[Evolution] Hundreds of alarms - what's the solution?

[Jim Olsen <jjo-evolution netsynthesis com>]

I just subscribed to the list and saw a thread from last month that 
exactly describes my problem: "Hundreds of Alarms".  I have Evolution 
1.4.4 on a Mandrake 9.2 system, and after doing an initial 
synchronization with my Palm, I can't start Evolution without hundreds 
of reminder windows popping up for calendar items in the far distant 
past, causing a crash.

From the previous thread, I gather that this is a common problem.  What 
is the common solution?