TUESDAY, DEC. 23 

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

Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair with over 200 street artists, merchants, community groups and entertainment, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.between Dwight and Bancroft. 234-1013. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 5 p.m. at Gelateria Naia, 2106 Shattuck Ave. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

“The Barefoot Doctors of Rural China” A documentary at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Berkeley PC Problem Solving meeting at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St. at Eunice.  

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

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

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

Boffers and Board Games from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Codornices Park, 1201 Euclid Ave. across from the Rose Garden, or 33 Revolutions Record Shop & Cafe, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito when bad weather. Free, but parental supervision required. 526-5985 

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We 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, DEC. 24 

Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair with over 200 street artists, merchants, community groups and entertainment, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.between Dwight and Bancroft. 234-1013. 

Berkeley Potters Guild 38th Holiday Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 73 Jones St. at Fourth St. www.berkeleypotters.com 

Golden Gate Birding Walk at Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. 549-2839.  

SATURDAY, DEC. 27 

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. 

“Ring in the New” Make noisemakers and party hats for New Years, Sat. and Sun. from 1 to 4 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 Ninth St., Suite 210, Oakland. Cost is $7. 456-8770. 

Close the Farm Help us close the Little Farm and tuck in the animals for the night, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Little Farm, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

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

SUNDAY, DEC. 28 

“A Short History of Islam” A film by Karen Armstrong at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

“What Would Steady State Economics Look Like?” with Sterling Bunnell at 11 a.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. www.HumanistHall.org 

Family Restoration Day for families who care about the environment with interactive games and working in the park, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Winter Wanderland Hike Series An invigorating fast-paced hike from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This week we will visit Tilden Nature Area. Call for meeting place. Bring water, layered clothing and a snack to share. 525-2233. 

Nature Theater nature games, a movie, popcorn and cider for the whole family from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

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

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Healing Mind, Heart, and Spirit” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 29 

Kensington Library Book Club meets to discuss “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Mohsin Hamid at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Albany YMCA, in the parking lot at 921 Kains Ave., Albany. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com 

TUESDAY, DEC. 30 

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

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

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

Boffers and Board Games from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Codornices Park, 1201 Euclid Ave. across from the Rose Garden, or 33 Revolutions Record Shop & Cafe, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito when bad weather. Free, but parental supervision required. 526-5985. 

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We 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, DEC. 31 

New Year’s Eve Onboard the USS Hornet with live music, dancing, and views of the Bay Area skyline, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at 707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda.Tickets are $50-$98. 521-8448, ext. 282. 

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. 

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 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 

Berkeley CopWatch Drop-in office hours from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

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

THURSDAY, JAN. 1 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

FRIDAY, JAN. 2 

Confetti Days at Habitot with a dance party and art projects for children 0-6, Fri.-Sun. at 10:30 a.m. at 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $7-$8. 647-1111.  

Golden Gate Audubon Society Walk at Jewel Lake in Tilden. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot at the north end of Central Park Dr. for a one-mile, two-hour plus stroll through this lush riparian area to see wintering waterfowl. Sponsored by Golden Gate Audubon Society. 843-2222. ggas@goldengateaudubon.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. 

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

SATURDAY, JAN. 3 

“Is this the Final Crisis of Capitalism?” A discussion with the Political Affairs Readers Group of the Communist Party USA at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.marxistlibr.org 

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

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

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 4 

“Miya of the Quiet Strength” A documentary film about the life of Miya Rodolfo-Sioson at 2 p.m. at Parkway Speakeasy Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $6. 814-2400. www.miyafilm.com 

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 

“A Worldview Derived from Darwin’s Thought” with Jack Steller at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

MONDAY, JAN. 5 

Auditions for the chorus Soli Deo Gloria will be held by appointment at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1323 Central Ave., Alameda. For an appointment please call 888-734-7664 or email auditions@sdgloria.org 

Destiny Arts Center Spring Class Registration for classes in Martial Arts, Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop Dance, and Theater for ages 3-18, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1000 42nd St., Oakland. 597-1619. 

