, director of product research and environment for the state Almond Board. 

In addition to using fewer chemicals, the almond industry is also using less-toxic pesticides, she said. 

“These are hard economic times for growers, and I think some of the decrease in use is from growers trying to save money,” Heintz said. 

CUPERTINO — Apple Computer Inc. unveiled a portable digital music device Tuesday that is the size of a deck of cards but holds 1,000 digitally recorded songs. 

The MP3 player, called iPod, works only on Macintoshes running Apple’s proprietary operating systems and iTunes 2, the company’s latest music software. The device will cost $399 and be available Nov. 10. 

Despite the slumping economy, analysts expect the iPod to sell well among the 7 million users already equipped with Macintoshes compatible with the device. 

“People aren’t willing to buy a new personal computer but they are willing to buy things to accessorize it,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Giga Information Group. 

The sleek, 6.5-ounce gadget is the first portable music player that transfers files via FireWire — a faster cable than the Universal Serial Bus cables commonly used for many digital devices. A CD worth of music would take 5 to 10 seconds to download to the player, versus 5 hours needed via USB, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said. 

Jobs introduced the product to 300 reporters and analysts at an event complete with a video promotion featuring endorsements from recording artists such as Moby and SmashMouth. 

The device, which runs on Mac OS 9.2.1 and Mac OS X Version 10.1, boasts a battery life of 10 hours and has a 5 gigabyte hard drive. 

“We think this is a major, major breakthrough,” Jobs said. 

Analysts agreed. 

“This definitely raises the bar in portable music devices in terms of industrial design and capacity,” said Susan Kevorkian, an analyst with International Data Corp. 

The iPod is part of the “digital lifestyle” that Jobs promoted since January. 

Until Tuesday, Apple had introduced only software products to make its Macs the hub for digital music, video and pictures. IPod is Apple’s first consumer electronics gadget. More devices will follow, Jobs said. 

Apple, which has five percent of the worldwide PC market, also hopes to gain new customers with the device. 

“We’re starting to add more and more reasons for people to come back to Mac or to choose a Mac,” said Phil Schiller, vice president of worldwide product marketing.

LOS ANGELES — A judge Tuesday ordered a divided jury to resume deliberations on whether City of Hope hospital is owed hundreds of millions of dollars in drug royalties from the biotechnology firm Genentech Inc. 

Superior Court Judge Edward Y. Kakita issued the instruction, which is common in such situations in California courts, the morning after the jury reported it was evenly split on the first question before them, a breach-of-contract claim. 

“Do your best to reach a verdict,” Kakita told the 12 jurors. 

At issue is a 1976 contract between South San Francisco-based Genentech and City of Hope in Duarte which provided that Genentech would fund research at the City of Hope’s Beckman Research Institute. In return, Genentech would own whatever patents would be issued and would pay the hospital a 2 percent royalty on the sales of certain drugs resulting from the research. 

The hospital sued Genentech, alleging it concealed licenses with drug companies over the 25 years of the deal to avoid paying about $340 million in royalties. Genentech owes the hospital more than $400 million, including interest, the hospital argued. 

Genentech argued it only owed royalties for drugs made using synthetic DNA manufactured by City of Hope. 

The jury heard 16 days of testimony in the trial, which began Sept. 4.

GILLETTE, Wyo. — One of the first guys was from UPS. He told someone at Pennaco Energy, and from there word got around in the natural gas fields about Becky DeVeny’s breakfast burritos. 

Best breakfast burritos on Gillette’s north side, and the cheeseburgers are good, too, Redstone Resources pumper Sal Martinez said as he squirted a pile of ketchup into his fries. 

“I don’t pack a lunch anymore. I heard about the breakfast burritos in the field and I heard she had good green chili. That’s what made me check it out.” 

A handful of fast-food entrepreneurs have figured out that you don’t have to be in town to capitalize on the energy boom. Every day, thousands of workers stream out of Wyoming towns to go to work in oil and gas fields and coal mines, taking their hunger with them. 

DeVeny knew that some of the busiest natural gas fields are north of Gillette, so she opened a roadside hot food franchise in June, just a slight swerve off of U.S. 14-16 north of Gillette. 

“Mornings are the busiest,” DeVeny said. “I give out my phone number so they can order their cheeseburger in advance.” 

DeVeny has $200 and $300 days. The customers are loyal, she said, and the only advertising is word-of-mouth. 

The roadside eatery opportunities that cater to industry workers can be found all over the state. A passer-by wouldn’t expect to see much activity in Lysite, a town of 27 with a dog named Pepper who acts as mayor, according to two locals. 

But the remote railroad town about 70 miles northwest of Casper happens to be on the way to Burlington Resources’ Lost Cabin gas plant construction site and two of the largest drilling rigs operating in North America. 

More than 700 people go to work in the area every day, and most of them pass through Lysite, where Eat and Run emits tantalizing smells from a small white trailer. 

“It’s the hot food. At first they didn’t care if it was cold. But they like hot food because they were tired of loading up cardboard boxed food from (convenience stores),” said Mary Schrock, who opened Eat and Run in 1997. 

She sold the business to her friend Vonda Jarman. Jarman makes French dips, chili dogs, breakfast burritos and a dozen other dishes for dozens of customers every day. 

“You’ve got to get used to their shifts,” Jarman said. 

On Wednesday, Jarman prepared a cheeseburger for one worker who always stops in before 7 p.m. 

“We don’t treat anybody special, we just treat them like family,” Jarman said. 

With the shift work, there’s usually a morning and evening rush. But a few tourists usually stop in just to say they’ve had lunch in Lysite. 

Jarman has one part-time helper during the week and the store is closed on the weekends — except during hunting season, of course. Like other worker-targeted eateries, Jarman’s Eat and Run gets a boost from catering company events. 

Grey Wolf and TIC often ask Jarman to cater safety classes, barbecues and other get-togethers. 

In Midwest, a remnant of an oil boom town, Barbara Burgess is at Whiners Restaurant at 4 a.m. every Friday to begin making between 75 and 100 breakfast burritos. 

Midwest-based Howell Corp. has a safety meeting for its employees every Friday, and the breakfast burritos helps lure them in quickly. 

“Word-of-mouth, that’s how I’m making it. It’s getting better every year,” said Burgess, owner of Whiners. 

LONDON — For the first time, a senior Olympic official questioned Tuesday whether the Winter Games should go ahead in Salt Lake City while the United States is at war in Afghanistan. 

But the International Olympic Committee reiterated that the games would go on as planned in February, saying that only “World War III” could lead to a possible change. 

Gerhard Heiberg, a respected IOC member from Norway, became the first IOC official to suggest publicly that the games might not take place in the crisis stemming from the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States. 

“A country at war can’t organize the Olympic Games,” Heiberg was quoted as saying in the Norwegian evening paper Aftenposten. 

Heiberg’s words carry significant weight.  

He was the organizer of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, considered the best Winter Games in history, and serves on the IOC oversight commission for the Salt Lake Games. 

Aftenposten quoted Heiberg as saying that the commission, which meets next week in Salt Lake, is expected to discuss if U.S. military action in Afghanistan is “an armed conflict, a military operation, a strike against terrorism or a war.” 

“It’s clear that we have to discuss what would happen,” Heiberg was reported as saying. “I must add that it’s an important issue. ... 

“It’s a hypothetical question now if the Olympics could be staged or not. It’s too early to say what’s going to happen in three months.” 

Attempts to reach Heiberg were unsuccessful. Calls to his home, office and mobile phone went unanswered. 

IOC President Jacques Rogge and Salt Lake organizing chief Mitt Romney have repeatedly insisted the games will go ahead, saying beefed-up security measures would ensure the safety of athletes and spectators. 

“President Rogge has made it abundantly clear the games will go on. To do otherwise would be giving into terrorism,” a statement from Romney said Tuesday. 

“The games are needed now more than ever. The IOC executive board has voted unanimously on this decision. We have our marching orders from the IOC and are moving forward to stage great games in February,” Romney said. 

Salt Lake Organizing Committee Chairman Robert Garff said the games “could be one of the safest places on earth” with protection by 7,000 federal, state and military personnel. 

“The games have only been canceled during world wars and this is a long way from a world war,” Garff said. “This is about terrorists who are isolated and scattered.” 

IOC Director General Francois Carrard said Tuesday he had seen reports of Heiberg’s remarks and tried unsuccessfully to reach him by phone for a clarification. 

But Carrard stressed there is no provision in the Olympic Charter, the IOC’s official rule book, that says the games cannot be held in a country which is at war. 

Carrard said he believed Heiberg may have been referring to terms of the host city contract, a document signed by the IOC with every Olympic host city. 

“In the host city contract, we always have a clause that provides if there is a war in the country, we have the right to terminate (the games) if we feel it appropriate,” he said. “It would be our call. This is not at all the situation that presently exists.” 

Carrard said there were no contingency plans for canceling the Feb. 8-24 games. The only time the modern Olympics have been called off has been during the world wars. 

“There is no plan at all to cancel, postpone, or move the games, or take other steps,” Carrard told The Associated Press. “Everybody is working very hard toward the holding of the games. Nobody is contemplating for any reasons to cancel the games.” 

Rogge, accompanied by Carrard, toured the United States this month and came away further convinced that the games would and should take place. 

“What we heard and were told from all sources, was that people, now more than ever, see the holding of the games in Salt Lake City as a positive answer because of the message they carry of peace,” Carrard said. “Not holding the games would be giving in to terrorism and going backward.” 

But, for the first time, the IOC identified a scenario which could cause the games to be called off. 

“The only situation would be outside circumstances such as World War III, preventing traveling throughout the world, making it impossible for the delegations to come,” Carrard said. “In that case, we would see what could or could not be done. We are not stupid, of course. But we cannot speculate or make assumptions.” 

MISSOULA, Mont. — Public comments overwhelming opposed a Bush administration plan to scrap grizzly bear reintroductions along the Montana-Idaho border, but most were form letters drafted by environmental groups, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report shows. 

A spokesman for Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who put the reintroduction plan on hold, said public opinion will not be the determining factor in the plan’s future. 

“Public opinion will be a portion of the decision-making process,” Mark Pfeifle said Tuesday. “But it won’t be the only thing.” 

The federal wildlife agency received more than 28,000 written comments during a 60-day public comment period on Norton’s plan to halt grizzly reintroductions in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness of Montana and Idaho. 

An analysis provided by the wildlife agency showed 98 percent said they oppose Norton’s plan. However, the analysis also showed that about 88 percent of all the comments came in form letters, most from environmental groups opposed to Norton’s plan. 

Mark Pfeifle, a spokesman for Norton, said the department will review the comments, but noted that the reintroduction plan was “never a public opinion contest.” 

The department’s final decision will be based on “the policy, the science, and the needs and desires of local elected officials and citizens who would be most affected,” he said. 

In June, Norton proposed setting aside a Clinton-era plan to reintroduce grizzlies into the remote mountains of western Montana and central Idaho. 

The plan had drawn complaints from local officials and ranchers concerned about the bears’ reputation for killing and eating livestock and their infrequent but occasionally violent encounters with people. Environmentalists have seen the relocation issue as a test of Norton’s commitment to protecting rare or endangered species. 

It was seen by others as a sign of her determination to cooperate with governors such as Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, a Republican who sued to stop the plan two days before President Bush took office, and who has portrayed the bears as “massive, flesh-eating carnivores.” 

Kempthorne was among those who commented on the plan, criticizing federal officials for not adequately evaluating the potential for human conflicts with the bears. 

In both states, opposition to Norton’s plan among those who submitted comments was strong.  

In Idaho, 98 percent opposed halting the reintroduction. In Montana, 93 percent of those who responded said they opposed Norton’s move. 

“I certainly think the public has spoken,” said Tom France, a Missoula-based attorney for the National Wildlife Federation and one of the authors of the original reintroduction plan. “It is clear that Secretary Norton is running hard against what most people think is the right thing to do.” 

Pfeifle said administration officials are “still looking through the comments for new scientific or biological information.” 

“The analysis has not been entirely finished,” he said. “We are looking at both the quantity and the quality of public input.” 

RENO, Nev. — Another downtown hotel-casino went dark on Tuesday when the Flamingo Reno closed, leaving some 1,000 employees looking for work. 

Promptly at noon, security guards locked chains through gates leading to a rear entrance, while about 100 people carrying American flags and signs protested a few yards away. 

“The Flamingo has a logo. The logo is be a team player. We became a team player,” said Dan Colvin, a bartender for 12 years. 

“They said ‘Support our cause,’ We supported the cause. Where are they as far as being a team player? Where are they as far as supporting the cause?” 

The protest was organized by Culinary Workers union Local 86, which is urging seller Park Place Entertainment Corp. to extend workers’ pay beyond Dec. 4 and to provide benefits past the end of the year. 

The union, which represents about half of the employees, is asking for severance pay based on seniority and for health insurance through March or April, when it says jobs are typically more available. 

“What’s Park Place’s message to us? They’re just going to cut and run,” said Kevin Kline, the union’s director of organizing. “We’re just asking for something to get us through the winter.” 

Park Place spokeswoman Debbie Munch said the company felt it had gone beyond what it was required to do. 

When the property was sold to Las Vegas-based Capital One LLC, “the buyer made it clear he planned to close and seek permitting to go forward with extensive renovations.” 

“When we learned that the buyer would close the resort we took the initiative to close it ourselves. ... to cushion the transition.” 

Along with the pay and benefits required by law, Munch said Park Place was using a more generous formula than required to calculate tip income and was giving the workers preferences in hiring at its other northern properties, the Reno Hilton and Caesars Tahoe. 

In recent months as business faltered, she said Park Place had continued medical coverage for workers who fell below the required 30-hour weekly minimum needed to receive the benefit. 

“We’re sorry to lose our Flamingo Reno people but we’ve done everything we can to help them through this transition,” she said. 

Some 30 businesses are participating in a job fair the Reno Hilton is hosting Wednesday for the employees. 

Hurt by a sluggish northern Nevada tourism economy, the Flamingo is the fourth downtown Reno casino to close over the past three years, along with the Comstock, the Pioneer and the Riverboat. The previously closed Virginian reopened as part of the new Cal-Neva and the Holiday closed but reopened as part of the new Siena. 

The sale of the 604-room hotel was prompted by “economic and competitive conditions” in Reno that are forcing Park Place to concentrate on a single property there, the Reno Hilton, said Scott LaPorta, executive vice president and chief financial officer. 

“We regret the necessity of this decision, but the continued challenges in Reno, particularly the significant reduction in air service over the last 18 months, have caused our Flamingo Reno to operate at a loss,” he said. 

Capital One intends to reopen the hotel in the spring, according to Ken Merkey, chief executive officer of the real estate development company. Along with the renovations, he expects it will take that long to receive a Nevada gambling license. 

He told the Reno Gazette-Journal that Reno LLC, the Capital One subsidiary that is buying the property, might seek a licensed operator to run the casino and has talked to Bob Cashell, whose gaming experience includes running Boomtown Hotel-Casino. 

Flamingo Hilton originally opened on July 1, 1978, as the Sahara Reno, part of the Del Webb Corp. Del Webb sold it to Hilton Hotels Corp. in 1981. 

Park Place is the world’s largest gambling company and owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gambling properties operating under the Caesars, Bally’s, Paris, Flamingo, Grand Casinos and Hilton brand names. 

Terms of the sale to Capital One were not disclosed. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Park Place Entertainment Corp.: http://www.parkplace.com 

Culinary Workers union: http://culinaryunion.org 

SACRAMENTO — California voters will be asked next March if they want to extent the term limits they imposed on their state legislators 11 years ago. 

An initiative allowing lawmakers to serve up to four more years if enough voters sign petitions backing the move received enough signatures to qualify for the March 5 ballot, elections officials said Tuesday. 

The measure, a constitutional amendment backed by key lawmakers and a wide range of interest groups, got signatures from more than 738,000 voters. It needed at least 670,816 to qualify. 

Currently, lawmakers can serve up to three two-year terms in the state Assembly and two four-year terms in the state Senate, although those limits can be stretched if someone is elected initially to fill a midterm vacancy. 

The initiative would allow a senator to seek one more term and an Assembly member to run for two more if enough voters in their districts sign petitions backing the extension. 

The number of signatures would have to equal at least 20 percent of the votes cast for that office in the previous general election. 

The measure’s supporters say it would allow a few popular lawmakers to stay in office and provide the Legislature with the experience it often lacks now. 

“What we have in California now is a Legislature of rookies, and rookies don’t do as good a job and experience does matter,” said Karen Caves, a spokeswoman for the initiative’s supporters. 

But term-limit supporters say that virtually every lawmaker will be able to gather the required signatures because of their ability to raise money to pay for signature collectors. 

A Field Institute poll released earlier this month found that half of the voters surveyed said they were inclined to support the initiative and 44 percent said they were opposed. 

A vote for the measure could trigger similar efforts in other states, observers say. 

The campaign fight over the proposal could be an expensive one. Supporters have already raised more than $1 million. 

Much of the money has come in five-figure donations from some of the Capitol’s biggest campaign donors, including the cable television industry, liquor interests, card parlors, insurers and groups representing teachers, carpenters, prison guards and attorneys. 

“We have a broad base of support, from firefighters to teachers to the business community to senior and consumer groups,” said Caves. 

Representatives of U.S. Term Limits, a national group opposing the measure, did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. 

When Kalief LaHutt saw his tattered green and white RV released in front of the impound lot, he was overwhelmed.  

“It’s like getting a whole new lease on life,” said LaHutt, who has lived in the camper for more than two years. “I feel like I can get on with my life.”  

LaHutt, 44, is unemployed. Since the city impounded his camper on Aug. 24 for lack of registration and five outstanding parking tickets, he has been sleeping on roofs and under bushes. The release of his RV was the first success of the student-run Suitcase Clinic, a pilot program, which uses attorneys from the East Bay Community Law Center and law students from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Law School to offer legal advice to the city’s homeless. With the clinic’s assistance, LaHutt got the City Council to pay the $1,600 to get his camper back last month. 

Working out of Berkeley churches and shelters, the Suitcase Clinic has offered a number of services to the area’s homeless during the last 13 years. Staffed by undergraduate volunteers, the clinic offers on-site services ranging from medical exams and social worker services, to foot washing and haircuts.  

“Suitcase Clinic is run by undergraduates,” said Tirien Steinbach, a lawyer with the EBCLC and the driving force behind the project, in a six-month testing period. “It just seemed like a natural expansion of services would be to have law students involved.”  

While the clinic has long provided biweekly legal advice through lawyers of the Homeless Action Center, Steinbach said, homeless discussion groups expressed a need for expanded legal counseling. After a six-month assessment, Steinbach, local lawyers and legal interns from Cal’s law school began offering legal advice last month at all three of the Suitcase Clinic’s weekly clinics. And while the EBCLC is not officially involved in the project, its lawyers and interns are working overtime to make it a success. 

