FRIDAY, JAN. 12 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Dr. Warren Winklstein, “Science and the Heavy Hand of Government” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

“China Blue” Screening of the documentary which won the Amnesty International Human Rights Award, at 7:30 p.m. with post-film discussion with director Micha Peled, at The College Preparatory School Buttner Auditorium at 6100 Broadway, at Brookside, Oakland. 658-5202. 

“Wind Over Water” A documentary on the offshore wind farm proposal for Cape Cod, and “Out of Balance” the impact on climate change of ExxonMobil, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5 acccepted. www.HumanistHall.net 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

“Problems and Decisions” Learn about how indecision causes stress at 7 p.m. the Berkeley Dianetics Center, 63 Shattuck Square. 280-4690. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 13 

African American Health Expo with free health screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations, information on services for youth and seniors, and more, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Oakland Mariott City Center, 1001 Broadway, Oakland. 763-7270. www.babuf.org 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Bare Root Roses for Bay Area Gardens” with Sandy Morrill at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways Books, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Nature on an Urban Fringe Explore the Berkeley Meadow of the Eastshore State Park on a 2.5 mile hike from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For information and meeting place call 525-2233. 

Solo Sierrans Bike Trip at the Marina Join us for an easy 4 mile round trip bike ride on a paved trail. All levels of riders welcome. Meet at 1 p.m. in front of Emeryville Clipper Club, 5 Captain Dr., Emeryville. RSVP to 923-1094. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Healthful Resolutions” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $45, plus $5 materials fee. To register call 531-2665. www.compassionatecooks.com 

“Hearing Each Other, Hearing Ourselves” with Quaker Sara Wolcott sharing her election work in Ohio during the 2004 election at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. 841-4824. 

Great War Society East Bay Chapter meets to discuss “Alsace-Lorraine, 1914-18” by Robert Denison at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. 527-7118. 

“How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Financial Success” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.at Piedmont Adult School, 800 Magnolia Ave., Piedmont. Cost is $40. To register call 595-8173. www.piedmontadultschool.org 

Seminar on Osteoarthritis of the Knee at 9:45 p.m. at Mercy Retirement & Care Center, 3431 Foothill Boulevard, Oakland. Free. 534-8540. 

“Weigh to Be” Understanding your metabolism at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Studio Rasa Open House with drop-in classes and live music at 933 Parker St. Cost is $20 for the day. 843-2787. www.studiorasa.org 

Berkeley Bears Girls Fast Pitch Softball Tryouts, Sat. and Sun. at Clayton Valley High School in Concord. For details call 682-3759. www.berkeleybearssoftball.com  

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Petite Pooches Playgroup for small dogs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one block north of Solano on Ensenada at Talbot. 524-2459. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 14 

“An Evening with Barbara Becnel” Anti-death penalty activist at Green Sunday at 5 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave at 65th, Oakland.  

“Open Garden” Join the Little Farm gardener for composting, planting, watering and reaping the rewards of our work, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cancelled only by heavy rain. 525-2233.  

“Life at the Little Farm” A puppet show and sing along for the whole family at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Winter Wildlife Hike Join naturalist Tara Reinertson to look for winter birds and explore the pebble beaches and salt marshes of Pt. Pinole, from 2 to 4 p.m. For meeting place call 525-2233. 

El Cerrito Historical Society Annual Meeting with speaker Wayne Westover, retired Contra Costa County Superior Court judge. Pot luck lunch at 1 p.m. at the El Cerrito Senior Center, located behind the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7507. 

Balinese Dance for Children begins at 11 a.m. at Ashkenaz Community Center, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $7 per class. 237-6849. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712.  

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Motivation to Change” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, JAN. 15 

“A Day On, Not Off” A guided walk along the shoreline with opportunity to help with planting and restoration at 8:30 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Garretson Point off Edgewater Drive, Oakland. 521-6887.  

Embracing the Dream Father and Son Breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Eastside Club, McAfee Coliseum, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. Cost is $20, with opportunities to sponosr a young man For information call 633-5133. 

“Make the Dream Real” at 10 a.m. at Taylor Memorial Methodist Church, 1188 12th St. at Adeline, Oakland. 652-5530. 

Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a youth talent show from 2 to 5 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. 238-7217. 