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.  

TUESDAY, JAN. 6 

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 

Berkeley Folk Dancers beginning folk dance class meets for eight Tues. at 7:40 p.m. at Live Oak Recreation Center, 1300 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $30 or $5 drop in. 841-1205. www.berkeleyfolkdancers.org 

Boffers and Board Games from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Codornices Park, 1201 Euclid Ave. across from the Rose Garden, or 33 Revolutions Record Shop & Cafe, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito when bad weather. Free, but parental supervision required. 526-5985. 

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

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

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. 

Yarn Wranglers Come knit and crochet at 6:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7 

“Planet Earth” Parts I and II of David Attenborough’s documentary at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

“How to Tune & Wax Your Skiis/Snowboard” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Hiroshima survivor Takashi Tanemori, founder of Silkworm Peace Institute, talks about self-healing through forgiveness at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941The Alameda. Optional pasta dinner at 6:30 p.m. for $6. Call for dinner reservations. 526-3805. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

THURSDAY, JAN. 8 

Berkeley Oil Independence Report and Public Hearing at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. The report is available at www.relocalize.net/groups/oilindependentberkeley 

College Admissions Panel with college admissions officers on the college admission process and the abilities and strengths colleges are looking for in applicants at 7 p.m. at Redwood Day School, 3245 Sheffield Ave., Oakland. RSVP to 534-0804 ext. 225. JLewis@rdschool.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kaiser Center Lobby, 300 Lakeside Dr., Oakland. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

Pacific Boychoir Academy Open House to learn about the academic and music program from 6 to 8 p.m. at 410 Alcatraz Ave. Please RSVP to 652-4722. www.pacificboychoiracademy.org 

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

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Jan. 5, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5356.  

ONGOING 

Help Low-wage Families with Their Taxes United Way’s Earn it! Keep It! Save It! needs Bay Area volunteers for its 7th annual free tax program. No previous experience necessary. Sign up at www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org

TUESDAY, DEC. 23 

CHILDREN 

The Blue Fairy Storyteller for 3-7 year olds at 10:30 a.m. at West Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

Chin-Chin for 5 year olds and up at 2:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Ballet Company “Ron Guidi’s Nutcracker” at 2 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$50. www.ticketmaster.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Ballet Company “Ron Guidi’s Nutcracker” at 2 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$50. www.ticketmaster.com 

Natasha Miller’s Christmas Eve Concert at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 25 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

FRIDAY, DEC. 26 

THEATER 

Berkeley Rep “Ennio” comedy and mime for the whole family at 2 and 8p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St, through Dec. 31. Tickets are $20-$45. 647-2949. berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Arabian Nights” Tues.-Sun. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Jan. 4. Tickets are $27-$71. 647-2949. berkeleyrep.org 

Paul Mooney “Black Man in the White House” comedy, through Dec. 31 at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $25-$100. 652-2120. 

FILM 

Movie Classics “Mary Poppins” the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $5. 625-8497. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Danny Caron Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

We A Dem, Messenjah Selah, Luv Fyah, Reggae Boxing Day celebration at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The Cavepainters at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Free. 841-2082.  

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

Patrick Wolff Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Roy Hargrove Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Wed. Cost is $18-$28, Dec. 31 $100. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 27 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

String Circle with special guest Ian Swenson “There were Shepherds, abiding in the Fields” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864.  

Dangerous Rhythm with Tim Fox at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473.  

Macy Blackman & The Mighty Fines at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

MC Zion, Jack Sprat Collective, hip hop and funk, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

David Grisman Bluegrass Experience at 5 and 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $34.50-$35.50. 548-1761.  

