Santa Monica Daily Press, December 2, 2002

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002 Volume 2, Issue 16

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IMMIGRATION

Board appointments comeduring controversyBY ANDREW H. FIXMERDaily Press Staff Writer

In the midst of a controversy over itsfinances, a neighborhood organization hasinstalled a slate of women on its board ofdirectors after several members quit.

Four of the open board seats in theOcean Park Community Organizationwere filled in an impromptu weekendmeeting after several board membersresigned abruptly two weeks ago.

OPCO’s board appears to have hadsomething of a revolving door, as AudreaGolding Bitler, Ted Winterer and ElanGlasser quit recently. Earlier this year,Bob Loftus, Joe Pipersky, Bill Sunbladtand Nina Fresco resigned.

All but Fresco resigned from OPCO’sboard because the organization hasn’tmade public its financial records for years2000 and 2001, sources said.

OPCO member Tom Fuller has filed acomplaint in Los Angeles Superior Courtagainst the organization demanding thefinancial records. His request remainsunanswered by OPCO.

Members of the incoming coalitiondescribe themselves as affordable housingactivists and feminists: Beth Leder-Pack,Susan Love Loughmiller, Gaile Price andRev. Sandie Richards.

The new slate calls itself “OPMO:More housing for working families,”though members say they will not focuson housing alone.

But Fuller said the new appointmentsconfirm his belief that the organization iscontrolled by a select few who use theirpositions to advance special interests.OPCO is the oldest neighborhood organi-zation in Santa Monica and has beenregarded as one of the most influential.

“Many people in the community sharemy belief that OPCO seeks to stack theboard with (Santa Monicans for RentersRights) people to further (Santa Monicansfor Renters Rights) agenda,” Fuller said.

“They do this by alienating, ignoringand wearing down those of us in commu-nity that have different views ... it’s thedeny, delay and deceive tactic; and adept-

Changing of the guardin neighborhood group

Business district part of newpolicing programBY CAROLYN SACKARIASONDaily Press Staff Writer

When merchants on Main Street calledfor additional back-up from local policeto combat a flare up in anti-social behav-ior from the city’s homeless population inrecent weeks, they got it.

Main Street merchants met with SantaMonica Police Department officials lastmonth asking for police to patrol the areawith more intensity. Business ownershave recently experienced a surge in thenumber of transients along Main Street,which has created the associated prob-lems like aggressive panhandling in park-ing lots, public drunkenness and humanwaste left on the sidewalks.

As promised by the SMPD brass, offi-cers have been spending more timepatrolling the streets, parking lots and talk-ing to merchants about what’s going on inone of the city’s busiest business districts.

SMPD Chief James T. Butts Jr. said it’spart of a new pilot program called“Neighborhood Centered Policing.”Completely in its infant stages and notintroduced to the city council yet, the pro-gram is going through a test on Main Street.

And according to merchants there, it’sworking.

“We had a meeting with all the mer-chants and the captain promised theywould step up efforts,” said Gary Gordon,executive director of the Main StreetMerchant’s Association. “Since that meet-ing, we’ve been very happy they’ve con-tinued their presence here.”

Many business owners say police offi-cers have come into their stores just totalk about issues relating to Main Street.And because of more patrols, merchantshave seen a decrease in transients loiter-ing in the area.

“People are less inclined to break thelaw when they think an officer will comearound the corner,” Gordon said. “Peoplewere saying they were seeing more activ-ity now there is less activity.”

The majority of police calls in the cityare related to transients. And because of avariety of reasons, when one area of thecity experiences fewer transients — likethe Third Street Promenade — anotherarea usually sees a surge in homelessactivity such as Main Street.

SMPD responds to the community’sneeds by determining where to focus itsresources.

“I know there was a problem with the

Police zero in on badbehavior on Main Street

BY ERIN McCLAMAssociated Press Writer

NEW YORK — In the nation’s largestcity, a record number of people are home-less, sleeping each night in shelters andstreets, on subway platforms and cathe-dral steps — and there are no easy solu-tions in sight.

The slowing economy has led to jumpsin homelessness across the nation, inplaces as disparate as Rhode Island andSouth Dakota. But in New York, strug-gling with the aftermath of terrorism, theeffect has been particularly acute.

On average, more than 37,000 peoplespend their nights in New York city shel-ters, the highest level on record. In 1998,city statistics show, the average was about21,000. The number of homeless families

sleeping in shelters has more than dou-bled over the same period, from 4,429 atthe beginning of 1998 to 8,925 lastmonth. And there are uncounted numbersof people who sleep outside.

“It’s getting steadily worse out there,”said James Inman, 54, as he finishedThanksgiving dinner at a Manhattan mis-sion. “All the shelters are full. It’s tighterthan it’s ever been.”

The sluggish economy and rising rentshave combined to produce higher home-less rates across the country, said NanRoman, president of the National Allianceto End Homelessness. The group puts thenumber of homeless people nationwide at1 million.

In Los Angeles, police made about 200

New York City faces historiclevels of homeless people

Santa at the carousel

Franklin Smith/Special to the Daily PressAt the Santa Monica Pier’s carousel re-opening Sunday, children like AnnabelRenshaw (above) visited with Santa Claus and made Christmas tree decora-tions. Kids and parents also rode the carousel for free.

See MAIN STREET, page 5See HOMELESS, page 8

See GROUP, page 5

“All of us are very different.But we all support

affordable housing and each of us brings a unique

gift to the table.”

— REV. SANDIE RICHARDSNew OPCO board member

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ★★★ Extremes punctuate your interactions atwork. Communication riles you as well as others.No one quite knows what to do with new infor-mation and possibilities. Give yourself a day orso to work with the present issues. Tonight: Finda nice spot to chill out.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ★★★ Others let you know exactly what theywant. The problem you will encounter will be alack of consistency. You recognize how verychangeable those around you are. Leave spacefor change, though maybe not immediately.Tonight: Just ask. Others will say “yes.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) ★★★★ Read the Aries message for a hint. Youmight want to put a lid on some of the informa-tion you’re hearing, which indeed could be quitecontrary. Use your ability to detach before mak-ing any major decisions. Postpone as much asyou can. Tonight: Work as late as need be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) ★★★★★ Your humor mixed with sensitivitycould easily save the day. You can trust thateveryone has new and different opinions. Whatcounts is what you think and feel, which couldtake a while to sort through. Dig into your cre-ativity. Tonight: Play away.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) ★★★ You mean well, but convincing others ofyour positive thinking and attitude could be com-plicated, to say the least. Someone close could becreating an uproar. There is nothing you can do toget matters back under control. Tonight: Followthe path of calmness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ★★★★ Others have plenty to say. Review a per-sonal matter that could be close to the heart.Consider more of what is a priority in yourworld. Don’t let others walk on you. Claim yourpower, if need be. Think through a decision.Tonight: Swap war tales with your pals.

HOROSCOPE

JACQUELINE BIGAR'S STARS

The stars show the kind of day you'll have:

★★★★★ -Dynamic ★★★★ -Positive ★★★ -Average ★★ -So-so ★ -Difficult

Watch a movie tonight, Pisces

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) ★★★ Use caution with your finances.Sometimes you become quite distracted whenyou are too social or overly involved with people.Focus on what works. Refuse to let family orfriends talk you into something that doesn’t workfor you. Tonight: Work on your holiday list.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) ★★★ Listen carefully to someone close whomeans a lot to you. Consider more carefully youroptions that involve a child or loved one. A fam-ily member’s actions tell you a lot about wherehis or her head is. Read between the lines.Tonight: Do what you want.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ★★ Step back. You might want to ease some-one’s concern about a work- or health-relatedmatter. Know your limits, and you’ll gain rightnow. By tomorrow, you’ll find that the whole pic-ture changes. Hold back on a major decision.Tonight: Say “yes.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) ★★★★ Keep aiming for what you want, butdon’t be surprised if events point you in a differ-ent direction. Carefully realize your limits with achild or loved one. Unexpected financial devel-opments could reverse themselves in a few days.Tonight: Where the gang is.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) ★★★★ Your reaction bowls others over. Knowwhen to establish limits and how to say thatsomething is enough in a more sensitive manner.Not everyone can respond to uproar. Deal with aboss by simply following through on his or herdirectives. Tonight: A must appearance.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ★★★★ Read between the lines and come to agreater understanding of associates. Your nervescould be more fragile than you’re aware of. Yougain insights into associates who might encour-age you to head in yet another direction. Tonight:Relax while watching a movie.

PUBLISHERRoss Furukawa . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

EDITORCarolyn Sackariason . . . . . . . [email protected]

STAFF WRITERAndrew H. Fixmer . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

NIGHT EDITORPatrick McDonald . . . . [email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERDel Pastrana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTAlejandro C. Cantarero . . . . . . [email protected]

CLASSIFIED REPRESENTATIVEAngela Downen . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

CLASSIFIED REPRESENTATIVEPaula Christensen . . . . . . . . [email protected]

MEDIA CONSULTANTWilliam Pattnosh . . . . . . . . [email protected]

MEDIA CONSULTANTFreida Woody . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

MEDIA CONSULTANTRyan Ingram . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

CIRCULATION MANAGERKiutzu Cruz . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

SPECIAL PROJECTSDave Danforth . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

STAFF MASCOTMaya Furukawa . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

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❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

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LOCALSanta Monica Daily Press ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑

It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and that means leftovers;leftover turkey for sandwiches and leftover swell for surfers.

It’s a fading northwest today with three to four-foot setsshowing along L.A.’s South Bay.

Northern locales like Malibu don’t have the necessary expo-sure to really capitalize on the 300 degree swell, but they stillsee surf around waist-high on the average, sometimes bigger onthe good tides.

Weather-wise it’s clear and warm with light onshore winds.Tuesday, further decrease in activity is expected, although swell

hangs around enough for waist- to chest-high surf at good spots.Surfers on dawn patrol may face problems because of some

exceptionally high tides this week; 6 and 7 feet some days (aver-age high tides are between 3 and 4 feet).

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City launches ‘event permit’ Web siteBy Daily Press staff

Are you planning an event in one of Santa Monica’s public spaces (parks, beach-es, beach parking lots, streets, etc.)? Will you need an event permit? What sites areavailable for information? How do you apply? How much will it cost? The answersto these and other questions can now be found at www.santa-monica.org/ccs/events.The new launch of the Web site is easy to navigate, visually pleasing and full ofhelpful information.

