The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) will hold its 43rd annual Spring House Tour and Garden Reception on Sunday, May 6, 2018, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

Twelve open houses in a variety of architectural styles will be open on this year’s house tour in Berkeley Woods, the bucolic, village-like neighborhood at the top of Marin Avenue, adjoining Tilden Regional Park. -more-

The Berkeley Police Department is asking for the community’s assistance with a sexual assault which occurred on April 19, 2018 between 11:00 and 11:30am. The victim (a lone high school-aged minor) was walking on the 1500 block of Addison Street when she was grabbed from behind. The victim said the suspect covered her mouth and pressed a gun into her side while telling her not to scream. The victim said the suspect walked her eastbound on Addison Street and into the side yard of a residence where he sexually assaulted the victim. After the assault, the victim sought help and Berkeley Police were notified and the investigation began. -more-

A friend of mine caught the mayor of Santa Rosa on the radio talking about the fire that ravaged through the area last fall "without respect for boundaries" of race, wealth or class. My friend then wrote a song quoting the mayor which then goes on to wonder who - which class, which race, which group - could possibly deserve the monstrous experience of burning to death or watching one's life or family go up in flames.

People probably knew what the mayor meant; fire is indiscriminate, wind-driven, unpredictable. The rich are just as likely, in an explosive 80 mile an hour wildfire, to suffer as the poor. But the housing policies which follow in the wake of such a disaster are unlikely to be so. They are much more likely to be riven with bizarre human prejudices.

Berkeley's tiny house obsession is a case in point. Although "tiny" houses are not cheaper, or greener, than renovated apartment buildings, and although they violate California habitability standards if they don't have heat, or windows, or a place to wash up, they remain the darling of a crew that often doesn't care that they're being used as a front group for developers hoping for a code-free world. -more-

The brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl from a semi-nomadic Muslim community has sent shock waves in India. What caused such outrage was not only the heinous crime but the attitude of India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party who defended the men accused of the crime. -more-

An unusual triple alliance is emerging from the Syrian war, one that could alter the balance of power in the Middle East, unhinge the NATO alliance, and complicate the Trump administration’s designs on Iran. It might also lead to yet another double cross of one of the region’s largest ethnic groups, the Kurds.

However, the “troika alliance”—Turkey, Russia and Iran—consists of three countries that don’t much like one another, have different goals, and whose policies are driven by a combination of geo-global goals and internal politics. In short, “fragile and complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

How the triad might be affected by the joint U.S., French and British attack on Syria is unclear, but in the long run the alliance will likely survive the uptick of hostilities.

But common ground was what came out of the April 4 meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meeting in Ankara, the parties pledged to support the “territorial integrity” of Syria, find a diplomatic end to the war, and to begin a reconstruction of a Syria devastated by seven years of war. While Russia and Turkey explicitly backed the UN-sponsored talks in Geneva, Iran was quiet on that issue, preferring a regional solution without “foreign plans.”

“Common ground,” however, doesn’t mean the members of the “troika” are on the same page. -more-

On April 12, 2018, the U.S., Britain, and France launched a strike against Syrian research, storage, and military targets to punish Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for his suspected use of his air power to drop chemical weapons in an attack in the Damascus suburb of Guouta, where between 40 and 70 people were reported to have been killed by banned chlorine and sarin gases. The key word here is “suspected.” Assad and Russia have vigorously denied the allegations. -more-

Many Trump supporters voted for Donald because they believed he was a successful businessman -- rather than a reality TV star. These Trump adherents thought he would bring business acumen to the White House. Trump backers believed Donald had a strategic vision to "make America great again." Turns out they were mistaken. -more-

f we do not make an effort in life, and fail to act when needed, we will either not survive, or we will be considered mentally defunct, and people might "take care" of us in a manner that suits them. If we do not do the basics that are expected, people might be good enough to place us in a special home. -more-

To learn what's happening on Berkeley's arts scene, you can now reach the Berkeley Arts Festival Calendar directly from the Planet. You can then click on an individual date for a full description of every event on that day.

To reach the calendar, click here. -more-

It is no secret that Debussy first, then Ravel, were greatly impressed with music from the Orient -- Debussy with Javanese gamelan music, and Ravel with Gypsy music, gamelan music, and the musical possibilities of the tales in Arabic of Sinbad the Sailor. Ravel, of course, was also greatly influenced by music from his mother’s Spanish roots, involving a musical tradition dating from the Moorish conquest of Spain in the 1400s. So it was that Maurice Ravel, already having achieved his first success with the poignant Pavane pour une Infante défunte (1899), became intrigued with the idea of composing his version of the tales of Shéhérazade. Using Tristan Klingsor’s poems as a base, Ravel chose to compose music in three parts: the first, a long poem of orientalist evocations of Asia; the second, a brief evocation of a magic flute; and the third, a tribute to the mysterious indifference of the East toward westerners. -more-

It’s almost hard for me to write objectively about Algerian-Berber singer and songwriter Souad Massi. Her voice moves me at a very deep, instinctual level. I can’t find words to describe why this is so. All I can say is that I find her voice deeply moving. So it was with great pleasure that I finally encountered Souad Massi in person on the day of her April 20 performance at Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason. We had already spoken by phone while she was on tour in Boston, and we had arranged to meet at Fort Mason between 3:30 and 4:00 on the day of her performance there. Arriving a bit early on Friday, April 20, I walked out to the end of the Fort Mason pier, hoping to spot a seal or two. At the end of the pier, I found Souad Massi and her tour manager, Manu Kirinek, sitting with their backs against the wall enjoying the view of the Golden Gate Bridge while eating a pizza. I introduced myself and was invited to share their pizza, which I gratefully declined, and sat down beside them. “This view is the gift of our tour in America,” Manu exclaimed. I mentioned to them that seals are occasionally seen swimming along these piers. And, sure enough, in the course of our conversation, a seal suddenly appeared in the waters below us; and Souad, leaping to her feet, squealed with delight and proceeded to throw bits of pizza to the seal, who remained indifferent and soon dove out of sight. Thus was the auspicious beginning of my personal encounter with Souad Massi. -more-

Worth Noting - A lot going on this week April 22 – April 29, 2018.

• Sunday the Berkeley Tenants Union selects candidates for the November elections.
• Monday Assembly District 15 Candidate forum. Sponsored by Contra Costa League of Women Voters at San Pablo Public Library in San Pablo. This is getting critical. There are 12 candidates anything could happen and we need the best 2 to go to the November election.
• Tuesday and Thursday City Council meetings

• regular meeting 6:00 pm Tuesday council chambers
• special meeting 6:00 pm Thursday on encampments (homeless camps) and sidewalk policies (at Longfellow Middle School).

• Wednesday Police Review Commission votes on charter amendment written by the PRC Reform subcommittee
• Sunday April 29 BPA-BCA endorsement meeting for City Auditor and Council Districts 1,4,7,8

City Council May 1 meeting available for comments, Council@cityofberkeley.info Agenda: 18. Investment report Oct1-Dec 31, 2017, 20. Continue banking with Wells Fargo thru 2020, 21. Recommendation from Disaster and Fire Safety Commission Fire and Health Departments to Participate in Urban Shield and UASI trainings – anticipate referral to Urban Shield subcommittee, 22. Microbond Blockchain Initiative, 25. Referral to Planning allow 4 Temporary Zoning Amendments to increase student housing, 26 a&b Emergency Outdoor Shelter for the Homeless

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/2018/05_May/City_Council__05-01-2018_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx



The meeting list is also posted on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website.

http://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html -more-