OAKLAND-- Hundreds of demonstrators from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area set up early morning picket lines in front of four gates into the SSA terminal in the Port of Oakland, as a ship carrying Israeli cargo was preparing to dock. Demonstrators were protesting the Israeli attack on the flotilla that sought to break the blockade of Gaza, in which Israeli troops killed nine people. In response to the picket line, members of Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union decided not to go into the terminal and unload the cargo. In the afternoon, with picket lines again in front of the gate, the stevedoring company decided not to ask for a crew of longshore workers to unload the ship, in the expectation that the crew would again not enter the terminal.

From 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. this Father’s Day morning somewhere between 500 and a thousand pickets blocked the 4 entrances to Berth 58 at the Oakland, California Port to prevent the workers from unloading an Israeli ship sailing up the California coast. The ILWU workers did not want to cross, nor did they challenge the picketers. Teamster truckers were turned away at one gate. At 9:30 a.m. the official announcement came that the Union Contract arbitrator had evaluated the situation and decided that potentially dangerous working conditions allowed the Longshoremen to legitimately honor the picket lines. Police were low key. The ship has delayed entry to the Port.  

 

According to the leaders of the demonstration, this is the first time in U.S. history that an Israeli ship has been successfully blocked. The demonstration’s coalition calls for an immediate end to the siege of Gaza and for spreading the boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli goods and transports worldwide.  

 

The next shift of Port workers will arrive in late afternoon or early evening today. The leaders have called for “everybody out to the Port, Berth 58, at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon to achieve the limited goal of a 24 hour blockade of the Israeli Apartheid cargo”.  

 

They say “If you can get there, be there. Park at the West Oakland BART and walk 1.2 miles (or carpool) down Middle-Harbor to the Berth entrances. Please spread the word as numbers and militancy are a prerequisite for the arbitrator to again find that the workers are within their rights in honoring the picket line. “  

The Daily Planet won three awards in the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club’s 2009 annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards dinner, held June 19 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City.
Riya Bhattacharjee won first place in the Breaking News category for her March 5, 2009 story about the death of a LeConte Elementary school student (“Investigation Continues into Kindergartner's Death") and second place for Continuing Coverage on the incident. The Daily Planet competed in the non-daily newspaper category. 

Justin DeFreitas won first place for Editorial Cartooning for all categories (daily papers, weeklies and magazines). DeFreitas also won second place for Editorial Cartoons for "here" magazine (published by the Marin Independent Journal). 

Bay Area print journalists, photographers, radio and television personnel and public relations professionals were presented with 167 awards of excellence in nine divisions and 36 categories for their work in 2009. 

The awards span the 11 counties of the Greater Bay Area. The winners were selected from 394 entries from media professionals by judges from the Bakersfield Press Club, Milwaukee Press Club, the Press Club of New Orleans and the Press Club of Southeast Texas.

A 27-year-old Oakland man will be arraigned today on attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges for a shooting in Berkeley last month that left two people critically injured.  

Doran Williams Jr. was arrested on a no-bail warrant in Oakland Wednesday night by officers who collared him after a brief foot chase.  

Officers had followed Williams from a motel in Richmond to Oakland.  

Berkeley police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said police believe that Williams is a member of the Bushrod gang in North Oakland, whose members call themselves the "Cold Gunnaz."  

Kusmiss said police are investigating whether the shooting of two people in the 1700 block of 63rd Street in Berkeley at about 11 a.m. on May 20 was part of an ongoing feud between gangs along the Berkeley and Oakland border.  

The victims were a 39-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman who were seriously injured when they were shot while sitting in a car parked near the intersection of King and 63rd streets.  

They remain hospitalized, according to Kusmiss.  

Williams is scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. today in Department 112 of the Wiley Manuel Courthouse at 661 Washington St. in Oakland.  

 

 

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Berkeley Mayor's Office <mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>
To: lecontechat@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, June 17, 2010 4:28:20 PM
Subject: RE: [lecontechat] do we want BRT in Berkeley?

 

Dear lecontechat list serve.  

Let me clarify that it wasn’t me who wanted to reconsider the BRT decision. It was Councilmember Jesse Arreguin who brought forth the proposal. I have no desire to revisit the BRT issue.
Tom Bates

University of California at Berkeley administrators and police did a poor job of planning for a protest last November that resulted in the takeover of a building and more than 40 arrests, an investigative panel said today.  

A 128-page report by the university's Police Review Board said only five campus police officers were on duty when protesters took over Wheeler Hall at about 6 a.m. on Nov. 20 and the response by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and his staff was "center-less," meaning that it wasn't clear who was in charge.  

The report says the administration's preparation for a three-day student strike to protest tuition increases "was far too generalized to be helpful" and there were no specific strategies for responding to the possibility that students might occupy a building.  

Wayne Brazil, a UC Berkeley law professor and former federal judge who chaired the panel that prepared the report, told reporters that, "In hindsight, it would have been better to have more officers available" when Wheeler Hall was taken over.  

Brazil also said the campus's police department "was undermanned at the command staff level" because it only had one captain at the scene even though it was supposed to have two captains for such a situation.  

And the captain who was at the scene was someone who focused on administrative duties and didn't have field training, he said.  

Joining Brazil at a news conference on campus today, UC Berkeley Police Chief Mitch Celaya said, "In hindsight, it would have been better to have more officers available that morning."  

But Celaya said the campus's police department has been hit by budget cuts and he staggered officers' shifts so that a larger group of officers would be available for larger demonstrations that were scheduled for later in the day on Nov. 20.  

Celaya also admitted that police "clearly could have done a better job communicating with the administration" about how to handle the takeover of Wheeler Hall and "fell short on communicating with the protesters."  

But he said officers did their best in responding to what he described as "a chaotic, confusing and unpredictable situation."  

Celaya said, "The last thing we want to do is arrest our students."  

Brazil said the student protesters share some of the blame for the problems that occurred, saying, "40 people deprived 4,000 people of their rights" by occupying Wheeler Hall and preventing people from going to classes and doing their jobs.  

Birgeneau, who requested the investigation, said in a prepared statement that the report's findings "should be sobering for us all."  

He said, "It portrays a situation of some confusion on the part of all parties" and "criticizes the administration and the police for not having foreseen and planned better, and for errors of implementation and failures of effective communication."  

Birgeneau said, "We accept responsibility for the assessment of the administration's shortcomings on this day; we are prepared to learn from the report and, to the extent possible, implement its recommendations."  

He added that following the Nov. 20 protest his administration has put in place "a much more robust crisis management structure" and has communicated more actively with students about rules for protesting safely.  

 

By Jeff Shuttleworth  

The Berkeley School District Board voted on Wednesday evening to place two measures before the voters in November. The first is a bond measure for 210 million dollars “to improve school safety and facilities for learning and teaching.” This measure would fund construction of classrooms and science labs, seismic upgrades and technology upgrades, and would renovate playgrounds, restrooms, cafeterias, heating and fire safety systems, and other facilities. 

The bonds would be sold “over a period of approximately ten years” and would be paid from property taxes. This would cost property owners about $60 dollars annually per $100,000 of assessed valuation. 

The second measure is a renewal of a parcel tax, costing residential property owners about $65 per 1000 square feet and businesses about $97 per 1000 square feet. Revenue collected over ten years would be used to maintain and upgrade educational buildings and grounds. 

Most of the rest of the meeting was taken up by budgetary matters. Superintendent Huyett’s public letter summarizes the current situation, “Over the last two years, we trimmed $11 million from the budget, and now more reductions are required. For the next school year the Governor’s proposed reductions, coupled with our increasing costs, force us to reduce the General Fund budget by $3.1 million.” The district’s cuts are drastic ones, slashing support for classroom supplies, field trips, and many educational programs, and eliminating six staff positions. Adult school programs have been savaged, meaning fewer classes, larger class sizes, and higher fees. 

The most contested proposal at the meeting on Wednesday was the elimination of a vice principal position at Martin Luther King Middle School. About 30 teachers, students, and family members from the school community were in attendance, holding placards and speaking in favor of retaining their vice principal who, they say, is essential to ensuring an orderly and effective learning environment at the school. 

The school currently has three vice principals, which is an unusually large number, given the size of the school. Audience members argued, however, that all three are required to provide the quality of personal attention that students need. Classroom teachers typically see a student for only one year. Vice principals, on the other hand, provide guidance throughout a student’s stay at King.  

Board members didn’t take exception to the case made for keeping the VP position, but Superintendent Huyett said that the district was doing its best to make cuts in a sensible and balanced way. The Board agreed not to cut the position at once, but requested that the school think about how it can compensate for one less VP position. It also remains possible that some alternative funding for the position may be found. 

Huyett and Board members painted a devastating picture of the financial situation facing the district over the next several years. Huyett commented that when Jerry Brown was Governor, he was “very tight with money” and that the two current Republican candidates for this office are both fiscal conservatives. So we cannot expect much support from the Governor’s office. Board member Riddle said “We’ve been lobbied not to make cuts, but actually we’re being required to cut further.”  

Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent of the district, gave a detailed report on budgetary matters for the upcoming school year. Although Berkeley schools are supported by local parcel taxes and are therefore not as vulnerable to cuts as a school district like Oakland is, the district faces major challenges. The 2010-11 deficit is projected to exceed a million dollars. Even more daunting is the outlook for future years. $3.4 million that the district receives from federal stimulus funding is scheduled to end in 2011. Board member Riddle said that it’s very unlikely that this funding source will be renewed. Huyett anticipated a shortfall of “4 to 6 million. We think it’s closer to 6 million.”  

Berkeley voters have come to the district’s rescue in the past, providing parcel tax revenues that have shored up local public education. With its placement of two new measures on the fall ballot, the Board is hoping that the community will re-affirm that support. 

 

The Richmond City Council had been scheduled to consider a resolution today (Tuesday) condemning the Israeli military's takeover of a ship in the Freedom Flotilla last month and the country's continued blockade of Gaza. Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Vice Mayor Jeff Ritterman were originally sponsoring the resolution, but Ritterman announced Monday night that he is no longer backing the resolution, in a letter forwarded to the Planet by fellow councilmember Tom Butt.  

Two Richmond residents who participated in the flotilla, Paul Larudee and Kathy Sheetz, will attend the meeting, according to a spokesman for the Free Palestine Movement. 

Ritterman’s letter said: 

"The resolution has generated a firestorm of controversy in Richmond. On the one hand, it has formally encouraged a deep discussion of the issues of the middle east, but has also resulted in polarization which makes genuine dialogue, understanding and empathy difficult if not impossible. 

To my knowledge this is the very first time the issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been discussed publicly in Richmond. 

Yesterday I fasted and walked along the ocean with my beloved partner Vivien and allowed my mind to be in awe of the beauty and majesty of creation. Viv and I have talked about how best to handle the resolution situation. Here is what we have concluded: 

The hurt and frightened feelings in the community, and the rift this has created have become the primary issue, not the resolution itself. We can easily amend the resolution to remove the passages which some found objectionable, but I don't think that alone will suffice at this point. 

The primary goal of Tuesday night will be to try and heal the rift and to try and encourage a deepened sense of empathy and understanding. I will not present the resolution for a vote, but rather use the time to allow those in the community who want to express themselves on this issue to do so. I will apologize to all those I have offended and explain my motivation. I continue to believe that respect for international rules of conduct is best for all of us. 

I will ask that all of those who speak realize that the resolution will not be voted on and therefore we all can take a step back, take a bit of the edge out of our voices, and speak to one another as if we were speaking to a loved one who disagreed with us on this issue. To speak with respect, but not only respect, but with kindness and even love. I will ask everyone to remember that our main purpose is to build The Beloved Community of Dr. King's dreams. 

I will ask us all to remember Dr. King's words: ..."the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the Beloved Community...it is this love which can change the hearts of men and women." 

I will ask everyone of us, myself included, to approach the discussion with an open mind and an open heart. I will remind everyone how issues like this one can tear communities apart and that we in Richmond can become a model of how a community discusses difficult issues in a kind and caring way." 

Butt added his own comments to the forwarded letter: 

“I can recall few issues that have drawn more contentious commentary from the public than the proposed J-1, ADOPT a resolution to urge Contra Costa County to opt out of the Secure Communities Agreement to protect the human rights of immigrant families - Mayor's Office (Mayor McLaughlin 620-6503/Vice Mayor Ritterman 620-6581). 

It ranks up there with Point Molate and the front yard fence height issue of 2003. I have even gotten a call from the Israeli consulate requesting a meeting with the consul general today. 

Of the hundreds of emails I have received, almost all agree that the Richmond City Council has no reason to be involved at all. Of those that take the next step, about 95% condemn the flotilla for provoking an unnecessary confrontation. 

The remaining 5% take the side of Gaza and blame Israel for overreacting. 

Many agree that both Israel and the Palestinians, including Gaza, bear responsibility of unrest in the Middle East. 

Personally, I am hoping we can table the item and avoid a protracted and probably bitter debate on something we have no control over.” 

The public will still be able to comment on the question atTuesday's meeting. 

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Richmond City Councilchambers at 440 Civil Plaza. 

Attorneys for a Berkeley law professor went before a federal appeals court in San Francisco on Monday to seek dismissal of a lawsuit in which a former military prisoner claims that legal memos written by the professor justified his alleged torture while being held in a Navy brig. 

John Yoo, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, worked for the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2003 and helped to write legal memos on the treatment of people classified as enemy combatants. 

Jose Padilla, an American citizen later convicted of aiding overseas terrorism, claims in a civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco that Yoo's memos justified brutal treatment amounting to torture while Padilla was held as an enemy combatant in a Navy brig in South Carolina from 2002 to 2005.  

Padilla's lawyers claim in court filings that he was subjected to "vicious interrogations, sensory deprivation and total isolation -- in short, to torture." 

Yoo is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision in which U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White refused last year to dismiss the lawsuit. Without ruling on whether Padilla's rights were in fact violated, White said the lawsuit could go to trial because Padilla had alleged sufficient facts to argue that Yoo had "set in motion a series of events that resulted in the deprivation of Padilla's constitutional rights." 

Yoo's lawyers say the lawsuit should be dismissed because his advice to President Bush was protected by the president's constitutional power to conduct wars.  

The professor's lead attorney, Miguel Estrada, wrote in a brief submitted to the court that allowing the lawsuit would "stifle the candor required of the president's lawyers on complicated and sensitive matters of national security" and "deter qualified lawyers from entering public service for fear of facing lawsuits." 

In addition, Yoo's attorneys claim he was not personally responsible for the decision to detain Padilla as an enemy combatant or for his alleged treatment during that confinement. 

A three-judge panel of the appeals court will hear arguments on the case at its courthouse at Seventh and Mission streets Monday morning and is expected to issue a written decision at a later date. 

Padilla, 49, was arrested in Chicago in 2002 on suspicion of participating in a radioactive "dirty bomb" plot. After being held in a New York jail as a material witness for about a month, he was declared an enemy combatant by President Bush and moved to the Navy brig, where he was held without in solitary confinement without being charged with any crime for three and one-half years. 

Padilla was never charged in the alleged bomb plot, but was eventually indicted in 2005 on separate charges of aiding overseas terrorism in the 1990s and was transferred to civilian custody in early 2006. He was convicted of three terrorism-related charges in federal court in Miami in 2007, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and is appealing that conviction. 

Padilla's lawsuit claims he was subjected to illegal and unconstitutional abuse in the brig, including extreme sleep and sensory deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, denial of adequate medical care, denial of the right to practice his Muslim religion and brutal interrogation methods such as being forced to sit and stand in painful stress positions, prolonged shackling and threats of being cut with a knife or killed. 

His lawyers' brief to the appeals court alleges, "Padilla suffered these conditions as part of a systematic program of extra-judicial detention and extreme interrogation designed by Yoo." 

The attorneys wrote, "The need to deter the military imprisonment and torture of Americans in America strongly counsels providing Padilla with a remedy for the serious, systematic and willful constitutional violations." 

The lawsuit seeks financial compensation of $1 and a court declaration that the alleged mistreatment was unconstitutional and illegal. Padilla's mother, Estela Lebron, is also a plaintiff in the case. 

 

 

Now that the dust has settled after the Measure C vote, it’s time to figure out what happened and how to get a better result.Many theories have been forwarded this way, several of which might be labeled “conspiracy”, but the most persuasive is this one, from my friend Antonio Rossmann, environmental attorney, father of two Willard students, enthusiastic athlete and yes, ardent architectural preservationist too: 

“I have just gone to the Alameda Registrar of Voters website and come up with these results: Overall county voter turnout percentage: 23 percent. Democratic: 24. Republican: 32. Nonpartisan: 7.6. Among those (like me) a decline-to-state who voted either D or R (no percentages possible here), the proportion of those who voted either D or R, compared to registered voters in that party, was twice as great for Republicans. [I could not discern a breakdown by cities.] 

The message seems clear: Measure C sponsors unfortunately faced a warped electorate because of the competitive Republican primary and uncompetitive Democratic one. I know they wanted this measure voted now to avoid the water bond and other stuff in November, but wound up with a different disadvantage.” 

This explanation meets the Occam’s Razor test of simplicity.Timing is everything, the overall turnout was vanishingly small, and the wrong people were voting.The precinct-by-precinct results are hard or even impossible to get, but as a general rule there are few actual Republican votes in Berkeley elections, particularly since the Republicans have gotten a bit nutty lately with their choice of candidates. 

But there are other contributory causes.It’s well known by people who work elections on a regular basis that it’s a lot easier to get a no vote than a yes vote, and even more important, when an election turns nasty delicate souls among the electorate just stay home.That’s an equally compelling explanation for the small turnout in this election: Disaffected voters just said a plague on both your houses when faced with charges and counter-charges from backers and opponents. 

Also, public pools are in trouble everywhere in the not-so-great state of California, not just in Berkeley. They’re even in trouble in other states.The URL saveourpools.org is owned by a Philadelphia organization. We Berkeleyans like to think we’re special, but we have the same problems other people have most of the time. 

In the city of Santa Cruz, the only public pool, used by citizens and students alike, has been turned over to a private swim club which offers lessons at a price, and not a small one either.In a beach town, drownproofing is even more important than it is here, but now poor kids won’t be learning to swim at the city pool. 

There’s just not enough tax money to go around.Californians statewide have chosen a reduced standard of living, or rather, many well-off citizens seem to prefer to keep their money to spend on themselves in private settings instead of thinking about the common good. 

In many cities, though not in Berkeley, school districts provide pools which are also open to the public.In many cities, though not in Berkeley, pools are supported by public-private partnerships like the one which has triumphantly restored the Richmond Plunge. 

The opponents of Measure C who pointed out that the Mello-Roos bond mechanism is expensive over time were not technically wrong.But borrowing money so that you can meet present needs, even if you pay more in interest in the long run, is a strategy familiar to anyone who’s ever had a home mortgage. It’s not de facto bad, particularly when you’re talking about kids who will grow up before you can save up enough money to buy a house or build a pool. And as an economic commentator told the Planet, bond rates are at a 50-year low, so if you’re ever going to borrow, now’s the time to do it. 

Measure C supporters didn’t help themselves, however, by not addressing this argument in a straightforward and intelligent way.Their website says that “The nearly complete results show that Measure C received only 60.4 percent. In any other election, anything over 60 percent would be considered a landslide victory. But Prop. 13 mandates a minimum two-thirds super-majority for any new tax measures by local governments or the state Legislature. That's why local governments always have to mount special campaigns for any capital needs, such as the pools, and why the state budget process is such a perpetual disaster.” 

That’s mixing apples and oranges, since the 2/3 requirement for Measure C is a property of the Mello-Roos mechanism, not created by the super-majority requirement for votes in the legislature.A special assessment, which needs only a majority, might have been a better way to raise the money for pools, and should be evaluated once again. 

The inclusion of the warm pool in this election was a confounding factor.The benefits of warm pools in general are certainly great, but it is the responsibility of the city of Berkeley single-handedly to provide a warm pool for the whole surrounding area? 

A regional approach might work better, bringing in all the cities whose residents also benefit from the warm pool, and even asking medical institutions like Kaiser and Summit Hospitals to join.The regional model that produced the spiffy new Tom Bates Memorial soccer facilities down by the bay should be investigated as a way of paying to rehab the existing warm pool for a larger multi-city user base. Getting additional private contributions might also be possible for this special purpose. This strategy might even work to save Iceland--perhaps the two sports facilities could be pitched as a package. 

And whatever happened to concern about global warming?Is it responsible stewardship for BUSD to tear down an existing building which could be restored at much less environmental cost and with more classrooms? Part of the financing to restore the warm pool is already available through the previous bond approval which was never utilized. Pool advocates blame the school district for their intransigence in this respect, with some justice. 

A couple of commentators have even broached the heretical notion that building a big new American football stadium might not be the highest priority for the Berkeley Unified School District, with soccer (the international form of football, played enthusiastically by both boys and girls) ever increasing in popularity.It’s arguable that kids (and adults) get more healthful exercise from swimming than from playing any kind of football. 

Commentators suggest that the defeat of Measure C might portend trouble for the school bond and tax measures just placed on the November ballot. But there’s not much evidence to support the theory that the majority of Berkeley voters are in general revolt against paying the cost of government, especially those who vote in high turnout elections. 

Even for the disaffected minority, a much better way of sending a message to the school district regarding priorities would be through backing candidates for the School Board who will be on the same ballot.People who think BUSD needs to do better by pool users should quiz candidates about where they stand. They might even float (pun intended) their own pro-pool candidates for the fall school board race. Candidates who back restoring the existing warm pool would garner a meaningful bloc of additional votes from the architectural preservation wing of the environmental community. 

The Berkeley City Council needs to work on it too—and the existing pools should be maintained a bit longer, while a better solution is devised. 

Tony Rossmann summed it up this way: 

“To me the question remains: either with a tweak to overcome some of the opposition, or as is, should not the City Council put the measure back on the November ballot while there is still a chance, and keep Willard open till then? Since Willard is the most adversely affected by the vote, I hope our parent and school leadership can be mobilized toward that effort.” 

Most important, the opposing parties in the recent vote, all of whom claimed to have the best interests of the citizens at heart, should once again come out of their corners and work together on a solution that meets everyone’s needs.It’s still possible. 

 

So, it looks like Mayor Bates is planning to substitute a Green Waffle, or perhaps a Trojan Horse, for the draft of the Downtown Plan which he and staff fronted in February. Slipped into Monday’s agenda for the Agenda Committee Meeting [for non-insiders: this is where the pre-council-meeting deals go down] was this peculiarly bifurcated item: 

New 2010 Downtown Area Plan

a. From: City Manager Recommendation: Provide direction to staff as to any modifications to the draft of the New 2010 Downtown Area Plan, potentially incorporating Planning Commission recommendations or other changes desired by the Council. Staff will return in July for further Council discussion and action. 

Financial Implications: See report 

Contact: Dan Marks, Planning and Development, 981-7400 

b. From: Mayor Bates 

Recommendation: Place on the 2010 Ballot a Measure for voter approval adopting a Green Vision for the downtown, designating the Downtown Plan Area, adopting certain policies for the downtown, and stating the voters' intention that the Council adopt a Downtown Area Plan that implements that green vision and voter-adopted policies. 

Financial Implications: Unknown 

Contact: Tom Bates, Mayor, 981-7100 

It’s not just the financial implications that would be unknown if the Mayor manages to fool the electorate into voting for this Green Vision scam in November. 

The resolution text as placed on the agenda was a peculiar mixture of vague generalizations and chilling specifics.Some early readers thought it might be the Newest New Draft of the Downtown Plan, but legally it wouldn’t qualify as such.It’s more of a blank check with a few of the blanks filled in with indelible ink. 

It’s no wonder the staff is asking for direction.The Mayor’s proposal was pulled from the June 22 agenda at the last minute to reappear on June 29, probably because the City Attorney would be tearing his hair if he had any, trying to figure out what strange beast was slouching toward City Council to be born. 

What it appears is that the initiative for an actual Downtown Plan which the Mayor has threatened to put on the November ballot is out, with this greenwashed faux plan slated to be put in its place. It’s Measure G all over again: a feelgood expression of opinion that no one could possibly vote against. 

It seems that the threat by the DAPAC majority members to put their own initiative up against the Mayor’s version found its mark, and the mayor blinked first.The DAPAC people are still working on theirs. 

If you want to see the full text of the resolution, go here.

Measure C; Who’s to Blame?; Midwives in Peril; Cost of Doing Business; Mind the Meter Maids (and Men);Alaska Project Danger to Wildlife; Why 2/3 Vote? Scorched Earth policy by Pro-C Proponents Drained the Pool Measure of Life; Birgenau Puff Piece; BP Responsible; Dealing with Hamas; Gates Foundation Grants; BP Should Clean Up What it Messed Up; Why Should Israel Feel Embarrassed?; Leadership 

 

Measure C 

Ms. O'Malley's "Moving On After Berkeley Turns Down Measure C" (June 15) provides a calm and reasonable analysis, but it omits one factor that, in my opinion, significantly helped to defeat Measure C: 

With the impending loss of the warm pool and the state of disrepair of some other pools, Berkeley faced the (now manifest) prospect of imposing a reduction in services the City had customarily provided. 

Measure C was constructed in such a way as to not merely preserve existing services but to expand pool services. This significantly raised the projected capital and operating costs of the pools program. 

If we had had before us a measure aimed simply at preserving existing services, repairing continuing pools and building a new warm pool, the amounts of money at stake would have been smaller and perhaps the funding mechanisms needed less problematic. 

In my view, an opportunity was lost to maintain existing levels of pool service because of ambitions to expand pool services and create a "legacy" for elected officials and others. 

Thomas Lord 

 

*** 

Who’s to Blame? 

2012 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney joined the bandwagon along with Tea Party leader Sarah Palin, blaming President Obama, in a roundabout way, for the Gulf oil spill. Both being corporate lackeys, they would do that. 

The oil spill in the Gulf is BP's fault, corporate malfeasance, or, it could be the Republican's fault due to lax regulations on oil wells during the Bush-Cheney oil presidency 

And come on! Look at the white people protesting for the new Arizona immigration law. White folks carrying signs "ILLEGAL IS A CRIME", "WHAT PART OF ILLEGAL DON"T YOU UNDERSTAND". This debate is not about immigration "THIS IS ABOUT RACISM" plain and simple. Decaying white power targeting a whole segment of society, Hispanics and Latinos. 

Ron Lowe 

*** 

Persons 

Although "corporate person-hood" (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) is not a new concept, it is nevertheless corrosive to our democracy. I have been concerned about candidates indirectly buying offices by virtue of the fact that they have access to huge resources of corporations which allow a candidate to have their face and voice out in the media so much that they begin to seem familiar to the viewer/listener. The thing is, familiarity does not constitute integrous leadership. In fact, given the influence of corporations, one can assume the exact opposite. We must put a stop to the unreasonable interference of corporations in our legislative process. Our voices must be heard above a corporation’s. 