In addition to a downloadable “event permit application” and “certificate ofinsurance,” the site includes information about the event permit process, event rulesand regulations and the city’s specific requirements. For more information, call theCommunity Events Office at (310) 458-8573.

Local students receive NASA grantBy Daily Press staff

Students from Santa Monica High School and New Roads School have joinedforces in the first Santa Monica team to be awarded a $6,000 grant from NASA andthe Jet Propulsion Laboratory to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition,sponsored by the organization known as FIRST (“For Inspiration and Recognitionof Science and Technology”).

This highly-respected, national engineering competition gives high school stu-dents firsthand experience in brainstorming, designing, fabricating and testing theirown robots in partnership with mentor engineers, teachers and machinists.

Each team has just six weeks to build the perfect machine to compete at the local,regional and national levels in a series of head-to-head competitions against robotsfrom high schools throughout the country.

Every competitor is a winner because the experience gives them a chance toapply their classroom lessons in math, science and technology. Students developteamwork and real-world problem-solving skills as they participate in this competi-tion. Business and industry are winners, too, as a new generation of young peopleare encouraged to pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing.

Last year’s competition involved more than 20,000 students on more than 600teams in 17 competitions. New Roads Head of School David Bryan and SantaMonica High School CEO and Principal Dr. Ilene Straus supported the formation ofthe team, which began with the enthusiasm of one Santa Monica High School stu-dent, David Litwak.

New Roads Physics teacher and the director of the Center for Effective Learning,Joe Wise, will serve as the lead teacher on the project. Santa Monica Tech CoreDirector Daniel Cox will facilitate fabrication of robot components. Mentors willinclude mechanical engineers Sam Zivi, Joshua Salkovitz, Everardo Hernandez andChristian Carlberg and UCLA Electrical Engineering student Caroline Kwon. TiiuLukk is the Team Mom. Beach Cities Robotics in Redondo Beach will serve as thementor team.

More than 15 students from Santa Monica High School and New Roads Schoolhave committed to participating in the team, which is preparing for the intensive, six-week design and fabrication period, which begins January 4, 2003. The Samohi/NewRoads team welcomes support in the form of materials and donations from the com-munity to help cover full costs of participation. Make tax-deductible checks out to“New Roads School,” c/o Joe Wise, 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica 90404.

Hugo, Simmons named doctoral fellowsBy Daily Press staff

Two Santa Monica College employees — Esther Hugo, faculty leader for out-reach, and Brenda Simmons, dean of enrollment services — have been selected asDoctoral Fellows with the Community College Leadership Development InitiativesProgram. Hugo and Simmons are among 16 candidates selected from California andHawaii to research community college issues.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

The Bayside District Corp., whichmanages the downtown core, recentlyspruced up the Third Street Promenadewith a new concept called “Winterlit” aspart of holiday decor that officials hopewill attract people to shop here.

Bayside spent $400,000 to hire a setdesigner, who has worked on StevenSpielberg films, to design the street mall.What you see in the center islands of thePromenade and overhead is expected tobe the traditional holiday lighting for the

next five years.This week, Q-Line wants to know,

“Do you think the Winterlit theme willhelp Santa Monica commerce duringthe holiday season and is enough of anattraction to draw people here?”

Call (310) 285-8106 with yourresponse before Thursday at 5 p.m. We’llprint them in Friday’s paper. Please limityour comments to a minute or less; itmight help to think first about the word-ing of your response.

OPINION ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

Opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Santa Monica Daily Press staff. Guest editorials from residents are encouraged, as are letters to the editor. Letterswill be published on a space-available basis. It is our intention to publish all letters we receive, except those that are libelous or are unsigned. Preference will be given to those that are e-mailed [email protected]. All letters must include the author’s name and telephone number for purposes of verification. Letters also may be mailed to our offices located at 1427 Third Street Promenade, Suite 202,Santa Monica, 90401, or faxed to (310) 576-9913. All letters and guest editorials are subject to editing for space and content.

LETTERSLeave the white guys aloneEditor:

I never thought of myself as an “angry white male,” but I must admit I was quiteput off by Ms. Jerome’s casual comment regarding the new Homeland SecurityAgency, “Can someone please tell me how a ... federal bureaucracy ... the most dras-tic result emerging from which is that we now have one more white guy to call ‘Mr.Secretary,’ can make us safer?”

Granted, her column was to some extent tongue-in-cheek, but that doesn’t inocu-late her words from criticism. I fully appreciate the intelligent discourse that herwords suggest, in regard to the size of the new agency, and how, or if, it will ever workas designed. Sadly, though, her dig at the “white guy” is not only trite and tiresome,but suggests something more irksome: That Mr. Ridge, and perhaps other Caucasianmales who achieve positions of authority in our government, are perhaps undeserv-ing, or are getting pork barrel, good ol’ boy positions by virtue of their sex and color.Forgive me if I am perceiving something that isn’t there, Ms. Jerome, but that is everybit as offensive as if you were to suggest that Colin Powell, or the late Secretary ofCommerce Ron Brown, were token African Americans within the current and pastadministrations.

I don’t tolerate political correctness very well, but, on the other hand, derisive,baseless and sometimes vicious jabs at our current leaders, who, yes, by the way, arelargely white men, has become almost fashionable. The target may be easy, political-ly, but that doesn’t make it just.

You don’t agree with the idea of an agency composing 170,000 federal employ-ees? Great. Let’s talk about it. But please bring issues to the table, and not just labels.

Monte Grix Santa Monica

Tips for the policeEditor:

I read last week about the numerous robberies in Santa Monica. All seeminglyrelated. Guns pulled on women in cars talking on cell phones, during broad daylighthours. I was shocked. I felt that more needs to be done.

Here’s what I came up with in my brainstorming: (my ignorance of “how thingsare done” is granted)

1. Improve the call-in time by creating a better speed of connection between themoment the call is made by the victim, and when the officers in the streets can receiveit and respond to it. Whatever that response time length is, we must improve it. We

need faster response. Although SMPD in my experience is very fast and efficient, weknow everything can be improved (even my writing);

2. Create a dragnet automatically for every time when a series (two or more?) ofsimilar crimes are reported within the same area within the same four-hour period. Orsomething like that. Someone who is an expert on these things can say what is a goodplan (maybe one exists already);

3. Have city council create a bill to submit to the California lawmakers that if youcome to Santa Monica — or any community — to commit a crime, you will face addi-tional prison time (five years?) for stalking a victim based on where they live! I knowsome of the violent criminals who have been apprehended here traveled to “work”here in our community. This type of legislation is reserved for special populations ...well, who can say Santa Monica ISN’T a special population? We have great arts,artists, ideas, innovators, music/musicans, food, entertainment (the list is long). Ithink that IS a special population. Funny thing, we are also thought of special by thecriminals who travel to target us. Since we all agree ... let’s just make it official.

Well, there they are. My thoughts about this scary, growing problem. Maybe I amover-stressed by this whole thing. But I don’t like how over the years it has becomemore and more dangerous in our community. We don’t need to accept it. And we canthink of creative ways to combat and reduce it. Maybe it’s time to create a citizenscouncil to come up with other ideas (better ideas) than here?

Derek LantzschSanta Monica

Good job, Daily PressEditor:

The League of Women Voters of Santa Monica Education Fund would like to takethis opportunity to thank the Santa Monica Daily Press for the election informationthat was printed in the paper this season.

The league wants to give every candidate and issue an opportunity to be known bythe community so that the voters can make an informed choice. Your paper’s cover-age helped make this possible.

We appreciate the service you have offered our community. Congratulations alsoon having celebrated your first year of publication.

Karen Carrey, presidentAnn Williams, director of voter service

League of Women Voters of Santa Monica Education Fund

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ly applied by OPCO’s chairman, RickLaudati, it has worked.”

Leder-Pack is an OPCO representativeon the board of directors of CommunityCorp. of Santa Monica, a non-profitdeveloper of affordable housing. It isplanning a project at Main and Pacificstreets. She also has been involved inSanta Monicans for Renters Rights, agroup that holds the city council majorityand has long dominated local politics,sources said.

Loughmiller previously served onOPCO’s board of directors and she was aleader in the movement to save the his-toric shotgun house, which is now sta-tioned at Santa Monica Airport awaitingrenovations, sources said.

Price, a teacher, is a member of theChurch at Ocean Park, where Richards isthe reverend. Richards was part of thecoalition that tried to pass a local livingwage ordinance, which failed in theNovember election.

Some sources suggest the recent spateof resignations has little to do withFuller’s complaint, but were in responseto the city council curbing public reviewof affordable housing projects to expeditetheir development.

It’s reported that the group formedbecause of some internal OPCO opposi-tion to the development proposal at Mainand Pacific streets. It resulted in a reportfrom one of the organization’s subcom-mittees which criticized the project.

With little voice in the approvalprocess for the Pacific and Main streetcomplex, board members resignedbecause they felt their efforts were invain, some sources suggest.

Though Rev. Richards wouldn’t saywhether she believed those sentiments areaccurate, she said opponents of the Pacificand Main project didn’t gel with OPCO.The organization has long been a support-er of affordable housing and as a resultdoes not necessarily share the same val-ues as some of its residents.

OPCO board member Mario Fonda-Bonardi said the resignations and com-plaint have drawn unnecessary attentionto the organization’s members, who other-wise work well together.

“There has been really a lot of mediahype here that is really unwarranted,” hesaid. “When those people left, the boardunanimously voted to ask them to recon-sider. It tells you it’s not about a differ-ence in philosophy ... things are a lot more

solid than the media would make it.”Fonda-Bonardi said OPCO has been

slow to respond to Fuller’s request forfinancial documents, first made in August2001, because the organization hasn’t hadan accountant in many years.

“They left not because they were upsetwith OPCO’s direction,” he said. “Theywere upset OPCO wasn’t getting itspaperwork together fast enough. Like anyvolunteer organization, it takes time to getthe pieces together.

“There is no indication of malfeasance,I mean how often do you balance yourcheckbook? When you need to,” Fonda-Bonardi added. “OPCO plans to providethe documents. The board is working ongetting the information together, and Rickis the chair so he needs to make the pub-lic statement, but he does more than any-one in that organization and takes his jobas chair very seriously.”

Laudati hasn’t answered questions aboutFuller’s complaint or the appointments,despite several requests from the DailyPress in the past month seeking comment.