At the clinic’s service sites eight or so undergraduate volunteers are there just to talk with the scores of homeless milling about. Lawyers and interns now set up tables to provide legal counseling. The interns are accompanied and advised by local attorneys who have volunteered their services – “keeping in mind that we’re law students,” said second-year student Margaret Richardson. “We don’t necessarily have the answers, but we can search for them with people.”  

Program administrators say if a legal question cannot be resolved in one session, students research the case further. 

Steinbach said the new services are tailored to the needs expressed by homeless people. Some clients need help filing for divorce, while others have questions involving copyright protection for their writings.  

“The issues that come up every week run the gamut,” she said. 

“I always now ask: ‘Well, what do you want to happen?’” she said. “And it might be the sun, and the moon, and something that I cannot do, but at least I’ll have some sense of what they think is what needs to happen. Sometimes I’m there to say: ‘Well, this is the parameters of what is a legal solution,’ and unfortunately there’s not a lot. A lot of what I have to say is that there are not a lot of options.”  

Still, she said, there are many things they can help with, including police citations, civil rights, and bench warrants.  

Citation defense is particularly important for the homeless, Steinback said. 

“Once you’ve become involved in this swinging, revolving door of arrest and citations, and warrants and jail, and arrest and citations, and warrants and jail, it’s very hard to get out of it,” she said.  

Few homeless people can afford to pay fines for citations, Steinbach said, and one of the project’s main objectives is to help people navigate and defend themselves within the legal system.  

“The bottom line for me is empowering people to advocate for themselves, and, when we need to, advocating on their behalf,” she said.  

But Steinbach stressed that the clinic’s legal services cannot provide formal legal representation. Its primary focus, she said, is to give legal advice and refer clients to groups such as the EBCLC or individual attorneys to represent them.  

With that in mind, the Suitcase Clinic attempts to address the interplay of homeless clients’ legal, health, mental and housing problems. “Maybe you have to talk not just about getting a warrant cleared up,” said Mark Davey, an intern with the EBCLC, “but also about getting drug and alcohol treatment.”  

Steinbach said without formal consent of the client, they do not discuss cases.  

Project coordinators say they do not pressure clients to do anything they’re not ready to do. 

“Some people are working very hard not to be homeless,” Steinbach said. “Others simply want their rights enforced.”  

No two cases are alike, she said. And with each case, the program will not push clients into anything – it just provides services. 

In the case of LaHutt, he didn’t want to get off the streets. He just wanted his camper back. For years, he said, he had parked it in five or six spots throughout the area, but when he lost his job as a sales associate for the San Francisco Weekly a year ago, he said he thought he’d lost his ability to get it out of impound.  

“I had an idea of what I wanted to do,” said LaHutt, whose legal name is Gregory Hayes. “What I needed was advice. I needed to know legally what kind of action I could take.” 

Steinbach assisted LaHutt in putting the issue before the City Council. On Sept. 13, the council voted to pay for his camper’s release. Since the vehicle had not been registered, LaHutt said, the tickets could not be attributed to him.  

“It just seemed like it was such an absurdity that we were having a person that was using their vehicle as their residence and that the vehicle was taken from them.” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who voted to pay for the camper’s release. 

It was a great moment for LaHutt, the EBCLC and the Suitcase Clinic. Still, it was a small victory in what Steinbach says is the much larger battle of creating a community more sensitive to the needs of the homeless.  

Worthington said working on an individual’s case is not enough. “I don’t think we’ve really addressed the issue of people in their vehicles. It’s a tiny positive step for a small number of people who appear to be homeless.”  

“The city plays the important buffer role between community service providers, local businesses, the homeless population, and homeowners,” said Jane Micallef, a community services specialist for the city. “From the city’s standpoint, we have to take into account both where people without homes sleep, and how that impacts the rest of the community.”  

While LaHutt may have his camper back, nothing ensures it will not be impounded another time, or if it is impounded, that the city will bail him out again. And LaHutt continues his battle with the system. A few hours after he received his camper, police arrested him for not paying a ticket he recieved for “disturbing the peace” while he was playing music outside the Ashby BART station flea market. 

“(Berkeley is) a city, and it’s got a lot of big city issues,” Steinbach said. “You only have to walk down Telegraph Avenue a few times to see that.”  

Monday, Oct 22

Franciscanism, Understanding  

the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Interfaith Couples Look at  

Love and Choices 

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Two films to stimulate discussion about interfaith families, love and identity. $25 per couple. 548-0237 

Tuesday, Oct. 23

UNtraining White Liberal  

Racism 

2 - 5 p.m. 

The UNtraining offers personal work in a supportive setting for white people to address our unconscious racial conditioning. $10. Private residence, call 235-6134 for address.  

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

6:30 -8 p.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The City is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

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 prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday.  

655-8863 

Similarities between Jewish  

and Deadhead Spirituality 

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

It’s been observed that a disproportionate number of deadheads are Jews. Dr. Leora Lawton, researcher of deadhead culture, explores the fascinating parallels between Jewish and deadhead rituals. $25 public, $15 members. 548-0237 

Unitarian Universalists at UC 

12:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Faculty Club 

Professor Michael Nagler, Chair of the Peace and Conflict Studies program, speaks on non violent solutions to current events and his new book, "Is There No Better Way?" Open to the public. (925)376-9000  

Wednesday, Oct. 24

Free Legal Workshop 

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave. 

This workshop will provide information about State and Federal disability programs that provide cash benefits and health insurance for people unable to work due to a serious health condition. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. 

Every Wednesday through Nov. 28 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034 

Yoga for People with HIV/AIDS 

10:45 - 11:45 a.m. 

Center for AIDS Services 

5720 Shattuck Ave.  

Free Kundalini Yoga class for people with HIV/AIDS. Mats provided, you may bring a towel. Eating within an hour of class is not advised. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Beginners and drop-ins welcome. 841-4339 

Socratic Circle 

6 - 7 p.m. 

Cafe Eclectica 

1309 Solano Ave., Albany 

Does your brain need a work out? Free and open to all. 527-2344. 

Thursday, Oct. 25

Free Quit Smoking Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

2344 6th St. 

With the option of acupuncture. Six Thursday evenings through Dec. 6. 

Contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program to register and for more information, 644-6422 or e-mail QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Town Hall” Community  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

2700 Park St. 

San Pablo Park Neighborhood Council with support from the City, will be hosting this community meeting. Scheduled to attend: Mayor Shirley Dean, Council Member Margaret Breland, Michael Caplan from the City Manager’s Office, Recreation Director Madeline Law, and Berkeley Police Personnel. 848-2427 

Latin Dance Class 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Salsa, Cha-cha, Merengue... $10, No partner necessary. All ages and levels welcome. 508-4616 

Berkeley Community Fund 

Eighth Annual Awards Dinner 

6 p.m. 

Radisson Hotel 

Berkeley Marina 

Bestowing the Benjamin Ide Wheller Medal and Berkeley Community Awards. 843-5202 www.berkfund.org  

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 

Open gathering for prayer, chanting, meditation, healing and peace talks 

honoring the victims of the Sept. 11. 273-2447 

Friday, Oct. 26

Listen to James Joyce’s Ulysses 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hulse Rauh leads a group listening. All are welcome.  

Saturday, Oct. 27

Bay Area Coalition to End the Sanctions on Iraq 

5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento  

Speakers Hans Von Sponeck, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who resigned his position as humanitarian coordinator for Iraq to protest U.N. policies, and Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, who has taken 39 humanitarian aid trips to Iraq, Call for an end to the U.S. led bombing and sanctions on Iraq. 538-0209 www.endthesanctions. org 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Low-cost Hatha Yoga Classes 

9:30 - 11 a.m. 

James Kenney Rec. Center 

1720 Eighth St.  

The City is offering low- cost Hatha Yoga classes for adults. Taught by certified instructor. Drop-ins are welcome. Bring a mat or towel. $6. 981-6650 

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Help Cerrito Creek 

10 a.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito's Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street). 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing invasive non-natives to improve  

habitat on lower Cerrito Creek. Bring shovels and work gloves if you have them. 848 9358, www.fivecreeks.org 

Sunday, Oct. 28

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Our Visual Heritage 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Ashkenaz 

1613 San Pablo Ave. 

Deaf and Hearing Project of Berkeley presents an ASL (American Sign Language) accessible event, in recognition of World and Domestic Violence Prevention Disability Awareness Month featuring, music, dance, information and more. $10, Children under 12 free. 644-2003, 644-2000 (TTY) 

Editor: 

I am a junior in Common Ground, and also an editor on the Berkeley High School paper, The Jacket. I have been reading your reports on our small school, and I am outraged. I understand that you must back up your staff, and that you have certain views on certain subjects. As news reporters, your job is not to state your opinion, but, more importantly, to inform your readers about what is going on in the community. I know that to publish an article or editorial, there are often intense discussions that precede publication. When we printed the story about the Common Ground Yosemite trip, we had talk after talk about what kind of publicity we wanted to focus around. As it was a news story, we definitely did not want to sensationalize it. What we opted for was just the facts, negative and positive. Besides just printing the Yosemite story, and then forgetting about Common Ground altogether, in our next issue we are printing a story on the field studies that many students are involved in and enjoying immensely.  

No one ever told you to “sit down and shut up.” The parents who wrote to you only hoped that you would include positive slants when you write about Common Ground. So many newspapers print negative views on life; it would be more original to print the good things as well. To report on the wilderness and communications committees that the Common Ground students have formed, along with the problems that occurred in Yosemite, would be honorable.  

As for the trip itself, for me, the point of going was to bond with fellow students and teachers in a beautiful environment. I did just that. I made new friends, took a wonderful scenic walk, and just had fun. Only a small percentage of our group took advantage of the low supervision ratio, and the rest of us had an amazing time. All this despite the obvious lows of having to leave early and having to have to see our teachers, whom we all love dearly, standing before us telling us that we all messed up, that we are leaving, and seeing the tears in their eyes. As for that, yes, we messed up, but it was on everyone, the students and the teachers.  

Our teachers gave us the two things young people have been wanting forever from adults – respect and trust. Because of these teachers, I love going to school. Last year I was just enrolled in BHS, not in a small school. I had many teachers who were not inspired, who didn’t enjoy teaching. I hated school, and was overjoyed when my English teacher told me about Common Ground. My friends and I immediately signed up. All the teachers in Common Ground want to be there, they want to help the school, they want to inspire us students. I can’t wait to get to school each day, and I can’t wait to join the projects that my amazingly creative group of peers come up with. While Common Ground is just shakily getting on its feet, it has amazing and dedicated students and teachers backing it up, trying, and succeeding greatly, to make it the perfect environment. 

Tessa Strauss 

Berkeley High Junior 

MUSIC 

924 Gilman St. Oct. 26: Influents, Plus Ones, Divit, Summerjack, Robot Adrenaline, Claredon Hills; Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Blake’s Oct. 22: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 23: Felice, $3; Oct. 24: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; Oct. 25: Psychotica, $5; Oct. 26: Planting Seeds, $6; Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

THEATER 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them” Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m, matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 though Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail. com 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

FILM 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITS 

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

READINGS 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

TOURS 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

MUSEUMS 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; Oct. 25: A Storytelling Pajama Party, 6 - 7 p.m.; Oct. 27: 4th Annual Habitot Halloween; Oct. 28: Family Arts Day; Oct. 31: Sugar-Art Halloween Frosting; Nov. 3: Tales from the Enchanted Forest, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Nov. 9: Living with the Earth; Nov. 17: Recycle that Stuff; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summerlong seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. 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  

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

The result of the recent redistricting brawl is a bitterly divided City Council, with one faction charging the other with gerrymandering and a group of citizens vowing to put a referendum on the March ballot to challenge the newly-approved districts. 

The dust hasn’t begun to settle and some residents are suddenly weighing the value of having council districts at all.  

“Council districts have been a mixed bag,” said Councilmember Betty Olds. “In San Francisco they got rid of district elections and now they have them back again, which tells you there’s no Utopia either way.” 

Utopia is the last thing anyone would call the atmosphere on the City Council when “redistricting” is mentioned. The recent redistricting process, required by the City Charter every 10 years after the release of the census data, has council moderates stepping up the usual bitter council debate by charging the progressives, who hold a one-person majority on the council, with taking advantage of a census undercount to gerrymander districts that favor progressives and weaken moderates. 

Progressives have fought back equally as hard saying moderates know the approved district plan best fits the City Charter requirements and that moderate charges are sour grapes and little more than negative campaign sound bites meant for next year’s mayoral election. 

Furthermore, a newly formed political action group, Citizens for Fair Representation, announced the launch of a petition drive last week to put a referendum on the March ballot to reverse the districts approved by 5-4 City Council vote on Oct. 2. 

There was a time 15 years ago when there were no districts in Berkeley and the council had to find other things to fight over. 

According to former Councilmember Nancy Skinner, who opposed district elections when they were on the ballot in 1986, residents had become disenchanted with citywide council elections in 1982 when city election day was switched from April to November. 

She said November elections resulted in 20,000 more register voters participating in city elections than in the April elections. 

The higher turnout resulted in a more left-leaning council. In fact, according to Olds, there were eight Berkeley Citizens Action (progressive) councilmembers to just one Berkeley Democratic Club (moderate) Councilmember. 

“Barbara Lashley was the only moderate on the council then,” Olds said. “Despite being outnumbered she still went to all the meetings. I don’t know why.”  

There was a strong feeling that the two political factions were too powerful and that only those who were connected with the political machine could run for the City Council, according to former Councilmember Carla Woodworth, who was then chair of the Progressive Coalition for District Elections. 

“We had an at-large system and there was a hue and cry from some neighborhoods that they weren’t being represented,” Woodworth said. “The idea was that districts would make it less expensive to run for the council and that would result in more people running, which would be more democratic.” 

The arguments supporting council districts on the June 1986 ballot included an end to party politics, council representatives more responsive to neighborhood issues and greater participation by grassroots activists who might want to run for office. 

Opponents argued that district elections would be more expensive because of a provision that when there was no clear winner in a particular district, there would be a run off. They further argued that the measure was a thinly-veiled attempt to thwart the voters’ will by unseating progressives and that minorities would lose representation on the council. 

“It turned out to be true that the number of African-Americans on the council dropped after the districts were approved,” said former Councilmember Skinner, “Before there were always three or four (African-Americans) and since there has not been more than two.” 

Skinner added that despite a the surface arguments that appeared in the 1986 sample ballot, there was another factor driving proponents of council districts.  

She said there was great deal of worry in some neighborhoods about a popular low-income housing program known as “scattered sites.” The program would choose various locations around the city to build a series of small developments, six to 10 units, instead of concentrating low-income housing in a larger development of 30 or more units. 

“Some neighborhood groups were worried about these projects cropping up in their particular communities and thought council districts would give them a better chance of fighting them.” she said. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said she was a big supporter of districts in the beginning but now has mixed feelings.  

“It was great that neighbors had someone to make sure the potholes were fixed, the trees were trimmed and the streets were safer,” She said. “But I’m afraid that little groups within certain districts have aggregated too much power and councilmembers are sort of required to dance on the head of a pin for a vocal minority.” 

Councilmember Miriam Hawley said she thought the council districts could use some tweaking. She said some councilmembers get so involved with the issues in their districts that they lose sight of what’s good for city at large.  

“Residents have more clout with a single council person and I don’t think anyone really wants to get rid of the districts,” she said, “but voters might be willing to make some changes.” 

Hawley suggested that reducing the number of districts to five and having three councilmembers elected at large would assure a broader perspective on city issues.  

Former Councilmember Woodworth agreed. She said one of the larger citywide issues that residents lost interest in after the districts went into effect was the Telegraph Avenue and Downtown districts. 

“These are areas that generate millions in city revenue every year and there had always been a citywide concern about the health of those areas,” she said. “But after the city was divided into districts people who didn’t live in those areas were no longer interested.” 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington who represents the Telegraph Avenue area and beat Woodworth in a run-off election in December 1996, said he is more effective as a district councilmember because he can focus on his district’s needs while still paying attention to larger citywide issues.  

“Segmenting the city into eight council districts makes the load for each councilmember more manageable,” he said. “I spend most of my time on issues in my district, but I’m also very involved in citywide issues such as transportation and pedestrian safety.” 

While there is disagreement about the value of council districts as they currently exist and the brouhaha over the recently-approved district boundaries is ongoing, no one has heard of a serious movement to go back to citywide elections. 

“You hear people questioning the districts once in a while but I haven’t heard anyone who is motivated enough to go out and start collecting signatures,” Olds said. “It would take an extreme situation for the city to go back to citywide elections.” 

Editor: 

Thank you for the detailed article “Local firefighter recalls personal NYC effort.” That article reinforced my confidence that I spent four great years living in Berkeley to attend the finest university in the world, and your article gave me hope for Berkeley during these times of uncertainty.  

Still, I have disagreements with the city manager’s decision to ban large American flags on Berkeley fire trucks, and I also disagree with the City Council’s 5-4 vote calling for an end to bombings of Afghanistan. Yes, I do know that smaller American Flags are allowed on Berkeley Fire Trucks (I spoke to someone at the city manager’s office via telephone and I did read the media’s over-blown story with skepticism). In addition, I know that flag waving war supporters were in equal number to the anti-war protesters in the city hall meetings. In addition, I know that the mayor said that the phone calls of war proponents out number the phone calls of war opponents 2-1.  

Finally, I deplore the death threats to the anti-war Berkeley politicians (i.e. Rep. Barbara Lee), and I also deplore the flag vandalism which has occurred. In my views, the perpetrators of the death threats and instigators of the flag vandalism are under the same category as each other.  

Nevertheless, we must be united during these times of crises. We must take note to the words of President Abraham Lincoln and the bible, “A House Divided Cannot Stand.”  

My years of living in Berkeley from 1989-1993 has shaped my intellect and life in positive ways. Things are different living in this Conservative Navy Town in which I grew up, San Diego. Nevertheless, despite our differences (I am a proud Republican), I believe we can find common ground and unity amidst the diversity of thoughts and opinions in the greatest country of the world, the United States. The Daily Planets’s article on the local firefighter really moved me, and the article/the firefighter’s recollection has given me hope for Berkeley, hope for the United States, and hope for these times of chaos and uncertainty.  

I know that our diverse views and opinions will continue to find common ground and unity(despite how difficult of a struggle that would be). Our ability to find common ground and unity will “allow our house to remain undivided and allow our house to stand.”  

Therefore, “our house will not be divided and our house will not fail to stand.”  

Gamaliel “Gamie” Gamboa 

San Diego 

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to Mayor Shirley Dean: 

I read that you are receiving considerable correspondence condemning the City of Berkeley’s stand to end the bombing of Afganistan as soon as possible. But what else could Berkeley do? Certainly we don’t support the killing of innocents in this country or abroad.  

