Serving the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Avenue to Seminary Avenue and from Foothill Boulevard to Warren FreewayVolume 14 Number 3 April 2002

A Community Newspaper • P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619 • (510) 287-2655

his month’s Metrofeatures our neighborCarola Munich, who has

lived in the Laurel and Red-wood Heights neighborhoodsalmost continuously since theearly twenties.

Her father and mother,like many early Oaklanders,were German immigrants,first arriving in New Yorkin 1890 and 1902. “My fatherlived not far from Brementhen. They had many shipscoming to America.”

Though her father hadstarted a grocery businessin New York and then in SanFrancisco (where she wasborn), her mother was a“country girl” who wantedto live in a less urban environ-ment. Oakland’s rural nature,better climate, and establishedGerman community made it a

Note: Mayor Jerry Browncould not find time to grantthe Metro an interview asrequested. He asked his assis-tant to explain his plan tohelp the neighborhoods inthe coming term of office.

ayor Jerry Brownof Oakland seeksrevitalization of

the city’s neighborhoodsby “courting privatedevelopment” and“following the lead ofcouncilmembers,” accord-ing to Erika Harrold,Special Assistant tothe mayor. In the Metroarea there are severalcouncilmembers involvedin the NCR, the Neigh-borhood Community

he free school-readinessprogram Growing WithMusic continues its

spring session on Saturdaysat Fruitvale ElementarySchool for families who livein the Fruitvale communitywith children from birth tofive. The program is run bymusic teachers, early child-hood development specialists,and childcare providers, whoprepare children and theirfamilies for elementary school,using music, art, games, andparent-education workshops.This spring session promisesto be an exciting one, withguest speakers who willdiscuss, among other topics,the dangers of secondhandsmoke, early childhood lit-eracy, dental health, andschool registration. The

logical choice. “My parentsknew about the Altenheim,Piedmont Gardens, and St.Elizabeth’s Church, whichhad a large German commu-nity.”

So Carola’s parents “cameto the country” and boughtproperty in the early twentiesat High St. and Hopkins, nowHigh and MacArthur. In thatera Hopkins stopped at Highand became Calaveras, whichwas lush and tree-lined onboth sides. “My sister ranaway from home once and satin one of those trees for a day.There was a roadhouse onthe corner—it was country.”

Carola went to Laurel El-ementary, which at that timewas a two-story building witha bell on top. “The bell wouldring at 8:45, and then I wouldstart walking to school andget there by 9.” She still re-members her principal, MissLongtime resident Carola Munich shares photos, memories of Oakland’s past.

Growing With Music Programat Fruitvale Elementary

Revitalization agency.The agency comprises

teams spread over thegeography of the city.For example, the Laureland Fruitvale areas arerepresented by severalcouncilmembers, andthose representativesalso have responsibilitiesoutside of the immediateneighborhood, such as forPark Boulevard, Dimonddistrict, or InternationalBoulevard. That meansa revitalization teammight include parts ofmore than one district,involving more that onecouncilmember. Some ofthese councilmembers areIgnacio De La Fuente and

Spanning the Century in the Laurel

City Service Deliveryto Neighborhoods

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B Y A L B E R T G O O D W Y N

B Y M E R E D I T H F L O R I A N Wallace, who led the class inthe pledge of allegiance daily.

A quick study, Carolaskipped four times andsoon attended AlexanderHamilton Jr. High (nowCalvin Simmons), and eventu-ally Roosevelt High School,which no longer exists.

Though the Laurel at-tracted diverse groups, Carolarecalls few non-Europeanimmigrants. “We knew onecouple on Calaveras—anAfrican American man and anAsian woman. I grew up notknowing any black children.”

After high school she at-tended UC Berkeley, earningher teaching credential. Shetaught two years in Reddingbefore marrying Bill Munich,whose parents were alsoGerman immigrants. Sheand Bill raised three childrenin Redwood Heights.

B Y P H O E B E S E T O N program is multilingual, withstaff and translators whospeak Spanish, Cantonese,Mandarin, Vietnamese, andHausa.

Growing With Music runs

from 10 a.m. until noon everySaturday morning in theHealthy Start room in thebasement of the FruitvaleSchool. The staff offers music

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You, too, can become a friend of the Metro. See page 2.

Your support helps keep the Metro alive! Become one of the Thousand Friends.

Susan Canale, Alva Georgia Day, Sharon Higgins, Rebecca Runge, Margaret Welch, Travis & Nori Lafferty

Unity Nguyen makes music with Felipe Buenrostro and other childrenat Growing with Music.

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Yaminah Abdur-Rahim on Anne of Green Gables.

See story on page 5.

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2April 2002

HOT NUMBERSCITY OF OAKLAND AGENCIES

ABAT—the Alcoholic 238-7103Beverage Action Team

Graffiti hotline 238-4703

Abandoned cars 615-5713

O.P.D. Non-emergency 238-3333

Animal control 535-5602

Beat Health (drugs) 615-5808

Drug Hotline 238-DRUG

Noise Hotline: 238-6777(Oakland CEDA,property complaint line)

C.O.R.E. 238-6351(Citizens of OaklandRespond to Emergencies)

Truancy Hotline 479-2199

Oaklanders Assistance 444-CITYCenter knows the answerto all problems with cityand other governmentalservices in Oakland.

PRIVATE AGENCIES

Safe Streets Now 836-4622(drugs)

A Safe Place 536-7233(domestic violence)

Conciliation 763-2117Services of Oakland(neighborhood disputes)

Sentinel Fair Housing 836-2687(free landlord-tenantcounseling anddiscrimination investigation)

Managing EditorToni LockeCopy EditorsAnne Fox, Roussel SargentFinances/BookkeepingReuben GoldbergAdvertising ManagerSuzanne TiptonArt DirectorAndreas JonesWord ProcessingDavid RaichPhotographyJody Berke, Dal SellmanDistributionPeter BondMailingDiane TrostCalendarMichael CarsonFriends and Money HoneysMary Seastrand�

Board of DirectorsCamille ChristianDouglas FergusonReuben GoldbergBettie GrandisonBrian HolmesLori HopeLuqmanRashaun RaymondPatricia St. Onge�

A special thanks to allresidents, associations, andmerchants for their support.Also, a special thanks to allvolunteer writers, artists,photographers, and distributors.

