OAKLAND – Adding 21 months to the original plea bargain agreement between prosecutors and the defense, a federal judge sentenced wealthy Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy Tuesday to 97 months in prison and the payment to his victims of $2 million in restitution. 

Reddy pleaded guilty March 7 to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, two counts of transporting a minor for illegal sex and one count of submitting a false tax return in 1998 by lying about his foreign bank accounts in India. 

In the Tuesday morning standing-room only court session, federal District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong refused the plea deal and sent the two parties back to the negotiating table for some fine tuning. The judge argued that the original six and one-half year prison term should be enhanced because Reddy had participated in the obstruction of justice after his arrest and the victims had received severe psychological trauma as a result of their ordeal. 

By 3 p.m., the two sides had agreed to accept a stiffer sentence.  

At the same time, the judge used her discretion to knock off some of Reddy’s potential jail time because he said he was remorseful for his acts. 

The judge’s call for the longer sentence was motivated by an investigative report written by a federal probation officer. According to the report, Reddy’s relatives gave three of the victims, identified only as victims No. 4, 5 and 7, airplane tickets to go to India, gave the girls money and instructed them stay away from the village where they grew up and where Reddy still owns a villa. 

In India, Armstrong said, the three victims were brought to the villa. “Reddy spoke to each by telephone, telling them to stay (in India) until they were told they could return to the United States.” 

Reddy’s attorney, Ted Cassman, said Reddy spoke with one, not three of the girls, although the others might have been on the phone line. And he argued that the conversation was not willful obstruction of justice. Rather, according to Cassman, Reddy advised the young woman, known as Victim No. 5, to stay in India, until “everything was OK.” Then Cassman said Reddy told her: “I’ll find you a new husband.” 

U.S. Attorney John Kennedy, the prosecutor, echoed what Cassman had said, but the judge responded that the “court obviously has a responsibility to make its own assessment.” 

The second reason for the enhanced sentencing cited by the judge was the “psychological injuries the victims have sustained.”  

Armstrong spoke about Reddy’s impact on the victims’ lives, noting that Victim No. 1 had endured physical, sexual and verbal abuse for over seven years. As a result, she experiences severe headaches, depression and panic attacks. She even tried to kill herself.  

The judge underscored the “severity,” and “duration,” of the crimes and that the women were as young as 13 years old. “Here they are isolated, without friends and family and a support system. They were fully dependent on (Reddy) for care,” she said. 

Kennedy argued the original plea bargain took into account the “vulnerable age” of the girls in question and “Mr. Reddy’s leadership role was factored in.” 

The idea of the plea bargain was to get the funds to the victims as soon as possible so that they could pay for counseling and move ahead in their lives, Kennedy said. 

But Armstrong argued that restitution was not a motivating factor, since “the victims were offered large sums of money not to come back to the United States” and they came back anyway. 

Both the prosecution and the defense attorneys argued that the victims wanted the case put to rest and did not want it to go to trial, where they would have to testify against Reddy. “Mostly, they want it to be over,” said Cassman’s law partner, Cristina Arguedas. 

The victims’ lawyers, who may file a civil lawsuit, spoke before the judge, confirming that they did not want the case to go to trial. 

Armstrong responded, however, that “the case is not just about these victims. It is the intent of society to insure that this does not continue. It’s not just about these individuals.” 

Arguedas further argued that Reddy, 64, would be 70 when he left prison, and should not be kept there any longer than six years. But Armstrong once again reminded the court that the girls were as young as 13 when Reddy gained control over them. 

At that, applause broke out in the courtroom. The clerk of the court silenced the spectators. 

Arguedas continued, explaining to the judge that she understood the ages of the girls was a factor and did not mean to “minimize the vulnerability of the victims.” 

“(Reddy) was here, sobbing about it when he entered his plea,” she said, reminding the court that “these events are not the sum total of his life.” 

The judge took that into consideration. 

She told the court that, along with letters calling for a lengthy prison sentence, she had received letters touting Reddy’s virtues, including his philanthropy. Reddy funded a school in India, among other good works. 

“I think the judge made a very fair decision,” Arguedas said, speaking to reporters outside the courtroom. “I think she put a lot of care and thought into it. She balanced a lot of competing considerations. It was a just result and she has to be credited for it.” 

It has not yet been determined where Reddy will serve his sentence. He will be eligible for parole after six years and 10 months. 

Daily Planet reporter Daniela Mohor contributed to this story. 

Wednesday, June 20

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Meet at the Gallery, take the bus to the Oakland Museum to take a tour with David Bacon of his exhibition “Every Worker Is An Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the UFW.” 

486-0411 

Berkeley Communicator  

Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

A “Thank You” Reception for  

Berkeley School Interim  

Superintendent Steve  

Goldstone 

Public invited. 

4:30 to 6:00 (before the school board meeting) 

2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, second floor, old council chambers. 

Anarchism Forum 

7 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Three Kevin Keating, Howard Besser, and Perry Matloc will discuss the history of Anarchism and its relevance to recent actions. The short video “Anarchists in Action” will be shown. $5 - $7. 

415-927-1645  

Support Group for Family/Friends  

Caring for Older Adults 

4 - 5:30 p.m. - 3rd Wednesday of each month 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

3rd floor, Room 3369B (elevator - B) 

The group will focus on the needs of the older adult with serious medical problems, psychiatric illnesses, substance abuse, and their caregivers. Facilitated by Monica Nowakowski, LCSW. 

Free. For more information call 802-1725 

Thursday, June 21

Best Northern California  

Hikes 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Guidebook author Matt Heid shares his favorite day hikes and overnight backpacking trips in Northern California. Slide presentation. Free. 

527-4140 

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month. 869-2547 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This session will be a “Pride Mass.” 654-5486 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe. 

Community Tribute to Jeffrey  

Leiter 

5 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Performance 

Santa Fe Bar and Grill 

1310 University Avenue 

The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is hosting a Community Tribute to honor former Mayor and Symphony Board President Jeffrey Shattuck Leiter. Dinner at Santa Fe Bar and Grill, followed by an 8 p.m. Berkeley Symphony performance at Zellerbach Hall. For information and tickets, call 841-2800  

Global Trade  

and Local Environments 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Avenue 

Panel discussion with Antonia Juhasz, Martin Wagner, and Andrea del Moral. Also a community discussion and network-building, related resources. Potluck. 

548-2220 ext. 233  

Friday, June 22

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts,  

Herstory and Literature 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly cultural studies course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. Free. 549-2970  

City Commons Club,  

Luncheon and Speaker 

11:45 a.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

This week featuring Jeffrey Riegle, Ph.D., on “Historical Reasons for China’s Current Conduct.” Come early for social hour. Lunch at 11:45 for $11-$12.25. Come at 12:30 to hear the speaker only for $1, students free. Reservations for three or more. 848-3533 

Saturday, June 23

“Feast of Fire” benefit for the Crucible 

10:30 p.m. 

The Crucible 

1036 Ashby Ave. 

Act III, The Flight of Icarus, will feature live music and performances by several groups including Capacitor and Xeno. Price of admission benefits the Crucible, a multi-disciplinary community arts center. $20 at the door. 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Summer Solstice Celebration 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

Center St. and MLK Jr. Way 

Farmers market plus crafts fair and live reggae and jazz. 

548-3333 

Strawberry Creek Walking Tour 

10 a.m. - Noon 

Learn about Strawberry Creek’s history, explore its neighborhoods, and consider its potential. Meet four experts on the local creeks. Reservations required,  

call 848-0181. 

Energy-Efficient  

Wood Windows 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 

Truitt and White Lumber 

642 Hearst Avenue 

Free seminar by Marvin Window’s representative Chris Martin on how to measure and install the double-hung Tilt Pac replacement unit, as well as a review of the full line of Marvin’s energy-efficient wood windows. 649-2574 

What You Need to Know Before You Build or Remodel 

10 a.m. - Noon 

The Building Education Center 

812 Page Street 

Free seminar by professional builder Glen Kitzenberger. 

525-7610 

Choosing to Add On: The Pros and Cons of Building an Addition 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

The Building Education Center 

812 Page Street 

Free seminar by author/designer Skip Wenz 

525-7610 

Sunday, June 24

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to fix a flat from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

— compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

Uncle Eye 

2 p.m. 

Berkeley-Richmond Jewish 

Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. 

Come see Ira Levin, a.k.a. Uncle Eye, give a special performance as a fundraiser for a television pilot to be filmed this summer. $7 - $10. 

848-0237 or www.uncle-eye.com 

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

1 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Avenue 

Artful garden tour, part of the Berkeley Arts Festival. Ride AC Transit to Marcia Donohue and Mark Bulwinkle’s Our Own Stuff Garden and Gallery, then walk to the Dry Garden. 

486-0411 

Carefree/Carfree Tour #2 

1:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Avenue 

Ride the bus to the Codornices Creek Restoration Project and the Peralta Community Garden and enjoy a concert by Nicole Miller. 

486-0411 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Avenue 

Group meditation using instrumental music and devotional songs. Free. 

496-3468  

Caring for the caregivers 

Editor 

When a person is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, attention immediately shifts to him or her. The physician focuses on treatment and cure. Family and friends visit or call to inquire about the welfare of the patient. The caregiver, on the other hand, is most often forgotten.  

In the case of a terminal or fatal illness that may last years, it’s a long period of care for the 

patient. It’s a long period for the caregiver to be giving his or her all. Professional literature on care for the caregiver tells us that a patients’ care is dependent on how well the caregiver is taken care of.  

Family Caregivers Alliance and Eldercare Services are excellent organizations to get resource information.  

If you’re not able to find one that meets your need, start one, if possible. My church came alongside my husband and I and worked with us to start a Caregivers Survival Series and a support group. Care of the caregiver is vital to good care of the ill person and 

a must for the survival of the caregiver. 

Kate Gong 

Berkeley 

Give it all away 

Editor: 

The Supreme Court has now allowed Bible study and other religious activity to take place in the public schools.  

Why not go the logical whole hog? 

The public schools hold classes Monday through Friday; weekends most are deserted.  

The holy Sabbaths of Christians and Jews occur on Saturday and Sunday, when communal religious services are held in their churches and synagogues. Monday through Friday their sanctuaries stand virtually empty. (Of regularly spaced communal religious services in mosques, I am ashamed to say, I am too ignorant to speak.) 

Why not abandon churches and synagogues (mosques too?) and fully utilize our public school buildings by holding the nation’s communal religious services in them? Perhaps as worshippers the public could see to it that all our public school buildings be kept in much better condition than we arrange for as taxpayers! 

The consequently abandoned formerly religious edifices could give around-the -clock shelter to the impoverished, usually in more convenient locations than where our present jerry-rigged patchwork of “homeless shelters” are hidden away in half-deserted blighted neighborhoods or abandoned military posts, far from job opportunity and public transportation, to mollify sanctimonious NIMBY’S.  

A fantastic idea? Yes, but doesn’t it make sense? 

Judith Segard Hunt 

Berkeley 

Beth El’s good works deserves public support 

Editor: 

The City Council's public hearing on Congregation Beth El's new synagogue amazed me. Though I have belonged to the congregation for more than 20 years, I didn't know, until that night, the full story of what Beth El does for its members and for the community. 

Nearly 400 people came to the hearing and stayed late into the night to thank and support Beth El. You couldn't help noticing that these speakers looked like Berkeley itself - young, old, and in-between; of many different religions and races; from every neighborhood in the city. 

Some critics of the project, nearly all of whom live near the new site, spoke too. They were a very homogeneous group, and they didn't mention people much. They talked mainly about creeks and trees. 

As someone who has not been close to the situation, but who listened carefully that night, it struck me that the congregation, despite its focus on services to people, is also doing more to restore Codornices Creek and to protect trees on the site than anyone has done before.  

The questions I was left with were: Is Codornices Creek the real agenda of the opponents of this project?  

If so, why haven't they done more to take care of the creek in their neighborhood over the years?  

Why did they wait until Beth El bought the property to wage a campaign to open a part of the creek that is 27 feet underground?  

Why didn't they find a way to buy the property themselves or persuade the city buy it if they wanted it to be open space? 

I don't know the answers to these questions, but what I do know now is that Congregation Beth El has an outstanding plan to take care of people - and creeks and trees. 

Jeffrey Brand 

Berkeley 

Beth El needs more space for its good works 

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to the Mayor and City Council: 

I am writing in strong support of the effort to build a new synagogue for the Beth El congregation at 1301 Oxford.  

The congregation is engaged in many good works in the community and deserves to have a larger space as the number of members and their activities have increased.  

It is clear the congregation has made great efforts to meet the requirements of the Zoning Commission and the wishes of the near neighbors.  

As an urban sociologist, I am well aware of the need to preserve truly beautiful buildings, major historical sites, and important open space available for public use.  

There is nothing of that kind at the site chosen by Beth El for their new building.  

Also as an urban sociologist, I know that all cities must evolve and grow, neighborhoods shift, and institutions expand and contract if the city is to continue to be a live entity.  

It seems to me that the opposition to this new building and grounds is a form of trying to reverse this inevitable process in a very destructive way.  

As a member of the Pastoral Council at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church I am also aware of the difficulty religious communities in Berkeley have in making any changes to their plant or grounds no matter how much these changes may contribute to the common good of the community.  

It does not seem a practice designed to enhance the social and physical health of the city.  

I hope you will consider the extensive efforts made by Beth El to satisfy the Zoning Commission and disregard the efforts of the Landmarks Commission to prevent this synagogue from being built.  

Mary Anna C. Colwell 

Berkeley 

The creation of a martyr 

Editor: 

One might be opposed to the death penalty as a matter of conscience, but still consider it for bosses and program directors of the electronic media.  

They bombarded the public with messages that have greatly contributed to confusion, frustration, anger and paranoia that have become common among the population.  

It took the Pope many years to create over 400 new Saints but the media created the biggest martyr of the century in just a few days! 

Max Alfert 

Albany

Kent Nagano comes back to conduct the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in a program that nicely reflects his career.  

The concert begins with a world premiere of Kurt Rohde's “Five Pieces for Orchestra,” then presents Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a difficult and introspective work from the middle of the 20th century, and concludes with Johannes Brahms’ first symphony, a workhorse from the standard repertory of Romanticism.  

When Nagano was first becoming prominent, he was considered a maverick who focused on esoteric postmodern compositions.  

He gradually moved back through compositions of the earlier decades of the 20th century and eventually developed a friendly relationship with the masters of the classical and romantic traditions.  

Now it is common for Nagano to include a mainstream work or two in a concert which showcases a world premiere by a living composer. 

Audiences have grown to trust Nagano’s taste in selecting new music, and recently they have learned to relish his interpretations of familiar works. 

Reflecting on Kurt Rohde's piece “Five Pieces for Orchestra” Maestro Nagano says “It is something extraordinary.  

He is among the finest of our young generation of composers, even from an international viewpoint. He has an individual voice. His way of expressing himself is emotional and dramatic without being melodramatic or sentimental, so the feelings of his music are deep and heartfelt.” 

Rohde writes, “Beginning with a relatively simple and direct opening movement, the piece evolves to more involved and intricate movements towards the end.  

There is a progression of intensity over the course of the piece.” 

Although Shostakovich is well-known and several of his symphonies and piano concertos are played often, this violin concerto is under-appreciated and rarely heard.  

Perhaps few soloists feel capable of such contrasting styles of gypsy indulgence and heroic strength.  

Stuart Canin is clearly capable of these extremes and enjoys rising to the requirements of this famously difficult piece.  

Nagano said, “There are lots of master violinists, but Canin shows hunger and curiosity. He is always seeking more. I have known Canin for over 25 years and he still becomes more and more fascinating to me.”  

Nagano notes that Shostakovich’s second violin concerto is “enigmatic, private, full of irony and personal reflection. It has a different character than the first concerto, which is more dramatic and more popular.”  

It is clearly a good match for Canin’s mature virtuosity. 

In the Brahms’ symphony, Nagano keeps tempos brisk and insists that the strings play with certain attacks and a crisp sense of line.  

This allows the wind and brass parts to be heard distinctly, instead of merely contributing to a hazy cluster of thick chords, as is the common fare with Brahms. This approach yields more muscle than mush. Brahms worked many years on this symphony before he considered it worthy of being performed, because of the shadow cast by Beethoven’s works in the same genre.  

Its finale is every bit as uplifting as the conclusion of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, as the audience is lead to a jubilant resolution of the conflicts which have been explored in the previous three movements.  

Although the vigorous concluding melody does not have a text, many listeners will be singing or humming the theme for days to come. 

Nagano’s career has taken him away from his native California for long periods of time as he has held important conducting positions for orchestras in London, Manchester, Berlin and Lyon.  

His calendar is also full of guest conducting jobs.  

It is fortunate he has remained loyal to the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, where he has been music director and conductor since 1978. Yet Nagano asserts “I never left Berkeley. I grew up and went to school in the bay area. I had the privilege of being given the music directorship of the Berkeley Symphony when I was still quite young. I love California. Berkeley is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The combination of people makes it a unique vortex of energy.”  

About his lengthy tenure with the BSO Nagano said, “Music making takes on new dimensions when you let a relationship grow with time.  

Twenty-three years is a long time, but certain aspects of the relationship need time to deepen.” The energy and enthusiasm generated by the orchestra attests to the success of this ongoing relationship. 

This will be the final performance of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra this season. Next season's schedule will be announced during the program.

OAKLAND – Members of the organizations involved in the campaign for a just punishment for Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy reacted positively to U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong’s decision Tuesday to sentence the Berkeley landlord to eight years in prison. 

“The sentence today is a powerful moment for the women and the families victimized by Mr. Reddy, who now stands exposed, humiliated and shamed,” said Chic Dabby of Narika, a Berkeley-based South Asian women’s organization. 

Reddy pleaded guilty last March to illegally bringing girls form India for sex and  

cheap labor. In exchange, prosecutors recommended a maximum sentence of six and one-half years in prison - a punishment Narika and other advocacy groups considered too lenient. In the past few weeks, they sent Armstrong dozens of letters urging her to reject the plea bargain and impose a harsher sentence on Reddy. To many of them, Tuesday’s decision was therefore a victory. 

“We are extremely happy,” said Nithya Ramanathan, a member of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) after the hearing. “We feel that the judge really recognized the severity of the case. By inflicting a (more severe) sentence she demonstrated that this kind of behavior is not going to be accepted.” 

Reddy’s victims also expressed satisfaction with the sentence. At the end of the hearing, attorney Jayashri Srikantiah from the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project read a statement on behalf of two victims the foundation represents in a possible civil lawsuit against Reddy. 

“We are deeply gratified by today’s event. Nothing can compensate us for what (Reddy) did but we are satisfied that he has finally been brought to justice and that he’s going to prison,” according to the statement. 

Only one organization, Women Against Sexual Slavery, expressed discontent towards the judge’s decision. “This is absolutely not justice,” said Diana E.H. Russell, leader of the organization. “He’s not even being prosecuted for the things he needs to be prosecuted for.” Russell was against the settlement because it means Reddy will not have to face charges for crimes such as rape or labor violations. 

During the day, other members of Women Against Sexual Slavery, representatives of ASATA, a few Berkeley residents as well as City Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio quietly demonstrated at the entrance of the courthouse. They distributed documentation about the case and held colorful signs. Some of them had the form of a woman’s profile and read “Reddy = sex Slaver” or “The money talks and Reddy walks.” 

A Superior Court judge has ruled that three commissioners can sue the city for reinstatement of their full authority on the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

The commissioners filed a suit naming the city and LPC Chair Burton Edwards, because of an Oct. 21 opinion by City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque that alleged a conflict of interest related to the commissioners’ affiliation with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. 

Last November Albuquerque instructed Edwards not to acknowledge commissioners Becky O’Malley, Lesley Emmington-Jones, Carrie Olson and Doug Morse’s comments or votes on the controversial proposal for a synagogue and school at 1301 Oxford St. The proposal was before the LPC because of the property’s status as a city landmark.  

Three commissioners are challenging Albuquerque’s opinion and the fourth, Morse, is not participating in the suit for undisclosed reasons. 

According to the commissioners’ petition, the suit seeks a direction from the Alameda Superior Court to allow the commissioners to participate fully on the LPC without restrictions. The suit does not seek monetary damages. 

The June 15 decision, by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Judith Ford, overruled Albuquerque’s assertion that there was no basis for the commissioners’ suit. Ford’s ruling came one day after hearing arguments from Albuquerque and the commissioners’ attorney, Antonio Rossman. 

“Our motion, which was to get the complaint dismissed on its face value, was denied,” Albuquerque said. “But the decision doesn’t go to the merits of the case.” 

Rossman said the next step will be a hearing, likely to be scheduled in late summer. 

Albuquerque said in her Oct. 31 opinion that the four commissioners had a conflict of interest because of their association with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Three of the commissioners are on the board of directors and the fourth is paid staff.  

The opinion said the conflict arose from a letter written by BAHA President Sarah Wikander on BAHA stationery that criticized the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Oxford Street development. Wikander said in the letter that the report did not adequately take historical aspects of the site into consideration. Albuquerque said in her opinion that Wikander’s letter represented a prejudgement of the project on the part of all BAHA’s directors and therefore caused a conflict of interest on the part of the four commissioners who have ties to BAHA. 

Edwards said the issue is an important one and he’s anxious for a quick decision. “I would welcome the earliest decision possible so the commission can settle this question of impartiality.” 

Albuquerque issued a number of opinions in the last year that have effected the duties of commissioners because of conflicts of interest. The former chair of the Community Environmental Advisory Commission, Gordon Wozniack, was asked not to participate in any issues related to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he is employed and another former CEAC chair, John Selawsky, was forced to resign the commission because of a conflict of interest over his duties as an elected director of the Board of Education. 

O’Malley said that what’s at stake in the suit is whether people who are nominated to commissions in Berkeley can be active participants in public life.  

“The option is to have city commissions made up of ‘political eunuchs,’ to quote California Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk in a similar case,” O’Malley said. “What he meant by that is commissioners who aren’t active, have no opinions or background in related fields.” 

Eighth graders at Martin Luther King Jr., Middle School know when they walk into English teacher Rachel Garlin’s classroom that they could be in for a show. 

“We’ll ask her to sing a song because it like relaxes you a little bit,” said Theresa Fortune, who had Garlin as her first period English teacher this past year. 

A 27-year-old singer/songwriter who uses long weekends and teacher holidays to tour folk music venues throughout the western United States, believes music has an important place in the classroom – particularly a middle school English classroom. 

Garlin said to begin with eighth graders love music. For them, devotion to favorite musical styles and groups is a way to express their growing independence, she said. 

“It’s an area where they can be really independent,” Garlin said.  

“They can be independent of the parents; independent of their peers.” 

As an English teacher, Garlin tries to capitalize on this universal love of music by showing students the close relationship between song writing and other forms of writing. 

“Anything you write can be put into song,” Garlin said. “A lot of song writing is really just recording events and putting it to music.” 

To drive the point home, Garlin worked with eighth graders last fall to compose a song that would express a theme of particular importance to the school community: the daily struggle to live up to the ideals espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

At King Middle School, everyone from the principal on down takes seriously the fact that their school is named after the famed leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Garlin said. Each year there is an award ceremony where students are honored for living up King’s ideals of courage, compassion and equality. 

“From the sixth grade, (King students) know that award recipients are people who show compassion and empathy; who make an effort to be inclusive in their social lives; who show some leadership potential,” Garlin said. 

Her students agreed. 

“I feel like a lot of schools don’t try to live out what they’re named after,” said eighth grader Martina Miles, one of the students involved in the song writing project. “Our school really tries.” 

But as the students set out to write the song, Garlin had them take a hard look at their lives at King to assess just how well this community of students and teachers lives up to Dr. King’s most cherished ideals.  

Garlin composed the chorus of the song as a question: 

“Dr. King, do you see your dream? 

Dr. King, does the freedom ring? 

Do we take every chance we see 

To create true equality?” 

Working with Garlin, the students filled in the other verses to the song, reflecting the divide they perceive between King’s ideals and the day to day reality of middle school life.  

“It’s something I can see on the school yard,” said King eighth grader Jack Nicholas. “Once the bell rings, people are like, ‘screw you.’” 

“I’ve had days at school where I like cried because someone made me so mad,” said eighth grader Bina Morris. 

Writing the song gave them an opportunity to capture these emotions, the students said, and to share them with the rest of their community in a way that would be heard. 

“It’s a lot different when people stand up there and sing because people will listen,” Miles said. “They won’t just turn their mind off to it.” 

A self-selected group of half a dozen students, including Fortune, Miles, Nicholas and Morris, performed the song – “Equality” – at the mid-year award ceremony honoring those who live up to King’s ideals, and at the schools graduation ceremony last week. Both times the audience was encouraged to sing along. 

“It really helping kids develop ideals and values,” Garlin said. “They get a strong message that education is about learning how to communicate effectively; learning how to clearly express yourself in a way that gives others respect...” 

Garlin was so impressed with the graduation performance that she invited the students to perform “Equality” with her this Thursday, as she headlines for the first at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse – a popular traditional music venue in Berkeley. 

“The song lends itself to a group performance,” Garlin said. “Especially with kids who represent the diversity of our school and city.” 

Garlin performs at Freight & Salvage Thursday, June 21, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.50 if purchased in advance, or $16.50 at the door. Freight & Salvage is located at 1111 Addison Street. Call 548-1761 for tickets. 

AC Transit, along with Berkeley officials held an unveiling ceremony Tuesday for the new informational displays to be installed at major bus stops throughout Berkeley. 

The new postings contain information on the schedules and routes for buses that stop at the ten stops that received the add-on Tuesday, along with fare information and general transit information written in English, Spanish and Chinese. 

The 10 a.m. event was led by AC Transit Director of Marketing and Communications Jaimie Levin, and included short speeches by Mayor Shirley Dean, AC Transit Director Joe Wallace and City Council member and former member of the AC Transit Board of Directors, Miriam Hawley. 

“This is a big step forward for AC Transit’s program to improve information at the point of travel,” said Levin. “This program will work not only for the regular riders, but most importantly for intending riders. We think this is going to be very well-accepted by our riders and the public in general.”  

Dean was ecstatic about the program. “This is wonderful. I can’t tell you how much these little things can really help change people’s habits,” she said. “The change is going to be very encouraging.” 

City officials received funding from Panoramic Interests, a local property development firm, to launch the program. Each of the displays will reportedly cost about $400 to install and maintain. 

“The displays are made to be durable and we have to buy spare parts,” said Levin. “Our responsibility is not to just put this up and leave it, but to maintain it. We expect to get a significant increase in funding from UC Berkeley’s Class Pass program.” 

Class Pass is an AC Transit program that allows UC Berkeley students unlimited rides on all AC Transit buses and many university shuttles free of charge for a semester. All pay $18 per semester for the pass, but not everyone opts to use it. 

The ceremony was held on the corner of University Avenue and Grant Street across from a property owned by Panoramic Interests’ Patrick Kennedy who was scheduled to participate in the ceremony, but was unable to make it. 

Chris Hudson, a representative from Panoramic Interests, was able to speak at the ceremony, however. “We think that this is a critical part of what we try to do here in Berkeley,” he said. “We want to make sue that the people have quality public transportation as a real alternative to having everyone drive everywhere. We’re happy to be able to help.” 

After the ceremony an AC Transit maintenance crew went out to install additional info holders along University Avenue. 

Many riders are pleased to see the changes, but still hope to see more done. “I’m happy that they’re doing this,” said Bus Riders’ Union member Charlie Betcher, “Hopefully the service will be more reliable.” 

“I don’t like them, they don’t have the right information,” said Raul Skolnick, while waiting for a bus at a stop with one of the new postings. “They’ve got potential though, it’s a good idea. It has to be accurate and it has to be useful information.” 

“I think it’s terrific that it’s written in more than one language,” said another rider. “It’s a big improvement on asking the bus driver where the bus goes, but it could be better.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Coastal California slipped out of reach of all but the well-to-do in the ’90s as demand pushed house prices up and the poor and middle-income out. The problem was that households boomed, by 10.8 percent, but housing didn’t, growing only 9.2 percent, recent U.S. Census data show. At the same time, healthier seniors hung on to their homes, more people lived alone and immigrants entered the housing market. 

The result is a state where the coast is the preserve of those with the most, and the squeeze is on all over, defying demographers who had predicted a slack housing market as relatively smaller Generation X began buying homes from the Baby Boom set. 

“We have this enormous housing crisis,” said Doug Shoemaker, policy and program director for the National Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. 

Vacancy rates plunged over the last decade. Only 3.7 percent of all rental units were vacant, compared to 5.9 percent in 1990. Looking at homes, the rate dropped from 2 percent to 1.4 percent. 

Some of those who couldn’t pony up for mega-mortgages doubled up instead. Average household size grew from 2.79 to 2.87 and the number of households including relatives outside the immediate family grew by 37 percent, from 2.08 million in 1990 to 2.85 million in 2000. 

The number of traditional families — a married couple with children under 18 — also grew, by 12.6 percent statewide. 

Not along the coast, though. Thirteen of the 15 counties strung along California’s 900-or-so miles of Pacific splendor came in below the 12.6 rate, some well below. The remotely beautiful far northern coastal counties of Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte, for instance, showed a decrease in those types of families. 

In San Francisco, where $524,000 was the median house price in February, only 12.2 percent of its households consisted of traditional families, the lowest rate for a county in the state. 

The ’90s was the decade where many realized the American dream of home ownership meant giving up living anywhere close to the California dream of surf and sand. 

“Families have gone inland,” said John Landis, professor of city and regional planning at the University of California. 

It was basically all about money. 

“Ten years ago, a middle income family with one wage earner could probably find an owner-occupied house probably within five miles of the (San Francisco) Bay or the coast,” Landis said. 

With a regional median house price of $394,000, houses here now take two good incomes or one great one. 

The same phenomenon occurred in landlocked Silicon Valley, although there the trend came courtesy of a new wave of technology jobs. Median house prices in Santa Clara County passed the half-million mark in 2000. “I can’t afford to live here. I’m not a dot.com millionaire,” said Michael Roberriques, who moved four years ago to the Central California community of Los Banos. Roberriques now commutes 2 hours, 15 minutes each way to his job in San Jose. On the other hand, he paid $125,000 for the small single-family home he was looking for. 

In Corte Madera, a small city in ultra-expensive Marin County just north of San Francisco, only three members of the 20-member fire department live in the county. Not the city, the county. The pay’s good, around $60,000, but it doesn’t come close to covering the mortgage in a town where the median house price is $600,000. 

Marin County, home to the rich and famous such as director George Lucas, isn’t typical, but it faces the same obstacles to building more housing as the rest of the state — environmental regulations limiting development, builders going for high-end, more profitable houses, and a tax system that encourages cities to go after retail developments, such as big-box discount stores that produce taxable sales. 

Charles Rynerson, a demographer with the San Diego Association of Governments, looked at the reshuffling of California’s population and found an interesting trend: Population was falling in established neighborhoods of single-family homes and rising in areas where there were more apartments and condos. 

“It was as if the households that were built for families were being occupied by singles and couples and the housing that was built for singles and couples was being occupied by families,” he said. 

Even formerly affordable places, like Oakland on the San Francisco Bay, climbed into the high-price bracket. 

“It’s really pretty challenging,” says Oakland elementary school teacher Charles Wilson, who’d like to live in the city where he teaches but has been renting in San Francisco. 

Wilson and his partner make around $90,000 together, a good income but one that is quickly dwarfed by a market where the median house price is more than $200,000. 

“The irony is that anywhere else in the country we’re actually upper class. We’re pushing the six-figure income for two people. Here it’s not,” he said. 

There was one surprising number among the flurry of census statistics. 

The ratio of homeownership to renters increased slightly in California, with 56.9 percent of homes owner-occupied in 2000, compared to 55.6 percent in 1990. However, that was much lower than the national average of about 67 percent and experts said the uptick could be due to a number of people in the 20-35 age group – potential renters – moving out of state. 

In their place, new homebuyers emerged in California, including immigrants and single parents, many of whom used new, low-down-payment loans and other programs to get into the market. Some buyers were coming up with new strategies, such as immigrants buying houses together and young people squeezing in extra roommates. 

“All of a sudden what’s beginning to take place is you have an influx of people coming in with families utilizing ... housing stock more effectively,” said Greg Schmid, director of the 10-year forecast project for the Menlo Park-based Institute for the Future. 

For people on the bottom of the economic ladder, plunging vacancy rates mean grim measures. 

In San Jose, people are renting garages, said Shoemaker of the nonprofit housing association. He’s seen classic Victorian three-bedroom apartments in San Francisco “and there’s a family in each bedroom.” 

Long-distance commuter Roberriques looks at the real estate listings in quiet disbelief. His father bought a house in Santa Clara, near San Jose, for $54,000 in 1971. It’s now worth about $700,000. “That is literally outrageous when you consider that in other parts of the country $700,000 would buy you 10,000 acres of land,” he said. “It’s just outrageous. There’s no rational explanation that I can see.” 

WASHINGTON — President Bush ordered federal agencies Tuesday to help states locate and use community services – rather than institutions – for people with disabilities. 

“It is compassionate, it is needed, and it is now the federal official policy of my administration,” he said. 

The president ventured across the Potomac River to the Pentagon to highlight government efforts to accommodate disabled workers. He browsed a display of specialized computer technology – keyboards that ease carpal tunnel syndrome, voice-recognition systems for those who cannot use their hands, talking computers for the blind – developed by the Defense Department for some 20,000 of its employees and now commercially available. 

Bush bent over a keyboard and typed a message to deaf student intern Jennifer McLaughlin, who was monitoring the Internet from a Defense Department facility miles away.  

“We will treat Americans with disabilities as people to be respected, rather than problems to be confronted,” Bush said afterward. 

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said 21st century security threats make it necessary for the military “seek out the most capable people we can find, including the many talented Americans with disabilities.” 

“And, in this era of continuing advancing technology, there are possibilities to harness their talent in ways that were previously inconceivable,” Rumsfeld said. 

The president’s executive order follows a 1999 Supreme Court ruling that the Americans With Disabilities Act requires states, whenever possible, to place individuals with mental disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. 

Bush said he wants his administration to make sure the decision is fully enforced and to “ensure that no one is unjustly institutionalized.”  

His order applies broadly to services for all disabled people, not just those with mental disabilities. 

This week, a new accessibility law sponsored by Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., begins to  

take effect. 

As of Thursday, all new information on federal Web sites must be accessible to disabled people. Starting next Monday, new electronic and information technologies bought by federal agencies will have to meet accessibility standards. 

Brilliant graphics on the Internet make reading tough for the visually impaired, Bush said. Many Web sites lack closed captions for video images, and complex keyboard commands often keep disabled users from being able to “tap a computer’s full potential.” 

“As a result, computer usage and Internet access for people with disabilities is half that of people without disabilities,” Bush said.  

“Researchers here at the Department of Defense and at other agencies throughout the federal government and in the private sector are developing solutions to these problems. ... I’m committed to bringing that technology to users as quickly as possible.” 

On the Net: 

Defense Department computer access program: http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap/

SAN FRANCISCO — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was accused Tuesday of rampant discrimination against female employees in a federal lawsuit against the nation’s largest private employer. 

The suit, which seeks to represent as many as 500,000 current and former women workers, claims the company “systematically discriminates against its women employees,” said Brad Seligman, one of several attorneys on the case. 

If granted class-action status, the suit would become the nation’s largest gender-based discrimination case against a private employer. The plaintiffs are seeking to change the company’s alleged discriminatory practices. They have not specified how much money they are seeking. 

Wal-Mart, which also operates Sam’s Club, denied the allegations. 

“Wal-Mart does not condone discrimination of any kind,” said Bill Wertz, a spokesman for the Bentonville, Ark.-based chain. “Women hold positions of significant responsibility at Wal-Mart.” 

The suit, filed in San Francisco’s U.S. District Court, alleges there are nearly double the number of women in management at competing retail stores and that male Wal-Mart workers get higher pay than women for the same duties. It says the retailing giant passes over women for promotions and training, and retaliates against women who register complaints. 

Three-fourths of the company’s one million employees are female but women hold less than one-third of managerial positions. 

Micki Miller Earwood, a former personnel manager at an Urbana, Ohio, Wal-Mart, said she recently was terminated after complaining about what she said was discriminatory treatment. 

“Wal-Mart is not a place I would ever hope for my daughter to work at,” said Earwood, one of six plaintiffs in the suit. 

Wertz said women are well represented at the company – the chief executive of walmart.com is a woman, as is one of three executive vice presidents of Sam’s Club, he said. Women also hold high positions in the company’s labor relations and legal departments. 

In all, Wertz said, women hold 37 percent of 55,000 management positions. 

He also said that Wal-Mart does not count store department managers as management, while other retailers might to inflate their figures. 

Betty Dukes, another plaintiff, has been working at the Wal-Mart in Pittsburg for seven years. She said she has only ascended to cashier while her similarly qualified male counterparts have moved substantially higher up the ladder. 

“There’s a great divide between the men and women at Wal-Mart,” Dukes said.

WASHINGTON — Housing construction dipped in May but remains at a healthy level, further evidence of the industry’s resilience in the face of a faltering national economy. 

The number of new housing units builders began work on last month dipped by 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.62 million, following a strong 2.3 percent increase in April, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. 

Even with May’s decline, which was smaller than many analysts were expecting, the level of housing starts remained solid, economists said. 

“Things are still cooking along,” said David Seiders, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders. Taking a look at quarterly patterns, however, construction activity appears to be flattening, he said. 

“For builders, flattening at this level is just dandy, but for the economy, construction activity going forward might not provide as much of a kick to economic growth as it has,” Seiders said. 

On Wall Street, unease about weak company profits ruled the market. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 48.71 at 10,596.67, despite an earlier gain of 94 points. 

Even as the rest of the economy has slowed markedly since the second half of last year, housing activity has remained stable, thanks to low mortgage rates and falling interest rates in general. 

In May, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 7.14 percent, compared with 8.52 percent for the same month a year ago. 

The strength of the housing and construction markets has been a main force keeping the struggling economy afloat. 

“Housing ... is clearly providing a shield against full-fledged recession, rather like a levee protecting against the rising flood of manufacturing layoffs and stock market declines,” said First Union chief economist David Orr. 

To stave off recession, the Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates five times this year, driving borrowing costs down to the lowest point in seven years. 

Many analysts believe Fed policy-makers will cut rates again at the end of their two-day meeting June 27. Some predict policy-makers will cut by another half point, while others believe they will opt for a more moderate quarter-point move. 

In May, construction of single-family homes slipped by 0.2 percent to an annual rate of 1.29 million. Starts of apartments, condos, townhouses and other multifamily housing fell by 1.5 percent to a rate of 331,000. 

By region, total housing starts declined by 28.3 percent in the Northeast to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 132,000 and were down by 1.9 percent in the South to a rate of 724,000. But in the Midwest, starts rose by 15.8 percent to a rate of 344,000, and in the West they increased 2.9 percent to a rate of 422,000. 

Housing permits, a good barometer of current demand, rose by 2.1 percent in May to an annual rate of 1.62 million. 

While consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity, has held up fairly well during the economic slowdown, some analysts worry that could change if the labor market seriously weakens in the coming months. That could force consumers to sharply cut back on spending, tipping the economy into recession. 

Even with this fear, other economists are hopeful that aggressive rate-cutting by the Fed, along with tax-cut refunds, will pave the way for a recovery later this year. 

On the Net: 

Housing starts: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/briefroom/BriefRm 

National Association of Home Builders: http://www.nahb.com/

A Superior Court Judge issued an injunction against the Berkeley Unified School District Monday saying its plan for recovering the money it overpaid classified employees this March is illegal.  

With the injunction in place, the district would have to take 67 classified employees to court individually to recover the money, an estimated $46,000. 

Due to an error in the payroll office, the Berkeley school district paid nearly 500 classified employees double the backpay due to them under a new contract this March. 

At the time, the solution to the problem seemed simple enough – withhold the amount the district had overpaid from a future pay check. 

In meeting with Public Employees’ Union Local One, the district eventually agreed to deduct the overpayment from employees pay checks in two installments – one in May and one in June – so the bite out of any one pay check wouldn’t be as big. 

