FRIDAY, OCT. 12 

Progressive Democrats of the East Bay Picket of the Marine Recruitment Center from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 64 Shattuck, two doors down from Copy Central. 524-3791. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Regine Spector, on “United States-Russian Relations: A New Cold War?” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

“Planet Earth: Pole to Pole, Mountains and Deep Ocean” A Conscientious Projector Film at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar. 841-4824.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 11:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. atUCB Unit 3 Dorms, 2400 Durant Ave. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

Womensong Circle Participatory singing for women with Betsy Rose, at 7:15 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $15-$20. 525-7082. 

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.  

SATURDAY, OCT. 13 

African People’s Solidarity Day with speakers from South Africa, Sierra Leone and the U.S. on conditions faced by African people around the world. Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sun. from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Sliding scale donation $10-$25. 625-1106. www.uhurusolidarity.org 

“Blood Money: Campaign Dollars and Health Care Policy in California” A panel discussion at 10 a.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. at 27th. Sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign. www.caclean.org 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Paws on the Square and a Katrina Pet Reunion from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square, Oakland. Owner-Dog Look-Alike Contest, trick and costume contests for dogs and cats, and information on adoption and training. Sponsored by Hopalong Animal Rescue. For more informaion see www.jacklondonsquare.com 

“Berkeley in the 1930s” An exhibition exploring the development of transportation, businesses, and industries. Come see how Berkeley fared during The Depression at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. 

The Great War Society meets to discuss “American Volunteers in the Canadian Army-1914-17” by S. Compagno at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. 527-7118. 

Keep Our Water Clean: Pharmaceutical Take-Back Campaign Bring in your over-the-counter medications and supplements as well as non-controlled prescriptions. Bring medication in original containers with personal information marked out. Bring mercury thermometers in two zipper bags to prevent breaks and spills. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 3000 Telegraph Ave. For more infomation see www.teleosis.org  

School House Creek Commons Fall Clean Up and Sowing of Wild Flower Seeds at 9 a.m. at Virginia and Curtis streets, at the eastern end of the Berkeley Adult School. If the weather has cooled enough, we also hope to be planting a slope of a hill with plugs of native grasses. There’s a play area for kids, and coffee and snacks will be served. 559-8368. 

Codornices Creek Watershed Tour with different speakers along various points of the creek. Meet at 9 a.m. near the mouth of Codornices Creek at Albany Waterfront Park, where Buchanan St. dead ends north of Golden Gate Fields, west of I-580. There will be a complimentary lunch afterwards. Please bring your own water bottle to save plastic. RSVP required 540-6669.  

Celebrate Cerrito Creek by Making Art Join Friends of Five Creeks and environmental artist Zach Pine making art with natural materials on restored Cerrito Creek from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the south edge of the El Cerrito Plaza parking lot between Cornell and Kains, adjacent to Saturday El Cerrito Plaza Farmers Market. Free, all are welcome. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org  

Help Restore San Pablo Creek in El Sobrante from 9 a.m. ato 12:30 p.m. Sponsored by REI and SPAWNERS. Tools provided. To register call 665-3538. www.spawners.org 

“Thirteen Ways to Stop Global Warming and Have a Beautiful Garden” A workshop with Alrie Middlebrook from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Watershed Nursery, 155 Tamalpais Rd. Cost is $25-$45. 548-4714.  

Autumn Arachnids Learn about the mysteries of the spider and then hunt for orb weavers, jumping spiders, wolf spiders and more at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Urban FIRE Walk-A-Thon A benefit for fund a Microloan Progam in Oakland. Meet at the Boathouse at Oakland’s Lake Merritt at 9 a.m. Donation $50. 655-1304. www.urbanvoice.org 

Indian Statue Day and Festival from noon to 5 p.m. in downtown Point Richmond. Music, arts and crafts, dress up your dog contest and a tour of the point’s Historic District. South of the Border luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St. 234-4219. 

Celebrating Indigenous People’s Day at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park with a presentation of Native American arts and music at 2 p.m. at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. Free. 532-9142. 

“Telling Tales” Storytelling Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School, 1809 Bancroft Way. Cost is $5, $15 per family. 883-6990. 

NAACP Berkeley Branch meets at 1 p.m. at 2108 Russell St. All are welcome. 

“Wal-Mart: The Face of 21st Century Capitalism” with Prof. Nelson Lichtenstein, UCSB, at 7 p.m. at Alamda Free Library, 1550 Oak St. Alameda. Conference on “Labor, Wal-Mart and China” begins at 1 p.m. Sponsored by California Healthy Communities Network and Alameda Public Affairs Forum. 814-9592.  

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Sensational Soul Food” Learn how to prepare Smokin’ Barbecued Tofu, Hoppin’ John (Black-eyed Peas and Rice) with Sauteed Greens, Spicy Okra Rice Soup, Creamy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese, Sweet Bread Pudding from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro, Oakland. Cost is $45, plus $5 materials fee. To register call 531-COOK. 

Pancake Breakfast and Tiffany Tour of the Louis Comfort Tiffany glass mosaic mural triptych, “Te Deum Laudamus,” from 8 a.m. to noon at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Cost is $7. 465-4793.  

