TUESDAY, OCT. 23 

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 Miller/Knox Keller Beach. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“Oil, Gas, and Global Warming: Youth Confronting America’s Petroleum Addiction” with recent recipients of the Brower Youth Award at 6 p.m. at Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus. 643-6445. 

“Party Planning for the Holidays” Benefit for Alameda County Community Food Bank with Barbara Llewellyn and Ron Morgan from 10 a.m. to noon at the Food Bank, 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland. Tickets are $20, plus a canned food donation, and includes continental breakfast and a guided tour of the facility. 635-3663. www.accfb.org 

“Who Are the Real Fascists?” a panel discussion on the assault on critical thinking at US universities at 8 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle, UC Campus. 848-1196. 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater Lobby. Topics include School Governance Council Officers, BSEP Officers, ELL Budget. 644-4803. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from noon to 1 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

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

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 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. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park in Oakland. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. 834-1066. 

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.  

“Senior Housing Crisis: How to Fight Back” with Rae Mary, Berkeley Housing, and Jesse Arreguin, Housing Advocate, at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, Corner of MLK. Sponsored by the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative with guest speaker, Martin Borque, executive director of the Ecology Center, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Potluck. 548-2220. 

United Nations 62nd Anniversary Celebration at 6 p.m. in the I-House Auditorium, UC Campus. For cost and reservations contact larnie@berkeley.edu 

“Sabotaging Education” How workplace bullying and psychological abuse can undermine students’ education with William Lepowsky at 10 a.m. at Room G-209 at Laney College, 8th and Fallon Streets, Oakland. 464-3181. 

“From Seed to Supper with Mollie Katzen and Friends” at 6:30 p.m. at Windrush School, Multipurpose Room, 1800 Elm St., El Cerrito. Free. 970-7580. http://windrush.org 

“Nuestro Petroleo y Otros Cuentos” A documentary on the oil and coal industries in Venezuela at 8 p.m. at Long Haul Infoshop, 3124 Shatttuck Ave. www.thelonghaul.org 

“An Evening with Elvia Alvarado” Honduran human rights activist and peasant leader at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. at 27th, Oakland. Cost is $5-$20 sliding scale. 1-800-838-3006. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will have a nature scavenger hunt from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Black Cat Pocket Pals Crafts inspired by the book for ages 8 and up at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 4th floor, Children’s Department. 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day Open House from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the AIMC Berkeley, 2550 Shattuck Ave. at Blake. 684-2552. 

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

THURSDAY, OCT. 25 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at the Albany Mudflats at Eastshore State Park, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. For meeting place call 540-8749. 

Oakland Bird Club with Allan Ridley and Helen McKenna-Ridley on “The Anatomy of Flying” at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 444-0355. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a nature scavenger hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will have a nature scavenger hunt from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Halloween Stories and Songs for Preschoolers at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Public Library, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins. 981-6250.  

Election 2008: Presidential Forum with representatives from the Clinton, Obama and Edwards Campaings at the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, at 6:45 p.m at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. 

“The Eccentrics of 19th Century Downtown Berkeley” with author Richard Schwartz at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

“Seeking Palestinian-Israeli Peace” A discussion with Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid & Counseling, Jerusalem; Anan Attiri, Director, Nablus Governorate; Naava Eisin, Director of the Archives of Jewish Education at Tel Aviv Univ.; Molly Malekar, Director of Bat Shalom of the Jerusalem Link and Jessica Neuwirth, Founding President, Equality Now, at 5 p.m. at Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 150, LeRoy Ave. entrance near Hearst. 

DataCenter’s 30th Anniversary Celebration Dinner and Reception to honor the DataCenter and its partners at 6 p.m. at Historic Sweet’s Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakland Tickets are $100 per person, $50 per grassroots organizer, RSVP required. 839-3100.  

“Words of Hope” A discussion led by Stop the Traffik featuring the book “Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance, and Redefinition” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

“Global Awakenings: Communities that Work for Everyone” An evening with Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, founder of the Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka, at Alta Bates Health Education Center, 400 Hawthone Ave., Oakland. Donation $10.  

“Behind the Scene Efforts to Recover Hostages in Iraq” with Colonel Gerald Schumacher at 7:30 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, UC Campus. Cost is $5. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

“Homeschooling 101” with parents and young people from Family Village, Berkeley, and Alameda Oakland Home Learners at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 1938 Cedar St. 895-2312. 

