FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 

East Bay Vivarium vists the South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library at 2 p.m. to show off reptiles and amphibians. 981-6260. 

“Butterflies of the SF Bay Region” with Art Shapiro and Tim Manolis discussing their new field guide at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way, just below Telegraph. The authors will lead a nature walk in Claremont Canyon before their talk, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. For information and reservations for the walk call 841-8447 or email wmcclung@rcn.com  

“Yosemite” with scientific illustrator Andie Thrams on Yosemite flora, Ranger Yenyen Chan on Chinese labor in the construction of park roads, and a screening of “Discover Hetch Hetchy” from 6 to 8 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Daily Realities of Living under Occupation” with Hisham Ahmad Ph.D, formerly of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 499-0537. 

Foreclosures in the Changing Real Estate Market: How does it Affect the Albany/Berkeley Area? at 5:30 p.m. at 1302 Solano Ave., Albany. Cost is $3-$5. Sponsored by the Albany Chamber of Commerce. RSVP to 525-1771. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 

“Container Gardening for Renters or Those with Limited Space” with strategies on growing in various vessels with information on compost, soils, compost teas, seasonal planting, and more. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $10-$15, no one turned away. Please call to register. 548-2220, ext.233. 

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour Preservation Park to Pardee Mansion Meet at 10 a.m. at 13th St. and Preservation Park Way for a walk through Oakland’s 19th Century. Bring a picnic lunch for the end of the tour. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Birding Bike Trip at Quarry Lakes An easy 24-mile trip to see birds in riparian, marsh and bayside habitats. Meet at 8:20 a.m. on the east side of the Fremont BART station. Bring helment, bike lock, lunch and liquids. For information email Kathy_Jarrett@yahoo.com 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Rally in Support of Universal Health Care (SB 840) at 1:30 p.m. at Oakland City Hall Plaza. Speakers include Sandre Swanson, Richard Quint, MD, Sara Rogers and many others. 832-8683. 

Hopalong Animal Rescue Come meet your furry new best friend. Dogs and puppies available for adoption from noon to 3 p.m. at Pet Food Express Rockridge, 5101 Broadway, and cats and kittens at 3974 Peidmont Ave., Oakland. 267-1915, ext. 500. 

Fun With Bubbles for ages 3 and up at 2 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave, Kensington. 524-3043. 

Fast Pitch Softball for Adults at noon on Saturdays in Oakland. 204-9500. 

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 

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

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 

Peace Lantern Ceremony from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the north end of Aquatic Park. Decorate a lantern shade then wach it float across the lagoon in commemoration of teh atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. www.progressiveportal.org/lanterns/ 

Green Home Expo from noon to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley Marina, with electronics and old medicine disposal, and information on reducing your global carbon footprint. 981-5435. 

Walking-Pole Workshop in celebration of the opening of the new Glendale Path at 9:45 a.m. Registration required. Email info@berkeleypaths.org  

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the fountain of Pacific Renaissance Plaza, Ninth St., between Webster and Frainklin. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Home Graywater Systems A workshop on safely irrigating with shower, bathroom sink, and laundry waste water from 10 a.m. to noon at EcoHouse, 1305 Hopkins St. Cost is $15 sliding scale. Registration required. 548-2220 ext. 242. 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to keep your bike in excellent working condition through safety inspections, from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

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 

MONDAY, AUGUST 6 

Peace Day Crane Folding with the film “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” followed by a crane folding program, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Children’s Story Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

“Landscapes for Politics” A panel discussion with Jake Kosek, author of “Understories,” Marina Sitrin, author of “Storming the Gates of Paradise,” and moderated by Ed Yuen, editor of Confronting Capitalism, at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Help Plan the Peoples Park Paace Rally in Sept., at an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. at Cafe Med, Telegraph Ave. 658-1451. 

“Hormone Disrupting Chemicals in the Environment” with Jennifer Jackson of EBMUD and Rebecca Sutton of Environmental Working Group at 7 p.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin, at Masonic. Sponsored by Friends of Five Creeks. www.fivecreeks.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at West Pauley Ballroom MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

Family Sing-Along at 6:45 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 

Monitor Native Oysters in the Bay Help monitor oyster populations and set up equipment for our Native Oyster Monitoring Study at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Marina, 201 University Ave. 452-9261, ext. 119. www.savesfbay.org/oysters  

“Youth Prison Reform: Does the Governor Have It Right?” with Pat Kuhi. Brown Bag lunch at noon at the Albany Library, Marin and Masonic Ave. Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville. 843-8824. http://lwvbae.org 

WIllard Neighborhood Ice Cream Social Part of National Night Out, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Willard Park, corner of Derby St. and Hillegass Ave.  

