MONDAY, JUNE 9 

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, JUNE 10 

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 the EBMUD Lafayette Reservior. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“In the Company of Wild Butterflies” Walk at 5:30 p.m. and film screening at 6:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $10-$12. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

“Hiking the John Muir Trail” A slide presentation by Elizabeth Wenk at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“The Nature of Presence” with Pamela Wilson at 7 p.m. at 2286 Cedar St. Donations accepted. 495-7511. www.eastbayopencircle.org 

Natural Approaches to Treating Allergies at 5:30 p.m. at Alta Bates Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, 3030 Telegraph Ave. 849-1176. www.berkeleyacupuncture.com 

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 

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

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

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 

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

Sudden Oak Death Preventative Treament Training Session Meet at 1 p.m. at the Tolman Hall portico, Hearst Ave. and Arch/LeConte, UC Campus for a two-hour field session, rain or shine. Pre-registration required. SODtreatment@ 

nature.berkeley.edu 

“Growing up in the Universe” a film by Richard Dawkins 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. 548-9840. 

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

vigil4peace/vigil 

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

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. 

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, JUNE 12 

Improv Acting Classes Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way. No experience required. Cost is $10. BerkeleyImprov.com 

19th Century Dancing Thursdays at 8:15 p.m. at the YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way. No experience required. Cost is $10. BerkeleyDancing.com 

Temescal Street Cinema “Life of the Mind” at 8:30 p.m. outdoors at 49th and Telegraph. Bring a chair. www.temescalstreetcolletive.org 

East Bay Mac Users Group with Oliver Breidenbach, CEO of Boinx Software on iStopMotion and BoinxTV at 7 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

Faith and Sexuality; “Trembling Before G-d” A film series about LGBT individuals and religious doctrines, at 7:30 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

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

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.  

FRIDAY, JUNE 13 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Mel Lavine, author and former TV journalist on his new book “A Strange Breed of Folks” 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. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Womansong Circle An evening of participatory singing for women at 7:15 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing St. at Dana. Cost is $15-$20, no one turned away. 525-7082. betsy@betsyrosemusic.org 

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, JUNE 14 

Live Oak Park Fair Contemporary art and handcrafts from over 100 vendors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Live Oak Park, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Free shuttles from North Berkeley BART. 227-7110. www.liveoakparkfair.com 

Trails Challenge Join a seven mile hike over varied terrain with Bethany Facendini, naturalist, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Bring a sack lunch, water and sunscreen. For meeting place call 525-2233. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

The Soil Food Web: Sustainable Green Revolution A class with Caleb Summers on how you can use the soil food web from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $10-$15. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

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

City of Oakland Housing Fair with community booths and workshops for renters, first-time homebuyers, landlords and homeowners, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th St. at Broadway. Free. 238-3909. www.oaklandnet.com/housingfair 

NAACP Berkeley meets at 1 p.m. at 2108 Russell St. All are welcome. 845-7416. 

Aloha Festival at Peralta Hacienda with the traditions and culture, including music, dance, arts and crafts of Hawaii and Polynesia from to to 4 p.m. at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. Free. 532-9142. 

“Ecotopia’ Revisited” with Ernest Callenbach at 7:30 p.m. at the Alameda Free Library, Conference Room A, 1550 Oak St. at Lincoln, Alameda. www.alamedaforum.org  

“Got a problem in the garden?” Visit the master gardener booth at the Berkeley Famers’ Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center Street between ML King and Milvia. 639-1275. 

“Making an ‘Underseas’ Succulent Garden” with landscape designer Gail Yelland at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Memorial for Roselynd Largman at 2 p.m. at at Friends Meeting House, 2151 Vine St. Child care will be provided. A reception will follow. 

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. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

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, JUNE 15 

Live Oak Park Fair Contemporary art and handcrafts from over 100 vendors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Live Oak Park, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Free shuttles from North Berkeley BART. 227-7110. www.liveoakparkfair.com 

Fathers’ Day Open House at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Nature stroll at 11 a.m., meet a snake at noon, games at 1 p.m., and songs and crafts at the Little Farm at 2 p.m. 525-2233. 