Easy Does It (EDI) Board of Directors’ Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1636 University Ave. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

FRIDAY, OCT. 26 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Camille Minichino, author of “Sister in Crime: Who Will Murder Whim, and How?” 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.  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a nature scavenger hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

“Until When” a film by Dahna Abourahme which follows four Palestinian families living in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp at 7 p.m. followed by update & discussion with Jeanne Shaterian at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation requested, no one turned away. 841-4824. 

“10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” A documentary by Rick Ray, at 7:30 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Cost is $10. 528-8844.  

Community Dance/Barn Dance at 8 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 650-365-2913. bacds@bacds.org 

Auction and Sale of Beardless Irises at 8 p.m. at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by the Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society. Free. http://bayareairis.org. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 

Bat Show at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave., Kensington. For ages 5 and up. Free, but tickets required. 524-3043. 

Fall Fruit Tasting at the Saturday Farmers’ Market with appleas, Asian and European pears, and persimmons, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

Fall Birdwalk in the UC Botanical Garden with Dennis Wolf and Chris Carmichael from 9 to 10:30 a.m., 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $12-$15. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Haunted House and Pre-Halloween Party from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at St. John’s Church, 2727 College Ave. For all ages, adjustable scariness. Wear costumes. Bring a book, food item or toy for a hungry or homeless child. Donations also welcome. Grades 6-12 invited to come at 3 p.m. to help set up the Haunted House. 845-6830. 

Halloween Celebration in Albany and Berkeley from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ray’s Pumpkin Patch, 1245 Solano Ave., Albany. 527-5358. www.SolanoStroll.org 

Celebrate Halloween at the Haunted Harbor Festival from 3 to 7 p.m. at Jack London Square. Safe and fun activities for children including live music, puppet show and costume contest.  

Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree A Halloween Celebration for the whole family Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Belleview Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. www.fairyland.org 

Feast of the Angelitos Come build a “nicho,” and other arts and crafts and enjoy traditional sweets, Sat. and Sun. from 2 to 4 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Dias de los Muertos Procession, featuring Ernesto Olmos at 6 p.m. Free and open to all ages. 228-3207. 

“Demystifying the Tarot, It's in the Cards” with a Halloween Happening from 7 to 9 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d 4th St. 527-0600. 

Monster Bash Aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at 707 W Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children. 521-8448, ext. 282. www.hornetevents.com 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. For reservations call 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

3rd Not-So-Silent Church Auction with live music by jazz ensemble The House Band, at 7:00 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. at Napa. $10. 524-2921. www.epworthberkeley.org 

Berkeley Digital Media Conference “Current and Emerging Intersections” from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Haas School of Business, UC Campus. Organized by Berkeley MBA students and hosted by the Berkeley Digital Media and Entertainment Club. http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/haas/maps.html 

Computer Recycling from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Meet Your Friendly Firefighters For ages 3 to 7 at 10:30 a.m. Central Berkeley Public Library, 4th Floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

Protest the War in Iraq from 2 to 4 p.m. on the corner of Acton and University. Sponsored by the Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenants Assoc. and Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 841-4143. 

“Uyghurs on the Silk Road” A celebration of people and culture, dinner at 6 p.m. followed by program at 7:30 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, UC Campus. Cost is $5, plus $9.25 for dinner. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

“Creating a Mixed Border for Year Round Color” with gardener Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Ongoing Vocal Jazz Workshop at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin at the corner of Masonic, on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. 524-6797. 

“Savvy Woman’s Guide to Buying a Home” at 2 p.m. at The Bellevue Club, 525 Bellevue Ave.. Oakland. 451-1000. 

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

SUNDAY, OCT. 28 

Oakland Heritage Alliance House Tour of the Historic San Antonio Neighborhood A self-guided tour of ten houses open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tour begins at 2002 10th Ave. Tickets are $25-$35. 763-9218. info@oaklandheritage.org 

Fall Colors of Briones Join a moderate 4 mile hike with naturalist Tara Reinertson to learn about the diversity of oaks. Bring lunch, sunscreen and water. 525-2233. 