Lawyers in the Library Free legal information and referral presented in conjunction with the Alameda County Bar Association. Sign-ups at 5 p.m. for appointments between 6 and 8 p.m. at the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5366 College Ave. 597-5017. 

Dance Dance Revolution Interactive Game at 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

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

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. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Tuesday Documentaries at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Allston Way. Donation of $5 benefits the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. 665-0305. 

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, AUGUST 8 

LBNL Building Plans Learn about the plans for the 160,000 sq-ft Helios building and the 150,000 sq-ft Computational Research Facility at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. See www.lbl.gov/Community/Helios and www.lbl.gov/Community/CRT 

Walking Tour of Oakland City Center Meet at 10 a.m. in front Oakland City Hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Pax Nomada Bike Ride Meet at 6 p.m. at Nomad Cafe for a 15-25 mile ride up to through the Berkeley hills. All levels of cyclists welcome. 595-5344. 

Free Diabetes Screening Come find out if you might have diabetes with our free screening test and make sure not to eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand, from 8:45 to noon at the Latina Center, 3919 Roosevelt Ave., Richmond. 981-5332. 

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

“Coming Out to Your Children” a workshop for LGBT parents at 6:30 p.m. at Women of Color Resource Center, 1611 Telegragh Ave., #303, Oakland. 415-981-1960. stephanice@ourfamily.org 

Farsi Club at 1:15 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

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. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 

The Cultural Landscape of Strawberry Canyon with Charles Birnbaum at 7:30 p.m. at the Town & Gown Club, UC Campus. Cost is $20, reservtions required. 842-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Introduction to Urban Permaculture Hear and see local permaculture designers from the Ecological Division of Merritt College’s Landscape Horticulture Department discuss what's possible in a city, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” A new documentary film based on thebook by Norman Solomon at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater 3200 Grand Ave , Oakland. Tickets $12. www. 

warmadeeasythemovie.org 

East Bay Macintosh Users Group reviews the iPhone at 7 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shelmound, Emeryville. http://ebmug.org  

Screening to Reduce Risk of Stroke at Bayview El Cerrito Fraternal Order of Eagles at 3223 Carlson Blvd., El Cerrito. Cost is $139. To schedule an appointment call 1-877-237-1287. 

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. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

CITY MEETINGS 

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., at 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. 981-6740.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Aug. 9, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “All in the Timing” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman, through Aug. 11. Tickets are $12. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org  

Altarena Playhouse “Oh My Godmother” Fri and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St., Alameda, through Aug. 11. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Meet Me in St. Louis” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. in July at 951 Pomona Ave., at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Aug. 4. 524-9132. 

Stage Door Conservatory “Urinetown” A Teens On Stage Production, Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20. 521-6250. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Colors of the American West” Pein-air paintings by Deborah Diamond. OPening reception at 7 p.m. at The Gallery, 5751 Horton St., Emeryville. 428-2384. 

“Glimpses in Time” Photography exhibition in honor of Gordon Parks. Opening reception at 4 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. 465-8928. 

“Inscibere” A group show of works related to the act of writing. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, 25 Grand Ave., upper level. www.chandracerrito.com 

“The Locals” Group show of artists using photography, metal, lichen and sound. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Rhythmix Cultural Works, K Gallery, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. 845-5060. www.rhythmix.org 

FILM 

The Great Wall of Oakland screenings of two new experimental films by Bill Domonkos and Naomie Kremer at 8:30 p.m. on the wall on Grand Ave., just west of Broadway, downtown Oakland. 

Max Ophuls: Motion and Emotion “Happy Heirs” at 7 p.m. and “Lola Montes” at 8:35 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Gumby Dharma” the story of Art Clokey and his cartoon legend at 8:45 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Art Shapiro and Tim Manolis discuss their new book “Butterflies of the SF Bay Region” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way, just below Telegraph. The authors will lead a nature walk in Claremont Canyon before their talk, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. For informration and reservations for the walk call 841-8447 or email wmcclung@rcn.com  

William Poy Lee reads from his new book “The Eighth Promise” at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Musuem of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ross Hammond’s “No Do” at 8 p.m. at Free-Jazz Fridays at the Jazz House, 1510 8th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$15. 415-846-9432. 

