FRIDAY, APRIL 18 

Oakland Street Retreat: Bearing Witness to Homelessness Participants will live on the streets without money, bedding, change of clothing, books or watches. Participants will eat in soup kitchens and beg for money or food at times when soup kitchens are closed. Retreat lasts from Fri.-Sun. Cost is $225 to benefit service providers of the Homeless & the New Dharma Scholarship Fund. Participants urged to beg to raise the funds. For information and to register call 549 3733 ext 2. www.newdharma.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Dr. Harold Palmer on “Nuclear Non-Proliferation: Comparison of Democrat vs Republican Positions” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 524-7468.  

Expo 50+ for Boomers and Beyond The public is invited to attend Expo 50+, featuring class exhibits and demonstrations, live entertainment, health screenings, vendors, musicians, a raffle and complimentary refreshments, hosted by Pleasant Valley Adult School. The Expo will be held from10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. Admission is free. 879-4090. 

Iraq Moratorium Day and Vigil to Protest the War from 2 to 4 p.m. at the corners of Unvirsity and Acton. 548-9696. 

Friday Films for Teens at 3:30 pm. at the Berkeley Puplic Library, 2090 Kittredge St. For details call 981-6121. 

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

SATURDAY, APRIL 19 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour “Berkeley and the Wars: A Look Back at Local Military Sites” from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. For reservations call 848-0181. 

Berkeley Earth Day 2008 with demonstrations of biodiesel and electric cars, solar power, farmers’ market, food and craft booths, from noon to 5 p.m. Civic Center Park, MLK Jr. Blvd & Allston Way. 

“Clean It, Green It, Mean It!” Help out at Peralta Hacienda HIstorical Park to remove graffiti, pick up litter, clear the creek of invasive plants, and help plant some more native species, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. 532-9142. 

Oakland Earth Day 2008 Join your neighbors and friends on Earth Da y to make a difference in our Oakland communities. Participants will receive a free event T-shirt. For featured locations and a complete list of citywide project sites please visit www.oaklandearthday.com  

Earth Day Shoreline Clean-up from 9 a.m. to noon at Albany Waterfront Trail Head, end of Buchanan St. Wear sturdy shoes, a hat and sunscreen, and bring your own water bottle and gloves if you have them. Snacks provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult.665-3508. staff@thewatershedproject.org 

Hi-Tec Recycling electronics recycling from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 631 So 31st St., Richmond. 488-4564. 

Wildflower Walk Learn to identify wildflowers with linda Yemoto, naturalist, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Big Spings Canyon Trail. Meet at the Big Springs Picnic Area. 525-2233. 

California Native Plant Sale with California shrubs, trees, perennials, and many plants that are not available in a nursery, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Botanic Garden, Tilden Park, Wildcat Canyon Rd., at South Park Dr. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society 44th Annual Iris Show and Potted Iris Sale Sat. from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. http://bayareairis.org  

STAND Oakland Candidates Forum / Earthday Event from 1 to 3 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church, 430 49th St. and Webster, Oakland, just off Telegraph. Sponsored by Standing Together for Accountable Neighborhood Development. www.standoakland.org 

California Wildflower Show Sat. and Sun. at the Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. 

“Lead-Safe Painting & Remodeling” Learn to detect and remedy lead hazards in the home to prevent lead poisoning, from 10 a.m. to noon at Berkeley Public Library, South Branch, 1901 Russell St., at MLK. Registration required. 567-8280. www.aclppp.org/homeown.htm 

Green Building Open House from noon to 5 p.m. at 2619 San Pablo Ave. www.ecohomeimprovment.com  

Brooks Island Trip Paddle across the Richmond Harbor Channel to Brooks Island to explore the rocky island, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For experience boaters who can provide their own canoe, kayak and safety gear. For ages 14 and up. Parent participation required. Cos t is $20-$22. To register call 1-888-EB-PARKS. 

United-Front Protest to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal at 2:30 p.m. at 14th St. and Broadway, Oakland. Called by Partisan Defense Committee and Labor Black League for Social Defense. 839-0852. 

The War Comes Home: Campus Antiwar Network Western Regional Conference, from 1 to 6 p.m. at 200 Wheeler Hall, UC Campus. Cost is $5. For information contact katrina.yeaw@gmail.com 415-335-0953. 

California Writers Club “Welcome to SoMa” with author Kemble Scott at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble Event Loft, Jack London Square, Oakland. 272-0120. 

“Spring/Summer Veggies and the Edible Landscape” with Stephanie Bittner at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave., off Seventh St. 644-2351. 