Return of the Terns to Crab Cove Join the Golden Gate Audubon Society to celebrate the return of the California Least Tern to the Alameda Wildlife Refuge after its 2,000 mile migration from Latin America. Meet at the Crab Cove Visitors Center at 10 a.m. Tours with a wildlife biologist at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. Cost is $4. Registration required. www.ebparks.org 

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

Bike Tour of Oakland Meet at 10 a.m. Oakland Museum of California, 10th St. entrance, Oakland. Reservations recommended. 238-3514. www.museumca.org 

Cool Daddy-O Hip cars and cool bikes, and a chance to customize your own bike from noon to 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Fathers’ Day Aboard the USS Hornet Museum Family activities and ship tours will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $6-$14. Flashlight tour for $35. Reservations required. 521-8448, ext. 282.  

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to do a safety inspection, from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

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

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 Betty Cook on “Tibetan Yoga for the West” 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 

CITY MEETINGS 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., June 5, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461.  

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., June 5, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., June 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7419.  

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., June 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6406.  

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., June 9, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Youth Commission meets Mon., June 9, at 6:30 p.m., at City Council Chambers, Old City Hall. 981-6670. 

City Council meets Tues., June 10, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., June 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Homeless Commission meets Wed., June 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5426.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., June 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Police Review Commission meets Wed., June 11 , at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 981-4950. 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., June 11, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. 981-6740.  

MONDAY, JUNE 9 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Farhad Manjoo describes “True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mitch Marcus Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, JUNE 10 

CHILDREN 

First Stage Children’s Theater “Indoor/Outdoor Blues” at 6:30 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free. Appropriate for ages 5 and up. 524-3043. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Discovery of Art God” Collaborative art and living experiments opens at the Richmond Art Center, 2450 Barrett Ave., Richmond. Tues.-Sat., noon to 5 p.m., through July 26. 621-1252. www.therac.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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

Laurel Ann Hill reads from “Heroes Arise” at 7 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. 531-2073. 

David Price describes “The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Seventh Berkeley Carillon and the sixty-sixth congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America noon and 5:15 p.m., Tues., Wed, and Fri. at Sather Tower, UC Campus. http://music.berkeley.edu/FestivalCongress2008.html. 

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 

Keiko Matsui at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24. 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, JUNE 11 

THEATER 

Oakland Public Theater “Richard Wright Centennial Project” at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St. Free. 534-9529. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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 

David Sirota describes “The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street & Washington” at 12:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Neal Rosenthal reads from “Reflections of a Wine Merchant” at 6:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Amelia Marshall on “Oakland’s Equestrian Heritage” at 7 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. 531-2073. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Nada Lewis at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. www.lebateauivre.net 

Henry Clement & The Gumbo Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Avance 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.  

CV Dub at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

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

Keiko Matsui at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, JUNE 12 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Artist Support Group Speaker Series with Lisa Dent, owner, Lisa Dent Gallery, SF, at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Cost is $8-$10. 644-6893. 

Rodna Taylor presents “Riding the Rails with Rodna” on her 1950s experiences as a Zephyrette on the California Zephyr, at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8-$10. 763-9218. info@oaklandheritage.org 

Daniel Marcus reads from his collection of stories “Binding Energy” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Jincy Willett reads from her new novel “The Writing Class” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wagon/Antioquia at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jenna Mammina & Andre Bush at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Tyler Jakes and The Bootlegggers at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

B.A.R.S. Break.Ar.Rap.Scratch with Company of Prophets at 7:30 p.m., poetry at 9 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Esperanza Spalding at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Selector with Subtext & Delon at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

FRIDAY, JUNE 13 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “On Golden Pond” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through June 21. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre “The Busy World is Hushed” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through July 20. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Brookside Rep “Franz Kafka’s Love Life, Letters and Hallucinations” Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., through June 29. Tickets are $16-$34. 800-838-3006.  

Masquers Playhouse “The Full Monty” Fri. and Sat. at 8, selected Sun. matinees at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond through July 5. Tickets are $20. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Asby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through June 22. Tickets are $17-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Joan Blondell: The Fizz on the Soda “Blonde Crazy” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Meg Withers, Truong Tran, and Dustin Heron, poets, read at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Ellen Sussman introduces “Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Carla Kandinsky, Marek Breiger, and Steve Arntson will read at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave. 841-6374. 