“Sogetsu Ikebana Flower Show” Demonstration at 1 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022.  

“Strong at the Heart: How it Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse” with author Carolyn Lehamn at 1 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6107. 

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

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.  

SUNDAY, OCT. 14 

Spice of Life Festival in North Berkeley’s gourmet Ghetto, notrh Shattuck Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with product demonstrations, a culinary stage and live music. www.spiceoflifefestival.com 

Reptile Rap Meet our resident snake and turtle friends with an interactive talk for the whole family, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge Workday Help us prepare habitat for California Least Terns, which breed at the refuge. Meet at 9 a.m. at the main refuge gate at the northwest corner of former Alameda Naval Air Station, Alameda. Sponsored by Golden Gate Audubon Society. 843-2222. 

STAND Fundraiser and Garden Reception from 4 to 6 p.m. in the garden of a grand 115 year old Queen Anne Victorian in the heart of Temescal, 449 49th St., corner of 49th and Clarke. Speakers are Jeff D. Hoffman, the land-use/environmental attorney representing STAND, and Jeff Norman, Temescal historian. Cost is $25, $40 per couple. 655-3841. 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. www.cal-sailing.org 

7th Annual Crabby Chef Challenge benefiting Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Spenger's, 1919 Fourth St. Cooking competition begins at 2 p.m. 845-7771. 

The Friends of the Kensington Library Booksale from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot behind the library at 59 Arlington Blvd. A silent auction with ‘finds’ for book collectors from noon to 2 p.m. 524-3043.  

“The Revived Peace Process: Opportunities and Pitfalls” with Yossi Alpher, co-editor of bitterlemons, a web-based Israeli-Palestinian political dialogue magazine and columnist for Peace Now, at 7 p.m. at Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave. Donation $10. 525-3582.  

“The Joy of Vegan Baking: Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats & Sinful Sweets” Book party with author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks at 4:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro, Oakland. 531-2665. 

“Sogetsu Ikebana Flower Show” Demonstration at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022.  

Architecture Tour of the Oakland Museum of California Meet at 1 p.m. at the Admissions Desk, second level, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

“China Blue” Film screening and discussion of the conditions of China’s workers at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 595-7417. www.tifcss.org 

“Unitarian Universalism, Why It Matters” with Bill Hamilton-Holway at 10 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

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 Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Hugh Joswick on “Dream and Illusion” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, OCT. 15  

“New Public Policy Perspectives and the Power of Engaged Citizens” with Robert B. Reich, David L. Kirp, and Carol Chetkovich at 6 p.m. at FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. fsm-info@ 

library.berkeley.edu 

Pumpkin Painting for Children at 3:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Playwriting Class with Joshiah Polhemus, Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m. at Arts First Oakland Center, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Cost is $40 for 4 weeks. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

Books and Ideas Group discusses “The Poe Shadow” at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Teen Chess Club meets at 3:30 p.m. at the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6280. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 16 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Lake Temescal. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

The Berkeley Garden Club “Designing with Natives in the Home Garden” presented by Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook at 1:30 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 845-4482. 

Town Hall Meeting on West Berkeley Assessment District with Council Member Darryl Moore and the City of Berkeley Office of Economic Development at 7 p.m. at Rosa Parks Elementary, 920 Allston Way, at 8th St. 981-7120. 

St. Paul’s Episcopal School’s Annual Book Fair from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 116 Montecito Ave., Oakland. 285-9600.  

Middle School Book Group from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 4th Floor, Children’s Story Room, 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley. 981-6223.  

“Reincarnation and Buddhism” with Rev. Harry Bridge, at 7 p.m. at the Jodo Shinshu Center, 2140 Durant Ave. at Fulton. Donation $20. 809-1460. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

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

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around the restored 1870s business district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of G.B. Ratto’s at 827 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

“The Struggle Against Agribusiness in the Americas” with an update on Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donations accepted. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Civilian War Victim Series “A Civilian War Victim’s Story” with Dr. Brian Gluss at 1 p.m. at Emeryville Senior Center, 4321 Salem, Emeryville. 596-3730. 

“Coconut Revolution” A documentary on the struggle of indigenous people in Bouganivlle, Papua New Guinea, against the Panguna copper mine, at 8 p.m. at Long Haul Infoshop, 3124 Shatttuck Ave. www.thelonghaul.org 

5.6 Mile Wednesday Join naturalist Meg Platt for a moderate hike traversing a steep creek crossing and varied hills in search of native plants beating the heat. Meet at 10:30 a.m. at Bear Creek Staging Area, Newt Hollow Picnic Site, Briones. For information call 525-2233. 

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Colloquium with Thomas H. Hahn on “Landscapes of Ritual: China and the Perfromative Body.” Email for time and location laep.ced.berkeley.edu/events/colloquium 

“21st Century Family” A Greater Good magazine panel on how marriage has changed at 3:30 p.m. in the Lipman Room, 8th flr, Barrows Hall, UC Campus. www.greatergoodmag.org 

Computers for Seniors An open and ongoing class covering email, Internet, letter-writing and more. Class meets Wed. a.m. for eight weeks, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis St. 981-5170.  