Storytelling Workshop with Liz Mangual from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Teen Knitting Circle at 3 p.m. in the 4th Flr Story Room of the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Bring your own needles in size 8. 981-6107. 

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

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

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

Oakland Artisans Marketplace Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square. 238-4948. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 20 

East Bay Labyrinth Project Community Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377. info@eastbaylabyrinthproject.org 

Mad Science for the Whole Family A introduction to chemistry from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. For ages 7 and up. Cost is $4, registration required. 1-888-EB-PARKS.  

East Bay Crop Walk A fundraiser for the Alamenda County Comunity Food Bank around Lake Merritt, Oakland. Registration at 1:30 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave. Crop Walk begins at 2 p.m. For information call 635-3665, ext. 328. 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society 44th Annual Iris Show and Potted Iris Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. http://bayareairis.org.  

Spring Family Hike Join an easy walk around Jewel Lake from 1:30 to 3 p.m. with Meg Platt, naturalist. 525-2233. 

Waddle and Swaddle East Bay Baby Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont. Free. 540-7210. www.eastbaybabyfair.com  

Pachamama Alliance “Awakening the Dreamer Symposium” from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at New Spirit Community Church at Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. pachamama.org 

East Bay Atheists Berkeley Meets to discuss what to do when you find yourself in a situation where you are expected to join a religious ritual, at 1:30 p.m., 3rd flr. meeting room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 222-7580. eastbayatheists.org 

SF AIDS Benefit Brunch at 10:30 a.m at T-Rex Barbeque, 1300 Tenth St. at Gilman. 

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 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Sun. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Experiments in Awareness: Making Friends with Experience” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000 www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 4 to 8 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

MONDAY, APRIL 21 

“Environmental Impact: Evolution of the Berkeley Landscape” with Chuck Wollenberg and Dave Weinstein at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, central meeting room, 2090 Kittredge.  

Berkeley Green Mondays Berkeley & Military Recruiting: What's All the Fuss? with Zanne Joi and Rae Abileah at 8 p.m. at Anna's Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. www.berkeleygreens.org 

“'The Two Faces of Breast Cancer with Genes and the Microenvironment” with Joe Gray, LBNL Life Science Director, Mina Bissel, LBNL Distiguished Scientist, Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff, LBNL Senior Scientist, at Berkeley Lab Friends of Science, at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. www.lbl.gov/friendsofscience/  

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group, for people 60 years and over, meets at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany. Cost is $3.  

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

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org  

TUESDAY, APRIL 22 

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 Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“The Costs of War: The U.S. in Iraq” with Prof. Samera Esmeir, Porf. Ramon Grosfoguel, at 6 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle, UC Campus. costofwar@gmail.com 

“Texts We Wish Were Not In the Bible” with Aaron Brody, associate professor of Bible and archaeology and director of Badé Museum, at 11:10 a.m. at Pacific School of Religion Chapel, 1798 Scenic Ave. 

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

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

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

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

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

Teen Playreaders meets to read and discuss plays at 4:30 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 981-6121. 

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

Sing-A-Long Group from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 

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

“Waking from the California Dream: How Our History Affects Your Future” with Gray Brechin and Jan Spencer at 6:30 p.m. at Cocina Poblana, Jack London Square, Oakland. to register see www.EWcoNowUSA.org 

Berkeley Gray Panthers with Jim Soper of the Voting Rights Task Force on electronic voting and Julia Cato on Prop. 98 at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, corner MLK. 

“The Art of Being Present” A lecture and demonstration with Denise Berezonsky at 7 p.m. at Three Stone Hearth, 1 Bolivar Drive at Addison. Threestoneheath.com 

“With God on Our Side” A documentary tracing the roots of the Christian Right movement at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

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

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

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

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

After-School Program Homework help, drama and music for children ages 8 to 18, every Wed. from 4 to 7:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Cost is $5 per week. 845-6830. 

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 24 

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

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will learn about plants from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Are Peace and Impeachment Possible? Strategies to end the war, stop war on Iran, save our constitution and economy with David Swanson of afterdowningstreet.org; Daniel Ellsberg; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, and others at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $8-$10 at independent bookstores.  

“Grandmothers Against the War” book party at 6 p.m. at North Branch, Berkeley Public Library. 981-6250. 

“Darfur Now” documentary screening at 6 p.m. at VLSB 2050, UC Campus. For more information see www.Darfurnowtour.com 

“American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau” with Paul Hawken at 7:30 p.m. at 2121 Bonar St., Studio A. RSVP required. 540-4800. 