Saed Muhssin, part of The Arab Cultural Initiative, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$12. 849-2568.  

The Brama Sukarma Ensemble at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Judy Wexler & Anton Schwartz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Bayonics, 40 Watt Hype at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

The Ditty Bops at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Hobbyists, indie folk duo, at 9 p.m. at Downtown Restaurant & Bar 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Midnite, roots reggae from St. Croix, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $25-$30. 548-1159.  

Bryan Harrison and Abel Mouton at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

The Blind, Everest at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Born/Dead. A.N.S., Cross Examination, Resist the Right at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

215 Freshest Kidz at 9:30 p.m. at the Stork Club Oakland, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 444-6174. 

The Wayward Sway at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Midnite, roots reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $25-$30. 548-1159.  

Swoop Unit at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 

CHILDREN 

Pinocchio: The Hip-Hopera, Sat. and Sun. at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “The Three Musketeers” Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkle Park, Southampton Ave., off The Arlington, through Sept. 9. Free. 841-6500. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley’s “Other” Revolution: Celebrating 35 Years of Independent Living, Disability Access, and Disability Rights. Photographs by Ken Stein on display in the windows of Rasputin Music, 2401 Telegraph Ave., between Channing Way and Haste. 525-2325. 

“Interiors/Exteriors” Works by Tracy Wes, Vivian Prinsloo and Scott Courtenay-Smith. Artist reception at 6 p.m. at Esteban Sabar Gallery, 480 23rd St., Oakland. 444-7411. 

FILM 

Jewish Film Festival from 12:30 to 9:15 p.m. at The Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. For information on tickets call 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

Abbas Kiarostami: Image Maker “And Life Goes On” at 6:30 p.m. and “Through the Olive Trees” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“At the Med ... Were You There?” Thirty years of sketches from Telegraph Ave.’s Mediterranean Coffee House by Doyl Haley. Lecture on Doyl Hayley’s work by John McNamara at 2 p.m.at the Berkeley Public Library, in the 3rd flr Community Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading from 3 to 5 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street. 527-9905.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Erik Friedlander at 8 p.m. at the Jazz House, 1510 8th St., Oakland. Cost is $15. 415-846-9432. 

Roy Zimmerman “Faulty Intellegence” songs about ignorance, war and greed at 8 p.m., reception at 6:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Tickets are $10-$30. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Saul Kaye “A Taste of Paradise” in a benefit for missing woman Lynn Ruth Connes, at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568.  

Mal Sharpe and Big Money in Gumbo at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. 

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Shana Morrison at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Cannery and Nomi at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Patrick Fahey & Friends at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

“The Q is Silent” with Dan Marschak and Friends at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Le Jazz Hot at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

5 Dollar Suit, The Mission Players, San Pablo Project at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Ceremony, Blacklisted, Shipwreck Said Radio at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Will Bernard Quartet at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Pete Escovedo at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 

THEATER 

“Nature vs Merger” a Sci-Fi fairy tale for all ages at 3 p.m. at 1631 Bonita Ave. Rehearsal and set building on Sat. at 2 p.m. Call to claim a role. 266-2069. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Paintings by Yoni G. Opening reception at 4 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

FILM 

Max Ophuls: Motion and Emotion “La signora di tutti” at 5 p.m. and “The Exile” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Museum Dialogs” A panel discussion on culturally-specific museums in the Bay Area at 2 p.m. at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $10-$12. 549-6950.  

Douglas Rothschild and Scott Bentley, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Trumpet and Organ Concert with James Tindsly, trumpet and Ron McKean, organ, at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway, Oakland. Suggested donation $10. 444-3555. 

Oakland Municipal Band Concert with jazz, big band, marches and showtunes from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Edoff Memorial Bandstand, Lakeside Park and Lake Merritt, Oakland.  

Americana Unplugged: Homespun Rowdy at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Dred Scott Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Trick Kernan Combo at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

Julian Pollack Three-O at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

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

Lion of Judah, Ability at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 6 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Actors Reading Writers“Forces of Nature,” stories by Alice Munro and Wallace Stegner, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 932-0214.  

“Landscapes for Politics” A panel discussion with Jake Kosek, author of “Understories,” Marina Sitrin, author of “Storming the Gates of Paradise,” and moderated by Ed Yuen, editor of Confronting Capitalism, at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Jessica Bruder describes “Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Danubius, Hungarian Gypsy music, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Rumbaché at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 

CHILDREN 

Crosspulse Rhythm Duo at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

P&T Puppet Theater, “The Adventures of Spider and Fly” at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, West Branch. 981-6270. 