2ME, CD release party, at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Lost Cats, with Jim Passard at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra, The Funkanauts at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Roy Hargrove Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Wed. Cost is $18-$28, Dec. 31 $100. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, DEC. 28 

THEATER 

“The Big Fat Year End Kiss Off Comedy Show XVI” with Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Steven Kravitz, Debi Durst and others at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. brownpapertickets.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mike Marshall & Catrina Lichtenberg at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Val Mih Quartet, with special guest Eddie Gale, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Flamenco Family Fiesta at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

MONDAY, DEC. 29 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express “Between the Holidays Erotic Poetry Night” at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Roy Hargrove Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Wed. Cost is $18-$28, Dec. 31 $100. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, DEC. 30 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Singing For Your Life with members of SoVoSó and special guests, from noon to midnight at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., at 27th. Suggested donation $10 and up, benefits Arts First Oakland. 444-8511, ext. 15.  

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

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra “Leading Ladies” with Amanda King, vocalist, Robin Sharp, violinist, and Gwen Mok, pianist, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Free. 415-248-1640.  

Bobi Cespedes & Her Quintet at 7 and 10 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is tba. 841-JAZZ.  

High Country, Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $26.50-$27.50. 548-1761.  

Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, Cuban dance music, at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $25-$28. 849-2568.  

Balkan Bash with Edessa, Brass Menageri, Joe Finn & Friends, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The 2008 Beatdown, hosted by The Mundaze, at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Chuck Prophet, Aiden Hawken at 9:45 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $25-$30. 841-2082.  

Code Name: Jonah at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Roy Hargrove Big Band at 9 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Wed. Cost is $100. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, JAN. 1 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Adrian Gormley Jazz Ensemble at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

FRIDAY, JAN. 2 

THEATER 

Berkeley Rep “The Arabian Nights” Tues.-Sun. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Jan. 4. Tickets are $27-$71. 647-2949. berkeleyrep.org 

Shotgun Players “Macbeth” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Feb. 1. Tickets are $18-$30. 841-6500.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art of Democracy” Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Red Door Gallery, 416 26th St., Oakland. www.artofdemocracy.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Lakay, Alexa Weber Morales Band, reggae, caribbean, and Haitain, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054.  

Jarl & Coe, Whitney Gardner at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Kitchen Fire, The Golddiggers at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Pharoah Sanders at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $28. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, JAN. 3 

CHILDREN  

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

Kirk Waller, storyteller, Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259.  

Children’s Stories, readings and activity for ages 2-5, at 1 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 Ninth St., Suite 210, Oakland. Cost is $7. 456-8770.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Celebration of the Cuban Revolution with Saul Landau at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading from 3 to 5 pm. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. 527-9905. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Breakin’ Up Xmas Square Dance with The Stairwell Sisters at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054.  

Saturday Afternoon Gallery Acoustic music open mic series at 2 p.m. at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St., Alameda. 931-7646. 

Wilson Wong, Katherine Peck at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Brama Sukarma and his quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. 

Montana Slim, The Jugtown Pirates at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

Lorijo Manly, folk, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Pharoah Sanders at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $28. 238-9200.  

SUNDAY, JAN. 4 

CHILDREN 

Nigerian Brothers at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“L.A. Paint” Tour of the exhibition at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak sts., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

FILM 

African Diaspora Film Society “February One” the story of the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-in, at 2 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. 814-2400. 

Celebration of the Cuban Revolution Film screenings and discussion at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Community Roots, a community empowerment celebration with Aima the Dreamer, Seasunz, and others at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

George Garzone and the East Coast Jazz Jam Band at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, JAN. 5 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Chabon in Conversation with John Carroll at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $25. Benefit for Park Day School. 653-0317, ext. 103. 

TUESDAY, JAN. 6 

FILM 

“The Power of Myth in Movies” with Richard Stromer at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Cost is $40. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Andrew Carierre & The Zydeco and Cajun Allstars at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

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

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7 

FILM 

“Last Chance for Eden” on the impact of racism and sexism, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5. 849-2568. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Vince Ho, organ music of Matthew Locke at 12:30 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 1501 Washington Ave., Albany. 525-1716. 