Online Live Homework Help Workshop for students in 4th to 8th grade, from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 4th floor, Children’s Story Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

“So Help Me God” The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle Over Church and State with Rev. Forrest Church at 7 p.m. at The UNitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $10. 525-0302. 

An Introduction to Marxism, a free class for beginners and students at every level from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 595-7417.  

“Mystic Street: Meditations on a Spiritual Path” with Steve Georgiou at 7 p.m. at Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, Graduate Theological Union, 2311 Hearst. 649-2450. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 18 

“Creating Inclusive Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Families in East Bay Elementary Schools” A forum for parents, school administrators, and teachers at 5:30 p.m. at Chabot Elementary, 6686 Chabot Rd, Oakland. Free child-care is available on site. Please RSVP to Julia at 415-981-1960. 

“Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation in Northern California” with Dr. Mark Schwartz, UC Davis at 12:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022.  

Golden Gate Audubon Society “Endangered Species Big Year at the Golden Gate National Parks” with Brent Plater at 7 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 843-2222. 

“The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” A documentary at 7 p.m., followed by discussion at Green City Gallery, 1950 Shattuck Ave Suggested donation $5-$10. oilindependence@yahoo.com  

Sacramento and Berkeley Legislative Update with Assemblywoman Loni Hancock and Mayor Tom Bates sponsored by the Berkeley Democratic Club at 7:30 p.m at the Northbrae Community Church, in the Chapel, 941 The Alameda, just south of Solano Ave. Refreshments will be served. 849-2554. 

“Facing Death. . . with open eyes” A new documentary by Bay Area filmmaker Dr. Michelle Peticolas at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. 800-838-3006. 

“Avoid Cancer” Booksigning with authors Linda Eldridge and David Borgeson at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharm Berkeley 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Oct. 15, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Oct. 17, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5344.  

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

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

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Oct. 18 , at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.  

FRIDAY, OCT. 12 

THEATER 

California Shakespeare Theater “King Lear” at the Bruns Ampitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $15-$60. 548-9666.  

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Rumors” by Neil Simon, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., selected Sundays at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $11-$18. 655-8974. www.cct.org 

Impact Theatre “Sleepy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oct. 13. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “Alice in Wonderland” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Envision Academy, 1515 Webster St., Oakland, through Oct. 13. Tickets are $15-$30. 800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.org 

Shotgun Players “Bulrusher” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $17-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“Whatever She Wants” a romantic comedy stage play by Je-Caryous Johnson, Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 3 and 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $34.50-$49.50. 465-6400. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Thread Count” An exhibition of works by eight fiber artists. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. Exhibition runs to Nov. 4. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

FILM 

Midnight Movies “Scarface” Fri. and Sat. at midnight at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jonathan Kozol reads from “Letters to a Young Teacher” in a benefit for The Edible Schoolyard, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $8-$10 at Cody’s. 559-9500.  

Susan Faludi describes “the Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post 9-11 America” in a benefit for KPFA at 7:30 p.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose St. Tickets are $10-$13 at Cody’s. 559-9500.  

“War and Peace 3: The Future” readings from the anthology at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“A Night of Poetry” with Andrew Bleeker, Maxwell Heller and Lindsey Boldt at 7 p.m. at Book Zoo, 6395 Telegraph Ave. 654-BOOK. 

Dennis Evanosky reads from his new book about Oakland’s Laurel District at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

Peg Kingman reads from her debut novel, “Not Yet Drown’d” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Ralph Dranow and Clara Hsu read at 7 pm at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Opera Theater “ Turn of the Screw” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., through Oct. 14. Tickets are $25. 763-1146.  

Kurt Ribak Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $15. www.hillsideclub.org  

The Junius Courtney Big Band, featuring Denise Perrier, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14.. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Akosua, jazz-inspired folk fusion, at 8 p.m. at Maxwell's Lounge, 341 13th St. Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-6169. 

William Beatty, piano, at 6:30 p.m. at The Mount Everest Restaurant, 2011 Shattuck Ave. at University. 665-6035. 

Lua Hadar & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tito y su Son de Cuba at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cuban dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Katzen Kapell at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. 

Ray Cepeda, Latin rock, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

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

Tara Tinsley and Tim Jenkins at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Devin Hoff, Willie Winant, Lisa Mazzacappa, Ralph Carney and others at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Ceremony, Life-long Tragedy, Knuckle Puck 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. 

Kevin Beadles Band at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

“Old to the New Throwback Concert” with The Attik, Ise Lyfe, Rico Pabon & Agualibre at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159.  

NewBlue at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

John Scofield Trio featuring The ScoHorns at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun.. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 13 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Asheba at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Mexica: An Aztec Tale” Sat. and Sun. at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

THEATER 

Bunraku, The National Puppet Theater of Japan at 8 p.m. Sun at 3 p.m., at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus Tickets are $76. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Central Works “Every Inch a King” opens at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. and runs through Nov. 18. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381.centralworks.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Artists of Invention: A Century of CCA” Exhibition and celebration of the centennial of California College of the Arts opens at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

“Abundance of Color and Light” Opening reception at 6:30 p.m., light show at 8:15 p.m., at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. 

