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The ongoing battle over the future of West Berkeley won’t be a quick campaign, city planning staffers promised Wednesday. -more-

Planning commissioners Wed-nesday voted to conduct a transportation study on the impact of narrowing Shattuck Avenue from four lanes to two to make way for a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane. -more-

The marathon Berkeley City Council meeting on Tuesday night began on a high note, with staff playing a Pete Seeger CD lauding Berkeley’s efforts to reduce its waste stream. Lyrics were written by Zero Waste Commission members and Seeger wrote the tune. -more-

The Berkeley city attorney’s office’s draft Sunshine Ordinance—supposed to provide citizens with greater access to local government—has been scheduled for a public hearing at the Berkeley City Council on April 22 . -more-

The question of how best to police protesters surfaced over the last few months as anti-war and pro-war groups stepped up demonstrations at the downtown Marine Recruiting Center and other Berkeley venues. -more-

The Community Energy Services Corporation board voted Wednesday to hire Kim Malcolm, an administrative law judge with 25 years’ working experience at the Public Utilities Commission, as its new executive director. -more-

Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente has pulled in more than $81,000 in his bid for re-election to his fifth-district central East Oakland City Council seat, far overshadowing any other campaign fundraising in contested races in five City Council districts and three Oakland Unified School Board districts. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education had its first look Wednesday at Berkeley Unified’s proposed budget reductions in the face of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $4.6 billion in cuts from the state education budget over the next two years. -more-

The University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Mark Yudof, currently head of the University of Texas system, to lead the 10-campus UC system. -more-

The School of Social Justice and Ecology (SSJE) at Berkeley High School will round up its first Green Career Week with a career fair today (Friday) in the Jacket Gym. -more-

A few weeks ago, Youth Spirit Art Works hosted a novel event, described by director Sally Hindman as an “artists reception and art making event” at Sweet Adeline Bake Shop, a cafe on 63rd and Adeline streets. -more-

My husband and I chose a Montessori School for our children because of small classes, low teacher-student ratios and a belief that our children’s imagination and curiosity should inform if not guide their education. We somehow managed to make every conceivable parenting mistake. -more-

Five students from Berkeley Technology Academy (B-Tech) will fly to New Orleans Sunday as part of a week-long spring break arts and culture trip to help Hurricane Ka-trina victims and to mingle with local artists. -more-

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EDITOR’S NOTE: On March 18, the Society of Professional Journalists held their annual Freedom of Information banquet in San Francisco. Recipients included Berkeley’s own Daily Planet for Community Newspaper and SuperBOLD for Citizens Activism. Following is the text of SuperBOLD’s acceptance speech, delivered by Gene Bernardi. -more-

As a former Officer of Marines, I wish to make some comments on this fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, some of which will no doubt be controversial. During the Winter Soldier hearings two weeks ago in Washington D.C., a question was raised about why not many active or retired officers are speaking up against the war. There is indeed a reason for this, and it has to do with simple survival. Those officers on active duty, of course, risk the end of their careers. But those of us who are retired tend to gravitate toward the corporate world, who by the way, are the greatest beneficiaries of this war. Speaking from my own personal experience, to openly speak out against the Iraq war risks termination from one’s employment, potential bankruptcy, and social ostracism. -more-

I am just astonished at the media for treating this democratic race as still somewhat viable for Hillary Clinton. Short of some devastatingly egregious blunder on the part of Obama’s campaign, there is virtually no chance for Hillary to win this nomination based on pledged delegates. The statistics are completely against her; she would have to win close to 70 percent of all remaining primaries to gain on Barack Obama’s pledged delegates. But despite all these unignorable facts, the media has many people duped into thinking that this campaign is a nail biter. Who are they fooling—or rather—who are these fools who believe this charade? -more-

Since the invasion of Iraq the United States has occupied that nation for five years. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, 4 million have become refugees, tens of thousands have been rounded up and incarcerated in hell holes called prisons, and millions more suffer on a daily basis, while the Bush regime brags how it is bringing democracy and freedom to the Middle East. In Afghanistan the U.S. occupation has been even longer with similar suffering for the people of that country. War with Iran could be launched any day by the United States, creating an unimaginable catastrophe for the people of Iran and the world. -more-

When historians look back on the war in Afghanistan, they may well point to last December’s battle for Musa Qala, a scruffy town in the country’s northern Helmand Province, as a turning point. In a war of shadows, remote ambushes, and anonymous roadside bombs, Musa Qala was an exception: a standup fight. -more-

Back South, they say that if a single buzzard passes over your rooftop, don’t pay it no mind. But if you see a couple of them circling, you best check out in the yard. They’re most likely looking for easy pickings. -more-

Back in the late 1960s I had lunch in Regent’s Park in London with the editor of the RIBA Journal. As we strolled around in that lovely landscape, he gestured to the new Post Office Tower, a novel “foreign object” rising above the grand old trees and Regency terraces. Almost 600 feet high, crowned by a revolving-view restaurant and hung with satellite dishes, it was a living insult to any passionate contextualist. “I don’t dislike it,” said my colleague, “but it quite takes away that special joy of London—a collection of distinct neighborhoods.” -more-

With more bad economic news being revealed daily, I think even those of us who aren’t planning to sell, buy, or refinance a house are getting rather nervous. It’s come to the point where one starts to wonder how surreal it could get, given that some lenders are suddenly deciding to cancel or freeze home equity lines of credit, even for borrowers who have made all their payments on time, or are refusing to subordinate to new first mortgages, making it impossible for people to refinance. -more-

All you gardeners within striking distance of northwest Berkeley: Here’s your chance to be influential. Westbrae Nursery on Gilman Street changed hands in January and just had an official Grand Opening. Jeff Eckhart, who owns the business now along with his sister Chris Szybalski, told me he has a few definite ideas about new directions and he’s open to more. -more-

I don’t know about you but I’m a person that’s very expert at feeling sorry for myself. If it’s not done my way, I’m grouchy. If they didn’t know what I wanted or anticipated how I was going to respond, I feel slighted. I’m not proud of it but that’s just the kind of gigantic baby I am. Waaaa. That’s why I volunteer. -more-