Haunted Caves of the Environmental Education Center at Tilden Explore and learn the facts and fictions of Halloween at 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. Cost is $3 for ages 3 and up. 525-2233. 

Spooky Tales in the UC Botanical Gardens at 1 p.m. at 200 Centennial Drive. Come in costume and bring a blanket. Cost is $3-$10. 643-2755.  

Dia de los Muertos Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on International Blvd., between Fruitvale Ave. and 40th Ave. with community altars, traditional dance, live music, children’s ativities, international food and more. 535-6900. www.unitycouncil.org 

Chabot Elementary School Fall Carnival with games, activities, refreshments and entertainment for all ages, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6686 Chabot Rd. at Patton, Rockridge. www.chabotelementary.org 

Ghostwalk and Graveyard Tales from 7 to 9 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 228-3207. 

Free Market at Oak Grove Tree-Sit from 1 to 5 p.m. at Piedmont Ave. north of Bancroft. Autumn Ritual at 5:30 p.m. 938-2109. www.saveoaks.com 

Women of Color Resource Center 9th Annual Sisters of Fire Awards Ceremony at 11a.m. at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center. Honorees are Assemblywomen Karen Bass, Ishle Park, Linda Tillery. Tickets are sliding scale from $45-$75. 444-2700, ext. 306. 

Ecumenical Peace Institute Annual Dinner with Dr. Joseph Gerson on “Empire and the Bomb, from Hiroshima to Iraq and Iran” at 6 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. Suggested donation $15-$35, no one turned away. RSVP to 655-1162.  

Tour of the Berkeley City Club, Julia Morgan’s “little castle” at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. Free, donations welcome. 883-9710. 

Alameda Architectural Preservation Society “Historic Wood Finishes” A presentation by John Dilks at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Cost is $5 for non-members. www.alameda-preservation.org 

“The Question of the Supernatural” with Sarah Lewis at 10 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

“Marx’s Ecology” A discussion of Ralph Bellamy Foster’s book presented by Raj Sahani at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. 595-7417. www.tifcss.org 

beatsitasana UrbanYoga Open House from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Center for Urban Peace, 2584 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 866-732-2320. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Elizabeth Cook on “Sacred Places of the Buddha: Teaching the Dharma” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

“What is Humanistic Judaism?” with Rabbi Jay Heyman and Marcia Grossman from 10 a.m. to noon at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue. Suggestion donation $5. To register call 428-1492. 

MONDAY, OCT. 29 

“Diaspora Talk with From Heart to Hand Teens” with film screening, at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Free. 836-4649. 

Halloween Spooktacular! Join us for not so scary stories, songs, and a costume parade fro ages 3-8 at 6:45 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 4th Flr Children’s Story Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

“Green and Healthy Homes” A presentation on indoor environmental quality and sustainable design at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

ONGOING 

Donate the Fruit From Your Fruit Trees We will gladly pick and deliver your fruit to community programs that feed school kids, the elderly, the homebound and the hungry. The fruit trees should be located in or very near North Berkeley and the fruit should be organic (no pesticides) and edible. This is a volunteer/grassroots thing so join in!! Please email northberkeleyharvest@gmail.com or 812-3369. 

Bay-Friendly Gardening Offers Discounted Compost Bins to Alameda County residents. In addition to the bins, they also offer free workshops, videos, brochures, and answers to your compost questions. To order a bin or for free information about composting, visit www.BayFriendly.org or call the compost information hotline 444-7645. 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 23, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601. 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484. 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Mental Health Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213. 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.

TUESDAY, OCT. 23 

FILM 

“Free Radical: The Films of Len Lye” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

Arab Film Festival Leila Khaled: “Hijacker” Screening and panel discussion at 7 p.m. on UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. For details see www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Alta Ifland and Gary Young at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College auditorium, 2050 Center St. 525-5476. 

Norman Soloman talks about his new documentary “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” and his new book “Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons” A conversation with author Liza Dalby at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

“The Ecstasy of Influence” Local writers try out new material at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

Katha Pollitt talks about “Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mariza, Mozambique-born fado singer, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988.  

Swamp Coolers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. 

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

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

George Cotsirilos Trio at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Dafnis Prieto Absolute Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $8-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival in Berkeley Wed., and Fri.-Sun. at California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10. www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

A.J. Jacobs describes “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donations accepted. 559-9500. 