Laudati, through his OPCO e-mailaccount, said last week the organizationhas been unfairly targeted.

“We decline comment as a result of theunprofessional and unethical practices ofyour editor and of the newspaper,” hewrote. “The Daily Press has publishedmultiple inaccuracies in the two recent sto-ries on OPCO without allowing the organ-ization a fair opportunity to comment.”

Neither Laudati nor any other OPCOboard member has asked for a correction.

The slate wrote in an e-mail sent to theentire OPCO membership a week ago thatit formed last week in response to the“burning need for longtime activists tosupport those who remain to deal with thedifficult quality-of-life challenges ofover-development and traffic, significantloss of housing and the need to preservecultural landmarks in this city.”

“All of us are very different,” Rev.Richards told the Daily Press last week.“But we all support affordable housing andeach of us brings a unique gift to the table.”

Leder-Pack, Loughmiller and Pricewere unavailable for comment. Richardssaid she didn’t have enough firsthandknowledge of Fuller’s complaint toaddress them.

“All I want to do is sit in the room,serve my neighbors and see if we can’thold the line until new people are elect-ed,” Richards said. “My only agenda isthe well-being of my neighborhood.”

homeless on Main Street,” said SMPD Lt.Frank Fabrega. “As part of the program,officers are encouraged to make contactwith the merchants and establish anunderstanding of what their issues are.”

Some building owners have taken uponthemselves to police their sections of MainStreet by hiring private security guards.

Main Street’s problems with transientsshould become less of an issue when anew law, which was passed by the citycouncil in October and will take effect ina few weeks, will forbid people fromsleeping in downtown doorways.

Dave Lackman, chairman of the MainStreet Merchant’s Association and owner

of the Library Alehouse, said he’s heardfrom merchants that police have beenpatrolling more frequently when storesare closing up for the day. In the past sev-eral weeks, a few stores along Main Streethave been robbed during closing time.

“When the robberies happened iswhen we became more vocal about policepresence,” he said. “People seem to behappy and you can tell there is a differ-ence down here.

“It makes us feel that we are being lis-tened to and feel like we are getting ourfair share of resources in the city,”Lackman added. “We were saying, ‘let’sget Main Street on the radar’ and we feellike that’s happened.”

Police respond to merchants

New members to focuson serving neighborhoodGROUP, from page 1

MAIN STREET, from page 1

STATE ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

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BY ANNA OBERTHURAssociated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO — In observationof World AIDS Day, community membersgathered in Golden Gate Park to remem-ber those who have died from the diseaseand hear messages of hope for a cure.

About 250 people, many wearing redribbons and some carrying flowers,attended the quiet ceremony Sunday inthe National AIDS Memorial Grove.

“I came today to remember,” saidHank Donat, a 36-year-old San Franciscowriter. “The gay community in SanFrancisco was devastated in the earlyyears. We’ll never be able to know the fullbreadth of the loss to our culture. But wefeel it, we measure it with our hearts. “

Singer Jaqui Naylor performed a songwritten for World AIDS Day and Rev. G.Penny Nixon of the MetropolitanCommunity Church spoke about believ-ing in a future cure for the disease.

“The theme of World AIDS Day is liveand let live, but I want to have a differenttheme for a moment. I want to talk about

hope,” Nixon told the crowd. “It is moreimportant than ever that we feed thehope.”

Cornel Barnett, a 54-year-old ministerat the Sausalito Presbyterian Church,came with his family. Barnett is original-ly from South Africa, and said he attend-ed the memorial to show his solidaritywith people suffering from AIDS all overthe world.

“People I grew up with, people in myown country are dying by the millions,”Barnett said. “I’m just here because I amconcerned, to feel the pain globally.”

Supervisor Tom Ammiano brieflyaddressed the crowd through tears.

“These events are always hard becauseyou think you are such a tough soldier,”he said. “But the tremendous sense of lossand suffering becomes very poignant.”

World AIDS Day is the only interna-tional day of coordinated action againstAIDS. It was started in 1988 at the urgingof the World Summit of Ministers ofHealth on Programs for AIDS Preventionas a way to encourage global communica-tion and social tolerance.

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A $500,000 dona-tion from a Saudi prince to one ofAmerica’s most prominent Islamic organ-izations has rekindled debate aboutwhether foreign contributions are com-promising American Muslim groups.

“For too long we’ve depended toooften on overseas financing to keep ourinstitutions alive. This comes at the priceof our intellectual independence andintegrity,” said Mairaj Syed, a UCLAgraduate student in Islamic studies.

He sparked an online debate about the donation on San Francisco-basedAMILAnet, a Muslim-oriented discussiongroup.

The donation from Saudi PrinceAlwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of SaudiArabia’s King Fahd, will be used to placeIslamic materials in 16,000 Americanlibraries, said Omar Ahmed, board chair-man of the Council on American-IslamicRelations, which received the gift.

The gift to the 28,000 member organi-zation, based in Washington D.C., camewith no strings attached, Ahmed said.

“We run our own agenda and no onecan influence us,” said Ahmed.

Saudi officials were not available forcomment Sunday.

A recorded message at the SaudiArabian embassy in Washington, D.C.,said the embassy would be closed fromNov. 28-Dec. 9 in observance ofThanksgiving and Eid al-Fitr, whichmarks the end of the month-long Muslimfast of Ramadan.

Saudi donations were in the news lastweek when it was disclosed that dona-tions by Saudi Princess Haifa al Faisal,wife of the Saudi Ambassador to theUnited States, ended up in the hands oftwo of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Saudi’s are the largest donors to world-wide Islamic causes.

Critics of Saudi donations argue thatbecause American organizations depend on

Saudi money, they are hesitant to criticizethe kingdom’s strict interpretation of Islam.

“Saudi Arabia is a corrupt, dictatorial,fascist state that is an embarrassment toIslam and Muslims,” said SarahEltantawi, communications director ofthe Los Angeles-based Muslim PublicAffairs Council.

Saudi Arabian donations have helpedfinance more than 1,700 mosques, Islamiccenters and schools around the world. Thekingdom has fully or partially financedIslamic centers in Los Angeles; SanFrancisco; Fresno; Chicago; New York;Washington; Tucson; Raleigh, N.C.; andToledo, Ohio.

According to news reports, PrinceAlwaleed has given millions to numerouscauses including care for children withcancer, aid to needy Palestinians and helpfor disaster victims. His offer of $10 mil-lion to New York City following the Sept.11 terrorist attacks was rejected by then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani citing Alwaleed’slong-standing criticism of Israel.

Donations to American groups fromSaudi Arabia have declined in the lastdecade in part because of misuse of themoney by some American groups, SaudiEmbassy spokesman Nail Al-Jubeir toldthe Los Angeles Times. Other experts saythe decline is tied to Saudi debts remain-ing from the Gulf War and criticism ofSaudi leaders by American Muslims.

San Franciscans gatheron World AIDS Day

U.S. Muslims divided overSaudi donations from prince

“For too long we’ve depended too often on overseas

financing to keep ourinstitutions alive.”

— MAIRAJ SYEDUCLA graduate student in Islamic studies

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BY LAURA WIDESAssociated Press Writer

PEBBLE BEACH — A golf coursebacked by actor Clint Eastwood has beenat the center of a conservation debate fortwo years because it would clear awaypart of the state’s last remaining stand ofMonterey pines.

Today, the project has gained attentionfor another reason.

Conservationists say it’s one of the rea-sons behind a split on the CaliforniaCoastal Commission, whose 12 votingmembers regulate development andaccess along California’s 1,100 miles ofcoastline.

Earlier this month, Gov. Gray Davis’administration persuaded commissionersto delay reappointment of ChairwomanSara Wan, a move environmentalists sawas the first step to replacing her withsomeone more friendly to developers.Among the potential beneficiaries theycited at the time is Eastwood, who is amajor investor and board member of thePebble Beach Co.

The company’s golf course proposalwas approved by Monterey County votersin 2000 but also requires CoastalCommission approval. It could comebefore the commission as early as nextyear.

“What’s at risk for the public is thatwe’ll lose our ability for a fair hearing infront of the Coastal Commission,” saidSierra Club Coastal Program directorMark Massara. He said the chair sched-ules and controls commission meetings.

The vote to postpone Wan’s reappoint-ment split the commission 7-5 in favor ofa delay, with commission membersCynthia-McClain Hill and Gregg Hart,who have frequently supported develop-ment projects, arguing in favor of achange in leadership.

Eastwood, who already owns one ofthe 22 golf courses on the peninsula andshares in five others through his invest-ment in the Pebble Beach Co., said claimsthat he or the company are trying to influ-ence Davis and the commission areunfounded.

“We’re not out to change the CoastalCommission,” he said.

But Massara and other conservationistssaid Eastwood visited Davis about hisproject in 2001 and wields indirect influ-ence as a member of the state ParksCommission. Eastwood said he threw aDavis fund-raiser last spring at his privateTehama Golf Club because his wife was alongtime supporter of the governor.

“You support people, but that has noth-ing to do with the Coastal Commission,”Eastwood said. Referring to Massara,Eastwood added, “However he wants tocouch it, it’s a mistruth.”

Eastwood said he has worked on behalfof California’s parks for nearly a decadeand said the golf course proposal is thebest option for the land, which also iszoned for residential development. Thegolf course proposal would spare moretrees than if the developers simply decid-ed to build homes.

“I wanted to put in another golf courseinstead of having homes,” Eastwood said.

He said the Pebble Beach Co. also triedto appease local environmentalists bymoving the course from a large stretch ofpristine forest to an area already criss-crossed by roads.

“We’ve offered to move trees in mostcases whenever possible,” he said. “Wewould plant four to one of whatever wetook down.”

If Wan is removed, Massara said theSierra Club’s concern goes beyond thePebble Beach golf course proposal, say-ing a change in the chair could affectdevelopment proposals up and down thestate.

Other projects before the commissioninclude a plan for 140 homes and retailshops along Half Moon Bay, a subdivi-sion in San Clemente and a mix of homesand offices in Playa del Rey, just west ofLos Angeles.

In December, during the same meetingat which it is set to decide who will bechair, the commission will review a pro-posal to place another 200-acre golfcourse on wetlands along the SantaBarbara coast. The area is now home tothe white kite and the California red-legged frog.

Wan, who has degrees in biology andengineering, has a reputation for beingoutspoken about protecting the coast andwinning public access to the state’sbeaches.