When leaders take us down the path of action that leads to more innocent deaths and destruction, what do we do? Is it unpatriotic to ask that justice be done without causing hardship to those who were not involved in the crime?  

Its alright to carry the flag for truth and for “liberty and justice for all”.  

( I wouldn’t want to carry it for any other reason.)  

Its alright to differ from what the majority believe.  

This is why I like living in the United States and especially Berkeley. 

There will be some who will boycott Berkeley business because of the city’s call to end the bombing as soon as possible. Then again there will be others attracted to Berkeley business because of our stand against the killing of innocents.  

I like to think that Berkeley is not one to isolate itself from the hardships faced by others, either here at home or around the world.  

Lloyd Andres 

Berkeley 

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to Mayor Shirley Dean: 

I read that you are receiving considerable correspondence condemning the City of Berkeley’s stand to end the bombing of Afganistan as soon as possible. But what else could Berkeley do? Certainly we don’t support the killing of innocents in this country or abroad.  

When leaders take us down the path of action that leads to more innocent deaths and destruction, what do we do? Is it unpatriotic to ask that justice be done without causing hardship to those who were not involved in the crime?  

Its alright to carry the flag for truth and for “liberty and justice for all”.  

( I wouldn’t want to carry it for any other reason.)  

Its alright to differ from what the majority believe.  

This is why I like living in the United States and especially Berkeley. 

There will be some who will boycott Berkeley business because of the city’s call to end the bombing as soon as possible. Then again there will be others attracted to Berkeley business because of our stand against the killing of innocents.  

I like to think that Berkeley is not one to isolate itself from the hardships faced by others, either here at home or around the world.  

Lloyd Andres 

Berkeley 

One wouldn’t think that watering a lawn and garden or washing a car would have any effect on California’s tense energy situation, especially since these activities don’t use hot water. 

But according to East Bay Municipal Utility District data, the winter runoff into the Pardee Reservoir in the Sierra foothills (our main water source) was only 56 percent of normal this year.  

While this is enough to meet current customer demand, it means we are heading into the fall with a shortage. So how does this affect our energy supply? 

California is currently the largest producer of renewable energy in the United States – approximately 15 percent of our energy comes from hydroelectric power, according to the California Energy Commission. 

There are 386 hydro-electric plants producing 41,617 gigawatt-hours of electricity, creating a dependable capacity of 14,116 megawatts of electricity. Some of that electricity is generated through pumping stations, where water is pumped uphill during off-peak times, and let flow back through the turbines to generate electricity during peak-use times. As the demand for water increases, more water must be let through to meet consumer needs, making less water available for pumping stations. 

Hydroelectric is non-polluting, unlike coal- and gas-generated electricity, which not only generate pollution, but heat water to make steam which turns the generators – wasting more fresh water. 

Data from the World Resources Institute’s 2001 Report shows that we have only half the amount of fresh water available per person worldwide than was available in 1960. By the year 2020, it is calculated we will have only half as much per person as we have now. The lack of fresh, clean water is likely to be one of the key factors limiting economic growth in the 21st century.  

Heating water is about half of the average family’s natural gas bill. The less hot water used, the more money a family saves. 

Reducing water usage can be achieved through a variety of ways. Immediate methods include: 

• Take shorter showers – a five-minute shower can save eleven gallons of water over a 10-minute one, as well as the energy costs to heat that extra water.  

• Wash clothes in cold water, and make sure you wait and only run the washer when you have a full load. 

• Scrape plates and bowls thoroughly before putting them in your dishwasher, and run the shorter wash cycle. There is a water heater inside your dishwasher, and roughly 80 percent of the energy used by dishwashers goes toward heating the water; the rest is used to run the motor that sprays the water, operates the heater unit, and the fan that dries the dishes. Air-dry dishes by turning off the machine and opening the door just as the drying cycle kicks in. 

Long-term water reduction steps include: 

• Reducing lawn size and planting native plants and drought-tolerant varieties of flowers and fruiting vines and shrubs. Good plants for Berkeley’s climate include pineapple guava, kiwi, citrus, poppies, sticky monkey flower, mugworts, plums, figs and almonds. Check with your local nursery for drought-resistant varieties. Trench soaker hoses underground permanently to reduce evaporation (and cut down on weeds!) 

• Replace old clothes washers with new, energy-efficient and water-conserving front-loading machines. You can get a double rebate on this appliance – one from PG&E, and the other from EBMUD, for a total of about $150 cash back until the end of December 2001. And don’t forget to use a solar dryer (clothesline). 

• Replace older dishwashers with a new EnergyStar model, and use the energy-saver features it has. PG&E has a rebate of $50 available for residential dishwashers purchased before December 2001, or until funds are depleted.  

For a complete list of rebate programs on all appliances, visit the website of the California Energy Commission at: www.consumerenergycenter.org/rebate/index.php 

EBMUD has a variety of water conservation programs, including irrigation rebates, free residential showerheads and aerators, plus a low-flow toilet rebate program for both residential and business consumers. For complete program details, visit their website at: www.ebmud.com/services/conservation/residential.html  

If energy conservation isn’t enough to convince you to conserve water, remember that water prices are going up. Water bills are divided into four parts: the service charge, the Seismic Improvement Program surcharge (started in 1995 and payable over 30 years), the actual usage charge, and an elevation surcharge for locations over 200 feet. While water is still reasonably inexpensive at first look, remember that the total costs of water and energy are greater than what appears on your bill. 

For more information on saving water and energy, visit the Energy Office website at: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ENERGY 

Alice Pierre is the city’s energy officer. The Daily Planet runs “power play” the first and third Tuesday’s of the month as a public service. 

Editor: 

I’m saddened to see that members of our City Council are again trying to use their elected positions to promote their personal political views on national issues, by expressing them as letters from the “City of Berkeley”. 

While I applaud the courage and conviction of Ms. Spring and others’ personal beliefs in the uselessness of the war in Afghanistan, and encourage her and others to work tirelessly as individuals to promote those views, it is a deep misunderstanding of our representative democracy, and of the rule of law, to think that election to a position of responsibility for the civic affairs of our town is a lucence to advocate a personal political position in the name of us all. Its a divisive, indeed, corrosive view that is widespread in our community; many board and commission members similarly seem to think that appointment to a position of responsibility somehow validates their personal views and opinions, regardless of the actual legal scope of their mandate – witness the recent ZAB meeting where a member rejected the findings of the Design Review Board, the legal entity entrusted with aesthetic decisions, because he personally thought a design was “ugly.” 

The legal charter, and social contract, we have with our City Council is that they run the city. Its an honest and important job, and done with intelligence and dedication may give its members greater credibility in their individual endorsement of larger political views, or their search for a larger constituency. They are welcome to it. But please, do not presume to make those endorsements, or seek that constituency, in the name of us all...Whether or not we agree with those views, it is abuse of our trust to attempt to do so. 

Tom McHenry 

Berkeley 

SAN FRANCISCO — As the impact of last month’s terrorist attacks ripples through the Bay Area’s economy, communities from San Francisco to Monterey are mulling cuts to public programs and the possibility of furloughing some workers. 

San Francisco, which like Santa Cruz and Monterey depends heavily on hotel taxes and tourist spending, could eliminate new programs such as hepatitis health education and tree planting. In San Jose, spending on parks, recreation programs, sewer maintenance and stop lights are under scrutiny. 

Officials across the region are bracing for even worse times next fiscal year, which begins in July. 

“The real question is how much money we’ll get for next year and how much we’ll be able to continue offering services,” said Matthew Hymel, San Francisco’s chief assistant controller. 

Santa Cruz Mayor Tim Fitzmaurice sees trouble sooner than that. 

“We might not have the money to do basic city business,” he said. “We see real trouble ahead if we’re not careful.” 

SAN JOSE — A San Jose engineer seeking to hike America’s three premier trails in one year may accomplish his goal by week’s end. 

On January 1, 2001, Brian Robinson embarked on his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. 

To finish the Appalachian Trail — the last of the trio he has to walk — Robinson must still hike Maine’s Mt. Katahdin. Barring bad weather, he hopes to trek the 118 miles left of the trail in six days, according to his Web site. 

Robinson, 40, has already completed the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.  

OAKLAND — A 14-month-old Pinole boy bitten by a rattlesnake in the backyard of his home was in stable condition Monday at Children’s Hospital. 

The boy was moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room Monday morning, said hospital spokeswoman Carol Hyman. 

The snake bit him Sunday on his right thumb, according to the Pinole Fire Department. Firefighters found the snake behind some garden pots and killed it. 

Young, immature snakes, like the one that bit the boy, are particularly dangerous because they do not regulate how much venom they release in a single bite, said fire Capt. Brian Larry. 

Editor: 

Kudos to Judith Scherr on her column of October 19. I couldn’t agree with her dissent more.  

As Thomas Jefferson said “Our liberty depends on freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost.”  

This should be our motto, and must never be forgotten. It is our strongest defense against corruption or tyranny. 

Carmel Hara 

Berkeley  

SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza said Monday he is running for Rep. Gary Condit’s seat in a move that marks a public split between the longtime friends and political allies. 

As Condit’s protege, Cardoza had long said he would not run unless his former boss retired. 

But with Condit on the ropes from the Chandra Levy scandal and little word on his future plans, Cardoza decided to enter the ring. 

“I don’t think he can win,” Cardoza said. “I also don’t believe he can be as effective as he was in the past.” 

While Condit hasn’t formally announced his plans, he has begun collecting signatures to run for re-election, indicating the two could face each other in the Democratic primary for the 18th Congressional District. 

Condit’s chief of staff, Mike Lynch, said Cardoza’s move was not a sign of bad blood between the two men. 

“This is America, anybody can run for anything,” Lynch said. 

The connections between Condit and Cardoza run deeper than a common interest in farming, the future University of California campus in Merced and water. 

Condit hired Cardoza as an aide years ago and when Cardoza rose through the ranks to lawmaker, he repaid the favor. He hired Condit’s son, Chad, at one point and still employs Condit’s sister, Dovie Wilson, as an office manager. 

Chad Condit’s wife, Helen, was paid as a fund-raiser last year and another in-law, Jamie L. Filice, was hired as a senior field representative. 

In recent weeks, the relationship between Condit and Cardoza has become strained, Cardoza said. 

“Oh, I think it’s splitsville,” said Sandra Lucas, chairwoman of the Stanislaus County Democratic Central Committee in Modesto, the heart of the district. “Right now I assume the friendship is not that strong.” 

Cardoza, of Atwater, said he decided to run after Condit canceled his annual “Condit Country” fund-raiser because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The fund-raiser had been scheduled for last Saturday. 

Cardoza would not elaborate but said he didn’t believe that was why Condit canceled the barbecue. 

The attacks on New York and Washington gave Condit a reprieve from headlines after months of bad publicity. 

Polls show that Condit’s support has tanked since his relationship with Levy, a federal intern who vanished in May, became the top news story of the summer. 

Although police say he is not a suspect in the disappearance of the 24-year-old Modesto woman, he admitted he had an extramarital relationship with her, according to police sources. 

Sources said Condit had encouraged Cardoza, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, to run for the state Senate. 

Cardoza, 42, said he never planned to enter national politics at this point in his career, but the opportunity was too great to pass. 

“It might have been a gift if it had been someone else in his situation. It was very painful to watch a close friend go through the trauma that he’s gone through,” Cardoza said. “I take no joy in Congressman Condit’s troubles whatsoever.” 

Cardoza planned to formally launch his campaign Tuesday in Modesto and later in Merced, the county where his grandparents immigrated from Portugal to start a dairy and crop farm. 

He said he was “healthy as a horse” after losing 80 pounds since May when he underwent intestinal bypass surgery. He said the procedure cured his cravings and relieved nerve problems in his feet. 

Cardoza will face Tom Ciccarelli, executive director of Inter-Faith Ministries in Modesto, who announced plans last week to run for the Democratic nomination. 

Two Modesto Republicans, Sen. Dick Monteith and City Councilman Bill Conrad, have announced they are running. 

Cardoza, who once ran a bowling alley that hosted mud wrestling matches, vowed not to run a dirty campaign. But it’s likely that some mud will fly in the fight for the congressional seat. 

“Probably, there will be some blood,” Lucas said. “But the good thing is there will be blood on the other side as well.”

LOS ANGELES — The 2001 Mars Odyssey was nearing the Red Planet on Monday, poised to fire its main engine for the first and only time to slow the robotic spacecraft and allow it to settle into orbit after a six-month trip from Earth. 

If the satellite is captured into orbit Tuesday night, it will mark NASA’s first successful mission to Mars since the loss of two spacecraft, Climate Orbiter and Polar Lander, in 1999. 

During the maneuver, scheduled to begin at 7:26 p.m., Odyssey’s engine will burn through 579 pounds of propellant in just under 20 minutes. The burn should leave the satellite orbiting Mars every 20 hours or so on an elliptical path. 

Entering orbit could be the riskiest move the unmanned probe will make during a $297 million mission to map the makeup of the Martian surface: two of the last three orbiters the National Aeronautics and Space Administration sent to Mars failed, both just before or upon arrival. 

Controllers plan to direct Odyssey to dip into the fringes of Mars’ atmosphere in a technique called aerobraking to gradually lower and circularize the orbit. NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, already at work over the Red Planet, used the same process to reach the altitude from which it has made highly detailed images of the surface since arriving in 1997. 

One of the Odyssey probe’s three instruments was designed to image Mars in the infrared to probe the distribution of minerals on the planet’s surface. Another is intended to measure gamma rays coming from the surface to pinpoint specific elements, including hydrogen, most likely in the form of buried deposits of water ice. 

Wielding those tools as would a prospector, Odyssey will assay Mars, eventually building up what will be the first inventory of the planet’s global makeup. 

A third instrument — which suffered glitches after launch — was designed to assess the radiation risks that future human missions to Mars may encounter.

LOS ANGELES — Before Sept. 11, Jerry Hider’s one-man, one-plane business was towing banners promoting products and entertainment over Los Angeles area beaches, stadiums and residential areas. 

Six weeks after the terrorist attacks, the federal government has begun lifting many restrictions on some private commercial aircraft, but not all.  

Hider believes it’s time the authorities let him get back into business. 

“Pulling banners along the beach from Malibu to Orange County used to be our main gig,” he said, estimating he has lost more than $5,000 in income since Sept. 11. 

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted many restrictions on private planes equipped with transponders for five cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. 

San Diego airspace will be added on Tuesday for private planes observing visual flight rules, which are used by about 90 percent of the nation’s 500,000 private pilots. 

Some types of aircraft still face tight restrictions, however, including planes towing banners, which are not allowed within three miles of large gatherings. Sightseeing, TV news and traffic-reporting aircraft also are banned within 25 miles of major airports, as are airship blimps. 

Hider said the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Southern California Aerial Advertising Association are asking the FAA to loosen those restrictions. 

“I don’t see how having a Cessna 172 modified to tow banners and fly at only 50 miles an hour constitutes a terrorist threat,” he said. 

Threatening or not, one person who doesn’t miss the advertising aircraft is Charles Thompson, a spokesman for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. 

“Neighbors hate the planes,” he said. “They’re dangerous. They’ve almost flown into each other. They’re noisy, and no one pays attention to them.” 

The return of other general aviation aircraft to the nation’s skies was welcomed by Lt. Col. Bill Cowman of the California Civil Air Patrol Wing, with 6,000 members 

“It’s about time,” he said. “The flight restrictions have been a detriment to a lot of people in private aviation.” 

The loosening of post-Sept. 11 restrictions have allowed operations at Van Nuys Airport to return almost to normal.  

The San Fernando Valley facility, with its 1,200 to 1,500 arrivals and departures a day, is the nation’s busiest general aviation airport. 

Things are also getting back to normal at Santa Monica Airport, just eight miles north of Los Angeles International Airport. Eighty percent of the airport’s 500 planes were grounded until Monday. 

Not that the general aviation pilots allowed back into the air have the freedom they once had. 

“General aviation has been cautioned not to be doing loops or any other abnormal flying that would attract the attention of air controllers,” said FAA spokesman Mike Fergus. “The last thing they want to do is call for a DOD (Department of Defense) escort.” 

LOS ANGELES — The University of California system needs to spend $215 million annually to expand programs and financial support to attract graduate students, according to a commission’s report. 

The Commission on the Growth and Support of Graduate Education in a report to UC regents next month will warn that the system needs to add 11,000 graduate students to remain competitive and maintain UC’s research mission. 

The UC Board of Regents, deans, professors and outside academics agree that steps must be taken soon or the UC system’s goal of attracting top-notch researchers will be threatened. 

“UCLA, as well as the other UC campuses, are losing some of the most talented and potentially creative and productive graduate students to other institutions,” said Jim Turner, assistant vice chancellor of graduate studies at UCLA. 

The shortage of graduate students threatens all eight of UC’s general campuses, including longtime academic powerhouse UC Berkeley and younger institutions such as UC Irvine. 

California in the last decade was one of only five state where graduate enrollments declined. The other four were Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Connecticut. 

Undergraduate enrollment at UC campuses has doubled over the last three decades, but the number of graduate students has increased just 7 percent. The figures do not include students in professional programs, such as law, business and medicine. 

Unlike undergraduates, nearly all graduate students receive financial aid consisting of tuition reimbursement, fellowships, teaching assistant positions and health insurance. 

UC officials said they are trying to compete with private schools that have billion-dollar endowments. Some schools offer better financial packages and waive out-of-state fees. 

The high cost of housing near most UC campuses also is making the financial squeeze on students even tighter. 

Most UC schools have made limited efforts to raise money for graduate fellowships. UCLA has raised millions of dollars in the last seven to eight years, but less than 1 percent has gone to help graduate students, Turner said. 

UC Berkeley, like other UC campuses, is starting to address the problem individually. The school has launched a campaign to raise $200 million for graduate fellowships, said Mary Ann Mason, dean of the graduate division. 

UC Berkeley also is looking to partner with private developers to provide more affordable graduate student housing and UC Irvine is going to ask the regents to approve two major housing projects to serve graduate students.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pediatricians are urging officials to take steps to protect children against bioterrorism, saying they are especially vulnerable to its effects. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ annual conference this weekend offered panels addressing how to treat infants and children if they become infected with a bioterrorist agent. 

“They live closer to the ground, so aerosol agents with heavy particles will affect them more,” said Dr. Frederick Henretig, one of the speakers at a panel Sunday. “Their skin is thinner and they can be affected developmentally.” 

The doctors noted the recent anthrax infection of a 7-month-old baby in New York. The infant is the child of an ABC employee and had been in the network’s offices, where authorities believe the baby may have contracted the disease. 