.Mary Hein 

Richmond 

 

*** 

Not Persons 

It fits exactly that the law saying that corporations are persons was passed during the Eisenhower administration when Big Oil was going after ANWR and the Arctic and Offshore oil drilling half a century ago, and now it came up again with the Bush Supreme Court. The Supreme Court put there only to promote the interests of Big Oil, Mining and Minerals. I ask for full disclosure and overturning of this corrupt decision by the Supreme Court. Treating Big Oil, the Minerals and Mining industries like persons puts all of our heath and lives in jeopardy--eg the oil spill in the Gulf and EXXON and if they are persons then we will all be in our graves soon.  

 

Claire Englander 

Midwives in Peril 

 

Dear Parents, Grandparents and Families, 

 

I've just learned that Alta Bates is allowing East Bay Perinatal to charge the only two remaining independent midwives at Alta Bates -- Lindy Johnson and Jeri Zukoski -- $150 per patient to provide back-up assistance.These new fees could put Lindy and Jeri out of business, by over tripling their annual back-up costs from $6,000 on average to $20,000. 

 

In contrast, East Bay Perinatal, will continue to provide back-up services to all of Alta Bates Ob/Gyns free of charge. 

 

So, not only is this decision by Alta Bates unfair and discriminatory, worse, it could end the option that my family and many families like mine have had to access affordable midwifery care that will accept HMO, PPO and Calworks insurance. 

 

I can tell you that Lindy was an amazing midwife and pre/postnatal care provider.With her help, we were well prepared to do a fully natural birth at Alta Bates and we have taken steps to retain our existing insurance plan so that we can work with her again in the future 

 

If you are as outraged as I am, please let Alta Bates know.You can write to the CEO of Alta Bates (see address below). 

 

If you are interested in more information or getting on a list for future ‘Save the Midwives’ actions, please contact Lindy Johnson directly by emailing her at: lindyberk@yahoo.com. 

 

Lindy also has access to a sample letter you can use to make sending a letter or email easier. 

 

Here is Alta Bates' contact information. 

Warren Kirk  

CEO 

 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

 

2450 Ashby Avenue 

 

Berkeley, CA 94705 

 

 

 

If you can, please also copy the following folks to your letter: 

 

East Bay Perinatal/Drs. Lovett, Weiss, Marinoff, De Palma, Fong 

 

Katie Rose, Director of Women and Infant Services 

 

Dr. Katarina Lanner-Cusin, Medical Director Women and Infant Services 

 

 

 

Lindsay S. Imai 

 

 

 

*** 

 

Cost of Doing Business 

 

Let's see, Meg Whitman bought the Republican nomination for governor for$81 million -- $71 million of her own money -- by winning1,101,074 vote sor $73.56 per vote. And this is just to win the primary. Over the last five California gubernatorial elections, the winning candidate has won with 52%, or about 4,446,480 votes. At $73.56 a vote, Meg Whitman will have to spend $327,083,069 to win the governorship.That's $100 million more than John McCain spent running for president in 2008. It's $58 million more than George W. Bush spent running in 2004. That's obscene. This amount of money could stave off some expected cuts in education, health, and social services. Unfortunately, that's not how it works in real life. 

 

 

 

Ralph E. Stone 

 

 

 

*** 

 

Mind the Meter Maids (and Men) 

 

 

 

I swear to God, and I know She'll agree with me, there must be a meter maid for every car in Berkeley! Up and down the street they go, round and round the block, marking tires with chalk and gleefully writing citations. The last past few days I've had occasion to to run several errands in town, and everywhere I've gone, I've run into those wretched white wagons issuing parking citations with reckless abandon. Now I realize that Berkeley has a severe budget problem, as do so many California cities, but scaring away shoppers fearful of a large penalty for getting back to their cars a few minutes late, will do nothing to ease that problem. I therefore suggest to the mayor and the city council that they dismiss some of those meter maids and give drivers a break! 

 

Dorothy Snodgrass 

 

 

 

**** 

 

Alaska Project Danger to Wildlife. 

 

 

 

As the BP Disaster treks forward, another threat looms. A proposed tar sands oil pipeline will be unspeakably damaging to wildlife. Cleaner energy projects should be considered. 

 

Tar sands oil production threatens irreplaceable forests, which are home to grizzly bears, wolverines, woodland caribou and over a billion birds. These lands are scarred and ravaged to access the tar sands under the soil. 

 

Polluters have to use three barrels of fresh water to create a barrel of tar sands. Virgin forests are replaced with permanent waste water dumps, toxic tailings ponds that are inviting but deadly to birds, and mine pits so massive they are visible from outer space. 

 

People suffer from tar sands development. Communities downstream are seeing a spike in rare cancers and other serious health conditions like heart and lung disease. 

 

Please consider looking into this in greater depth. People must know about something before they can decide what to do about it. Thank you very much. 

 

 

 

Kate Roessler 

 

*** 

 

 

 

Why 2/3 Vote? 

 

I am new to Berkeley and don’t understand WHY a 2/3rds majority of voters is needed to pass a measure? Can anyone explain the history of such nonsense to me. Thanks 

 

Mary Lou Erickson 

 

*** 

 

Scorched Earth policy by Pro-C Proponents drained the pool measure of life 

 

Measure C Pool Bond coordinator Robert Collier went on an open-ended incoherent rant about many things at the Berkeleyside blog after the bond measure was rejected by voters: 

 

This is the typical mindset of the myopic, and really points to how incompetent Pro-C people have treated their fellow citizens during the whole process. BADLY. It’s also indicative of the lack of talent and abilities of the bond proponents to construct a proposal that makes any sense in a terrible economy and soft election cycle. 

 

A rational discussion of cost alternatives was replaced by name calling(teabaggers,Republicans, liars,Howard Jarvis lovers etc.)and the endless 4-color glossies and heartstring marketing was appalling. It’s also indicative of blowback to Mayor Bates’ divisive, adolescent political style. 

 

Collier blaming Prop 13 and the 2/3rd majority vote was misdirected and bitter. A 2/3rds vote prevents the tyranny of the majority to force mortgage-paying homeowners to unfairly pay for everything. 

 

Collier and Bates made a swing for the fences, adding expenses and nebulous accounting tricks to a guaranteed win. This is truly a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Just imagine if the bond was constructed fairly and property+use taxes were within reason. The bond would have passed easily. Instead, it was another case of threats and shoot-the-hostage(pool closures) fear tactics. 

 

The typical recourse in this matter would be for the Mayor and Collier to speak to Mary Bowman and the homeowner groups to see what bond and tax would be acceptable for everyone. Mayor Bates needs to calm down and lose the tantrum attitude immediately because it truly injures our chances of developing recreational facilities across all sports and hobbies. If both sides could agree upon a financing schedule that would really benefit kids and pool users, these expensive failures would be avoided in the future. The measure could be presented in a joint news conference with a fiscal stamp of approval by the people who understand budgets and spending. It’s hard to imagine the current City Government doing this however and until they grow up, pools will close and the City will continue in its current path to decline. 

 

Mathew Parker
South Berkeley Homeowner 

 

*** 

 

Birgenau Puff Piece 

 

I expect more from the Berkeley Daily Planet than what I found in the puff-piece
on UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau "UC Chancellor Speaks to Staff Assembly" on June 5.
I'd use a pseudonym too if I'd committed such a pathetic exhibition.

It's a funny thing how Berkeley Staff Assembly events have such low campus turnout. The BSA
is a small group of select sycophants who frequently hold vitally important meetings but
somehow don't manage to tell the rest of the staff about them. Funny, too, how UCB administrators like
to pretend they've met with all the campus staff when they've only done a little tap dance for the groupies.

As for the "Operational Excellence" $75 million savings scam (Bain & Co. consultants): When was the last time you saw a large
complex bureaucracy save money by setting up an entirely new layer of administrators with its own program office,
hiring a head, a director, a hitman----er, communcations specialist-- and implementing "eight initiatives?"

Bronwen Rowlands 

 

P.S. FYI: here are a couple of good sources of general info about the goings-on at UC.:http://tinyurl.com/yjz7afv , http://tinyurl.com/yfdn2j3 

 

*** 

 

BP Responsible 

 

We have no idea what BP's blunder will cost the country and its citizens over the next few years. The damage of the Exxon Valdez spill is still burdening the aquatic life in Alaska. We have to hold them responsible and keep their obligation open. Furthermore, BP still owes us for damages in their Alaska spill due to their neglect. Let us hold the line here! 

 

David Romain
El Sobrante 

 

*** 

 

Dealing with Hamas 

 

The Israeli interdictions of the humanitarian ships is the only way to deal with Hamas. Sure, now it looks like only relief supplies but once they get free passage Hamas will begin importing war materials and soon Pampers and Preparation H will become grenade launchers and missiles. There is no other way to deal with the Palestinians, but by force. Perhaps if the United States would adopt some of Israel's methods, it would not be in the bind it's in now and probably will be forever. 

 

Joanne Silverman
New York. 

 

*** 

 

Gates Foundation Grants 

 

I call on readers to wake up to the Gates Foundation again making big donation to bring about more people facing starvation. In June 8, SF Chronicle, page 5, the Foundation is indicated as granting 1.5 billion dollars for health projects for children that will likely help a lot of them to end up starving. This is not as much as the foundation put up earlier this year with $10 billion for children's vaccinations that will likely end up with a million or more children staying alive but likely close to starving and catching many diseases. 

 

. When will Gates and his foundation stop grandstanding the health aspects of children and face the reality that survival of children and mothers that his donations give some health help to requires getting much improved food and water supply systems for them? Is it ethical and moral to just help, the children especially, to a better chance to live at the start, but wash one's hands of helping to get them needed food and clean water? The decreasing amounts of food and water that will be available with the world's growing population hardly make it a better chance. Readers here interested in getting this and other foundations to be more actively helping to get better food and clean water to the world's poor might start by e-mailing them, especially the Gates one, pointing out that getting control of some diseases does not stop people from being too weak from lack of proper nutrition to survive. 

 

Dr. James Singmaster
Fremont 

 

*** 

 

BP Should Clean Up What it Messed Up 

 

The Gulf oil spill is a case of corporate malfeasance, both the destruction of the well and the aftermath with its attendent liabilities. President Obama and other environmentally conscious leaders are demanding that BP be financially responsible for damage caused by the Gulf oil spill. 

 

What BP messes up, BP needs to clean up without any delaying maneuvers. The oil giant is responsible for the economic and environmental degradation it has caused.
There have been all sorts of solutions floated around besides capping of the well. Put an umbrella type device over the remaining leak and capture up to 90% of the oil, returning it to waiting tankers above. 

 

The once-beautiful Louisiana wetlands have been turned into an ecological tragedy. Vegetation, birds and animals, are dying of oil contamination. The water in some areas has been turned into goo and muck. 

 

It is time for BP and the rest of the oil industry to become more sensitive and ecologically-minded - now, rather than later 

 

The oil spill in the Gulf illustrates how technology, used improperly, can get us into trouble. This environmental wreck is a warning for the future. 

 

Ron Lowe 

 

*** 

 

Why Should Israel Feel Embarrassed? 

 

I find it interesting that the Israeli government and its supporters complain that the goal of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla is to to embarrass Israel. At the same time, they deny that the blockade is evil and immoral. So, why exactly do they feel embarrassed? 

 

Israel has, for a very long time, maintained that Gaza was liberated and denied the existence of the blockade. Its policy has always been to assure that the Palestinins continue to suffer in silence without any observers. That is why they did not stop the first 5 Free Gaza Movement ships that sailed into Gaza from August to December 2008. Only after the initial missions generated media coverage did Israel acknowledge its blockade. 

 

All crossings into Gaza (including Rafah) have been under effective Israeli control per agreement between USA –Israel and the Palestinan Authority. That agreement was dictated to the hapless Palestinian “Authority” by U.S. Secretary of State, Condi Rice in 2005 before Hamas won the legislative council elections. In January 2006, I was stranded on the Egyptian side of the border for more than 24 hours, with an American delegation, due to Israeli objections, even though we all had UN authorization to enter Gaza as election observers. The Rafah crossing was manned by European personnel with cosmetic Palestinian presence while the Israelis observe by remote cameras. No one can cross without explicit Israeli approval. Egypt has, to its shame, continued to honor the American sponsored agreement. 

 

Hassan Fouda 

 

*** 

 

Leadership 

 

President Obama and Secretary of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar demonstrated great leadership in their decision to postpone Arctic offshore drilling until at least 2011. In light of the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster, this was the responsible decision to make. As President Obama stated, "All drilling must be safe." Let us hope that this is one of many steps to show real leadership on the necessary transition to a clean energy economy and future. 

 

Bita Edwards
Woodacre

The Irish-owned MV Rachel Corrie is one of the ships in the international aid Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was attacked by Israeli naval forces on May 31, 2010. On June 5, Israeli forces seized the ship. 

Remember Rachel Corrie, the 22-year old peace activist from Washington State, who attempted to stop a bulldozer operated by the Israeli military from demolishing homes and other buildings in Gaza. Rachel was struck and killed. Some witnesses claimed she was struck deliberately, but an Israeli inquiry found her death to be an accident. 

At last year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, I saw "Rachel," a documentary about the 2003 incident. The film depicts the circumstances surrounding her death. The documentary is not just about Corrie's death. It is also about activists who fight injustice without hope of winning, but do so without despair.  

The film is also about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which stretches back to the creation of Israel in 1947. Then, the United Nations partitioned the land, allotting the Jews 55 percent of Palestine. The Arabs did not agree to this partition. In the 1948 “war of independence” (called the “El Naqua,” the catastrophe, by the Arabs), Israel ended up with 78 percent of the area of Palestine. This war displaced 750,000 Palestinians and over 450 Arab villages were erased. In the war of 1967, the remaining Palestinian territory was captured by Israel. Out of this captured land, Israel created the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by chopping up the land into isolated enclaves surrounded by Jewish settlements and Israeli occupation forces. The Palestinians lost 78 percent of their land to Israel and are left with 22 percent. Recently, Israel has erected a wall or fence, which cuts deep into Palestinian territory, joining large Jewish settlement blocks to Israel, further confining the Palestinians to isolated enclaves. Israel continues to establish new settlements (called outposts), demolishing homes and uprooting plantations in the process. And the Israeli-Palestinian conflict goes on and on. 

At the time, I commended the Jewish Film Festival for showing the film. Unfortunately, some within the Jewish community see a "new anti-Semitism" when criticism of Israel is depicted in films like "Rachel." I like to think that "Rachel" sparked a healthy debate within the Jewish Community about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The mostly Jewish audience at the documentary enthusiastically welcomed the film. 

Prior to showing the film, the audience booed and hissed at the right-wing representative of the Voice of Israel invited to calm those critics who attempt to enforce the axiom that there shall be no public criticism of Israel. However, the Voice of Israel representative was not there to dialogue, but rather only to chastise. The crowd refused to be chastised. Then the large theater audience enthusiastically welcomed the film and the Q and A afterwards with Cindy Corrie, Rachel's mother.  

I have urged our San Francisco Bay Area theater groups without success to stage the play "My Name Is Rachel Corrie," which is composed from Rachel Corrie's journal entries and e-mails. The play was edited by Katherine Viner and Alan Rickman and directed by Rickman. It had a successful run in London at the Royal Court Theatre where it went on to win the Theatregoers' Choice Awards for Best Director and Best New Play, as well as Best Solo Performance for actress Megan Dodds. The Royal Court wanted to stage the production in Rachel's home country first. The New York Theatre Workshop agreed to stage the show in March 2006, but succumbed to "pressures" and delayed the production. The Royal Court took this as a cancellation. I understand the play has been performed at the The Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2007 and a one-time performance by Kitchen & Roundhouse Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, also in 2007. Hopefully, now other theater groups will stage the play. 

It is fitting to remember Rachel's fight to end injustice as the world contemplates Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. 

 

For those of us in the Boomers and older group who couldn’t tell Spidey from Speidi, a funny thing happened in the media forum this spring. Two gals pushing ninety have taken center stage. 

First came the culmination of the successful Facebook campaign to get Betty White to host “Saturday Night Live.” This outpouring of semi-ironic grandma chic resulted in White’s instant-classic Dusty Muffin sketch, sure to take its place alongside – or maybe just beneath – Alec Baldwin’s Schwetty Balls. This merely topped off a year of sparkling appearances, beginning with White’s Edwina Haskell routine in The Proposal and including her mud-splashed tracksuit tackle in the Super Bowl Snickers commercial. 

Snickers – could there be a more fitting product for Betty White to sell? In a career that began more than seventy years ago (her first professional job, on an experimental TV show, came in 1939, three months after graduating from Beverly Hills High School), she has induced countless snickers with her patented devilish angel routine that, in 1952, won White the first of her six Emmys, for her work on the sitcom “Life with Elizabeth.” Her trademark character reached soufflé perfection in the sweet-tart Sue Ann Nivens, a fluffy, powdered-sugar-with-a-dash-of-vinegar concoction fresh from the magic bakery that was “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” 

Whether chopping down Murray or buttering up Lou, Sue Ann never dropped her confectioner’s grin, especially in that immortal moment when she kneed the oven door shut, dishing up an all-time physical comedy classic. Although in “The Golden Girls” White took and beautifully played the part of Rose, which could be considered the Georgette role, she has since reclaimed her taffeta-with-needles persona, sprinkled with the perfect comic timing that makes the flavors come together in the way we love. 

Not a lot of love was shown last week for fellow octo-non-mom Helen Thomas. (Both Thomas and White are widows of fellow members of their professions, Thomas of AP White House correspondent Douglas Cornell, White of “Password” host Allen Ludden. Neither Thomas nor White had children; White is stepmother to Ludden’s four children.) 

Just about everybody has piled onto Thomas, a veteran, previously venerated reporter, for saying the Israelis should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Even Amy Goodman of “Democracy Now!” was – rightly, in my view – moved to ask Thomas’s defender, former Sen. James Abourezk, why, when she said the Israelis should go home, Thomas didn’t say they should go home to their part of Israel, instead of to countries in Europe where Jews were exterminated. 

It was funny on Friday’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” when the host wandered off topic to observe that both Helen Thomas and Danny Thomas are of Lebanese descent, which led him to ponder the popularity of the name Thomas among Lebanese Americans – at least the two of whom Maher seems to be aware. But most comments were at the same level as the ubiquitous pictures of Thomas that make her look like the hag disguise of the wicked queen in Snow White. 

Meryl Streep, future winner of the Nobel Prize for Acting (well there should be, just so she could win it!), said that one reason people disliked and disbelieved Lindy Chamberlain – the Australian woman whose baby disappeared and whom Streep played in A Cry in the Dark – was because the downward slant of Chamberlain’s eyebrows made her look sneaky. Thomas said something about Israel that could be construed as anti-Semitic! Look at how ugly she is! Of course we hate her! 

Returning to the notion of wickedness, it seems that the actual iconic bad-woman costume the media has measured Thomas for is the pointy black hat and long black cloak of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked, the novel by Gregory Maguire and the musical by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book). Elphaba is green and ugly and misunderstood and oppressed as she fights against an authoritarian regime that tortures, performs evil medical experiments on, and kills the weak and defenseless, mostly animals. Hey – it’s Oz. Pure fantasy, right? 

The yin to Elphaba’s yang is Glinda the Good, a role tailored for and originally embodied by the great musical-comedy star Kristin Chenoweth, a one-woman Fourth of July whose sugar-and-spice razzle-dazzle is very much in the style of Betty White, along with spectacular singing and dancing and a personality so sunny it would be blinding were it not for the leavening shade of narcissistic comedy and charm. Wouldn’t the two of them be wonderful, teaming up as mother and daughter or aunt and niece, maybe on “Glee,” if the current Facebook campaign to get White on that show is as successful as the “SNL” one? 

As one of her songs goes, Glinda is “Popular,” and so is Betty White, because they are essentially blondes, and I’m not just talking hair color. We’re shallow, we human beings, and that’s what we like, maybe even a little too much – even if, or even because, like Glinda, they may like themselves a little too much, too. (Maybe they know something?) 

Not Elphaba, who loves justice and others more than herself, and who is not willing to compromise her integrity. Right – she’s no fun, so naturally she’s hated, and like Thomas, made to go away. 

I suppose we can take some comfort knowing that a person with the temerity to express an opinion about Israel to which some people took offense has been drummed out of the White House press corps with a rat-a-tat-tat that has resounded throughout the media. I’m sure the reporters who are still there, tossing their softballs in return for access, have never harbored any thought nor made any comment, on or off camera, to which any supporter of Israel might object. 

Helen Thomas’s commitment to journalistic integrity – meaning doing the work we need done so we can be informed citizens – is so singular among the White House press corps that she was banished to the back row for presidential press conferences and ignored for years during the Bush administration (which, like making Nixon’s enemies list, should be considered a badge of honor). She is clearly a person so anathema to the American mainstream that she has said Pat Nixon was one of her favorite first ladies, she liked Gerald Ford, and she thought George H.W. Bush was nice. 

But Thomas had to go because, like Elphaba, she doesn’t sugarcoat her opposition to an unjust status quo, in this case, the Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Her age has been pointed to as the culprit, but it’s not clear whether the problem is that she’s so old she’s out of it or so old she’s unafraid to tell the truth. Either way, it doesn’t play. To compound the error, Thomas doesn’t fit the model mold of, say, the not-so-dewy Arianna Huffington, whose golden girl looks and Eva Gabor purr give her substantial pundit cover. 

Betty White bubble-wraps her tiny stinger in Glinda-like fluff, and we love her for it. Helen Thomas unwraps ungainly, unvarnished, unsparing truths, like Elphaba, and we hate her for it. 

I hope that in their nineties, Betty White is still tickling us like Glinda and Helen Thomas is still telling us like Elphaba – assuming that, in the manner of her verdant counterpart, she can manage to escape through a trap door and find a way to return. 

It truly would be a happy ending if it turns out that, just like Elphaba, Helen Thomas doesn’t really melt away after all. 

 

Matthew Surrence is a Richmond resident and writer.

I reading the Planet’s report on the failure of Measure C to rehab Berkeley’s public swimming pools, a phrase in Measure C supporter Robert Collier’s statement jumped out at me, to wit: “...will we also allow our public education to crumble and decay?”  

I have fervently believed for many years that universal public education is one of the greatest achievements of the American experiment, however, it has become painfully obvious over the last 30 years that public education -- especially a system that promotes enlightened, independent-thinking citizens -- is anathema to the right wing, since the last thing it wants is a truly educated electorate. Why? Because educated people figure things out -- like how the political system really functions and who (or what) controls the nation. Enlightened people are much more difficult to manipulate, as well. I’m sure that the same forces that defeated Measure C with a palette of lies would just as soon be happy to see our public education system “crumble and decay,” as it most certainly will if its funding is strangled. Such is the case right now on the state level, as our Republican governor slashes the education budget in favor building more prisons and in lieu of raising taxes for the wealthiest Californians. (Meanwhile, one of the wealthiest residents of the state just spent $71 million to buy her nomination as Republican candidate for governor -- imagine what $71 million [added to the $28 million her opponent spent on his campaign] could have done for higher education in the Golden State.) 

Dumbing down ‘Merica (pardon the Bush-speak) has long been a goal of the political and religious right, and I give you Texas, with its recent move to inculcate fundamentalist religious principles and Orwellian revisionist history into its text books, as an example. Teaching students Creationist claptrap and that the Civil War was fought over “states rights” and not the issue of slavery may fulfill a fundamentalist right-wing goal of controlling young minds,but it doesn’t produce incisive intellects versed in the scientific principles necessary to compete in a globalized economy or independent thinkers able to decipher the political dialogue and make decisions in the best interest of the nation. And it does nothing to ease ongoing race tensions or address the stain of slavery on our national tapestry, all of which begins with enlightened education. But I digress.... 

Cutting funding for education on the local level is the first step down the road of institutionalized ignorance, and our democracy -- and the ultimate abilities of our youth to make their way in a changing world -- will be the poorer for it. The fundamentalist political right may endorse home schooling as the ultimate means of controlling its childrens’ minds, but the lack of both an objective curriculum and the peer socialization that public education provides and is based on is a deficit from which they -- and our country -- may never recover. Yes, taxes are a pain in the wallet, but nothing is free -- or a greater and more productive investment than the objective education of our youth. Thank you, Mr. Collier, for your observation. 

 

David Esler is a Berkeley resident and voter. 

 

 

While the news about British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon platform blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is on a 24-hour news feed, it took a long boat ride and some serious slogging by John Vidal of The Observer (UK) to uncover a bigger and far deadlier oil spill near the village of Otuegwe in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. 

“We lost our nets, huts and fishing pots. This is where we fished and farmed. We have lost our forest,” Otuegwe’s leader, Chief Promise, told Vidal.  

The culprits in Nigeria are Shell and Exxon Mobil, whose 40-year old pipelines break with distressing regularity, pouring oil into the locals’ fishing grounds and drinking water. The Delta supports 606 oil fields that supply close to 40 percent of U.S. oil imports.  

This past May, an Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured in the state of Akwa Ibon, dumping more than a million gallons into the Delta before it was patched. According to Ben Ikari, a writer and member of the local Ogoni people, “This kind of thing happens all the time in the Delta…the oil companies just ignore it. The lawmakers do not care, and people must live with the pollution daily. The situation is worse than it was 30 years ago.” 

Just how bad things are is not clear, because the oil companies and the Nigerian government will not make the figures public. But independent investigators estimate that over the past four decades the amount of oil released into the Delta adds up to 50 Exxon Valdez spills, or 550 million gallons. According to the most recent government figures, up to June 3, Deepwater Horizon had pumped between 24 to 51 million gallons into the Gulf. 

Nigerian government figures show there have been more than 9000 spills between 1970 and 2000, and there are currently 2,000 official spill sites. The oil companies claim the majority of them are caused by local rebels blowing up pipelines or siphoning off the oil, and that spills are quickly dealt with.  

However, the locals say most of the spills are caused by the aging infrastructure, and they and environmental groups charge that the companies do virtually nothing to clean them up. And when local people do challenge the oil giants, they say they get run off by oil company security guards. 

The biggest oil disaster in the world, however, is not in Africa or the Gulf of Mexico, but in Ecuador’s Amazon jungle, where Texaco—now owned by Chevron—pumped 18.5 billion gallons of “produced water” into an area of more than 2,000 square miles. “Produced water” is heavily laden with salts, crude oil, and benzene, a carcinogenic chemical,.  