Brian Melvin Trio with Brad Buethe at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ.  

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross Pub. 843-2473.  

Wild Women of the Accordion at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Pellejo Seco at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, JAN. 8 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage” at 8 p.m. at The Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $30, includes a party after the show. Advance reservations strongly advised. 841-6500. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Elisabeth Payne Rosen discusses her new Civil War novel “Hallam’s War” at 1 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak sts., Oakland. 238-2200. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Open Decks, Grateful Dead night, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6. 525-5054.  

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761.  

Kelly Park & Friends at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Seconds on End, Tistrya at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. 

Brwn Bflo, hip hop, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5. 849-2568.  

The Dave G Experience at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Airto Moreira with Zakir Hussain at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20. 238-9200. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and Berkeley resident Michael Chabon will join San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll, “an East Bay local,” for an evening of conversation to benefit the academic and financial aid programs at Park Day School in North Oakland, 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5 at Berkeley Rep.  

Chabon’s three children are in their first year at Park Day School.  

“And that’s combined with a longstanding admiration—and a fondness, even though I don’t know him that well—for Mr. Carroll,” Chabon said. “He’s a grandparent of a Park Day student with a history of strong involvement with the school. As a new parent, I wanted to show Jon Carroll how much it means to me, too—how much to both of us. 

“Park Day School’s on a great historical site,” Chabon continued, “very much integrated in the fabric of Oakland: a former orphanage, and an old age home for women were both here. The school has quite a progressive educational system, incorporating recent research, and is very open in trying new approaches. It’s the kind of place you always think about in terms of the Bay Area, asking if there are better ways of doing things, yet holding onto fundamental academic studies. They teach children to respect themselves and other people.  

“Everything is a balancing act in life, especially when it comes  

to kids: discipline and freedom, academic work and social life. Park Day School has that flexibility, and the awareness that, for anything, you might be wrong. That kind of openness.” 

Chabon has lived in Berkeley “this time since 1997; before, briefly, in 1985”—but regards himself as a California resident since 1985.  

Asked about his observations of the area in that time, he mentioned: “Overall, in American society at large, there’s that movement from the cities to the suburbs and towards greater homogeneity—powerful, unstoppable. If you dropped down from an airplane in most places, you wouldn’t know where you are. Places I remember, like Pittsburgh, Penn., where I grew up, lived for a long time, the funky, bohemian sections have disappeared. Big box stores—Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, The Gap—replace everything. 

“Berkeley is unusually resistant to these powerful forces. You still see so much diversity here, of every kind—religious, racial, sexual, diversity in age ... also retail diversity: mom and pop stores and start-ups. Only in Berkeley. It’s like a pocket universe. 

“You travel around and say you’re from Berkeley, and people  

say, ‘Oh, I know what that is!’ And a lot of that’s still around; a lot of the same people are still around.” 

Asked about what he’s working on, Chabon said he’s writing a novel “set here, in Berkeley and Oakland. I’ve been thinking a lot about the things we’ve been talking about. This one is definitely informed by my deep love of genre, though not as explicitly as some of my other work.” 

And in answer to a query about the progress of a film project announced last February by the Coen Brothers, of his Hugo, Nebula and Sidewise award-winning novel, The Yiddish Policeman's Union (2007), Chabon relied, “They keep very busy. A movie just came out, and they’ve finished another one. I’ve heard they’re going to start on the script. I’m just in the same position everybody who loves the Coen Bros. is in—waiting for their next film.” 

The program at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St., will follow a cheese and no-host wine reception at 6 p.m. Tickets: $25; call 653-0317 x.103 or see www.ParkDaySchool.org 

Don’t waste your money on the romantic-epic film Australia, but rush out and buy Berkeley writer Celeste Lipow MacLeod’s Multiethnic Australia. Conn Hallinan has written in these pages of the country’s increasing cooperation with the United States, from sending troops to Iraq, allowing the U.S. to build a military base on Australia’s west coast, and agreeing to let the country become the world’s nuclear waste dump with its reward: joining a nuclear-technology information clearing house. 