“Writing Teachers Write” Monthly student/teacher reading series at 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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 

Oakland East Bay Symphony Brass Quintet 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. 

Susan Rancourt & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ.  

Bernard Anderson & the Old School Band at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Saoco 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.  

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

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

Catie Curtis, Rachel Garlin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Montclair Women’s Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 25 

EXHIBITIONS 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

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. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Richard Schwartz describes “The Eccentrics of 19th Century Downtown Berkeley” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242.  

Gail Tsukiyama reads from “The Street of a Thousand Blossoms” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“Words of Hope” A discussion led by Stop the Traffik featuring the book “Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance, and Redefinition” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Catie Curtis, Rachel Garlin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761.  

Bob Kenmotsu Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Laura Klein and Ted Wolff at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Redhouse, Ancient Mystic & the Real Far Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

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

New York Voices at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, OCT 26 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Nov. 17. For information call 525-1620. 

Altarena Playhouse “Morning’s at Seven” A family comedy by Paul Osborn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Central Works “Every Inch a King” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Nov. 18. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381.centralworks.org 

International Theater Ensemble A Propos of the Wet Snow” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Metal Shop Theatre, Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. Tickets are $20-$30. 415-440-6163.  

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

Women’s Will “Antigone” Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. between Telegraph and Shattuck, Oakland, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $15-$25 sliding scale. 420-0813. www.womenswill.org 

Youth Musical Theater Company Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Longfellow Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. Tickets are $8-$15. 595-5514. info@ymtcberkeley.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

RIP.MIX.BURN.BAM.PFA Opening and performances at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival Berkeley Fri.-Sun. at California Theater 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10. www.aff.org 

“Canto a lo Poeta” A documentary about La Paya, a style of improvisational singing in Chile, at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lonny Shavelson and Fred Setterberg introduce “Under the Dragon: California’s New Culture” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

George Taber discusses “To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Russian Patriarchate Choir at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Durant at Dana. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

martha and monica, cello-piano duet of Monica Scott and Hadley McCarroll at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15. www.hillsideclub.org 

“Witches & Warlocks, Ghosts & Goblins” Opera scenes and art songs at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alameda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut, Alameda. Tickets are $12-$15, children 13 and under, free. 522-1477. www.alamedachurch.com 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988.  

Crooked Road Tour, mountain music from Virginia at noon at Down Home Music Store, 1809b Fourth St. 204-9595. 

Angela Wellman Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Hot Hot Caribbean Nights with Steele in motion and other performers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ron Thompson at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Wake the Dead at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Nomad and Alex Schumacher at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Plum Crazy, Shelley Doty at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $TBA. 841-2082.  

San Pablo Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Isul Kim Band at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 

CHILDREN  

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

“The Stone Flower” Puppet show Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Halloween Happenings The art of Kim Bass, Ed Monroe and Kynthia. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d Fourth St. Come in costume. 527-0600. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Ancient Roots/Urban Journeys: expressions for Dias de los Muertos” Gallery Talk at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

May-Lee Chai reads from her new book “Hapa Girl: A Memoir” at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Diana Nyda and Bonnie Stoll introduce their new fitness DVD and book at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Janet Fletcher discusses “Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing and Enjoying” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Live Oak Concert “Harvest of Song” at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $12-$15. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Dr. Drew Mays, winner of the Van Cliburn Amateur Competition, Sat. and Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at the Interstake Auditorium, 4780 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, located just inside the entrance to the Mormon Temple. Free. 

Kensington Symphony with Daniel Glover, piano, at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Suggested donation $12-$15. 524-9912. 

An Afternoon of Chopin with Rebecca Trujillo, piano, at 4 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $20. 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988.  

Unplugged, joined by Skylar and Mother of Pearl, at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. 704-9378. 

The Wild Magnolias at 1 p.m. at Down Home Music Store, 1809b Fourth St. 204-9595. 

Yancie Taylor Jazztet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

Baba Ken & Kotoja at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Moment’s Notice, improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Costumes welcome. Tickets are $8-$15. 992-6295. 