“The Memorial Leaves Devastation in its Wake” A painting and mixed media installation. Opening reception at 4 p.m. at The Gallery of Urban Art, 1746 13th St at Wood. Donation $5. Bring something to BBQ. www.thegalleryofurbanart.com 

Tea Pot Show Works by members of the Potters’ Studio in celebration of their 35th Anniversary. Sat. and Sun. from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 637 Cedar St. 528-3286. 

“Peace Imaginings, How You Vision It” multimedia digital art by both established and emerging artists of the Berkeley City College MultiMedia Arts program. Opening reception at 2 p.m. at the Art of Living Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. 478-5000. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Naomi Wolf introduces “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, A Citizen’s Call to Action” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

“Telling Tales” Storytelling Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School, 1809 Bancroft Way. Cost is $5, $15 per family. 883-6990. 

Gloria Frym, Ethan Paquin, and Chad Sweeney, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Artists’ talk at 2 p.m.at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Civil Rights Concert Series and Courage Awards from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. Tickets are $27-$37. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Taylor Eigsti, jazz pianist at 8 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Bryan Baker and Friends “If Music Be the Food of Love” at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Road, Kensington. Suggested donation $15-$50. For reservations call 525-0302, ext. 309.  

Jon Cooney, light R & R, at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar, in the Strawberry Creek Park complex. 704-9378. 

The Freedom Song Network, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$50. 849-2568.  

Bayside Jazz with Dan Hicks at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ.  

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

Kirk Keeler and Meghan Baker at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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

Al Young in Concert at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373.  

Royal Hawaiian Serenaders at 9 p.m. at Temple Bar Tiki Bar & Grill, 984 University Ave. 548-9888. 

Culann’s Hounds, The Bog Savages at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Jinx Jones Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Skitzo, Fog of War, Scarecrow, Witchaven at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

John Scofield Trio featuring The ScoHorns at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun.. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 14 

THEATER 

“By George, It’s War!” A musical satarization of the Bush administration by Dale Polissar at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Berkeley in the 1930s” An exhibition exploring the development of transportation, businesses, and industries. Opening reception at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. 

Works by Mittie Cuetara Opening reception at 4 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

FILM 

“The Magic of Chinese Animation” Introduced by Beijing Film Academy Prof. Duan Jia at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Jewish Folk Art: Recalling the Lost World of Polish Jews” Panel discussion at 2 p.m. at the Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $10-$12. 549-6950. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Patrizia Ferrara & Isota at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Americana Unplugged: String Break at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

William Beatty and The Unconditionals at 6:30 p.m. at The Mt. Everest Restaurant 2011 Shattuck Ave. 665-6035.  

Don Neely’s Royal Society Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054.  

Inga Swearingen and Bill Peterson at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 15 

EXHIBITIONS 

Richard Whittaker and Rue Harrison Photography and Drawings opens at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth St., and runs through Nov. 9. 649-8111. 

FILM 

“Runnin’ Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” Premier showing at 8 p.m. at Elmwood Rialto Cinema, 2966 College Ave. at Ashby. Cost is $8-$9. 433-9730. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

PlayGround Six emerging playwrights debut new works at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $15. 415-704-3177. 

“Listening to Classical Music” with Joseph Kerman at 12:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Rebecca Brown & Lucy Corin read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Adam Clay and Andrew Grace, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Harry Shearer reads from his novel “Not Enough Indians” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express with Judy Wells at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mal Sharpe’s Big Money in Jazz Band and Eric and Suzy Thompson at 7 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Benefit for the Elmwood Neighborhood Association. Donation $20. www.theelmwood.org 

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

Songwriter’s Showcase at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $5. 548-1761. 

Julio Bravo y su Salsabor at 8 at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, OCT. 16 

FILM 

“Films by Bruce Conner” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, will discuss his book “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“The Talented Women of the Zhang Family” with author Susan Mann in conversation with Sophie Volpp at 5:30 at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

“Blowing on Embers, Stories for Hard Times” with author and family therapist Ellen Pulleyblank Coffey at 7:30 p.m. at Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. www.hillsideclub.org 

Alison Wilson-Fried reads from her novel “Outside Child: A Book of Murder and New Orleans” at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

“Recognition and Persuasion: The Literary Critic as Cultural Critic” with Stefan Collini, Univ. of Cambridge, at 5 p.m. at Townsend Center for the Humanities, 220 Stephens Hall, UC Campus. 643-9670. 

Dan Machlin and Brent Cunningham, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Dwontown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Edwidge Danticat reads from his new novel “Brother, I’m Dying” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Tilden Trio at 8 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $20. 525-5211. www.berkeleychamberperform.org 

Hilary Hahn, violin, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$62. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Motordude Zydeco at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Emery High School Jazz Band at 12:30 p.m. at College of Alameda Student Center, 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Pkwy., Alameda. 748-2213. 

