Students serve up annual meal 

Students will arrive at Berkeley High School today at 8 a.m. to start a marathon four hours of cooking for the eighth annual holiday meal.  

But things are a little different this year. Entirely on their own, the students are cooking and serving the holiday meal for 400 of Berkeley’s homeless. And in the process these student leaders are unwittingly learning how difficult leadership can be.  

“It’s a lot harder because everything is completely student run. But the students are taking the initiative,” said 18-year-old senior Maria Herrera, president of the Associated Student Body. “That’s special, it shows the devotion.” 

Students have a new student activities coordinator this year, Michele Janssen, but she’s out on sick leave and unable to help out. The coordinator of the past few years, Jamie Marantz, left last year. 

“It’s hard because we’re just moving to a new teacher – it’s hard adjusting to that,” said Laura Bernhard, a student in the leadership class. “(Marantz) knew what had to be done. There’s no manual you can go by. You just have to do it and get it done,” said Bernhard. 

Getting it done started six weeks ago. Students dedicated three days a week of their leadership class to the holiday meal, leaving the other two days for dances, rallies, and other student events. Two can drives, one at the homecoming rally and one last week garnered about 1,500 cans of food. A one period long, one day penny drive reaped an extra $800 for more supplies. 

“We always have food left over,” Herrera said. “A lot of the stores from the community donate.” 

She said Home Depot, Costco, Albertson’s, Andronico’s, Safeway, Noah’s and Jamba Juice are some that provided donations.  

The food preparation work began at 9 a.m. Friday, when students from the leadership class began moving cans and products to the Good Food Café. At 5 p.m., students were dancing around pots of beans and slicing dozens of cucumbers. In years past as many as 700 people have come to feast on the turkeys, mashed potatoes, pasta, ham, greens and desserts that the students dish up. This year students hope to serve 400 people, contacted through community shelters and reached through handing out fliers in the street. 

The leadership class, which does the majority of the work, is made up of the members of the Associated Student Body, the student representatives from each class year in school, the Link crew – mentor students that organize activities for freshmen, and students who apply for membership.  

Daniel Jarvis,15, elected to be in the class of about 35 students. “It’s a total win-win situation,” he said. “It’s something that’s fun that’s enriching other people’s lives.”  

Herrera said the Associated Student Body leaders, “basically run the class.” They are charged with keeping up morale and making sure all the work gets done.  

“Sometimes we act as mother figures,” Herrera said, as students around her carted boxes of cans to the Good Food Café. “We know that there’s a difference: there’s work time and play time. Right now it’s work time, but when the meal time comes it’s really fun.” 

In addition to those students who work the holiday meal for a grade, 90 students signed up to volunteer for the event. Natosha Fisher, 15, is one of these. “I’ve always had that thing about the homeless,” she said. “I’m so emotional about it so I figured I’d help someone out, someone less fortunate.” 

Sometimes, especially during the morning task of lifting and toting boxes, some students began to feel a little frustrated, and had to remind themselves of the end goal. 

“There’s no, ‘You win a thousand dollars at the end of the year,’” said Laura Bernhard, 15. “It’s just the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping out your fellow Berkeley people, helping out the community.” 

Herrera concurred. 

“It’s overwhelming. People say thank you so many times. It brings you back into perspective. They are thankful for a plate of food and we’re thinking about Nikes,” said Herrera. 

Saturday, Dec. 16

Berkeley Artisans  

Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“How to Buy a Computer” 

9 - 10 a.m.  

Bruno Consulting Services 

1700 Solano Ave., Suite A 

Learn what you need to know before going shopping. What do all those weird words mean? Learn laptop vs. desktop, PC vs. Mac, software vs. hardware considerations, technical support, printers and cost.  

Call 526-5666 

Bella Musica  

8 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.” Cal 548-1761 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community  

Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 17

Benefits of Kum Nye  

and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this self-healing system. Free 843-6812 

Pray for Peltier 

Noon - 3 p.m. 

Peoples Park  

Between Dwight & Haste above Telegraph 

Join with the Peltier Action Coalition and the Plight of the Redwoods Campaign in a prayer circle for a presidential pardon for Leonard Peltier and in honor of protectors and warriors for mother earth. You are asked to bring blankets for the homeless and potluck food and drink.  

Call 464-4534 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Bella Musica  

4 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Monday, Dec. 18

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Get Flabbergasted  

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Zun Zun, a husband and wife duo will perform musical theater for children and families. They play over thirty instruments and are sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Free  

Call 649-3943 

Hansel and Gretel  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Oakland’s Opera Piccola will perform their version of “Hansel and Gretel.” Opera Piccola is a multiracial troupe of actors, singers, and dancers who pull unsuspecting audience members up to perform along with them. Geared for preschoolers.  

Call 649-3943 

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Family Sing-Along 

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Gerry Tenney, musician, teacher, and performer, the man behind the saga of King Kong playing ping-pong with Godzilla returns to the Berkeley Public Library.  

Call 649-3943 

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Support for Family & Friends 

Caring for Older Adults 

4 - 5:30 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center 

2001 Dwight Way 

Fourth Floor, Room 4190 

A group focusing on the needs of older adults with serious medical problems, psychiatric illnesses, and/or substance abuse, and their caregivers.  

Call 802-1725 

Thursday, Dec. 21

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Environmental Musicfest  

8 p.m. 

La Pena  

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Alicia Littletree and Timothy Hull, both known for commitment to social and environmental issues, perform.  

$5 - $7  

Call 415-927-1645 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Friday, Dec. 22

 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

 

Holiday Celebration 

Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Includes a holiday meal and an opera, “Kiri’s Coventry Xmas.”  

Call 644-6107 

 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

 

---

Saturday, Dec. 23

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

7 p.m. 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

tickets: $15 - $20, available at the door  

Call 848-3938 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 24

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Alice Meyers 

Call 644-6107 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Nov. 29 protesters were intolerant 

Editor:  

On Wednesday evening, Nov. 29, I held a ticket to hear Mr. Netanyahu speak at the Berkeley Community Theater. To my chagrin, my constitutional right to listen to whomever I please was taken away from me by that rabble who held placards and shouted their cliches: that Israel was racist, fascist, nazi, etc.  

Where were the police to protect us? Where were the police to take us safely into the auditorium? They could have cautioned the protesters to make way for us to go into the yard and into the building.  

I really resent that the police made no effort to help us. I want a formal inquiry into this situation. This should not happen again. As a matter of fact, the city of Berkeley should apologize to the event organizer and Mr. Netanyahu.  

The intolerance of the protesters obliterated our first amendment and our constitution.  

Thalia Broudy 

Berkeley 

Wouldn’t let  

Hitler speak 

Editor 

Regarding Shirley Dean’s and a large number of others’ insistence that we trampled their and our purported free speech rights by resisting Netanyahu’s appearance: We, hopefully, wouldn’t let Hitler speak here, either. 

I hope we’d have done the same if Kissinger had appeared, given his insistence that nations of people need to be murdered, and the excuse that he can say it because he’s a Jew. 

Norma J F Harrison 

Berkeley 

What if the shoe were on the other foot? 

Editor: 

I suggest someone invite the historian David Irving of London to the Berkeley Community Theater to talk. He seems to invoke the same strength of feeling as Netanyahu but he’s on the other side of the fence. Let’s then see how the free speech community, the ADL, and the various local groups react.  

Wray Buntine 

Berkeley 

We are all responsible for our words 

Editor:  

In my view, the Netanyahu in Berkeley incident had very little to do with free speech and much more to do with karma, the most powerful force on earth; more powerful than the all the guns used to protect “free speech.” We are all ultimately responsible for the words we speak and the consequences that may result.  

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley 

Protesters were seniors, parents,  

not ‘goons’ 

Editor: 

Aubrey Lee Broudy (letters, 12-11) should check again with his wife about what happened when she went to hear Benjamin Netanyahu at the Berkeley Community Theater at Berkeley High School a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Broudy said his wife was unable to enter because “Berkeley goons had blocked the doors and the Berkeley police somehow were not able or willing to move them away.” 

As someone who wants to evoke the memory of Mario Savio and draw upon Berkeley's “freedom of speech” motto, Mr. Broudy should reconsider his characterization of people as goons. Amongst the so-called “goons” that night were senior citizens, people in wheelchairs, and young couples with their babies. If Mr. Broudy's wife had really been interested in hearing what people had to say, she would have found that there were any number of conversations going-on between those who had come to hear Mr. Netanyahu and those who had come to object to his presence, and there was an exchange of ideas between people who normally would not even be talking to one another. 

No one blocked any doors to the Berkeley Community Theater. Police did seal-off the Berkeley High School campus earlier in the day; explosives-sniffing dogs were brought in; and other dramatic preparations were made for Mr. Netanyahu's arrival. When people began entering the high school campus en route to the Theater, those there to protest Mr. Netanyahu's presence integrated themselves with the crowd after the police grabbed two people who had peacefully approached the ticket-holders to ask them to reconsider their decision to attend. At this point the police locked the gates to the high school campus.  

As one Police Lieutenant explained, the police were then unable to determine who was a ticket-holder and who was a demonstrator, so they were not able to “move them (the demonstrators) away,” as Mr. Broudy mentioned in his letter. The event was then cancelled by Mr. Netanyahu himself.  

Mr. Netanyahu is deeply involved in the suppression of free speech, assembly, and even the right to exist, of Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories. I am proud of the demonstrators who deprived him of a forum for his message of intolerance and hate in Berkeley. 

Steve Wagner, 

Oakland 

Did lecture series offer opposing view?  

Editor: 

Though I can see both sides of the recent “free speech” controversy over the appearance of Benjamin Netanyahu in Berkeley, I realized by reading your December 9 article “Lecture Series Provides Intellectual Entertainment” that the the prospective listeners were by no means passive agents in this imbroglio. 

Fame feeds upon itself. The celebrity of speakers such as Wesley Clark, Kissinger, and Netanyahu not only allows them abundant access to the mass media denied most of us but “entitles” them to lecture fees in the tens of thousands of dollars for a few hours of “work.” Going to hear them is an ethical choice; I would no more want to contribute to the net worth of any of these men than I would to that of a famous Holocaust denier or serial killer doing the lecture circuit because I “just wanted to hear what they had to say.” 

Moreover, series subscribers vote on whom they want to hear. Did the subscribers have the choice of hearing Yasser Arafat, Edward Said, Ramsey Clark, or Mordechai Vanunu, and if so, how did they vote? 

Gray Brechin 

Berkeley 

Netanyahu, not protests often on TV  

Editor: 

Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean sadly demeans herself, churning nonsense about protesters violating the “free speech” rights of ‘poor, besieged’ Benjamin Netanyahu – as well as falsely claiming that the protesters object to “controversial figures.” (We object to mass human rights violators.)  

As we said in the ‘90’s, “Puh-lease!” Netanyahu has more “free speech” than all the protesters combined.  

In case it has escaped the Mayor’s notice, Netanyahu – an omnipresent figure on American TV, with plenty of U.S. financial and media support – gets to speak all the time. You could hardly avoid hearing him.  

For those who felt so traumatized about missing Netanyahu’s PR speech, you can catch him almost any week, on any American TV set near you.  

And yet, in the U.S.major media, the dissent of even large nonviolent protests is only featured when protesters engage in bold civic actions that “make news.” Netanyahu’s cancellation made the protest “news.” 

Netanyahu would have never allowed any dissidents in the auditorium the free speech to morally challenge his involvement in Israel’s internationally condemned mass human rights violations.  

In fact, Netanyahu led a state whose very policies deny the free speech of those it oppresses. 

But Dean is not alone in defending the freedom of a mass human rights violator to carry on without inconvenient interruptions.  

I guess, over the years, the FSM signers of the Dec. 7 letter to the Daily Planet have become staid and forgotten a few things about the lopsidedness of power and dissent. I 

n such lopsidedness, the protest against Netanyahu actually constituted a strike for free speech. Only the peaceful disruption (in the tradition of sit-ins) brought some national attention to the moral issue of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.  

This increased free speech to voices typically censored by the American media. 

Mario Savio, an incisive and charismatic leader of the FSM, championed the free speech rights of those without institutional or state power to speak truth to power. Savio didn’t champion the free speech rights of power: power by its very nature already has this right. 

Savio also proclaimed that we must throw our bodies on the gears of state power when it becomes heinously oppressive – and in a way, that’s what the protesters did.  

We know what Netanyahu stands for: he stands for oppression. No business-as-usual. 

There is no true “free speech” without the opportunity to critically challenge power; and meaningfully none, when the major media is politically controlled and dissent is barred access.  

Then, there is only power’s propaganda. By unthinkingly criticizing the protesters as attacking “free speech,” Mayor Dean and the FSM letter writers subvert the very foundation of “free speech”: speaking truth to power.  

Joseph Anderson,  

Berkeley  

Don’t lose message  

of demonstration 

Editor: 

Using the theme “Attack on free speech” has been an inaccurate, but convenient, way of drawing attention away from the message of the demonstration of Tuesday, Dec. 5 outside the Berkeley Community Theater.  

“U.S. and Israel out of Palestine,” was one of the chants. U.S. money and arms enable Israeli military to murder hundreds of Palestinians (largely children) and to wound thousands more.  

U.N. Resolutions have repeatedly demanded that Israel withdraw to pre-1967 borders, that Jewish settlements in occupied territories are illegal under international law, and that East Jerusalem is part of Palestinian territory.  

Remember, it was the United Nations that ended the British mandate over 1947 Palestine and created the state of Israel alongside Palestine.  

Margaret Katz 

Berkeley 

First Amendment  

is for all 

Editor 

My God, I have never read a more fascist interpretation of free speech (letter by Osha Neumann 12/12) in my life, e.g. the first amendment “restricts government, not people. When (the government) makes a law restricting speech, that law affects us all and is enforced with all the power of the courts and the cops.”  

Unless, of course, zealots like this individual decides who will and will not enjoy this first amendment right.  

While he’s at it, why not dictate just who we, the ignorant majority, may hear or may not hear, see or read. I can’t believe this man is practicing law in our community  

Michael Yovino-Young 

Berkeley 

Chrome 6 raises questions about skateboard park  

Too much ado about little 

Editor 

Much Ado? -- Time to Move On 

I have held my public tongue as long as I can, but after reading the latest missile from Carol Denney blasted into the print arena of the Harrison Park controversy I am compelled to comment. The controversy is about a process that has as its primary goal, the building of a public park for the citizens of Berkeley. 

It seems to me that once again we have the classic Berkeley conundrum of trying to determine fail safe answers to complex problems and in the process creating a political circus to the max and sacrificing progress for absolutism. We are smart people. We should know by now SIMPLE ANSWERS AND NO RISK SOLUTIONS ARE NOT POSSIBLE.  

We have used, and yes in many cases misused this land, for at least 150 years. Many vocal Berkeley citizens (in an effort to be responsible for the health and safety of our children some generous people would say) focus on the dark side of humanity. However, the side of humanity that is so often overlooked here is the brighter side. In this case it is the products of scientific research and public agency oversight and planning.  

This is not a movie. The (prematurely) “sainted” L.A. Wood is not Erin Brockovich. Science and monitoring WAS in place. When problems were found preventive measures WERE taken. Children were NOT harmed or even put in danger. Most importantly the hazard that has surfaced CAN be cleaned up easily with science and technology that is available.  

In this situation, we can have it all. We can mitigate the pollution (which I’m told is not so bad on the scale of it), protect the Bay and provide a park for the citizens of Berkeley. The issue of blame, looking for villains and heroes, diverts energy from the real task, which is to support positive actions for the citizens. If there is a hero here, it is the City (elected, appointed and hired) which took a chance and built a park on that site. The villainy unfortunately is more pervasive than a company, an official or any other identifiable source or act from the past. I’m willing to write it off to the dark side of our collective human nature and instead say let’s get on with it so that the plans and dreams so close to completion can be realized. Finish the skate park.  

Susan McKay  

Landscape Architect  

Susan McKay participated in the design of the project.  

Contaminated site questioned 

Editor: 

It is not to the surprise of many in the city of Berkeley that high levels of hexavalent chrome and solvents were found at the excavation for the Harrison Street skateboard park.  

Twenty-five thousand dollars was spent by the city for testing the soil and groundwater. Why? To make sure it was safe.  

Why are we not surprised that the contamination of cancer-causing agents were deeper? Now the city has moved to spend upwards of $100,000 for pumps and treatment equipment and a study to find any health impacts.  

I do not believe raising the level of concrete will be the answer. Do we want our kids skateboarding in concrete bowls that supposedly cover up contamination?  

And then there is the Harrison Street playground. How much money has been spent to prove that the area is not toxic for our kids? 

Doug Fielding campaigned long and hard to convince the city council and many city commissions that the Harrison tracks were safe. The only commission to not support the playing fields was the commission on disability.  

Doug Fielding, who convinced the city to okay these parks and playing fields, has the contract to build the park through the Association of Sports Field Users. He still claims the concrete will protect the kids from contamination. I didn’t believe him the first time and I don’t believe him the second.  

What is wrong with this picture? Wake up Berkeley. This is a city where free range turkeys and fair trade coffee are important to us. 

We cannot trust anyone who is making money off the health of our children and future generations of Berkeleyans.  

What kind of legacy is that? 

Karen Craig 

Berkeley 

U.S. power can destabilize other countries 

Editor: 

Franz Schumann’s perspective: “Is there a recession coming?” that U.S. recessions are triggered by external destabilizing world events was enlightening.  

However, as we contemplate the next recession I feel Schumann slights important internal excesses that destabilize our own system and slights the destabilizing force our hegemonic power has on other world economies.  

For example, Schumann cites Nixon’s decision to end the draft, cut the military budget, then invade Cambodia as decisive.  

More important I believe, was Nixon’s decision to abandon the gold standard in 1971-73 at Bretton Woods, introducing volatility into currencies that has favored only arbitrageurs and has led to predatory currency speculation that wounds foreign economies.  

Also, he says that “...the world power balance is more destabilized than since 1991.” There is no world power unless we successfully fashion China as the next “Evil Empire.”  

Furthermore, the IMF and the World Bank intrusive edicts seeks to convert all the world economies into U.S. lookalikes, i.e. more “transparent,” so investors can invade their markets more easily. Malaysia had the nerve to say no thank you, and China no doubt will resist this hubristic exercise - others can not.  

Schumann hopes that we will resume a position as “unwobbling pivot.” Unfortunately, this investor driven, cookie-cutter mentality may simply eliminates the only remaining “econo-diversity” in the world that might retard rolling worldwide recessions of the future.  

Face it, our “bubble” is now much bigger than Japan’s was, and when ours bursts we will probably take down many more dependent economies than Japan’s did.  

Deborah Ritchey  

Berkeley 

Residents should learn to care for trees 

Editor:  

California has a tree ‘emergency’. Many trees have problems with old age, disease, and heavy rains and/or high winds. 

Much of this area was just grassland with scrub brush, and trees in gullies.  

Many of our trees were introduced and are nearing old age.  

In urban areas, tall trees are a major hazard to homes, pedestrians, parked cars and park users. 

Those tall trees in urban areas should be inspected yearly by qualified arborists. 

We need a statewide policy on removal of dangerous trees. 

Homeowners who need arborists should check the Yellow Pages and the Bay Area Checkbook magazine with ratings of arborists by their readers and of Consumer Reports.  

The University of California Cooperative Extension has a tree failure reporting system and holds annual conferences on tree failure and arborists.  

The twelfth conference is in January at Filoli. Arborists should contact UC Ext., 625 Miramontes St., #200, Half Moon Bay, CA. 94019, ph. (650) 726-9059.  

A booklet, “Recognizing Tree Hazards,” $5.41 postage-paid, UC Ext., (510)642-2431; fax: 643-5470; or at 6701 San Pablo Ave., Second Floor (just south of Ashby).  

Each county has a Cooperative Extension. In Alameda County: (510) 567-6812 for general information.  

On Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a master gardener and longtime volunteer promptly returns calls: (510) 639-1371. For other areas see the county government section of phone books.  

Charles L. Smith 

Berkeley 

By Jared Green 

Daily Planet Staff 

When people talk about Berkeley High basketball, conversation usually turns to the Lady Yellowjackets. Eight North Coast Section titles in the past decade can have that effect. Although the boys’ team won league titles the last two years, they were overshadowed by their powerful female compatriots. Mike Gragnani wants to change that. 

“I think Berkeley High is a sleeping giant in boys’ basketball,” said Gragnani, who was hired in July to coach the Yellowjackets. “I want to get the program right up to the level of the girls, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t.” 

That optimism is part of why Gragnani was hired.  

Berkeley High is one of the biggest schools in California, and it has more than its share of outstanding athletes.  

But the boys basketball team has never parlayed that wealth of talent into an NCS title, or even made much of a post-season run in the last two decades.  

Gragnani sees a solution coming. 

“With the amount of talent available, we’ve already got a head start,” he said.  

“We can teach the student-athlete how important intensity is, we can dominate the competition,” he said. 

Assuming that’s true, Gragnani and the Berkeley job were made for each other. Gragnani started as an assistant coach at St. Ignatius (San Francisco), his alma mater. He stayed there for five years under the tutelage of veteran coach Don Lippi, then moved on to the head job at Redwood High in Larkspur. The suburban school was a good starting point for Gragnani, but he hungered for a more competitive atmosphere. 

“I wanted to compete with the big boys, the best teams in the state,” he said. “That’s just what this job gives me.” 

Gragnani, 40, has thrown himself into the job, spending time not only on basketball, but on setting up academic programs for his players. He’s a stockbroker in real life, but it’s obvious that basketball is his passion, and his players see that. 

“He’s very intense, and we feed off that,” said Berkeley forward Louis Riordan. “He wants for us to win so badly.” 

Riordan, a senior, has been on the varsity squad for three years, and he agrees with his coach that the potential is there in the program for great things. 

“Berkeley has the potential to go to state every year,” he said. “The last two years, we had incredible talent, probably better than this year, but now we’ve got the team chemistry to go with it.” 

That chemistry was lacking, some say, because of the former coach. Stelton Mitchell was the coach since 1980, with a break from 1994-96, and many felt he was burnt out on coaching. He admitted as much when he stepped down in May. 

“I’m just having fun,” Mitchell said then. “I’m trying to instill that principle into the guys not to put pressure on yourself, because sometimes that can be your worst enemy.” 

One observer said Mitchell “didn’t seem to be into it, either on the court or off.” Even with EBAL titles the last two years, many felt the team underachieved. Gragnani wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. 

“I told the players from day one what I expected from them,” he said. “I’ve done my best to squelch any old attitudes about no caring.” 

Gragnani’s coaching style  

is in-your-face, and so is the 

system he teaches. His players defend all 94 feet of the court, a full-court press that never gives an inch. 

“I’m a full-court coach, and I always will be,” he said. “It just so happens that this team was tailor-made for the system, with the quickness and depth that we have.” 

Indeed, Gragnani inherited players that fit his system perfectly. While lacking size (the slender Riordan is the team’s tallest player at 6-foot-5), the ’Jackets boast four guards who can pressure the ballhandler all the way up the court. And when senior Ryan Davis arrived as a transfer from Lincoln (San Francisco), Gragnani got a guard who is a natural leader at the point. 

“I was an off-guard at Lincoln, but it’s been an easy transition to the point,” Davis said. “I feel that’s my natural position.” 

But even if he had more size to work with, Gragnani said he wouldn’t change much. 

“We have to be up-tempo this year with our personnel, but we’ve got some big kids on JV who will come up next year,” he said. “They’ll have to learn the system too, but obviously they’ll have different roles.” 

Watching the Yellowjackets play, it’s obvious they believe in their coach and his ideas. They fly around the court, and no opponent is safe with the ball in his hands.  

Lippi, Gragnani’s mentor, came out on top in last week’s head-to-head matchup. Berkely played St. Ignatius in the first round of the Chris Vontoure Classic at De La Salle High, and the San Francisco school came out on top by five points. But Lippi was clearly impressed with what he saw of his student’s team. 

“He’s got the kids playing with real intensity,” Lippi said. “Most teams give in when they’re behind, but his kids just wouldn’t give up.” 

That intensity starts in practice. 

“Our practices are like wars now, much tougher than last year,” Riordan said. “Coach tells us to play like we don’t know each other, just like in a game.” 

“They’ve all bought into the system,” Gragnani said. “Occasionaly a guy will slip a little, but I’d say they’re sold on the system.”

The Zoning Adjustments Board approved on Thursday the controversial Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Beth El synagogue and school at 1301 Oxford St. 

Eric Norris, a representative of Pacific Municipal Consultants, the company which compiled the report, made some final changes to the document and the ZAB approved it by a 5-1-1 vote. Boardmember Carrie Sprague voted in opposition to the FEIR and new Boardmember Lawrence Capitelli abstained. 

Capitelli is Councilmember Miriam Hawley’s appointment. 

Boardmember James Peterson discovered at the beginning of the meeting he had been removed by City Councilmember Maudelle Shirek. His replacement, Michael Berkowitz, was unable to take his place on the board immediately because Berkowitz had not had an opportunity to familiarize himself with the agenda items. 

Boardmember Dave Freeman, who relies on a wheelchair and respirator, was unable to attend because of rainy weather conditions. 

The motion to approve the FEIR might have failed had it not been for what one planning staffer characterized as the “graciousness” of Boardmember Gene Poschman. Poschman was inclined to abstain, which would have left the motion one vote short of the five it needed for approval, but voted to approve in place of the absent Freeman. 

“It’s not our role to hold up projects any more than necessary,” Poschman said. “I know David Freeman was very much in favor of approving this.” 

The Live Oak-Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association opposed the FEIR’s approval because they said the 650-page document does not meet standards set by the Californian Environmental Quality Act.  

The LOCCNA claims the 35,000-square-foot project is too large and would cause traffic problems. The neighborhood group also said both Codornices Creek and elements of the property designated as city landmarks would be adversely impacted. 

“The questions board members asked about this FEIR really shows what a poor document it is,” said LOCCNA member Juliet Lamont. “It certainly wasn’t rubber stamped the way many of them are.” 

At previous meetings, several ZAB members asked Norris questions about how he determined the project’s impacts and mitigations on aspects of the report including parking, alternate sites and historical resources. 

Congregation Beth El members argue the FEIR is more than adequate claiming that the Oxford Street report is larger and more complete than EIRs for 200-unit subdivisions. 

Beth El members said the issues raised by the neighborhood group are exaggerated and that the FEIR clearly shows there will be no significant impact on the property that can’t be mitigated. 

“Many different plans were considered and many compromises were made as we worked for more than two years to find ways to incorporate neighborhood and environmental values,” said Beth El member Harry Pollock in a press release. “This proposal reflects the considered, thoughtful balance of all issues.” 

The approval of the FEIR moves the project onto the next stage which is ZAB consideration of the use permit. During this project the ZAB can alter the size or design of the project as well as impose restrictions on parking and traffic patterns according to Vivian Kahn, the interim deputy director of the Planning and Development Department. 

“The standards used for the Environmental Impact Report are lower than local zoning standards,” Kahn said. “It’s really two different things.” 

The ZAB will begin public hearings of the project at its Jan. 11 meeting. 

“Clearly the boardmembers have thoughts and suggestions for the use permit and we look forward to hearing them,” Pollock said. “We look forward to discussing the balance in our plan and all the factors that went into it.” 

Lamont said that despite her group’s belief that the FEIR is inadequate, there has not yet been a decision to appeal the ZAB’s approval to the City Council.  

“We feel pretty good about putting our efforts into the use-permit phase.”  

When businesses on University Avenue have a problem, they turn to Dave Fogarty. 

On Thursday, the University Avenue Association showed its appreciation to Fogarty, the city’s community development project coordinator, with its second annual outstanding community service award. 

“Dave is a blessing for us,” said Kirpal Khanna, president of the association and owner of Bazaar of India at 1810 University Ave., where Fogarty received his award plaque Thursday night. The association represents businesses on University Avenue between Martin Luther King Way and Fourth Street. 

Fogarty, a 13-year city employee, goes far beyond his normal city duties, Khanna said. Fogarty worked on his off hours for passage of Measure S, the November ballot measure that will fund an $800,000 renovation of the University Avenue median. Shop owners on the street have been pushing the city to plant flowers and install a better irrigation system on the median, which is now choked with weeds.  

“Thousands of people drive by every day and look at that ugly median,” Khanna said. “It’s embarrassing.” 

A spruced up median will improve the image of the street’s businesses, Khanna said. 

Fogarty said he was “greatly honored” by the award. But, he added, “I don’t think of this award as being for me, but for the joint effort we all participated in to get Measure S passed to and to get the landscaping that will really enhance University Avenue.” 

Fogarty said visitors to Berkeley have called the city to complain about the unsightliness of the median, but, until the passage of Measure S, there simply was not enough money to remedy the problem.  

Khanna said the award is not just for Fogarty’s work on Measure S. He was also instrumental in establishing police bicycle patrols along University, in combating graffiti, in assisting new businesses to obtain city permits, and in helping businesses get city grants for façade renovations, he said. 

Fogarty always attends the association’s monthly meetings, which “keeps us more informed and makes us more effective,” said John Solomon, treasurer of the association and owner of Venezia restaurant, 1799 University Ave. 

“He’s there on his own time, and he’s there because he’s interested in making University Avenue a better place,” Solomon said. “He’s just a delight.” 

Solomon won the group’s community service award last year for organizing the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” parade. That is yet another event that Fogarty volunteers for, he said. 

Khanna said Fogarty has had a lot to do with the increase in business along University Avenue over the past several years. There are now fewer vacant stores and a “more cosmopolitan” mix of shops, he said. 

Fogarty is working on other improvements for the street, including the construction of concrete extensions that intermittently jut out into the street in the parking lane. As with the extensions recently built along University Avenue in downtown Berkeley, the extensions will have trees planted in them. After those trees are planted, the city plans to remove existing trees that are diseased and dripping a sticky substance onto cars and onto the sidewalk; customers sometimes track the gunk into stores, damaging the carpeting. The city also wants to install decorative lights in the sidewalks, he said. 

Fogarty’s boss, Bill Lambert, manager of economic development, said he “wasn’t surprised” that the association gave Fogarty its award. 

“He’s very involved in lots of different activities and is usually behind whatever positive is going on,” Lambert said. 

There was Election 2000 fall out Berkeley style at the Thursday night Zoning Adjustments Board meeting, when a new ZAB commissioner tried to claim his seat. 

Councilmembers are able to make new appointments when elected or re-elected, and that is what Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek wanted to do. 

As some will recall, James Peterson, who was appointed to the ZAB by Shirek, ran against the vice mayor in the District 3 November elections, garnering about 19 percent of the vote. Peterson’s role on the ZAB was highly publicized during the campaign, when he accepted a campaign donation from an applicant with a project before the ZAB. He later returned the donation. 

Shirek won with 73 percent of the vote. 

Peterson describes the Thursday night scenario like this: “We had assembled. The meeting had not yet begun. I was reading over the materials, when someone said, ‘I’m here to replace you.’” It was Mike Berkowitz, long-time aide and friend to Shirek. 

“‘I’m not moving,’” Peterson said he answered, and insisted that a planning staffer call the city attorney to rule on whether he had to step down. “He said he’d been sworn in,” Peterson said, adding, however, that there was no paper work – he needed a confirmation. Peterson vacated his seat after being directed to do so by the city attorney, through a city planner. 

Berkowitz’s move was a deliberate attempt to put him in an “embarrassing situation,” Peterson argued. 

“It’s a classic case of dirty politics,” he said, contending that Berkowitz wanted to get on the commission to “kill Beth El,” the synagogue whose Final Environmental Impact Report was on the ZAB agenda. 

But that’s not the story Berkowitz tells. He said he’d tried to call Peterson earlier that afternoon to explain the situation to him, but had not got a return call.  

Berkowitz said that when he approached Peterson at the meeting, “He started swearing. He refused to leave.” 

He said he had no intention of embarrassing Peterson. “We tried to do it gracefully,” Berkowitz said, arguing that Peterson brought attention to himself. 

In any case, Berkowitz, who had been sworn in by the city clerk at about 5 p.m., had not studied the cases before the ZAB and so was not formally seated at the meeting. 

*** 

In other city planning news, Liz Epstein, planning director on parental leave, has tendered her resignation. Wendy Cosin continues to act as interim planning director.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Arctic ozone layer will not bounce back as quickly as expected from damage caused by ozone-depleting chemicals despite recent cutbacks in their use, scientists said Friday. 

The layer, monitored because ozone blocks cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation from the Earth’s surface, appears to have suffered damage from a combination of man-made pollutants and extremely low temperatures in the upper atmosphere. 

“The worry that we have is that in contrast with early years ... we have seen extremely low levels (of ozone),” said Paul Newman of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “This has given us concern as to why this is happening. How well do we understand the processes that are leading to these low levels?” 

Though the levels of some ozone-damaging pollutants have declined, extremely low temperatures in the upper atmosphere increased ozone loss above the North Pole from November 1999 through March 2000, the researchers said at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. 

Compared with previous years, levels of ozone decreased up to 55 percent at an altitude of about 12 miles from Dec. 1, 1999 to March 15, 2000. Later studies showed a decrease of more than 60 percent through April. 

The cold temperatures in the stratosphere are believed to be the result of warmer temperatures at ground level. That, in turn, could be caused by greenhouse gases that are suspected of contributing to global warming. 

In the extremely cold temperatures above the Arctic, more polar stratospheric clouds form. They provide the surface on which normally benign chemicals turn into ozone-destroying compounds. 

As a result, if all ozone-destructive chemicals were completely banned, the speed of recovery will depend on other factors, such as the temperature and yet-to-be-determined factors. 

Researchers noted that they observed continued declines in chlorine, one of the destructive chemicals. In 1989, an international protocol called for the phase out of chlorofluorocarbons commonly used in aerosol sprays and refrigerants. 

The researchers, however, noticed a continued increase in bromides, another destructive chemical. These compounds, used in grain fumigation and termite control, are being phased out more slowly — even less so in developing countries. 

The findings suggest that full ozone recovery will probably not occur in 2050, as earlier predicted, said Dale Hurst of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. 

And scientists are unsure of other factors that might delay it further. 

“This scenario shows the ozone layer recovery is significantly delayed. There are obvious uncertainties of predicting when ozone recovery will occur,” he said. 

Though the Arctic ozone layer is not as seriously depleted as the layer above Antarctica, researchers say millions of people could be exposed to high ultraviolet radiation if the thin layer should drift south over heavily populated areas of Europe and North America. 

The research presented Friday was part of the joint SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment and the Third European Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone. Balloons, aircraft measurements and satellite observations were used. 

——— 

On the Net: Solve home page: http://cloud1.arc.nasa.gov/solve 

SAN FRANCISCO — The $5.5 billion Iridium global telephone system couldn’t attract enough customers to keep the company out of bankruptcy court, but its network of 66-plus satellites is paying off for scientists. 

The 1,500-pound satellites are taking the most comprehensive global measurements ever of space weather, the interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with charged particles that stream off the sun, scientists said Friday. 

“The Iridium system provides a marvelous opportunity for viewing space weather,” said Brian Anderson of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.  

“You essentially have a network of space weather stations.” 

Though the electrical currents that stream toward the Earth’s poles during space “storms” drive the Northern and Southern lights, they can damage spacecraft electronics, harm astronauts, knock out electrical grids and reduce the life span of satellites. 

Eventually, researchers believe they will have enough data to predict space weather and its effects – much as meteorologists on the ground better understand the paths and effects of storms by studying historical records. 

“Diagnosing the space environment is very important for predicting what effects will occur and when they will occur,” Anderson said at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. 

Space storms have been difficult to understand, because no system was in place to constantly monitor global changes in electrical currents and magnetic fields.  

The 66 Iridium satellites and several spares swarm around the planet at an altitude of 470 miles in various polar orbits. 

Iridium, a multinational partnership led until this week by Motorola Corp., was built to provide global wireless telephone and pager service.  

Each satellite was equipped with a magnetometer, an instrument that helps keep the solar panels pointed at the sun. 

Scientists realized that the magnetometers also can be used to measure changes in Earth’s magnetic field. The data were combined with radar to create global maps of electric power flowing to the polar atmosphere. 

“For the first time, Iridium measurements enable us to track the location and the magnitude of electrical power coming into this vast region,” said Colin Waters of Australia’s University of Newcastle, New South Wales. 

The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. 

Though an accidental scientific success, Iridium flopped commercially. Though the phones and pagers worked from anywhere on the planet, the bulky handsets that cost $3,000 and stratospheric rates of up to $7 a minute alienated customers. 

Iridium LLC filed for bankruptcy protection in August 1999. Earlier this week, all the company’s assets, including the satellites, were sold for $25 million to a group of private investors who plan to offer service to government and industrial clients. 

It was not immediately clear whether the sale would affect the system’s secondary scientific mission, Waters said. Until recently, however, Motorola had planned to deorbit the satellites. 

Iridium, developed over 12 years, was originally to consist of 77 active satellites and named after the element with 77 electrons. Later, organizers realized they needed only 66 satellites but didn’t change the name to Dysprosium, which is Greek for “hard to get at.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

National Science Foundation: http://www.nsf.gov 

Johns Hopkins Iridium information: http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/constel—mag—science/ 

SAN JOSE — Lifescan Inc., a leading maker of diabetes monitors, pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges and was ordered to pay $60 million in fines, ending a three-year government investigation of a defective blood-glucose meter. 

Authorities alleged that Lifescan, a Milpitas-based billion-dollar subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, knew about two defects in the SureStep consumer device but failed to disclose the problems to customers or the Food and Drug Administration before marketing the device in 1996. 

The defects, authorities said, sometimes would cause false readings on the SureStep monitors. One defect sometimes would wrongly indicate high blood sugar levels, and the other defect sometimes would wrongly yield low test results. 

According to court documents, at least 61 of 2,000 customers complaining of the errors between 1996 and 1998 became ill or had to be hospitalized as a result. 

In June 1998, after several whistleblowers already had sparked the federal investigation, Lifescan instituted a voluntary recall of all SureStep meters manufactured prior to July 27, 1997. 

The company was charged with introducing a misbranded medical device, failing and refusing to furnish appropriate notifications to the FDA, and submitting false and misleading reports to the FDA. 

“Consumers are entitled to know, and the law demands, that all companies tell them honestly about problems and defects in medical devices,” said Matt Jacobs, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Corporations in the health care field must be held to a high standard about informing patients and the FDA about the dangers of their products.” 

Friday, Lifescan pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts before Judge Jeremy Fogel in U.S. District Court in San Jose. 

The plea also resolved a separate civil case in which the government successfully won $30.6 million in restitution fees for Medicare funds used in purchases of the defective devices. 

In addition to the fines, Lifescan was placed on probation for three years, during which the FDA will oversee some of the company’s operations. 

In a prepared statement, Johnson & Johnson said Friday “no one at Lifescan engaged in intentional wrongdoing” but admitted its product labeling was deficient and that the company did not properly notify the government of the defects and was slow to remedy the problem. 

“Mistakes and misjudgments were made,” said Ralph S. Larsen, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson. “We fully acknowledge those errors and sincerely apologize for them.” 

A separate class-action suit filed on behalf of customers who bought the SureStep monitors is pending in federal court in San Jose. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Scientists are planning an ambitious mission to a new and barely explored world that isn’t far from the old one: the oceans. 

The watery depths cover more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface and drive the Earth’s climate, but for the most part have been largely ignored compared to the continents, atmosphere and even parts of the solar system. 

“Despite efforts over the past 25 years, 95 percent of the oceans remain unknown and unexplored,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the American Geophysical Union and of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. 

McNutt was chairwoman of the Ocean Exploration Panel, which recently finished a report calling for a new era of ocean exploration. The panel of ocean explorers, scientists and educators was formed last summer at the request of President Clinton. 

The group’s proposal, which was discussed at the AGU’s fall meeting Friday, calls for an approach involving both the physical and social sciences. Current research is too driven by specific theories; the new program will be powered by the spirit of discovery, panelists said. 

“We tend to focus on a particular scientific problem, at a particular place and at a particular time,” said John Orcutt, professor at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.  

“What we’re asking is to return to the idea of exploring this one last huge remaining part of our planet. It is a major departure that we’re asking for.” 

At the center of the proposal would be a voyage of discovery circumnavigating the globe. It would start in Maine, sail down the East Coast and points south, circle Antarctica, head north through the Indian and Pacific oceans, and finish with a trip under the Arctic polar cap. 

Before that happens – at a still undisclosed time – researchers hope to develop the best plan of attack by developing new tools and maps and setting up oceanic observatories. They also must somehow acquire all the equipment for the voyage. 

All the data from the project would be made instantly available to researchers and others via satellite links. 

“This is the first national report written by any nation that lays out the strategy for ocean exploration,” said D. James Baker, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

The panel, which earlier this month presented its report to Clinton, recommended $75 million each year for 10 years. NOAA, taking the lead so far, is asking for half that amount starting in its fiscal year 2002 budget request. 

Other federal agencies – such as the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Navy – could provide the rest of the money, panelists said. 

“This kind of program doesn’t work unless there are funds behind it,” Baker said. 

On the Net: 

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov 

American Geophysical Union: http://www.agu.org 

SAN DIEGO — A major earthquake would cause only minor damage to the massive concrete and steel columns that will support a portion of the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a seismic test showed Friday. 

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, placed a quarter-scale model of one column in the equivalent of a giant vise to simulate the pressure of a magnitude 8 earthquake on the nearby San Andreas fault or a magnitude 7.5 on the Hayward fault. 

A spider web of cracks appeared on a thin layer of exterior concrete near the base and top of the column as chunks the size of dinner plates fell to the ground. But scientists and state Department of Transportation officials dismissed the damage and called the column’s performance a success. 