International politics is not the focus of this history of Australia. What is is the country’s extraordinary accomplishment of peacefully integrating dozens of disparate cultures despite its predominantly Anglo-Saxon culture. Like MacLeod’s previous book, Horatio Alger Farewell, this one finds her interested in working people’s struggles to cope with or co-opt the power elite. 

Multiethnic Australia could easily have been called, a la Howard Zinn, A People’s History of Australia. It’s an amazing story of how the country consciously nurtured each newcomer’s customs and language, six million of them in a land with 20 million people, arriving since 1947, along with a slower recognition and support of the indigenous Aborigines. And it all happened peacefully—with no rioting—because the country devised practical services to help the new arrivals retain their cultural traditions while becoming loyal Australians. 

Little known abroad is the country’s progressive social heritage, with its original prisoners, finding themselves in a spacious land with a labor shortage, joining forces with poor immigrants and turning the country into a “fair go” society. They organized trade unions and then formed a political party geared to their own needs. By the end of the 19th century, labor had emerged as a political force in Australia. MacLeod writes, “Unlike the United States, where self-made millionaires were cheered and worshipped, in Australia they were seen as traitors to their class.” Australia was also an innovator in women’s suffrage, women getting the vote as early as 1902. 

You may recognize prominent names like diva Joan Southerland, film director Peter Weir, writer Christina Stead; novelist Patrick White, the only Australian so far to win the Nobel Prize in literature; and Miles Franklin (My Brilliant Career), but there’s much more to Australia. Founded as a British penal colony, defining itself as a satellite of the British Empire, during the 19th century it restricted immigration in what was known as the “White Australia” policy. When the Australian colonies became a federation of states in 1901, one of the new government’s first acts was to pass a law aimed at keeping out people of color. At that time, working people and their unions were strong supporters of the policy. 

But after World War II, the country came increasingly to identify with its neighbors in the Pacific Rim, and in 1960 the old protection legislation was dismantled in every state, and even indigenous people became citizens, making them eligible for the same social service benefits as other Australians. In 1962 they were given the vote, and their numbers keep growing because of better living conditions and health care. 

Multiculturalism gradually took on the meaning of replacing assimilation with a policy that validated diversity. The policy of cultural pluralism received bipartisan support, not because of a need for migrant labor (by the mid-’70s there were labor surpluses) but because the old White Australia policy had become a political embarrassment and an economic liability for a country at the edge of Southeast Asia. 

Politically savvy readers may know the names of prime ministers like Robert Gordon Menzies, who in the late ’30s identified more with Britain and its empire than his own country or its Asian neighbors. When the Labor Party won the national election in 1973, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was determined to reverse support for White Australia, to reduce the British connection, and to oppose racist ideas and practices, launching a series of sweeping reforms. Racially selected sports teams were banned from entering Australia. Equal pay for women was introduced. Wages, pensions, and unemployment benefits rose. A national health service was established, open to all. But he tried to change things too quickly and was dismissed, which reinvigorated the desire to make Australia a republic. Prime Minister John Howard, leader of the Opposition Liberal (sic) Party, was opposed to multiculturalism and worked hard to save the constitutional monarchy. In 1999 a referendum to become a republic was defeated 55 percent to 45 percent. Queen Elizabeth still remains the country’s head of state. 

MacLeod believes that Australia will remain a predominantly Anglo-Celtic-Irish country into the foreseeable future, and Asian nations will not accept Australia fully as part of the region as long as its official head of state is the monarch of a Western nation. But there may be some hope. With Labor Party Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, elected in 2007, who is opposed to the Iraq war and supports multiculturalism, Australia may have an even better future. 

MULTIETHNIC AUTRALIA: 

ITS HISTORY AND FUTURE 

By Celeste Lipow MacLeod. 226 pages. N.C.: McFarland. 