“The issue is how independent theagency is,” said Bob Stern, president ofthe Los Angeles-based nonprofit groupCenter for Governmental Study. “Is it anarm of the Davis administration or is it anindependent agency?”

Davis officials did not return callsseeking comment.

Massara said he believes developerssuch as the Pebble Beach Co. favorMonterey County Supervisor and generalcontractor Dave Potter as a replacementto Wan. Potter has done contractor workfor the Pebble Beach Co., but he called it“inconsequential.”

Potter denies he would be influencedby Eastwood or anyone else looking todevelop along the coast.

“I’ve gotten pretty used to, ’Dave isn’tgood to the environment,’ and it’s soabsurd,” Potter said.

He said the Sierra Club supported hisselection to the Coastal Commission andthat he once voted against a major devel-opment proposed for Huntington Beach.As county supervisor, Potter said he votedagainst the only Pebble Beach project thatcame before him.

Senate President Pro Tem John Burton,D-San Francisco, who reappointed Wanand has criticized Davis’ environmentalrecord, said he was concerned aboutdevelopers’ influence on the commission.But he didn’t think political influence wasbehind the decision to delay Wan’s reap-pointment vote.

“It wouldn’t behoove the governor oranyone to stage a coup over one coastalpermit,” he said.

Eastwood project at centerof Coastal Commission flap

“I wanted to put in another golf course

instead of having homes.”

— CLINT EASTWOODActor

arrests on “Skid Row” thismonth after business peoplecalled for steps to combathomelessness. In RhodeIsland, rising rents wereblamed for a 45 percentincrease in homeless chil-

dren over the past threeyears. Sioux Falls, S.D., isestimated to have morehomeless people than thepopulations of three-fourthsof the towns in the state.

In New York, dealing

with Sept. 11 has aggravat-ed the homeless situationin unexpected ways. Anti-terror patrols have sealedoff out-of-the-way places— nooks in tunnels, bridgeunderpinnings, downtownalleys — where homelesspeople once sought shelter.

“The places wherehomeless folks have gonefor cover are starting to be

walled off,” said LindaGibbs, city commissionerof homeless services. “Itlimits their options, and itforces them into the open.”

The situation is causingtension. An advocacygroup sued the city thisweek, alleging police aresweeping the homeless offthe streets by arrestingthem. Police acknowledge

a jump in arrests, but saythat is because officerssimply have more contactwith the homeless lately.

Solutions are elusive.The city is pegging its

hopes on a strategy adopt-ed in June that focuses onmaking sure enough shel-ter space is available andaiming to get people intopermanent housing.

This winter, city socialworkers will conduct ahomeless “population sur-vey” to get a handle on howmany people are sleepingon streets and where.

Since taking office Jan.1, Mayor MichaelBloomberg has boosted thenumber of permanenthousing subsidies avail-

able to those in the cityshelter system to 9,250 —an increase of 110 percent.

The city has alsoexplored unusual optionsfor shelter space, some ofwhich homeless advocateshave derided. This sum-mer, a judge blocked themayor’s plan to use a for-mer Bronx jail as a shelter.The city, bound by law toprovide shelter, has alsoconsidered convertingempty convents and com-munity centers.

In perhaps the mostunusual idea, city officialstraveled to the Bahamas toinspect three cruise ships,beginning a study ofwhether docked shipscould be used to house thehomeless.

“We won’t and we can’treject any idea,” Gibbssaid.

Homeless supporterswant the city to commit tobuilding 100,000 newhousing units and renovate85,000 more over the next10 years — at a cost ofabout $10 billion.

Bloomberg, facing mas-sive city budget deficits,said the problem is morecomplicated than writing acheck. The city claims it istrying to provide short-term solutions — guaran-teeing food and shelter —while it explores a long-term fix.

Meanwhile, no oneexpects the numbers todrop soon.

“We’re hustling to getfood,” said Larry Gile,who runs St. John’s Breadand Life, the largest soupkitchen in Brooklyn,which served a record19,500 meals last month.“We just get the feeling thedemand is infinite.”

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BY RON KAMPEASAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — Whetherprotecting the disenfranchised orstanding up for the right tooffend, the American CivilLiberties Union has sided withthose claiming they werewronged, even if it meant a dis-tinctly minority stand.

But since Sept. 11 and thegovernment’s expansive cam-paign of monitoring and deten-tion, people are turning to the 82-year-old organization to helpsafeguard their liberties. Amongthem are conservatives whomade the phrase “card-carryingmember of the ACLU” a politi-cal insult, but who now are sign-ing up.

“Larger numbers of Americanpeople have realized that theACLU is fundamentally a patri-otic organization.” executive

director Anthony Romero said.There are now 330,000 dues-paying members, 50,000 ofwhom joined after the attacks.

The group has been in thethick of legal challenges to thegovernment’s broadening anti-terror powers.

Last week, in response to anACLU lawsuit, the governmentagreed to tell the group by mid-January which documents it iswilling to release about itsincreased surveillance activities.

Especially notable among thenew enthusiasts are conserva-tives who once thought theACLU represented everythingthat was wrong with the left.

“They are very useful andproductive force in jurispru-dence,” said Rep. Henry Hyde,R-Ill.

Conservatives such as Hydeare mindful of the history of anorganization that was lonely in

its defense of positions nowaccepted as universal: Blackswho suffered spurious prosecu-tions in the 1930s, Japaneseinterned in the 1940s, booksbanned as obscene now regardedas part of the literary canon.

Yet the group continues toexasperate some with its uncom-promising positions — against aTen Commandments monumentin a Frederick, Md., park, againstthe government’s attempt to getlibraries to use computer filtersto block sexually explicit materi-al from children, against drugsweeps that it claims are raciallymotivated.

“Some of their positions areextreme, such as objecting tometal detectors in high schools”where there has been a high inci-dence of violence, Hyde said.

For the first time, the ACLUis spending part of its $50 mil-lion annual budget on a national

television commercial. An actorportraying John Ashcroft crossesthe phrase “We the People” fromthe Constitution as a narratorsays the attorney general has“seized powers for the Bushadministration no president hasever had.”

“This focus on civil libertiespost-9/11 has been a wonderfulopportunity to reach out to con-stituencies who would neverhave thought of the ACLU astheir home,” said NadineStrossen, the ACLU’s president.

The organization has budget-ed $3.5 million for a campaignthat asks Americans to monitortheir government monitors andreport abuses. It is a mirrorimage to the government’s planto empower some Americans tocheck on their neighbors, under aprogram known as the TerrorismInformation and PreventionSystem.

“When you have the highestranking law enforcement officialin the country saying eitheryou’re with me or against me,and that your tactics aid the ter-rorists, that rubs people thewrong way,” Romero said.

That includes conservativeswho bridle at government intru-sions into privacy.

House Majority Leader DickArmey, R-Texas, and Rep. BobBarr, R-Ga., have said they willconsider serving as consultantsfor the group when they leaveCongress next month.

Hyde has worked with theACLU to protect free speech oncampuses and limit the right ofauthorities to seize assets.

“I’m glad the ACLU raises theobjections it does, because itforces the government andCongress to be mindful of FirstAmendment rights,” he said.

ACLU’s membership has surged since terror attacks

BY RON KAMPEASAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Democrat JohnKerry, a leading Senate liberal and decorated gunboatofficer during the Vietnam War, said Sunday he is takinga first step toward running for president in 2004.

He took aim at President Bush’s policies on taxes,education, Iraq and the Middle East, saying, “There is abetter choice for this nation.” Bush, asked Sunday nightabout the prospect of running against Kerry, smiled atreporters but said nothing.

Kerry, a 58-year-old former prosecutor first elected tothe Senate in 1984, has said for the past year that he wasseriously thinking about a run in 2004. He was unop-posed for re-election in November to a fourth term — thefirst Massachusetts senator in 80 years with no major-party opposition.

“I’m going to file this week an exploratory committee,a formal committee, and I’m going to begin the processof organizing a national campaign,” Kerry said on NBC’s“Meet the Press.”

An official announcement of his candidacy is monthsaway, Kerry said.

Exploratory committees are established by buddingcandidates mainly to raise money, finance travels aroundthe country and help gauge voter support.

“When you really get into the formal stage, which Iam now entering, you find out who’s prepared to bethere, you see if you can raise the money,” Kerry said. “Itbecomes real.”

The best-known Democrat to emerge fromMassachusetts is President John Kennedy — and Kerry didnot shy from invoking his memory. But other Bay StateDemocrats have not fared as well in national elections.

Kennedy’s brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, failed in1980 to win the presidential nomination, as did PaulTsongas in 1992. Gov. Michael Dukakis — a Kerry men-tor — won the 1988 nomination, but lost by a wide mar-gin to Bush’s father.

Democrats are expected to have a crowded field of can-didates, with the party convention to be held in Boston.

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean already is running.Former Vice President Al Gore, the 2000 nominee, andNorth Carolina Sen. John Edwards expect to disclosetheir plans after the Christmas holidays. Outgoing HouseDemocratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri is expect-ed to begin telling colleagues whether he plans to run.Also considering the race is Gore’s running mate fromtwo years ago, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut,who has said he would not run if Gore does.

A recent Los Angeles Times poll of DemocraticNational Committee members showed Gore and Kerrytopped lists when people were asked their favorites.

During the NBC interview, Kerry repeatedly men-tioned his service in Vietnam. He was an officer on agunboat in the Mekong Delta and received numerousdecorations for his combat experience, including a SilverStar and three Purple Heart awards. He later led demon-strations against the war after he returned home.

“I served in the armed services — I love this country,”he said. “I have a great sense of what this country can beand what it is.”

That background could deflect some of the criticismhe could face for his voting record. He has voted with lib-eral standard bearer Kennedy 93 percent of the time.

Still, Kerry did not shy from those positions in makingthe announcement, restating his opposition to the deathpenalty and forcefully challenging Bush’s proposed tax cuts.

“We can’t go on any longer pretending to Americansthat you can have everything and that nobody has to haveany cost attached to it,” he said.

“What Sept. 11 taught us, or reminded us perhaps, isthat there are some things that only the government willdo ... it’s your traffic jam, it’s your school that’s fallingapart, it’s your airport system that doesn’t work, it’s yoursecurity system that isn’t there.”