But not all classified employees were happy with this solution either. Claiming the district’s mistake was causing them financial hardship, 67 classified employees turned to another union for help – Stationary Engineers Local 39 out of San Francisco. 

In response to a petition from Local 39, an Alameda Superior Court Judge Ford issued an injunction on behalf of the 67 employees, prohibiting the school district from proceeding with the plan to deduct the second half of the March overpayment from their June paychecks. (The injunction only applies to the 67 employees named in the petition). 

The judge found that the district had not followed the letter of the law in the way it attempted to recover overpayment, according to Local 39 Business Representative Stephanie Allan. 

Catherine James, the associate superintendent of support services for the school district, conceded that the district, “did not go through the legal process of getting a garnishment of wages.”  

Issues of law aside, Allan said the district’s method for recovering the overpayment placed many classified employees – custodial, maintenance, food services, clerical workers and others – in an extremely difficult position.  

Because the March overpayment was taxed in a higher bracket, even if employees did not spend a cent of the overpayment money it would not have been enough to cover the repayment deductions from their May and June paychecks, Allan said.  

Allan said as a result, a number of classified employees must find a way to get through the month of June with significantly reduced income. 

“You’re dealing with employees who are at or near the poverty line; people who are living from pay check to pay check. ” Allan said. 

Many classified employees make between $11 to $14 an hour, Allan said. 

James said the district explained to classified employees how to ensure that the money taxed in a higher bracket is refunded by the IRS, either over the course of the next fiscal year or in one lump sum at the end of the year.  

But Allan said this provides no solution to the employees’ current financial hardship. Furthermore, she said, the process of filing new tax forms is onerous for many. 

“What are they going to do, go to the tax accountant to figure it out?” Allan asked. “This is going to be a nightmare for them.”  

In addition to the 67 employees who filed for the injunction with Local 39, more than 100 classified employees have filed claims against the district with the State Labor Commissioner, Allan said. 

Tuesday, June 19

Women Against Sexual  

Slavery 

9 a.m. 

Federal Building & Courthouse 

1301 Clay St. (13th & Clay) Oakland 

Protest Sex Slaver Lakireddy Reddy’s light sentence. Bring signs and flyers urging Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong to give Reddy the maximum sentence of 38 years. 

841-8282 or 843-0680 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

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

548-8283 www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on frugality, generosity, simplifying life, and dealing with money. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m.  

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus  

2001 Dwight Way  

This will be a rap session.  

601-0550 

A Journey Through Eastern  

Europe 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

Angelina Sorensen, Bulgarian native, will give an overview of the best places to visit through a slide presentation and display of regional arts and crafts. Free. 

843-3533 

Energy-Saving Skylight 

8 a.m. - Noon 

Truitt and White Lumber 

642 Hearst Avenue 

The new Velux VSE skylight, winner of the Energy Star award, could help reduce home energy use. On view today. 841-0511 

Medical Waste Management  

and Environmental Health in  

India 

6 - 8 p.m. 

University of California, Room 150 University Hall, 2199 Addison St. 

Shyamala Mani, coordinator and educator with India’s Centre for Environment Education, will give a public talk on successful medical waste disposal strategies. The talk will be of interest to environmental, labor and community organizers, healthcare workers and students of environmental health and occupational safety. 845-1447 

Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. Drop-ins welcome. 

655-8863 

Wednesday, June 20 

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Meet at the Gallery, take the bus to the Oakland Museum to take a tour with David Bacon of his exhibition “Every Worker Is An Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the UFW.” 

486-0411 

— compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

Berkeley Communicator  

Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

A “Thank You” Reception for  

Berkeley School Interim  

Superintendent Steve  

Goldstone 

Public invited. 

4:30 to 6:00 (before the school board meeting) 

2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, second floor, old council chambers. 

Anarchism Forum 

7 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Three Kevin Keating, Howard Besser, and Perry Matloc will discuss the history of Anarchism and its relevance to recent actions. The short video “Anarchists in Action” will be shown. $5 - $7. 

415-927-1645  

Thursday, June 21 

Best Northern California  

Hikes 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Guidebook author Matt Heid shares his favorite day hikes and overnight backpacking trips in Northern California. Slide presentation. Free. 

527-4140 

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This session will be a “Pride Mass.”  

654-5486 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe. 

Community Tribute to Jeffrey  

Leiter 

5 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Performance 

Santa Fe Bar and Grill 

1310 University Avenue 

The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is hosting a Community Tribute to honor former Mayor and Symphony Board President Jeffrey Shattuck Leiter. Dinner at Santa Fe Bar and Grill, followed by an 8 p.m. Berkeley Symphony performance at Zellerbach Hall. For information and tickets, call 841-2800  

Global Trade and Local Environments 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Avenue 

Panel discussion with Antonia Juhasz, Martin Wagner, and Andrea del Moral. Also a community discussion and network-building, related resources. Potluck. 

548-2220 ext. 233  

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts,  

Herstory and Literature 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly cultural studies course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. Free. 

Call 549-2970  

City Commons Club,  

Luncheon and Speaker 

11:45 a.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

This week featuring Jeffrey Riegle, Ph.D., on “Historical Reasons for China’s Current Conduct.” Come early for social hour. Lunch at 11:45 for $11-$12.25. Come at 12:30 to hear the speaker only for $1, students free. Reservations required for three or more. 

848-3533 

Saturday, June 23

“Feast of Fire” benefit for the Crucible 

10:30 p.m. 

The Crucible 

1036 Ashby Ave. 

Act III, The Flight of Icarus, will feature live music and performances by several groups including Capacitor and Xeno. Price of admission benefits the Crucible, a multi-disciplinary community arts center. $20 at the door. 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Summer Solstice Celebration 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

Center St. and MLK Jr. Way 

Farmers market plus crafts fair and live reggae and jazz. 

548-3333 

Strawberry Creek Walking Tour 

10 a.m. - Noon 

Learn about Strawberry Creek’s history, explore its neighborhoods, and consider its potential. Meet four experts on the local creeks. Reservations required, call 848-0181. 

Energy-Efficient Wood Windows 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 

Truitt and White Lumber 

642 Hearst Avenue 

Free seminar by Marvin Window’s representative Chris Martin on how to measure and install the double-hung Tilt Pac replacement unit, as well as a review of the full line of Marvin’s energy-efficient wood windows. 

649-2574 

What You Need to Know Before You Build or Remodel 

10 a.m. - Noon 

The Building Education Center 

812 Page Street 

Free seminar by professional builder Glen Kitzenberger. 

525-7610 

Choosing to Add On: The Pros and Cons of Building an Addition 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

The Building Education Center 

812 Page Street 

Free seminar by author/designer Skip Wenz 

525-7610 

Sunday, June 24

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to fix a flat from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

Uncle Eye 

2 p.m. 

Berkeley-Richmond Jewish 

Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. 

Come see Ira Levin, a.k.a. Uncle Eye, give a special performance as a fundraiser for a television pilot to be filmed this summer. $7 - $10. 

848-0237 or www.uncle-eye.com 

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

1 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Avenue 

Artful garden tour, part of the Berkeley Arts Festival. Ride AC Transit to Marcia Donohue and Mark Bulwinkle’s Our Own Stuff Garden and Gallery, then walk to the Dry Garden. 

486-0411 

Carefree/Carfree Tour #2 

1:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Avenue 

Ride the bus to the Codornices Creek Restoration Project and the Peralta Community Garden and enjoy a concert by Nicole Miller. 

486-0411 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Avenue 

Group meditation using instrumental music and devotional songs. Free. 

496-3468  

Monday, June 25

Tectonic Theater Project 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater 

2015 Addison Street 

“Page to Stage: Surviving the Media” is a conversation with The Tectonic Theater Project and professor Douglas Foster. The Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepard and wrote a play about the impact Shepard’s death, and the following media scrutiny, had upon the small community. The Laramie Project is running through July 8 at the Berkeley Rep.  

647-2900 

What You Need to Know Before You Build or Remodel 

7 - 9 p.m. 

The Building Education Center 

812 Page Street 

Free seminar by professional builder Glen Kitzenberger. 

525-7610 

NOW Meeting 

6:30 p.m. 

Mama Bears Book Store 

6537 Telegraph Avenue 

The general meeting of the National Organization for Women. 

Tuesday, June 26

Saranel Benjamin of Globalization 

7 p.m. 

Oakland YMCA 

1515 Webster Street, Oakland 

Saranel Benjamin, trade unionist from South Africa, will discuss the impact of corporate globalization on South African workers. Sponsored by Berkeley’s Women of Color Resource Center. 

848-9272 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Wednesday, June 27

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

The series pairs radical theater “elders” to share memories of their years in commedia. This week with former Mime Troupe actress Audrey Smith and Ladies Against Women character Selma Spector. $6 - $8. 

849-2568 

Thursday, June 28

(gp) 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Berkeley Opera performs pieces of Carmen. 

Pink Slip Party and Career Mixer 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Pyramid Brewery and Alehouse 

901 Gilman Street 

Meet with East Bay Job Seekers while listening to music by DJ and Emcee Marty Nemko. Also, cash bar, free Hors d’Oeurves, and prize giveaways. Free and open to the public. To RSVP call 251-1401. 

www.eastbaytechjobs.com/mixer/  

Friday, June 29

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts, Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly cultural studies course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, June 30

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Science of Spirituality 

5 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 Collage Avenue 

Professor Andrew Vidich will speak on “Rumi: Mystic and Romantic Love, Stories of Masnavi.” Childcare and vegetarian food provided. Free. 

925-830-2975  

Bonfire III: Stories and  

Songs By the Sea 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Marina 

Spinnaker Way, near Olympic Circle Sailing Club 

Come for Havdala and share stories, sing and watch the flames dance. Bring food and drink to share, kosher s’mores provided. 

848-0237 

(gp) 

Know Your Rights 

11 - 2 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. (one block west of Shattuck) 

Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Special section on juvenile rights.  

548-0425 

During his trip to Europe, President Bush faced opposition to his planned missile shield from Russia’s President Putin and from the leaders of France, Germany and the Netherlands. 

But one of the strongest arguments against NMD on record comes from Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan. Arguing in favor of “star wars,” NMD’s predecessor, Weinberger said, “Imagine how dangerous it would be if the Soviet Union got such a system first. Theycould launch their missiles without fear of retaliation.” 

The same, of course, is true in reverse. 

It is doubtful that such a system would ever work reliably, but a leader who believed — however incorrectly — that it could work would be tempted to strike first. 

That is why Russia and China have announced they would have no choice but to increase their nuclear arsenals sufficiently to convince any potential opponent that they could penetrate any possible defense system. 

In other words, if the United States embarks on a plan to build a national missile defense system, a new nuclear arms race would begin. 

Since NMD would violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, it could unravel the whole process of arms control. 

The principal beneficiaries — and supporters — of NMD are U.S. defense contractors, who hope to make an estimated $60 to $100 billion at taxpayers’ expense. 

If the nuclear powers break their commitment under the ABM treaty to eliminate all nuclear weapons, other states will be encouraged to obtain their own nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan justified their nuclear weapons programs by rejecting the monopoly of the established nuclear weapons powers. 

And if nuclear weapons proliferate, it is only a matter of time until “countries of concern” (formerly called rogue nations) and terrorist groups acquire some. 

NMD offers no protection against this, even if it worked perfectly, because it cannot intercept bombs delivered in a suitcase, on a truck, or sailboat. 

What we need is not a new defense system, but a more open world in which nuclear weapons can be effectively banned — as we have already concluded treaties banning biological and chemical weapons, with intrusive verification. 

The treaty with North Korea negotiated during the Clinton administration, which allows the United States to verify that North Korea has abandoned its nuclear weapons and long range missile programs in return for two nuclear power plants unable to generate nuclear weapons fuel, is a good example of what we need. 

Thorough inspections are needed to prevent nuclear proliferation, and if we wish to inspect other countries, we must be willing to open our country to such inspections as well. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can now inspect only sites that member countries voluntarily place under its supervision. This would be like a suspected drug smuggler telling a border guard, “You may check my trunk, but don't open the glove compartment.” 

The IAEA must have the power to inspect any suspected nuclear facilities without advance warning, even in non-member countries, if we are to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.Many governments today object to such intrusive inspections as a “violation of their national sovereignty.” (President Bush has opposed stringent verification provisions of the biological weapons treaty.) 

Many airline passengers also protested against having their luggage searched for guns or explosives, when that policy was first introduced after a series of fatal hijackings. But most have come to realize that such inspections enhance their own security. Those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear. 

Sooner or later, governments will reach the same conclusion. The question is only whether this will happen before or after the first terrorist nuclear bomb explodes. 

“National sovereignty” is a false issue here, since no country today has sovereign control over the world’s nuclear arsenals. Giving the IAEA effective authority to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, does not mean giving up any control over our lives. Rather, it gives us additional control — more than we could ever achieve at the national level. 

Ultimately, we must destroy all nuclear weapons. Some have argued that we cannot “disinvent” nuclear weapons and will have to live with them as long as civilization exists. But nobody disinvented cannibalism — we simply abhor it. Can’t we learn to abhor equally the thought of incinerating entire cities with nuclear weapons? 

PNS commentator Dietrich Fischer, a professor at Pace University, New York, is co-director of TRANSCEND, a peace and development network.

MUSIC 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 22 Hoods, Fall Silent, Clenched Fist, Osiva, Hellcrew; June 23 The Hellbillies, The Fartz, The Tossers, Ruodp, The Fightbacks; June 29 Barfeeders, Pac-Men, Hell After Dark, A.K.A. Nothing, Maurice’s Little Bastards; June 30 The Cost, Pg. 99, Majority Rule, 7 Days of Samsara, Since by Man, Creation is Crucifixion 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 19: pickPocket Ensemble; June 20: Whiskey Brothers; June 21/28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; June 26 Mad & eddie Duran Jazz Duo; June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m.June 19 Jason Martinwau; June 20,27: Bob Schoen Jazz Quartet; June 21: The Jazz Singers Collective; June 23:The maestro Rich Kalman & His Jazz Trio; June 24 The Joe Livotti Sound; June 26: Tangria; June 28: ConFusion. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 19, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie; June 20, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat; June 21, 10 p.m.: Digital Dave; June 24, 8 p.m.: Babatunde Olantunji; June 26, 9 p.m.: DP & The Rhythem Riders; June 27, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding/Circle R Boys/Dark Hollow; June 28, 9 p.m.: Monkey/Stiff Richards/ Go Jimmy Go.1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 19: Toshi Reardon; June 20 Cliff Eberhardt; June 21 Rachel Garlin, $15.00 advance, $16.50 door; June 22: Sourdough Slim w/ Blackwood Tom; June 23: Lara & Reyes; June 24; Darryl Purpose, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar; June 26; Freight 33rd Anniversary Revue; June 27: Dilema, Hookslide; June 28: Jim Campilongo; june 29: Don’t Look Back; June 30: Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, Due West. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 19: Mas Cabeza; June 20: Wavelord; June 21: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 22: Realistic; June 23: Wayside; June 26: Bruno Pelletier Trio; June 27: O Maya; June 28: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave 843-8277 

Live Oaks Concerts Berkeley Art Center, June 24: 7:30 p.m., Stephen Bell. Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

Jazzschool Recitals June 19: 4 p.m., Jazz Groups; June 20: 4 p.m., Jazz Ensembles; June 21: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos. Free. The Jazzschool/La Note 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Season Finale June 21, 8 p.m. Works by Shostakovich, Brahms, and Rohde. $19 - $35 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

DANCE 

Kalanjali in Concert June 22, 7 p.m. Kalanjali concludes its celebration of its 25th year in Berkeley with a special recital. Experienced dancers and young students, with guests from India including dancer K. P. Yesoda and the musicians of Bharatakalanjali. $6 - $8 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

THEATER 

“Cymbeline” Through June 24, Tues. - Thur. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Opening of the California Shakespeare Festival features one of Shakespeare’s first romances, directed by Daniel Fish. $12 - $146. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater off Highway 24 at the Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit. 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 8: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Kid Kaleidoscope and the Puppet Players” June 24: 2 p.m., Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. The Puppet Players are a multi-media musical theatre group. Their shows are masterfully produced to thrill people of all ages with handmadesets and puppets. Adults $10, Children $5, 2640 College 867-7199 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-482 

FILMS 

Berkeley Film Makers’ Festival June 23, 1 p.m. Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery. The Good War, and Those Who Refused to Fight it (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada Flores), Just Crazy About Horses (Tim Lovejoy and Joe Wemple), Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar (L. John Harris and Bill Hayes), In Between the Notes (William Farley and Sandra Sharpe) and KPFA On The Air (Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood). 2220 Shattuck 486-0411 

Pacific Film Archive Jun 16: 7 and 9 p.m.: Beau Travail; June 17, 5:30 p.m.: The Face of Another; June 19 7:30 p.m.: Los; June 20 7:30 p.m.: filial Fixations; June 21 Days of the Eclipse 7 p.m. & A Spring for the Thirsty 9:30 p.m.; June 22 Three by Aurthur Peleshian 7:30 p.m., Ivan’s childhood 9 p.m.; June 23 7 & 9:10 p.m. I can’t Sleep; June 24 The Ruined Map 5:30 p.m. & Summer Soldiers 7:50 p.m.; June 26 7:30 p.m. San Francisco Cinematheque: 40 Years in Focus; June 27 7:30 p.m. Nature vs. Nurture; June 28 7:30 p.m. The Beginning of an Unknown Era; June 29 Molba 7:30, Shadows od Our Forgotten Ancestors 9:10; June 30 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Constitutional Shift, Through July 13, tuesdays - fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Kala Art Institute. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

East Bay Open Studios June 16 & 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Jennifer Foxly: Oil paintings and 2-d mixed media works 3206 Boise St.; Lewis Suzuki: Scenes from California to the Philippines, florals to nudes 2240 Grant St.; Guy Colwell: Painted replicas and recent original work 2028 9th St. (open until 7 p.m.) 

PASSING: The Re-Definition of Sex and Gender Through the Personal Re-Presentation of Self Through June 16, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Black and white photographs by Ann P. Meredith. Free. Reception with the artist June 7, 6 - 8 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St.  

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Tyler James Hoare Sculpture and Collage Through June 27, call for hours. Party June 9, 5-9 p.m. with music by Sauce Piquante. The Albatross Pub 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

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

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

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 1730 Fourth St. All events at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 16, 4 p.m.: Chris Raschka presents a talk and demontration for children, and paints the store front window; June 18 Sherman Alexie- The Toughest Indian in the world. 559-9500 

Freight & Salvage, June 23, 10 a.m.-noon Diane di Prima, beat poet and author of “recollections of My Life as a Woman”. 

Simone Martel June 16, 2 p.m. Martel will read from her book “The Expectant Gardener: A Wise and Fun Guide to the Adventure of Backyard Growing” Barnes and Noble 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861  

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. Featured poets: June 18: Katie Daley; June 25 Steve ArntsenCafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

Tours 

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

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

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

Minorities and women are “well represented” among the city’s full-time employees, according to a Human Resources Department informational report to be released to the City Council today. 

The report, which was requested by council last September, compares the minority and gender make up of city employees to the minority and gender make up of Alameda County’s eligible work force, which is comprised of people between 16 and 65.  

The report concluded that African Americans, Asians and women employees are near and in some cases over their corresponding numbers in the county’s work force. The report also notes that Hispanics are under represented in the city’s work force, second only to whites. 

Of the city’s 1,467 full-time employees, 490 are African Americans, which exceeds the county’s percentage by 18.5 percent.  

According to the report, which was prepared by Dennis Feggans, the city’s equal employment opportunity and diversity officer, the number of Asian employees are nearly equal to the county’s numbers but are still behind by about 6 percent.  

Women are well represented in management and professional positions in the city but are still behind in overall numbers by about 10 percent compared to the percentage of women in the county’s eligible work force. 

Compared to the percentages of eligible Hispanic workers in the County, Berkeley is behind by about 22 percent although the numbers of Hispanic employees has increased in recent years.  

“Historically, Hispanics have had the lowest representation figures in the city,” according to the report. “This continues to be true, but it was found that the Hispanic work force has increased considerably over the last three years, from 116 to 149, raising their representation from 8.2 percent to 10.2 percent.”  

The percentage for Hispanics in Alameda County’s work force is 13.1 percent. 

The most underrepresented group among city employees is whites, according to the report. Whites represent 42.7 percent of the city’s work force, which is more than 25 percent below the county’s percentage of eligible white workers.  

Feggans said there are fewer whites working for Berkeley not because of the city’s hiring practices but because whites have more opportunities in other fields. He said whites still predominate in managerial jobs. 

Editor: 

Let's see if I understand how it works lately . .. .  

If a woman burns her thighs on the hot coffee she was holding in her lap while driving, she blames the restaurant. If your teen-age son kills himself, you blame the rock ‘n’ roll music or the musician he liked. If you smoke three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer, your Family blames the tobacco company. If your daughter gets pregnant by the football captain you blame the school for poor sex education. If your neighbor crashes into a tree while driving home drunk, you blame the bartender.  

If your cousin gets AIDS because the needle he used to shoot up with heroin was dirty, you blame the government for not providing clean ones. If your grandchildren are rude brats without manners, you blame television. If your friend is shot by a deranged madman, you blame the gun manufacturer.  

And if a crazed person breaks into the cockpit and tries to kill the pilots at 35,000 feet, and the passengers kill him instead, the mother of the deceased blames the airline. I must have lived too long to understand the world as it is anymore. So if I die while my old, wrinkled ass is parked in front of this computer, I want you to blame Bill Gates, OK?  

David W. Gee 

Alameda

The City Council will hear a presentation tonight from the city manager about the pending council redistricting based on the results of the 2000 Census.  

The council is required by the city’s charter to redraw the city’s eight districts after each federal census to ensure that each district has an equal number of potential voters.  

The 2000 Census shows that Berkeley’s population only grew by 19 people but “population shifts within each district are significant enough to require that boundaries are redrawn to be nearly equal in population,” a report from the city manager reads.  

The new districts must be adopted by the council by Dec. 31, 2001. 

AC Transit study 

The Transportation Commission has recommended the council adopt a resolution that will Telegraph Avenue as the preferred route in AC Transit’s Major Investment Study. 

The study is an effort to address congestion and accommodate future growth through enhanced public transit in Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro. 

One of the key objectives of the study are to improve access to major employment and educational centers and enhance connections to other AC Transit services, BART, ferry service and other transit providers.  

Other goals include increased frequency and reliability of transportation service and to ensure cleanliness and safety while riding or waiting for transit services.  

One option AC Transit is considering is transferring from bus to light rail service on Telegraph Avenue.  

Honoring Phil Lesh 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington is asking the council to support a proclamation honoring Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh for many performances for charities and fund raisers.  

The recommendation also notes Lesh’s record of 34 performances at the Greek Theater. Some of the causes Lesh has volunteered his musical talents for include SEVA, the Rainforest Action Network and the Unbroken Chain Foundation. On his 60th birthday he performed at a concert to raise money for the Bay Area’s hepatitis centers. 

Closed Session 

The council will meet in closed session at 2180 Milvia St. on the sixth floor at 5:30 p.m. to discuss litigation between the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency and the Richfield Oil Co.  

Prior to going into closed session, the council will hear 10 minutes of public comment.  

Redevelopment Agency meeting 

There will also be a meeting of the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency in the Council Chambers just prior to the regular City Council meeting to discuss to amend a contract with Gordon & Rees, LLP to raise legal services fees to $125,000. 

A Berkeley real estate tycoon, who admitted he brought Indian teen-age girls into the country for sex, will be sentenced today in an Oakland federal courtroom. 

Lakireddy Bali Reddy, the 63-year-old landlord and restaurateur, faces more than six years in a federal prison for his guilty pleas, which he entered in March as a result of a deal that he struck with prosecutors. 

The sentence was suggested by prosecutors as part of the deal, in which Reddy pled guilty to two counts of bringing minors into the county for immoral purposes, one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and one count of tax fraud. 

Reddy also agreed to pay $2 million in restitution to four of his victims, who were not identified in court documents. 

NEW YORK — In the midst of a muddled economic scene, one thing is becoming clearer by the day: Time has about run out on chances for a V-shaped recovery, in which the economy rises as abruptly as it fell. 

The plunge in industrial activity, the shocking financial warnings from high-tech companies, the growing resistance of consumers, and continued sluggishness of exports are among factors in the fading hopes. 

Early in the downturn, a V-shaped recovery was almost taken for granted by some economists, and especially by stock market analysts who couldn’t accept the idea that the massive, inexorable force called the “new economy” could be stopped in its tracks. 

In fact, neither could the heads of new-economy companies, who until late last fall saw little in the immediate future to be concerned with — the same CEOs who belatedly are now conceding their companies are burdened with massive inventories and shattering financial losses. And vastly disillusioning is the realization that some of the greatest inventions of the new economic age, including fiber-optics and all the wireless gadgetry, are more visionary than immediate and practical. 

The wealth effect has been deflated with a great hissing sound. Close to $5 trillion of stock market wealth has disappeared, and when you add in the loss of confidence, the economic effect is a multiple of that. 

Consumer spending has slowed, understandably, but debt hasn’t, and official figures show that home mortgage delinquencies have risen to some of the highest rates in years. Meanwhile, the savings rate remains near zero. 

It has taken a while for shocked Americans to absorb the reality that after years of fantastic economic progress, we are still in the same old world rather than merely at a rest stop on the way to the great tomorrow. 

The ingredients of a V-shaped recovery just aren’t there, and so the likelihood now is for the economy to remain depressed for many more months, its recovery line tracing a soft U-shape rather than a sharp V-shape. 

Readers of DRI-WEFA’s U.S. Forecast Summary, an influential and widely circulated look into the immediate economic future, are likely to be surprised and disappointed by its latest summary that “the U.S. economy appears headed for five more quarters of sub-par growth.” That’s a long time to wait for an economy that just a few months ago was seen by many who should have known better, such as corporate chiefs and maybe some Fed governors, as too strong for its own good. 

The extent of the current weakness, and the difficulty of quickly putting the economy back on its feet, is suggested by the inability of lower taxes and interest rates — usually a bullish pair – to provide a jolt. 

Finally recognizing that economic good times are not to be accepted lightly, Americans may now be giving thanks that the downturn is short of a recession, and that the Fed can cut rates still more. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press.

A 42-year-old man shot in the abdomen about 2 a.m. Monday on Forrest Street is recovering from surgery at Highland Hospital, according to police. 

Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes said the victim was walking home when a car stopped beside him and a black male got out. Without speaking or giving any warning, Lopes said the man was shot in the abdomen. There are no suspects.  

••• 

A sleeping 32-year-old homeless man was stabbed numerous times by a 27-year-old Latino male inside an abandoned building on Heinz Street at 11 p.m. Sunday, according to police. 

The men argued earlier, and the suspect allegedly attacked the victim with a six-inch knife. The man was stabbed multiple times in the left shoulder, arm and abdomen. He also suffered cuts on the left side of his face and his left ear, Lopes said. 

The victim was taken to Highland Hospital, and a suspect has not been identified, Lopes said. 

••• 

A 23-year-old UC Berkeley student, walking home about 10:30 Saturday, was robbed by four black males and nearly stabbed by a wrench, according to police. 

The suspects surrounded the victim and beat him, and during the beating, the suspects went through his pockets and removed his wallet, keys and a Swiss Army knife, Lopes said. One suspect attempted to stab the victim, but instead of using a knife, Lopes said he attacked him with the wrench. 

The victim had cuts and bruises but refused medical attention. There have been no arrests. 

••• 

A man was arrested while standing with a group of friends outside of the hospitals Emergency Room, after it was determined he intentionally set fire to a stack of wax cups at Alta Bates Hospital. 

A 23-year-old male asked a security guard where the cafeteria was, and a few minutes later, the security guard saw the man leaving quickly, Lopes said. Minutes later, a fire was reported in the cafeteria and a security tape showed the suspect stacking wax cups on a table and lighting them, Lopes said.

Bowl-a-thon will benefit B-TV 

The Berkeley Community Media, B-TV cable channel 25, is holding a Bowl-A-Thon on at 11 a.m. June 23 at Albany Bowl to benefit the station. 

Proceeds go toward educational and government programs in the making that need additional funding, as well as upgrading the facility and equipment for public use. To sponsor the event or a team, or to donate items to the raffle contest, contact Programming and Outreach Director Taryn Clark at 848-2288 ext. 14 or tclark@betv.org. Albany Bowl is located at 540 San Pablo Avenue. 

Annual Pride Mass Friday 

The Fourth annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Mass will be at 7 p.m., June 21 at the Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish. This year’s theme will be “One Body/Many Parts,” focusing on the positive aspects of diversity within the parish and community. The parish is located on the corner of College Avenue and Dwight Way.  

The LGBT will host other summer events such as barbecues, community meetings, and Scripture Study: For information about events contact lgbt_newman@yahoo.com.

The mayor will propose at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the city manager examine ways to address problems created by the growing number of day laborers who gather on Hearst Avenue in west Berkeley hoping to find work.  

According to Mayor Shirley Dean’s written recommendation, the number of day laborers is growing and there are currently no accommodations for them such as bathrooms or shelters. The mayor’s executive assistant, Tamlyn Bright, said the mayor’s office has also received numerous complaints from Truitt and White Lumber Company about day laborers harassing customers in their eagerness to find work. 

The recommendation estimates there are as many as 150 people gathering on Hearst Avenue between Sixth Street and Frontage Road at any given time of the day. 

The recommendation also suggests that meetings be planned between the day laborers, many of whom are undocumented, and affected businesses to determine solutions. 

According to Lynn Svenson, an organizer for the Day Labor Institute, an organization that helps workers organize themselves, the number of day laborers is growing in California, Texas and a growing number of states on the East Coast.  

Svenson has been instrumental in assisting day laborers develop systems that allow them to charge minimum hourly rates depending on the nature of the work in cities such as Van Nuys, Glendale and Concord.  

The city of Glendale placed a 1,700-square-foot trailer, complete with computers and a drive-through area for perspective employers, near a Home Depot. Glendale laborers pay $1 per day and organize themselves, which increases their interest in participating, according to Svenson. 

“Our approach is to work with the laborers to find out what works best for them and then have them make the rules,” Svenson said. “People are more likely to follow the rules when they’re the ones who are making them.” 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who represents district 7 where the laborers look for work, said she likes the idea of providing some kind of shelter for the laborers.  

“I see those guys standing there in the blazing sun or pouring rain,” she said. “Something needs to be done.” 

Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes said there have consistently been complaints about the day laborers for the last few years. 

Lopes said the majority of the complaints are not of a serious nature and that the laborers have been cooperative with the regular beat patrolman in the area. 

“The complaints are never of a criminal nature,” he said. “These guys don’t want to create problems, they just want to find work.” 

Monday, June 18

Raging Grannies Meeting 

7 p.m. 

1924 Cedar Fellowship Hall 

UC Berkeley 

East Bay/San Francisco Raging Grannies organizing meeting. Celebrate life with laughter and song. 

528-5403 

Rent Stabilization Board -  

Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Council Chambers, Second Floor 

Appeal T-3760 — 1501 Stuart Street, #3. The landlord appeals the decision of the hearing examiner that found that he was required to refund the tenants’ entire security deposit and to pay them the interest that had accrued on it.  

Tuesday, June 19

Women Against Sexual  

Slavery 

9 a.m. 

Federal Building & Courthouse 

1301 Clay St. (13th & Clay) Oakland 

Protest Sex Slaver Lakireddy Reddy’s light sentence. Bring signs and flyers urging Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong to give Reddy the maximum sentence of 38 years. 

841-8282 or 843-0680 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

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

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on frugality, generosity, simplifying life, and dealing with money. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m.  

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus  

2001 Dwight Way  

This will be a rap session.  

601-0550 

A Journey Through Eastern  

Europe 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

Angelina Sorensen, Bulgarian native, will give an overview of the best places to visit through a slide presentation and display of regional arts and crafts. Free. 

843-3533 

Energy-Saving Skylight 

8 a.m. - Noon 

Truitt and White Lumber 

642 Hearst Avenue 

The new Velux VSE skylight, winner of the Energy Star award, could help reduce home energy use. On view today. 

841-0511 

Medical Waste Management  

and Environmental Health in  

India 

6 - 8 p.m. 

University of California, Room 150 University Hall, 2199 Addison St. 

Shyamala Mani, coordinator and educator with India’s Centre for Environment Education, will give a public talk on successful medical waste disposal strategies. The talk will be of interest to environmental, labor and community organizers, healthcare workers and students of environmental health and occupational safety.  

845-1447 

Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. Drop-ins welcome. 

655-8863 

Wednesday, June 20

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Meet at the Gallery, take the bus to the Oakland Museum to take a tour with David Bacon of his exhibition “Every Worker Is An Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the UFW.” 

486-0411 

Berkeley Communicator  

Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

A “Thank You” Reception for  

Berkeley School Interim  

Superintendent Steve  

Goldstone 

Public invited. 

4:30 to 6:00 (before the school board meeting) 

2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, second floor, old council chambers. 

Thursday, June 21

Best Northern California  

Hikes 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Guidebook author Matt Heid shares his favorite day hikes and overnight backpacking trips in Northern California. Slide presentation. Free. 

527-4140 

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

LGBT Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This session will be a “Pride Mass.”  

654-5486 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe. 

Community Tribute to Jeffrey  

Leiter 

5 p.m. Dinner, 8 p.m. Performance 

Santa Fe Bar and Grill 

1310 University Avenue 

The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is hosting a Community Tribute to honor former Mayor and Symphony Board Presedent Jeffrey Shattuck Leiter. Dinner at Santa Fe Bar and Grill, followed by an 8 p.m. Berkeley Symphony performance at Zellerbach Hall. For information and tickets, call 841-2800.

Texas energy companies keeping wind power under wraps 

By Peter Asmus 

Pacific News Service 

Texas energy companies have a well-kept secret, including the producers demonized in California as the cause of rolling blackouts and sky-high prices. That secret is wind power. 

Houston-based Enron Corp. and Reliant Energy Inc., have tacitly admitted that wind power is one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity. The evidence? Both are voluntarily exceeding their state’s mandates for integrating this renewable fuel into the mix they will offer under new rules calling for a competitive retail market. 

Environmentalists are not alone in favoring wind power in Texas: rural farmers and ranchers are among its biggest fans. State law called for bringing 400 megawatts of new wind power on-line by the end of the year. Instead, Texas will add more than twice that – 900 megawatts in one year – according to the American Wind Energy Association. The state’s deregulation law calls for adding 2,000 megawatts (enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes) of new renewables to the state’s grid by 2009. Thus far, wind power has captured 90 percent of this new market. 

Installing just one wind turbine can bring rural farmers and ranchers from $2,000 and $3,000 annually. Since wind farms install turbines in clusters, some of these folks can continue their traditional use of the land and bring in an extra $20,000 to $50,000 per year, as royalties for rights to their wind. Already, wind generating machines in the garden represent a way to preserve rural communities with clean economic development. 

Texas is hardly alone. It’s the same story in Minnesota, Colorado, and across the ocean in Denmark and Germany. Regulators in Minnesota and Colorado have computed that wind power should be the first power supply choice in both of these states, since it is so much cheaper than the natural gas that now comprise 90 percent of all new electricity generators. 

In Colorado, an Enron subsidiary posted a bid to build 162 megawatts of new wind power under a category of "conventional" power supply, as the state had limited new wind power additions to just 25 megawatts. Though the utility Excel balked, arguing that gas prices were expected to decline by more than seven percent – when in fact that jumped by 400 percent – the state utility commission ordered the utility to build wind farms instead of fossil fuel power plants. 

Even more impressive statistics come from Europe. Denmark now gets 17 percent of its total electricity from wind power – in contrast, the U.S. gets less than one percent from the wind. Germany, which has modest winds and had virtually no wind power development five years ago, now produces more wind-generated electricity than any country in the world. 

Soon, wind farms will allow the 12 members of the European Union to reduce emissions linked to global climate change dramatically. A full third of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions required to comply with the Kyoto protocols by 2020 will come from replacing electricity generated from fossil fuels with wind power. 

In this light, America’s conduct on the global climate change front is disturbing. Instead of meeting the Kyoto treaty’s call for a seven percent reduction in CO2 from 1990 levels by 2012, the Department of Energy projects a 34 percent increase in U.S. CO2 emissions by that same date. To continue our fossil fuel addictions in light of current advances with wind power not only pollute the environment; they but could deal a large blow to an economy subject to faltering from escalating fossil fuel prices and highly dependent on its technology sector. 

Whereas natural gas is a finite fossil fuel, the world’s wind resource is still largely untapped. The winds blowing on just six percent of the windiest land sites in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) could supply one-and-a-half times the entire U.S.’s electricity needs. 

The United States once had bragging rights to generating 90 percent of the world’s wind power. That figure has dropped to less than 20 percent. 

Reclaiming its position as a wind power leader would require the United States to make a real commitment to cool global warming. Considering President Bush’s posture on global warming, it appears as if only Europe is making that commitment. 

PG&E representative gives Bush-like energy tips 

Editor: 

At the recent 6/13/01, meeting of the Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association, a P.G.&E representative was invited to speak about energy conservation.  

He explained the current crisis as being generated by a 30% growth in demand, while supply has only grown 6 percent. He then presented a series of tips which consisted of replacing light bulbs with more efficient bulbs, cleaning furnace filters regularly, keeping the lint filter and the exhaust vent clean on your clothes dryer, he did note that gas dryers were more efficient, and that homes should be insulated and that newer double pane windows saved heat.  

No mention was made of the threatened rolling blackouts, or changing your energy habits to reduce usage, not even of hanging out clothes to dry in the summer sunshine and heat.  

What was presented was the George W. Bush energy plan. That is, you don't have to give up anything, just tinker here and there and you can continue consuming. Implied in the opening remarks is the idea that we must increase supply.  

Bush in Berkeley, what a concept. 

John Cecil 

Berkeley

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” 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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 22 Hoods, Fall Silent, Clenched Fist, Osiva, Hellcrew; June 23 The Hellbillies, The Fartz, The Tossers, Ruodp, The Fightbacks; June 29 Barfeeders, Pac-Men, Hell After Dark, A.K.A. Nothing, Maurice’s Little Bastards; June 30 The Cost, Pg. 99, Majority Rule, 7 Days of Samsara, Since by Man, Creation is Crucifixion 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 19: pickPocket Ensemble; June 20: Whiskey Brothers; June 21/28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; June 26 Mad & eddie Duran Jazz Duo; June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m. June 18,25: The Renegade Sidemen; June 19 Jason Martinwau; June 20,27: Bob Schoen Jazz Quartet; June 21: The Jazz Singers Collective; June 23:The maestro Rich Kalman & His Jazz Trio; June 24 The Joe Livotti Sound; June 26: Tangria; June 28: ConFusion. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 19, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie; June 20, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat; June 21, 10 p.m.: Digital Dave; June 24, 8 p.m.: Babatunde Olantunji; June 26, 9 p.m.: DP & The Rhythem Riders; June 27, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding/Circle R Boys/Dark Hollow; June 28, 9 p.m.: Monkey/Stiff Richards/ Go Jimmy Go.1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 19: Toshi Reardon; June 20 Cliff Eberhardt; June 21 Rachel Garlin, $15.00 advance, $16.50 door; June 22: Sourdough Slim w/ Blackwood Tom; June 23: Lara & Reyes; June 24; Darryl Purpose, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar; June 26; Freight 33rd Anniversary Revue; June 27: Dilema, Hookslide; June 28: Jim Campilongo; june 29: Don’t Look Back; June 30: Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, Due West. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 19: Mas Cabeza; June 20: Wavelord; June 21: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 22: Realistic; June 23: Wayside; June 26: Bruno Pelletier Trio; June 27: O Maya; June 28: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave 843-8277 

Jazzschool Recitals June 19: 4 p.m., Jazz Groups; June 20: 4 p.m., Jazz Ensembles; June 21: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos. Free. The Jazzschool/La Note 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Season Finale June 21, 8 p.m. Works by Shostakovich, Brahms, and Rohde. $19 - $35 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

Kalanjali in Concert June 22, 7 p.m. Kalanjali concludes its celebration of its 25th year in Berkeley with a special recital. Experienced dancers and young students, with guests from India including dancer K. P. Yesoda and the musicians of Bharatakalanjali. $6 - $8 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Cymbeline” Through June 24, Tues. - Thur. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Opening of the California Shakespeare Festival features one of Shakespeare’s first romances, directed by Daniel Fish. $12 - $146. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater off Highway 24 at the Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit. 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 8: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Kid Kaleidoscope and the Puppet Players” June 24: 2 p.m., Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. The Puppet Players are a multi-media musical theatre group. Their shows are masterfully produced to thrill people of all ages with handmadesets and puppets. Adults $10, Children $5, 2640 College 867-7199 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

Berkeley Film Festival June 23, 1 p.m. Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery. Presnetation of Six films: The Good War, and Those Who Refused to Fight it (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada Flores), Just Crazy About Horses (Tim Lovejoy and Joe Wemple), Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar (L. John Harris and Bill Hayes), In Between the Notes (William Farley and Sandra Sharpe) and KPFA On The Air (Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood). 2220 Shattuck 486-0411 

Pacific Film Archive June 19 7:30 p.m.: Los; June 20 7:30 p.m.: filial Fixations; June 21 Days of the Eclipse 7 p.m. & A Spring for the Thirsty 9:30 p.m.; June 22 Three by Aurthur Peleshian 7:30 p.m., Ivan’s childhood 9 p.m.; June 23 7 & 9:10 p.m. I can’t Sleep; June 24 The Ruined Map 5:30 p.m. & Summer Soldiers 7:50 p.m.; June 26 7:30 p.m. San Francisco Cinematheque: 40 Years in Focus; June 27 7:30 p.m. Nature vs. Nurture; June 28 7:30 p.m. The Beginning of an Unknown Era; June 29 Molba 7:30, Shadows od Our Forgotten Ancestors 9:10; June 30 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Constitutional Shift Through July 13, tuesdays - fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Kala Art Institute. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Tyler James Hoare Sculpture and Collage Through June 27, call for hours. Party June 9, 5-9 p.m. with music by Sauce Piquante. The Albatross Pub 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com

Cal’s Lorenz leads Americans with two goals at Spieker 

When Ericka Lorenz hits the water at Spieker Aquatics Center on the UC Berkeley campus, she’s always been representing the Golden Bears. But on Saturday, she had a different uniform on, one with “USA” across it, and her opponents weren’t Trojans or Bruins but Aussies. 