According to the Amazon Defense Coalition, Chevron dumped the toxic waste directly into rivers and streams, in spite of recommendations by American Petroleum Institute that such waste be injected deep into the earth. “The BP tragedy was an accident; Chevron’s discharge in Ecuador was deliberate,” said the Coalition in a press release. 

Experts estimate that 345 million gallons of oil have been discharged into the rainforest, one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. The oil and wastewater, along with “black rains” produced by the uncontrolled burning of gas, has created a nightmare for the local indigenous groups—the Secoya, Cofan, Siona, Huarani, and Kichwa. 

Ecuador and the five tribes are currently suing Chevron for $27 billion, but the oil company claims it bears no responsibility for Texaco’s practices and says it will not pay a nickel if it is assessed for any of the damage. 

As oil resources decrease, the pressure will be on to seek new resources in more marginal territory, including the deep ocean, tropical rain forests, and sensitive artic and tundra zones. Shell is chomping at the bit to start drilling in the Artic Ocean.  

Judith Kimerling, who wrote “Amazon Crude” about the oil industry in Ecuador, told The Observer, “Spills, leaks and deliberate discharges are happening in oilfields all over the world and very few people seem to care.” 

Except, of course, the people who live in the middle of them. 

 

 

 

 

Reading lots of blogs, so that you don’t have to.
This week’s theme: Berkeley’s political polarizations.
This week’s items: wrapping up (for now) on Measure C and the controversial Rose St. project, a Berkeley psychologist “diagnosis” of President Obama, and Berkeley High School student leadership team election problems. 

 

Liberal Berkeley? 

About twenty three years ago I was getting ready for my first trip to the Bay Area and my first visit to Berkeley. I was confident that I already knew Berkeley and San Francisco fairly well, just from their reputation in my small East coast city. My expectation was this:In San Francisco, homophobia had been eliminated. In Berkeley, most young people wore tie dye or other hippy garb. Most afternoons brought well attended protest rallies for left wing causes. Meanwhile, the university itself housed some of the most exciting and optimistic computer science research anywhere, in fields of particular interest to me.(My own political views, at the time, were about as sophisticated as these expectations.) 

 

My hosts for part of the visit,a well-off and well-regarded gay couple a number of years older than me, were gentle in bringing me more up to speed. The Pride Parade was that weekend and we went.I was on a mostly-vegetarian kick and so a lovely dinner at Green’s was in the agenda. I was encouraged to explore for myself Telegraph Ave. (which, back then, was in far better economic shape). This was the Bay Area? I was finding it even better than I’d expected! 

 

They also began the process of gently letting me down. After teaching me how to use BART so that I could visit The City on my own some advice was offered about how to avoid being “fag bashed”. When we encountered a mentally ill person carefully and inexplicably laying out raw meat on a sidewalk they explained that they knew that person’s particular sad story (the gist of which was having been all but abandoned to Berkeley’s tolerant environment by a wealthy family who’d had enough). At one point the evening conversation turned to politics and the topic of entitlement programs. I put forward the proposition of fairly radical (even for the left of that time) expansions of entitlements. One of my hosts quipped “Oh, so you’re a fascist!” as he whipped out his wallet to show me that he was, indeed, a card-carrying member of the Republican party. Finally, of course, they revealed that the computer science research that most interested me was being shut down, the researchers having mostly moved on to found huge Silicon Valley companies or make a comfortable living from past investments. 

The Mythical Lines that Divide

It was not many years later that I moved to Berkeley and began to, well, learn my place in the local order, at least as it was commonly described. As a somewhat chameleon fan of both high society and the People’s Park crowd of the time I was often regaled by rehearsals of each group’s mutual disdain for the others. Reading the newspapers of the day I was taught that there are the Hills People and the Flats people (a distinction recorded even in some aspects of the City Ordinances). I learned that our elected officials were either naive socialist hold-outs from the radical days (some of whom hold office to this present day) or else they were pro-developer, anti-poor-person scoundrels. At least that’s how each described the other. As a renter I was informed by some that I was a scourge on all property owners and by others as the victim of a relentless oppression by evil landlords. 

 

All of those polarizations have more than grain of truth to them, and more than enough that is plenty wrong with them. The People’s Park of that day was boisterous but generally safe and offered communally given social services (such as Hate Man’s evening camp for wayward teens). High society contained thoughtful and contributing conservatives and liberals alike. The economic distinctions between Hills and Flats was starting to fade even then, a trend that seems to be continuing.Some landlords are bad, some are great and the same is true of tenants. Even our elected officials are not quite so easy to cubbyhole as the stereotypes would have it. 

 

 

Examining the Modern Discourse 

Does retaining the myth of these lines of divide help to simplify communicating legitimate political messages? Or does it get in the way of becoming more informed voters and participants in the political process? Perhaps the blogosphere sheds some insight. 

 

Two case studies can be found on good ol’ berkeleyside.com: discussions about Measure C and about the controversial house (or is that “house”) proposed for Rose St. (and now part of a lawsuit against the City). It is the comments – the discussion among Berkeleyans – that are particularly revealing. 

 

On Measure C, for example, one commenter remarks: “And, of course, renters love this bond because they get to steal other peoples’ money to pay for their recreation.” That’s a factually dubious statement in more than one way but it certainly does play to the “renter” / “owner” divide. (See: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/05/24/mayor-bates-takes-a-dip-in-the-pool-for-measure-c/ ) 

 

The other side is capable of being little better:“Berkeley could do much better without organizations like Berkeley Can do Better. Do you drink lots of tea at your meetings. Sheesh.” (See:http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/04/22/comment-measure-c-creates-a-legacy/ ) 

 

So, it’s freeloaders (renters) vs. tea baggers (mainly owners). 

 

Many posts in those and similar threads do try to consider more objective facts – to deeply understand the measure one way or the other – but these are often lost in the noise. Worse, attempts to examine the objective facts too often result into each side accusing the other of lying, with few stepping in to sort it out in depth and from a neutral position. 

 

The debate over the Rose St. project spurred similar polarization.Says one: “. . . are you each rich? I think perhaps you are, which might explain why you take a position that seems to favor giving privileges to rich people just because they are rich.” Says another:“That hilarious whiff of ‘Animal Farm’ angst in their postings (Pitching a battle of the rich versus the righteous…well…less rich?) shows how deeply unconscious their imagined entitlements and self righteousness have become.”Neither comment has much basis in reality.The main dispute is between the wealthy and the other wealthy (and the City) over whether or not the project proposal was properly approved. Yet, in Berkeley politics, it is apparently convenient (or at least habitual) to fit the issues into some pre-existing framework of class warfare.(See: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/04/19/mitch-kapors-berkeley-home-the-debate-continues/ ) 

 

 

You Do Know Everyone Can See Us? 

Berkeley’s odd and tired lines of political polarization have significant impact outside of Berkeley.They affect the City’s reputation and, more important, they become a tool for both sides in political debates of national significance. 

I originally thought to use (complete with links) some examples of how the blogosphere – especially the conservative blogosphere – got such mileage out of Berkeley’s scolding of Marine recruiters in a class with Code Pink and City Council. This past week brought a fresher example: 

A Berkeley blogger who goes by the name of Robin of Berkeley describes herself as a “recovering liberal”. In a recent post Robin, a psychotherapist, asks “What’s Wrong with Obama” offering a number of potential diagnoses ranging from Asperger’s Syndrome to schizotypal disorder to an antisocial personality perhaps brought on by a history of childhood sexual abuse. Her remarkably authoritative and yet poorly argued analysis concludes on a practical note: “It means that liberals need to wake up and spit out the Kool-Aid...and that conservatives should put aside differences, band together, and elect as many Republicans as possible.” Well, of course it does.(See: http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/a_shrink_asks_whats_wrong_with.html ) 

Such a screed would be unremarkable were it not for the attention it has started to get among right wing blogs.I might not have noticed Robin’s note had there not been so many others picking up on it and adding voices of “Right on Robin”. What I want to point out here is how Berkeley’s internal political polarizations help to feed that phenomenon. As one fan of Robin’s latest post cited his earlier comment to another post of hers: “There is hope for the world when a Berkeley radical leftist comes to her senses and embraces (portions at least) of conservatism.”(See: http://maaadddog.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/robin-of-berkeley-gets-it/ ) 

 

 

It’s the Institution, You Say? 

Not every line of political polarization in Berkeley is unquestioned habit from earlier times.Of course, quite a bit of it is genuinely built-in to how we run things. As a simple example, the City and its unions are sometimes, through the structure of laws and contracts, in genuinely adversarial positions. 

Berkeley High School students got a taste of such structural divides in the “May 4-6 election conventionto determine members of the 2010-2011 student leadership team,” reports the BHS Jacket. While disputes over the election stand resolved, the Jacket describes allegations of a number of attempts by teachers to improperly influence the outcome. Allegations come from both sides of the institutionalized small schools and academic choice divide. “Student Activities Director Chris Young indicated that there had been action taken by some Academic Choice teachers to “influence the vote to favor AC candidates,” reports the Jacket.“In addition to this issue, staff and students spoke out against uneven small school representation among the elected students and in the delegate pool.” 

Apparently, the Jacket also reports, work on a new student body constitution is aimed at helping to repair this institutionalized divide.(See: http://www.bhsjacket.com/news/bhs_elections_controversey_settled ) 

 

Conclusion 

There are two kinds of people:those who draw oversimplified lines of political polarization and those who don’t. Just sayin’. 

That’s all for this week.Please be in touch: lord@emf.net

We’re never too long between migrations here. Most of the northbound birds have reached their destinations by now, even the chronic laggards like the yellow-billed cuckoo. But this is just a pause in the action between the first wave of shorebirds come through on their way south, starting next month; then the rufous hummingbirds tracing the Sierra southward, and the early-migrant passerines, and the raptors and the waterfowl.  

So June is not such an odd time for a migration column, inspired by recent research at Ohio State University on the use of stopover habitat by the Swainson’s thrush. These birds occur in California as well, although ours are a different subspecies. They’re furtive creatures; in their breeding season, you’ll hear a dozen for every one you see. (Gifted singers, too; one of the most extraordinary voices in the chorus.) The Swainson’s thrush looks a lot like its bolder relative, the hermit thrush, but it’s more uniform in coloration and sleeker in shape. The two rarely overlap; by now our wintering hermits are back in the mountains where they nest. 

The Ohio State study was an attempt to define this bird’s minimum habitat requirements when it touches down for a breather during migration. It’s a forest species: nests in northern boreal or western riparian forest, winters in tropical rainforest, seeks out forest or forest fragments as stopovers. It’s been a long time since Ohio had great unbroken swathes of deciduous woods. The thrushes now have to settle for something less, including remnant forest patches in urban areas. The question driving the research: how small can those patches be without losing value to the birds? 

It look a while for scientists to appreciate the value of stopover habitat. The tendency was to focus more on breeding grounds and wintering grounds. For a handful of birds, like the bar-tailed godwits that migrate directly from Alaska to New Zealand, the issue is moot: they just don’t stop. That kind of extreme migration. requiring special physiological adaptations, is beyond most birds, though. Typical migrants need to rest and refuel somewhere along the way. 

Birds are attracted to some stopover spots by seasonally abundant resources. The phalaropes and grebes that cover Mono Lake in the summer, gorging on brine shrimp, are on their way south; the phalaropes will end up in the southern oceans, consorting with whales. Northbound surf scoters time their journey to match the spawning runs of herring; the ducks are after the nutritious roe, not the fish themselves. Another kind of spawning event draws migrating red knots and other shorebirds to Delaware Bay to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. Overexploitation of these ancient arthropods—not true crabs, they’re more closely related to spiders—has put a major knot population at serious risk. 

Migrating Swainson’s thrushes are looking for food too, insects in their case, as well as shelter from predators. In the Ohio State study, professor Paul Rodewald and postdoc Stephen Matthews, netted 91 thrushes at a woodlot on campus in May and early June from 2004 through 2007. The birds were equipped with radio transmitters, each weighing two-thirds of a gram, which were glued to their back feathers. Each bird was then released in one of seven forest fragments in the Columbus area, ranging from just under two to 94 acres in size.  

After that kind of trauma, you’d think the birds’ first priority would be getting the hell out of Columbus. They didn’t, though. About a quarter of the thrushes released at the two smallest sites moved to larger forested areas. Most of those at the five largest sites stayed put until they headed north again, an average of four days (extremes of one and twelve.) Except for the birds that traded up to a larger woodlot, length of stay didn’t correlate with size of site. 

Other findings: thrushes with lower body mass when captured tended to stay longest, bulking up before resuming their flight. Those caught late in the season had shorter stays, as if they somehow knew that time was running out: got to get back to Manitoba before all the good territories are taken. 

“The good news is that the birds in our study seemed to be finding enough food in even the smaller urban habitats to refuel and continue their journey,” said Mathews, in a press release. Small sites can still be valuable: “"If our study sites differed strongly in habitat quality, we should have seen differences in how long the birds stayed. The fact that the stopover duration was similar suggests that all the sites were meeting the needs of the thrushes as they prepared for the next leg of migration." 

It was also welcome news that Swainson’s thrushes are more flexible in their stopover habitat requirements than had been thought. Flexibility is a good thing. Let’s hope we can be flexible enough to preserve those patches of urban forest. 

 

 

 

I’m part of an American demographic that values cool, the mystical self-confidence that sends the message “I have it handled.” Since he burst upon the national political scene in 2004, Barack Obama has seemed the epitome of cool. But after the BP gulf oil disaster, pundits accused Obama of being “too cool.” 

In a recent article, MSNBC analyst Howard Fineman asked, “Is Obama’s ‘cool’ too cold for the ravaged gulf?” and concluded, “Technocratic, lawyerly, detail-oriented, bureaucratic: each of these qualities has its value. But they add up to a mess when they sum up a president.” Ouch! 

Fineman expressed the view, shared by many pundits, that Obama’s cool has degenerated into detachment. They argue that Americans have lost confidence in their young President, no longer believe Barack “has it handled.” 

A few days after Fineman wrote his article, Obama appeared in Louisiana lashed out at BP and national headlines proclaimed, “Obama Calm No More!”  

Has Barack abandoned cool? Replaced it with anger? 

The nation first became aware of Barack Obama when he gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic national Convention. It wasn’t only the fact he gave a powerful speech, but also his calm demeanor that impressed many observers.  

Three years later, Obama decided to run for President and bet his candidacy on winning the Iowa caucuses. Early on he wasn’t doing well, but on November 11, 2007, he gave an electrifying speech at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, gained momentum, won in Iowa, and ultimately bested Hillary Clinton. Obama’s primary campaign was characterized by wise tactics and, on occasion, game-changing passionate speeches. No matter what the Clintons threw at him, Barack stayed cool. 

In the presidential contest, Obama gained the upper hand when he won the second presidential debate. Many pundits observed that while Obama looked Presidential, John McCain appeared troll-like and grumpy. Barack was cool; McCain was not. 

In November of 2008, voters chose Obama over McCain. Post-election analysis indicated that Independents voted for Barack because they felt he was more temperamentally suited to be President.  

We’re now 500 days into Obama’s presidency. Nothing that’s happened, so far, indicates that the nation made the wrong choice: Obama is better equipped than McCain to be President. It’s hard to imagine that McCain would have done a better job with the economy, healthcare, financial reform, jobs, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, and the other huge issues the 44th president has had to deal with. Barack has succeeded because he has the temperament to handle a very tough job. 

But is Obama too cool? 

As a student of cool, I understand that many of my personal heroes of cool – Miles Davis, Clint Eastwood, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso – had a dark side. They maintained their manly composure by being emotionally detached. As a consequence, they had problems with personal relationships and were said to be narcissistic. There were negative side affects from their being too cool. 

And cool doesn’t always work. Periodically, the United States has a national crisis and the role of the President changes. The man in the Oval Office doesn’t lose any responsibility but he takes on the additional burden of being the nation’s daddy. We ask him to provide emotional comfort: let us vent our emotions, pat us on the back, and tell us it’s going to be all right. That’s the function George Bush fulfilled, after 9/11, when he spoke to rescue workers in the ruins of the twin towers and addressed the nation on September 21st. It’s easy to criticize Bush’s record before and after that point, but for a brief period he did what was necessary. Dubya was never cool but, at the time, most people were comforted by his behavior. He provided emotional support, served as America’s security blanket. 

Seventy years ago, Winston Churchill – as England’s Prime Minister at the beginning of World War II – demonstrated that a leader could be cool and also serve as his nation’s security blanket. In the face of a Nazi juggernaut that had swept across Europe, Churchill rallied England to stand up to Hitler’s tyranny. While bombs fell on London, Churchill kept up the spirits of his countrymen with a series of inspirational radio addresses. “ Let us brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.’” When Londoners took refuge in bomb shelters, Prime Minister Churchill went with them, stolidly chewing on his cigar. He was cool, but not detached. 

Barack Obama needs to follow Churchill’s example. Obama doesn’t need to lose his cool, because he has the temperament required for a tempestuous time. But Barack needs to develop a better sense of when to set cool aside and get down with average Americans. He has to be with us, as well as for us. 

 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net 

A History of Old Age is a good book…a great book, in fact. If it appears to be a mere coffee table book, look closely at the cover -- a color reproduction of an 18^th Century painting of the head of a nameless old woman? Or perhaps you agree that Christian Seybold’s ‘Old Woman with Green Scarf’ (1794) has dignity and beauty. A History of Old Age is about old age in literature and old people in history and art. It was Charlotte Perkins Gilman who pointed out that, through literature, we know the past, govern the present, and influence the future. 

Seven contributors examine how thinkers and artists of each epoch in Western history have treated old age. Surprising and fascinating facts emerge about it and the literature and art it has inspired. There’s reassurance as the strength and nobility they have found in the elderly are revealed. 

 

Editor Pat Thane – she’s at the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research -- begins with “The age of old age,” wherein she considers facts and fiction, old people in the family, and myths of the ages of man [sic]. She asks ‘Are old people despised or admired?’ and ‘How old is old?’ and concludes ‘No one reaches old age without luck.’ The final section, titled “Caring for the old in the twentieth century,” is also written by Thane, who sees a future for old age:  “What were the effects of the ageing of individuals and societies in the 20th century? … The 20th century did not find the secret of eternal youth, though, as we shall see, the search for it continued…. Modern societies found a new language to describe the stages of ageing. A term coined in France, and wisely used elsewhere, described the period of active old age as the ‘third age,’ following the ‘first age’ of childhood and youth and the ‘second age’ of adult maturity. The later, less active and independent phase of life was the ‘fourth age.’” [page 264]  The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2005 made this vast collection of full-color classic and unique reproductions available outside Great Britain. (With the title, The Long History of Old Age, it was also published by Thames & Hudson in Great Britain.) The Getty Villa, is also worth looking at. If you’re tempted to meander through the full color illustrations of A History of Old Age, do also take time to read this book. You may end up admiring the old person on the cover.  xxxx  Ladies in Lavenderwas released in 2004 and opened at the New York Tribeca Film Festival; the DVD is closed-captioned. Neither the title nor its PG-13 rating of “strong caution” to parents is justified.   The peaceful life of 2 aging (although not “aged”) sisters is changed when they rescue Andrea, a young Polish violinist they find injured, washed ashore near their home. He recovers in their care and later ventures forth on walks in the village, where he becomes friendly with a Russian woman painter-visitor. Villagers are suspicious of any visitors. Ultimately, the sisters attend his musical debut in London. Plot-wise, that’s all there is to it – no crashing waves, too-loud music, complex web of emotions, overdone symbolism, or reliance on impenetrable flashbacks. Above all, no lavender.  Ursula and Janet (Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, both born in 1934) live a peaceful contented life in their deceased father’s “cottage” (a house, really) on the Cornish coast in pre-World War II England. They are not well-off, although they have bank accounts, a car, radio, maid, and the house. They enjoy their life and the beauty about them, and they have regard for each other.  Dorcas, the gem of a housekeeper, is played by Miriam Margolyes (1941- ), whose stage credits include The Vagina Monologues. She was the voice of Fly, the dog in Babe, the 1995 Australian film based on the book. She has been included in the Independent on Sunday [UK] Pink List of the most influential gay men and women.   For Andrea’s character, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua David Bell (1967- ) performs "Carnival of Venice," "Meditation," "Zabawa Weselna," "The Girl With The Flaxen Hair," "Introduction and Tarantelle Op. 43,” and "Fuga from Sonata No.1 in G Minor BWV 1001." In an experiment initiated by Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten, Bell donned a baseball cap and played as an incognito street busker at a subway station. It was videotaped on hidden camera; among 1,097 people who passed by, 7 topped to listen, 1 one recognized him.  The Cornish sea coast vista and village are much the same as pictured 80 years later, in today’s Doc Martin English TV series.Barbara Kidd’s costumes are well researched – women’s clothes especially, right down to the shoes and up to the hats.Ladies in Lavender is based on a 1916 short story of the same title published in Faraway Stories, by William J. Locke (1863 - 1930). It was adapted to the screen and directed by English screenwriter and actor Charles Dance (1946- ), known, especially by women everywhere, for his Guy Perron portrayal in the 1984 The Jewel in the Crown.   xxxx  I think of Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (1908-1992) as Sister Age, the title of one of her essays and of the collection of 15 story-essays about aging, originally published when she was 75. Sister Age was Ursula von Ott, a “nagging harpy.”  On one of Fisher’s stays in Europe, she came across a painting of Ursula in a Zurich shop. It captured her imagination and became the basis for the essay. The woman in the painting came to symbolize for Fisher, the “secret strength” of age, a lodestar to guide her way through her own aging.  Her books deal primarily with food and its importance in human life, considered from many perspectives: preparation, natural history, culture, philosophy. Her first book, Serve it Forth, was published in 1937.She believed that eating well was just one of the "arts of life" and explored the art of living as a secondary theme in her writing.  Fisher was born and died in California, but spent much of her adult life in Europe. She was a prolific and well-respected author, writing more than 20 books during her lifetime as well as 2 volumes of correspondence and journals shortly before her death, in Marin County.

xxxx

A Celebration for LGBT Older AdultsOn Tuesday, June 15, from 1 to 4 PM, the North Berkeley Senior Center will host its 7^th Annual LGBT Pride celebration. The afternoon will be filled with food, entertainment and giveaways. The Center is located at 1901 Hearst Ave., corner MLK ; #25 AC bus stops in front.  

LGBT is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.  

This is a significant event because very few senior centers celebrate LGBT elders or provide activities specifically for them. It is produced by the Center, the Coming Out Again Group and Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, and sponsored by the Center’s Advisory Council and Coffee Bar Club. 

LGBT older adults grew up in a time when it was considered sick and criminal to be gay. Many had to hide their sexuality in order to avoid being arrested and institutionalized in addition to being shunned by family, friends, employers, and the community. Today LGBT elders continue to be among the most overlooked, underserved and invisible populations in the nation. For more information about LGBT Pride celebration for older adults, call the North Berkeley Senior Center (510) 981-5190 or Lavender Seniors at (510) 667-9655. 

Helen Rippier Wheeler can be reached at pen136@dslextreme.com No email attachments; use “Senior Power” for subject.

I admit to being kind of disappointed at not receiving a single nasty e-mail after my last column. Either Planet readership has dropped significantly since going web-only, or everyone in Berkeley and environs is completely hip that the banks are screwing us, and that homeowners are not responsible for the situation in which they find themselves. 

For those just joining us, I have been detailing my attempts to get a mortgage modification under the HAMP program. I started last October. Just this last week, I finally got through to an actual human at my lender, GMAC Mortgage (a subsidiary of General Motors, a company you may recall American taxpayers bailed out. GMAC was the financing arm of GM—and you know how consumer friendly auto loans are—they became a bank specifically in order to get TARP money). I inquired about the state of my application—they had offered me a three month forbearance, which I refused, having asked for six months. I was thinking there would be negotiations—maybe we would compromise at four months or something. Nope. My application was rejected outright. Here’s their reasoning, as far as I can tell—my reduced income and higher medical costs suggest (to them) that I cannot afford a reduced payment of $700 a month (translation—to get to that payment they would have to eat some of the principal), therefore I can go on paying $2600 a month till I run out of money and they foreclose. I was also told that if my income increased, I would have to start the process all over again (so they can drag it out another eight months). 

I made an appointment to talk face to face with an actual human at NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America—my HUD housing counselor) next week, so maybe they will have some ideas. I did finally manage to rent my vacant room here at the bunga-mansion, so my income will increase. Although I had to lower the price by $75 to do it. We’ll see what happens. I may yet have to resort to a Youtube video—apparently it’s the only way to get banks to respond. 

In the meantime, let’s talk about shellac. I have been refinishing the trim in my kitchen. It was originally painted, because old growth Douglas fir was the turn-of-the-twentieth-century equivalent of MDF (medium density fiberboard—i.e. cheap and nearly disposable). That is no longer the case, and after ten other houses into which I installed white painted cabinets and painted trim, I am finally giving in to my fantasy of having beautiful clear-finished fir in the kitchen. And it had to be done the old-fashioned way, with numerous coats of orange shellac. 

Shellac is a very old finish, made from the secretions of the lac beetle. Basically it’s bug snot. They deposit the resinous substance on branches, where it is harvested, boiled in kettles, stretched into sheets, allowed to dry, and then broken into flakes, which are dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac. If it’s not bleached, the natural color is a kind of orangeish brown. It’s a natural product, even edible (try not to think of bug snot—it’s used to coat a lot of candies) except that the usual solvent is denatured alcohol, which has been made poisonous so you won’t drink it. You could dissolve it in vodka if you wanted, and it is possible to buy straight ethanol—but really, you don’t want to drink it. You can but it as flakes to mix up yourself (www.shellac.net) or you can buy it already dissolved at the paint store or home center—look for a date on the can, since once you mix it it’s only good for six months or so, after that it doesn’t cure properly, and remains sticky. Of course you could take advantage of that by using it to make tack cloths. 

Anyway, nothing gives that old time dipped-in-molasses look like orange shellac. I made it even more molasses-like by adding some brown dye. The problem for me? It takes six coats, sanding between each coat, followed by two coats of polyurethane, because shellac doesn’t hold up very well in a kitchen, since it’s not terribly water resistant. The good news—it dries in about half an hour, so you can put on a lot of coats in a day. The bad news for me—there’s a lot of woodwork and cabinets to put eight coats of finish on. So it’s taking forever. Also, all this woodwork had to be stripped of paint first, which also takes forever. Did I mention the kitchen has five doors? 

The fast drying time also makes it somewhat difficult to apply—the open time is almost nil. I’m trying to convince myself that adds to the hand-crafted look… 

 

Jane Powell is the author of Bungalow Kitchens and writes for the Planet whenever she feels like it. She can be reached at hsedressng@aol.com 

924 GILMAN ST. -- All ages welcome. 

Stellar Corpses, June 18, 7:30 p.m. $8-$10.  