Land of the Blind and Anna Laube at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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

The Refuge Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Murder Ballads Bash featuring 5Cent Coffee, Joe Rut, the Happy Clams at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Disappear Incompletely, the music of Radiohead, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 28 

CHILDREN 

Colibri at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $5 for children, $10 for adults. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Act in a Box” Owen Baker Flynn’s show of juggling, fire eating and more Sat. and Sun. at 10:30 a.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

Spooky Stories in the Redwood Grove with Jean Ellisen and Bobbie Kinkead from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Tickets are $3-$10. Come in costume and bring a blanket. 643-2755. 

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 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bill Evans describes “Banjo for Dummies” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. Concert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. 559-9500. 

“The Harlem Renaissance” with Dennis M. Chester of Cal State East Bay, at 1 p.m., followed by a screening of the film “Their Eyes Were Watching God” at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6275. 

“The Pastor’s Family” A dramatized reading in English translation of the 1891 Finnish drama by Minna Canth, at 2 p.m. at Finnish Kaleva Hall , 1970 Chestnut St. Suggested donation $5. 849-0125. latoja86@hotmail.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Concert/Labyrinth Walk with musician Margie Adam and special guest, Lauren Artress, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant. Benefit for Berkeley Marina labyrinth installation. Tickets are $25-$30. 526-7377. www.margieadam.com 

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, tabla artist at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15. www.hillsideclub.org 

Dr. Drew Mays, winner of the Van Cliburn Amateur Competition in 2007, at 7:30 p.m. at the Interstake Auditorium, 4780 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, located just inside the entrance to the Mormon Temple. Free. 

Songs and Stories from Ukraine with Kitka at 7 p.m. at Oakland Metro Opera Theater, 201 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $20-$25. 444-0323. 

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

Ron Thompson at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Americana Unplugged: Jeannie & Chuck’s Country Round-up at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Yaelisa, and flamenco open stage at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Susan Muscarella Trio at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373.  

Jody Stecher and Bill Evans “The Secret Life of Banjos” at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

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

MONDAY, OCT. 29 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“New Media Art: In Search of the Cool Obscure” with Geert Lovink, Media Theory, Amsterdam University, at 7:30 p.m. at 160 Kroeber Hall, UC Campus. 643-9565.  

Joshua Henkin reads from his new novel “Matrimony” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express theme night on “life and death” at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Project Attacca Children’s choral music at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Free. Suitable for all ages. http://piedmontchoirs.org 

Yolanda and Ric, opera and lieder, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

Parlor Tango, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Tito y su Son De Cuba at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200.  

An engaging man, neither young nor old, tries to convince us of mankind’s inability to perform the good, the rational, the self-interested. He takes us through a veritable sideshow hall of mirrors, acting out a reunion with his old school friends who spout banalities. He challenges them, only to be humiliated.  

Then, when all go to a brothel, he moralizes sternly to a young prostitute. But his plans backfire: his friends don’t take him seriously, yet the prostitute takes him too seriously, looking up to him as her savior—a role he’s not ready to fill. 

This is a thumbnail account of Oleg Liptsin’s remarkable production and performance of Apropos of the Wet Snow. Based on Dostoyevsky’s Notes From the Underground, the show is playing Thursday through Saturday for two weeks at the Metal Shop Theater, after a run of several weeks near Union Square in San Francisco. 

But no brief description—or any description, really—can do justice to the extraordinary manner in which Liptsin stages and performs this classic tale. 

He makes every second on the stage count, whether in his intriguing initial address to the audience or alone in a rapturous moment, wreathed with the bright image of snowflakes falling as he trails his umbrella behind him. He both narrates and acts out the cartoonish characters carousing and arguing at the reunion, as well as the protagonist engaging in the intimate yet wry dialogues with Liza, the prostitute. 

He’s joined by a fine young Taiwanese actress, Ai-Cheng Ho, a graduate of the Sorbonne and the Jacques Lecoq Theatre School in Paris, on her first visit to the states. She’s the perfect foil for Liptsin’s physical dynamism, often saying everything with her eyes or the slightest gesture, even as Liptsin will express his characters in a flash perfectly with body language or quick, mask-like facial expression. 

Here the third creative component of the show comes into its own, Kevin Quennesson’s prodigious interactive video artistry, which begins with images that expand on the narrator’s address to the audience, then captures in graceful arabesques the plastic image of Liptsin performing in the space onstage, a swirl of attitudes and expressions captured in a fresco of light. 