Imagesetting by CameraGraphics,Lafayette, California, (925) 283-2473.Printing by Wesco Graphics, Inc.,Tracy, California, (209) 832-1000

Opinions expressed in the MacArthurMetro are those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflect theviews held by the publication.©2002 by the MacArthur Metro,P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619(510) 287-2655.

We welcome yournews and ads;

deadline the 15th.

Publication in thefirst week of each

month exceptJanuary and July.

ISSN 1091-1111

How to Reachthe Metro

WRITE US A LETTER. Sendyour comments to Lettersto the Editor, MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19046,Oakland, CA 94619.

GIVE US A CALL. Our voice-mail number is: 287-2655.

Letters may be edited forlength or clarity. Please in-clude name, address andphone number. We do notprint anonymous letters.

The MacArthur Blvd. ofCarola’s youth was largelyresidential. She recalls a houseon the site of the current Shellstation and an empty lot wherethe blighted liquor store nowstands. “The boys played base-ball there, but they wouldn’tlet the girls play with them.Some of the older ones wantedto join the Oakland A’s.”

The main grocery storewas Prulidge’s on the cornerof Masterson and Maybelle.“I had to walk there to buymilk—10 or 11 cents a quart!I was free to roam.”

Thirty-eighth Avenue wasmore commercial at the time.That’s where Carola recallsher family getting ice creamand going to the barber. Fora number of years after her

Carola MunichC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

Nick Cavagnaro, part of a lemur research team for an Earthwatchvolunteer program, reads The Metro in Ranomafana National Parkin Madagascar.

Danny Wong, as well as DickSpees.

These teams currentlyhave projects for MacArthurBoulevard, funded by themayor’s department, for a $2million streetscape improve-ment along the Boulevard be-tween 35th Avenue and High

City ServiceC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

education to children andtheir families for the firsthour and parent-educationworkshops during the secondhour, while children continueto enjoy music and othercreative activities with themusic teachers and childcareproviders. During the breakbetween the two hours, theprogram provides familieswith nutritious snacks.Now in its second year,Growing With Music hasalready reached manylocal parents and their pre-school children. Many com-munity leaders, staff at theFruitvale Elementary School,and agencies serving childrenin the community have

Growing With MusicC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

Street. There are also privatemerchants’ plans, such asthe Albertson’s store expan-sion plans and the Safewayremodel in the Dimond.

Mayor Brown’s positionis that he will not pretend toknow what each individualcommunity needs. His assis-tant Erika Harrold states thathe wants “the city to coordi-nate service delivery” to theneighborhoods of the city,including community needssuch as best use of fundsavailable, police presenceneeded, needs of fundingfor small and private schools,and for businesses.

According to city policy,a mid-cycle review shouldbe produced each year in theMarch-April period. This al-lows the departments andcouncilmembers to state theirbudget deficits for the year.

In addition to thestreetscape improvement,according to Libby Schaff,Legislative Aide for Mr. DeLa Fuente, Albertson’s in theLaurel District is planning aremodeling. She says that thestore is a “stable, commercialarea that serves the neighbor-hood.” She also relates thatan aim of the revitalizationproject is to identify theLaurel district as a “village,”a distinctive section of thecity, such as Montclair.

“I remember Mrs. Fritsy,the hairdresser. She cut myhair really short. She wrotea poem about the spirit ofLindbergh that she loved toperform.”

In the forties Hopkinsbecame MacArthur in honorof the general, and theLaurel became a thrivingcommercial area. “We wentto three Bobs—the shoerepair, the locksmith, andBob’s Vegetable Market.”

Though Carola, an active,future-oriented woman, doesnot mire herself in nostalgia,she does miss the open spacesof her youth and the networkof streetcars that used to con-nect adjacent neighborhoods.“The streetcar went in frontof Mills College around intowhat is now Leona Park.There was a roadhouse inthere.”

As a child, when Carsonwasn’t cut through pastReinhardt, she hiked withher playmates up High St.and then down to Shepherdand finally up to Leona Can-yon to the “Punch Bowl,” aquarry which is now filledin and serves as the parkinglot of Merritt College.

She also laments thelack of simplicity in contem-porary children’s play. “Ihad a wagon with eitherthe cat or my doll in it. If

THE METRO GETS AROUND

recommended this program.Growing With Music is

a product of the Associationof Children’s Services. Thephilosophy carried fromAOCS into the program isbased on enabling the chil-dren to learn through playwhile developing strongself-esteem that will laterhelp them throughout theirelementary school education.

Growing With Musicis funded by the AlamedaCounty Children andFamilies Commission (Propo-sition 10).

Interested parents shouldcontact Phoebe Seaton at879-2826 with any questions.All families who live inthe Fruitvale area withpreschool-aged childrenare welcome and encouragedto attend.

family’s move to the Laurel,her mother had to go intoAllendale to buy meat.Eventually, the 38th Ave.area got a butcher shop.

As the twenties ended,MacArthur Blvd. (Hopkins)started to become more com-mercial. Houses started to bebuilt up High St., which hadbeen open land. In the thirtiesMacArthur Blvd. was widened.

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“The streetcarwent in frontof Mills Collegearound intowhat is nowLeona Park.”

April 2002

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pplause for the fineyoung men and womenof the East Bay Conser-

vation Corps Units 5, 11,and 15, who, during March,worked hard at improving theLeona Creek Canyon trails andbridges and at fire-preventionbrush removal. They repairedand rebuilt wooden bridgesspanning the creek at a numberof points and did an especiallyfine job of reconstructing the“loop” trail on the RedwoodRoad side of the creek. If youhave ever hiked the canyontrail, you know how steepthe creek banks are and howdifficult the work was. In pastyears the Scouts of Troop 339have done similar work andknow what a chore it is. So,a loud “Thank You” to theConservation Corps crews andtheir leaders. We’ll see you onthe trail near Leona Lodge.

