Dear Fellow Phi Betes:
As we change our calendars for 2005 and observe the
greening of our hillsides, we are prompted to wish
one another a "happy new year." Yet the images
we see nightly of the brutal war in Iraq and the calamity
in Southeast Asia make such customary greetings seem
ill-timed and inappropriate. As we prepare for our
annual weekend at Asilomar, the juxtapositions of the
man-made and the natural, the contingent and the timeless,
seem particularly poignant this year.
The weekend at
Asilomar gives us not just a chance to revisit a
beautiful spot, greet old friends and make new
ones, attend interesting talks, and renew our energies.
It is our most important fundraising event of the
year, and under Jean James’s
enterprising and ferociously frugal direction, it
has enabled us to increase our Graduate Scholarship
stipends to $4,000 per recipient and covered the
costs of two-and-a-half scholarships. This achievement
is particularly welcome both because of the widespread
cutbacks in funding for graduate education and
because of a small, but continuing, long-term downtrend
in our membership, painstakingly documented by
our Membership Chair, Letitia Saunders. Yet, I
am happy to report that prudent investment and
management decisions by previous Boards and the
generosity of our staunchest members—I mean
you!—Mary
Gilliland, our Treasurer, has reported that our pools
of money available for scholarships and Teaching
Excellence Awards have not noticeably declined. On
the membership front, we are seeking cost-effective
ways to attract new members and retain old ones.
Mary Hanel, Past President, and Letitia Saunders
have been working with National on ways to share
more usefully tailored membership lists. We welcome
your suggestions and leads on potential members;
if any of you have neighbors, friends, or colleagues
who are potential members, send them our way. Perhaps
you might invite them along on one of the enjoyable
outings, described elsewhere in this Newsletter—arranged
by our enthusiastic new Program Chair, Jennifer Jones.
Those of you who have attended any of our annual
dinners have had a chance to hear directly from the
Scholarship and Teaching Excellence recipients about
the splendid work they are doing and their gratitude
for our recognition. Seeing that the commitment to
rigorous intellectual exploration and to sharing
it with others is alive and well in Northern California
make me proud to be a member of our Association and
proud of the benign elitism we represent.
Sincerely,
President 
If you plan to attend any of the PBKNCA
events, please clip or copy the appropriate coupon
in the hard copy of the Newsletter, fill it out
and mail it, with your check, to me at the address
indicated. No confirmations or additional details
will be sent; be sure to save this newsletter!
First Vice President - Programs
UC Berkeley Seismological
Laboratory (website)
Have you ever been in an Earthquake? Did you know that
the U.C. Berkeley Seismological Laboratory works with
the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor earthquakes in
Northern California? On our private tour of the laboratory,
we will learn about the history of the lab, and the
role it has played in monitoring earthquakes. We will
see live displays of seismic data and will have a tour
of the engineering lab. There is a seismometer there,
so if anyone wants to try making a little earthquake,
go ahead and see what happens! At the end of the tour,
we will learn the steps that we can take to help prepare
for an earthquake.
Date: Saturday, March
5, 2005
Time: 10 am – 11am
Deadline: February 12, 2005
Price: $10 per person
Directions: The Berkeley Seismological Laboratory
is located on the North side of the UC Berkeley campus
in Berkeley, California. Administrative offices are
located on the 2nd floor of McCone Hall in room 215,
just south of the North Gate campus entrance at the
corner of Euclid and Hearst Avenues.
From Northbound Highway 101 (San Francisco Airport
/ Daly City): Follow I-101 North and then switch
to I-80 East, to the San Francisco/Oakland Bay
Bridge. After crossing the Bay Bridge, exit (left
lanes) to I-80 East (Berkeley/Sacramento); Exit
at University Avenue; Continue east on University
Avenue for approximately 2 miles to Oxford Street.
From North I-880 (San Jose / Hayward / Oakland
Airport): Stay in left center lanes; Exit I-80
East (to Berkeley); Exit at University Avenue;
Continue east on University Avenue for approximately
2 miles to Oxford Street.