Current Cal student and 2000 Olympic women’s water polo team member Lorenz scored two goals on Saturday to help lead the U.S. team to an 8-6 victory over the Australian national team in the final match of the four-game International Challenge Series. The win, in which three current Cal players participated, gave the U.S. a 3-1 overall advantage in the series, which was a small measure of revenge against the team that beat them for the gold medal in Sydney, Australia, in the 2000 Olympic Games. 

The match also extended up a long stretch of international competitions for the U.S. team in the three weeks. They won the Thetis Cup in Greece on June 3, finished second to Australia in the Canada Cup, and wrapped it up with the four-game northern California tour. The first three games were in Fresno, Roseville and Palo Alto, respectively. 

“It’s just nice to be home, to get to see all of my friends again,” Lorenz said. “My parents even surprised me be coming up from San Diego.” 

Lorenz started the game shakily, however, as she earned two ejections in the first period, both of which led to power-play goals by Australia. But the U.S.’s Heather Moody kept the Americans in it with two goals in the period, and teammate Rachel Scott scored a goal with 13 seconds left to tie the score at 3-3. 

The second period was more of the same, with neither team able to pull away. Rana Tito scored for Australia, but Lorenz answered with a laser shot from the outside past Aussie goalkeeper Liz Weekes to tie the score, and Kathy Sheehy scored from the hole with 31 seconds left to put the U.S. up 5-4 at halftime. 

In the second half, Cal’s Fana Fuqua replaced Bernice Orwig in goal for the U.S. With Lorenz, Fuqua and Heather Petri, not to mention former Cal star Courtney Johnson, on the squad, Cal was the best represented college program on the U.S. team. 

Fuqua proceeded to fairly shut down the Aussie offense, allowing just a penalty shot to dent her net in the next 10 minutes of action. Lorenz scored on another outside shot, then Cat von Schwarz scored a no-look backhand from in front of the Australia goal to finally open a two-goal lead at 7-5. Brenda Villa scored halfway through the final period to assure the U.S. of victory, and all Australia could do was score on a sudden restart that caught Fuqua napping with three minutes left. 

After the game, the players mingled with each other and the fans, a remarkable showing of sportsmanship considering the intense rivalry between the teams. 

“These teams get along, which is rare at this level of play,” said U.S. coach Guy Baker. “We play each other so much and play so hard, you’d expect things to get a little testy. But that really hasn’t happened.” 

Part of the reason for the friendship is that the tour is intended to promote the sport in the U.S. Baker said women’s water polo is the fastest growing sport in the country, and having the players be friendly and accessibleto fans is part of that equation. 

“We want this to develop into a national sport,” he said. “Part of that is to be successful over a long period of time, but we also need to have contact with the fans. It was great to see so many kids in the stands, kids that can look up to our players.” 

The crowd of about 300 people was clearly pro-American, and the Cal players got particularly loud cheers before and during the game. But the players seemed to appreciate the fans just as much, if not more. 

“A lot of this tour is about promoting the sport, and it’s great to see fan support,” Johnson said. “We’ve had success when we leave the country, now it’s time to see what we can do at home.” 

For Johnson, who was Cal’s female athlete of the year in 1996, the game was a chance to revisit the site of her college triumphs. 

“It’s nice to be back here. This pool holds so many memories for me,” she said. “Of course, Haas Pavilion is way bigger than I remember.” 

When Johnson started at Cal, women’s water polo was a club sport. The Bears have risen quickly and achieved a No. 4 national ranking last season. 

“It’s tremendous what they’ve done in the past few years,” she said. “The talent increase is just amazing, and the societal views of women athletes has changed so much.” 

The U.S. team next heads to the Holiday Cup in Los Alamitos, July 4-7. Team USA will be one of eight national women’s teams competing in the tournament.

A crowd of people clapped and danced in the streets of Berkeley Saturday during the opening celebration of the fourth annual Berkeley Arts Festival that runs through June 30. 

The event, called the “Music Circus,” brought together about 125 performers who filled the corners of Shattuck Avenue from University Avenue to Channing Way with music during the whole afternoon. The celebration also included a corner of poetry readings. 

The majority of the participants were jazz bands, including the Richard Kalman & Friends from Albany Adult School, the band of saxophonist Steve Adams, and the John Schott’s Typical Orchestra. But the program wasn’t limited to R&B or swing. At festival headquarters on Shattuck Avenue at Allston Way, opera singers Hope Briggs, Isabelle Metwalli, Eliza O’Malley and Terry Alvord performed breathtaking arias. Outside, pop, folk, experimental and world music mixed in the air — reflecting Berkeley’s cultural diversity. 

“The mission of the Music Circus is to present the wide range of musicians and poets that are connected to Berkeley and give them exposure to the public,” explained Arnie Passman, a festival organizer. 

The festival went into full swing at 2:30 p.m. when parents with children, teenagers, and senior citizens of all ethnicity started forming an enthusiastic audience at the corners. Some had come specifically for the event, others were just passersby attracted by the music and the nice weather. 

“I love it,” said Mary Kennedy a psychiatrist who came from Marin County to attend the event. “The audience is great, the performers are terrific, and the sun is good.” Events like the festival are part of the reason why Kennedy plans to move to Berkeley, a town she loves for, she said, “its sense of community.” 

Many of the musicians who played during Saturday’s Music Circus had come in memory of their former days in Berkeley. 

For the Bear Cats’ trombone player Bob Mielke, the opening of the festival was an opportunity to meet and play with old friends.  

“We’ve known each other for years. Jack Minger and I roomed together back in 1949,” he said, referring to his band’s trumpet player.  

Berkeley native Sy Klopps and his orchestra ended the event. In the span of a couple of ballroom tunes only — many of which were tracks from the band’s last CD, “Berkeley Soul” — Klopps managed to attract more than a hundred people on BART plaza. About 20 of them soon started moving to the rhythm of the music and turned the gathering into a party. 

“It’s fun to play in the streets of my hometown, because my fondest memories are of my childhood in Berkeley,” Klopps said after his show. “This was my starting ground.”  

The success of this year’s Music Circus is a new example of the growing popularity of the Arts Festival. When it first started in 1997, the coordinators only had the means to list the cultural activities happening in town. They prepared very few events themselves. But progressively more artists and more organizers got involved. This year the festival received $40, 000 from the city and local sponsors and was able to prepare a variety of events. The program features all kinds of music concerts, photography and sculpture exhibitions, historic and architectural tours, as well as poetry readings. 

For additional information about the Berkeley Arts Festival, visit the website http://www.berkeleyartsfestival.com

At a time when the lack of fiscal resources has some Berkeley schools struggling to make ends meet, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers believes it has found a way to make sure the critical area of teacher training and evaluation isn’t a casualty. 

Too often, school sources say, principals overwhelmed by other responsibilities have found little time to conduct timely teacher evaluations. 

“There’s been a void in the whole evaluation process,” said BFT President Barry Fike. “It’s just not been consistent across the board as much as it really needs to be.” 

As a result, some teachers aren’t given feedback on strengths and weaknesses, or recommendations about training opportunities that could help them improve. 

Now, taking advantage of a new state law that makes money available when school districts and teachers unions agree to work together in the area of teacher evaluation and support, the Berkeley school board has approved a program which union members hope will more than fill the “void” in the evaluation process. 

At a recent meeting with more than 300 K-12 teachers present, the BFT itself approved the so-called Berkeley Peer Assistance Review program, or B-PAR, by a margin of 9-to-1, Fike said. 

“We want to be evaluated,” he said. 

Fike said teachers understand as well as anyone the consequences of failing to intervene when one in their ranks is struggling to meet the demands of the job. 

“We all know the importance of that because we teach next door to each other and get each others students the next year,” he said. 

With an annual budget of $500,000 in state education money, the B-PAR program will be implemented throughout the district next year. 

At the heart of the program are eight “consulting teachers” who have been selected from Berkeley’s teaching staff for their depth of experience and exceptional skills, Fike said. These teachers will be trained over the summer how to evaluate and train their peers. Beginning next fall, each consulting teacher will be assigned a caseload of roughly 15 teachers with whom they will work closely throughout the year. More than 120 teachers are expected to work with consulting teachers next year alone. 

Beginning teachers will automatically be assigned to work with consulting teachers, based on the assumption that they will benefit greatly from sessions with more veteran teachers well versed in the tricks of the trade. 

“For any teacher, the first few years are really tough,” said school board director Joaquin Rivera, who teachers chemistry at Skyline Community College in San Bruno. “You’re dealing with a lot of issues.” 

Teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations from their principals will also be referred to the B-PAR program. 

A B-PAR governing panel made up of four teachers and four administrators will help determine appropriate “Professional Development Plans” for each B-PAR participant. At the end of a given year, the panel will make recommendations regarding retention and dismissal to the Berkeley superintendent of schools. 

This all represents an unprecedented level of collaboration between teachers and administrators in the evaluation process, according to Fike. Over time, it has the potential to make the whole relationship between the teachers union and the school district less adversarial, he added. 

“This changes the relationship,” he said. “We now really have teachers and administrators joining together to address this issue.” 

B-PAR is not only for beginning teachers, or teachers who have been found to be unsatisfactory. Other Berkeley teachers who simply want an opportunity to hone their skills can volunteer to work the consulting teachers. 

“It will take teachers who are maybe doing okay and really turn them into great teachers,” Fike said. 

Plans also call for B-PAR’s consulting teachers to lead workshops open to all teachers in critical areas of teacher development. Here they could share best practices for managing classrooms, keeping students engaged, and more, Fike said. 

When it comes to addressing the challenges faces educators today — violence, the achievement gap, truancy and more — there is no substitute for individual teacher training, Fike added. 

“Of all the various approaches that have been taken when it comes to the achievement gap, the one that stands out as the most effective is teacher-quality,” he said. 

“Parents struggle mightily to get their kids into schools that have good teachers. Parents know just by intuition that that’s what’s driving it all.” 

(AP) — A major drop in the city’s black population took place in the last decade reducing its numbers by 15 percent. 

More than 1 in 7 black residents left in the 1990s — the highest rate of decline of the nation’s 50 most populous cities, a 2000 Census data analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle revealed. 

Experts say the trend nationally is for blacks to move to the suburbs but locally the high housing prices are driving lower-income residents out. 

Black families in San Francisco are three times more likely to live below the poverty level, according to a 1999 Census Bureau survey of 1 out of 33 household in the city. 

Another reason for the sudden change is people who move in search of stronger black communities. 

“San Francisco was a cosmopolitan city but I didn’t see enough black people around even then,” said Jule Anderson, a former school board member and 30-year Richmond District resident, who moved to Atlanta in 1991. “I wanted to be around more black people.” 

In the last 20 years, demographers have traced an increase of blacks moving from the western United States to the South. In the 1990s, census records show, the South gained more then 3 million black residents, seeing that population grow more rapidly than in any other part of the country. 

But not all the blacks who leave San Francisco head to the South. Demographer Hans Johnson of the Public Policy Institute of California noted that cities on the outer edges of the Bay Area, such as Vallejo, Antioch and Tracy, have seen the number of black residents grow in great numbers. 

Then, there are those residents who improve their economic status and abandon the inner-city neighborhoods. 

“If you move up and get a better job, are you going to want to stay in the Bayview, where the only bread you can buy is Wonder Bread?” said San Francisco Supervisor Sophie Maxwell. “No. When people do a little better, they say, ’I’m out of here.”’ 

The number of blacks who live in the city now is 60,500. If those who listed themselves as being of more than one race in the 2000 census are included the number increase to 67,000. This is a sharp decline compared to the 1970s, when the black population reached a peak of 96,000.

Ricardo Scales (on piano) plays with James Levi and Carl Lockett at the Juneteenth  

Festival in Berkeley yesterday. The festival, attended by well over a thousand people, is a celebration of African American emancipation. The celebration dates back to June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, declared freedom for all slaves. Music, food, games, arts and crafts were part of this year’s celebration.

City contractors must offer health, other benefits to unmarried partners 

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals panel has upheld a San Francisco ordinance, similar to ones in Los Angeles and Seattle, that demands city contractors offer health and other benefits to domestic partners of unmarried workers. 

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday struck down an Ohio contractor’s challenge to San Francisco’s 1997 law, the nation’s first, requiring that contractors doing business with the city offer the same benefits to unmarried employees’ domestic partners as they do to married employees. 

“This is a tremendous triumph for our equal benefits law,” said City Attorney Louise H. Renne. “San Francisco won’t do business with companies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.” 

The decision came as many of the nation’s biggest companies are offering such benefits. In 1993, seven Fortune 500 companies had such benefits — compared to 127 today, according to the gay rights group, Human Rights Campaign. 

Thursday’s case arose after electronics firm S.D. Myers of Tallmadge, Ohio, was disqualified from a San Francisco project. Although it was the lowest bidder, it did not afford the same health benefits to its domestic partner employees as it did to married ones. 

The firm’s lawyers, funded by televangelist Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice, argued that only Congress can adopt an ordinance that impacts interstate commerce. 

But the appellate panel said the law was valid because it treated California and out-of-state companies equally. 

“The ordinance contains no language explicitly or implicitly targeting either out-of-state entities or entities engaged in interstate commerce,” Judge J. Clifford Wallace wrote. “Rather, the ordinance applies to all contractors with the city without any reference to the type or extent of a contractor’s commercial operations.” 

Kevin H. Theriot, a lawyer for Robertson’s group, said he may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case or demand the appeals court reconsider its decision. 

“We don’t think organizations have to give domestic partner benefits if they don’t want to,” Theriot said. 

After a federal judge sided with San Francisco in 1999, Los Angeles and Seattle adopted similar ordinances. New York City and Atlanta are considering such laws and Florida’s Broward County gives preference to companies offering those benefits. 

Kim Mills, Human Rights Campaign’s education director, said the decision should spur some other municipalities to adopt rules similar to San Francisco’s. 

“It will certainly have an impact on cities contemplating this kind of legislation,” Mills said. 

The Ohio engineering firm was not the only company to challenge San Francisco’s ordinance. 

The city’s ordinance affected the 28 airline carriers at San Francisco International Airport, who lease land from the city, and an untold number of contractors that perform a hodgepodge of work for the city. 

Last year, a federal judge sided largely against a suit brought by the airline industry that challenged San Francisco’s law. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that the airlines must provide the same fare discounts, family leave and bereavement leave to domestic partners as to married couples working in San Francisco. 

The judge excluded health and pension benefits, saying the federal government has jurisdiction for the airline industry. Following the ruling, several airlines began offering the same benefits to domestic partners as they do to married couples. 

The airlines’ case, however, is pending before the appeals court. 

The case decided Thursday is S.D. Myers Inc. v. San Francisco, 99-16397.

SAN FRANCISCO – Embattled Napster, Inc. CEO Hank Barry took the stage at a conference of librarians Saturday to speak about the thorny issues surrounding his troubled song-swap company — issues that could soon vex libraries as well. 

Sitting alongside privacy experts, Barry sought to dispel the notion that copyright issues illuminated by Napster’s legal woes would disappear once a new, legal version of the song-sharing software debuts later this summer. 

“This is a very big battle that were all engaged in and it has very little to do with Napster,” Barry said. “It’s a battle over access to information.” 

He said “copyright absolutists” were responsible for the crackdown on individuals and business exploring the gray and unlitigated areas of intellectual property law. 

Barry spoke of Napster’s widespread popularity, saying that 375 million music files were merely a mouse-click away for the avid users sharing files on March 1. 

“From a record company perspective, that’s about the worst thing that ever happened,” Barry said. 

Those numbers have since dropped off as Napster continues to comply with a federal court injunction demanding the Redwood City-based company vigilantly police its system for unauthorized recordings. 

Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of culture and communication at New York University, told the audience that the peer-to-peer concept made popular by Napster would survive and flourish despite changes the company plans to make to its service this summer. Gnutella and Freenet, file-sharing applications with no central server to shut down, would carry on the torch, Vaidhyanathan said. 

A legal gauntlet thrown down by publishing houses and record labels presents a formidable challenge for libraries seeking to augment their services through technology. 

“It cuts us out of the whole argument because you can’t argue for theft,” Vaidhyanathan said. 

Librarians have begun floating the idea of Docster, a Napster-like system wherein documents requested at separate branches could be scanned once and shared via a computer network. 

The inter-library loan system currently in place requires documents be re-scanned each time an individual requests to view them. This allows libraries an effective, but labor-intensive method of servicing the public. 

Changes could be in store for copyright law as lobbyists from many camps push lawmakers for changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 

“Get ready because its going to be a big fight and its going to last around 10 years,” Barry said. 

The panel discussion was hosted by Chris Arnold of National Public Radio and was part of the American Library Association’s annual conference.

Incorrect forms causing a big problem for needy California college students 

SAN FRANCISCO – Although California education officials have expanded the state’s $500 million college scholarship program, fewer students are expected to receive grants next fiscal year – in part because many applicants didn’t fill out the forms correctly. 

Last year, the Legislature increased funding for the Cal Grants program by $131 million, to $503 million. 

The goal was to expand the number of recipients from 77,600 this year to 125,000 for the fiscal year that begins next month, the San Jose Mercury News reported. But program administrators worry they won’t be able to match current totals. 

Cal Grants are available to California residents attending public or private colleges in the state. They range from $1,550 to nearly $10,000, depending on where a student attends school. The program guarantees financial aid to low-income students who earn a C average or above. 

Gov. Gray Davis has hailed Cal Grants as “the most generous college financial aid program in the nation.” 

But while the bank remains open, not enough people are lining up. 

The commission awarded 77,600 awards this year, but expects to parcel out about 75,500 grants in the fiscal year beginning July 1. 

One reason is that forms can be complicated and applicants are not filling them our properly, Wally Boeck, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, told the Mercury News. 

Next year, he said, the applicant pool will be larger as an additional high school graduating class becomes eligible for the grant, which is guaranteed so long as students meet academic and financial qualifications. 

Legislators who supported the expansion last year said the decrease in awards was disappointing. 

“It’s unbelievable,” said Elaine Alquist, D-Santa Clara, chairwoman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. “We were supposed to give grants to 125,000 students and we will be offering them to 75,500 students.” 

Alquist said she plans to hold a hearing next week into the shortfall. 

Boeck said additional funding for outreach would help increase the number of applicants. Pending legislation would provide up to $5 million, including money to employ college students to help applicants fill out the forms. 

Department of Transportation to stop painting over vandalized murals 

LOS ANGELES – California has declared a cease-fire in the war for the walls. 

Complaints by artists have prompted the California Department of Transportation to temporarily halt the whitewashing of freeway murals vandalized by graffiti. 

In the past six months or so, at least four giant wall paintings, some of them dating back to the 1984 Olympics, have been hit by graffiti “taggers” and then partially or completely covered by cleanup crews. 

“We don’t want to destroy artwork (but) we have to obliterate (graffiti) because we do get quite a number of complaints” from drivers, said Michael Miles, the agency’s deputy district director of maintenance for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. 

A few years ago, graffiti artists had an “unwritten code” against spray-painting their names on artwork, said mural artist Frank Romero, who has done numerous public art projects throughout California. 

“I’ve had murals up 20 years and they’ve never been hit,” Romero said. “This is recent, in the last three to five years. It’s a war.” 

These days, the new generation of taggers proudly posts photographs of defaced paintings on Web sites. 

“It’s the name. It’s the fame,” said VcrOne—LA, a former Los Angeles tagger who runs a graffiti Web site and agreed to speak only if his name was withheld. 

VcrOne said one tagger told him murals are “bombed” — spray-painted with large, multicolored signatures — because taggers seeking recognition know it takes longer for the artwork to be “buffed,” that is, painted over or erased. 

Bill Lasarow, president of the nonprofit Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, which works to preserve the estimated 2,500 murals throughout Los Angeles County, said the situation was discouraging. 

If gifted artists lose confidence that their murals will be around for the long term, “the less likely it is that we’ll get world-class art in the public place,” he said. 

After declaring a moratorium several weeks ago on covering the murals, Caltrans is working with the conservancy to obtain federal grants to maintain them. 

Another possibility is enlisting businesses to pay for the upkeep of murals as they do for stretches of freeway under the state’s “adopt-a-highway” program. Caltrans also is considering requiring new murals to be painted at least 10 feet above the ground to prevent taggers from reaching them. 

Caltrans now spends $1.4 million a year in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to clean up freeway graffiti. Workers try to clean up normal graffiti within 10 days. But in the case of murals, it can take 45 to 60 days because the artists are notified and given a chance to repair the damage. 

Artists or their sponsors are responsible for maintaining the murals because Caltrans doesn’t have the resources to do it. Miles said it can cost from $250 to $1,500 to erase graffiti from a mural. 

Artists can’t afford to keep putting out that kind of cash, said Judith Baca, co-founder of the Social and Public Art Resource Center, a Venice-based public mural program. Her 1984 freeway mural, “Hitting the Wall,” a 90-foot piece showing women Olympic marathon runners, has been repeatedly tagged. 

Caltrans would spend less money by paying artists to repair their own work than by sending crews to paint them over, she contended. 

“It is a public work and a gift to the city and to the freeway system,” Baca said. “Maintenance of a work like that is a major cost. It’s in the public sphere, so therefore it should be supported by public money.”

SAN JOSE – Mike Schlenz, who recently installed computer networks for a living, had been sleeping in his Honda Civic for three months when he went to a homeless shelter. 

John Sacrosante, who earned more than $100,000 a year as a free-lance database engineer, spent his 39th birthday last week with the “brothers” he’s met at the church shelter where he has been living. 

Both are casualties of the struggling economy in Silicon Valley, where a surprising number of former high-tech workers are rubbing elbows with society’s castaways — the mentally ill, drug addicts and hard-luck cases — in homeless shelters. 

“We’re all equal here,” said Sacrosante. “When you’re used to making six figures and working in a dynamic and exciting environment and all of a sudden it goes away, you do have a nice little world of depression going on.” 

Across Northern California, high-tech workers who have suddenly lost their livelihoods are feeling far removed from a manic but contented lifestyle where they counted free cappuccino as perks. 

Nearly 30 unemployed tech workers are among the 100 men at the Montgomery Street Inn and other shelters in San Jose run by InnVision, said Robbie Reinhart, director of the nonprofit organization. 

“They’re not what we used to call hobos on the street. Most have college degrees,” she said. 

Dot-com failures sent San Francisco’s unemployment rate up to 4.2 percent in May from a rock-bottom 2.6 percent a year ago — with 18,000 people added, a new state report shows. 

In Santa Clara County, the heart of the Silicon Valley, layoffs in electronic equipment manufacturing and business services rose for the fifth consecutive month, contributing to a 3.2 percent unemployment rate in May. 

Reinhart says most of the tech workers she sees have had their contracts canceled or been laid off from start-ups and other smaller technology companies. 

Some shelter residents still have jobs, but don’t make enough to afford the high price of living alone in the valley, she said. 

Top consultants and contractors once named their salaries in the valley. Now, even those who qualify for unemployment benefits soon discover the $40 to $230 weekly check won’t cover the rent for an apartment here, where average monthly rents are around $1,800. 

Besides being financially draining, layoffs can be psychologically wrenching for people married to their jobs, said Dr. Ilene Philipson, a clinical psychologist and sociologist at the Center for Working Families at the University of California, Berkeley. 

“There have always been layoffs and economic downturns, but what makes this unusual is that people in the valley have become appendages of their jobs and their workplace. They’ve worked up to 110 hours per week and slept on the conference room floor,” she said. “People have given up all sorts of things to give to their job and when there’s a layoff there’s no other support for them.” 

Suicide and crisis hot line operators in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties report that job-related calls nearly doubled from October to April; many complained of lost jobs or feared they would soon be out of work. 

Studies have shown that 12-18 months after downturns in the economy, suicide rates rise, said Eve Meyer, director of the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Crisis Line. 

“They lose their car, and they can stand it,” said Meyer. “Then they lose their house, and that’s bad. Then they may lose their family. That’s when you get into substance abuse. A year may have gone by the time they call us.” 

Schlenz, 35, a Bay Area native with a degree in environmental chemistry, made as much as $60,000 a year as a free-lance contractor, installing Unix networks, configuring routers and working in desktop support for small companies. Then his jobs disappeared. 

“I’d been to all the job fairs. I’d followed up on all the resumes,” he said. “Some of the larger companies approached me several times, but then kept leading me on for months. Departments were downsized and outsourced. Recruiters just stopped returning messages.” 

Schlenz still has some stock, but the value has dropped. 

“I cashed in half my stocks to eat. I couldn’t even afford gas anymore,” he said. He gave up his apartment after running out of cash, and “car-camped” behind a book store. He showered at a gym where his membership was good through May. 

Someone told him he could get a meal at the Montgomery Street Inn, where he now stays and volunteers as a monitor and teacher in the shelter’s computer lab. 

The Inn has the same policy for all its residents — stay free for a month, then pay $45 a week, whether they have a job or not. Sacrosante had planned to stay no more than five weeks at the shelter, where he teaches residents how to use the computers. 

It’s a far cry from the Oracle database certification classes Sacrosante taught as a consultant to major firms before becoming an independent contractor. He was laid off shortly after moving from San Jose to Phoenix to work on what was supposed to be a six-month project for a company there. 

Sacrosante came back to San Jose three weeks ago with the promise of being hired by one of two Santa Clara-based technical training companies. The offers fell through. 

Though forced to a shelter, there’s an only-in-Silicon Valley twist to his story. Sacrosante and three other former high-tech workers who met at the shelter are launching Intellikon Technologies, a start-up that will resell wearable mobile computing systems. 

Sacrosante said he’ll use some of the funding he secured for the venture to rent a house that will double as an office and housing for the four men. 

Schlenz is still waiting for his lucky break. 

He said he’s applied for an entry-level position, something for which he’s overqualified, at Redwood Shores-based Oracle Corp. 

He hasn’t told his mother, who is in Arkansas, about his current situation. 

But he says he now has more of what it takes to make it when a top company hires him. 

“After this experience, I feel I have more determination than other people,” he said.

SAN JOSE – Palm Inc. remains the world’s leading supplier of handheld computers but will lose its top spot in terms of revenue to Compaq Computer Corp. in the second calendar quarter, according to Gartner Dataquest. 

In a report to be released Monday, the market research firm projects Palm will ship about 700,000 units worldwide, earning between $130 million to $135 million in hardware-related revenues for its fiscal quarter ended June 1. That’s a dramatic drop from the record $507 million it earned two quarters ago. 

By comparison, Houston-based Compaq, whose current quarter ends June 30, is expected to ship up to 500,000 units, resulting in revenues of more than $200 million. Gartner Dataquest did not have historical revenue comparisons for Compaq but said it shipped 250,000 units two quarters ago. 

Palm’s loss in revenue leadership — its first since the Palm Pilot debuted in 1996 — stems partly from the fact that the average price of Compaq’s rival iPAQ devices are about $500, or twice that of Palm products, according to analysts. 

But it also underscores an erosion of Palm’s once high-flying dominance in the young and fast-growing industry of personal digital assistants. 

Palm is currently struggling with an inventory glut and a slowdown in sales — both economy-driven and somewhat self-imposed because of a transition to a new product line. 

At the same time, the Santa Clara-based company has lagged behind competitors, especially in wireless features, and improvements to date of its operating system have not been very significant, said Ken Dulaney, vice president of mobile computing at Gartner Dataquest. 

Microsoft Corp.’s competing Pocket PC operating system, which is used in the iPAQ, is gaining ground as a result, though it remains a distant second to Palm’s overall market share of handheld devices. 

Palm officials have said the company is streamlining its operations and will continue to aggressively develop new products, including ones with wireless features. 

Dulaney thinks Palm will be able to regain its revenue crown from Compaq in perhaps one or two quarters, after it sifts through its troubles. But, he said, the company “must make some changes” to “achieve the level of profitability it enjoyed in the past.”

After the dancing, singing and poetry of Berkeley High’s graduation ceremony Thursday.  

After the 700 graduates of the class of 2001 stomped, skipped or glided across the stage of UC Berkeley’s Greek Theater, waving their diplomas in the air like victory pennants, or tucking them under their arms like top-secret documents. 

After the blazing sun mercifully dipped behind the trees and shadow fell across stadium. 

That’s when reality set in for graduating senior Marian Valley. 

“It’s sad,” Valley said, fighting back tears. “Your childhood’s gone.” 

But seconds behind the sadness came elation. 

“I’m going to college,” Valley said firmly. 

And then, her voice rising, like she would burst into song: “And I want to be a writer, teacher, psychologist, doctor...” 

She laughed, aware that she might have gone too far. 

But all around her other students were feeling the tug and pull of similar emotions. 

Eddie James felt it. And it made him smile, but it also made him wonder. 

“I feel real good,” he said. And then: “I don’t know what to do with myself.” 

The first step, he had down: attend San  

Francisco State. But he could sense that he wanted something more, too; to transfer to Howard University, maybe – one of the East Coast’s prestigious, all-black colleges.  

James, who worked to make Berkeley High a better place through his involvement in student groups such as Youth Together and the Black Student Union, thought maybe he could see himself as a lawyer somewhere down the road. 

One thing he was sure of though: he had come a long way in his four years at Berkeley High. 

“I didn’t really know too much (as a freshman), and I acted kind of silly,” James said. “I wouldn’t have realized that then, but I do now.” 

Nearby, Raul Hernandez had somehow managed to pick his mother out of the mass of smiling faces near the entrance to the stadium. The deep emotions of the day had subsided somewhat for him, to be replaced by a kind of perfect calm. 

“You feel free now,” he said simply.  

Free, in the case of Hernandez, to pursue the study of business as a soon-to-be UC Berkeley freshman. 

Yolanda Roberts, the parent of a graduate, was feeling some of that freedom too as she waited for her daughter. 

“I’m so glad my daughter graduated,” she said, heaving a deep sigh. “It was a very long, hard struggle.” 

Roberts recalled her daughter’s battles with peer pressure – and her own herculean efforts to negotiate Berkeley High’s bureaucracy – as if they were yesterday. But none of that could keep her from smiling Friday. 

“Maturity really set in for her,” Roberts said. “I think, as she got older, she was more confident with who she was.” 

Roberts’ daughter is bound for San Francisco’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in the fall. 

“I always told them, you can’t ever get enough education,” said Robert’s mother, Judy Bragg, Berkeley High class of 1960. “The job market is harder for them to come out into now.” 

Berkeley school board president Terry Doran – a longtime teacher at Berkeley High – exchanged poignant hugs with some of his former students after the ceremony. 

“There’s definitely a sadness,” Doran said, explaining that this year’s graduates include the last student he taught before his retirement in 1999. 

Doran, an educator for 35 years, agreed with Bragg that 2001 could be a tough year for high school graduates. 

“I think times are tougher now for young people,” he said. “The economy is different. Young people have a lot more pressure on them to succeed.” 

But as he watched his former students parade past, radiating energy and eagerness, Doran said he wasn’t worried about the Berkeley High graduates. 

“The attitude of students hasn’t changed. They’re optimistic, (they feel) they’re going to take the world. And they will. 

“The vast majority of Berkeley High students come out well-prepared for life,” he said. 

Valley agreed.  

There she was, broken away suddenly from the mass of red and yellow gowns – the classmates who she could no longer count on meeting tomorrow, in the corridors of Berkeley High – searching the crowd for her family. And even in that most precarious of moments, she could feel a new confidence beginning to take hold of her. 

“Growing up, that’s all it was,” she said. “I had fun though. I had my ups and downs in school and in life and I think it made me stronger.”

Saturday, June 16

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

Berkeley Arts Festival  

Music Circus 

1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

Shattuck Ave. between University Ave. and Channing Way 

The Music Circus will feature dozens of eclectic performances ranging from string quartets to blues and jazz. Free bus fare to and from the event offered by AC Transit. 665-9496.  

Botanical Garden Spring Party 

3 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Drive 

Celebrating the completion of the new Arid House and the renovation of the Southern African area. Food, wine and jazz. Fund-raiser for the Garden, $25 per person. 

643-2755 

Puppet Shows on Cultural  

Medical Differences 

1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level) 

Two shows for kids of all ages and their families promote acceptance and understanding of cultural and medical differences. Free. 

549-1564 

Poets’ Corner 

1:30 - 4 p.m. 

Shattuck and Kittredge 

Ten poets will read on the downtown street corner as a kick-off event for the two-week Berkeley Arts Festival. 649-3929 

Energy Crisis 

2 p.m. 

6501 Telegraph Avenue 

Oakland 

“Why They Can’t Keep the Lights On and What We Can Do About It.” 595-7417 

Immigration Leadership Roundtable Discussion 

11 a.m. 

Ronald V. Dellums Federal  

Building 

1301 Clay St./ Conference Room H/ 5th Floor North Tower 

Oakland 

The public is invited to join Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Loretta Sanchez in hosting an immigration leadership roundtable discussion with local community leaders. 763-0370 

Sunday, June 17

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Amtrack Station  

Foot of University Ave. 

Berkeley Arts Festival tour of coastlines installation guided by landscape architect Tom Leader. Walk culminates on the Berkeley Marina. 486-0411 

Carefree/Carfree Tour #2 

1 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Bus and walk to: The Crucible, workshop of arts and the industry; Bay Area Center for the Consolidated Arts; and the Juneteenth Celebration, annual street fair of African-American Roots with music, dance and food. 486-0411 

The Discord Aggregate  

Intersection 

7 p.m. 

Gathering of local artists, poets, musicians, composers and others. Non-profit group meets every three to four weeks. This week, Tasmanian photographer Tony Ryan will present his work. For location and other information  

e-mai:l alemap@discordaggregate.com 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Ave. 

Group mediation through instrumental music and devotional songs, led by Lucian Balmer and Baoul Scavullo. Free. 496-3468 

Buddhist Mantra/Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Bob Byrne on “Mantra and Healing,” a deep and personal kind of healing. Free. 843-6812 

15th Annual Berkeley  

Juneteenth Festival 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Adeline & Alcatraz, by Ashby BART. A celebration of African American liberation from slavery. 655-8008  

www.berkeleyjuneteenth.org 

Monday, June 18

Raging Grannies Meeting 

7 p.m. 

1924 Cedar Fellowship Hall 

UC Berkeley 

East Bay/San Francisco Raging Grannies organizing meeting. Celebrate life with laughter and song. 

528-5403 

Rent Stabilization Board - Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Council Chambers, Second Floor 

Appeal T-3760 — 1501 Stuart Street, #3. The landlord appeals the decision of the hearing examiner that found that he was required to refund the tenants’ entire security deposit and to pay them the interest that had accrued. 

Tuesday, June 19

Women Against Sexual Slavery 

9 a.m. 

Federal Building & Courthouse 

1301 Clay St. Oakland 

Protest Lakireddy Reddy’s light sentence. Bring signs and flyers urging Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong to give Reddy the maximum sentence of 38 years. 841-8282 or 843-0680 

— Compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

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

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on frugality, generosity, simplifying life, and dealing with money. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m.  

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus  

2001 Dwight Way  

This will be a rap session.  

601-0550 

A Journey Through Eastern Europe 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

Angelina Sorensen, Bulgarian native, will give an overview of the best places to visit through a slide presentation and display of regional arts and crafts. Free. 

843-3533 

Energy-Saving Skylight 

8 a.m. - Noon 

Truitt and White Lumber 

642 Hearst Avenue 

The new Velux VSE skylight, winner of the Energy Star award, could help reduce home energy use. On view today. 

841-0511 

(gp) 

Medical Waste Management and Environmental Health in India 

6 - 8 p.m. 

University of California, Room 150 University Hall, 2199 Addison St. 

Shyamala Mani, coordinator and educator with India’s Centre for Environment Education, will give a public talk on successful medical waste disposal strategies. The talk will be of interest to environmental, labor and community organizers, healthcare workers and students of environmental health and occupational safety.  

845-1447 

(gp) 

Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. Drop-ins welcome. 

655-8863 

Wednesday, June 20

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Meet at the Gallery, take the bus to the Oakland Museum to take a tour with David Bacon of his exhibition “Every Worker Is An Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the UFW.” 

486-0411 

(gp) 

Berkeley Communicator Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

A “Thank You” Reception for Berkeley School Interim Superintendent Steve Goldstone, who will step down later this summer. 

Public invited. 

4:30 to 6:00 (before the school board meeting) 

2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, second floor, old council chambers. 

Reddy’s guilt vs. Reddy’s rights 

Editor: 

I strongly support Dr. Russell’s position in the June 14 FORUM, with one exception: the inappropriate involvement of one part of our government in a different part of our government’s business.  

I have been boycotting Mr. Reddy’s Pasand Restaurant (as I believe everyone else should) since reading of his exploits in the news, but was very disappointed that the Berkeley City Council would pass a resolution officially supporting such an action prior to the completion of this man’s receipt of due process (at least according to the media, he was still in the midst of wrangling a favorable Plea Bargaining agreement on 12/19/00). 

It’s sad that even this most just of causes becomes tainted when a group of activists successfully lobbies a city’s government to disregard a citizen’s Fifth Amendment rights (see U.S. Constitution - Bill of Rights).  

I hope Judge Armstrong is gracious enough to overlook Dr. Russell’s inadvertent reminder of this Unconstitutional behavior, and sentences Mr. Reddy as harshly as possible. As for me, a Pasand-free diet awaits…. 

Greg Schlappich 

Berkeley 

Beth El project: a study in poor planning 

Editor: 

It is sad, but not surprising that the recent hearing before the City Council on Temple Beth El’s proposed project for the old Byrne estate across from Live Oak Park was so crowded that more than 300 people were turned away from Council chambers. How this has happened and why can serve as a case study in the morass that is the City of Berkeley’s planning process.  

I first became aware of the Temple’s proposed design in November 1998, while I was still serving as Chair of Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board.  

A friend invited me to a meeting where representatives from Temple Beth El presented their ‘preliminary’ plans.  

During the lively discussion that followed, I echoed what I heard others predicting would be significant community concerns: that the design didn’t make the most of the site’s unique environmental and historic significance, and created traffic and parking impacts that needed to be better mitigated.  