Kudos, too, to the City ofOakland Maintenance Depart-ment team, which removed the

B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y

Earth Dayat Courtland Creek

Celebrate Earth Day andOakland’s 150th anniversarybeautifying Courtland Creek.This year’s spring cleaning,sponsored by the High StreetNeighborhood Alliance andthe Friends of CourtlandCreek, is on Saturday, April20. Join your neighbors atCourtland and Fairfax at 9a.m. We’ll be weeding the na-tive-plants garden at theBrookdale end of the park,putting in new plants, and ti-dying up the trees and trail.We’re hoping for goodweather, but a little rainwon’t keep us away. Formore information, call 436-6423.

Thanks forOur Crosswalk

If you walk down High Streetfrom MacArthur Blvd., youmight notice a new crosswalkat the entrance to 580 West(toward San Francisco or Ber-keley). That one small admis-sion that cars share the roadwith people is there becauseof High Street NeighborhoodAlliance Steering Committeemember Laurie Umeh. Laurieturned her concern into ac-tion, gathered HSNA sup-port, contacted Public Worksstaff, and followed up untilthe paint crews arrived. Onthat day, fellow HSNA pe-destrian advocate AlScoggins went over andthanked the workers.

A Is for April Activitiesat the Library

The Melrose Branch staff isdelighted that experiencedchildren’s librarian MarionDrapkin is filling in on Tues-

B Y A D E L L E F O L E Y

High Street Neighborhood News

abandoned mattress the sameday we called to report thatsomeone had dumped it onMountain View Avenue.

Not doing so well in execu-tion has been the group thatremoves abandoned vehicles.First, on the three calls wemade, we never did get a hu-man being to talk to. Beginningon February 1, we talked tothe voice-mail machine threetimes, and up to the third callon March 12, the abandonedvehicle had not been towedaway or even red-tagged as apreliminary action. We recog-nize that the tow units mustbe busy, but six weeks?

As we go to press, the newshas broken that the federalgovernment is gearing up touse local home alert units totie to antiterrorism functions.We shall look forward to coop-erating with the new activityand reenergize our homealert groups. From reports ofthe missed opportunities toprevent the 9/11 disaster, itappears to us that the neweffort can be fruitful and notbe a witch-hunt function.

And lastly, we miss MartyFishler, who is ill and unableto deliver the Metro any longer.We need a volunteer from theMountain View/Leona/Kuhnle neighborhood to coverthe 80 homes for once-a-monthMetro delivery. If you can help,please call Gordon Laverty at531-4860.

Our NewMapping Committee

The Friends of Sausal Creekhas recently formed a map-ping committee to illustrateand document various at-tributes of Sausal Creek’s wa-tershed. These attributes mayinclude characteristics aboutour community such as popu-lation density and demograph-ics, as well as current andpotential monitoring sites formigratory birds, water quality,insect monitoring, generalriparian observations, andassessment data. Mapped aswell may be watershed bound-aries or highlights of volunteerwork locations throughout the

Correction:

Friends of Sausal CreekB Y H A L I M A O ’ N E I L

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watershed. We will be usingGeographic InformationSystems (GIS) to assist us.

A map will be a practicaltool to help our organizationprioritize assessment, moni-toring, and outreach efforts.For example, the map canshow us areas where publicparticipation is low or wherethe best locations for damremovals might be.

If you are interested injoining the Friends of SausalCreek’s mapping committeeor want more information,please contact Tim Reed attimreed@sfsu.edu. For infor-mation on how you can getinvolved with other Friendsof Sausal Creek projects,please contact Halima O’Neilat 501-FOSC.

Laurie Umeh shows off the new crosswalk at High St. and I-580.

day and Wednesday until apermanent staff member ison board. Children of all ageshave been mesmerized byher storytelling.

After a short plumbing-related interruption, activitiesat the Melrose Branch Libraryare back in full swing. TheAudubon Society will present“Brown Pelican Program” onApril 10 at 5:30 p.m., in honorof Earth Day. As part of theoutreach to teenagers inter-ested in learning about artand drawing, Alan Leon willpresent a landscape-drawingworkshop for ages 12 to 18on April 24 at 3:30 p.m. In-come tax help is availableWednesday afternoons from3:30 to 6:30 until the April 15tax deadline. Senior citizenswill be helped first, but alltaxpayers are welcome. Helpin Spanish is available at theCésar Chávez Branch onFruitvale (call 535-5620). On-going programs includeclasses in English as a SecondLanguage on Wednesdayevenings from 5:30 to 8, andpreschool story hour onTuesday mornings at 10:30.

Voting on the GrassAs I drove up to the MillsGrove Christian Church early

on March 5, I noticed a groupof people outside the door.One of them was attaching asilver leg to a portable votingbooth. Poll workersSamiayan Bailey, MiltonPatrick, and Geralyn Linthtold me that they couldn’t getinto the building, but “wewon’t let anything stop us.”The polls opened on time,and commuters rushed off towork. As I admired the cre-ative solution, I realized thatmuch as I love voting on thecomputer screen, only thelow-tech alternative workswithout electricity.

Play Ballat Brookdale Park

Youngsters practicing bat-ting, catching, and pitchinghardball on the BrookdalePark diamond prove that wedon’t have to go to Phoenixfor spring training. If softballis your sport, sign up foropening day in April. Classesare filling up, but there still isspace in dance class. Drop inor call 535-5632 for more in-formation or to reserve aplace. —————————————Adelle Foley can be reached bye-mail at jasfoley@aol.com.

Leona HeightsNeighborhood News

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he Dimond and LaurelDistricts are rich in arts.Were I a singer, I’d

have long ago sung thatlyric out to the entire BayArea. The arts, for me, arethe way we express whowe are and how we feel.

One such artist is

Arts in the Dimond and LaurelB Y T A N Y A J O Y C E researcher Ann Forfreedom,

who has lived in the DimondDistrict since 1984. Ann devel-oped an interest in feministactivity and women’s historyduring her college days atUCLA. Her feminist periodi-cal, The Wise Woman, beganpublication in 1980. Duringthe 1990s Ann was Executive

TThe correct address forShari Godinez’ business,Making Ends Meet, men-tioned in the March Metro’s“Dimond Gems” column,is 3544 Fruitvale Ave.

Reader Helen Malkerson respondsto Adelle’s haiku in the MarchMetro with more about plum trees.