Kerry has been drawing differences with Bush in theareas of energy and foreign policy in appearances aroundthe country. He plans to lay out his economic plan in apolicy speech Tuesday in Cleveland, including focusingtax cuts more on the middle class.

Republican arguments that rescinding promised taxcuts amounts to an increase are “silly,” Kerry said. “Noaverage American believes that’s an increase.”

Kerry said he favors a tax cut that “comes in a payroll

tax reduction that will put more money in the pocket of themiddle class and average worker.” A payroll tax refund-able credit would leave Social Security untouched, he said.

He also rejected Bush proposals on school vouchers, andscored the administration’s education policies as regressive,saying he would spend more money on public schools.

“There aren’t enough seats at the table of charterschools,” he said. “We have a new problem in America,it’s called separate and unequal .... And you don’t have aprayer in many communities of providing equality ofeducation unless you have equality of resources.”

Kerry said he would back war with Iraq only if Bushcould prove an imminent threat, and said he viewed uni-lateralism as dangerous. “The United States of Americashould not go to war because it wants to go to war. Weshould go to war because we have to go to war.”

He also said the administration had abandoned the roleof honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians.

“They gave the green light, if you will, to the mostnegative instincts of that region to begin to take hold,” hesaid, adding that he would remind Israel that it wouldeventually have to stop settlement building.

Kerry said his wife, Teresa Heinz, fully backed hiscampaign, although she has publicly expressed reserva-tions in the past.

Kerry has more than $3 million in his Senate electioncommittee that can be rolled into a presidential effort,associates said.

In the past, Kerry and his wife, heir to the Heinzketchup fortune, have decided against using their ownmoney, which totals in the hundreds of millions of dol-lars, for campaigns. He did not discuss campaign financ-ing during the televised interview.

Kerry does not take money from political action com-mittees representing corporations, labor unions and inter-est groups.

NATIONALSanta Monica Daily Press ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑

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Alex Wong/Meet the Press/NBCSen. John Kerry, D-MA, speaks on NBC’s “Meet thePress” during a Sunday taping at the NBC studios inWashington, D.C. Sen. Kerry, a Vietnam veteran andformer prosecutor, said he will take his first step onrunning for president in 2004 by forming anexploratory committee this week.

NATIONAL ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

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BY JULIE WATSONAssociated Press Writer

NOGALES, Mexico — The giggly12-year-old boy’s feet were giving out.The gallon jugs of water he carried ineach hand banged against his tired legs.He fell four times, scraping his knees.Cactus spines poked through his hightopsand pricked his feet.

A red-and-black snake slithered by. Atarantula fluttered its long, hairy legs atopa rock.

Luis Alberto Damian tried not to thinkabout any of that. Instead, he wouldrecount later, he tried to focus on keepingup with the 19 migrants marching aheadof him into the inky night — and on hismother, who was waiting for him at theend of his journey.

But after 15 hours of walking throughNorth America’s harshest desert, his tripwould be in vain: Luis Alberto wasamong nearly 35,000 children arrestedthis year while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexican border.

Activists say kids like Luis Albertodrive home the urgent need for a migra-tion accord between Mexico and theUnited States. Both governments prom-ised this month to resume talks, sidelinedsince the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of chil-dren cross every year — many accompa-nied only by strangers on the most treach-erous trip of their lives. Most children,like Luis Alberto, are headed to see par-ents living illegally in the United States.

In the past, migrants often used falsepassports and birth certificates to get theirchildren across the border.

But closer scrutiny by officials sinceSept. 11 has made that nearly impossible,experts say, and many migrants prefer tohave their children smuggled over thanleave coveted U.S. jobs to return toMexico to get them.

Experts fear the heightened security isforcing children to embark on perilousjourneys.

“It seems the only way is crossingthrough the desert,” said Candelaria Cruz,coordinator of a government shelter fordeported Mexican children in Nogales,across from Nogales, Ariz.

Since security was heightened, U.S.Border Patrol arrests have dropped totheir lowest level in more than a decade.But the death toll has varied little — indi-cating that those who are crossing are tak-ing more dangerous routes.

The Border Patrol registered 320deaths this year, compared to 336 in 2001.That number did not include the deaths of11 migrants whose bodies were foundlocked in a grain car in Iowa in earlyOctober, less than two weeks after thegovernment issued its statistics.

The Border Patrol does not track indi-viduals’ ages, but the Foreign RelationsDepartment reports four children under 15died this year, compared with one last year.

“We’ve seen a lot of kids this year

under 10 years old, like 2, 4, 6 and 7,”said Fernando Guerrero, the Nogales shel-ter’s night supervisor.

Luis Alberto, who suffered only scrapesand bruises, was among the lucky ones.

Some children have arrived at the shel-ter barefoot and so badly blistered that theskin on the soles of their feet has peeledoff, Guerrero said.

“A lot come in crying, crying and cry-ing,” he said. “Usually the smallest onesare the bravest.”

The worst case the shelter has seen wasan 8-year-old boy found huddled under atree after wandering alone in the desert forthree days, abandoned by a smuggler.

“When he arrived, he was hallucinat-ing,” Cruz said. “He would dream he wasin an ocean, he was so dehydrated.”

Before the Mexican government openedthe shelters along the 2,000-mile border in1999, the Border Patrol handed all childrenover to local Mexican police in bordercities, who simply released them.

The shelters arrange for relatives to getthe children. Still, most try to cross again.

Luis Alberto and his 17-year-old broth-er crossed the border at the TohonoO’odham Indian reservation west ofNogales and hiked into the desert with thegroup. When they reached a ranch house,he said, smugglers separated the brothersonto two trucks waiting to take them onthe next leg of their journey.

Luis Alberto squeezed down on thefloor behind the driver’s seat.

After reaching the highway, the truckstopped amid frantic whispers. LuisAlberto’s heart pounded. Everyonescrambled. Luis Alberto huddled in a ballon the floor and closed his eyes, hopingno one would see him.

Instead, he was the only one caught.He spent the night on the floor of a

U.S. immigration detention center. Thenext morning, Border Patrol agents hand-ed him to Mexican police in Nogales, whotook him to the shelter.

From there, he called his mom, an ille-gal immigrant in Atlanta.

“Yeah, I’m OK,” he said, laughingnervously. “I love you, too.”

Asked what his mom told him, the boysaid: “She told me not to worry. She talkedto the smuggler, and I can try again.”

“Now I have to go wash my shoes andpull out all the spines.”

Mexican children bravedesert heat, snakes intrek across U.S. border

“A lot (of kids) come incrying, crying and crying.Usually the smallest ones

are the bravest.”

— FERNANDO GUERRERONogales shelter’s night supervisor

Find Out Your Forecast in Today’s

Horoscope’s .. .. .. page 2

BY CHARLES J. HANLEYAP Special Correspondent

KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq — U.N.disarmament teams inspected a shabby,seldom-used airfield in corn country northof Baghdad on Sunday, a place whereIraqi experts engineered devices for bom-barding an enemy from the air with spraysof killer microbes.

The U.N. inspectors checked on equip-ment sealed and tagged by U.N. teams inthe 1990s, and pored over paper and com-puter files, the airfield’s director said. Butthey apparently found none of theadvanced spray systems, unaccounted forsince the Gulf War.

“We showed them everything,” said thedirector, Montadhar Radeef Mohammed.

The inspectors, as usual, kept theirfindings confidential, pending later for-mal reports.

In their first week of inspections, theU.N. monitors paid unannounced visits toa dozen Iraqi sites with a wide variety ofspecialties and links to weapons programsin the 1980s.

Those ranged from an animal vaccineplant that brewed lethal toxins for bombs, toan industrial complex planned to house hun-dreds of gas centrifuges producing enricheduranium for Iraqi nuclear weapons.

In both those cases, and dozens of oth-ers, the earlier inspectors destroyed thecritical equipment, and put other gearunder seal, video surveillance or otherforms of control. They also destroyedmany tons of chemical and biologicalagents for weapons.

That inspection regime collapsed in1998, however, as the Baghdad governmentand U.N. officials clashed over access toIraqi sites and the alleged presence of U.S.spies in the U.N. operation. Those inspec-tors believed they never found all of Iraq’sweapons of mass destruction.

The inspections have resumed under aU.N. Security Council mandate for Iraq, 11years after its Gulf War defeat, to finallygive up any remaining chemical, biologicalor nuclear weapons programs, or face“serious consequences.” The United Statesthreatens war against Iraq, with or withoutU.N. support, if the new inspections don’tstrip Baghdad of such weapons.

The U.S. threats have touched off anti-war protests worldwide. In the latest round,thousands rallied in Istanbul, Turkey, onSunday to demand that their governmentnot assist a U.S. war against their southernneighbor Iraq. “We will not be America’ssoldiers!” demonstrators chanted.

More than 18,000 anti-war protestersalso demonstrated in Australian citiesover the weekend.

Iraqi-U.S. tensions exploded againSunday in the no-fly zone declared byWashington in southern Iraq to protectShiite Muslims.

Iraqi officials said three U.S.-Britishairstrikes left four civilians dead and 27others wounded. The U.S. military saidthe planes attacked Iraqi air defenses afterbeing fired on.

Important sites from the 1990s inspec-tions have been alerted by Iraqi authori-ties to expect the new U.N. teams any-time. When five carloads of inspectorspulled up to Khan Bani Sa’ad Airport’sfront gate, 20 miles northeast of Baghdad,they were let in without delay, accompa-nied by Iraqi government escorts whoaren’t told their destination beforehand.

Installation director Mohammed appar-ently was caught unaware, however, andoff base. Because the U.N. team “froze”the site, allowing no movement in or out,Mohammed needed special clearance toenter and deal with the inspectors.

The Aviation Division of the nationalAgriculture Ministry operates the airfieldas a base for spraying Iraqi fields with pes-ticides. Today, nine operable crop-dustinghelicopters fly regularly from the field,and 16 others sit in disrepair on the tarmac.

“They opened all the doors. Weshowed them all the rooms,” Mohammedsaid of the inspectors. He told reportersafterward the visitors made copies ofcomputer files, and checked that tagsplaced on pesticide tanks and other equip-ment in the 1990s were still there.

The U.N. experts found no prohibitedmaterial, he said. In the 1980s, however,the isolated airfield was a center for secre-tive activities.

The U.N. inspection agency’s 1999wrap-up report noted succinctly of the air-field: “Biological warfare weapons devel-opment — Zubaidy device.”