Holiday music, usually canned, has become the audible public hallmark of the season, with all the homogenized commercialism this time of year.  

Here are a few off-the-cuff reflections by some local people in the music business on holiday sounds, good and bad: 

• Daniell Revenaugh, concert pianist and founder of the Busoni Society: 

“A holiday concert in a church, with holiday colors, or singing carols at home, which people did up until World War II, is fine. But I abhor the way it starts right after Halloween now. Its omnipresence becomes annoying. The tunes become parodies of themselves; it degrades the concept of Christmas—and certainly degrades the appreciation of music.  

“The way it blares out in stores, like over a loudspeaker, is ridiculous. It would be interesting to follow a given person through the course of their day this time of year and see how many times they listen to a particular carol—and whether it reminds them of memories of their childhood, or if they’re just gradually desensitized? That is, unless you find someone who likes hearing ‘Silent Night’ in the elevator of the Bel Air Sands Hotel at two in the morning after parking your car in the garage, as once happened to me.  

Music should be elevating, not elevator-ing! Going into my local 7/11 to see if I’ve won the lottery, then flee, I’m subject to an electric eye that plays the first five notes of Mozart’s Symphony in G minor, with no resolution. It’s debilitating to the victim of it—and suppose you had to work in that store? We’re stuck with so many things anyway, why do we have to be stuck with somebody’s idea of music? I don’t mind the Salvation Army bell, but I don’t want the guy to sing! Anyway, after the oral surgeon quoted his price, my favorite holiday song this year is ‘All I Want for Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth’!”  

• Charles Amirkhanian, founder of Other Minds new music series and former KPFA programmer:  

“I was young when LPs first came out, and some re-releases have made me realize how very taken I’ve been with performances and arrangements of what’s not the conventional Christmas music ... things from RCA, Robert Shaw chorales, obscure hymns ... and Spanish music, and other nationalities on Musical Heritage ... there’s so much more than ‘Deck the Halls.’ We forget what a rich variety of music’s been written around the season. The Christmas Cantata of Honnegger’s, a not very well-known collage of carols, with full orchestra and choruses ... Oh—and that piece done by The Residents I used to play on KPFA on seven-inch 45, ‘Santa Dog,’ with the words ‘Santa Dog’s a Jesus Freak’ over and over!” 

• David Parr, director of the Christmas Revels at the Oakland Scottish Rites Theater:  

“Carols like ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ or our Mummer’s Song—like Father Christmas at the end of the Mummer’s Play—‘May there be a pig in your poke/May there be a pudding in your pot’ kind of thing, don’t exactly mean what they might sound like today, an incitement to shopping, but reflect an appreciation and awareness of the bounty of the world around us--a truly festive holiday spirit!” 

• Ronn Guidi, founder of the Oakland Ballet Company and the Ronn Guidi Foundation:  

“What surprised me a few years ago was finding out that Adolphe Adam, the composer of Giselle [1844], that great Romantic ballet, also wrote ‘O Holy Night.’ [’Minuit, chretiens!’—1847]” 

• Michael Morgan, conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and Festival Opera (after chuckling that Ronn Guidi’s remark had never occurred to him): 

“As an outside choice, the only holiday song I really like these days isn’t on the festive side at all, but more melancholy— ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ from Meet Me in St. Louis, written by a friend of mine, Hugh Martin, who’s 94, living in San Diego. We met through mutual friends; he’s the last one that generation of Hollywood composers alive—and makes a whole living from that one song. After this wild rollercoaster year of 2008, it’s far more appropriate a holiday song than the rest. Next year has to be better!” 

• Mz. Dee, Jazz and R&B singer:  

“What I dislike is the dang ‘Jingle Bells!’ Drives me nuts! The limited, fake, not-real drone of Christmas music. Somebody’s in the studio, shakin’ these silly bells! It’s weird. You hear it too much—then, after Christmas, it’s gone. A wave came in, then went out. We need good music—every day—to make us feel good!”