“The column is still in perfect condition structurally,” Frieder Seible, chairman of the UCSD department of structural engineering, said as he stood by the 32-foot-tall model. 

The test at UCSD’s seismic lab was one in a series to be performed on components of the new span, which is being replaced to make it safer in an earthquake. 

Construction on the $1.5 billion project is scheduled to begin in late summer and to be completed in 2005. 

The seismic test also has implications beyond the Bay Bridge project because Caltrans plans to use the same type of column when it replaces the Carquinez  

and Benicia bridges northeast of  

San Francisco. 

The new type of column, also called a pier, consists of four solid columns of reinforced concrete surrounding a box-like concrete structure with a hollow center. About 14 piers will support two miles of the eastern span. 

Each pier is a coated in a thin layer of chalk-colored concrete to prevent corrosion and to improve the aesthetics of the support.  

This exterior layer at the base and top of the column cracked and flaked off during the test. 

But the damage doesn’t harm the structure of the column, is easily fixed and could be prevented with a minor architectural adjustment, said Bay Bridge project manager Brian Maroney. 

“I’m going to feel perfectly comfortable driving over this,” Maroney said. 

During the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, a 30-foot span of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge collapsed.  

Caltrans later determined it would be cheaper to replace the eastern span than to retrofit it to modern safety standards. 

The 64-year-old bridge, crossed by 280,000 motorists a day, presents a major challenge because it straddles the Hayward and San Andreas faults.  

But engineers hope to minimize the risk with tests such as Friday’s, which exerted 700,000 pounds of sideways pressure on the column. 

“We have every confidence that it will hold,” Andy Budek, a UCSD research engineer, said as he observed the test of the column.

LOS ANGELES — Most Californians favor paying higher taxes to help everyone have affordable health care, according to a poll released Thursday. 

The poll commissioned by the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found 72 percent would approve paying as much as $50 a year more in taxes if it meant the money would be used to provide affordable health care to the working poor. 

“Almost seven million Californian’s lack health insurance,” said Dr. Lew Sandy, executive vice president of the Princeton, N.J., foundation. 

These are people who have less than $28,000 a year in annual household income for a family of three, he said. 

The survey of 600 adults also showed that a slightly greater number of respondents – 77 percent – said they support the use of federal surplus funds to solve the problem nationally. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. 

The results were released on the first day of an industry conference titled “Health Coverage 2000: Meeting the Challenge of the Uninsured.” The meeting in Los Angeles was cosponsored by Families USA and the Health Insurance Association of America, among other health-care advocacy groups. 

The survey also found that: 

• 77 percent of respondents favored access to affordable health care by everyone, even it costs them more 

• 88 percent agreed a Bush administration and Congress should prioritize their agendas to include passing new laws to help the uninsured 

The public opinion poll was conducted in California by Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Snell Perry and Associates, two national polling firms.

Federal regulators ordered an overhaul of California’s electricity market Friday to try to control skyrocketing prices that have pushed the state to the brink of blackouts this month. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order will set a “soft” price cap on wholesale rates and let the state’s investor-owned utilities keep the power they generate rather than be forced to sell it on the open market, as they had to under California’s 1996 utility deregulation law. 

San Diego Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric together generate 25,000 megawatts a day, about 60 percent of what the state uses on a busy day and 90 percent on a slow day, FERC said. The state Public Utilities Commission would then set the price the utilities could charge customers. 

“Today’s order will staunch the hemorrhage and start rehabilitation” of California’s power market, FERC Chairman James Hoecker said. 

All three privately owned utilities have been hit hard by soaring wholesale electricity prices, blamed in part on tight supplies and rising natural gas costs. 

The San Diego utility’s customers have seen their bills double and even triple since summer; SoCal Edison and PG&E, operating under state-imposed rate freezes as they move toward deregulation, say they are in financial danger. 

Meanwhile, the Independent System Operator, keeper of California’s power grid, has found itself in an almost-daily scramble this month to find enough megawatts in the West to prevent rolling blackouts. Friday marked the first day in nearly two weeks the state had enough electricity to avoid declaring any level of power alert. 

The commission ordered a “soft cap” on wholesale electricity prices of $150 per megawatt hour. Suppliers offering to sell power in California at more than that price would have to file paperwork with FERC defending the higher price. 

In an effort to encourage investor-owned utilities to avoid last-minute buying, FERC ordered them to buy 95 percent of their power more than a day ahead of when it is needed. 

FERC also allowed them to enter into contracts with generators outside the state Power Exchange, which had been set up to oversee all power sales within the state. 

FERC suggested a contract price of $74 per megawatt hour for five years.  

This would be far lower than prices during the current crisis, but higher than during milder weather when supply is plentiful. 

“Rather than cap the spot market created by the state of California, we simply shrink its size, we diminish its influence,” Hoecker said. 

The commission agreed to participate in a Tuesday power summit requested by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson and Oregon Gov. Gov. John Kitzhaber. 

Various commissioners disagreed with parts of the order. 

Commissioner William Massey said the suggested contract price would be all right for two years, but that generators might be overpaid over five years. 

“This shouldn’t be looked at as a floor,” Massey said. 

FERC’s soft cap of $150 per megawatt hour on the electricity that is still sold through the Power Exchange will last for four months. During that period, regulators will study the open market to determine whether prices are still “unjust and unreasonable,” as they found in setting the order.

SANTA ANA — A 40-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for murdering two children and injuring four others and a teacher’s aide by intentionally driving his car onto a preschool playground last year. 

Superior Court Judge John Ryan imposed two life sentences without possibility of parole on Steven Allen Abrams, whose sanity was an issue during the trial. 

Abrams’ mental problems were a mitigating factor, but he planned the crime and did it deliberately, the judge said in imposing the punishment recommended by the jury. 

“Because the intent was to harm as many children as possible, it went beyond what actually happened,” Ryan said. 

“As I was thinking about the case, I asked myself rhetorically about the psychological harm that the other children and the other workers suffered,” he said. “The impact this case had on so many lives just makes it terribly aggravated.” 

Brandon Wiener, 3, and Sierra Soto, 4, were killed when Abrams, a ticket broker employee, drove his Cadillac through a chain-link fence and onto the grounds of Southcoast Early Childhood Learning Center in Costa Mesa on May 3, 1999. 

“The holidays are here and I don’t have my baby to celebrate with,” Brandon’s mother, Pamela, tearfully told the court through sobs. She had just gone inside the school to get her son’s lunch box when the car rolled over him. 

Eric Soto told the judge that Sierra’s killer should be put to death. 

“Life without parole will not make me feel any better because it won’t bring my daughter back,” Soto said. 

A jury convicted Abrams in August on two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter. The latter counts involved a couple whose car he tried to ram before smashing through the school fence. 

The prosecution contended that the attack on the children was a form of revenge for Abrams’ 1994 conviction on a charge of stalking a former girlfriend who lived in the area. 

“I was executing them ... as many as I could get,” Abrams said in a taped confession which jurors heard during the trial. “I was aiming for as many children as I could kill.” 

The defense claimed Abrams was legally insane, a paranoid schizophrenic who was trying to stop “brain-wave makers” from controlling his thoughts and behavior and who began hearing voices shortly after his stalking conviction. 

The prosecutor contended that Abrams’ mental problems were due to drug abuse. 

The jury decided in October that he was sane at the time of the crimes. 

Prosecutors then sought the death penalty but the jury voted in November to recommend that he spend the rest of his life in prison. 

The judge also sentenced Abrams to a concurrent term of 25 years and four months, and ordered him to pay $12,000 in restitution for the children’s funerals. 

The school shut down this year. 

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — When an extortionist’s bomb ripped through Harveys Resort & Casino in 1980, the company found opportunity in the tragedy and rebuilt Tahoe’s first high-rise to match the glitter of its newer neighbors on the south shore. 

But no matter how much the gild was burnished on the Nevada side of the state line, the luster remained tarnished on the California side. Just a block away from the modern hotels, South Lake Tahoe quickly gave way to a succession of souvenir stands, fast food joints and dilapidated 1950s-era motels. 

Where it wasn’t just tacky, South Lake Tahoe was downright seedy. 

“There was a definite acknowledgment in the community that we had a deteriorating tourism product,” former City Manager Kerry Miller said. 

It took less than two years to fix Harveys. Two decades later, South Lake Tahoe is finally getting somewhere. 

Within five years of the Harveys makeover, the casinos, Heavenly ski resort, local governments, environmental groups and other business and civic leaders began planning the reinvention of the south shore. 

“The underlying concept was to develop and create for South Lake Tahoe a worldwide image as a premiere resort destination – a unique product that people couldn’t find anywhere else,” Miller told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. 

By this summer, backhoes had leveled most of South Lake Tahoe’s old image and the new was emerging as the $250 million Park Avenue Redevelopment project. Its centerpiece – the $20 million Heavenly gondola – will be dedicated on the first day of winter, Dec. 21. 

It will link more than 5,000 hotel rooms to the ski resort’s upper California side 2,875 feet up the mountain in a 12-minute ride. Its length and capacity – 138 eight-passenger cars – make it California’s largest. 

“It’s another step of redevelopment which the area needs,” said longtime Harrah’s Lake Tahoe spokesman John Packer. “It’ll really makes South Lake Tahoe more of a skiing town where you don’t have to drive some great distance. 

“It’s a huge convenience for skiers. They don’t have to park and get a lift ticket. The ski lift comes to them.” 

The next step in the Park Avenue project will be to surround the gondola’s base with a European-style pedestrian village, featuring two chalet-inspired resorts, an ice rink, a theater complex, a parking garage and a shopping mall. 

Additional plans foresee a convention center, hotels, shops, restaurants and an art center. An artificial lake will be a scaled-down model of its famous neighbor. Improved mass transit and possibly a monorail lie further down the road. 

The area’s two natural attractions – the lake and the mountains – dictated caution in planing each step of the project. 

After lengthy – and often rancorous – negotiations, parties as diverse as developers, contractors, the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Protection Agency all signed off on a compromise master plan. 

The accord that’s being seen as a model for similar developments elsewhere, particularly at ski areas, requires catch basins to store rain and snowmelt runoff from paved areas before the water reaches the lake. Landscaping will take the place of some concrete and buildings to be removed. 

The gondola’s concrete support beams were dug and placed by hand to keep machinery off the fragile mountainside. Trucks that carried supplies ran on temporary roads, which will be returned to their natural state. 

“If we had all gotten together and added it up, we probably would not have done it,” said Dennis Harmon, Heavenly’s managing director. 

As another part of the deal, the new condos and hotels will result in a reduction in the number of places to stay at the lake. For every new bed added, 1.3 must be removed. 

A glut of rooms was blamed for part of the area’s decline as the cheap mom-and-pop operations cut rates to lure customers then couldn’t afford even basic maintenance, much less improvements. 

While the more upscale digs will discourage the souvenir store crowd, their numbers will be replaced by fewer but better-heeled tourists, according to John Wagnon, vice president of marketing at Heavenly. 

“I don’t think those less expensive rooms are going to be replaced by anyone else so they’re pretty much going away,” he said. “The entire community is going to take a little bit of an uptick in terms of the clientele.” 

And while greater affluence meshes with the financial goals of South Lake Tahoe’s rebirth, Wagnon said fewer visitors will ease the impact on the fragile ecology. 

“That’s basically how the economic model works with the environmental model,” he said. 

While Heavenly is the only ski resort at the south shore, the area an hour from Reno’s airport is a starting point for wintertime skiers headed out to nearby resorts and looking to return to some apres-ski activities, particularly on the Nevada side. 

“Over the last 15 years, I think we’ve really changed the image of Lake Tahoe in the minds of consumers all throughout North America and in Europe,” Wagnon said, putting the former city manager’s vision of the future into present tense. 

“The results are starting to really show. We are a world class destination in pretty much every sense of the word.” 

On the Net: 

Lake Tahoe Web site: http//www.virtualtahoe.com 

CORTE MADERA — A pair of mischievous middle-aged men has been stalking through shopping mall parking lots - the habitat of the mighty sports utility vehicle – doing a little civil disobedience in hopes that their prey will become extinct. 

For four months, Robert Lind, who runs a deer-repellent business, and his cohort, construction worker Charles Dines, have scampered all over the San Francisco Bay Area, smoothing homemade bumper stickers onto hundreds of SUVs – the vehicles they love to hate. 

They’re tired of watching SUVs suck fuel at gas stations and flood rear-view mirrors at night with blinding headlights. Mostly, the “mad taggers” are tired of the SUVs’ impact on the environment. 

And now SUV are getting tired of their black-and-white bumper stickers, which exclaim: “I’m changing the environment! Ask me how!” 

Dines, who rides a BMW motorcycle, devised the idea after repeated chats with Lind about their shared scorn for SUVs. He likens it to the public pillories of old, where petty offenders were exposed to public shame. 

“We look at the bumper sticker as a way to punish these people,” explains Lind, who drives an old BMW car. “They think their status trinket it more important than the environment we all share.” 

Judging from what happened during a recent hunt at a mall parking lot here, SUV drivers certainly take offense to their antics. 

A flurry of women used their cell phones to call police, and Lind and Dines were twice confronted by security and police officers. 

“You don’t know the facts!” one mother hissed as she pushed a baby stroller back and forth near her pristine Chevy Tahoe after they inadvertently tagged it a second time, breaking their own no-repeat rule. 

“There’s no other car that has enough shoulder belts for booster seats and has cargo space,” the woman told them. “I don’t want my kids sitting 12 inches from the back of the car against glass like in a minivan.” 

Dines and Lind, fresh from a confrontation with police in another section of the lot, looked uneasy but took a few minutes to pitch their case against SUVs before making their escape. 

Tagging cars with their removable stickers, it turns out, can amount to a vandalism misdemeanor. 

“I understand your cause and everything,” Twin Cities police officer Mark Reischel told them. “I just think that adhering this to a car would make people mad. I know it would make me mad.” 

Lind says the facts about SUVs make the risk worth it. 

Drivers bought 2.8 million SUVs in the United States through November of this year, about 17 percent of all vehicles sold. Sales are up 4.6 percent from last year, according to Ward’s Automotive Reports. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, average fuel economy in the SUV, van and pickup truck category is just over 18 mpg, compared with 23.6 mpg for cars. 

Some sport utility vehicles also have less stringent federal emissions standards since they are classified as heavy-duty trucks, which contributes to urban smog problems. 

Carl Calvert, editor of the magazine Today’s SUV, says he doesn’t understand why the pair focuses on SUVs rather than all large pickup trucks. 

“There’s always a certain faction that’s going to be looking at the negative attributes of SUVs,” Calvert said. “I think you can look at any automotive vehicle and see negative aspects.” 

Lind maintains that most SUVs are bought for status, not utility. 

“People are going to see and wonder what’s that all about,” Lind said. “Our goal is to attach enough social shame and ostracism to an SUV so that perhaps we’ll change public opinion. Maybe some people will think, well, maybe I shouldn’t buy an SUV.” 

The stickers also list a Web site, http://www.changingtheclimate.com, which gives advice on removing the stickers and invites targeted SUV owners to join in a spirited exchange of SUV philosophy. 

“Don’t ever vandalize my vehicle with your sticker again,” a recent post from an angry commercial fisherman reads. “I will physically confront and stop you.” 

Lind and Dines, their leather jacket pockets bulging with stickers, brag about the times when they’ve tagged SUVs without the drivers inside noticing. But mostly they try to avoid physical confrontations. 

They creep down to bumper level, stoop a bit to stick on their message and move on the next “big game” in one fluid motion, faces bright with glee. 

“We’re reasonable about it,” Lind says. “We don’t tag commercial vehicles — there are some people who need SUVs, and if its appropriate we don’t have a problem with it.” 

But they don’t always stick to their rules, said the Chevy Tahoe owner, who removed the bumper sticker the first time they tagged her, only to be struck again. 

“There are reasons people have large vehicles, like carpooling,” she said, asking to go nameless until she decides whether to sue for vandalism. “I appreciate their concern for the environment but I don’t feel they should be doing what they’re doing without knowledge of the specific car owners’ circumstance for buying that car.” 

THE RULES 

• Only big SUVs are fair game. “I tag in the affluent suburbs where they never get dirty or use the 4 wheel drive,” Lind says. “I figure that most people in rural areas are probably using them for a functional purpose and therefore don’t tag in those areas.” 

• Commercial vehicles are not tagged. “I have no gripe with people who really need these gas-guzzlers. It’s the morons who are keeping up with the Jones’ that raise my back hairs.” 

• Vehicles will not be tagged twice. 

• Only late models will be tagged. “Not some beat up old Suburban some poor soul has inherited.” 

• Vehicles are not targeted simply because they have 4 wheel drive. “Only the types that never use ’em (soccer moms, etc.). That leaves 85 percent.” 

On the Net: 

http://www.changingtheclimate.com 

http://www.todayssuvs.com 

http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/allsuv-01.html 

WASHINGTON — Nearly 500 current and retired FBI agents marched to the White House Friday in an unprecedented protest, opposing any presidential clemency for an American Indian activist convicted of killing two FBI men.  

Carrying a “Never Forget” banner lettered in red, a line of women stood two-by-two for the march to the White House gate with a petition to President Clinton signed by 8,000 current and former agents.  

Secret Service agents at the White House gate rejected the envelope, however, telling their fellow federal officers that no packages or documents can be accepted for security reasons. The FBI agents planned to mail the petition.  

Susan Lloyd, an FBI field office spokeswoman who joined the protesters, said the vast majority of those in the demonstration were active agents who applied for the day off.  

“None of this is on government time,” she said. The officers were escorted by about 30 District of Columbia police on motorcycles. 

The protest supported FBI Director Louis Freeh's recommendation against clemency for Leonard Peltier, who is serving two consecutive life sentences in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kan. 

Freeh told Clinton such an act would “signal disrespect” for law enforcement.  

“There are situations in which mercy is warranted, but clearly what this man has done puts him outside of the reach of any presidential pardon,” said John Sennett, president of the FBI Agents Association, which has about 9,000 active and 1,000 retired members. Sennett, interviewed at the scene, is an FBI agent based in New York.  

Agents said they knew of no similar public display by active agents in the past.  

“FBI employees, like other federal workers and citizens, have the right to express their views on issues they feel passionately about,” said bureau spokesman Mike Kortan at FBI headquarters, noting that the demonstrators were on their own time. “While today’s event is unusual, it underscores the passion and depth of feeling of FBI employees across the country and around the world on this issue.” A handful of Peltier supporters shouted at the orderly line of officers as they passed. ``Peltier is a political prisoner,” said a man who identified himself as P.J. Smith of Washington.  

The White House has refused comment on all questions about possible pardons. A White House spokesman said Clinton would review pending requests for executive clemency before he leaves office in January, including that of Peltier.  

“There are strong passions on all sides of the issue,'' White House spokesman Elliot Diringer said Friday. “The president's decision will be based on the facts.”  

Attorney General Janet Reno, asked about the prospect of an FBI demonstration on Thursday, said, “I think we just have to see how it unfolds,” adding, “Everybody ought to be able to speak out about something that they care about deeply in a thoughtful, professional, dignified manner.” 

Peltier’s story has become well-known on Indian reservations across the country. FBI agents Ron Williams and Jack Koler were fired upon and killed while searching for robbery suspects on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota in June 1975.  

Peltier, after fleeing to Canada and being extradited to the United States, was convicted and sentenced in 1977 for the killings, despite defense claims that evidence against him had been falsified.  

Peltier’s supporters argue that there is little evidence that Peltier fired the shots that killed the agents. They allege Peltier was targeted by the FBI because of his vocal support of reservation autonomy and have opposed the demonstration by FBI agents.  

“We are very disappointed with the FBI response,'' Jennifer Harbury, an attorney for Peltier, said at a news conference Friday. “We think it’s inappropriate, and we think it's a sad day for democracy when our armed forces march through the streets to influence a decision for mercy and justice by a civilian president.” Peltier, 56, is serving his terms at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan.  

He has suffered from health problems in recent years.

BRADENTON, Fla.— A Palestinian was ordered released from jail Friday after being locked up for three years on secret government evidence without ever being charged with a crime. 

Attorney General Janet Reno lifted a stay that had kept Mazen Al-Najjar behind bars. In an accompanying statement, Reno said that Justice Department officials “anticipate he could be deported from the United States soon.” 

His lawyers David Cole and Martin Schwartz said that they did not know when their client would be released from the Manatee County Detention Center, but that the man’s elated family was headed there. 

“There is nothing more gratifying than seeing an innocent man walk out of jail free,” Cole said. “It’s too bad that he spent 31/2 years in jail on secret evidence without ever having had a chance to confront it, but freedom is always sweet.” 

“I feel so happy. I give thanks to God,” said Al-Najjar’s sister, Nahla Al-Arian. 

The government has maintained that Al-Najjar had links to Mideast terrorists and was a threat to national security. Al-Najjar denied the allegations. Not even his lawyers have seen the evidence against him. 

The 43-year-old academic had been on the verge of freedom several times, most recently Tuesday, when Reno stopped his release, saying she wanted more time to review the case. His family, stunned by the news, had been waiting at the detention center with an $8,000 check to post his bail when the stay was issued. 

Al-Najjar’s battle for freedom has been a seesaw struggle through immigration hearings, federal court proceedings and the high reaches of the Justice Department. 

For the first three years of his imprisonment, Al-Najjar had been allowed only once-a-year visits from his three young, American-born daughters. In June, he was allowed to begin seeing them weekly like the rest of his immediate family. 

Immigration Judge R. Kevin McHugh had ordered Al-Najjar’s release early this month, saying the government failed to give him enough information to defend himself. 

McHugh viewed the classified evidence in chambers and said that a declassified summary given to Al-Najjar was not sufficient to keep him behind bars. He set bail and Al-Najjar’s family made plans to bring him home. 

However, the government appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which ordered Al-Najjar detained indefinitely, pending further study. 

The board lifted the order earlier this week, and federal immigration attorneys immediately turned to Reno. 

Al-Najjar’s cause has been championed by lawyers from Florida to New York, civil rights groups and members of Congress who consider his detention unjustified. 

About a dozen immigrants, mostly Arabs living in America, have been detained in U.S. jails without criminal charges on the basis of classified evidence, according to Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich. 

Cole, a Georgetown University law professor, said he has worked on 13 such cases and after much difficulty, all have been released. 

“All are living peaceably without any undermining of national security,” Cole said. He believes the government uses secret evidence not to protect national security, but when it knows its case would disintegrate if made public. 

Al-Najjar was born in Gaza and raised in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He has been in the United States since 1981. His student visa expired years ago and he has been living illegally in this country. 

He has appealed a deportation order, partly on grounds that because he has no homeland, he has nowhere to go. A federal appeals court hearing was set for Jan. 9. 

Reno said the government expects the appellate court will uphold the deportation “in the next few months.” 

She defended the detention, saying courts have twice ordered Al-Najjar deported “based solely on public record evidence.” 

Al-Najjar was associated with the World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a think tank affiliated with the University of South Florida, and the Islamic Committee for Palestine, a group with a stated mission of fostering better understanding of Muslim issues. 

The U.S. government maintained that the Florida organizations fronted for the Islamic Jihad, which has claimed responsibility for terrorist bombings in the Middle East. 

LOS ANGELES — Online toy retailer eToys says it will cut its workforce and may run out of operating cash by the end of March because of weak holiday sales. 

The company said in a statement Friday that it has retained Goldman Sachs & Co. to explore a sale, merger or restructuring. 

EToys has revised its sales and earnings estimates for the third quarter ending Dec. 31. It said it is expecting net sales of between $120 million and $130 million instead of the $210 million to $240 million it had previously expected. 

The company also said it expects operating losses to be between 55 percent and 65 percent of revenue. That compares with an estimate of between 22 percent and 28 percent of revenue the company previously expected. 

If the new estimates hold, the company’s performance in the third quarter will still be better than the same period last year. Unless eToys raises additional capital or realizes significant savings from layoffs and other cost-cutting measures, it may not be enough to keep them in business, the company warned. 

“We are disappointed that sales have not materialized to the degree we had expected,” Toby Lenk, eToys president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “But we point to the fact that the company is expected to show between 12 percent and 22 percent growth in revenue versus the same quarter last year and we are serving customers exceptionally well this holiday season.” 

The company blamed poor sales on “a harsh retail climate” caused by concerns over the economy, current attitudes toward Internet retailing, and consumers who have been “meaningfully distracted by the presidential election and its aftermath.” 

The company said it will announce a plan to reduce its workforce in January. It also warned investors to disregard any previous guidance it has issued about expected revenues for the next fiscal year. 

Shares of the company were trading at $1.03 per share, down about 3 percent in late trading Friday.

LOS ANGELES — Shockwave.com says it will acquire Internet short film distributor AtomFilms to form a new company in an attempt to dominate the struggling Internet entertainment field. 

Shockwave.com, a private company based in San Francisco, will acquire Seattle-based AtomFilms in a stock swap, the companies said in a joint announcement Friday. AtomFilms shareholders will own 30 percent of the yet-to-be-named new company. 

Shockwave.com is owned by Macromedia Inc., a public company, which will own the rest of the new company along with several private investors. 

Rob Burgess, chairman and chief executive officer of Macromedia and chairman of Shockwave.com will be chairman of the new company.  

Mika Salmi, founder and chief executive officer of AtomFilms, will be CEO. 

Shockwave CEO Lawrence Levy will serve in a strategic advisory role through the transition, the companies said. 

The new company will be based in San Francisco. 

Shockwave.com produces online animated entertainment using “Flash,” a computer animation program. Director Tim Burton, the creators of the cable program “South Park” and others have created programs for the site. 

AtomFilms licenses and distributes short films and animation. 

Each company has approximately 150 employees. 

Internet entertainment sites are struggling to attract viewers and become profitable. Earlier this year, the Digital Entertainment Network folded after failing to create a Web-based network for online shows. Last month, Icebox.com, which uses top tier television writers to create animated shows, cut its staff by half. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.shockwave.com 

http://www.atomfilms.com 

NEW YORK — Investors who thought the resolution of the presidential election would set off a rally on Wall Street found themselves instead in the midst of a huge selloff. 

The negative reaction had nothing to do with the election of George W. Bush. Instead, analysts said, the market’s plunge this past week was all about disappointing earnings predictions, particularly one from Microsoft, and investor fears about the economy. 

“The fundamental problem is that people are very concerned about the possibility of a recession in 2001, although I don’t see one happening,” said Jack Shaughnessy, chief investment strategist at Advest Inc. 

“But all this bad news from computer stocks has affected a lot of people. Of the retail clients I advise, I’d bet a third to a half of their assets are in technology stocks, so these warnings have really hurt them.” 

That news was initially greeted warmly – even if it meant companies might not make as much money as they had during the previous year. After six interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve to slow unsustainable economic growth and stave off inflation, investors were optimistic that more hikes might not be necessary. 

But a series of warnings, first about companies’ third-quarter profits and in the past few weeks, about fourth-quarter results, has spawned a series of selloffs. High-tech was hit first, but the seemingly more durable consumer and financial stocks have suffered as well. 

Analysts now believe Wall Street’s fears have been exacerbated by the fact that while the Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates, it’s unclear when that will happen. And it took six months for the effects of interest rate cuts to work their way through the economy; no one knows how long it will take for the reverse to be felt. 

Moreover, the bad earnings news has kept coming, and from a broader range of companies. Companies are reducing their predictions for 2001, saying they expect the economic slowdown’s effects to be felt well into the spring and summer of next year. 

— The Associated Press 

“What Microsoft’s warning did was end up making people feel that a hard (economic) landing is a definite possibility and that companies are going to have a harder time than expected,” said Michael Mann, senior portfolio manager of AXP Mutual Fund. “Now people are not talking about a moderating economy, but a severe slowdown.” 

Mann is hopeful the Fed will relax its stance against lowering interest rates at its meeting Tuesday. Although he believes the market has already factored that change in what’s known as the Fed’s bias, it would be a precursor to a rate cut early next year. 

“There is definitely earnings risk in the marketplace right now,” Mann said. “But the offset to this would be a Federal Reserve decision to cut rates. It wold give people a glimmer that the Fed will not allow the economy to go into a recession.” 

Shaughnessy, the Advest strategist, is also bullish about the market, predicting growth of at least 10 percent in 2001 in the Nasdaq composite index and Dow Jones industrials. But he acknowledged that getting through the rest of the month may be tough. 

He thinks January stands to be better than expected for several reasons, including the inauguration of a president predisposed to tax cuts and the release of fourth-quarter results, which he believes won’t as bad as Wall Street fears. 

But the linchpin, he admits, will be what the Fed decides to do. 

“When the Federal Reserve decides to cut rates, that always turns the stock market around,” Shaughnessy said. “And I think they’re inclined to cut rates.” 

The Dow Jones industrials closed at 10,434.96, down 277.95 or 2.6 percent for the week following Friday’s 240.03-point loss. 

The Nasdaq composite index fell 264.11 or 9.05 percent to 2,653.32 after losing 75.19 Friday. 

The Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost 57.74 or 4.2 percent for the week, closing at 1,312.15 after a 28.78 loss Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller company stocks, gave up 21.04 for the week, a 4.4 percent decline. It closed at 458.03 after losing 3.79 Friday. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index — which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues — ended the week at $12.093 trillion, down $573 billion from the previous week. A year ago the index was $13.251 trillion. 

End adv for weekend editions 

After an 12-day break for finals, California (3-5) visits San Diego State (3-5), Friday, Dec. 22, for a 7 p.m. contest. The Aztecs lead the series, 3-1, including a win in the last meeting in 1995-96 (82-70). The SDSU game marks the return home of Cal's Becky Staubes and Janet Franey. 

After the San Diego State game, Cal wraps up its non-conference slate at San Jose State, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m. The Golden Bears are playing .500 basketball over their last six games.Three of their five losses have been by a combined 11 points, including a 77-73 loss at home to Santa Clara in their last outing on Dec. 10. The Bears, who play seven of 10 non-conference games away from Haas Pavilion, do not return home until Jan. 4 for the Pac-10 opener vs. Arizona.  

While defense continues to be Cal's strength, the offense has shown signs of its development under first-year head coach Caren Horstmeyer’s system.  

The Bears are 2-1 in games they have scored at least 70 points this year. Cal also has climbed to first in the league in three-point shooting percentage at .390 after a combined 10-19 (.526) effort vs. USF and Santa Clara. With a scoring defense average of 64.4 ppg, Cal is on-track to post its best average in that category since the 1977-78 season (57.5 ppg).  

Senior guard Courtney Johnson sets the tone for Cal offensively and defensively. Johnson leads Cal with a career-best scoring average of 15.9 ppg, which ranks seventh in the Pac-10. The 1999-00 honorable mention All-Pac-10 pick also is in pursuit of her second league steals title, as she currently ranks second at 3.38 spg. She is coming off one of her best overall performances as a Bears, posting a career-high 32 points to go with five steals against SCU.  

The Bears have received strong inside play from senior forward Lauren Ashbaugh and junior center Ami Forney. Ashbaugh is second on the Bears in both scoring (10.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.1), while Forney leads the club with 7.9 rpg and is third in scoring at 9.9 ppg. The two are third and sixth, respectively, in the league for rebounding and are the only team with two players among the top six.

Habitot Children’s Museum 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

“Back to the Farm.”  

Ongoing 

An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more.  

Cost: $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under.  

Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

647-1111 or www.habitot.org 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St.  

549-6950 

Free 

Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season” 

Through May, 2002  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. 

“Second Annual Richard Nagler Competition for Excellence in Jewish Photography” 

Through Feb., 2001. 

Featuring the work of Claudia Nierman, Jason Francisco, Fleming Lunsford, and others.  

UC Berkeley Art Museum 

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 

Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Open Thursdays until 9 p.m.  

Through Jan. 16, 2001: “Amazons in the Drawing Room”: The Art of Romaine Brooks  

Predominantly a portrait artist, Brooks paintings were influenced by elements of her life and are a visual record of the changing status of women in society and her own refusal to conform to the social order of early twentieth-century Europe.  

Through Jan. 28, 2001: “Tacita Dean/MATRIX 189 Banewl” 

A film instillation by British conceptual artist Tacita Dean of the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 11, 1999.  

Pacific Film Archive Theater Gallery 

2625 Durant Ave. 

Through Jan. 8, 2001: “Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane” 

Best known as the cofounder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Zane began his exploration of the human form through photography. 

Through Dec. 17: Wolfgang Laib/Martrix: “188 Pollen from Pine” 

Laib uses elements of nature including beeswax, milk, rice, pollen, and stone to create his art pieces.  

The Asian Galleries  

“Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery,” open-ended.  

A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection.  

“Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. 

“Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. 

“Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

642-0808. 

UC Berkeley Museum of  

Paleontology 

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley 

“Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing.  

A 20-foot tall, 40-foot long replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is 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 to 23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. 

Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 

“Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended.  

This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. 

This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. 

$2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

643-7648 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

“Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. 

“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning  

experiments. 

“In the Dark,”through Jan. 15, 2001. Plunge into darkness and see amazing creatures that inhabit worlds without light.  

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

“ChemMystery,” through Jan. 1, 2001. The LHS becomes a crime scene and a science lab to help visiting detectives to solve two different crime scenarios.  

Call 643-5134 for tickets  

“Family Holiday Programs,” Dec. 26 - 31. An entire week of song, music, dance, and other assorted entertainment that are guaranteed child-pleasers. Call LHS for details or check “out & about” close to Dec. 26.  

Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

$7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4 

642-5132 

Holt Planetarium  

Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 

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.; (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

The Oakland Museum of  

California 

1000 Oak St., Oakland 

“Secret World of the Forbidden City” Through Jan. 24, 2001. A rare glimpse of over 350 objects which illustrate the opulence and heritage of the Chinese Imperial Court Under the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 - 1911. For this exhibit: $13 general, $10 seniors and $5 for students with ID.  

“The Rustler Ranch Mastodon Project,” through June. Museum  

preparators are unearthing a mastodon skeleton, discovered at Rustler Ranch in northeastern California. The nearly complete fossil skeleton of the mastodon was carved out of the ground and brought in chunks to the museum where preparators are removing the bones from the surrounding dirt. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. during museum weekday hours, visitors can talk with preparators and volunteers as they expose the bones in preparation for making molds and cast of the skeleton.  

For museum: $6 general; $4 seniors and students; free children age 5 and under; second Sundays are free to all. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Many special events scheduled for November and December related to “Secret World of the Forbidden City.” 

(888) OAK-MUSE or www.museumca.org. 

Music 

924 Gilman St. 

All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted 

$5; $2 for a year membership 

525-9926 

Dec. 15: Monopause, Moe! Kestra!, Pendulum, Iron Ass, Spezz Arotto 

Dec. 16: Yaphet Kotto, Lions of Judah, Blood Brothers, The Shivering 

Dec. 22: Dead and Gone, Phantom Limbs, Angel Dust, Justin Bailey, The Fleshies 

Dec. 23: Hammers of Misfortune, Dekapitator, Black Goat, Kalmex and the Riff Merchants 

Dec. 29: Nerve Agents, American Nightmare, Kill Me Kate, PBR Streetgang 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Dec. 20: Earl White, The Bluegrass Intentions; clogging lesson with Evie Ladin, 8 p.m., $10; All ages event  

Dec. 21: Open Mike & pot luck, 6 - 10 p.m.; Grateful Dead DJ Nite with Digital Dave, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., $5  

Dec. 22: Trancemission, 9:30 p.m., $10 

Dec. 23: Warsaw, George & the Wonders, KGB, and DJ JahBonz, 9 p.m., $10  

Dec. 29: Surco Nuevo, 9:30 p.m., $11; dance lesson with Felipe Martinez, 8:30 p.m. 

Dec. 30: Legion of Mary with Martin Fiero, New Monsoon, 9 p.m., $10  

Freight & Salvage  

All shows begin at 8 p.m.  

548-1761 

Dec. 16: Rebecca Riots  

Dec. 17: The Christmas Jug Band 

Dec. 20: Andrew Kerr, Sam Shaber, Christie McCarthy 

Dec. 21: Box Set, Noe Venable  

Dec. 22: Freight Holiday Review with: Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Street Sounds, Kathy Kallick, Brittany & Natalie Haas 

Dec. 23: We Be 4: Rhiannon, Linda Tillery, Joey Blake & David Worm  

Eli’s Mile High Club 

3629 MLK Jr. Way  

655-6661, Oakland 

Doors for all events, 8 p.m. 

Dec. 15: Jimmy Mamou 

Dec. 16: Ron Thompson 

Dec. 22: Bolden and Birdlegg 

Dec. 23: J.J. Malone, 

Albatross Pub 

1822 San Pablo Ave. 

843-2473 

All shows begin at 9 p.m., unless noted 

Dec. 16: Moh Alileche Group (North African Kabylia music) 

Dec. 20: Whiskey Brothers (old time & bluegrass) 

Dec. 21: Keni “El Lebrijano” (flamenco guitar)  

Dec. 26: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo 

Crowden School 

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

559-6910 

Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school.  

ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series 

Tuva Space 

3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 

444-3595 

All shows begin at 7:45 p.m.  

Dec. 17: Thomas Day, Boris Hauf, and Kit Clayton 

$8 suggested donation per show 

Live Oak Concert Series 

1275 Walnut St.  

644-6893 

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Dec. 17: Cellist Elaine Kreston performs suites by J.S. Bach 

$10 general, $9 students/seniors, children under 12 Free 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

845-5373 

All events begin at 4:30 p.m. 

Dec. 17: San Francisco Saxaphone Quartet 

$6 - $12  

Dec. 21, 8 p.m.: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Dmitri Matheny 

Solano Holiday Performers  

Solano Ave.  

On weekend afternoons until Christmas, various artists will be performing.  

Dec. 16, 17, 23 & 24, Noon - 6 p.m. 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

841-2800 

Performance dates include Jan. 31, April 3, and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m.  

Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96  

“Bella Musica” Chorus & Orchestra  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

525-5393 

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

Dec. 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 17, 4 p.m.  

$12 suggested donation 

Strolling Musicians & Carolers  

Downtown Berkeley 

Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association and co-sponsored by the Daily Planet and the City of Berkeley. 

Performances are 5 - 7 p.m. 

Dec. 15: Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, a Barbershop Quartet 

Dec. 22: Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir  

Environmental MusicFest 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

415-927-1645 

Alicia Littletree, part of a growing community of young singer/songwriters whose inspiration springs from their commitment to social and environmental justice, plays with Timothy Hull from Washington, another artist known for songs about ecological concerns.  

Dec. 21, 8 p.m. 

$7 general, $5 students 

Klesmeh! Festival  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

415-454-5238 

Dec. 23, 8 p.m. A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

848-3938 

Dec. 23, 7 p.m. 

$15 - $20, available at the door  

“Jazz Standards” 

9 - 10:30 p.m. 

Genki Restaurant  

1610 San Pablo Ave. (at Cedar) 

655-1425 

Vocalist Dale Zola and pianist Federico Cervantes perform.  

Dec. 14, 9 - 10:30 p.m. 

Theater 

“Dinner With Friends” 

by Donald Margulies 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St.  

Through Jan. 5, 2001 

845-4700, www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Weir” by Conor McPherson 

Aurora Theater Company 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Through Dec. 30, Tuesday - Saturday, 8 p.m. ; Sunday, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. 

$35 opening night 

$30 general 

Call 843-4822 

“Resist Me” by Jackie Bendzinski 

Campus Performing Arts Association 

Zellerbach Room Seven  

UC Berkeley  

Through Dec. 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 p.m. 

$8 general; $5 students with ID  

Call 697-7529  

“The Hard Nut” 

The Nutcracker With a Twist 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

Through Dec. 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 p.m.; Dec. 17, 3 p.m.  

$26 - $50 

Call 642-9988 

“The Nutcracker” 

Berkeley Ballet Theater 

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Dec.15, 7 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Dec. 17, 2 p.m.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689  

“The Christmas Revels”  

Scottish Rite Theater  

1547 Lakeside Dr., Oakland 

A celebration of the winter solstice that combines dance, drama, ritual, and song.  

Dec. 15, 8 p.m.; 16, 1 & 5 p.m.; Dec. 17, 1 & 5 p.m.  

$15 - $30, discounts for groups, seniors and children under 12 

For tickets call Ticketweb, 601-8932 

For info. call 893-9853 

Exhibits 

Berkeley Art Center 

Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St., Berkeley 

644-6893 

“Against All Odds: Ingenuity, Talent and Disability,”  

Featuring the work of six disabled artists who use inventive, adaptive art-making techniques to create media ranging from prints and ceramic sculpture to computer-generated paintings and collage works. Through Dec. 16. Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free.  

California College of Arts and Crafts  

Oliver Art Center, 5212 Broadway, Oakland  

594-3712 

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free. 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

Call Linda, 528-6983 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Every imaginable hand-made craft will be available from many local and national artists. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. during the fair.  

Dec. 16, 17, 21-24, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.  

Toki Gallery 

1212 San Pablo Ave.  

524-7363 

“Heads of the Class,” ceramic sculptures by seventh and eighth grade students at the East Bay Science & Arts Middle School.  

Through Jan. 10, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

Kala Art Institute 

1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley 

549-2977 

Over sixty artists affiliated with the Kala Art Institute will show works ranging from wood block prints to digital media.  

Through Jan. 16, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday “Open Studios” 

For a free map send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: 

Berkeley Artisans Map, 1250 Addison St. #214, Berkeley, CA. 94702.  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m ., Saturdays & Sundays, Through Dec. 17 

For additional info. call 845-2612 

You may also download the map at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com  

Traywick Gallery 

1316 Tenth St., Berkeley 

527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Group show by Traywick artists, Through Dec. 23.  

Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Nexus Gallery  

2701 Eighth St., Berkeley 

531-9229 

“The Glitter Reminder,” paintings by Michele Theberge, prints and textiles by Sharon Jue, photographs by Amy Snyder, sculpted water environments by C.R. Mitchell and Tom Mataga and textile installations by Claudia Tennyson.  

Through Dec. 23 

Gallery hours: Monday - Friday, Noon - 6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Call 848-0181 

“Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage.” An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development.  

Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free.  

Pro Arts Gallery 

461 Ninth St., Oakland.  

763-9425  

2000 Juried Annual, Through Dec. 30. This years show features 79 works by 70 artists. This show is juried by Larry Rinder, curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum. 

Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Call 548-9286 x307 

Alan Leon: Hebrew Calligraphy and Illuminations, Through Dec. 15. Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m.; Saturday, Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment.  

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave.  

Kensington  

559-9184 

www.boadeciasbooks.com 

All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted  

Dec. 15: Donna Allegra will read from “Witness to the League of Blonde Hip Hope Dancers.”  

Dec. 16: Contributors read from “Best Lesbian Erotica 2001.” Especially for women.  

Jan. 6: Gaymes Night; come play Balderdash, Sequence, and others and enjoy pizza, company, and teamwork.  

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National  

Laboratory 

Scientists and engineers guide visitors through the research areas of the laboratory, demonstrating emerging technology and discussing the research’s current and potential applications. Reservations required at least two weeks in advance of tour. 

Free. University of California, Berkeley. 

486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 

Guided tours through Berkeley’s City Club, a landmark building designed by architect Julia Morgan. 

$2. The fourth Sunday of every month except December, between noon to 4 p.m.  

2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 

848-7800 

Golden Gate Live Steamers 

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size, run along a half mile of track in Tilden Regional Park. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley.  

486-0623  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. 

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

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society 

Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series 

Berkeley Historical Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

848-0181 

Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m.  

These are free events  

Jan. 14: Richard Schwartz on “Berkeley 1900,” the history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

Keep Beth El  

in Berkeley 

Editor: 

I know that the question of whether or not Beth El should build a new synagogue on the property on Oxford Street is an issue your paper has been following. Certainly there are arguments on both sides that deserve careful thought and consideration. I want to address one of the positions of the opponents to the synagogue that I find very troubling.  

At the ZAB meeting on October 9 the neighborhood group’s attorney criticized the EIR as inadequate primarily due to the failure to consider relocating Beth El somewhere other than Berkeley. Thus, the position of the neighbors appears to be that Beth El should move out of Berkeley. I can only hope the implications of this position have not been thought through and that if they were, the position would be withdrawn. Proximity is a central reason for joining a synagogue. Much of what Beth El offers is a pre-school, religious school and camp. Most people are not going to send their children to school in a city in which they do not reside.  

I lived in South Berkeley for many years and resided within a few blocks of several churches with active African American memberships. Had one of these churches found a nearby site to expand to, and had another community group suggested they move instead to, perhaps, Orinda, this would have clearly been understood to be an inappropriate and perhaps racist suggestion. Such a move would no doubt destroy their community and they could hardly be expected to thrive, as a black community, in a primarily white area. The same is true for Beth El. Do neighbors really expect us to move to a place where there are few Jews? I hope not.  

Berkeley is Beth El’s home. I hope those neighbors who do not support us moving to Oxford Street (many neighbors are supportive) will open their hearts and find a place for us without acrimony.  

Amy Oppenheimer 

Berkeley 

LPC commissioners’ preservation work adds to their value 

Editor:  

Your recent coverage of the Berkeley City Attorney’s opinion on conflict of issue matters regarding the landmarks commission and the synagogue complex fails to recognize the important work of the individual commissioners in question.  

Had it not been for their years of work as preservationists, both on and off the commission, some of Berkeley’s most beloved buildings would have been dust. These include Old City Hall, Finn Hall, the Heywood House and Ghego House in West Berkeley, the naval architecture building at UC Berkeley and the Julia Morgan Theatre, to name a few.  

Only through intensive historic research and writing, long hours in the libraries, many oral interviews and hard work did these matters come before the landmarks commission for designation. It was this research/writing work coupled with their gracious persistence in working with property owners to persuade them to consider preservation and adaptive re-use instead of demolition that led to these restoration projects. The business community’s loathing of these preservationists is really without grounds.  

The Berkeley City Council should overturn the city attorney’s unreasonable directive and allow these commissioners to continue their good work on behalf of the city. 

Stephanie Manning 

Berkeley 

U.S. plays role in other countries’ economy  

Editor: 

Franz Schumann’s perspective: “Is there a recession coming?” that U.S. recessions are triggered by external destabilizing world events was enlightening. However, as we contemplate the next recession I feel Schumann slights important internal excesses that destabilize our own system and slights the destabilizing force our hegemonic power has on other world economies.  

For example, Schumann cites Nixon’s decision to end the draft, cut the military budget, then invade Cambodia as decisive. More important I believe, was Nixon’s decision to abandon the gold standard in 1971-73 at Bretton Woods, introducing volatility into currencies that has favored only arbitrageurs and has led to predatory currency speculation that wounds foreign economies.  

Also, he says that “...the world power balance is more destabilized than since 1991.” There is no world power unless we successfully fashion China as the next “Evil Empire.”  

Furthermore, the IMF and the World Bank intrusive edicts seeks to convert all the world economies into U.S. lookalikes, i.e. more “transparent”, so investors can invade their markets more easily. Malaysia had the nerve to say no thank you, and China no doubt will resist this hubristic exercise - others can not.  

Schumann hopes that we will resume a position as “unwobbling pivot.” Unfortunately, this investor driven, cookie-cutter mentality may simply eliminates the only remaining “econo-diversity” in the world that might retard rolling worldwide recessions of the future. Face it, our “bubble” is now much bigger than Japan’s was, and when ours bursts we will probably take down many more dependent economies than Japan’s did.  

º 

Need to retrofit Bay Bridge, add rail and stand up to Caltrans 

Editor: 

Thank you for publishing Bob Piper's excellent letter regarding how Caltrans has mishandled dealing with the seismic issues surrounding the Bay Bridge's east span. It is refreshing for us mere activists to have someone with such credentials stand up to the bureaucracy and call out how irresponsible it has been in its duty of serving the public. Indeed, noting that engineers may be placing their egos above the needs of the public they are to serve in directing us to build something unknown at exorbitant cost, rather than retrofit the existing structure for much less. And we must thank him for spelling out that the Army Corps of Engineers has not had proper time to evaluate all data, and that the data is questionable. I am greatly heartened that he mentions rail, which I completely support as the most efficient and environmentally sound mode of urban transit. Indeed, as Caltrans has stated that the new bridge will be something to carry us through the next century, how can they not include rail? The question this bring up for me is, is it feasible to put rail back on the existing bridge, once retrofitted? It will move a lot more people a lot more quickly, and without all the pollution and rage. We could even sue the car, tire and oil companies, who stole the rail systems from all the American urban centers, to pay for it.. 

dave wedding dress 

Oakland 

Piper’s right about bridge retrofit 

Editor: 

Here's another view of the Bay Bridge seismic replacement project addressed by my fellow Sierra Club member, Robert R. Piper, in a Dec. 11 Perspective. Robert is a devoted transit advocate and a retired transportation engineer, whereas I've never even impersonated an engineer. However, I did closely follow this project's development. 

First, Robert is quite correct that the new Bay Bridge east span will have the same motor-vehicle capacity as the current span: five lanes in each direction. That three-year-old decision may ultimately prove either wise or foolish, but it is exactly what the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter requested in 1997. Second, Robert is again correct that Caltrans did not directly incorporate rail into the new east span's design. That decision may well be seen as foolish some day. But let's focus on what can happen after that realization: The new span will be strong enough to support future light rail -- up to about the weight of BART cars, or the old Key System's Pullman cars. The new span will also be wider than its predecessor, so that rail can be added down the center. After reviewing the assumptions and 1999 cost estimates compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), I conclude that the new east span can accommodate added rail for perhaps $800 million less than any retrofit of the existing span.  

Third, Robert is correct, yet again, that the new east span will include a bicycle/pedestrian path. This path (plus an eventual west span connection to San Francisco) will create exciting new commute and recreational alternatives, helping to give San Francisco Bay back to Bay Area residents. The MTC and Caltrans deserve credit for accepting bicycle and pedestrian advocates' arguments that the new span -- which will have a 150-year lifetime -- should no longer be a barrier to nonmotorists. But here's the important point: this path is designed into the new span. To my knowledge, there is no technical plan, budget, legislative authority, or political momentum for adding bike/pedestrian access to any retrofit of the existing span. 

“Fourth, when the MTC approved this project in the summer of 1998, its price tag was about $1.4 billion. Of that, almost $400 million and covered aesthetic features such as like enhanced lighting and a graceful cable suspension tower. These features were favored by design advisors and the public alike, and were advocated particularly strongly by the City of Oakland. Any cost increase since that date is due solely to the delaying tactics of a few regional elected officials. 

Finally, the new east span will indeed be more cost-effective than any retrofit, even if it initially costs a bit more. This is because the new span will last longer, and will be designed to newer and higher seismic standards (meaning that it will be more likely to survive a major earthquake). By comparison, a retrofit could well mean pouring more than $1 billion into San Francisco Bay only to have the span fail again in a future quake. Then we would have to build all over again – at sharply inflated construction costs, while unthinkable traffic snarled alternative routes. 

The project's draft environmental impact study is at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/sfobbdeis.htm.  

Michael Katz 

Berkeley 

Concrete won’t protect kids at skate park 

Editor: 

It is not to the surprise of many in the city of Berkeley that high levels of hexavalent chrome and solvents were found at the excavation for the Harrison Street skateboard park.  

$25,000 was spent by the city for testing the soil and groundwater. Why? To make sure it was safe.  

Why are we not surprised that the contamination of cancer-causing agents were deeper? Now the city has moved to spend upwards of $100,000 for pumps and treatment equipment and a study to find any health impacts.  

I do not believe raising the level of concrete will be the answer. Do we want our kids skateboarding in concrete bowls that supposedly cover up contamination?  

And then there is the Harrison Street playground. How much money has been spent to prove that the area is not toxic for our kids? 

Doug Fielding campaigned long and hard to convince the city council and many city commissions that the Harrison tracks were safe. The only commission to not support the playing fields was the commission on disability.  

Doug Fielding, who convinced the city to OK these parks and playing fields, has the contract to build the park through the Association of Sports Field Users. He still claims the concrete will protect the kids from contamination. I didn’t believe him the first time and I don’t believe him the second.  

What is wrong with this picture? Wake up Berkeley. This is a city where free range turkeys and fair trade coffee are important to us. We cannot trust anyone who is making money off the health of our children and future generations of Berkeleyans. What kind of legacy is that? 

Karen Craig 

Berkeley 

Reduce energy use 

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to Gov. Gray Davis: 

As a visitor to your area, I am amazed and appalled to see that as your state closely watches energy availability to insure there are no brown-outs to your constituents, your constituents are not mandated to abate and reduce their intake of energy. As I drive the streets of San Francisco’s suburbs the term that comes to mind is “conspicuous consumption.” Christmas lights on commercial buildings; Christmas lights on malls; one street I drove had nearly every home lit with Christmas lights – one had Santa in lights including all of his reindeer and the house fully lit. I wonder how many of your government buildings are currently a glare? 

I watched the nightly news and your plea that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chief James Hoeker step in and insure that your state is supplied with all the energy you demand. I thought of several things: California’s attempt at control of energy costs; attempt to control property taxes; swelling economy and population. One need only look at New York City apartment rent controls or California's own Property Tax controls to know how effective these are; let's leave our legacy to our children. I guess the principles of CAPITALISTIC SOCIETY shouldn't apply if you live in California. 

Why should the rest of the country be asked to help California find a way to buy their way out of their prosperity? Why doesn’t California use simple economics and let the market bare what the market will bare? If there is a shortage and the state isn't smart enough to force some type of control or allocation; then the constituents should suffer and the brown-out occurs. 

Joy Obie 

Reno, NV  

Editor 

Much Ado? -- Time to Move On 

I have held my public tongue as long as I can, but after reading the latest missile from Carol Denney blasted into the print arena of the Harrison Park controversy I am compelled to comment. The controversy is about a process that has as its primary goal, the building of a public park for the citizens of Berkeley. 

It seems to me that once again we have the classic Berkeley conundrum of trying to determine fail safe answers to complex problems and in the process creating a political circus to the max and sacrificing progress for absolutism. We are smart people. We should know by now SIMPLE ANSWERS AND NO RISK SOLUTIONS ARE NOT POSSIBLE.  

We have used, and yes in many cases misused this land, for at least 150 years. Many vocal Berkeley citizens (in an effort to be responsible for the health and safety of our children some generous people would say) focus on the dark side of humanity. However, the side of humanity that is so often overlooked here is the brighter side. In this case it is the products of scientific research and public agency oversight and planning.  

This is not a movie. The (prematurely) “sainted” L. A. Wood is not Erin Brockovich. Science and monitoring WAS in place. When problems were found preventive measures WERE taken. Children were NOT harmed or even put in danger. Most importantly the hazard that has surfaced CAN be cleaned up easily with science and technology that is available.  

In this situation, we can have it all. We can mitigate the pollution (which I’m told is not so bad on the scale of it), protect the Bay and provide a park for the citizens of Berkeley. The issue of blame, looking for villains and heroes, diverts energy from the real task, which is to support positive actions for the citizens. If there is a hero here, it is the City (elected, appointed and hired) which took a chance and built a park on that site. The villainy unfortunately is more pervasive than a company, an official or any other identifiable source or act from the past. I’m willing to write it off to the dark side of our collective human nature and instead say let’s get on with it so that the plans and dreams so close to completion can be realized. Finish the skate park.  

Susan McKay  

Landscape Architect  

913 Virginia 

Berkeley, CA 94710 

510-527-0765 

Susan McKay participated in the design of the project.  

In the Beginning There Was the Word! 

It’s 12:51 am Thursday morning, December 14, 2000 and I’m angry and I can’t sleep. My stomach roils when I imagine that on January 20th, 2001 I will be the citizen of a country whose president is George W. Bush. Oh my God! Oh my God! 

On November 7, when George Bush was first announced president elect, I and I think most everyone knew George W. Bush, by hook or by crook was going to be the next president of these United States of America. At the same time I thought I held out hope that maybe all things being fair, maybe Al could pull it out. I realize now it was denial. I, like many other optimists in Berkeley was in denial. First, this irregular an election can only have taken place in two places-Texas or Florida, for obvious reasons. Texas, we all agree was too obvious. Florida on the other hand was much more subtle and mysterious. What I didn’t know on November 7th was to what extent Republicans controlling Florida would go to insure George W. Bush becomes the 31st president of the United States of America. The Irony of ironies for me was the party of states rights using the Supreme Court shamelessly to subvert the will of the majority of the people who voted in the State of Florida (whom by the way we all know most voted for Al Gore). 

When I first heard what the supreme court had done, I was so angry I wanted to go picket somewhere and carry a sign that said Bush sucks or Supreme Bull----! I want to yell and march and sit in somewhere. I wanted to cry in public and join an action group. I want to do something about this. And I will! But before I do let just say a little more on this subject before moving on. 

The opinion of the five conservative supreme court justices, especially Scalia and Rhenquist, was wrong, unfair, partisan and petty, in my opinion. I think most right thinking, non-republicans would agree. Yet we’re told there’s nothing we can do about it. Why not. Is the supreme court unassailable, can we only criticize in abstract and after the fact, their lack of justice and integrity? Again I want to do something. Let’s picket them until they can’t stand it anymore and retire all five in masse. Oh God! George W. Bush may get to pick new supreme court judges. 

Had George W. Bush lost the presidency by hand count (not recount; these votes were never counted, the machine spit them out as not voting for any presidential candidate) the religious right, the centrist and every other republican would be out in the streets, calling in on talk radio, clogging the internet with vitriolic rhetoric and manipulation of words to justify their intention to have, by hook or by crook, George W. Bush as their next president. (He’s not my president by the way.) I think we all know this to be true. Now we’re supposed to accept what happened and build bridges and try to work together. Of course we will move on and some of us may forget, but I wont. In fact I plan to organize and register as many voters as I can in the next four years. I will write letters and stay abreast of current events and keep my eyes on George W. Bush. I trust I won’t be alone. Every civil and social rights activist on the planet should be seeing red right about now. Look out George W. Bush, were watching you. And don’t try to make your brother Neil Governor of Texas either! 

Let’s doing something folks. Let’s organize and collaborate and present a united strong loud voice against the unlawful subversion of the will of the people. Let’s drop the Electoral College, get decent voting equipment for everyone, re-commit to the idea of voting rights for all and give back the power to the people! 

Finally let me say with assuredness, this ain’t over. It’s just beginning. Don’t forget this is a bunch of happy, employed lawyers were talking about. How many lawyers does it take to elect a president? All of them! 

Joy Moore is a resident of South Berkeley. 

(Phone 510 548-8838 

1317 Ashby Avenue, #E 

Berkeley, CA 94702) 

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Video on the  

Benjamin Netanyahu protest 

noon 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“How to Buy a Computer” 

9 - 10 a.m.  

Bruno Consulting Services 

1700 Solano Ave., Suite A 

Learn what you need to know before going shopping. What do all those weird words mean? Learn laptop vs. desktop, PC vs. Mac, software vs. hardware considerations, technical support, printers and cost.  

Call 526-5666 

Bella Musica  

8 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 17

Benefits of  

Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Pray for Peltier 

Noon - 3 p.m. 

Peoples Park  

Between Dwight & Haste above Telegraph 

Join with the Peltier Action Coalition and the Plight of the Redwoods Campaign in a prayer circle for a presidential pardon for Leonard Peltier and in honor of protectors and warriors for mother earth. Bring blankets for the homeless and potluck food and drink. Call 464-4534 

Quadraphoic Sound 

Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Live experimental electronic music. $8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater. $12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Bella Musica  

4 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Monday, Dec. 18

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Get Flabbergasted  

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Zun Zun, a husband and wife duo will perform musical theater for children and families. They play over thirty instruments and are sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Free  

Call 649-3943 

Hansel and Gretel  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Oakland’s Opera Piccola will perform their version of “Hansel and Gretel.” Opera Piccola is a multiracial troupe of actors, singers, and dancers who pull unsuspecting audience members up to perform along with them. Geared for preschoolers.  

Call 649-3943 

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Family Sing-Along 

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Gerry Tenney, musician, teacher, and performer, the man behind the saga of King Kong playing ping-pong with Godzilla returns to the Berkeley Public Library.  

Call 649-3943 

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Support for Family & Friends 

Caring for Older Adults 

4 - 5:30 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center 

2001 Dwight Way 

Fourth Floor, Room 4190 

A group focusing on the needs of older adults with serious medical problems, psychiatric illnesses, and/or substance abuse, and their caregivers.  

Call 802-1725 

Thursday, Dec. 21

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Environmental Musicfest  

8 p.m. 

La Pena  

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Alicia Littletree and Timothy Hull, both known for commitment to social and environmental issues, perform.  

$5 - $7  

Call 415-927-1645 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Friday, Dec. 22

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Holiday Celebration 

Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Includes a holiday meal and an opera, “Kiri’s Coventry Xmas.”  

Call 644-6107 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Saturday, Dec. 23

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

7 p.m. 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

tickets: $15 - $20, available at the door  

Call 848-3938 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available. Validated parking will be offered at UC’s West Anna Lot, located on Channing Way just east of Telegraph.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Alice Meyers 

Call 644-6107 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tai Chi Chuan for Seniors 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Mr. Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Imani In the Village 

2 p.m. 

Claremont Library 

2940 Benvenue  

Percussionist James Henry presents a drumming and dance program for all ages. Audience participation invited.  

Call 649-3943 

Death of the Lecturer 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Library 

1125 University Ave.  

Calling all detectives, those who enjoy reading mysteries, playing Clue, and solving crossword puzzles to untangle the reason for the final fate confrontation.  

Call 649-3926 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Kwanzaa Celebration 

4 p.m. 

South Branch Library  

1901 Russell St.  

Muriel Johnson of Abiyomi Storytelling is the featured storyteller at the library’s annual celebration which also includes a formal Kwanzaa ceremony.  

Call 649-3943 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tuesday, Jan. 2 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

Green Party Consensus Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

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 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

644-8511 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesday and Thursday 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

By Erika Fricke 

Daily Planet Staff 

A rhythmic call and response echoed out from under the protection of the eaves over the UC Berkeley Student Union. “What’s this about?” yelled the health care worker with a megaphone. “Patient care!” The crowd yelled back.  

“What do you want,” she yelled, pointing at a section of the crowd. “Contract!” 

Service Employee International Union Local 250 members from 18 California hospitals, 15 from the Bay Area, went out on a one-day strike Thursday calling for a greater employee voice in staffing decisions, and job security during hospital consolidations.  

John Borsos, president of SEIU Local 250’s hospital division, said, “There’s been an increase in volume of patients and a reduction in staff.”  

Union members said the lack of adequate staffing has affected quality of care across the board. A brief on the union’s Web site, “Critically Short-Staffed,” said that fewer dietary aides are available to assure that patients’ allergies are accounted for, and the necessary disinfecting doesn’t always get done. 

“What I’ve noticed since Sutter has taken over is that the hospital is less clean,” said Fred Barcelo a licensed psychiatric technician and 21 year employee of Alta Bates. The hospital, Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center, is a result of a merger last year between Alta Bates in Berkeley and Summit Medical Center in Oakland. As a result of the merger, Alta Bates came under Sutter control.  

“Less people are doing more work, so things aren’t getting done,” Barcelo said. 

For example, he said, “On our unit on a regular basis housekeeping would do extra cleanup, wash vinyl chairs that patients have sat on. That’s not being done until it becomes so obviously necessary that someone calls them to come do it.” 

“It’s a hard job,” said Carolyn Kemp, public affairs officer for Alta Bates, in response to the statements that hospital understaffing created problems for employees and patients. “We recognize the fact that everyone who is working in health care right now is working very hard.” 

Borsos said the union solution is to create a standing committee of frontline health care workers and hospital representatives to discuss staffing issues. If the committee cannot work the issues out, a third party mediator would make a binding decision. “Our experience is now that these decisions are made by accountants and people that aren’t interested in patient care, they’re interested in crunching numbers to maximize profit,” said Borsos. 

Wanda Jones, president of the New Century Health Care Institute, describes herself as a health care researcher and futurist on the health care system. “There’s been an increased workload for nursing staff because the acuity of (illnesses seen in the hospitals) is higher,” she said in a phone interview Thursday. “And there are fewer support staff, because hospitals are paid increasingly less than it costs to do business.” 

She said that Alta Bates almost certainly did not make a profit last year. “(The unions) somehow think that hospitals are hiding money somewhere. Hospitals are losing their very reserves that it takes to keep them in business. The irony is the more the unions press for staffing pattern control the greater the likelihood they’re driving the organizations into bankruptcy and there will be no jobs.” 

Jones added that demand for staff peaks in the wintertime and decreases in the summertime. This means hospitals keep fewer full time staff, she said. 

In order to make up for lack of staff, hospitals bring in registry nurses or temporary workers, according to Alta Bates union employees. “When you’re working short staffed, especially short weekends, and you get people from registry who don’t know what they’re doing your time is taken away from patient care to orient the new staff,” said Barcelo. A registry nurse from Sunrise Staffing, a nurse staffing agency in San Francisco, costs hospitals $180 dollars per day. The Daily Planet was unable to find out specific costs for Alta Bates registry nurses. Regular Alta Bates staff wonder why the money spent on registry nurses can’t be spent to hire new employees. 

Allan Dunbar, union representative said that consolidation of departments across hospitals, meaning the elimination of jobs, remained a major issue for the unions, despite the fact that there has been no downsizing yet. “What we’re telling them is if we are going to consolidate, why don’t we talk about it.” said Dunbar, who wants employees who are let go to be retrained or transferred to another hospital while maintaining seniority. “They’re saying, ‘No’,” he said. 

Kemp was nonplused by the suggestion that Alta Bates may consolidate departments or downsize employees. 

“If nothing else, we’ve added more jobs than a year ago,” she said. “For instance in our cardiac area, we have taken in a great number of new patients from Kaiser Permanente. If you’ve got a cardiac person coming in, he’s going to need a nurse, he’s going to need someone to clean the room.” She said that the job board listed many new positions. 

As of Dec. 14, the Alta Bates Web site employment page listed 20 open positions: Nine required a registered nursing degree, several of them required more advanced degrees, none were for housekeeping or environmental services positions.  

At Alta Bates, union representatives estimated that 500 union members went out on the one-day strike. A few hundred people from several hospitals in the Bay Area marched from the University campus to Alta Bates campus on Ashy Avenue. 

“The last strike a lot of non Local 250 people went to work. They found it really difficult conditions to work under. A lot of them that crossed that time won’t this time,” Barcelo said .  

He said 90 percent of the licensed psychiatric technicians were striking Thursday.  

Mary Barrens was one of many registered nurses out on unofficial strike in support of Local 250. The nurses won the right to a sympathy strike in their contract, and called a sympathy strike for the first Local 250 strike this year. Barrens said 95 percent went out that time. She said that Thursday, all but one of the nurses in her department went out on the unofficial sympathy strike. 

Kemp said, “A good number of our people did not come in, many had planned to but because of the level of threat and anxiety many did not.” 

Nonetheless, she said that the hospital suffered no difficulties because of the strike. “What hospitals do best is plan for the worst and hope for the best. We took informal look at who would or might not come in and made adjustments accordingly,” she said. Adjusting included transferring employees from other regional hospitals and hiring registry nurses. Kemp said that the major impact of the strike was “the intolerable noise.”  

“There are people that are in the hospital because they’re seeking care. There are people that are having babies and people that are dying,” she said. “It’s disrespectful.” 

A toxicologist has determined that groundwater contaminated with chromium 6, which caused the city to halt construction work on the Harrison Street skate park, poses a minimal health risk. 

While the Dec. 9 report prepared for the city by Emeryville-based SOMA Corporation has city officials, parents and residents breathing a sigh of relief, many are wondering how excavation for the skate park was approved when the existence of the chrome 6 plume, 40 feet west of the site, was well documented. 

Chrome 6, or hexavalent chromium, is a Class A carcinogen that is harmful if swallowed and especially dangerous if inhaled, according to Environmental Protection Agency.  

The report, released to the City Council Tuesday, determined “the inhalation of hexavalent chromium in water is not considered a complete exposure pathway and ingestion of the water is not likely.”  

Berkeley resident Carol Denney said she is not convinced. “The tyranny of these things is that you just don’t know for sure,” she said. “I walked by the site a few days ago and there were workers moving the dirt around without any protective clothing or inhalation protection.” 

Another resident, LA Wood, who has closely followed the development of the Harrison Street soccer fields and skate park, said he is concerned because Codornices Creek runs along the north side of the field and there has not yet been a flood mitigation plan worked out as required by the use permit. Codornices Creek runs through both residential and industrial areas and is considered by many to be highly contaminated, Wood said. 

On Nov. 17, groundwater contaminated with chrome 6 was discovered in the bottom of pits being excavated for nine-foot-deep skate bowls on the south side of the newly completed Harrison Street soccer field. The water had apparently been drawn from a chrome 6 plume 40 feet to the west of the excavation site. 

The soccer field had been closed for seeding prior to the beginning of the excavation. 

The city has been aware of the chrome 6 plume near the site of the skate park since 1990 when Western Roto Engravers Color Tech on Sixth Street, the company responsible for the contamination, disclosed the hazard.  

Since that time, Color Tech has spent nearly $1 million to remedy the problem including hiring a environmental consultant to provide the city with semi-annual reports monitoring the plumes toxicity and migration. 

But despite ample information about the nearby plume, which had been collected by the city’s Toxics Management Division of the Planning and Development Department, it was never detected or addressed by any of the four environmental studies of 6.4 acre site commissioned by UC Berkeley, the former owner of the property. The city of Berkeley primarily relied on the university’s studies when purchasing the property, for which it paid $2.8 million in 1999. 

“It was a failure of communication,” said Nabil Al-Hadithy, director of the TMD. “The chrome 6 plume should have been a topic of conversation.” 

Al-Hadithy said the city is considering at least three measures to reduce the chances of such an oversight occurring again. One will be requiring a phase one study for all major developments. The study researches the business history of an area to determine the nature and likelihood of toxins in the air, ground and water. If there is significant information pointing to contamination, a phase 2 study is conducted looking for specific toxins. 

“Phase 1 studies usually cover about up to a one mile radius,” Al-Hadithy said. “They are not 100 percent sure but they give you a darn good tool to start with.” 

Any future excavation west of Sacramento Street will be closely looked at because the likelihood for encountering groundwater is greater there. “This will take some ironing out mostly because it will require extra staffing,” Al-Hadithy said. “We may have to hire some temporary workers.” 

The third measure will be taking advantage of the city’s Geographic Information System in which volumes of information on properties throughout Berkeley would be accessible via the Internet. “We would have somebody come in and take all the thousands and thousands of documents we have in this office and make it available on a map,” Al-Hadithy said. “That way a developer, home buyer or contractor can go to the site and at a glance find out what is known about a particular site and any surrounding sites.” 

He added that the map would be inexact but a good for a quick review. 

Meanwhile the skate park is in limbo. The original design is no longer a possibility and any new designs will face some tough challenges according to Lisa Caronna, director of the Parks and Waterfront Department .  

A new design will have to be shallow enough to avoid the groundwater table and deep enough to make the bowl challenging for skaters.  

“We have to start over,” said Caronna. “We have to come up with a new design, determine cost perimeters and then go to th

The lawyer for a Berkeley teenager who was charged with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest in connection with a June 2 traffic stop that allegedly escalated into violence said after a court hearing Wednesday he had worked out a deal with prosecutors to have the charges dismissed if his client maintains a clean record for the next year. 

The case was tried in Oakland Superior Court in November but ended in a hung jury. 

In the June incident, Keith Stephens, who was a senior at Berkeley High at the time, is alleged to have punched and scuffled with two Berkeley police officers following a routine traffic stop after being urged on by an unruly crowd at Eighth Street and Channing Way in west Berkeley. Stephens’ aunt and sister were also arrested on grounds they incited the confrontation, but were never charged.  

Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Reardon on Wednesday ordered Stephens to return to court in exactly one year, on December 13, 2001.  

“The only thing he has to do is obey all laws and the case will be over,” attorney Arthur Mitchell said after the brief hearing. Mitchell called the agreement with the District Attorney a “deferred prosecution.”  

Deputy District Attorney Alyce Sandbach confirmed in an interview Thursday that the DA’s office had agreed to dismiss the case if Stephens is not charged with additional criminal conduct for the next year.  

“It’s a matter of resources,” Sandbach explained. “We have a lot of pressure to deal with cases that are really serious,” she said. “If he (Stephens) keeps his nose clean, it’s dismissed,” she said. If Stephens, a 19 year old who is now attending San Francisco City College is merely arrested, that would not be grounds to reinstate the charges, said Sandbach. “Practically speaking, I can’t remember someone having charges reinstated just for an arrest,” she said.  

In the months leading up to the November trial, Mitchell had argued his client was a victim of racial profiling and claimed that officers involved in the incident had lied to cover up their own “improper conduct.” Mitchell is a partner in the Oakland law office of civil rights attorney John Burris, who specializes in police abuse cases. Burris said earlier this year he was contemplating a civil suit against the Berkeley Police Department on Stephens’ behalf.  

But Berkeley City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque said Thursday that no civil suit had been filed against the city or the police department. “There has not been any lawsuit,” she said. “We don’t have any such case.”  

Burris did not return a phone call Thursday seeking comment about a possible civil suit.  

In court papers filed before the November trial, however, attorney Arthur Mitchell charged that three Berkeley police officers involved in Stephens’ arrest had fabricated information to cover up abuses. Mitchell claimed that the officers’ use of excessive force was “not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of behavior.”  

In July, Berkeley Superior Court Judge Jennie Rhine agreed with a request by the Berkeley City Attorney’s office to seal court records pertaining to the personnel files of Berkeley police officers Ted Postolaki, Stan Libed and Tim Gardner. Part of the criminal court file in the Stephens case is sealed and marked “confidential.”  

According to papers Mitchell filed with the court, the officers “struck (Stephens) in the arms, legs, forehead, and back with police batons without provocation.” Mitchell further alleged that after Stephens was taken to the police station, officer Ted Postolaki made Stephens sign a false statement confessing to the charges. Mitchell argued that since Stephens had been hit in the head he was not coherent at the time he signed the statement.  

But reports authored by officers Gardner, Libed and Postolaki provide a different account of the streetside confrontation last summer.  

Gardner said in a police report that after he got out of his patrol car to conduct a routine traffic stop for expired tags on Stephens’ late model Dodge, the stout Berkeley High running back rushed at him, punched him twice in the face and pinned him to the ground while a mob of 10 to 12 onlookers taunted Gardner and partner Stan Libed. Gardner described the crowd as presenting an “extreme threat to our lives.” 

Officer Libed wrote in a separate report following the arrest that he was repeatedly pushed and pulled by members of the crowd. “Gardner and I could not subdue the still attacking (Stephens) amid the hostile crowd which was all around us so we had to resort to baton strikes,” he wrote in his report. 

Stephens, who graduated from Berkeley High School shortly after his arrest, is now a running back on the San Francisco City College football team. “It’s crazy,” Stephens said Wednesday of his six-month legal odyssey. “I missed 16 days of school last month.” 

After the morning court appearance before Judge Reardon, defense attorney Mitchell met briefly with Stephens and a relative in the broad hallway outside the courtroom, and later spoke with a reporter. “We think that Keith’s education is more important than wasting any more time coming to court,” he said.  

Susan Brooks smiles when she talks about her move to Berkeley nearly 30 years ago from her native New York.  

Brooks, who creates unique paintings and jewelry, says she came to the city to be near friends and never regretted the move.  

Growing up, both of Brooks’ parents were working artists. Her father, Bert Brooks, was a toy designer and is now mostly a sculptor. She calls him a “renaissance man.” Her mother, Anne Brooks, is a painter. 

Brooks gives her deeply artistic family a lot of credit for her success as an artist. She says she looked around as a child and saw all her parents’ artist friends making money and simply assumed that all artists could make a healthy living. Brooks says this ideology definitely had an effect on how she viewed being a professional artist. 

She attended the Parson’s School of Design in Manhattan, studying illustration and graphic design. Fresh out of school, she did commercial work such as posters and business-card design into which she incorporated her artistic flair. Brooks did some poster work for the Keystone Berkeley, a rock ’n’ roll club on University Avenue in the ’70s.  

At the same time, she worked on her paintings, which she produces in a paint medium called “gouache.”  

“I love the quality of the paint. I work on thick, hand-made papers. I started with watercolor, but (gouache) is a heavier pigment,” she said.  

Primarily, Brooks’ paintings depict human figures and animals. She says one particular piece, that appears to be a dog, is actually a portrait of her father as a cat, disguised as a dog. She says she looks for color combinations, mixing all of her own colors. She says she knows color intimately.  

Brooks likes to work in series, recently completing a series of paintings which use bugs as their theme. “I am drawn to bugs because they are segmented, structured, and textural.” This love of texture and pattern play a part in how she came to make jewelry. 

When Brooks was 6 years old, she was exposed to working with the tools her father used as a sculptor and says she’s always been able to use them. She holds up a hammer she says her father made when he was 16. She uses the hammer, along with what are called “chasing tools” to create ornate designs and textures on her jewelry, which include everything from earrings to intricate broaches. 

Brooks said she only started working with gold and silver to create jewelry, which she calls “art to wear,” 15 years ago, teaching herself, but says she needs to do both painting and jewelry making. “Jewelry has such a monotone quality. My eyes crave color. When I’m in a painting phase, I feel renewed and fresh. Then I feel ready to go back to jewelry.”  

Brooks says her work changes slowly over time and as she learns more she refines her work. “All artists do that,” she says. She says she looks at work she did 15 years ago and it’s different from what she’s doing today, but its got her unique artistic mark on it. 

Brooks says she has a loyal base of customers who like to see what she’s doing and she sees this as a mandate to constantly change her work and try new things. 

She decided 10 years ago that a good way to achieve this goal was to organize an event to outreach to prospective customers for professional Berkeley artists. 

The result was Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios, which runs several weekends before Christmas and ends Sunday. The Open Studios features the work of 100 Berkeley artists in their home studios. “It’s an opportunity for the public to meet artists and it demystifies the process of making and  

buying art.” 

Art in every medium is available at the 38 studios throughout Berkeley. Anyone interested can pick up a map at Brooks’ studio at 1250 Addison St. #214, or can download the map at www.berkeleyartisans.com.

SACRAMENTO — Despite hefty increases in child-care funding as part of welfare reform, a new study says the supply of centers and preschools is faltering – particularly in poor, Hispanic neighborhoods. 

The study by Policy Analysis for California Education, a think tank based at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University, is set to be presented Friday to the Latino Legislative Caucus at a San Diego retreat. 

The report outlines several “fundamental weaknesses” in California’s child care, which PACE calls “a decentralized ’non-system’ that, in parents’ eyes, is complicated and linked to welfare.” 

“I think we all agree there are some major gaps in taking care of young children, whether in preschool, after-school and child care,” said state Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento. 

She and other lawmakers at the retreat are working on proposals they will introduce when the Legislature returns in January for its full session. Gov. Davis will make his 2001 proposals then, also. 

Child care was a particular focus during the 2000 session by the Women’s Legislative Caucus, which held up the budget to persuade Davis to approve $76 million in additional funding. It is also likely to be a major issue in 2001. 

Child care lobbyist Patty Siegel said she hopes the women’s and Latino caucuses can combine next year to support more money to deliver child care to all the families who need it. 

“There is no replacement for an infusion of funds. This is about big money now,” said Siegel, executive director of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. 

Subsidized child care and preschools are crucial not only in welfare reform, as parents transition from benefits to jobs, but also in early education to prepare poor children for today’s high-stakes school world. 

In 1997, the Legislature passed welfare reform, with the goal of limiting lifetime benefits to five years and moving recipients to jobs. Lawmakers created new child-care programs and boosted funding from less than $1 billion to this year’s total of more than $2.6 billion, including both welfare-related child care and preschools. 

However, the PACE report said, the number of available child-care slots in centers and preschool programs per capita has not changed since 1996. 

Furthermore, the number of child-care slots is three times greater in ZIP codes for affluent neighborhoods than for low-income areas, said PACE. 

Capacity is particularly low in ZIP codes with high concentrations of low-income Latino families, the report says, adding the relationship is related more to economic and educational status than ethnicity. 

PACE suggested improving efforts by county welfare officials to educate clients about availability of child-care vouchers and other options and expanding the many half-day programs that don’t help the working poor. 

The report said lawmakers and other policy makers must figure out how to improve both equal access and quality so that poor children will gain school readiness and learning skills. 

Ortiz, who has carried previous unsuccessful bills to create a state universal preschool plan, said the state’s child-care and preschool programs need to be combined into “a seamless system for these children.” 

The Senate and Assembly welfare committees plan a hearing in January to discuss the child-care and preschool issue, she said. 

Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Commerce, plans to introduce legislation in January to create a master plan for child care and to expand programs for underserved areas, her office said Thursday. 

Siegel, whose organization represents 61 local agencies that help parents find child care, said the state currently is not providing enough money to subsidize child care for all low-income families who qualify. 

State law says a family of four is eligible with an income up to 75 percent of the state median, or about $32,000. But the state only provides funds for families making little more than the minimum wage, or about $16,000 a year, she said. 

That leaves about 200,000 children from eligible families on waiting lists around the state, she added. 

“This is not about how to provide services cheaply, but the manner to best nurture and prepare young children to succeed in life and succeed in school,” Siegel said. 

SACRAMENTO — Power-strapped California’s reprieve from the threat of blackouts proved brief Thursday as state regulators scoured the West for megawatts and looked to federal officials for more help. 

At one point the energy officials said they were 1,000 megawatts away from declaring a Stage 3 alert that could trigger rolling blackouts. One megawatt is enough electricity for 1,000 homes. 

But after a scramble to find more suppliers, the Independent System Operator, keeper of the state’s power grid, predicted at midafternoon that blackouts would be narrowly avoided for the second straight day. 

“We expect to skate by at the peak with just under 5 percent operating reserves,” said Kellan Fluckiger, the ISO’s chief operating officer. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and state Senate leader John Burton, D-San Francisco, asked U.S. Attorney Janet Reno to investigate whether power generators were conspiring to boost electricity prices and “gouge consumers.” 

The state’s scramble for power, again blamed on tight supplies and high costs, came a day before federal regulators were to provide a much-anticipated plan for scaling back skyrocketing wholesale electricity prices. 

On Wednesday, ISO officials credited intervention by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson with fending off outages. Richardson said he would order investor-owned wholesalers to sell power to California at a price he considered fair. 

Richardson also asked two large power generating associations in the Pacific Northwest to send more electricity to California. 

Gov. Gray Davis and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., praised Richardson’s move, but awaited more help from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is expected to issue an order Friday. Davis and Feinstein want the commission to impose a regional price cap to prevent generators from gouging customers. Washington state Gov. Gary Locke urges similar action. 

Davis and Feinstein also propose long-term contracts between power generators and suppliers at “reasonable prices” to smooth price spikes during hot or cold weather. 

Consumer advocates favor long-term contracts and a Western price cap. The cap would be set at the cost of generating power, plus a reasonable profit. 

“We need to see hard price caps,” said Michael Shames, executive director of Utility Consumers’ Action Network in San Diego, a nonprofit watchdog with 38,000 members. 

Electricity generators argue such a cap would discourage construction of new power plants because companies look to increase their profits by building more efficient plants. 