Celebrate Martin Luther King Day with activities from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum, 2065 Kittredge. Cost is $6 per child, $5 per adult. 647-1111. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, JAN. 16 

Tuesday is for the Birds An early morning walk for birders through Bay Area parklands. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. This week we will visit Claremont Canyon. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

Berkeley Garden Club meets at 2 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. The topic will be “The Treasures of Mount Diablo” with Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs. 845-4482. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 6 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 594-5165, blackstonea@usa.redcross.org 

Sustainable Peralta Film Festival Films on environmental justice at 6:15 p.m. at Laney College, Oakland, followed by panel discussion on California’s Clean Air Campaign. Free. www.peralta.edu/sustainable 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Discussion Salon on Modern China at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about our feathered friends from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Tilden Mini-Rangers An afterschool programfrom 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for ages 8-12 on conservation and nature-based activities. Dress to get dirty. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code ELEPHANT) 

“Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” Byron Hurt’s documentary at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Panel discussion with the filmmaker follows. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

Albany Library Evening Book Club meets to discuss “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson at 7 p.m. at The Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

New to DVD “The Descent” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Balinese Music & Dance Workshops in gamelan angklung begins at 5:15 at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. # 290, Oakland. Cost is $12 per class or $40 per month. To register call. 237-6849. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. 848-1704.  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, JAN. 18 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about our feathered friends from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Bringing the Condors Home” a lecture by Joe Burnett, senior wildlife biologist at the Ventana Wildlife Society, at 12:30 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts.. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

Sustainable Peralta Film Festival at 6 p.m. at Laney College, Oakland. Free. www.peralta.edu/sustainable 

“Wings in the Night: A Celebration of Bats” with Patricia Winters of the California Bat Conservation Fund at 7 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, between Solano and Marin. Sponsored by The Golden Gate Audubon Society. 843-2222. 

Teen Book Club meets to discuss the most boring and most shocking books we’ve read at 4:30 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6107. 

Avatar Metaphysical Toastasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline. namaste@avatar.freetoasthost.info  

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

ONGOING 

Berkeley Winter Campaign for Cats We are providing free trapping assistance and spay/neuter to feral and homeless cats in Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont, through March 2007. The cats will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas and returned safely back to their neighborhoods. To report a neighborhood in need or to volunteer, please contact Caitlin at 908-0709, Winterspay2006@yahoo.com 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Jan.16, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed.,Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601.  

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Jan. 17, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7550.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed. Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Kristen Lee, 981-5427.  

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed., Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6195. 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Thurs. Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 644-6128 ext. 113.  

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs. Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400. 

FRIDAY, JAN. 12 

THEATER 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” at 8 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way and runs Thurs.-Sat. through Jan. 27. Tickets are $15-$22. 800-838-3006. 

Rough and Tumble “43 Plays for 43 Presidents” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Eucid Ave. through Jan. 27. Tickets are $15-$20. 499-0356. www.randt.org 

Shotgun Players “The Forest War” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., extended through Jan 28. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Starlight Circle Players “Dead Men Tell No Tales” A piratical musical at 8 p.m. Fri.-Sun., through Jan. 21, at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Tickets are $10-$25. 647-5268. 

FILM 

The Lubitsch Touch “Lady Windermere’s Fan” with Bruce Loeb on piano at 7 p.m., and “The Shop Around the Corner” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash presents Sandra M. Gilbert reading from “Belongings” and Willa Schenberg reading from “Storytelling in Cambodia” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Arias From “X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X” in honor of the inauguration of Ron Dellums at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 201 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $20. www.oaklandopera.org 

The Crucible’s Fire Ballet “Romeo and Juliet” Wed. - Sat. at 8:30 p.m. at 1260 7th St., Oakland, through Jan. 20. Tickets are $30-$55. 444-0919. www.thecrucible.org 

Ras Midas & Root Awakening in a MLK Day Reggae Celebration at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dan Zemelman Quartet, original and traditional jazz 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $15 at the door. www.hillsideclub.org 

Julian Pollack, pianist, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

E.W. Wainwright Tribute to Max Roach at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Atmos Trio, jazz, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Rebecca Riots at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Rebecca Griffin Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Victor Krummenacher, Jonathan Segel, Mia & Jonah at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Arnocorps, Judgement Day, Cookie Mongoloid at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

A Night of Voices with stories by Matt Holdaway and music by Cervantes, Isabellas, River of Rust at 9:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Low Red Land at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Sunhouse at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159.  