“We know that children are much more vulnerable to a chemical exposure,” said Dr. Steve Berman, president of the academy. “There’s been talk about decontamination or special uniforms or equipment, but what if those don’t fit children or don’t allow children to be cared for? 

“If we embark on smallpox vaccine or anthrax vaccine, what happens if there are complication rates for children or aren’t as effective for them? It is absolutely critical that people with pediatric specialties are involved in disaster planning,” he said. 

Berman quickly pointed out that there is no need for parents or pediatricians to become overly alarmed, creating panic. 

Other sessions, part of a disaster-related series, focused on psychological concerns, such as how to talk to children about crisis and loss. 

Doctors from around the world attended the conference, fearing that anthrax and other types of bioterrorism could affect their countries. 

“I attended a similar conference in Chicago last week and am understanding how important it is to create a network of colleagues around the world to get better prepared,” said Dr. Sally McCarthy, an emergency physician from Australia. 

Some doctors noted that bioterrorism agents are typically easy and cheap for terrorists to obtain, even though it’s often difficult to weaponize such materials. 

“Any of you with two semesters of microbiology can go out and grow this stuff yourself,” said Dr. Theodore Cieslack. 

Cieslack said another problem that could arise in a crisis situation is a lack of facilities or equipment to treat many people. 

“Botulism, as of 2000, is survivable. But you have to put the patient on a ventilator for seven months after infection,” he said. “Imagine what would happen if 10,000 people are infected at the same time and there aren’t enough ventilators?” 

Cieslack said he considered the most harmful agents to be anthrax, smallpox and the plague, because very few samples are needed to produce illness or death on a large scale. 

Doctors said diagnosing smallpox in children can be particularly difficult since the early stages of the rash can easily be confused with chicken pox. 

“It’s tough to suspect that you’re dealing with something sinister,” Cieslack said. “One saving grace that smallpox has is that it has a long incubation period — 12 days — so you can immunize within a couple of days of infection.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.aap.org 

OAKLAND — With a strike deadline looming Monday at midnight, Bay Area Rapid Transit officials and members of the transit system’s smallest union remained at odds over job security. 

Management at the commuter train network says its offer of a 22 percent pay raise and benefits package is the best it can do. The union, which represents 238 train controllers and supervisors, says it’s satisfied with the compensation but worries jobs will be outsourced. 

The offer is reportedly similar to the contract that BART unions representing maintenance and train operators accepted September 4.  

Those contracts called for a 22 percent wage increase over the next four years, increased pension plan contributions and continued health care coverage at no added cost to employees. 

If the two sides don’t agree by midnight Monday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993 could strike. Leaders of the largest two unions have said they will honor AFSCME’s picket line, but BART officials insist they will find a way to keep trains running for 300,000 commuters. 

The supervisors’ union rejected BART’s “best and final” offer Oct. 15. BART officials asked the union to return to the bargaining table and local elected leaders have been trying to get both sides to settle. 

In a written statement, Willie Kennedy, president of BART’s board of directors, said local elected leaders would do best to encourage both sides to stay at the table and finish negotiations, rather than rush a settlement. AFSCME representatives could not be immediately reached Monday.

LOS ANGELES — Fan mail — that old barometer of an entertainer’s popularity — has become off-limits for many in Hollywood since the anthrax mail attacks in New York City, Washington and Florida. 

Studios, networks and publicists say thousands of letters have been returned to sender or just set aside. Some celebrities have signed up with services that open fan-mail for them; others have simply stopped opening mail. 

“For the time being, we are just not opening fan mail. Just to be careful, we are putting it off for now,” said publicist Pat Kingsley, who represents actor Tom Cruise, among others. 

Thousands of unsolicited letters pour in to celebrities every week. Although most are simple declarations of admiration, precautions have long been taken to check for suspicious letters and packages. 

“There is always a concern with celebrity fan mail because it comes from unknown people. But anthrax has added a new element,” said PMK publicist Tracy Shaffer, who represents such acts as singers Evan and Jaron. 

The FBI has not received a specific threat related to celebrity mail, said Cheryl Mimura, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles. 

“We haven’t sent out any sort of advisory in Hollywood,” she said. 

Shaffer said some of her clients contacted her after a letter containing anthrax was received in the New York office of NBC anchor Tom Brokaw. 

“We are directing our clients to use fan-mail services,” she said. Such services open mail for celebrities, and return photographs and autographs to fans. 

Studio Fan Mail Services, one of the oldest and largest fan-mail services in the country, has begun advising fans to send postcards rather than letters. 

“Most of the mail our clients get is from children. We’re telling them to write a postcard. That way they can still send their message,” said owner Jack Tamkin. 

Others suggest e-mail. 

“We are returning fan letters and sending a note along asking them to correspond by e-mail,” said Scott Rowe, Warner Bros. vice president of communications.  

Movie studios and TV networks receive the bulk of fan mail, and some have stopped delivering it. 

Rocker Pat Benatar said she always was careful with fan mail and “I’m trying really hard not to wig out on this. I’m trying to keep a perspective on it. But when we get the mail I’m careful about it. I tell my children not to touch it.” 

Fan mail is important to many actors and celebrities. 

“It’s somebody that takes time to buy a card or get a piece of paper and pencil, collect some thoughts and put them on a piece of paper. That means something,” said David Brokaw, who along with his brother Sanford make up the Brokaw Co., which represents Bill Cosby among others. 

Brokaw would not comment on mailroom procedures implemented because of the anthrax scare. 

“We are being vigilant. But I also say we are by no means hysterical about it,” he said. 

Soap-opera actor Steve Blackwood is no stranger to threatening letters. Playing bad-boy Bart on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” he said fans sometimes confuse him with his character. Typically, he has ignored such letters. But recently he received one that left him feeling uneasy. 

“In two previous story lines, we blew up a restaurant and we blew up a part of fictional Salem. I get this letter that says, ’How do you feel about giving terrorists ideas,”’ he said. “I got kind of spooked.” 

Blackwood said he has stopped opening fan mail at home. 

“For now, we just have to take precautions and ride it out,” he said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Bingham was a strapping 220-pound, 6-foot-5 rugby player who had fought off muggers on the street and run with the bulls in Spain before taking on the terrorists on United Flight 93. 

One of the heroes to emerge from America’s biggest tragedy, Bingham has also become a symbol of hope to the nation’s gays — a man whose sexual orientation made no difference when lives were at stake. 

“I think Mark was always my personal hero,” said Paul Holm, Bingham’s former partner of six years. “We didn’t run around waving gay flags, but we were very proud to be gay and if people asked, he told them.” 

Flight 93 was en route from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco on Sept. 11 when Bingham, 31, called his mother saying they had been hijacked by three men who said they had a bomb. Bingham, sitting within reach of the cockpit, is believed to be one of those who fought the terrorists and caused the plane to crash into a Pennsylvania field instead of its apparent target in Washington. 

Now, liberals and conservatives alike invoke Bingham’s name as an example of America’s strength and spirit. 

California’s top politicians presented Holm with an American flag, and San Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno wants to build a Bingham memorial in the city’s predominantly gay Castro District. 

“If he knew that lives were at stake, I’m convinced with every bone in my body that he would have jumped into action,” Holm said. “He was physically fit and strong and guns and weapons didn’t bother him.” 

He fought off muggers in New York and San Francisco, wrestling a gun away despite being hit on the head. Over the summer, he was gored while running with the bulls in Spain. 

Bingham, who lived most of his life in Northern California but moved to New York not long before the terrorist attacks, also was a proven leader. He had coached his gay rugby team, the San Francisco Fog, was president of his fraternity at the University of California at Berkeley and started his own public relations firm, the Bingham Group, in San Francisco and New York. 

“He was a true competitor, and it went from everything from Scrabble to card games,” Holm said. 

Recently, after his rugby team was accepted into the straight California Rugby League, he e-mailed a pep talk to his teammates. 

“We have the chance to be role models for other gay folks who wanted to play sports, but never felt good enough or strong enough. More importantly, we have the chance to show the other teams in the league that we are as good as they are,” Bingham wrote. 

“Gay men weren’t always wallflowers waiting on the sideline. We have the opportunity to let these other athletes know that gay men were around all along — on their little league teams, in their classes, being their friends. This is a great opportunity to change a lot of people’s minds.” 

Among gays, reactions to Bingham’s death are a mix of pride and sadness, frustration and hope. 

“I wish people could just understand that wherever they go, they will meet us. It’s just very sad to me that it takes a brave young man like Mark Bingham to lose his life so horribly for people to begin to understand that,” said Cleve Jones, a gay activist who created the AIDS quilt in San Francisco. 

Jones choked back tears as he talked about a soldier boyfriend being shipped out to the Middle East. He said Bingham’s heroism should serve as the catalyst that ends the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays. 

“I think this would be a very good time for the president to put his name on a piece of paper and end this stupid policy,” Jones said. “We are all needed.” 

The attacks have helped lead to some political change: Republican New York Gov. George Pataki decided that partners of gays killed in violent crimes can get benefits from the New York Crime Victims Board. 

“Do you think for a minute that one of those men or women fleeing the towers trying to save themselves ... do you think one of them thought for a minute, ‘I wonder what the sexual orientation of that fireman is?”’ Pataki said. “This is still the greatest country in the world, but we can make it a little better. We can learn a little bit from Sept. 11.” 

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a supporter of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” wants Bingham and other Flight 93 passengers to get a Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor. Bingham, a Republican, had met McCain briefly and wanted to see him elected president. 

“I may very well owe my life to Mark and the others,” McCain said in a tearful eulogy. 

Bingham is not the only gay hero to emerge from the attacks. Nine others killed on Sept. 11 were remembered at a memorial attended by nearly 1,000 people at New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. 

For many, the testimonials were a profound counterpoint to suggestions by televangelists that God let the attacks happen because of the influence of gays, feminists, abortionists and others. 

“One of the things I found most painful of this whole experience is that the trade center is still smoldering and they’re still dragging bodies out and Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson can’t do anything but go on TV and blame this on the ACLU and gays and lesbians,” Jones said. 

Falwell later retracted his remarks. 

Bingham’s mother, Alice Hogland, said she hopes her son educated others by destroying preconceptions. 

“He was a very masculine, crazy kid who left his dirty dishes under the bed and dirty clothes behind the door in the bathroom,” she said, laughing. “There was nothing about him that fit into any stereotype of what we perceive of as a gay person, which goes to show you we cannot rely on our stereotypes.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.markbingham.org 

http://www.gaycenter.org/press/clinton-remarks.htm 

NEW YORK — If corporate welfare were to be eliminated, a paper published by the Cato Institute contends, the federal government could give taxpayers tax cuts that would make earlier rebates seem small. 

Picking its way through federal budget numbers, it finds at least $87 billion in federal subsidies — also called handouts — to private-sector companies, including General Motors Corp., Dow Chemical Co. and General Electric Inc. 

Keeping a wary eye on government spending is fundamental to Cato, a Libertarian think tank that tends to equate government growth with restraints on individual liberty and free, competitive markets. 

Government has its proper role and the private sector it’s, and Cato says the joining of the two produces problems. Well, for one, for taxpayers, to cite and example. 

“How much did some federal departments give away?” it asks. It answers: Agriculture, $35.8 billion; Transportation, $10.3 billion; Housing and Urban Development, $7.5 billion; Energy, $5 billion. 

Alas, at least from Cato’s viewpoint, it is destined to get worse. There are important roles for government, such as the security of the nation. And in that role, recent events have compelled government to grow. 

The nation’s airlines are getting a $15 billion bailout, the rationale in part being that they are essential to the public welfare. And warding off recession involves $40 billion of emergency spending. 

It could be just the beginning.  

Other industries, important to local and regional interests or to national security, may seek assistance, and in doing so further blur the separation of public and private sectors. 

Bioterrorism dictates changes, and a federally appointed advisory commission is already believed ready to advise the creation of a government-owned facility to assure a stockpile of vaccines. 

A weak economy also demands or, it is argued, justifies government spending to stimulate activity, such as measures to improve the nation’s transportation system. Or to extend welfare benefits for laid-off workers. 

In such ways, Cato suggests, government spreads its power. But you can’t blame government entirely. Private sector businesses cooperate in government spending, their lobbyists even initiating the process. 

President Bush’s first proposed budget sought to cut about $12 billion in corporate welfare, but it also included increases for other programs, including aid to oil and aerospace companies. 

And, you might argue, isn’t such assistance eventually in the interest of national security? Ah, that’s the problem. Of course a strong private sector is in the nation’s interest, but how do you draw the line? 

Because of current events, the arguments pro and con have now been made even less distinct. Cutting has become more difficult, spending more easily justified. And longer-run consequences have been put on hold. 

Nevertheless, the Cato paper, written by Stephen Slivinski, a fiscal policy analyst, offers a possible solution: the convening of a corporate welfare reform commission. 

That commission, says Slivinski, could function like the successful military base closure commission, proposing to Congress a list of cuts on which members of Congress would have to declare themselves. 

End Adv PMs Tuesday, Oct. 23. 

SAN FRANCISCO — MusicNet, the joint venture between three major record labels, named MTV veteran Alan McGlade as new chief executive Monday and announced it would move headquarters from Seattle to New York. 

MusicNet promises to launch this fall and provide subscribers with a way to download music from the Internet through various online retailers. Software maker RealNetworks formed the service with record labels Warner, BMG and EMI. 

A competing service from Universal and Sony, called pressplay, is also set to launch this fall. No firm launch date has been set for either service. 

The MusicNet board of directors confirmed McGlade as CEO Friday. He replaces RealNetworks’ CEO Rob Glaser at the top MusicNet post. 

McGlade previously headed The Box Music Network, an MTV Networks company that provided 24-hour, interactive music television. 

“I want to create a huge community of users,” McGlade said Monday. He acknowledged that MusicNet’s early days would be a process of “trial and error,” but promised to seek more content from labels not yet licensed with MusicNet. 

MusicNet’s long-term goal is too amass partnerships and provide a platform to deliver as much music online as possible, McGlade said. He did not rule out working with Sony and Universal. 

“We need to acquire all the music that is out there,” said McGlade, who also will serve on the MusicNet board of directors. 

Much of the demand for online music grew from the popularity of Napster, which the recording industry sued in an attempt to stop the unauthorized trade of music files over the Internet. 

Napster has been offline since July, but says it will relaunch in the near future. It is now primarily financed by Bertelsmann AG, the German media giant that owns the BMG record label. Napster also struck a deal to license music from MusicNet earlier this year, marking a turnaround from days past when everything on the service could be had for free. 

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is investigating MusicNet and pressplay for allegedly anticompetitive practices. Both companies were recently subpoenaed to produce documents related to their formation and planned operations. 

Glaser, who remains chairman of MusicNet, said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation. MusicNet will try to win over users by convincing them the network is easy to use, he said. 

“We have to remind people of the incredible value you get when you get access to a catalog with tens of thousands of selections,” Glaser said.

SUNNYVALE — Yahoo! Inc. is enhancing its instant-messaging service with a variety of new virtual “environments” for online chats, in a bid for more users and advertising revenue. 

Beginning Monday, Yahoo is adding themed backgrounds to its messenger service. The real-time chats will appear in new forms such as in frames or thought bubbles in a comic strip, for example. 

The backgrounds are meant to make the service more fun to use and more attractive to advertisers because they can include links to pages with products for sale.  

Yahoo has signed on the Peanuts, Dilbert and Hello Kitty cartoon franchises, plus Nintendo and the rock band Garbage. 

The new service satisfies two of Yahoo’s aims: to make online advertising more appealing and to move up from its third-place position in number of instant messaging users, behind America Online and Microsoft’s MSN. 

“It’s a new way for users to express emotions and their thoughts,” said Lisa Pollock, Yahoo’s director of messaging products. “We think this is going to catapult us in usage.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Venture capitalists have helped launch U.S. companies that created 7.6 million jobs while generating $1.3 trillion in total revenue during past three decades, according to a report released Monday by the industry’s biggest trade group. 

The report, compiled by economic researchers DRI-WEFA for the National Venture Capital Association, estimated that employers created one job from every $36,000 of venture capital invested between 1970 and 2000.  

The study looked at independent companies that received early financing from venture capitalists, as well as venture-backed start-ups now owned by other firms. 

California, long considered fertile ground for venture capital, benefited most from the industry’s rise, the report said. Venture capitalists invested $108.8 billion in California start-ups. 

years covered by the study, creating 1.4 million jobs and spawning $270.6 billion in total revenue. 

Massachusetts start-ups received the second biggest sum of money — $26 billion — and parlayed the investments into 318,433 jobs and total revenue of $48.4 billion. Texas companies did more with less venture capital, turning investments of $17.2 billion into 676,158 jobs and total revenue of $158.2 billion, the study reported. 

The report, which expanded on preliminary figures released in May, highlighted an industry that is wrapping up the worst year in its history

HONG KONG — The government signed the first infrastructure contract for Hong Kong’s planned Disney theme park Monday with a mainland Chinese construction company. 

Lau Ching-kwong, the territory’s civil engineering director, signed a $267 million contract with China State Construction Engineering Corporation to build facilities at Penny’s Bay, off the outlying Lantau Island, a government statement said. 

The contract was the first of five for Disneyland infrastructure and will include work on roads, a sewer system, a drainage system, water supply systems, landscaping, dredging and land reclamation. 

The project will begin on Wednesday and is scheduled to be completed in April 2005, the statement said. 

Plants and trees supplied locally as well as imported from China, Southeast Asia and Australia will be planted “to create instant lush greenery effect,” said the statement. 

So far, a project to reclaim about 190.27 acres of land has been completed, as has most of the dredging work, said Lau. 

The government is collaborating with Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. to build the $3.55 billion theme park in Hong Kong, which is due to open in 2005.  

The government has been criticized for supplying the land and footing most of the bill for the park, but said it hoped the project will create jobs and attract tourists. 

BEIJING — AOL Time Warner Inc. announced a landmark deal on Oct. 22 that will make it the first foreign TV broadcaster in China. In exchange, it will carry Chinese state television’s English-language channel on U.S. cable systems. 

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is trying to negotiate a similar arrangement with China and its rapidly developing television audience. 

Chinese officials regard television as a key propaganda tool and strictly control it, though millions of Chinese already watch foreign broadcasts on illegal satellite dishes. Beijing appeared to be willing to relax those controls slightly in exchange for getting access to American audiences. 

Under the terms of the deal, AOL’s Chinese-language channel CETV would be carried on cable systems in the southeastern province of Guangdong beginning next year. It will be the first time that a foreign broadcaster reaches Chinese audiences with government approval. CETV, based in Hong Kong, already is seen in Taiwan, Singapore and elsewhere in Asia. 

CETV’s programming is a mix of Chinese entertainment shows, cartoons, game shows, movies and sports. It also carries versions of some U.S. shows like “Miami Vice” and the cartoon “Johnny Bravo” dubbed into Chinese. 