In the OrchardThe plum trees hold no conferenceon when to flower—they know the proper hour.All at once, overnight,there they are—white!

Wraiths in bridal veilshaunt the moonlit avenue—flowering cherry trees!

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4April 2002

Maintaininga HealthyMind, Part II

PauletteAvery,

R.N., M.S.N.

To Your Health

n last month’s columnI discussed recent researchon brain function and

ways to maximize mentalagility through mental andphysical exercise. Thismonth I will focus on otherstrategies that can help,including the use of medica-tions, herbs, and hormonesto aid mental functioning.This seems to be a verypopular topic at the moment;I have received three differ-ent publications in the lastfew weeks with articles onthis subject.

Stress can be a majorfactor interfering with goodmemory. Helpful activitiesthat may decrease stressinclude meditation, yoga, orother relaxation techniques.If we are stressed when try-ing to learn new informa-tion, it becomes difficult tofocus on what we want tolearn. I’m sure you have allmet someone new in a stress-ful situation and have beenunable to remember his orher name just a few minuteslater.

So what about usingdrugs, hormones, andsupplements to improvebrain function?

Let’s begin with the es-trogen controversy. Studieson whether or not estrogenhelps to maintain bettermental function and preventor treat Alzheimer’s diseasehave had varied results.Some studies have indicatedthat estrogen has propertiesthat protect against thememory loss and decreasedbrain function of normalaging. Laboratory studiessuggest a number of waysthat estrogen appears toincrease brain health byblocking adverse effects orstimulating protective ef-fects. For example, estrogenis an antioxidant and therebyhelps to clean out free radi-cals that seem to play a rolein Alzheimer’s.

Some studies indicatebenefits for women on hor-mone replacement therapy(HRT). A number of studiesshow that women on HRTscore better on verbalmemory tests than womennot taking HRT, even if thewomen taking the HRT tookit only briefly and in variouscombinations. Five studiesshowed a decrease in the oc-currence of Alzheimer’s inwomen who took HRT, butthese were not controlledstudies. On the other hand,many other studies havefound either no effect ornegative effects on the brainfor women using HRT. Onereport that looked at thelargest and most rigorous

study on this topic found nomental functioning benefitfor healthy postmenopausalwomen. A study done in2000 on Japanese womenfound “modest benefitsfrom unopposed estrogentherapy” (that is, without theconcurrent use of progester-one), but reported an in-crease in mental declinein women using estrogen incombination with progester-one. Since doctors recom-mend that all women whostill have a uterus take bothestrogen and progesteronein order to protect against agreater risk of uterine cancer,taking unopposed estrogenis not recommended for mostwomen.

Studies to date havefound no benefit from theuse of estrogen to treatAlzheimer’s, but whetheror not it may protect againstthe development of the dis-ease is not yet known.

Mental functioning isjust one reason a womanmay consider taking HRT.But there are many otherarguments for and againstits use. If you are consideringthis decision, do some re-search on your own, talkwith your doctor, weigh therisks and benefits for your-self, and then decide.

Interestingly, the drugViagra, best known for treat-ing impotence, may one daybe used to revitalize the brainafter a stroke. According toan article I found at WebMD,doctors are currently study-ing Viagra’s effects on ratbrains after induced stroke.Results at this point show thedrug helps the brain to healitself. But use of Viagra inhumans to fight the effects ofstroke is still a long way off.

Other studies indicatethat drugs used to lower cho-lesterol, called statins, mayhelp prevent Alzheimer’s.Studies done in 1999 and2000 found a 60 percent to73 percent lower risk of thedisease in people taking thestatin drugs Mevacor andPravachol. Yet a similar drug,Zocor, did not have the samebeneficial effect.

Last but not least, con-sider your diet. Eat foodshigh in antioxidants. This in-cludes fruits and vegetables,fish containing omega-3 fattyacids, dark chocolate, andboth green and black teas.Consider supplementingwith B vitamins as well, spe-cifically folic acid, B6, andB12, which are known tohelp with brain function. ——————————————Paulette Avery is a registerednurse and a freelance writer whospecializes in health issues.

I

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property management.Lynn A. Worthington, Broker

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B Y T H E M E T R O S T A F F

If readers know of a business orindividual deserving mention inthis column, please contact theMetro.

Orchids to OaklandPolice Officer Damon Gilbert(see the March Metro article“In Praise of Officer Gilbert”),who takes vigorous action torelieve the car congestion andthe rudeness of parents onBrown Avenue during after-noons at Laurel School, ac-cording to Charles Selk andother appreciative neighbors.

Onions to some of theLaurel School parents whocontinue to double park, parkacross driveways, repeatedlyhonk horns, and are verballycoarse to residents when re-quested to move their cars.

Orchids to BillSingman, City of OaklandBlight Control Officer, whohad illegal advertising signsremoved from RedwoodRoad and Mountain Blvd.

Orchids to LucianoCortez Nicholas, OaklandParks and Recreation em-ployee, appreciated for hisfriendly and caring mainte-nance of Nicol Park onCoolidge by the FruitvaleAppreciating CulturalExchange (FACE) and neigh-bors living near the park.

Onions to U.S. PostalService, Laurel Station, whichwill no longer supply rubberbands to its carriers to bandpackets of mail. You mightoffer your carrier your excessbands. Residents on Maybellecontinue to complain to theMetro about poor deliveryservice.

Orchids to Karen Graf,Laurel School teacher, whoinitiated and heads up boththe Community Partners andeSCRIP programs to garnerneeded funds for the school.A percentage of money spentat Albertson’s and other ven-ues is sent back to the school.To participate, call the schoolat 879-1310.

Orchids to JohnStewart, supervisor fromCode Compliance, whosetackling of violations alongthe Boulevard has earnedhim the nickname Mr. Blight.Should be “Aunty” (anti)Blight. He promises to getback into the neighborhoodssoon in search of illegaladditions and substandarddwellings.

Onions to K & L TV& Video Service at 2023MacArthur Blvd. for havingsuch an awful clutter of tele-visions in his shop from floorto near ceiling and almostnowhere to walk into thebusiness and an awful eye-sore for a window display.Did this pass the safety firecode inspection?