FILM 

Abbas Kiarostami: Image Maker “Rugs, Roads and Palaces” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Zilpha Keatley Snyder reads from her children’s book “The Egypt Game” at the Middle School Mystery Book Group at 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. All ages welcome. 981-6223. 

Anita Thompson describes the legacy of her late husband in “The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

CZ & The Bon Vivants at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Barbara Linn & John Schott, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8 

CHILDREN 

Gary Lapow “Get A Clue @ Your Library” for ages 3-8 at 3:30 p.m. at the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley Public LIbrary. 981-6280. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“A New Home, A New Life” Photographs by Refugee Youth in Oakland. Exhibition closing reception at 5:30 p.m. at Oakland Art Gallery, 199 Kahn’s Alley, Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland. Exhibit co-sponsored by the International Rescue Committee who helped to resettle the youth in Oakland. www.oaklandartgallery.org 

FILM 

Eco-Amok: An Inconvenient Film Fest “The Mutations” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Cara Black and Peter Gessner discuss their latest mysteries at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Café Poetry at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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 

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

A Night of Rumi, Persian Sufi music and poetry at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

J-Soul at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Mikie Lee and Amber at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Big Blue Whale at 9:30 p.m. at the Stork Club Oakland, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5. 444-6174. 

Rod MacDonald at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Vusi Mahlasela, South African singer-songwriter, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 

THEATER 

Women’s Will “Romeo and Juliet” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes. 420-0813. www.womenswill.org 

FILM 

“War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12. www.warmadeeasythemovie.org 

Abbas Kiarostami: Image Maker “First Graders” at 7 p.m. and “Fellow Citizen” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

William Gibson reads from his new novel “Spook Country” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Louann Brizendine describes “The Female Brain” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Sara & Swingtime at noon at the downtown Berkeley BART station. info@downtownberkeley.org 

John Jorgenson Quintet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761.  

Atmos Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Houston Jones & Jacques at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave 548-5198.  

Squaretape, The Fourfits, The Corner Laughers at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

Julia Lau at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Maldroid, Royalty at 9:30 p.m. at the Stork Club Oakland, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5. 444-6174. 

Marco Benevento at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sat. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $8-$18. 238-9200.

‘A NEW LIFE, A NEW HOME’ 

An exhibit at the Oakland Art Gallery features photos by 16 children recently resettled in Oakland as refugees from places like Liberia, Turkey, Somalia and the Congo. These refugee youth were forcibly displaced as the result of war, conflict or persecution and now live in Oakland with their families. In April, they were given donated disposable cameras and asked to capture what they see. Some of these youth had been here only several months. The gallery is at  

199 Kahn's Alley. The show closes Aug.8 with a reception 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 

For details, call 637-0395 or see www.oaklandartgallery.org 

Guitarist Ross Hammond, doubling on banjo and lap steel guitar, will lead a quartet dubbed “No DQ,” featuring Philip Greenlief (saxophone), Gino Robair (percussion) and J.P. Carter (trumpet) for tonight’s Free Jazz Friday, The Jazz House’s biweekly event, 8 p. m. at the Performance Space at 1510 8th St. (a block from West Oakland BART). Admission is $5-15, sliding scale.  

“No DQ means anything goes, all bets are off,” said Ross Hammond of the quartet’s monniker. Of their music, Hammond said, “Everyone’s pretty hip into musical textures, and you could expect lots of dynamics, highs and lows. It may not be swinging jazz—but it may go in that direction, too!” 

Hammond commented on the other players: “everybody’s got an electronic element, which should contribute to spacey textures. Philip Greenlief has a great sense of free improvisation and of different sounds; there aren’t that many players really doing that in the Bay Area. He gets some very cool sounds in his solo work. He and Gino Robair, both, have been forging their own direction in the local scene. They’re Bay Area trailblazers. Every timbre should be represented on this gig!” 

The next Free Jazz Friday, Aug. 17, will feature saxophonist Ike Levin, just back from NewYork, with Randy Hunt on contrabass and Tim Orr, drums and percussion.  

Of Levin, Jazz House founder Rob Woodworth said, “Ike’s one of the really rare players around, a free jazz pioneer. He hasn’t had a lot of press, so I want to single him out, give him some credit for all he’s done.” 

