Full Text

 

News

AC Transit Cuts Night, Weekend Service

By Bay City News Service
Thursday September 23, 2010 - 09:55:00 AM

 

AC Transit's board of directors Wednesday night voted unanimously to slash night and weekend bus service in an effort to tackle its projected budget deficit and save more than $11 million. 

The agency said the service cuts were necessary because it will faces at least a $40 million budget deficit by the end of fiscal year 2011. AC Transit has made other service cuts and raised its fares in recent years in order to help balance its budget. 

"We have a lot of changes to do that are going to be really uncomfortable to the status quo," board president Rocky Fernandez said in a statement. 

"Right now we are faced with keeping this agency in business," he said. 

The agency plans to pare down 39 minor weekend routes - about half its weekend service - while keeping major service corridors intact. Four out of six all-nighter bus routes will be eliminated, according to AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson. 

The board's decision on an additional cost-saving proposal to outsource paratransit services for seniors and the disabled was postponed so board members could try to determine whether paratransit services could be self-sustaining. 

Information on which routes will be affected by the changes is available at www2.actransit.org


The Investors’ Club: How the University of California Regents Spin Public Money into Private Profit

By Peter Byrne
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 09:00:00 AM

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the introductory section of an eight-part series sponsored by the Berkeley Daily Planet in cooperation with several other publications, organized by the spot.us non-profit organization. The whole series can be found here on the spot.us site.]

“As universities become glorified vocational schools for corporations they adopt values and operating techniques of the corporations they serve.” – Chris Hedges (Empire of Illusion, 2009)

Part One: Overview of the investigation

Experts identify multiple conflicts of interest among an elite group that oversees investments for the University of California.

Last fall, amid an unprecedented state budget crisis, the University of California Board of Regents took extraordinary measures to cut costs and generate revenue. Lecturers were furloughed, classes eliminated. The board reduced admissions for in-state students, while increasing the admission of out-of-state students, who pay higher fees than state residents. And to the consternation of tens of thousands of students, undergraduate tuition was raised by 32 percent, with more hikes to come.

It now costs about $30,000 per year to attend the University of California (UC) as an undergraduate, including tuition and expenses. Even with student aid, it’s a sum beyond the means of many students and their families.

While education took a beating, the regents authorized $3 million in bonuses to a handful of top administrators, and reduced the salaries of janitorial staff. The regents approved new construction projects, including a sports stadium. They assured Wall Street bond underwriters that periodic tuition increases would help pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction loans.

Objecting to the tuition increases, UC students, employees, and professors staged demonstrations at regents’ meetings and on campuses across the state. Some protestors accused the regents of “privatizing” the university to benefit industrial corporations and Wall Street investors. While it is true that the university’s ties to corporate and banking interests are many and legion, there is a special kind of privatization taking place behind closed doors.

Our eight-month investigation reveals that some members of the regents’ investment committee, who are also Wall Street heavy-hitters, have modified long-standing investment policies in a way that benefited their own financial holdings. The fallout: multiple conflicts of interest. 

The changes can be traced to 2003, when regents Gerald Parsky, Richard C. Blum, and Paul Wachter—all financiers by trade—took control of UC’s investment strategy. Sitting on the board’s investment committee, the three men steered away from investing in more traditional instruments, such as blue-chip stocks and bonds, toward largely unregulated “alternative” investments, such as private equity and private real estate deals. According to UC internal reports, the dramatic investment change has led to an “overweighting” of investments in private equity. One concerned regent has likened the change to “gambling in Las Vegas.”  

The changes did not stop there. 

By-passing the university treasurer’s in-house investment specialists, the regents investment committee hired private managers to handle many of these new kinds of less-regulated transactions. This action theoretically placed some distance between the personal financial holdings of regents and the investments made on behalf of the UC endowment and retirement funds. But it also served to increase management costs, and to limit the transparency around UCs investments, since these “external” managers are not subject to the same public disclosure laws that apply to university operations. 