Creative Movement and Sign Language for ages 5-10 at 3:30 p.. at Elephant, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

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

ONGOING 

E-Waste Recycling St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County accepts electronic waste including computers, dvd players, cell phones, fax machines and many other ewaste products for disposal free of charge at many of its locations throughout Alameda County. Free bulk pick-up available. 638-7600.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon., April 21, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-7368.  

City Council meets Tues., April 22, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., April 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Mary Ann Merker, 981-7533.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., April 23, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., April 23, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484. 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., April 23, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Mental Health Commission meets Wed., April 24, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213. 

It is wonderful and exciting that many businesses are waking up to the fact that “going green” can make a lot of green ($$, that is). It is not so wonderful that a whole bunch of products that claim to be green are actually far from good.  

Paint, for example. Some companies have removed certain chemicals, only to substitute even more offensive ones. There are other products that claim to be green because of recycled content that can still be extremely toxic to use.  

These days, the greenest companies are using the Triple Bottom Line Standard—i.e. social responsibility, environmental responsibility and profitability. 

While no one is perfect, certain brands do have good green track records while others are new and still superb. So what is a consumer to do? How to judge? Here are some questions to ask across the board:  

• What is the material? Is its content natural and non-toxic? Not all that is natural is meant to be used in everyday products (lead and arsenic, for example).  

• Is it genetically engineered? (Soy and corn products, for example, are most likely made from G.E. crops if they are not certified organic)  

• What was the impact of manufacturing this product? Was the environment harmed in the process? Were people producing this product treated fairly, with healthy working conditions? The International Fair Trade Federation certifies products to have been made under decent working conditions and adequate pay for the people involved. 

• Where does it come from? Is it locally produced?  

• How much embodied energy does it hold?(Embodied energy is the amount of combined resources used to access, manufacture, transport and dispose of a product.) 

• Is this product healthy to use?  

• What is the finishing on the product—is it natural and healthy? What is the packaging material, and is the packaging actually necessary? 

• Can this product be healthfully recycled, reused or bio-degraded? Does it have a third-party verification of its eco-claims? 

In addition to the Fair Trade Federation, there are a growing number of verification and other non-profit organizations that are excellent resources for answering many of these questions. And while it isn’t always possible for us as individual consumers to find the answers, the more questions we ask and the more often we ask them, the greener and cleaner the products we buy will become. 

Berkeley resident Alisa Rose Seidlitz is a certified green building professional, eco-interior and landscape desinger, and green feng shui consultant. She owns Optimal Environments garden design company. She wrote “Simple Green Solutions: 12 Steps to Make a Difference” in the April 15 issue. 

Resources:  

www.fairtradefederation.org and www.rugmark.org verifies that no child labor has been used.  

www.foreststewardshipcouncil.org and sfiprogram.org to verify sustainably grown and harvested wood products. 

www.energystar.gov for verification of energy saving appliances.  

www.environmentaldefense.org is an all around good informational source. 

World agriculture appears to be approaching a crossroads. The globalized economy has placed a series of conflicting demands on the 1.5 billion hectares of croplands.  

Not only is this land required to produce food for a growing human population, but also it must meet the increased demands for biofuels, and it must do so in an environmentally sound way preserving biodiversity and reducing greenhouse emissions while still representing a profitable activity to millions of farmers.  

These pressures are setting in motion a crisis of the global food system of un-precedented scope already signaled by food riots in many parts of the world.  

This crisis, which threatens the livelihoods of millions more than the already 800 million hungry people, is the direct result of the dominating industrial farming model, which is not only dangerously dependent on fossil fuels but which has also become the largest source of human impact on the biosphere.  

In fact, there are now so many pressures on dwindling arable ecosystems that farming is overwhelming nature’s capacity to meet humankind’s food, fiber and energy needs. 

The tragedy is that agriculture depends on the very ecological services (water cycles, pollinators, fertile soil formation, benevolent local weather, etc.) that intensive farming continually degrades or pushes beyond their limits.  

Before the end of the first decade of the 21st century, humanity is quickly realizing that the fossil fuel-based, capital intensive western industrial agricultural model is not working to meet the food demands of various countries. Soaring oil prices will inevitably increase production costs and food prices, which have escalated to the point that today one dollar purchases 30 percent less food than a dollar did a year ago.  

This situation is rapidly being aggravated by farmland being turned from food production to biofuels, and by climate change, which already reduces crop yields via droughts, floods and other unpredictable weather events.  

Expanding land areas devoted to biofuels and transgenic crops will further exacerbate the ecological impacts of vast monocultures that continually override nature’s services.  