The Jazz House, originally on Adeline in Berkeley, was founded by Woodworth as a venue for musicians to play improvised music with fewer restrictions--and as an educational vehicle for that music and its players. After losing the lease on Adeline, The Jazz House has been homeless, but Woodworth continued to produce projects at other venues around the Bay—including The Zipper Festival, sponsored by the Berkeley Arts Festival, a weekend-long event downtown this spring. Woodworth continues to search for a regular venue, hopefully in Berkeley, and funding to get such an undertaking off the ground. 

Of Woodworth and The Jazz House, Ross Hammond commented, “The music always needs new players, but also needs enthusiasts like Rob just as much, those who do the groundwork. It’s often athankless job, promoting shows just for the love of it. It’s all work, with the cards pretty much dealt in advance. People should be thankful he’s around. He’sa champ. 

“That’s something Rob, Philip and Gino have in common--doing the best they can for improvised music. They’ll all be there under one roof, occupying three of the few seats in the place! I’m just glad to be involved in the scene in the small way I am.”  

Well before nuclear physics, Nobel Prizes, Free Speech, championship athletics, or alternative fuels research, the University of California was known for academic work in fields such as agriculture, mining … and astronomy. 

Less than a decade after its founding, the University received what remains one of the most lavish and striking gifts in its history, $700,000 from Santa Clara valley pioneer, farmer, and investor James Lick to build a “telescope, superior to and more powerful than any yet made … and also a suitable observatory connected therewith.” 

The result was Lick Observatory on the peak of Mount Hamilton east of San Jose, completed in 1888. 

The public can visit Lick throughout the year. It’s still a working observatory, now managed through the UC Santa Cruz campus. Lick, along with the Keck telescopes in Hawaii, helps keep UC a leader in Earth-based astronomy. 

Conceiving and building Lick was a project of superlatives. It contained the then-largest telescope in the world and was the first permanently occupied observatory built on a mountaintop. Much of modern astronomy follows from research undertaken at Lick, and from the work of men and women who trained there. 

The project was a painstaking process, taking years. Telescope lenses of unprecedented size were manufactured in France, and a road carved to the summit. 

The visitor follows the same road today through classic Northern California coastal countryside, with distant glimpses of the gleaming, white-painted, multi-domed, observatory. As you head up the last stretch, the landscape shifts from grassland and oaks to pine forest, and the domes rear vertiginously from the heights above. 

If our current civilization were to catastrophically come to an end these structures would presumably still stand for centuries and what would rustic herdsman, nomad or traveler think, seeing them far off on the mountaintop? 

That they were some temple or remote monastery, perhaps, where earlier humans sought closer communication with the heavens? In a way they would be right. 

The 36-inch refractor telescope that has been in use since 1888 is housed in a Pantheon-like domed brick drum, finished on the inside with wooden bead board walls. A polished wooden floor, spiraling and curving metal staircases, and a narrow balcony surround the enormous silvery instrument, 57 feet long, which aims out a slit in the open dome like a colossal cannon. 

This is a working survivor from the industrial age of scientific gigantisms, when better research often met bigger mechanical instruments. It’s also a science research space that’s elegant in a way most modern facilities can’t match. 

You almost expect Jules Verne to step out of the shadows or, perhaps, Flash Gordon. 

The observatory lies about 13 miles east, and some four thousand feet above, San Jose. Visitors from the west take Alum Rock Road, which crosses both Highways 680 and 110. From Alum Rock, you follow nearly 20 miles of two-lane roadway, climbing up and down rural ridges, with a final ascent up Mount Hamilton itself. 

The road is in good condition, but it’s no trip through Tilden Park. It winds back and forth, up and around, with hairy hairpins, narrow stretches, many blind curves, few guardrails or safe places to pull over, and steep drops off the shoulder. 

Make sure your excursion has a good driver, good tires, good brakes, and enough gas. And remember you may be coming down after dark, or late in the day with the sun in your eyes. 

On a July trip we didn’t meet deer on the road but did pass a coyote standing on the shoulder after dark, and nearly became an off-road vehicle when two turkeys decided to fly across the road, windshield high. 

It takes a solid two hours to travel to and from Berkeley. Allow an hour at least for those last 20 miles of two-lane road, and more if you want to stop along the way to admire the views. 

Spare a thought for early visitors, including astronomers from Berkeley who periodically commuted to the Observatory. They took trains to San Jose then horse-drawn stages to the Observatory, a five-hour drive that was often punctuated with an overnight stop at a roadhouse near the base of the mountain. 