The “Zubaidy” was a device for gener-ating and dispersing an aerosol of lethalmicrobes, biowarfare agents, from a heli-copter. In 1988, the Iraqis — apparentlyfrom Khan Bani Sa’ad helipads — suc-cessfully flight-tested the Zubaidy device,spraying bacteria, the agency reported.

“Experts assess this device as a mosteffective biological warfare munition,” itsaid.

But although Iraq subsequently turnedover developmental models for destruc-tion, the earlier U.N. inspectors werenever given at least 12 finished versionsof the Zubaidy that were produced.“These remain unaccounted for,” the U.N.report said.

Mohammed, who took over as directorin 1998, told reporters he was unfamiliarwith the Zubaidy devices. He said

Sunday’s inspectors did not question himabout them.

If the new round of inspections eventu-ally finds full cooperation by the Iraqis inthe disarmament effort, U.N. resolutionscall for the Security Council to considerlifting international economic sanctionsimposed on this country when it invadedKuwait in 1990.

INTERNATIONALSanta Monica Daily Press ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑

Weapons inspectors makeunannounced visits in Iraq

BY SNJEZANA VUKICAssociated Press Writer

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Long-serving Prime Minister Janez Drnovsekheld a commanding lead Sunday in a runoffelection for the presidency of this formerYugoslav republic, exit polls showed.

Drnovsek had 57.8 percent of vote, fol-lowed by his opponent Barbara Brezigarwith 42.2 percent, according to the pollconducted by the state-run SloveneTelevision.

Brezigar, a state prosecutor and a polit-ical novice, apparently failed to attractenough voters to support her message thatthe young country needs new leadership.

Other exit polls — which have been accu-rate in the past — showed similar results.

The state electoral commission wasexpected to announce partial results laterSunday. The runoff was held after neithercandidate won an outright majority in thefirst round on Nov. 10.

Drnovsek appeared victorious.“I am looking forward for us together

to open a new chapter in our Slovenehomeland,” Drnovsek said.

Brezigar was visibly disappointed butsaid she nonetheless was “happy becausewe achieved much more than we initiallyexpected.”

On a chilly but sunny day, 51 percentof 1.6 million eligible voters had cast theirballots by 5 p.m., two hours before pollsclosed, the commission said.

Slovenes were voting for a successor toMilan Kucan, 61, who led this Balkancountry of 2 million to independence from

Yugoslavia 11 years ago.Both Drnovsek, 52, and Brezigar, 49,

promised to keep the country on its pathtoward integration in the West. Slovenia wasjust invited to join NATO, and is almost cer-tain to join the European Union in 2004.

For many voters, the choice was betweenold and new. Some of those voting forBrezigar said it was time for a change, par-ticularly considering that Drnovsek’sLiberal Democrat party has run the countryfor much of the time since its independence.

“I’m against the fact of having absolutepower in the hands of one party,” saidaccountant Tanja Vrancar, 39.

But Janez Kolonic said continuity wasimportant. “Drnovsek is the best choicebecause he’s well-known here andabroad,” said the 62-year-old retiree.

The most prosperous of all formerYugoslav republics, Slovenia today has astable democracy, free media and anunemployment rate lower than inGermany or France. The per capitaincome is equal to $10,000 — and thecountry’s main concern about joining theEU is that it would be too rich to deservethe union’s financial assistance.

Drnovsek has been almost an emblemof Slovenia ever since it won independ-ence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991after a 10-day war.

An economist by training, he won hisfirst term in 1992, and his second in 1996.The opposition briefly ousted him in mid-2000, but he returned to the post in elec-tions six months later.

Under his leadership, Slovenia hasmoved swiftly toward membership in

Western organizations — successesDrnovsek referred to often in his campaign.

“Our perseverance has been recog-nized now,” he declared after returningfrom the Nov. 21 NATO summit in theCzech capital, Prague, where Sloveniaand six other former communist stateswere invited to join the alliance.

Drnovsek’s health has been fragilesince he underwent surgery three yearsago to have a cancerous kidney removed,but even this did not seem to have dis-couraged many voters.

Brezigar, who served as a justice min-ister in the short-lived conservative gov-ernment in 2000, ran under the motto thatSlovenia “needs new faces.”

An outsider only four months ago, whenpolls gave her 7 percent of support, shewon 31 percent of votes in the first round.

Her vivacity and openness — com-pared to Drnovsek’s almost placid compo-sure — brought freshness to the campaign.She is respected for her success in headingthe state department for fighting organizedcrime and corruption earned her respect,and conservative voters like her support oftraditional and national values.

Drnovsek announced that if electedpresident, he would resign the premier-ship as early as Monday. He is expectedto be replaced by the finance minister,Anton Rop.

The independent country’s secondpresident will be inaugurated on Dec. 23.

Slovenes also were electing new may-ors in Ljubljana and several other townson Sunday, but those results were notexpected to influence national politics.

A Kenyan funeral

Karel Prinsloo/Associated PressUnidentified family members cover the grave of Safari Yaa Baya, one of thethree Kenyan traditional dancers killed in Thursday's suicide attack, inMawemi village, Kenya, Sunday. Hundreds gathered in Mawemi village, afew kilometers (miles) from the Paradise Hotel, where the attack took place,20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Mombasa, for the burial of three Kenyantraditional dancers killed in the suicide attack as they were welcomingIsraeli tourists.

Janez Drnovsek leads in runoff electionsfor Slovene presidency, say the exit polls

SPORTS ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

BY KEN PETERSAP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — Before Saturdaynight, Notre Dame had played 1,081games since the school first put a footballteam on the field in 1887. And theFighting Irish had never been so overrunas they were by Southern California.

Carson Palmer threw for 425 yards andfour touchdowns, and USC outgainedNotre Dame by an astounding 610 yardsto 109 as the sixth-ranked Trojans beat theNo. 7 Irish 44-13.

Both the passing yards and the total yardswere the most ever against Notre Dame.

“After the way we played, we don’tdeserve to play in the Orange Bowl,” Irishoffensive tackle Jordan Black said. “Thiswasn’t this year’s team, it was last year’steam that showed up tonight. ... I just wantto go home and throw up.”

The Trojans (10-2, 7-1 Pac-10) alsodominated the Irish offense, allowing just70 yards passing and 39 rushing, and giv-ing up just two field goals. Notre Dame’stouchdown came on a blocked punt, andthe Irish didn’t score in the second half.

With Notre Dame (10-2) still underconsideration for a Bowl ChampionshipSeries at-large berth, Irish coach TyroneWillingham did a bit of lobbying.

“I can make a case to the BCS,” saidWillingham, who has turned the NotreDame program around in his first year asits coach. “We played 12 games. We won10 of them. We’ve been very good andvery sound. This game is not a true indi-cator of what kind of team we can be.

The Trojans, meanwhile, believed theirperformance should enhance their stand-ing in the BCS rankings.

“It proved we’re a heck of a team. Icouldn’t imagine why somebody would-n’t want us to play in their game, althoughI know that some people might not want

to play us,” Carroll said.In his final game at the Coliseum,

Palmer completed 32 of 46 passes andwas intercepted twice.

Notre Dame’s Carlyle Holiday went10-for-29 for 70 yards with three intercep-tions. Ryan Grant, who came in with1,101 yards rushing, carried 10 times forjust 16 yards.

The previous highs against NotreDame were 424 passing yards by Miami’sSteve Walsh in 1988, and 591 total yardsby USC in 1979.

Freshman Mike Williams caught 10passes for 169 yards and two touchdownsas USC snapped a three-game winningstreak by Notre Dame in the series thatbegan in 1926.

Fullback Malaefou MacKenzie hadtwo TD receptions, and Justin Fargas ranfor 120 yards on 20 carries and had fourcatches for 41 yards as the resurgentTrojans won their seventh in a row.

USC still has a shot at the Rose Bowl,or it could get a BCS at-large berth.Despite the lopsided loss to the Trojans,Notre Dame still could be awarded a BCSat-large spot.

The Trojans’ 10 regular-season winswere their most since going 10-1 in 1988,and this is the first year they’ve beaten bothcrosstown rival UCLA (52-21) and NotreDame during the same season in 21 years.

Notre Dame finished with its most regu-lar-season wins since an 11-1 mark in 1993.

With the Trojans blending short passeswith Fargas’ rushing, USC kept the Irishdefense on its heels for most of the game.

Up 17-13 at halftime, the Trojansextended their lead on Palmer’s third scor-ing throw, a pass in the flat thatMacKenzie turned into a 15-yard touch-down 2:59 into the third quarter.

Ryan Killeen added field goals of 27and 29 yards later in the quarter, then

Sultan McCullough scored on an 11 yard-run three minutes into the fourth quarterto put USC up 37-13.

Southern California lost a fumble thatset up a field goal, had a punt blocked fora touchdown, was penalized six times for35 yards — compared with one penaltyfor Notre Dame — and Palmer threw the

first of his two interceptions.Notre Dame’s only touchdown came

when Carlos Pierre-Antoine blocked TomMalone’s punt and recovered it in the endzone. Pierre-Antoine was credited with a21-yard blocked punt return on the TD,which gave the Irish a 13-10 with 1:07 leftin the first half.

Southern Cal humblesNotre Dame Fighting Irish

Kings defeat Blackhawks

Chris Urso/Associated PressChicago Blackhawks’ Phil Housley (6) reaches for the puck as Los AngelesKings Brad Chartrand (29) moves up the ice during the third periodSaturday in Los Angeles. Housley received a two-minute penalty for slash-ing on the play. The Kings won 4-1.

BY KEN PETERSAP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — When he trottedoff to a standing ovation late in the fourthquarter of his final game at the Coliseum,Carson Palmer certainly had met — andexceeded — expectations.

Palmer, heralded as the school’s nextgreat quarterback when he arrived as afreshman, had struggled along with the teamfor most of his time at Southern California.

But he capped his impressive regularseason by throwing for 425 yards, themost ever given up through the air byNotre Dame.

“It’s amazing. After all we’ve beenthrough, to end it like this is great,”Palmer said after he passed for four touch-downs in the No. 5 Trojans’ 44-13 rout ofthe Irish on Saturday night.

Almost lost in the lopsided win overNotre Dame, which entered the game withone of the nation’s top defenses, wasanother Palmer milestone — he becamethe Pac-10’s career total offense leader.