Moreover, industrial agriculture presently contributes at least one-quarter of current greenhouse gas emissions, mainly methane and nitrous oxide. Continuing this dominant degrading system, as promoted by the current neoliberal economic paradigm, is no longer a viable option.  

The immediate challenge for our generation is to transform industrial agriculture by transitioning the world’s food systems away from reliance on fossil fuels. We need an alternative agricultural development paradigm, one that encourages more ecologically biodiverse, sustainable and socially just forms of agriculture. Reshaping the entire agricultural policy and food system in ways that are environmentally sound and economically viable for farmers and consumers will require major changes in the political and economic forces that currently determine what is being produced, by whom and for whom.  

Out-of-control trade liberalization is the key mechanism driving farmers off their land and the principal obstacle to local economic development and food security. Only by challenging the control that big multinational corporations exert over the food system and changing the export-led and free-trade-based agriculture model can the downward spiral of poverty, low wages, rural-urban migration, hunger and environmental degradation be halted.  

The concept of food sovereignty, as promoted by the world’s movement of small farmers, Via Campesina, constitutes the only viable alternative to the current and collapsing global food system, which failed in its assumption that international trade was the key to solving the world’s food problem.  

Instead, food sovereignty focuses on closed local circuits of production and consumption and community action for access to land, water, agrobiodiversity, etc., which are of central importance for communities to control in order to be able to produce food locally with agro-ecological methods.  

There is no doubt that an alliance between farmers and consumers is of strategic importance. In addition to moving down the food chain, that is eating less animal protein, consumers need to realize that their quality of life is intractably associated with the type of agriculture practiced in neighboring rural areas, not only because of the quality of the food produced, but also because agriculture is multifunctional, producing a series of environmental services such as sustaining water quality and biodiversity conservation.  

But this multifunctionality can only emerge if agricultural landscapes are dotted by small, diversified farms, which studies show can produce from two to 10 times more per unit area than do larger, corporate farms. 

In the U.S. the top quarter of sustainable-agriculture farmers, which are mostly small to medium size, exhibit higher yields than conventional farmers, and exert a much lower negative impact on the environment, reducing soil erosion and conserving biodiversity.  

Communities surrounded by populous small farms experience fewer social problems and have healthier economies than do communities surrounded by depopulated large, monoculture, mechanized farms.  

Thus it should be obvious to city dwellers that eating is both an ecological and political act; that buying food at local farmers markets will support the type of beyond-peak-oil agriculture that is urgently needed, while buying food in supermarkets perpetuates an unsustainable agricultural path. 

The scale and urgency of the challenge we face has no precedent but what needs to be done is environmentally, economically and politically feasible The speed with which changes must be implemented is great, but it is doubtful that we can gather the political will to radically transform our food system before hunger and food insecurity reach planetary and irreversible levels. 

Miguel Altieri is a professor at UC Berkeley 

A friend who works for Solano County said that the Anna’s hummingbird nesting in her office courtyard was being harassed by county employees who’d been sticking their noses and cameras rather literally into the nest and even bending the branch it’s on down, for closer looks. The hummingbird has been tenacious but she’s clearly agitated, and diverting her even occasionally from feeding the newly hatched chicks endangers them. 

The overeager bird botherers got indignant when the groundskeeper roped off the nest area.  

That evening one of my sisters back East emailed a forwarded copy of a Chron story from a year or two ago: a humpback whale had been entangled on a string of crab pots, and a volunteer crew of divers, at serious personal risk, had cut her free. My sister asked: Was the story was for real? 

Sure it was. So was the hummingbird story. So were the many stories that accumulated after the Cosco Busan oil spill. Joe and I played a very minor part in that rescue effort; you should have seen the outpouring of time and sweat and skill and, yes, love, by volunteers who spent long hard days at the rescue centers and on the beaches and in boats in the middle of Bay in the middle of the night.  

Maybe you did. Maybe you were among them. If so, you know what I’m talking about.  

Both the good and the bad stories there arise from something E. O. Wilson calls “biophilia,” something as basic to us as music or an oxygen-based metabolism. We’re alive, and we’re drawn to everything else alive. We’re part of something, and vice versa: it is what we’re made of. That’s Darwin’s most compelling idea, that we’re related to every other living being on the planet. You want family values? We got ’em. 

But, like parents who’ve never learned child care, sometimes we stumble in ignorance. It’s appalling that anyone is allowed to grow up without a feel for, say, the requirements of breeding birds; the knowledge that they’re utterly different and still the same as us, that they’re not puppets or cartoons. We still crave their company after we’ve paved them half out of existence, but sometimes we hurt them further even in reaching out. 