Unfortunately, many of these deals, while potentially lucrative, have lost significant amounts of money for UC’s retirement and endowment funds, which were worth $63 billion at the end of 2009. (These losses ultimately reduce the amount spent on education, since the endowment supports teaching activities.) And the non-transparency of these private deals enabled multiple conflicts of interest to arise without challenge. 

Specifically, our investigation shows that, under the new regime on the investment committee, UC placed $2 billion into a series of private deals and publicly held enterprises with significant ties to the business activities of four regents: Wachter, Blum, Sherry Lansing, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

 

State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) was asked to review the findings of this investigation prior to publication. “These are amazing conflicts of interest,” he concluded. “They happened after the UC Regents’ investment committee drastically changed policy away from investing in fixed income securities and into risky private equity buyout funds—thus enriching several regents with ties to those funds.” 

Yee added, “And contracting out the management of corporate investments to firms who make their money by generating management fees was just a terrible idea.” 

 

Summary of findings on Mr. Blum 

After Mr. Blum was appointed to the Board of UC Regents in 2002, UC invested $748 million in seven private equity deals in which he or his firm, Blum Capital Partners, was a major investor. (Mr. Wachter was involved in one of these deals as an investor). Many of these deals were operated in partnership with TPG Capital, where Mr. Blum is an investor and an executive, according to the economic disclosure statements of his spouse, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), and other public records. 

The Blum-related private equity deals in which UC has invested are: Washington Mutual and First American Corporation (2008); Harrah’s Entertainment (2008); Univision (2007); Freescale Semiconductor (2007); Sungard Data Systems (2005); Kinetic Concepts (2003); Commonfund (2002). 

UC has also invested $84 million in real estate and private equity deals, as well as the stock of a public corporation, in which Mr. Blum held significant interests: 

• A UC investment of $42 million, beginning in 2006, enabled the buyout of a real estate company, Glenborough Realty Trust, in which Mr. Blum was a member of the board of directors and a stockholder. UC’s investment in the fund that purchased Glenbourough has declined in value by $38.5 million. 

• In 2007, UC invested $16.6 million in Colony Capital, a private equity firm to which Mr. Blum has numerous business ties. 

• As of late 2007, Mr. Blum’s San Francisco-based firm, Blum Capital Partners, had benefited from a $26 million investment in Janus Capital Group made by UC, as well as from related investments in Janus made by UC’s external managers. 


• Starting in 2004, Blum Capital Partners bought substantial ownership stakes in two for-profit vocational schools in which UC concurrently invested $53 million. These same educational corporations are seeing increases to their enrollment and profit due to class cut-backs at state-funded universities and colleges such as UC. And in 2007, Sen. Feinstein initiated federal legislation that benefited these two companies and other for-profit educational corporations. 

• At the end of 2009, UC held investments totaling $304 million in all 18 of the public companies in which Blum Capital Partners held a substantial or controlling stake. 

Summary of other findings 

• Since 2003, the regents have invested $411 million in Dimensional Fund Advisors, a company partly owned by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Mr. Wachter. UC also put $75 million into Apollo Management private equity funds in which Mr. Wachter and Gov. Schwarzenegger are invested. 

 

• Since September 2006, Regent Lansing (who is not on the investment committee) has been a member of the board of directors of Qualcomm Inc., for which she receives an annual director’s fee of $135,000, plus stock options. According to her economic disclosure statement, Ms. Lansing owns “more than $1 million” in Qualcomm stock options (no upper limit is specified). In 2009, Qualcomm paid her $485,252. Documents released by the UC Treasurer show that, after Ms. Lansing joined the Qualcomm board, UC quadrupled its investment in Qualcomm to $397 million. Ms. Lansing told us that she did not instruct the treasurer or members of the investment committee to buy Qualcomm stock. 

 

• We also discovered that since 2004 the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) has invested billions of dollars in deals that served the financial interests of Mr. Blum, Mr. Wachter, and Gov. Schwarzenegger, often in tandem with UC’s investments in the same deals. During this period, Blum Capital Partners, was an investment advisor to CalPERS. 