Today, on public observing nights (see sidebar), you can step up to the eyepiece of the Great Lick Refractor yourself and for a few minutes be Percival Lowell puzzling out the possibilities of canals on Mars, or perhaps astronomer E.E. Barnard at this very same telescope, discovering the fifth satellite of Jupiter on September 9, 1892 

Or even just a shivering pre-Space Age graduate student looking to complete a thesis or dissertation with observational data on comets, double stars, asteroids or cosmic nebula. 

The vast wooden floor of the main dome rises and falls hydraulically to keep the viewer positioned properly at the eyepiece as the telescope tracks across the heavens. Below the floor there’s the solid and simple brick base of the telescope pier marked “Here lies the body of James Lick.” It looks a bit forlorn, but a vase of flowers stands in front. 

On the night we went, the telescope focused on bright Jupiter. Four moons, identified by Galileo in 1610, were all clearly visible. 

Outdoors, enthusiastic volunteers offered supplementary looks at the night sky through portable telescopes. One pointed out a satellite moving down the southern sky. 

The elegant entrance lobby of the main building displays a bust of the donor and the monumental inscription, “Lick Astronomical Department of the University of California.” 

Straight ahead is a courtyard with a fountain and a bust honoring the mountain’s namesake, The Reverend Laurentine Hamilton who climbed the peak in 1861 with his friend, William Brewer, of the California State Geological Survey. 

Although the original building has been substantially remodeled in parts, it still has a late Victorian feel, including high ceilings, spacious hallways, marble floors, and beautiful wooden casework around the transomed doorways. 

There’s an exhibit room with historical materials and photographs and a gift-shop which, for my taste, had a few too many T-shirts and toys and too few books. The rest of the mountain-top is punctuated with other research and operational buildings, including a large dome housing the newer, 120 inch, Shane Reflector, which daytime visitors can see. 

Aside from the buildings, there’s also the elevating experience of being on a 4,200-plus foot mountaintop (about as far above sea level as Yosemite Valley) that’s near, but still removed from, urban civilization. Tree-dappled hills and canyons surround the mountain and it’s amazingly quiet. 

The mountain top weather can get chilly and severe, including winter snow, but a summer visit can also be calm and balmy. After dark, the Santa Clara Valley sprawls a vast latifundia of light beyond the hills to the west.  

Most visitors come to Lick come during the day, when there isn’t telescope observing of course, but we visited for a periodic summer night event called “Music of the Spheres.” 

For $30 (more, if you want special tours and seats and a buffet dinner), you enjoy a live concert by visiting musicians, a lecture, the opportunity to walk around in the main dome and building, and viewing through the telescope after dark. Courteous staff and volunteers are on hand to explain the Observatory’s history and operations. 

Attendees receive, in the order they arrive, numbered passes for viewing access; concert seating is first-come, first served. We got there 15 minutes before the concert started and found ourselves near the end of the viewing queue. Our turn at the telescope eyepiece finally arrived close to midnight, making it a long night, including the travel time back to Berkeley. 

There’s also a much cheaper Summer Visitors Program, sans concert, that provides the same viewing opportunities on several Friday and Saturday nights, plus talks on the history of the Observatory and astronomers speaking on their current research. Tickets for all these events go on sale in the spring, and typically sell out. Check the Lick website for details. 

At the event we attended we heard an engaging lecture by Berkeley Professor Alex Filippenko, who cogently theorized about the existence of multiple “and perhaps even infinite” universes. 

“We may be just one island in a bunch of universes, of which most are less interesting than ours,” he concluded. 

Just so, I thought. That’s what many people think about living in Berkeley. Go down to Lick for a look at the greater things beyond. 

The Lick Observatory website, www.ucolick.org/public/ has plenty of information on visiting. 

Free daytime public visiting hours are Monday-Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 10-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Open every day except Thanksgiving and December 24 / 25. 

There is no drop-in, nighttime, viewing. Special nighttime Summer Visitors Program and summer “Music of the Spheres” events are advertised in the spring. At press time, the Lick website indicated some tickets still available for August and September music nights. 

From Berkeley/Oakland take Highway 880 (then 101) or 580 some 50 miles south to eastern San Jose and Alum Rock Boulevard. There is no gas available for the next 20 miles, coming and going.  

Photograph by Steven Finacom. 

The main facade of the original observatory building glows in the early evening sun.