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

Classical at the Freight: Dmitri Ashkenazy and friends at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ellen Honert, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Nicolas Bearde at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 

THEATER 

St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County’s Seldom Seen Acting Company, an acting company of seven homeless men, performs “Now You Know” at noon at the St. Vincent de Paul Downtown Community Center, 2280 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. Donations accepted. 636-4261.  

FILM 

International Latino Film Festival “Mi Mejor Enimigo/My Best Enemy” at 7 p.m. at Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 620-6555. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Treasures: Three Generations of Printmakers Works by Emmanuel Montoya, Miriam Stahl and Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs. Artists’ talk at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley art Center, 1275 Walnut St. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Rev. Forrest Church speaks about his new book “So Help Me God! The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle Over Church and State” at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Steve Georgiou introduces “Mystic Street: Meditations on a Spiritual Path” at 7 p.m. at Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, Graduate Theological Union, 2311 Hearst. 649-2450. 

Estelle Freedman introduces “The Essential Feminist Reader” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oaktown Jazz Workshop at noon at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. www.oaklandcitycenter.com 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on harpsichord at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

The Very Hot Club of Berkeley at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

The Tiptons, London Street at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Music for Sight Seeing at 7 p.m. at Mama Buzz, 2318 Telegraph Ave. at 23rd, Oakland. Cost is $5 . 

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

Wayward Monks 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 

Uncle Earl at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Matthew Shipp at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 18 

EXHIBITIONS 

“three generations ... five impressions” Artists’ recpetion at 5 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 841-3976. www.giorgigallery.com 

“Nature’s Intentions” New works by Gary Brewer, Jennifoer Holmes and Chris Isner opens at Esteban Sabar Gallery, 480 3rd St., Oakland, and runs to Nov. 19. 444-7411. www.estebansabar.com 

2007 James D. Phelan Art Award in Printmaking Reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“Paper+Silk+Canvas+Mylar+Leather+Wool” Celebrating 25 years of innovative printmaking by artists of the Blue Bay Press. Artists’ talk at 7 p.m. at Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery, State of CA Office Bldg. Atrium, 1515 Clay St., Oakland. 622-8190. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Krasney introduces “Off Mike: A Memoire of Talk Radio and Literary Life” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Ann Packer reads from her new novel “Songs Without Words” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Baguette Quartette, French cafe music, at noon at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

The Mountain Boys/Jimbo Trout & The Trout People, Jelly Roll Souls at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Brigitte DeMeyer at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Lucia and Friends “A Meeting at the Crossroads” at 7:30 p.m. at Café de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $15-$25. 843-0662.  

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

Seven Stories Falling, Z-trane Band, Privies at 10 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Jef Mercelis at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Diablo’s Dust at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

David Sanchez at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Singer and actor Nicholas Bearde, longtime Rockridge resident, one of Bobby McFerrin’s original (and ongoing) Voicestra vocalists and a favorite at Bay Area clubs and parties, will record his third CD live, performing at Yoshi’s Jazzhouse in Jack London Square Tuesday evening. 

Bearde, who teaches a class entitled “The Soulful Side of Jazz” at Berkeley’s JazzSchool, has specialized for the past quarter century in just that: the continuity between jazz vocals and soul music, singing standards and original songs. But the origins of his warm, distinctive vocal and performing style go back to a lifetime of singing, listening and thinking about music and how it affects its listeners. 

Some of it goes back to Nashville, where he was born and raised, when his mother “and her buddies would hang out all night, five or six of them, drinking, dancing, listening to ‘Ebbtide,’ to Lou Rawls, Arthur Prysock, Nat Cole, Cab Calloway ... I’d hear it through doors—‘Honey, hush!’—and it was only later I understood what they meant, talking about how Cab Calloway’s hair would look on a pillow!” 

Bearde remembers being taken on a second-grade field trip to the symphony hall, hearing a full orchestra play “The William Tell Overture,” and “swooning; I was 7, and it carried me to a place I couldn’t believe—and I only knew it before as The Lone Ranger theme! Kids aren’t exposed to that so often now.”  

He remembers “instantly becoming a tenor in the school choir--I’d been in choir at church from the beginning of time—after a woman at a piano had me sing a song and told me a time to come back. Nobody asked me! And the music had me in tears. I couldn’t reveal that feeling in those days to my classmates.” 

Out of his love of classical music and from a Jamaican friend who introduced him to music by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bob Dylan, “a respect grew for everything else. We didn’t quite believe in foreigners in Nashville; never met any. We knew there were Chinese and Mexicans in the world, but nobody else. And there I am, a young soulster with a doo-wop trio, offered a contract which never worked out—suddenly, there’s jazz and folk music. And I heard Lou Rawls’ live album, ‘St. James Infirmary and Other Songs’, he was really the first male vocalist with whom I realized what’s possible, how a man’s supposed to sing. A Lou Rawls tribute’s part of my show at Yoshi’s. Ironically, I remember my mother listening to him sing ‘Willow, weep for me’ with her friends, but didn’t really get it until I heard his live album. I must’ve gotten those habits from her!” 

Bearde credits enlisting at 18 in the Air Force for “opening up my world. When you’re brought up in extreme poverty, you’re told not to expect much more.”  