“If you give people the economic incentive, they will do a better job,” said Steven Greenwald, a San Francisco lawyer who represents power suppliers. 

FERC Chairman James Hoecker has said only that the commission will take strong action. 

“We believe in competitive markets,” Hoecker said Wednesday. “We believe we can make them work, but they have to work responsibly and they have to produce reasonable prices.” 

Spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen said commission members would not comment further until they issue their order. 

FERC issued a preliminary plan last month that included a “soft cap.” Companies offering to sell power at more than $150 per megawatt hour would have to file paperwork with FERC defending the higher price. 

FERC officials also proposed requiring utility suppliers to buy 95 percent of their electricity from generators more than a day in advance, to blunt high costs. FERC would impose a fee of $100 per megawatt hour if a utility disobeyed. 

ISO officials said financial problems faced by two of California’s biggest utilities, Southern California Edison and Pacific & Electric Co., have hampered efforts to buy power from some suppliers. 

Those companies or municipal utitities wanted more guarantees — such as letters of credit — that they would be paid, Fluckiger said. 

Southern California Edison and PG&E say they’ve been caught between a retail rate freeze imposed as part of the state’s transition to a deregulated market and soaring wholesale prices. 

The two say they have spent $8 billion more than they have collected from their retail customers. 

PG&E and Edison so far have deferred those costs on their books, enabling their parent companies to continue to report robust profits to Wall Street. But investors are zeroing in on a Dec. 21 meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission for signs regulators will let PG&E and Edison raise their rates, said industry analyst Steven Fleishman of Merrill Lynch in New York. 

“People are going to be very disappointed if the commission doesn’t take some kind of action,” Fleishman said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some sort of rate increase in place by Jan. 1.” 

Energy Secretary Richardson wants FERC officials to meet with investor-owned utilities, generators, marketers and state regulators to try and solve California’s problems. 

The state’s power market has been roiled since summer by tight supplies and price spikes. Deregulation, cold temperatures and rising wholesale power costs, including natural gas prices, have been blamed for the most recent problems. 

Fluckiger said the state faces a long-term supply problem, driven in part by the rapid growth of Silicon Valley, that only more generating facilities or a drop in demand can solve. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Independent System Operator: http://www.caiso.com/ 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: http://www.ferc.fed.us/ 

WASHINGTON — Victory secured, President-elect Bush invited a Democratic senator to Texas for a job interview and tinkered Thursday with the final components of his White House and national security teams. 

Sen. John Breaux, D-La., under consideration for energy secretary, will visit the incoming president Friday in Austin, Texas, as part of his promise to reach across party lines after the fiercely contested campaign against Vice President Al Gore, advisers said. 

Plucking a Democrat from the Senate would embolden Republicans in the chamber, which will be split 50-50 next year. Republican Gov. Mike Foster has been put on notice by the Bush campaign that he might be called on to appoint a replacement for Breaux, GOP officials said on condition of anonymity. Bush aides said no Cabinet or White House announcements would be made Friday, but the weekend would bring new names and faces to the Bush team. 

The senior White House staff is pretty well set, and soon to be announced: Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser; Karen Hughes, a senior adviser; Josh Bolton, policy director; Larry Lindsey, top economic adviser; and Ari Fleischer, chief spokesman. Each worked on the campaign. 

Texas Supreme Court Justice Al Gonzales, former lawyer for Bush in the Texas governor’s office, is mentioned as a potential White House counsel. Campaign strategist Karl Rove’s role has yet to be determined. 

There’s little secret about Bush’s first Cabinet pick. Retired Gen. Colin Powell will be named secretary of state as early as Saturday, advisers said. 

Bush’s choice for secretary of defense is less certain, though former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana has emerged as a leading candidate, according to senior Republicans with ties to the Bush campaign. He is friendly with Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, who is running Bush’s transition team. 

Once the president-elect turns to the economic posts, campaign chairman and Bush pal Don Evans is a virtual lock for commerce secretary unless he decides he doesn’t want the job, according to advisers. 

Bush has promised a diverse Cabinet, prompting Republicans to circulate names of women, minorities and Democrats. Powell and Rice are black. Rep. Tillie Fowler, R-Fla., Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., and Texas attorneys Harriett Miers and Terry Lacie are among the women mentioned by GOP sources. 

In addition to Breaux, Democrats whose names have been floated include: Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas; former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, D-La.; and former Dallas Democratic Party Chairman Sandy Kress. 

Breaux has not ruled out accepting a Cabinet post, though officials familiar with preliminary discussions between Bush and the senator say they suspect Breaux won’t take it. He may be more likely to promote Johnston as a candidate and bend Bush’s ear about Medicare reforms. 

Throughout Washington, Republicans were trying to guess who would get what jobs. Names and rumors were swapped at warp speed. 

“It doesn’t do anybody any damage to get mentioned as a possible Cabinet secretary. It’s good for business if you’re a lawyer or lobbyist — and good for your ego if you’re not,” GOP consultant Eddie Mahe said. 

Cheney suggested that Bush could have his Cabinet in place by Christmas, though he said, “I don’t want to set artificial deadlines.” 

Ahead of him still: 

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Montana Gov. Marc Racicot impressed Bush with his loyalty and smooth touch as a chief advocate during the recount dispute. Conservatives prefer Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a former FBI agent and Justice Department official, or outgoing Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft. Virginia Gov. James Gilmore has been mentioned, too. 

DEFENSE SECRETARY: Other than Coats, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Armitage, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, a Democrat, have been mentioned. McCain and Nunn say they don’t want the job. Wolfowitz and Armitage served under Cheney when he was defense secretary. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is another prospect. 

TREASURY: No favorites here. Walter Shipley, retired Chase Manhattan Corp. chairman, PaineWebber chairman Donald Marron and John Hennessy have been mentioned. Hennessy served as a top policy-maker on international matters at the Treasury Department in the Nixon administration and his was a big donor to Bush. 

EDUCATION: Kress has been mentioned, along with other Democrats. Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, a GOP ally of Bush, is under consideration for this and other administration posts. 

TRANSPORTION: Rep. Dunn’s name has made the rounds, along with outgoing Michigan Sen. Spencer Abraham. 

HUD: Stephen Goldsmith, former Indianapolis mayor and longtime Bush booster, is mentioned most for the post. 

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin and Gail Wilensky, a former Health Care Finance Administration chief, get a lot of attention. 

INTERIOR: Republicans like to mention Racicot, and the governor’s stock rose during the Florida recount. Outgoing Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington is mentioned a lot. 

AGRICULTURE: A good place to put a conservative Democrat, possibly Stenholm. Several Republicans are also considered prospects. 

LABOR: Dunn and former Reagan administration civil rights commissioner Linda Chavez are among dozens of names circulated. 

ENCINITAS — Every year around the holidays, there’s one question Paul Ecke III gets a lot: How exactly do you pronounce “poinsettia”? 

The word is spelled with an “ia” at the end but the combination of dialects and lazy American tongues have many people pronouncing it “poinsetta,” with just a final “ah” sound. 

“I don’t really care how you say it, as long as you buy one,” said Ecke. 

And by all accounts, millions of Americans are buying. 

The wholesale poinsettia market is worth between $300 million and $400 million a year, 80 percent of it controlled by the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas. It is estimated that 90 percent of the commercially grown poinsettias in the world today have their roots at the Ecke Ranch. 

“We really do kind of take it very seriously that we’re responsible for the poinsettia piece of the holiday season. It’s a neat feeling for us to be involved. We really do feel good about our contribution to the whole season,” said Ecke, whose grandfather Paul Ecke founded the ranch in the early 1900s. 

The traditional red and green poinsettia is still the most popular though there are at least 100 varieties, including white, pink and the winter rose, with its leaves blooming in a tight bunch. 

One of the reasons sales remain strong is that most people don’t have the discipline to keep a poinsettia year-round. It needs constant fertilizing and, beginning in September, it must be kept in the dark 14 hours a day. 

In today’s fast-paced world, that’s a lot of attention for a single plant. 

“About half way through the process, they say, ‘OK, OK, I give up. I’ll just buy another one,”’ Ecke said. 

Not that he’s complaining. An estimated 60 million to 100 million poinsettias will be sold in the United States this year, most during the holidays. Sales remain strong even though the market has nearly reached saturation. 

Still, there is a corner of the market Ecke tries to reach each year: households with children who have a tendency to eat everything in sight – and where the myth that the plant is toxic persists. 

“It’s not poisonous,” Ecke said. “Do I think people should eat poinsettias or Christmas trees or holly wreaths or candles? No. Don’t eat any of that stuff: Those are decorations. But you absolutely, positively don’t have to worry about (poinsettias) being dangerous to your health. You could not eat enough poinsettias to make you sick.” 

Three generations of Eckes have been planting poinsettias and it’s Ecke’s grandfather who is credited with popularizing the winter-blooming plant during the holidays. 

Its natural red and green color were a key selling point. Product placement hasn’t hurt either. Most holiday television specials have a poinsettia or two on the set and many magazines geared toward women, who purchase 80 percent of poinsettias sold, have the plant in photos of holiday decorations. 

The poinsettia, which is native to Mexico, is named after the Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Today, all 50 states grow the plant but the biggest commercial producers are California with about 7 million plants and Florida with about 5 million. 

“It is a very big gift product for the holidays,” said Jennifer Sparks, a spokeswoman for the Society of American Florists. “It’s taken on a life of it’s own. It really, truly has become a symbol as strongly as a wreath.” 

Standing inside a greenhouse amid a sea of huge, vivid red leaves, Ecke recalled his childhood when he would run through his grandfather’s acres and acres of fields blooming with 6-foot-high poinsettias. 

These days, most of the ranch has been developed with a golf course and housing, though 90 acres are dedicated to poinsettia greenhouses and research and development of new varieties. Most of the company’s cuttings business is handled in Guatemala. 

As ranch workers package potted poinsettias for shipping throughout Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, Ecke is already planning for the new varieties he will offer for Christmas 2003. 

“We are always thinking about Christmas,” he says. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.pauleckepoinsettias.com 

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/poinsettia/history.html 

http://www.drkoop.com/news/focus/december/poinsettias.html 

Q: I recently replaced the old galvanized storage tank from my well pumping system with one that has an air bag to separate the water from the air. Since then, whenever I turn on the water faucet, air spurts out of the spout along with the water. Do you know what’s wrong? 

A: In all probability, you did not remove the snifter and the drain and Y-fitting from your well system when you switched to the new tank. These valves were installed on well systems that used submersible pumps and a water storage tank with no membrane separating the water and air in the tank. These valves introduce air into the tank to replenish the air lost through turbulence and absorption. 

An air cushion at the top of the tank acts like a spring, and as water is pumped into the tank, the air is compressed.  

The compressed air forces the water from the tank to the spout. Without the air cushion, the tank is waterlogged and the pump performs as if no tank were used, wearing it out prematurely. 

In a properly operating system, the pump is stopped by a pressure switch, and the snifter on the check valve opens, allowing air into the pipe.  

The water slug between the check valve and the drain and Y-valve drains into the well.  

When the pump is activated, the air slug is forced into the tank. 

When a storage tank with an air bag or diaphragm is used, the water and air are permanently separated, so it’s not necessary to introduce air into the tank. 

Since you did not remove the snifter, every time the pump is activated a slug of air is sent into the tank. The excess air escapes every time water is drawn. 

Remove the snifter and see if that solves the problem.  

Back out the snifter with a wrench and replace it with a pipe plug.  

If this doesn’t work, remove the drain and Y-fitting. However, because the drain and Y-fitting are 7 to 20 feet below the well’s top, you might need to hire a professional well installer to remove the fitting. 

Q: I have a TV room in my basement. The room is hot during the summer months. We have a dehumidifier in the room, so we thought the room should be cool.  

Could you please tell me why it’s hot down there? 

A: The room is hot because of the dehumidifier. 

A dehumidifier is basically a small self-contained air conditioner.  

An air conditioner discharges the heat removed from the circulating air and from the compressor to the outside, but a dehumidifier dumps that heat into the room. 

If the TV room is small and the dehumidifier runs continuously, it discharges enough warm air to heat the room.  

It makes a room more comfortable by lowering the relative humidity. 

You would be better off with a small, wall-mounted air conditioner.  

This unit also removes excess humidity and cools the room. Even though the TV room is in the basement, a section of the foundation wall is generally above grade. If it is a concrete block wall, an opening can be cut in the foundation for an air-conditioning sleeve, or an air conditioner can be installed in a basement window.

BERKELEY— Deann Borshay Liem lived an all-American life. Family trips to Disneyland. Class president. Cheerleader. Homecoming queen. 

But after Borshay Liem left her parents' home in Fremont, attended college and met her future husband, Paul Liem, in Berkeley, her life began to unravel and her past chased at her heels. 

Borshay Liem, 43, was adopted by Arnold and Alveen Borshay in 1966 when she was 8. She and her parents thought she was an orphan. But flashbacks of Korea, her parents and siblings haunted her and she eventually learned she wasn't the person she thought she was: She wasn’t an orphan at all, and she wasn’t the child her parents believed they had adopted. 

The film “First Person Plural” tracks her journey of discovery. She interviews her American parents and her newly discovered Korean family during a 1998 trip to her native country, interspersing conversations with clips from old family movies and footage from postwar Korea. 

Borshay Liem, an Emmy-winning producer, premiered “First Person Plural,” her directorial debut, at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. It airs on the PBS series “P.O.V.” Monday. The Borshays had decided to sponsor a Korean girl as an act of Christian charity. “We thought we should do something for somebody because life's been really good for us,” Mrs. Borshay says in the film. 

For two years, they sent gifts, letters and $15 a month to a girl named Cha Jung Hee. In return, the orphanage’s director sent updates about the little girl and her life. 

The Borshays grew attached to the child they never met. 

Arnold Borshay explains during at interview at their Fremont home: “We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to have her with us?’ ... It’s a little like falling in love. It just happens.”  

And, with that, the decision was made. The Borshays adopted Cha Jung Hee. What the Borshays didn’t know was that Cha Jung Hee's father had returned to the orphanage to reclaim his daughter. Eager for the chance to give another child a new life in America, the orphanage director sent Kang Ok Jin in her place. 

In postwar Korea, struggle was not uncommon. Borshay Liem’s mother, a widow, couldn’t afford to raise her five children, so she sent the three youngest to a nearby orphanage. She planned to return for them when her financial situation improved. But the orphanage convinced her that Ok Jin could have a better life with an American family. In 1981, Borshay Liem tracked down her Korean family – her real one. “Emotionally, I had so much taken to heart this notion that I was this other girl,” Borshay Liem says. “Seeing my family again was sort of like having died and having no memory of your previous life, then going back and visiting your previous life. ... It was so jarring.” 

She also found it difficult to talk to her American parents. 

“It was like putting dirt in my mouth somehow if I were to talk about my Korean mother,” 

Borshay Liem says. “Emotionally, there wasn't room in my mind for two mothers.” 

Borshay Liem visited Korea twice and met her mother, siblings and their families before deciding it was important to bring her two families together. The emotional impact of the meeting was unexpected, she says. Watching the families meet is also uncomfortable for viewers. The pain, sadness and tension are palpable. 

Borshay Liem’s mother explains her years of heartbreak over the loss of her second-youngest child. She says she consoled herself with the knowledge her daughter would receive a good education and live a better life. The Borshays give the Kang family albums full of photographs from Borshay Liem’s childhood. The Kangs prepare a feast and speak in hushed tones through a translator about the shame and hope in giving up a child.  

“The fantasy I had that she was my mother ... I had to let all of that go, and I realized it was OK and I needed to see her as a woman I didn’t know very well,” Borshay Liem says.  

“There's a big gap between us.” 

The meeting brought her closer to her American parents, she says, and taught her how to balance her two families.  

The Borshays, who had feared they might lose their beloved daughter, were relieved. 

“It’s her journey,” Mrs. Borshay says of the film. “Now she’s grown, and hopefully she’s resolved some of her problems.''

NEW YORK — Twenty years after the broadcast of “Cosmos,” Carl Sagan’s love letter to the universe, Ann Druyan remembers it all. 

“I have the tape running in my head all the time,” she says. 

This makes a certain amount of sense. Druyan co-wrote the PBS series with Sagan, her astronomer husband; she was there when it became the most popular limited series in the history of public television at that time, when it won Emmy and Peabody awards. 

She saw it become a phenomenon, seen by more than 500 million people in 60 countries. She witnessed how it made Sagan a celebrity, caricatured in cartoons and parodied by comics who seized on his references to “billions and billions” of stars. 

But for those who do not have that tape running in their heads all the time, Druyan has good news: The 13-part series is now available – remastered and digitally restored – on video, with a DVD version that offers subtitles in seven languages and Dolby sound. 

There is a two-CD set, “The Music of Cosmos – Collector’s Edition,” featuring old and new music by Vangelis, composer of the “Cosmos” theme. 

And an hour-long distillation of the greatest moments of original shows, “The Best of Cosmos,” is being shown on PBS stations through March. 

Sagan is not here to see the “Cosmos” comeback; he died in 1996 after a long battle with bone marrow cancer. Druyan has devoted herself to continuing his work, and she says “Cosmos” stands up well “even after 20 of the most eventful years in science.” 

“Some of the haircuts, the style of the trousers – these kinds of things are the only things that dated it,” Druyan says. 

If he had known then what is known now, she says, Sagan could have been more definitive in his discussion of what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. But when Druyan watched the second episode – her favorite, exploring the origins of life – she found that “there wasn’t a line that had to be withdrawn.” 

“Everything that Carl did was for the record,” she says, noting that he was a guiding force in the effort to place a phonograph record filled with information about Earth on the Voyager spacecraft, in the hope that it might communicate with alien life sometime in the next billion years as it careened through the universe. 

Of course, a Carl Sagan in the new millennium would use a compact disc. But no one has replaced him, and this saddens Druyan. “There is no voice for the wise, long-term use of science and technology,” she says, no “voice for a deep appreciation of the universe.” 

So with this series – filmed in 40 locations around the world over two years – Sagan wanted to distill all he had learned, to show the wonders of the universe and what might be lost if nuclear weapons were unleashed.  

Druyan and Internet entrepreneur Joe Firmage have created Cosmos Studios to follow in Sagan’s footsteps, “awakening one billion people to our relationship with the cosmos by 2005,” according to its charter. One upcoming project: a miniseries based on Sagan’s life. 

On the Net: 

Cosmos Studios: http://www.carlsagan.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Customer service employees at etown.com have become the first dot-com workers to file for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. 

Workers will vote Jan. 12 on whether to make etown the first unionized dot-com. 

“It’s a bellwether case,” said Erin Tyson Poh, of the Northern California Media Workers Local 39521, which will represent the workers if they vote to unionize. “It’s very important to labor in general.” 

Etown, which provides online reviews of consumer electronics, is the first but not the only dot-com to be faced with a unionizing effort bringing the old economy concept of collective bargaining into the heart of the every-man-for-himself new economy. 

Workers at Seattle-based Amazon.com also are pushing a union drive. Activists hope that if they are successful there, others in the Internet economy will follow. 

“We are committed to resolving the issues and concerns our employees have raised,” Steve Ramirez, etown’s vice president of communications and marketing, said Thursday. But workers said the only way to address their concerns over pay and promotions, among other complaints, is through a union contract. 

“No matter what, there’s going to be a showdown,” said Chase Rummonds, 31, a former customer service representative at etown who was one of two employees fired in October after workers staged a sickout. 

Rummonds said he believes the issue has everything to do with traditional workplace concerns of respect and equity. 

“The cracks would have formed in this situation no matter what,” he said. 

The union has filed an unfair labor practices complaint about Rummonds’ firing with the NLRB, which is scheduled to hear the case Friday. It also has filed complaints about two other instances when employees were fired or laid off after union activities. 

Ramirez blamed cost cutting for the layoffs and said the four fired employees were unhappy with their jobs. The company was unaware of any unionizing effort until he got a call from the media last week, Ramirez said. 

The Northern California Media Workers and the Wire Service Guild, which represents employees of The Associated Press, both are affiliated with the Communications Workers of America. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Computer software giant Oracle Corp. reported Thursday a 62 percent surge in its quarterly profit, defying a recent trend of earnings letdowns that have ravaged technology stocks. 

The Redwood Shores-based maker of database and e-business software posted net income of $623 million, or 11 cents per share, during its fiscal second quarter ending Nov. 30. Oracle earned $384 million, or 7 cents per share, in the same period last year. 

Analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial had forecast earnings of 10 cents per share. 

Revenues in the quarter reached $2.7 billion, up 15 percent from $2.3 billion last year. 

After Oracle disclosed its results, the company’s shares climbed $1 to $28.50 in after-hours trading. During regular trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Thursday, Oracle’s stock fell 871/2 cents to $27.50. 

In another heartening sign, Oracle also reported robust growth in the applications software business that is supposed to fuel the company’s future growth.  

This type of software is being sold primarily to other businesses looking to automate their operations on the Internet. 

Sales of Oracle’s applications software increased 66 percent during the quarter to $279 million.  

The gains signal the company continues to make inroads in its bid to become a linchpin in the Internet economy. 

Adjusting for currency fluctuations abroad, Oracle said its applications sales rose by 73 percent in the quarter. 

“They delivered some great numbers,” said analyst Mark Verback of Epoch Partners in San Francisco.  

“There is still strong demand for applications that make businesses more efficient, and this quarter is proof of that.” 

Oracle’s core database business remained steady, as sales of products in this segment increased 19 percent to $775 million. Adjusting for currency changes, database sales improved by 26 percent. 

Through the first half of its fiscal year, Oracle earned $1.1 billion, or 19 cents per share, on revenues of $4.9 billion. At the same juncture last year, the company earned $621 million, or 10 cents per share, on revenues of $4.3 billion. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.oracle.com 

By George Thomas 

Special to the Daily Planet 

The Berkeley High School women’s soccer team cruised to an easy 3-0 victory at home against Pinole Valley Tuesday.  

Midfielder Mia Arakaki nearly broke the goal drought late in the first half when she deftly chipped the Pinole Valley keeper only to see her effort clank loudly off the crossbar. 

Berkeley center midfielder Esther Schmidt scored the game’s first goal in the 48th minute when she intercepted a poor back pass from Pinole Valley and slotted it into the back of the net for an easy goal. The match had been scoreless up to that point.  

Schmidt’s goal opened the floodgates, and she completed her double just one minute later with a strikingly similar effort from 5 yards out.  

The Berkeley rout was completed in the 69th minute when ’Jacket forward Maura Fitzgerald found herself alone with the Pinole Valley goalkeeper, who hesitated to intercept a long clearance. Fitzgerald finished nicely, and the ’Jackets had an easy home win.  

Berkeley was clearly the better side in the contest; Pinole Valley looked very disorganized and wasn’t able to put together a coordinated attack.  

Berkeley was able to maintain possession most of the game, but the lady ’Jackets suffered in the finish, and despite a staggering 29 shots, were only able to get three into the goal. 

Berkeley struggled with staying onsides, and the lineman’s flag went up over 20 times during the course of the game.  

Pinole Valley had just one shot over the match’s 80 minutes plus injury time.  

Despite an impressive performance by her team, Schmidt stole the show.  

Her double would have been a hat trick had her first goal not been disallowed in an offsides decision midway through the first half.  

She also narrowly missed her third goal on a couple of other occasions late in the second half, including a chip of her own that sailed just wide of the post.  

Had it not been for Berkeley’s lackluster finishing, Schmidt would have had a couple of assists as well. 

“As a team we were working well together and connecting passes,” said Schmidt, “on the attack we had 29 shots. Unfortunately, we only got 3 in the net. I think everyone was expecting more.” 

“We need to work on being more aware up front to cut down on the number of offside calls against us.  

We definitely need to work on finishing because we had a lot of good chances to score but weren’t able to put the ball in the back of the net,” said left halfback Rachel Williams. 

The Yellowjackets competed in the highly competitive East Bay Athletic League last season and won only two matches.  

This season, as members of the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League, they are hoping to book a trip to the North Coast Section (NORCAL) playoffs. 

“After playing in the EBAL, we’re used to tougher competition,” said midfielder Maya McLaughlin. 

“Our plan for this season is to win the ACCAL and we will all be very disappointed if we don’t make (the) North Coast (Section Playoffs).  

This is finally our year to make it to the playoffs and we want to have an undefeated season,” said Williams.

Light the holidays, save electricity 

Editor: 

Why turn off the Holiday spirit? We can avoid an energy crisis and have festive lighting displays at the same time by using efficiency rather than denial. For every 60 watt incandescent light bulb you replace with a 20 watt compact fluorescent, you will save enough electricity to run a 50 foot string of miniature Italian lights with some kilowatt hours left over. Plus you will get more light out of it and will save about $50 over the bulb’s lifetime (assuming rates don’t go up). That is a pretty nice return on your $10 or $15 investment in the bulb. Plus you will be helping keep hundreds of pounds of global warming gases out of the atmosphere, not to mention acid rain and smog forming gases. Now that’s the holiday spirit. 

Tom Lent 

Berkeley 

UC should divest from tobacco  

The Daily Planet received the following letter addressed to UC Regent Judith Hopkinson, chair of Investments Committee: 

I work for UC and am writing to express my horror at having our pension fund monies invested in tobacco-related funds. 

For nearly a decade our pension fund has been handled deftly. The UC Regents successfully convinced Treasurer Patricia Small to step down. After using our tax dollars to hire outside consultants, the Wilshire Group, as her replacement, the Regents now propose to follow the advice of these consultants and invest in tobacco-related funds. 

This is unconscionable. A publicly supported institution acting without any regard for public welfare is sufficient reason to object to this abominable behavior. Our state spends hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to convince children, pregnant women, and others not to smoke. At the same time the Regents of our University system are planning to invest our retirement monies in this poisonous industry. Why? Because the outside consultants that they hired at the behest of a Regent closely connected to Wilshire’s chief advises them to do so. Have these Regents not noticed the number of lawsuits being won against this industry across our nation? From a financial perspective, this is NOT a sound investment. Across the nation other public pension funds are being withdrawn from investments in the tobacco industry, but UC’s Regents apparently haven’t noticed.  

Moreover, this University researches the ill-effects of smoking. 

This lack of leadership betrays an inability and/or unwillingness of many Regents to represent the interests of the people of California in general, and the people of the UC system in particular. To invest $55 million in a death industry is loathsome. 

I join the American Heart Association and others interested in public health in urging the UC Regents to exclude these stocks from their investments on our behalf. 

UC employee, UC alumna, and California taxpayer, 

Tanya Smith 

Oakland  

Recession unlikely in near future 

Editor:  

Franz Schumann’s Opinion article of Dec. 4 indicated there could be a recession coming, but my research indicates that a severe depression in the United States is unlikely until around 2008. The key driving force of the major business cycle is real estate, which has had its own cycle of about 18 years since 1800. Every major depression has coincided with the real estate bottom. The last one was in 1990, so if past patterns continue we can expect a major depression towards the end of this decade.  

The U.S. economy is now in a growth recession but a big recession is not likely according to the economic theory that has been the most accurate. 

Fred Foldvary  

Berkeley 

Fox cottage  

to be preserved 

Editor: 

In the Dec. 7 Daily Planet, a letter from Jim Sharp raises the alarm that the University may be about to “dismantle” Fox Cottage, at 2612 Channing Way, since he has seen caution tape and other preparations at the site. I want to reassure your readers, and Mr. Sharp, that just the opposite is happening: The campus is in the process of reinforcing Fox Cottage to prepare it to be moved diagonally across the street, to a site next to the historic Shorb House at the corner of Bowditch and Channing Way. The move, which has been discussed at public meetings and in the press, and put forward in public notices, was approved by the Regents at their November meeting. We expect the move to occur in early January. Moving Fox Cottage is one of the first steps in preparing the Underhill site for the construction of a new, seismically safe Dining Commons and office building. 

For information about this or other campus projects, the public can call 643-4793 or visit the campus’s Capital Projects Web site at www.cp.berkeley.edu. 

Irene Hegarty 

Director, UCB Community Relations 

Public transit, not parking for BHS 

Editor: 

In the (12/9) article about the school board approving a parking plan, officials were quoted saying “this is a crisis situation” and “... with all our good intentions to get people to use alternative methods of transportation, there are still people who out of necessity are going to drive”. We’re told that no alternate solutions are “realistic.” 

I think this is typical of the “march of folly” that keeps congestion going. It isn’t just BHS; the Berkeley city employees insist on their parking too. 

I see all this frantic lobbying for more parking, but no similarlevel of lobbying for more public transit. The city once made a commitment to “transit first”. Whatever happened to that idea? 

The fact is that most places in Berkeley and neighboring cities are reasonably close to a bus line. A walk of a few blocks to a bus stop is no great burden for most of us; it’s healthy, even. If one has materials to carry, there’s the traditional knapsack, or a briefcase. For the vast majority, it is not necessary to use a private car to commute to BHS, or most places in Berkeley.  

If some people choose to live far from public transit, I see no reason to subsidize that choice with a free parking space at work. 

Sure, there are a few people for whom public transit is too difficult, but not the majority - implied by official hand-wringing. 

I suppose the short-term solution is to jam more cars into the already crowded spaces near BHS, but the officials don’t need to throw up their hands: There really are realistic alternatives to the cars – if the city and the people who work here are really committed to congestion relief. If not, then just continue the “march of folly”. 

If anyone wants a serious dialog about parking and alternative transportation, please send an e-mail with ideas and questions to stgeller@home.com 

Steve Geller 

Berkeley 

Schools continue integration 

Editor: 

The Berkeley Board of Education passed, possibly, the most important resolution affecting public education in this city Wednesday – preservation of our student assignment plan guaranteeing integrated schools in Berkeley. The School Board, by a 4-1 vote, supported the recommendation of our Student Assignment Advisory Committee to retain our current zoned choice school assignment plan. 

However, the Berkeley Daily Planet, supposedly highlighting the most important issues decided by the School Board, chose as its first mention of School Board action, to feature, top front page of its Friday edition, the parking plan for Berkeley High School, and not even mention of the approval of the continuation of integrated schools in Berkeley. 

It really makes one wonder about journalistic integrity in these momentous times. 

Terry Doran 

President of the Berkeley School Board 

(Editor’s note: fastest not always being most comprehensive, the BDP ran its story on the integration question on Tuesday.) 

May want to boycott Florida 

The BDP received the following letter before the Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision: 

Editor 

In the event that the Florida Legislature does an end-run around the process of allowing the counting and certification of the undercount in Florida, I believe that the logical next step for citizen advocacy groups such as People For The American Way (with its Fair Election 2000 campaign) must be to join with its sister organizations to initiate a complete consumer boycott of Florida and its products, most notably Florida citrus products and tourism. 

If that legislature takes it upon itself to spite the will of the majority of Americans, it is incumbent upon us to spite them in the most effective manner at our disposal: Let’s vote with our dollars and deal a crushing blow to the Florida economy. If the Republican legislators’ actions lead to bringing down their economy, then the next round of elections in Florida may well bring them down. And the Republicans have already shown us that voting principally with dollars is “the American Way,” at least the one that the Republicans feel most comfortable with and competent at. 

Everyone I have talked to about this idea so far thinks it is right on point.  

There should be no difficulty at all getting people interested in expressing their sentiments about the corrupt manipulations of the political process in Florida to foil the will of the majority of voters of America. One person, one vote? I think not. At the very least, this whole process has educated Americans about the reality of a “federalist republic” such as our United States: it is a long ways away from being a true “democracy.” 

Gary Skupa 

Berkeley 

Editor:  

California has a tree ‘emergency’. Many trees have problems with old age, disease, and heavy rains and/or high winds.  

Much of this area was just grassland with scrub brush, and trees in gullies. Many of our trees were introduced and are nearing old age. In urban areas, tall trees are a major hazard to homes, pedestrians, parked cars and park users. Those tall trees in urban areas should be inspected yearly by qualified arborists. We need a statewide policy on removal of dangerous trees. 

Homeowners who need arborists should check the Yellow Pages and the Bay Area Checkbook magazine with ratings of arborists by their readers and of Consumer Reports.  

The University of California Cooperative Extension has a tree failure reporting system and holds annual conferences on tree failure and arborists. The twelfth conference is in January at Filoli. Arborists should contact UC Ext., 625 Miramontes St., #200, Half Moon Bay, CA. 94019, ph. (650) 726-9059.  

A booklet, “Recognizing Tree Hazards,” $5.41 postage-paid, UC Ext., (510)642-2431; fax: 643-5470; or at 6701 San Pablo Ave., Second Floor (just south of Ashby).  

Each county has a Cooperative Extension. In Alameda County: (510) 567-6812 for general information. On Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a master gardener and longtime volunteer promptly returns calls: (510) 639-1371. For other areas see the county government section of phone books.  

Charles L. Smith 

Berkeley 

525-4434 

Editor: 

I know that the question of whether or not Beth El should build a new synagogue on the property on Oxford Street is an issue your paper has been following. Certainly there are arguments on both sides that deserve careful thought and consideration. I want to address one of the positions of the opponents to the synagogue that I find very troubling.  

At the ZAB meeting on October 9 the neighborhood group’s attorney criticized the EIR as inadequate primarily due to the failure to consider relocating Beth El somewhere other than Berkeley. Thus, the position of the neighbors appears to be that Beth El should move out of Berkeley. I can only hope the implications of this position have not been thought through and that if they were, the position would be withdrawn. Proximity is a central reason for joining a synagogue. Much of what Beth El offers is a pre-school, religious school and camp. Most people are not going to send their children to school in a city in which they do not reside.  

I lived in South Berkeley for many years and resided within a few blocks of several churches with active African American memberships. Had one of these churches found a nearby site to expand to, and had another community group suggested they move instead to, perhaps, Orinda, this would have clearly been understood to be an inappropriate and perhaps racist suggestion. Such a move would no doubt destroy their community and they could hardly be expected to thrive, as a black community, in a primarily white area. The same is true for Beth El. Do neighbors really expect us to move to a place where there are few Jews? I hope not.  

Berkeley is Beth El’s home. I hope those neighbors who do not support us moving to Oxford Street (many neighbors are supportive) will open their hearts and find a place for us without acrimony.  

Amy Oppenheimer 

Berkeley 

Editor:  

Your recent coverage of the Berkeley City Attorney’s opinion on conflict of issue matters regarding the landmarks commission and the synagogue complex fails to recognize the important work of the individual commissioners in question.  

Had it not been for their years of work as preservationists, both on and off the commission, some of Berkeley’s most beloved buildings would have been dust. These include Old City Hall, Finn Hall, the Heywood House and Ghego House in West Berkeley, the naval architecture building at UC Berkeley and the Julia Morgan Theatre, to name a few.  

Only through intensive historic research and writing, long hours in the libraries, many oral interviews and hard work did these matters come before the landmarks commission for designation. It was this research/writing work coupled with their gracious persistence in working with property owners to persuade them to consider preservation and adaptive re-use instead of demolition that led to these restoration projects. The business community’s loathing of these preservationists is really without grounds.  

The Berkeley City Council should overturn the city attorney’s unreasonable directive and allow these commissioners to continue their good work on behalf of the city. 

Stephanie Manning 

Berkeley 

841-8562 

Editor: 

Franz Schumann’s perspective: “Is there a recession coming?” that U.S. recessions are triggered by external destabilizing world events was enlightening. However, as we contemplate the next recession I feel Schumann slights important internal excesses that destabilize our own system and slights the destabilizing force our hegemonic power has on other world economies.  

For example, Schumann cites Nixon’s decision to end the draft, cut the military budget, then invade Cambodia as decisive. More important I believe, was Nixon’s decision to abandon the gold standard in 1971-73 at Bretton Woods, introducing volatility into currencies that has favored only arbitrageurs and has led to predatory currency speculation that wounds foreign economies.  

Also, he says that “...the world power balance is more destabilized than since 1991.” There is no world power unless we successfully fashion China as the next “Evil Empire.”  

Furthermore, the IMF and the World Bank intrusive edicts seeks to convert all the world economies into U.S. lookalikes, i.e. more “transparent”, so investors can invade their markets more easily. Malaysia had the nerve to say no thank you, and China no doubt will resist this hubristic exercise - others can not.  

Schumann hopes that we will resume a position as “unwobbling pivot.” Unfortunately, this investor driven, cookie-cutter mentality may simply eliminates the only remaining “econo-diversity” in the world that might retard rolling worldwide recessions of the future. Face it, our “bubble” is now much bigger than Japan’s was, and when ours bursts we will probably take down many more dependent economies than Japan’s did.  

Deborah Ritchey  

Berkeley 

527-3060 

Ritcheyre@aol.com 

yes, i took it some time after being arrested in a wedding dress  

and wearing if for the first 3 of 14 days i spent in jail for the June 

23, 1983 action at Livermore labs. i also took to wearing  

dresses most of the time 6 months later. 

i have been arrested for riding the bay bridge 3 times  

in the last 4 years, and detained and ticketed once. 

i have also ridden the richmond san rafael bridge 

a number of times. they haven't arrested any of us for that yet. 

On Tue, 12 Dec 2000 12:20:32 -0800 Judith Scherr 

writes: 

> Is this your true name? Judith Scherr 

>  

> weddress@juno.com wrote: 

>  

> > To the Editor, 

> > Thank you fro publishing Bob Piper's excellent letter regarding 

> > how Caltrans has mishandled dealing with the seismic issues 

> > surrounding the Bay Bridge's east span. It is refreshing for us 

> > mere activists to have someone with such credentials stand up 

> > to the bureaucracy and call out how irresponsible it has been in 

> > its duty of serving the public. Indeed, noting that engineers 

> > may be placing their egos above the needs of the public they 

> > are to serve in directing us to build something unknown at 

> > exorbitant cost, rather than retrofit the existing structure for 

> > much less. And we must thank him for spelling out that the 

> > Army Corps of Engineers has not had proper time to evaluate 

> > all data, and that the data is questionable. I am greatly 

> > heartened that he mentions rail, which I completely 

> > support as the most efficient and environmentally sound 

> > mode of urban transit. Indeed, as Caltrans has stated that 

> > the new bridge will be something to carry us through the next 

> > century, how can they not include rail? The question this 

> > bring up for me is, is it feasible to put rail back on the  

> existing 

> > bridge, once retrofitted? It will move a lot more people a lot 

> > more quickly, and without all the pollution and rage. We 

> > could even sue the car, tire and oil companies, who stole 

> > the rail systems from all the American urban centers, 

> > to pay for it.. 

> > 

> > dave wedding dress 

> > oakland 

> > weddress@juno.com 

>  

Who I am is the possibility of magic and inspiration 

Subject:  

Bay Bridge Replacement Project: A Good Deal 

Date:  

Wed, 13 Dec 2000 00:46:29 -0800 

From:  

Michael Katz  

To:  

opinion@berkeleydailyplanet.com 

Dear Friends, 

Please consider this as a Perspective. It's about 625 words, including my ID and two Web links. Thanks! 

-MK 

_________________________________________________________ 

Here's another view of the Bay Bridge seismic replacement project addressed by my fellow Sierra Club member, Robert R. Piper, in a Dec. 11 Perspective. Robert is a devoted transit advocate and a retired transportation engineer, whereas I've never even impersonated an engineer. However, I did closely follow this project's development -- as a member of a volunteer advisory group -- and I must emphasize five essential facts. 

First, Robert is quite correct that the new Bay Bridge east span will have the same motor-vehicle capacity as the current span: five lanes in each direction. That three-year-old decision may ultimately prove either wise or foolish, but it is exactly what the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter requested in 1997. Both Robert and I helped draft that position as members of the Chapter's Transportation Subcommittee. 

Second, Robert is again correct that Caltrans did not directly incorporate rail into the new east span's design. That decision may well be seen as foolish some day. But let's focus on what can happen after that realization: The new span will be strong enough to support future light rail -- up to about the weight of BART cars, or the old Key System's Pullman cars. The new span will also be wider than its predecessor, so that rail can be added down the center. After reviewing the assumptions and 1999 cost estimates compiled by the bridge project's oversight agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), I conclude that the new east span can accommodate added rail for perhaps $800 million less than any retrofit of the existing span. Keep those savings in mind. 

Third, Robert is correct, yet again, that the new east span will include a bicycle/pedestrian path. This path (plus an eventual west span connection to San Francisco) will create new exciting new commute and recreational alternatives, helping to give San Francisco Bay back to Bay Area residents. The MTC and Caltrans deserve credit for accepting bicycle and pedestrian advocates' arguments that the new span -- which will have a 150-year lifetime -- should no longer be a barrier to nonmotorists. But here's the important point: this path is designed into the new span. To my knowledge, there is no technical plan, budget, legislative authority, or political momentum for adding bike/pedestrian access to any retrofit of the existing span. 

Fourth, when the MTC approved this project back in the summer of 1998, its price tag was about $1.4 billion. Of that, $400 million covered aesthetic features, like enhanced lighting and a graceful cable suspension tower. These features were favored by design advisors and the public alike, and were advocated particularly strongly by the City of Oakland. Any cost increase since that date is due solely to the delaying tactics of a few regional elected officials -- who have sought to sabotage a very good design because it didn't meet their late-blooming ideas of perfection. 

Finally, the new east span will indeed be more cost-effective than any retrofit, even if it initially costs a bit more. This is because the new span will last longer, and will be designed to newer and higher seismic standards (meaning that it will be more likely to survive a major earthquake). By comparison, a retrofit could well mean pouring more than $1 billion into San Francisco Bay only to have the span fail again in a future quake. Then we would have to build all over again -- at sharply inflated construction costs, while unthinkable traffic snarled alternative routes. 