Orchids to the Cityof Oakland for workingwith the Dimond MerchantsAssociation to help us createa new business directory.(Thanks, Gaddy, for walkingeight hours with me, ShariGodinez, President, DimondMerchants Association.)

Onions to Safeway forletting their shelves get sobare. You are losing valuablecustomers. We are also anx-iously waiting your remodel.

Orchids to the DimondPost Office employees fortheir wonderful customerservice. (Thanks from Ron,a frequent customer.)

Orchids to TangoGelato for their effort incommunity building throughtheir ongoing Tango dancelessons on those wonderfulSunday afternoons. (Dancingin an ice cream shop?) Thishas brought such a uniqueelement to the Dimond Dis-trict. Oh yes—they have deli-cious gelato ice cream, too.

Orchids to all the busi-nesses in the Dimond whohave joined the MerchantsAssociation. We have freshfaces and great new ideas forour future.

Oakland’s Secret HideawayAuthentic Thai Food

915 45th Ave, Oakland • 536-6303(near the Vulcan Foundry)

Director of the Institute forFeminist Studies in SanFrancisco. Also during thattime she embarked on anencyclopedic study titledGreat Goddess!, which pre-sents goddess images fromaround the world.

Ann rediscoveredMaryland’s 1794 Justiceand Liberty State Seal andreceived comment fromMaryland’s governor, notingthat her work had renewedinterest in the history ofMaryland Seals. She is nowwriting an article on thissubject that will be pub-lished both online and inThe Wise Woman.

E-mail Ann Forfreedomat forfreedom3@earthlink.netfor further information.

A few minutes fromgoddess research in theDimond is Diana Lynn’sstudio in the Laurel. Dianais a fiber artist who has livedin the Laurel since 1991. Herinterest in textures beganwith a ninth-grade sewingclass, though she tracesearlier inspiration to ecclesi-astical garments.

Diana’s work of the 1990sreflects the bright colors andvaried textures of ceremo-nial robes put together inpeaceful, Zen-like patterns.Today she is adding acrylicsand mixed media. “My cur-rent work is about frag-ments,” Diana says. “I fell inlove with trash—things thatwe discard but that have avalue of their own. I wantmy new work to reflect let-ting things be rather than ti-dying them up.”

In addition to producingher textiles, Diana is a pro-fessional art-exhibitioncurator. Her busy life alsoincludes gardening. “I be-came a gardener in the Lau-rel,” Diana says. “I movedfrom a San Francisco hilltop,where my ears were beatenby the wind. Here, I love thebougainvilleas and fall col-ors. My neighbors and Ishare plants and look out foreach other’s households.We have two annual socialget-togethers on my block,and we know each other’skids. It’s a strong EastOakland feeling.”

For an introductionto Diana Lynn’s art,visit her Web site atwww.dianalynn.com.

Dimond ArtsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

April 2002

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Interior Painting. Jacob Hart, 530-6247. Lic.#705262.

Video Services. We Can Transformyour slides, snapshots, and filmsinto a charming video—with mu-sic and effects. Or have a profes-sional cameraman videotape yoursocial and business events. CallHarold Lawrence at 530-0628.

African-American manicurist,located in the Laurel District,specializing in manicures, pedi-cures w/paraffin wax treatments,sculptured nails, silk and fiberglasswraps. Over 15 years experienceand service in this area. Call (510)482-3229 for appointment.

Affordable local licensed therapist.Individual, couple, family and childtherapy for the Metro/Oaklandcommunity. Everyone needs helpsometimes. Supportive; practical;sliding scale. Helen MontgomeryLockwood MFCC #27283, (510)874-4722.

Kamiya Construction. Additions,remodeling, kitchens, baths,decks, seismic & more! Free con-sultation. License # 546464. (510)532-0193.

Garden Doctor: housecalls, diag-nosis, and prescriptions for all yourgarden headaches. 531-9558.

Gentle therapist in the Laurel/Maxwell Park area. Individualand couples counseling. Slidingscale. Lesbian/gay friendly.Paula Bender, LCSW 510536-2636.

Fast, neat, interior painting bywoman, 534-9772.

Shopping cart $25, Casablancamovie tape (in Spanish) $10, girl’sbike $10, desk $5. Call Toni, (510)261-6786.

Discount Quality Merchandise(giftware, jewelry, toys, electron-ics, novelties, collectibles, andmore). Save/Make money! Formail-order catalog, send $10.00(refundable) to TaurGem, P.O. Box19128, Oakland, CA 94619-0128.

RENTALS

Mendoc ino coas t co t tage :Charming, furnished, 1BR plus liv-ing room sofabed, fireplace, fullyequipped kitchen. $90/night,$500/week, $1850/month.(510) 482-5577.

ot many of us can keepup with the reading ve-locity of fourth grader

Yaminah Abdur-Rahim, whoestimates that she reads atleast 30 books a year. She’storn through all of LauraIngalls Wilder’s books, a fewNancy Drew mysteries, TheSecret Garden, Charlotte’s Web,Stuart Little, and the HarryPotter books, of course. Toobad she says she doesn’t liketo write book reports!

Now, Yaminah (who is“nine, about to turn ten”) iswrapped up in the Anne ofGreen Gables series, by L.M.Montgomery. She thinksthe books are great becausethey’re exciting and because“Anne gets into a lot ofproblems, and some of herproblems are really funny.”Insider tip from Yaminah:Anne of Avonlea, the secondin the series, has the veryfunniest problem.

Native Oaklander andEast Bay Parks ranger TimParker had been “waitingand waiting” for a new novelfrom Carl Hiassen. The MiamiHerald columnist’s novels arepopulated by “bungling crimi-nals who are insanely funny,”says Parker. “Situations startalmost normal, and things justkeep switching gears until,by the end of the book, they’rehilarious.” He says Basketcase,a mystery about the dead,former lead singer of a rockand roll band called the SlutPuppies, didn’t disappoint.He read it cover to cover.The only drawback: he’s backto square one. “Now, I justhave to wait some more forthe next one!”