While serving two years of his four-year hitch in Japan, he sang with a 10-piece soul group, “my first professional gig.” Dis-charged, he visited the Bay Area, then went to LA, “expecting more of the same. As soon as I had the opportunity, I ran back up here. I’ve been around the world, and I still love this place best out of everywhere I’ve ever been.” 

But Bearde didn’t start out singing when he settled in the Bay Area. “When I got here,” he said, “I was so intimidated by who was on the scene—Sly Stone, Tower of Power, Santana; it was the ’70s. I laid back a long time, checking people out, but not doing it, till the very early ’80s.”  

Working in commercial photography, his career came to an end “when I blew a big job. I’d been torn between photography and music, and realized I blew it because I hadn’t really wanted to do it. I needed to be in a band, in front of people, challenging myself—and thought, ‘whatever happens, happens.’” 

He sang in a Top 40 band for a few years, “then in ’83 I got a call that somebody had cancelled at Pasand, the club on Union Street in San Francisco. My name had been given, and I stepped in and from there, became a regular, really stepping into the jazz world, the beginning of all this that’s happening for me right now.” 

In 1986 Bearde “hooked up with Bobby McFerrin, who had his idea for a radical group of all voices. Molly Holme helped put it together, and called me.”  

The beginning of Voicestra was “about 15 singers improvising at Different Fur Studio in San Francisco for five or six hours.”  

After a few years of performing “mainly around the Bay, “Voicestra rehearsed for a full year in 1990, then toured.” In 1995, “the budget ran out. The singers wanted to continue, but Bobby couldn’t afford it.” So SoVoSo was born, “Voicestra minus about three or four singers” until 1998, when “Voicestra came back into being, and has toured a couple months of the year, usually in Europe, ever since.” 

Meanwhile, Bearde was working solo more and more, trying to establish his name. “Voicestra is a whole other world. It and my solo career are two separate items.” His solo style is mellow, filling a groove, yet forceful, rising to crescendos of excitement, backed by his personable onstage style. 

His CDs, Crossing the Line (1998) and All About Love (2004), both featuring a handful of original numbers besides standards ranging from Coltrane’s “Naima” to “Moonlight In Vermont” to Burt Bacharach, were both in the British Top Ten, and “have notoriety in the states, but it’s hard to get radio play without a budget—the lubricant! Artists always just want to do their art, but today it’s the last thing they want you to do. Publicity, marketing—that’s what they think you’re supposed to be doing. In my position, I’m always torn between making a living and wanting to make a statement, making something bigger and better than I am now.” 

He’s aiming for that with his “Live At Yoshi’s” album, a self-financed venture on his own label, Right Groove Records. “I’m tired of trying to fit into this category, that category. I’m proud of my first two albums; I did what I wanted to, sang the repertoire I had to, for me. But to some degree, they were still shaped to the market. This new one is where I want to be; where I am, who I am at this time.” 

Cinema 16 is a UK company bringing greater visibility to the short film through a series of DVD releases showcasing some of the best works in the form.  

The label started out in Europe in 2003 with British Short Films, followed by American Short Films and European Short Films, and this last collection has just been released in the United States. 

The two-disc set features early and rarely seen works by some of Europe’s most prominent directors, including Ridley Scott, Lars Von Trier and Christopher Nolan. Some are simple student films, others are award-winning works with high-production values and polished technique. But most of the set’s highlights are the work of lesser-known directors.  

The disc starts with Juan Solanas’ Man Without a Head (France, 2003, 18 minutes), a surprisingly moving special effects tour de force about a man who literally does not have a head and attempts to purchase one for a special date in which he will declare his love for his girlfriend. The film is rich with saturated colors that contrast with the dismal industrial landscape in which the man lives in his shabby apartment. One particularly striking scene shows the man dancing Astaire-like in his bedroom, mooning over a photograph of his beloved.  

Virgil Widrich’s Copyshop (Austria, 2001, 12 minutes) is another effects extravaganza, about a man who photocopies himself over and over until the film is seemingly populated with thousands of mirror images of himself. The film is shot in black and white and uses a choppy sort of collage-style visual scheme that replicates the look of photocopies of photocopies. The technique consisted of 18,000 photocopied digital frames, animated with the use of a 35-millimeter camera.  

Though the collection is rife with special effects, the most captivating films are more down to earth. Lynne Ramsay’s Gasman (UK, 1997, 14 minutes) is as dense with emotion and meaning as any great short story, as a young girl struggles with a gradually dawning awareness of the secret lives of adults during a night out with her father—a night that brings her into contact with another woman and other children, the connections between them all coming into focus as the evening comes to a close. 

Balilnt Kenyeres’ Before Dawn (Hungary, 2005, 13 minutes) consists of a single long take, the camera gliding smoothly around a field in the early morning hours as police descend upon an immigrant-smuggling operation. The seamless choreography of action and camera, evocative photography, and thoughtful but open-ended conclusion make for an especially powerful short subject.  

Also included is Roy Andersson’s World of Glory (Sweden, 1991, 16 minutes), a minimalist rumination on the banality of evil and its ramifications on the psyches of those who serve it. The film is widely considered one of the most significant short films ever made.  