Tricia Primrose, an AOL Time Warner spokeswoman, said the channel carries no news programs. She had no details on whether the agreement includes provisions for Chinese censorship of CETV programming. 

In exchange, the Chinese government’s English-language CCTV-9 will be available to American audiences in New York City, Los Angeles and Houston. 

Viewers in Guangdong can already see television broadcasts from neighboring Hong Kong. The former British colony is not covered by central government censorship, and its stations are livelier — and their news reporting more aggressive — than state-run mainland media. 

The English language channel put out by China’s state broadcaster resembles a less adventuresome version of U.S. public broadcasting channels, with an emphasis on educational and cultural programs. 

It carries a mix of news, music and cooking shows, documentaries on nature and travel, Chinese lessons and sports. However, production quality is uneven and shows are staid and slow-paced compared to U.S. television. 

A Hong Kong-based Chinese network in which News Corp. subsidiary STAR is a stockholder, Phoenix, has been granted permission to broadcast to the economically booming Pearl River Delta in the southern province of Guangdong near Hong Kong, the state-run Yangcheng Evening News reported on Oct. 20. 

BROADCASTING: 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Scripps Networks has signed several long-term agreements with Time Warner Cable to boost distribution of its lifestyle channels by nearly 12 million viewers within the next two years. 

The agreement allows Time Warner Cable to carry HGTV (Home & Garden Television), the Food Network and the DIY Network (Do It Yourself), all of which Scripps owns. 

Time Warner also will carry Scripps’ newest network, Fine Living, which is set to launch in early 2002. 

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

“Time Warner Cable has given a tremendous vote of confidence to our established networks,” said Susan Packard, president of new ventures for Scripps Networks. “In addition, by committing to Fine Living months before its launch and by greatly increasing DIY’s distribution, those convergent networks are similarly poised to become mainstays in American homes.” 

The Food Network will be added to Time Warner Cable systems in markets including Houston; Tampa, Fla.; Minneapolis; Milwaukee; and Charlotte, N.C. 

Time Warner also will add HGTV to some of its systems that aren’t now carrying it. 

Food Network is now distributed to 67 million homes; HGTV, 74 million homes. DIY Network, primarily available through satellite systems, is expected to reach 20 million subscribers by 2003, with Fine Living reaching 5 million in its first year. 

Scripps Networks, based in Knoxville, is an operating unit of The E.W. Scripps Co., a media corporation based in Cincinnati. Time Warner Cable owns and manages cable operations serving 12.7 million customers. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.scrippsnetworks.com/ 

http://www.aoltimewarner.com/ 

+++++ Minnesota Public Radio to expand in St. Paul 

ST. PAUL. Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Public Radio, which produces 14 national programs, said Oct. 18 it plans to stay in St. Paul and expand its downtown headquarters. 

Network officials said the plan to purchase two properties near its headquarters is the first phase in a five-year effort to expand programming, content and distribution. 

MPR will receive a forgivable three-year, $3.3 million city loan, and grants from four foundations to help fund the expansion. MPR is working on plans for a capital fund drive to cover other development and construction costs. 

Minnesota Public Radio employs more than 260 people and has been complaining since 1999 that it had outgrown its 45,000-square-foot headquarters. It expects to add at least 100 jobs over 10 to 15 years. 

Its shows, which include Garrison Keillor’s popular “A Prairie Home Companion,” are heard by 7.6 million listeners each week. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Minnesota Public Radio: http://www.mpr.org 

+++++ 

INTERNET: 

AOL unveils radio service as part of revamp 

NEW YORK (AP) — America Online introduced a new radio feature as part of an upgraded version of its service, AOL 7.0. The Oct. 16 announcement came a day after rival Microsoft Corp. announced an upgrade of its online service, MSN. 

AOL, which is part of the media and entertainment conglomerate AOL Time Warner Inc., said the new service would carry 75 different channels of music as well as news, sports and talk programming. 

Kevin Conroy, head of AOL’s music division, called the radio service the cornerstone of AOL’s music offerings to its 31 million subscribers. AOL’s music offerings include Spinner, an early entrant to Internet music broadcasting. 

AOL said it would offer the 7.0 upgrade to existing customers for no extra charge. 

Microsoft said the new version of its MSN service and Web portal would more heavily promote the company’s paid Internet services and be closely tied to its new operating system, Windows XP. 

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post Co. reported a 95 percent decline in third quarter net earnings due to an advertising slump and charges to write down investments. 

The company, whose properties include The Washington Post and Newsweek, reported net income of $1.6 million, or 14 cents per share, compared with $33.5 million, or $3.51 per share, in the period a year ago. 

Excluding the effect of about $26 million in investment write-downs, earnings for the most recent quarter were $15.1 million, or $1.56 a share, above the $1.39 per share analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call were expecting. 

The company attributed the decline to a 19 percent drop in advertising revenue at its advertising-based businesses. That includes its flagship newspaper, where ad revenue fell 20 percent in the quarter, as well as at its television stations, which saw a 23 percent decline. 

However, Newsweek magazine had what the company described as a “significant spike” in newsstand sales following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Revenues were also higher at its Kaplan test preparation and educational services division. 

Total revenues fell 1 percent to $595.5 million from $602.4 million in the period a year ago. 

ORK (AP) — The New York Times Co. reported a sharp drop in earnings for its third fiscal quarter as declining advertising revenues fell further in the wake of Sept. 11. 

The Times posted net earnings of $43.8 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, down 42 percent from $75 million in the period a year ago. Taking out one-time gains and charges, which included expenses related to staff reductions, profits fell 27 percent to $46.3 million versus $63 million. 

Total revenues fell 9 percent to $696.9 million, versus $767.7 million in the period a year ago, and were led by a decline of 16 percent in advertising revenues to $452.7 million. Excluding revenues from properties that were sold, overall revenues declined 8 percent and advertising revenues fell 15 percent. 

Earnings per share fell to 30 cents, compared with 37 cents in the year-ago period. The results were in line with analyst estimates reported by Thomson Financial/First Call. Like other newspaper publishers and media companies, the Times warned investors last month that its third-quarter earnings would be affected by the terrorist attacks. 

The company said it lost $1.8 million in advertising revenues from its eight television stations as regular programming was interrupted for full-time news coverage following the attacks. 

The company also reported that advertising revenues in its newspaper group fell 15 percent in September compared to September 2000. 

Chief executive Russell T. Lewis told investors that despite the increase in news-related costs, the company still managed to record a 4.8 percent decline in overall expenses for the quarter. The Times has scaled back its work force this year and made other cost cuts due to the downturn in advertising. 

Lewis said the company received huge demand for its papers in the days following the attacks, and for several days printed three times the usual number of newsstand copies. 

For all of September, average daily circulation of the paper increased by about 130,000 copies, and Lewis said he is hopeful a good portion of the new readers will stay with the Times. 

Lewis added, however, that because the outlook for the fourth quarter remains unclear, the company could not offer investors guidance on how the next several months would play out. 

In addition to The New York Times, the company publishes The Boston Globe and 16 other newspapers. Newspaper publishing makes up 94 percent of the company’s revenues. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.nytco.com 

+++++ Knight Ridder earnings fall 27 percent 

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Knight Ridder’s net income plunged 27 percent in the third quarter as the Sept. 11 attacks led to a steep drop in newspaper advertising and higher costs associated with increasing news coverage. 

The nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher reported net income of $55.7 million for the three months ending Sept. 30, compared with $76.1 million in the period a year ago. 

Revenues slumped 10 percent to $693.1 million from $769.2 million. 

Per-share profits were 65 cents, in line with guidance the company issued a month ago and 2 cents above the estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call. Year-ago earnings were 87 cents. 

Chairman and chief executive Tony Ridder said the terrorist attacks cost the company $10 million, including $9 million in lost advertising revenue, after accounting for temporary increases from condolence ads, and additional costs of $2 million for extra editions and creating more space for news. Offsetting those costs were added circulation revenues of $1 million. 

Ridder said the attacks reversed a slight comeback in retail advertising. That combined with an already soft market for general advertising and help wanted ads turned September into a “memorably bad month,” he said. 

In a separate report, Knight Ridder said total advertising revenues at its newspapers fell 16 percent in September compared to September 2000. Year-to-date advertising revenues were off 7 percent. 

Ridder said that while the company’s prospects had started to look up in the weeks after the attacks, they fell back once the U.S. bombing campaign began in Afghanistan. But he noted that cost savings from a downsizing effort announced in April were paying off, and he added that newsprint costs were heading lower. 

He did not specifically lower the outlook for the company’s full-year earnings, which stand at $2.91 per share, as measured by Thomson Financial/First Call, but he noted that there still exists a “harsh revenue environment” and that achieving full-year earnings goals would be contingent upon “resumption of more normal business patterns.” 

Knight Ridder, based in San Jose, publishes 28 newspapers in major markets across the country, including the San Jose Mercury News, The Miami Herald and The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

——— 

On the Net 

http://www.kri.com. 

DES MOINES, Iowa — A television news reporter was fired after he jokingly sprinkled face powder around the newsroom in front of co-workers, his lawyer said. 

Steve Oswalt, 48, who worked at KCCI-TV for 15 years, sprinkled the powder Oct. 15, attorney George LaMarca said. 

The prank was clearly done in a joking manner in front of managers who knew there was no threat, LaMarca said. 

“I don’t know how any reasonable person could believe that Steve had anthrax,” LaMarca said. 

News director Dave Busiek said Oswalt was no longer an employee as of Oct. 19. He declined to comment further. 

LaMarca declined to comment about possible legal action. 

“I won’t get caught up in hysteria,” he said. “We’re assessing the matter in a calm and reasonable fashion.” 

LAS VEGAS — Traffic on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border in September spiked nearly 16 percent over September 2000, according to Nevada Department of Transportation data. 

By Sept. 13, traffic was up more than 19 percent, with 31,500 cars passing through Primm that day on I-15, the data showed. 

Kirk Anderson, vice president of radio broadcaster the Highway Stations, which compiled the NDOT numbers, told the Las Vegas Sun he’s never seen anything like it. 

“Over the last 20 years we’ve done research on the highway, it’s been evergreen ... up steadily 4 to 6 percent a year,” Anderson said. “Never have we seen the kind of instantaneous change that’s taking place.” 

Overall, I-15 traffic in September was up 3.9 percent to 1.08 million, but that number is misleading. 

From Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, the growth rate averaged 0.6 percent per day. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to Sept. 30, it averaged just under 7 percent. 

“It’s a silver lining in what otherwise looks like a pretty dark cloud,” said William Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

The cause, most observers agree, is fairly obvious. 

“It means people don’t want to fly,” said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM Mirage, the largest hotel-casino operator on the Las Vegas Strip. “It’s the reason our occupancy is anywhere close to normal. Otherwise we’d probably all be down close to 60 percent (occupancy).” 

Numbers provided by McCarran International Airport Friday reinforce that theory. In September, McCarran reported 2.12 million passengers went through the airport for the month — down a whopping 28.3 percent from the year-ago period. 

To compensate for the decline, Las Vegas hotel-casino operators have cut room rates heavily since Sept. 11.  

And the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has launched a targeted marketing campaign on certain key markets — particularly the major drive-in markets of Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix. 

The result has been weekend occupancy of close to 100 percent, but at far lower rates than normal. 

That continued to be the case over the weekend, Feldman said. 

“Occupancy was closer to normal, but rates were still substantially down,” Feldman said. “Revenues across the board remain down.” 

But Anderson doesn’t believe all the new drivers are necessarily bargain-hunters. Instead, Anderson said many are people who normally fly, who are turned off by long lines at the airports and concerned about safety. 

“These are not people that have historically driven, but have flown,” he said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Willie Brown’s State of the City address Monday wasn’t as optimistic as it’s been in past years, but he said he’s confident San Francisco will rebound from the dot-com crash and current economic slump. 

Brown called the dot-com collapse an “absolute disaster,” and said the city much switch its attention from dot-coms and tourism to biotechnology. 

“The one segment of the U.S. economy that has not been touched ... and that’s the world of biotechnology,” Brown said. 

He said a new biotechnology firm just signed a 10-year lease in the city, and he’s welcoming others. 

Brown asked for a moment of silence to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks Sept. 11 and assured citizens that everything is being done to boost city security measures and come up with a positive economic strategy to help relieve the $60 million to $100 million deficit. 

“That means without touching the surplus we’re in a position to manage our city,” Brown said. 

The mayor also discussed how hard the tourism industry has been hit as a result of the attacks and slowing economy. In response, he said the city has created a tourism outreach plan that is urging people to come to San Francisco, including calling potential visitors on the phone and personally inviting them. 

Congresswoman opposed U.S. military action 

More than 2,000 people gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza yesterday afternoon to rally in support of U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who cast the lone vote Sept. 14 opposing the open-ended use of military force in the United States’ war against terrorism. 

The People’s Non-Violent Response Coalition of the East Bay, an ad-hoc group of East Bay elected officials, community leaders, artists and residents, organized the event, calling it, “A Community Gathering to Express Appreciation for Barbara Lee and her Courageous Vote.”  

Event organizer and Oakland City Councilmember Nancy Nadel said the gathering was, “to thank Barbara Lee for her courageous vote.” The event sought to support all families and innocent victims affected by the Sept. 11 attacks, including those in Afghanistan who are now under a military campaign that the United States began Oct. 7, Nadel said. 

Nadel said that the gathering was also intended to present alternatives to war, to end racial profiling of Arab-Americans and to honor the right to dissent. 

At the gathering, people held signs that read, “Barbara Lee for President,” as the American and world flag flew side by side. A variety of community leaders, including the Rev. Eloise Oliver of the East Bay Church of Religious Science, the Rev. Alfred Smith of Allen Temple Baptist Church, as well as Barbara Lee herself, spoke about the need for a mindful, rather than what Oliver termed, “impulsive” response. 

“God Bless you Barbara Lee for your courage to speak the truth, and your willingness to be all that God has designed you to be,” Oliver said. 

Celebrities, including Pulitzer-prize winning author Alice Walker and actor Danny Glover, also praised Lee’s vote. Glover read a Langston Hughes poem and ended by saying, “Thank you Barbara Lee for voting your conscience, for standing up for justice.”  

Monday, Oct 22

Franciscanism, Understanding  

the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Interfaith Couples Look at  

Love and Choices 

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Two films to stimulate discussion about interfaith families, love and identity. $25 per couple. 548-0237 

Tuesday, Oct. 23

UNtraining White Liberal  

Racism 

2 - 5 p.m. 

The UNtraining offers personal work in a supportive setting for white people to address our unconscious racial conditioning. $10. Private residence, call 235-6134 for address.  

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 prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday.  

655-8863 

Similarities between Jewish  

and Deadhead Spirituality 

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

It’s been observed that a disproportionate number of deadheads are Jews. Dr. Leora Lawton, researcher of deadhead culture, explores the fascinating parallels between Jewish and deadhead rituals. $25 public, $15 members. 548-0237 

Wednesday, Oct. 24

Free Legal Workshop 

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave 

This workshop will provide information about State and Federal disability programs that provide cash benefits and health insurance for people unable to work due to a serious health condition. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. 

Every Wednesday through Nov 28 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Free. 524-3034 

Thursday, Oct. 25

Free Quit Smoking Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

2344 6th St. 

With the option of acupuncture. Six Thursday evenings through Dec. 6. 

Contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program to register and for more information, 644-6422 or e-mail QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Town Hall” Community  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

2700 Park St. 

San Pablo Park Neighborhood Council with support from the City, will be hosting this community meeting. Scheduled to attend: Mayor Shirley Dean, Council Member Margaret Breland, Michael Caplan from the City Manager’s Office, Recreation Director Madeline Law, and Berkeley Police Personnel. 848-2427 

Berkeley Community Fund 

Eighth Annual Awards Dinner 

6 p.m. 

Radisson Hotel 

Berkeley Marina 

Bestowing the Benjamin Ide Wheller Medal and Berkeley Community Awards. 843-5202 www.berkfund.org  

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 

Open gathering for prayer, chanting, meditation, healing and peace talks 

honoring the victims of the Sept. 11th. 273-2447 

Saturday, Oct. 27

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Greening Our City Centers 

9 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

The Gaia Building 

2116 Allston Way 

The Second Heart of the City Seminar celebrating the opening of Berkeley’s new showcase ecological building and the Gaia Cultural Center. Discussions will focus on strategies and tactics for generating awareness and implementing greener city centers. 649-1817 www.ecocitybuilders.org 

Targeting Civilians 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

Former UN official Hans von Sponeck and Voices in the Wilderness’ Kathy Kelly will discuss the war on Iraq and the current bombing of Afghanistan. $10 Benefits Voices in the Wilderness.  

Medical Mystery Festival 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. 

A Halloween celebration that introduces children to the field of medical science and health-related issues. 549-1564 

Sunday, Oct. 28

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets  

Family-oriented weekly market. Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 

654-6346 

Archaeological Institute of  

America 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Shorb House 

2547 Channing Way 

AIA Sunday Symposium: Reports from the Field — Dr. Ian Morris on the 6th century BCE site of Monte Polizzo in Sicily; Dr. Marian Feldman on prestige goods of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean; Dr. Christine Hastorf on early architecture at Chiripa in the Titicaca Basin of the Bolivian Andes. 415-338-1537 barbaram@sfsu.edu 

Monday, Oct. 29

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

Tuesday, Oct. 30

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 prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Compiled by Guy Poole

Editor: 

I am writing to express my disagreements with all of the published letters in the Friday, October 19, 2001 issue of the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

I recognize that Ms. Maio, being a politician, may wish to hide behind the literal wording of the resolution, as passed, but as many who condemn the current U.S. Government action state, perhaps we should look deeper for root causes. So lets examine the meaning of the resolution:  

Although not explicitly stated, there is a clear implication that the City Council believes (Part five) that America's usage of Middle Eastern oil is a contributing factor to the attack, and that our failure to eradicate the miseries of the Third World (Part 4) are also part of the root causes for this attack. There is no other rational explanation for the inclusion of these sections in the resolution, although the root causes argument is bogus (see below). The mildness of the wording of these sections tends to hide the clear implication that the council believes that the United States is partially responsible for the attack of Sept. 11. 

Once having established the backdrop against which the resolution is written, the meaning of Part two (ask our representatives to help break the cycle of violence, bringing the bombing to a conclusion as soon as possible, avoiding actions that can endanger of the lives of innocent people in Afghanistan, and minimizing the risk to American military personnel), comes into a different light than its carefully selected, non-confrontational wording. This is in fact, a clear condemnation of our bombing campaign, under which, unfortunately, innocent civilians are killed. 