For anyone curious about these issues, or further details, I would encourage you to examine the project's draft environmental impact study at: 

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/sfobbdeis.htm 

I also recommend examining the bridge-rail study commissioned by the MTC, at: 

http://www.mtc.dst.ca.us/projects/bay_bridge/rail_study/rail_study_index.htm 

Sincerely yours, 

Michael Katz 

Member, Bay Bridge Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee 

Member, Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter 

Tel. (510) 845-6717 

2835 Buena Vista Way 

Berkeley, CA 94708 

In the 1960s and ’70s Berkeley leaders in the civil rights movement for people with disabilities fought for accessibility to public spaces and the opportunity to live independently. And in Berkeley today, new leaders are still struggling for the rights of people with disabilities. Last week one of these, Tamar Michai Freeman received the Paul G. Hearne award for leaders in the movement for disability rights. 

Freeman is among the 20 percent of Americans with disabilities, according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Association for People with Disabilities, the agency that sponsored the award.  

Freeman, who won the award for overcoming obstacles in her life and for her vision for the future, stays calm when describing the everyday indignities she lives with as a disabled person – people become impatient with the staccato speech caused by her ventilator, doctors assume that she could never be a parent, and waiters ask her husband, “What does she want for dinner,” instead of talking to directly to her, she says. 

Although she smiles, she says, “Sometimes it makes me want to scream.” 

Freeman will put the $10,000 that comes with the Hearne award towards establishing a nonprofit agency, “Glad to Be Here.”  

Her vision is to educate the medical community and sensitize it to the lives of people with disabilities – a passion that has been influenced by her own life experiences.  

“I was diagnosed (with muscular dystrophy) when I was eight,” said Freeman. “When the doctor said I would be a vegetable I didn’t know what ‘vegetable’ meant, but I saw the tears on my mother’s face.” Many disabled people find that insensitivity in the medical community continues throughout life.  

Jenny Kern, a Berkeley attorney, won the Hearne award last year. She eagerly supports Freeman’s plan. “Most medical professionals are trained in the medical model of disability which means that you’re looking for a cure to fix these people,” she said. “It’s often the case that if a doctor can’t cure you it’s somehow an affront to the profession, which does nothing to improve the quality of our lives.”  

Kern described visiting a dermatologist whose office didn’t have wheelchair access. “When I said it was humiliating to yell upstairs to get attention she assumed it was because of my disability. It’s not,” she said. Kern continued, “Then she asked me about my spinal cord injury. A dermatologist did not have to know about my disability. Doctors like everybody have stereotypes and fears about disability.” 

Some disability activists feel doctors’ stereotypes may lead to poor health care. “A lot of women with disabilities are not seen as sexual, or as women. We’ve heard about women going to their doctors where the focus is so much on the disability that they don’t get referred to reproductive health care. They’re asexualized,” she says. 

Freeman is a commissioner on Berkeley’s Commission on the Status of Women. One aspect of her nonprofit will focus on the special needs of disabled women. She is particularly interested in resources for disabled women with families, an interest that came from researching her own parenting options, and encountering resistance and, she said, “societal assumptions about what kind of parent I can be.” She was disturbed to find that people thought only about what she couldn’t give as a parent, rather than thinking about what she could give. “There’s a physical dimension to parenting,” she said. “There’s also more, there’s a spiritual and emotional (component).” 

Young disabled women, Freeman said, need role models to show them the different possibilities of their lives. Her eyes got wide when she described the intensity of the first time she saw a picture of a disabled woman in a wheelchair – pregnant.  

Beyond activism and education, Freeman wants to create a space where people with disabilities won’t have to face constant stereotyping. It would be a place where, she says, they can let go of, “the enormous task of feeling like you have to educate,” and instead relax, “and just enjoy the every day reality.” 

The name of her nonprofit “Glad to Be Here,” is a constant reminder that even dealing with the difficulties of day to day living with a disability, life is still meaningful. “People say to you, ‘You’re so courageous. I think, ‘What’s the alternative?’’ Should people with disabilities just jump off the Golden Gate Bridge? That’s not the alternative.” 

Freeman is one of 11 people to win the award this year, out of the hundreds that submitted applications. She is the second Berkeley resident to win it in the two years it has existed. Kern was the other.  

Paul G. Hearne was a founder of the American Association for People with Disabilities, and a lawyer who helped insure the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. When he passed away two years ago, the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation and the American Association of People with disabilities created an award to support emerging leaders with disabilities. 

The creation of the award is timely. “Unfortunately what is happening is that many of the disability leaders are aging,” said Helena Berger, Chief Operation Officer for the Association of People with Disabilities. “Because the movement goes back that many years, many of the leaders are getting older or unfortunately passing away. People in the movement are realizing that we need to find new leaders with disabilities in the community.”  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Former Foster  

Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Jazz Standards 

9 - 10:30 p.m. 

Genki Restaurant  

1610 San Pablo Ave. (at Cedar) 

Vocalist Dale Zola and pianist Federico Cervantes perform.  

Call 655-1425 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Report and action regarding possible violations of the Berkeley Election Reform Act with respect to the first and second pre-election statements filed Oct. 5 and Oct. 26 and late contribution reports.  

Call 644-6380 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community  

Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic  

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

A discussion of CHC priorities. 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Hearing on the request by James Samuels on behalf of Congregation Beth El to construct a two-story, approximately 35,000 square foot religious assembly use that will include a 7,500 square-foot nursery school and afternoon religious school with 35 uncovered parking spaces.  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.”  

Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15 

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays  

Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“How to Buy a Computer” 

9 - 10 a.m.  

Bruno Consulting Services 

1700 Solano Ave., Suite A 

Learn what you need to know before going shopping. What do all those weird words mean? Learn laptop vs. desktop, PC vs. Mac, software vs. hardware considerations, technical support, printers and cost.  

Call 526-5666 

Bella Musica  

8 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Pray for Peltier 

Noon - 3 p.m. 

Peoples Park  

Between Dwight & Haste above Telegraph 

Join with the Peltier Action Coalition and the Plight of the Redwoods Campaign in a prayer circle for a presidential pardon for Leonard Peltier and in honor of protectors and warriors for mother earth. You are asked to bring blankets for the homeless and potluck food and drink.  

Call 464-4534 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Bella Musica  

4 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Get Flabbergasted  

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Zun Zun, a husband and wife duo will perform musical theater for children and families. They play over thirty instruments and are sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Free  

Call 649-3943 

Hansel and Gretel  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Oakland’s Opera Piccola will perform their version of “Hansel and Gretel.” Opera Piccola is a multiracial troupe of actors, singers, and dancers who pull unsuspecting audience members up to perform along with them. Geared for preschoolers.  

Call 649-3943 

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Family Sing-Along 

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Gerry Tenney, musician, teacher, and performer, the man behind the saga of King Kong playing ping-pong with Godzilla returns to the Berkeley Public Library.  

Call 649-3943 

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Holiday Celebration 

Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Includes a holiday meal and an opera, “Kiri’s Coventry Xmas.”  

Call 644-6107 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

7 p.m. 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

tickets: $15 - $20, available at the door  

Call 848-3938 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Alice Meyers 

Call 644-6107 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tai Chi Chuan for Seniors 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Mr. Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Imani In the Village 

2 p.m. 

Claremont Library 

2940 Benvenue  

Percussionist James Henry presents a drumming and dance program for all ages. Audience participation invited.  

Call 649-3943 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Kwanzaa Celebration 

4 p.m. 

South Branch Library  

1901 Russell St.  

Muriel Johnson of Abiyomi Storytelling is the featured storyteller at the library’s annual celebration which also includes a formal Kwanzaa ceremony.  

Call 649-3943 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tuesday, Jan. 2 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

Green Party Consensus Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

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 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

644-8511 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesday and Thursday 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Schools superintendent Jack McLaughlin told the school board in closed session Wednesday that he accepted a post as Nevada’s state superintendent of public instruction. 

Superintendent in Berkeley since 1994, McLaughlin, 59, who has 27 years as superintendent under his belt, has been actively seeking a post which, he said, would advance him professionally. He turned down an offer from Salem, Ore., earlier this year and was edged out of the running for San Francisco schools chief. 

“It’s a real challenge to go to a whole state,” he said after the board meeting Wednesday. 

In Nevada, he’ll be playing a “constitutional” role. “I’ll be part of the Nevada state government, a member of the governor’s Cabinet,” he said. 

The new post will give McLaughlin a chance to influence legislation around school issues. Had he had that power in California, he said he would have “worked for more local control of schools (and) done more about salary for teachers.” McLaughlin will assume his post on Feb. 1, overseeing 400,000 students. 

In contrast, there are only about 9,500 students in Berkeley. 

The superintendent has weathered some difficult challenges during his tenure in Berkeley: a series of arson fires at Berkeley High last year and a revolving door of principals at the 3,200-student school. At the same time, he’s overseen the transformation of K-3 to K-5 schools and the institution of middle schools replacing junior high schools; organic lunches have been introduced into elementary schools; class size reduction in Berkeley preceded the statewide mandate.  

Although McLaughlin said in Nevada he’ll be receiving less than his current $138,000 annual compensation, his retirement from California plus his salary there will be about equal to his current income. 

What will he miss about Berkeley? “All of Berkeley. It’s just a wonderful place.” 

People may disagree on how to achieve educational goals, but they aim for the same thing: “Education has a very high place here.”

The city attorney failed Tuesday to convince the City Council to adopt an ordinance regulating a gathering storm of telecommunications companies eager to enter a vast network of wire, conduit and cable under Berkeley’s streets. 

Keen to keep up with the demand for communication systems such as video, data and cellular phone services, telecommunication companies are converging on cities throughout the state to create service networks.  

To establish these networks, telecommunication companies have to dig trenches, often along heavily used streets. The work, if not managed properly, can unnecessarily snarl traffic, put pedestrians at risk and leave behind diminished streetscapes.  

City Attorney Manuela  

Albuquerque urged the City Council to quickly adopt an ordinance regulating the installation and maintenance of communications equipment and establish a standardized fee schedule to compensate the city for use of public property.  

But by midnight, the council was unable to reach agreement on the ordinance and voted to delay a decision until next Tuesday’s meeting by a 5-4 vote. Mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Miriam Hawley, Polly Armstrong and Betty Olds appeared ready to approve the ordinance but did not have enough votes.  

In a related issue, the council unanimously approved the initiation of a zoning amendment to regulate telecommunication pedestals on private property. Pedestals are above-ground enclosures that house a variety of communications equipment. Residents have objected to the pedestals, claiming they are unattractive and contribute to neighborhood blight. 

Albuquerque said she developed the ordinance with input from telecommunications companies and a consulting attorney who is the architect of a similar ordinance in the Southern California town of Hawthorne. The consulting attorney, William M. Marticorena, said other cities including Irving, Torrence and Inglewood are in the process of adopting kindred ordinances.  

“It is our advice the city adopt this ordinance quickly,” Albuquerque said on Wednesday. “It’s in the best interest of the city and will provide a uniform process for telecommunications companies to do business in Berkeley.” 

Councilmember Dona Spring said there was too much information too fast and she wanted to better understand ramifications of the ordinance. She said she is uncertain whether the city has the staff to effectively regulate telecommunication projects. 

“We want an ordinance that’s enforceable and will reimburse the city for all its costs,” she said. 

Spring said the condition of city streets is also a concern. She wants to make sure there will be proper compensation for damages to streets from the procedure known as trenching, which is known to form ruts. 

“Once you dig up a section of the roadway and then re-pave, it’s never the same,” she said. “It’s important we respect and restore the integrity of our streets,” she said. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he is concerned about a portion of the ordinance that will allow partial fee exemptions for certain communication companies. He said he has not been able to find out which companies would receive exemptions and why. 

“I want to make sure the largest companies won’t receive exemptions while smaller companies have to pay the full rate,” he said. 

Dean said she was very disappointed the council did not adopt the ordinance. She said it was complex and difficult to understand, but noted the council had an earlier session with a telecommunications task force and had seen several preliminary drafts of the ordinance before them. 

“All they had to do was simply follow the ball and if they did that, there should have been no problem at all,” Dean said. “What I saw was an inattentive council that maybe had not even read the materials.” 

At least seven representatives, mostly lawyers, from telecommunications companies addressed the council during a public hearing. All said they were “shocked,” “appalled” and “dumbfounded” that the City Council would even consider regulating the corporations. None of the representatives would go on record with the Daily Planet regarding the ordinance. 

The council will have another opportunity to adopt the first reading of the ordinance at next Tuesday’s meeting. The second reading would be at the Jan. 16 meeting and the ordinance would become law by mid-February. 

The City Council got an earful Tuesday from residents concerned about potential health risks from radiation-emitting satellite antennae that support cell-phone use, that are increasingly being located in residential neighborhoods. 

The residents were speaking at a public hearing for a proposed telecommunications ordinance that would primarily regulate underground placement of telecommunications equipment that had nothing to do with cellular phone antennae. But their concerns did not fall on deaf ears. The mayor and two councilmembers said Wednesday they are putting recommendations to restrict antenna placement on the agenda in coming weeks. 

Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmember Betty Olds put an item on next week’s agenda calling for a moratorium on all antenna applications. “We have to have assurances that we have all the information we need to properly evaluate the placement of these things,” she said. 

Councilmember Dona Spring said she will submit a recommendation for the Jan. 16 meeting that will call for restricting the placement of all satellite antennae to industrial areas in west Berkeley.  

John Taylor, who lives near the Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue where a dozen antennae have been approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board, said he was glad to hear the City Council is paying attention to the issue. 

“I think it’s the responsible thing to do,” he said. “The City of Berkeley has a reputation for being a trend setter and this is an issue where they can really have a stake.” 

Berkeley adopted the “Wireless Telecommunication Antenna Guidelines” in 1996, which states that satellite antennae are not appropriate in residential areas. But the guidelines have not stopped the ZAB from approving the controversial antennae in some residential neighborhoods. 

Currently the city says it is unsure how many antennae there are in Berkeley but it is estimated by the Planning Department that there are at least 40, most of which are located in industrial areas in west Berkeley. 

As wireless communication becomes more common, there is growing concern about the effects from electromagnetic radiation emitted from both satellite antenna and cell phones. 

Medical research in the United Kingdom has compiled a growing body of evidence that suggests exposure to these emissions is dangerous, especially to children. In response to these findings the British government has just allocated $10,000 for further research and a public information campaign urging children to not use cell phones at all. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board will consider approving an application to place an satellite antenna on the roof of the Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street at its Thursday meeting. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Willie Brown, who enjoyed nearly complete control over city affairs during his first five years as mayor, will have to deal with his anti-growth adversaries like never before now that most of his allies were defeated in a runoff election. 

Tuesday’s election transformed the Board of Supervisors from a rubber stamp into an adversarial body, determined to slow the office-space approvals that have forced housing prices to skyrocket while making the city a magnet for dot-com companies. 

The overriding theme of the election was the pace of San Francisco’s growth, and whether the city will retain its quirky, individualistic character or become a homogenous dot-com suburb of Silicon Valley. 

Nine of the 11 board seats were decided Tuesday, and Brown’s allies lost the majority they had held before the election. At least seven of the supervisors elected Tuesday are anti-Brown. 

The new composition will allow the board to look more closely at the direction in which it wants to lead San Francisco, said board President Tom Ammiano, who frequently butts heads with the mayor and ran unsuccessfully against Brown in 1999. 

“I definitely see putting the brakes on,” he said. “It’s not that people don’t want growth, but it was unbridled. We have to have planning with a method, planning with a vision. I see that we have a better shot at that now.” 

Brown spokesman P.J. Johnston, calling the election “problematic” for the mayor, would not say whether he thought the new board would slow dot-com growth in the city – adding that was a matter for the new board members to decide. 

But Johnston said San Francisco’s first district elections did not result in a very representative board. Previously, board members were elected in citywide elections. 

“One thing is clear in that it didn’t serve the diversity of the board very well,” he said. “San Francisco has a larger than 30 percent Chinese-American population and the Asian-American population is even larger, and there’s one Asian member of the board. San Francisco has more than a majority of women residents, but we now have a board with 10 men and one woman. 

“Turnout was less than 30 percent. That’s a rough way to elect the city’s leadership,” Johnston said. “I think it was a tough race for a lot of candidates and those that ran on an anti-incumbent, anti-Willie Brown platform did well with the small number of voters they had to appeal to in this district election process.” 

Ammiano now hopes to revisit zoning and planning issues that did not fare well when Brown had a majority on the board. 

The mayor previously had enough support to make his vetoes stick, but now the board may be able to overturn them. 

“If these numbers hold, it’s pretty bad for the mayor. Expect a lot more vetoes. But with eight votes they can override a veto,” said Frank Gallagher, a political consultant with Solem & Assoc. who helped the mayor defeat a grass-roots growth control measure in Nveomber. 

Matt Gonzalez, a deputy public defender who won his runoff election by defeating Brown ally Juanita Owens, a city college dean, said the election was defined by growth issues. 

“I think a lot of what has emerged in the last couple of years has been a fight over the growth in the city,” said Gonzalez, who expects a slowdown of dot-com growth and a focus on building new housing. 

Overall, Ammiano sees the shift on the board leading to more open discussions at City Hall. 

“People want checks and balances,” he said. “They were feeling totally stifled. A lot of things that should have been debated were not, a lot of things that could have gone differently did not.” 

Still, Brown is a master politician, who dominated state government as California’s longest-serving House speaker and held onto his leadership even when Republicans had a majority. 

“If anybody can work in this kind of situation, it’s Willie Brown. He’s the quintessential dealmaker,” Gallagher said. 

Some 8,000 people have died of smoking-related heart disease in California as a result of the state’s weakened anti-smoking campaign, a study found Wednesday. 

Medical researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that anti-smoking campaigns prevented about 33,300 deaths from 1989 to 1997, but that number could have included another 8,300 people if the state’s program had continued the fervor it began with in 1988. 

“The state needs to start again working aggressively,” said Stan Glantz, author of the study and a professor of medicine at UCSF. “In the mid-90s, the former governor was closely allied with Philip Morris ... and as a result, people died.” 

The initial campaign focused on older smokers, while today’s program mainly targets children, Glantz said. His study found that the smoking-related deaths correlated to cutbacks in the state’s 1992 campaign. 

But government health administrators disagree, saying California’s anti-tobacco campaign is on the mark. According to another recent study, the state’s lung cancer rate has dropped 14 percent in the past decade. 

“What that means is, clearly, fewer and fewer folks are actually smoking, said Grantland Johnson, secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency. “Fewer and fewer folks are dying smoking-related cancers.” 

Glantz emphasized his study was much different because it focused on the importance of prevention immediacy related to heart disease in adults. 

“With cancer, you’ve got things that change very slowly. Then when you quit, it takes several years for the cancer risk to start declining,” Glantz said. “A lot of effects on the heart are acute poisoning, so half the risk for a heart attack is gone in a year (after quitting smoking), and it’s almost all gone in three years.” 

While anti-smoking advocates are pleased to see evidence that lives are being saved, they’re concerned about a prevalence rate of smokers that’s been stuck at about 18 percent for the past five years. They also don’t understand why Gov. Gray Davis has not thrown any money from the 1998 tobacco settlement — which gives California an estimated $25 billion over 25 years — toward tobacco control programs. 

“It’s like, ’OK Gov. Davis, we know this program works,” said Kirk Kleinschmidt, of the American Heart Association. “You put the money in, and you will reduce prevalence. You will reduce consumption, and you will save lives.” 

Johnson said the current program’s funding consists of $114 million in tobacco education and $45 million for anti-smoking ads. One of its primary goals is to prevent children from starting to smoke. He said the biggest challenge now in the adult smoking population is to reach those who are hard-core addicts. 

“We have reasons to be optimistic and reason to believe and to assert that we’re going in the right direct,” Johnson said. 

LOS ANGELES — A hacker infiltrated an Internet company’s database of credit card numbers and posted them online in a failed extortion attempt. 

The FBI has launched an investigation into the attempt against Los Angeles-based creditcards.com, FBI spokesman Matthew McLaughlin said Wednesday. 

It is the latest of several attacks against companies with online operations in which hackers sought money after stealing credit card information. 

More than 55,000 credit card numbers were swiped from creditcards.com, which processes credit card transactions for online companies. The information later was posted online, said Laurent Jean, a company spokesman. 

The Web site with the credit card numbers, which went up when the extortion fee was not paid, has since been taken down, McLaughlin said. 

In an e-mail sent to its merchants Monday, creditcards.com stated it was contacted by hackers about three months ago. The e-mail said the hackers appeared to be from Russia and that they threatened to post the credit card information unless the extortion fee was paid. 

After being contacted, the company said it immediately adopted a policy that it would neither cooperate with hackers nor pay extortion money. 

The e-mail from Michael Stankiewicz, the company’s chief technology officer, said creditcards.com hired security consultants to improve its ability to protect data and has undergone a complete security audit. 

One of the company’s merchants, ihateshopping.net in Tacoma, Wash., was contacted by the hacker earlier this week and downloaded all of the credit card numbers released by the hacker. 

The company has created a page where potential credit card fraud victims can enter their name and address to determine if their credit card was compromised, said Harry Widdifield, owner of ihateshopping.net, an online shopping service. 

“We think it’s the most judicious use of the information that was given to us by the hackers possible,” Widdifield said. “I’m surprised creditcards.com didn’t handle it this way. They didn’t, we have.” 

Widdifield, whose wife’s corporate card was on the hacker’s list, said that he will find a new company to handle credit card transactions. 

“We have to find a new credit card provider because we can’t trust the integrity of creditcards.com,” he said. “They have one job and that’s to mind the store. In the brick-and-mortar world banks have vaults to keep things safe. We should expect the same things from places like creditcards.com.” 

An executive with Urban Golf Gear, another creditcards.com merchant, said that none of the 550 people on its customer list had reported illegal credit card charges. 

“I put my trust in creditcards.com to have a secure system,” said Craig Tanner, CEO of the Oakland company. “Nobody told me these credit cards were stolen.” 

Tanner, whose company sells hip golf clothing, said he first learned of the security breach Monday when the hacker sent him e-mail outlining the extortion attempt. 

Creditcards.com has been cooperating with authorities since being contacted by the hackers, said Jean, the company spokesman. 

Last year, online music retailer CD Universe was the victim of a hacker who stole about 300,000 credit card numbers and posted some of them online when an extortion fee was not paid. 

The hacker, who remains at large, offered to destroy the credit card files in exchange for $100,000 and posted about 25,000 card numbers when the demand was not met. 

Other companies that have recently had credit card numbers obtained by hackers include: 

—SalesGate.com of Buffalo, N.Y., which learned earlier this year that hackers had stolen thousands of credit card numbers from a site it thought to be safe. 

—RealNames, an Internet search service with as many as 20,000 card numbers on file, which learned of a hacker infiltration in February. 

—Western Union, which shut its Web site for five days in September after a security breach allowed hackers to steal the credit or debit card numbers of more than 15,000 customers. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.creditcards.com 

http://www.ihateshopping.net 

http://www.urbangolfgear.com 

Five weeks after Election Day, George W. Bush at last laid claim to the presidency Wednesday night with a pledge to “seize this moment” and deliver reconciliation and unity to a nation divided. Al Gore exited the tortuously close race, exhorting the nation to put aside partisan rancor and support its new chief executive. 

“I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation,” America’s soon-to-be 43rd president told Americans in a nationally televised address from the chamber of the Texas House of Representatives. The Texas governor chose that setting, he said, because he had been able to work there with Democrats and Republicans alike. 

“Our nation must rise above a house divided,” he said hopefully, echoing a reference from Scripture spoken by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. “Our votes may differ, but not our hopes.” 

His wife, Laura, beamed from the sidelines, and got her own standing ovation when Bush spoke of her future role as first lady. 

Bush was preceded by Gore, who delivered his call for national unity in a televised concession. 

“May God bless his stewardship of this country,” the vice president said of the Republican who vanquished him. Gore, who called Bush to concede shortly before his speech, joked that he had promised not to “call him back this time,” a reference to the concession he phoned to Bush on Election Night and later withdrew. 

Bush said it had been a “gracious call” from Gore, adding, “I understand how difficult this moment must be” for him. 

The two made plans to meet in Washington on Tuesday. 

The world also prepared for a new American leader. British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent Bush good wishes shortly after Gore’s concession. “It was a long and agonizing wait for you. I’m very glad it is finally settled,” Blair said. 

Victorious Republicans, in conciliatory and sympathetic tones, prepared to claim control of both the White House and Congress for the first time in more than 45 years, while Democrats talked ominously of deep partisan schisms and condemned the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that pushed Gore from the race. 

“This might be the end of a campaign, but it’s just the beginning of a much longer, difficult process,” Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said. 

In a televised address that lasted less than 10 minutes, Gore mixed words of unity with the unmistakable message that he felt wronged by the Supreme Court ruling that stopped the Florida recount and prompted his concession. 

“While I strongly disagree with the court’s decision, I accept it,” he said. “I accept the finality of this outcome.” 

He allowed there would be time for disagreements down the road, but said “now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us.” 

Leaving the White House office that he soon will vacate, Gore was greeted outside by cheering supporters who chanted “Gore in Four,” a hopeful wish for his political revival in 2004. 

Bush moved quickly into the breach, asking the Texas Democratic House speaker to introduce him for his national address. He told campaign chairman Don Evans to reach out to Gore chairman William Daley — a move that led to the scheduling of the two rivals’ meeting next week. And he dusted off transition plans laid dormant by the legal wrangling, as aides reminded reporters that a Democrat or two were certain to join the Bush administration. 

In his first act as president-elect, Bush will attend a “prayer and hope” church service Thursday in Austin, spokeswoman Karen Hughes said. “He wants to start this on a message of prayer and healing,” she said. 

Each move was calculated to heal divisions caused by the brutal, five-week election postscript. His mandate in doubt, Bush already is being urged to curb his legislative agenda, particularly the $1.3 trillion program of tax cuts over 10 years. 

Across the nation, Americans took stock and looked forward — with hope and doubts. 

“The most important thing is that we’ve gotten a new president without violence, without undue civil unrest, and that speaks highly of our country, our democracy,” said Tobey Lewallen, a salesman from Williamsburg, Mich, who voted for Bush. 

Anthony Joern, a college professor in Lincoln, Neb., who backed Gore, questioned whether Bush would be able to lead the nation, saying, “I think his stated ability to be a consensus builder is much overblown.” 

Speaking for many was Mark Abbey, who works in a bar in Topeka, Kan. “The biggest part,” he said, “is I’m glad it’s over.” 

Reacting to Democratic criticism, Justice Clarence Thomas told high school students that the court is not influenced by the politics of the presidency or Congress. 

“We happen to be in the same city but we might as well be on entirely different planets,” said Thomas, nominated to the bench by Bush’s father. “We have no axes to grind.” 

A few miles away, the doors to a government-run transition office were readied to be open to Bush by the General Services Administration. A formal ceremony was scheduled for Thursday. Florida’s GOP-led Legislature also awaited word from Gore, deferring plans to appoint a backup slate of state electors loyal to Bush. 

Gore topped his GOP rival by more than 300,000 votes out of 103 million ballots cast nationwide. But Florida’s 25 electoral votes, to be cast Dec. 18 and counted Jan. 6, would give Bush a total of 271 — one more than the 270 required to win the presidency, and four more than Gore. 

And thus closed an election for the history books, the closest in 124 years. On Inauguration Day Jan. 20, the Texas governor will become: 

— The first presidential candidate since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 (and only the fourth in American history) to lose the national popular vote but win the state electoral contest, thus the White House. Harrison’s foe, Grover Cleveland, rebounded to win the presidency in 1893, offering a glimmer of hope for Gore who, at 52, may want to make another run at the White House. 

— The nation’s second father-son presidential team after John Adams (1791-1801) and John Quincy Adams (1825-1829). Bush has relied on his well-to-do family’s connections, both to raise money and build the foundation of a new administration. 

Andrew Card, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and GOP running mate Dick Cheney held top positions in the first Bush presidency and are slated for senior roles in the second. 

Cheney visited conservative Republicans on Capitol Hill, telling reporters afterward, “We’re moving forward on the transition.” 

Bush may soon join Cheney in the nation’s capital; aides said that a trip to Washington next week was being planned, including a courtesy call on President Clinton, congressional Democrats. 

“I know America wants reconcilation and unity,” Bush told the nation. “I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.” 

Advisers said Democrats are under consideration for Cabinet posts, including Sen. John Breaux, D-La. Also mentioned in GOP circles: Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas, former Sens. J. Bennett Johnston, D-La., and Sam Nunn, D-Ga., and former Dallas Democratic Party chairman Sandy Kress. 

Bush’s schedule is in flux, but aides said a presidential-style news conference was likely this week. They debated whether to roll out White House staff and Cabinet appointments or delay the activity while Bush builds an image as a uniter. 

With the Senate evenly split, the House nearly so and Florida falling to Bush by a near-invisible 537 votes, it was fitting that the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 against recounts in the state — a decision they nine justices knew was tantamount to awarding Bush the White House. 

Democrats laid down their political markers for 2002, when Congress will be up for grabs, suggesting that wounds inflicted in the recount war will still be grist for the next campaign. 

Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the “majority has dealt the court a serious blow by taking actions many Americans will consider to be political rather than judicial.” 

The party’s core constituencies, particularly minorities, seemed the most stung by Gore’s defeat. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., called the high court “a willing tool of the Bush campaign” that orchestrated “a velvet legal coup.” 

After eight years of Democratic control in the White House, Republicans promised compromise and consensus. “The long trail that has kept the nation in suspense since November 7th is now over,” said House Speaker Dennis Hastert. “Now, as a nation, we must come together.” 

NEW YORK — Yet another round of profit warnings brought high-tech stocks sharply lower and quashed a blue chip advance Wednesday. The prospect of another disappointing quarter outweighed investors’ short-lived relief over an apparent end to the presidential election deadlock. 

Tech stocks sagged in response to the latest high-tech earnings warning, issued by Compaq Computer after the market closed Tuesday. A drop in retail sales during November added to the market’s skittishness. “The earnings warnings are getting pretty thick,” said Charles White, portfolio manager at Avatar Associates. “When you’ve got retail sales slumping as much as they have and you’ve got consumers as uneasy as they are, these things start to weigh on the marketplace.” 

Blue chips got a slight bump up. But an earnings warning by Whirlpool and weaker-than-expected November retail sales caused the Dow Jones industrials to retreat from an early 120-point advance. 

The market had an early surge in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision late Tuesday that apparently gave the presidency to Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Wall Street.  

But analysts said investors’ chief concern is still that the economy is slowing at a faster than desirable pace and that earnings will suffer.  

That worry eased but wasn’t erased when late last week Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan indicated the Fed might be inclined to lower interest rates early next year. 

The attention to earnings pushed the election’s resolution into the background Wednesday. 

“The question is: Will it be in time to avert a dramatic slowdown in the economy that will revert to a hard land here in the United States and overseas?” said White, the analyst for Avatar. 

Some say the market is ready to rally on good news from the Fed, which is expected to say that inflation poses less of a risk to the economy when it meets Tuesday.  

Such an announcement could be a precursor to the Fed lowering interest rates in the new year. 

“We have found the bottom,” said Chris Dickerson, market analyst for Global Market Strategists in Gainesville, Ga.  

“We’re still going to get the ’ho, ho, ho’ rally at the end of the year. Any pullbacks now are corrections in a market that is going to go higher ... The weakness should be temporary because the Fed is on the side of the market.” 

Retailing and auto stocks were mixed after the Commerce Department reported retail sales fell by a surprising 0.4 percent in November. Last month’s performance, the weakest since April, was led by the biggest drop in auto sales in more than two years. 

General Motors rose $1.44 to $53.19, but Wal-Mart fell $1.56 to $50.31. 

Whirlpool tumbled $2.75 to $41.44 after saying Wednesday fourth-quarter profits would be well below expectations. The company also announced a restructuring plan that includes job cuts around the world. 

Compaq lost $2.67, finishing at $18.10. The computer maker was the latest big tech company to warn that slumping sales will result in disappointing fourth-quarter earnings. 

Compaq’s warning hurt other computer makers and software companies. Dell Computer gave up $1.27, closing at $20.44, and Microsoft fell $1.13 to $57.25. 

Claire’s Stores slid $2.56 to $16.75 after announcing fourth-quarter earnings will fall short of expectations. Likewise, General Semiconductor fell $1.63 to $8.75. 

Papa John’s International skidded $4.94 to $21.88. The pizza chain said late Tuesday fourth-quarter profits will be weak and that next year’s results could miss analysts’ expectations by as much as 20 percent. 

Wall Street might have chosen to concentrate on earnings because it isn’t convinced the election impasse has ended, reasoned one analyst. 

“Until this election is resolved by means of a concession speech, seeing is believing, and Wall Street is still somewhat uninspired,” said Alan Ackerman, executive vice president of Fahnestock & Co. 

Still, certain sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and tobacco, made big advances based on the view that their businesses will fare better under Bush. 

Drug maker Pfizer gained $1.81, trading at $45.81, and food and tobacco maker Philip Morris rose $2.50 to $40.81. 

The Russell 2000 index was down 7.85 at 469.91. 

Declining issues led advancers by 7 to 5 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume totaled 1.42 billion shares, well ahead of 1.36 billion on Tuesday. 

Overseas markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 0.4 percent, and Britain’s FT-SE 100 gained 0.2 percent. But Germany’s DAX index fell 1.7 percent, and France’s CAC-40 lost 1.4 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

NEW YORK — It should come as no surprise in this era of instant Internet millionaires that there are a lot of teen-age investors out there hoping to build a college fund, a retirement fund and then some. 

Jay Liebowitz, 18, is one of those Wall Street wizards. He got his start in the stock market at age 13 after he created and then sold a computer software program. 

His first investment was a loser, but it taught him valuable lessons: do enough research and understand the risk. 

Liebowitz now is sharing his wisdom with others. He has written “Wall Street Wizard: Sound Ideas From a Savvy Teen Investor” (Simon & Schuster, $16) and he distributes a free e-mail newsletter via his Web site, streetwhiz.com. 

“There’s not a lot of data, but I know there’s a huge number of people under 18 investing,” says Liebowitz. 

Once the piggy bank hits $500, it’s time to consider financial options other than the traditional savings bank, says Liebowitz, who is now a student at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. If you have less than $500, the transaction fees are too expensive for the investment to be worthwhile, he explains. 

The money does not have to come from a mega-cyberspace deal. If a teenager socks away his allowance or paychecks from a part-time job, the balance builds up over time. 

A good initial investment is an index fund, advises Liebowitz. It’s the benchmark used by professional mutual fund managers. In teen-age terms, an index fund is the equivalent of the curve of an exam. (“It’s like investing in the smart kids you know are going to do well,” Liebowitz says.) 

An index fund doesn’t have the return potential of a high-flying individual stock, but it also doesn’t have a high level of risk, he says. 

“The goal of investing early isn’t to make a lot of money. But just putting it in the bank is teaching a bad habit,” Liebowitz explains in a recent telephone interview. 

Investing is also the best way to learn about business, he says. 

Liebowitz is on the career path toward big business. While he had visions at one time of becoming a surgeon – that was after his police officer-firefighter stage – he now plans to get a bachelor of science degree in economics. 

In his book, Liebowitz describes his excitement when he first visited “the street” – and how he could identify all the buildings and even all the stock ticker symbols. He also explains all things Wall Street in understandable terms, including explaining what “stock” really is and listing the pros and cons of investing in a market powerhouse like Cisco Systems. 

Teen-agers have some great opportunities to join the investment community, he says, especially with many colleges offering free Internet access, which means the students can use online brokers, who typically charge lower fees than traditional brokers. 

On the Net: http://www.streetwhiz.com/

Come Friday, school’s out. For two weeks, instead of memorizing the names of dinosaurs and the life-cycle of a butterfly, students will be set free. But not parents who may be hard-pressed to find child care. 

Many who count on a combination of school and childcare to free up their hours for work will be depending on full-day day care or relatives.  

There is no set legal age under which kids are required to be supervised by an adult, according to Elsie Rutland, child welfare supervisor with Alameda County Child and Family Services.  

Rutland said children between the ages of five and 10 can be left alone for a very short time – with phone numbers and emergency procedures – but not for over an hour.  

For children over 10, she said, whether they can be alone for any period of time depends on their maturation, and their ability to reach a responsible adult in the case of an emergency. That leaves parents during winter break seeking supervision for their kids. 

The YMCA of Albany sponsors a Kid’s Club for Berkeley and Albany children. But the first week, Dec. 18-22, is already full with a 10-person waiting list.  

“Parents ask me, ‘When will I know?’ But I won’t know until somebody cancels,” said Sharon Taylor, membership director of the Albany YMCA. 

The YMCA program costs $30 per day, inexpensive considering that baby-sitters are advertising their holiday services for $11 to $15 dollars per hour on Craig’s List, a community Web Site. 

But even the YMCA’s nonprofit fee may be too pricey for many working parents. “Child care is very expensive. It’s hard when you’re poor.” said Sheila Burton-Bran, who was picking up her daughter Missy from Rosa Parks elementary school. “There’s very few low-income childcare providers that will do sliding scale. They’re in it for the bucks. It dampens my enthusiasm for leaving my children there.” 

The city’s recreation department offers sliding scale child care: “Winter Break Special Fun Camps” held at Frances Albrier, James Kenney, Live Oak, and Willard Club House centers. During traditional school hours, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., recreation coordinators will lead kids in arts and crafts, non-competitive sports, and local mini-trips.  

“We throw in some cultural awareness during our programming,” including activities around Hanukkah, Kwaanza, and Christmas, said Theodore Scates, recreation activity coordinator. The city’s recreation department also offers extended hours on each end of the core program, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The full-day program charges anywhere from $35 to $100 per week. 

Other traditional after-school programs are paring down for the holiday season. According to Ginsi Bryant, the Berkeley Young Adult project runs after school homework centers for Berkeley students. During the winter break, however, the program ends in the early afternoon. 

Despite the scarce childcare resources, Rutland said that the winter months may be easier for parents than the long summer holiday. “Around the summertime, working two-parent families have problems around child care,” she said. The holiday season may take care of some of the problem by itself. 

“I think a lot of people are taking off (work),” she said.  

The Early Childhood Development Program is open during the next two weeks, and even it closes for part of the weeks.  

“Usually the enrollment decreases during the holidays. I think our parents tend to keep their children home,” said John Santoro, who directs the program. He added that the state-funded program has specific requirements for the school year – parents must be working, going to school, incapacitated or disabled.  

“A lot of our parents may be going to school,” said Santoro, so they may also have the holiday off.  

Rutland also said that the holidays bring out help from all quarters. “There are often a lot of holiday events being planned by organizations like the church, and extended family members come in as a big provider for kids during this holiday season.” 

The extended family element can be the most important. 

“I work in a restaurant and my wife works in a restaurant, so their grandmother or their aunt takes care of them when they’re off school,” said Eriberto Alva Jr. as he loaded his daughter Gabriela into the car. “We try to work with the whole family. When they need us, we help them. When we need them, they help us.” 

Keith Seraphin usually takes care of his son, Raymond, by himself. When he can’t, Raymond stays with family. “It’s the cheapest,” said Seraphin. “Sometimes the best, sometimes the worst, but always the cheapest.” 

Parents are also looking forward to the vacation to spend time with their children. Burton-Bran is planning to take Missy to see the Nutcracker. Of course, other parents are simply getting more of the same.  

“I am daddy day care. I am one of the lucky ones, my wife said, ‘Stay at home while I work’,” said Eric Cragin, smiling. “Knowing what I know now, I think she got the easy end of it.” 

For information on the city’s recreation programs call 644-6530 and for the YMCA Kids’ Club 525-1130. 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

KPFA Local Advisory Board 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

New KPFA board will discuss democratization of KPFA and firing of New York station manager. 

WAVE Middle Ages 

7:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel 

First Congregational Church 

Dana & Durant  

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble perform Christmas music of the middle ages and renaissance.  

$10 donation 

Call 642-1481 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission  

7 - 10 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby) 

Report council action on religious holidays. Also discussion of the allocation planning process.  

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Discussion of proposed amendments to the Draft General Plan.  

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies. 642-1474 

Models for the Millennium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs coordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture.  

She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Former Foster Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Jazz Standards 

9 - 10:30 p.m. 

Genki Restaurant  

1610 San Pablo Ave. (at Cedar) 

Vocalist Dale Zola and pianist Federico Cervantes perform.  

Call 655-1425 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Report and action regarding possible violations of the Berkeley Election Reform Act with respect to the first and second pre-election statements filed Oct. 5 and Oct. 26 and late contribution reports.  

Call 644-6380 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic  

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

A discussion of CHC priorities. 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Hearing on the request by James Samuels on behalf of Congregation Beth El to construct a two-story, approximately 35,000 square foot religious assembly use that will include a 7,500 square-foot nursery school and afternoon religious school with 35 uncovered parking spaces.  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“How to Buy a Computer” 

9 - 10 a.m.  

Bruno Consulting Services 

1700 Solano Ave., Suite A 

Learn what you need to know before going shopping. What do all those weird words mean? Learn laptop vs. desktop, PC vs. Mac, software vs. hardware considerations, technical support, printers and cost.  

Call 526-5666 

Bella Musica  

8 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Pray for Peltier 

Noon - 3 p.m. 

Peoples Park  

Between Dwight & Haste above Telegraph 

Join with the Peltier Action Coalition and the Plight of the Redwoods Campaign in a prayer circle for a presidential pardon for Leonard Peltier and in honor of protectors and warriors for mother earth. You are asked to bring blankets for the homeless and potluck food and drink.  

Call 464-4534 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Bella Musica  

4 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Get Flabbergasted  

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Zun Zun, a husband and wife duo will perform musical theater for children and families. They play over thirty instruments and are sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Free  

Call 649-3943 

Hansel and Gretel  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Oakland’s Opera Piccola will perform their version of “Hansel and Gretel.” Opera Piccola is a multiracial troupe of actors, singers, and dancers who pull unsuspecting audience members up to perform along with them. Geared for preschoolers.  