 

Ken Boehm, the chairman of the conservative watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center in Fairfax, Virginia, reviewed the findings of this investigation. “It is hard to imagine more clear-cut examples of conflicts of interest than UC investing in companies and private equity funds in which regents have financial stakes,” Boehm said. “Plus, many of these investments are risky, and the regents have a fiduciary duty to invest more safely. This flat-out looks like wholesale conflicts of interest, of people taking care of their buddies.” 

 

Ethics experts on the other side of the political spectrum agreed. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, the liberal good-government advocacy group based in Washington D.C., was also appraised of the findings of this investigation prior to publication. “A third grader can see that what the regents on the investment committee are doing is unethical,” he said. “It goes far beyond the ‘appearance’ of a conflict of interest. These are core conflicts of interest.” 

Neither Mr. Blum nor Gov. Schwarzenegger responded to repeated written requests for comment. UC Treasurer Marie Berggren and UC President Yudof also declined to comment. In an emailed statement, Berggren’s spokesperson, Lynn Tierney, said, “It’s misguided to assume that there’s a conflict of interest simply because there’s an overlap between personal investments by University of California Regents and investments made by the UC Treasurer’s Office. The real issue is whether Regents communicate with the Treasurer’s Office about specific investments.” 

Tierney added that the treasurer does not track the regent’s personal investments. 

 

 

 

 


Ahead: Part Two:The Smell Test: How to tell the difference between a conflict of interest and a coincidence.


Berkeley High Parent Teacher Student Association Holds First Meeting

By Raymond Barglow www.berkeleytutors.net
Monday September 20, 2010 - 04:10:00 PM
Mark Copelan
New PTSA leadership, Natasha Beery at the microphone
Mark Copelan
New PTSA leadership, Natasha Beery at the microphone
Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) candidates
Mark Copelan
Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) candidates
School Site Council candidates
Mark Copelan
School Site Council candidates

Last Thursday, the Berkeley High School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) met at the school’s Florence Schwimley Theater. This assembly at the beginning of each school year gathers the BHS parents/guardian community, and on this evening, the grassroots energy and enthusiasm were abundant. 

Strong financial support for education in Berkeley, in the form of local measures passed by taxpayers, is matched by the passion and commitment with which Berkeley parents/guardians participate in their schools. At this PTSA meeting parents and guardians were introduced to the many ways in which they can become involved, ranging from “Writer Coach Connection” ( working with students one-on-one during class time to strengthen writing and other academic skills) to school governance. 

The meeting approved a new PTSA leadership for the current school year, including President Natasha Beery and Vice-President Mark van Krieken. 

This year the school is inaugurating a revamped “School Site Council” (SSC), which will give parents/guardians more of a voice in school governance. At this first PTSA meeting, candidates for the SSC made brief presentations. Their statements are posted at www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/candidates2010ssc.htm

.Another school governance body is the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) Committee, and candidates also gave presentations. Their statements are posted at www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/index.htm

The final event of the evening was a talk given by incoming Principal Scuderi. He emphasized that he and his administrative team intend to be very visible: “We really have to be, as an administrative team, present not only in the hallways for safety reasons, not only on the perimeter but also in classrooms, not just to meet our obligations in doing formal evaluations, but really trying to create a teaching and learning culture here … to have a professional community that consistently talks about teaching and learning in a way that best benefits the people that we get paid to educate.”  

With regard to school safety, Scuderi said that there has been an attitude among some people “that it’s OK to belittle people and haze people and bully them, and then somehow we would be complacent about that, be OK with that. But the other side of that coin is getting the emails from parents whose kids are scared to come to school, which is a completely unacceptable thing for me.”  