Although the Temple confidently told me that Berkeley City Staff had blessed the project as designed, they assured me that they were committed to an open and inclusive process for community review and input and began convening an extensive set of neighborhood meetings.  

By the middle of last year, however, it was apparent that things were not going well. In all but the finest grain of detail, the project hadn’t budged an inch.  

Neighbors and community groups were becoming agitated as it became apparent that no matter how many meetings they attended, their input was not finding its way into the project. Finally, after an arduous set of public hearings, the ZAB approved a project that, viewed in terms of site design, massing, parking and program, remains substantially the same as the one presented as ‘preliminary’ three years ago.  

I can confidently say that during the entire time that I was on the ZAB, I cannot recall a single project subject to even a fraction of this level of neighborhood concern that came through the process so unchanged.  

Most disappointingly, there are simple design changes that could not only address many of the concerns raised by those who are appealing the ZAB’s decision but could also result in a stronger project for the Temple.  

Restoring Codornices Creek for the length of the site would not only conform to the spirit of city policy, but also give the project a much needed outdoor focus.  

Moving the on-site parking to be adjacent to and underneath the building would not only leave more of the site’s natural beauty intact, be also be more convenient for those using it. Developing the north bank of Codornices Creek, adjacent to Berryman Path, as semi-public space rather than a parking lot would not only provide additional separation from residential uses, but also be in keeping with the Jewish tradition of giving back to the community.  

The unprecedented turnout at the Council’s recent public hearing on Beth El derives from the fact that this project represents a most extreme case of this sort of city-planning dysfunction.  

Can this project be fixed?  

Let us hope that the Temple, who counts among its membership some of our Berkeley’s best and brightest, honors the intelligent suggestions of the community, reverses the reactionary, stonewalling course it has pursued these past three years, and seizes upon this unique opportunity to demonstrate enlightened leadership and guide us out of this planning wilderness. 

Kevin Powell 

Berkeley 

Fish in the creek? a fish story 

Editor: 

I attended a hearing recently before the Berkeley City Council related to the Temple Beth El proposal and Codornices Creek and believe that the following comments are of use in considering this issue.  

My family and I have resided adjacent to and enjoyed Codornices Creek for over 15 years during which I have had an opportunity to observe the creek in a day to day sense through many changes of seasons.  

Our home, located on Ordway and has a canyon on the north side in which the creek runs.  

When I bought our house, the creek banks had been sliding. To address this, we carefully developed and initiated a plan of biotechnical slope retention much like that proposed by Temple Beth El to restore the creek and prevent further erosion. Since then the environment has flourished. 

In spending time near the creek I have had a chance to observe the fish and fowl (large hawks like to bath in the creek on hot summer days under the redwoods and eucalyptus!) as well as the rodents and larger animals living there.  

However, and I can clearly state that aside from occasional crawfish and minnows we have NEVER seen any large fish, such as steel head inhabiting the ponds or making their way upstream as I have for example in unencumbered streams in West Marin.  

Lengthy portions of the creek are cover both to the east and to the west of our home. These include, to the east – above our property as the creek flows – such culverts at Monterey Avenue where one can also see both concrete and vertical bars where it enters the culvert from the west sidewalk and a 500 foot covering at the Madeline School.  

West of our home, the creek enters a culvert and travels an estimated 350-400 feet – fully enclosed in concrete until it emerges west of Peralta Street along the Albany border.  

There are numerous other culverts moving west toward the bay as well. 

Make no mistake, Codornices Creek is a wonderful asset and should be cherished and respected – but it is not now nor has it been home to large fish for at least the last 15 years.  

The community infrastructure already in place will prevent this for the foreseeable future. 

Joseph B. Zicherman 

Berkeley

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” 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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 16: Nerve Agents, American Nightmare, Fields of Fire, Affront, Scissorhands. June 22 Hoods, Fall Silent, Clenched Fist, Osiva, Hellcrew; June 23 The Hellbillies, The Fartz, The Tossers, Ruodp, The Fightbacks; June 29 Barfeeders, Pac-Men, Hell After Dark, A.K.A. Nothing, Maurice’s Little Bastards; June 30 The Cost, Pg. 99, Majority Rule, 7 Days of Samsara, Since by Man, Creation is Crucifixion 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 19: pickPocket Ensemble; June 20: Whiskey Brothers; June 21/28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; June 26 Mad & eddie Duran Jazz Duo; June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m. June 16: Robin Gregory & Bliss Rodriguez; Aleph Null; June 18,25: The Renegade Sidemen; June 19 Jason Martinwau; June 20,27: Bob Schoen Jazz Quartet; June 21: The Jazz Singers Collective; June 23:The maestro Rich Kalman & His Jazz Trio; June 24 The Joe Livotti Sound; June 26: Tangria; June 28: ConFusion. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 16: 9:30 p.m., Amandla Poets; June 17, 6 p.m.: Ray Cepeda and the Neo Maya Experience; June 19, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie; June 20, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat; June 21, 10 p.m.: Digital Dave; June 24, 8 p.m.: Babatunde Olantunji; June 26, 9 p.m.: DP & The Rhythem Riders; June 27, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding/Circle R Boys/Dark Hollow; June 28, 9 p.m.: Monkey/Stiff Richards/ Go Jimmy Go.1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Blakes June 17, 9 p.m.: Third Eye Movement’s Straight Buldin Tour 2001 featuring Red, Guard, Renaissance, Bored Stiff, Deuce Eclipse, Gazzi and SoulSistaSoul. Hosted by Rob Jamal of nommo; 2367 Telegraph; for more info call 238-8080 x310 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 16: Rova Saxophone Quartet. $17.50; June 17: Sean Tyrrell and Tommy Peoples; June 19: Toshi Reardon; June 20 Cliff Eberhardt; June 21 Rachel Garlin, $15.00 advance, $16.50 door; June 22: Sourdough Slim w/ Blackwood Tom; June 23: Lara & Reyes; June 24; Darryl Purpose, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar; June 26; Freight 33rd Anniversary Revue; June 27: Dilema, Hookslide; June 28: Jim Campilongo; june 29: Don’t Look Back; June 30: Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, Due West. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 16: Nucleus; June 19: Mas Cabeza; June 20: Wavelord; June 21: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 22: Realistic; June 23: Wayside; June 26: Bruno Pelletier Trio; June 27: O Maya; June 28: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave 843-8277 

Live Oaks Concerts Berkeley Art Center, June 24: 7:30 p.m., Stephen Bell. Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

Jazzschool Recitals June 17: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos; June 19: 4 p.m., Jazz Groups; June 20: 4 p.m., Jazz Ensembles; June 21: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos. Free. The Jazzschool/La Note 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

Celebrating Um Kulthoum June 17, 7 p.m. A benefit concert for Palestinian Refugees, the Lammam Ensemble will perform some of legendary Arabic vocalist Um Kulthoum’s most cherished songs. $20. International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft 415-648-1353 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Season Finale June 21, 8 p.m. Works by Shostakovich, Brahms, and Rohde. $19 - $35 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

Dance 

“More Matters of Life and Death” June 16 & 17, 8 p.m. The newest cycle of this series, “Iris, Blue, Each Spring,” tackles the joys and sorrows of growing older and is set to “Six Japanese Songs” by Margaret Garwood. Presented by The Ruch Botchan Dance Company in concert with The Mirage Ensemble. $12 - $15 Western Sky Studio 2525 Eighth St. 848-4878 

“Dance Mosaic: Celebrating Diversity” June 16, 8 p.m. and June 17, 2 p.m. The annual repertory concert for the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance features over 100 performers of dance and music from the South Pacific, India, Africa and the Middle East. $5 - $15 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

Kalanjali in Concert June 22, 7 p.m. Kalanjali concludes its celebration of its 25th year in Berkeley with a special recital. Experienced dancers and young students, with guests from India including dancer K. P. Yesoda and the musicians of Bharatakalanjali. $6 - $8 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

Theater 

“Cymbeline” Through June 24, Tues. - Thur. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Opening of the California Shakespeare Festival features one of Shakespeare’s first romances, directed by Daniel Fish. $12 - $146. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater off Highway 24 at the Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit. 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 8: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Kid Kaleidoscope and the Puppet Players” June 24: 2 p.m., Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. The Puppet Players are a multi-media musical theatre group. Their shows are masterfully produced to thrill people of all ages with handmadesets and puppets. Adults $10, Children $5, 2640 College 867-7199 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

Films 

Berkeley Film Festival, June 23, 1 p.m. Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery. Presnetation of Six films: The Good War, and Those Who Refused to Fight it (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada Flores), Just Crazy About Horses (Tim Lovejoy and Joe Wemple), Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar (L. John Harris and Bill Hayes), In Between the Notes (William Farley and Sandra Sharpe) and KPFA On The Air (Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood). 2220 Shattuck 486-0411 

Pacific Film Archive Jun 16: 7 and 9 p.m.: Beau Travail; June 17, 5:30 p.m.: The Face of Another; June 19 7:30 p.m.: Los; June 20 7:30 p.m.: filial Fixations; June 21 Days of the Eclipse 7 p.m. & A Spring for the Thirsty 9:30 p.m.; June 22 Three by Aurthur Peleshian 7:30 p.m., Ivan’s childhood 9 p.m.; June 23 7 & 9:10 p.m. I can’t Sleep; June 24 The Ruined Map 5:30 p.m. & Summer Soldiers 7:50 p.m.; June 26 7:30 p.m. San Francisco Cinematheque: 40 Years in Focus; June 27 7:30 p.m. Nature vs. Nurture; June 28 7:30 p.m. The Beginning of an Unknown Era; June 29 Molba 7:30, Shadows od Our Forgotten Ancestors 9:10; June 30 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Constitutional Shift, Through July 13, tuesdays - fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Kala Art Institute. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

East Bay Open Studios June 16 & 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Jennifer Foxly: Oil paintings and 2-d mixed media works 3206 Boise St.; Lewis Suzuki: Scenes from California to the Philippines, florals to nudes 2240 Grant St.; Guy Colwell: Painted replicas and recent original work 2028 9th St. (open until 7 p.m.) 

PASSING: The Re-Definition of Sex and Gender Through the Personal Re-Presentation of Self Through June 16, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Black and white photographs by Ann P. Meredith. Free. Reception with the artist June 7, 6 - 8 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St.  

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Tyler James Hoare Sculpture and Collage Through June 27, call for hours. Party June 9, 5-9 p.m. with music by Sauce Piquante. The Albatross Pub 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

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

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

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 1730 Fourth St. All events at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 16, 4 p.m.: Chris Raschka presents a talk and demontration for children, and paints the store front window; June 18 Sherman Alexie- The Toughest Indian in the world. 559-9500 

Freight & Salvage, June 23, 10 a.m.-noon Diane di Prima, beat poet and author of “recollections of My Life as a Woman”. 

Simone Martel June 16, 2 p.m. Martel will read from her book “The Expectant Gardener: A Wise and Fun Guide to the Adventure of Backyard Growing” Barnes and Noble 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861  

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. Featured poets: June 18: Katie Daley; June 25 Steve ArntsenCafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

Tours 

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

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

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

With a year at Berkeley High and a rare North Coast Section playoff berth under his belt, varsity baseball coach Tim Moellering knows what it will take for the ’Jackets to be contenders for an Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League title next year. But it’s not pitching, hitting or fielding that concerns him most. It’s the field his team practices and plays on, San Pablo Park. 

“Our facilities are the biggest problem we face. We’re not able to determine for ourselves on whether the field is playable,” Moellering says of the public park, which is reserved for the ’Jackets from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays during the season. “It limits our practice time and what we can do during practice. It really puts us at a relative disadvantage.” 

Every other team in the ACCAL has at least one on-campus baseball diamond. The Berkeley players have to travel the two miles from their campus to the park for every practice and home game. Berkeley High also has no indoor facility where the team can practice, also a common feature at many local high schools. 

One of Moellering’s main complaints about the park is that while the team is often prohibited from using the field on rainy days, there is no actual monitoring force to make sure no one else uses it. 

“Most frustrating is that they want to close the grass when the field is wet and muddy, which is understandable,” he says. “But on a couple of days like that, some rogue groups, soccer and rugby players, came out and messed up the field.” 

There is a project in the works to put a new field at Derby Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that would incorporate a baseball diamond. But the use of the land, which is currently the site of Berkeley High’s East Campus, an alternative school, is highly controversial and is under debate in the Berkeley City Council. While some councilmembers support the field project, others want the space used for an expanded farmer’s market. Complicating matters is the fact that for a regulation baseball diamond to fit the space, Derby Avenue would have to be closed down in the area. 

Moellering has spent “a few years” supporting the field project, he says, but has seen little progress. 

“It’s hard to be optimistic, but we’ll try to make the best of it,” he says. “It’s been very politically polarized, like a lot of things in Berkeley. But a lot of people don’t realize that if we don’t get the new field there, we don’t get one at all.”

As the sentencing of Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy approaches, an increasing number of community members are joining the protest against the prosecution’s recommendation to submit Reddy to a minimal punishment of six years in prison and a $2 million fine. 

In the past weeks, Saundra Brown Armstrong, the U.S. District Court Judge who will determine the sentence on Tuesday, has received dozens of letters and at least one petition from members of community groups and individuals asking her to sentence Reddy to a harsher prison term of 38 years. 

“We find this absolutely outrageous that for his crimes, Reddy could get only six years in prison,” said Diane E. H. Russell, a member of Women Against Sexual Slavery and a leader of the organized campaign against Reddy.  

Russell and members of other organizations involved in the campaign consider the recommended sentence an example of the unfair judicial system that favors wealthy and powerful people over the rest.  

Last March, Reddy, 63, struck a deal with his prosecutors and pleaded guilty to smuggling four Indian girls into the country for sex and cheap labor.  

In exchange, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office recommended the minimal sentence and committed not to file state charges against him for any of the crimes involving his victims, including Chanti Pratipatti, the 17-year-old pregnant girl who died of carbon-monoxide poisoning in one of his properties. 

Judge Armstrong will decide whether she accepts the deal on Tuesday. For the activists this represents the last chance for justice. 

“We are in dismay with the plea bargain because it means dropping off all possibility of presenting charges for sexual assault and labor violation,” said Shaily Matani, a member of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action. 

The minimal fine Reddy would have to pay his victims if the plea bargaining is maintained is another reason why ASATA wrote to the judge. “We are calling for stronger restitution to be made to the survivors,” Matani said. “The current $2 million is inadequate considering Reddy’s $60 million holdings.” 

The letters that the judge received also includes numerous notes from independent citizens willing to defend what they see as ethical values. 

“It is important that we express our opinion and put our foot down that we are not going to accept exploitation anywhere,” said Kathy Berger, a Berkeley resident and the author of one of the letters. “There should be harsh penalties for people who imprison other people.” 

Meanwhile, Reddy’s attorney, Ted Cassman, found new ways to defend his client. Tuesday, he filed a pre-sentence memorandum arguing that intimate relationships with young girls are culturally accepted in India. 

“We ask the court...to consider that ...the norms of (Reddy’s) society were amenable to conduct which is clearly offensive in the U.S.,” the attorney wrote, adding that Reddy had himself been married to a 13-year-old girl when he was 17. 

Cassman did not return calls for comment on Friday. 

But Indo-American groups immediately reacted saying that Reddy’s practices were not part of their culture. 

The organizations active in the case will attend the hearing next Tuesday and protest at 9 a.m. in front of the Federal Courthouse 1301 Clay St. 

Cal’s Spieker Aquatic Center will host a world-class event today, as the current Olympic champion Australian women’s national water polo team will face the team it beat for the gold medal in 2000, the U.S. national team. The match, which starts at 12:30 p.m., is the final game of a four-city northern California tour for the teams. 

But while the teams do have some of the same players that faced off in Sydney, Australia, in the Olympics, the U.S. has undergone some changing of the guard. Since the Sydney games, Maureen O’Toole, a pioneer for women’s water polo for the past twenty plus years, has officially retired from the U.S. team, leaving a new generation of athletes to carry the torch. Team USA will depend on Coralie Simmons, Brenda Villa, Erika Lorenz and Robin Beauregard, who combined for 30 Olympic goals, to lead the potent American offense, while on the defensive end the team will be anchored by the strong goal keeping of Bernice Orwig and Nicole Payne. 

“The week of competition against Australia will prepare our team for the World Championships,” said U.S. coach Guy Baker. “The games against Australia will be very competitive, especially since the Australians seem to have a number of new players listed on their roster.”  

As stated by Baker, team Australia has a very different look this summer. Nearly half of the gold medal team has retired or is taking the 2001 year off, but coach Istvan Gyorgeny has no intention of making 2001 a rebuilding year. Instead, he will reload with a group of Junior National Players that won the FINA World Championship in 1999 in addition to Olympic hero Yvette Higgins and starting Olympic goalkeeper Liz Weekes. 

Tickets to the match are $10 at the gate. There will be an exhibition match beforehand by youth teams made up of players from the Bay Area.

The Economic Development Alliance for Business held a special meeting of its executive committee Thursday afternoon to assess the need for low and moderate income housing in the Bay Area. 

EDAB is one of the largest public/private economic development business organizations in the Bay Area. It has assembled a Jobs/Housing Task Force to look into the “jobs-housing mismatch” that the housing shortage has created. The executive committee met to discuss the Task Force’s findings.  

These findings are partly based on an Association of Bay Area Government housing need analysis, which says that about 47,000 units of new housing will have to be built in Alameda County by 2006. 

The ABAG projections are based on the 1990 Bay Area census data. They do not yet include the 2000 data, much of which has not yet become available. 

John Dalrymple of Contra Costa’s Central Labor Council suggested that there may be need for a more accurate assessment of the Bay Area’s housing need. 

“I think one of the challenges we have is the assessment of need, because the economy is different from the economy of 11 or 12 years ago,” Dalrymple said.  

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who also chairs EDAB, said this is a legitimate concern.  

“While the (2000) Census data was not available until April of this year,” Carson said, “I’m sure we’re going to go back and look at those types of indicators.”  

Mayor Shirley Dean addressed the group and emphasized the need for low-income and affordable housing placement to be uniform.  

“We ought to make sure that it’s inclusionary within the community,” Dean said, “and that we’re not creating little pockets – or big pockets – of low-income housing or affordable housing here and there.” 

Dean also urged that EDAB “recognize the disparities in density that already exist.”  

“Berkeley, for example, is, I believe, the densest community in Alameda County. It is harder for us to add more density when we see communities that have building lots,” Dean said.  

“We really want to get the point across that communities have got to share density. It does us no good to build 10-story buildings in the City of Berkeley, while (people) have to commute to Walnut Creek to their jobs.” 

Norma Rees of California State University, Hayward, was concerned not only with a need for balanced density across communities, but also with a need for a balanced distribution of low-income and affordable housing across communities.  

“Some communities have a lot more (affordable housing) than others, and I don’t know how that’s reflected in the (EDAB) recommendation.” 

Amy Hodgett, Alameda County housing and community development manager, confirmed Rees’s suspicion: The recommendation doesn’t reflect the disparity. 

“The report is based on the goal of all of the communities in two counties meeting the ABAG numbers. We use that as a place to start. But it does not address the fact that one community has more affordable housing today than others,” Hodgett said. “That’s the goal.”  

Pleasanton Mayor Thomas Pico spoke out against the penalties that may be enforced by the state if cities do not meet ABAG’s housing goals. 

“As a representative of the Mayor’s Conference, I would like to strongly urge you to eliminate the recommendation on support for disincentives,” Pico said. “I would say that there is a strong, strong negative reaction to this Task Force report if it includes disincentives.” 

Dean said she understood this objection, but suggested that these disincentives may be necessary if undesirable. 

“The ABAG goals are not easy, but unless we have goals and unless we have some penalties, I don’t think we’re ever going to do this,” Dean said.  

Another major theme of the afternoon was a discussion of the different kinds of people who need low-income and affordable housing, and misconceptions others have about them. 

“I would also like to remind people that teachers qualify for affordable housing.,” Dean said. “There’s a lot of respectable occupations and hard-working people, the backbone of each of our communities, who need this housing.”  

Dean suggested that people who do not learn this fact might be surprised by what happens in the Bay Area. 

“We’re talking about good citizens, and they will not be able to (stay here). Our kids won’t be able to (stay here) unless we really step up to the plate on this.”  

Sean Heron, a task force member representing the East Bay Housing Organization, outlined the income categories that the task force’s finance work group uses to classify families. The “very low” income category, Heron said, is a family of four that earns $36,000 per year. The “low” income category is a family of four that earns $54,000 per year. 

“As you can see,” Heron said, “many of the people that we know and work with fall into those categories.” 

Lynette Lee, an affordable housing developer who spoke on behalf of the task force’s education and communications work group, emphasized the need to educate the public about what “low-income” and “affordable” mean.  

“Today affordable housing in the Bay Area means that someone like a teacher or a policeman or a social worker being able to buy a house for $200,000,” Lee said. “In the mid-west you could buy a mansion (for that amount of money), but here that’s an ‘affordable’ house.”  

Oakland City Councilmember Richard Spees argued that these kinds of stigmas could be very destructive if they persist. 

“The language itself is unfortunate because the last thing we want to do in this region is to ghettoize (the idea of) low- and moderate-income housing. These projects are very, very doable,” Spees said.  

“We’re doing it in Oakland, and I know many of the rest of you are. And that’s the goal,” Spees said. “I really think we have to think about how we phrase it, how we think about it, and we’ve got to turn this around.”  

EDAB will incorporate the comments made at Thursday’s meeting into the recommendation report, which will then be disseminated among EDAB members some time next month. 

“Our challenge now is to go back to not only our membership but all of the organizations that were involved in the task force,” Carson said, “so that we’ll have a document that we can hopefully agree upon and support, which increases low-cost and affordable housing in the East Bay.” 

Dean was hopeful: 

“I think the report that the task force has come up with is pretty much on target, maybe it will just have to be tweaked a little bit here and there, but I really applaud what the task force has done here. And I think this is doable in all of the cities. We’ll get together on this eventually; not just a few of us, but all of us.” 

Tailback was unhappy with third-string status 

Cal tailback Saleem Muhammad has decided to transfer to Portland State for his senior year, the school announced Thursday. 

Muhammad finished spring practice as the third tailback on the depth chart, behind starter Joe Igber and backup Joe Echema. New Cal offensive coordinator Al Borges has indicated that Igber will be given most of the carries as long as Igber stays healthy. 

Muhammad ran for 264 yards on 61 carries last season with two touchdowns. 

“He came into my office the last week in May and said he wanted his release,” Cal coach Tom Holmoe said. “He feels he won’t get an opportunity to play here and that it would be in his best interest to play somewhere else. He told me he wanted to examine his options.” 

Holmoe said that while he regretted Muhammad’s decision, he understood it. Muhammad wasn’t likely to recieve many carries as the third option at the position. Igber showed last season that he can be an every-down back, despite his small frame. Add the presence of Echema and utility man Marcus Fields, who was a tailback before switching to fullback, and Muhammed was the odd man out. 

“Echema was No. 2 anyway,” Holmoe said. “In the past, before Joe Igber came into prominence last season, the feeling was we could take advantage of the strengths of all three of our tailbacks. But last year, Joe proved he could be an every-down player. He has put on strength and muscle, and Al wants to give him the ball and let him go. I am convinced that is the way I want to go. Echema and Muhammad were going to be role players, and that’s hard. But they were also one play away from moving up the ladder.” 

Muhammad signed with Cal in 1997 but didn’t enroll until the following spring semester to complete an academic admission requirement. He was a SuperPrep All Far West Selection in 1997. At De La Salle High School, he rushed for 1,472 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior year. He chose Cal over USC and Washington.

City workers may soon be riding buses free or for a minimal fare. 

Last week, the City Council authorized the city manager to negotiate with AC Transit to set up the program, known as the Eco Pass. 

It could be in place as early as July, one AC Transit official said. The program, based on similar transit projects in Santa Clara County and Boulder, Colo., is expected to cost between $97,000 and $130,000. 

There are currently some 1,600 full-time city employees eligible for the pass. The way it is expected to work is that the city will pay AC Transit a flat rate for all city employees whether they ride the bus or not.  

Councilmembers were able to combine two competing transportation  

recommendations Tuesday before voting unanimously to initiate negotiations with AC Transit.  

One recommendation, by councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio, called for immediate negotiations with AC Transit to establish the pass.  

“We’ve been working on this for two-and-half years. The city and AC Transit should be sitting down and working on a program as soon as possible,” Worthington said. “If they do, they can have a program that will hit the ground running this summer.” 

Worthington said the pilot program could serve as a model for other transportation programs that could include Berkeley Unified School District employees and ultimately all residents of Berkeley as well as other people who work in the city. 

The other recommendation from Mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Mim Hawley and Polly Armstrong also called for negotiations with AC Transit for a city employee pass, but they had wanted to include BUSD employees and BART. The Dean/Hawley/Armstrong recommendation also requested a report from the city manager on the feasibility of such a program. 

The two sides were able to reach a compromise in which the city manager was authorized to immediately begin negotiations with AC Transit to establish the Eco Pass while studying the feasibility of a broader program.  

“I’m really happy with the result,” Dean said. “We were able to get it done and without a bunch of council stuff.” 

Worthington said he also was glad to get a unanimous vote on the issue, but was concerned about when the city would begin negotiations with AC Transit. 

“This could be hashed out in a few meetings,” he said. “We have a pool of money in the budget and AC Transit is ready to go.” 

The city manager has put aside $300,000 in the proposed budget for alternate transportation and pedestrian safety programs. 

AC Transit Deputy General Manager Kathleen Kelly said the program should be easy to work out. “This is a great idea and we’re anxious to get started,” she said.  

Kelly said there are only a few details to work out such as what city employees will use for a pass and an effective way for AC Transit to track ridership under the program. 

Hawley said she also is pleased with the compromise and is eager to begin a marketing program that will promote the bus as an effective mode of transportation. “Some people haven’t been on a bus for a very long time and they need to be educated about where the busses go and how often,” she said. “We need to make riding the bus as easy as possible.” 

Last 19th century house on Durant 

The Ellen Blood House is the only single family home, and the only 19th century building, remaining on the 2500 block of Durant Avenue. At the turn-of-the--century the street was lined with the homes of Berkeley’s prominent families.  

The Blood House was built in 1891 in the Queen Anne style for Ellen Blood who was a widow of some means. A noted architect of the day, R. Gray Frise, designed the home. Its changes over the last 110 years reflect the changing neighborhood.  

In 1907 Perry T. Tompkins who would become a major figure in the Mason McDuffie Company, purchased the house.  

The Mason McDuffie real estate firm was responsible for developing the Claremont, Northbrae, and San Pablo Park subdivisions in Berkeley, and St. Francis Wood in San Francisco. Tompkins worked for the company from 1906 until 1955. It is interesting to note that Duncan McDuffie, the principal partner in the firm of Mason-McDuffie, lived on a 10-acre estate above Claremont, while Tompkins lived in the Durant Avenue-area established neighborhood where many of the traditional homes were set on double lots with extensive gardens.  

The Blood House was distinguished by its own adjoining rose garden, now a parking lot.  

By 1956 Miss Ruth Alice Greer owned the house. She lived in it until her death in 1987. Miss Greer also owned the landmarked McCreary/Greer House at 2318 Durant Ave. that she donated to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. 

The connection of the Blood House to UC Berkeley is typical of this early neighborhood: George Blood (Ellen Blood’s son) graduated from the University in 1892, the same year that Perry Tompkins graduated. Miss Greer graduated in 1922 and continued to work as a placement advisor for the School of Education until the 1960s.  

Although the original wood-sided exterior of the Blood House has been stuccoed and some windows have been changed, its Victorian profile is plainly evident.  

It is a designated City of Berkeley landmark recognized as a Structure of Merit for its contribution to the history of the Southside neighborhood.  

Susan Cerny writes Berkeley Observed in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association 

Three Berkeley High students hanging out in Civic Center Park during their lunch break Wednesday were robbed of cell phones, pagers, wallets and money by two of their classmates, police said. 

It’s the kind of thing that “happens all the time (at Berkeley High) and seldom gets reported,” said Berkeley Police Lt. Rusell Lopes. 

The three students – two males and a female – were sitting near some playground equipment at the west end of the park when the two suspects allegedly walked up to them and asked for all their possessions. “If you don’t, you’re gonna get your ass beat,” the suspects reportedly told the students. Lopes described the suspect as a 15-year-old and a 16 -year-old, one 5 feet 10 inches and 350 pounds and the other 5 feet 6 inches and 220 pounds. 

The three students handed over all the possessions without argument – except one cell phone. As the suspects walked back onto the Berkeley High campus, one student used the remaining cell phone to call police. A nearby bicycle cop arrived on the scene within minutes and immediately began to search the crowded Berkeley High courtyard for the suspects. Lopes said they “stuck out like a sore thumb” because of their size and were quickly identified and arrested. Both were charged with multiple counts of robbery. 

••• 

An Orinda man sleeping in the back seat of his car after leaving a Berkeley party early Thursday woke to find someone in the front seat of his car, police said. 

The incident occurred on the 2500 block of Benvenue Avenue about 5 a.m. 

The suspect had apparently reached through an open window and let himself in while the man slept, Lopes said. The car’s owner woke up when the suspect leaned over in the back seat and began punching him repeatedly. “This ain’t no joke,” the man reportedly said. “Give me all your money. Give me all you’ve got.” 

When the victim insisted that he had no money, negotiations ensued, Lopes said. The victim offered to drive to a nearby ATM with the suspect and take out money. The suspect agreed. During the drive, the suspect repeatedly threatened to kill the victim if he didn’t hand over the cash as he had promised. But the victim maintained his cool, Lopes said, and eventually negotiated the suspect’s demands from $200 down to $60. 

Police have no suspects in the case.

SACRAMENTO — Californians will get up to 48 hours notice for possible power outages this summer under a plan unveiled Friday at the prodding of Gov. Gray Davis. 

The early warning plan will tell consumers of looming blackout conditions three times before the lights go out, state electricity managers announced. The plan, effective immediately, provides warnings at 48 hours, 24 hours and one hour before blackouts. 

Officials who manage most of the state’s power grid asked Californians not to accuse them of “crying wolf” if the power stays on after their warnings. 

“I can tell you that a three- or four-degree difference in temperature can cause a two- to four-megawatt difference in demand,” said Terry Winter, president and CEO of the California Independent System Operator. 

Winter and others countered criticism that people may grow cynical about the forecasts after a few false alarms. 

“The 48- and 24-hour notices are not only to inform people,” said Winter, “but also to indicate how badly we need your conservation.” 

Dallas Jones, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said, “The plan will provide you with additional notice, but if it doesn’t come about it’s because you conserved. It isn’t that we missed the mark or our forecast was incorrect.” Jones pointed to recent near-blackouts where last-minute conservation tipped the scales back toward adequate power. 

In Moreno Valley east of Los Angeles, Art Robinson, owner of Micro One Computer, said, “I like the idea of early warnings. I like the idea of no blackouts even better.” 

Californians have endured six blackout episodes since January with most individual rotations lasting about one hour. The outages confounded traffic across the state, hampered businesses and trapped people in elevators. In most cases during those blackouts, residents had little warning before the power failed. 

Jones, echoing an earlier line by Davis, said, “Two minutes may be good enough for the NFL, but it is not good enough for the people of California.” 

Officials, speaking in a cavernous, windowless room where technicians at computers watch over the power supply, warned that mechanical breakdowns can still cut power to the state on a six- to eight-minute notice. 

On May 24, Davis equated threats of blackouts to the state’s energy-era equivalent of earthquakes, and ordered earlier warnings. ISO officials said Friday the new 48-hour notices will go out when limited supply and high temperatures threaten the power grid. 

The ISO will refine the forecast at 24 hours. If threats continue it will provide a one- 

hour notice. 

Stephanie Donovan, spokeswoman for San Diego Gas and Electricity said utilities will warn then that outages are imminent. Donovan said SDG&E customers are scattered across 120 to 125 blocks which take turns enduring blackouts. 

Customers at all three major California utilities can find their block number on their bills to see where they stand in the rotation. 

“But as we go into the summer, you might go through a lot of blocks at a time,” Donovan said.  

“We’re dealing with a very dynamic situation.”

WASHINGTON — Supplements may have some modest benefits, but athletes can’t swallow their way to success and could make themselves sick, experts say. 

“The few good scientific studies available on these ‘dietary’ supplements suggest that they either are ineffective or, at best, produce only slight changes in performance,” analysts at Consumers Union said. 

Supplement users are, in effect, performing uncontrolled medical experiments on their own bodies, the nonprofit group said. 

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group for the supplements industry, defended the products as helpful to millions of people, although the council also called for more research into their safety and effectiveness. 

Consumers Union reviewed supplements in the June issue of its magazine, Consumer Reports. A medical journal, The Physician and Sportsmedicine, had a similar review. 

The supplements have a huge market. Industry statistics indicate 1.2 million Americans take them regularly, and 4 percent of adults have taken them at least once, the CU study said. Teen-age boys, in their prime muscle-building years, seem to like them even more. A study by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association found 6 percent to 8 percent of 15-to-18-year olds, primarily boys, had used supplements. 

What users gain ranges from scant benefit through no benefit to health risk, the Consumer Reports article said. 

Ephedra “may be the most hazardous of the major sports supplements,” creating sudden high blood pressure or a racing heartbeat, the report said. Ephedra has been linked to strokes, seizures and deaths. 

Ephedra users can expect little government protection against the product’s dangers, CU said. The Food and Drug Administration’s ability to restrict use of supplements in general was sharply limited by the 1994 supplements regulation law, and even labeling of ingredients can be vague and misleading, it said. 

Ephedra has valuable uses, the Council for Responsible Nutrition countered. Ephedra can provide an energy boost to help athletes keep working out, it said. 

Voluntary labeling can note any cardiovascular risks, the council said. As for an FDA role, the council said the agency has all the power it should have, and simply needs to make any judgments on “sound and unbiased scientific analysis,” it said. 

Creatine is one of the most popular muscle-building aids. This amino acid helps muscles resupply themselves with the energy they use in powerful bursts of activity, such as weight training. 

Some studies have shown that athletes who use creatine can improve their performance, but the benefits are only for explosive activities such as high jumping, not for endurance activities such as running, the CU report said. 

However, creatine has its drawbacks. Some of the bulking-up may be water retention, not muscle gain, the article said. And the consumer group and the industry group agreed that people with existing kidney problems should not use the product. 

Androstenedione is said to increase levels of the muscle-building male hormone testosterone. Andro got big media attention when it came out that home run record holder Mark McGwire had used it during his 70-homer season in 1998. 

The trade group said that Andro’s effect on the body seem to be limited by the body’s “feedback mechanisms which help protect against excess.” And as for health risks, “a comprehensive safety assessment would be helpful.” 

However, McGwire subsequently said he has given up andro. And research has found no evidence andro works, said a review in The Physician and Sportsmedicine. Even though andro may make testosterone levels rise, there is no evidence that the increase lets athletes build more muscle, the article said. 

Andro use comes with health risks — among them, higher cholesterol levels, the article said. And use may make athletes test positive for andro’s chemical cousins, steroids, which are illegal for use in many sports. 

Andro and other drugs are doomed to disappoint users, said the review article’s author, Conrad P. Earnest of the Cooper Institute in Dallas. 

“Unfortunately, the marketing of such products largely depends on emotional appeal and is often loosely based on scientific evidence,” Earnest said. “Sadly, the climate generated from such tactics is one of dashed hopes and seldom-realized dreams.” 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My dad owns an old 1969 Ford Mustang and regularly stuffs mothballs in the tank to increase octane or whatever. I drive the car every day, and I notice a sweet-smelling but strong odor enveloping the interior whenever the car is on. It's strong enough to linger on my clothes. Could I be exposed to dangerous levels of naphthalene? – Bart 

TOM: Well, look on the bright side, Bart – I'll bet none of your driving sweaters have holes in them. 

RAY: Actually, the first thing you should do is check for an exhaust leak. If exhaust IS coming into the passenger compartment, that would be very dangerous. But this doesn't sound like exhaust, because exhaust odor is rarely described as "sweet." 

TOM: The next thing to consider is an antifreeze leak, which does smell "sweet." Antifreeze could be leaking from the heater core under the dashboard. And that's not very good for you, either. 

RAY: You could have a mechanic pressure-test the cooling system to check for a heater-core leak.  

And if that's the problem, the heater core can simply be taken out of the circuit or replaced. 

TOM: As for the mothballs, you can tell your father that all we can say in their favor is that we've never seen a moth chew a hole in a gas tank. 

RAY: Some years ago, we asked the illustrious Dr. Jim Davis, Ph.D., director of the chemistry labs here at Car Talk Plaza, about mothballs as a fuel additive.  

And after wasting most of a National Institutes of Health grant thinking about it, he concluded that they do nothing to improve performance. 

TOM: Last time we checked, there were several different types of mothballs on the market. Both WILL burn, so you will get some power out of them. But since mothballs are more expensive than gasoline, this is not a very economical way to get to work. 

RAY: If there were some magical performance-enhancing mothball, Jim says, don't you think Exxon and Mobil would be selling it to us as an expensive gasoline additive, i.e. "Mobil Super ... Now with Mothballs!"? 

TOM: The kind of mothball you mention, Bart, is made of naphthalene, which is a hydrocarbon, like gasoline. For those chemical engineers reading today, it's C10H8, and it looks like two benzene rings fused together.  

Jim says that benzene makes a very smoky fire when burned, so his guess is that naphthalene would make a lousy gasoline.  

On the other hand, he says, since it's just carbon and hydrogen (like gasoline), naphthalene probably wouldn't do any harm to the engine, either. 

RAY: Another type of mothball that COULD potentially hurt things is made of dichlorobenzene.  

That won't improve your car's performance, either, but since it throws chlorine into the mix, it can produce HCl as a byproduct when burned. 

TOM: For those of you who don't remember your high-school chemistry, HCl is hydrochloric acid, the stuff that burns through almost anything it touches. And pumping HCl through your engine and exhaust system is probably not very good for its longevity. 

RAY: Not to mention what it does to the people who happen to be breathing that exhaust. 

TOM: So, tell your Dad to ixnay the mothballs,  

Bart. And have your mechanic rule out an exhaust leak. But then definitely have him check for a coolant leak, because I think that's your problem.  

••• 

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web.

SAN JOSE — Mike Schlenz, who recently installed computer networks for a living, had been sleeping in his Honda Civic for three months before he went to a homeless shelter. 

John Sacrosante, who earned more than $100,000 a year as a free-lance database engineer, spent his 39th birthday last week with the “brothers” he met at the church shelter where he has been living. 

Both are casualties of the dot-com bust in Silicon Valley, where a surprising number of former high-tech workers are rubbing elbows with society’s castaways – the mentally ill, drug addicts and other hard-luck cases – in homeless shelters. 

“We’re all equal here,” Sacrosante said. “When you’re used to making six figures and working in a dynamic and exciting environment and all of a sudden it goes away, you do have a nice little world of depression going on.” 

Nearly 30 unemployed tech workers are among the 100 men at the Montgomery Street Inn and other shelters in San Jose run by InnVision, said Robbie Reinhart, director of the nonprofit organization. 

“They’re not what we used to call hobos on the street. Most have college degrees,” she said. 

Dot-com failures sent San Francisco’s unemployment rate up to 4.2 percent in May from a rock-bottom 2.6 percent a year ago – with 18,000 people added, according to a state report. 

In Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley, layoffs in electronic equipment manufacturing and business services rose for the fifth straight month, contributing to a 3.2 percent unemployment rate in May. 

Reinhart said most of the tech workers she sees have had their contracts canceled or been laid off from start-ups and other smaller technology companies. Other shelter residents still have jobs but don’t make enough to afford the high price of living alone in the valley, she said. 

Top consultants and contractors once named their salaries in the valley. Now, even those who qualify for unemployment benefits soon discover the $40 to $230 weekly check will not cover an apartment here, where rent averages around $1,800 a month. 

Suicide and crisis hot line operators in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties report that job-related calls nearly doubled from October to April. Many callers complained of lost jobs or feared they would soon be out of work. 