Wayward Monks at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Gerald Albright at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, JAN. 13 

CHILDREN  

Storytelling Worshop on “Abuela” by Arthur Dorros, for ages 7-10 at 2 p.m. in the Story Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6224. 

Andy Z at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 10th St., at Gilman. Cost is $7. 526-9888. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Can We Spare Some Change? - A Change in Attitude” Paintings by Milton Bowens. Exhibition Closing Reception at 6:30 p.m. at African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St. Oakland. 637-0200. 

“New Beginnings” The art of Vesta Kirby and others opens with a reception at 6 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sat. noon to 5 p.m. 644-4930. 

Deborah Muse “Paintings and Quilts” Reception for the artist at 4 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Exhibition runs to Feb. 24. 849-2568. 

“Passages and Packages: Messages of Our Mothers” opens at 7 p.m. at Rock Paper Scissors, 492 23rd St., Oakland. www.weekendwakeup.com 

“Fire in the Heart” Paintings by Foad Satterfield influenced by African art. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Community Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. Exhibition runs through March 2. 204-1667. 

“Watercolors of Oakland” by Alan Leon Reception at 2 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Lakeview Branch, 550 El Embarcadero, Oakland. 238-7344. 

FILM 

“Dodes Ka-den” Akira Kurosawa’s 1970 film of Tokyo slum dwellers, at 3:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, Third flr. Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6139. 

A Theater Near You “Le cercle rouge” at 5:30 p.m. and “Army of Shadows” at 8:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Storytelling in Cambodia” with Willa Schneberg at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Dream of a King” Music, song and stories with Diane Ferlatte in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St. 238-2220. www.museumca.org 

Berkeley Symphony “Hold On” Music by Stravinsky, Sibelius, Locke and Wilson, with George Thomson conducting, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$56. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Musica Pacifica performs “Jácaras!” The Spanish Baroque and the New World at 8 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber. Tickets are $10- $25. 528-1725 or www.sfems.org 

The KTO Project at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568.  

Jazzalicious at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Beausoleil with Michael Doucet at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $18-$20. 525-5054.  

Moment’s Notice Improv music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Ticets are $8-$10. 847-1119. 

Capricornicopia II at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Atmos Trio, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Jinx Jones Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Steve Seskin, Craig Carothers & Don Henry at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Maya Kronfeld Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Beep with Michael Coleman Jazz Trio at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. 

Aoede, folk, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

El Capitan Axton Kincaid, Robber Barons at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Lucky Stiffs, Nothington, Those Unknown at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Gerald Albright at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

SUNDAY, JAN. 14 

CHILDREN 

“Life at the Little Farm” A puppet show and sing along for the whole family at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Benicia Gantner “Recent Work” and Charles Labelle “Bldgs Entered, 1997-2007” Exhibitions open at the Traywick Gallery, 895 Colusa Ave. and runs through March 31. Gallery hours are Thurs.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment. 527-1214. 

FILM 

The Lubitsch Touch “Ninotchka” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sandy Florian and Arielle Greenberg, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Ross King describes “The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oak, Ash & Thorn, a capella at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Ben Adams Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Richter Scales & Roshambo, a capella, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568.  

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373.  

SoVoSo at 7 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Diablo’s Dust at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Gerald Albright at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

MONDAY, JAN. 15 

FILM 

“The Mind is a Liar and a Whore” A new film by Antero Alli at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Arts Center, 2118 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 464-4640. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bill Berkson and Lyn Hejinian read from their new poems at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

PlayGround Six emerging playwrights debut new works at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $18. 415-704-3177.  

Poetry Express Annual “Other People’s Poety Night” at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Anne Feeney, on tour with Western Workers Labor Heritage Foundation, at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. Tickets are $15-$20. 848-6397. 

Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a youth talent show from 2 to 5 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. 238-7217. 