Chris Murray, Monica and the Explosions, Monkey, Bohunks, Boss 501, Down Syndrome, June 19, 7:30 p.m. $8.  

One in the Chamber, Thou, Moloch, Badr Vogu, June 20, 5 p.m. $7.  

Warscythe, Nails, Fell to Low, Lockstep, Ordstro, June 25, 7:30 p.m. $8.  

$5 unless otherwise noted. Shows start Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926, www.924gilman.org.< 

 

ALBATROSS PUB  

Whiskey Brothers, First and third Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Free.  

Kurt Ribak Jazz Trio, June 26, 9:30 p.m. $3.  

Free unless otherwise noted. Shows begin Wednesday, 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 1822 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2473, www.albatrosspub.com.< 

 

ARMANDO'S  

Caroompas Room, June 19, 8 p.m. $10.  

Jazz Jam, June 21, 7 p.m. $3.  

Bluegrass Jam, June 23, 7 p.m. $3.  

Mal Sharpe and Big Money in Jazz Band, June 24, 8 p.m. $10.  

West of Next, June 25, 8 p.m. $10.  

Redwing, June 26, 8 p.m. $10.  

707 Marina Vista Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-6985, www.armandosmartinez.com.< 

 

ASHKENAZ  

Boleros, June 18, 9:30 p.m. $10-$12.  

Baba Ken and Kotoja, June 19, 9:30 p.m. $10-$13.  

Israeli Folkdancing featuring Adama, June 20, 2 p.m. $8.  

Mark St. Mary Louisiana Blues and Zydeco Band, June 22, 8:30 p.m. $10.  

Essentials with Stu Brotman and Jim Rebhan, June 23, 8:30 p.m. $10.  

Tommy Castro, June 24, 8:30 p.m. $15-$35.  

Prezident Brown, June 25, 9:30 p.m. $12-$15.  

Symphony of Koras, June 26, 9 p.m. $10-$12.  

Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos, June 27, 7:30 p.m. $10.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.< 

 

BLAKE'S ON TELEGRAPH  

Winters Fall, June 18, 9 p.m. $10.  

The System Relief, Exit Eden, June 19, 9 p.m. $10.  

Terrible Things, June 20, 7 p.m. $8-$10.  

Mister Loveless, Holy Rolling Empire, Manatee, June 25, 9 p.m. $10.  

For ages 18 and older. Music begins at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886, www.blakesontelegraph.com.< 

 

BRETT DENNEN June 27. Event takes place in a private Julia Morgan home in Piedmont, CA. See website for details. 

3:30 p.m.www.mosaicproject.org/brettconcert2010.< 

 

FOX THEATER  

Goldfrapp, June 26, 8 p.m. $32.50.  

1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-0438.< 

 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE  

"Freight Open Mic," Tuesdays. $4.50-$5.50.  

Barbara Higbie, June 18, 8 p.m. $18.50-$19.50.  

House Jacks, June 19, 8 p.m. $20.50-$21.50.  

Sweetback Sisters, June 20, 8 p.m. $18.50-$19.50.  

West Coast Songwriters Competition, June 21. $6.50-$7.50.  

Baka Beyond, June 22. $20.50-$21.50.  

Carrie Rodriguez, Chapin Sisters, June 23. $20.50-$21.50.  

Greg Brown, Quinn DeVeaux, June 24. $32.50-$33.50.  

Fiddlekids, June 25, 6:30 p.m.  

Bill Kirchen, June 26. $20.50-$21.50.  

Music starts at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.< 

 

GREEK THEATRE  

Pavement, Quasi, June 25, 8 p.m. $39.50.  

Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road, Berkeley. (510) 548-3010, www.apeconcerts.com.< 

 

JAZZSCHOOL  

Michael Zilber, John Gove, Erik Jekabson, Peter Barshay, June 20, 7:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2087 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com.< 

 

JUPITER  

"Americana Unplugged," Sundays, 5 p.m. A weekly bluegrass and Americana series.  

"Jazzschool Tuesdays," Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Featuring the ensembles from the Berkeley Jazzschool. www.jazzschool.com. 

Disappear Incompletely, June 19, 8 p.m.  

Pete Madsen, June 20, 5 p.m.  

Ken Husbands Trio, June 23, 8 p.m.  

DJ fflood and Mei Lei, June 24, 8 p.m.  

Kat 010, June 25, 5 p.m.  

Sonando Project, June 25, 8 p.m.  

Lagtime, June 26, 8 p.m.  

Jimbo Trout and the Fish People, June 27, 5 p.m.  

8 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-8277, www.jupiterbeer.com.< 

 

KIMBALL'S CARNIVAL  

"Monday Blues Legends Night," 8 p.m.-midnight. Enjoy live blues music every Monday night. Presented by the Bay Area Blues Society and Lothario Lotho Company. $5 donation. (510) 836-2227, www.bayareabluessociety.net. 

522 2nd St., Jack London Square, Oakland. < 

 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER  

Linda Tillery, June 18, 8 p.m. $20-$25.  

Osvaldo Torres, June 19, 8:30 p.m. $15-$18.  

Mucho Axe, Terro Ritmo, June 26, 9 p.m. $10-$13.  

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org.< 

 

SATYA YUGA  

Kitka, June 24 through June 27, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.  

$25-$28.  

954 60th St., Oakland. < 

 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW  

"It's the Joint," Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. Featuring DJs Headnodic, Raashan Ahmad and Friends. $5.  

"King of Kings," Doors 10 p.m. $6-$8.  

"Live Salsa," Wednesdays. An evening of dancing to the music of a live salsa band. Salsa dance lesson from 8:30-9:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

"Thirsty Thursdays," Thursday, 9 p.m. Featuring DJ Vickity Slick and Franky Fresh. Free.  

For ages 21 and older. 2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159, www.shattuckdownlow.com.< 

 

STARRY PLOUGH PUB  

The Starry Irish Music Session led by Shay Black, Sundays, 8 p.m. Sliding scale.  

For ages 21 and over unless otherwise noted. Sunday and Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082, www.starryploughpub.com.< 

 

UPTOWN NIGHTCLUB  

Bell Rays, Sassy, June 18, 9 p.m. $12.  

Hella Gay, June 19, 9 p.m. $7.  

Razor Train, June 23, 9 p.m. Free.  

Bang Data, Oona, La Gente, June 25, 9 p.m. $10.  

Prima Donna, Mystic Knights of the Cobra, Boats, Groggs, June 26, 9 p.m. $8.  

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100, www.uptownnightclub.com.< 

 

YOSHI'S  

Pupy y Los Que Son Son, through June 18, Wednesday and Thursday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Friday, 8 and 10 p.m. $20-$28.  

Cassandra Wilson, June 19 through June 20, Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 7 and 9 p.m. $40.  

Keiko Matsui, June 25 through June 27, Friday and Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. $22-$28.  

Shows are Monday through Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200, www.yoshis.com.<

BERKELEY MARINA  

Oakland East Bay Symphony, June 19, 2 p.m. Celebrate Father's Day weekend on the Pacific Hornblower with a musical cruise featuring pianist Rebeca Mauleon. For more information, see website. $75-$125. www.hornblower.com/hce/port/fleet/berk. 

160 University Ave., Berkeley. (510) 981-6749, www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina.< 

 

CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE LIGHT  

San Francisco Boys Chorus, June 19, 8 p.m. Program features Durante's "Magnificat.'' $20. (415) 861-7464, www.sfbc.org/tickets. 

Oakland Ave./Harrison St., Oakland. (510) 271-1928, www.ctlcathedral.org.< 

 

EDEN UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST  

"Father's Day Recital," June 20, 3 p.m. Recital benefits Oakland East Bay Symphony. Featuring soprano Angela Eden Moser and bass baritone Paul Murray. $15.  

21455 Birch St., Hayward. (510) 582-9533, www.edenucc.com.< 

 

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"La Vie Parisienne," June 19, 2 p.m. San Francisco Pocket Opera presents this madcap Offenbach favorite. $20-$37. (415) 972-8930, www.pocketopera.org. 

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org.< 

 

LIVE OAK PARK  

"Fresh Voices X Festival of New Works," through June 20, 8pm Thurs-Sat., 7pm Sun. Program features works by John G. Bilotta, Chris Whittaker, Edward Knight and Daniel Felsenfeld. $15-$25. (415) 289-6877, www.goathall.org. 

1300 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. < 

 

ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH  

Piano Quartet, June 27, 3 p.m. Program features works by Mozart Saint, Saens and Faure. $20-$25. (415) 753-2792. 

2727 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-6830, www.stjohns.presbychurch.net.< 

 

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH  

"25 by 25 by 25," June 19, 4 p.m. San Francisco Choral Artists showcase 25 works selected from the 130 works premiered under Artistic Director Magen Solomon. $10-$23.  

San Francisco Choral Artists, June 20, 4 p.m. Program features 25 works selected from 130 works premiered under Artistic Director Magen Solomon. $10-$23.  

114 Montecito Ave., Oakland. < 

 

TRINITY CHAMBER CONCERTS  

Paul Garcia and Henry Kramer, June 19, 8 p.m. Program features works by Beethoven, Debussy, Cage and Adams. $8-$12. (510) 549-3864. 

$12 general; $8 seniors, disabled persons and students. Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St., Berkeley. (510) 549-3864, www.trinitychamberconcerts.com.<

DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL  

San Francisco Symphony, through June 19, 8 p.m. Program features Stravisnky's "Rite of Spring,'' as well as works by Poulenc, Villa Lobos and Ravel. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts. $15-$30.  

San Francisco Symphony, June 20, 2 p.m. Program features works by Catoire, Poulenc and Beethoven.  

San Francisco Symphony, June 23 through June 26, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 2 p.m.; Program features Berlioz's classic work. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts. $15-$130.  

201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org.< 

 

HERBST THEATRE  

Yuja Wang, June 20, 7 p.m. Program features works by Scarlatti, Schumann, Scriabin and Prokofiev. $32-$49. (415) 392-2545, www.performances.org. 

401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com.< 

 

LEGION OF HONOR MUSEUM DOCENT TOUR PROGRAMS -- Tours of the permanent collections and special exhibitions are offered Tuesday through Sunday. Non-English language tours (Italian, French, Spanish and Russian) are available on different Saturdays of the month at 11:30 a.m. Free with regular museum admission. (415) 750-3638.  

ONGOING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM --  

"Doing and Viewing Art," For ages 7 to 12. Docent-led tours of current exhibitions are followed by studio workshops taught by professional artists/teachers. Students learn about art by seeing and making it. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to noon; call to confirm class. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3658. 

ORGAN CONCERTS -- 4 p.m. A weekly concert of organ music on the Legion's restored 1924 Skinner organ. Saturday and Sunday in the Rodin Gallery. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3624. 

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors on Tuesdays. Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street, San Francisco. (415) 750-3600, (415) 750-3636, www.thinker.org.< 

 

OLD FIRST CHURCH  

"Robert Schumann's 200th Birthday Celebration," June 25, 8 p.m. Program features "Piano Quartet in E flat, Op. 47'' and other works by Schumann. $14-$17.  

Jupiter Chamber Players, June 27, 4 p.m. Program features works by Georgy Catoire, Arshak Andrisov and Tchaikovsky. $15-$17.  

1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco. (415) 474-1608.< 

 

OLD ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL  

Mariya Borozina and Miles Graber, June 22, 12:30 p.m. Violinist Borozina and pianist Graber perform works by Beethoven.  

$5 donation requested. 660 California St., San Francisco. www.oldsaintmarys.org/.< 

 

WAR MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE  

San Francisco Opera, through July 1, Jun. 5, 8 and 11, 7:30 p.m.; Jun. 16, 23 and Jul. 1, 7 p.m.; Jun. 20, 26, 1:30 p.m. Francois Gounod's "Faust'' stars teno Stefano Secco in the title role alonside soprano Patricia Racette and Marguerite. $15-$360. www.sfopera.com. 

San Francisco Opera, through July 2, Jun. 9 24, 29, 7:30 p.m.; Jun. 15, 18, Jul. 2, 8 p.m.;; Jun. 27, 2 p.m. "The Girl of the Golden West'' featuring conductor Nicola Luisotti, soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Salvatore Licitra. $15-$360. (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. 

San Francisco Opera, through June 30, Jun. 10, 19, 22, 25, 30, 7 p.m. "Die Walkure'' features stunning soprano performances by Nina Stemme and Eva-Maria Westbroek and Mark Delavan as Wotan in this second installment of Wagner's "Ring'' cycle. $15-$360. (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. 

301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 865-2000.<

COUNTERPULSE  

Scott Wells and Dancers, through June 19, May 28-30, Jun. 4-6, 8 p.m.; Jun. 18-19, 8 and 9:30 p.m. Program "Ball-ist-ic'' features high-flying, gravitydefying dance. $18-$22. www.scottwellsdance.com. 

Oni Dance, June 25 through June 26, 8 p.m. Maria Gillespie's company makes its Bay Area debut. $16-$20.  

1310 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 626-2060, www.counterpulse.org.< 

 

ODC DANCE COMMONS PERFORMANCE ART COMPLEX  

"Great Integration," June 18 through June 19, 8 p.m. Composer Joowan Kim and choreographer Raissa Simpson present a groundbreaking chamber hip-hop opera. $15-$25.  

351 Shotwell St. (between 17th and 18th streets), San Francisco. (415) 863-6606, www.odctheater.org.< 

 

PALACE OF FINE ARTS THEATRE  

"San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival," through June 27, Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.; Benefit gala June 11, 6 p.m. From the powerful dance and music of Haiti to a special Mexican Bicentennial Tribute, event presents an unparalleled cultural feat, including four new works representing the cultures of the Congo, Afghanistan, China and Mexico, and the debut of 26 world premieres. $22-$44. www.worldartswest.org. 

3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. (415) 567-6642, www.palaceoffinearts.org.< 

 

PENA PACHAMAMA  

"Carnaval Del Sur," Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. Sukay, Eddy Navia and the Pachamama Dancers present a program of Latin music and dance. $13.50.  

"Cuban Nights," Fridays, 8:30 p.m. Fito Reinoso, Sukay and Eddy Navia present Latin dancing Buena Vista style. $13.50.  

"Flamenco Thursdays" with Carola Zertuche, Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Music and dance with performers of traditional flamenco. $10.  

Georges Lammam Ensemble, Sundays, 8:30 p.m. Event features music and dancing from the Middle East. $10.  

For ages 21 and older. 1630 Powell St., San Francisco. (415) 646-0018, www.penapachamama.com.< 

 

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS The center's visual arts exhibitions feature contemporary art and popular culture by local, national and international artists. There are four rounds of exhibitions in the galleries each year. 

Liss Fain Dance, through June 19, 8 p.m. Program features world premieres "How it Ends'' and "Finite Memory.'' $10-$30.  

$3-$6; free the first Tuesday of every month. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. 701 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 978-2787, www.ybca.org.<

A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS  

Susan Shea, June 25, 7 p.m. The author talks about "Murder in Abstract.''  

6120 LaSalle Ave., Oakland. (510) 339-8210, www.greatgoodplace.indiebound.com.< 

 

DIESEL, A BOOKSTORE  

Aimee Bender, June 27, 3 p.m. The author talks about "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.''  

5433 College Avenue, Oakland. (510) 653-9965.< 

 

MRS. DALLOWAY'S  

Peter Schrag, June 25, 7:30 p.m. The author talks about "Not Fit for Our Society.''  

Tyche Hendricks, June 25, 7:30 p.m. The author talks about "The Wind Doesn't Need a Passport.''  

Susan Moon, June 27, 4 p.m. The author talks about "This Is Getting Old.''  

2904 College Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 704-8222.<

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Speech and Debate," by Stephen Karam, through July 18, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.; Jun. 22 and 29, 7 p.m.; Jun. 23, 30 and Jul. 7, 8 p.m. Sex. Secrets. Videoblogs and blackmail. Just another day in the life of a teenager in Salem, Oregon. $15-$55.  

David Sedaris, through June 20, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. The NPR humorist and bestselling author takes the stage to workshop stories from his upcoming book with a live audience. $35.  

2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949, (888) 4BR-Ttix, www.berkeleyrep.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA CONSERVATORY THEATRE OF SAN LEANDRO  

CLOSING -- "The Glass Menagerie," by Tennessee Williams, through June 27. An overbearing mother has grand ambitions for her fragile, misfit daughter. $20-$22.  

999 E. 14th St., San Leandro. (510) 632-8850, www.cct-sl.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA SHAKESPEARE THEATER  

CLOSING -- "The Pastures of Heaven," by Octavio Solis, through June 27, Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m. Jonatahn Moscone directs this adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel about the search for happiness in the author's own Salinas Valley.  

$112-$220 for series. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org.< 

 

CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY OF WALNUT CREEK  

CLOSING -- "A Marvelous Party: A Noel Coward Celebration," through June 26, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m. This exhilarating evening of song and sparkling repartee features Coward's witty lyrics and contagious melodies. $18-$45.  

Lesher Theatre, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-SHOW, www.centerrep.org.< 

 

DOUGLAS MORRISSON THEATRE  

"I Love a Piano," June 19 through July 11, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. The works of American composer Irving Berlin are the subject of this musical which follows the journey of a piano from 1910 through the 1950s. $20-$28. (510) 881-6777. 

22311 N. Third St., Hayward. (510) 881-6777, www.dmtonline.org.< 

 

EAST BAY IMPROV  

"Tired of the Same Old Song and Dance?" 8 p.m. East Bay Improv actors perform spontaneous, impulsive and hilarious comedy on the first Saturday of every month. $8.  

Pinole Community Playhouse, 601 Tennent Ave., Pinole. (510) 964-0571, www.eastbayimprov.com.< 

 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER  

"Mrs. Pats's House," June 27, 7 p.m. This safe haven known as "a brothel'' brings life and magic to the neighborhood and its occupants. Jovelyn Richards performs with a live band. $12-$15.  

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org.< 

 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

CLOSING -- "Into the Woods," by Stephen Sondheim, through June 20, Jun. 4, 11, 12, 17-19, 8 p.m.; Jun. 12, 13, 19, 20, 2 p.m. Diablo Theatre Company presents a fractured musical fairytale, reimagined with a move from the woods to an orphanage. $29-$42.  

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.com.< 

 

THE MARSH BERKELEY  

CLOSING -- "East 14th -- True Tales of a Reluctant Player," by Don Reed, through June 20. Play chronicles the true tale of a young man raised by his mother and ultra-strict stepfather as a middle class, straight A, godfearing church boy. $20-$50.  

The Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Info: (415) 826-5750, Tickets: (800) 838-3006, www.themarsh.org.< 

 

MASQUERS PLAYHOUSE  

"Fuddy Meers," by David Lindsay-Abaire, through July 10, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Claire, a sweet amnesiac, wakes up each morning remembering nothing. Her family must teach her who she is, each day. When she is kidnapped, the adventures really begin. $18.  

105 Park Place, Point Richmond. (510) 232-4031, www.masquers.org.< 

 

THEATREFIRST  

"The Drawer Boy," by Michael Healey, through July 4, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. An actor visits two aging farmers and uncovers their long-buried family secret. $10-$30.  

Old Oakland Theatre, 461 Ninth St., Oakland. (510) 436-5085, www.theatrefirst.com.< 

 

TOWN HALL THEATRE  

"Proof," by David Auburn, through July 3, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Jun. 13 and 20, 2 p.m.; Jun. 27, 7 p.m. Catherine lives in the shadow of her father's legacy -- a legacy of brilliance and insanity. The question is: How much of this brilliance and insanity did she inherit? $22.50-$29.50.  

3535 School St., Lafayette. (925) 283-1557, www.thtc.org.< 

 

WILLOWS THEATRE COMPANY  

OPENING -- "Avenue Q," June 21 through Aug. 1, Wednesday, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. This "adult Sesame Street'' romp features puppets and live actors in high-energy, naughty fun. $25-$30.  

Willows Theatre, Willows Shopping Center, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. (925) 798-1300, www.willowstheatre.org.<

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER  

CLOSING -- "The Tosca Project," by Carey Perloff and Val Caniparoli, through June 27. Loosely structured around the themes of Puccini's "Tosca,'' this imaginative new work is gorgeously choreographed, achingly moving and scored with some of the best music ever made, from Hendrix to Stravinsky.  

Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. (415) 749-2228, www.actsf. org.< 

 

BEACH BLANKET BABYLON This long-running musical follows Snow White as she sings and dances her way around the world in search of her prince. Along the way she encounters many of the personalities in today's headlines, including Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harry Potter, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Britney Spears, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush, Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Tom Cruise, Angelina, characters from Brokeback Mountain and Paris Hilton. Persons under 21 are not admitted to evening performances, but are welcome to Sunday matinees. 

"Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon," Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.  

$25-$78. Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (formerly Green Street), San Francisco. (415) 421-4222, www.beachblanketbabylon.com.< 

 

CHANCELLOR HOTEL UNION SQUARE  

"Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast," Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Audiences gather for a 90-minute show abounding with local anecdotes and lore presented by captivating and consummate conjurers and tale-tellers. $30.  

433 Powell St., San Francisco. (877) 784-6835, www.chancellorhotel.com.< 

 

CLIMATE THEATRE  

"The Clown Cabaret at the Climate," First Monday of the month, 7 and 9 p.m. Hailed as San Francisco's hottest ticket in clowning, this show blends rising stars with seasoned professionals on the Climate Theater's intimate stage. $10-$15.  

285 Ninth St., Second Floor, San Francisco. www.climatetheater.com.< 

 

THE CUSTOM MADE THEATRE CO.  

"Durang Me," by Christopher Durang, through July 10, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.; No show Jul. 4. Featuring two of Durang's scripts, "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' and "The Actor's Nightmare.'' $18-$28.  

965 Mission St., San Francisco. < 

 

CUTTING BALL THEATER  

CLOSING -- "'Bone to Pick' and 'Diadem'," through June 20. Eugene Chan's "Bone to Pick'' reimagines the myth of Ariadne, Theseus and the Minotaur in a postmodern exploration of love, war and complicity. "Diadem,'' also by Chan, is a romantic retelling of the earlier parts of Ariadne's myth.  

 

The EXIT Stage Left, 156 Eddy St., San Francisco. (415) 419-3584, www.cuttingball.com.< 

 

EXIT THEATRE  

CLOSING -- "Giant Bones," by Stuart Bousel, through June 19, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m. Bousel weaves together four of Peter S. Beagle's "Innkeeper's World'' stories into this dramatic narrative. $15-$50. (415) 816-9661, www.brownpapertickets.com. 

"Obscura -- A Magic Show," June 18 through Aug. 14, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m. Featuring illusionist Christian Cagigal. $15-$25.  

156 Eddy St., San Francisco. (415) 673-3847, www.theexit.org.< 

 

THE JEWISH THEATER SAN FRANCISCO  

CLOSING -- "Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews?" by Josh Kornbluth, through June 20, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. This one-man performance examines the legacy of Andy Warhol and the ten Jewish luminaries he painted. $15-$45.  

470 Florida St., San Francisco. (415) 292-1233, www.tjt-sf.org.< 

 

KIMO'S BAR  

"Fauxgirls," Every third Saturday Drag cabaret revue features San Francisco's finest female impersonators.  

1351 Polk St., San Francisco. (415) 885-4535, www.denkitiger. com/.< 

 

MAMA CALIZO'S VOICE FACTORY  

"The Golden Girls: The Pride Episodes," through June 25, Monday-Wednesday, 7 and 9 p.m. The "girls'' are back with two new episodes in time from Pride Month, starring Heklina, Cookie Dough, Matthew Martin and Pollo Del Mar. $20-$25.  

"Blackbird: Honoring a Century of Pansy Divas," by Seth Eisen, June 24 through July 10, 8 p.m. Show blends puppetry and a hybrid of live performance, movement, music, video, song and storytelling. $20-$25.  

1519 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 368-1244, www.voicefactorysf.org.< 

 

THE MARSH  

"The Mock Cafe," Stand-up comedy performances. Saturday, 10 p.m. $7.  

"The Monday Night Marsh," An ongoing series of works-in-progress. Monday, 8 p.m. $7.  

OPENING -- "Reading My Dad's Porn and French Kissing the Dog," by Cherry Zonkowski, June 24 through July 17. Zonkowski takes you on a tour of the suburban living rooms, crowded dungeons and ultra-hip warehouses of San Francisco's sex and artist party scenes.  

1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. (415) 826-5750, www.themarsh.org.< 

 

NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER  

CLOSING -- "Proud and Bothered," through June 26, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Gomez, a professional Gay Pride MC takes the walk of shame in this comedic tell-all. $22-$34.  

25 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org.< 

 

OFF-MARKET THEATER  

CLOSING -- "ShortLived 3.0," through June 26, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. The largest audience-judged playwrighting competetion in the nation returns with experienced playwrights, unknown up-and-comers and local, independent theater companies. $20. www.pianofight.com. 

CLOSING -- "City Solo," through June 20, Sunday, 7 p.m. Rotating solo show features the pieces "My Diary, No Grownups Allowed,'' by Janine Brito, "I Didn't Sign Up For This,'' by Julia Jackson, "I Am Sooooo Gay,'' by Thao P. Nguyen and "Lady Parts,'' by Martha Rynberg. $15-$20.  

"SummHER Lovin," through June 28, Monday, 8 p.m. PianoFight's "Monday Night ForePlays'' series returns with the fifth all-new installment of their female-drive variety show. $20.  

965 Mission St., San Francisco. < 

 

ORPHEUM THEATRE  

CLOSING -- "Wicked," Tuesday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m.; Oct. 11 and Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 27, 2 p.m.; Dec. 21 and 28, 8 p.m. "Wicked'' is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. "Wicked'' tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. $30-$99.  

1192 Market St., San Francisco. (415) 512-7770, www.shnsf.com.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COLLEGE CLUBHOUSE (800) 838-3006, www.clubhousecomedy.com.  

"Hump Day Comedy," Host Rich Stimbra and a variety of stand-up comics will get you over the Wednesday work hump. BYOB for 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m. $5. 

"Naked Comedy," A comedy showcase featuring some of the best comedians in San Francisco. BYOB for 21 and over. Saturdays, 9 p.m. $10. 

414 Mason St., Suite 705, San Francisco. (415) 921-2051, www.sfcomedycollege.com.< 

 

SHELTON THEATER  

"Shopping! The Musical," by Morris Bobrow, A quick-paced musical about those obsessed with buying things. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. $27-$29. www.shoppingthemusical.com. 

Big City Improv, Friday, 10 p.m. $20. (510) 595-5597, www.bigcityimprov.com. 