Richard Knight, photographer, shows slides and discusses his book “Saarinen’s Quest: A Memoir” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Point Richmond Summer Music with The Dave Workman Band at 5:30 p.m. and Richie Barron at 6:45 p.m. outdoors at Park Place in downtown Point Richmond. www.pointrichmond.com 

The Berkeley Baroque and Beyond Experience New pieces for violin, piano, guitar and flute at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $25-$35. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

Jai Uttal at 8 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way. 486-8700. www.rudramandir.com 

Las Bomberas de la Bahía at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Dave Matthews Quartet with Tony Lindsay at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Pabobo Jobarteh with Stephen Kent and Val Serrant at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

House Jacks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Planet Loop and Goh Kurosawa at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Ultralash, 20 Minute Loop at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Planets, O’Lucky Man at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

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

Shotgun Wedding Quintet, Joe Bogale at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12. 548-1159.  

Matt Morrish & Trinket Lover at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Kurt Elling at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, JUNE 14 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Summertime Jazz” Group art show. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. 

“The Earth: by Wind, by Water, by Fire” Photography by James Scheihing. Reception at 3 p.m. at The Light Room, 2263 Fifth St. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat. 649-8111. 

Laila Espinoza: Paintings and Textiles Reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library's Central Catalog Lobby, 2090 Kittredge at Shattuck. 981-6100. 

“973 Possibilities and How to Make Sense of it?” An exhibition of contemporary conceptual art. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at The Richmond Art Center, 2540 Bartlett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therac.org 

THEATER 

Playback Theatre Personal stories shared by audience members will be instantly transformed by the ensemble into improvised theater pieces at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater,1301 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $8-$15. 595-5500, ext. 25. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

George Lakoff describes “The Political Mind: Why You Can’t Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

Jeremy Scahill on “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Judith Adamson describes “Rogue Beekeepers of Kensington: Hillside, Orchard, Garden, Hive” with a honey tasting and samples of products made from beeswax, at 2 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043.  

“Bali & Java: Myth, Ritual and Traditional Art” A discussion by Indonesia scholar and educator, Joseph Fischer, at 3 p.m. at Désa Arts, 4810 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 595-1669. www.desaarts.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“La Peña - Ayer, Hoy y P’alante” a musical suite on the history of La Peña at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Freight 40th Anniversary Revue with Phil Marsh at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $14.50-$15.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Hali Hammer & Friends, Khadejha, Ramana Viera Ensemble in a benefit for Voices for Nicaragua, from noon to 8 .m. On Edith St. (look for the balloons) between Cedar and Lincoln. Cost is $10 plus pot luck donation. 472-3170. adlerphotos@yahoo.com 

Ellen Robinson & her Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Benefit for Edwin with Zydeco dance music at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$25 sliding scale. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Cristina Orbé, Meklit Hadero and akosua at 8 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $7-10.  

Gaucho Gypsy Band at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Carla Zilbersmith Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Trevor Justice and Brook Schoenfield at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Pockit, Sol Horizon, Sun House at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $9. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

DJ fflood at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Rum Rebellion, The Hobogobbelins, New Earth Creeps 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, JUNE 15 

CHILDREN 

Gary Lapow at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $10-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Color and Line” Paintings by Julie Ross. Reception at 3 p.m. at Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave. www.JulieRossArt.com 

FILM 

Joan Blondell: The Fizz on the Soda “Footlight Parade” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Juneteenth Freedom Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church, 7932 Mountain Blvd., at Keller Ave., Oakland. 635-4949. 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra “Pops for Pops” at 2 p.m. at Greek Orthodox Church of the Ascension, 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 849-9776. www.ypsomusic.net 

A Tribute to Hal Stein led by saxophonist Pete Yellin at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$15 for concert and reception, children under 12 free. 228-3218. 

Larry Gallagher & Friends at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Calaveras Benefit concert for HIV/Aids prevention in South Africa at 7 p.m. at First Congregatonal Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Cost is $20. 981-1268. www.fccb.org  

Arian Shafiee at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Americana Unplugged with Crowsong at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

DJ Edwin, reggae at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Marshal McLuhan in his seminal book, Understanding Media (1967), differentiated between “hot” and “cool” media, the former requiring the viewer’s emotional involvement, while the latter is more abstract and detached.  