Sergio Leone is often thought of as an ironic and humorous filmmaker, a mischievous genre deconstructionist. But though his films have plenty of humor and wit and mischief, they also contain great beauty and depth and insight. Though he may have worked most famously in a genre largely considered pulp—the Western—but Leone was one of the great cinematic artists.  

Pacific Film Archive is presenting seven of Leone’s best films, starting Saturday and running through Oct. 28.  

Leone is best known for his films with Clint Eastwood, the so-called “spaghetti westerns” in which the director deconstructed and built upon the traditions of a uniquely American genre. The “Dollars Trilogy” culminated in perhaps his most beloved film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967). But his masterpiece is Once Upon a Time in the West, (1968) a nearly three-hour epic that re-imagines the great myths and imagery of western expansion.  

Leone did not merely deconstruct and caricature the Western, he revitalized it, bringing a greater depth and mystery to its vistas and villains. He delved into the roots of the form’s archetypes, digging up the primal thoughts, emotions and characters that inhabited the landscape. And then he magnified it all; he distilled the genre to its essence and then spread it on thick in deep sepia tones.  

But it is the faces of his characters, even more than the dramatic Monument Valley backdrop, that provide Once Upon a Time in the West’s most enduring images. Leone deepened the impact of the close-up, juxtaposing and equating the rugged terrain of the landscape with the equally rugged terrain of the human face, each giving greater significance to the other. The eyes of his sweat-soaked, sun-scarred outlaws reflect the landscape and imbue it with meaning, and the landscape shapes the characters who survey it.  

Though the widescreen format is ideal for shooting vast panoramic landscapes, it poses problems for photographing people. Close-ups must crop the face above the eye, and still leave wide swaths of wasted open space on either side. Leone made use of these limitations brilliantly, however, bringing his camera in even tighter and expertly balancing close-up faces on one side of the frame with open vistas on the other.  

Leone’s masterful use of the widescreen format is particularly evident in the scene where Jill arrives at the McBain ranch to find the bodies of her husband and his children laid out on tables in the dooryard. The body of her husband, his head in the lower left corner of the frame, slants upwards across the frame to where Jill’s grief-stricken face is positioned in the upper right. Across the frame to the left of her is a group of attentive neighbors dressed in black, and behind them the rugged hills as backdrop. In one expertly composed image, Leone tells the whole story.  

Leone knew how to move his camera as well. One of the most stirring moments in any Western comes when Jill first arrives in Flagstone, hoping to find her new husband waiting for her at the train station. She waits and watches in vain as the throng of passengers moves past until she finally heads into the station office. And here begins a brilliant marriage of form and content: Leone’s camera follows her to the door and then watches through the window as she asks for directions from the station agent. The agent guides her through a door on the opposite side of the building as Leone lifts his camera above the window, up the wall and over the roof, and as the music swells we get our first look at the town, all construction and bustling activity. It is the birth of the West, and we encounter it along with Jill, who is soon to become its guiding feminine life force. Indeed, it is as if the town only comes to life once she lays eyes on it. It is a shot full of the promise, the legend, the myth and the glory of the West, achieved with simple but masterful technique. 

Claudia Cardinale, as Jill, is in fact the cornerstone of the film. Though the photogenic Italian’s voice was dubbed by an actress with a better grasp of English, Cardinale was not cast simply as eye candy, but for her expressive face and her ability to project a mix of weariness and determination. In the scene at the station and again toward the end of the film, when Harmonica walks into the house only to announce his departure, Cardinale demonstrates her talent in close-ups that see her effortlessly transition from happy anticipation to crestfallen disillusionment to iron-willed perseverance. Her face is beautiful yet damaged, once by the life she has escaped and again when the life she hopes to escape to is ripped from her grasp. And again Leone demonstrates his knowledge and faith in the terrain of the human face, patiently holding the camera’s gaze on Jill as the emotional change overtakes her features.  

As the New Orleans hooker turned pioneer homesteader, Jill may at first seem like a mere variation on a stock Western character. But Leone is after something else here. Throughout the film, Jill is consistently associated with water—the water that runs beneath the dream of a town that will be known as Sweetwater; the water that will fuel the heaving, churning steam train that represents progress; the water she heats for the weary Cheyenne’s coffee; the hot bath with which she renews herself after suffering the world’s degradations; and the water she brings to the thirsty railroad workers in the film’s closing shot. She is the life force of this brave new world, the madonna that gives birth to this new land. And though the moments when her clothing is torn or barely held together by flimsy string may seem at first like simple exploitation, there is greater significance in these images. For in the end it will be her strength and determination that shine through the dust and violence, just as it is her beauty and courage that are unleashed once her dandified city clothes are torn apart, the phony veneer of sophistication and respectability giving way to the earthy mother of the West. 

Greg Brockbank, who plays Dick Cheney in By George, It’s War!, composer Dale Polissar’s new satirical musical comedy about the Bush administration, says he tries to put a “tough, Republican look” on his face while swinging his golf club in the Bohemian Grove during the number “The Republican Men’s Chorus” as the group sings, “We’re just hard-working, regular guys trying to make an honest buck; and if we have to poke our fingers in a few people’s eyes, and cut a few throats, what the fuck?” 