Blue Monday Jam at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Greg Pratt &La Wanda Ultan, blues, jazz, country folk, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

The Robert Stewart Experience, A Dedication to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, JAN. 16 

FILM 

Yoko Ono: Imagine Film “No. 4” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

Sustainable Peralta Film Festival at 6:15 p.m. at Laney College, Oakland, followed by panel discussion on California’s Clean Air Campaign. Free. www.peralta.edu/sustainable 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“True West” Actors Ensemble director, Paul Shepard, will discuss the play at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Alan Deutschman, senior writer for Fast Company magazine will talk about his latest book, “Change or Die” at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 527-0450.  

Poetry Flash with Natalie F. Anderson, Jessica Fisher and Lisa Coffman at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 525-5476. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. 

Rafaela Castro reads from “Provocaciones: Letters from the Prettiest Girl in Arvin” at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Fishtank Ensemble at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $TBA. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Different Strokes, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Spencer Day at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20. 238-9200.  

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17 

EXHIBITIONS 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, and runs through April 15. 642-0808. 

FILM 

“Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” Byron Hurt’s documentary at 6 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Panel discussion with the filmmaker follows. Oakland. Free. 238-2200. 

History of Cinema “Introduction to Film Language” at 3 p.m. and “Free to Be ... You and Me Invitational” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Peter Sussman reads from “Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 883-9710. 

Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio discuss “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10.  

Stanley Brandes introduces “Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead: The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Crucible’s Fire Ballet “Romeo and Juliet” Wed. - Sat. at 8:30 p.m. at 1260 7th St., Oakland, through Jan. 20. Tickets are $30-$55. 444-0919. 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

No Ordinary Noise! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Bernard Anderson & The Old School Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. West Coast Swing dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Mo’ Fone at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Paul Manousos at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Preston Reed, guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Whicked Oystahs at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Ledisi at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, JAN. 18 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Shanghai Alleyways” Photographs by Jianhua Gong opens with a reception at 6 p.m. at the IEAS Gallery, 2223 Fulton St. 642-2809. 

Oakland Art Association Juried Show Reception at 4 p.m. at the MTC Offices, Bort MetroCenter, 3rd floor, 101 Eighth St., Oakland. Exhibition runs to March 30. 817-5773. 

FILM 

“Touch of Evil” Film series with David Thomson at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Sustainable Peralta Film Festival at 6 p.m. at Laney College, Oakland. Free. www.peralta.edu/sustainable 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tony Bellaver, Barbara Foster and Scott Serata will give a gallery talk about their works in the exhibition “Interventions” at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Exhibit runs to Feb. 10. 644-6893. 

“A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s” Curator’s talk by Constance Lewallen at 12:15 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

“New Media and Social Memory” A symposium to discuss strategies for preserving digital art from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Free but regitration requested. bampfa.berkeley,edu/ciao/avant_garde.html 

Christopher Moore reads from “You Suck: A Love Story” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Rudy Rucker reads from his newest novel “Methematicians in Love” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Math of Music” Suites for solo cello by J.S. Bach performed by Tanya Tomkins on Baroque cello at 5:30 p.m. in the Simons Auditorium, 17 Gauss Way, near the intersection of Centennial Dr. and Grizzly Peak Blvd. Free. 642-0143. www.msri.org 

Soul Majestic, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Utah Phillips at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Ken Berman Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Teed Rockwell, touch style guitar, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Likewise, Keith Varon at 9 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Cost is $10. 763-1146. www.oaklandmetro.org 

Selector: Jazz Mafia Unit at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277.

ARIAS ABOUT MALCOLM IN HONOR OF RON 

Arias from X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X, will be performed in honor of the inauguration of Ron Dellums as mayor of Oakland at 8 p.m. tonight (Friday) at the Oakland Metro Operhouse, 201 Broadway. $20. www.oaklandopera.org. 

HITCHCOCK CLASSICS IN EL CERRITO 

The Cerrito Theater continues its series Hitchcock thrillers this weekend with Rear Window (1954), starring Jimmy Stewart as a man who becomes obsessed with the possibly murderous actions of his neighbors. 9 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and at 5 p.m. Sunday. Later films in the series include North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960). 10070 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito.picturepubpizza.com. 