It’s not unusual to be ignorant. I’m still learning, and I’m nearly 60. The bit of work I did for the bird rescue gave me the organized guts to grab a sick barn owl in my spare shirt when we saw him as we strolled in a marsh a day later.  

We took him to the Suisun wildlife center and he died in two days anyway.  

Did I do him any good? Don’t know. Would I do it again? Yes, I’m a used nurse, and know about trying anyway. I also know the oath: First, do no harm. Funny, how we’re barely beginning to learn how to carry that one off. 

We’re born with biophilia. It’s hard to kill it. Nurturing it will do more for us—whatever age we are—than banning Grand Theft Auto or requiring organized sports. We don’t need more regimentation; we need knowledge, access, and release.

FRIDAY, APRIL 18 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Uncle Vanya” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through May 17. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org  

Aurora Theatre “The Trojan Women” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 11. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

California Conservatory Theatre “The Turn of the Screw” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at 999 East 14th St., San Leandro City Hall Complex, near BART, through April 27. Tickets are $20-$22. 632-8850. 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Foxfire” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser, El Cerrito, through May 11. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Tartuffe” Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., some Sun. matinees at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Pt. Richmond, through April 26. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

“Medea, A Tragedy by Euripides” Fri. and Sat. at 7 p.m. at Oakland School for the Arts, 1800 San Pablo, Oakland , 1 block from 19th St BART. Tickets are $5-$10. 873-8800. www.oakarts.tix.com 

Shotgun Players “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” by George Bernard Shaw. Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., through April 27, at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $17-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

TheatreFirst “Future Me” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through May 4. Tickets are $23-$28. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Diversity in Play” Paintings by Rita Sklar. Reception at 3 p.m. at Cafe Diem, 2224 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. www.ritasklar.com 

FILM 

“The Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi” about Chilean exiled musician Quique Cruz at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“We Begin Here: Poems for Palestine & Lebanon” with readings by Elmaz Abinader, Barbara Berman, Alexis De Veaux, Kathy Engel, Sam Hamod, Jack Hirschman, James Scully, and Deema Shehabi. Recption at 5:30 p.m., readings at 7:30 p.m. at St. John's Church, 2727 College Ave. RSVP to 548-0542.  

Amy Arbus “The Fourth Wall” A multi-media presentation on the stories behind her most iconic images at 6:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium, UC Campus. For ticket information see www.fotovision.org/pages/home.php 

Amanda Nadelberg and John Sakkis read their poems for National Poetry month at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Ernest Bloch Lecture with Steve Mackey on “The 21st Century and the Composer/Performer” at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Jannell Moon and Jeanne Lupton, read their poetry, followed by open mic at 7 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. www.expressionsgallery.org 

Don Lee reads from his comic satire, “Wrack and Ruin” at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Will Allen describes “War on Bugs” on the chemical industry’s deep roots in agriculture, at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Bruce Anderson reads from his new book, “The Mendocino Papers” at 7 p.m. at Book Zoo, 6395 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 654-2665. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Friday Noon Concert, with University Baroque Ensemble at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

April Paik, Melissa Lin, violins, Garrett McLean, viola and Ting Chin, 'cello, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery 2911 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $10. 848-1228. giorgigallery.org 

Spotlight on Local Composers New Works by John Blakelock at 8 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $10-$15. 845-1350. 

UC Berkeley’s The Movement Spring Showcase, Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $9 at the door.  

Berkeley Dance Project 2008 Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m., through April 27 at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$14. 642-8827. theater.berkeley.edu 

Los Boleros in a Havana Dance Party, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Back Porch Pickers at 7:30 p.m. at Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Tickets are $12-$15, children under 16 $5.  

Rebecca Coupe-Franks Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Youssoupha Sidibe at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$14. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

California Guitar Trio at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Andrew Sammons Solo Guitar, jazz, swing, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Extreme Noise Terror, Stormcrow, Strong Intention at 7:30 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Pills and Jackets at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Devin the Dude, hip hop, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15-$18. 548-1159.  