From Westbound I-580: Exit I-80 East (to Berkeley
/ Sacramento); Exit at University Avenue; Continue
east on University Avenue for approximately 2 miles
to Oxford Street.
From I-80 East or West: Exit University Avenue;
Continue east on University Avenue for approximately
2 miles to Oxford Street.
From Highway 24: From Highway 24, exit Telegraph
Avenue; Continue on Telegraph Avenue until it dead
ends at the campus on Bancroft Way; Make a left
on Bancroft Way; Make a right on Fulton Street,
which will become Oxford Street in 2 blocks; Continue
on Oxford Street to University Avenue.
From Westbound Highway 13: Highway 13 becomes
Tunnel Road; Continue on Tunnel Road, which becomes
Ashby Avenue near the Claremont Hotel; Turn right
on Shattuck Avenue; Turn right at University Avenue,
and continue east one block to Oxford Street.
![[ Yahoo! Maps ]](http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/mp/gr/mplogo.gif)
Map to UC Berkeley - University Ave At Oxford St
Berkeley, CA 94704
Whale and Bird Watching (
website)
Did you know that Gray Whales migrate between the North
Pacific and Baja California? This 12,000 mile journey
may be the longest migration of any mammal on Earth.
Come join us for whale and bird watching out of Half
Moon Bay/El Granada as we try to spot the whales on
their return trip to Alaska and the Arctic. Other species
of whales seen off the California coast include Humpback
whales, Minke whales, Pilot whales, Blue whales and
Killer whales. Various porpoises, dolphins and sea
birds may also been seen.
Special Notes: Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed
as feed, weather patterns, and individuality affect
the timing. Please dress in layers and consider if
seasickness medication is appropriate. Don’t
forget to bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and of course,
your camera.
Date: Saturday,
March 19, 2005
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Deadline: March 1, 2005
Price: $40 per person, limited to 38 participants
Directions: Meeting Place: Pillar Point Harbor,
end of Pier on left-hand side. Look for H Dock. ‘Huli
Cat’, the boat with the bright blue hull, should
be in the 8th slip on the left.
From San Francisco: Take 280 South to
Highway 1 South; Turn Right on Capistrano
Road (1st stoplight after leaving Pacifica – 15
minutes barring traffic); Turn Left into
harbor for parking. There is free parking
available.
From 92 West: Go West on Highway 92 to
Highway 1; Take Highway 1 north; Turn left
on Capistrano Road; Turn left into harbor
for parking. There is free parking available.
Map to Huli Cat
Jasper
Ridge Biological Preserve (website)
Put your hiking boots on and come join
us for a hike of Jasper Ridge during wildflower
season. The 1,189 acre preserve is a natural
laboratory for researchers, students, and
visitors located near the Stanford University
campus. It is also a refuge to native plants
and animals. The Bay Checkerspot butterfly
was studied at Jasper Ridge, demonstrating
the value of long-term research in ecology
and attracting federal funding of such
studies. One monitoring project that hits
close to home for many of us has mapped
the invasion of Argentine ants and studied
their impact on the ecological communities
in the path of the invasion. The studies
at Jasper Ridge highlight the importance
of correlating research and conservation
efforts. Come and see the remarkable diversity
of the Preserve with us!
Date: Sunday, April 3, 2005
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Deadline: March 15, 2005
Cost: $15/person, limited to 16 participants
Special Notes: Children under 14 not permitted.
Hilly terrain with uneven ground. Please
dress in layers, bring bottled water, a
hat, and sunscreen. Unfortunately, picnicking
is not allowed at Jasper Ridge since it
is a biological preserve and working field
station, but Huddart Park is nearby for
picnicking and there are places in Woodside
where you can buy a sandwich. The Stanford
Shopping Center is nearby, and there are
lots of options for lunch there.
Directions:
Woodside, near intersection of San Hill
Road and I-280. Map and carpool information
will be mailed after March 15 deadline.