CURATOR’S TALK AT 

BERKELEY ART MUSEUM 

Curator Constance Lewallen will present a discussion of the work of Bruce Naumann entitled “A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Naumann in the 1960s” at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

PARAMOUNT CLASSICS 

Oakland’s  

Paramount Theater will screen the  

film noir classic Double Indemnity (1944) at 8 p.m. tonight (Friday). The program features vintage cartoons, trailers and newsreels, as well as Dec-O-Win, a prize give-away game. Patrons are invited to show up as much as an hour ahead of showtime to stroll through the restored Art Deco theaters lavish lobbies and mezzanine and to enjoy a cocktail at the downstairs bar. 2025 Broadway, Oakland. 465-6400. www.paramounttheatre.com.

Though Eve A. Ma traveled the world, she spends much of her time trying to bring that world back home to the rest of us. Ma is the entrepreneurial force behind Palomino Productions, a Berkeley-based company producing DVDs and television programs on the art of dance.  

As a writer, professor, dancer and now as a producer and director, Ma has devoted years to honoring and promoting diversity in the arts. Her latest work, Improvising Jerez-Style, will be screened at 8 p.m. tonight (Friday) at La Peña Cultural Center in South Berkeley as part of a program of film and live performance. The evening’s entertainment will include a second film, Arts That Cross Borders, a compendium of previous Palomino programs about Mexican, Afro-Peruvian and Ecuadorian performers living in the Bay Area. Live entertainment will include the Afro-Peruvian group de Rompe y Raja, Mexican dance troupe Grupo Folklorico, and Ma herself dancing flamenco.  

Though Palomino is a relatively recent creation, Ma has been involved with diversity in the arts for some time. Her resume includes a Ph.D in modern Chinese history, and stints as a historical researcher for the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and the Army Corp of Engineers, as well as a stint as a professor of Chinese and Japanese history at Mills College and the former Cal State Hayward. She has published several books and more than two dozen articles and is a member of the state bar association. 

Ma also founded and served as executive director for six years for a Contra Costa County cultural nonprofit, Celebrating Culture and Community. 

In 2004, with little experience in the field, Ma created Palomino Productions and essentially learned the ropes of film and video production through trial and error. “I just made enough mistakes so that I learned how to do it,” says Ma. 

She soon launched a six-part series on rural music and dance entitled “The Languages of Sound and Movement,” co-directed by Richard R. Lee. The series examines Afro-Peruvian, southern Indian, Tahitian, Thai, Mexican and West African music and traditions. The first film in the series, Of Beauty and Deities: Music and Dance of India, is hosted by Ma and spotlights the artistry of rural Indian dance, with performances interspersed with interviews with the dancers and musicians, including a Berkeley group called Kalanjali: Dances of India, led by K.P. and Katherine Kunhiraman. The film was honored at the Berkeley Film and Video Festival and also received a Western Access Video Excellence award. It was screened at the annual conference of the UNESCO-sponsored Center for International Dance in Athens, Greece, in addition to several airings over Peralta TV and KCCC TV in Contra Costa County. The film is available, along with another Palomino title, Weaving With Spanish Threads: The Spanish Immigration to Hawaii and California in the Early 1900s, through the company’s website: www.PaloPalomino.com. 

Her most recent work, Improvising Jerez-Style, takes a look at Jerez-style bulerias, a fast-paced improvised dance often considered the quintessential flamenco form, known for its passion. The film was shot in the city of Jerez in southern Spain and includes interviews with dancers such as Moralito Chico and Antonio de la Malena.  

“In ‘the good old days,’ you learned to dance it in the community,” says Ma in her notes on the film. “This meant you learned by watching other people in your family, at fiestas, and on the street corners. ... But when modern times came to Spain and the southern Spanish city of Jerez, life changed. Around the same time, flamenco also began to be seen around the world. Now, in addition to the thousands of flamenco academies in almost every country imaginable, many hundreds of foreigners come to Jerez every year to learn the dance form and find out more about flamenco. 

“Our show was filmed in Jerez where bulerias is taken very seriously—so seriously, that there are two forms of it in today’s Jerez, related to the two historically Gypsy (gitano) neighborhoods in the old city. The show gives us lots of professional level dance footage as well as the all-important singing, interviews with famous flamencos, historical videos, classroom shots and vistas of this city which gave birth to and still inspires the art form.” 

The primary interview subject in the film is famed bulerias teacher Ana Maria Lopez. Ma explains: “Since the art of dancing bulerias can no longer be learned in the community, it has now become a gift from a very small number of specially talented teachers. There are a few, select dance masters in Jerez who have developed a way of teaching how to improvise in this exciting solo dance without going outside of its essential form and losing the tradition.” 