Terrence Brewer Quartet with Lorca Hart at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Billy Cobham & Friends 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, APRIL 19 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Betsy Stern, songs in Spanish, French and English, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Active Arts Theatre, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $14-$18. www.activeartstheatre.org 

THEATER 

San Leandro Players “Redwood Curtain” Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at San Leandro Museum Auditorium, Casa Peralta, 320 W. Estudillo Ave., through May 4. Tickets are $10-$15. 895-2573. www.sanleandroplayers.org 

Best of the Bay Comedy Series with Derrick Ellis, Marc Howard, John Alston, B.T. Kingsley and others at 10 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $20. 652-2120.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Photographs of the West” by J. Williams, jewelry and pottery. Opening reception at 2 p.m. at Maison d’ Art Gallery, 2729 San Pablo Ave. 207-9509.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

West Coast Live with authors Patrick McGrath, Melanie Abrams, Nathanial Rich and Tin Cup Seranade at 10 a.m. at Freight & Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison St. Tickets are $13-$18. 415-664-9500. www.ticketweb.com 

Samantha Le reads from her novel “Little Sister Left Behind” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Book of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. www.ewbb.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Earth Day Cultural Performances with Marcia Flores Cantillana, Shawl-Anderson Youth Ensemble, Antoine Hunter Urban Jazz Dance Company and others, from noon to 5 p.m. at Civic Center Park.  

The American Recorder Orchestra of the West “Fancy Free” a concert of American music at 8 p.m. pre-concert reception at 7 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. Donation $10, $5 for students and children under 12. www.arrowmusic.org 

American Bach Soloists “1685 and the Art of Ian Howell” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m., Tickets are $16-$42. 415-621-7900. www.americanbach.org 

African Music and Dance Ensemble, directed by C.K. Ladzekpo at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

San Francisco Renaissance Voices at 4 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$15. 415-456-1102 www.sfrv.org 

Journey Into Dance at 8 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way, at 6th. 486-8700. www.rudramandir.com 

Vladimir Vukanovich, Peruvian guitarist, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Faye Carol at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ben Adams/Terrence Brewer Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

The Brothers Goldman, funk, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Grupo Falso Baiano, Brazilian Choro, at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Sweet Crude Bill & The Lighthouse Nautical Society at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Consider the Source, ethno-fusion, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Mike Park, Captured by Robots in a Memorial Benefit for Lynette Knackstedt 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. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia Guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Matt Hart, Darcie Denningan and Joseph Massey read their poems for National Poetry month at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Alonzo Addison describes in planet’s most extraordinary and endangered palces in “Disappearing World” at 4 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Patrick McGrath reads from “Trauma” at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Animal Crackers! Funny Songs & Delicious Desserts, music by Gershwin, Whitacre, PDQ Bach at 1 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Tickets are $15-$20; no one turned away for lack of funds. 525-0302. 

California Chamber Players in a concert of string quartets at 3 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets at the door $18-$22. 415-753-2792. www.chambermusicsundaes.org  

University of California Alumni Chorus, University Men's and Women's Chorales, and Francisco Unitarian Universalist Church Choir perform Brahms’ German Requiem with Jeffrey Fields, baritone, and Nancy Cooke Munn, soprano, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, U.C. Campus Tickets are $6-$15. 643-9645. 

Taylor Eigsti, “Solo/Duo/Trio” with bassist John Schifflet and drummer Jason Lewis at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. Tickets are $25-$50 for concert and reception. Fundraiser for the Jazzschool. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.inhousetickets.com  

Dalby-Rabin Duo at 4 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. $12 for adults and free for children 18 and under. www.crowden.org 

Sound Poems Poetry and percussion by Kirk Lumpkin, Paul Mills, guitar, Mark Wieder, double bass, at 3 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Garrett McLean, violin, Marvin Sanders, flute, perform solo works by J. S. Bach at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. berkeleyartcenter.org 

Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

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

Athena Tergis & John Doyle at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Have Heart, Blacklisted, Killing the Dream at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, APRIL 21 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Green Ahead of His Time?” Paintings by Alex Maldonado at The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St. Hours are Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 845-4949. www.amesgallery.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Subterranean Shakespeare Shakespeare Intensive Staged reading of “Much Ado About Nothing” at 7:30 p.m. at The Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship, Fireside Room, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Tickets are $5. 276-3871. 

Steve Lopez talks about “The Soloist:A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music” at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 22 

CHILDREN 

First Stage Children’s Theatre “Inside/Outside Blues” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $7, children under 12, $5.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Christina Gillis discusses her new “Writing on Stone: Scenes from a Maine Island Life” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Garrett Caples on the poems of John Hoffman and Philip Lamantia at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Jen Sorensen discusses “ Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God!” book-length collection from the cartoonist at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

Matt Morrish with Beep at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

The Return of the Mo’Rockin Project at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 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, APRIL 23 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Diversity in Play” Paintings by Rita Sklar. Reception at 3 p.m. at Dimond Cafe, 3430 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. www.ritasklar.com 

FILM 

“Daughters of the Dust” at 3 p.m. at “Society of the Spectacle” 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 

Bernard Maybeck: An Arts and Crafts Architect in California Lecture by Sissel Hamre Dagsland at 8 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. $15 at the door. 