Please include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
Treasure Island Walking Tour and Three
Course Lunch at the Treasure Island Fine
Dining Restaurant
Treasure Island!! Brainchild of the City
of San Francisco - to build a complete
island on “shoals” in 1940
to be the official airport. First, however,
it would be used for the Golden Gate exposition
in 1939, honoring the Golden Gate Bridge
and the Bay Bridge, both of which were
just completed. Then the Second World War
erupted, and the Navy took the island.
Let’s meet at the main gate to Treasure
Island to see the remnants of the past,
the activities of the present, and the
projects of the future during a two hour
walk. An all-inclusive three course lunch,
prepared by students of one of the vocational
training programs on the island, will follow
our walk. Tom Filcich, who led the Holiday
walk, will also be leading this tour.
Click the picture for
a virtual tour of Treasure Island!
You will need
Apple Quicktime to view this. It can be
obtained here
Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Time: 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Deadline: March 1, 2005
Price: $40.00 per person, limited to 25
participants
Directions:
PUBLIC TRANSIT
By public transit,
San Francisco Muni bus #108 provides weekday
service from the second level of the Transbay
Terminal at First and Mission streets to
Treasure island. Call the SF Municipal
Railway at 415-673-MUNI (6864) for scheduling
and fare information.
The Transbay Terminal is within walking
distance from the Embarcadero and Montgomery
BART stations. Visitors coming from Marin,
Sonoma, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties
via Golden Gate Transit or Samtrans will
arrive directly at the Transbay Terminal.
Visitors arriving by ferry might enjoy
a five-minute walk from the Ferry Building
to the Transbay Terminal. Visitors arriving
via CalTrain may take Muni bus #42 near
the CalTrain station and get off at Mission
and Fremont streets.
DRIVING
From
San Francisco: Take Highway 101 North
to Interstate 80 East toward Oakland; from
the Bay Bridge, take the Treasure island
exit from the left lane just before entering
the tunnel; follow the Treasure Island
Road to the end of the causeway. There
is a parking area before the main gate.
From the East Bay: Take Interstate 80 West
toward San Francisco; from the Bay Bridge,
take the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island
exit from the left lane just before entering
the tunnel; the exit is less than 2 miles
from the toll plaza; follow Treasure Island
Road to the end of the causeway. There
is a parking area before the main gate.
PBK NCA Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner
Join the PBK NCA Board in celebrating this
year’s accomplishments in the charming
setting and collegial atmosphere of the
UC Berkeley Faculty Club. Take this opportunity
to meet with, and be inspired by the
dedication and achievements of our scholarship
and teaching excellence award winners.
Social hour begins at 5 p.m. and dinner
will be served starting at 6:05 p.m.
Choose between chicken, beef, or vegetarian.
The bar is "No host" during
social hour but dinner will include house
wine, coffee or tea, plus salad and dessert
in addition to your pre-selected entrée
which comes with rice or potatoes and
seasonal vegetables.
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2005
Deadline: April 15, 2005
Time: 5 p.m.
Price: $50 (includes parking)
Directions: On the campus of UC
Berkeley (University Avenue exit off I-80).
At the end of April, registrants will be
mailed a "Faculty Club Notecard" that
will include driving directions and a foldout
campus map with parking instructions.
Opera House Backstage Tour
Attention Opera Lovers! Have you ever
wanted to know more about the architecture
and construction of the Opera House? Have
you wondered about its colorful history?
Have you always yearned to travel through
the auditorium and behind the footlights
to the artist dressing rooms, back stage
area, and Wig and Make-up Department? If
so, this is the tour for you! We will meet
at 10:15 am at the Groves Street entrance
(opposite Davies entrance) for an Opera
Guild docent-led tour beginning at 10:30am.