IMPROVISING JEREZ-STYLE 

8 p.m. tonight (Friday) at La Peña Cultural Center, . $10-$12. 3105 Shattuck Ave.  

849-2568. www.lapena.org.

Berkeley composer and retired UC Berkeley professor Olly Wilson’s Symphony No. 3, Hold On, which sets and responds to the old African-American spiritual of that name, celebrating its sense of spiritual tenacity and persistence, will be featured as George Thomson returns to the podium of the Berkeley Symphony, 8 p.m. this Sat. at Zellerbach Auditorium, with an eclectic program including Stravinsky’s Concertino for Twelve Instruments, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and Matthew Locke’s Restoration era theater music for The Tempest.  

Wilson described his symphony shortly after a talk to fourth graders at Rosa Parks Elementary School on African American music and spiritual traditions, part of Berkeley Symphony’s educational program that culminates in the spring with a concert where, as the Symphony’s Kevin Shuck put it, “the Symphony plays as back-up” to student participants.  

Wilson’s Hold On Symphony’s three movements go from an initial address, not of the spiritual itself, but of “capturing that notion, that ability to maintain focus against incredible odds, which goes back to slave culture, but becomes universal.” 

The second movement frames the spiritual itself, introduced in the middle—(“Nora said, You’ve lost your track/Can’t plow straight while looking back/Keep-a your hand on-a the plow/Hold on, hold on ...”)—with more ethereal music, “a dynamic between two ways of thinking--one more direct, precise, straight forward; the other, vague, imprecise ... the emergence of a more spiritual provenance, the more reflective Sorrow Song type of spiritual.” 

Orchestrally, Wilson “attempts to imitate vocal gestures in the context of a 20th century orchestra, evoking the commonality of the singing, the collective moans and grunts, sometimes a combination of different languages from Africa, that were unintelligible to the slaveholders, according to early chroniclers.”  

The third movement moves from the practical and determined, then inward and sorrowful phases of the second, into the celebratory Jubilee Song, “music you have to move to, driving, upbeat; riffs against changing harmonics with strong rhythmic impetus; flashbacks to the first two movements, and finally four or five riffs building polyphonically to a big climax.” 

“It’s a phenomenon you find all over the African diaspora, the same way of doing things, varying in the way things get done, and by what’s there” Wilson said of the tradition he’s drawing from. “Music’s the causal agent, essential, obligatory. Before Christianity, in African pantheism, you call forth the deity only by music. I’ve reinterpreted all this, living in Berkeley and writing music for a 20th century orchestra, through my own personal prism, which includes African American culture.” 

Wilson, who retired from the UC Berkeley Music Department (which he has chaired, also serving as assistant chancellor) in 2002 after 32 years, still lives in Berkeley. A native of St. Louis, he came from a musical family with four siblings, his father “an excellent amateur singer, who wanted all of us to study music when young, as he did later. There were piano lessons; he could always use an accompanist!” 

Wilson and his sister were the ones who went on studying and playing, “in pop music when I was a teenager, then jazz.” After receiving a scholarship for his clarinet playing, Wilson thought of becoming a band leader, but “I had pretty broad taste even as a youngster, and by the end of my sophomore year, after all I’d been exposed to in music—and all I transcribed, before there were so many fake books!—I understood” what his career was to be. After studying at Oberlin and the University of Illinois, he took his PhD. at Iowa. 

Of his long academic career, Wilson comments, “The musician’s patron in the 20th century has been the university.” 

Of the other diverse pieces on the program at Zellerbach, the selection from Matthew Locke’s 1674 score for a Restoration “modernization” of The Tempest features an oboeist, and is a short musical description of the storm itself. 

“The Locke piece is a curtain-raiser for Olly’s Symphony,” commented George Thomson. “It’s a little wild, unusual for a 17th century piece, and very brief, ending quietly, so it adumbrates the beginning of Olly’s stormy piece. It’s scene-setting; we’ll allow just enough time between for the sound to clear.” 