The leading art movements in the Bay Area—Abstract Expressionism, followed by Bay Area Figuration—were certainly “hot” by McLuhan’s definition. In the same period “Cool Jazz” was introduced in Los Angeles, where Miles Davis recorded his Birth of the Cool, which accounts for the title of this show which includes the sharp photographs of jazz musicians and album covers of Davis, Ray Charles, Gerry Mulligan, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Their music is piped into the exhibition. 

The show stresses the visual arts, painting, architecture, furniture, design and photography. Its originator, Elizabeth Armstrong, writes about the the “rationality and purity of modernist design ... a cool aesthetic with hard edges, minimal forms and industrial sensibility.” 

It was the functional chair by Charles and Ray Eames, with its clean curves fabricated industrially in molded plywood, mass-produced inexpensively, that became the icon of the style. Eames had travelled to Europe, became familiar with the architecture of Le Corbusier, Gropius and the Bauhaus and practiced architecture before deisgning the chair.  

Birth of the Cool displays the sharp focus photographs by Julius Shulman, who took black and white pictures of Richard Neutra’s modernist houses and their fashionable inhabitants—the essence of Cool. 

The core of the show are the paintings which were originally called “Abstract Classicist” (by me) when they first showed as a group in 1959, and became better known as “Hard Edge” painters. Unlike their European predecessors in geometric abstraction, such as Malevich or Mondrian, the Los Angeles artists working after World War II no longer contained utopian aspirations. Their work is clear, at times delicate and graceful, at times austere and stark.  

Unlike the spontaneity characteristic of Abstract Expressionism, it is carefully planned, although Fred Hammersley says that he follows his hunches. In the Oakland exhibition we see his beautifully balanced color fields, John McLaughlin’s silent canvases influenced by his long study of Zen, Lorser Feitelson’s careful compositions of forms in space, Helen Lundeberg’s enigmatic paintings suggesting architectural spaces and Karl Benjamin’s jazzy color bands. 

Frequently exhibitions are best displayed by their curators in their venues of origin. This is certainly true in this case. The show looked right in the Orange County Museum, where it had the requisite space. In Oakland, the works are crowded and mixed together. More space could have been available, but the museum decided to add another exhibition, Cool Remixed, which is loud rather then cool. There are graffitis, skateboards, pictures scribbled on car hoods, all made by very young individuals—whereas the artists of the 1950s were mature, experienced, sophisticated. It was a pleasure to see so many young visitors in this show, but the pairing of the two exhibitions is unfortunate.  

The Birth of the Cool, however, gives the viewer insight into a specific California aesthetic, which had a strong belief that architecture, painting and design could communicate rational order and logical reason. 

BIRTH OF THE COOL:  

CALIFORNIA ART, DESIGN AND CULTURE AT MIDCENTURY 

Through Aug. 17 at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. 

238-2200. www.museumca.org .

I think the Berkeley World Music Festival has come of age,” said Gianna Ranuzzi, founder of the fifth annual free festivities along Telegraph Avenue, indoors and out, as well as at People’s Park. This Saturday’s day-long, overlapping series of performances of music, song and dance will both build on the previous festivals and reveal new ideas, new collaborations which promise to enrich future events. 

The schedule’s available at berkeleyworldmusicfestival.com, Amoeba Music and information stands on Telegraph during the festival. 

From Cambodian pop-psychedelic rock (Dengue Fever) to Tango (Hombres of Tango), African funk (Sila & the Afrofunk Experience) or Sufi qawwali song and trance music with didjeridu (Sukhawat Ali Khan with Stephen Kent) to Cajun two-step numbers (Andrew Carriere and the Creole Belles), the festival sprawls over a lot more territory than The Avenue between Bancroft and Parker, from noon until 9 p.m., with music and dancing in People’s Park, 1-5:30 p.m. A post-festival party is offered at Ashkenaz, featuring Jamaican Reggae by Prestige, plus Ras Kidus. 

This year there will be a multicultural marketplace, about 20 booths in People’s Park, including handicrafts, ethnic musical instruments and community information—a first for the park itself as well as the festival. “UC has decided to allow vendors in People’s Park on a trial basis,” said Rannuzzi, “and the festival is the first event to feature that.” 

Partnering to co-sponsor the festival are “nonprofits from KPFA to Ashkenaz to La Pena,” Ranuzzi enumerated, continuing with a list of agencies and businesses, including Amoeba Records, the Daily Planet, the Pagan Alliance, the City of Berkeley and the Telegraph Ave. Business Improvement District.  