Parker enjoys some fantasyscience fiction and has a par-ticular affinity for historicalfiction told from a NativeAmerican point of view. Onthat front, he recommendsThe Contract Surgeon, by DanO’Brien, a historical novel thattakes place during the greatSioux war, told from the pointof view of the doctor who

A Good BookIs Not So Hard to Find

B Y R O B I N S T E V E N S

cares for Crazy Horse on thelast night of his life. A friendrecommended the CowboyHall of Fame Western Heri-tage Award winner to him.

How do you decide whatbooks to read? How do youthink our neighbors decidewhat books to read? Well,at the bookstore, we thinkwe know the answer to thatone: National Public Radio.

People walk into the storeasking for books they heardabout from friends, or readabout in a magazine, or by anauthor they’ve seen on Oprah.The most repeated request,though, is to track down thatbook they heard about on

Classified RatesThe rate for classified ads is $.50 perword. Discounted prices available for five-and ten-issue frequencies. Please type orwrite your copy clearly and mail it withyour check to The MacArthur Metro, P.O.Box 19406, Oakland, 94619. Deadlineis the 15th of the month. For classified-adfrequency discounts and display-ad infor-mation, please contact Suzanne Tipton at287-2655, fax: 652-1782.

Yaminah Abdur-Rahim estimates that she reads 30 books a year.

NPR’s Fresh Air or All ThingsConsidered. (Both shows airlocally on KQED-FM, 88.5,and KALW-FM, 91.7.)

My favorite way to findout about books is an onlinecolumn available only bye-mail by former San FranciscoChronicle Book Review editorPat Holt. Her column is a wel-come weekly-or-so arrival inmy e-mail. She’s a staunchadvocate for independentbookstores; she occasionallycomments on current events,particularly as they relate tofreedom of speech; she writesabout interesting authors andpublishing controversies; and

ROBI

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Bernice and Joe Playschool. Forover 20 years, play-based learn-ing in our home-like setting nearMills College. Earthquake retrofit-ted on quarter-acre wooded lotincludes fruit and pine trees, veg-etable garden, 20-foot sailboat,two-story wooden rocket ship, artarea, block area. Pre-reading, pre-math enrichment, computer play,field trips, F.I.T gymnastics, musicclasses; however, we emphasizesocialization, verbalization. Sib-ling, pre-payment discounts. Lunch,snacks provided. Ages 2 to 5years. License #010214258.Brochure (510) 638-3529.

Saxophone & Piano. Play musicfor the joy of it! Have fun learningjazz, blues, improvisation. Patient,supportive teacher. Ages 10 & up.Speciality: Adult beginners. Eva436-0504.

February’s top sellers at Laurel books:1. Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America, by Nathan McCall2. Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady, by Florence King3. Turf War, by Renay Jackson4. Spice and Herb Bible: A Cook’s Guide, by Ian Hemphill5. The Magician’s Assistant, by Ann Patchett

OPEN EVERYDAY6:30AM-9PM

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N

cont inued on page 7

LaurelBookmarks

Colonial ChapelFuneral Directors FD-461

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1941Families Helping Families • Full Service MortuaryAll Faith Services • Pre-Arranged Planning • Personalized ServiceDomestic and International Shipping Specialist

A Leader in Low Cost Traditional Memorial & Cremation Services

On behalf of the Staff at Colonial Chapel we wish to thank the Metro community for yourcontinued support. We will always be dedicated to those we serve.

Paul F. Scudder - Owner/Director FDR-646

Call 24 Hours/7 Days: 536-54542626 High Street (between Foothill and MacArthur Blvd.) • Ample parking

6April 2002

Here are some things todo in your garden:

Weeds“A weed is a plant in thewrong place.” Therefore,we should move them (seeds,roots, and all) to an appropri-ate place—the greendumpster. The beautiful yel-low flowers of dandelions(which produces the white“fairy” seed balls that travelin the air) and oxalis areshowy but can certainly takeover your garden. Oxalis rootsare as much as one foot longwith a minute bulb at the end,making removal of this plantvery difficult. If you turn theground over and are lucky,the bulbs will be on top andbirds will come for a treat.You can spray for next year,but contact your nursery forinformation.

Attack AgainstApple Worms

If you have apple trees andwant to monitor codlingmoth activity to determinethe best time to spray, usea codling moth trap hung inthe tree. They are available atyour nursery. When you seethe moths in the trap, it is timeto spray with copper solution,available at your nursery.

Attack AphidsWarm weather brings outaphids. Check the new growthon fruit trees, vegetables, androses. Hose the aphids offwith a stream of water. Alsoget rid of ants on the stemsor branches. Hose or knockants off, since you can’t drownthem. Control with ladybugs,or spray with Safer’s Insecti-cidal Soap.

pring is here, a busy sea-son in your garden—buthow are your allergies?

The warm weather and windshave sent the pollen flying,causing hay fever and otherallergic reactions, especiallysneezing. Some plants thatcause reactions are annualbluegrass, Bermuda grass andrye grass, and the followingtrees and shrubs: birch (theworst), oak, olive, walnut, cy-press, juniper, and ceanothus.Winds transport the finepollens for considerabledistances, even from as far asSan Francisco across the Bay.To cope, stay indoors in theearly morning and avoid theoutdoors on windy days. Itis all right to work outside ifyou wear a dust mask withsmall pores (available athardware stores). Keepinglawns and other grassesmowed helps, too. Source:The American Lung Associa-tion (San Francisco) andThe American Academy ofAllergy, Asthma and Immu-nology (Milwaukee, WI).

Prepare Garden SoilAmend your present soil byadding fir compost, chickenmanure, and ironite to acidifyand break up clay and addiron, and gypsum to loosenhard soils, as it adds sulfurand calcium.

Create aPerennial Garden

Have you noticed the latesttrend in garden design isto mix all kinds of perennialplants? They reseed them-selves each year, creatingwonderful colors and tex-tures requiring little mainte-nance except for pruningand removing spent flowers.

Plant Seeds NowSome good seeds to plantnow are zucchini, marigolds,cosmos, impatiens, and nas-turtiums. Nasturtiums aregood for a light-shade gar-den. Being distantly relatedto spicy watercress, they areedible and tasty in salads orwith cream cheese. They arebeautiful in a garden bed,and the vining varieties arewonderful in hanging bas-kets or crawling down abank. They like morningsun and afternoon shade.Nasturtium seeds are large,so plant them covered one-half inch with soil since theylike to be in darkness untilthey sprout.