Indeed, the eclecticism of the program wasn’t “schematically-oriented,” according to Thomson, but constructed around the sound of Wilson’s Symphony. “The Stravinsky has a strong rhythmic, almost jazzy, element that ties it to Hold On; it’s a miniature concerto followed by a proper one. With a big, big contemporary piece, programming a concerto is typical, and with the other pieces, there’s a balance that’s good for both audience and orchestra. From our position today, we can make connections between pieces calling to each other over centuries.”  

The Berkeley Symphony presents George Thomson conducting Stravinsky, Sibelius and Olly Wilson’s Hold On at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13 at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org.

Silent film star Mary Pickford famously described director Ernst Lubitsch as a “director of doors,” a man more at home working with the choreography of entrances and exits than with actors and emotions. This acerbic remark, uttered in the awake of an ill-fated collaboration with the director on Rosita, his first American production, has a grain of truth but should be taken with a grain of salt as well.  

Pickford was one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood and not inclined to accept a secondary role in a film’s creation. But Lubitsch’s films were not so much vehicles for stars so much as they were vehicles for Lubitsch, for his subtle and distinctive wit, both with images and later with dialogue.  

A viewing of Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925) shows the truth behind both sides of the argument. The film shows tonight (Friday) at Pacific Film Archive as part of a month-long career-spanning retrospective of the director’s work entitled “The Lubitsch Touch.” The series runs through Feb. 16 and tracks the legendary director’s career from his early German silent films to his much-celebrated American comedies of the sound era. 

Lady Windermere’s Fan is an adaptation of an Oscar Wilde play that brazenly tosses out the words of Wilde in favor of sly visual humor and cues, replacing Wilde’s verbal wit with Lubitsch’s visual wit. The actors do good work, but clearly the director is in control, for the performances are not inspired but are instead matched meticulously to the staging and camerawork. There’s very little dialogue; most of the information is imparted to us simply through facial expressions, mannerisms and editing. 

Many stars appeared in Lubitsch’s films, but Lubitsch himself was the true star of his productions, a noted auteur who guided the performances of his actors down to the smallest detail. Like Chaplin, he acted out each role and instructed his actors to mimic him, and, as with Chaplin again, this at times led to rather stilted performances. The actors were not permitted much leeway in plying their trade. However, the fact that the technique so often found such great results was a testament to Lubitsch’s unique talents.  

One scene in particular illustrates Pickford’s dissent perfectly: Lubistch, in order to quickly and comically expresses the increasing intimacy between a couple, gives us two scenes of the suitor approaching the front door of his lady’s apartment. A close-up shows just his hand as he starts to ring the doorbell, things twice, hesitates, pulls out a pocket mirror, replaces it, then rings the bell and politely offers his coat and hat to the maid while waiting to be introduced. A second scene, taking place some weeks later, shows the hand again ringing the bell, this time with no hesitation. The man then walks brusquely through the door and past the maid, hanging his hat and coat without her help before bursting into the lady’s rooms unannounced. All necessary information is conveyed through intertitles, camerawork and editing. The acting is almost superfluous; it’s Lubitsch’s performance through and through. 

His technique is not exactly subtle; in fact, Lubitsch’s presence can almost always be felt in his films, and this is a mixed blessing. Just as it is difficult to read Wilde without marveling at his wit, one cannot view a Lubitsch film without being made acutely conscious of the wit and style of the director. At its best it is a seductive technique, one that draws the viewer into an alliance with the director, making one feel as if one is in on the joke, sharing in the sense of superiority toward the objects of that wit; but at times it has a tendency to drain a film of drama and impact, maintaining a cynical distance from characters who are reduced to mere pawns in the director’s cinematic game. 

The result is that Lubitsch’s films, though often just as entertaining today as they were in their time, are less art than entertainment, fun for their two-hour span but with little impact beyond the moment the theater lights come up. The “Lubitsch touch,” though deft, is a light touch, one that only lingers playfully amid the more complex, underlying themes of the story, rarely delving deeply into character, motivation or import. He won’t change your life but for two hours he’ll take you for a fun and stylish ride. 

Other films in the series include Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, Angel, Heaven Can Wait, Trouble in Paradise, The Marriage Circle, Rosita, The Love Parade and The Smiling Lieutenant. The series runs through Feb. 16.$4-8. 2575 Bancrot Way. 642-5249. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Photograph: Ernst Lubitsch’s Lady Windermere’s Fan shows tonight at Pacific Film Archive.