“These iconic community groups are supporting a still-young festival,” Ranuzzi commented, “which features free music in both open and intimate settings, cafes and businesses, along Telegraph Avenue—an excellent example of community working together. Anna De Leon of Anna’s Jazz Island called it a prodigy.” 

The newly “grown-up” festival has “become its own agency,” according to Ranuzzi, receiving seed money from the Telegraph BID as well as the city. “The Pagan Alliance has been really heroic in their help, and Ashkenaz, with roots in People’s Park, wanted to contribute. And we’re networking with other groups, launching on new horizons.” 

The “star class luminaries and local celebrities” include: Diana Rowan and Lily Storm (two Kitka singers with harp and harmonium, singing Old World lullabies), Barvinok Ensemble (Ukrainian/Eastern European), Nazir Latouf (Arabic), Laurie Chastain (Celtic Rad-Trad fiddle), Eva Scow Ensemble (Brazilian Choro & Jazz, led by an incomparable mandolinist, who’s played with David Grisham and in Carnegie Hall), KPFA DJ Larry Kelp with World Sounds and the Disciples of Markos (Rebetika—”Greek blues”) in venues like Amoeba Records, Raleigh’s Cafe, The Village, Rasputin’s Records, Moe’s Books, and The Musical Offering on Bancroft.  

In addition, there’ll be music on the street, with Michael Masley on bow-hammer cymbalom all day, outside the former location of Cody’s at Haste Street.  

In addition, Mario’s will open up their banquet room for dancing with the Hombres of Tango at 3 p.m. “It’s normally just for catered events,” said Ranuzzi, “But, like last year, it’ll be open, free to the public.” 

In People’s Park, Andrew Carriere will lead off with the Creole Belles at 1 p.m., followed by Sukawat Ali Khan and Stephen Kent, SambaDa (Afro-Brazilian Samba Funk), then Sila and the Afro-Funk Experience. 

“It’s the biggest day we’ve ever had,” said Ranuzzi. “I’m really thrilled with its new direction, a further step in showcasing the Bay Area world music scene, itself a world center of musical culture.” 

It starts with a cold and cold-hearted opening scene. On a fog-shrouded road amid a desolate, Godot-like landscape, a cyclist appears in the foreground and heads toward the horizon where the road bends and vanishes. We hear a car swerve and a quick cut presents us with a close-up of the bicycle, twisted and broken with one wheel spinning. A couple steps from the car and the man kneels over the unseen cyclist as his lover stands at a remove, urging him to get back in the car. He does and the car pulls away. 

Juan Antonio Bardem knew how to get an audience on the hook. At a time when the younger generation of European directors—in France, in Italy and in his native Spain—were breaking away from the American influence, Bardem embraced it. The filmmakers of France’s nouvelle vague and Spain’s neo-realist movement were establishing a more intimate, more auteurist style, forsaking light commercial fare for a more topical approach, delving into social and political commentary. While he shared their inclination to make more substantive films, Bardem used different methods, employing all the conventions and devices of conventional Hollywood storytelling in pursuit of a more engaged cinema. 

In Death of a Cyclist (1955), newly released on DVD by Criterion, Bardem starts with a perfect Hollywood plot device: a stark, dramatic event which leads to a dramatic shift in fortune for his two lead characters. Only gradually will we piece together an understanding of these two, of their social milieu, their relationship, of their origins, motives and desires. There is a bit of Hitchcock here, a bit of noir, and plenty of A-movie Hollywood, with the luminous Lucia Bosé as a sort of self-absorbed femme fatale version of Ingrid Bergman, and Alberto Closas portraying a coddled ne’er-do-well with a bit of the droll, world-weary nobility of Humphrey Bogart. It’s Casablanca turned on its head, stripped of its romance and pervaded instead with cold calculation and bourgeois disillusionment.  

Out of this tale of adultery, manslaughter, nepotism and blackmail, Bardem spins a story more meaningful and complex, as Closas finds himself on “a journey back to myself,” a long, difficult climb out of the morass of privileged narcissism toward absolution. Though the censors demanded an amended conclusion for Death of a Cyclist, the compromise is handled with great aplomb, coming full circle with a final flourish in which a cyclist must decide whether to report a fatal accident or simply keep pedaling. And in the end the film packs as much punch as any of the more overtly topical films of Bardem’s contemporaries, but with a style that retains all the gloss and sheen of the slick entertainment those films rejected.  