Those who saw Liptsin’s unusual adaptation of Beckett’s Happy Days at the Berkeley City Club, where he played Beckett’s heroine Winnie, will welcome a chance to see a brilliant actor and director playing his changes over the octaves of a scale with greater range, yet still set as intimate, captivating chamber theater. 

Liptsin is a protege of Anatoly Vasiliev, one of the great postwar figures in Russian theater. There’s been a great deal of talk in recent years about Russian theater and its legacy, from the great days of Stanislavsky’s realism and Meyerhold’s stylizations—but it’s usually talk or the work of students of academic approaches to the original techniques. Liptsin’s art comes from many years of staging exciting performances like Apropos of the Wet Snow around the world. It’s the sort of show usually seen only at international theater festivals, if you’re lucky.  

It touches on the deepest origins of drama, mime, vaudeville and commedia dell’arte in popular entertainment, and of that thing Francis Fergusson called “the Histrionic Impulse,” when (as Roland Barthes fleshed it out), one person changes his appearance and turns to face his community as if beyond the pale, telling or showing them the stories of their origins and of the quality of their soul. 

Liptsin and Ho do all this as they act out Dostoyevsky’s tale of the individualist caught in the web of his own thoughts and actions. I’m tempted to say it’s the most brilliantly original, most completely theatrical show I’ve seen in seven years of reviewing. I’m tempted to say you should go if you go to nothing else during this season that’s just opened—or next. But that’s just the measure of my own enthusiasm. I hope you do see it, and that we see Oleg Liptsin & Co. more often in the very near future. 

APROPOS OF THE WET SNOW 

8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through Nov. 3 at Metal Shop Theater, off Telegraph Avenue on Regent Street, behind Willard School. $30; $20 for senior and students. www.brownpapertickets.com or (415) 440-6163. For more information, see www.olegliptsin.

By KEN BULLOCK 

Special to the Planet 

The thunderous sound of a cane’s concussion on the old, hollow walls of an Inland Empire home in the San Gabriel Mountains ushers in Central Works’ funny, unnerving revival of its 2002 hit original, Every Inch a King, playing at the Berkeley City Club. Wielding the cane is rubber stamp king Reginald Leroy, facing his demise from a panoply of geriatric ailments and signaling his three daughters in the next room that he’s still kicking. 

As the title indicates, Gary Graves’ play has a special relationship to that great tragedy of age and familial disintegration, King Lear. What’s lifted from its forebears, though, is only the slightest pretext for outrageous comedy that might make Lear’s Fool blush. The three daughters, the acquisition and division of his kingdom, the loopiness and reported nudity of the old bastard are all there, but Central Works’ wild, bawdy tale fixes our bemusement on the daughters, not the unseen king of the hill. 

And the daughters are quite a trio: Gwen (Sandra Schlecter), spinster schoolmarm whose prologue to her kindergarten students only touches on her glass eye; entrepreneur and dynamo Rae (company co-founder Jan Zvaifler), steely-eyed and determined to turn over the old man’s property to Disney and reap the profits; and aspiring medicine woman Leah (Rica Anderson), baby sister and loose cannon, ready to burst into spirit dance and chant at the drop of an attitude. 

Through mutual recrimination, confessions, constant skirmishing and reflective moments of recollection, the three define, redefine and rip to shreds their sibling sorority, while the old bastard carries on, just out of our sight. 

There are offstage chase scenes as funny as silent film can be in the telling. And the smallest physical humor of the sisters-at-odds provokes explosions of laughter, as do even the mere crossing of paths and evil glances during parallel phone conversations. 

It’s a revival involving most of the original cast; only Jan Zvaifler, who directed the original run, is a newcomer in her role as Rae. This time playwright Graves directs, and very well, with Central Works’ signature stagecraft in the chamber theater of the Julia Morgan-designed City Club. Greg Scharpen is at his post with a panoply of sound effects, from storm to spooky visitations, and Chad Owens designed the set again, though the lights this time are by the author and the costumes are Tammy Berlin’s. 

It’s a showcase for the marvelous talents of a theater company that knows its business and never disappoints. 

EVERY INCH A KING 

8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 5 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 18 at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. $25-$29, sliding scale; Thursdays, pay-what-you-will. 558-1381. centralworks.org.