Cover:
Cursed Degree Burn
Masters Institute, San Jose's largest technical training school, sells students a high-tech fantasy, but for many the reality is closer to a computer crash.

On the cover: Masters grad Michael Altair plys his new trade.

News: Ms. Taken Identity
How a Campbell accountant lost his good name after a female client stole his Social Security number, posed as his wife and went on a spending spree.

Piece de Resistance: Marketing Mike & The Suits are funny and subversive enough to almost pass for revolutionaries.

Bye-Bye, Bini's: The doors swing shut on a local landmark and haven for a classless society.

Public Eye: Supe Simitian willl gladly pay Tuesday for a hamburger today.

Polis Report: California's touted prosperity may be just a regional phenomenon.

Lurking Quirky: Eccentrics get their day on film in Fast, Cheap & Out of Control.

Mars, Not Stars: Newcomer Harland Williams practices his pratfalls on the Red Planet in RocketMan.

Country Days: Not all country bands hang their hats in Nashville--just ask local roots experts the California Cowboys.

Bright New Green Day: On Nimrod, Green Day takes a big step forward.

Monk's Legacy: Drummer T.S. Monk carries on his father's musical tradition.

Audiofile: Reviews of the latest CDs by Cub, Karp, Oxbow and various artists.

Beat Street: Tomatohead Records debuts with comp.

Like Grandma Never Made: At Buon Gusto, diners of all ethnic backgrounds can enjoy having an Italian "nonna" cook for them.

Vegging Out: Lu Lai Gardens serves meat-free dim sum and other dishes.

Donizetti's King Leer: West Bay Opera bumps Don Pasquale into the 1950s.

The Color of History: City Lights' When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? probes the political and social fault lines of 1969.