The “Republicans” repeat the last three words in a melodious barbershop-style arpeggio. 

It’s all part of the fun in the spoof, which lampoons the Bush administration and protests the Iraq war with music ranging from lively numbers reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan to forboding pieces evocative of Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht. A one-act version of the show of the same name played in Marin in 2004. 

Now Polissar, who wrote both music and lyrics, has added a second act covering Bush’s re-election and the war. The production opens Sunday, Oct. 14 at La Peña in Berkeley, where it plays four shows before moving to Mill Valley’s 142 Throckmorton Theatre. 

With a cast of eight, a three-person band and choreography by Doree Clark, who also co-directed, the musical review takes potshots at everything from the administration’s stance on gay marriage—“When persons of similar gender, start acting all loving and tender, it’s a fearful sight to see; it portends the destruction of society! … Parents plastered nightly on martinis, better by far than if parents both have weenies”—to what Polissar believes was the stealing of the election: “Democracy is well and good, but people aren’t too bright, so on election night, the poor dear people need my skill to make it come out right,” sings a computer-geek “wizard,” flanked by two showgirls displaying graphs of election results that change whenever he waves his computer-mouse wand.  

Ernest Bottarini plays the wizard to hilarious effect, as well as a character named “Mohammed bin Gone-A-Lot,” modeled after former Bush-administration adviser Ahmed Chalabi (who’s “been gone” from Iraq for years). In “No Problem,” Mohammed—or “Mo,” as Bush nicknames him—informs the president and a couple of generals that conquering Iraq will be “a piece of cake”: “If you invade Iraq, no problem! They soon all eat Big Mac, no problem!” he intones, all smiles, to an oom-pah-pah accompaniment as the generals stand by, nodding solemnly.  

Bush is played as a bumbling fool by Charlie Morgan. “It’s a way to respond to the corruption of this administration,” he says about the production and his role. In one of the show’s funniest scenes, Bush and Cheney eavesdrop on a pair of unsuspecting lovers whose phones they have tapped. Cheney wears a cast on his leg from a hunting accident and is tethered to an oxygen tank.  

“Y’know, some people say I don’t listen to the people,” Bush says, donning headphones. “Why, listening to the people is one of my favorite things to do!” 

The lovers are in the middle of sexy bedroom talk when Osama bin Laden comes on the line: it turns out the hunted Al Queda terrorist has, all this time, been working as a sous-chef in the White House kitchen and he has been eavesdropping on Bush: “I must say, that call you made to Dick last Wednesday about the FBI director…,” he begins. He also advises Bush to spice up the White House food with a little curry. 

Polissar, 69, is a San Francisco native and Bolinas resident whose music has been performed around the Bay Area, including at the Exploratorium and on KPFA. He plays jazz clarinet at Marin restaurants, used to write poetry, and was once a reporter for the Lodi News Sentinel, where he wrote an exposé of the bracero system that got read into the congressional record. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in music composition from Stanford.  

A bit of a Luddite, Polissar owns no computer: He typed the script of the show on a typewriter and wrote out the piano score the old-fashioned way—by hand. He says songs, complete with words, often pop into his head as he walks along the beach. His inspiration for the second act came from Bush’s re-election. “I didn’t think he won,” Polissar says. When the pundits said people voted on the basis of moral values, the bouncy tune “Moral Values” (“we got more moral values than you”) came to him, and the rest of the act flowed from there. He has spent the past couple of years arranging the tunes and staging the show. 

Brockbank (Cheney and other characters), a San Rafael lawyer with a theater background who is chairman of the Marin Democratic Central Committee, former chairman of the Marin chapter of the ACLU and currently running for a seat on the San Rafael city council, says he’d love to see the show sweep the country.  

“It’s important to let the world know, hey, this guy [Bush] is the greatest buffoon, and one of the greatest threats to world peace, in history,” he says. “Sometimes I struggle to decide whether it’s [the show is] an entertainment event that’s also about politics, or a political event that’s also entertaining. I think the composer is coming from both places. He’s a serious professional musician and he is seriously into politics. The way he works, every word, every phrase is very carefully and cleverly done.”  

Cast member Sandi Rubay, like the rest of the ensemble, plays various roles in the production. (Tim Mayer, Melody Ferris, Molly Maguire and Rana Kanges-Kent, also currently working in the musical “Shopping” in San Francisco, complete the cast.) “He’s passionate,” Rubay says of Polissar. “He’s just this old hippy from Bolinas who has something to say. I think he’s brilliant.”  

Polissar likes to point out that his show is more than a light satire. “It also has some deep affirmation of the beauty of the world we stand to lose,” he says. Indeed, the show ends with a moving, lyrical ensemble number, “This World”: “This world, with its flashing waters, this world, with its flaming sun … All that we need is here. We’re given paradise.” 

It’s a tearjerker. And there are dark scenes—soldiers in their bunker bemoaning the killing of an Iraqi family and war protest numbers.  

But the show’s real power may lie in the cathartic release it provides its audience through its mirthful, unrestrained swipes at George W. and company.