“There have always been layoffs and economic downturns, but what makes this unusual is that people in the valley have become appendages of their jobs and their workplace. They’ve worked up to 110 hours per week and slept on the conference room floor,” said Ilene Philipson, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Working Families at the University of California at Berkeley. “People have given up all sorts of things to give to their job, and when there’s a layoff there’s no other support for them.”  

Schlenz, 35, a Bay Area native with a degree in environmental chemistry, made as much as $60,000 a year as a free-lance contractor, installing Unix networks, configuring routers and working in desktop support for small companies. Then his jobs disappeared. 

“I’d been to all the job fairs. I’d followed up on all the resumes,” he said. “Some of the larger companies approached me several times, but then kept leading me on for months. Departments were downsized and outsourced. Recruiters just stopped returning messages.” 

Schlenz still has some stock, but the value has dropped. 

“I cashed in half my stocks to eat. I couldn’t even afford gas anymore,” he said. He gave up his apartment after running out of cash, and “car-camped” behind a bookstore. He showered at a gym where his membership was good through May. 

Someone told him he could get a meal at the Montgomery Street Inn, where he now stays. He volunteers in the shelter’s computer lab, teaching residents how to use computers. 

The Inn has the same policy for all its residents – stay free for a month, then pay $45 a week, whether they have a job or not. 

Sacrosante was laid off shortly after moving from San Jose to Phoenix to work on what was supposed to be a six-month project. He came back to San Jose three weeks ago with the promise of being hired by one of two Santa Clara-based technical training companies. The offers fell through. 

There’s an only-in-Silicon Valley twist to his story: Sacrosante and three other former high-tech workers who met at the shelter are launching a start-up business that will resell wearable mobile computing systems. 

Sacrosante said he will use some of the funding he secured for the venture to rent a house. 

Schlenz is still waiting for his lucky break. 

He said he has applied for an entry-level position, something for which he is overqualified, at Oracle Corp. He hasn’t told his mother in Arkansas about his situation. 

“She’d worry,” he said. But he said he now has more of what it takes to make it when a top company hires him: “After this experience, I feel I have more determination than other people.” 

On the Net: 

http://www.Intellikon.com 

http://www.Xybernaut.com 

http://www.innvision.org 

http://www.bascia.org 

LOS ANGELES — California has leapfrogged past France, becoming the world’s fifth-largest economy. 

Last year, California was only surpassed in economic muscle by the United States as a whole, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom, according to figures released Wednesday by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. 

While many have worried about the economic impact of the state’s energy crisis, the group’s chief economist Jack Kyser said the annual economic survey is a good barometer of California’s strength. 

“It makes a very solid statement, and it’s an interesting statement to make at the present time because you have a lot of people who are pessimistic about what’s going on in California because of the energy crisis,” Kyser said. 

Last year, California had a gross domestic product of $1.330 trillion while France had a gross domestic product of $1.281 trillion. 

The change has as much to do with the European Union’s weak currency as the state’s financial clout. 

The Los Angeles business research group converted the economic output of foreign countries into U.S. dollars. Since the dollar is much stronger than the Euro, the conversion translated into a lower gross domestic product for France. 

“We had kind of a one-two punch working in our favor – tremendous economic growth in California and a weak currency in Europe,” Kyser said. 

California’s No. 5 ranking may be short-lived if the Euro recovers this year, the group says. Its economy is slowing already because a downturn in the technology industry is rippling into other key sectors, such as real estate. 

“We were still growing during the first five months of this year, but my guess is that before this is all over we will slip below the U.S. growth rate,” said Gary Schlossberg, a senior economist for Wells Fargo Capital Management.

WASHINGTON — Manufacturing activity plummeted in May, the eighth straight monthly decline, stifling hopes that the battered industrial sector’s darkest days may have passed. 

With fresh data also released Friday showing consumer inflation – outside of soaring energy costs – pretty much under control, the Federal Reserve has leeway to cut interest rates again later this month in an effort to prevent industrial weakness from dragging down the rest of the economy, analysts said. 

Industrial output at the nation’s factories, mines and utilities fell by 0.8 percent in May, the Federal Reserve reported. The drop was double what analysts were predicting and came on top of a sharp, 0.6 percent decline in April. 

Operating capacity declined to 77.4 percent in May, the lowest level since August 1983, as companies throttled back production in the face of sagging demand. Operating capacity in the high-tech sector fell to its lowest point in 25 years. 

“It’s a blood bath,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com. “The problems are intensifying. Manufacturing is in the middle of a full-blown recession and threatens to take the rest of the economy down with it.” 

On Wall Street, the manufacturing report and earnings warnings from Nortel Networks, JDS Uniphase and McDonald’s pushed stocks lower. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 66.49 at 10,623.64. 

The national economy has slowed markedly beginning in the second half of last year. But manufacturing has been the hardest hit and is in a recession, forcing the loss of a half-million jobs this year alone. 

“The decline in industrial production shows that manufacturing is dead in the water,” said National Association of Manufacturers President Jerry Jasinowski. 

The Fed’s report revived fears that the industrial sector’s malaise might deepen even more and spill over to other parts of the economy, throwing it into recession. 

“We have not seen the bottom of the manufacturing downturn,” predicted Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Banc of America Capital Management. “The Fed must be concerned about the possibility that the negative momentum could build and spread.” 

To stave off recession, the Fed has slashed interest rates five times this year, driving borrowing costs down to their lowest point in seven years. Analysts anticipate Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues will lower rates for a sixth time when they meet June 26-27. 

While many are predicting a quarter-point cut, economists said the weak industrial production report greatly raised the odds of another half-point reduction. 

The Fed has room to make another bold move, economists said, given their view that the government’s latest inflation report was benign. 

The Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index, a closely watched inflation gauge, rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in May, up from a 0.3 percent increase in April, but on target with expectations. 

Most of the rise came from a big jump in gasoline and electricity prices. 

The “core” rate of inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, inched up a smaller-than-expected 0.1 percent in May, compared with a 0.2 percent rise the month before, suggesting that most other prices were tame. It marked the best showing in five months. 

“We can’t discount the pain at the gas pump but energy prices don’t represent a signal of inflation problems ahead,” said Bill Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock. 

While economists are keeping their eye on inflation creep, many project that higher prices for energy are more likely to take a bite out of companies’ profits than be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices – a difficult undertaking when the economy is weak. 

During the first five months of this year, consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 4 percent, compared with 3.4 percent for all of 2000. The pickup largely reflects soaring energy costs, which have increased at a rate of 16.3 percent this year. 

In May, all energy prices shot up by 3.1 percent, following a 1.8 percent increase. 

Gasoline prices led the way, increasing 6 percent in May, the biggest leap in eight months. Electricity costs jumped 1.3 percent and fuel oil costs rose 0.5 percent. 

Gasoline prices during a seven-week period ending in mid-May soared by a whopping 31-cent-a-gallon average nationwide, according to the Energy Information Administration. During the past month, prices declined by 7 cents on average nationwide, but could rebound if there are supply or refinery problems. 

Food prices increased 0.3 percent in May, up from a 0.1 percent gain, while clothing and car prices fell 0.9 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. 

On Thursday, NAM’s Jasinowski thought his industry might have seen the worst. But after the Fed’s report Friday, he said he expected “industrial production to hit bottom this summer.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Industrial production: http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/Current/ 

Consumer Price Index: http://www.bls.gov/ 

UNITED NATIONS — Unaccustomed to talking frankly about homosexuality and prostitution, diplomats from over 100 countries have found themselves immersed in roiling negotiations over what to do about the AIDS pandemic. 

Many Muslim countries that view homosexuality as a sin punishable by death do not want “men who have sex with men” listed in a U.N. AIDS document as a vulnerable group in need of protection. 

“Does is it have to be so explicit?” asked Egyptian diplomat Amr Rashdy. “This is shocking for my society.” 

The closed-door meetings – described by seasoned diplomats as intensely angry, frustrating and emotional – will produce an international document for the June 25-27 U.N. summit on HIV/AIDS and set standards that every country, regardless of cultural and religious traditions, will be expected to follow. 

Many say they won’t be able to reach the required consensus if certain language remains in the 19-page draft, obtained by The Associated Press. Others claim a watered-down version won’t be effective in fighting the disease that has killed more than 22 million people and ravaged communities worldwide. 

Egypt’s Rashdy said he is willing to discuss any other language. He has proposed wording that calls homosexuality “irresponsible sexual behavior” that leads to the spread of AIDS. 

Western diplomats and health experts argue that Rashdy and others, including the Vatican, are ignoring the realities of the disease. 

During one heated exchange, Norway did the diplomatically unthinkable when it verbally threatened to rethink foreign aid for Egypt if it continued to oppose the original phrasing. 

“We want this document to be a precise image of the situation on AIDS, how to attack it, how to prevent it and who to focus on. So why strive for precision on a variety of targets and goals but be vague about who those targets and goals should apply to?” asked Chilean deputy ambassador Christian Maquieira. 

The United States wants to substitute a long list of groups targeted for protection with the phrase “vulnerable individuals,” including those who engage in “risky sexual behavior.” The proposed language would eliminate what the United States calls political problems and conflicts with the U.S. Constitution, which recognizes the rights of individuals rather than groups. 

The U.S. suggestion does not name any specific group and is so far unacceptable to European and Latin American allies and most American AIDS advocates. 

“We know that prevention programs work best when they are targeted specifically to the needs of the individual communities. These are the people that we need to reach and if governments cannot utter their names, what chances do we have of stopping the epidemic?,” asked Gregg Gonsalves, of the New York-based Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center, one of dozens of AIDS advocacy groups that will participate at the U.N. Special Session. 

The United States also wants language tweaked dealing with legal entitlements to health care and intellectual property rights. 

Six days of preparatory meetings in May failed to reach consensus on the draft document. Since then, negotiators have been meeting for 10-12 hours, almost daily, to complete a final version acceptable to all 189 U.N. member countries. 

The document also proposes tough targets for governments, including the development of national strategies and financing plans to combat AIDS and a 50 percent reduction in the number of infants infected with HIV by 2010. 

By 2003, countries should develop national programs to increase the availability of drugs to treat HIV by addressing issues such as pricing, and should make progress in implementing comprehensive health care programs by 2005, the draft says. 

For some, the debate is deeply personal. Several diplomats and experts taking part in the talks privately acknowledged they have a relative with HIV or AIDS.  

Twenty years after AIDS was first identified, diplomats have yet to find the vocabulary to deal with the killer disease that some 36 million people were living with at the end of 2000. 

Iranian Ambassador Bagher Asadi complained Friday the negotiations should “not be considered as an opportunity by certain quarters in the Western world to push the envelope on areas where there is cultural sensitivity, ideological sensitivity, ethical sensitivity.” 

Others noted that the discussions have at least forced an insular group of decision-makers to come to terms with the language of AIDS . 

“A year ago, it was hard for countries to say ‘gay,’ or ‘sex,’ in U.N. meetings,” Southwick noted. 

On the Net: 

http://www.un.org/ga/aids 

WARSAW, Poland — In the heart of the old Soviet bloc, President Bush chastised Russia on Friday for suspected nuclear commerce and encouraged the former Cold War rival to help “erase the false lines that have divided Europe.” 

A day before his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, Bush urged the Russian president to forge new ties with the West and become “a partner and an ally.” Aides said Bush will seek to open talks between U.S. and Russian military leaders aimed at easing Moscow’s opposition to an American anti-missile shield. 

“The Europe we are building must also be open to Russia,” Bush said at Warsaw University in the signature speech of his first overseas trip. 

“We have a stake in Russia’s success – and we look for the day when Russia is fully reformed, fully democratic, and closely bound to the rest of Europe.” 

In Moscow, Putin said he heads to Slovenia for Saturday’s summit “in a good mood” and eager for a face-to-face talk on missile defense. 

“I would like to hear from the U.S. president in person his point of view ... and, for him, it would probably be interesting to hear from the Russian head of state Russia’s position on this problem,” Putin said, according to the news agency Interfax. 

Bush’s daylong state visit to this former Warsaw Pact city, where Soviet troops once stood as a menace to the West, provided breathing room between the two chapters of his five-day trip. After haggling with NATO and European Union allies over global warming, trade and missile defense, Bush looked toward even tougher discussions with Putin. 

“Europe’s great institutions – NATO and the European Union – can and should build partnerships with Russia and with all its countries that have emerged from the wreckage of the former Soviet Union,” Bush said. 

Even as he reached out, differences with Moscow reared up. 

“I am concerned about some reports of proliferation of weapons throughout Russia’s southern border ... and I’ll bring that subject up” at the summit, Bush said at joint news conference with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. 

The United States suspects Russia of shipping high-grade aluminum – used in the production of bomb-grade uranium – to Iran, which National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice called “an impediment to full cooperation” with the United States. 

Rice also said there were “troubling signs” that Russia, while making progress, is struggling with democratic principles such as a free press. 

The criticism illustrated the pitfalls ahead as Bush tries to reach across the former Iron Curtain to a wary ex-rival. 

In his address at the university library, a city landmark whose facade of giant copper plates includes fragments of scholarly writings, Bush sought to incorporate Russia into his vision of a Europe at peace “whole and free.” 

Outside, some 200 demonstrators held banners, one of which read: “Bush to outer space; Missiles to dust bin.” 

Bush borrowed language from his father, the former president, who visited Poland in 1989 as Eastern Europe shed the yoke of communism. 

“Today, I have come to the center of Europe to speak of the future of Europe,” Bush said in a speech that cited historic figures from former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Pope John Paul II, a Pole. “It is time to put talk of East and West behind us.” 

“Our goal is to erase the false lines that have divided Europe for too long,” Bush said. 

He hopes to start at Saturday’s summit. Although Bush does not carry with him any specific proposals, advisers said the summit could produce first steps toward a new framework for U.S.-Russian relations. 

A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president hopes for agreement to begin consultations among U.S. Cabinet secretaries and Russian ministers on what Bush calls “a new security framework.” 

Under Bush’s plan, defense officials for both countries would begin talks on a number of issues, including a proposed missile shield. 

As Bush reminded Russia of the economic benefits that come with democratic reforms, aides said the summit also may yield talks between U.S. and Russian economic ministers. 

Bush hopes the summit will lead to the kind of military-to-military contacts that are routine between the U.S. and allies, the official said. Such contacts could produce deals on arms purchases, military aid and joint anti-missile exercises with Russia, easing Moscow opposition to his missile defense plans. 

The Americans want to build a system capable of shooting down ballistic missiles fired from unpredictable nations such as North Korea, Iraq and Iran. Bush needs Russia’s acquiescence to his anti-missile system if he is to sell his own allies on the deal. 

“Only together can we confront the emerging threats of a changing world,” he said. 

Bush would be willing to offer to buy Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missiles that America could use to defend Russia and Europe, the official said, but he wants defense ministers in both countries to consult on whether another missile system or approach would be better. 

Putin and Bush meet again next month in Italy at a summit of industrialized powers, but the administration does not plan to have the new framework ready by then. 

“We want Russia to be a partner and an ally, a partner in peace, a partner in democracy,” Bush said. 

GENEVA — A fist-sized meteorite, one of only 18 rocks on Earth known to have come from Mars, has been found by Swiss scientists in the Oman desert – a prize discovery that could help determine if the planet ever sustained life. 

Scientists at the University of Bern announced the find Friday and said they are just beginning to examine the meteorite. Most of the other 17 Martian rocks have been snapped up by collectors, they said, so few are fully available for study. 

“I suspected from the beginning that it was from Mars,” said Marc Hauser, a geologist who found the gray, ridged specimen during a collecting excursion in January. “The color was different and, above all, it wasn’t magnetic.” 

Initial conclusions could take several months. 

Unusually large pockets inside the half-pound rock could provide evidence about life that is far more conclusive than American suggestions about possible fossils on an earlier meteorite found in Antarctica, Hauser told The Associated Press. 

The new meteorite was named Sayh al Uhaymir 094 after the region of desert where the team found it and more than 180 other meteorites. The team, in a statement, said they were certain it would contribute to  

rapidly growing knowledge of the planet. 

Interest increased in 1996 after a Martian meteorite found near the South Pole, known as Allen Hills 84001, showed possible remnants of life. But such arguments “are hardly taken as solid evidence today,” the research team said. 

Most earlier meteorites from Mars were found in the Antarctic before scientists turned their attention to deserts in recent years. 

Hauser said X-rays of the new rock had shown a surprising number of hollow pockets inside that might contain gases or atmosphere. That could offer clues about both the meteorite’s history and Mars itself. 

The pockets have “a much greater potential” than the rest of the rock for containing evidence of life on Mars, Hauser said. 

Most of the 180 meteorites found by the team were magnetic and looked distinctive, but the Martian rock looked more like rocks from Earth and was difficult for the team to recognize as a meteorite.  

The other meteorites also contained no minerals. 

Hauser said the team believes the Martian meteorite is part of another one found earlier in the same area. 

That first rock is in unknown private hands, as are most Martian meteorites because collectors are willing to pay $1,000 a gram for such treasures. But the team was able to obtain a small fragment of it for testing, Hauser said, and its makeup is practically identical. 

The team said they and other scientists had determined their meteorite is from Mars by the nature of its minerals, measurements of its oxygen isotopes and its overall composition. They conducted analyses on both the entire rock and tiny fragments of it. 

They said the rock had been formed from molten lava, similar to volcanic rocks on Earth. 

Mars is the most Earth-like of all the solar system’s planets, and evidence suggests both planets developed similarly during their first billion years – the period when life first appeared on Earth. 

The team said recent discoveries about life on Earth in extreme environments – such as in very hot ocean springs or within porous rocks deep inside the planet’s surface, support the theory that early Mars could have had environments suitable for life. 

The rare Martian meteorites could be the only physical evidence available to scientists for at least 10 years, when a U.S. space probe might bring back 1.1 pounds of Martian samples “at very high costs.” 

Rocks from Mars start their journey toward Earth when a meteorite from elsewhere slams into the Martian surface, scattering rocks into space at high speed. They eventually make their way to Earth, sometimes after millions of years. 

On the Net: 

University of Bern: http://www.nmbe.ch/abtew/mars/marse.pdf 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/ 

European Space Agency: http://sci.esa.int/marsexpress 

School districts throughout the state are getting their clearest picture yet of how well they’re meeting California’s academic standards this spring. 

And, so far at least, Berkeley school administrators like what they see. 

Beginning in 1997, the state board of education adopted standards that dictate in minute detail which skills students should master in reading, writing, math, history-social science and science at each grade level. To see the standards, visit www.cde.ca.gov/board/. 

It wasn’t until 1999, however, that the state first administered standardized tests carefully aligned to the standards in reading, writing and math. And the history-social science and science segments of these so-called “California Standards Tests” were administered for the first time just this year. 

(The California Standards Tests are in addition to the Stanford 9 tests in reading and math. While the SAT9 tests are norm referenced to tell school administrators how their students are doing compared to students in the same grades across the country, the standards tests simply rank students in different “performance levels” based on their number of correct answers.) 

Furthermore, although districts have seen their raw scores on California Standards Tests for the last few years, this is the first year they’ve begun to see what those scores mean. In February, the state board of education designated five different performance levels for the English Language tests based on raw scores: Far Below Basic, Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced. The board is expected to designate similar performance levels in other subject areas by the end of the year. 

The goal, the board said, is to have 100 percent of California students meeting either the proficient or advanced designations. 

In the area of English Language Arts, the results are in. Only 30 percent of  

California students tested in 2000 scored proficient or advanced on the English test. 

The good news locally, however, is that Berkeley scored above the state average at every single grade level, and by progressively larger margins in the higher grades. Thirty-six percent of Berkeley third graders scored at proficient or advanced levels, compared to 30 percent of third graders statewide. Fifty-four percent of Berkeley 11th graders scored proficient or advanced, compared again to just 30 percent of 11th graders statewide who tested at these levels. 

(Students should learn their individual performance levels on the 2000 English Language Arts standards test by mail around the start of the next school year. The results of the 2000 math test may not be computed and mailed until early next year.) 

For Diane Pico, program manager of Curriculum & Assessment for the Berkeley school district, the results are meaningful. 

“That’s what you want to see,” Pico said. 

“This is the most representative test we have (to tell) how our students are doing...and make sure our teachers are teaching what they’re supposed to teach,” she added. “The results really seem to reflect what our students know.”  

Test results linked directly to the standards put Berkeley school administrators in a better position than ever before to identify exactly where students are struggling and to devise new curriculum and teaching strategies to help them master the difficult material, said Christine Lim, associate superintendent of instruction for the district. 

By breaking down the results by student ethnicity, Lim added, teachers can devise new ways of overcoming one of the most intractable problems in education today: the academic achievement gap. 

“It’s a great opportunity now that we have all the pieces in place,” Lim said. 

There is still one critical piece missing, however. There are standards in each subject and tests that match the standards, but not until next year will California classrooms receive the first shipments of textbooks based precisely on California’s academic content standards. Until now, schools have used texts designed for use by schools all over the country, Pico said. 

And before school districts can use the test results to change how teachers operate at the classroom level, they will have to overcome widespread skepticism among teachers who feel that California’s standardized tests provide a poor measure of student achievement.  

In response to teachers who say “high stakes” tests are damaging Berkeley schools in a number of ways, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers is considering ways to protest the test next year, including possibly enlisting parents to sign waivers to keep their children from being tested.  

Friday, June 15

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

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

www.ajob.org 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

City Commons Club, Luncheon and Speaker 

11:45 a.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

This week featuring Edward Fox on “Regional Development Plans of The Wilderness Society.” Come early for social hour. Lunch at 11:45 for $11-$12.25. Come at 12:30 to hear the speaker only for $1, students free. Reservations required for three or more. 

848-3533 

Saturday, June 16

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Berkeley Arts  

Festival Music Circus 

1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

Shattuck Ave. between University Ave. and Channing Way 

The Music Circus will feature dozens of eclectic performances ranging from string quartets to blues and jazz. Free bus fare to and from the event offered by AC Transit. 665-9496. Free. 

Botanical Garden Spring Party 

3 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Drive 

Celebrating the completion of the new Arid House and the renovation of the Southern African area. Food, wine and jazz. Fund-raiser for the Garden, $25 per person. 

643-2755 

Puppet Shows on Cultural and Medical Differences 

1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level) 

Two shows for kids of all ages and their families promote acceptance and understanding of cultural and medical differences. Free. 

549-1564 

Poets’ Corner 

1:30 - 4 p.m. 

Shattuck and Kittredge 

Ten poets will read on the downtown street corner as a kick-off event for the two-week Berkeley Arts Festival. 649-3929 

Energy Crisis 

2 p.m. 

6501 Telegraph Avenue 

Oakland 

“Why They Can’t Keep the Lights On and What We Can Do About It.” Graham Brownstein and other panalists provide information on the corporate rip-off sometimes referred to as the “energy crisis.” 

595-7417 

Immigration Leadership Roundtable Discussion 

11 a.m. 

Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building 

1301 Clay St./ Conference Room H/ 5th Floor North Tower 

Oakland 

The public is invited to join Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Loretta Sanchez in hosting an immigration leadership roundtable discussion with local community leaders. The topic will be our national immigration policy and whether our current laws are adequate or need to be changed. 

763-0370 

Sunday, June 17

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Amtrack Station  

Foot of University Ave. 

Berkeley Arts Festival tour of coastlines installation guided by landscape architect Tom Leader. Walk culminates on the Berkeley Marina. 

486-0411 

Carefree/Carfree Tour #2 

1 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Bus and walk to: The Crucible, workshop of arts and the industry; Bay Area Center for the Consolidated Arts; and the Juneteenth Celebration, annual street fair of African-American Roots with music, dance and food. 

486-0411 

The Discord Aggregate 

Intersection 

7 p.m. 

Gathering of local artists, poets, musicians, composers and others. Non-profit group meets every three to four weeks. This week, Tasmanian photographer Tony Ryan will present his work. For location and other information e-mail alemap@discord-aggregate.com 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Ave. 

Group mediation through instrumental music and devotional songs, led by Lucian Balmer and Baoul Scavullo. Free. 

496-3468 

Buddhist Mantra/Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Bob Byrne on “Mantra and Healing,” a deep and personal kind of healing. Free. 

843-6812 

15th annual Berkeley  

Juneteenth Festival 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Adeline & Alcatraz, by Ashby BART 

Berkeley’s largest fair. Celebrate democracy’s victory for constitutional rights. Arts, crafts, food and music. 

Info/volunteers: 655-8008 or www.berkeleyjuneteenth.org 

Monday, June 18

Raging Grannies Meeting 

7 p.m. 

1924 Cedar Fellowship Hall 

UC Berkeley 

East Bay/San Francisco Raging Grannies organizing meeting. Celebrate life with laughter and song. 

528-5403 

Rent Stabilization  

Board - Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Council Chambers, Second Floor 

Appeal — 1501 Stuart Street, #3. The landlord appeals the decision of the hearing examiner that found that he was required to refund the tenants’ entire security deposit and to pay them the interest that had accrued on it.  

— compiled by  

Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

Make your rebate check work 

Editor: 

President Bush's tax cut has diverted millions of dollars away from a long list of human services vital to our community. But we can undo that wrong ourselves. 

When your tax rebate check arrives in the mail, take any or all of it that you can spare and send it on to your favorite charity. These rebates are made up of the dollars and cents that would have fed hungry kids, bought new library books, or helped victims of abuse. 

For most of us, the $300 check isn't enough to change our lives. But for the tens of thousands of needy people in the Bay Area, it can literally mean the difference between life in their own homes and life on the street. 

When that check arrives, GIVE IT BACK! 

Michael Mayer 

Berkeley 

Director, Berkeley Food Pantry 

Treat Beth El like previous owner’s 

Editor: 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission reaffirmed the importance of the 1301 Oxford property as an historic landmark site in 1990 and 1992. In 1990, the LPC “affirmed the continuing historic significance of the Byrne property as a Berkeley landmark and that the trees, open creek bed, open spaces, and fence are examples and remnants of a past era, and that all future construction of the site shall be reviewed by the Commission prior to approval.” In 1992, LPC recommended that “exposed sections of the creek should be restored in keeping with Berkeley's Creek Restoration Ordinance and consideration be given to restoration of the section of the creek which has been covered over”.  

The absence of the Byrne Mansion itself did not change the landmark designation. The land itself is a landmark, a remnant of Berkeley's early farm days. The site was chosen for its proximity to Codornices Creek. This property, the last remnant of the Byrne Farm and Mansion, is a living green corridor. It can be seen in aerial views. This is the landmark. It is the land with its natural beauty, and a creek does run through it. 

There were concerns and decisions made about the Chinese Christian Church and its smaller schoolhouse building (styled after the Byrne mansion) and small parking lot where one currently exists. This is a far cry from the current proposal having a 33,000 square foot building, 13,000 square foot parking lot, and road paralleling Berryman Path with road and cars lying over the Codornices Creek green corridor. The parking lot and road are shoved right up to Berryman Path.  

A construction project so much more massive than the one proposed by the Chinese Church, which will forever change the character of this quiet residential neighborhood, should not be allowed to proceed. The elements of 1992 LPC decision made nine years ago are more valid today. In nine years, we have more traffic and parking problems. 

We are the third densest City in our area. We care about creek daylighting, restoration and preservation. It was wrong to culvert Codornices Creek in the late 1950's. People did not know better then, so why are we trying to perpetuate the wrong by permanently covering it up now. Shouldn't we protect and enhance our urban treasures like Codornices Creek? 

Preservation of the natural areas of the site is the concern of not just the surrounding neighbors, but also all citizens of Berkeley and the Bay Area.  

If Beth El bases its design on meeting its parking needs on top of Codornices Creek green corridor, they will be very hard pressed to meet their parking needs later if it is decided that the creek could be daylighted. 

There is a precedent on how to treat a historic landmark site with a creek. It is called the 1992 ZAB decision with the EastBay Chinese Alliance Church. The 1992 ZAB decision stated that the northern portion of the property is to be protected leaving open the possibility of daylighting Codornices Creek. In addition, the Chinese Church had a notation for “future parking” on the northeast quadrant of the site,” which coincidentally where Beth El plans its parking lot and road. The city staff recommended that the “future parking” NOT be included in approval of their plan. Why aren't the current owners held to the same standards as the Chinese Christian Church? What has changed?. The current owners should be presented with the same restrictions as the Chinese Church. There must not be any development including parking lot and road on the Codornices Creek corridor. 

A City as diverse as Berkeley must treat groups in an equitable fashion. There is no justification for treating the current Beth El application less restrictively than the Chinese East Bay Alliance Church. There should be no double standard.  

Diane A. Tokugawa 

Berkeley 

Plan violates creek ordinance 

The Daily Planet received this letter to the mayor and council: 

Please apply the Berkeley Creek Ordinance to 1301 Oxford Street--Beth El Development.  

The Codornices Creek culvert on the 1301 Oxford property was improperly installed in 1952, without permission from the owner at the time, and without a permit from the City of Berkeley. That installation would be illegal under current law, but since it was implemented BEFORE the law existed, it has been allowed to continue.  

It is common practice that when a new owner wants to make modifications that affect such a condition that would be illegal under current law, they must first correct the illegal condition as the current law applies before proceeding with their plans. This principle clearly applies in the case of Beth El's plan to build a parking lot within the Codornices Creek corridor--less than 30 feet from the creek. (It would not apply, if they planned no development within the creek corridor.) 

The current Beth El plan is either in outright violation of the Berkeley Creek Ordinance, or in flagrant disregard of the INTENT of the Ordinance. If there is any doubt in your mind about this, please read the following quotes from the ordinance and think about how it applies in the case of 1301 Oxford. 

Keep in mind that, while project proponents claim that the current Beth El plan allows for creek daylighting, such daylighting, if it is at all possible, would require vertical concrete retaining walls on the banks (tantamount to a culvert, in essence) and is highly undesirable according to most credible creek restoration experts. 

Berkeley Creek Ordinance: Preservation and Restoration of Natural Watercourses says: 

The purpose ...is to establish a policy on the issuance of permits for culverting open creeks; the rehabilitation and restoration of natural waterways; and the management of watersheds. 

“Streams and their riparian environment should be held as an important public asset in an increasingly endangered environment that provides an unusual urban ecological habitat with recreational and aesthetic value.”  

“...it is in the interest of the City of Berkeley to encourage the removal of culverts and channels, prevent channel riprapping, and to restore natural watercourses whenever safely possible.”  

“Any ... culvert... maintained in violation of any of the provisions of Sections 17.08.040 and 17.08.050 hereof, ... is declared to constitute a public nuisance, and the City Attorney of said City shall, upon order of the City Council, immediately commence action or proceedings for the abatement and removal and enjoinment thereof…” 

This last section indicates that culverts on creeks should not be maintained. Rather than repairing an aging and ailing culvert on a creek, it is preferable to remove the culvert and simply restore the natural state of the creek. 

The City Attorney has already given her opinion that the City cannot REQUIRE Beth El to remove the culvert. I have never said that Beth El should be required to remove the culvert, even though it may turn out that law WOULD require them to remove it, if the City Attorney's previous opinion is incorrect. Beth El's plan to build a parking lot and roadway within the creek corridor is diametrically opposed to the intent of the wording of the Berkeley Creek Ordinance. 

Alan Gould 

Berkeley

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 15: Strike Anywhere, Missing 23rd, Crispus Attacks, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Deadlock Frequency; June 16: Nerve Agents, American Nightmare, Fields of Fire, Affront, Scissorhands. June 22 Hoods, Fall Silent, Clenched Fist, Osiva, Hellcrew. 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 19: pickPocket Ensemble; June 20: Whiskey Brothers; June 21/28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; June 26 Mad & eddie Duran Jazz Duo; June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m. June 15,22,29,30: Anne & Susie Larain and Sallie Hanna-Rhine; June 16: Robin Gregory & Bliss Rodriguez; Aleph Null; June 18,25: The Renegade Sidemen; June 19 Jason Martinwau; June 20,27: Bob Schoen Jazz Quartet; June 21: The Jazz Singers Collective; June 23:The maestro Rich Kalman & His Jazz Trio; June 24 The Joe Livotti Sound; June 26: Tangria; June 28: ConFusion. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 15: 9 :30 p.m., Winston Jarrett with special guests; June 16: 9:30 p.m., Amandla Poets; June 17, 6 p.m.: Ray Cepeda and the Neo Maya Experience; June 19, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie; June 20, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat; June 21, 10 p.m.: Digital Dave; June 24, 8 p.m.: Babatunde Olantunji; June 26, 9 p.m.: DP & The Rhythem Riders; June 27, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding/Circle R Boys/Dark Hollow; June 28, 9 p.m.: Monkey/Stiff Richards/ Go Jimmy Go.1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Blakes June 17, 9 p.m.: Third Eye Movement’s Straight Buldin Tour 2001 featuring Red, Guard, Renaissance, Bored Stiff, Deuce Eclipse, Gazzi and SoulSistaSoul. Hosted by Rob Jamal of nommo; 2367 Telegraph; for more info call 238-8080 x310 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 15: The Laurie Lewis Trio; June 16: Rova Saxophone Quartet. $17.50; June 17: Sean Tyrrell and Tommy Peoples; June 19: Toshi Reardon; June 20 Cliff Eberhardt; June 21 Rachel Garlin, $15.00 advance, $16.50 door; June 22: Sourdough Slim w/ Blackwood Tom; June 23: Lara & Reyes; June 24; Darryl Purpose, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 15: Steven Emerson; June 16: Nucleus; June 19: Mas Cabeza; June 20: Wavelord; June 21: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 22: Realistic; June 23: Wayside; June 26: Bruno Pelletier Trio; June 27: O Maya; June 28: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave 843-8277 

La Peña Cultural Center June 15, 8 p.m.: TIJUANA NO! with Caradura and Prophets of Rage Dj La Viuda Negra. 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 www.lapena.org  

Live Oaks Concerts, Berkeley Art Center, June 24: 7:30 p.m., Stephen Bell. Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

Jazzschool Recitals June 17: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos; June 19: 4 p.m., Jazz Groups; June 20: 4 p.m., Jazz Ensembles; June 21: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos. Free. The Jazzschool/La Note 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

WordWind Chorus June 15, 8 p.m. In celebration of the release of its first CD, the WordWind Chorus will perform a unique collaboration of music and poetry. $10 Tuva Space 3192 Adeline 530-7698 

Estradasphere and Warsaw June 15, 9:30 p.m. $7 Blakes 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Season Finale June 21, 8 p.m. Works by Shostakovich, Brahms, and Rohde. $19 - $35 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“More Matters of Life and Death” June 15 - 17, 8 p.m. The newest cycle of this series, “Iris, Blue, Each Spring,” tackles the joys and sorrows of growing older and is set to “Six Japanese Songs” by Margaret Garwood. Presented by The Ruch Botchan Dance Company in concert with The Mirage Ensemble. $12 - $15 Western Sky Studio 2525 Eighth St. 848-4878 

“Dance Mosaic: Celebrating Diversity” June 16, 8 p.m. and June 17, 2 p.m. The annual repertory concert for the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance features over 100 performers of dance and music from the South Pacific, India, Africa and the Middle East. $5 - $15 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

Kalanjali in Concert June 22, 7 p.m. Kalanjali concludes its celebration of its 25th year in Berkeley with a special recital. Experienced dancers and young students, with guests from India including dancer K. P. Yesoda and the musicians of Bharatakalanjali. $6 - $8 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Cymbeline” Through June 24, Tues. - Thur. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Opening of the California Shakespeare Festival features one of Shakespeare’s first romances, directed by Daniel Fish. $12 - $146. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater off Highway 24 at the Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit. 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 8: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Kid Kaleidoscope and the Puppet Players” June 24: 2 p.m., Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. The Puppet Players are a multi-media musical theatre group. Their shows are masterfully produced to thrill people of all ages with handmadesets and puppets. Adults $10, Children $5, 2640 College 867-7199 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Opens June 14, runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

Berkeley Film Festival June 23, 1 p.m. Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery. Presnetation of Six films: The Good War, and Those Who Refused to Fight it (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada Flores), Just Crazy About Horses (Tim Lovejoy and Joe Wemple), Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar (L. John Harris and Bill Hayes), In Between the Notes (William Farley and Sandra Sharpe) and KPFA On The Air (Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood) 2220 Shattuck 486-0411 

Pacific Film Archive June 15, 7:30 p.m.: A Long Happy Life, 8:50: Goodbye, Boys; Jun 16: 7 and 9 p.m.: Beau Travail; June 17, 5:30 p.m.: The Face of Another; June 19 7:30 p.m.: Los; June 20 7:30 p.m.: filial Fixations; June 21 Days of the Eclipse 7 p.m. & A Spring for the Thirsty 9:30 p.m.; Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Constitutional Shift, Through July 13, tuesdays - fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Kala Art Institute. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

East Bay Open Studios June 16 & 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Jennifer Foxly: Oil paintings and 2-d mixed media works 3206 Boise St.; Lewis Suzuki: Scenes from California to the Philippines, florals to nudes 2240 Grant St.; Guy Colwell: Painted replicas and recent original work 2028 9th St. (open until 7 p.m.) 

PASSING: The Re-Definition of Sex and Gender Through the Personal Re-Presentation of Self Through June 16, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Black and white photographs by Ann P. Meredith. Free. Reception with the artist June 7, 6 - 8 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St.  

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Tyler James Hoare Sculpture and Collage Through June 27, call for hours. Party June 9, 5-9 p.m. with music by Sauce Piquante. The Albatross Pub 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

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

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

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. All events at 7:30 p.m. June 15: James Ellroy reads “The Cold Six Thousand.” 845-7852  

Cody’s Books 1730 Fourth St. All events at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 16, 4 p.m.: Chris Raschka presents a talk and demontration for children, and paints the store front window; June 18 Sherman Alexie- The Toughest Indian in the world. 559-9500 

Freight & Salvage, June 23, 10 a.m.-noon Diane di Prima, beat poet and author of “recollections of My Life as a Woman”. 

Simone Martel June 16, 2 p.m. Martel will read from her book “The Expectant Gardener: A Wise and Fun Guide to the Adventure of Backyard Growing” Barnes and Noble 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861  

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. Featured poets: June 18: Katie Daley; June 25 Steve ArntsenCafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

Tours 

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

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

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

Spectacular soph-to-be will boost football, basketball teams 

St. Mary’s boys’ basketball coach Jose Caraballo is always upbeat. But on Thursday, he was even more effusive than usual. 

“I’m the happiest coach in California becuase I’ve got a state championship ring on my finger,” said Caraballo, whose team won the Division IV title in March. “Now we’ve increased the possibility of getting another one.” 

Caraballo was talking about the fact that his team just gained one of the best players in California. Freshman DeMarcus Nelson, who played football, basketball and baseball for Vallejo High this year, made his transfer to St. Mary’s official this week. Nelson was the Cal-Hi Sports freshman of the year for basketball and threw for 1,700 yards and 27 touchdowns in part-time quarterback duty during the football season. 

“He’s accomplished so much at such a young age, the only person I can compare him to is Jason Kidd,” said Caraballo, who coached Kidd at St. Joseph’s during his prep years in Oakland. “He’s just a great addition to our team and our family.” 

According to Nelson’s father, the transfer has been in the works nearly since the school year began. He said DeMarcus really only went to Vallejo because it was his sister’s senior year at the school. But friction within the basketball team and Vallejo’s history of poor academics convinced the family that DeMarcus would only spend one year there. 

“His mother really wanted him to have an opportunity to get a quality education,” said Ron Nelson, DeMarcus’ father. “His mother and I went to St. Mary’s, looked at campus, talked to administrators, and her mind was made up and she never wavered. DeMarcus realized that it was in his best interest to go after the education and opportunities St. Mary’s offered.” 

“There was just a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on, so we decided to look for another school,” DeMarcus said. “We did a lot of research and found out that St. Mary’s was the best.” 

Nelson termed his reasons for the move “about half athletic and half academic.” 

Among the problems at Vallejo was a group of seniors that “didn’t want to accept him because he was young,” Ron Nelson said. “The older players figured it was their time to shine, but DeMarcus is an unusually talented kid.” 

Nelson is currently playing AAU summer basketball for the Slam ‘n Jam Oakland Soldiers, where he is teammates with St. Mary’s guards John Sharper and DeShawn Freeman, who will both be seniors next year. Caraballo expects no similar problems when Nelson joins his team. 