There is one curious moment, however, that I have yet to see explained or even mentioned in discussions of the film. Toward the end, in a shot from the back of a car looking over Lucia Bosé’s shoulder, a mysterious gloved hand appears briefly in the corner of the frame. It’s more than likely an accident, the director or cameraman briefly intruding on the image—though how it could have gone unnoticed in the editing process is anyone’s guess. But could it have been intentional? Could it have meaning? Nowhere else is it suggested that there is someone else in the car, not before and not after, but the subtle suggestion of collusion, of an unseen partner, could greatly alter one’s interpretation of the film’s closing sequence. 

DEATH OF A CYCLIST (1955) 

Directed by Juan Antonio Bardem. Starring Lucia Bosé, Alberto Closas. 88 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.  

www.criterion.com.

At a reunion, after years, between father and grown daughter on his 80th birthday in the family cabin on a Maine lake: “Look at our little fat girl!” exclaims Dad, and his daughter bristles. He later tells her divorced dentist beau, “Ethel is her Mommy. I’m not her Daddy. I’m ... Norman.” 

So the old curmudgeon reveals his feelings by mordantly concealing them, as he’s deadpanned his way through the growing disorientation of age as well, acting out his diffidence with a show of being a bit too forthcoming, in On Golden Pond, as performed at Altarena Playhouse in Alameda, directed by Richard Robert Bunker. 

Many who know this chestnut of a generation ago are familiar with it through the adaptation playwright Ernest Thompson made for the Mark Rydell movie version (1981). Jane Fonda had optioned the play explicitly to costar with her father in what would be his final film appearance, paired also with Katherine Hepburn in their only collaboration as well. Such an occasion resulted in the themes of mortality and a rapprochement to the confrontations of the “Generation Gap” being brought to the fore, with the major reservoir of humor tapped in Dabney Coleman’s brilliantly over-the-top rendition of Bill Ray, the West Coast dentist, trying to parse niceties (and not-so-niceties) with his girlfriend’s crusty father. 

That’s all there onstage, but the Altarena production brings it back closer, though with the perspective of a quarter century, to the well-wrought commercial play that runs on tight comic rhythms, letting the pathos leak through the cracks to make the comedy bittersweet, while downplaying any heaviness. The story and character development progress quickly, though seem to go along leisurely enough. There are several jumps in time, and the potential heartwringer of a confrontation is deflected by a couple of dialogues, neither between estranged father and daughter. 

Tom Flynn plays Norman Thayer, retired English prof, as a deadpan put-on artist, deliberately misunderstanding what others say and exaggerating what he says, including “the usual prejudices”; a white collar curmudgeon after a decade of Archie Bunker. His colloquy with his daughter’s beau is his center ring performance. David Roberts’ Bill the dentist proves awkward but sympathetic, unwilling to play the fool, wanting to announce his existence and his intentions. And Julie Helms’ Ethel Thayer, “straight man” to her husband, shows a brief moment of salutary anger, followed by firm yet sympathetic admonition to her tense, wistful—but still game—daughter Chelsea, as portrayed by Naomi Didion Davis. 

Billy—Bill Ray, Jr.—is shown by Jose Montes to be a genial wiseguy, already friends with Chelsea and responsive to the Weisenheimer in Norman, enjoying his interlude with the doting old folks. 

But maybe the nicest vignette is the reunion between Chelsea and eccentric, chortling Down-East’er postman Charlie Martin (delivered perfectly by Jamie Olson), with Ethel as a gentle third wheel—their ongoing teenage summer romances long behind them, but not forgotten, they endeavor to reach out across the gap between them, where life’s taken each of them at middle age, just for a moment. Again, wistful, bittersweet, yet humorous. 

Summer ends, and the play with it, as further reunions are talked about by telephone—and more intimations of mortality are voiced. The old couple leaves the cabin, watching the loons they’ve seen on the lake depart too, their young ones fledged. Another summer gone, but this one has maybe crystalized all the rest. 

ON GOLDEN POND 

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through June 21 at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda. $17-$20. 

523-1553. www.alterena.org.