His 11,314 yards of total offense in hisUSC career are 29 more than the standardset by UCLA’s Cade McNown.

Palmer already owned the Pac-10 pass-ing record, and he’s thrown for 3,639yards this season to run his career total to11,515.

It all could add up to some serious con-sideration for the Heisman Trophy.

USC coach Pete Carroll, who prettymuch already has run out of superlatives for

the Trojans’ senior quarterback, said, “He’sbeen phenomenal. He’s a great talent.”

Tyrone Willingham, in his first season atNotre Dame after coaching at Stanford, wasimpressed by the way Palmer has matured.

“He’s vastly improved in his under-standing of himself and the system, andhe now has greater control of both,”Willingham said. “Even when we wereable to get pressure on him, he was able torespond with some nice throws and well-timed plays.”

Irish linebacker Courtney Watson said,“He was able to pick us apart as a defense.He did what he needed to do, and we could-n’t slow him or his wide receivers down.”

Palmer and the Trojans (10-2, 7-1 Pac-10) now must play a waiting game.Assured of at least a share of the confer-ence title, they will go to the Rose Bowl ifWashington State, which also has just onePac-10 defeat, loses to UCLA on Saturday.

Even they don’t play in the Rose Bowl,the Trojans would be in the running for aBowl Championship Series berth, possi-bly in the Orange Bowl.

Palmer believes the win over NotreDame certainly should strengthen theTrojans’ prospects.

“I hope everyone was paying attentionand saw the score,” he said. “They need toknow that we are for real now.”

Notre Dame (10-2), which gave up themost yards in school history (610) in theone-sided loss, dropped from seventh to11th in the AP poll.

USC’s Carson Palmer leavesColiseum by standing ovation

BY DAN GELSTONAssociated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — John Woodencouldn’t remember anything aboutUCLA’s last 0-2 start, but he’s had a goodlook at this one.

The Bruins’ losses in both of theirexhibition games — their first suchdefeats since 1993 — don’t appear soshocking anymore. Neither does droppingtheir home opener to San Diego.

The Bruins could be in for a long sea-son if they don’t quickly figure out howto fix their weakness, like quick shootingoff isolation basketball which was on dis-play Saturday.

Playing in the John Wooden Tradition,and in front of the 92-year-old formercoach who led the Bruins to 10 NCAAtitles and made them a national power,UCLA collapsed after the first 10 minutesand lost to No. 6 Duke 84-73.

The Bruins dropped to 0-2 for the firsttime since 1961-62 season, when theyopened the season with two straight loss-es to Brigham Young. Wooden, whocouldn’t recall the losses 41 years ago,declined to assess this season’s Bruins.

“I don’t want to give advice,” he said.“That would make me sound critical and

I’m not going to be critical.”Too bad, because UCLA could use all

the help it could get.The Bruins are likely to drop out of this

week’s poll. They haven’t won a Pac-10 titlesince 1997 and an NCAA championshipsince 1995, under coach Jim Harrick.

A year ago, UCLA shook off a 2-2 startand finished 21-12, and was sixth in thePac-10 at 11-7. The Bruins lost toCalifornia in the first round of the confer-ence tournament and lost to Missouri inthe NCAA tournament’s round of 16.

This season’s schedule doesn’t get eas-ier. There are still games left with Kansas,Georgetown, Michigan and St. John’s.

The Bruins were never in sync withtheir motion offense against the BlueDevils (3-0), largely because they neverlooked to create shots for their teammates.Jason Kapono, Cedric Bozeman, DijonThompson and Ray Young often shotwildly from the field. UCLA went 30minutes with only two assists.

“We have a problem with beingpatient,” said Kapono, who bypassed theNBA draft in favor of returning for his sen-ior year. “I think every time we get a lead,all of a sudden we start shooting quicker.No one wants to stick with the game plan.Everyone tries to get their own shot.”

At 0-2, UCLA Bruins areoff to worst start in 41 years

COMICSSanta Monica Daily Press ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑

Reality Check®

By Dave WhammondSpeed Bump®

By Dave Coverly

Natural Selection®

By Russ Wallace

NEWS OF THE WEIRDby Chuck Shepard

Man tricks young girls from prison• Ian Cheeseman, 34, already locked up in Ottawa, Ontario, was charged in September with

having made about 250 collect calls from prison trying to trick young girls (by offering themBackstreet Boys concert tickets, among other things) into urinating into a cup near the phone.

• A judge in Omaha, Neb., ruled in October that a confession made by former teacher MikeFlorea, 35, was admissible in his sex-abuse trial; he had told police that he would pay boys $20to $25 if they would ejaculate into small containers, which Florea then stored in his freezer.

CLASSIFIEDS ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

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Houses For RentMDR ADJACENT, 2 +2 , fire-place, dishwasher, stove, large private patio, new paint and car-pet in newer gated building with gated, subterranian parking, A/C, quiet neighborhood. laun-dry room, 1 year lease, no pets.$1,395. (310)578-9729


SANTA MONICA $1060.00 Guest House, near beach, pet ok, hrdwd flrs, w/d. Westside Rentals 395-RENT

SANTA MONICA $1125.00 Cottage, walk to beach, bright, prkng. Westside Rentals 395-RENT

VENICE CANALS House $3,500 3bdrm/2ba, 2 car ga-rage, canal front patios and views, fireplace. Great location! Repainted inside and out, new carpet downstairs, new woof trim, new garage door, new deck, new windows. 1 year lease. No pets. (310)396-4443 ext. 102.


WESTWOOD VILLAGE4bdrm/3.5ba House N. of Wil-shire in prime location. Hard-wood floors, lots of charm, very private yard. 2 car garage. Must see to appreciate. 1 year lease, will consider small pet.(310)271-7064.


Roommates

FANTASTIC!S.M. SHARE 2bdrm furnish-ed apt. 9th & Wilshire.$2200.00 a month, You pay only $675.00!! (310)394-1050.

MUST SEE!

SANTA MONICA $500.00 Apartment, prvt rm, prvt bth, r/s, hrdwd flrs, prkng. Westside Rentals 395-RENT

SANTA MONICA $550.00 Du-plex, prvt rm, r/s, high ceilings, yard, prkng. Westside Rentals 395-RENT

Commercial Lease1318 Second Street, Santa Monica. Approximately 600 square feet. 2 ocean view offi-ces w/reception. RTH Manage-ment (949)916-1430. Parking available.

Storage SpaceSTORAGE ROOM 9 x 9 feet.Santa monica North of wilshire.$100/month. (310)393-5900

MassageBLISSFUL RELAXATION! Heal your body, mind, spirit. Thera-peutic, Swedish, Deep-tissue.energy balancing, non-sexual.Introductory specials from $45.00/1hr. In/out. Lynda, L.M.T. (310)749-0621

MASSAGE ENJOY a really great, amazing and wonder-ful full body massage.Swedish, deep-tissue and Tantra. (Platonic only!) No time limit. Will come to you.24/7 Cute, slim, fit, petite mature chocolate. 14 years experience. Dolly’s pager (310)358-6484.

MASSAGE/ESCORT (Playboy model) The lovely Dessarae.Beautiful body & face waiting for you. (213)308-9711 (310)319-1361.

REVITALIZE & Rejuvenate.Body, Mind & Spirit with a ther-apeutic Swedish/Deep-tissue massage. Laura (310)394-2923 (310)569-0883.

THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE,Swedish, Accupressure, Deep-tissue, Sports Mas-sage, Reflexology. For apt call Tracy at (310)435-0657.

AnnouncementsASSISTANTS LEAGUE OF

SANTA MONICAVisit our bargain bazaar at 1453 15th St. Very reasonable prices.(310)395-2338

ServicesHOUSE CLEANINGJanet’s at Your Service! House, yards, garage. Parties w/hot dog cart! (310)367-5436 /(818)545-8914

HOUSE CLEANING - Available 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Windows, laundry, general house clean-ing. References available. Re-sponsible. Reasonable prices.Call Lalo (310) 313-0848.

Computer ServicesCOMPUTER HELP: Your home or office. Tutoring Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet naviga-tion. Please call (310)207-3366.

Attorney Services

SPIRITUAL ATTORNEYConscious caring help. 32 years experience. Low cost:Divorce, Support, Criminal, Business. (310)837-0801.

Health/BeautyDIABETIC WEIGHT-LOSS Bath Shampoo. Free sample. Ralph Sahara, P.O. Box 62174, Hono-lulu, HI.

CLASSIFIEDSSanta Monica Daily Press ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑

CCaalleennddaarrLoews Broadway Cinema1441 Third St. at BroadwayFemme Fatale (R) 12:40, 3:40, 6:40,9:40. Half Past Dead (PG-13)12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. TheEmperor's Club (PG-13) 1:20,4:20, 7:20, 10:20. Ararat (R)1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00.

Mann Criterion1313 Third St.The Ring (PG-13) 12:45, 4:00, 7:15,10:20. Punch-Drunk Love (R)11:45, 2:15, 4:50, 7:30, 10:15.Harry Potter and the Chamber ofSecrets (PG) 9:30, 12:00, 1:00,3:30, 4:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:30.Extreme Ops 11:30, 2:00, 4:45,7:35, 10:10. Friday After Next (R)12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:25.

AMC Theatre SM 71310 3rd Street

Santa Clause 2 (G) 2:00, 4:45, 7:30,9:55. 8 Mile (R) 2:25, 5:10, 8:00,10:45. Treasure Planet (PG) 12:00,1:45, | 2:30, 4:10, 4:55, 6:40, 7:15,9:00, 9:40. Die Another Day (PG-13) 1:10, 1:55, 4:15, 5:00, 7:25,8:10, 10:30, 11:10. Adam Sandler'sEight Crazy Nights (PG-13)12:10, 2:15, 4:30, 7:20, 9:45.

Landmark Nu-Wilshire1314 Wilshire Blvd.Bowling for Columbine (R)1:30, 4:15, 7:30, 10:15. Far FromHeaven (PG-13) 11:30, 2:00, 4:30,7:00, 9:30.

Laemmle Monica1332 2nd St.Real Women Have Curves (PG-13)1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00. TheFourth Tenor 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00,10:15. The Quiet American (R)1:45, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40. El Crimendel Padre Amaro (R)1:30, 4:20,7:15, 10:05.