533 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 433-1227, www.sheltontheater.com or www.sheltontheater.com.<

"BAY AREA HEART GALLERY," -- Exhibit consists of photographs of children, youth and families, accompanied by their compelling stories. The joint exhibit opens in the Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, Oakland and at the Eden Area Multi-Service Center, 24100 Amador Way, Hayward. 

Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.< 

 

ALBASTUDIOS AND GALLERY  

"The Language of Clay," through July 1. Selected works from the members of Orchard Valley Ceramic Arts Guild.  

4219 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. < 

 

AMES GALLERY  

"New Show," through June 30. Drawings by Deborah Barrett, Ted Gordon, Dwight Mackintosh, Inez Nathaniel Walker, AG Rizzoli, Barry Simons and others.  

2661 Cedar St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4949, www.amesgallery.com.< 

 

ANNA EDWARDS GALLERY  

"Poverty, Protest and Resistance," through June 30. Photographs of political struggle and global poverty by Francisco Dominguez and Robert Terrell.  

237 E. 14th St., San Leandro. (510) 636-1721, www.annaedwards.com.< 

 

BEDFORD GALLERY  

CLOSING -- "Dutch Impressionism and Beyond," through June 27. Selections from the Beekhuis Collection.  

$3 general; $2 youth ages 12 through 17; free children ages 12 and under; free Tuesdays. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 295-1417, www.bedfordgallery.org.< 

 

CHANDRA CERRITO CONTEMPORARY  

"Stillness," through July 24. Works by Keira Kotler.  

480 23rd St., Oakland. (415) 577-7537, www.chandracerrito.com.< 

 

CRAFT AND CULTURAL ARTS GALLERY  

CLOSING -- "Vanishing Birds of the Bay and Beyond," through June 25. Works by Rita Sklar.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. State of California Office Building, 1515 Clay St., Oakland. (510) 622-8190, www.oaklandculturalarts.org.< 

 

EXPRESSIONS GALLERY  

"Labor and Art," through Aug. 6. Group art show features paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed media, digital art, monotypes and more.  

Free. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-3 p.m. 2035 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 644-4930, www.expressionsgallery.org/.< 

 

HALL OF PIONEERS GALLERY  

"Oakland Chinatown Pioneers," Twelve showcases, each focusing on historic leaders and personalities of the community.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Chinese Garden Building, 275 Seventh St., Oakland. (510) 530-4590.< 

 

HEARST ART GALLERY AT SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA  

CLOSING -- "Andy Warhol's Quick Pix and Pop Icons," through June 20. Original Poloraid photographs from the Andy Warhol Foundation's Photographic Legacy Program.  

$3. Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1928 Saint Mary's Road, Moraga. (925) 631-4379, www.gallery.stmarys-ca.edu.< 

 

JOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY  

"Arts and Consciousness Graduate Exhibition," through July 24. Arts and Consiousness students explore their personal creative process.  

100 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill. (800) 696-5358.< 

 

JOYCE GORDON GALLERY  

CLOSING -- "Cross Roads," through June 28. Works by Chukes and Ruth Tunstall Grant.  

Free. Wednesday-Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Monday by appointment. 406 14th St., Oakland. www.joycegordongallery.com.< 

 

K GALLERY  

"The Locals II," through July 31. Works by Jon Kerpel, Ginny Parsons, K.C. Rosenberg, Peter Tonningsen and Danielle Wallis.  

Free. Thursday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. 2515 Blanding Ave., Alameda. (510) 865-5062, www.rhythmix.org.< 

 

LAFAYETTE GALLERY  

"Summer Daze," through Aug. 7. Works by Nancy Hartley and Jill Landau.  

50 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. www.lafayettegallery.net.< 

 

PHOTOLAB  

"Between Borders," through July 31. Works by Patricia Monaco.  

2235 5th St., Berkeley. (510) 644-1400, www.photolabratory.com.< 

 

PUEBLO NUEVO GALLERY  

"Catastro de Colores y Esperanzas/Registry of Colors and Hopes," through July 4. Works by Osvaldo Torres.  

1828 San Pablo Ave. #1, Berkeley. (510) 452-7363.< 

 

ROYAL NONESUCH GALLERY  

"I-Object," through June 29. Works by Laura Boles Faw, Justin Hoover, David Pena Lopera and Kathryn Williamson.  

4231 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (415) 690-3041, www.royalnonesuchgallery.com.< 

 

SUN GALLERY  

"High Art," through Sept. 25. Works by local high school students and high school homeschoolers.  

CLOSING -- "Beauty, The Name is Night," through June 19. Works by Benny Alba.  

1015 E. St., Hayward. (510) 581-4050, www.sungallery.org.< 

 

TRAYWICK CONTEMPORARY  

CLOSING -- "The Oblivion Before the Beginning," through June 26. Works by Diana Guerrero-Macia.  

895 Colusa Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214.<

San Francisco Cabaret Opera, whose Goat Hall home base on Potrero Hill is undergoing renovations this year, is presenting its innovative Fresh Voices program of new short operas at Live Oak Theater in Berkeley this week.This one, the tenth in the series, is called Fresh Voices X. 

Two programs, X at the Heart of America and X in the Soul of Europe & Beyond, will be presented over four evenings by the Goat Hall company, anchored by Harriet March Page and Mark Alburger. They feature 22 singers, including, from these parts, Eliza O'Malley, Jo Vincent Parks and others.They're sure to be lively, entertaining and challenging productions. 

At 8 p.m. onThursday, June 17th and Saturday, June 19^th, From the Heart of America will include : TRIFLES, from Susan Glasspell ( composed by John G. Bilotta), GEORGE BUSH: THE LAST 100 DAYS (Chris Whittaker); LIFE IS FINE (Edward Knight, with lyrics from Langston Hughes); THE BLOODY CHAMBER (Daniel Felsenfeld/Isabella Gold) and JOB: A MASQUE (Mark Alburger). 

On Friday, June 18 (8 p. m.) and Sunday, June 20th (7 p. m.): THE HUNGER ART (composed by Jeff Myers/Royce Vavrek); MEDEA ALONE (David Garner); THERESA KREN (Mark Nairns); LETTERS FROM LINDA (Alden Jenks/Frank Polite); SUTTER CREEK (Robert Denham). 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck at Berryman. $15-$25. (415) 289-6877; www.goathall.org 

*** 

Contra Costa Civic Theater winds down its 50th season with the cranked-up Broadway musical BARNUM, opening Friday at 8 at their theater, at Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, running Fridays & Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 2 through July 18. $15-$24. 524-9132; www.ccct.org (As part of the 50th year festivities, CCCT has posted a 5-minute video documentary on CCCT's history, from its founding by Louis and Bettianne Flynn and friends, at: youtube.com/watch?v=2aQtt-8RYjI CCCT will also host a Cast Reunion party 

for all (and family and friends) who've played a part in any CCCT production, 2-5 p.m. July 31, at the theater. 

*** 

Aurora Theatre opens Stephen Karam's SPEECH AND DEBATE, Thursday at 8, in which a drama geek, a "queeny boy" and a budding high school reporter join forces to out the truth, through video blogs. Featuring a 90s pop beat. Thurs.-Sun. through July 18.$34-$56. Addison, off Shattuck. 843-4822; www.auroratheatre.org 

*** 

And for music, dance and theater lovers: a rare Bay Area appearance of artists from the ancient, classical Noh theater of Japan: Theatre of Yugen presents Shinosuke Okura, Noh drummer (designated Intangible Cultural Property by the government of Japan), giving a lecture/demo on Noh music and philosophy, "What Is Noh?"this Sunday, 2-4 p.m., followed by a workshop (with flute player Narumi Takizawa) from 4-5. On Monday, 7-9 p. m. Kanze Noh actor Masashi Nomura (son of Noh actor Shiro Nomura) will conduct a workshop in Noh movement and singing, All will be held at Noh Space, Project Artaud, 2840Mariposa St. in San Francisco's Mission/Potrero. (Lecture/demo: $20. Workshops, $50 each.Progressive discounts for taking two or all three:) Next Wednesday, June 23, Yugen will perform excerpts from MOON OF THE SCARLET PLUMS, a modern Noh piece telling the story of Crazy Horse, featuring Nomura, Okura, Takizawa, Native American performers and Theatre of Yugen actors. (Okura has spent much time playing with Native American musicians, and is associated with AIM founder Dennis Banks.) Nomura will dance a shimai from the Noh play TAKASAGO, and Yugen actors will perform the Kyogen comedy THE MELON THIEF. Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Library, Grove Street, off Hyde and Market. Free, (415) 621-0507; www.theatreofyugen.org 

*** 

From "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan ..." to "yes I said yes Iwill Yes"—and all that goes between--James Joyce's ULYSSES, charting the wanderings of Leopold Bloom through Dublin, takes place over the course of a day: Bloomsday, June 16. 

This Wednesday (tomorrow), Wilde Irish, our local Gaelic thespians, will celebrate their Seventh Bloomsday in Berkeley, at 7:30 p. m. (doors will open at 7) at the Berkeley City Club, 2340 Durant Avenue. 

Passages from this modern classic will be read, recited, acted out and sung, with some music besides. 

(Celtic Jazz singer Melanie O'Reilly, from Ireland, and pianist Frank Martin will be featured.) 

Joyce's humor, lyricism, his grand manner and penetrating gaze into what goes on, around, over, under and back of the ordinary, will be played with the resonance of the Old Tenor's lilting voice. 

Admission will be $15, minus $3 for seniors, students and Theatre Bay Area members. A $20 ticket will entitle its holder to some "Wine of the Country," in Joyce's phrase, neither white, red nor rose'. 644-9940 or www.wildeirish.com

I admit to being kind of disappointed at not receiving a single nasty e-mail after my last column. Either Planet readership has dropped significantly since going web-only, or everyone in Berkeley and environs is completely hip that the banks are screwing us, and that homeowners are not responsible for the situation in which they find themselves. 

For those just joining us, I have been detailing my attempts to get a mortgage modification under the HAMP program. I started last October. Just this last week, I finally got through to an actual human at my lender, GMAC Mortgage (a subsidiary of General Motors, a company you may recall American taxpayers bailed out. GMAC was the financing arm of GM—and you know how consumer friendly auto loans are—they became a bank specifically in order to get TARP money). I inquired about the state of my application—they had offered me a three month forbearance, which I refused, having asked for six months. I was thinking there would be negotiations—maybe we would compromise at four months or something. Nope. My application was rejected outright. Here’s their reasoning, as far as I can tell—my reduced income and higher medical costs suggest (to them) that I cannot afford a reduced payment of $700 a month (translation—to get to that payment they would have to eat some of the principal), therefore I can go on paying $2600 a month till I run out of money and they foreclose. I was also told that if my income increased, I would have to start the process all over again (so they can drag it out another eight months). 

I made an appointment to talk face to face with an actual human at NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America—my HUD housing counselor) next week, so maybe they will have some ideas. I did finally manage to rent my vacant room here at the bunga-mansion, so my income will increase. Although I had to lower the price by $75 to do it. We’ll see what happens. I may yet have to resort to a Youtube video—apparently it’s the only way to get banks to respond. 

In the meantime, let’s talk about shellac. I have been refinishing the trim in my kitchen. It was originally painted, because old growth Douglas fir was the turn-of-the-twentieth-century equivalent of MDF (medium density fiberboard—i.e. cheap and nearly disposable). That is no longer the case, and after ten other houses into which I installed white painted cabinets and painted trim, I am finally giving in to my fantasy of having beautiful clear-finished fir in the kitchen. And it had to be done the old-fashioned way, with numerous coats of orange shellac. 

Shellac is a very old finish, made from the secretions of the lac beetle. Basically it’s bug snot. They deposit the resinous substance on branches, where it is harvested, boiled in kettles, stretched into sheets, allowed to dry, and then broken into flakes, which are dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac. If it’s not bleached, the natural color is a kind of orangeish brown. It’s a natural product, even edible (try not to think of bug snot—it’s used to coat a lot of candies) except that the usual solvent is denatured alcohol, which has been made poisonous so you won’t drink it. You could dissolve it in vodka if you wanted, and it is possible to buy straight ethanol—but really, you don’t want to drink it. You can but it as flakes to mix up yourself (www.shellac.net) or you can buy it already dissolved at the paint store or home center—look for a date on the can, since once you mix it it’s only good for six months or so, after that it doesn’t cure properly, and remains sticky. Of course you could take advantage of that by using it to make tack cloths. 

Anyway, nothing gives that old time dipped-in-molasses look like orange shellac. I made it even more molasses-like by adding some brown dye. The problem for me? It takes six coats, sanding between each coat, followed by two coats of polyurethane, because shellac doesn’t hold up very well in a kitchen, since it’s not terribly water resistant. The good news—it dries in about half an hour, so you can put on a lot of coats in a day. The bad news for me—there’s a lot of woodwork and cabinets to put eight coats of finish on. So it’s taking forever. Also, all this woodwork had to be stripped of paint first, which also takes forever. Did I mention the kitchen has five doors? 

The fast drying time also makes it somewhat difficult to apply—the open time is almost nil. I’m trying to convince myself that adds to the hand-crafted look… 

 

Jane Powell is the author of Bungalow Kitchens and writes for the Planet whenever she feels like it. She can be reached at hsedressng@aol.com 

924 GILMAN ST. -- All ages welcome. 

Stellar Corpses, June 18, 7:30 p.m. $8-$10.  

$5 unless otherwise noted. Shows start Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926, www.924gilman.org.< 

 

GREEK THEATRE  

Pavement, Quasi, June 25, 8 p.m. $39.50.  

Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road, Berkeley. (510) 548-3010, www.apeconcerts.com.< 

 

YOSHI'S  

Cassandra Wilson, June 19 through June 20, Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 7 and 9 p.m. $40.  

Shows are Monday through Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200, www.yoshis.com.<

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND The Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent display. 

Free. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5:30 p.m. 659 14th St., Oakland. (510) 637-0200, www.oaklandlibrary.org.< 

 

ALAMEDA MUSEUM The museum offers permanent displays of Alameda history, the only rotating gallery showcasing local Alameda artists and student artwork, as well as souvenirs, books and videos about the rich history of the Island City. 

Free. Wednesday-Friday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 2324 Alameda Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-1233, www.alamedamuseum.org.< 

 

BADE MUSEUM AT THE PACIFIC SCHOOL OF RELIGION The museum's collections include the Tell en-Nasbeh Collection, consisting of artifacts excavated from Tell en-Nasbeh in Palestine in 1926 and 1935 by William Badh, and the Howell Bible Collection, featuring approximately 300 rare books (primarily Bibles) dating from the 15th through the 18th centuries. 

"Tell en-Nasbeh," This exhibit is the "heart and soul" of the Bade Museum. It displays a wealth of finds from the excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh, Palestine whose objects span from the Early Bronze Age (3100-2200 BC) through the Iron Age (1200-586 BC) and into the Roman and Hellenistic periods. Highlights of the exhibit include "Tools of the Trade" featuring real archaeological tools used by Badh and his team, an oil lamp typology, a Second Temple period (586 BC-70 AD) limestone ossuary, and a selection of painted Greek pottery.  

"William Frederic Bade: Theologian, Naturalist, and Archaeologist," This exhibit highlights one of PSR's premier educators and innovative scholars. The collection of material on display was chosen with the hopes of representing the truly dynamic and multifaceted character of William F. Badh. He was a family man, a dedicated teacher, a loving friend, and an innovative and passionate archaeologist.  

Free. Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Holbrook Hall, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0528, www.bade.psr.edu/bade.< 

 

BERKELEY ART MUSEUM AND PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE  

"Thom Faulders: BAMscape," through Nov. 30. This commissioned work, a hybrid of sculpture, furniture, and stage, is the new centerpiece of Gallery B, BAM's expansive central atrium. It is part of a new vision of the gallery as a space for interaction, performance, and improvised experiences.  

"Nature into Action: Hans Hofmann," through June 30. This installation drawn from BAM's extensive Hans Hofmann collection reveals the relationship between nature as source and action as method in the great abstract painter's work.  

"What's It All Mean: William T. Wiley in Retrospect," through July 18. This retrospective surveys the witty, idiosyncratic, and introspective work of William T. Wiley, a beloved Bay Area artist and "a national treasure'' (Wall Street Journal). Layered with ambiguous ideas and allusions, autobiographical narrative and sociopolitical commentary, Wiley's art is rich in self-deprecating humor and absurdist insight.  

"Perpetual and furious refrain / MATRIX 232," through Sept. 12. Exhibition features works by Brent Green.  

CLOSING -- "No Right Angles: The 40th Annual University of California Berkeley Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition," through June 20. Exhibition features work by UC Berkeley's graduating M.F.A. students.  

"Marisa Olson: Double Bind," through Aug. 31. With a pair of provocative YouTube videos, Olson unravels the promise and pitfalls of online participatory culture.  

"Himalayan Pilgrimage," through Dec. 19. Exhibition features sculpture and painting dating from the ninth to the eighteenth centuries and drawn from a private collection on long-term loan to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.  

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. < 

 

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM  

AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent exhibition of internationally renowned automobiles dated from 1897 to the 1980s. The cars are displayed as works of art with room to walk completely around each car to admire the workmanship. On long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution is a Long Steam Tricycle; an 1893-94 Duryea, the first Duryea built by the Duryea brothers; and a 1948 Tucker, number 39 of the 51 Tuckers built, which is a Model 48 "Torpedo'' four-door sedan.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"International Automotive Treasures," An ever-changing exhibit featuring over 90 automobiles.  

"A Journey on Common Ground," An exhibit of moving photographs, video and art objects from around the world exploring the causes of disability and the efforts of the Wheelchair Foundation to provide a wheelchair for every person in need who cannot afford one.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Free Public Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Docent-led guided tours of the museum's exhibitions. 

$5-$8; free for children ages 6 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. (925) 736-2280, (925) 736-2277, www.blackhawkmuseum.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of walking tours that explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran tour guide Gary Holloway. Walks are given on specific weekends. There is a different meeting place for each weekend and walks take place rain or shine so dress for the weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place will be given with confirmation of tour reservation. Call for details.  

678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848, www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.< 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing and films. 

"Beyond Blastoff: Surviving in Space," An interactive exhibit that allows you to immerse yourself into the life of an astronaut to experience the mixture of exhilaration, adventure and confinement that is living and working in space.  

"Chabot Observatories: A View to the Stars," Explore the history of the Chabot observatories and how its historic telescopes are used today. Daytime visitors can virtually operate a telescope, experiment with mirrors and lenses to understand how telescopes create images of distant objects and travel through more than a century of Chabot's history via multimedia kiosks, historical images and artifact displays.  

EVENTS --  

"Daytime Telescope Viewing," Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. View the sun, the moon and the planets through the telescopes during the day. Free with general admission. 

"Galaxy Explorers Hands-On Fun," Saturday, noon-4 p.m. The Galaxy Explorers lead a variety of fun, hands-on activities, such as examining real spacesuits, creating galaxy flipbooks, learning about telescopes, minerals and skulls and making your own comet. Free with general admission. 

"Live Daytime Planetarium Show," Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Ride through real-time constellations, stars and planets with Chabot's full-dome digital projection system. 

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free. Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org.< 

 

HABITOT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM A museum especially for children ages 7 and under. Highlights include "WaterWorks,'' an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library.  

$6-$7. Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Closed Sunday-Tuesday. 2065 Kittredge St., Berkeley. (510) 647-1111, www.habitot.org.< 

 

HAYWARD AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM The museum is located in a former post office and displays memorabilia of early Hayward and southern Alameda County. Some of the features include a restored 1923 Seagrave fire engine and a hand pumper from the Hayward Fire Department, founded in 1865; a Hayward Police Department exhibit; information on city founder William Hayward; and pictures of the old Hayward Hotel. The museum also alternates three exhibits per year, including a Christmas Toys exhibit and a 1950s lifestyle exhibit. 

EVENTS --  

50 cents-$1. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 22701 Main St., Hayward. (510) 581-0223, www.haywardareahistory.org.< 

 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM The museum's permanent collection includes objects of Jewish importance including ceremonial art, film and video, folk art and fine art, paintings, sculptures and prints by contemporary and historical artists. 

"Projections," Multimedia works from the museum's extensive collections of archival, documentary and experimental films. Located at 2911 Russell Street.  

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$4-$6; free for children under age 12. Sunday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. CLOSED APRIL 3-4 AND 9-10; MAY 23-24 AND 28; JULY 4; SEPT. 3, 13 AND 27; OCT. 4; NOV. 22; DEC. 24-25 AND 31. 2911 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 549-6950, www.magnes.org.< 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

"Scream Machines -- The Science of Roller Coasters, through Jan. 2. This head-spinning, stomach-churning exhibition for thrill-seekers features interactive exhibits, artifacts and images to explore.  

"Summer Fun Days," through Aug. 18. Become a raptor expert, learn the science of the trapeze, engineer the perfect boat or test the ice cream that you yourself make.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org.< 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org.< 

 

MEYERS HOUSE AND GARDEN MUSEUM The Meyers House, erected in 1897, is an example of Colonial Revival, an architectural style popular around the turn of the century. Designed by Henry H. Meyers,the house was built by his father, Jacob Meyers, at a cost of $4000.00. 

EXHIBITS --  

$3. Fourth Saturday of every month. 2021 Alameda Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-1247, www.alamedamuseum.org/meyers.html.< 

 

MUSEUM OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE VILLAGE A science museum with an African-American focus promoting science education and awareness for the underrepresented. The science village chronicles the technical achievements of people of African descent from ancient ties to present. There are computer classes at the Internet Cafi, science education activities and seminars. There is also a resource library with a collection of books, periodicals and videotapes. 

$4-$6. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, noon-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. 630 20th St., Oakland. (510) 893-6426, www.ncalifblackengineers.org.< 

 

MUSEUM OF CHILDREN'S ART A museum of art for and by children, with activities for children to participate in making their own art.  

ART CAMPS -- Hands-on activities and engaging curriculum for children of different ages, led by professional artists and staff. $60 per day.  

CLASSES -- A Sunday series of classes for children ages 8 to 12, led by Mocha artists. Sundays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

OPEN STUDIOS -- Drop-in art play activities with new themes each week.  

"Big Studio." Guided art projects for children age 6 and older with a Mocha artist. Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. $5.  

"Little Studio." A hands-on experience that lets young artists age 18 months to 5 years see, touch and manipulate a variety of media. Children can get messy. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5.  

"Family Weekend Studios." Drop-in art activities for the whole family. All ages welcome. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. $5 per child.  

FAMILY EXTRAVAGANZAS -- Special weekend workshops for the entire family.  

"Sunday Workshops with Illustrators," Sundays, 1 p.m. See the artwork and meet the artists who create children's book illustrations. Free. 

EVENTS --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For children ages 2-5. Free. 

"What the World Needs Now." through July 15. Exhibition features artwork by Bay Area children in grades K-12 on themes of social justice, community awareness and world peace, selected by a jury of artists, professionals and community leaders.  

Free gallery admission. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 538 Ninth St., Oakland. (510) 465-8770, www.mocha.org.< 

 

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Art a la Carte," Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. Art docents offer a variety of specialized tours focusing on one aspect of the museum's permanent collection. Free with museum admission.  

"Online Museum," Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Explore the museum's collection on videodisks in the History Department Library.  

Docent Gallery Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. 

"Explore our New Gallery," through Dec. 2. The new Gallery of California Art showcases more than 800 works from OMCA's collection-one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of California art in the world.  

"Gallery of California History," through Dec. 2. This new gallery is based on the theme of Coming to California.  

"Mini Okubo: Citizen 13660," through Aug. 1. Curated by Senior Curator of Art Karen Tsujimoto, this small exhibition of Okubo's poignant works on paper from the Museum's collection charts Okubo's odyssey.  

$5-$8; free for children ages 5 and under; free to all on the second Sunday of the month. Special events are free with museum admission unless noted otherwise. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510) 238-2200, www.museumca.org.< 

 

PACIFIC PINBALL MUSEUM  

"Pinball Fantasies," through June 30. Exhibition features works by Shane Pickerill.  

1510 Webster St., Alameda. www.pacificpinball.org.< 

 

PARDEE HOME MUSEUM The historic Pardee Mansion, a three-story Italianate villa built in 1868, was home to three generations of the Pardee family who were instrumental in the civic and cultural development of California and Oakland. The home includes the house, grounds, water tower and barn. Reservations recommended. 

EVENTS --  

$5; free children ages 12 and under. House Tours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays by appointment. 672 11th St., Oakland. (510) 444-2187, www.pardeehome.org.< 

 

SAN LEANDRO HISTORY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY The museum showcases local and regional history and serves as a centerpiece for community cultural activity. There are exhibits on Ohlone settlements, farms of early settlers, and contributions of Portuguese and other immigrants. There will also be exhibits of the city's agricultural past and the industrial development of the 19th century.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Yema/Po Archeological Site at Lake Chabot," An exhibit highlighting artifacts uncovered from a work camp of Chinese laborers, featuring photomurals, cutouts and historical photographs. 

Free. Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 320 West Estudillo Ave., San Leandro. (510) 577-3990, www.ci.sanleandro. ca.us/sllibrarymuseum.html.< 

 

SHADELANDS RANCH HISTORICAL MUSEUM Built by Walnut Creek pioneer Hiram Penniman, this 1903 redwood-framed house is a showcase for numerous historical artifacts, many of which belonged to the Pennimans. It also houses a rich archive of Contra Costa and Walnut Creek history in its collections of old newspapers, photographs and government records. 

EXHIBITS --  

$1-$3; free-children under age 6. Wednesday and Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; Closed in January. 2660 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek. (925) 935-7871, www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us.< 

 

SMITH MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, HAYWARD The museum houses significant collections of archaeological and ethnographic specimens from Africa, Asia and North America and small collections from Central and South America. The museum offers opportunities and materials for student research and internships in archaeology and ethnology. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Meiklejohn Hall, Fourth Floor, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward. (510) 885-3104, (510) 885-7414, www.isis.csuhayward.edu/cesmith/acesmith.html.< 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY  

"Native California Cultures," This is an exhibit of some 500 artifacts from the museum's California collections, the largest and most comprehensive collections in the world devoted to California Indian cultures. The exhibit includes a section about Ishi, the famous Indian who lived and worked with the museum, Yana tribal baskets and a 17-foot Yurok canoe carved from a single redwood.  

"Recent Acquisitions," The collection includes Yoruba masks and carvings from Africa, early-20th-century Taiwanese hand puppets, textiles from the Americas and 19th- and 20th-century Tibetan artifacts.  

"From the Maker's Hand: Selections from the Permanent Collection," This exhibit explores human ingenuity in the living and historical cultures of China, Africa, Egypt, Peru, North America and the Meditteranean. 

$1-$4; free for children ages 12 and under; free to all on Thursdays. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m. 103 Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 643-7648, www.hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu.< 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Tyrannosaurus Rex," A 20-foot-tall, 40-foot-long replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing.  