Merritt CollegeSpring Horticultural

Department SaleThe sale this year is April 20and 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,at the 12500 Campus Drivecollege location. For furtherinformation, call 436-2418.

BY MIKE CARSON, COORDINATOR

To have your event listed, please contact Michael Carsonno later than the 12th of the preceding month at 482-8211or sfboys@mindspring.com.

April 2002

Neighborhood MeetingsDimond Improvement Association: Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 p.m.,Dimond Public Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. For information,call 482-8386.

Laurel Merchants Board: Thursday, April 4, noon,Chick’N’Coop, 3840 MacArthur Blvd. Contact MaureenDorsey for information, 530-1353.

Friends of Dimond Library: Saturday, April 6, 11:30 a.m.,meeting, and Tuesday, April 9, 8 p.m., community meetingwith representatives of the Oakland Public Library, both atDimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. For information, call531-2690.

Community Action Coalition/Beat 21Y: Monday, April 8, 7 to8:30 p.m., Posada de Colores, 2221 Fruitvale Ave. ContactElizabeth Drob for information, 261-0698.

Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NCPC: Tuesday, April 9, 6:30 p.m.,Purofirst, 2860 MacArthur Blvd. Contact Don Marx for infor-mation, 530-1319.

Maxwell Park NCPC: Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m., MillsGrove Christian Church, 5410 Fleming Ave. For information,contact Jose Dorado, 535-0577, orwww.maxwellparkncpc.org.

Laurel L-CAP: Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m., World GroundCafé. For information, call 530-1720.

Redwood Heights Improvement Association: Wednesday, April17, 7:30 p.m., Redwood Heights Rec. Center, 3883 Aliso Rd.For information, call 482-3471, or www.redwood-heights.org

Allendale NCPC: Thursday, April 25, 7 p.m., Horace MannSchool, 5222 Ygnacio Ave. at Congress. For information,call 535-5689.

Community Activities, ConcertsHoly Names College Orchestra: Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m.,Regents Theatre, Holy Names College, 3500 Mountain Blvd.Elgar “Enigma” variations, with Roy Bogas.

Children’s Choral Festival: Thursday, April 18, 12:30 p.m.,Regents Theatre, Holy Names College, 3500 Mountain Blvd.

Stream Channel Restoration Project: Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m.to noon, Dimond Park, El Centro Ave. trailhead. Help Friendsof Sausal Creek revegetate Dimond Canyon with more than30 species of native plants. Call Stuart Richardson for informa-tion, 912-7792.

Ten-Piano Ensemble Concert: Sunday, April 21, 4 p.m.,Regents Theatre, Holy Names College, 3500 Mountain Blvd.

Classical Space Music: Friday, April 26, 8 p.m., Chabot Space Center. With the Kevin Keller Trio, $15. Also: Sunday,April 21, Special Earth Day activities. For information, call336-7300, or www.chabotspace.org.

OngoingClasses for Seniors: Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., St.Jarlath Senior Center, 2620 Pleasant St. Line dancing, exer-cise, and crafts. Quilt class from 9 to 11 a.m. Call 532-2068for more information.

Growing with Music: Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon, FruitvaleElementary School, 3200 Boston Ave. A school-readinessand parent-education program offered free on a drop-in basis.Call Phoebe Seaton for information, 879-2826.

Calendar of Community Events

MargeLaverty

Leona HeightsGarden Club Tipof the Month

Bill MillerYour Area Real Estate SpecialistRelocation and Corporate Services Available

510-534-4500LandmarkCS@aol.com

NeighborhoodResident since 1980

S

ive Oakland congrega-tions have pooled effortsto create a transportation

van project for Oaklandelders needing reliable trans-portation to medical appoint-ments, shopping, and tosenior centers. FruitvalePresbyterian, First Congrega-tional, First Presbyterian, St.Paul’s Episcopal, and TempleSinai have acquired an11-passenger van that beganproviding rides on January 1

Faith-Communities Van RollsAround Oakland

for members and nonmem-bers. The van is availablemost afternoons to take el-ders to medical appointmentsand shopping.

Oakland Older AdultsCongregational Covenant(OOACC) began the vanproject and has receivedgrant funding from twolocal foundations. The group,having met with several ser-vice organizations, finallyset up their own, made upof participating group repre-sentatives.

FB Y C A T H E R I N E C O L E M A N

OOACC is making plansto add additional vehicles,especially those with wheel-chair access.

Donations will be ac-cepted for rides but are notrequired. Call 388-0967 forfurther information.—————————————Catherine Coleman providesleadership for the OOACC.

Carola MunichC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2

the doll fell out and broke herhead, I would have to waituntil the next Christmas toget another head from Ger-many.”

Having experienced thepast development of the Lau-rel, Carola looks forward tothe reconfiguration of theLaurel business strip, withwidened streets and a greatervariety of businesses. Let’shope that her vision comes topass for all of our Metro-arearesidents.

April 2002

7

Roussel SargentBetsy Callaway

Jacob & Linda HartKnud Danild

Mary Lee PetersonStan & Naomi Cohen

Dave & Shoshana FinacomBarbara Reynolds

Joan DarkDeborah Cooper

Vic & Nancy MiloslavichMs. Desley Brooks, Esq.

Nancy SidebothamMike Carson & Ron Steigerwalt

David A. SteinElaine Lyford-Nojima &

Dana NojimaRochelle Wald & Sara Wynne

Susanne Lea & Russ BrunoNiccolo DeLucaSusan HarmanAndrew Cohn

Michael CooperLuqman

David VahlstromGary & Caroline Yee

Beth WalukasJanet BroughtonMerriam LuskinKeiko Shimada

Phillis RobbianoAndretta Fowler

Douglas FergusonWilson Riles &

Patricia St. OngeNancy & Rick Banker

Jim Locke & Sandy WarrenCheri Ivey

Karen Marie SchroederHamachi

Tom & Katherine SamwayRichard Weinstein

Nancy & Chris MeyerJean Quan & Floyd Huen

Lydia Palmin & Tom Daley

The Metro acknowledgescontributions of $50 or moreby listing your name orbusiness as a Money Honeyfor 10 issues. You keep ourpaper alive and well.

