Arts & Events
Sankofa Institute Presents Charlie Parker Symposium
“We want to bring Jazz back to the fore, make it relevant again—and bring it back to black audiences,” said Duane Deterville, founder of the Sankofa Cultural Institute, of the two-day symposium “Bird, Bop, Black Art & Beyond” at the House of Unity, Suite 230 in Oakland’s Eastmont Mall, 7200 Bancroft Ave., this Saturday and Sunday. -more-
Moving Pictures: The Birth of Animation
Despite his claims to the contrary, Winsor McCay did not invent the animated cartoon. But the legendary cartoonist did play a pioneering role, helping to advance, shape and define the nascent art form. -more-
Central Oregon Coast: Uncrowded Beaches, Spectacular Ocean Vistas, Bargain Prices and 3 Skate Parks
By Carole Terwilliger Meyers -more-
East Bay Then and Now: SBCC: A Grand Building On a Modest Scale
The half-dozen years before World War I were significant ones for Berkeley’s ecclesiastical architecture. -more-
About the House: New Houses Aren’t Quite as Trouble-Free as They Seem
Crisis is opportunity isn’t it? And some days I just have to say, Thank you, Lord Buddha, for another #$%@ing growth opportunity. -more-
Garden Variety: Selecting Plants with Natural Scents in Mind
After a day of being olfactorily jostled by vehicle exhaust, the odd pile of dog turds by the sidewalk, and overdone, overused, over-applied synthetic perfumes, being surrounded by natural scents clears the crud from one’s mind and mood. -more-
Arts: Dream Kitchen Kicks Off Downtown Jazz Festival
The ambitious second annual Downtown Berkeley Jazz Festival, produced by the Jazzschool, begins this Wednesday. Over the course of five days, 45 musical events will be presented at 15 venues all over downtown Berkeley. -more-
Arts: ‘House of Lucky’ At La Vals
After the heavy metal overture screeches to a halt, both Frank Wortham and his one-man show, House of Lucky (ending its run this weekend), put on by Impact Theater at La Val’s Subterranean, come on with a bang. -more-
Arts: SF Shakespeare Presents ‘The Tempest’
Summer is almost gone, at least that official version that stretches between Memorial and Labor Days, but it’s still possible to catch that theatrical hallmark of the season, Free Shakespeare in the Park. -more-
The Tree of Many Names Scents Our Woodlands
Up in the hills, in the parks and in the places next to them, are Monterey pines—imported from Monterey, and many now old and ill and tottering—and native trees: redwoods, the odd Douglas fir, oaks, and a tree of many names, its official binomial being quite a melodious mouthful, Umbellularia californica. -more-
Correction
In the Aug. 15 story “Incumbents Hit Filing Deadline,” the Planet reporter Richard Brenneman wrote that “Challenger Howard Chong has filed his papers for the Rent Board . . .” Howard Chong is not a challenger, however, but the current chair of the Board. -more-