Ms. Maio, maybe the media see the true meaning of the resolution, rather than the Clintonesque spin put on by Berkeley politicians. Berkeley would probably not receive any more national scorn than it already has by explicitly stating what is obfuscated in the resolution, that you do, indeed, condemn the bombing campaign. Have the courage of your convictions, and be honest about it. 

Although generally, I agree with Ms. Carroll’s sentiments in her letter, I disagree that all government officials should necessarily rally around the president in this time of national crisis. Fortunately, the vast majority have, but even Berkeley public officials enjoy the protection of the First Amendment. American blood has been spilt to purchase these freedoms, and likely will be spilt in the future defending our freedom.  

Of course, politicians (in Berkeley especially) must make sure that their public statements are politically correct, hence the watering down of the true sentiments of the City Council. 

I certainly applaud Mr. Azevedo’s efforts to learn to be peaceful within himself. Unfortunately, the hope that this will eventually lead to a peaceful world is naive. Each generation has had to learn the same lessons as past generations in the spiritual and emotional realms, as each person grows on the path of wisdom individually, initially from a childish perspective. Perhaps if the human life span was extended, the wisdom accumulated painfully through time might be better conserved. In the meantime, there are numerous examples of children with every advantage of parenting and education who have turned into monsters, thus turning back the cause of creating a peaceful world. 

Finally, the shrill, hysterical tone of Mr. Hartenstein’s letter impressed me as much as, I imagine, Sen. Feinstein. Although Mr. Hartenstein hasn’t seen evidence that bin Laden is responsible for the 9/11 attacks, that certainly doesn’t mean that such evidence doesn’t exist. It would be foolish for our leadership to unnecessarily tip our hand as to the evidence available, especially while our criminal investigation and military activities are in progress. Furthermore, bin Laden’s previous crimes are well-documented and, of themselves, deserve harsh punishment. 

Our government’s stated policy is a generalized war on terrorism, which eventually should, and hopefully will, cast a wider net than on just those specifically involved with the 9/11 attacks. The war will also target those states which foster terrorism. 

Mr. Hartenstein would have us believe that the U.S. is one such state. This seems eerily like an aspect of ‘Battered Wives Syndrome,’ in which the victim of domestic violence blames herself for the attack, rather than directing the justified anger outwards. This sort of introspective, self-defeating behavior is also evident in the search for root causes of the attacks, which always seems to come down to such fatuous phrases as “U.S. Imperialism” and “Give Peace a Chance.” 

Berkeley has an incredible number of therapists (I’ll not speculate why), whose profession includes the searching out the ‘root causes’ of their patient’s neuroses. It is interesting to note that while the individual search for root causes often takes years or decades, media pundits on Sept. 12 already were solemnly describing the root causes of the terrorist attacks. This suggests that the therapists may be ripping off their patients, or that the search for root causes is much more difficult than anyone admits, or (my guess) both. In any event, conflicts between the Arab world and the Western world predate U.S. intervention (check out these years: 1453, 1683, 1912). Any assignment of a root cause that doesn’t include the events of those, and many other years, will require ignoring significant facts that bear on this centuries-long conflict. 

The search for root causes will certainly take place, as historians piece together the history of these days, but it shouldn’t be used as as an excuse for inaction in the face of clear and present danger. I believe we must use our greatest gift, the rational facility which distinguishes us from all other creatures, and lies dormant in all too many people, to make judgments of right and wrong to chart our course towards a more just future. The Sept. 11 attacks cannot be judged as anything other than pure evil, despite any appeals to cultural relativism. This evil must and will be eradicated from the globe. 

Jim Mellander 

El Sobrante

924 Gilman St. Oct. 26: Influents, Plus Ones, Divit, Summerjack, Robot Adrenaline, Claredon Hills; Oct. 27: (Halloween show, $1 off if you’re in a (non-punk) costume!) Babyland, Tsunami Bomb, Scissor Hands, Dexter Danger; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Blake’s Oct. 22: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 23: Felice, $3; Oct. 24: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; Oct. 25: Psychotica, $5; Oct. 26: Planting Seeds, $6; Oct. 27: Felonious, $6; Oct. 29: The Steve Gannon Band and Mz. Dee, $4; Oct. 31: Erotic City, DJ Maestro, $2; All shows 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Cal Performances Nov 8: 8 p.m. Gypsy Caravan 2: A Celebration of Roma Music and Dance, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212, tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; Oct. 19: Little Jonny and the Giants; Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

“Prometeh in Evin” Oct. 28: 8 p.m., A drama about political prisoners in Iran, performed by the brave and innovative Parsian Group. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. $25, Children, $15 2640 College Ave 845.8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

“Approach” Through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, Directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 8th St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

“36 Views” Through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“me/you...us/them”Nov. 8 though Nov. 10: Thur - Sat 8 p.m., matinee on Sat. 2:30 p.m. Three one-acts that look at interpersonal, as well as societal relationships from the perspective of the disabled. $10 - $25. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Nocturne” Through Nov. 11: Tues./Thurs./Sat. 8 p.m., Weds. & Sun. 7 p.m, matinee on Thurs./Sat./Sun. 2 p.m. Mark Brokaw directs Anthony Rapp in One-Man Show. Written by Adam Rapp. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Travesties” Through Nov. 17: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 15, 8 p.m. A witty fantasy about James Joyce meeting Lenin in Zurich during World War I. Written by Tom Stoppard, Directed by Mikel Clifford. $10. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck. 528-5620 

“Macbeth” Nov. 9 though Nov. 18: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. Presented by the Albany High School Theater Ensemble. $7 adults, $5 students and seniors. Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd. 559-6550 x4125 theaterensemble@hotmail.com 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Oct. 22: 7 p.m., The Closed Doors; Oct. 23: 7:30 p.m., Super-8mm Films by Theresa Cha; Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m., The Rainy Season and Wai’a Rini; Oct. 26: 7:30 p.m., The Passion of Joan of Arc, 9:15 p.m., Vivre sa Vie; Oct 27: 7 p.m., New Music for Silent Films by UCB Composers; Oct. 28: 5:30 p.m., Vampyr; Oct. 29: 7 p.m., A Time for Drunken Horses; Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Leslie Thornton; Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m., Saudade do Futuro. 

2575 Bancroft Way, 642-1124 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“First Annual Art Show” UC Berkeley Life Drawing Group Reception, Through Oct. 26: 7 - 10 p.m. Figure studies from the workshops at UC Berkeley. 1014 60th St., Emeryville. 923-0689 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501 www.adaptgallery.com  

“Cut Plates and Bowls” Annabeth Rosen, “Just Jars” Sandy Simon Through Nov. 3; Saturdays 10 - 5 or by appointment. Trax Ceramic Gallery, 1306 3rd St. 526-0279. cone5@aol.com 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” Through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. “Cleve Gray, Holocaust Drawings” Oct. 15 through Jan. 25: 21 works on paper inviting the viewer to consider the atrocity of the Holocaust in ways unattainable through words or text. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

“2001 James D. Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking” Honorees: Bridget Henry, David Kelso, and Margaret Van Patten. Oct. 19 - Nov. 30 Tues. - Fri. noon - 5 p.m., other times by appointment. Kala Art Institue, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 www.kala.org 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

“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 Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

Boadecia’s Books Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Oct. 26 Sage Cohen & Mari L’esperance read their poetry; All shows at 7:30 p.m.; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Nov. 10: 4 p.m. Ruthanne Lum McCunn reads from her novel “Moon Pearl”; Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Noel Alumit, M.G. Sorongon, and Marianne Villanueva read from their contributions to the anthology “Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Literature”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

Ecology Center Oct. 22: 7 - 9 p.m. Toby Hemenway presents a slideshow and reads from “Gaia’s Garden: A guide to Home Scale Permaculture”; 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-220 x233 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

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 Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623

UCLA runs over Cal as Paus passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns  

PASADENA – California wasn’t about to let DeShaun Foster run wild, as Washington did a week earlier. 

Instead, it was Cory Paus who did the Golden Bears in. 

Paus passed for a season-high 273 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters Saturday night as No. 4 UCLA overcame a sluggish start to beat winless California 56-17. 

Foster, who entered the game as the leading rusher in the country with a 162.6-yard average, gained 117 yards on 24 carries and caught two passes for 61 yards. 

Held to 38 yards on 12 carries in the first half, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior scored on runs of 1 and 6 yards and a 34-yard pass from Paus. 

Foster ran for a school-record 301 yards on 31 carries and scored four touchdowns in UCLA’s 35-13 victory over Washington. 

“You saw the way they were playing defense – nine guys in the box,” Paus said. “We’re still going to run the ball. I’m just glad we were able to do some things we wanted to do.” 

Paus, who opened the game with an incompletion before connecting on his next 11 passes, finished 13-of-16 without being intercepted. He has attempted 189 straight passes, including 122 this season, without an interception. 

“Close to being perfect,” Paus said. “I would have liked being perfect. I’ll take it, for sure.” 

Paus also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Smith and a 4-yarder to Ed Ieremia-Stansbury – both in the third period. The Bruins have outscored their six opponents 72-0 in the third quarter. 

“I think he performed real well,” UCLA coach Bob Toledo said of Paus, a fourth-year junior. “They were packing the paint. For the most part, he made them pay for what they were trying to do. And they paid, dearly.” 

The defeat was the ninth straight for Cal – a school record. The Bears (0-6, 0-4) are off to the worst start in the program’s 119-year history. 

Cal has faced one of the country’s most difficult schedules; its opponents have a cumulative 33-2 record. 

The Bears played without quarterback Kyle Boller, sidelined with a back injury. Boller, a junior who has made 24 career starts, led his team to wins over UCLA in each of the last two seasons. 

Eric Holtfreter, making his first career start as Boller’s replacement, completed 11 of 29 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown before being relieved early in the fourth quarter. 

The Bruins put the game away by scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter and another on the first play of the final period – on Foster’s last carry of the game. 

One of the third-quarter touchdowns was a 16-yard blocked punt return by Devon Reese. Marcus Reese, no relation, got the block – the second straight game he has blocked a punt that resulted in a touchdown. 

Akil Harris’ 48-yard touchdown run with 4:22 left put UCLA ahead 56-10. Cal’s Terrell Williams scored on a 4-yard run with one second remaining. 

Joe Igber, who rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries, gained 39 yards on the game’s second play, helping the Bears get into position for Mark Jensen’s 39-yard field goal. 

The Bruins moved 55 yards on four plays the third time they had the ball, scoring when Craig Bragg ran 42 yards on a double reverse. 

The Bears responded by driving 80 yards on 15 plays, with Holtfreter throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Charon Arnold. 

The drive was aided by two offside penalties against UCLA, the first while Cal was punting. 

The Bruins moved 76 and 80 yards on their next two possessions to take a 21-10 halftime lead, with Foster scoring both touchdowns. 

The Bruins got a break on the Paus-to-Foster TD pass; Paus was hit by John Klotsche as he threw, and the ball fluttered to Foster, who was alone about 10 yards downfield and nowhere near the intended receiver. 

The game was played before a homecoming crowd of 65,366 at the Rose Bowl. 

It was a solemn Sunday morning at the Rockridge BART Station where community members and elected city officials came together to honor the lives lost in the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm and the firefighters who fought bravely. 

“You will always remember what you were doing,” said Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean, remembering the day of the fire. “We’ve come a long way.” 

At the “Phoenix: Looking Back, Moving Forward” 10th Anniversary Oakland/Berkeley Firestorm event, Dean reflected on the tragedy, marked as one of the worst urban-wildland fires in U.S. history. The fire, Dean said, claimed the lives of 25 people, injured 150 residents and fire fighters, and left more than 5,000 homeless. Dean spoke in front of the Fire Storm Community Mural Project made out of decorated tiles dedicated to the fire’s survivors. The mural lines the station’s walls on College Avenue. 

“Many people still have vivid memories and impressions of the fire,” said Berkeley Fire Chief Reginald Garcia. “As a community we have come together. We have survived.” 

Jan Marsh rebuilt her Oakland home after the fire but moved to a Berkeley apartment four years ago because she said the memories were too painful.  

“I lost everything,” Marsh said. 

Marsh recalls being surrounded by flames while she and husband and cat escaped but said an elderly woman who lived across the street did not make it. She holds the city of Oakland partly responsible. 

“I think the city of Oakland was totally unprepared and I feel that they let us down and totally got away with it,” Marsh said. 

Editor: 

I believe the City Council’s action on Tuesday, while a sincere desire to be a “beacon of light,” does nothing but illuminate the grandiose opinion five Berkeley City Council members have of themselves. It’s not about you, stupid. It’s about over 4,000 lives lost due to suicidal terrorists, and Berkeley is just background noise to a national tragedy. Perhaps the five council members should visit Afghanistan and observe women getting whipped to death for showing their faces and Afghani men plying their hashish trade, with the Taliban ruling over all. 

Yes, people suffer all over the world from corrupt governments and U.S. foreign policy, but Berkeley is an American city protected by a Bill of Rights that you will not find in Afghanistan and Berkeley deservedly uses its rights to the fullest. 

I would have more pride in Berkeley if it was accountable for the taxes it levies. If sewer taxes the city holds actually fixed sewers, mosquito abatement taxes actually abated mosquitoes, and decisions were made in the light of day, rather than “after midnight” deals that pander to special interests while honest citizens sleep. Therein lies the problem — the City Council would rather get attention than pay attention to the pragmatic business of running a city. 

Nothing comes of nothing, and that will be the result of the City Council’s resolution on Afghanistan. 

Jahlee Arakaki 

Berkeley

The Cal women’s soccer team continued its October slump on Sunday, losing 2-0 to the visiting Washington State Cougars. 

The Bears were held scoreless for the second game in a row, the first time since 1996 they have gone two games without scoring. 

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute when Katrina Stroh headed in a corner kick by Beth Childs. The Bears then scored an own goal when midfielder Ashley Valenzuela headed a Washington State cross into her own net eight minutes later. 

“It was the second half that we went flat,” Cal head coach Kevin Boyd said. “I don’t know what's going on. Two games in a row with no goals? They’re certainly not acting like a team in the Pac-10 part of their season that needs wins.”  

The Bears played the second half of Sunday’s game without the services of leading scorer Laura Schott, who sustained a concussion on Friday against Washington when she collided with Husky goalkeeper Hope Solo. Schott was questionable going into Sunday’s game, but Boyd decided to hold her out after the junior forward was hit in the head with a ball during warmups. 

“She tried to go for the first half,” said Cal coach Kevin Boyd. “She came out at halftime and said she didn’t feel completely there. In talking to her during the halftime, we thought it was unsafe for her to play.”  

After bolting out to an 8-1 record to start the season, the 15th-ranked Golden Bears have gone 2-3-1 since to fall to 10-4-1 overall (2-2 Pac-10). The Cougars’ first Pac-10 victory of the season improved their record to 6-5 (1-2).  

Cal has a shot to wrap up the month on a positive note when it travels to No. 8 Stanford this Sunday. The Bears have won the last three meetings with the Cardinal.

State financial fix-it experts officially came to the Berkeley Unified School District’s rescue this week. 

The school board heard Wednesday night from Joel Montero, a consultant with the Financial Crisis and Management Team, a non-profit financial consultancy set up under state legislation, and Alameda County schools superintendent Sheila Jordan, who helped the team come to Berkeley. 

“It’s going to take a little bit of time, but we’re going to get there,” Montero said. 

FCMAT — known as “fick mat” among board members and district administrators who have eagerly awaited its arrival — is based at the Kern County Office of Education and is currently involved in 16 school districts statewide. 

Montero said 30 percent of its activity here will be to resolve the fiscal muddle that led the county to “disapprove” the district budget, Montero said. The rest of its time, he said, will go toward changing management structures. 

“We have to fix those so that when we go away, the work we do can remain,” he said. 

The very first task would be to fix, he said, “the functions of the business office, the day-to-day operations,” including its creaking data-processing system. A full-time FCMAT consultant with a strong technology and business background will play the role of the district “CEO” or associate superintendent for business services until a replacement is found. 

Jordan declined Thursday to estimate how long the consultants would have to be engaged. 

“We’re not making those predictions right now,” she said. “We know it’s a big job because it’s systems job, and there’s a

UC freshmen corrupted by drugged-out Berkeleyans? Suburban youth, high on BART, attempting to sneak into a San Francisco peep show? Too-enthusiastic volleyball players spiking people on the street?  

All this and more was on display at the Third Berkeley High/Bay Area Film Festival, a student-organized exhibition of the works of young Bay Area filmmakers, which aired at the Pacific Film Archive Saturday afternoon. 

Students from Berkeley, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and San Leandro were on hand to show their films — which ranged from commercials and public service announcements to documentaries, from thrillers to comedies to art films — and to discuss how and why they were made. 

Two of the films, both by BHS students, offered different takes on the subject of teen violence. 

“Hot Boxing: Berkeley High Fight Clubs,” by Nick Smith, Kamal Young and Gavin Wagner, told of a phenomenon few in the audience knew existed — “fight clubs,” inspired partly by the movie of the same name, that meet after school hours for informal boxing matches. 

Small parts of several battles, in various and indiscernible locations, are shown; the combatants wear gloves and flail at each other — mostly ineptly, though the occasional shot to the chin does land.  

Interspersed with the fight scenes are interviews with combatants and spectators, and one unnamed BHS official who explains that because it was considered too dangerous, it was removed from the physical education curriculum some time ago. 

Most of the students interviewed in the film agree that some young men are drawn toward physical violence, and that the “fight club” is a relatively safe way to practice it. 

In “Clairvoyance,” by Zack Sultan and Daniel Sanders, a teenager walks down Shattuck Avenue, occasionally bumping against other young men. When they make contact, the frame freezes and the teenager, a clairvoyant, sees an episode of violence in his counterpart’s recent past. One of the young men was held up by two men carrying baseball bats, another was punched by his friend after a game of one-on-one got out of hand. 

The story is told almost completely through music and pictures. Flashback episodes are done partly in live action and partly with still photographs, which catch the emotional pain of the victims, and sometimes the perpetrators, of violence. 

Other films were somewhat more lighthearted. 

“Orange Shoes,” a short film by BHS student Calvin Gaskin — one of the curators of the festival — is an exploration of the roots and meanings of his fellow students’ choices of clothing.  

The subjects in the stylized documentary range from a full-on fashion diva, whose elaborate costumes draw positive and negative attention from her peers in equal measure, to a young man who buys all his clothes from Costco, because it’s the only place you can get “10 white T-shirts for six bucks.” 

One clothes horse says that he refuses to wear Armani — “not because it’s too expensive, but because it’s too bourgie (short for bourgeoisie).” 

“I wanted to express all the different styles and stuff you see at Berkeley High,” said Gaskin. 

Two other films by Berkeley High students were shown — “Gay Youth,” a documentary by Vanessa Duran, and “Beat It,” an anti-smoking public service announcement by Viki Rasmussen. 