Call 649-3943 

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Family Sing-Along 

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Gerry Tenney, musician, teacher, and performer, the man behind the saga of King Kong playing ping-pong with Godzilla returns to the Berkeley Public Library.  

Call 649-3943 

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Holiday Celebration 

Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Includes a holiday meal and an opera, “Kiri’s Coventry Xmas.”  

Call 644-6107 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

7 p.m. 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

tickets: $15 - $20, available at the door  

Call 848-3938 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Alice Meyers 

Call 644-6107 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tai Chi Chuan for Seniors 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Mr. Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Imani In the Village 

2 p.m. 

Claremont Library 

2940 Benvenue  

Percussionist James Henry presents a drumming and dance program for all ages. Audience participation invited.  

Call 649-3943 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Kwanzaa Celebration 

4 p.m. 

South Branch Library  

1901 Russell St.  

Muriel Johnson of Abiyomi Storytelling is the featured storyteller at the library’s annual celebration which also includes a formal Kwanzaa ceremony.  

Call 649-3943 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tuesday, Jan. 2 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

Green Party Consensus Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

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 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

644-8511 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesday and Thursday 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Rights guarantees don’t come from the Constitution 

Editor: 

Common knowledge assures us that approximately twenty-five years ago the Supreme Court of the United States was carefully combing through its copy of the Constitution and discovered therein a “right to privacy.”  

Under this right was discovered, or assumed to be, all sorts of other rights such as a woman’s right to consult with her physician about medical procedures and a woman’s right to abortion. These, therefore, would seem to be a woman’s reproductive rights.  

It seems highly improbable, however, that our founding fathers carefully inserted our individual human liberties in the main body of the Constitution, to be discovered by a Supreme Court some two-hundred years later.  

In any case, the Constitution is a vehicle for conveying power and authority from the federal government to various state governments. It was because there were no rights expressed in the Constitution that it was deemed necessary to compose the Bill of Rights. The American people, therefore, do not have “constitutional” rights.  

What the human race has, therefore, is inherent “natural rights” as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. It is, in fact, obvious that human beings cannot derive their rights from a charter such as the Constitution. They must, in fact, derive their rights and the authority for those rights from an authority that is above and beyond human law.  

The human race, therefore, derives its inalienable natural rights from the “natural” law. These rights are inherent in our natural being, very much like our internal organs are an inherent part of our body.  

Do women, therefore, have a right to an abortion? As the popular media assures us they do? Or, do women have a right to choose? It is not any gender, race or class that have these rights; it is the entire human race, in common, that possesses these rights.  

As we examine our rights, we can see that none of these rights is right to a specific action such as the right to an abortion would seem to be. But, all our rights are rights to abstractions. Why is this? This is because a right to s specific action would be an absolute, unrestricted right to perform to action under whatever circumstances.  

What we have, therefore, is not the freedom to choose an abortion, but free will. The freedom to choose amid an array of choices comes down to which choice is right and beneficial to society and which choice is wrong and detrimental to society and deprives our fellow humans of their rights.  

Frederick A. Arend 

Oakland 

Expand Aquatic Park 

The Daily Planet received this letter written to the City Council: 

It is my pleasure to communicate to you the will of the membership of Berkeley Partners for Parks regarding the soon to be vacant “American Soils” property. 

Berkeley Partners for Parks requests that the City Council seek funds to secure the property soon to be vacated by American Soils as public park land to be incorporated into Aquatic Park. 

This property would make a valuable addition to Aquatic Park, having room for a playing field, basketball courts and other amenities as determined by a public process. It is one of the last sites available in the entire city where a playing field could be added. Many of you have personally stated that Berkeley is still short of playing fields and you are committed to building additional playing fields - this may be one of the city's last chances. The neighborhood adjacent to Aquatic Park is under-served recreationally, having no basketball, tennis, or playing fields except those at Columbus School, which is often closed to the public. 

Aquatic Park could be made more accessible to the adjacent neighborhood, and could be a destination park for all age ranges within Berkeley, with the widest and most exciting range of open space and recreational opportunities of any city park.  

As you, the City Council, commit in the upcoming General Plan to increase our city's population, you must also commit to serve our expanding population's open space and recreational needs.  

The time is now for the city to secure this soon to be vacant property as open space for Berkeley. Thank you for your kind attention. 

Zasa Swanson 

President, Berkeley Partners for Parks

The family hearth, a traditional winter gathering place for warmth and good cheer, has been deemed a public health threat and the City Council will soon consider measures to curtail its use. 

The Community Environmental Advisory Committee approved a resolution on Thursday recommending the City Council adopt wood smoke control polices including recognizing wood smoke as a health hazard, banning open fireplaces in new home construction and urging residents to replace fireplaces with gas logs or EPA-approved, enclosed fireplaces.  

The commission approved the motion by a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Pratap Chatterjee and Dan Luten voting in opposition and Commissioners Nicholas Morgan and Raquel Pinderhughes absent. 

The commission also recommended the City Council fund a thorough air study to determine exactly what percentage of airborne health risks are posed by wood smoke compared to other air pollutants such auto emissions. 

The CEAC recommendation may mean that Berkeley will be joining other cities such as San Jose, Los Gatos and Petaluma, which have enacted ordinances designed to cut back the use of wood-burning fireplaces. 

Commissioner Elmer Grossman said the commission received hundreds of letters, e-mails and phone calls from the public about possible wood-smoke restrictions. 

“It was a very difficult task for the commission. It took over a year and there was a great deal of public interest both for and against restrictions,” Grossman said . 

The commission sited several studies to support their decision including a study by the Bay Area Air Quality District which showed during times of heavy fireplace use, wood smoke is responsible for 20 to 50 percent of all air-polluting particulate matter. And a medical study in Santa Clara County conducted from 1989 to 1992, which showed heavy fireplace use on cold nights caused emergency-room visits for asthma conditions to soar by 50 percent.  

The commission also heard from Berkeley residents who said they have respiratory conditions that are aggravated during the winter when their neighbors frequently use their fireplaces. 

Berkeley Hills resident, Dr. Davida Coady, said she suffers from sinusitis and her partner has asthma and during the cold months their lives are miserable. 

“The air quality is good here during the summer and terrible during the winter unless the air currents don’t carry the smoke over the hill,” she said. “I’m for any measure that will limit wood smoke.” 

Grossman said the commission rejected tougher measures such as requiring homeowners to remove or modify fireplaces when their homes were sold or extensively remodeled. The cost estimates to alter fireplaces ranged from $500 to $2,500. 

The Berkeley Association of Realtors strongly opposed any ordinance requiring homeowners to alter their homes. According to a letter submitted by BAR member Donald Clark, forcing alterations would increase home prices and such an ordinance would take too long to have an appreciable effect because of the slow turnover of residential property in Berkeley. 

Chatterjee said he voted against the motion because it was not broad enough. He said auto emissions and industrial air pollution also need to be addressed. 

According to Chatterjee the BAAQD strongly promoted wood smoke restrictions, even sending a representative to every meeting in which the commission was considering the issue. He said, however, the aggressive promotion was covering for lack of action the BAAQD has taken against increased automobile use in the Bay Area. 

“It’s easier to pick on homeowners than auto owners or large industry,” he said.  

While hospital workers gear up for their Thursday walk-out – the fourth since the spring – the Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center administration staffs up to replace the hundreds of employees expected to go on strike.  

At the heart of the months-long contract dispute is a push by Service Employees International Union 250 workers, including vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, dietary personnel and maintenance staff, to have a say in patient care, which is directly related to the level of staffing. 

The workers want to have “a real voice in determining how care is provided,” said SEIU 250 President Sal Rosselli. “These decisions used to be made by physicians. Now they’re made by accountants.” 

Alta Bates spokesperson Carolyn Kemp argues that is not so. Patient care decisions are made by physicians and nurses, she said. Staffing “depends on patient needs.”  

Further, Kemp said the offer now on the negotiating table gives workers a greater voice in decision making. 

Rosselli countered that the offer is insufficient. The workers want a guarantee that when the hospital administration and employees do not agree on staffing levels, a neutral third party will arbitrate. Kaiser Permanente and Alemeda County Medical Center, among others, have incorporated this demand into their contracts, he said. 

Kemp argues, however, that there is no proof that an outside arbitrator would be effective. 

The hospital has hired staff to replace the absentees and there should be no interruption of service, Kemp said. However, the one-day strike is coming at a bad time. 

“It’s the beginning of the flu season and the census is at its highest,” she said. “I don’t see how (the work stoppage) helps the patients.” 

The one-day strike is to bring community and media attention to the workers’ demands, Rosselli said. 

She said the union is adding a new twist Thursday, with a march at 2 p.m. from the UC Berkeley campus down Telegraph Avenue to Alta Bates Hospital just east of Telegraph at Ashby Avenue, with a rally at Sproul Plaza on the campus preceding the march. 

SAN JOSE — City officials agreed Tuesday to contribute nearly $3 million of tobacco settlement money over the next three years to a new and unprecedented county plan aimed at providing health coverage for all uninsured children. 

The commitment was a key step for the Santa Clara County Children’s Health Initiative, which was approved last week and is expected to begin serving families in February. 

“This is a momentous moment in history,” said Susan Price-Jang, co-chair of People Acting in Community Together, a faith-based organization helping to organize the program.  

“Let us be an example to other communities across America.” 

The county health initiative, which is expected to cost $14 million a year, covers families up to three times the federal poverty level, meaning a Santa Clara County family of four that makes nearly $52,000 is eligible. 

The program is designed to let parents know what local, state and federal health insurance programs their children qualify for, and to make up for any coverage gaps left by those programs. 

More than half the 70,000 children without health insurance in the county are in San Jose, the third-largest city on the West Coast. 

Last spring, San Jose considered spending some of its $10 million annual tobacco settlement funds on a children’s health insurance program, but officials decided to take more time to study the issue. 

Mayor Ron Gonzales said Tuesday he was satisfied with an advisory committee’s suggestion that the city contribute to the county health initiative and use the rest of the settlement money for anti-tobacco programs, education initiatives and youth and senior services.  

The plan was unanimously approved by the City Council. 

In addition to the city’s contribution and $3 million a year from Santa Clara County, the health insurance program is getting $2 million from tobacco taxes and $1 million from a county health maintenance organization. 

The program is still $6.5 million short of the $14 million it needs, but organizers hope to make that up with donations. 

Under the 1998 tobacco settlement, California and 45 other states will split $206 billion over 25 years.  

Four other states settled separately for an additional $40 billion. 

On the Net: 

City: http://www.ci. 

san-jose.ca.us 

County: claraweb.co.santa-clara.ca.us

EMERYVILLE— Internet company Ask Jeeves Inc. on Tuesday said it will cut 25 percent of its workforce and take a fourth quarter charge of $10 million to $12 million for a restructuring that follows a recent earnings warning.  

Last week, Ask Jeeves said it expected a fourth quarter pro forma loss of $18 million, or 50 cents a share. Analysts had expected it to report a loss of 33 cents a share, according to investment research firm First Call/Thomson Financial. 

On Tuesday, the company said its staff cut, which amounts to about 180 full-time positions,will reduce costs by about $45 million in 2001.  

It said it expects to achieve profitability in the fourth quarter of 2001.

SACRAMENTO — Strains on the state’s power grid prompted more calls for energy conservation Tuesday, just hours after a Stage Two alert ended. 

Wholesale electricity prices, most of their cost-limits removed as the state hunted for new energy, continued to soar. 

On Monday, the cost of wholesale electricity reached more than $900, and by Wednesday it was expected to exceed more than $1,100. Last year at this time, the cost was about $45, or less. 

For most electricity, the price per megawatt hour last week was capped at $250. 

But the managers of the state’s power grid, the Independent System Operator, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to eliminate that cap to enable the state to get more energy supplies. 

FERC quickly agreed, and the cap was lifted. 

The California Power Exchange, a sort of wholesale energy market that coordinates the buying and selling of electricity, later asked FERC to remove any remaining sales subject to the $250 cap.  

The Exchange said traders were abandoning its trading floor to take advantage of the unlimited prices through ISO. 

“This will allow suppliers to protect themselves from being forced to supply energy that are below their costs,” the Power Exchange said in its petition to FERC, filed Monday. 

FERC said Tuesday it was considering the Exchange’s request. 

The federal commission, already conducting a investigation into California’s deregulated electricity system, is expected to issue its long-awaited plan to resolve the state’s power crisis on Friday. 

Throughout California on Tuesday, a Stage One alert remained in effect. A Stage One alert means power reserves are below 7 percent and all power users are asked to conserve.  

A Stage Two alert was lifted at midnight. 

Initial reports of warmer weather in the Northwest gave some hope that there would be more power to import to Northern California. 

“We are still fighting the same things, transmission constraints, cold weather.  

We are hearing it’s not quite as cold in the Northwest, so that could help out a lot,” said ISO spokesman Patrick Dorinson. 

The ISO watches the power grid for about 75 percent of the state. 

Last week, Stage Two emergencies were declared every day when power reserves fell below 5 percent.  

On Thursday, the ISO declared a Stage Three emergency, but fell short of mandating rolling blackouts. The energy forecast improved this week when some power plants came online. 

Power supplies were adequate in Southern California, but Northern California is less certain, Dorinson said. 

“We are working on ways to bring power in from the Northwest. We are only a very little bit better than we were this time last week,” he said.

With over 100 new vendors and live musical entertainment, the 17th annual Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair hits the street this weekend.  

The street will be transformed into a pedestrian mall, closed to traffic between Bancroft and Dwight ways for the fair, which runs Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 21-24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

Linda Hall, coordinator and promoter for the holiday fair, said it should be interesting fitting the over 300 vendors onto the avenue.  

Hall was in charge of recruiting the new vendors, some of whom are coming from outside California, and said she has been forced to turn away interested vendors away for the past month. 

Hall said vendors will be selling every type of hand-made craft imaginable including jewelry, bead work, gift-boxes, soaps, stained glass, pottery, drums, wind chimes and mobiles. 

“You name it. We’ve got it,” she said.  

All vendors are screened and licensed by the city to ensure that they make the products they sell and don’t buy them.  

Susan Rodriguez, marketing and promotions coordinator for the street fair, said even the homeless of Berkeley benefit. They are hired for security and clean-up work.  

Russell Chatman who, along with his wife Lee, has been selling women’s jewelry along Telegraph for the past 10 years said he looks forward to the fair every year because Berkeley is such a diverse community.  

“Everybody’s happy and they can walk right up the middle of Telegraph and not get hit.” he said.  

Chatman said as it gets closer to Christmas, he sees more and more vendors on Telegraph. Any other time of the year there would be perhaps 50 vendors on the street each day, but this week he said there have been 100 or more vendors there selling their wares. Chatman said his business quadruples during the holiday season. 

He said he wouldn’t be out on Telegraph on a Tuesday if it were not the holidays. 

Loraine McMurray, who sells high quality stones, necklaces and earrings on Telegraph, has taken part in all 17 of the Berkeley Holiday Street Fairs. McMurray said the fair is a nice place to get hand-made specialties that you can’t get anywhere else.  

The mood of the fair is “very positive, mellow, and fun,” she said, adding that it’s nice to have the street blocked off because it makes it like a festival.  

Rosamund Hansen has come to Berkeley from Twisp, Wash., to sell her scented products at the holiday fair for the past several years.  

“I have found the true spirit of Christmas is here,” she said, adding “Everybody likes to come to the Bay Area, it’s a special place. It’s nice to plug into a multi-cultural community, it inspires me.” Hansen said that over the years of participating in the holiday fair she has had many repeat customers. 

Former street artist Gianna Ranuzzi, who now works for the Telegraph Area Association, a nonprofit community development corporation, described the holiday fair as “a gathering of the tribes.” The TAA has sponsored a free shuttle service that will run between downtown Berkeley BART and Telegraph Avenue every 15 minutes between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 

The TAA has also worked with Mark Weinstein of Amoeba Music to coordinate live music for the fair. Musical entertainment will be provided on the weekend days of the fair between noon and 4 p.m. at the corner of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue and on the Sather Mall of the UC Berkeley campus.  

Performers include the Len Patterson Trio, the Dave Slusser Trio, Clifton Burton Quartet, and Rhythm Kitchen.

By John Geluardi 

Daily Planet Staff 

Paul Feinstein was frustrated – frustrated with 18 inches of raw sewage backing up in his basement during heavy rains and frustrated with not getting any results from the city when he complained.  

“Every time I called the Department of Public Works my calls were either not returned or I was told there’s no money to fix the problem,” said Feinstein, who lives in northwest Berkeley.  

Although he would still like to see the city doing more, Feinstein has decided property owners can pitch in to solve part of the problem. He has convinced Councilmember Linda Maio to ask fellow councilmembers to develop a public awareness campaign around the issue. 

One reason for the city’s overburdened sewer system is that there are “illegal” connections between private property storm drains and the city’s sewer system. These connections allow rain water to enter, causing city sewer lines to reach capacity sooner, which increases the likelihood of overflows.  

Feinstein said if homeowners understood the ecological and health risks of sewer backups, they would be inspired to make the estimated $1,500-$3,000 repairs.  

According to a council report authored by Maio, as of 1955 there were 1,400 multi-unit residential buildings, 800 single-family homes and 400 commercial businesses that had illegal storm-water connections with sewer lines. Those numbers are likely to have increased over the last 45 years, she said. 

Feinstein said he’s glad Maio’s agreed to put the item before the council. 

“Many people are unaware that there’s sewage backing up in homes that are below grade (street level),” said Feinstein. “All I’m suggesting is that we do something beside throwing up our hands and saying ‘there’s no money.’” 

According to city officials, the problem of sewage backup is the most acute in west Berkeley where all of the city’s sewer and storm drains flow. 

Alex Schnieder, director of Berkeley’s Environmental Health Division, said there are health concerns with raw sewage but residents can avoid most of them if they carefully clean backup areas with a mild bleach.  

Maio’s recommendation, if adopted, would ask the Public Works Commission to research the extent of the problem and then develop an education program instructing owners on how to check drainage systems on their properties. 

But Ted Edlin, president of the Council of Neighborhoods Association, said Maio’s recommendation only deals with part of the problem. 

Edlin said that in addition to private sewers which flow directly into the city’s storm drain system, there are many lines throughout the city that are simply broken, draining raw sewage into the ground and sometimes residential backyards. But unlike Feinstein, Edlin says the solution should not be left to the property owner. 

“This (council) item deals with everything but the city’s responsibility,” he said. 

The state has given Berkeley, along with many other cities in the East Bay, 20 years to update sewer systems that are broken or can no longer cope with increased flow, according to Will Bruhns, a senior engineer with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Control Board.  

Director of Public Works, Renee Cardinaux said the city has been steadily replacing the sewer system for the last several years but the department is limited by time and money. He said, at the current rate, the city will take 50 years to complete its sewers projects. 

“If we had twice the allocation of funds we’d be able to make the kind of progress we’d like to see,” he said. 

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Fact vs. Truth 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Philip Trounstine, communications director for Gov. Gray Davis speaks on “Skepticism vs. Cynicism and Other Notes from the Dark Side.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Berkeley High Concert Chorale 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

An evening of seasonal music. Free  

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

at MLK Jr. Way 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Models for the Millennium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs cordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West. Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

527-7377 

Former Foster  

Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health  

Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays  

Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon  

BTV-ch 25  

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at:  

www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over a hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

845-2612  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Monday, Dec. 18

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 21

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Dec. 22

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Saturday, Dec. 23

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Sunday, Dec. 24

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Free speech debate continues to rage 

Free speech must protect dissension 

Editor: 

I participated in the demonstration that resulted in Benjamin Netanyahu canceling his speeches in the Bay Area. I’m also an attorney who has often argued the First Amendment in defending the rights of political protesters. I don’t think my activities as a lawyer and a demonstrator are inconsistent and here’s why: 

First off, lets not talk about First Amendment rights. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” It restricts government not people. There are very sound reasons in the United States for not wanting government to limit the space for free expression. When it makes a law restricting speech that law affects us all and is enforced with all the power of the courts and the cops. The issue is different when people rise up to prevent some one they consider vile and bloody from speaking freely in their community. We set no legal precedent.  

Secondly, Netanyahu is not just some ordinary person wishing to be heard. He is the once and future prime minister of Israel, whose government has been responsible for brutal repression, and persistent violation of human rights. He is not without abundant – too abundant in my view – opportunity for conveying his views.  

Thirdly, we have to ask: Is free speech an ultimate value or does its value derive from its relation to other values such as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” Are these ultimate values better served by allowing Netanyahu to speak in Berkeley or preventing him from speaking; by tolerating him or, as I believe, by not tolerating him?  

Fourthly, it is sometimes argued that we have to permit unfettered freedom of expression because an open market place of ideas is a precondition of genuine democracy. But the free and open market of ideas, if it ever existed, has been affectively destroyed by the concentration of power in giant media conglomerates. Those conglomerates exercise an overwhelming monopoly of the means of expression and communication, from which oppositional voices, and particularly the voice of the Palestinians are well nigh completely excluded.  

Fifth, and finally, in the absence of an open market place for ideas, we have learned that it is only by disruption and misbehavior that we succeed in being heard. We are told to obey the rules, but when we do, we are ignored. Free speech, if it has any value at all, must protect the dissenting voices of the powerless and oppressed. If those voices can be heard only by interrupting a conversation from which they are excluded, then, I for one, want to be counted on the side of the disrupters. 

Osha Neumann  

Berkeley 

Bigots shouldn’t say whom we hear 

Editor: 

The day that Barbara Lubin and her bigoted crowd are allowed to dictate who we in Berkeley can or cannot hear is the day when all of us should move to Israel, where free speech is allowed and protected. 

This gang is no better than a left wing version of the Ayatollah. 

Joan Ominsky 

Berkeley 

There’s two sides to free speech 

Editor: 

Free speech requires a platform for both sides. It requires debate. When Jeane Kirkpatrick, a highly controversial speaker, was presented at UC without any provision for questions, demonstrators demanded to be heard. They woke up the administration. For a brief period thereafter, UC made provision to face controversial speakers with substantial questioning, challenges, or respondent panels. This is taking free speech seriously. 

The citizens who came to Netanyahu’s talk came to make sure more than one opinion would be expressed. An organizer has to recognize when there is controversy and when more than one side has to be heard. Bruce Vogel should do better planning next time. If Netanyahu is invited, there should be lots of time for challenge and debate, and Vogel should create balance with a respected speaker for the Palestinians. Berkeley is a good location for developing a series of lively debates. 

Susan Tripp 

Berkeley  

Protesters ought to educate 

Editor: 

It was heartening to read the statement in your 12/7 issue written by veterans of the Free Speech Movement. It confirmed my gut reaction to the tactics used by the protesters to silence Netanyahu. Those of us who want to voice our criticism of Israel’s actions need to do it in a manner that will educate others and bring about an increase in our numbers. The behavior exhibited at the protest was not the way to do it. Besides the issue of free speech, I believe that shutting down the lecture was counter productive. It’s the sort of frenzied action that feeds the opposition, hardens its position, wins converts to its cause and escalates the violence on both sides. For those people who are concerned about the Middle East and are seeking a constructive way of bringing about change, I would recommend making contact with Americans for Peace Now, an offshoot of the Israeli peace movement, Peace Now (Shalom Achshav); their Web site is www.peacenow.org. 

Julie Reznick,  

Berkeley 

Editor: 

I suggest someone invite the historian David Irving of London to the Berkeley Community Theater to talk. He seems to invoke the same strength of feeling as Netanyahu but he’s on the other side of the fence. Lets then see how the free speech commmunity, the ADL, and the various local groups react.  

Wray Buntine 

Berkeley 

speech commmunity, the ADL, and the various local groups react.  

Wray Buntine 

Berkeley 

Editor:  

In my view, the Netanyahu in Berkeley incident had very little to do with free speech and much more to do with karma, the most powerful force on earth; more powerful than the all the guns used to protect “free speech.” We are all ultimately responsible for the words we speak and the consequences that may result.  

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley 

Berkeley’s talented 10-year-old Shotgun Players theater group, which grew out of repeated performances at LaVal’s Subterranean to play other venues in Berkeley and San Francisco, has now developed a new producing arm of its organization called Black Box Productions. 

The purpose of Black Box Productions is to develop new plays from the beginning, and try things that are experimental, rather the “kitchen sink realism,” that’s been the staple of Shotgun's previous productions, said Shotgun artistic director Patrick Dooley, 

Black Box is currently running its first show at LaVal’s Subterranean, an original piece called “7th Veil,” conceived and directed by Shotgun alum Gina Pulice, and created by an ensemble cast of six performers. 

“7th Veil” is a retelling of the Salome story, with a nod to Oscar Wilde (who wrote a play about Salome), the Bible, and other sources.  

Salome was the woman who danced for her step-father King Herod, and in exchange he granted her any wish – which was to have the head of John the Baptist brought to her on a plate. 

Running about 80 minutes with no intermission, and divided into seven segments, “7th Veil” is more a dance and movement piece than it is traditional theater. 

From her notes in the playbill, it seems that director Pulice is going for some kind of feminist reconsideration of temptress Salome – a good enough idea for a play, but one that in my view isn’t very well realized in this production. 

“7th Veil” contains six characters: Salome, her mother Herodias, her stepfather Herod, John the Baptist, a Roman soldier and a mythological goddess. At the top of the show, each character is assigned an animal, a color, and a characteristic. 

Pulice’s staging is an impressionistic one, with most of the story told in dance. There is some poetry recitation, and a few scenes with a little bit of dialogue.  

In all this, the play tries to understand the veils of identity surrounding Salome. 

The production has some strong choreographic moments, such as when Salome is caught under a cloth and held down struggling by the other performers. Or when a blob of stretched red fabric seems to give birth to a string of performers. 

The story in this frequently dialogueless play can sometimes be hard to follow. This problem is compounded by the fact that the actors switch parts all evening, so that everyone plays most of the characters at one time or another. 

A single character being played by several actors is an interesting exercise for actors in a scene study practice, and from doing that a lot can be learned by actors about a play or about their acting craft, but for an audience it is confusing and distracting.  

In this case, it interferes with the audience gathering information about a character as the show progresses. Using different actors to portray the same character also adds to the confusion. 

In addition, the play’s dialogue tends to be modern day personal growth vocabulary dropped into a Biblical story, but with little or no light derived from that exercise. In the final analysis, there was no real illumination for me about Salome’s sexy dance and why she chose to do it. 

Structurally, the beginnings and ends of the play’s seven segments are not clearly demarcated. It all runs together. 

Different colored veils are hung on the wall of the stage, and the actors don them when they play different characters, but the veils’ colors aren’t distinctive enough to help in defining character. In addition, the color values of the veils change under some of the colored stage lighting. 

This is a script that cries out for a dramaturg to help sort out its thinking and its goals. 

Actors Jason Arquin, Vince Camillo, Ali Dadgar, Tori Hinkle, Allyson Kulavis, and Amy Sass are certainly game in their performances, and they have some strong moments with their physical movement theater. 

Their dancing and occasional singing are accompanied by on keyboards, percussion and guitar by musicians Aaron Krasner and Rob Gwin. 

“7th Veil” feels like a legitimate exercise for exploration of craft among actors and a director, but it hasn’t yet made the jump to being an audience piece. 

Black Box plans another three or four shows in the upcoming year. They are looking for original scripts that employ music and dance.

This year Berkeley High School teachers and administrators decided to approach issues of violence and conflict from a new direction.  

In addition to a new surveillance system, they have instituted a conflict resolution program to prevent problems before they can even begin. 

“We’re bucking the unfortunate trend of the larger society to handle conflict after the fact and be reactive, which our skyrocketing prison population is evidence of,” said social living teacher John Fike, who co-coordinates the Berkeley High School Peer Mediation program with newly hired counselor Susan Werd. 

The Conflict Mediation Center is filled with bright blue and sunny yellow couches, some of which Fike found on the street. On Wednesdays peer mediators, usually about 16, learn the steps of conflict mediation. When teachers hear about a conflict, they will refer the students to the mediators, who will call them out of class to come to the peer mediation center. 

The students follow a several-step process to help students describe their emotions and try to reach an accord. Tami Graham is a case manager at Berkeley Dispute Resolution Services, a 13-year-old nonprofit promoting mediation.  

“People, teens, adults, whatever, just want to feel like they’ve been heard,” she said. “If they feel like they’ve been heard by the other person, even if the other person doesn’t agree, then they’re much more willing to move to resolution.” 

Graham said the major issues between teens are “jealousy between friends and gossip gone out of control.” Student mediators concurred that most of the conflicts they encountered were of the “he said, she said” variety.  

“High school disputes tend to be caused by a lack of communication. They tend to be something where a third party sparks a conflict,” said junior Tova Perrin, president of the peer mediation group. 

Mediators don’t break up fights or deal with any kind of physical violence. “It’s not part of our job description,” said Tova.  

Gennel Wade, a senior at Berkeley High and first time mediator, said that the process helps end spats that could have escalated into violence. “I haven’t seen anyone I know who has had a conflict resolution that has fought that person later,” she said.  

Barry Wiggan, head of security services for Berkeley High School declined to say how many student fights have resulted in disciplinary action this year, but he finds conflict resolution to be, on the whole, quite effective. “Fights are sometimes like the WWF(World Wrestling Federation). Its never over. Conflict mediation provides some resolution,” he said. 

One addition to the program this year is mediation between teachers and students. In the case of an ongoing class conflict, the teacher and student will meet with a team made up of a teacher mediator and a student mediator.  

“We did a mediation recently where a teacher and a student both felt disrespected,” said Werd. “What we’re trying to do is get people to talk more. A lot of the issues are discipline issues, but because every student is different some things can be worked out at mediation.” 

The wipe erase board in the Conflict Mediation Center is covered in scrawls with memos of upcoming workshops and presentations. In order to publicize the program students act out skits representing conflicts, describing their skills to students and staff.  

The publicity seems to be working. In the first semester, the mediators have received 30 referrals. And six of those came just last week. Unfortunately not every dispute that gets referred ends up with its time in the court of peer mediators. Werd said that the school schedule was not designed to accommodate the organization required for conflict mediation sessions. 

“In a community you have a center, you can schedule an appointment. Here you have to pull people out of classes.” Many times, she said, one of the people in the conflict or a mediator may be absent, or unable to leave class. 

But Werd considers these minor glitches for the first year of a major program. Although Fikes has been leading a group of peer mediators at Berkeley High School for three years, the earlier program was much less formal. A statewide bill allocating funding to schools for violence prevention made money available to the program for the first time this year.  

Alex Palou, principal at Berkeley Alternative High School, helped create the proposal to disburse funds in the Berkeley Unified School District. “Basically it was looking at what is existing in the district right now and how we can we help support the grassroots efforts; the seed has already been planted and they just needed to be institutionalized.”

The superintendent’s not going to “cut and run,” if he decides to take the job offered him heading up the Nevada state school system. 

“He’ll make himself available to help out in the transition,” School Board President Terry Doran said Monday. 

If the superintendent decides to leave – Nevada schools has given him several days to make his decision – the school board will take the steps necessary to fill the position, starting with a closed-door board “personnel” meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday At that time, the board will be talking formally to the superintendent about his plans and, at the same time, telling him they’d like him to stay, Doran said. 

McLaughlin turned down an offer by the school district in Salem, Ore. and was a runner-up for San Francisco’s top post in May.  

He may still not be able to give a definitive answer on Wednesday, since there may be contract negotiations between him and the Nevada schools, Doran said.  

But nevertheless the board will forge ahead on the first lap of the selection process – putting into place an interim superintendent. 

“We may select someone from within as interim superintendent, someone we’ve worked with before.”  

Asked if that includes Cliff Wong, retired school administrator who stepped in as interim superintendent before McLaughlin’s appointment, Doran responded: “His name may come up.” 

The board may hire a firm to do a statewide or nationwide search, said School Board member Shirley Issel and it will be charged with setting up a process to get public input into the selection. “It is the school board’s responsibility to hire the superintendent,” she said. 

If the superintendent decides to go to Nevada, he’ll start Feb. 1, 2001, but would likely be spending some days in January there, Doran said.

At its meeting tonight the City Council will consider authorizing the city manager to contract with a hazardous waste disposal company for the cleanup and removal of hazardous spills that may occur in the future. 

The recommendation will allow the city manager to immediately execute toxic clean ups for up to $500,000 without having to have the funds approved by the City Council. 

Five companies submitted bids for the contract and Consolidated Waste Management was selected as the lowest responsible bidder. If Consolidated is unable to perform cleanup tasks, the city manager has the authority to contract with two other companies, Sturgeon and Sons and Ecology Control. 

Aquatic add-on 

Mayor Shirley Dean has recommended the council adopt a measure asking the city manager look into purchasing land next to the Aquatic Park that will soon be vacated. 

The land is currently being used by American Soils. Zasa Swanson, president of Berkeley Partners for Parks wrote a letter to the mayor and City Council, that stated, “It is one of the last sites available in the entire city where a playing field could be added.” 

According to the letter there is enough acreage for a playing field, a basketball court and other amenities. 

The city manager will investigate applying for funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Murray-Hayden Urban Youth Services Grant Program. Both options would require a percentage of matching funds. 

Police proclamation 

The mayor will ask the City Council to commend the actions of seven police officers during the fire at 1628 Josephine St. on May 23.  

The officers are credited with saving the lives of four people, including a toddler, who were trapped on the roof of the building engulfed in flames. Officers Dozier, Lindenau, Louis, Luna, Mercado, Pon and Wilson will be thanked by the City Council for their actions, professionalism and dedication to the police department. 

Harrison Field update 

The City Council will hear from the city manager’s office about the costs to date of cleaning up groundwater contaminated with chrome 6 that filled excavation pits during the construction of the skateboard park at Harrison Field. 

Chrome 6 is a known carcinogen that increases the risk of cancer if inhaled. It is also known to cause a variety of diseases if it is ingested through the stomach through drinking water or other means. 

City officials have said there is no threat of the plume reaching drinking water and claimed there is no danger so long as the contaminant is not ingested through the stomach or lungs. However, construction of the skate park was halted and there has been no word as to when it will begin again. 

The City Council has already approved $100,000 for the immediate de-watering of the nine-foot deep pits. 

The City Council Meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at 7 p.m. The meeting will be broadcast live on KPFB Radio 89.3 and Cable B-TV (channel 25). 

The power crunch in California eased slightly Monday after a nuclear power plant that was closed for repairs returned to service ahead of schedule, but officials declared a power alert by late afternoon and asked some commercial customers to cut back on their use. 

Another day of cool temperatures in the Northwest meant less electricity would be available when the state needed it most – the evening peak hours of 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., said Ed Riley, director of grid operations at the California Independent System Operator. 

“We’re expecting to import approximately 400 megawatts at the peak. We need that number to be about 3,500 megawatts,” Riley said. 

The ISO declared a Stage Two alert at 5 p.m., and asked some commercial “interruptible” customers to cut back on power use. Those customers pay lower rates in return for a loss of service when power reserves dip below 5 percent. 

Southern California had enough resources Monday, Riley said, but Northern California still faced shortages. 

“A lot of extra generation came online in the south over the weekend, but it doesn’t really help the north much” because the transmission lines are only capable of shipping limited amounts of power across the state, he said. 

The situation in Southern California eased due to the speedy repair of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo. The return of Diablo Canyon, which generates enough power to run about 2 million homes, will help grid officials during the next week of cool weather and continued scant supplies, said Jim Detmers, managing director of operations for the ISO. 

The power shortage also was helped by the closure of a major Northwest electricity customer, Kaiser Aluminum Corp. The company agreed to close its smelting plant in Mead, Wash., for 10 months and resold the electricity it had committed to purchase. 

The temporary shutdown of the Kaiser Aluminum smelter will free up  

190 megawatts of power for the Bonneville Power Administration, which paid  

$52 million to repurchase the  

December allotments. 

“The power we had been using was worth far more on the open market than it was in making aluminum,” said Scott Lamb, spokesman for Kaiser. “We also recognized that there is a need for this power and by selling it back, we are enabling that power to be available.” 

The price reflects what’s happening in the electricity market, Lamb said. Kaiser’s commitment of 190 megawatts per month for January through September of next year is also for sale, Lamb said. 

But the overall problem– demand that is consistently greater than supply –isn’t going away anytime soon, Detmers said. 

“It’s been some time since there has been significant generation construction,” Detmers said. 

There is also a “very large, looming financial problem that will have to be addressed,” Detmers said. “We’ve got a power flow problem, and we’ve got a cash flow problem. We are paying out an enormous amount.” 

The ISO usually pays about $5 million a day for power, but on Thursday, when power reserves dipped below 1 1/2 percent and grid officials nearly ordered rotating blackouts, the grid paid $81 million to keep the electrons flowing, officials said. 

The bill for that isn’t being passed on to customers yet because most of the major utilities — Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. — haven’t fully transitioned into the deregulated market and are still operating under rate caps. 

PG&E officials said Monday they’ve accrued a debt of $4.6 billion as of the end of November, due to soaring wholesale costs. With no way to pass that increase on to customers, the company’s credit rating could suffer, PG&E spokesman Greg Pruett said. 

“Our ability to continue to go out into the market and buy power at these extraordinary rates is because of the financial institutions that loan us money continue to see us as a good investment,” said Pruett. 

California in 1996 approved a phased-in deregulation of the electricity market. The goal was to obtain lower prices for consumers through competition on the open market. 

The law required the monopoly utilities, which had been regulated for decades, to sell off their generating assets. When that transition is completed — by March 2002 — they can operate without a rate freeze and buy open-market power. 

The first utility to complete deregulation was San Diego Gas and Electric Co., with 1.2 million customers. The utility, its rate cap removed, passed its wholesale costs onto its customers. Bills there doubled and tripled. 

PG&E and SoCal Edison still have a rate freeze. Both companies have sought permission — thus far, unsuccessfully — from state and federal authorities to lift the rate cap. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The California Independent System Operator Web site is www.caiso.com 

LOS ANGELES — A $100 million wrongful death claim was filed against the city Monday by the sister of an actor who was fatally shot in the back by a police officer while holding a fake gun at a Halloween party. 

The claim says the city, the Police Department and the two officers present at the shooting are responsible for the killing, although only Officer Tarriel Hopper fired his weapon. 

The claim accuses Hopper of gross negligence in the shooting of Anthony Dwain Lee, 39, on Oct. 28. 

If the claim is rejected by the city, the family can file a wrongful-death lawsuit. 

The document was filed by the actor’s sister, Tina Vogt, an employee of the Sacramento Police Department. 

“You cannot justify what took place in this case,” her attorney, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., said at a press conference. 

The killing occurred after the two police officers went to the party because of a noise complaint. 

According to police, Hopper looked through a rear window of the home and spotted Lee, who was holding a realistic-looking fake gun as part of his costume. 

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks has said that Hopper fired at Lee when the actor turned suddenly and pointed the fake gun at him. 

The coroner’s report concluded that Lee was struck from behind by four bullets. Two in the back caused his death as they tore through vital organs. Another shot hit him in the back of the head. 

Cochran said this contradicts the official police account of events, questioning how Lee could have been shot so many times in the back if he was facing the officer. 

Parks recently said a police investigation into the shooting is still several months from completion. 

Police spokesman Lt. Horace Frank declined to comment on specifics in the claim. 

“We would like to reiterate our position, that Officer Hopper’s actions were based on a perceived threat to his life,” Frank said. 

Sgt. John Pasquariello said Hopper returned to work at the West Los Angeles station after more than a month on leave for counseling. 

LOS ANGELES — The often-delayed case of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson took another unexpected turn Monday with announcement that the trial judge has been transferred and a three-month delay will be needed. 

The disclosure that Superior Court Judge James Ideman will be moving on and not taking the attempted-murder case with him appeared to take participants by surprise. 

Prosecutors and the defendant looked stunned when Superior Court Judge Cecil Mills, presiding over the case in the interim, made the announcement. 

“Judge Ideman has been transferred. The case will not be transferred with him,” Mills said. 

Superior Court spokesman Kyle Christopherson said in an interview that Ideman was being transferred from downtown to the branch in suburban Torrance, near his home. 

“He has wanted that assignment for 22 years and he has always made that request,” Christopherson said. “It (the transfer) has nothing to do with any pending cases.” 

Mills said it was likely that the new judge will be the current presiding criminal courts judge, Larry Paul Fidler, but that assignment was put on hold until next week. Mills said that Fidler is due to spend the first three months of the year sitting temporarily on an appeals court and would not be available to try the case until April.  

The trial had most recently been scheduled to begin Jan. 8. 

Prosecutors asked for time to oppose a further continuance of a trial which is now 25 years overdue and has been repeatedly delayed since Olson’s arrest in June 1999. 

Olson is charged with attempting to murder police officers in 1975 by placing bombs under squad cars in retaliation for a shootout that killed six SLA members on May 17, 1974. The bombs did not explode. Olson, then known as Kathleen Soliah, was indicted on Feb. 26, 1976. She was living as a doctor’s wife in Minnesota at the time of her arrest. 

Further complications arose at Monday’s hearing when the San Francisco lawyer assigned to be Olson’s attorney failed to show up. J. Tony Serra has now missed four hearings in the case and was on notice to appear Monday. Co-counsel Shawn Chapman said Serra is in the midst of a trial in San Francisco. 

Deputy District Attorney Michael Latin told the judge Serra’s absence was worrisome. 

“We have never seen or heard from Mr. Serra. He has intentionally failed to appear for the last several court appearances. His disappearance is troubling,” Latin said. 