Aero Theatre1328 Montana Ave.Femme Fatale 5:00, 7:30, 10:00

m o v i e s

KEEP YOUR DATE STRAIGHTPromote your event in the Santa Monica Daily Press Calendar section.

Fax all information to our Calendar Editor: Attention Angela @ 310.576.9913

Monday, December 2, 2002

TodayToddler Time, 10 a.m. Barnes & Noble atthe Promenade and Wilshire. (310)260-9110.

Dodd Art Gallery showing Dafne Nesti"Paintings" and Dodd Jolsapple "NewWorks". Nov. 17th through Dec. 16th,5pm to 8pm, 1650 20th Street, SantaMonica. For more information please call(310) 828-5825.

Santa Monica Strutters, a FREE programsponsored by UCLA Healthcare's 50-PlusProgram! Walking programs for adults50 or older looking for safe, low-impactexercise in a comfortable environment.The Santa Monica Strutters meetMondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,from 8 a.m. To 10 a.m., at Santa MonicaPlace, Fourth St. and Broadway Ave. inSanta Monica.

Senior Suppers - Discounted meals forpeople AGE 55 or older are served daily,from 3:30 p.m. To 7 p.m., in the cafete-ria at Santa Monica-UCLA MedicalCenter, 1250 16th Street in Santa

Monica. $3.69 Info only: (310)319-4837.

Harvelle's Blues Club present SportsHappy Hour, 5pm to 8pm. 100 inchmovie screen with high definition LCDprojector, JBL surround sound, drinkspecials, $3.00 Happy Hour Buffet. 14324th Street. Between Broadway andSanta Monica Blvd. (310)395-1676

Conversations with God study group inSanta Monica every Monday night 7-8:30 pm, sequentially exploring andimplementing the concepts of the "withGod" books authored by Neale DonaldWalsch. Meets in an ocean front condo-minium, donation $5. For further infor-mation call Grant at (310) 399-8982.

Unurban Coffee House presents HotTopics Night hosted by Ali every Mondayevening. Signup is at 8pm. Open paneldiscussion and open forum. 3301 PicoBlvd. (310)315-0056

TuesdayOngoing support groups for people 55and older. Current openings in, So, What

Are You Going to Do With the Rest of yourLife? Tuesdays, 10:00 to 11:30am.Center for Healthy Aging, 2125 ArizonaAvenue. Sliding scale fee. Not drop-ingroups. Phone interview required. CallInformation and Referral. (310)576-2550.

Dodd Art Gallery showing Dafne Nesti"Paintings" and Dodd Jolsapple "NewWorks". Nov. 17th through Dec. 16th,5pm to 8pm, 1650 20th Street, SantaMonica. For more information please call(310) 828-5825.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPS ATSMC'S EMERITUS COLLEGE. SantaMonica College offers free bereavementsupport groups in the summer sessionthrough it's Emeritus College, a widelypraised program designed for olderadults. Two support groups will meetTuesdays on an ongoing basis. Onegroup will meet from noon to 1:50 p.m.and the other from 7 p.m. to 8:50 p.m.For information and registration, callEmeritus College at (310) 434-4306.

Crossroads Schools in Santa Monicainvites local musicians (grades 3-7) to

join orchestra rehearsals. Rehearsals areongoing and are held each Tuesday ofthe school year, from 3:15 to 4:15.Students may join at anytime. Cost isfree, students must bring their owninstruments. 1714 21st Street, SM. Formore information please call (310)829-7391

Senior Suppers - Discounted meals forpeople AGE 55 or older are served daily,from 3:30 p.m. To 7 p.m., in the cafete-ria at Santa Monica-UCLA MedicalCenter, 1250 16th Street in SantaMonica. $3.69 Info only: (310)319-4837.

Santa Monica College Emeritus CollegeBand invites adult musicians who play aband instrument to join the band.Rehearsals are held each Tuesdayevening in the Band room at LincolnMiddle School, 14th and CaliforniaStreets from 7pm to 9:15pm, Concertsare given during the year. For more infor-mation call (310)474-5271.

Unurban Coffee House presents Stitch'n' Bitch every Tuesday evening. Chicks,yarn, coffee & chat. 7:30pm to 9:30pm.3301 Pico Blvd. (310)315-0056

Calendar items are printed free of charge as a service to our readers. Please submit your items to [email protected] for considera-tion. Calendar events are limited by space, and will be run at the discretion of the Calendar Editor.

Be in the middle of it all!Professional office space available on the Third Street Promenade.

950 square feet of office space conveniently located downtown, a walk away from shops, restaurants andthe beach. Bright office space with high ceilings, natural light, two large private offices and a spaciousreception area. Quiet location with a shared kitchen. New paint and carpet. Parking. Available now.

Call (310) 458-7737 ext. 104

BACK PAGE ❑ Monday, December 2, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press

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KidsSafeDay2002

present an afternoon of fun, foodprizes and child safety.

Saturday, December 7, 200211:00a.m. 3:00p.m.

Madison CampusSanta Monica College(SMC)

1310 11th Street , Santa Monicaprotect your children

FREE photos & fingerprinting — to keeprecords of your kids.

FREE DNA kits—for parents to retain.

FREE kids’ safety tips.

FREE eye exams.

FREE food and entertainment.

FREE prizes and raffle.

Meet special guests Nathan Fillion

and Adam Baldwin!

Santa Monica Police K-9!See Police Cars and Fire Trucks!

For more information call, 310.575.1927

“Home of L.A.’s Most FamousEnglish High Tea”

Since 1986

Open 7 Days — 11a.m. to 6 p.m.ZAGAT’S 2001 AWARD OF DISTINCTION

355 S. Robertson Blvd.Beverly Hills

(310) 652-0624

BY DANIEL WOOLLSAssociated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain — It is among the longest poems inWestern literature, celebrating El Cid, one of the mostadmired warriors of medieval times.

The question academics still ponder, centuries after itwas written: Who wrote it?

Until now most scholars have attributed the epic’s3,730 verses to an anonymous minstrel who was express-ing grass-roots admiration for El Cid, the knight RodrigoDiaz de Vivar, who retook much land from Moorishinvaders as he served Spain’s king.

But Juan Victorio, a professor of medieval studies inMadrid, sees a sneakier design behind what’s consideredthe first great work of Spanish literature. He argues thatKing Alfonso VII hired somebody to write the poem —with convenient embellishments and omissions — as away to shape his illiterate subjects’ mood and encourageloyalty as the throne battled the Moors.

Victorio says such tactics were common in medievaltimes, likening them to modern governments’ use ofmass media to influence public opinion.

“The writer was the royal court’s television — televi-sion, or journalism, or whatever you want to call it,”Victorio says. “He was the medieval ruler’s means ofcommunicating.”

In real life, for instance, while El Cid fought tena-ciously for Alfonso VII’s grandfather, King Alfonso VI,he also fell out with him, was banished and sided for awhile with the Moors. But the poetic version of El Cid’sdeeds skipped over most of that.

Other literary accounts of El Cid’s life did reflectthose and other flashes of defiance and proved very pop-ular. Victorio argues that Aflonso VII couldn’t toleratethat, so he commissioned the poem portraying the knightas sheepishly obedient.

The poem is titled “El Cantar de Mio Cid” — thename El Cid comes from the Arabic “al sayyid,” or sir.He lived from around 1040 to 1099, and for centuries

after his death, he inspired ballads and drama as a sym-bol of bravery.

These days Spaniards find their heroes on moviescreens or soccer fields, and for the average person ElCid is just a relic of folklore. But not for everyone.

Historians say the late dictator, Gen. FranciscoFranco, who led a military uprising that triggered Spain’s1936-39 civil war, liked to compare himself to El Cid andother warriors from Spain’s past.

The legend became a movie in 1961 starring CharltonHeston as El Cid and Sofia Loren as his wife, Jimena.Victorio, then 19 and unaware his life’s work would be topore over medieval texts, served as an extra in the film,playing both Christian and Moor. “I died several times,”he says.

Spanish high school students still read “El Cantar,”considered as important a work as Miguel de Cervantes’“Don Quijote.”

Even outside the classroom, the legend surfaces nowand then. One Seville bullfighter goes by the showbizname of El Cid. And when soccer great Zinedine Zidanescored a magnificent goal last spring to lift Real Madridto victory in the European Championship, one newspaperran a headline renaming him “El Zid.”

Victorio, who teaches at the National Open University,

unveiled his El Cid theory in a book published this summer.It’s controversial because the theory it seeks to debunk

— that “El Cantar” stemmed from a spontaneous out-pouring of admiration for El Cid — has been widelyaccepted since the 1940s. It came from the late philolo-gist Ramon Menendez Pidal, who spent much of his lifestudying the poem and founded an entire school ofthought on it.

“There are a lot of people who would like to have myhead on a platter,” Victorio says.

Agreeing the idea is ruffling feathers among Spain’sacademic community, Angel Gomez Moreno, a medievalliterature professor at Madrid’s Complutense University,calls it a hypothesis that can neither be proven nor rejected.

But Moreno says he and many other scholars believethe poem was written around 1200, long after AlfonsoVII died. Victorio says “El Cantar” is alluded to in workspublished while Alfonso VII was alive.

Dr. Samuel Armistead, a Hispanic studies scholar atthe University of California at Davis, gives Victorio’stheory a cautiously favorable appraisal. “It is not unrea-sonable at all. It is perfectly possible,” he said fromCalifornia.

Victorio doesn’t pretend to have found a medievalsmoking gun. Rather, he’s pieced together existing evi-dence and reinterpreted it.

If “El Cantar” really sprang from grass-roots awe forthe hero, Victorio argues, the poem would have remainedpopular through the years and made it into print when theprinting press was invented in the 15th century. But itdidn’t, whereas the literary accounts of El Cid that citedhis rebelliousness, and were popular, did.

In fact, only one manuscript of “El Cantar” remains,kept at the National Library in Madrid. Victorio calls thata sad but telling legacy for poetry supposedly born ofchivalry at its best.

He also says “El Cantar” is so full of allusions to theBible, diplomacy and law that it could not have beenwritten by an uneducated troubadour, as the traditionaltheory holds.

Literary sleuth sees royal hand behind mystery of poem

“The writer was the royal court’stelevision ... He was the medievalruler’s means of communicating.”

— JUAN VICTORIOProfessor of medieval studies

Santa Monica Daily Press, December 2, 2002

Documents

Transcript of Santa Monica Daily Press, December 2, 2002