After the films, the filmmakers took questions from the audience. One man said that when Berkeley High first started giving classes in video production, many teachers feared that the option to study video would take away from reading and writing programs. He asked the students whether they thought that was true. 

Imperial DeCastro, a Pittsburgh High School student whose public service announcement about teen suicide was a crowd favorite, said that pictures and sound, used in addition to good writing, enabled filmmakers to create moods that connect more deeply with an audience.  

“My film wouldn’t have been as powerful if it was just a written warning,” she said. “Video gives you the ability to get the message across much better.” 

Many of the students expressed an interest in pursuing a career in film or video. Stephen Reedy of California High, whose film, “Midnight in a Perfect World,” was one of the more visually interesting of the festival, said he was grateful for the chance to develop his skills at school. 

“It’s good, as young filmmakers, to develop your style before messing it up with substance,” he said. 

Stanford 49, No. 5 Oregon 42 

EUGENE, Ore. – Kerry Carter bulled in for a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining for Stanford. 

Stanford (4-1, 3-1 Pac-10) rallied from a 42-28 fourth-quarter deficit by blocking a punt and intercepting Oregon’s Joey Harrington pass, turning both turnovers into touchdowns. But the Ducks’ Seth McEwen deflected Mike Biselli’s extra point with 5:32 left, leaving Oregon with a 42-41 lead. 

All Oregon (6-1, 3-1) had to do was salt away the clock, but on third-and-1 from his own 30, Harrington was hit by safety Tank Williams and the ball floated into the hands of diving defensive end Marcus Hoover at the 33. 

On third-and-goal from the 3, Carter was stopped at the line of scrimmage, but got a push from his line to get into the end zone for his fourth touchdown. 

Not only did Stanford stop Oregon’s nation-best 23-game home winning streak, it ruined an undefeated record by the Ducks for the eighth time since 1964. 

No. 15 Washington 31,  

Arizona 28 

SEATTLE – Two weeks after separating his throwing shoulder, Cody Pickett ran 3 yards for the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left in Washington’s latest fourth-quarter comeback. 

Pickett threw touchdown passes of 78 and 75 yards in the first quarter and finished 29-of-49 for a career-high 455 yards, with three touchdowns and four interceptions. 

The Huskies (5-1, 3-1 Pac-10) overcame five turnovers to bounce back from their first loss in 13 games. They haven’t lost two straight since coach Rick Neuheisel’s first two games in 1999. 

Arizona is winless in four Pac-10 games and has lost nine straight conference games. 

Arizona St. 41, Oregon St. 24 

TEMPE, Ariz. – The big things predicted for Delvon Flowers came true against Oregon State. 

Flowers, who missed last season because of a knee injury, ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona State beat the Beavers 41-24 Saturday night. 

He scored on runs of 74 and 28 yards in the biggest game by an Arizona State running back in the last 28 years, and the sixth-best ever. His yardage on 23 carries was the most since Ben Malone set the record of 250 against Oregon State in 1973. 

“I don’t know what to say,” Flowers said. “I owe it to my line and (fullback) Mike Karney. They did a great job getting up there, laying their pads down and pushing the defense back.” 

Jeff Krohn threw a 63-yard pass that the receiver, Shaun McDonald, turned in another score when he recovered his own fumble in the end zone, Justin Taplin threw a 23-yard TD pass on a trick play and Tom Pace scored on an 11-yard run. 

Notre Dame 27, USC 16 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Carlyle Holiday has the Notre Dame offense running again and the Irish winning again. 

Holiday fell 2 yards shy of his third straight 100-yard rushing game Saturday as Notre Dame (3-3) overcame an 11-point deficit to beat Southern Cal 27-16 Saturday for its third straight victory after its first ever 0-3 start. 

Holiday, making his fourth start, had a 43-yard run to set up a field goal, a 35-yard TD run, and a 42-yard pass -- Notre Dame’s longest of the season. 

“He’s a weapon every time he touches the ball,” Irish coach Bob Davie said. 

The Irish lost 24-3 to Texas A&M in Holiday’s first start, but he only played the first half because of a neck injury. He’s led the Irish in rushing in each of their victories.

The Kansas City, Mo., company that designed Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco has been hired to scout locations for a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics. 

Oakland and Alameda County officials say building a baseball-only park is central to keeping the A’s in town. 

The team’s current ownership has never made a secret of its dislike of the Network Associates Coliseum, which was extensively remodeled for football when the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995. 

HOK Sports Inc. is expected to complete its study by the end of November, and its findings will be presented to A’s officials by the end of the year, said Rosie Rios, director of economic development for Oakland. 

The Cal women’s volleyball team broke a six match losing streak with a 3-0 victory (30-16, 33-31, 30-20) over Washington, Saturday night at Haas Pavilion. The Bears were again led by freshman Mia Jerkov, who tallied 19 kills and had 11 digs. On Friday, Jerkov had led Cal with 20 kills and 14 digs against Washington State.  

The Bears (6-11 overall, 2-8 Pac-10) also received strong play from sophomore Gabrielle Abernathy, who finished with seven kills and had a team-high 14 digs, while junior Reena Pardiwala had a .400 hitting percentage (eight kills, two errors, 15 attempts) and nine digs. Washington (10-10, 3-8) was led by Kara Bjorklund’s 11 kills. Cal outhit Washington, .254 to .154.  

The Bears set the tone of the match by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in game one and went on to win handily, 30-16. Game two was the most exciting of the match. Cal was down, 29-28 when the Bears were called for a net violation. Fortunately, freshman Camille Leffall responded with a kill to keep Cal alive. UW again took the lead, 30-29, but back-to-back kills by Jerkov gave the Bears a 31-30 advantage. The Huskies tied the contest again, 31-31, but Cal responded with block assists by Pardiwala and senior Candace McNamee and a kill by Leah Young to win 33-31.  

Game three was another strong performance by the Bears as they broke away from a 5-5 tie to win handily, 30-19. The three-game victory over Washington avenged an earlier loss to the Huskies, as Cal fell to UW, 3-0 Sept. 20 in Seattle.  

Cal will next host Santa Clara, Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is spending $650,000 a year to deal with shopping carts left in public places, mostly by the homeless. 

The city collects, cleans and stores the carts. And it also keeps most of the confiscated possessions for months to protect itself from lawsuits, as many homeless people have challenged the city in recent years about missing belongings. 

Belongings are kept for at least 90 days, but only one percent of them are ever claimed. The carts are taken to a city yard off Cesar Chavez Street near Interstate 280. 

There, city workers typically pick through hazardous materials such as syringes, crack pipes, bottles of urine and clothing covered with bodily secretions.

OAKLAND – For the first time in two weeks, BART officials and union negotiators met to try to keep workers from going on strike Tuesday. 

On Saturday, BART officials reviewed the latest offer from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, representing 238 workers. It drops a proposal for pay parity among employees doing the same jobs. 

BART officials asked the union to return to the bargaining table. 

Union officials say they are satisfied with the 22 percent raises over four years, but the sticking point is that they do not want union jobs going to consultants, contractors and other unions. 

If a compromise isn’t reached by Tuesday, leaders of the largest two unions have said they will honor AFSCME’s picket line. BART officials have said they will keep the trains running.

SAN FRANCISCO – Golfers used to have to call about a year in advance to secure a place on the green and a room at the resort at Pebble Beach during the peak fall months. 

But nowadays, tourists are getting away with a far shorter lead time. 

Renata Anderson and Stephen Rue of Walnut Creek decided to get in a round of golf and were able to get reservations on two days notice. 

The ordinarily healthy Pebble Beach is being hit hard by the recent downturn. Pebble Beach Co. laid off 170 workers this month — 10 percent of its work force. The cuts follow a drastic drop-off in tourist numbers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Even a month after the attacks, business is down 20 to 30 percent compared with the same period last year. Pebble Beach Co. is even running ads in San Francisco Bay area papers to remind people they have spaces open. 

Officials say this slump has so far been worse than the downturns following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

SAN FRANCISCO – Schools offering classes in Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages are being inundated with students who believe that education is the key to understanding the state of today’s world. 

Schools nationwide have reported waiting lists for classes that once had lackluster enrollment from Los Angeles to Stanford to Washington, D.C. 

“The telephone is ringing off the hook every day,” said Shukri Abed, chairman of the languages department at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. “It is unbelievable. Scores of students are coming. I’ve never seen anything like this.” 

Abed said he’s taking 40 to 50 calls a day from interested students. He typically has 90 students a quarter in his beginning Arabic class, but this year he has 130. 

There is a waiting list for Arabic at the University of California, Los Angeles Extension, where many adults take classes. Administrators there have decided to add another class for winter quarter. At the University of California, Berkeley Extension, an Arabic class was unexpectedly full starting Sept. 12. 

Many Americans say they feel helpless, and the only real difference they can make is by gaining knowledge. And some say they’re willing to dedicate years to learn a language that’s very difficult for native English speakers. 

“It looks as if there will be a lot of U.S. involvement, and people who can speak and read Arabic will be needed,” said Cari Sietstra, 26, a third-year law student at Stanford University. “Our policies in that region certainly will have to be reformulated.” 

Sietstra signed up for a class in Arabic after the Sept. 11 attacks and wants to work in the Middle East after graduation. 

“I knew I would feel better if I was doing something,” Sietstra said. “I can’t donate hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I can’t help fix what happened in New York and Washington, but I can do one small thing that may be useful.” 

The interest was partly spurred by a plea after the attacks from FBI Director Robert Mueller. He called for help from Americans who speak Arabic, Farsi or Pashto. More than 15,000 applications have since flooded the bureau to fill its 200 linguist positions. 

Stockbrokers, lawyers and Vietnam War veterans have signed up for language classes at the Monterey Institute of International Studies to try to help. 

But language experts warn students to not expect to start translating anytime soon. It takes an average of about 63 weeks to get a basic understanding of Arabic, compared to about 25 weeks for Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese. 

“I thought they were speaking some other language,” said Rick Francona, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf’s translator during the Persian Gulf War. “So you have to become conversant in the dialect.” 

And while teachers admire the flurry of interest, they say it’s sad it took a tragedy for people to become interested in the world. 

“It is insane for people like me who have been yelling at empty halls for 25 years,” said Khalil Barhoum, coordinator of Stanford’s program for African and Middle Eastern languages and literature. “Once you know people’s culture, they are not scary. And once you know their language, it is the key to the heart.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Pediatricians and other child-health specialists are urging officials to take steps to protect children against bioterrorism, saying they are especially vulnerable. But the biggest challenge is to prepare for a biological attack without spreading panic. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ annual conference this weekend offered panels addressing how to treat infants and children if they become infected with a bioterrorist agent. 

“They live closer to the ground, so aerosol agents with heavy particles will affect them more,” said Dr. Frederick Henretig, one of the speakers at a panel Sunday. “Their skin is thinner and they can be affected developmentally.” 

The speakers illustrated their concerns by referring to the recent anthrax infection of a 7-month-old baby in New York. The infant is the child of an NBC employee and had been in the studios’ offices, where the baby was likely exposed. 

“We know that children are much more vulnerable to a chemical exposure,” said Steve Berman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “There’s been talk about decontamination or special uniforms or equipment, but what if those don’t fit children or don’t allow children to be cared for? 

“If we embark on smallpox vaccine or anthrax vaccine, what happens if there are complication rates for children or aren’t as effective for them? It is absolutely critical that people with pediatric specialties are involved in disaster planning,” he said. 

Berman also was quick to point out that while there are many questions that need to be addressed regarding preparedness for bioterrorism and children, there is no need for parents or pediatricians to become overly alarmed creating panic. 

Doctors from around the world attended the conference, fearing that anthrax and other types of bioterrorism may soon spread to their countries. Other sessions, part of a disaster-related series, included psychological concerns as well, such as how to talk to children about crisis and loss. 

“It’s as much in the news (in Australia) as it is here. We’re upping preparation and facilities there,” said Sally McCarthy, an emergency physician from Sydney, Australia, attending the bioterrorism panel to learn more about the affects on children. “I attended a similar conference in Chicago last week and am understanding how important it is to create a network of colleagues around the world to get better prepared.” 

Some doctors said one problem with bioterrorism is that agents are typically easy and cheap for terrorists to obtain, even though it’s often difficult to weaponize materials. 

“Any of you with two semesters of microbiology can go out and grow this stuff yourself,” said Dr. Theodore Cieslack, who also spoke at the bioterrorism panel.

SAN FRANCISCO – An area of California that’s almost the same size as New York state has something else in common with New York: its “upstate” moniker. 

Tired of being unknown or confused with the San Francisco Bay Area when people refer to “Northern California,” the 20 northernmost counties of the Golden State have changed their collective name. 

Economic development officials are referring to the 46,900-square-mile area as “Upstate California,” in an attempt to lure tourists and businesses to the rural north. They’ve even given it a slogan; “Above it all.” 

Although other names, such as California North Country and California’s True North fared better in a survey of business people and public relations professionals, those who organized the campaign opted for “upstate” in order to make a clean break from names that included “north.” 

The new name is part of a $100,000 marketing campaign to give the region — which has about 30 percent of the state’s land and about 4.5 percent of its population — its own identity. The biggest city is Redding, with a population of 80,000. 

The northernmost part of the state has usually lagged behind the rest of California’s economy, with high unemployment that has grown with the closing of lumber mills and consolidation of the timber industry. 

It’s an affordable region, compared to the rest of California’s sky-high rents and land prices, and some high-tech companies, such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Oracle, are already present there. And it’s still largely agricultural, with prunes and rice two of the major crops.

SACRAMENTO – A $126 million contract with software giant Oracle Corp. has been lauded by state officials as a money-saving success, but a closer review has found that lawmakers may have been too hasty in their effort to approve the first statewide software deal, a newspaper reported Sunday. 

The contract gives all state employees access to Oracle databases for the next 10 years and is expected to save more than $100 million. But based on public documents and interviews, a San Jose Mercury News analysis has found that the deal may end up leaving taxpayers with unnecessary expensive technology. 

State officials relied on a consulting company, Virginia-based Logicon, that was pitching the Oracle deal to outline the savings and benefits of signing the contract, instead of an independent firm. State conflict of interest laws prohibit consultants from pitching technology they would benefit from if the deal was completed, the newspaper reported. 

Officials from the Department of General Services said they were unaware of Logicon’s connection to Oracle. 

“I just recently learned about it,” said Janice King, a procurement manager who helped negotiate the deal. 

King said Legicon “helped with the legwork” but she added that “they weren’t making the decisions. We were.” 

But outside consultants said those negotiating the deal should have been more thorough. 

“This contract goes against every piece of advice we would give our clients,” said Betsy Burton, analyst for Gartner, an independent technology consulting firm. “It makes some big, big assumptions that are very hard to back up.” 

Technology and procurement officials did not properly notify legislators about their bidding, the Mercury News reported. Those officials now admit they made some mistakes but are sticking by the deal they say will be a long-term winner, allowing the state to break even if the price was off by 50 percent. 

“There is a big fudge factor,” King said. “We felt we could be substantially off and still make a safe investment.” 

The oracle deal was calculated by looking at how much the state had spent on Oracle software over the past three years. From that, negotiators assumed that the state would continue buying the same amount of software at the same price it paid in 2000 over the next decade. 

Two weeks after the deal was sealed to meet the company’s May 31 deadline, Oracle cut the cost of some of its software by up to 50 percent. 

“Markets and pricing change so rapidly in information technology,” said Mark Shainman, senior research analyst with the high-tech industry tracing company META Group. “We never advise our clients to lock themselves into one product for 10 years.” 

Oracle insists the deal was fair. 

“We gave the state a fabulous price,” said Ken Glueck, Oracle’s vice president of corporate affairs. 

The state’s technology department also has been criticized for not seeking other bids. But the department has said no other company makes the database software it needed from Oracle. Analysts said that while the state got a steep discount on the software, other companies, such as IBM Corp., could have provided a competitive offer.

SACRAMENTO – U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced a public-private partnership Thursday to ease a transmission line bottleneck that contributed to the blackouts that hit California earlier this year. 

The $300 million project will add a third line and make other improvements to Path 15, an 84-mile stretch in the Central Valley where high-voltage north-south transmission lines narrow from three to two. 

That narrowing caused problems in January when Northern California was hit by a power shortage and rolling blackouts and the overloaded Path 15 lines couldn’t bring more electricity from the southern part of the state. 

Abraham said a consortium that includes the federal Western Area Power Administration and the Transmission Agency of Northern California, a group of publicly owned power districts, will make the improvements and share ownership of the new line. 

Other participants are: 

• Pacific Gas & Electric Co., California’s largest privately owned utility and the owner of the two existing Path 15 lines, and one of its sister companies, PG&E National Energy Group. 

• Kinder Morgan Power Co., a Houston-based electricity generator. 

• Williams Energy Marketing and Trading Co., a power wholesaler. 

• Trans-Elect Inc., which offered in February to buy most of California’s power grid for $5.25 billion. Trans-Elect is partly owned by General Electric Co.’s investing arm. 

The Western Area Power Administration will oversee the work, prepare environmental studies and retain part ownership of the new line. But it won’t help pay to build the line and will only get enough revenue from transmission fees to cover its costs, officials said. 

“This proposal will benefit California ratepayers without burdening taxpayers,” Abraham said at a news conference in Palo Alto. 

Under a proposed ownership split, WAPA would own 10 percent of the new line, the Transmission Agency of Northern California would get 45 percent and the private companies would split the rest. 

Abraham said the improvements will allow for transmission of another 1,500 megawatts, approximately enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes. 

Bob Mitchell, vice president of Trans-Elect, said revenues from the new line will be regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and will provide investors with a “modest return.” 

Transmission lines are “not a big profit maker but if you can get a fairly reliable rate of return of 11 to 11.5 percent you can do OK,” he said. 

Development of more power plants in Northern California would make Path 15 expansion less critical, but making the improvements would still be “the prudent thing to do,” Mitchell said. 

Consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfield criticized the deal, saying California would have been better off if the state had bought the transmission lines. 

“I don’t think it’s in California’s interest to have the federal government and a bunch of out-of-state energy companies on the spigot that controls the flow of electricity in California,” he said. 

But Mitchell said private ownership of transmission lines is a better idea. 

“There are other more pertinent tasks that government ought to undertake than getting into the energy business any further than they are,” he said. 

Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, said the governor wouldn’t comment until he had seen details of the plan. 

Davis had proposed buying most of the state’s transmission lines as a way to ease the financial problems of California’s three major investor-owned utilities, but that plan was rebuffed by lawmakers and PG&E. 

Associated Press Writer May Wong contributed to this report.