Latin said he does believe defense assertions that the team is not ready to start trial. 

“But failure to prepare does not equate to good cause,” the prosecutor said. 

The judge did not immediately rule on a request by Chapman to have up to three additional defense attorneys appointed in the case at public expense to assist in preparing voluminous evidence. 

Mills said he would have to see proof that Olson, who attended the hearing, is indigent before making such appointments 

Olson’s husband is an emergency room doctor in St. Paul, Minn. But the couple has said they have exhausted all their resources on litigation since her arrest. 

Mills set a hearing for Dec. 18 to make a final ruling on the continuance, giving the prosecution time to file motions opposing it. He also asked for additional material on Olson’s financial situation. 

The judge said that motions filed by the news media to overturn Ideman’s orders to have an anonymous jury will be transferred to the new judge for decision. 

The trial has followed a rocky course since Olson’s original attorney bowed out because of personal problems and his replacement left due to illness. That was when Serra and Chapman stepped in. 

SAN JOSE — Palm Inc., hoping to retain its dominant position in the fast-growing market of handheld personal digital assistants, is promoting its wireless strategy and new applications in store for next year at its annual developers conference. 

The Santa Clara-based company and its operating system licensees, such as rival Handspring, command nearly 75 percent of the electronic organizer market, according to International Data Corp. And retailers say Palm and Palm OS devices are in high demand this holiday season. 

But competitors – most notably, Microsoft’s PocketPC – are moving in. 

“Palm will have to give a view of their future and that they’ll once again be trendy,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group. “They have a large number of suppliers and they’ll have to keep them from migrating to Microsoft.” 

In fact, the Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. will hold a separate invitation-only dinner Tuesday for developers who will be in Santa Clara attending this week’s three-day PalmSource 2000 conference. 

“Palm certainly has a lot of users, and there are applications that their users can’t live without. We’re interested in talking to those people who are building those applications,” said Ed Suwanjindar, product manager for the mobile devices division at Microsoft. 

According to IDC, Palm handhelds, and others using its operating system, are estimated to surpass 4.4 million units in 2000, carrying 74 percent of the worldwide market. The Windows CE operating system by Microsoft will reach 1 million units, or 18 percent of the market. 

IDC projects, however, that Palm’s operating system dominance will diminish to 51 percent by the end of 2004, while Microsoft’s operating platform will grow to 39 percent of the handheld market. 

Palm officials were not available Monday to comment. 

But Palm has made strides this year to stay competitive. It expanded its wireless Internet download options and announced plans to introduce wireless e-mail next year. At this week’s conference, Palm is expected to give a demonstration of its next generation of handhelds that will include Bluetooth’s short-range radio technology. 

Palm also plans next year to introduce color screen options – in an apparent effort to compete against Handspring’s color cases and screens. It will show off its soon-to-be released Palm Vx Claudia Schiffer Edition, which sports a blue brushed-metal case instead of the silver ones now offered. 

Palm early next year also will introduce expansion slot options, similar to those offered now by Handspring. 

And in a move some analysts say is crucial for Palm and its partners to keep up with its competitors, Motorola Inc. announced Monday that it will start incorporating ARM technology – a leading wireless architectural standard – in its chips for smart handheld devices next year. Motorola currently supplies the microprocessors used in Palm Pilots and Handspring Visors. 

The ARM architecture in the chips would allow the personal digital assistants to better handle more advanced and complicated features, such as wireless data and video. 

“They’re expanding their technology base because everything is going multimedia,” said Tim Scannell, an industry analyst with Mobile Insights. “It’s something they had to do. You need that robust microprocessor platform to handle that new wave of wireless applications.” 

On the Net: 

www.palmsource.com 

NEW YORK — The possibility of future interest rate cuts sent tech stocks surging Monday, lifting the Nasdaq composite index back above 3,000. 

Blue chips struggled to keep up in light trading as Wall Street awaited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could potentially end the month-old presidential deadlock. 

“It’s been a real up and down kind of day, subject to the whims of what people hear on TV” about the election, said Scott Bleier, chief investment strategist for Prime Charter Ltd. 

But, he said, “the fact is that the market’s entire tone has improved dramatically since the Fed ... basically told everybody that the slowdown we’re seeing is not going to be allowed to dive into a recession.” 

The Nasdaq closed up 97.67 at 3,015.10. The last time the index traded at or closed above 3,000 was Nov. 17; it has also risen more than 20 percent since dipping below 2,500 on Nov. 30. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 10.31 to 1,380.20. 

After weeks of shunning the tech sector as too risky, investors have resumed buying the stocks, many of which are now trading at less than half their 52-week highs. 

The gains didn’t extend to consumer staples, utility and other so-called defensive stocks, which moved higher in recent months as investors looked for relatively safer places to put their money. 

“Most people really have their eye on the Nasdaq today,” said Bleier, the Prime Charter strategist. “You are seeing profit-taking in stocks like Procter & Gamble, retailers and oil stocks.” 

— The Associated Press 

Earnings, while still on investors’ minds, weren’t having a big impact on the overall market. 

Clothing retailer Lands’ End rose $2.14 to $26.95 despite warning that its earnings for the full year will be flat. A similar prediction sent home improvement chain Lowe’s down in early trading, but the stock recovered, rising $1.94 to $41.81. 

Drug maker Pfizer rose 13 cents to $43.63 after the company told analysts it is comfortable with its earning projections for 2001. 

Financial issues were also strong, a reflection of optimism that lower interest rates will encourage companies to borrow and expand. Banker J.P. Morgan rose $9.50 to $156.75; American Express climbed $1.69 to $56.50. 

The advance was the second straight gain for Wall Street, which began rallying last week after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan indicated he was concerned about softening economic conditions. 

The upturn has been curbed somewhat by concerns the nation’s slowing economic growth would hurt earnings in the coming months. The unresolved presidential election also has contributed to Wall Street’s lack of conviction, but not enough, analysts say, to derail the optimism about interest rates. 

They point to Intel’s continued advance, despite a warning of a revenue shortfall last week, as proof the Nadaq has seen its darkest days — at least for the short term. 

“What we’re doing is following upon a rally we started last week, which was based on the idea that the Fed ... may eventually cut interest rates,” said Richard Dickson, a technical analyst at Scott & Stringfellow Inc. “You’re starting to see a rotation back into tech stocks and some profit-taking in consumer staples companies. The question is, how long does that last?” 

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 13 to 11 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.48 billion shares, compared with 1.65 billion at the same point Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index was up 8.16 at 487.23. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 2.2 percent. Germany’s DAX index was up 1.4 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 advanced 1.3 percent, and France’s CAC-40 gained 2.3 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

“We’re going to remodel our kitchen!” I said excitedly to my friend Gloria. 

“Good luck, sweetie,” she answered. “Get ready for six months ofÝ hell.” 

“It’s only a little kitchen,” I added. 

“Get ready for five and three-quarter months of hell,” she countered 

“No, it will be fine.” 

“It won’t be fine. It will be awful. Trust me. When we remodeled our kitchen, I had to wash dishes in our bathtub for six months. I went to Home Depot every 25 minutes. I had to practically sleep with a contractor, a painter and a plumber whom I hardly knew, but whom I eventually got to know far too well. Listen Suzy, remodeling is no picnic. Get ready for bankruptcy, depression and paranoia. If I were you, I’d reconsider it altogether.” 

“I can’t. I’ve already paid for one square foot of Corian countertop. We had to take out a loan.” 

“See what I mean?” she said, shaking her head. “Good luck.” 

But Gloria was wrong. So was Lisa, who told me she almost got divorced over her kitchen cabinets. My friend Lenny said he threatened to kill his plumber; Barbara went into therapy during her remodel; Carolyn joined the Peace Corps and left the country altogether; and after seven years and four contractors, Craig and Dominics’ house remains unfinished. 

Unlike anyone else I know, I enjoy remodeling. I love the sound of swinging hammers, singing saws and the soft swish of a wide paintbrush. I like picking out crown molding, faucet knobs, showerheads, and door hinges. And I especially love going to Home Depot.  

I can’t explain it. Never one to enjoy shopping or spending money, I’ve been running errands to Home Depot daily for five weeks.  

Sometimes I go twice a day. Once I made a record three trips before 2 p.m. But my personal best is visiting four different Home Depots, all within a 24-hour period.  

I’ve gone so often to our local Home Depot, I know the staff by name. I wave at the folks behind the Special Order counter: I say hey to the gals in the Returned Items section; I greet the Window Lady and the Countertop Guy as if they are old friends. I make nervous jokes with the women at the cash registers, as I write them enormous checks and hope they won’t bounce. Naturally, the dude who checks receipts at the Exit sign flags me though. Hell, I’m practically part of the staff. Sometimes I ask customers who look lost if I can help them. 

I’ve been thinking about applying for a job there. I’ve peered inside their secret lunchroom, overheard their cheerful conversations. I know who’s dating whom in plumbing and who wants to ask out someone in linoleum flooring. I’d like to punch a time card, walk around in an orange vest and warm ski pants with a tape measure hanging at my side. I’d direct people down the correct aisle to heating supplies or colored grout, cut a few wires, saw some wood, and shake up a couple cans of paint. I’d sit behind a desk in the kitchen department and say to hopeful remodelers, “Now this special order will take about six weeks, if you’re lucky. It will cost $4,000 and you must yank out your sink now.” When the customer whines, “But how will I do my dishes, make dinner, or entertain? How will I keep my children from starving, my husband from having an affair and myself from going insane?” I’ll shake my head knowingly, roll my eyes and say, “Do you want this order or not? Any indecision on your part will hold things up another three weeks. And who knows if the manufacturer is going to raise prices or change colors? There’s no guarantees in this business.” Then I’ll look at my watch, zip up my orange vest, close my catalogues firmly, smile and add, “Excuse me, it’s my lunch break. Gotta go.”  

Susan Parker is a north Oakland resident and author of “Tumbling After,” which will be published next year. She can be reached at sparker@slip.net

Berkeley Superintendent of Schools Jack McLaughlin has five days to decide if wants to accept an offer to take over Nevada’s top education post this weekend.  

But after turning down a superintendent position in Salem, Ore. and being edged out for San Francisco’s top school post last May, he seems to be interested in taking over an office that oversees 400,000 urban, suburban and rural students.  

“It appears to be a different kind of challenge. I’d say it’s very intriguing,” he said.  

Nevada officials announced the decision Saturday and McLaughlin, 59, said they will send him a written offer today. If he accepts, McLaughlin said the hardest part will be saying good-bye to the Berkeley Unified School District and its 9,500 students. 

“It will be very difficult to leave Berkeley because of the friends I’ve made. We don’t always agree on everything but it’s been real fun – real rewarding,” he said. 

One school board official hopes McLaughlin chooses to stay.  

“It’s not certain he’s going to leave. He has five days to decide and I hope he stays with us. He’s a great superintendent and he’s doing a great job,” said Ted Schultz, Berkeley Unified School District board of directors. “But if he does choose to move on, he’s given us six good years and I wish him good luck.” 

Schultz said the board has yet to decide on how to find a replacement. 

During his 37-year career, McLaughlin served as assistant superintendent in the South San Francisco School District, and was superintendent in Sunnyvale and Hemet before coming to Berkeley in 1994. In those years, he faced challenges such as implementing the Unz initiative – which halted bilingual education and navigating the charter school issue.  

That experience, McLaughlin said, gives him an advantage in Nevada, where those issues are still on the horizon. 

In Berkeley, McLaughlin said he is particularly proud of the school renovation and remodeling that is underway, as well as raised test scores throughout the district. But he’s quick to dismiss full credit for any of his accomplishments. 

“It’s not something I did, it’s something we’ve all done together,” he said.  

The biggest challenge, McLaughlin said, was the recent situation in which a 12-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at two Berkeley middle schools over a two-week period.  

“The incidents at the middle school level have been very difficult,” he said. “We always wonder what we could have done differently to make sure that didn’t happen and won’t happen again in the future.” 

On Friday, a third incident was reported during that same period in which another 12-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. See front page story. 

McLaughlin said he is concerned about the report and assured that he and his staff will be looking into it this week. 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Video on Netanyahu protest 

9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Fact vs. Truth 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Philip Trounstine, communications director for Gov. Gray Davis speaks on “Skepticism vs. Cyniscism and Other Notes from the Dark Side.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Berkeley High Concert Chorale 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

An evening of seasonal music. Free  

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

We need full investigation of Netanyahu incident 

Editor: 

The way it used to work in Alabama and other such places, when black people wanted to have their meetings or rallies to vote, white goons would hang around blocking the doors so that no one could get in. 

Somehow the police were never around or were there and looked the other way. The police always had plausible sounding excuses (like the Berkeley police). They were too busy or permitting the meeting would have caused violence. No one got hurt, so what is the problem? The fix was in. It was an American tradition.  

But there came a time when black people rebelled against all this. They went to the courts of law and to the courts of public opinion and demanded that those who “arranged” for the police to not enforce the law be held accountable.  

The courts said that the freedom of assembly is not to be denied merely because it is inconvenient to the powers in City hall. There was no excuse, the Berkeley police has had a long history of dealing with riots and crowd management around the university campus.  

My wife went to the Berkeley Community Theater to hear former Prime Minister Netanyahu speak the other day, but was not able to enter the theater. Berkeley goons had blocked the doors and the Berkeley police somehow were not able or willing to move them away.  

Here again, the police had plausible answers and excuses. My wife’s freedom of assembly was too inconvenient for the powers to be downtown. Once again, the fix was in.  

Now is the time to demand of City Hall a full investigation of the Berkeley police who have had a long history of crowd control as to why they took a “pass” on this situation. Who ever were responsible for this terrible tragedy of injustice and denial of our fundamental rights should be taken to court.  

Berkeley, “the Athens of the West” and so well known from Mario Savio on as to make “freedom of speech” the motto of our fair city, will have to bow its head in shame until this is resolved.  

Aubrey Lee Broudy 

Berkeley 

Sean Lampley went missing in the first half, but he turned up time to help California get an easy win against a tough opponent. 

Lampley scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the Golden Bears beat Colorado 75-63 Saturday night. 

Lampley, Cal’s leading scorer and rebounder, got into early foul trouble and took just two shots before halftime. He didn’t get his first basket until the opening minutes of the second half. 

But Lampley scored six straight points for the Bears during their decisive run and played tough defense on leading Colorado scorer D.J. Harrison, who had 15 points but was just 2-for-8 after halftime. 

“It was good to have Sean Lampley back in the second half,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “I think he was a little AWOL in the first half, and that’s not a Sean Lampley half.” 

Shantay Legans had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Bears (3-3) remained undefeated in three games at Haas Pavilion with a second-half surge. Cal held the Buffaloes (5-3) scoreless for nearly four minutes, then capped a 13-4 run on Lampley’s jumper with 4:54 left to go up 67-54. 

Thanks to Cal’s strong team defense and some poor shot selection, Colorado was held nearly 31 points under its average of 94.4 points per game. 

“I was impressed with Cal’s defense, but I was even more impressed with their intensity,” Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said.  

Justin Harbert also had 15 points for the Buffaloes, who hit 15 3-pointers in a 119-point outburst against Texas-Arlington last Sunday. They managed just nine 3-pointers against the Bears, with Harbert and Harrison hitting three apiece. 

“I thought the defense was a big difference at the end of the game,” Braun said. “We don’t want to exchange baskets with teams. We want to make a string of stops like we did in the second half tonight.” 

Colorado scored more than 100 points in its two previous games, but 19 turnovers and 37.9 percent shooting snapped the Buffaloes’ three-game win streak. Cal got revenge for a disappointing 80-62 loss in Boulder last season in the schools’ first meeting in 10 years. 

“I think they were a little embarrassed at our place last year,” Patton said. 

In a matchup of teams with plenty of willing outside shooters, Cal got 13 points from Solomon Hughes and 10 from Nick Vander Laan, the team’s two centers, and prevented the Buffaloes from attacking the hoop consistently. 

Bryan Wethers scored nine points for the Bears, and Joe Shipp had eight, including two 3-pointers. Jamahl Mosley and Jose Winston had eight points apiece for Colorado.

A prosecutor says a third sexual assault happened in Berkeley’s middle schools during a two-week period. 

Deputy District Attorney Walter Jackson told an Alameda County juvenile court judge Friday that two girls were assaulted at Martin Luther King Middle School on Nov. 8 — not one as had been previously reported. 

The second Nov. 8 incident followed an Oct. 25 group assault at Willard Middle School. 

Jackson said that on Nov. 8, three boys were harassing the two 12-year-old girls on King’s track and pursued them when they ran to a secluded area on the campus. The boys allegedly tried to force one of the girls to perform oral sex. She escaped with her friend, Berkeley police Lt. Russell Lopes said. 

About a half hour later, a fourth boy convinced the girl’s friend to return to the area, where Jackson said the boy tried to have sex with the girl. 

The girl in the second assault of Nov. 8 transferred to King from Willard Middle School, where on Oct. 25 nine boys allegedly forced her to perform oral sex for several hours. 

Jackson’s announcement Friday brings to 13 the number of boys accused in the alleged sexual assaults. 

Of the nine boys accused of assaulting the former Willard girl, eight have been arrested and released. Police are still searching for a 15-year-old suspect. 

The three boys in the first King incident were arrested Nov. 16. The boy in the second King incident was arrested Nov. 9 on charges of illegal sex with a minor and lewd acts with a child under 14. 

Jackson said it is important to consolidate the boys’ trial so that the former Willard girl does not have to testify multiple times. A pretrial conference for all 12 of the arrested suspects is scheduled for Jan. 2. 

School officials have said that confidentiality requirements restricted them from commenting on the assaults and that the assaults were not a threat to public safety, though parents have been concerned that schools have not been open about the incidents. 

It’s rare that the Berkeley Lady Yellowjackets face a test in their own gym. For the past decade, most of the close games the team has played have been at national tournaments far from home. But facing a talented team from Las Vegas in the championship game of the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Tournament, head coach Gene Nakamura’s squad showed that they have the heart of a champion, beating Bishop Gorman 67-58. 

Tournament MVP Robin Roberson led the way for the ’Jackets, regaining her shooting touch just in time to carry her team past the scrappy Lady Gaels with 26 points. After making just eight of her 34 shots in the first two tournament games, Roberson hit 12-of-23 against Bishop Gorman, including two second-half three-pointers that helped seal the deal. 

“Robin’s one of our go-to players, because she can just flat-out shoot,” Nakamura said, pointing out that Roberson is coming off of a long illness. “She can hit from anywhere on the floor.” 

Roberson, a senior, also had five steals and three rebounds in the game. 

“It’s my job to lead by example,” Roberson said. “It was just time for me to step up. When I’m going good, it makes everyone else play better.” 

Berkeley center Sabrina Keys, another all-tournament selection, pitched in with 12 points and six rebounds, and forward Gelater Fullwood scored 11. 

Bishop Gorman countered the Berkeley offense with their own big threats, guard Breona Gray and forward Liz Cansdale, both all-tournament selections. Gray, who scored a combined 34 points in the first two games, broke out of a first-quarter funk to put up 25 points on the ’Jackets. The speedy guard also helped nullify the Berkeley press, racing past the first line of defense most of the night.  

“(Gray) has an extremely quick first step, and we didn’t account for it a lot of the time,” Nakamura said. 

Cansdale, a pure shooter, scored 19 points and grabbed three offensive rebounds despite giving up several inches to the Yellowjacket frontcourters. She led all players in the tournament with 63 points. 

The Las Vegas team was the first of the tournament to take a lead on the Yellowjackets, going up 5-2 in the first two minutes. But four Roberson baskets keyed a 18-point Berkeley run, and the ’Jackets cruised to a 24-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Gaels turned to Gray and Cansdale, breaking off a 13-4 run of their own to get back in the game. By halftime, the visitors had cut the deficit to 37-30, as Gray scored 10 points in the quarter to go with Cansdale’s six. 

“Our starters got a little tired, so I pulled them, but our bench wasn’t ready to go,” Nakamura said. “That was probably my own fault.” 

The ’Jackets came out cold in the second half, missing their first nine shots from the field. But the defense stood strong, and Bishop Gorman could only cut the lead to 37-34. Berkeley went on an eight-point run, thanks to the smooth passing of sophomore guard Michi Yamamoto.  

“(Yamamoto) got us some easy baskets to put the game away,” Nakamura said. “She sees the floor very well, something our starters weren’t doing for a while.” 

The quarter ended at 50-37 in favor of the hosts, leaving little doubt as to the identity of the eventual champions. Gray’s forays into the lane grew more and more reckless and Cansdale couldn’t get open outside, and the Gaels never got closer the eight points on their way to a second-place finish. 

“It’s nice to win our own tournament,” Nakamura said. “The best thing is that we got better each game.” 

The Lady Yellowjackets head to Chicago for the Nike Tournament on Dec. 16.

Despite possible legal challenges, the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Directors voted Wednesday to continue using the school’s current desegregation system — which assigns students to schools based upon a combined choice and lottery system. 

The board assigns students to schools to maintain the racial distribution in each school so that it’s within five percent of the racial makeup for the entire Berkeley school system. 

While the assignment method has generally met with support from the community, the district’s legal counsel – Celai Ruiz of Ruiz & Sparrow – have cautioned the board that it could be vulnerable to legal challenge because it uses race as a deciding factor in determining which school a student will attend. 

Berkeley, which initiated its school diversity program in 1968, was the first district of its size in the country to voluntarily use school busing for desegregation. The current desegregation method, called “Zoned Choice,” allows students to list their first, second and third choice schools and then assigns them by lottery, distributing them along ethnic lines. Preference is given to students who have siblings at the schools or live in close proximity. The goal of the program, according to the Student Assignment Advisory Committee charged with reviewing it, is to ensure equal access to educational resources by placing all students in an integrated environment. 

But the school district has become concerned that Proposition 209 and other recent legal challenges to race-based student assignment programs may pose questions of the system’s legality.  

Those questions prompted the school district to ask for the committee’s investigation and recommendation. 

At Wednesday’s board meeting, the committee reported that — after careful review — it had voted not to recommend an alternative assignment plan.  

“We concluded that our assignment plan is currently the most effective way to ensure equal access to a strong core curriculum, enriched learning experiences and individual, community, social and educational resources,” reported committee chair Ferdinand Martinez. 

Most teachers and boardmembers present enthusiastically endorsed the system.  

“I heartily encourage the board to keep using race as a major criteria in assigning students to schools,” said Judy Ann Alberti, of the Berkeley Citizens Action Steering Committee and newly elected Rent Stabilization Board member.  

“Berkeley continues to lead the nation in the push toward a society where we can all live in equality and diversity, and this program shows our leadership.”  

“Our system is still legal and until I’m told by a higher authority not to, I’m going to continue to use race as a criteria,” asserted boardmember Joaquin Rivera. 

Boardmember Shirley Issel cast the lone dissenting vote, saying she was concerned that the program could cost the district significant funds if challenged in court.  

“I’m committed to conserving the educational resources of this district, and poor policy could result in expensive litigation that will deprive us of those resources,” she said.  

Concerns were also raised over a few schools that had below-target racial distribution, particularly magnet schools which are not part of the Zoned Choice program.  

One of those schools is Franklin Elementary, with a student body that is 75 percent African-American, four percent Caucasian and 21 percent other ethnicities. According to district spokesperson Karen Sarlo, that disparity is caused by the school’s age — it is only two years old and has not yet had time to recruit a diverse student body. Many of the students have come to the school because they live nearby or because they followed Principal Barbara Penny James from LeConte, where she was a longtime principal. 

Advisory committee chair Martinez suggested that Franklin consider adding dual-immersion classes, which have drawn large numbers of applicants. The classes, which are made up of an equal amount of native Spanish speakers non-Spanish speakers, feature instruction in both languages.  

School boardmembers also asked the advisory committee to investigate ways to add other factors influencing diversity — such as socioeconomic status and native language — as factors in assignment.  

Santa Clara fought hard to escape Haas Pavilion Sunday afternoon with a win, answering California’s every effort throughout the game to pull out a 77-73 victory over the Bears. Senior guard Courtney Johnson scored a career-high 32 points for the Bears in the effort. The contest marked a reunion of sorts for California head coach Caren Horstmeyer, who left Santa Clara last year to take over coaching duties at Cal this season.  

“That was a great game,” said Horstmeyer. “There had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. For me, it was a really fun game. I think Santa Clara ended up doing what they needed to do to win the game. I’m very proud of our team.”  

California (3-5 overall, 0-0 in the Pac-10) jumped out to an early lead, holding the Broncos off through most of the first half while compiling an 11 point lead, 21-10, with 8:54 remaining in the frame. That’s just about when Santa Clara (4-2 overall, 0-0 in the WCC) switched gears, chipping away at the Bears’ lead slowly but consistently until sophomore forward Julie Butler was able to hand the Broncos their first lead of the game with 1:41 remaining the in first half, 31-30. Santa Clara would go on to take a 36-35 lead into halftime.  

In the second half, roles were reversed, this time with Santa Clara running up a slight lead early, forcing the Bears to play catch-up. With 12:20 remaining in the game, it was Butler again for the Broncos, this time handing Santa Clara its largest lead of the afternoon, 53-42.  

At that point, it was California’s turn to chip away at its opponent’s advantage, and that’s just what it did. Junior center Ami Forney went into action, scoring six points in 2:15 minutes to bring California within one, 53-52, with 8:35 to play in the game. Forney finished the night with her third career double-double, her second of the season, tallying 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears. Senior forward Lauren Ashbaugh knocked down 12 points to round out the Bears’ leading scorers.  

“I think that we definitely did learn from this,” said Horstmeyer. “What I think was great was that we played against a lot of different things. I think we were a little flustered in the first half but in the second half we made some good adjustments.”  

As resilient as they’d been all night, Santa Clara had a response for the Bears, adding a couple of points to their lead and holding through for the victory, eventually holding off the Bears’ final minute of fouling to secure the 77-73 win.  

Santa Clara had five players in double-digit scoring, led by sophomore forward Kendra Rhea’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guards Caroline Gruening and Becki Ashbaugh each added 12 points for the Broncos while senior forward Jennifer Glysson and Butler tapped down 10 apiece. The Broncos also benefited from the Bears’ 21 turnovers during the course of the game, compared to their own 14.  

California returns to action Friday, Dec. 22, at San Diego State in a 7 p.m. match-up with the Aztecs.

Berkeley residents are concerned about health risks from the radiation-emitting wireless antennas sprouting up around town but city officials say there’s nothing they can do as long as the antennas look good. 

The City Council will consider a recommendation to amend the municipal code to better regulate the installation of telecommunications systems this Tuesday. But the new ordinances will only regulate maintenance and installation of the systems.  

Federal law limits the city to only regulating the appearance of the antennas, according to Vivian Khan, interim deputy director of the Planning and Development Department. 

Khan said the antenna emission levels and safety concerns are regulated by the federal government under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and there is absolutely nothing the city can do beyond requiring the structures not be unsightly. “Residents concerned about negative health effects from the towers should be directing their concerns to their federal representative,” she said. 

But Dr. Leonard Schwartzburd , who lives 75 feet from the proposed site of a wireless antenna on the roof of the Oaks Theater at 1875 Solano Ave., said the city has more influence over antenna placement than it is willing to admit. 

“There pleading impotence when its really a lack of initiative,” he said. 

In a letter to the Daily Planet, Schwartzburd referred the city to the FCC web site (fcc.gov) where he said there are volumes of information presented by the National League of Cities addressing the broad powers of cities to regulate radiation transmitting antennas. 

Schwartzbud also cited Berkeley’s 1996 “Wireless Telecommunications Antenna Guidelines,” which states that such antennas are not appropriate for residential areas and should be discouraged. 

Medical journals in the United Kingdom have been publishing articles describing a growing body of evidence that wireless antennas and cell phones emit harmful amounts of radiation, according to John Taylor, a professor of mycology at UC Berkeley and neighbor of the Oaks Theater. The articles claim that children are especially at risk. 

In fact, government officials in the United Kingdom just announced a $10 million commitment to research the effects of cellular radiation and to launch a public information campaign discouraging children from any cell phone use, according to an Associated Press article published Friday. 

“Even in this country, every time they enact new regulations for antenna emissions they lower the allowable levels of emissions,” Taylor said. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board approved an application by Nextel Corporation to place a wireless antenna on top of the Oaks Theater on Oct. 12. Neighbors have filed an appeal that will be heard by the City Council at their Dec. 19 meeting. 

Another antenna has been proposed by Sprint telecommunications on the roof of the Berkleley-Richmond Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street.  

The ZAB will be considering the proposal at its Dec. 14 meeting. 

In is uncertain exactly how many wireless antennas there are in Berkeley but Senior Analyst Roger Miller of the City Manager’s Office said most of the existing antennas are in West Berkeley.

Overcoming fatigue and an early deficit, the Berkeley Yellowjackets won the consolation championship game of the Chris Vontoure Classic at De La Salle Saturday, beating Castlemont (Oakland) 69-60. 

Berkeley again relied on turnovers created by its full-court press defense and scoring from its guards, creating turnovers that became easy baskets. Off guard Allyn Washington scored 16 points, and point guard Ryan Davis added 14 while distributing the ball. Davis, a Lincoln (San Francisco) transfer, was the only Berkeley player to make the all-tournament team. 

Forward Louis Riordan finally found his touch from the outside and got into the offense, hitting three three-pointers on his way to 12 points. 

Riordan is the tallest Yellowjacket at 6-foot-5, and the lack of size again hurt Berkeley on the boards. Castlemont’s big men flew in for several offensive rebounds during the first half, keeping the score close. Beefy senior forward Roderick Picou was especially productive, grabbing four offensive boards and scoring 10 points in the half. Only a Riordan trey and Davis free throw in the last minute gave the ’Jackets a 36-31 halftime lead. 

Following a six-point Berkeley run to open the third quarter, Picou again asserted himself on the offensive glass, getting two putback buckets within a minute to put his team back in contention. Two Berkeley turnovers turned into Castlemont layups, and forward Marquis Nettles hit another layup and drew a foul. He converted the free throw, and the Knights had their first lead of the second half at 48-46. 

But Riordan got open outside again, draining another three, then forced Castlemont’s Damien Matthieu into a double-dribble. Guard Byron St. Jules hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, and the ’Jackets were on top again, 52-48. 

But the Knights refused to die, hitting two fast-break layups to tie the score. But Washington and Davis answered back with easy baskets, and Riordan broke the Knights’ spirit with his final three-pointer of the game. Guard Muhammed Nitoto scored five points in less than a minute to give the ’Jackets a 10-point lead with less than two minutes left to leave no doubt as to the outcome of the game.

All night study sessions. Nails bitten to the quick. Dark circles under the eyes. Final exams are next week, and students at UC Berkeley are gearing up for the most stressful time of the semester. 

Counselors working at the Student Life Advising Services said that for some students, the pressure to succeed is overwhelming. And around finals week, many reach their breaking point. 

“A lot of students come in teary-eyed and frustrated at this time of year,” said Saba Ali, a peer adviser who said her calendar is completely booked with appointments. A small number of the students she advises are so anxiety-ridden that they have contemplated suicide, Ali said.  

But most just suffer from simple procrastination. 

“The majority of people who come in here just want to vent,” she said. “They're not looking for a solution, they know the solution. They know they’ve got to stop talking about how much work they have to do and go hit the books.” 

But hitting the books is not that easy for everyone. Fabrizio Mejia, an academic counselor at the advising service, said that developing good study habits can be a challenge-particularly for students who are the first in their families to attend college. 

“Their biggest problem is realizing that they belong here. They are usually coming from low-income schools where the standards are different than they are for students coming from better schools,” Mejia said. His average caseload during finals week is six students a day, and he said many of them are unfamiliar with academic life. 

“A lot are not just here for themselves, but for their family. They are sort of like pioneers-and that can be a huge burden,” Mejia said. 

According to the Office of Student Research, 16.4 percent of last year’s freshman class had parents with a high school education or less. Harold Campbell, the Director of the Academic Achievement Division, said that some 6,500 students at UC Berkeley are educational “trailblazers” within their families. His program is federally supported to assist 350 of them to stay in school. 

Barbara Mumby knows how tough it can be. A Native American, she became the first in her family to pursue a college degree when she transferred to Berkeley from a community college last year. She said it took her two semesters just to figure out how to find the support services she needed to study effectively. 

“When you first get here there is this fear of the unknown,” Mumby said. “There is this terror because you don't know if you're going to pass.” She said that her family keeps her going. “They are so proud of me for making it this far, and I don't want to let them down.” 

Priscilla Cervantez, also a first generation student, said that when she arrived at Berkeley as a freshman last year, she was ready to hit the ground running. She signed up for study groups and tutoring sessions at the Student Learning Center. This year, she said she has a rigorous twenty-five hour a week study schedule for her economics class, which is a prerequisite for her major. 

“For me, there was no other option than to go to college.” Cervantez said, adding that her parents, themselves immigrants from Mexico, “bought into that mainstream American ideology that the key to success is education. That really rubbed off on me.” 

Though many of these students have a cheering section at home, Campbell said they still need all the support they can get during finals. 

“Finals are a traumatic time for everyone, but is especially so for these students who are still feeling their way through the system,” he said. “They knew the ropes in high school and community college, but this new circumstance is unfamiliar, and they internalize that as a personal deficit.” 

Fortunately, Campbell said, there are many resources at Cal to help first generation students manage the final exam crunch-including student peer groups, individual counselors and tutors. 

“There is a myth at Berkeley that everyone is doing well and that feeds itself,” said Mejia, one of those counselors. “It goes on and on until people finally break down and look for someone to help.” 

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s horrifying animal lovers and baffling scientists — two sea otters are sexually assaulting and then drowning harbor seal pups in an area about 80 miles south of San Francisco. 

Over the past three months, the raging otters have killed more than a dozen young seal in the waters of Elkhorn Slough, a tidal inlet located midway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. 

“Their motive remains a mystery. All I know is we’ve suddenly have a couple of otters killing seals at a fairly fast pace,” said Jim Harvey of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. “And if we get five or six of these otters in the slough, we won’t have a seal pup left.” 

Witnesses to the slaughter say the otters attempt to have sex with the seal pups before shoving them underwater long enough to drown them. 

The first otter to exhibit the behavior was Morgan, a graduate of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation program which rehabilitates abandoned otters.  

The second otter is apparently mimicking Morgan’s deadly ways. 

“This doesn’t absolve Morgan of anything, but it gave us the feeling everybody was focusing on Morgan when he wasn’t the only culprit,” said Andy Johnson, director of the otter conservation program. 

The slain seal pups had bite marks and scratches on their snouts and lungs filled with water. 

Morgan’s antics disturbed researchers who watched him cling to the carcass of one seal pup for two days as he sought food. During that period, he tried to mate with the corpse. 

Aquarium researchers tried to capture Morgan, but he proved too elusive in the murky waters of Elkhorn Slough. 

If Morgan can be captured he will be equipped with a radio transmitter in his abdomen and possibly relocated. Animals authorities can’t kill Morgan or the other otter because they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. 

“I’d rather have the animals removed from the wild,” Harvey said, noting that pregnant seals will begin to give birth in March. 

SAN FRANCISCO – A three-year-old boy originally thought to have died Wednesday from scooter injuries was actually killed by another person, a coroner’s report revealed. 

Police announced Sunday that Patrick Goodman, 26, the boyfriend of the boy’s mother, was arrested in connection with the Elija Sanderson’s death. 

Sanderson’s mother had told police the three-year-old repeatedly fell from a scooter while playing with his brothers and sisters Tuesday. The next morning Sanderson claimed she found Elija in bed, lying unconscious in a pool of vomit. 

At that time police said their were no indications of negligence or foul play, according to Lt. Judie Pursell. 

But the medical examiner’s report completed over the weekend ruled Elija’s death a homicide, and the investigation began to focus on those around him. 

The report and the continuing investigation into the boy’s death ruled out the reported scooter falls as the cause of death, police said. Goodman is the main suspect. 

SAN JOSE — More than 50 people were hospitalized Sunday after pepper spray was released in four stores, police said. 

Customers first began complaining of watery, burning eyes at a Kmart on the city’s east side, about five miles from downtown. The store was evacuated about 3 p.m., sending 30 people to local hospitals complaining of nausea, sore throats and itchy eyes, said San Jose Fire Capt. Mark Mooney. No serious injuries were reported. 

Two hours later, the same symptoms cleared a Ward’s department store and a Walgreen’s pharmacy, sending 16 and six people to the hospital, respectively. A Starbucks also was evacuated, but no one was hospitalized, Mooney said. 

No suspects have been identified, but police believe the incidents, which occurred within a five-mile radius, are related, said San Jose Police spokesman Rubens Dalaison. 

MODESTO – Detectives have found the remains of a five-year-old girl in the backyard of her guardians’ home. 

Megan Lynn Mendez was reported missing by “a concerned person” in March this year, Stanislaus County Deputy Jeff Broumas said, but evidence shows she died in early 1999. 

On Friday Sheriff’s detectives dug up the remains of a child they believe to be Mendez after questioning Josephine and Margarito Origel. The couple was friendly with Mendez’s mother and had custody of the girl when she disappeared. 

Josephine Origel, 45, was charged with murder and Margarito Origel, 47, was charged with accessory to murder and child endangerment. 

Broumas said detectives questioned the couple Friday afternoon and they helped detectives find Mendez’s body when they returned in the evening. Detectives spent several hours digging five feet deep near a row of fruit trees in the couple’s backyard, where they found a bundle of cloth and a child’s decomposed remains. 

Broumas would not say what new information detectives had that led them to get a search warrant for the Origels’ home on Friday. 

The missing girl was last seen alive in late 1998 or early 1999, according to investigators. they said Mendez was suffering from injuries before she died — the exact date of her death is unclear. 

“There’s nothing ’regular’ about this case. Nothing is as it should be,” Broumas said. “We get a thousand missing persons reports a year, and this is nowhere near the norm.” 

When Mendez disappeared, she lived with the Origels at a different apartment. Police said Josephine Origel locked her body in a freezer until the couple moved to their current home. 

“It’s just a tragic way for a little girl’s life to end,” Broumas said. 

Mendez’s mother, Laura Gunter, died of a drug overdose on March 27, 1998, and her father was not a part of her life. Police said Mendez was addicted to narcotics at birth.

By Paul Chavez 

Associated Press Writer 

LOS ANGELES – California’s main power supplier issued an emergency warning for the seventh consecutive day Sunday, and utilities in the Northwest urged customers to cut back their electricity use as temperatures there plunged. 

“A warning like this is price-blind, it’s not an economic action. Energy isn’t available at any price,” said Dulcy Mahar, a spokeswoman for the Northwest Emergency Response Team, comprised of Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho utilities and state representatives. 

The Northwest group met Sunday and reissued a Stage Two warning for the region, where temperatures were about 15 degrees below normal. 

While the Northwest cold snap isn’t expected to be as harsh as previously thought, forecasters still expect temperatures will dip well into the 20s this week. 

“Just about every degree above what was previously expected makes things a little bit better,” Jay Albrecht, a National Weather Service forecaster in Seattle, said of the weather’s impact on the energy crisis. 

The cold weather in the Northwest affects much of California as well because as the cold increases, natural gas that powers generating facilities could be diverted to Washington and Oregon to heat homes and offices. 

The Independent System Operator, which manages the power grid that serves 75 percent of California, also issued a Stage Two emergency on Sunday between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. and urged residents statewide to keep their holiday lights off until 7 p.m. 

Last week, Stage Two emergencies — power reserves at less than 5 percent —were issued each day, and on Thursday, an unprecedented Stage Three emergency was issued, meaning reserves had fallen below 1 1/2 percent and the threat of rolling outages loomed. 

Electricity deregulation, the cold weather and rising power costs have been blamed for the state’s recent power problems. 

California approved a phased-in deregulation of the electricity market in 1996 in an effort to lower prices for consumers through competition, but so far it has only led to higher energy prices. The Northwest, which relies on hydroelectric power, has struggled with low water tables and has had to import electricity from other states, including California. 

At the request of California officials, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday approved lifting price caps on wholesale California electricity to ease the power crunch. The order means the $250 per megawatt hour limit for wholesale electricity can be exceeded if the sellers can justify the costs. A megawatt is enough to power about 1,000 homes. 

California Gov. Gray Davis criticized the move saying it would only lead to more price increases. But ISO officials said Sunday that lifting the price cap had already affected the power market. 

Wholesale power costs have been soaring, due in large part to skyrocketing prices for natural gas. Wholesale natural gas, which sold for less than $20 per million British thermal units a week ago, now sells for three times that. 

“Our emergency action we took on Friday has certainly helped,” said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. “It made megawatts available to the market.” 

The power flow will receive another boost Monday when a unit at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to resume production after one of its two units was shut down for maintenance, McCorkle said. The two units can provide enough power for about 2 million people.

ONTARIO – Police rescued a teen-ager Saturday after a roughly 10-hour standoff that ended with the death of a federal police officer accused of kidnapping the boy a day earlier. 

David Leonard Clairmont, 32, was shot just after 9 a.m. during an exchange of gunfire with a police SWAT team after he barricaded himself inside a hotel room bathroom. It was not immediately clear whether the fatal shot was self-inflicted or from officers’ fire. 

Clairmont was due in court Monday to face three felony charges related to sex crimes with the same boy, a 13-year-old middle school student, Riverside County Sheriff’s spokesman Mark Lohman said. 

Shortly before the standoff’s furious ending, police believed Clairmont was ready to surrender peacefully. 

“He gave every indication that he wanted to come out,” Lohman said. 

The boy was unhurt, suffering only the effects of tear gas that officers pumped into the room after negotiations deteriorated. Wearing blue jeans and a gray T-shirt, he was taken from the bathroom, passed through a hotel window and rushed to an ambulance before the gunfire erupted. 