Melanie Abrams reads from her debut novel, Playin” at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

College of Alameda Creative Writing Faculty, staff and studetns share their writings at noon at College of Alameda Library, first floor, L Building, 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway, Alameda. 748-2213. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Keynotes, exploring the interface between early and modern keyboard music at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

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

Rebecca Riots, Melanie DeMore, Betsy Rose and Kelly Takunda-Orphan in a benefit concert for Code Pink at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Adrian Xavier Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Green films for Earth Day at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $5-$8, free before 9 p.m. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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.  

Regina Pontillo, songs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

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

Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz Project at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, APRIL 24 

EXHIBITIONS 

Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia Guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Grandmothers Against the War Book Discussion at 6 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

June Jordan’s Poetry for the People featuring Francisco X. Alarcón at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ariana Reines and Angie Yuan read as part of The Holloway Series in Poetry 6:30pm 315 Wheeler Hall, The Maude Fife Room UC Berkeley Campus http://holloway.english.berkeley.edu 642-3467. 

James Howard Kunstler describes “World Made By Hand” at 7 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak describe “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Four Bitchin’ Babes: Saly Fingerett, Debi Smith, Nancy Moran & Dierdre Flint at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

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

Speak the Music, beatboxing performances, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Akousa Mireku, Ghanaian-American folk-singer, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Mingus Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Red means War,” said Harriet March Page of Goat Hall’s San Francisco Cabaret Opera to explain “The Red Horse,” the title of the second concert in the series Horsewomen of the Apocalypse, featuring all female vocalists Saturday at St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill.  

“Red also means domestic strife, battles with depression—and the Red Horse District, where the fillies of the night hang out!” she added. “Come and enjoy.” 

Page talked about the evolution of the series concept. “I had the initial idea myself. I wanted something with women, a little strong ... I stretched the theme a little bit further than I intended!” 

This production is not at Goat Hall, which is undergoing renovations, but further up the Potrero slope. 

“The Red Horse” follows, naturally, “The White Horse,” which was performed in February, and will in turn be followed by “The Black Horse with a Touch of Gray” on May 9.  

“Since they are only three performances for Four Horsewomen, we have to include Death, The Gray Horse,” Page said. “First is Pestilence, Plague, Famine, which are fun, but Strife and Death are more fun.” 

“The Red Horse” features Judith Weir’s just under 10-minute solo a capella opera “King Harald’s Saga,” (from Snorri Sturluson’s Helmskringla Saga, about the first invasion of Britain in 1066, ending 19 days before the Battle of Hastings, with soprano Marilyn Pratt “playing eight roles, as well as the Norwegian Army”).  

It also features “A Set of Songs,” from Susannah by Carlysle Floyd, “More Songs of Woe” by Zachary Watkins and from Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, “Three Questions” from Mark Alburger’s opera Antigone, as well as “Fire!” from The Bald Soprano, arias from Saga—Portrait of a 21st Century Child by Sheli Nan (of Berkeley), who will also accompany on piano, selections from Oakland’s Allan Crossman’s “The Log of the Skipper’s Wife,” Benjamin Britten’s “The Trees They Grow So High” (with Crossman on piano) and “The Red Horse District,” songs from Brecht and Weill’s Threepenny Opera and Happy End.  

“The Brecht and Weill material is tinged with horrible wars about to happen,” commented Page. 

Singers are Erin (Kat) Cornelius, Sarah Hutchinson, Kristen Jones, Janet Lohr, Eliza O’Malley and Marilyn Pratt, sopranos, and mezzo-sopranos Meghan Dibble, Elizabeth Henry and Harriet March Page. Besides Crossman and Nan, John Partridge will accompany on piano. 

“The Black Horse with a Touch of Gray” will include, among other pieces, more of Nan’s Saga, songs from poetry by Mary Holmes with music by Peter Josheff of El Cerrito and a potato famine song by Cynthia Weyuker (from Alameda) who will perform it with electric saw and loops. 

San Francisco Cabaret Opera will present more opera selections at St. Gregory’s, including scenes from on May 25, and this fall their Fresh Voices VII Festival of New Music: Opera Apocalypse! will premiere Nov. 14 and 16 at Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes, with Alburger’s Antigone in full, Amy Beth Kirsten’s Ophelia Forever, and, by John G. Bilotta and John F. McGrew, both of Contra Costa County, Quantum Mechanic, paying homage to Aesop, backed up by the Quark Sisters. 