“Our kids bottom line is that they want to win. As much as we run and shoot, there are enough shots for everyone. They don’t care who scores,” he said. 

One thing Caraballo does expect is allegations of recruitment by the St. Mary’s athletic staff. Nelson will likely be the starting quarterback next season, as well as a key link for a basketball team that will be moving up to Division I to challenge the top teams in the state. One of the Oakland Soldiers’ coaches, Mark Olivier, is also an assistant coach at St. Mary’s. Observers may find that coincidence hard to take. But Caraballo dismisses such talk. 

“There will be rumors about recruiting and all that crap, but that just doesn’t wash,” he said. “The family looked at other schools and decided on their own that DeMarcus should come here. Besides, DeMarcus will be a stud and All-American candidate anywhere he goes.” 

Olivier pointed out that Nelson isn’t just focused on athletics. An honor roll student at Vallejo, Nelson wants to get his academics in order for a college scholarship, which St. Mary’s should help him achieve. 

“A lot of people don’t realize that at St. Mary’s, you have to be a pretty darn good student to get in, especially as a transfer,” Olivier said. “The school sold him, the academics, even baseball and football programs. It was a no-brainer.” 

Just thinking about his team next season made Caraballo cackle with glee. Nelson will fit nicely into the spot vacated by wingman Jeremiah Fielder, the team’s lone graduating starter. In fact, Nelson wears the same number, 21, as Fielder. But while Fielder was mainly a defensive stopper, Nelson adds the dimension of a scorer to take the pressure off of Sharper and Freeman. 

“Now we’ve got a kid who can defend just as well, if not better, and go for 20 points a night,” the coach said with a huge grin on his face. “I guess now I truly have the best backcourt in the state. How are they gonna guard all my guys now?”

“Berkeley is absolutely full of artists and natural wonders,” says Bonnie Hughes, director of the Berkeley Arts Festival. “Once a year we like to stop and take a look at what we’ve been doing.” 

The fourth Berkeley Arts Festival, which runs June 16-30, kicks off Saturday with an opening ceremony and “music circus” on Shattuck Avenue, with a performance by the City Council Singers at the BART plaza, and flocks of musicians playing on street corners, fire escapes, and rooftops. Local poets, including Richard Silberg and Julia Vinograd, will read their works at the public library. The Arts Festival gallery at 2200 Shattuck hosts an exhibit of outsider art (on loan from the local Ames Gallery) and will be the site of several events throughout the month, including an evening of films by local filmmakers, concerts by pianists Sarah Cahill and Jerry Kuderna, and a “Beanbenders’ Reunion,” featuring some of the local avant garde jazz performers whose music was heard weekly at the Berkeley Store Gallery through the 90s. 

The inspiration for the Arts Festival came from Hughes’ efforts over the past decade. For ten years, she made a career out of finding buildings around town where she could establish multipurpose arts centers. When the last such space was sold to become a copy center, supporters decided to continue their efforts with an annual arts festival. The festival has quietly grown, until this year there are literally hundreds of performers, presenters, and artists taking part. 

It’s not just music and poetry that’s celebrated in the  

Berkeley Arts Festival. The wondrous works of nature are on display all around us, and festival organizers plan to draw attention to them with a series of “Carfree Carefree Tours,” which encourage public transportation and/or walking to various sites. They include a tour of an installation at the Berkeley Marina and a chance to explore some of Berkeley’s gardens and creeks. There’s also a tour of Berkeley’s historic architectural buildings, and a “Free Speech Tour” led by veteran activist Michael Rossman, who will take participants to some of the sites of Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement in the 1960s and lead discussions of what took place. The festival finale takes place in the great outdoors, too, when the Christy Dana Quartet performs jazz on the Berkeley Pier Saturday, June 30. 

The joint emphasis on arts and environment is showcased this year in “Berkeley Stories,” an evening of discussion and storytelling by some of the East Bay’s most famous writers and personalities, held June 29 at the Julia Morgan Theater. Malcolm Margolin, local publisher and founder of Heyday Books, organized the event by contacting many of his longtime friends. “In some ways, I’m putting my rolodex out there on stage,” he says. “We’ll have something that’s almost like a living room, where people I know get together and tell stories any way they want. The question that remains to be answered is, will something bigger result?” 

Participants include award-winning novelist Maxine Hong Kingston, celebrated poet Al Young, fiction writer Dorothy Bryant, and longtime activist and writer Tillie Olsen, recently honored with a Cody Lifetime Achievement Award and still going strong in her late 80s. Also joining the get-together are Black Panthers co-founder David Hilliard, mime artist Leonard Pitt, singer Anna de Leon, and Cody’s Books founder Pat Cody. Environmental writer Ernest Callenbach adds his perspective, and the entire event serves as a fundraiser for the David Brower Center, a planned environmental and art center intended to honor the late environmental activist David Brower, a lifelong Berkeley resident. 

The festival overlaps with cultural and environmental offerings by other groups, and it is hoped that residents will further explore artists’ open studios, performances at La Pena, and films at the Pacific Film Archive. The point, says Hughes, is to recognize what a wealth of treasures we have under our noses. “There are local artists and musicians known throughout the world who are not known here at home,” she says. Hopefully, this annual festival will help to change that.

The City Council sent a controversial proposal to temporally prohibit office development in west Berkeley back to the Planning Commission Tuesday for another public hearing. 

In the same vote, the council adopted one aspect of the proposal, which directs the Planning Commission to study the effects of office development in the Mixed Use-Light Industrial District, also known as the MULI. 

After councilmembers heard a presentation from Planning Commissioners Rob Wrenn and Zelda Bronstein and asked questions of Interim Planning and Development Director Wendy Cosin, they voted to send the proposal back to the Planning Commission for another public hearing.  

A second public hearing is required because the first one on Jan. 10, was improperly noticed by Planning Commission staff. The notice described the prohibition as a moratorium rather than a temporary zoning ordinance, which has different procedural requirements, according to Assistant City Attorney Zack Cowen. 

Bronstein said the second public hearing would most likely take place in September. 

The council sent the proposal back to the Planning Commission by a slim vote of 5-4 with moderates Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmembers Polly Armstrong, Mim Hawley and Betty Olds voting in opposition.  

The office prohibition, if ultimately approved, would not allow permits for new office uses in the MULI for one year with the goal of saving blue collar jobs and light industrial uses such artist and artisan studios. The Planning Commission proposal also calls for the promotion of “green” (environmentally friendly) businesses. 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who represents a portion of the MULI, said the temporary ban would give the city a chance to step back and examine if the rate of office construction is harmful to other businesses and residents in the MULI.  

“I think people who live in west Berkeley are very worried about being squeezed out,” she said. “This will allow us time to make sure we can retain those people and businesses who are the heart and soul of Berkeley.” 

Mayor Shirley Dean argued the prohibition wasn’t necessary and that the amount of office space in the MULI is consistent with the West Berkeley Plan, which was approved in 1993 and made part of the Zoning Regulations in 1999. 

“There’s no apparent good reason for the prohibition,” Dean said. “Maybe back in 2000 when there was an economic boom but that’s no longer the case and now there’s an office vacancy rate of 10 percent.” 

Berkeley’s zoning map shows the MULI as an S-shaped area that winds through west Berkeley between San Pablo Avenue and Interstate 80. The roughly 70-block area has traditionally been made up of small manufacturers, retail, light industry and office space, punctuated with pockets of residential areas. 

Development in the MULI is regulated by the West Berkeley Plan, which was assembled after years of public input from property owners, businesses, workers, residents and artists and artisans. The plan calls for zoning regulations to encourage light industrial uses and the continuation of well-paid jobs that don’t require advanced degrees. 

The plan also provides for office development, provided it doesn’t unduly interfere with light manufacturing. The plan uses as a guideline a maximum of 550,000 square feet of office space that can be developed. 

“If this 550,000 square feet were to convert, some 40 percent of the district’s current space would be non-manufacturing/wholesaling, about the maximum level at which the district could still be called ‘industrial,’” the plan reads. 

Currently the MULI has about 349,000 square feet of office space, according to the Planning Commission report.  

“The amount of office space in the MULI is totally on target,” said Planning Commissioner Susan Wengraf, who voted against the prohibition. “With the dot-com bust, rents are falling and vacancies are increasing. Why would we impose this moratorium now?” 

Wengraf said the idea that the temporary prohibition will create or save blue collar jobs was a “romantic” one that has little to do with reality. 

Bronstein argues that between 1997 and 2000, over 164,000 square feet of former industrial space was converted to office use and that the increase has already had a negative impact on traffic and rental rates.  

She said the higher rents that property owners charge for office space gives them incentive to move light industrial businesses out and offices in. 

Bronstein insisted the prohibition is not anti-business. “This is just temporarily anti-office,” she said. “This is really pro-business, we want to see more manufacturers and green businesses come into the MULI.” 

She added that downtown Berkeley is a better place for offices because of better access to public transportation. 

Feeling the heat of a grassroots nationwide campaign targeting the majority of the members of the Pacifica Foundation Board, Chair David Acosta and Boardmember Karolyn van Putten resigned their posts Wednesday. 

The foundation board holds the licenses to five listener-sponsored stations across the country, including KPFA in Berkeley. 

While activists celebrated  

the resignations as a victory, Pacifica spokesperson Michael Powell of Westhill Media Strategies chalked up the resignations to “a very hateful McCarthyite campaign.” 

Those opposing the board majority – activists calling for democratizing the board and full disclosure of financial information – had picketed the homes and businesses of the majority board members and conducted e-mail campaigns calling for full financial disclosure of the board’s expenditures and assets. Powell said he understood that it would be difficult for people to sustain their positions on the board under such fire. 

In his letter of resignation, Acosta did not speak to the reasons for his leaving, but reflected on the positive experiences of his years on the board: “My experience with Pacifica for the last seven years has been a fulfilling one, and I leave knowing that together we have made the Network better than it was when we got here.” 

Neither Acosta, a Texas attorney, nor van Putten, of Western Public Radio in San Francisco, returned calls for comment. 

Powell, who promised to get back to the Daily Planet with information on how much the Pacifica Foundation was paying for his company’s services, said the board majority will select new members in the mold of the ones resigning, so the board minority and their supporters will not have advanced their cause as a result of the resignations.  

The activists “systematically try to replace the board with their own people. They’re not making any headway,” he said. 

How will replacement board members be nominated? 

“The executive director will recruit people who she thinks will move the station forward,” Powell said. “(Supporters of the board minority) don’t have the votes on the board to nominate the people they want to nominate.” 

KPFA Local Advisory Board Chair Sherry Gendelman said she’d heard something about possible resignations. People close to negotiations around the four consolidated lawsuits - filed by listeners, local advisory board members and some of the minority members of the board – had got the message that some of the board members were seeking a dignified way to leave the board. “The tenor of conversation indicated those kinds of overtures,” she said. 

Gendelman said she was happy about the resignations of both the board members, noting that van Putten was among those who brought the notion to National Public Radio of the advantages of programming from one central location and sending the programs out to various stations as opposed to programming locally.  

Gendelman said the resignations could have an effect on the lawsuits. The suits contend, in part, that the board was illegally transformed from one that represented the five Pacifica radio stations’ listeners to one that is self-perpetuating and unrepresentative.  

“Those who leave (the board) might be dropped (from the suits) for their departure,” she said, noting that it may be possible for the suits to be resolved around the negotiating table and not go to trial. 

Gendelman said she hopes additional resignations will be forthcoming - the split is now 5-7 – but winning the struggle against the board could mean going back to internal dissension. Currently there are various local groups pushing hard for program modifications at KPFA. 

“We need to be patient,” Gendelman said.

One of the city’s largest street fairs is this Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Adeline and Alcatraz not far from the Ashby BART.  

The observance of June 19 as the African American Emancipation Day, Juneteenth, is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. It dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas. 

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas General Order No. 3 which began: 

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” 

Berkeley’s fair will celebrate this victory. 

There will be arts, crafts, food and music. Scheduled for the main stage are: Big Belly Blues Band, Morris LeGrand & Band, Gospel Dancers, The Ricardo Scales, O'Town Passion, Park Place Band and the Steppin Stones Band.  

For more info or to volunteer call: 655-8008

It is quite appropriate that this concert in honor of Umm Kulthum will take place at the International House, because her music profoundly crosses borders. 

Although Kulthum was Egyptian, her music is loved by all Arabs, and indeed by all people who appreciate great songs. This music transcends national, cultural and even temporal borders: a quarter-century after her death her recordings continue to sell, and her voice is still often heard on radio broadcasts. There is no real parallel in the West to Kulthum’s stature in the Arabic world. She is more crucial than Bob Marley in Rastafari culture or Caruso in the world of opera. Most Arabs sing along with her songs whenever they play on the radio. Yet her musical legacy is a treasure of all humanity, for it is easily accessible to all with ears to hear. The Lammam Ensemble keeps alive this legacy by performing Kulthum’s most cherished songs, many of which were composed specifically for her, in a style deeply informed by her. 

Georges Lammam is a master violinist and singer, who is devoted to the great traditions of Arabic popular and classical song. He is joined by his brother Elias Lammam, who sings and also plays the rare and exotic quarter-tone accordion, and his cousin Tony Lammam, playing percussion. Other members of the Lammam Ensemble include Fouad Marzouk and Mimi Spencer al-Khayyam on kanuns, Farah Gubran playing oud and Nicole LeCorgne on percussion. The Ensemble will present several suites of songs just as Kulthum would have performed them, mixing composed sections together with improvisation, repeating and expanding melodic fragments as the moment dictates.  

The style is like a cross between folk ballads and jazz, with elements of standard arrangements richly seasoned by exciting on-the-spot invention.  

The scale systems of Arabic music provide melodic contours and colors which are unknown in the Western tradition and yet remain delightfully accessible. Kulthum chose exquisite material whose melodies cut straight to the heart, expressing themes which resonate with all who hear them.  

Many listeners are surprised at how inviting and entrancing Arabic music becomes as it unfolds its perfumed tapestries and whispers its ancient secrets. 

This concert will feature the best local musicians paying tribute to the greatest legend in modern Arab cultural history. These musicians all have an ongoing love affair with the musical heritage of this majestic singer Kulthum. This love is infectious and will surely captivate all who allow themselves to melt into this universal landscape of the heart. Kulthum was famous for championing political and social causes, especially during the last decades of her brilliant career. So it is completely appropriate to her legacy that the proceeds of this concert will be used to help Palestinian refugees. 

Kulthum is the subject of a documentary film called “A Voice like Egypt” (USA 1996) which was shown recently on KQED and can be rented from several local video rental shops.  

Although the film stressed Kulthum's crucial role in helping Egyptians resurrect national pride in the post-colonial world and in developing a new sense of unifying pan-Arabic culture, her lasting legacy is even greater than these lofty achievements.  

In this concert, the Lammam Ensemble will present Kulthum as a voice of and for Humanity.

WASHINGTON — In a triumph for President Bush, the Senate overwhelmingly passed groundbreaking education legislation Thursday that requires annual math and reading tests for millions of schoolchildren as part of an effort to improve the nation’s public schools. 

The vote was 91-8, and set the stage for a summer of negotiations on a final compromise among the White House, the GOP-controlled House and the Senate, newly under Democratic management. 

Final passage came after a bumpy, last-minute detour into the emotionally charged issue of the Boy Scouts and homosexuality. 

On a vote of 51-49, the Senate approved a proposal by Jesse Helms, R-N.C., to strip federal funding from any school district that discriminates against the Scouts or similar groups that “prohibit the acceptance of homosexuals.” Many Democrats felt this provide protection for the group that others wouldn’t have. Opponents countered by winning swift approval of a proposal barring schools from denying access to any youth group, Boy Scouts included, on the basis of their views on sexual orientation. The clash over the Scouts provided a noisy conclusion to seven arduous weeks of debate on the issue atop Bush’s agenda – and a bill that senators in both parties agreed would mark a fundamental shift in the federal government’s role in education. “ 

Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said there wasn’t enough money. “We can’t have reform without resources and that’s the next step,” he said. In all, the Senate-passed measure called for roughly $15 billion more spending than Bush has proposed for next year alone. The companion House-passed measure calls for funding between the White House and Senate levels. The Senate measure is a bipartisan culmination of Bush’s campaign pledge to fix the nation’s public schools. It would require states to administer annual math and reading tests to students in grades three through eight. Schools with low test scores would receive additional aid, but if a school failed to show enough progress after two years, low-income students would be free to transfer to another public school. After three years, the same students would be permitted to use federal funds for tutoring or transportation to another public school. 

All schools would receive some additional flexibility in their use of federal funds as part of the effort to improve. In addition, a small number of states and school districts would qualify for an experimental program with far fewer restrictions on the use of federal funds, part of an effort to see whether that could raise student performance. 

The framework of the measure was fixed during weeks of negotiations involving the White House, Senate Republicans and Democrats led by Kennedy. 

All sides gained concessions in some areas, and gave them in others. The bill contains far more money than many Republicans favor, for example, and lacks the type of expansive flexibility that many GOP senators wanted for school districts around the country. On the other hand, Kennedy agreed to the pilot program known as Straight A’s, to the discomfort of teacher unions who are traditional Democratic allies. 

No compromise could be reached on the issue of vouchers — a proposal by Bush and the GOP for low-income children in failing public schools to use federal funds for private school tuition. 

Republicans tried to insert the proposal into the measure but failed earlier in the week. 

Passage of the bill came by an unexpectedly lopsided margin. Opponents included GOP Sens. Helms, Robert Bennett of Utah, John Kyl of Arizona, Don Nickles and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and George Voinovich of Ohio. Democrats Ernest Hollings of South Carolina and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin also voted against the measure. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, didn’t vote. 

Helms injected last-minute controversy into the education debate with his amendment, which he said was triggered by last year’s Supreme Court ruling that upheld a national Boy Scouts policy banning gay members and leaders. The North Carolina Republican cited numerous examples in which local schools or school districts had excluded scouts from the use of facilities — evidence, he said, of discrimination. 

To critics of the amendment, he said, “it bears out exactly what I was told was going on in the way of lining up of opposition on the other side to this amendment by the homosexual and lesbian leaders in this area.” 

“Here is an organization that’s been next to God and country, mom and apple pie for as long as we can think of, and now it’s being pursued,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. 

But Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said the Scouts were already treated like other groups, and added, “I believe this amendment is unnecessarily gratuitous. It is hurtful to a group of people. It divides us again in this country.” 

In a remarkable moment, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., speaking, he noted, as a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, said that as drafted the amendment would have required schools to allow even that racist organization to use school facilities. At his request, the proposal was modified to prevent that, and he was one of eight Democrats who joined with 43 Republicans in voting for the Helms proposal. 

Shortly after passage, Boxer succeeded in adding her own, different provision to the bill. It would prohibit discrimination against any youth group, including the Boy Scouts, on the basis of the organization’s “favorable or unfavorable position concerning sexual orientation.” Boxer said the amendment was intended to write into law the high court’s ruling in the Boy Scouts case. 

WASHINGTON — Conservative Republicans balked at President Bush’s plan to end six decades of naval training on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island, complaining that he is caving in to protesters and endangering the military. 

“We are going to lose lives if we don’t train these people,” said Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah., after a Capitol Hill briefing with top Pentagon officials on the decision to stop bombing and other training exercises by mid-2003. 

Added Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.: “We are going to lose other ranges if this range is lost.” 

Rep. Bob Stump, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, planned hearings. “This place is irreplaceable. Once you give in to this type of action, we’re inviting trouble in many other cases,” said Stump, R-Ariz. 

Hansen said there are 33 ranges in the United States, each with its own opponents. He wondered what the United States should tell countries such as Japan, where the U.S. military has a large presence. 

“We won’t bomb on ours but we’ll bomb on yours? It’s a line in the sand,” he said of the idea of bowing to Vieques protesters. 

Protesters say years of live fire bombing have destroyed their health and environment. They have pressed for an immediate halt. 

“Not one additional bomb or bullet should fall on the island of Vieques,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who was arrested in one of the mass protests to drive out the Navy. 

President Bush, speaking in Sweden on Thursday, said, “These are our friends and neighbors, and they don’t want us there.” He said, “The Navy ought to find somewhere else to conduct its exercises.” 

In Puerto Rico, Gov. Sila Calderon said she was glad that the exercises would end, “but we deplore that the intention to continue with the military exercises and bombings for two additional years.” 

The lawmakers, meantime, heard from Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, and Navy Secretary Gordon England. 

The two officials want planning to begin now for an end to all exercises there, possibly with appointment of a study panel to look at alternative sites and ways to train to make up for the loss. 

House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt said the White House and Pentagon “could have a long time ago” started working on an alternative. Gephardt, D-Mo., said he was “sorry that they seem to be putting it off for two years.” 

At the Pentagon, officials said Bush’s decision was a big disappointment. They wondered why he the president did not await results of a scheduled November referendum, when residents of the U.S. commonwealth are to vote on the Vieques question. 

While White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the decision was based on “the merits,” others charged that the move was a miscalculated attempt to win Hispanic votes. 

“President Bush’s announcement is a political attempt to pacify Latinos, since he knows we are the fastest-growing minority in the country and a major voting block,” said Juan Figueroa of the Puerto Rican Defense Fund said. 

The Navy, which calls Vieques the “crown jewel” of its Atlantic training sites, has used the island’s bombing range for six decades. It has said repeatedly that the site is vital to national security, uniquely combining the ability to train in land, air and sea maneuvers without interference from civilian air or sea traffic. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Pentagon’s Vieques site: http://www.navyvieques.navy.mil/ 

WASHINGTON — The vitamin C pills taken by millions of health-conscious Americans may actually help produce toxins that can damage their DNA, a step toward forming cancer cells, a laboratory study suggests. 

In a study appearing Friday in the journal Science, University of Pennsylvania researchers said they found in test tube experiments analyzing the action of vitamin C that the nutrient can act as a catalyst to help make a toxin that can injure DNA, the body’s genetic code. 

The findings do not mean that vitamin C causes cancer, said Ian A. Blair, lead author of the study, but the research does sound a warning about the use of vitamin C pills. 

“Vitamin C can do some good things, but it can do some bad things as well,” Blair said.  

“If you really wanted to be cautious, you just wouldn’t use supplementation (vitamin pills.)” 

Instead of pills, Blair said people can get all the nutrients they need through a balanced diet, particularly fruits, vegetables and grains. 

Balz Frei, a professor at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, said the Blair study “is an important finding in understanding the chemistry of vitamin C.”  

He cautioned that the results come from a test tube study, which involves chemicals in glass lab dishes, and that the same action may not occur in living animals. 

In the study, Blair and his colleagues analyzed the effects of vitamin C on lipid hydroperoxide, a compound produced in the body from fat in the diet.  

Lipid hydroperoxide can be converted in the cell into agents, called genotoxins, that can damage DNA. 

Blair said his group found that vitamin C was highly efficient in converting lipid hydroperoxide into the gene-damaging toxins. 

“Just because you damage DNA doesn’t mean you’ll get cancer,” Blair said. “The cell has an exquisite repair mechanism for lesions in the DNA.” 

Blair said the research may explain the failure of studies that have attempted to show vitamin C can protect against cancer. 

“There are two camps – people who think vitamin C supplementation is good for you and those who think it is bad for you,” he said.  

“There is a paucity of any scientific evidence that it is really good for you.” 

Vitamin C supplementation includes not just pills, but also the addition of artificial forms of the nutrient to foods, such as juices, cereals and even candies. 

The popularity among health-conscious Americans for popping vitamin C pills was boosted by Linus Pauling, a Nobel-prize-winning chemist who advocated large doses of the vitamin.  

He routinely took 15 grams daily and was 93 years old when he died in 1994. 

However, Frei, a nutrient expert at the institution named for Pauling, said such large doses of vitamin C have not been proven to be beneficial in clinical studies. 

“The Linus Pauling Institute does not endorse megadoses,” Frei said. “Our advice is to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables.” 

Vitamin C is an antioxidant.  

It neutralizes oxygen free radicals, which are metabolic products in the cell that can damage DNA.  

Some researchers have speculated that because of its antioxidant action, large doses of the vitamin could prevent cancer, strengthen the immune system and prevent the common cold. 

Clinical studies, though, have been disappointing, said Frei. 

“Vitamin C does not prevent a cold,” he said, although some studies suggest the nutrient may hasten recovery. 

Vitamin C can help patients lower high blood pressure, and Frei said some studies have suggested that “people in a disease state,” such as an infection, may be helped by vitamin C. 

Asked if healthy people benefit from vitamin C supplements, he said: “I don’t think we could say that.” 

The Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, recommends that women need 75 milligrams of vitamin C daily and 90 milligrams for men. Smokers need an additional 35 milligrams. These are levels easily achieved by a balanced diet. 

Much more than that is generally useless, said Frei. A healthy body can absorb about 200 milligrams a day and the surplus is carried away with urine. 

On the Net: 

Linus Pauling: http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/pauling-and-vitamin-c.ht ml 

Science study: http://www.eurekalert.org

Homeowner Helen Crawford, of Grand Rapids, Mich., had no idea her kitchen remodel would involve so many decisions. It wasn’t even two weeks into the project when, as Crawford was mulling over hinges, handles and drawer pulls for the cabinets she had chosen, her contractor called. He couldn’t even order the cabinets until he had a location approval on the appliances. And he needed her final choices on flooring and lighting fixtures and their location. As the decisions piled up, Crawford began dreading the prospect of looking through another showroom or catalog. 

Crawford was fighting off “decision fatigue,” a common reaction in homeowners new to the remodeling process who underestimate the pace and sheer number of decisions required of them in the design and product-selection stages. Any building or remodeling job requires dozens of crucial decisions that set the pace for a small army of workers and craftsmen. Slacken the pace, and you lose momentum and end up paying for downtime. Make snap decisions, and you could live with expensive mistakes for years to come. The key to avoiding decision fatigue is knowing which decisions you need to make and when to make them.  

Know What’s Coming 

Early in the planning stage, ask your contractor or architect to work up a complete room-by-room, item-by-item list of decisions your project involves. You’ll notice the list breaks out into two general categories: design and products. Design decisions include appliance location, skylight and window placement, heating duct or baseboard locations, door placement and swing direction, the number and location of outlets and lighting plans. Product decisions concern the type and size of items such as cabinets, kitchen and bath sinks, shower stalls, toilets, appliances, flooring, tile, windows, doors and electrical fixtures, along with their features. 

Nearly all of these decisions are interdependent and have far-reaching impact. For example, skylights must be chosen long before the other windows, because they can significantly affect framing done at the start of the job. A kitchen range hood could require either custom framing or dedicated electrical circuits. And floor joists beneath a large bathtub might have to be reinforced during initial framing. 

Even late installations demand early decisions on design and product. For instance, while a shower stall is one of the last fixtures to go into a bathroom, which you choose affects plumbing rough-in locations and the framing plan, both of which affect the floor-tile pattern and how much drywall is needed. The same goes for electrical fixtures, which are supplied by hidden wiring roughed in before the drywall goes up.  

Create a Calendar 

Once you have your list of decisions, work with your builder to organize them procedurally around the steps of the job. For instance, what decisions must be made before demolition? Be sure you can afford that breezeway between the kitchen door and garage before the demo crew cuts the hole, or you could end up with an unsightly patch after you refigure your budget. If you plan to reuse an existing garage door, inform your builder before the demo starts. And be sure to finalize window placement before wall framing begins, because larger windows can dramatically affect the structure and cost of a wall. For each decision on your list, assign a date by which you’ll give the builder your final choices and decisions. But be realistic. Leave enough time before each due date to do some research in magazines and showrooms and on the Internet; you’ll also have to leave time for materials to get delivered. You should be able to tackle light fixtures, cabinet accessories, stock tile and trim over several evenings at large home centers. But big-ticket stock products such as windows, doors, cabinets, appliances and sinks can take two weeks of comparison shopping. And custom cabinets, countertops and other special-order items can take months to finish and deliver. 

Use a loose-leaf binder with subject dividers for each major decision area. Fill it with notes, business cards, brochures, paint chips, fabric swatches and other information. And organize each decision area according to its due date. Then stick to those dates. Your builder will be working from the same calendar and scheduling daily tasks accordingly. If you say you’ll approve the map for the tile pattern in the kitchen by June 23, the builder will tell the tiler he can bid those plans on June 24. 

If you know that you won’t have all the particulars of, for instance, the cabinets worked out by the agreed-upon date, alert your contractor early on and see if you can supply just a partial list of cabinet features and sizes. Although you might not have settled on the style for drawer pulls and hinges, you might be able to delay those decisions if you can supply enough information — such as cabinet height and depth, backsplash height and door type — to order the cabinets on the date planned. 

Any remodeling project is a three-dimensional chess game where each step affects all the others. Seemingly minor decisions like cabinet trim and backsplash tile can be as important as major ones like window and tub placement. Keep your promises, and you’ll find it easier to insist your contractor does, too. Timely decision-making puts the performance onus on him and reduces the chance of error. Best of all, you won’t hear the contractor say he could have done a better job if only he had had more time. 

A steel pole is as good as it gets when it comes to structural support. However, such a round steel column can be an eyesore when poised beneath a beautiful wooden patio cover made of square-edged wood trim. 

Did you ever wonder what you were going to do with that ugly, round, unfinished tubular-beam-support that had to be plopped square in the middle of your soon-to-be finished basement? 

Because a pole is steel doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting. Try using giant hose clamps (check out the plumbing supply store in your area for the really big ones) as hidden (or brightly painted and visible) hangers to mount or display various decorations. Sea horses, lanterns and thermometers are great for outdoors. And pegboard, pin boards and chalkboards are excellent inside additions. 

If you want to disguise your steel pole to match surrounding architecture, there are many options. First, there are two basic procedures used to enclose them and then, on top of those, there are an infinite number of interesting finishes that can be applied. The beginning step is enclosure or “how to build around a steel pole without filling it full of holes.” If you are good at mitering corners (you’ll probably need a good table saw), you might want to miter the two long edges of four wood planks and fit the miters together to create a four-sided box. There are a couple of important things to consider here. First, you must use kiln-dried wood. Any material with much moisture content will eventually dry out, shrink, twist and/or split, and end up looking terrible. Also, although 1x material is acceptable it is better if the material is a hardwood. Softer woods such as pine or cedar are easier to work with, but there is more strength in oak or ash. 

The other method of enclosure involves the construction of two tiny walls – 2x material can be used on edge to build walls that are 1-1/2-inches thick. The walls are placed on opposite sides of the pole – you pick the sides – and blocks at the bottom and top hold the walls together and to the ceiling and floor. The length of the walls can be anything you want, and the length of the blocks that join them also can be any dimension. 

With the wall frames built, paneling, plaster, wallboard or planking can be used to conceal the frame. This same enclosure can be used to conceal wiring for plugs or lights. You’ll have a wall in the middle of the room with two or three or even four vertically mounted track light systems. 

Finally, your new pole-cover can be decorated with texture, paint, wallpaper, mirrors, widgets or any combination thereof. We don’t recommend drilling into the pole. If the pole is structural, drilling into it could be a serious problem.  

Some poles just hold weight from above, but others resist wind load or vertical stresses. If you are determined to drill holes into a metal support column, consult a structural engineer first. 

A small housing isn’t your only choice. A special cabinet can be designed to surround one or more poles. Room separators can be built, creating multiple areas. A lower cabinet with pole-supported open shelving can be beautiful. Install the lower cabinet with the pole at one end. Then install a look-alike pole at the other end, and mount glass shelves. 

What about a cabinet or bookcase or entertainment center that goes from the pole in question to an adjacent wall. For outdoors, large walls can be built around poles to hold planters, swimming-pool accessories and more. The choice is yours. 

For more home improvement tips and information visit our web site at www.onthehouse.com. 

——— 

Readers can mail questions to: On the House, APNewsfeatures, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, or e-mail Careybro(at)onthehouse.com. To receive a copy of On the House: Plumbing or On the House: Painting, send a check or money order payable to The Associated Press for $6.95 per booklet and mail to: On the House, PO Box 1562, New York, NY 10016-1562, or through these online sites: www.onthehouse.com or apbookstore.com. 

TRENTON, N.J. — A deal for struggling Lucent Technologies Inc. to sell two Midwest manufacturing plants for sorely needed cash reportedly has collapsed. 

The telecommunications equipment maker refused Thursday to confirm a report in The Wall Street Journal that plans to sell plants in Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio, to an Asian contract manufacturer had fallen through. 

“We’re not commenting on speculation,” said Bill Price, a spokesman for Murray Hill-based Lucent. 

Lucent, once a high-flying technology giant and Wall Street favorite, disclosed plans to sell the two facilities when it announced a sweeping cost-cutting and restructuring program back in January. 

On Thursday, Price said Lucent is negotiating with multiple bidders interested in the plants. 

“We expect to make our selections early this summer and have the transitions completed by the end of the fiscal year,” which is Sept. 30, he said. 

The Journal reported that sources familiar with the deal said Lucent expected to raise $600 million to $900 million by selling the two plants to Flextronics International Ltd., which is registered in Singapore but has corporate offices in Hong Kong. Flextronics officials could not be reached Thursday for comment and earlier declined to comment to the Journal. 

Price would not confirm a collapse of the Flextronics deal, or even that the company was one of the bidders. 

Shares of Lucent were down 49 cents to close at $6.75 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. 

If Lucent cannot sell the plants by summer’s end, plans to spin off its microelectronics unit, Allentown, Pa.-based Agere Systems, could be jeopardized. 

Under terms of its $4 billion revolving credit line, by Sept. 30 Lucent must raise $2 billion from sources other than product sales. Options include selling assets, such as the profitable optical fiber business Lucent wants to sell for several billion dollars, or by selling new stock or bonds. 

“We have multiple ways to do that and we’re confident we’ll be able to do that,” Price said. 

Falling demand for telecommunications equipment reportedly have cut bids for the optical fiber unit from $6 billion to $8 billion down to about $4 billion. 

But with Lucent’s corporate credit rating downgraded to “junk” status on Tuesday, a reported plan to offer up to $1 billion of convertible preferred stock – bonds that can be converted to stock – will be more expensive to execute. Price declined comment on the plan, reported by the Journal. 

Lucent, home of the Bell Labs research operation and a 1996 spinoff of AT&T, grew rapidly early on, then shocked Wall Street with repeated warnings it would miss earnings targets, starting in fall 1999. Its stock went into a tailspin as competitors captured market share with faster optical telecommunications equipment. The continuing problems cost chief executive Richard McGinn his job. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.lucent.com 

SAN JOSE — Adobe Systems Inc. surpassed Wall Street expectations with its second-quarter earnings Thursday, but said the economic slowdown has spread abroad and will flatten revenues in the upcoming quarter. 

For the three months ending June 1, Adobe earned $61.3 million, or 25 cents per share, compared with $65.8 million,or 26 cents a share, the same time a year ago. 

Excluding one-time items, the company said it earned $121.5 million, or 34 cents per share, compared to $97 million in the year-ago period. 

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call had expected Adobe to show a per-share profit of 29 cents in the second quarter. 

The San Jose-based company, the leader in desktop publishing software, reported that revenue for the three months was $344.1 million, up 15 percent from $300.1 million a year ago. 

The results were helped in part by the release of Adobe Acrobat 5.0, a new version of the portable document format, or PDF, reader that has become a de facto standard for document distribution on the Web.  

The product achieved record revenues, the company said, and led the so-called e-Paper Solutions segment to a 67 percent revenue growth rate for the quarter. 

But company officials said they expect overall revenues will flatten in the upcoming quarter, citing the continued slowdown of sales it experienced in Europe and North America during the second quarter.  

The company also factored in a “potential slowdown” in Asia. 

The company did not give specific numbers but said it expects year-over-year revenue growth to improve in the fourth quarter when major product upgrades will be rolled out. 

Chief executive Bruce Chizen reassured analysts during a conference call that the company does expect to “return to revenue growth rates in the mid 20s once the economic downturn has subsided.” 

“But will it happen as soon as the fourth quarter? Will the econonmy turn around that quickly? I don’t think so,” Chizen said later in an interview. 

With the Nasdaq Stock Market reeling from profit warnings from other high-tech companies, shares of Adobe closed down $1.17, or 2.9 percent, at $39.01 Thursday. Following the results after the market close, the stock price rose to $39.55. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.adobe.com 

GOTEBORG, Sweden — President Bush sparred Thursday with European leaders over climate change, unwavering in his opposition to a global warming treaty. Sweden’s prime minister accused Bush of pursuing “wrong policies” that endanger the environment. 

Emotions ran high in this quaint seacoast city as demonstrators hurled bottles and cobblestones to protest globalization, the European Union and Bush policies. Police arrested more than 200 as the president met with EU leaders at the midpoint of his first overseas trip. 

At the meeting behind metal barricades, Bush sought to minimize differences with EU Commission President Romano Prodi and Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson, whose nation holds the organization’s rotating presidency. 

“We don’t agree on the Kyoto Treaty, but we do agree that climate change is a serious issue and we must work together,” Bush said at a news conference with Prodi and Persson.  

It was the second day of U.S.-European discord after a breach among NATO allies Wednesday over Bush’s plans for a missile defense system. 

Bush put Prodi on the spot – encouraging a question about the failure of EU countries to ratify the same global warming treaty that Bush is criticized for rejecting. The president also attended a working dinner with the presidents and prime ministers of 15 EU nations. 

The Europeans said they would press to ratify the 1997 pact – known as the Kyoto accord for the Japanese city where it was signed – while Bush pursued a more modest initiative to boost research and technology that could reduce global warming. 

The United States and EU also: 

• Agreed to move toward a new round of global trade talks when the World Trade Organization meets in November. The two sides have a series of disputes pending, notably over EU fears that Washington is moving to block steel imports and over European restrictions on genetically modified food imports. 

•Urged Israel and the Palestinians to keep their cease-fire. 

•Renewed their commitment to peacekeeping missions in the Balkans. 

After a stop Friday in Poland, Bush will conclude his five-nation trip Saturday in Slovenia, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The contentious subject of missile defenses will be at the top of the agenda there. 

“Russia is not the enemy of the United States,” Bush said Thursday. 

He added, “Russia ought not to fear a Europe – Russia ought to welcome an expanded Europe on her border.” 

On global warming, Bush dismayed governments and environmentalists worldwide when he announced in March that he was abandoning the Kyoto Protocol. The treaty marked the first time that the world’s industrialized nations had committed to binding limits on the heat-trapping gases that many scientists say threaten catastrophic changes in the planet’s climate. 

Persson withheld criticism of Bush during the news conference, but said afterward that his position is a heavy blow to the international effort against global warming. 

“It will have a tremendous impact, sorry to say, because it would have sent an extremely strong signal if the U.S. had stuck with the Kyoto protocol,” Persson said. 

The United States is the world’s largest producer of heat-trapping gases and Persson said its leadership would have prodded developing countries to join the cause. 

“I think he has the same strong commitment to going ahead with the climate change” fight, the prime minister said of Bush. “The problem is we think that he chose the wrong policies and I have the impression that he thinks the same way about Europe.” 

Indeed, the president jumped at the chance to highlight the fact that Europe has not rushed to ratify the four-year-old treaty. It came when he was asked why the action of European leaders has not been as forceful as their rhetoric. 

“I think that’s a good question for President Prodi,” Bush replied with a smile. Turning to Prodi, he mischievously added, “I would be interested in your answer.” 

Prodi’s reply was terse: “There is not one single country who has declared not to ratify it.” 

White House advisers privately said the exchange underscored what they consider to be an element of hypocrisy in the EU’s criticism of Bush. For his part, the president said, “I don’t believe there’s any politics, necessarily.” 

Even before Bush turned his back, the treaty had a rough history in the United States. 

President Clinton had said he supported the pact but never sent it to the Senate. On its own, the Senate unanimously rejected the accord in a symbolic vote. 

Bush disavowed the pact in March, saying it largely exempts developing nations and would harm the U.S. economy. Advisers now concede they did not adequately brace the public or U.S. allies for the action. 

“We welcome the fact that President Bush and the U.S. administration have now recognized the scientific basis of climate change and have agreed to a research program to look at the issue,” said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

Persson said Bush and the EU would establish “some type of procedure” that will help the allies cooperate on the issue. Bush promised “new channels of cooperation.” 