Clairmont, an officer with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles, was in uniform when he abducted the boy about 7 a.m. Friday from a school bus stop in Bermuda Dunes, an unincorporated area about 15 miles east of Palm Springs, Lohman said. 

Several other children witnessed the kidnapping but were not hurt. 

Clairmont forced the boy into a rented car and fled west on Interstate 10, leading California Highway Patrol officers on a chase that hit speeds of 110 mph. The CHP lost sight of him in Redlands. 

Still in uniform, he checked in about four hours later to the Country Suites hotel in Ontario, a San Bernardino County city about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. 

Police received a tip sometime after 10 p.m. that Clairmont was there and later evacuated a section of the hotel. 

They found his service gun in the trunk of his rented Pontiac Grand-Am, but he told hostage negotiators that he had another weapon, Lohman said. 

Negotiators kept in contact with Clairmont and the boy throughout the night. Clairmont told officers he wanted to give up but was “just trying to get up the nerve,” Lohman said. 

He did not immediately know why Clairmont refused to surrender, but the man faced felony charges after being arrested for allegedly molesting the boy last summer. 

He was booked into Riverside County Jail on July 23 and released on bond. 

At the time, Clairmont and the boy lived in the same Riverside apartment complex, Lohman said. The boy’s family has since moved to Bermuda Dunes. He was to be reunited with them Saturday after being treated at a hospital. 

Clairmont, who police said had a military police background, most recently was living in San Luis Obispo County and was on administrative leave from his job, authorities said.

PASADENA – Dozens of picketers lined the sidewalk in front of a local Target store Saturday, claiming that garments sold in the chain stores are made under sweatshop conditions in Nicaragua and that workers are not paid a living wage. 

“We’re asking Target to be responsible corporate leaders,” said Marissa Nuncio of Sweatshop Watch, an Oakland-based civil rights organization. “By taking a stand and being a responsible corporation they can encourage other retailers to do the same.” 

Officials at Minneapolis-based Target Stores, a division of the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, did not return phone messages left Saturday at their headquarters. 

After a similar protest in Milwaukee in August, Patty Morris, a spokeswoman for Target Stores, said the company has performed four audits on a Nicaraguan factory this year and no evidence of abusive working conditions were found. 

About 100 protesters, many carrying signs painted with reproductions of the retailer’s bull’s-eye logo, crowded the curb on one of Pasadena’s busiest streets. They also railed against the plight that garment workers face in El Salvador, Saipan and Los Angeles sweatshops. 

They also chanted slogans and handed fliers to motorists, some of whom honked their horns in support. 

Activists said they chose to demonstrate during the holiday shopping season, which they called “the season of conscience,” to bring home their message of working conditions in garment factories. 

“During this holiday season a lot of people go shopping and don’t always take the time to think about how the products in the store are produced,” Pam Brubaker of the group Mobilization of the Human Family told a cheering crowd. “This is the purpose of the season of conscience, to help educate shoppers about sweatshop conditions.” 

Demonstrators sang protest songs set to the tune of Christmas carols, with titles like “Rest Easy Wealthy Gentlemen,” led by the musical group Billionaires for Greater Global Inequity. 

“If people realize that goods and services are being brought to them by labor that’s exploited, I don’t think a lot of people are going to be happy with that equation,” said musician Clifford Tasner, who uses the stage name Felonius Ax. “I don’t think that a lot of people want to buy goods that somebody bled to create for them.” 

“The idea is not to boycott because we don’t want these people to lose their jobs,” said Mo Menon of the United Students Against Sweatshops. “But we have power as consumers and we should use that power to pressure the corporations.” 

Shoppers leaving the store said they were not aware of the demonstrators’ allegations that garments sold at Target are made under sweatshop conditions. 

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” said Jimmy Goeller, a software engineer vacationing from Tucson. “Realistically, I don’t think it will change my shopping habits. I wish it would, though.”

LOS ANGELES – Farm labor leader Dolores Huerta was recovering in fair condition Sunday from pneumonia and an infection. 

Huerta, 70, remained at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center after being admitted in critical condition on Thursday. Doctors removed her from the intensive care unit Saturday night, hospital spokesman Dan Page said. 

“Her voice is really weak, her physical strength is very weak, but apart from that she’s in great spirits,” said her son, Emilio Huerta. “She’s in a little bit of discomfort but she’s trying not to show it.” 

Emilio Huerta has asked that well-wishers not try to visit or telephone the labor leader but instead donate blood to their local blood bank in honor of his mother. Dolores Huerta received 27 pints of blood over the course of her surgery and recovery, the son said. 

Huerta fought an infection she developed while recovering from intestinal surgery in Bakersfield in October. 

She was in critical condition for more than a week after the surgery and later spent two weeks at a rehabilitation center. Complications forced her back to Bakersfield Heart Hospital on Nov. 30. 

Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union with the late Cesar Chavez. Together they negotiated collective bargaining agreements and contracts with big growers, winning the first health and benefit plans for farm workers. 

Huerta stepped down as UFW secretary-treasurer in September to help campaign for Al Gore.

ORLAND – The parish hall at St. Dominic Catholic Church is packed on a Thursday night — some 70 parents want to learn about the gangs on their streets. 

Many in the audience wear headphones to hear a Spanish translation of the talk by Glenn County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Dahl. After exhibiting an arsenal of gang paraphernalia, Dahl addresses an unspoken question. 

“People say we’re picking on Hispanic kids,” Dahl says. “Unfortunately, at this time, 95 percent of our gangs are Hispanic.” 

The number is more like 75 percent, according to research funded by a federal anti-gang grant. That research concludes area gangs also attract white, black and Asian teens. 

“This is not a Hispanic issue. This is a community issue,” says Linda Shelton, Glenn County’s chief of probation. 

Glenn County’s gang statistics come from “field interview” reports filed by sheriff’s deputies. A deputy marks a teen-ager as a gang member if he fits any three of 12 characteristics — ranging from “admits gang membership” to “observed associating with known gang members.” 

This method quantifies the gang problem. But it does have critics. 

“The police tend to perceive minority kids hanging out on the corner as all gangsters,” says Lewis Yablonsky, a professor of criminology at Cal State-Northridge and an expert witness in dozens of gang trials. “The sheer fact of association doesn’t prove membership.” 

Like many other parts of rural America, Glenn County is changing. In the 1990s, whites dropped from 74 percent to 68 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census. Meanwhile, the Hispanic population increased from 20 percent to 26 percent. 

But since a majority of gang members are Hispanic, shouldn’t members of the Hispanic community be among the chief organizers of the anti-gang effort? 

That question bugs Richard Judkins, a pastoral assistant at St. Dominic, and member of the anti-gang grant oversight committee. He says Hispanics are underrepresented on the panel. 

“The first or second meeting I sat there and looked around and asked, ’Shouldn’t we have some Latinos here?”’ Judkins said. “It’s just one more bureaucracy in the county echelons, and consequently it has no legitimacy in the Hispanic community.” 

Shelton disagrees, saying that Hispanics participate actively in the project. 

“It’s not like we sit here in a lily-white office and point our fingers and say ’it’s their problem,”’ Shelton says.

The Associated Press 

BURBANK – Investigators are surprised that a 12-year-old girl who lived in a “slave setting” for at least two years survived the abuse. 

Police, who were responding to a call, found the girl Dec. 2 hiding near the home where she lived with Erlinda Reyes Allan, 37, and Marcus Allan, 42, said Burbank Police Lt. Don Brown. 

Brown said the girl was so malnourished that she appeared to be 7 or 8 years old. This was the worst child abuse case Brown said he had seen in his 40 years on the force. 

“There was not a part of her body that was not bruised, cut or split open,” he said. “When we see people in this condition, they are usually dead.” 

The Burbank couple was arrested and charged earlier this week with one count each of torture, child abuse and corporal injury to a child.  

Bail is set at $630,000 for Marcus Allan and $600,000 for Erlinda Allan, who are both scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 4 in Burbank Superior Court. 

If convicted, Brown said, the couple could be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. 

Police said neighbors and school officials called child abuse investigators twice before to report that the girl had not been at school.  

But investigators said she was never found at home because they later learned the couple — who would tell officers the girl was in the Philippines with relatives — ordered the girl to flee the house and hide. 

According to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials, Erlinda Allan is an illegal immigrant who came from the Philippines in 1977 on a visitor’s visa. 

Authorities are trying to determine the relationship between the girl and the couple.  

Three teen-agers, two girls and a boy, also lived at the home, but police weren’t sure of their relationship to the adults or the girl. 

Authorities said the teen-age children were also abused. 

All four remained Friday in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

VALLEJO – One year ago, 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild left home for school and never came back. 

A high-profile search for the girl with wavy-hair and a gap-toothed grin has seen flurries of accusations, rifts between families and countless leads — but no prospect of her return. 

On Dec. 9, 1999, Fairchild’s mother Antoinette Robinson reported her daughter missing. Robinson’s then-boyfriend, Robert Turnbough, told police he had left Fairchild at a bus stop, but later changed his story to say she walked alone to catch the bus. 

Vallejo police have never called Turnbough a suspect, although they said he has been under “a cloud of suspicion” because of his conflicting tales. 

A federal grand jury questioned both Turnbough and Robinson a half- dozen times in the past year. Over that period, police sifted through a landfill in Washington that accepts Vallejo’s trash, organized searches and kept up hope. 

But a mystery that involved 30 Vallejo investigators has become just another case that a team of three detectives must juggle. 

Still, some in Fairchild’s family persevere. 

Stephanie Kahalekulu, the girl’s great aunt, has drawn hundreds of people to the periodic fund-raisers and continues with weekly searches. 

“I know they say there’s a good chance she’s not alive, but I can’t accept that,” Kahalekulu told the San Francisco Chronicle. “You know there’s one person or a whole group out there who’s evil, who knows what happened to Xiana, and I believe any day now we are going to find out who they are.” 

Kahalekulu raised Fairchild in Hawaii and Colorado until six months before her disappearance. She sent Fairchild to Vallejo, a former Navy town about 30 miles north of San Francisco, after Robinson assured her family she had kicked a drug habit. 

Vallejo police say though it’s not likely Fairchild is alive, the investigation presses forward. 

“We’re actively pursuing leads and keeping our hopes up,” Vallejo police spokeswoman JoAnn West said. 

Some of those hopes are tied to another kidnapping case in Vallejo. In August, police charged Curtis Dean Anderson with kidnapping and sexually molesting an 8-year-old girl. He has denied all the charges and has not been charged in the Fairchild case. 

Following Anderson’s arrest, however, Vallejo police repeatedly searched his mother’s house for clues that might link him to Fairchild’s disappearance. 

In an interview, Anderson told the Contra Costa Times there was nothing wrong with adults having sex with children. 

“I’m different,” he told the paper. “I do what I want, when I want, how I want.”

HOLLISTER – For two lesbian women who started a small-town weekly newspaper in rural Hollister, it seemed like a simple and sweet idea: Leave the daily grind of the big city behind and take on a slower pace while being your own boss. 

But Tracie Cone and Ana Marie dos Remedios hadn’t planned on being targeted by an unknown Internet antagonist bent on smearing their names and reputations by linking them to Internet pornography and accusing their columnist of child molestation. 

“The worst thing is not knowing who it is and what the risks are,” dos Remedios said. 

The troubles began in October with the emergence of a Web site attacking their publication, the Pinnacle. Three more anti-Pinnacle Web sites soon followed. 

Then the couple’s horses were mysteriously let out of their enclosure, followed by an odd computer crash in the newsroom. Cone and dos Remedios admit it could be coincidence, but they’re getting spooked by the string of bad luck that has hit them, and they think someone is out to get them. 

They say they’ve been attacked because they make no secret they are a gay couple. 

“The whole underlying theme of the site is anti-gay,” dos Remedios told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The Web site says we are trying to turn this place into Sodom and Gomorrah.” 

The San Benito County sheriff’s office has investigated, but they say the Web sites, albeit accusatory in tone, do not constitute criminal activity. 

Cone and dos Remedios aren’t taking the mocking Web sites lightly. They filed suit in U.S. District Court in San Jose last month and are requesting $5 million in damages from their yet unknown detractors, listed as John Does in the suit.  

The suit alleges libel, copyright infringement and civil rights violations. 

Pinnacle columnist Bob Valenzuela joined the suit after discovering a picture of himself on the Web site with accompanying text accusing him of child molestation. 

Cone explained that the Pinnacle has extensively covered growth issues in the area and that may have instigated some of the venom directed toward them. City councilman Joseph Felice said Cone and dos Remedios are typical of Hollister’s newcomers who want to move in and slow growth by closing the door behind them. 

Felice, a vocal detractor of the Pinnacle’s stance on growth, says the Web sites appear to be designed to implicate him as their author, and he believes it has likely been posted on the Internet by one of his supporters. 

He says the Web sites have every right to coexist in a world with the Pinnacle. 

“It’s freedom of speech. It’s no different than what’s printed in the Pinnacle each week,” Felice said.

BERKELEY – To James Vander Putten, it’s somewhere he can laugh about the time his blue collar slipped out at a fancy faculty do. 

Ken Oldfield sees it as a chance to brag on the grandmother who kept things together by cooking eight hours a day on the cement floor of a West Virginia diner — and not have to worry that he’s losing points with his audience. 

The place is Working Class Academics, an Internet support and networking group. The point: How to negotiate the chardonnay-and-brie world of academia on a beer-and-pretzels background. 

“It’s a minefield,” says Vander Putten, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and one of the more than 200 members of WCA. “In my very brief faculty career, I’ve learned that like hires like and so what you don’t know is often more important than what you do know.” 

Professors like Vander Putten and Oldfield aren’t the first to look at academia through blue-collar glasses. But it’s only been in the last five years that they’ve had an Internet connection. 

It began when sociologist Barbara J. Peters happened upon an Internet posting from a woman who wrote that she didn’t understand the fuss about social background — after all she’d chosen to be working class with a stint as a waitress. 

“It just pushed a button,” says Peters, a former welfare mother who grew up in rural poverty — no running water for starters. “I sent a message: If you chose to be working class you definitely were not working class. It’s not a choice.” 

Response to that message was so heavy Peters decided to create a separate forum — Working Class Academics. 

Since then there’s been a regular stream of postings as members vent, mentor, network and chew over such philosophical issues as when — or if — one ceases to be working class and the right way to twirl spaghetti. “We’ve talked about, ‘Is country music working class? Is wearing polyester versus linen working class?’ You name it, we’ve talked about it,” says Peters. 

It’s hard to pin down the number of working class academics. 

At the American Association of University Professors in Washington, D.C., spokeswoman Iris Molotsky said she doesn’t know of any survey that arrives at a total of working class scholars. Still, on an anecdotal level, a recent New York Times article on Working Class Academics got people at the association “thinking about all of our friends and our own backgrounds and we realized that in fact it’s quite unusual,” she said. 

Oldfield, a professor of public administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield, has researched the point, surveying faculty at a Big Ten university about their parents’ education and occupation. 

He found that more than half of the 567 respondents said their parents were doctors, lawyers or other professionals. Only about 2 percent reported their parents were from the lowest 20 percent of the socio-economic ladder, with backgrounds such as janitors or cooks. 

Oldfield thinks it’s time universities start collecting this kind of data on their own, with the idea of creating affirmative action for poor and blue-collar students and faculty. 

He knows that’s a tough proposition. 

“There is this unwillingness to talk about class,” he says. 

Is social class that important in a self-help world? 

Vander Putten has run into people who say, “so you take an etiquette class, you can learn those things.” 

The problem, he says, is that entering university life from the wrong side of the tracks means more than not knowing what fork to use at the chancellor’s holiday gala. 

There’s the time, for instance, when, as a promising graduate student, he was invited to a swank soiree. 

Prepped to impress, he announced he’d soon be making his first trip overseas — to the Scottish city of Edinburgh. 

Except he mangled “Edinboruh” as “Edin-BERG” — “Thinking, hey, I’ve been to Pittsburgh.” — and also discovered the well-heeled and well-traveled table wasn’t too impressed to find out he was making his maiden voyage at age 37. 

“Of course they bust out laughing and it doesn’t take me long to realize that they’re not laughing with me,” he says. 

Vander Putten can laugh, too — now. But he and other WCA members don’t laugh off the perils of crashing the college class-barrier. 

“From the day you arrive you don’t know the rules, says Chelsea Starr, a sociology lecturer at the University of California at Irvine who as a child helped her mother clean houses at night. “Your parents haven’t been to college, let alone graduate school. They can’t tell you, ’If you want an office, go find out who’s on the office space committee. If you want that grant, go find out who’s on the awards committee.”’ 

Big career moves can ride on the small talk of department receptions. 

“One thing you never want to do is talk about what your parents did for a living unless they were professionals,” says Oldfield. 

Peters only recently realized why she feels like falling apart at those department get-togethers: “Poor people, when we talk to each other, we sit down. We don’t stand with a wine glass and little plate of stuff trying to balance everything.” 

So far, WCA has had five conferences, where members present papers, engage in scholarly discussions and then repair to a local diner — or barbecue pit — for the keynote banquet. 

“There’s this, ’Oh, yeah,’ feeling,” says Oldfield. “You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have those distant looks in people’s eyes.” 

Like many on the list, Peters has “come out” to her students, drawing on her life to help teach sociology at Southampton College of Long Island University. 

Peters’ father was a railroad worker; she became a welfare mother in the early 1970s after her first husband left her when she was five months pregnant with their first child. She later remarried and had two more children, one of whom died at 19 months from a rare heart ailment. Her second marriage also ended and for a while she was incapacitated by a disability. 

“If I talk about poverty; I know about welfare. I know that it’s not like the politicians and people would have us believe,” she says. 

Through lessons learned the hard way, Peters is there to help students overcome the big hurdles. And she knows how to set a classy table. 

Recently, Peters presented a student who had overcome tremendous personal odds with a graduation gift of one napkin ring and a napkin to go in it. “I told her, when you get your Ph.D., you get the rest of the napkins,” she said.

SAN JOSE – The world’s largest manufacturer of computer chips can’t stop making them faster. 

Intel Corp. says its lab researchers have built the world’s smallest and fastest transistor — a milestone that will allow the Santa Clara-based company to build within the next five or 10 years microprocessors that will be 10 times more powerful than the ones available today. 

Intel officials plan to share details of the breakthrough Monday in San Francisco at the International Electron Devices Meeting, a technical conference for semiconductor engineers and scientists. 

“It’s discoveries like these that make me excited about the future,” said Sunlin Chou, vice president and general manager of Intel’s technology and manufacturing group. “It’s one thing to achieve a great technological breakthrough. It’s another to have one that is practical and will change everyone’s lives.” 

Chips, which are the brains of computers and other smart devices, contain transistors that act like switches controlling the flow of electrons. The smaller the transistors, the faster the chips can perform. 

Intel scientists think the breakthrough will make devices of science fiction stories a reality within a decade. Intel cited an instantaneous voice translation device as an example. 

Today’s fastest chip on the market, Intel’s Pentium 4, squeezes 42 million transistors onto a sliver of silicon, runs at a speed of 1.5 gigahertz, or 1.5 billion cycles per second, and consumes 1.7 volts of power. 

With the latest tiny transistors, future chips could have 400 million or more transistors and run at 10-gigahertz speeds, operating at less than a volt. The new transistors, Intel said, are .03 microns wide, or about three atoms thick. A pile of 100,000 of them would equal the thickness of a sheet of paper, the company said. 

“Semiconductors have been on this growth curve for a long time, and Intel has validated that we’ll be able to continue on this path,” said Jim Handy, a chief analyst with Dataquest. 

Other semiconductor manufacturers, such as IBM Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., have all been locked in a race with Intel to create faster, smaller chips. 

For the moment, Intel is holding the crown.

SAN DIEGO – A shareholder has filed an investor lawsuit against Gateway alleging the computer seller misled investors in the fall about financial statements. 

The lawsuit was filed late Thursday on behalf of Houston shareholder James Burton, who is seeking class-action securities status in federal court in San Diego. 

The lawsuit claims that Gateway reported false and misleading financial results for the three months ending in September. It also alleges that Gateway failed to record the declining value from its investments in start-up companies and insisted that it was experiencing strong retail demand for PCs, despite obvious signs of weakening sales. 

“We deny the allegations and will defend ourselves vigorously,” said John Spelich, a Gateway spokesman. “I really can’t elaborate beyond that.” 

Gateway said it expected a strong fourth quarter when it reported its third quarter results in October. 

The financial analysis firm Wit Soundview downgraded Gateway’s stock on Nov. 20 from buy to hold, citing the company’s reliance on a U.S. consumer market in which PC demand has been slowing and signs of weak cash flow. 

Gateway itself warned Nov. 29 that holiday sales were going to be weaker than expected and the announcement sent its stock plummeting 34 percent, to $20.30, on the day of the warning. It closed Friday at $17.50. 

The 25-page lawsuit accuses Gateway’s founding chairman, Ted Waitt, and chief financial officer, John Todd, of knowing the third-quarter results issued Oct. 12 were misleading. 

The lawsuit also alleges that Gateway executives tried to hide information that countered their bullish outlook and shredded documents. 

Investor lawsuits have become relatively common as shareholders unhappy over soured investments seek compensation from corporations and their executives. 

A group of investors sued Lucent Technologies last month claiming the struggling telecommunications equipment maker misled shareholders in October by reporting inflated earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter.

LOS ANGELES – Managing chads, hanging and otherwise, is a regular part of business for BigBallot Inc., the company that runs the All-Star balloting for Major League Baseball and other sports leagues. 

In BigBallot’s elections, in which as many as 400,000 votes are counted a day, battered ballots are discarded and workers struggle to keep tabulating machines from getting clogged with tenaciously clinging bits of paper. 

“We deal with a lot of the same things they’re dealing with in Florida,” said Jeff Gehl, chief executive officer at BigBallot. “We have the same issue with chads. It fills up our machines. You end up with ballots that are unreadable.” 

While counting and recounting is causing turmoil in Florida, it is fueling the success BigBallot has enjoyed over the past 25 years. At a time when Internet companies are struggling, BigBallot is making a successful transition from bricks to clicks. 

The company, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., began its life tabulating paper ballots for the National Basketball Association All-Star game in 1975. It was known as The Marketing Center in those days, and soon it was managing the all-star balloting programs for most major league sports. Its current roster of customers also includes ESPN’s Espy Awards and the TV Guide Awards. 

Two years ago, a group led by Gehl bought TMC and offered its services to Web-based companies to get in early on a growing trend — moving offline clients to the Internet and offering Internet firms a much-needed offline presence. 

For Internet clients, the company offers a way to keep visitors on their sites longer — known in Web lingo as making the sites “sticky.” 

“As they rushed to get to the Internet, they created these great sites, but didn’t have strategies in place for repeat visits,” said Eric Bechtel, executive vice president of sales. 

To add stickiness, BigBallot develops polls, sweepstakes and other interactive offerings that require visitors to fill out registration forms, play games and come back daily for chances to win prizes. The company also incorporates offline elements that encourage someone to log onto a client’s Web site to play a game or cast a vote. 

A notably sticky Web site is iWon.com. The sweepstakes portal and search engine, whose majority owner is CBS television, offers its users a chance to win $10,000 a day, $1 million a month and an annual grand prize of $10 million. Visitors qualify for the prizes simply by using iWon’s site to search the Web. 

The entire program — even the phone call made to the winners — is run by BigBallot. 

“The stickiest sites on the Web tend to be the sites with money components attached to them,” said Sean Kaldor, vice president of ecommerce at NetRatings. “People are flocking to sites that give them a financial incentive to go there.” 

For Citysearch, an online entertainment guide, BigBallot ran a promotion to choose top attractions in various cities that was designed to drive traffic to the sponsor’s site. 

“We’re very much behind the scenes,” said Gehl. “We do a lot of the grunt work and back room stuff companies don’t want to do.” 

BigBallot’s experience in tabulating ballots and entries yields a sideline business — detailed databases that clients can use to more efficiently target advertising and promotions. That service is critical on the Web, where advertisers are looking for a bigger bang than that derived from generic banner ads. 

“Many advertisers are focused on their return on investment and the actual conversion they’re getting,” said Christopher Todd, an analyst at Jupiter Research. 

The transition online for BigBallot has been better than expected. The privately owned company said its revenue grew 100 percent last year, and it is predicting similar growth during the next three years.  

The company does not release sales figures. 

The company also has plans to extend its services to the wireless world.  

This year, BigBallot ran a test with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, allowing fans to use cell phones to choose a most valuable player each inning and answer a trivia question flashed on the scoreboard. Correct answers went into a drawing for a prize.

SAN JOSE — A bizarre mystery unfolded Friday out of a usually routine corporate flight: Why did a Hewlett-Packard employee jump or fall from a small company plane at 2,000 feet, despite an attempt by another passenger to restrain her? 

Sacramento police Friday afternoon found the body of the young blonde woman, dressed in a dark suit, in a in a vegetable garden, about 200 feet behind a house and three blocks from Susan B. Anthony Elementary School. 

The coroner’s office identified her as Elisabeth Mathild Otto, 31, of San Francisco. 

The FBI said two passengers who saw Otto plunge from the plane were so distraught that they were unable to communicate to the pilots what had happened. Police were not notified she was missing until 45 minutes after the plane landed in San Jose on Thursday night. 

“We’ve ruled out foul play on behalf of any of the passengers,” FBI spokesman Andrew Black said. “We’re looking at it strictly as a possible suicide or an accident.” 

The 15-seat plane, a de Havilland Twin Otter, was carrying five passengers and two pilots when it left Lincoln Regional Airport in Roseville, northeast of Sacramento, late Thursday afternoon.  

For 22 years, Hewlett-Packard has operated the flight service for employees who travel between the high-tech giant’s Silicon Valley home base and its Roseville campus. Never before had there been an injury or a fatality, HP spokesman Dave Berman said. 

Soon after takeoff, the plane had to make an emergency landing because a warning light indicated the door was unlocked. The plane landed at 4:48 p.m. at the Sacramento Executive Airport, then took off again at 5:20 p.m. after securing the door. 

Three minutes later, the door opened. 

“When that plane hatch was opened, the passenger immediately in front of her turned around and observed a female passenger halfway out of the plane,” Black said. “He lunged over the seat, reached for her and was able to grab hold of her shoulder and attempted to pull her back into the plane.” 

Otto flew out the door at 2,000 feet, about 10 miles south of Sacramento. 

Amid what had to be a deafening and chaotic roar, the co-pilot managed to close the door, Black said.  

But the crew didn’t realize the woman was gone and continued on to San Jose, where the plane landed at 6:05 p.m. Police were later called from an HP office a few miles from the San Jose airport. 

Hewlett-Packard said Otto worked in the purchasing department. Black said the other passengers did not notice Otto behaving unusually before the incident. 

The company would not comment beyond a short statement issued early Friday. 

“We are deeply concerned and are helping authorities to determine what happened,” the statement said. “Out of respect for the individuals involved, we are not providing additional information at this time.” 

FAA inspectors determined that a mechanical malfunction had not caused the door to open, spokesman Jerry Snyder said. The FAA also said inspectors did not believe the pilot erred in continuing to San Jose after securing the door a second time. 

“The inspector couldn’t find any fault in his proceedings,” Snyder said. 

After Otto’s body was found Friday, schoolchildren in white shirts and navy blue pants watched police and reporters circle the area. Police chaplain Frank Russell talked to concerned residents in the poor neighborhood. 

“One family I’ve spoken to was worried about the ‘what-ifs,”’ Russell said. “What if the woman jumped out a second earlier and landed in their house?”

LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors in the case of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson accused her and her attorneys Thursday of stalling to avoid trial and said the lawyers should be removed for failing to adequately prepare. 

Deputy District Attorneys Michael Latin and Eleanor Hunter filed a motion accompanied by a chart showing what they claimed was a purposeful effort to avoid trial in the case of the woman formerly known as Kathleen Soliah. 

Olson is charged with attempting to murder Los Angeles police officers by planting pipe bombs under squad cars 25 years ago. The bombs did not go off. 

“The failure of both counsel to prepare for trial is so egregious that if the court does reward them with another delay the people request that they be removed and replaced with diligent counsel who will prepare for and be ready for trial on the date set,” the motion said. 

It accused attorneys J. Tony Serra and Shawn Chapman of “purposeful stalling tactics intended to avoid trial.” 

Chapman denounced the motion and said it was outrageous to suggest that Olson had a hand in the delays. 

“I’m offended and outraged by this latest tactic of the district attorney’s office,” Chapman said in a telephone interview. 

She said prosecutors are aware that two previous attorneys, Stuart Hanlon and Susan Jordan, withdrew for personal problems and “this was no fault of my client’s.” 

“Sara Olson was deeply saddened when the two attorneys of her choice withdrew,” she said. 

After that, a public defender appointed to the case also withdrew due to a conflict of interest, Chapman noted. 

Serra, a San Francisco attorney, could not be immediately reached by telephone. 

“He is a legendary lawyer and he is a great lawyer because he tries a lot of cases,” said Chapman, who described his schedule as overwhelming. 

In an affidavit, the prosecutors ridiculed Olson’s request for public assistance from lawyers, investigators and paralegals at taxpayer expense, saying she and her husband have an annual income exceeding $300,000 and cannot be considered indigent. 

“The defendant was a fugitive for almost 25 years,” the prosecutors said. “Approximately 23 witnesses died during the course of her flight and several others have died since her arrest. To repeatedly claim that the defendant is just an innocent victim of circumstance defies logic. 

“Even though she was arrested in this case in June 1999, she is still fleeing from justice, just in a different manner.” 

Chapman said the defense will soon file an affidavit under seal showing that Olson is indigent. 

The prosecutors noted that the current attorneys were seeking a continuance and were particularly critical of Serra, who they said has made only three appearances since he was appointed to the case and “he has done virtually nothing as per his co-counsel, Shawn Chapman, to prepare for trial over the last seven months.” 

The prosecutors said that during a conference with the judge last month, Chapman said that Serra told her he was going to be engaged in another trial on Jan. 8, 2001, the date now set for Olson’s trial, and he did not expect the Olson case to proceed. 

“He, however, failed to inform the court of this,” the prosecutors said. ”... It is clear from Mr. Serra’s conduct that he has no respect for this court or its orders.” 

Earlier this week, the judge assigned to the case since Olson’s arrest bowed out when he was transferred to a suburban court at his request. The interim judge said the case would be delayed and assigned to a new jurist who probably could not handle it before April. 

“According to Ms. Chapman, Mr. Serra has done nothing to prepare for trial. She represented to the court while in chambers that Mr. Serra does not speak with her and refuses to return her calls.” 

Chapman defended her preparations for the case, saying it has a “tortured history“and that evidence came to her in unlabled boxes. 

“I’ve been trying to make sense of it,” she said. 

SACRAMENTO — Energy Secretary Bill Richardson ordered Northwest generators to sell electricity to power-strapped California utilities Wednesday, a move that appeared to avert the immediate threat of rolling blackouts. 

The announcement came as state regulators warned blackouts were imminent due to power shortages within California and an inability to buy more electricity from the Northwest. 

The warning came from the Independent System Operator, keeper of California’s power grid. It said electricity supplies were so perilously low it might declare a Stage 3 power emergency for the second time in a week. At Stage 3, the grid can impose blackouts. 

Richardson said he was using emergency powers to force wholesalers to sell power to California at a price he deemed fair. He said he would also request that two large Pacific Northwest power marketing agencies generate more power to send to California. 

“Our objective is to keep the lights on in California through this emergency situation,” Richardson said. 

ISO officials said the threat of blackouts appeared to be averted after the Bonneville Power Administration diverted 1,500 megawatts to California and some suppliers that balked at selling power to utilities in the state relented. 

“We don’t think we are going to have rolling blackouts today so we can all breathe a sigh of relief,” said Kellan Fluckiger, the ISO’s chief operating officer. “Things also look better for the rest of the week.” 

The ISO was on the phone literally “hunting for megawatts,” spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle said. 

About a dozen suppliers were demanding cash before selling power to California due to concerns about the utilities’ solvency, Fluckiger said. 

California’s two largest utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison, are near bankruptcy due to skyrocketing wholesale power costs, Gov. Gray Davis and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said at a Washington, D.C., news conference with Richardson. 

Davis and Feinstein asked federal regulators to set a regional price cap on wholesale electricity to prevent the high prices that have plagued California.  

On Friday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lifted price caps in California, a move Davis opposed. 

Record wholesale power prices followed, and PG&E warned it was going broke. 

On Wednesday, Richardson called for talks involving all the major players, including state and federal regulators and utilities. PG&E Chief Executive Officer Robert Glynn Jr. praised Richardson’s action and said his utility would participate in any such meeting. 

The ISO’s Fluckiger warned earlier Wednesday that officials might have to interrupt power to about a million customers Wednesday afternoon and increase the blackouts to cover up to 4 million customers in late afternoon and early evening, when people came home from work and power demand hit a peak. 

“The credit limits of utilities and what markets are willing to sell us have been reached and surpassed in many cases,” Fluckiger said.  

“There are questions about utility solvency. That has come to a head today.” 

Utilities would decide who would face blackouts, he said. They try to avoid areas with essential services such as hospitals, Fluckiger said. 

Southern California Edison was optimistic blackouts wouldn’t occur in its territory, which includes metropolitan Los Angeles but not the city, spokesman Steve Hansen said. 

An unprecedented Stage 3 emergency was issued last Thursday, meaning reserves had fallen below 1 1/2 percent. In that case, the state fended off the threat of rolling outages by turning off two power-sucking water pumps on the Delta. 

Blackouts, if used, would probably last about an hour to 90 minutes and occur mostly in Northern California due to transmission limitations there, Fluckiger said. 

California’s power market has been hit for months by tight supplies and price spikes. Electricity deregulation, cold weather and rising power costs have been blamed for the state’s most recent problems. 

California approved a phased-in deregulation of the electricity market in 1996 to try to lower prices for consumers through competition, but so far it has led to higher energy prices. 

The Northwest, heavily dependent on hydroelectric power, has faced low water tables and had to import electricity from California and other states. 

Gas-fired generators could be brought on line to ease the situation but natural gas prices are so high they would not cover the operating costs, Fluckiger said. 

“Requests have been made to operate those facilities and then have the utilities pay for those excess gas costs,” he said. “The utilities have not been able to do so. They have requested permission from the PUC to be able to pass those costs through to customers.” 

Wholesale power costs have been soaring, due in large part to skyrocketing prices for natural gas. Wall Street is worried about utilities’ economic health, and on Tuesday, a consumer group urged the state to seize and run the strapped $20 billion electricity system. 

A Stage 2 alert was declared Wednesday afternoon, meaning power reserves fell below 5 percent and some customers, mainly businesses, can be asked to reduce power use in exchange for lower rates. A Stage 1 alert was in effect Wednesday morning, meaning power reserves were below 7 percent and all power users were asked to conserve. 

Stage 1 and 2 emergencies have become routine this month, but last Thursday’s Stage 3 marked the first time the threat of blackouts loomed. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Independent System Operator: http://www.caiso.com/ 

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Associated Press writers Bart Jansen in Washington and Don Thompson in Folsom, Calif., contributed to this report. 

SAN FRANCISCO — The state sued 18 school districts Tuesday in a bid to force them to fix allegedly shoddy classrooms, issue textbooks and hire credentialed teachers as required under state law. 

The suit is an outgrowth of one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which accuses the state of sidestepping its duty to guarantee students an equal public education. 

Last month, San Francisco Superior Judge Peter J. Busch declined to dismiss the ACLU suit accusing the state of providing its poorest public school students with an inferior education.  

The judge said the ACLU could sue the state on allegations that its “oversight and management systems are nonexistent or inadequate.” 

“This case is exclusively about the state’s system of oversight and that system’s alleged inadequacies and failures,” Busch said.  

“The lawsuit is aimed at ensuring a system that will either prevent or discover and correct such deficiencies from going forward.” 

The state, in its suit filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court, claimed the school districts and their locally elected boards, not Sacramento, ultimately are responsible for ensuring equal educational opportunities for all children. 

Gov. Davis’ media office did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. 

“Rather than suing the districts, a system of oversight and management should be set up,” said ACLU attorney Michael Jacobs. “They’re suing themselves.” 

He likened the state’s response to the ACLU suit as “a publisher not having the ability to order a newspaper to stop the presses.” 

The state suit, known as a cross-complaint to the ACLU suit, seeks a court order demanding the districts fix the various defects if the ACLU proves that the conditions exist. 

At the Cloverdale High School, the ACLU alleges that classroom temperatures reach as high as 110 degrees in the summer and that students cannot take certain books home because there aren’t enough. 

At the Morris E. Daily Elementary School in Fresno, the ACLU alleged that some children “have urinated or defecated on themselves at school because toilets were locked when they needed to use the restroom.” 

The ACLU says economics textbooks at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra haven’t been updated since 1986 and, among other things, one-third of the student population must stand during assemblies because the seats are missing. 

Last week, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning said that one in five teachers at 1,600 California public schools is underqualified. 

The ACLU sued in May in a case that grew to represent 98 students in 46 schools in 18 school districts.  

The ACLU will ask the judge in February to expand its suit to cover all 1,100 school districts and their 5.8 million students. 

Here are the 18 school districts named in the state’s cross-complaint:  

Alhambra City Elementary School District;  

Alhambra City High  

School District;  

Campbell Union Elementary School District;  

Cloverdale Unified School District;  

Fresno Unified School District;  

Inglewood Unified School District;  

Long Beach Unified School District;  

L.A. Unified School District;  

Lynwood Unified School District;  

Merced City Elementary School District;  

Montebello Unified School District;  

Pioneer Union Elementary School District;  

Oakland Unified School District;  

Ravenswood City Elementary School District;  

San Francisco Unified School District,  

Visalia Unified School District;  

West Contra Costa Unified School District. 

The ACLU’s case and the state’s suit are Williams vs. California, 312236.

SAN FRANCISCO — The city holds a runoff election for nine supervisors Tuesday that could determine the future of dot-com expansions and other projects that some say are robbing San Francisco of its bohemian character. 

Many residents are so fed up with spiraling housing costs, traffic gridlock and other side effects of the Internet boom that none of the 18 candidates campaigned in favor of the way the city has changed during Mayor Willie Brown’s five years as mayor. 

Even his allies – including Juanita Owens, a black lesbian running in the district that includes Haight-Ashbury – have distanced themselves from the mayor in speeches and campaign literature. 

“It angers me that some in City Hall have betrayed our community’s confidence and trust,” said Owens, a former school board president.  

“If you elect me supervisor, I’ll promise not to be ‘bought or bossed.”’ 

Nine of the 11 seats on the city’s Board of Supervisors are up for grabs on Tuesday. 

At the heart of Tuesday’s election is the pro-growth agenda backed by Brown and his allies. Supporters say it is critical to San Francisco’s economy, while critics contend it has changed the city for the worse. 

The races have been fierce: A group of developers, construction companies and downtown corporate interests has tried to preserve Brown’s control over City Hall by pumping almost $2 million since July into a block-by-block battle for voters. 

Much of that money came from out-of-town interests, such as Ohio-based Malrite Corp., which wants to develop a theme park on Pier 39m complete with a “thrill ride” through an imitation San Francisco. 

Voters voted 3-1 on Nov. 7 for an educational center instead, but the theme park idea isn’t dead yet. It and similar plans – including a proposed floating hotel and conference center built to resemble the Titanic – could ultimately go before the Board of Supervisors. 

The board also may have  

the final word on planning decisions for 724,000 square feet of new offices, mostly proposed for dot-com businesses that would be exempt from having to  

pay into the city’s affordable-housing fund. 

“It’s just really criminal,” said Tom Ammiano, one of the two supervisors elected outright on Nov. 7. “I think people want to be at the table.” 

It was Ammiano who mobilized an improbable grassroots write-in campaign last year that briefly threatened to unseat Brown and his Democratic Party machine, which has such a lock on local politics that there are no elected Republicans within the city limits. Brown defeated Ammiano, but the grassroots movement he spawned has only become more organized: Only four of the supervisor candidates Brown backed finished first in last month’s election. 

Brown himself has kept a low profile. Days before the general election, he did say he hoped anti-Brown forces didn’t “load us down with a lot of crazy people.” 

Among the “crazies” are Aaron Peskin, whose neighborhood association blocked a Rite-Aid drug store from opening among the Italian cafes of North Beach. It is one of many campaigns against chain stores in the city. 

“The mayor is more interested in doing large real-estate deals than making sure the buses run on time and making sure our infrastructure is in good shape,” Peskin said Monday. 

“This is a breath of fresh air that is sweeping over our city,” he said of the board elections. 

The mayor’s spokesman, P.J. Johnston, said both sides will soon find that they need each other to get anything done. 

“People should be elected on their ability to serve the city of San Francisco regardless of whether they differ or agree with mayor,” he said. 

“The basis of serving should not be totally whether they’re anti-Willie Brown.”

Berkeley police say another shooting took place yesterday morning in a city that has seen a rash of violence in the past several weeks. 

The incident occurred just after midnight this morning when four men standing near 841 Gilman Street were approached by three other men, one of whom produced a handgun, police said.  

The armed suspect ordered the four men to lie on the ground, but one resisted and a struggle ensued.  

A single shot was fired, wounding a 27-year-old man, and the three men fled, police said.  

A Berkeley police officer nearby heard the shot and was able to apprehend Caderias Rayandre Evans, 22.  

Police say Evans has been positively identified by witnesses as the shooter. 

Evans was booked and is currently being held at the Berkeley City Jail. The other two men presumably are still at large. 

The victim, who was not identified, is in stable condition at Highland Hospital, police said. 

Berkeley police say an unprecedented number of shootings have hit the city in the past month and a half.