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Time: Meet at 10:15 a.m. for tour from
10:30 - noon
Deadline: May 1, 2005
Price: $15.00 per person
Directions:
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness
Avenue (at Grove St.), San Francisco. Go
to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge,
Bay Bridge or by going north on US 101
or I-280. From the North: After crossing
the Golden Gate Bridge stay on US 101 which
turns into Van Ness Avenue. The Opera House
is in the Civic Center on Van Ness. From
the South on I-280 take the Civic Center
(Van Ness) exit and go north. From the
East, exit US 101 take the Civic Center
(Van Ness) exit and go north. From the
South on US 101 stay on US 101 until the
Civic Center (Van Ness) exit. The Opera
House is in the Civic Center on Van Ness.
Our February Newsletter seems to be short of urgent
membership information, leaving me with considerable
space to fill with whatever strikes me as useful
or interesting. Just now I am on my second recent
book about United States’ relations with Iran.
The first book (All the Shah’s Men: An
American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by
Stephen Kinzer) primarily concerns the role played
by the CIA in the ouster of Iran’s Prime Minister,
Mohammad Mosaddeq (also translated as Mossadegh),
in 1953. The second (The Persian
Puzzle: the Conflict between Iran and America by
Kenneth M. Pollack of the Brookings Institution)
is a rather detailed history of US-Iran relations
from 1856 through 2003 with insights and analysis
as well as a recommendation for how to formulate
a new, more constructive policy toward Iran. They
are both fascinating books. The story of the 1953
coup was very riveting for me because I was in Teheran
during all the planning and most of the execution
of the events described. Most things happened behind
the scenes but I was marginally aware of some of
them because my father was involved with some of
the activities described. I came in contact with
some of the CIA people but, of course, I did not
know that at the time. I also came in contact with
the family of the Ayatollah Kashani, the president
of the upper house of the legislature and top Ayatollah
at the time. I clearly remember when our next door
neighbor was kidnapped and murdered but I had no
idea the US or the British were involved in an effort
to change the government and save the Shah’s
throne. What I did notice very vividly was the contrast
between what I read in the US news magazines about
events in Teheran and what I saw while walking and
driving the streets of Teheran. Mr. Kinzer writes
about the CIA paying people to demonstrate and riot.
I know that was a very common practice in Iran at
the time because I knew some men who worked for my
father’s "cover" employer as skilled
diesel mechanics who hired out as demonstrators at
twice the pay they earned as mechanics. They made
good money but mostly they said they had a lot of "fun." The
book also reveals that the CIA paid out millions
of dollars in bribes to officials, political party
leaders and military officers to oppose Prime Minister
Mosaddeq and, in some cases, to remove his supporters
from key places. Some of those people were actually
assassinated. If you have an interest in the details
of just how the CIA could topple a foreign government, All
the Shah’s Men is very instructive and
a quick read.
The major lesson I take away from Mr. Pollack’s
book is a clearer notion of just how different
the interpretation of actions and statements are
when seen through the eyes of the modern Iranian
than when seen through the eyes of our citizens,
including our top level policy makers. Mr. Pollack
has convinced me that our primary difficulty with
Iran results from a very different understanding
or misunderstanding, if you will, of the history
of US-Iranian relations and the meaning of the
interactions between our two countries. Iran is
truly a danger to us and to the world, but not
for the reasons that are commonly cited in the
press. Because Iranians interpret everything we
do and say so differently from what we intend them
to, we generally encourage them to become more
dangerous without meaning to. Mr. Pollack says
that the Iranians think our ultimate goal is to
take over their country and then take over the
rest of the world and eliminate all Muslims and
he shows why that view is consistent with Iranian
history. He also points out that both the Iranian
government, past and present, and the Iranian people
believe that the US has Iran in mind with every
action and statement, but, of course, that is simply
not the case. When their leaders call us the Great
Satan and a danger to all Islam, they actually
mean it; whereas, our leaders seem to think Iran’s
leaders are merely posturing.
I highly recommend these two books to anyone interested
in understanding how US-Iranian relations got in
the mess they are in now and how we might avoid
such messes in future. They will also help the
reader see the US through other eyes.
Respectfully submitted,
Newsletter Chair