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian shot and killed an Israeli army intelligence officer Thursday, marring the first day of a truce worked out by CIA director George Tenet. 

Israel’s military received orders to begin implementing the truce, but stopped pullbacks in places where violence persisted, including the road leading to the southern entry of Jerusalem, site of the shooting. 

Israeli tanks on carriers rumbled back from forward positions in Gaza. At the Netzarim junction, a flashpoint throughout more than eight months of fighting, Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli soldiers after a tank was withdrawn. 

Elsewhere, Israeli soldiers dismantled roadblocks, with forklifts hauling concrete barriers onto trucks. Israel allowed some Palestinians to leave through the Rafah crossing point to Egypt for the first time since June 2, after a Palestinian suicide bomber struck Tel Aviv, killing 21 people, most of them Israeli teen-agers. Also, Israel allowed the reopening of the Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan. 

Israeli and Palestinian security commanders met in the Gaza Strip to coordinate implementation of the truce. 

However, incidents of violence on both sides threatened the cease-fire. 

Lt. Col. Yehuda Edri, 45, a plainclothes army intelligence officer, was killed in a shooting attack on a main West Bank road. Israeli military sources said he apparently had been meeting with a Palestinian informant. 

After killing Edri and wounding one of his guards, the Palestinian was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier, the military said. 

The Palestinian was identified as Hassan Abu Shaireh, 30, from the Azza refugee camp in Bethlehem. Activists said he wanted to avenge the November killing of Hussein Abayat of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s mainstream Fatah organization, who was killed by Israeli helicopter rocket fire. 

At the refugee camp, Abu Shaireh’s relatives opened their house to mourners. 

“Hassan sacrificed himself for Palestine,” his 51-year-old sister, Fatimah Abu Shaireh, said, crying. “He will not be the last martyr. ... All of us are ready to sacrifice until we achieve all our rights.” 

A leaflet signed by the Hussein Abayat Brigade claimed responsibility for the shooting. A man, his face covered by a checked kaffiyeh headdress and identified as a member of the Fatah military wing, told Abu Dhabi television that his group took “full responsibility for this act of heroism.” 

He also said the cease-fire applies only to areas under Palestinian control. The road where the shooting took place is under Israeli control. 

Raanan Gissin, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said that in places where the cease-fire doesn’t hold, Israel will not pull back its forces. The Tenet agreement calls for troops to pull back to the positions they held before fighting broke out Sept. 28. 

Along the road where the Israeli officer was killed, Gissin said “there is not a cease-fire, so we will not redeploy there.” 

Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, chief of Israeli military operations, said it is too early to say whether the Palestinians are putting enough effort into ensuring the cease-fire. “So far we are not very pleased with the results,” Eiland said. 

In other incidents Thursday, Palestinians fired mortar shells at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, Palestinians and Israelis exchanged fire near Nablus, and near Khan Younis in Gaza, Palestinians said Israeli forces fired on demonstrators, wounding six, one critically. Israeli military sources said soldiers fired at the legs of rioters. 

Fatah activists at a rally of about 2,500 people in Rafah said Fatah members had fired Thursday’s mortar shells at the nearby Morag settlement. 

According to the truce terms, both sides must prevent violence. Palestinians must collect illegal weapons, including mortars, and Israelis are not to use lethal weapons against Palestinian demonstrators. 

Israeli police were investigating an attack Wednesday in the West Bank, in which a Palestinian was killed in a drive-by shooting. In messages to Israeli reporters a previously-unknown Jewish group claimed responsibility, indicating the shooting was revenge for Palestinian attacks. 

Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian security chief in the West Bank, said the incident was “proof the Israelis fail to control the settlers and control their people.” 

Israeli settlers and hard-liners demonstrated Thursday in Jerusalem, blocking roads and calling for retaliation for Palestinian attacks. Ten were arrested. 

The City Council voted Tuesday to send a housing safety ordinance – called for after the deaths of three people in accidental fires over the last year – back to a subcommittee for fine tuning. 

The council requested the ordinance after the November deaths of UC Berkeley student Azalea Jusay, 21 and her parents, Francisco and Florita, both 46, in a house fire at 2160 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The following January, UC student Brad Evans, 23, died in a house fire in Oakland.  

The council approved the motion to send the ordinance, known as the Rental Housing Safety Program, back to a Housing Advisory Subcommittee by a vote of 5-4 with Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek and councilmembers Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio voting in opposition. 

The council requested the subcommittee work with landlords and tenants to clarify landlord fees that will pay for the program, finalize a uniform check list that will be used as a guide during property inspections and clarify issues related to the scope of inspections. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong included in the motion that the fine tuning be expedited. 

“If we send this back it should be with the clear understanding that it comes back in one month with the results of the continuing conversations so we can have it in place by the fall,” she said 

Spring, who called on the council to approve the ordinance first, then fine tune the details later, said the ordinance had already been worked on long enough.  

“We’ve been working on this proposal for a long time,” she said on Wednesday. “It was nearly a year ago we had those deaths on Martin Luther King Jr. Way and staff has been working very hard to get this ordinance in place in a timely manner.” 

Interim Housing Director Stephen Barton said the Housing Advisory Subcommittee has worked successfully in recent months with landlords, tenants and the university to develop the ordinance. 

The proposed ordinance, which is estimated to cost $450,000 the first year, would create a two-pronged inspection process that would require landlords to inspect their rental units once a year using a uniform check list. Landlords would be looking for fire dangers such as faulty smoke detectors, blocked windows and doorways and combustible materials stored near heaters. 

The city would carry out another inspection while the units become vacant. If safety violations were discovered the city would charge the landlord a fee for re-inspection, which would be between $100 and $200. 

About 30 landlords attended the meeting to complain that the ordinance is not ready to be approved and still needs to have the rough edges worked out. 

Berkeley Property Owners Association member Michael Wilson said there is consensus among landlords and tenants that a housing safety ordinance is needed, but the question remains if this ordinance fair and effective. 

“There is not an argument with the goal of safer housing,” Wilson said. “The question is how to create a law that suits both landlords and tenants.” 

Wilson said landlords would like to see the fee structure changed to give well-meaning owners an opportunity to repair safety violations before being charged the re-inspection fee. He also said there’s concern about the scope of the city inspections. 

“If the city is charging $100 to $200 for re-inspection, there might be a built-in incentive to find violations that are not directly a threat to heath and safety,” he said.  

UC Berkeley student and HAC Commissioner Andy Katz said the ordinance was ready to be approved and the one-month delay will likely mean that a large amount of vacancies won’t be inspected before students return for classes in August. 

“The ordinance was ready to go,” Katz said. “We could have made changes to the fee structure after it was approved. Now the goal of this program, to get more inspections and create a safer environment for students and Berkeley renters, has been delayed by the City Council.” 

The ordinance is scheduled to be back on the council’s agenda on July 24.

Thursday, June 14

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series, every Thursday at Noon. Bring your lunch and enjoy The Municipal Standards Trio today. 

Camping and Hiking Slide  

Presentation 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Guidebook author Tom Stienstra gives a slide presentation on where to go hiking and camping this summer in the Sierra and Shasta region. Free. 527-4140 

Berkeley School Volunteers 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

1835 Allston Way 

Orientation for volunteers interested in helping in summer academic and recreation programs. 644-8833 

Fair Campaign Practices  

Commission Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Street 

Special meeting to discuss and act upon, among other items, possible violations of the Berkeley Election Reform Act. 981-6950 

Adventures In Nature: Panama 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

William Friar, writer for Contra Costa Times and author of a new travel guide to Panama, will give a slide presentation and talk on Panama’s wildlife, history and culture. Free. 843-3533 

Friday, June 15

Free Writing, Cashiering  

& Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

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

www.ajob.org 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17. $8 - $35 sliding scale per session 548-8283 x534 or x522 

City Commons Club,  

Luncheon and Speaker 

11:45 a.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

This week featuring Edward Fox on “Regional Development Plans of The Wilderness Society.” Come early for social hour. Lunch at 11:45 for $11-$12.25. Come at 12:30 to hear the speaker only for $1, students free. Reservations required for three or more.  

848-3533 

Saturday, June 16

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

Berkeley Arts Festival  

Music Circus 

1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

Shattuck Ave. between University Ave. and Channing Way 

Free bus fare to and from the event offered by AC Transit. 665-9496. Free. 

Botanical Garden Spring Party 

3 - 6 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Drive 

Celebrating the completion of the new Arid House and the renovation of the Southern African area. Food, wine and jazz. Fundraiser for the Garden, $25 per person. 

643-2755 

Puppet Shows on Cultural and Medical Differences 

1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level) 

Two shows for kids of all ages and their families promote acceptance and understanding of cultural and medical differences. Free. 

549-1564 

Poets’ Corner 

1:30 - 4 p.m. 

Shattuck and Kittredge 

Ten poets will read on the downtown street corner as a kick-off event for the two-week Berkeley Arts Festival. 

649-3929 

Energy Crisis 

2 p.m. 

6501 Telegraph Avenue 

Oakland 

“Why They Can’t Keep the Lights On and What We Can Do About It.” Graham Brownstein and other panalists provide information on the corporate rip-off sometimes referred to as the “energy crisis.” 

595-7417 

Sunday, June 17

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

11 a.m. 

Berkeley Amtrack Station  

Foot of University Ave. 

Berkeley Arts Festival tour of coastlines installation guided by landscape architect Tom Leader. Walk culminates on the Berkeley Marina. 

486-0411 

Carefree/Carfree Tour #2 

1 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 

2200 Shattuck Ave. 

Bus and walk to: The Crucuble, workshop of arts and the industry; Bay Area Center for the Consolidated Arts; and the Juneteenth Celebration, annual street fair of African-American Roots with music, dance and food. 486-0411 

The Discord Aggregate 

Intersection 

7 p.m. 

Gathering of local artists, poets, musicians, composers and others. Non-profit group meets every three to four weeks. This week, Tasmanian photographer Tony Ryan will present his work. For location and other information e-mail alemap@discord-aggregate.com 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Ave. 

Group mediation through instrumental music and devotional songs, led by Lucian Balmer and Baoul Scavullo. Free. 

496-3468 

Buddhist Mantra/Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Bob Byrne on “Mantra and Healing,” a deep and personal kind of healing. Free. 

843-6812 

— compiled by  

Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

Monday, June 18

Raging Grannies Meeting 

7 p.m. 

1924 Cedar Fellowship Hall 

UC Berkeley 

East Bay/San Francisco Raging Grannies organizing meeting. Celebrate life with laughter and song. 

528-5403 

Reddy must pay for his crimes 

The Daily Planet received the following letter addressed to the judge presiding over the Lakireddy Bali Reddy case. Reddy has been found guilty of sex, tax and immigration offenses. He is to be sentenced Tuesday. 

Dear Judge Armstrong: 

I am writing to implore you to ignore the prosecutors’ recommendation that Lakireddy Bali Reddy receive the outrageously minimal sentence of only 5 to 6.5 years in prison, and that he pay only $2 million in restitution to three surviving victims and the parents of the dead girl for his many heinous crimes.  

I consider it a disgrace that Reddy was permitted to get away with only pleading guilty to “two counts of transporting minors for illegal sexual activity, one count of conspiring to commit immigration fraud and one of filing a false tax return”!  

Even the logic of pleading guilty to two counts of transporting minors for so-called illegal sexual activity, yet paying restitution to three surviving victims and the parents of a fourth victim who died, makes no sense.  

The recommended sentence is scandalous - a mere rap on the knuckles for Reddy - whose property holdings alone are worth more than $50 million. It is ludicrous and completely unjust that Reddy could get the same 5-year sentence recommended for Venkateswara Vemireddy for being solicited by Reddy for posing as the two sisters’ father to enable their illegal entry into the United States. This is an example of a flagrantly unjust double standard of justice - one for the rich and powerful and another for everyone else. 

I understand that 38 years is the maximum prison sentence permitted for the crimes to which Reddy pleaded guilty. I beg you to exercise your prerogative to sentence Reddy on June 19, 2001, to this maximum number of years of incarceration. Even if you do so, Reddy will still not have been held accountable for the rape of young girls and the death of Chanti because he hasn’t been prosecuted for these crimes. In short, Reddy has been permitted by the legal system to get away with the rape of at least 15 minors (the number cited in the press in the context of the civil case that will be occurring in the future), and possibly with the murder of one of them! 

Following is a summary of my views of Reddy and his crimes: 

• Reddy is a slave trader and trafficker of impoverished girls from India for so-called “illegal sexual activity” (i.e., rape) and cheap or unpaid labor. 

• Reddy is a practicing pedophile and a serial rapist of young women and underage girls in Berkeley for almost 15 years, and additional years in India.  

• Reddy is guilty of negligent homicide for not repairing the gas leak in one of his apartments where he had housed three of his sex slaves, causing the death of one and the severe carbon monoxide poisoning of another.  

Finally, you should be aware that the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution Dec. 19, 2000 supporting Women Against Sexual Slavery’s boycott of Reddy’s Pasand restaurant in downtown Berkeley, as well as resolving: 

“that the Council of the City of Berkeley supports strong sentencing for cases involving trafficking of women and children due to the serious human rights violations and unethical, inhumane treatment toward women and children.” 

Please bear in mind this resolution by the elected representatives of Berkeley - including the mayor - as well as my views when you decide on Reddy’s sentence . 

Diana E. H. Russell, Ph.D. 

Member of Women Against Sexual Slavery 

Berkeley 

Bush has some good news for all of us 

Editor: 

We haven’t had much good economic news in California recently, which is why it was particularly gratifying to watch President George W. Bush take pen in hand and affix his signature to a $1.35 trillion dollar tax cut. 

Only 125 days into office and the President has pushed through a bipartisan tax cut that slashes taxes across the board for every single tax paying American. That kind of all-inclusive tax cut hasn’t taken place since Ronald Reagan provided similar relief to the taxpayers. 

President Bush told us during the campaign that he was going to lower our taxes, and now he has. He also told us he was going to change the tone in Washington, and he is doing that as well.  

The president signed this tax cut flanked by both Republicans and Democrats providing a model for bipartisan government that is void of mean spirited politics. 

The President honed his approach to open honest bipartisan politics as the successful governor of a large state, Texas. He demonstrated that an effective chief executive could extend a hand across the aisle and forge solutions for the good of the citizens. 

The President gave credit for this tax relief bill to both Republicans and Democrats.  

How refreshing to have a President who isn’t worried about who gets the credit, but is more interested in real results. 

Our governor, Gray Davis, could take a few lessons from President Bush. 

Davis’ response to our state’s energy crisis as been to try to assign blame instead of implementing solutions.  

Instead of marshalling the resources of his office toward solving the energy supply shortage by using his emergency powers to expedite the construction of power plants; Davis is using taxpayer dollars to hire the “spin doctors” who handled the Whitewater and Lewinsky 

scandals in the Clinton White House. This commitment to place politics above governing threatens California’s future. 

The great irony for Davis is that as he points his blaming finger at others an examination of the facts turns the wagging finger back at the Governor himself. 

Last month, Davis appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and claimed that the state’s utilities could have secured long-term power contracts last year at low prices, but they refused to do so. 

Davis is either misleading the public or he does not grasp reality. 

The reality is, both of the major utilities had asked the Public Utilities Commission for the ability to secure long-term contracts and avert the current crisis. The chairwoman of the PUC, a former Clinton White House lawyer assigned to scandal control and appointed by Davis, blocked such 

contracts. Furthermore, Davis could have exercised his authority to allow those contracts and he refused to do so. 

If Gray Davis had shown even the smallest amount of decisive leadership last year, we likely wouldn’t be facing a summer of blackouts and state budget deficits.  

Now, the man who created this mess is obsessed with blaming President Bush. Shameful. 

Meanwhile, as gasoline prices skyrocket, Davis has proposed a state budget that raises the sales tax on goods, including fuel, by a quarter cent. 

Davis is turning into the worst kind of politician. He’s obsessed with his own political fortunes. He’s afraid to make decisions that aren’t guided by pollsters. The net results have been an electrical crisis, escalating electricity rates and now higher taxes. 

George Bush’s tax rebate will arrive just in time for Californians to pay for the higher costs of living that Gray Davis is imposing upon us. The Bush dividend will unfortunately have to be a down payment on for your Davis tax! 

Shawn Steel 

Chairman, California  

Republican Party 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” 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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 15: Strike Anywhere, Missing 23rd, Crispus Attacks, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Deadlock Frequency; June 16: Nerve Agents, American Nightmare, Fields of Fire, Affront, Scissorhands. June 22 Hoods, Fall Silent, Clenched Fist, Osiva, Hellcrew; June 23 The Hellbillies, The Fartz, The Tossers, Ruodp, The Fightbacks; June 29 Barfeeders, Pac-Men, Hell After Dark, A.K.A. Nothing, Maurice’s Little Bastards 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 14/21/28: Keni “El Lebrijano”; June 19: pickPocket Ensemble; June 20: Whiskey Brothers; June 26 Mad & eddie Duran Jazz Duo; June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m. June 14: Richard Kalman Combo; June 15,22,29,30: Anne & Susie Larain and Sallie Hanna-Rhine; June 16: Robin Gregory & Bliss Rodriguez; Aleph Null; June 18,25: The Renegade Sidemen; June 19 Jason Martinwau; June 20,27: Bob Schoen Jazz Quartet; June 21: The Jazz Singers Collective; June 23:The maestro Rich Kalman & His Jazz Trio; June 24 The Joe Livotti Sound; June 26: Tangria; June 28: ConFusion. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 14: 10 p.m., Dead DJ Nite with Digital Dave; June 15: 9 :30 p.m., Winston Jarrett with special guests; June 16: 9:30 p.m., Amandla Poets; June 17, 6 p.m.: Ray Cepeda and the Neo Maya Experience; June 19, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie; June 20, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat; June 21, 10 p.m.: Digital Dave; June 24: 8 p.m.: Babatunde Olantunji; June 26: 9 p.m., DP & The Rhythem Riders; June 27, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding/Circle R Boys/Dark Hollow; June 28, 9 p.m.: Monkey/Stiff Richards/ Go Jimmy Go.1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Blakes June 17, 9 p.m.: Third Eye Movement’s Straight Buldin Tour 2001 featuring Red, Guard, Renaissance, Bored Stiff, Deuce Eclipse, Gazzi and SoulSistaSoul. Hosted by Rob Jamal of nommo; 2367 Telegraph; for more info call 238-8080 x310 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 13: Danu; June 14: Guy Davis; June 15: The Laurie Lewis Trio; June 16: Rova Saxophone Quartet. $17.50; June 17: Sean Tyrrell and Tommy Peoples; June 19: Toshi Reardon; June 20 Cliff Eberhardt; June 21 Rachel Garlin, $15.00 advance, $16.50 door; June 22: Sourdough Slim w/ Blackwood Tom; June 23: Lara & Reyes; June 24; Darryl Purpose, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar; 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 14: Beatdown with DJs Delon, Yamu, Add1; June 15: Steven Emerson; June 16: Nucleus; June 19: Mas Cabeza; June 20: Wavelord; June 21: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 22: Realistic; June 23: Wayside; June 26: Bruno Pelletier Trio; June 27: O Maya; June 28: Beatdown w/ DJ’s Delon, Yamu & Addi; June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave 843-8277 

La Peña Cultural Center June 15, 8 p.m.: TIJUANA NO! with Caradura and Prophets of Rage Dj La Viuda Negra. 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 www.lapena.org  

Live Oaks Concerts Berkeley Art Center, June 24: 7:30 p.m., Stephen Bell. Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

Jazzschool Recitals June 17: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos; June 19: 4 p.m., Jazz Groups; June 20: 4 p.m., Jazz Ensembles; June 21: 4 p.m., Jazz Combos. Free. The Jazzschool/La Note 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

WordWind Chorus June 15, 8 p.m. In celebration of the release of its first CD, the WordWind Chorus will perform a unique collaboration of music and poetry. $10 Tuva Space 3192 Adeline 530-7698 

Estradasphere and Warsaw June 15, 9:30 p.m. $7 Blakes 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886 

Celebrating Um Kulthoum June 17, 7 p.m. A benefit concert for Palestinian Refugees, the Lammam Ensemble will perform some of legendary Arabic vocalist Um Kulthoum’s most cherished songs. $20. International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft 415-648-1353 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Season Finale June 21, 8 p.m. Works by Shostakovich, Brahms, and Rohde. $19 - $35 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“More Matters of Life and Death” June 15 - 17, 8 p.m. The newest cycle of this series, “Iris, Blue, Each Spring,” tackles the joys and sorrows of growing older and is set to “Six Japanese Songs” by Margaret Garwood. Presented by The Ruch Botchan Dance Company in concert with The Mirage Ensemble. $12 - $15 Western Sky Studio 2525 Eighth St. 848-4878 

“Dance Mosaic: Celebrating Diversity” June 16, 8 p.m. and June 17, 2 p.m. The annual repertory concert for the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance features over 100 performers of dance and music from the South Pacific, India, Africa and the Middle East. $5 - $15 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

Kalanjali in Concert June 22, 7 p.m. Kalanjali concludes its celebration of its 25th year in Berkeley with a special recital. Experienced dancers and young students, with guests from India including dancer K. P. Yesoda and the musicians of Bharatakalanjali. $6 - $8 Juia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Cymbeline” Through June 24, Tues. - Thur. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. Opening of the California Shakespeare Festival features one of Shakespeare’s first romances, directed by Daniel Fish. $12 - $146. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater off Highway 24 at the Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit. 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 8: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Kid Kaleidoscope and the Puppet Players” June 24: 2 p.m., Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. The Puppet Players are a multi-media musical theatre group. Their shows are masterfully produced to thrill people of all ages with handmadesets and puppets. Adults $10, Children $5, 2640 College 867-7199 

“Romeo and Juliet” June 14 - July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930’s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Opens June 14, runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

Films 

Berkeley Film Festival, June 23, 1 p.m. Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery. Presnetation of Six films: The Good War, and Those Who Refused to Fight it (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada Flores), Just Crazy About Horses (Tim Lovejoy and Joe Wemple), Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar (L. John Harris and Bill Hayes), In Between the Notes (William Farley and Sandra Sharpe) and KPFA On The Air (Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood). 2220 Shattuck 486-0411 

Pacific Film Archive June 14, 7 p.m.: Trial on the Road, 9 p.m.: Freeze-Die-Come to Life; June 15, 7:30 p.m.: A Long Happy Life, 8:50: Goodbye, Boys; Jun 16: 7 and 9 p.m.: Beau Travail; June 17, 5:30 p.m.: The Face of Another; June 19 7:30 p.m.: Los; June 20 7:30 p.m.: filial Fixations; June 21 Days of the Eclipse 7 p.m. & A Spring for the Thirsty 9:30 p.m.; June 22 Three by Aurthur Peleshian 7:30 p.m., Ivan’s childhood 9 p.m.; June 23 7 & 9:10 p.m. I can’t Sleep; June 24 The Ruined Map 5:30 p.m. & Summer Soldiers 7:50 p.m.; June 26 7:30 p.m. San Francisco Cinematheque: 40 Years in Focus; June 27 7:30 p.m. Nature vs. Nurture; June 28 7:30 p.m. The Beginning of an Unknown Era; June 29 Molba 7:30, Shadows od Our Forgotten Ancestors 9:10; June 30 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Constitutional Shift, Through July 13, tuesdays - fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Kala Art Institute. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

East Bay Open Studios June 16 & 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Jennifer Foxly: Oil paintings and 2-d mixed media works 3206 Boise St.; Lewis Suzuki: Scenes from California to the Philippines, florals to nudes 2240 Grant St.; Guy Colwell: Painted replicas and recent original work 2028 9th St. (open until 7 p.m.) 

PASSING: The Re-Definition of Sex and Gender Through the Personal Re-Presentation of Self Through June 16, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Black and white photographs by Ann P. Meredith. Free. Reception with the artist June 7, 6 - 8 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St.  

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Tyler James Hoare Sculpture and Collage Through June 27, call for hours. Party June 9, 5-9 p.m. with music by Sauce Piquante. The Albatross Pub 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

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

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

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. All events at 7:30 p.m. June 14: Ana Menendez reads from “In Cuba I Was A German Sheperd”; June 15: James Ellroy reads “The Cold Six Thousand.” 845-7852  

Cody’s Books 1730 Fourth St. All events at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 14: Stephanie Brill talks about “The Queer Parent’s Primer: A Lesbian and Gay Families’ Guide to Navigating the Straight World”; June 16, 4 p.m.: Chris Raschka presents a talk and demontration for children, and paints the store front window; June 18 Sherman Alexie- The Toughest Indian in the world. 559-9500 

Freight & Salvage, June 23, 10 a.m.-noon Diane di Prima, beat poet and author of “recollections of My Life as a Woman”. 

Simone Martel June 16, 2 p.m. Martel will read from her book “The Expectant Gardener: A Wise and Fun Guide to the Adventure of Backyard Growing” Barnes and Noble 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861  

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. Featured poets: June 18: Katie Daley; June 25 Steve ArntsenCafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

Tours 

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

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

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

New boat can’t stop ’Jackets  

The Berkeley High crew varsity four-man boat finished fifth at the U.S. Rowing Youth Invitational Championships in Cincinnati last weekend, the school’s first appearance at the national competition. 

Although the team entered both the two- and four-man events in Cincinnati, the overlapping members decided to concentrate on the four-man, according to Mick Renner, the organization president. 

“It was apparent that it was impossible to do well in both events,” Renner said. “The two rowers (sophomore Jordan Bice and junior Yoshi Katsuura) had to make a decision on their own out on the water. They decided to reserve their strength for the four-man boat.” 

The four-man boat consisted of Bice, Katsuura, David Gaber, Eric Davidson and coxswain Matt Renner. 

The members of the four-man had to make a big adjustment in the final event of their season. Their regular boat has the coxswain positioned to the rear. But they were unable to take their own boat, and the boat they used at the nationals had Renner in the front, unable to see his rowers. 

The change nearly proved disastrous in the first heat, as Berkeley took an early lead but steered into a lane marker and struggled to the finish line. But by the second heat, they had made their adjustments and came from behind to finish in second to qualify for the finals. 

“It was hard getting used to a new boat and a new scenario, but it worked out well,” said Matt Renner, a senior who will be on the Cal crew team next year along with Davidson. “I think I actually prefer it now.” 

The ’Jackets finished the final race fifth out of six competitors. 

“I figured they’d all be fast boats since it was the national championships, but I had a feeling we’d do well,” said Matt Renner, a senior. “This is definitely the high point of my crew career.”

Plastered on the windows of the old and empty futon shop on University Avenue – next to the old and empty UC Theatre – are posters touting the draft plan of the Revolutionary Communist Party. 

Inside the UC Theatre, all’s dark and quiet. 

But in the old hotel next door, above the futon shop, there’s furious activity. Here, a revolution, of sorts, is in progress. The total transformation of the Stark Hotel, a single room occupancy residence vacant since 1987, is being sawed, sanded and riveted into high-end studio apartments, complete with hardwood floors, modern appliances and – having opened up the attic – spiral staircases mounting to sleeping lofts.  

The developers have shored up the brick walls, but haven’t covered them up. And there’s natural light that streams through skylights in each studio and along the hallways. 

Developers Igal Sarafaty and Yaval Bobrovitch are well on their way to completing the apartments, which they hope to have rented by next fall, when UC Berkeley students return to class. The futon shop and the former barbershop below are also getting a thorough facelift and retrofit. 

The second part of the project, however, remains illusive. The transformation of the UC Theatre is a dream in progress. 

“It’s a piece of Berkeley culture,” Bobrovitch said of the theater, whose doors closed at the end of March. 

Bobrovitch and Sarafaty have been talking to Gary Myers, who opened the UC Theatre in 1976 and left the operation four years ago, about how best to reuse the old 1,300-seat elephant. 

Some people – one who even posted an essay on the box office of the old theater – say the reason for the closure of the theater is that Myers had stopped programming the films. But Myers says the answer is far more complex.  

The audience has changed, he said. People are no longer willing to come out for the great range of films as they once did.  

“The audience is less adventurous,” Myers said. “We have to be very creative.” 

People who once went to the movies three or more times a week, now stay home and watch videos or surf the Net. And the film companies have not kept the old classics in good condition. People can get better copies for home viewing, Myers said. 

So a revitalized UC Theatre would have to embody a completely new concept. Myers envisions the structure broken up into three parts: one would be a large theater of 600 seats and the other two would be smaller, at 150 seats each.  

Films would be just part of the new operation. There would also be live performances – music and theater. There would be lectures. And, during the day, the space might be used as a conference center, with satellite conferencing facilities available.  

Myers envisions an operation that would be open every day of the year and says that the variety of events scheduled there would create a “cross fertilization,” with the movie-going crowd trying out live music, for example. 

“We want to explore how to make the UC Theatre viable again,” he said.  

And the City Council may lend a hand. 

As part of its 2001-2002 budget discussions, the council will be considering funding a $40,000 feasibility study Myers would carry out for re-using the old theater.  

Sarafaty and Bobrovitch have already done the massive job of retrofitting the theater for earthquake protection. The $600,000 project includes the installation of steel beams to shore up the 60-foot high theater walls. Other beams, at further expense, stretch between the apartments and the theater to stabilize the apartments and the shops below. 

If the transformation of the theater doesn’t work, the developers will investigate other uses for the gaping structure – it could be commercial space or more housing, they said. 

Until a re-use plan is in place, the dust will continue to settle on the windows that once displayed coming attractions and passersby will read the missives posted as good-byes to the theater.  

While today, they walk quickly by the theater and past the empty futon shop with promises of revolution plastered to the windows, the stores and apartments above will most certainly see their transformation well before a re-use plan is written for the old theater. 

“It’s very sad for me,” Myers said.

With just the final baseball points to be added, Cal appears headed toward its highest finish ever in the Sears Directors’ Cup standings.  

In the latest rankings announced Tuesday, the Bears moved up to 11th place. Once baseball points are added after the College World Series next week, Cal could easily find itself in the Top 10 at end of the year.  

The Sears Cup measures a school’s overall level of success based on performances of teams in 20 selected sports.  

However, Cal’s finish could have been even higher except that four teams that finished among the top four in the nation did not contribute to the standings. Both rugby and men’s crew defended their national titles, but neither sport competes under the NCAA umbrella. In addition, men’s and women’s water polo were ranked fourth in the final polls, but the Bears were not among the four teams invited to the NCAA championships, and thus received no Sears Cup points.  

In addition to the above teams, Cal had Top 25 finishes in women’s crew (6th), women’s golf (19th), men’s gymnastics (3rd), women’s gymnastics (19th), women’s swimming (7th), men’s swimming (8th), women’s soccer (17th), softball (5th), women’s tennis (9th), men’s tennis (9th) and men’s track & field (22nd).  

The Bears also received points from men’s basketball and men’s golf, and will gain more points from baseball.  

Last year, Cal finished 15th in the final Sears Cup standings, its highest since coming in 13th in 1994-95.

School officials announced Monday that Berkeley High Vice Principal Michele Patterson will be the new principal of Willard Middle School next year, replacing retiring Principal Gail Hojo. 

Patterson said Wednesday that she was “ecstatic” with her appointment to Willard. She’s spent much of the week visiting the school, getting to know its staff and doing a little eavesdropping on its students. 

“It’s kind of fun because they don’t know who I am,” she said. 

Patterson came to Berkeley High from southern California in January 1999 to help oversee the creation of Village 9, a “school within a school” intended to ease the transition into high school for Berkeley High freshman. 

Patterson’s background is in middle schools, however, and she came to Berkeley with the understanding that she would have an opportunity to move back into middle schools should an administrative position open up. 

Before she got to Berkeley High, Patterson, 38, had accumulated 14 years of experience in middle schools, working as an English and history teacher and then as an administrator at the Fontana Unified School District in San Bernardino County. 

She said she prefers working in middle schools because, more than just teaching required subjects, middle school teachers must often play a critical role in students’ emotional development. 

“Middle school students are at the stage in their lives where they’re really struggling with who they are,” Patterson said. She said middle school teachers must work closely together, creating a family-like environment where students will feel welcome and can get the attention they need. 

“(Middle school) students so badly need something to identify with,” Patterson added. If they don’t feel a sense of belonging in the middle school community, it becomes an obstacle to their academic and social development, she said. 

Patterson said her top priorities at Willard will be student safety, student achievement and staff morale.  

Safety and morale have been issues of particular concern at Willard, particularly after an incident earlier this year where seven Willard boys were arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl, according to a number of people close to the campus. 

“That was tough to go through,” said Willard Vice Principal Gene Nakamura. “When you get battered by the news and the media it’s pretty tough, because it’s a slap at your confidence.” 

Nakamura, who was named the new head of the district’s Student Services Offices Monday and will be leaving Willard after 22 years as a teacher and administrator at the school, said another challenge for Patterson will be dealing with chronic understaffing at the school. 

“What’s happening in the school district is they’re taking positions away and then the people who are left are expected to pick it up,” Nakamura said.  

Nakamura said he himself has taken on the work load of the school’s Resource Specialist, who moved up to the district’s central office in the middle of the year and was not replaced. 

Even before Willard lost one of its three on-campus safety personnel in the most recent round of school district budget cuts, the school had gone a year and a half without the benefit of a school resource officer from the Berkeley police department, Nakamura added. (Both Longfellow and King middle schools have Resource Officers assigned to them.) 

The absence of the officer “makes a big difference,” Nakamura said, “not only in prevention (of violence) but also in counseling.” 

Unlike the high school, Willard has no counseling staff on campus to help students work through emotional problems, a fact Patterson said the school district may need to rethink in the years ahead.  

As for the other staff shortages, Patterson said: “I think the whole district is feeling the cuts.” 

Overworked or not, Berkeley PTA Council President Mark Coplan, whose son will enter Willard in the fall, said Patterson should move to make the school more responsive to the needs of parents and others in the community. Coplan said he himself has experienced the frustration of having repeated calls to the school go unanswered, a complaint echoed by other Willard parents this year. 

“(Patterson) could really move to change the image (of Willard) by being responsive and available to the community,” Coplan said. 

Patterson said her experience working at Berkeley High for the last 18 months puts her in a unique position to continue working on the often problematic transition students experience moving from middle school to high school.  

“Now I completely understand where I’m sending my Willard eighth graders” and how they need to be prepared, Patterson said. 

With Village 9, the school within the school at Berkeley High, Patterson helped implement a number of programs to help eighth graders become successful ninth graders. To give middle schoolers and their parents a better idea of what to expect at Berkeley High, Village 9 orchestrated “Eighth grade visitations” to the school and “parent information nights” at the middle schools.  

Once at Berkeley High, Village 9 provides freshman an array of tutoring, mentoring, peer support and after-school programs to give them added social, emotional and academic support. 

But the success of these efforts, said Patterson, hinges on the high school being able to identify students at risk and hook them up with the support services they need from their very first day on campus. To often, Patterson said, the poor flow of information between the high school and middle schools impedes this process. 

“We need very close communication (between middle schools and the high school),” Patterson said. “We can make that transition much smoother.”

Junior Walter Chun has been named an All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America.  

Chun, who served as co-captain of the Bears this past season, is majoring in business administration at Cal. During the just-completed season, he averaged 74.1 strokes per round. Chun's best finish was a tie for ninth at the Cleveland Golf Classic.  

All-America Scholars are recognized for their performances athletically and scholastically. To qualify for the honor, student-athletes must be a junior or senior academically, maintain a minimum grade-point average, compete in at least 75 percent of his team's varsity competitive rounds, and maintain a minimum stroke average.  

As a team, the Bears advanced to the NCAA Western Regionals for the fifth consecutive season.

UC Berkeley graduate, Adam Varat, has been selected from over 100 students to participate in the 21st annual EDAW Summer Student Program. 

Varat will be participating as an intern in the redevelopment of the Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colo., at one time the fifth busiest airport in the United States, and the largest urban redevelopment project in the country. The airport will be converted into a thriving community built on smart growth and environmentally sustainable principles, said Sandy D’Elia, Principal and Director of Development of EDAW, San Francisco. 

Varat is currently a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The internship was created and sponsored by EDAW, a San Francisco based consulting firm in environmental planning, landscape architecture, urban design and economic development.

The Pac-10 Conference has accepted the recommendations of a Cal internal investigation into violations involving the school’s football program and will take away four scholarships over the next two years, the conference office announced Tuesday. 

Wide recievers Michael Ainsworth and Ronnie Davenport were given academic credit for a class they did not complete in the spring semester of 1999, violations uncovered last fall. Both athletes have since left school. 

The school pre-empted any NCAA investigation by conducting its own five-month investigation into the allegations, making its recommendation to the conference in February. The school has a self-imposed two-year probation period, and was given a public reprimand by the Pac-10. 

Cal’s investigation turned up no additional wrongdoing, saying, “The core violations are limited to one faculty member, two student-athletes and one academic semester.” The investigation found no evidence of unethical conduct by any coach or other member of Cal’s athletic program staff.

SAN FRANCISCO — In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court said it’s illegal to sell or possess marijuana for medical use, the decision appears to be having little effect in the eight states with medical marijuana laws. 

“I dispense a couple pounds a month,” said Jim Green, operator of the Market Street Club, where business has thrived even after the May 14 ruling. “All of my clients have a legitimate and compelling need.” 

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington allow the infirm to receive, possess, grow or smoke marijuana for medical purposes without fear of state prosecution. 

Those states have done little to change since the Supreme Court ruled federal law prohibits people from dispensing marijuana to the ill. Some states have even moved to expand marijuana laws despite the ruling. 

State prosecutors say it’s up to federal authorities, not them, to enforce the court’s decision. 

“If the feds want to prosecute these people, they can,” said Norm Vroman, the district attorney in Northern California’s Mendocino County, where the sheriff issues medical marijuana licenses to residents with a doctor’s recommendation, or to people who grow the marijuana for them. 

In Maine, “state prosecutors aren’t too involved with enforcing the federal law,” said state attorney general spokesman Chuck Dow. 

In response to the high court’s decision, however, Maine lawmakers shelved an effort to supply marijuana to the ill. 

The Bush administration, which inherited the medical marijuana fight from President Clinton, has taken no public action to enforce the ruling and has been silent about its next move. 

“There’s generally no comment about what the government will do in the future in any context,” said Mark T. Quinlivan, the Justice Department’s lead attorney in the Supreme Court case. 

Leslie Baker, head of the U.S. attorney’s Portland, Ore., drug-enforcement unit, said last week that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s office has not given her guidance on how to respond to the ruling. Oregon allows “caregivers” to grow and dispense marijuana for patients who have a doctor’s recommendation. 

Baker declined to say what federal authorities may do in the state. 

Meanwhile, Nevada lawmakers, abiding by a voter referendum, on June 4 adopted a medical marijuana measure that Gov. Kenny Guinn said he would sign. 

In California, the nation’s first state to approve medical marijuana in 1996, the Senate approved legislation June 6 legalizing marijuana cooperatives for the sick. 

Three days earlier, Colorado expanded its medical marijuana law, complying with a state voter initiative that requires the state to license medical marijuana users. That was despite the opposition of Gov. Bill Owens and the state’s attorney general, who urged federal authorities to prosecute anybody who sells, distributes or grows medical marijuana, even if they qualify for the state program. 

At the Market Street Club in California, the marijuana goes to patients such as Grant Magner, 49, of Novato, who says it reduces nausea and headaches resulting from AIDS and gives him enough of an appetite to eat. 

“It gives me a slight feeling of wellness. I can not smoke marijuana, and watch my body waste away,” he said. 

The absence of federal action has led to speculation about the Bush administration’s strategy. 

“I think they are biding their time and are being very careful for which organizations or persons they are going to target first after this U.S. Supreme Court decision because that is what is going to get all of the media attention,” said Tim Lynch, the Cato Institute director of criminal justice studies. 

The Justice Department may take no action in hopes that the decision will scare medical marijuana providers out of business, said Mark Kleiman, a drug policy expert at the University of California at Los Angeles. 

The public silence also may reflect that the White House has more important issues to handle. 

“That is not what they’re talking about in the Capitol and the corridors of the White House,” said presidential analyst Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution. 

Any federal crackdown may open a Pandora’s box of new legal questions, said Robert Raich, the lawyer for the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. 