HORSEWOMEN OF THE  

APOCALYPSE 

8 p.m. Saturday at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, 500 De Haro St., San Francisco. $20-$25, $15 seniors. (415) 255-8100. www.saintgregorys.org.

Poet Robert Hass won a Pulitzer prize last week for his most recent collection Time and Materials, a book that also won the National Book Award last year. 

Awards are not unfamiliar to the Berkeley-based poet, who began his distinguished career by winning the 1973 Yale Younger Poet Competition for his first book, Field Guide. He also won the William Carlos Williams for his second book of poems Praise (1979), the National Book Critics Circle Award for his lucid essays on poetry and poets, Twentieth Century Pleasures (1984), as well as for his poetry collection Sun Under Wood (1996).  

From 1995 to 1997 Hass served as U.S. poet laureate. His tenure was characterized by his concern for cultivating public awareness of the role of poetry in our lives and his active role in developing literacy throughout the U.S. He was also the first Westerner to serve as poet laureate. 

It is being a Westerner, particularly a Northern Californian living on the Pacific Rim, that most characterizes Hass’ work and sensibility—though one could argue that his clear love for food places him more exactly, smack dab in Berkeley. Who else but a Bay Area child, born and raised, could write: “… ham in thin, almost deliquescent, slices/ Mottled ovals of salami … crabmeat,/ With its sweet, iodine smell of high tide …” and then relate the careful attention of serving this feast, with its tenderness of lettuce leaves, to the death of a child? 

A more frequent inhabitant of his work is the California landscape and its wildlife, especially birds, which seem to follow him even when he is out of the environment he is most bonded with, as in “Twin Dolphins,” set in an unnamed Hispanic country: “Harlequin sparrows in a coral tree/ One halcyon harrying another in the desert sky.” Likewise, the landscape of his dreams is invested with birds: “In my dream, I notice, to my surprise, a bird,/ Brilliantly yellow, a European goldfinch, perhaps,/ Red in the wingtips” (“Pears”). 

This basking in the details of nature is more than an academic obsession with categorization or a poetic naming of the harbingers of ecologic concern. They are for Hass a path into the spiritual, the portals to a cosmic world underlying the everyday. This, to me, is a profoundly Californian attitude: 

If there is a way in, it may be 

Through the corolla of the cinquefoil 

With its pale yellow petals, 

In the mixed smell of dust and water 

At trailside in the middle reaches of July. 

Soft: an almost phospher gleam in twilight. 

—from “Poet’s Work” 

Totally lucid language is formed in easily discernible lines that reveal a thoroughly approachable perception of the natural world. These are the traits of Hass’ poetic style. And he uses them to draw the reader into his philosophy, which is more complex and involved with the complications of interconnectedness. Often Hass takes us on a ride of associations from, for example, the rain on the windshield to a schoolgirl crossing the street, to the imaginary book she carries in her backpack, Getting to Know Your Planet. And from there to the revolution of the earth around the sun, to greenhouse emissions, to spilled milk and hunger, to the Latin of Lucretius. And on and on, finishing at last with the Earth, who is a “she”: “the birds just keep arriving,/ Thousands of them, immense arctic flocks, her teeming life.” 

In Time and Materials, Hass also addresses the war. Except through his constant return to ecology, politics is not a subject he is comfortable with. In a 1991 interview, he commented: “I think political writing is problematic .. I know what I hate, but I know less and less about how to change it.” But the war poems in this Pulitzer prize-winning book are some of the most powerful in the book. 

… 

Nightingales singing at the first, subtlest, 

Darkening of dusk, it is a trick of the mind  

That the past seems just ahead of us, 

As if we were being shunted there 

In the surge of a rattling funicular. 

Flash forward: fire bombing of Hamburg 

Fifty thousand dead in a single night, 

“The children’s bodies the next day  

Set in the street in rows like a market 

In charred chicken.” Flash forward: 

Firebombing of Tokyo, a hundred thousand 

In a night. … 

—from “Bush’s War” 

Hass is a superlative editor of poetry, and one of his finest accomplishments is the Addison Street Poetry Walk. The Poetry Walk is a collection of some 120 poems cast in iron plaques that are imbedded in the sidewalk and introduced by artistic tiling in the pavement along Addison Street in downtown Berkeley. The poems range from songs from the Ohlone tribe to lyrics from the punk band Operation Ivy, and pretty much everything in between. Berkeley publisher Heyday Books has released a book of the poems, The Addison Street Anthology: Berkeley’s Poetry Walk (2004: Robert Hass and Jessica Fisher, eds.). 

TIME AND MATERIALS:  

POEMS 1997-2005 

By Robert Hass. Ecco Books (Harper Collins, New York.)