"Pteranodon," A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs.  

"California Fossils Exhibit," An exhibit of some of the fossils that have been excavated in California. 

Free. During semester sessions, hours generally are: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Hours vary during summer and holidays. Lobby, 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, #4780, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-1821, www.ucmp.berkeley.edu.< 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today, visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

SPECIAL EVENTS -- Closed on New Year's Day. 

"Living Ship Day," Experience an aircraft carrier in action, with simulated flight operations as aircraft are lifted to the flight deck and placed in launch position. Some former crewmembers will be on hand. 

"Flashlight Tour," Receive a special tour of areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that have limited access during the day. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda. (510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org.<

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries.  

"Shanghai," through Sept. 5. Exhibition features more than 130 artworks including oil paintings, Shanghai Deco furniture, revolutionary posters, works of fashion and more.  

"Japan's Early Ambassadors to San Francisco, 1860-1927," through Nov. 21. Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the ship Kanrin Maru and the first Japanese embassy to the United States, this thematic exhibit focuses on some of the first Japanese diplomats and cultural emissaries in San Francisco, and how they responded to the experience of being in America.  

$7-$12; free children under age 12; $5 Thursday after 5 p.m.; free to all first Sunday of each month. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. (415) 581-3500, www.asianart.org.< 

 

BEAT MUSEUM Formerly located on the California coast in Monterey, the Beat Museum now sits in historic North Beach. The Museum uses letters, magazines, pictures, first editions and more to explore the lives of leading beat figures such as Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady and many others. A gift shop and bookstore are open to the public free of charge. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"North Beach Walking Tour,", A 90-minute walking tour of North Beach with Beat Museum curator Jerry Cimimo. See the bars, coffeehouses, homes, and other Beat-related highlights of North Beach. Call for info. $15. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$4-$5. Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. CLOSED MONDAY. 540 Broadway, San Francisco. (800) KER-OUAC, www.kerouac.com.< 

 

CABLE CAR MUSEUM The museum is located in the historic Cable Car Barn and Powerhouse. Visitors can see the actual cable winding machinery, grips, track, cable and brakes, as well as three historic cable cars, photo displays and mechanical artifacts. The best way to get to this museum is by cable car; street parking is practically non-existent. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

Free. April 1-Sept. 30: daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 1-March 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1201 Mason St., San Francisco. (415) 474-1887, www.cablecarmuseum.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  

"Nightlife," Thursdays, 6 p.m. Every Thursday night, the Academy transforms into a lively venue filled with provocative science, music, mingling and cocktails, as visitors get a chance to explore the museum.  

"Where the Land Meets the Sea," Exhibition features sculpture by Maya Lin.  

BENJAMIN DEAN LECTURE SERIES --  

"Extreme Mammals," through Sept. 12. Exhibition features a far-reaching survey of members of the mammal family.  

$14.95-$24.95. Daily, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. (415) 379-8000, www.calacademy.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of monthly walking tours that explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran tour guide Gary Holloway. Walks take place rain or shine so dress for the weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place will be given with confirmation of tour reservation. Tour price includes admission to the Museum.  

MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent collection is made up of the Fine Arts Collection, consisting of 5,000 works of art that represent the history of California from pre-Gold Rush days to the early decade of the 20th century; and The Photography Collection, containing nearly a halfmillion images in an array of photographic formats documenting the history of California in both the 19th and 20th centuries. The Library and Research Collection contain material relating to the history of California and the West from early exploration time to the present including texts, maps, and manuscripts.  

"Landscape and Vision: Early California Painters from the Collections of the California Historical Society," open-ended. An exhibit of oil paintings including a large number of early landscapes of California, from the museum's collection.  

"Extreme Mammals," through Sept. 12. Exhibition explores mammals, from the towering to the tiny.  

"Think California," through Feb. 5. Exhibition features artworks, artifacts and ephemera exploring California's colorful history.  

$1-$3; free children under age 5. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-4:30 p.m. 678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848 X229, www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.< 

 

CARTOON ART MUSEUM  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"An Exploration of Cartoon Art," This exhibit explores the history of cartoon art including works from the most renowned and creative cartoonists of the last century. The exhibit traces the evolution of cartooning through its many forms including animation, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons and underground cartoons.  

CARTOONING CLASSES FOR KIDS -- Saturday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For children ages 6 to 14. Call for schedule. Free with admission. 

"60 Years of Beetle Bailey," through Sept. 19. Exhibition showcases the comics of Mort Walker.  

$2-$6; free children ages 5 and under; the first Tuesday of the month is paywhat-you-wish day. Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 655 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 227-8666, www.cartoonart.org.< 

 

CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA The CHSA Museum and Learning Center features a permanent exhibition, "The Chinese of America: Toward a More Perfect Union'' in its Main Gallery, and works by Chinese-American visual artists in its Rotating Galleries.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Leaders of the Band," An exhibition of the history and development of the Cathay Club Marching Band, the first Chinese American band formed in 1911. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$1-$3; free children ages 5 and under; free for all visitors first Thursday of every month. Tuesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m. 965 Clay St., San Francisco. (415) 391-1188, www.chsa.org.< 

 

CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM The museum, formerly known as the Jewish Museum San Francisco, has a new addition designed by Daniel Libeskind and is dedicated to exploring the richness and diversity of Jewish thought and culture.  

GALLERY TOURS -- Sunday and Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Free. 

"Jews on Vinyl," through Aug. 22. Exhibition showcases the history of Jewish recorded music from the 1940s to the 1980s.  

"As It Is Written: Project 304,805," through Oct. 3. Exhibition centers around a soferet (a professionally trained female scribe) who writes out the entire text of the Torah, at the Museum, over the course of a full year. She will be one of the few known women to complete an entire Torah scroll, an accomplishment traditionally exclusive to men.  

"Reinventing Ritual: Contemporary Art and Design for Jewish Life," through Oct. 3. The first major international exhibition to examine the reinvention of Jewish ritual in art and design.  

$4-$5; free for children under age 12; free third Monday of every month. Sunday -Thursday, noon-6 p.m. DEC. 25, NOON TO 4 P.M.; CLOSED JAN. 1. 736 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 655-7800, www.thecjm.org.< 

 

DE YOUNG MUSEUM The art museum has now reopened in a new facility designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron and Fong and Chan Architects in San Francisco. It features significant collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries; modern and contemporary art; art from Central and South America, the Pacific and Africa; and an important and diverse collection of textiles. 

ARTIST STUDIO PROGRAM -- Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. A monthly interactive program during which the public can meet and work with a featured artist. Demonstrations take place in the Kimball Education Gallery, which does not require paid admission. (415) 750-7634. 

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES --  

"Children's Workshops: Doing and Viewing Art and Big Kids-Little Kids," Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3 p.m. Family tour and art activity for ages 4-12. 

"Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay," through Sept. 6. Exhibition puts forth nearly 100 works by the famous masters who called France their home during the mid-19th century and from whose midst arose one of the most original and recognizable of all artistic styles, Impressionism.  

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors the first Tuesday of every month. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. (415) 863-3330, www.deyoungmuseum.org.< 

 

EXPLORATORIUM A hands-on museum of science, art and human perception.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Tactile Dome," ongoing installation. The dome is composed of many chambers, which are pitch black inside and full of different tactile sensations. The only way to find one's way through is by using the sense of touch. Reservations required. $12 includes museum admission.  

"Distorted Room," Watch your friends inside the room grow to twice their size by walking left to right or shrink to half their size by walking in the opposite direction. A series of geometric tricks and optical illusions in the room makes the brain think that people shrink and grow before one's eyes.  

"Play Lab," An area for children ages 4 and under, designed to help them develop their motor skills and exercise their imaginations and social skills.  

"Listen: Making Sense of Sound," This "ears-on'' exhibit helps visitors focus on subtle and profound aspects of hearing, experiment with new ways of listen deeply and carefully, and think about how others hear the world. 

OPENING -- "Geometry Playground," June 25 through Sept. 6. Explore giant 3d shapes, curved mirrors and more.  

OPENING -- "Geometric Threads," June 26 through Aug. 22. Experience geometry as found in traditional handicrafts and contemporar design as artisans demonstrate the mathematics in crafts across the globe.  

$9-$14; free children ages 4 and under. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dec. 24, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; CLOSED DEC. 25. 3601 Lyon St., San Francisco. (415) EXP-LORE, (415) 563-7337, (415) 561-0360, www.exploratorium.edu.< 

 

GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM The museum is a project of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) Historical Society. 

EVENTS --  

EXHIBITS --  

$2-$4. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. 657 Mission St., Suite 300, San Francisco. (415) 777-5455, www.glbthistory.org.< 

 

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN  

EVENTS --  

101 Howard Street, Suite 480, San Francisco. (415) 543-4669, www.imow.org/home/index.< 

 

LEGION OF HONOR MUSEUM DOCENT TOUR PROGRAMS -- Tours of the permanent collections and special exhibitions are offered Tuesday through Sunday. Non-English language tours (Italian, French, Spanish and Russian) are available on different Saturdays of the month at 11:30 a.m. Free with regular museum admission. (415) 750-3638.  

ONGOING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM --  

"Doing and Viewing Art," For ages 7 to 12. Docent-led tours of current exhibitions are followed by studio workshops taught by professional artists/teachers. Students learn about art by seeing and making it. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to noon; call to confirm class. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3658. 

ORGAN CONCERTS -- 4 p.m. A weekly concert of organ music on the Legion's restored 1924 Skinner organ. Saturday and Sunday in the Rodin Gallery. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3624. 

SPECIAL EVENTS -- In the Gould Theater unless otherwise noted. $4 after museum admission unless otherwise noted. (415) 682-2481. 

"Sunday Jazz Brunch," 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $21-$53. 

"Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine," Oct. 31. Exhibition explores the modern scientific examination of mummies providing new insights into the conditions under which the Egyptians lived, bringing us closer to understanding who they were.  

"Impressionist Paris: City of Light," through Sept. 26. Exhibition explores various aspects of life in and around the city in which artists came of age. Visitors to the exhibition are transported to Impressionist Paris as represented in over 150 prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, and illustrated books from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and several distinguished private collections.  

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors on Tuesdays. Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street, San Francisco. (415) 750-3600, (415) 750-3636, www.thinker.org.< 

 

MARKET STREET RAILWAY MUSEUM The museum will permanently display a variety of artifacts telling the story of San Francisco's transportation history, including dash signs, fare boxes, a famed Wiley "birdcage'' traffic signal and more. 

Free. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 77 Steuart St., San Francisco. (415) 956-0472, www.streetcar.org.< 

 

MEXICAN MUSEUM  

THE MEXICAN MUSEUM GALLERIES AT FORT MASON CENTER ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED --  

The Mexican Museum holds a unique collection of 12,000 objects representing thousands of years of Mexican history and culture within the Americas. The permanent collection, the Museum's most important asset and resource, includes five collecting areas: Pre-Conquest, Colonial, Popular, Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Latino, and Chicano Art. The Museum also has a collection of rare books and a growing collection of Latin American art. 

Fort Mason Center, Building D, Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 202-9700, www.mexicanmuseum.org.< 

 

MUSEO ITALOAMERICANO The museum, dedicated to the exhibition of art works by Italian and Italian-American artists, has a small permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper by such renowned artists as Beniamino Buffano, Sandro Chia, Giorgio de Chirico and Arnaldo Pomodoro.  

DOCENT TOURS -- Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free. 

CLOSING -- "From Toscana to Sonoma," through June 27. Exhibition features recent works by Douglas Gayeton.  

$2-$3; free children under age 12; free to all first Wednesday of the month. Wednesday-Sunday, noon -4 p.m.; first Wednesday of the month, noon-7 p.m. Fort Mason Center, Building C, Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 673-2200, www.museoitaloamericano.org.< 

 

MUSEUM OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY  

EXHIBITS --  

Free. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Humanities Building, Room 510, SFSU, Font Boulevard and Tapia Drive, San Francisco. (415) 405-0599, www.sfsu.edu/~museumst/.< 

 

MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND FOLK ART The museum, now open at a new downtown location, features craft and folk art from various cultures, both past and present, and includes styles ranging from utilitarian objects to contemporary art. 

"Clare Rojas: We They, We They," through Aug. 22. Where neo-folk meets contemporary art, artists operate as "authors'' of the collective voice. The new exhibition showcases the first solo exhibition of the Bay Area artist who identifies and inserts herself in the folk art continuum. MOCFA is proud to present new work that has yet to be seen by the public.  

$4-$5; free for youths under age 18. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 51 Yerba Buena Lane, Mission Street between Third and Fourth streets, San Francisco. (415) 227-4888, www.mocfa.org.< 

 

MUSEUM OF PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN  

EXHIBITS --  

Free. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue at McAllister, 4th Floor, San Francisco. (415) 255-4800, www.mpdsf.org.< 

 

MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA A new museum exploring and celebrating the influence of the African Diaspora on global art and culture through interactive, permanent and changing exhibits and special programs. The museum occupies the first three floors of the new St. Regis Hotel at Third and Mission streets.  

PERMANENT EXHIBITS --  

"Celebrations: Rituals and Ceremonies," "Music of the Diaspora,'' "Culinary Traditions,'' 'Adornment,'' "Slavery Passages,'' and "The Freedom Theater.'' 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Urban Kidz Film Series," Noon-3 p.m. An offshoot of the San Francisco Black Film Festival, featuring a striking assemblage of short and feature films designed to spark the imaginations of the 5-to-12-year-old set. $10 adults; children free. (415) 771-9271. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$5-$8; free children age 12 and under. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; CLOSED MARCH 13 THROUGH MARCH 21. 685 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 358-7200, www.moadsf.org.< 

 

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM LIBRARY (THE J. PORTER SHAW MARITIME LIBRARY) Closed on federal holidays. The library, part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, focuses on sail and steam ships on the West Coast and the Pacific Basin from 1520 to the present. The museum library holdings include a premiere collection of maritime history: books, magazines, oral histories, ships' plans and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park's 250,000 photographs. 

Free. By appointment only, Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., and the third Saturday of each month. Fort Mason Center, Building E, Third Floor, Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 560-7080, (415) 560-7030, www.nps.gov/safr/local/lib/libtop.html.< 

 

PACIFIC HERITAGE MUSEUM The museum presents rotating exhibits highlighting historical, artistic, cultural and economic achievements from both sides of the Pacific Rim. The museum features a permanent display documenting the history and significance of the Branch Mint and Subtreasury buildings. 

Free. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 608 Commercial St., San Francisco. (415) 399-1124.< 

 

RANDALL MUSEUM  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Earthquake Exhibit," Learn about plate tectonics. Make a small quake by jumping on the floor to make a "floor quake'' that registers on the seismometer in the lobby. See the basement seismometer that registers quakes around the world. Walk through a full-size earthquake refugee shack that was used to house San Franciscans after the 1906 earthquake that destroyed so many homes.  

"Creativity and Discovery Hand in Hand," A photography exhibit that gives visitors a look into the wide variety of programs the Museum offers in the way of classes, workshops, school field trips, and special interest clubs.  

"Toddler Treehouse," Toddlers may comfortably climb the carpeted "treehouse'' and make a myriad of discoveries, from the roots to the limbs.  

"Live Animal Exhibit," Visit with more than 100 creatures including small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, raptors and small birds, insects, spiders and tide pool creatures.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Saturdays Are Special at the Museum," Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A series of drop-in ceramics and art and science workshops. All ages are welcome, though an adult must accompany children under age 8. $3 per child, $5 per parent-child combination.  

"Bufano Sculpture Tours," first and third Saturdays of the month, 10:15 a.m. A tour of the giant animal sculptures of Beniamino Bufano. The sculptures were carved out of stone in the 1930s and include a giant cat and a mother bear nursing her cubs.  

"Animal Room," Visit some of the animals that live at the museum, including reptiles, raptors, tide pool creatures and small mammals.  

"Meet the Animals" Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. to noon. See the Randall's animals close-up and in person.  

"Animal Feeding," Saturdays, noon. Watch the animals take their meals.  

"Golden Gate Model Railroad Exhibit," Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

DROP-IN ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOPS -- 1-4 p.m. $3-$5.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Animal Feeding," Saturday, noon. 

"Third Friday Birders," 8 a.m. The hike through Corona Heights Park allows participants to enjoy the early morning views and learn more about the feathered inhabitants of the area. Children aged 10 and older if accompanied by adult. 

"Meet the Animals," Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. Learn about the animals that live at the Randall Museum. 

"Film Series for Teenagers," Fridays, 7 p.m. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," Saturday, 10:15-11:15 a.m. $5. 

"Meet the Animals," 11:15 a.m.-noon. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," Saturday, 1:15-2:15 p.m. 

"Golden Gate Model Railroad Exhibit," Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Free. All ages welcome; an adult must accompany children under age 8. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS. 199 Museum Way, San Francisco. (415) 554-9600, www.randallmuseum.org.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR MUSEUM The museum is located in the historic Cable Car Barn and Powerhouse. Visitors can see the actual cable winding machinery, grips, track, cable and brakes, as well as three historic cable cars, photo displays and mechanical artifacts. The best way to get to this museum is by cable car; street parking is practically non-existent. 

Free. October 1-March 31: Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; April 1-September 3-: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Closed on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 1201 Mason St., San Francisco. (415) 474-1887, www.cablecarmuseum.com.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK One of only a few "floating'' national parks, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park includes four national landmark ships, a maritime museum, a maritime library and a World-War-II submarine named the USS Pampanito.  

Entering the Pier is free but there is a fee to board the ships. The fee allows access to all ships and is good for seven days. $5; free children under age 16. May 28-Sept. 30: daily, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Oct. 1-May 27: Daily, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Foot of Hyde Street, San Francisco. (415) 561-7100, www.nps.gov.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND DESIGN A museum celebrating and promoting the art of contemporary craft and design. The museum showcases diverse exhibitions from regional, national and international artists, working in mediums such as wood, clay, fiber, metal and glass. 

EVENTS --  

"FourSite: 4 Artists, 4 Materials, 4 Sites," through Sept. 18. Artists Tanya Aguiniga, Paul Hayes, Tom Hill and Christine Lee transform the museum space with four distinct, large-scale installations of fiber, paper, metal and wood.  

$2-$4; free youths under age 18. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 550 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 773-0303, www.sfmcd.org.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Matisse and Beyond: The Painting and Sculpture Collection," This newly reconceived exhibition of SFMOMA's modern art collection features paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the first 60 years of the 20th century. Featured artists include: Joseph Cornell, Ellsworth Kelly, Yves Klein, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Andy Warhol and Paul Klee.  

"Between Art and Life: The Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Collection," This new presentation of the SFMOMA collection features works from the past five decades by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Gober, Eva Hesse, Anish Kapoor, Sherrie Levine, Brice Marden, Gordon Matta-Clark, Barry McGee, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg and Kara Walker.  

"The Art of Design: Selections from the Permanent Collection of Architecture and Design," The exhibit will feature 100 selections from their architecture, graphic design and industrial design collections on a rotating basis. It features classic works plus new designs by up-andcoming artists.  

"Picturing Modernity: Photographs from the Permanent Collection," Photography is possibly the quintessential modern art medium because its 160-year history corresponds almost exactly with Modernism's duration as a cultural movement. This exhibit looks at the photograph's unique pictorial ability and its ever-growing pervasiveness in modern culture, putting the medium in dialogue with paintings and other kinds of art.  

KORET VISITOR EDUCATION CENTER -- This facility includes multimedia display technology, "Pick Up and Go'' guides for adults and children, art videos, and a community art gallery created by participants in school, teen and family programs. Thursday, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Tony Labat's I Want You," The latest installment in the newly launched program series "Live Art at SFMOMA.'' The artist invites denizens of the Bay Area to make their own demands of the public which riffs on the iconic "I Want You'' army recruitment campaigns of World Wars I and II, he asks you what you would do if you had only one minute to seize the voice of authority, to be the finger-pointing Uncle Sam. 

"Dispatches from the Archives," through July 6. How does a museum best known for showing the work of others choose to publicly present itself?This presentation in the Koret Visitor Education Center showcases museumproduced ephemera, design pieces, and publications, while revealing the museum's long history of innovative programming and exhibitions. The materials are culled from SFMOMA's Library and Archives, which have recently processed and catalogued thousands of items spanning the museum's 75-year history. From exhibition posters and magazines to belt buckles and chocolate bars, the exhibition illustrates the story of an institution that cherishes the spirit of innovation.  

"The View from Here," through June 27. Just as photography has been instrumental in shaping California's popular image, the state -- and San Francisco, in particular -- has played a key role in the history of photography as an art form.  

CLOSING -- "Ewan Gibbs: San Francisco," through June 27. This suite of drawings, commissioned by SFMOMA, offers an evocative glimpse of San Francisco's urban landscape and landmarks.  

"Paul Klee: Three Exhibitions from the Djerassi Collection," through Aug. 1. Carl Djerassi's generous promise to give SFMOMA a substantial group of intimate works - mostly drawings, prints, and watercolors - by Paul Klee allowed the museum to begin in 1984 what would become an ongoing series of exhibitions devoted to this beloved artist.  

OPENING -- "Calder to Warhol," June 25 through Sept. 19. Exhibition showcases the quality of the Fisher Collection, much of which has never been seen by the public.  

$7-$12.50; half price on Thursdays after 6 p.m.; free for all visitors on the first Tuesday of every month. Monday, Tuesday and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m. 151 Third St., San Francisco. (415) 357-4000, www.sfmoma.org.< 

 

SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY AND MUSEUM  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Dance in California: 150 Years of Innovation," This permanent exhibit traces the history and artistic range of modern dance in California, with photographs and documents highlighting the achievements of Lola Montez, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, the Christensen brothers, the Peters Wright School, the company of Lester Horton, Anna Halprin and Lucas Hoving.  

"Maestro! Photographic Portraits by Tom Zimberoff," This permanent exhibit is a comprehensive study of a generation of national and international conductors. In Gallery 5.  

"San Francisco 1900: On Stage," In Gallery 4.  

"San Francisco in Song," In Gallery 3. 

Free. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1-5 p.m. San Francisco War Memorial Veteran's Building, 401 Van Ness Ave., Fourth Floor, San Francisco. (415) 255-4800, www.sfpalm.org.< 

 

SEYMOUR PIONEER MUSEUM The museum, owned by The Society of California Pioneers, houses a permanent research library, art gallery and history museum. Exhibits include a photography collection documenting California history. 

$1-$3. Wednesday-Friday and the first Saturday of the month, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth St., San Francisco. (415) 957-1859, www.californiapioneers.org.< 

 

TREGANZA ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY The museum, founded in 1968, houses collections of archaeological and ethnographic specimens from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and North America as well as small collections from Central and South America. There are also collections of photographs, tapes and phonograph records from Africa and Europe. In addition, there is an archive of field notes and other materials associated with the collections. The museum also houses the Hohenthal Gallery that is used for traveling exhibits as well as exhibits mounted by students and faculty. 

Free. Museum office: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; Hohenthal Gallery, SCI 388: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Science Building, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. (415) 338-2467, www.sfsu.edu/~treganza/.< 

 

WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM  

"Peter Pan," through June 27. Exhibiton features concept drawings, sketches, model sheets and much more.  

104 Montgomery St., San Francisco. (415) 345-6800, www.disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/index.html.< 

 

ZEUM Zeum is a technology and arts museum for children and families featuring exhibits and workshops that cover a variety of fascinating subjects. 

EVENTS --  

$6-$8. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. 221 Fourth St., San Francisco. (415) 820-3220, www.zeum.org.<

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, CENTRAL BRANCH  

"Bay Area Nature," through July 1. Photography by Satoko Myodo-Garcia.  

Free. Monday-Tuesday, noon-8 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. 2090 Kittredge St., Berkeley. (510) 981-6100, www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/.< 

 

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER  

"El Corazon de la Communidad: The Heart of the Community", Painted by Joaquin Alejandro Newman, this mural installation consists of four 11-foot panels that mix ancient Meso-American and contemporary imagery to pay homage to local activists Carmen Flores and Josie de la Cruz.  

Free unless otherwise noted. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 1637 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. (510) 535-5631.< 

 

CREATIVE GROWTH ART CENTER  

"Straight to the Bone," through July 23. Works by Regis-R, Prince of Plastic and Creative Growth artists.  

Free. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 355 24th St., Oakland. (510) 836-2340 X15, www.creativegrowth.org.< 

 

DAVID BROWER CENTER  

"Water, Rivers and People/ Agua, Rios y Pueblos," through Aug. 31. Exhibition depicts those who are fighting to defend rivers and the people who depend on them.  

2150 Allston Way, Berkeley. < 

 

FLOAT  

"Surrender," through July 31. Digital paintings by Android Jones and light sculptures by Michael Clarke.  

Free. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; by appointment. 1091 Calcot Place, Unit 116, Oakland. (510) 535-1702, www.thefloatcenter.com.< 

 

JOHANSSON PROJECTS  

"If Only ," through July 17. Works by Rune Olsen.  

Free. Thursday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. 2300 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 444-9140, www.johanssonprojects.com.< 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small: nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting, comparing, weighing and counting.  

"Kapla," The hands-on exhibit features thousands of versatile building blocks that can be used to build very large, high and stable structures and models of bridges, buildings, animals or anything else your mind can conceive.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org.< 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org.< 

 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ART AND DISABILITIES  

OPENING -- "Word Play," June 21 through Aug. 20. NIAD artists manipulate and repeat letters to create their own language, transform words into hybrid forms, utilize captions to tell a story, or their autograph can become a focal point of their work.  

551 23rd St., Richmond. (510) 620-0290, www.niadart.org.< 

 

OAKLAND ASIAN CULTURAL CENTER  

"Oakland's 19th-Century San Pablo Avenue Chinatown," A permanent exhibit of new findings about the rediscovered Chinatown on San Pablo Avenue. The exhibit aims to inform visitors about the upcoming archaeological work planned to explore the lives of early Chinese pioneers in the 1860s.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Pacific Renaissance Plaza, 388 Ninth St., Suite 290, Oakland. (510) 637-0455, www.oacc.cc.< 

 

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  

"Going Away, Coming Home," A 160-foot public art installation by Mills College art professor Hung Liu. Liu hand painted 80 red-crowned cranes onto 65 panels of glass that were then fired, tempered and paired with background panes that depict views of a satellite photograph, ranging from the western United States to the Asia Pacific Area. Terminal 2.  

Free. Daily, 24 hours, unless otherwise noted. Oakland International Airport, 1 Airport Drive, Oakland. (510) 563-3300, www.flyoakland.com.< 

 

OAKLAND MARRIOTT CITY CENTER  

"Spirits Known and Unknown," through July 31. Photographs of Kamau Amen-Ra.  