Editor: 

As a Citizen of Berkeley I am outraged and disgusted that Resolution No. 61,310-N.S. was brought before the Berkeley City Council. This is not a Viet Nam! The country is still reeling from the vicious terrorist attacks where 6,000 innocent U.S. citizens died, and more die daily due to possible bio-terrorism attacks currently being played out in Our Great Country. Every firehouse in NYC has lost at least one member of their brotherhood and some lost as many as 15 firefighters at some firehouses. This resolution creates the image of Berkeley as pithy, divisive, opportunistic and out of touch with reality and I don’t believe reflects the majority of Berkeley voters. 

Councilperson Worthington’s statement to the press regarding the proposal showed his nearsightedness: “This sort of proposal”, he said, “plays into the “Berserkeley” image that attracts national attention to the city and benefits the economy.” “Tourists come to Berkeley because of all the attention the bastion of liberalism generates.”  

Perhaps your progressive vision needs an adjustment in light of the Berkeley boycott now gaining steam in this country. 

Also Dona Spring’s comment to the press: “The U.S. is now a terrorist. According to the Taliban these are terrorist attacks.” Dona, perhaps you should listen to the cries of terror from your oppressed Afghani sisters rather than the lies of Taliban thugs. The Taliban certainly didn’t avoid actions that could and would and have endangered the lives of innocent people in Afghanistan. 

Now, as a result of your short sighted view, you have brought suffering to Berkeley busineses. Grow up, wake up, and do the job you were hired for. 

Think Globally and act Locally - I will - at the next city elections! 

Timothy McCluskey 

Berkeley 

Editor’s note: Spring says the Daily Cal misquoted her.

Some local car dealers, who are experiencing a jump in business, are attributing this phenomenon to two main factors: zero-percent financing and patriotism.  

“Our whole product line is just taking off,” said Larry Stanfield, sales manager for Saturn in Oakland. “This actually started on the 12th of September.” 

Like many competing domestic car manufacturers, Saturn, owned by General Motors, has slashed its loans to zero-percent interest, which has significantly boosted sales.  

“I don’t know how long this is going to last, but I will ride the wave,” Stanfield said. 

According to a Federal Reserve Board report issued this week, zero-interest rates are boosting retail auto sales around the United States. 

Zero-percent financing has strengthened sales at Albany Ford-Subaru, according to John Nakamura, president of the dealership. For the month of October, Nakamura has already matched sales from 2000. With five days remaining, he expects to exceed last year’s numbers by at least 30 percent. 

Nakamura said some patriotic customers want to stimulate the economy.  

“A lot of our customers say they have planned to buy a vehicle in the next few months,” he said. But after the attacks, “they decided to do it now.” 

Sales in Subarus, the foreign brand sold at Albany Ford-Subaru, stayed consistent, according to Nakamura. “The domestic brand is higher,” he said, referring to Fords. “A lot of it might be the Pro-American sentiment.” 

Nakamura is fortunate. In a recent press release, Ford announced its domestic sales were down by nearly 10 percent for the month of September. 

Some East Bay dealers are feeling the pinch too. Sales slipped at Connell Chrysler in Oakland.  

“After our tragedy, we were down about 25 percent” for September, said sales manager Martin Muranishi.  

After joining the competition by offering zero-percent financing, they were able to close the gap; October sales are only 6 percent below last year’s figures. 

Sales have been slumping all year for some foreign auto dealers. According to Jason Kolesnikow, sales manager at Berkeley Nissan-Datsun, sales had been sinking 20 percent throughout 2001 prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite offering zero-percent financing now, sales at Berkeley Nissan-Datsun remain down. 

Confident about his foreign brand sales, Ed Irving, a salesman at Doten Honda, said the company does not plan to follow others who offer zero-interest financing. Honda, he said, is not as worried as domestic manufacturers about the U.S. economy.  

Irving said for the first one-and-a-half weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, customers assumed that Honda wanted to sell its cars quick and cheap. They began coming in looking for bargains, up to $4,000 less than what the dealership paid.  

Irving leaned against a shiny blue showroom model.  

“People were asking for outrageous deals,” he said.

Editor: 

As a Citizen of Berkeley I am outraged and disgusted that Resolution No. 61,310-N.S. was brought before the Berkeley City Council. This is not a Viet Nam! The country is still reeling from the vicious terrorist attacks where 6,000 innocent U.S. citizens died, and more die daily due to possible bio-terrorism attacks currently being played out in Our Great Country. Every firehouse in NYC has lost at least one member of their brotherhood and some lost as many as 15 firefighters at some firehouses. This resolution creates the image of Berkeley as pithy, divisive, opportunistic and out of touch with reality and I don’t believe reflects the majority of Berkeley voters. 

Councilperson Worthington’s statement to the press regarding the proposal showed his nearsightedness: “This sort of proposal”, he said, “plays into the “Berserkeley” image that attracts national attention to the city and benefits the economy.” “Tourists come to Berkeley because of all the attention the bastion of liberalism generates.”  

Perhaps your progressive vision needs an adjustment in light of the Berkeley boycott now gaining steam in this country. 

Also Dona Spring’s comment to the press: “The U.S. is now a terrorist. According to the Taliban these are terrorist attacks.” Dona, perhaps you should listen to the cries of terror from your oppressed Afghani sisters rather than the lies of Taliban thugs. The Taliban certainly didn’t avoid actions that could and would and have endangered the lives of innocent people in Afghanistan. 

Now, as a result of your short sighted view, you have brought suffering to Berkeley busineses. Grow up, wake up, and do the job you were hired for. 

Think Globally and act Locally - I will - at the next city elections! 

Timothy McCluskey 

Berkeley 

Editor’s note: Spring says the Daily Cal misquoted her.

Some local car dealers, who are experiencing a jump in business, are attributing this phenomenon to two main factors: zero-percent financing and patriotism.  

“Our whole product line is just taking off,” said Larry Stanfield, sales manager for Saturn in Oakland. “This actually started on the 12th of September.” 

Like many competing domestic car manufacturers, Saturn, owned by General Motors, has slashed its loans to zero-percent interest, which has significantly boosted sales.  

“I don’t know how long this is going to last, but I will ride the wave,” Stanfield said. 

According to a Federal Reserve Board report issued this week, zero-interest rates are boosting retail auto sales around the United States. 

Zero-percent financing has strengthened sales at Albany Ford-Subaru, according to John Nakamura, president of the dealership. For the month of October, Nakamura has already matched sales from 2000. With five days remaining, he expects to exceed last year’s numbers by at least 30 percent. 

Nakamura said some patriotic customers want to stimulate the economy.  

“A lot of our customers say they have planned to buy a vehicle in the next few months,” he said. But after the attacks, “they decided to do it now.” 

Sales in Subarus, the foreign brand sold at Albany Ford-Subaru, stayed consistent, according to Nakamura. “The domestic brand is higher,” he said, referring to Fords. “A lot of it might be the Pro-American sentiment.” 

Nakamura is fortunate. In a recent press release, Ford announced its domestic sales were down by nearly 10 percent for the month of September. 

Some East Bay dealers are feeling the pinch too. Sales slipped at Connell Chrysler in Oakland.  

“After our tragedy, we were down about 25 percent” for September, said sales manager Martin Muranishi.  

After joining the competition by offering zero-percent financing, they were able to close the gap; October sales are only 6 percent below last year’s figures. 

Sales have been slumping all year for some foreign auto dealers. According to Jason Kolesnikow, sales manager at Berkeley Nissan-Datsun, sales had been sinking 20 percent throughout 2001 prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite offering zero-percent financing now, sales at Berkeley Nissan-Datsun remain down. 

Confident about his foreign brand sales, Ed Irving, a salesman at Doten Honda, said the company does not plan to follow others who offer zero-interest financing. Honda, he said, is not as worried as domestic manufacturers about the U.S. economy.  

Irving said for the first one-and-a-half weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, customers assumed that Honda wanted to sell its cars quick and cheap. They began coming in looking for bargains, up to $4,000 less than what the dealership paid.  

Irving leaned against a shiny blue showroom model.  

“People were asking for outrageous deals,” he said.

Editor: 

We have received various messages from our customers that they will not be patronizing Berkeley businesses. We received a cancellation of a ROTC dinner event scheduled for November 30th because of the proposed boycott. I would appreciate your help in creating an environment where people from all walks of life continue to patronize our businesses. Our existing business environment due to the dot-com failures and global recession is already a difficult one to operate in successfully. We cannot afford to create reasons that keep people away from Berkeley. 

Brij M. Misra 

Regional Vice President and General Manager 

Radisson Hotel Berkeley

Pumpkins are carved, candies in the bowls and costume shops are open. Halloween’s a week away, and the trendiest of all holidays is catching up with world affairs, with firemen uniforms and patriotic figures apparently this year’s favorite costumes.  

Paper Heaven staff on Shattuck Avenue were surprised at the number of people asking for firemen costumes. 

Compared to previous years, however, there’s a smaller crowd. Shop owner Jules Weiss said this year sales are 30 to 40 percent down.  

“Halloween spirit is not as pronounced as it was before. But I am sure if we had a bin Laden mask, that would sell best,” she said. 

Some customers complain about the prices.  

Deborah, 30, is looking for a gray wig for her 8 and a half year old son. He wants to be dressed like a sage but she is reluctant to buy one. 

“It is 20 bucks,” she said. “Twenty bucks for one night is too much. I think I will just spray his hair gray.”  

Deborah, who declined to give her last name, lives on Russell Street, where crowds typically gather on Halloween. 

“I don’t think world events will affect Halloween. People want to go out,” she said while trying on a mask with spider nets. 

George Torre, 18, manager of the Spirit Store in San Francisco said he thinks that firemen costumes are the new trend. 

“People come really for firemen uniforms. We didn’t have any because we didn’t think that it would be so popular,” he said. “We only had hats but they are all gone now. Our Uncle Sam costumes and patriotic hats are also all sold out.” 

Lauren Greenberg, 22, the shop manager of Halloween Headquarters on University Avenue said they have had a couple of slow days, but she is optimistic. 

“The day before (Halloween) gets completely insane, we do a lot of hiring for that day. The lines become too long.” 

Greenberg also confirmed the popularity of patriotic costumes.  

“We sold a lot of W. Bush masks. The statue of liberty has just come in so I don’t know about it yet but people have bought lots of flags.” 

Classics like vampires, cheerleaders and clowns are still popular. And Hollywood makes its way. 

“Batman masks are selling a lot. I have also sold a couple of Darth Mauls and X-Men.”  

Greenberg said she is thinking of dressing up like Alex from the Clockwork Orange, the Stanley Kubrick movie. 

Harry Potter seems to be the children’s number one…  

“We sold out whatever we had about Potter,” Sirit Store manager Torre says, “even girls come and ask for it.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of thousands of commuters awoke Wednesday to news that Bay Area Rapid Transit trains would be running after an overnight deal between management and a union averted a strike. 

BART’s smallest union, representing 238 train controllers and supervisors, announced it accepted a wage and benefits package that had been on the table for days. 

“We have reached basically a win-win for both sides,” said Norma del Mercado, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993. She said the union won better terms on job protection and a grievance procedure. 

BART officials said the four-year contract was essentially unchanged from a proposal the union had earlier rejected. 

“We never felt they were strike issues, but the union did,” BART spokesman Mike Healy said Wednesday. “We’re all relieved that we were able to pull it together.” 

Healy said the agreement reached is similar to the contract BART unions representing maintenance and train operators accepted September 4. Those contracts called for a 22 percent wage increase over the next four years, increased pension plan contributions and continued health care coverage at no added cost to employees. 

He said the union would likely vote on the contract next week, and if it was accepted the BART board would vote to ratify it. 

The agreement was reached about an hour after the union’s midnight deadline expired Tuesday. The union accepted a tentative contract similar to one signed earlier by two other unions. 

AFSCME wanted all employees who do the same job to be paid the same wage, regardless of experience or tenure. BART officials had said that would bump salaries up to unmanageable levels. The union also worried jobs would be outsourced to nonunion contractors and consultants. 

It was not immediately clear how those issues were resolved because neither side would discuss specifics of modifications to the contract. 

Still, union and BART officials were pleased with the outcome. 

“Sometimes there’s just some little creative thing that’s put in place, and that’s what happened,” said Healy. “We thought it was going to go down the tubes a little earlier and, at last minute, we were able to avoid it.” 

Talks broke down Tuesday evening after the union rejected a deal BART offered with an 8 p.m. deadline. Talks later resumed, and an agreement was announced after some picketers had already began reporting to their posts. The union had set an initial strike deadline of midnight Monday, but agreed to a 24-hour extension after negotiations looked promising. 

BART’s two larger unions had agreed to honor a strike, which could have left more than 300,000 Bay Area commuters stranded. 

“The strike was averted because we continued to persevere in the discussions,” del Mercado said. “That’s how it was averted — by both sides sitting at the table and trying to hammer this situation out.” 

A supervisor earns an about $77,500 a year, according to BART officials. A 22 percent raise would increase that salary to $94,550. 

When BART was struck four years ago, the walkout produced six days of nightmarish freeway gridlock as thousands of commuters with no other way to get to work climbed into cars and jammed the Bay Area’s already congested highways. 

“I’m hoping that people will wake up and hear the news that BART is running just fine,” Healy said. “I think it’s going to be a big relief for everyone.” 

Editor:  

Many thanks and praise to the progressive city-council members who supported Dona Spring’s anti-war resolution. Thet have understood that this is not an us vs. them scenario; that we are all brothers and sisters. They have, once again, made me proud to live in Berkeley.  

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley

Thursday, Oct. 25 

• 7 p.m. 

Peace Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda - Open Gathering for Prayer, Chanting, Meditation, Healing and Peace Talks 

Honoring the Victims of the Sept. 11th Events. All Welcome. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley 

2345 Channing Way 273-2447 

• 7 - 9 p.m. 

Rebuilding lower Manhattan 

Morrison Room, Main Library,  

UC-Berkeley Campus 

A discussion sponsored by the School of Journalism, the Program on Housing and Urban Policy and BRIDGE Housing Corporation in collaboration with the architecture firm of Kaplan, McLaughlin, Diaz. 

• 7 - 9 p.m. 

Freedom in Jeopardy: Threats to Civil Liberties in the Wake of Sept. 11 

2050 Valley Life Sciences Building 

UC Berkeley campus 

Speakers from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights for the Bay Area, Electronic Frontier Foundation, UC Berkeley administration and hosted by the Berkeley ACLU. 

Speakers will address legislation that organizers say “will drastically threaten the civil liberties of everyone in this country.” 

Thursday, Nov. 1 

7 p.m. 

The first Bay Area Appearance of members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan 

Mills College 

Campus Chapel 

5000 Mac Arthur Blvd.

Rosa Parks Elementary School won’t have the official dedication ceremony for its new name until February, but students, parents, and teachers are gearing up now to get as much educational mileage as possible out of the highly symbolic designation. 

In partnership with the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA), students are beginning to choose civil-rights-related symbols and images for tiles which they plan to paint, bake, and see installed on two concrete half-moon benches out front. 

In the meantime, staff are putting together a “resource box” with photos and kid-friendly materials on Parks, who touched off the modern civil-rights movement when she refused to give her bus seat to a white man in Birmingham, Ala. on Dec. 1, 1955. 

“The kids really are studying it now because we’re talking about it in class time with MOCHA,” said Kathy Freeburg, the dedication’s program coordinator. 

Rosa Parks herself, 88 years old and living in Detroit, was invited to attend the Feb. 23, 2002 dedication. However, said Freeburg, Parks doesn’t travel much any more and would have needed a specially chartered plane. 

The choice of a keynote speaker for the event remains a closely held secret, judging by the reluctance of planning committee members to share their delib erations with the press at a meeting Monday. Plans are also afoot to enlist parents and community members to donate money, flowers and food for the event. 

Kindergarten teacher Tontra Love and reading teacher Mary Burmester are also coordinating a fund-raising and awareness-building “brick campaign.” Community members purchase bricks, which are engraved and installed in front of the school, in the circle of soil between the rounded benches, which will soon be covered with children’s tiles. 

Alison Kelly, the principal, said the tiles would be laid sometime before February, and the school district’s official sign was on its way as well. 

“The idea is to celebrate the new building,” said Rebecca Herman, a parent on the coordinating committee. “We have a beautiful new building.” 

The former Columbus Elementary was rebuilt from scratch in 1997, one of the most significant and welcomed outcomes of a mid-1990s push to upgrade the Berkeley Unified School District’s aging building stock with special bond issues. Once the paint was dry on the state-of-the-art, angular orange and deep blue structure, a movement arose in the school community to reconsider the school’s name. 

Berkeley had already renamed Columbus Day as “Indigenous People’s Day” in honor of the West Indies residents who had little cause to celebrate in the tragic period of disease, death, and exploitation that followed Columbus’ 1492 arrival. 

In March, Rosa Parks won out over labor leader Cesar Chavez in a mini-referendum for the school’s name. 

“Now we have a name that was chosen by the community,” said Herman.

Some skip school because they can’t afford to get there; schools say they’re losing attendance revenue 

OAKLAND – High school students are having to pinch pennies to afford bus fares since a couple of cash-strapped school districts have cut back on free transportation services. 

School district officials at Contra Costa and Alameda counties estimate they’re losing millions in attendance revenues since some families can’t always afford the daily transportation costs. 

Alisa Gilmore, 17, said sometimes skips lunch to ensure that she has enough bus money to get home from school. There are days when she skips school altogether because she doesn’t have enough for the $4 daily bus fare to and from campus. 

“I call my friends and get my homework assignment if I didn’t have a test or anything that day,” said Gilmore, a senior at Oakland Technical High School. 

The West Contra Costa Unified School District hasn’t had the money to provide its 35,000 students with free bus service since it declared bankruptcy in the early 1990s. Only federally funded bus travel for special-education students is provided by the district. 

Students in Richmond, the district’s largest city, must go to schools in unincorporated parts of the county or surrounding cities since their is no middle school. 

A few local politicians are pushing for a pilot program to address the lack of bus service for area students. Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, is trying to get free bus passes for disadvantaged students. 

“Most districts don’t have little yellow school buses anymore. It is such an expensive service,” Aroner said. 

Her proposal, dubbed the “Lifeline Transit Network,” calls for up to $12 million to fund a three-year program to provide children with a free one-year AC Transit bus pass, and discounted $95 yearly passes for other students. 

Under the proposal, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission would pay AC Transit for the student passes. The commission coordinates Bay Area transit planning and spending. 

MTC officials want a plan developed by the end of 2001, but the commission does not have the authority to set fares. Those decisions would be left to individual transit agencies. 

Jaimie Levin, communications director for AC Transit, said his agency supports the idea of a pilot program. But AC Transit would need contributing funds from MTC or other sources to make the program run smoothly, Levin said. 

Other cities in the area haven’t reached such dire financial straights in transporting students. San Jose provides free bus service to 11,000 of its district’s 30,000 students. Santa Clara transports 2,500 of its 13,500 students each day.