MONEYHONEYS

Left: New play structure installed recently at Redwood Heights Elementary School as part of a larger OUSD playground renovation project.Right: Redwood Heights Dads’ Club (and one mom) in action, pouring concrete for a wheelchair ramp to the new play structure.

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The Metro has oftencovered events at the fivepublicly run recreation centersin our area: Dimond, JoaquinMiller, Redwood Heights,Brookdale, and Allendale.All five enhance the qualityof life for Oakland throughprograms of sports, exercise,crafts, nature, and more.

Another unusual recreationcenter has sprung up at 2935Coolidge and Brookdale, com-bining Nicol Park (the size ofa corner lot) and a small bun-galow with a welcomingporch, housing the FruitvaleAppreciating Cultural Ex-change (FACE) NeighborCenter. These complementaryprojects arose from a groupof stressed-out grandmotherswho were caring for children’schildren and dealing with adrug-ridden neighborhood.

The Association forChildren’s Services gavethe grandmothers support

services and a place to meet.Gwen Jackson and a dedicatedgroup of seniors decided toadopt neglected Nicol Parkand redeem it as a playgroundfor kids. Their efforts drewin The Land for Public TrustFoundation with grant moneyfor play structures. The De-partment of Parks and Recre-ation now sends a dedicatedworker to keep the placeclean. The Friends of Peralta-Hacienda Historic House andhelpful Holly Alonzo workon funding. The FruitvaleSchool after-school natureproject, headed by StuartRichardson, is planting flow-ers this spring. Raissa De LaRosa at the Oakland Depart-ment of Crafts and CulturalArts advises on grant-writing.Backing has come from theDistrict 6 office of the CityCouncil. Abdullah Mohamedand family, who own thecorner grocery at Brookdale,

give sodas and a kindly eye.The FACE home watches

over neighborhood children,teaching sewing and crafts,cooking, bandaging cuts andwounded spirits, planning afashion show with “home-made” costumes, chairingmeetings, linking with OPD tomake the neighborhood safer,and making constant pilgrim-ages to City Hall. When GwenJackson speaks of the chil-dren, their needs, and whatthey can do and say, shespeaks the language of poetry.

Don’t think that all this iseasy. At this writing, rentmoney remains for Marchonly.

Interested readers mayreach FACE by e-mail atface4@pacbell.net, by phoneat 534-4079, or fax 535-1820.Ordinary people operatingon a shoestring can still makemiracles. A personal visitwould repay you.

By Toni Locke she singles out books that Ioften hear nothing aboutelsewhere. You can checkher out for yourself bydropping a blank messagefrom your own e-mailaddress to holtuncensored-subscribe@topica.com.

I also like to find out aboutbooks through newspaperreviews. And for me, The NewYork Times is a favored Sundaymorning ritual, a chance to seethe world from a New Yorkframe of mind, to ponder cur-rent events in a slower, morethoughtful space than theweekday rush allows. I oftentake note of books mentionedor reviewed in its pages. Turnsout other folks around herelike that too—both the dailyand Sunday Times are begin-ning to sell briskly at the store.

What have you been read-ing? Stop into Laurel Book-store at the corner of 39th andMacArthur and fill out a cus-tomer review card that will beposted in the store. I’ll be fea-turing several of the neighbor-hood favorites each month.

Laurel BookmarksC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5

SUE

HYL

ER

8April 2002

f you have attended a func-tion at Mills College orvisited Oakland Veterinary

Hospital, you have seen flowerarrangements created by LupeGarcia, owner of Brock’s FlowerShop at 4140 MacArthur.

Lupe is one of our own,a graduate of Oakland Highand Laney College. She hasbeen in the business 15 yearsbut only came to the Laurel inSeptember 1999.

She began her career whenshe hired on as temporary helpat Postag’s during the holidays.The owner noticed Lupe’sknack for flower arranging,made her an employee, andgave her the training she usestoday. After Postag’s, Lupe hada flower shop in Piedmont Lane,that charming assembly of smallshops off Piedmont Ave. A firein a nearby property forced herto close. Happily, she broughther talents to the Laurel.

BREAKFAST LUNCHALL DAY 11AM-2:30PM

Tuesday-Sunday 7:30am-2:30pm (Closed Mon)

3719 MacArthur Blvd (across from the KFC) • 482-2200

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Optometrist

3714 MacArthur BoulevardOakland 530-2330

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HUNDREDS OF BULK HERBS,SPICES, GRAINS, FLOURS

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Fine Wine& Spirits

Domestic &Imported

BeerImported

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Open 7 Days!Sun.-Thurs. 8am-Midnight

Fri. & Sat. 8am-2am.

35th & MacArthur482-8208

See your State Farm Agent:Jain Williams

4222 MacArthur Blvd.(510) 530-3222

Auto • Home • Life • HealthState Farm Insurance CompaniesHome Offices: Bloomington, Illinois

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(510) 530-1000

Lupe Garcia, new owner of Brock’s Flower Shop, puts the finishing touches on one of her creations.

The Laurel’s Flower Shop B Y E L I Z A B E T H C A L L A W A Y

JOD

Y BE

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Lupe is proud to be carryingon the Brock’s tradition of creat-ing fine bouquets and arrange-ments for the public. She saysthat the very first Brock’s waswhere Albertson’s is now,complete with its own nursery!Now, although Lupe startsher morning with a trip tothe flower market on Jefferson,she sometimes serves cus-tomers whose grandparentsbought bouquets at Brock’s30 years ago.

Maybe Brock’s history ex-plains why it has the best phonenumber in the district: 530-1000.You are welcome to call yourorder in, but Lupe is most de-lighted with walk-in business.Her shop is located on the east(hill) side near Maybelle. Alongwith new window signs, shehas a big new sign along the topof the storefront to help driversfind her shop.

Hey, the spring holidaysare almost here—time for thatbouquet, that centerpiece, orthat gift basket from Brock’s!

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Spring Is in the Air! Stroll the Boulevard and Stop by Daniel’sfor a Delicious Meal