1001 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 451-4000.< 

 

REGAN NURSERY  

"Artists in the Garden," June 26 through June 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 22 artists display, sell and demonstrate a wide variety of artistic expressions, including original oil and watercolor paintings, photography, pottery, mosaics, fibert art, fused glass and jewelry making. (510) 797-3222, www.fremontartassociation.com. 

4268 Decoto Rd., Fremont. (510) 797-3222.< 

 

WOMEN'S CANCER RESOURCE CENTER  

CLOSING -- "Edible East Bay," through June 25. Works by Zina Deretsky, Kieren Dutcher, Rosalie Z. Fanshel and more.  

5471 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. <

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission.  

ONGOING PROGRAMS --  

"Blacksmithing," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Watch a blacksmith turn iron into useful tools.  

"Horse-Drawn Train," Thursday, Friday and Sunday. A 20-minute ride departs from Ardenwood Station and Deer Park.  

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. Help slop the hogs, check the henhouse for eggs and bring hay to the livestock.  

"Victorian Flower Arranging," Thursday, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Watch as Ardenwood docents create floral works of art for display in the Patterson House.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Potato Harvesting," Learn the spectacular history of this New World native as you dig with your spade and help find the spuds. 

"Horse-Drawn Train Rides," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet Jigs or Tucker the Belgian Draft horses that pull Ardenwood's train. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at Ardenwood Station or Deer Park. 

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs, check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

"Country Kitchen Cookin'," Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy the flavor of the past with treats cooked on Ardenwood's wood burning stove. Sample food grown on the farm and discover the history of your favorite oldtime snacks. 

"Toddler Time," Tuesdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Bring the tiny tots out for an exciting morning at the farm. Meet and learn all about a new animal friend through stories, chores and fun.  

"Barnyard Pictionary," June 19, 1-2 p.m. Test your artistic and guessing skills. 

"Got Milk? Not Without Those Dairy Cows," June 19, 11 a.m.-noon. Learn cool dairy cow facts and make a craft to take home. 

"Father's Day Ice Cream," June 20, 2-3 p.m. Celebrate Father's Day with a delicious treat. 

"Rope and Rhymes," June 27, 2-3 p.m. Learn to make rope and practice the double dutch. 

$1-$5; free children under age 4. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont. (510) 796-0199, (510) 796-0663, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

BAY AREA RAIL TRAILS A network of trails converted from unused railway corridors and developed by the Rails to Trails Conservancy.  

BLACK DIAMOND MINES REGIONAL PRESERVE RAILROAD BED TRAIL -- This easy one mile long rail trail on Mount Diablo leads to many historic sites within the preserve. Suitable for walking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Accessible year round but may be muddy during the rainy season. Enter from the Park Entrance Station parking lot on the East side of Somersville Road, Antioch.  

IRON HORSE REGIONAL TRAIL -- The paved trail has grown into a 23 mile path between Concord and San Ramon with a link into Dublin. The trail runs from the north end of Monument Boulevard at Mohr Lane, east to Interstate 680, in Concord through Walnut Creek to just south of Village Green Park in San Ramon. It will eventually extend from Suisun Bay to Pleasanton and has been nominated as a Community Millennium Trail under the U.S. Millennium Trails program. A smooth shaded trail suitable for walkers, cyclists, skaters and strollers. It is also wheelchair accessible. Difficulty: easy to moderate in small chunks; hard if taken as a whole.  

LAFAYETTE/MORAGA REGIONAL TRAIL -- A 7.65 mile paved trail converted from the Sacramento Northern Rail line. This 20-year old trail goes along Las Trampas Creek and parallels St. Mary's Road. Suitable for walkers, equestrians, and cyclists. Runs from Olympic Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette to Moraga. The trail can be used year round.  

OHLONE GREENWAY -- A 3.75-mile paved trail converted from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway. Suitable for walkers, strollers and skaters. It is also wheelchair accessible. The trail runs under elevated BART tracks from Conlon and Key Streets in El Cerrito to Virginia and Acton Streets in Berkeley.  

SHEPHERD CANYON TRAIL -- An easy 3-mile paved trail converted from the Sacramento Northern Rail Line. The tree-lined trail is gently sloping and generally follows Shepherd Canyon Road. Suitable for walkers and cyclists. It is also wheelchair accessible. Begins in Montclair Village behind McCaulou's Department Store on Medau Place and ends at Paso Robles Drive, Oakland. Useable year round. 

Free. (415) 397-2220, www.traillink.com.< 

 

BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL The Bay Area Ridge Trail, when completed, will be a 400-mile regional trail system that will form a loop around the entire San Francisco Bay region, linking 75 public parks and open spaces to thousands of people and hundreds of communities. Hikes on portions of the trail are available through the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Call for meeting sites.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

ALAMEDA COUNTY -- "Lake Chabot Bike Rides." These rides are for strong beginners and intermediates to build skill, strength and endurance at a non hammerhead pace. No one will be dropped. Reservations required. Distance: 14 miles. Elevation gain: 1,000 feet. Difficulty: beginner to intermediate. Pace: moderate. Meeting place: Lake Chabot Road at the main entrance to the park. Thursday, 6:15 a.m. (510) 468-3582.  

ALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA COUNTY -- "Tilden and Wildcat Bike Rides." A vigorous ride through Tilden and Wildcat Canyon regional parks. Reservations required. Distance: 15 miles. Elevation gain: 2,000 feet. Difficulty: intermediate. Pace: fast. Meeting place: in front of the North Berkeley BART Station. Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. (510) 849-9650. 

Free. (415) 561-2595, www.ridgetrail.org.< 

 

BICYCLE TRAILS COUNCIL OF THE EAST BAY The Council sponsors trail work days, Youth Bike Adventure Rides, and Group Rides as well as Mountain Bike Basics classes which cover training and handling skills.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Weekly Wednesday Ride at Lake Chabot," Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. A 13- to 20-mile ride exploring the trails around Lake Chabot, with 1,500 to 2,000 feet of climbing. Meet at 6:15 p.m. in the parking lot across from the public safety offices at Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. Reservations requested. (510) 727-0613.  

"Weekly Wednesday 'Outer' East Bay Ride," Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. Ride some of the outer East Bay parks each week, such as Wild Cat Canyon, Briones, Mount Diablo, Tilden and Joaquin Miller-Redwood. Meeting place and ride location vary. Reservations required. (510) 888-9757. 

Free. (510) 466-5123, www.btceb.org.< 

 

BLACK DIAMOND MINES REGIONAL PRESERVE Originally the home of several Native American tribes, white men began coal mining in the area in the 1860s. The preserve today features old mines and displays of the history of the area. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Father's Day Mine Open House," June 20, Noon-4:30 p.m. Join a tour to explore 1,000 feet of the Hazel-Atlas mine. 

"Sunset in the Hills," June 26, 7:30-10 p.m. Discover this landscape on a three-mile hike. 

Free unless otherwise noted; $5 seasonal parking fee on weekends. Daily, 8 a.m. to dusk Somersville Road, about five miles south of state Highway 4, Antioch. Information: (925) 757-2620, Tickets: (925) 555-1212, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

BOTANIC GARDEN  

EVENTS --  

"Introduction to Botanical Drawing for Kids," June 19, 10 a.m.-noon. Children age 8-12 can learn the basics of botanical drawing. $10-$15. 

Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley. www.ebparks.org.< 

 

COYOTE HILLS REGIONAL PARK The park is located on the shoreline of Fremont Bay and features rich wetland areas as well as Ohlone Indian shellmound sites. Hiking in the park allows scenic views of San Francisco Bay and southern Alameda County. The 12-mile Alameda Creek Trail runs from the Bay east to the mouth of Niles Canyon and features an equestrian trail as well as a bicycle trail; hikers are welcome on both. The park conducts naturalist programs and has a visitor center with a nature store and Ohlone, natural history and wildlife exhibits.  

SPECIAL EVENTS -- Free unless otherwise noted.  

"Learn to Construct a Tule Boat," June 6 and June 27, Jun. 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Jun. 27, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. On June 6, help gather tule, then see a slideshow on California tule boats. On June 27, build a three person tule boat and launch it for a paddle around the lake. 

"Celebrate Father's Day in the Stone Age," June 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Explore the lives of Paleolithic tribes. $10. 

"Panoramic Bay-View Hike," June 20, 3-5 p.m. Enjoy an energetic 2-mile round trip hike on the ridge of the hills. 

"Recycled T-Shirt Yarn," June 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn how to turn old clothing into new accessories. 

Free unless otherwise noted; A parking fee may be charged. Registration required for events. April through October: daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; October through April, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., unless otherwise posted. 8000 Patterson Pass Road, Fremont. (510) 636-1684, (510) 795-9385, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

CRAB COVE VISITOR CENTER At Crab Cove, you can see live underwater creatures and go into the San Francisco Bay from land. You can also travel back in time to Alameda's part. The goal is to increase understanding of the environmental importance of San Francisco Bay and the ocean ecosystem. Crab Cove's Indoor Aquarium and Exhibit Lab is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the East Bay. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Sea Siblings," Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Explore the natural world and take part in a theme related craft. Designed for the 3-5 year old learner. Registration is required. $4. (888) 327-2757. 

"Sea Squirts," 10-11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Discover the wonders of nature with your little one. Registration is required. $6-$8. 

"Catch of the Day," Sundays, 2-3 p.m. Drop by to find out more about the Bay and its wildlife through guided exploration and hands-on fun. 

"Return of the Terns," June 19, 11 a.m. Journey to the proposed Alameda Wildlife Refuge to view a nesting site teeming with several hundred pairs of endangered California least terns and their chicks. 

"Turtle Talk," June 20 and June 27, 1:30-2 p.m. Meet Esmeralda the threetoed box turtle. 

Free unless otherwise noted; parking fee may be charged. 1252 McKay Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-6887, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the 37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland. (510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org.< 

 

FIFTY-PLUS ADVENTURE WALKS AND RUNS The walks and runs are 3-mile round-trips, lasting about one hour on the trail. All levels of ability are welcome. The walks are brisk, however, and may include some uphill terrain. Events are held rain or shine and on all holidays except Christmas and the Fifty-Plus Annual Fitness Weekend. Call for dates, times and details. 

Free. (650) 323-6160, www.50plus.org.< 

 

FOREST HOME FARMS The 16-acre former farm of the Boone family is now a municipal historic park in San Ramon. It is located at the base of the East Bay Hills and is divided into two parts by Oak Creek. The Boone House is a 22-room Dutch colonial that has been remodeled several times since it was built in 1900. Also on the property are a barn built in the period from 1850 to 1860; the Victorian-style David Glass House, dating from the late 1860s to early 1870s; a storage structure for farm equipment and automobiles; and a walnut processing plant. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Public tours available by appointment. 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon. (925) 973-3281, www.ci.sanramon. ca.us/parks/boone.htm.< 

 

GARIN AND DRY CREEK PIONEER REGIONAL PARKS Independent nature study is encouraged here, and guided interpretive programs are available through the Coyote Hills Regional Park Visitor Center in Fremont. The Garin Barn Visitor Center is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In late summer, the Garin Apple Festival celebrates Garin's apple orchards. The parks also allow picnicking, hiking, horseback riding and fishing. 

Free; $5 parking fee per vehicle; $2 per dog. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 1320 Garin Ave., Hayward. (510) 562-PARK, (510) 795-9385, www.ebparks.org/parks/garin.htm.< 

 

GREENBELT ALLIANCE OUTINGS A series of hikes, bike rides and events sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance, the Bay Area's non-profit land conservation and urban planning organization. Call for meeting places. Reservations required for all trips.  

ALAMEDA COUNTY --  

"Self-Guided Urban Outing: Berkeley," This interactive smart growth walking tour of central Berkeley examines some of the exciting projects that help alleviate the housing shortage in the city as well as amenities important to making a livable community. The walk, which includes the GAIA Cultural Center, Allston Oak Court, The Berkeley Bike Station, University Terrace and Strawberry Creek Park, takes between an hour-and-ahalf to two hours at a leisurely pace. Download the itinerary which gives specific directions by entering www.greeenbelt.org and clicking on "get involved'' and then "urban outings.'' Drop down and click on Berkeley. Free. 

Free unless otherwise noted. (415) 255-3233, www.greenbelt.org.< 

 

HAYWARD REGIONAL SHORELINE With 1,682 acres of salt, fresh and brackish water marshes, seasonal wetlands and the approximately three-mile San Lorenzo Trail, the Hayward Shoreline restoration project is one of the largest of its kind on the West Coast, comprising 400 acres of marshland. Part of the East Bay Regional Park District. 

EVENTS --  

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 3010 W. Winton Ave., Hayward. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org/parks/hayward.htm.< 

 

HAYWARD SHORELINE INTERPRETIVE CENTER Perched on stilts above a salt marsh, the Center offers an introduction to the San Francisco Bay-Estuary. It features exhibits, programs and activities designed to inspire a sense of appreciation, respect and stewardship for the Bay, its inhabitants and the services they provide. The Habitat Room offers a preview of what may be seen outside. The 80-gallon Bay Tank contains some of the fish that live in the Bay's open waters, and the Channel Tank represents habitats formed by the maze of sloughs and creeks that snake through the marsh. The main room of the Center features rotating exhibits about area history, plants and wildlife. Part of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Exploring Nature," An exhibit of Shawn Gould's illustrations featuring images of the natural world. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Weekend Weed Warriors," 1-4 p.m. Help the shoreline to eliminate the non-native plants that threaten its diversity. Ages 12 and older. Registration required. 

"Nature Detectives," 11 a.m.-noon. An introduction and exploration of the world of Black-Crowned Night-Herons. Ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Registration required. 

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Join an expert birder to go "behind the gates'' to areas of the marsh that are not open to the public. 

"Father's Day Campout," June 19 through June 20, Saturday, 2 p.m.-Sunday, 11 a.m. Feat on BBQ and celebrate Dad's special day. Bring tents for this exclusive camping event.  

Free. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. (510) 670-7270, www.hard.dst.ca.us/hayshore.html.< 

 

JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE The site preserves the 1882 Muir House, a 17-room Victorian mansion where naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. It was here that Muir wrote about preserving America's wilderness and helped create the national parks idea for the United States. The house is situated on a hill overlooking the City of Martinez and surrounded by nine acres of vineyards and orchards. Take a self-guided tour of this well-known Scottish naturalist's home. Also part of the site is the historic Martinez Adobe and Mount Wanda.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Public Tours of the John Muir House, Begin with an eight-minute park film and then take the tour. The film runs every 15 minutes throughout the day. Wednesday through Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.  

MOUNT WANDA -- The mountain consists of 325 acres of grass and oak woodland historically owned by the Muir family. It offers a nature trail and several fire trails for hiking. Open daily, sunrise to sunset. 

JOHN MUIR HOUSE, Tours of this well-known Scottish naturalist's home are available. The house, built in 1882, is a 14-room Victorian home situated on a hill overlooking the city of Martinez and surrounded by nine acres of vineyards and orchards. It was here that Muir wrote about preserving America's wilderness and helped create the national parks idea for the United States. The park also includes the historic Vicente Martinez Adobe, built in 1849. An eight-minute film about Muir and the site is shown every 15 minutes throughout the day at the Visitor Center. Self guided tours of the Muir home, the surrounding orchards, and the Martinez Adobe: Wednesday-Sunday, 1 a.m.-5 p.m. Public tours or the first floor of the Muir home: Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations not required except for large groups.  

$3 general; free children ages 16 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 4202 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-8860, www.nps.gov/jomu.< 

 

KENNEDY GROVE REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 95-acre park contains picnic areas, horseshoe pits and volleyball courts among its grove of aromatic eucalyptus trees.  

$5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs Through September: daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante. (510) 223-7840, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

LAKE CHABOT REGIONAL PARK The 315-acre lake offers year-round recreation. Services include canoe and boat rental, horseshoe pits, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and seasonal tours aboard the Chabot Queen. For boat rentals, call (510) 247-2526. 

Free unless noted otherwise; $5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs. Daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 17930 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org.< 

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SHORELINE This 1,200-acre park situated near Oakland International Airport offers picnic areas with barbecues and a boat launch ramp. Swimming is not allowed. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Grove, a group of trees surrounding a grassy glade, is at the intersection of Doolittle Drive and Swan Way. The area also includes the 50-acre Arrowhead Marsh (part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network) and a Roger Berry sculpture titled "Duplex Cone,'' which traces the summer and winter solstice paths of the sun through the sky. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted Doolittle Drive and Swan Way, Oakland. (510) 562-PARK, Picnic reservations: (510) 636-1684, www.ebayparks.org.< 

 

MILLER-KNOX REGIONAL SHORELINE A 295-acre shoreline picnic area with a secluded cove and swimming beach, and a hilltop offering panoramic views of the north Bay Area. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted. 900 Dornan Dr., Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, Picnic Reservations: (510) 636-1684, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK The 3,849-foot summit of Mount Diablo offers great views of the Bay Area and an extensive trail system. Visitors to the park can hike, bike, ride on horseback and camp. Notable park attractions include: The Fire Interpretive Trail, Rock City, Boy Scout Rocks and Sentinel Rock, Fossil Ridge, Deer Flat, Mitchell Canyon Staging Area, Diablo Valley Overlook, the Summit Visitor Center (open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), the Art Gallery, the Observation Deck and the Mitchell Canyon Interpretive Center. 

Free. $6 per vehicle park-entrance fee; $5 for seniors. Daily, 8 a.m. to sunset. Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, from the Diablo Road exit off Interstate Highway 680, Danville. (925) 837-2525, www.mdia.org or www.parks.ca.gov.< 

 

OAKLAND ZOO The zoo includes a Children's Petting Zoo, the Skyride, a miniature train, a carousel, picnic grounds and a gift shop as well as the animals in site specific exhibits, which allow them to roam freely. Included are "The African Savanna,'' with its two huge mixed-animal aviaries and 11 African Savanna exhibits; the Mahali Pa Tembo (Place of the Elephant), with giraffes, chimpanzees and more than 330 other animals from around the world; "Simba Pori,'' Swahili for "Lion Country,'' a spacious 1.5-acre habitat offering both a savanna and woodland setting for African lions; "Footprints from the Past,'' an anthropology exhibit showcasing four million years of human evolution and an actual "footpath'' of the first hominids to emerge from the African savanna; "Sun Bear Exhibit,'' a stateof-the-art space the zoo has developed for its two sun bears; and Siamang Island, a state-of-the-art, barrier-free area that emulates the gibbons' native tropical rain forest habitat. Also see the Malayan Fruit Bats from the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Florida that are now roosting in trees at the zoo. In addition there are special exhibits and events monthly.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," The three-acre attraction offers a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and more. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

"Endangered Species," An exhibit of photographs about the most endangered animals on the Earth and what can be done to save them. At the Education Center. Open daily during zoo hours. ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The three-acre attraction will offer a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and more. Free with regular Zoo admission.  

"Wildlife Theater," Saturday, 11:45 a.m.; Sunday, 1:45 p.m. On Saturday mornings listen to a story and meet a live animal. On Sunday afternoon meet live animals and learn cool facts about them. Meet in the Lobby of the Zoo's Maddie's Center for Science and Environmental Education. Free with regular Zoo admission. (510) 632-9525, ext. 142. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$7.50-11; free children under age 2; $6 parking fee. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Knowland Park, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. (510) 632-9525, www.oaklandzoo.org.< 

 

PLEASANTON RIDGE REGIONAL PARK This 3,163-acre parkland is on the oak-covered ridge overlooking Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley from the west. A multi-purpose trail system accommodates hikers, equestrians and bicyclists. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Foothill Road, Pleasanton. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

POINT PINOLE REGIONAL SHORELINE The 2,315-acre parkland bordering Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo offers views of Mount Tamalpais, the Marin shoreline and San Pablo Bay. There are trails through meadows and woods, and along the bluffs and beaches of San Pablo Bay. Visitors can hike, ride bikes or take the park's shuttle bus to reach the 1,250-foot fishing pier at Point Pinole. 

$5 per vehicle; $4 per trailered vehicle; $2 per dog (guide/service dogs free). Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted. Giant Highway, Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

QUARRY LAKES REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The park includes three lakes sculpted from former quarry ponds. The largest, Horseshoe Lake, offers boating and fishing, with a swim beach that will open in the spring. Rainbow Lake is for fishing only, and the third lake, Lago Los Osos, is set aside for wildlife habitat. In addition, there are hiking and bicycling trails that connect to the Alameda Creek Regional Trail. The park includes three lakes sculpted from former quarry ponds. The largest, Horseshoe Lake, offers boating and fishing, with a swim beach that will open in the spring. Rainbow Lake is for fishing only, and the third lake, Lago Los Osos, is set aside for wildlife habitat. In addition there are hiking and bicycling trails that connect to the Alameda Creek Regional Trail. 

$5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs; boat launch fees; Park District fishing access permit fee of $3. Through Labor Day: daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sept. 6 through Sept. 30, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 2100 Isherwood Way,, between Paseo Padre Parkway and Osprey Drive,, Fremont. (510) 795-4883, Picnic reservations:: (510) 562-2267, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

REI BERKELEY A series of lectures on hikes and outdoor equipment. 

"Free Hands-on Bicycle Classes," June 13 and June 27, 11 a.m.-noon. Join an REI bike technician to learn how to keep your bike in top condition.  

"Car Camping Basics: Roughing it in Comfort," June 19, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn simple tips to make your car camping adventures full of comfort and fun.  

Events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 1338 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-4140.< 

 

ROBERT SIBLEY VOLCANIC REGIONAL PRESERVE East Bay residents have several volcanoes in their backyard. This park contains Round Top, one of the highest peaks in the Oakland Hills. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 6800 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

RUTH BANCROFT GARDEN One of America's finest private gardens, the Ruth Bancroft Garden displays 2,000 specimens from around the world that thrive in an arid climate. Included are African and Mexican succulents, New World cacti, Australian and Chilean trees, and shrubs from California. 

DOCENT TOUR SCHEDULE -- Saturdays, 10 a.m. Docent-led tours last approximately an hour and a half. Plant sales follow the tour. By reservation only. $7; free children under age 12.  

SELF-GUIDED TOURS -- Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-noon; Friday, 9:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. Self-guided tours last two hours. No reservations required for weekday tours; reservations required for Friday and Saturday tours. Plant sales follow the tours. $7; free children under age 12.  

Gardens open only for tours and special events listed on the garden's telephone information line. 1500 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. (925) 210-9663, www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.< 

 

SHADOW CLIFFS REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 296-acre park includes an 80-acre lake and a four-flume waterslide, with picnic grounds and a swimming beach. Water slide fees and hours: (925) 829-6230. 

$6 per vehicle; $2 per dog except guide and service dogs. May 1 through Labor Day: daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; shortened hours for fall and winter. Stanley Boulevard, one mile from downtown, Pleasanton. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

SULPHUR CREEK NATURE CENTER A wildlife rehabilitation and education facility where injured and orphaned local wild creatures are rehabilitated and released when possible. There is also a lending library of animals such as guinea pigs, rats, mice and more. The lending fee is $8 per week.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Toddler Time," Learn about animals by listening to stories and exploring. Themes vary by month. Call for schedule. $7 per family.  

"Day on the Green Animal Presentations," Meet an assortment of wild and domestic animals. Wildlife volunteers will present a different animal each day from possums to snakes, tortoises to hawks. Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 

CHILDREN'S EVENTS --  

Free. Park: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Discovery Center: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Animal Lending Library: Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1801 D St., Hayward. (510) 881-6747, www.haywardrec.org/sulphur_creek.html.< 

 

SUNOL REGIONAL WILDERNESS This park is full of scenic and natural wonders. You can hike the Ohlone Wilderness trail or Little Yosemite. There are bedrock mortars that were used by Native Americans, who were Sunol's first inhabitants. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Sunol Sunday Hike," Sundays, 1:30-3 p.m. A natural history walk in the wilderness. 

"Sunol Sunday Hike," Sundays, 1:30-3 p.m. A natural history walk in Sunol Regional Wilderness. 

"Dad's Day Mini Hike," June 20, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Celebrate Father's Day with a 3/4 mile long hike. 

"Daddy Creek Bugs," June 20, 2-4 p.m. Explore Alameda Creek in search of waterbug wonders. 

Free unless otherwise noted; $5 parking; $2 dog fee. Geary Road off Calaveras Road, six miles south of Interstate Highway 680, Sunol. (510) 652-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

TILDEN REGIONAL PARK This park is large and contains hiking trails, a golf course, a miniature scaled train to ride, The Brazilian Building and picnic areas. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Frondiferous Ferns," June 20, 2-3 p.m. Learn about these ancient pteridophytes. 

"Rock 'n' Roll at Wildcat Creek," June 27, 10-11:30 a.m. Learn about rocks and explore a riverbed. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entrances off Wildcat Canyon Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Berkeley. (510) 525-2233, www.ebparks.org.<

ASHKENAZ  

"I Like My Bike Night," First Friday of the month, 9 p.m. This monthly series brings bicycle innovators, enthusiasts, artists and organizations together under one roof, as well as encourages regular Ashkenaz show-goers to leave their cars in the driveway and arrive at the venue by bicycle instead. $8-$25.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.< 

 

AUCTIONS BY THE BAY  

"ArtiFacts: A Lecture Series for Collectors," Guest curators, scholars and conservation experts from throughout the Bay Area discuss the art of collecting. First Sunday of every month, 3 p.m. $7.  

Auctions by the Bay Theater-Auction House, 2700 Saratoga St., Alameda. (510) 835-6187, www.auctionsbythebay.com.< 

 

BAY AREA FREE BOOK EXCHANGE  

"Free Books," Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Donate your unwanted books and receive new titles for free.  

10520 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. (510) 526-1941, www.bayareafreebookexchange.com.< 

 

CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY AND LIBRARY  

"California Genealogical Society and Library Free First Saturday," 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Event takes place on the first Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Trace and compile your family history at this month's open house event. Free. www.calgensoc.org. 

2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland. (510) 663-1358.< 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of walking tours that explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran tour guide Gary Holloway. Walks are given on specific weekends. There is a different meeting place for each weekend and walks take place rain or shine so dress for the weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place will be given with confirmation of tour reservation. Call for details.  

678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848, www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.< 

 

CALIFORNIA MAGIC THEATER  

"Dinner Theater Magic Show," Friday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Enter the joyous and bewildering world of illusions and magic while chowing down on a home cooked meal. Each weekend features different professional magicians. Recommended for ages 13 and older. $54-$64 includes meal.  

729 Castro St., Martinez. (925) 374-0056, www.calmagic.com.< 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing and films. 

ASK JEEVES PLANETARIUM -- The planetarium features one of the most advanced star projectors in the world. A daily planetarium show is included with general admission. Call for current show schedule.  