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Oakland club could not defend its actions against federal drug laws by declaring it was dispensing marijuana to the medically needy. 

But the justices said they addressed only the issue of a so-called “medical necessity defense” being at odds with a 1970 federal law that marijuana, like heroin and LSD, has no medical benefits and cannot be dispensed or prescribed by doctors. 

Important constitutional questions remain, such as Congress’ ability to interfere with intrastate commerce, the right of states to experiment with their own laws and whether Americans have a fundamental right to marijuana as an avenue to be free of pain. Justice Thomas wrote that the court would not decide those “underlying constitutional issues today.” 

SINCE THE RULING 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled May 14 that dispensing or possessing marijuana for medical use is illegal. Here’s what has happened since in the states that have medical marijuana laws in effect or pending: 

Arizona: Attorney general’s spokeswoman Pati Urias said doctors, even before the high court’s ruling, were not recommending marijuana as the state law required for the infirm to obtain medical marijuana. Activists estimate that several hundred people are using marijuana for medical purposes. 

California: Senate approved a sweeping bill that would implement a statewide registry of medical marijuana patients, bar state prosecution of doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients and allow so-called caregivers to the infirm to cultivate marijuana cooperatively for medical purposes. 

Colorado: Expanded its medical marijuana law, complying with a state voter initiative that requires the state to issue license medical marijuana users. Governor and state attorney general oppose the expansion, urging federal authorities to prosecute anybody who sells, distributes or grows marijuana, even if they qualify under the state program. The local acting U.S. Attorney said it’s up to local law enforcement to prosecute medical pot cases. 

Hawaii: Governor said he’ll lobby for federal legislation to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes nationwide. 

Maine: Lawmakers scrapped a pilot project in which the state would dispense medical marijuana. 

Nevada: State lawmakers, abiding by a voter referendum, approved a medical marijuana law, which governor said he would sign. Lawmakers also relaxed penalties for possessing small amounts of non-medical marijuana. 

Oregon: Attorney general cautioned that “Oregonians engaged in the manufacture and distribution or who are in possession of medical marijuana may be subject to federal criminal prosecution.” But he added that federal prosecution was unlikely. 

On the Net: 

Supreme Court site: http://www.supremecourtus.gov 

Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative: http://www.rxcbc.org

WALNUT CREEK — A second death has been linked to a contaminated batch of meningitis shots, and officials say up to 60 people may have been injected with the tainted cortisone solution. 

An elderly man who received a shot mixed at Doc’s Pharmacy in Walnut Creek died last week after contracting meningitis.  

Autopsy results reveal the man died from the spinal injection, said Dr. Wendel Brunner, director of public health for Contra Costa County. 

A 47-year-old Concord man also died from meningitis, a swelling of the brain and spinal cord, May 30, 24 hours after receiving a shot for lower back pain. 

Health officials have said the medicine was contaminated with the bacteria that causes meningitis when Doc’s Pharmacy prepared it in less than sterile conditions. 

Twelve people have been hospitalized for serratia infections linked to the tainted medication.  

Four of those patients contracted serratia meningitis, including the two who died, and a fifth patient contracted a serratia infection of the blood.

VACAVILLE — Smoke from a fire near Interstate 505 caused two multiple-car accidents, closed the highway to traffic and forced the evacuation of a mobile home park in northern Solano County Wednesday. 

Black smoke from the blaze limited visibility, contributing to the 13-car and eight-car pileups. Several people suffered minor injuries in the crashes, said California Highway Patrol Supervisor Kin Ho. 

Firefighters battled windy conditions along with the flames, but the fire was controlled Wednesday night, said a spokeswoman from the Solano County Dispatch Center. 

“The key point is that these winds cause fires to move,” said Vacaville Fire Department battalion chief Gerald Skinner. 

The fire began at about 1:30 p.m. in a grove of eucalyptus trees north of Allendale in an area called Gandy Dancer, Ho said. The fire then spread to several other areas. 

The fire divided into 25 different blazes, scorching a total of 200 to 300 acres, but no structures were threatened, the dispatch spokeswoman said. 

CHP officials closed I-505 between Interstate 80 and the town of Winters.  

Both lanes of traffic on I-80 north of Vacaville were moved to eastbound lanes. The fire extended to the factory stores area of Orange Drive near the Vacaville city limits.

SACRAMENTO — In May, Gov. Gray Davis announced a plan to give Californians detailed warnings of rolling blackouts to help businesses and residents plan for outages. 

But a draft of the plan, obtained by The Associated Press, has changed the proposed one-hour “blackout warning” to a “probability forecast,” which one utility official called a “vague warning that’s wrong more often than it’s right.” 

The one-hour notice is expected to be wrong two-thirds of the time, because the Independent System Operator will continue to look for power to keep the lights on, said several people who participated in meetings to plan the blackout notifications. 

Under Davis’ plan, the ISO, manager of the state’s power grid, will also issue a 48-hour rolling blackout forecast and the 24-hour location notification. 

Peter Navarro, an economist with University of California, Irvine who works on energy issues, called the one-hour blackout notice “a very blunt instrument.” 

“It’s going to be like the typical California forecast – sunny, hot and dry with a chance of rolling blackouts,” Navarro said. “How do you prepare for that?” 

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services coordinated the plan to implement Davis’ order by consulting private and municipal utilities, the ISO and the Public Utilities Commission. The plan will be presented to Davis by Friday. 

Even after the issuing the 60-minute blackout notice, the state will keep looking for last-minute power, said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. “The public knows the ISO doesn’t have a crystal ball, but it can provide information to help them make critical decisions.” 

A utility official, who participated in the calls and who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the one-hour blackout probability forecast “doesn’t come anywhere close to what’s been promised to the public. 

“Instead of a real one-hour notice of an outage that people can rely on and make plans for, they’re just going to get another vague warning that’s going to be wrong far more often than it’s right,” the executive said. The utilities will make the biggest differences in handling blackouts, said Steve Conroy, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, which participated in one of the conference calls. 

“There is more advance notice from the utilities to our customers,” Conroy said. 

Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. have joined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in assigning customers a “block number” so they will know what neighborhood are next to be hit by a blackout. 

“The newest element that’s required is to make geographic information available to the public. It was already available to public safety offices,” said John Nelson, spokesman for PG&E. 

Blackout forecasts, Conroy said, are “very much like a weather forecast” and subject to change. McCorkle said forecasts will also encourage power conservation and further lessen the chance of blackouts. 

Eric Lamoureux, an emergency services spokesman, said the plan isn’t intended to predict a blackout but give a sense of when they’re likely. 

Utility customers don’t need a guarantee, just a warning that blackouts could occur, said Michael Shames, executive director of Utility Consumers’ Action Network. 

“The objective here is to allow customers to prepare for the eventuality of blackouts,” he said. “The people will not rebel if the lights stay on. What we do need is more than 30 minutes notice.” 

Jennifer Ng, the owner of Moonlight Cleaners in Elk Grove, said she’d welcome two days’ notice for blackout. It took her more than a week to catch up on work that a couple hours of blackouts halted at the dry cleaners, she said. 

“It affects businesses more than people think,” Ng said. “If I had more warning, I would be able to stay late the night before or bring in more people.” 

To really give a true blackout warning, Shames said, the ISO must “draw the line” and stop shopping for electricity to keep the lights on. 

Plus, Shames added, repeated false alarms could lose their effectiveness. “That’s why they shouldn’t be issued cavalierly.” 

Shames and Navarro have called for a price ceiling for last-minute power buys and a willingness to suffer blackouts in prices don’t come down. The Legislature is now considering a bill to allow state power buyers to stop shopping for power. 

SACRAMENTO — A federal judge is threatening to block the cutting of trees in three Northern California national forests as part of a fire prevention program, unless the U.S. Forest Service submits a better plan addressing regrowth and potential harmful effects. 

The agency’s current impact statement fails to properly account for maintaining 320,000 acres of fire breaks in the Sierra Nevada forests and the possible use of herbicides that could harm the environment, ruled U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton. 

He ordered the Forest Service to offer a revised environmental impact statement for public comment within four months, or stop the project. 

“The Forest Service is radically altering vegetation on 320,000 acres of forest without knowing what the ultimate result is going to be,” said Patty Clary, director of Californians for Alternatives to Toxics. 

CATS sued the Forest Service for not exploring how it would control the regrowth of brush and grasses in the fire breaks. 

The plan was a product of controversial 1998 federal legislation sought by an unusual coalition of loggers, environmentalists and others that became known as the Quincy Library Group for their meeting place. 

The Quincy Act requires construction of a network of fire lines by removing trees and shrubs in strips a quarter- to half-mile wide and several miles long on 40,000 to 60,000 acres each year for five years. The network will ultimately cover one-quarter of the land in the Plumas and Lassen national forests and the Sierraville District of the Tahoe National Forest. 

Clary said maintaining those breaks could involve the use of herbicides, but the consequences of such use were not explored. Forest Service attorneys argued no maintenance would be needed for 10 years, beyond the life of the project, but CATS disagrees, saying grass and other brush could grow back within two to five years. 

Karlton ruled Tuesday that the Forest Service provided no evidence to back its assumption or dispute concerns presented by a CATS expert. 

LOS ANGELES — Amid soaring gas prices that topped $2 per gallon in some areas, nationwide sales of Honda’s electric-gasoline hybrid car reached record-breaking levels in May, company officials said Wednesday. 

Sales of the Insight two-door coupe last month were up 138 percent compared to May 2000. The sale of 903 Insights last month also broke the previous single-month record of 573, set in April. 

Pat Bennett, a 63-year-old retiree in Baton Rouge, La., was intrigued by the car’s compact shape and handling, along with its $12 monthly fuel bill. 

“I don’t fill up but maybe once a month,” she said.  

“To be honest, I don’t know what (the price of fuel) is right now because I haven’t been to the service station.” Honda executives and auto industry experts said buyers are interested in the Insight’s fuel efficiency – pitched by Honda as reaching up to 68 mpg on the highway – and sporty look and feel.  

And for the technologically advanced Palm Pilot-carrying crowd, owning a cutting-edge vehicle also is a draw. 

“With all the attention rising gas prices have received there has almost been as much attention on the Insight,” said Art Garner, a Honda spokesman. 

The average retail price of gasoline in a national survey Friday was $1.73 per gallon, down 3.48 cents from its May 18 price.  

San Francisco had an average price of $2.02 per gallon Friday. 

Dennis Virag, president of the Automotive Consulting Group Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich., said he recently had noticed an increase in the number of Honda Insights on the road in his state. 

“I think it’s a very interesting product, No. 1, but, being an auto enthusiast and technology addict, to me it’s very intriguing technology,” Virag said.  

“I think it takes some time for (consumers) to become familiar with it and for the market to adapt, and certainly the increase in fuel costs is a major contributor” to the rise in sales. 

The Insight hit the market in December 1999, and it has taken awhile for both consumers and dealers to become familiar with it, Virag said.  

Drivers also had to learn about the vehicle’s hybrid technology, which doesn’t require it be plugged in to a charging station like the General Motors electric vehicle. 

Hybrids combine an electric motor with a gasoline engine to produce better mileage and less pollution. 

Bennett said she has been getting looks everywhere she goes since buying the vehicle in November for $17,900, $3,000 below its sticker price.  

In fact, she can’t leave the house without everyone in town knowing where she goes, Bennett said. 

“A lot of men were interested because it looks real sporty,” she said.  

“There was a time when I would attract that kind of attention myself – now it’s my vehicle.” 

The Insight is one of two such vehicles currently available. Toyota sells a four-seat hybrid called the Prius that boasts 45 mpg on the highway. The Prius, which started selling overseas in 1997, went on sale in the United States in July 2000. Toyota sold 872 models in April 2001 and 1,126 in May. 

Other gas-electric vehicles are in the works, including hybrid versions of the Honda Civic, the Chevrolet Suburban and the Ford Escape. 

Hybrid vehicles could receive a boost from Washington, D.C., if a proposal to give tax credits for the purchase of gas-electric vehicles is approved. President Bush proposed up to $10 billion in tax breaks over 10 years to boost energy supplies, conservation and alternatives.

SAN DIEGO — The online music service Mp3.com added the 1 millionth song to its library this week and introduced a new premium service that allows subscribers to transfer songs to a portable device and burn compact discs from their own music collection. 

The company said the milestone track was the song “So Long,” by the band “Lapdog,” which consists of former members of the alternative rock band “Toad the Wet Sprocket.” 

Mp3.com allows musicians to post digital tracks on the site and pays some musicians when their tracks are downloaded over the Internet. 

The company also runs a music locker service, which allows people to store digital copies of music they either purchase from a participating retailer or prove they already own by briefly inserting a copy into their computer’s disc drive. 

This week, the company introduced its “Premium Listener Service,” which allows listeners to compile a library of clips from their own music collection or from MP3.com’s collection of songs. The software allows subscribers to play their music on their computer or transfer tracks to a portable MP3 player.  

The software also allows subscribers to burn music to a CD. 

The PLuS Express package costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The software can be downloaded for a 14-day trial. 

MP3.com recently agreed to be acquired by Vivendi Universal in a $372 million cash-and-stock deal. Vivendi hopes to use MP3.com’s technology as the backbone of a new music licensing service, called pressplay, it recently formed with its partner, Sony Music. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.mp3.com 

http://www.pressplay.com 

JERUSALEM — After grudgingly accepting CIA chief George Tenet’s truce deal, Israelis and Palestinians argued Wednesday over who should make the first move, but agreed the next 48 hours would be a crucial test period. 

Each side quickly cast doubt on the other’s good faith, undercutting hopes that the deal would hold. In nearly nine months of fighting, several cease-fire efforts collapsed, including one personally brokered by then-President Clinton. 

In the first killing since the cease-fire agreement was announced early Wednesday, a Palestinian was killed and three wounded in the West Bank several hours later when gunmen opened fire on their truck from an oncoming car, police said. Israeli media said their reporters received messages claiming that the attack was carried out by a Jewish group seeking revenge for Palestinian attacks. 

In a statement, the leadership of Jewish settlers “strongly condemned” the shooting. 

President Bush also played down expectations, saying the emerging agreement was just a first step. “It’s still a fragile situation there,” Bush said during a stop in Belgium on the second day of a European tour. 

Israel said it considered the cease-fire as having begun at 3 p.m. Several hours later, a mortar shell fell on the Jewish settlement of Atzmona in the Gaza Strip, but there were no reports of injury. 

Over the past week, gunbattles and clashes that had raged for months in the West Bank and Gaza have waned. Intermittent shootings, however, have persisted. Two Israelis were wounded in West Bank shootings Wednesday morning. 

Palestinian officials said also that two children were wounded in Gaza by Israeli bullets, despite the truce agreement. 

Tenet’s meeting in Tel Aviv was aimed at working out the details of implementing the truce. His mediation has been the highest-profile Mideast effort yet by the Bush administration. 

Israel’s foreign minister, Shimon Peres, praised the U.S. mediation after meeting Secretary of State Colin Powell in Brussels on Wednesday, saying it had helped avert “a bath of blood, of hatred. Now we have to judge the future by events.” 

The Palestinians complained after the three-hour meeting that Israel did not present a timetable for easing its crippling security closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and for withdrawing troops from the edges of Palestinian towns, two key provisions in Tenet’s document. 

“The Israelis are not dealing with the Tenet proposal seriously,” the Palestinian security chief in the West Bank, Jibril Rajoub, told The Associated Press. 

Palestinian officials said they expected Israel to start easing the closure within the next two days. 

Israel said it would only take steps after it sees a truce having taking hold, with officials saying the start of the cease-fire ushered in a 48-hour test period. 

“If and when we see a cease-fire on the ground, we will start implementing our side of the deal,” said Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner. “For the time being, we have not seen a cease-fire.” 

Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer instructed the military to begin implementing the accord “in parallel with a Palestinian commitment to stop and prevent terror attacks and violence,” according to a statement from his office. 

The statement said the military would immediately ease blockades around Palestinian towns and allow shipment of goods. Within 48 hours, if the cease-fire holds, the Israeli military would begin changing its deployment. 

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar said he expected another security meeting to be held on Friday to assess the situation. 

Israeli media said that according to the Tenet plan, the two sides have a week to carry out their basic commitments, followed by a six-week cooling off period that could pave the way toward a resumption of peace talks. 

The Tenet formula goes hand in hand with recommendations by the international Mitchell Commission, which have been accepted by both sides and require Israel to freeze Jewish settlement construction once a cease-fire is in place. 

On the Palestinian side, there has been widespread opposition to a truce. 

Islamic militants, who have carried out more than a dozen bombings in Israel in the past nine months, said Wednesday they would continue their attacks. 

“The Palestinians will continue the intefadeh (uprising) by all means until it achieves its goals,” including the end of Israeli occupation, said Ismail Abu Shanab, spokesman of the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. 

Militia commanders close to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have also said they oppose ending the uprising without having made political gains. 

Under the Tenet plan, Israel and the Palestinians would try to prevent anyone in areas under their control from carrying out acts of violence. 

Israel would refrain from attacks on Palestinian Authority targets, while Palestinian security forces would arrest terror suspects. 

The Palestinians would confiscate illegal weapons, including mortars, rockets and explosives, while Israel would use non-lethal means to disperse Palestinian demonstrations. 

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — The Philippines’ president urged national unity Wednesday to fight a group of Muslim rebels holding more than two dozen captives but admitted that carrying out her promise to crush them could mean a “long and bloody war.” 

The Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who embarrassed the country with a prolonged hostage crisis last year, claimed Tuesday they had killed one of three Americans they hold. While fearing the worst, officials expressed cautious optimism that Guillermo Sobero of Corona, might still be alive after a massive search failed to find his body by Wednesday night. 

But the discovery of three other bodies – one a beheaded Muslim cleric who was reportedly on a private negotiation effort – emphasized the lethal nature of the group that killed two Filipino teachers last year as a “birthday present” to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s predecessor. 

“The nation is faced with a serious and strong challenge from the bandits,” Arroyo told a nationally televised news conference. “Abu Sayyaf is a scourge to our race. They are a curse to their religion.” “We will meet fire with fire, and more. No ransom. No deal. No cease-fire. No suspension of the military operation. We will not stop the campaign until we have cleansed Basilan and Sulu of the Abu Sayyaf forces,” she said, referring to  

the southern islands where the rebels  

are based.  

Arroyo also threatened punishment for people helping the rebels hide or resupply, and the military said it was receiving a large number of tips after the government offered $2 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders and their kidnapping henchmen. 

Abu Sabaya, an Abu Sayyaf leader, claimed Sobero was beheaded on Tuesday as a “present” to the country on its 103rd anniversary of independence.  

The group also holds two American missionaries and about 25 Filipinos.  

Sobero’s brother, Alberto, said on CBS-TV’s “The Early Show” that the FBI had informed him the likelihood of foul play “is very high.” But he said the family is trying to remain optimistic. 

“Even though the hopes are slim, we’re still clinging to that,” the brother said Wednesday. “How do you tell a 6-year-old his father’s head has been cut off?” 

Several hundred military reinforcements joined thousands of troops to hunt the rebels on Basilan. More were to arrive soon. 

The military has advised caution about Sabaya’s execution claim, pointing out that he has lied before and made threats he has not carried out. “We believe that is still part of Sabaya’s bluff,” military spokesman Col. Danilo Servando said. 

The three bodies, including the cleric’s, were found near where rebels seized 15 people from a plantation Monday, Servando said. The identity of the other two bodies was not clear, but officials said they were not any of the hostages. 

Joel Maturan, mayor of the central Basilan town of Tipo Tipo, said the cleric and three other negotiators – who National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said were not working for the government – tried to approach the rebels. Three fled when Sabaya grew angry. 

Maturan told ABS-CBN television that Sabaya ordered his men to tie up the cleric in the form of a cross. 

They “immediately chopped off his head,” Maturan said. “Sabaya ordered the beheading of the priest on suspicion that he was spying for the military.” 

On May 27, the rebels raided the Dos Palmas resort in the southwestern Philippines, taking 20 people hostage, including Sobero and Martin and Gracia Burnham, a missionary couple from Wichita, Kan. Nine captives later escaped, and two resort staff members were found hacked to death. 

In subsequent attacks, the Abu Sayyaf took more hostages in a hospital and a plantation on Basilan. 

Abu Sayyaf says it wants a southern Islamic state, but the government calls the rebels bandits. Though Muslims are a minority in the mostly Roman Catholic Philippines, they form a majority in the southern islands where the Abu Sayyaf operates. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Stanley Mosk, a self-described liberal whose 37-year tenure on the California Supreme Court made him the state’s longest-serving justice, died unexpectedly at his home here Tuesday. He was 88. 

One of the nation’s most influential state judges, Mosk authored more than 1,500 opinions, many of them landmark decisions on civil rights, free speech, criminal justice and independent state constitutional grounds. 

“This is a sad day for all Californians,” said Gov. Gray Davis in a statement. “We are all the beneficiaries of his extraordinary wisdom and foresight.” 

Mosk, who clerks said was at work Monday, was the remaining liberal on the seven-member court. Davis’ aides said it was premature to discuss a replacement. 

A lifelong Democrat who was appointed to the court in 1964 by Gov. Pat Brown, Mosk was a leading dissenter on conservative courts of recent years. But he confounded liberals by voting to uphold the state’s parental consent law for minors’ abortions – a majority opinion in 1996 that became a dissent a year later when the court’s membership shifted. 

Mosk was a civil rights advocate who established the state attorney general’s civil rights division. As a Los Angeles Superior Court judge overturned a whites-only home deed restriction in 1947, a year before the U.S. Supreme Court voided such covenants nationwide. 

Mosk often produced opinions separate from the court majority and was opposed to the death penalty. But he also showed flexibility, and a knack for anticipating political currents and riding them out. 

The most striking example was his survival in the 1986 election that swept Rose Bird and two fellow liberals from the court, clearing the way for the first conservative majority in 30 years. 

Potential opponents that year were lulled by Mosk’s hints of retirement and unwilling to target a judge with national stature, one who had worked closely with prosecutors as attorney general. 

Also, his position on death penalty cases had changed noticeably: previously a consistent member of court majorities that overturned death sentences, Mosk voted to uphold 10 death sentences on a single day in December 1985. 

That foreshadowed his 1987 ruling, on the new conservative court, overturning a major pro-defense decision in death cases that he had supported four years earlier. A similar episode happened in 1979, when Mosk changed his vote and upheld a mandatory-sentence law that was causing a political furor. 

Stephen Barnett, a University of California at Berkeley law professor who closely follows the high court, said Mosk survived on the bench by knowing “when to trim his sails on a court that’s subject to political pressures.” 

Mosk prevailed and remained to provide balance on a court with no other Democratic appointees, sharing his experience with newer justices and continuing a career that shaped California law for decades. 

His 1978 ruling banned racial discrimination in jury selection, eight years before the U.S. Supreme Court took the same step nationwide. Courts in many other states have adopted his 1982 ruling, banning testimony by previously hypnotized witnesses, and an innovative 1980 decision allowing suits against an entire industry when marketing made it impossible to tell which brand of a product had caused injury. 

Mosk’s 1972 ruling, possibly the most important environmental decision in the court’s history, extended to private developers a law requiring a study of each major project’s likely environmental impact and ways to avoid harm. 

He has also been the court’s foremost advocate of interpreting individual rights in the state Constitution more broadly than federal rights. In response, prosecutors sponsored ballot measures in 1982 and 1990 that wiped out dozens of rulings in criminal cases, many by Mosk; but courts in other states have adopted the same doctrine to chart their own course. 

But in the 1976 case of Allan Bakke, a white student who challenged a minority admissions program at the University of California at Davis Medical School, Mosk ruled all racial preferences unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed and said race could be considered to promote student diversity, but 20 years later Mosk’s conclusion was adopted by California voters in Proposition 209. 

Mosk, the target of picketing and student protests after his ruling, said after the passage of 209 that it had been ahead of its time. 

He is survived by his wife Kaygey Kash Mosk and son Richard Mitch Mosk. Private services in Los Angeles are pending. 

WASHINGTON — The government has charged four companies with using the Internet to con consumers around the globe out of about $175 million in a massive pyramid scheme. 

SkyBiz.com, based in Tulsa, Okla., and three partner companies promoted a work-at-home business, charging $125 for an educational Internet software package and the opportunity to earn money by recruiting others to buy the packages, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday. 

The recruits would have to buy one or more packages and then could recruit still more people and so on, earning commissions for those above them in the recruiting chain, the agency said, announcing the details of sealed charges filed on May 30. 

“This is one of the biggest pyramid schemes we’ve seen,” said Howard Beales, director of the FTC’s consumer protection bureau. He said the Internet is a “quick, cheap way to reach consumers around the world with whatever the latest con is and here it has provided a forum to resurrect one of the oldest scams around.” 

The agency said in court papers that only people at the very top of the pyramid were successful and most investors lost money. 

On June 6, U.S. District Judge Terry C. Kern froze the operation’s assets and ordered the companies to halt any illegal activities until a hearing June 26, FTC attorney Jim Elliot said. 

Elliot said the government is seeking to disband SkyBiz and return money to consumers. 

The FTC charged that the SkyBiz companies and their officers violated federal laws by creating a pyramid scheme, making false claims that consumers would earn large incomes and failing to mention that most people in such schemes lose money. 

The four Oklahoma companies named in the lawsuit are SkyBiz.com Inc.; World Service Corporation; Nanci Corporation International; and WorldWide Service Corporation. 

Joel Wohlgemuth, lawyer for most of the SkyBiz defendants, and Reuben Davis, lawyer for the Nanci company, declined to comment. Lawyers for Stephen D. McCullough, a SkyBiz vice president, didn’t immediately return calls. 

The government said that SkyBiz since 1998 has used in-person sales presentations, seminars, teleconferences, Web site presentations and other marketing material to tout the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars a week by recruiting for the program. 

An ad for the program claimed that one person was able to retire with a monthly income of $400,000 only six months after joining the SkyBiz program, the FTC said. 

The government started investigating the company after receiving complaints from American consumers and from people in Australia, Thailand, India, South Africa and other countries, Elliot said. 

He added that Canadian authorities have brought criminal charges against four of the program’s associates in their country, an Australian civil case is pending against one associate and the Indian government has raided local SkyBiz offices and frozen their assets. 

In its promotional material, SkyBiz says it operates in 200 countries. 

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On the Net: 

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov 

(AP) — An aging dog named Missy walks with a limp and her time is winding down, but the unassuming pooch is at the forefront of research that could see her become the first cloned pet. 

A small San Francisco Bay area company called Genetic Savings & Clone, Inc. is behind the effort to clone Missy and build a business on doing the same for other pet owners. 

The company has partnered with scientists at Texas A&M University, where the first cattle were cloned. 

Making a perfect copy of Fido won’t be cheap. The procedure could cost $100,000 per animal at first and drop to $20,000 as technology improves. 

I was rushing out the door heading to Ozzie’s 80th birthday party/fund-raiser at his namesake lunch counter at the Elmwood Pharmacy, when the phone rang.  

The strongly accented sweet, young male voice on the other end of the receiver told me he was Martine, from Buenos Aires.  

He explained that he knew a dear friend of mine. She gave him my name and number in the hope I had a room in my house for him, and a willingness to play host and guide.  

Martine had come from the straightest possible arrow.  

He had spent the last five years as financial analyst for a top British bank with a branch in Buenos Aires.  

My idea of a Bay Area travel guide was one you would never find in any book. I was out to blow the mind of this 30-something Argentinean M.B.A. 

“If you can get here in less than half an hour, I’ll take you to a very different first stop on our tour de force.” Martine made it.  

We left for Ozzie’s 80th, and we arrived just in time for a toast to the honorable maitre d’ of the political hang out of the Berkeley left.  

If was over B.L.T.s and milkshakes that rent control was strengthened and candidates for the Berkeley left political party, commonly called the B.C.A. or Berkeley Citizens’ Action, were chosen. Ozzie’s – its placemats sporting nostalgic photos of luncheonette memorabilia with “counter culture” written on top – still remains a good eatery and a speakeasy for diehards. 

At the Nabolum Bakery up the street, a woman named Georgia had a photographic gallery of fine black and white Ozzie lunch counter photos honoring Ozzie who more than soda jerked on the corner of College Avenue and Russell Street for an astounding 40 years. No one works 40 years anywhere for anything any more. Ozzie was hosting folks everyday, and he was Berkeley’s unvoted mayor for more than four terms.  

He and Fidel Castro will go down in history for the longest amount of time doing people leadership.  

It was truly an Elmwood experience with the local shops joining in to celebrate this notable networker and legend.  

There were Save Ozzie’s lunch counter T-shirts and information on the political aspects for the saving of both the pharmacy and lunch counter. It is definitely a Berkeley grassroots movement founded on the need for good drugs and gourmet California cuisine sandwiches. 

Martine was a bit confused and impressed. He had never seen a lunch counter in a pharmacy, let alone one that had become a political focus. I heard him whispering to himself, “Save Ozzie’s! Save the pharmacy!”  

I thought I also heard him say something like “La gente unido could save this pharmacito!” Travels with Martine had just begun. 

Late that night, very late, so late we didn’t have to pay the cover, we went down to Ashkenaz on San Pablo Avenue and Gilman Street, to dance the last numbers of the Californian Cajun Orchestra. The beautiful, spacious dance floor was not crowded.  

There were lots of smiling faces. The atmosphere was wholesome and down to earth – just the way David Nadel always envisioned. Even though David was shot and killed one night by an unruly customer, the glory and uniqueness of his dance hall remains a constant memory of him for Berkeleyans. 

Dancing with Martine is like the first mouthful of the fudge sundae at Rivoli’s on Solano Avenue.  

It’s like the cream and the Hog (that’s my nickname for Hagen Daz), and the hot homemade fudge merge together with your saliva into a smooth texture that rolls down your mouth from the back of your throat. Your whole inner being becomes wet and juicy with the overwhelming sweetness. The buzz starts at the top of your head and sends this incredible flash of pure contentment through your sympathetic, parasympathetic and down right compassionate system till you feel rushes of emotion – mostly the utmost sensual pleasure and ultimate satisfaction.  

There is a saying that Argentineans dance before they walk. The expression came about after the birth of Martine.  

I think you get the idea. 

We started out the next morn biking to the middle of the UC Berkeley campus to drink lattes at the Free Speech Café.  

We were moving slowly towards the Himalayan Fair, the annual event at Live Oak Park that is probably the closest I’ll come to Katmandu. Amid the scents of India, one walks through hundreds of stands some with authentic Himalayan arts and crafts, some with exotic foods, and some selling Ayuveda remedies.  

Tibetan dance and music from the stage area resound around this “mercado” of flavors.  

Martine bought an incense holder, a hashish pipe, and worry beads. I was seduced by this Ayuveda cure that contains special pure water that a crew of Hawaiian divers dove 2,000 miles down under into a secret cave to extract.  

The water is mixed with this sap that comes out of certain trees that grow only in the Himalayas. It is probably a “bubbameiser,” (grandmother’s story) but I was so intrigued with the “salesman’s” enthusiastic Elmer Gantry style that in a trance I bought a case.  

I took the bottles home only to discover that it tasted like tap water with a bit of piss in it. I think the bottle says you may not feel effects for the first six months, except a bad taste in your mouth after swallowing. 

On Wednesday, we went to the Tool Lending Library at the South Branch Berkeley Public Library, where we were taken on a V.I.P. equipment tour delivered in Martine’s native tongue.  

Martine wants to start an entrepreneurial version in Buenos Aires of this Berkeley socialist venture. Good luck,Charlie! 

Martine left the next day for Seattle to watch a woman channel a 1,000 -year-old wise man. (I don’t think I get that channel.) He will be back in a week or so and Travels with Martine will continue in the Daily Planet. Happy trails till then! 

This is the first part of a short series written by Nan Silver-Alvarez, a Berkeley resident.

Jazzschool founder and director Susan Muscarella couldn’t be more pleased as the private music school enters its fourth year of operation. 

A former director of the UC Berkeley jazz program with a reputation as a highly-regarded performing jazz pianist and educator, Muscarella says the school offers students of all ages and skill levels one of the most comprehensive programs devoted to jazz study and performance in the country. Today, the school is a thriving learning and performance community, enrolling an average of 500 students quarterly.  

The school offers courses in all jazz styles and many related idioms, including a new workshop that teaches the ancient oral (no written notation) traditions of the people of Bali through orchestral singing, interlocking rhythms, and an array of exotic percussion instruments.  

In addition, the school offers a limited number of courses for academic credit through a partnership with UC Berkeley Extension. 

Muscarella’s recruiting strategy finds its strength in the professional relationships and friendships she has forged over the years: “The faculty are people I have played with or have known about for many years, and all possess a high level of musicianship,” says Muscarella. “I haven’t had to twist anybody’s arm.”  

Vocal music arranger Greg Murai leads the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, a small group selected by audition to study and perform jazz harmony.  

Popular local diva Brenda Boykin, teaches the Blues Funshop, a wide-open romp through the many incarnations of the blues, from its early gospel roots to its influence on rock music.  

The Jazzschool offers instruction for a multitude of string, woodwind, and percussion instruments in small ensembles and big band settings. Brazilian pianist and composer Marcos Silva will teach five sections of a six-piece ensemble this summer quarter, featuring works by internationally renowned Brazilian artists Ivan Lins, Dori Caymi and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The school employs over 90 faculty members teaching nearly 70 courses. 

Throughout the academic year, Muscarella hosts Sunday afternoon concerts for faculty and other local and visiting musicians.  

Each quarter culminates with a week-long student recital series, an opportunity for students to take what they have learned and craft a performance before a live audience.  

The Jazzschool Students’ Summer Concert Series allows students to showcase their musicianship in a professional context, performing full sets that may include “fresh takes” on standard melodies and original compositions. The monthlong event is scheduled to begin July 15.  

Recently, the Jazzschool sponsored a benefit concert for the prestigious Berkeley High School jazz program, featuring the BHS jazz band.  

The fund-raiser netted $575 to support jazz education and performance development.  

“I was really happy for the opportunity to have them perform at this concert and hope for more in the future,” Muscarella said, adding that Berkeley High’s jazz director, Charles Hamilton, is a member of the Jazzschool Advisory Board.  

The Jazzschool offers scholarships through the East Bay Community Foundation, making private instruction affordable for many BHS students and other low-income music students. 

Due to burgeoning enrollment, faculty and curriculum growth, the Jazzschool will officially open on Sept. 23 at a new location: the S. H. Kress Building at 2087 Addison St., in the heart of Berkeley’s new downtown arts district. The basement milieu occupies 7,500 square feet, over three times the floor space of the school’s present facility, a quaint two-story Victorian at 2375 Shattuck Ave.  

The new digs will contain soundproof classrooms, practice rooms, a music library and a 120-seat auditorium and performance space for students, faculty and visiting artists.  

Muscarella plans to open the performance space – which will be dedicated to the memory of Phil Hardymon, creator of Berkeley High’s jazz program – to students for regularly scheduled evening concerts on Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Other amenities and resources include a café, a bookstore for educational material, and teaching aids such as music CDs and videos.  

Jazz diva and educator Madeline Eastman will kick off the new school’s opening with a concert followed by a public reception.  

For tuition and enrollment information call the Jazzschool at 845-5373 or visit its Web site at www.jazzschool.com.

MARIPOSA — Cary Stayner had planned to kill for months before he acted spontaneously on his fantasy and targeted three Yosemite National Park tourists staying at the motel where he worked. 

Stayner blocked his ears with his fists and wept Wednesday as his taped confession was played at his preliminary hearing in Mariposa Superior Court. 

After hearing the confession and other testimony over the past three days, Judge Thomas Hastings found there was enough evidence to warrant a trial on murder charges. Stayner will be arraigned July 16, and a trial date will be set. 

In his own words, Stayner told how he methodically killed the three, describing how it began Feb. 15, 1999, when he wrapped a rope around Carole Sund’s neck, sat on her back and “just nonchalantly strangled her to death.” 

“I had no feeling, like I was performing a task,” he said in the confession. “Her hands turned purple and blue and I kind of realized that was it.” 

Stayner said he did the same to Silvina Pelosso, and said he slashed Juli Sund’s throat the next morning after repeatedly sexually assaulting her and telling her he loved her. 

The 147-year-old courthouse was silent as the tape of Stayner, in a quiet voice, described the crimes in graphic detail. 

At one point in the proceeding, a weeping Jose Pelosso, Silvina’s father, who had flown from Argentina for the hearing, shouted a slur at Stayner and stormed out of the courtroom. 

Stayner, 39, already is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty in federal court to murdering Yosemite naturalist Joie Armstrong in July 1999, a crime that led to his arrest in the tourists’ case. That case was held in federal court because she was killed in a national park. 

He could face execution if convicted in the tourist case. Prosecutors said they will decide whether to seek the death penalty before the July hearing. 

Stayner said he had no intention of killing the three women tourists until he saw them through the window in their room at the rustic motel where he worked outside the park as a maintenance man. 

In the previous three months, however, he had begun to contemplate murdering his girlfriend and her two daughters. He described the woman as a “slob” and said he fantasized about sexually assaulting her girls and then burning the house down. 

But he said his plans were thwarted because a caretaker lived upstairs from the family and they had been nice to him, making it harder to want to kill them. 

The instinct to kill continued to ferment, however, and Stayner said he “researched” guests at the lodge whom he might kill during Valentine’s weekend when the Sunds and Pelosso arrived. 

As he walked past room 509 the night of Feb. 15, he saw the girls lying in bed and Carole Sund reading a book. There was no man in the picture, and Stayner believed he had found “easy prey.” 

The lodge also wasn’t busy that time of year, and there would be no one in adjacent rooms to hear the tourists if they screamed. 

Stayner said he pretended to return a master key to the front office that he had taken to get pool cleaning supplies. Then he went to his room above the lodge office, donned camouflage pants, a black, hooded sweatshirt and grabbed a backpack that contained a gun, a knife, clothesline and black duct tape. 

He knocked on the door of room 509 and said he had to check on a leak in the bathroom.  

Carole Sund initially refused to let him in the room, but relented when he said he would get the manager. 

When he emerged from the bathroom, he pulled a gun. The girls, he said, were unfazed, merely looking up from watching the videotape “Jerry Maguire.” 

“The mother’s eyes got real big,” he said. 

He made the three lie on the floor, bound their hands behind their back with duct tape, gagged their mouths and then took the girls into the bathroom while he strangled Carole Sund.  

He then threw her body over his shoulder and dumped it in the trunk of their rental car. 

“It felt like I was in control for the first time in my life,” Stayner said. 

Stayner, a hairy, but balding man, said was careful to collect any hairs he left behind, something he learned from a forensic science program on the Discovery Channel. 

At times during the interview with FBI interrogator Jeffrey Rinek, Stayner told how he had close brushes with law enforcement officers. He seemed boast as he told agents how he tried to throw them off his trail by wiping off fingerprints and getting a kid to lick an envelope so his DNA wouldn’t be on a letter he sent to the FBI with clues. 

Agents encouraged him at times, telling him he was amazing, and they even expressed sympathy. 

“Oh my God, you’ve been living with that?” Rinek exclaimed as Stayner began sobbing as he described how he killed Juli. 

Stayner, who wrapped a naked Juli in a blanket and put her on the front seat of the car, said he had grown fond of her and didn’t want to kill her. But he didn’t have anywhere he could take her. 

Juli asked if he was going to kill her, but Stayner didn’t answer. 

As he drove from the Cedar Lodge with Juli in the passenger seat and two bodies in the trunk, Stayner had no idea where he was going. 

Eventually he pulled into a parking lot at a scenic overlook at Lake Don Pedro, a reservoir in the Sierra Nevada and carried Juli down to a grassy section on a trail below. 

After sexually assaulting her again, Stayner said he turned the girl around so he didn’t have to look at her. He kissed her a few times and told her he wished he could keep her. 

Juli made a gesture as if putting a gun to her head, like she wanted to be finished off. 

Stayner said he grabbed her hair, pulled her head back and took a couple of swipes with a long, serrated kitchen knife across her throat. He said he stared off in a daze toward the reservoir below as she made a loud, gurgling noise. 

“I didn’t want her to suffer like the other two,” he said. “I know she did.” 

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On the Net: 

Mariposa Sheriff Web site: http://www.sierratel.com/sheriff/