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free. Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org.< 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the 37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland. (510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org.< 

 

FRANK OGAWA PLAZA  

"Oakland Artisan Marketplace," Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The City of Oakland and Cultural Arts & Marketing Department presents a weekly market featuring fine arts and crafts of local artists. Free. (510) 238-4948, www.oaklandartisanmarketplace.org. 

14th Street and Broadway, Oakland. < 

 

JACK LONDON AQUATIC CENTER  

"Oakland Artisan Marketplace,"' Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The City of Oakland and Cultural Arts & Marketing Department presents a weekly market featuring fine arts and crafts of local artists. Free. (510) 238-4948, www.oaklandartisanmarketplace.org. 

115 Embarcadero, Oakland. < 

 

JACK LONDON SQUARE  

"Dancing Under the Stars," June 18 and June 25, 8:30-10 p.m. The Linden Street Dance Studio provides free dance lessons to all at the foot of Broadway.  

"Leading Local Talent," June 18, 7 p.m. The producers of the Oakland Underground Film Festival bring to Jack London Square a special viewing of one of their favorite non-mainstream movies.  

"Fresh," June 26, 7-11 p.m. The producers of the Oakland Underground Film Festival present one of their favorite movies.  

"Dog Days of Summer," June 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Take your dog for a walk and join the Oakland SPCA in getting a photographic portrait of your pet.  

"Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Cooking Demonstration," June 27, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Chef Greg Mann demonstrates utilizing fresh seasonal ingredients.  

Foot of Broadway, Oakland. (866) 295-9853, www.jacklondonsquare.com.< 

 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER  

"Operation Small Axe," June 23, 7:30 p.m. Film documents the events surrounding Oscar Grant, Lovelle Mixon and POCC Minister of Information JR Valrey. Featuring filmmaker Adimu Madyun in a Q&A session. $8-$10.  

"Ohana," June 24, 7:30 p.m. Featuring Asian American music, poetry and performance. $5-$8. www.gostudiorama.com. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org.< 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

HOLT PLANETARIUM -- Shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Programs recommended for ages 6 and up unless otherwise noted. $2.50-$3 in addition to general admission.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org.< 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE Exploring cinema from the Bay Area and cultures around the world, the Pacific Film Archive offers daily film screenings, including rare and rediscovered prints of movie classics; new and historic works by world famous directors; restored silent films with live musical accompaniment; retrospectives; and new and experimental works. Check Web site for a full schedule of films.  

"First Impressions: Free First Thursdays," first Thursday of every month. Special tours and movie presentations. Admission is free. 

Single feature: $5-$8; Double feature: $9-$12 general. PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-5249, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu.< 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, MORRISON LIBRARY  

"Lunch Poems," First Thursday of the month, 12:10-12:50 p.m.  

2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-3671.< 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today, visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

SPECIAL EVENTS -- Closed on New Year's Day. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

"Flashlight Tour," Receive a special tour of areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that have limited access during the day. 

"Living Ship Day," Experience an aircraft carrier in action, with simulated flight operations as aircraft are lifted to the flight deck and placed in launch position. Some former crewmembers will be on hand. 

"Father's Day," June 20. Participate in mission briefings, see airplanes lifted to the flight deck and sit in a fighter jet cockpit. $6-$14.  

 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda. (510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org.<

ASHKENAZ  

Israeli Folkdancing featuring Adama, June 20, 2 p.m. $8.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.< 

 

ELKS LODGE, ALAMEDA  

"All You Can Dance Sunday Socials," Sunday, 4-6 p.m. Marilyn Bowe and Robert Henneg presents monthly socials with ballroom, swing, Latin and rock & roll themes. www.dancewithme.info. 

2255 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. (510) 864-2256.< 

 

JACK LONDON SQUARE  

"Dancing Under the Stars," June 18 and June 25, 8:30-10 p.m. The Linden Street Dance Studio provides free dance lessons to all at the foot of Broadway.  

Foot of Broadway, Oakland. (866) 295-9853, www.jacklondonsquare.com.< 

 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER  

"Burn This Disco Out," June 25, 8 p.m. Celebrate the life and music of Michael Jackson. $5-$10.  

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org.< 

 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW  

"Live Salsa," Wednesdays. An evening of dancing to the music of a live salsa band. Salsa dance lesson from 8:30-9:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

For ages 21 and older. 2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159, www.shattuckdownlow.com.< 

 

SOLAD DANCE CENTER  

"Persian Dance," Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 and 10 p.m. Rosa Rojas offers traditional dance classes. $10.  

Citrus Marketplace, 2260 Oak Grove Rd., Walnut Creek. (925) 938-3300.< 

 

STARRY PLOUGH PUB  

"Ceili and Dance," Traditional Irish music and dance. The evening begins with a dance lesson at 7 p.m. followed by music at 9 p.m. Mondays, 7 p.m. Free.  

For ages 21 and over unless otherwise noted. Sunday and Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082, www.starryploughpub.com.<

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission.  

ONGOING PROGRAMS --  

"Blacksmithing," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Watch a blacksmith turn iron into useful tools.  

"Horse-Drawn Train," Thursday, Friday and Sunday. A 20-minute ride departs from Ardenwood Station and Deer Park.  

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. Help slop the hogs, check the henhouse for eggs and bring hay to the livestock.  

"Victorian Flower Arranging," Thursday, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Watch as Ardenwood docents create floral works of art for display in the Patterson House.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Horse-Drawn Train Rides," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet Jigs or Tucker the Belgian Draft horses that pull Ardenwood's train. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at Ardenwood Station or Deer Park. 

"Country Kitchen Cookin'," Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy the flavor of the past with treats cooked on Ardenwood's wood burning stove. Sample food grown on the farm and discover the history of your favorite oldtime snacks. 

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs, check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

"Toddler Time," Tuesdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Bring the tiny tots out for an exciting morning at the farm. Meet and learn all about a new animal friend through stories, chores and fun.  

"Potato Harvesting," Learn the spectacular history of this New World native as you dig with your spade and help find the spuds. 

"Barnyard Pictionary," June 19, 1-2 p.m. Test your artistic and guessing skills. 

"Got Milk? Not Without Those Dairy Cows," June 19, 11 a.m.-noon. Learn cool dairy cow facts and make a craft to take home. 

"Father's Day Ice Cream," June 20, 2-3 p.m. Celebrate Father's Day with a delicious treat. 

"Rope and Rhymes," June 27, 2-3 p.m. Learn to make rope and practice the double dutch. 

$1-$5; free children under age 4. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont. (510) 796-0199, (510) 796-0663, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

BAY POINT LIBRARY  

"Monthly Craft Night," Last Friday of every month, 4-5 p.m. Each month features a different themed craft.  

Riverview Middle School, 205 Pacifica Ave., Pittsburg. (925) 458-9597.< 

 

BLACK DIAMOND MINES REGIONAL PRESERVE Originally the home of several Native American tribes, white men began coal mining in the area in the 1860s. The preserve today features old mines and displays of the history of the area. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Father's Day Mine Open House," June 20, Noon-4:30 p.m. Join a tour to explore 1,000 feet of the Hazel-Atlas mine. 

"Sunset in the Hills," June 26, 7:30-10 p.m. Discover this landscape on a three-mile hike. 

Free unless otherwise noted; $5 seasonal parking fee on weekends. Daily, 8 a.m. to dusk Somersville Road, about five miles south of state Highway 4, Antioch. Information: (925) 757-2620, Tickets: (925) 555-1212, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM  

AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent exhibition of internationally renowned automobiles dated from 1897 to the 1980s. The cars are displayed as works of art with room to walk completely around each car to admire the workmanship. On long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution is a Long Steam Tricycle; an 1893-94 Duryea, the first Duryea built by the Duryea brothers; and a 1948 Tucker, number 39 of the 51 Tuckers built, which is a Model 48 "Torpedo'' four-door sedan.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"International Automotive Treasures," An ever-changing exhibit featuring over 90 automobiles.  

"A Journey on Common Ground," An exhibit of moving photographs, video and art objects from around the world exploring the causes of disability and the efforts of the Wheelchair Foundation to provide a wheelchair for every person in need who cannot afford one.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Free Public Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Docent-led guided tours of the museum's exhibitions. 

$5-$8; free for children ages 6 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. (925) 736-2280, (925) 736-2277, www.blackhawkmuseum.org.< 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing and films. 

ASK JEEVES PLANETARIUM -- The planetarium features one of the most advanced star projectors in the world. A daily planetarium show is included with general admission. Call for current show schedule.  

"Astronaut," What does it take to be part of the  

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free. Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org.< 

 

CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND A fairy tale theme park featuring more than 30 colorful fantasy sets. Designed especially for children ages 10 and under, there are gentle rides, a train, the "Peter Rabbit Village,'' puppet shows, story-telling and lots of slides and animals. Admission price includes unlimited rides, special shows, guest entertainers and puppet shows.  

OLD WEST JUNCTION -- Children's Fairyland's newest attraction is a Wild West-themed town sized just for children, with a livery stable, bank, jail and a water tower slide.  

PUPPET SHOWS -- Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. All shows are at the Open Storybook Theatre. Free with regular Fairyland admission.  

ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER -- Activities on Saturday and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.  

ANIMAL OF THE DAY -- Saturday and Sunday, 1-1:20 p.m. at the Humpty Dumpty Wall. Learn about one of Fairyland's animal friends. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Animal of the Day!" Saturdays and Sundays, 1-1:20 p.m. Come up close and learn about Fairyland's creatures. 

"Arts and Crafts," Noon-3 p.m. Event features arts and crafts projects for children and their families. $6. 

"Lady Emerald," June 19 through June 20, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Jacqueline Lynaugh enchants guests of all ages with her stories and the magical sounds of her harp.  

"Mariposas," June 19 through June 20, 12:30 and 3 p.m. Woven from Latin American folktales about butterflies, "Mariposas'' tells stories of why the butterflies are silent, why they don't fly straight, and why they migrate each year. Created by the cast.  

"The Wind In The Willows," June 19 through June 20 and June 26 through June 20, 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. The story by Kenneth Graham of Mr. Toad, Badger, Mole and Ratty comes to life at Fairyland. It's up to Mr. Toad's friends to save the day when he gets into trouble. Will it work out in the end? Come to Fairyland and see. Puppets and script by Randal Metz, with scenery by Lewis Mahlmann.  

"The Fairyland Musicians," June 26 through June 27, 12:30 and 3 p.m. In this retelling of the brothers Grimm's classic story of the Bremen Town Musicians, a group of farm animals sets out to become a musical act.  

John Weaver, June 26 through June 27, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. The award-winning storyteller entertains with his lively, humor-filled stories for children of all ages.  

$6; free for children under age 1; $2 for a Magic Key. No adult admitted without a child and no child admitted without an adult. Summer (June through Labor Day): Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fall and Spring: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Winter: Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CLOSED DEC. 25-JAN. 4. 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-2259, www.fairyland.org.< 

 

COYOTE HILLS REGIONAL PARK The park is located on the shoreline of Fremont Bay and features rich wetland areas as well as Ohlone Indian shellmound sites. Hiking in the park allows scenic views of San Francisco Bay and southern Alameda County. The 12-mile Alameda Creek Trail runs from the Bay east to the mouth of Niles Canyon and features an equestrian trail as well as a bicycle trail; hikers are welcome on both. The park conducts naturalist programs and has a visitor center with a nature store and Ohlone, natural history and wildlife exhibits.  

SPECIAL EVENTS -- Free unless otherwise noted.  

"Learn to Construct a Tule Boat," June 6 and June 27, Jun. 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Jun. 27, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. On June 6, help gather tule, then see a slideshow on California tule boats. On June 27, build a three person tule boat and launch it for a paddle around the lake. 

"Panoramic Bay-View Hike," June 20, 3-5 p.m. Enjoy an energetic 2-mile round trip hike on the ridge of the hills. 

"Celebrate Father's Day in the Stone Age," June 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Explore the lives of Paleolithic tribes. $10. 

"Recycled T-Shirt Yarn," June 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn how to turn old clothing into new accessories. 

Free unless otherwise noted; A parking fee may be charged. Registration required for events. April through October: daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; October through April, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., unless otherwise posted. 8000 Patterson Pass Road, Fremont. (510) 636-1684, (510) 795-9385, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

CRAB COVE VISITOR CENTER At Crab Cove, you can see live underwater creatures and go into the San Francisco Bay from land. You can also travel back in time to Alameda's part. The goal is to increase understanding of the environmental importance of San Francisco Bay and the ocean ecosystem. Crab Cove's Indoor Aquarium and Exhibit Lab is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the East Bay. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Catch of the Day," Sundays, 2-3 p.m. Drop by to find out more about the Bay and its wildlife through guided exploration and hands-on fun. 

"Sea Squirts," 10-11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Discover the wonders of nature with your little one. Registration is required. $6-$8. 

"Sea Siblings," Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Explore the natural world and take part in a theme related craft. Designed for the 3-5 year old learner. Registration is required. $4. (888) 327-2757. 

"Return of the Terns," June 19, 11 a.m. Journey to the proposed Alameda Wildlife Refuge to view a nesting site teeming with several hundred pairs of endangered California least terns and their chicks. 

"Turtle Talk," June 20 and June 27, 1:30-2 p.m. Meet Esmeralda the threetoed box turtle. 

Free unless otherwise noted; parking fee may be charged. 1252 McKay Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-6887, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the 37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland. (510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org.< 

 

FOREST HOME FARMS The 16-acre former farm of the Boone family is now a municipal historic park in San Ramon. It is located at the base of the East Bay Hills and is divided into two parts by Oak Creek. The Boone House is a 22-room Dutch colonial that has been remodeled several times since it was built in 1900. Also on the property are a barn built in the period from 1850 to 1860; the Victorian-style David Glass House, dating from the late 1860s to early 1870s; a storage structure for farm equipment and automobiles; and a walnut processing plant. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Public tours available by appointment. 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon. (925) 973-3281, www.ci.sanramon. ca.us/parks/boone.htm.< 

 

HABITOT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM A museum especially for children ages 7 and under. Highlights include "WaterWorks,'' an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Waterworks." A water play gallery with rivers, a pumping station and a water table, designed to teach about water.  

"Little Town Grocery and Cafe." Designed to create the ambience of shopping in a grocery store and eating in a restaurant.  

"Infant-Toddler Garden." A picket fence gated indoor area, which includes a carrot patch with wooden carrots to be harvested, a pretend pond and a butterfly mobile to introduce youngsters to the concept of food, gardening and agriculture.  

"Dramatic Arts Stage." Settings, backdrops and costumes coincide with seasonal events and holidays. Children can exercise their dramatic flair here.  

"Wiggle Wall." The floor-to-ceiling "underground'' tunnels give children a worm's eye view of the world. The tunnels are laced with net covered openings and giant optic lenses. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$6-$7. Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Closed Sunday-Tuesday. 2065 Kittredge St., Berkeley. (510) 647-1111, www.habitot.org.< 

 

HALL OF HEALTH A community health-education museum and science center promoting wellness and individual responsibility for health. There are hands-on exhibits that teach about the workings of the human body, the value of a healthy diet and exercise, and the destructive effects of smoking and drug abuse. "Kids on the Block'' puppet shows, which use puppets from diverse cultures to teach about and promote acceptance of conditions such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, leukemia, blindness, arthritis and spina bifida, are available by request for community events and groups visiting the Hall on Saturdays.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"This Is Your Heart!" An interactive exhibit on heart health.  

"Good Nutrition," This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an Exercycle for calculating how calories are burned.  

"Draw Your Own Insides," Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies.  

"Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention," An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Suggested $3 donation; free for children under age 3. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-1564, www.hallofhealth.org.< 

 

HAYWARD SHORELINE INTERPRETIVE CENTER Perched on stilts above a salt marsh, the Center offers an introduction to the San Francisco Bay-Estuary. It features exhibits, programs and activities designed to inspire a sense of appreciation, respect and stewardship for the Bay, its inhabitants and the services they provide. The Habitat Room offers a preview of what may be seen outside. The 80-gallon Bay Tank contains some of the fish that live in the Bay's open waters, and the Channel Tank represents habitats formed by the maze of sloughs and creeks that snake through the marsh. The main room of the Center features rotating exhibits about area history, plants and wildlife. Part of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Exploring Nature," An exhibit of Shawn Gould's illustrations featuring images of the natural world. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Join an expert birder to go "behind the gates'' to areas of the marsh that are not open to the public. 

"Nature Detectives," 11 a.m.-noon. An introduction and exploration of the world of Black-Crowned Night-Herons. Ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Registration required. 

"Weekend Weed Warriors," 1-4 p.m. Help the shoreline to eliminate the non-native plants that threaten its diversity. Ages 12 and older. Registration required. 

Free. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. (510) 670-7270, www.hard.dst.ca.us/hayshore.html.< 

 

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE EAST BAY  

"Shabbat Celebration for Young Children," Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Join other families with young children to sharethis weekly Jewish holiday of joy and renewal.  

1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. (510) 848-0237, www.jcceastbay.org/.< 

 

JUNIOR CENTER OF ART AND SCIENCE A center dedicated to encouraging children's active wonder and creative response through artistic and scientific exploration of their natural urban environment. The center's classes, workshops, exhibits and events integrate art and science.  

EXHIBITS -- Three educational exhibits are mounted in the "Children's Gallery'' each year. A docent-led tour, demonstrations, hands-on activities and art projects are available to school groups throughout the year.  

"Jake's Discovery Garden," Jake's Discovery Garden is a new interactive studio exhibit designed for preschool-aged children and their adult caregivers that teaches young visitors about the natural environments found in their backyards, playgrounds and neighborhoods. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

Free; programs and special exhibits have a fee. September through May: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June through August: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 558 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. (510) 839-5777, www.juniorcenter.org.< 

 

LAKE CHABOT REGIONAL PARK The 315-acre lake offers year-round recreation. Services include canoe and boat rental, horseshoe pits, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and seasonal tours aboard the Chabot Queen. For boat rentals, call (510) 247-2526. 

Free unless noted otherwise; $5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs. Daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 17930 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small: nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting, comparing, weighing and counting.  

 

HOLT PLANETARIUM Shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Programs recommended for ages 6 and up unless otherwise noted. $2.50-$3 in addition to general admission.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org.< 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org.< 

 

THE MARSH BERKELEY  

"The World's Funniest Bubble Show," through June 27, Sunday, 11 a.m. Bubble Man Louis Pearl presents his fun and family-friendly antics. $7-$50.  

The Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Info: (415) 826-5750, Tickets: (800) 838-3006, www.themarsh.org.< 

 

MUSEUM OF CHILDREN'S ART A museum of art for and by children, with activities for children to participate in making their own art.  

ART CAMPS -- Hands-on activities and engaging curriculum for children of different ages, led by professional artists and staff. $60 per day.  

CLASSES -- A Sunday series of classes for children ages 8 to 12, led by Mocha artists. Sundays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

OPEN STUDIOS -- Drop-in art play activities with new themes each week.  

"Big Studio." Guided art projects for children age 6 and older with a Mocha artist. Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. $5.  

"Little Studio." A hands-on experience that lets young artists age 18 months to 5 years see, touch and manipulate a variety of media. Children can get messy. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5.  

"Family Weekend Studios." Drop-in art activities for the whole family. All ages welcome. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. $5 per child.  

FAMILY EXTRAVAGANZAS -- Special weekend workshops for the entire family.  

"Sunday Workshops with Illustrators," Sundays, 1 p.m. See the artwork and meet the artists who create children's book illustrations. Free. 

EVENTS --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For children ages 2-5. Free. 

SPECIAL EVENT --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For ages 2-5. Free. 

Free gallery admission. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 538 Ninth St., Oakland. (510) 465-8770, www.mocha.org.< 

 

OAKLAND ZOO The zoo includes a Children's Petting Zoo, the Skyride, a miniature train, a carousel, picnic grounds and a gift shop as well as the animals in site specific exhibits, which allow them to roam freely. Included are "The African Savanna,'' with its two huge mixed-animal aviaries and 11 African Savanna exhibits; the Mahali Pa Tembo (Place of the Elephant), with giraffes, chimpanzees and more than 330 other animals from around the world; "Simba Pori,'' Swahili for "Lion Country,'' a spacious 1.5-acre habitat offering both a savanna and woodland setting for African lions; "Footprints from the Past,'' an anthropology exhibit showcasing four million years of human evolution and an actual "footpath'' of the first hominids to emerge from the African savanna; "Sun Bear Exhibit,'' a stateof-the-art space the zoo has developed for its two sun bears; and Siamang Island, a state-of-the-art, barrier-free area that emulates the gibbons' native tropical rain forest habitat. Also see the Malayan Fruit Bats from the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Florida that are now roosting in trees at the zoo. In addition there are special exhibits and events monthly.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," The three-acre attraction offers a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and more. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

"Endangered Species," An exhibit of photographs about the most endangered animals on the Earth and what can be done to save them. At the Education Center. Open daily during zoo hours. ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The three-acre attraction will offer a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and more. Free with regular Zoo admission.  

"Wildlife Theater," Saturday, 11:45 a.m.; Sunday, 1:45 p.m. On Saturday mornings listen to a story and meet a live animal. On Sunday afternoon meet live animals and learn cool facts about them. Meet in the Lobby of the Zoo's Maddie's Center for Science and Environmental Education. Free with regular Zoo admission. (510) 632-9525, ext. 142. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$7.50-11; free children under age 2; $6 parking fee. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Knowland Park, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. (510) 632-9525, www.oaklandzoo.org.< 

 

POINT PINOLE REGIONAL SHORELINE The 2,315-acre parkland bordering Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo offers views of Mount Tamalpais, the Marin shoreline and San Pablo Bay. There are trails through meadows and woods, and along the bluffs and beaches of San Pablo Bay. Visitors can hike, ride bikes or take the park's shuttle bus to reach the 1,250-foot fishing pier at Point Pinole. 

$5 per vehicle; $4 per trailered vehicle; $2 per dog (guide/service dogs free). Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted. Giant Highway, Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

ROBERT SIBLEY VOLCANIC REGIONAL PRESERVE East Bay residents have several volcanoes in their backyard. This park contains Round Top, one of the highest peaks in the Oakland Hills. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 6800 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

SCHARFFEN BERGER CHOCOLATE FACTORY This hour-long tour covers the history of chocolate making, from the cultivation of cacao beans to the finished product. After a chocolate tasting, visitors take a walking tour of the factory floor. Open to children 10 and up. Reservations required. 

Free with reservation. Every hour on the half-hour, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 914 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 981-4066, www.scharffenbergertour.com.< 

 

SHADOW CLIFFS REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 296-acre park includes an 80-acre lake and a four-flume waterslide, with picnic grounds and a swimming beach. Water slide fees and hours: (925) 829-6230. 

$6 per vehicle; $2 per dog except guide and service dogs. May 1 through Labor Day: daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; shortened hours for fall and winter. Stanley Boulevard, one mile from downtown, Pleasanton. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

SULPHUR CREEK NATURE CENTER A wildlife rehabilitation and education facility where injured and orphaned local wild creatures are rehabilitated and released when possible. There is also a lending library of animals such as guinea pigs, rats, mice and more. The lending fee is $8 per week.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Toddler Time," Learn about animals by listening to stories and exploring. Themes vary by month. Call for schedule. $7 per family.  

"Day on the Green Animal Presentations," Meet an assortment of wild and domestic animals. Wildlife volunteers will present a different animal each day from possums to snakes, tortoises to hawks. Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 

CHILDREN'S EVENTS --  

Free. Park: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Discovery Center: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Animal Lending Library: Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1801 D St., Hayward. (510) 881-6747, www.haywardrec.org/sulphur_creek.html.< 

 

TILDEN REGIONAL PARK This park is large and contains hiking trails, a golf course, a miniature scaled train to ride, The Brazilian Building and picnic areas. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Frondiferous Ferns," June 20, 2-3 p.m. Learn about these ancient pteridophytes. 

"Rock 'n' Roll at Wildcat Creek," June 27, 10-11:30 a.m. Learn about rocks and explore a riverbed. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entrances off Wildcat Canyon Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Berkeley. (510) 525-2233, www.ebparks.org.< 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today, visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

"Living Ship Day," Experience an aircraft carrier in action, with simulated flight operations as aircraft are lifted to the flight deck and placed in launch position. Some former crewmembers will be on hand. 

"Flashlight Tour," Receive a special tour of areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that have limited access during the day. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda. (510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org.<

Never let it be said that our Bay Area lacks exciting and mostly free activities during the long summer months. Far from it, as you'll see from the sampling of just a few events available in June and July. 

 

On June 14, at 7 p.m., the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West will present a free concert at Chabot College Performing Arts Center, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward. 

 

For theatre lovers, local playwright Judith Offer is presenting "Scenes From The Life of Julia Morgan" on three Wednesday afternoons (June 16, 23 and 30) at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Avenue, now celebrating its 80th Anniversary. This hour-long reading, well researched by the author, has a number of parts and volunteer actors will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. The play is preceded by an optional lunch on the Terrace. Reservations can be made at (510) 848-7800. 

 

The Oakland East Bay Symphony, under the direction of Michael Morgan, performs a special Independence Day Celebration, with fireworks, on Saturday, July 3, 7 p.m. at the Craneway Pavilion located on the Richmond Waterfront with its breathtaking views of the the San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland skylines. For tickets, call (510) 444-0801. 

 

Ever wanted to visit Alcatraz Island? If so, the Emeryville Senior Center has scheduled a trip to the "Rock" on Wednesday, July 28, leaving the Center, 4321 Salem Street, at 9 a.m. The cost is $30.00. For reservations, call 

(510) 596-3730. 

 

For a wonderful outdoor experience, you might want to join the Emeryville Senior Center for one or all three free concerts at Stern Grove, 2 p.m. (June 27, Hawaiian Art; July 11, San Francisco Symphony; August 1 (San Francisco Ballet). The cost for transportation is a mere $5.00. Call the Center for reservations (510) 596-3730. 

 

Dan Hoyle, Bay Area writer/performer will reprise his acclaimed solo work, "Tings Dey Happen" on July l at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison Street. (510) 647-2949. 

 

For a truly delightful evening and unique dining experience, we suggest you drop in at Cafe Leila, 1724 San Pablo Avenue at Francisco in Berkeley. This charming restaurant serves excellent food and, on weekends, presents live music. It has lovely garden dining and, best of all, a large parking lot. This past Friday evening, Tom Romningen, an 11- year old flutist extraordinaire, played with a jazz combo before a sold out audience and brought down the house. Talk about talent -- this adorable kid has it! For reservations call (510) 525-7544. 

 

Still think there's nothing to do in the Bay Area in the Summer? Come on, there's clearly plenty out there, as evidenced above.