Scuderi said that he is working with the Berkeley Police and other organizations to improve safety in and near the school. One of those groups, Scuderi noted, is the Berkeley “Ambassador Program,” inaugurated by the City Council in 2007 to address issues of homelessness and street behavior in the community. The high school is inviting the “ambassadors” to work closely with its own safety personnel, said Scuderi. “ We will have them come onto campus too so kids see them, establishing relations with our safety staff and our administrators. They can in that way become a part of our community. ”  

One safety concern at the high school has been hazing, occurring for example on “Freshman Fridays” when freshmen are the targets of eggs thrown by upper classmen. Attention to this practice has been heightened after an Albany High student was seriously injured during an egging incident on September 3. Hazing is dangerous – students seeking to escape an egg thrower may run into traffic, trip and fall, or get hurt in other ways. In an email message to BHS families, followed up by a robocall on the day before the PTSA meeting, Scuderi affirmed that hazing at BHS will not be tolerated: “[C] arrying eggs onto our campus, throwing them at students on or near the campus, or in any way bullying or hazing another student will result in a lengthy suspension.” 

Scuderi summarized the accreditation review that will take place at the high school in the coming school year. Resources are being allocated by the district to facilitate this Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) evaluation. Some parents have expressed to the Planet their hope that the school will abide by state regulations more diligently than it has in the past. 

(State law mandates, for example, an annual review of the WASC School Plan. But over the past six years, former Principal Slemp signed off on that review repeatedly, although it had not been done, or had not been done to completion. One of the tasks of the newly constituted Site Council will be to bring governance of the high school into compliance with state education code requirements.) 

Scuderi talked finally about how the education being delivered to students at the high school can best be evaluated. “Some parents,” said Scuderi, “have spoken about becoming more outcomes-based, more data driven. I’m certainly interested in that…. We’re working with Rebecca Chung’s office to talk about ways in which data can not only drive our decision-making but also evaluate programs and where they’re going.” Scuderi noted, however, that accountability is not measured only by standardized tests: “That’s valuable information, but that’s not where evaluation ends for me, in terms of a program or child being successful, it’s far more complicated than that.” 

Berkeley High faces obstacles and contradictions that are as formidable this year as at any time in the past. Budget cuts endanger the quality of education at the school. The four “small learning communities” into which the high school is divided compete for scarce resources. Hence the school district is once again appealing to the taxpaying community to increase its support for education. Measures H and I on the Berkeley ballot this fall would renew and amplify support for Berkeley schools. 

Learn more about the PTSA and also about the diverse activities and affairs of the high school itself at www.bhs.berkeleypta.org.


Two Berkeleyans Win Big in Bay Area Contests: Singer Angela Arnold and Environmentalist Mark Liolios

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 03:22:00 PM
Mark Liolios with volunteers at Aquatic Park
Friends of Five Creeks
Mark Liolios with volunteers at Aquatic Park
Soprano Angela Arnold
Soprano Angela Arnold


Soprano Angela Arnold of Berkeley has won the competition to sing the National Anthem at Opera at the Ballpark, San Francisco Opera’s free simulcast of Verdi’s Aida, Friday, September 24, 8pm at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Angela is the Circulation and Stacks Supervisor at UC Berkeley's Hargrove Music Library and a professional soloist – you can hear her with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Chorale! You can see her winning video here. .  

And Mark Liolios, head of Berkeley's Aquatic Park EGRET program, has been named one of five Cox Conserves Heroes for San Francisco Bay in 2010. The award, from the Trust for Public Land in cooperation with Cox Communications, brings the "heroes" $1,250 for their favorite nonprofit.  

An online vote, underway now at http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/san-francisco-bay-area-ca/2010-finalists.aspx, will give the winner's favorite nonprofit a total of $5000. Mark chose Berkeley Partners for Parks, fiscal sponsor for more than 20 local citizens groups including Berkeley Path Wanderers, Friends of Five Creeks, and Every Kid 2 Swim). 

He’s worked for more than a decade to restore habitat for birds and people in the lagoons just east of the I-880 freeway, built by the WPA during the Great Depression. Besides bringing hundreds of volunteers to suppress weeds and unearth historic features like waterside seating terraces, he has worked to educate citizens and Berkeley officials about the importance of the lagoons for egrets, herons, shorebirds, and other species.  

Richmond readers might prefer to vote for Bruce Bayaert instead, of course. In 1999, Bruce founded the Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC) with its mission of completing the San Francisco Bay Trail in Richmond. Due largely to Bruce’s ongoing efforts, Richmond will have over 28 miles of Bay Trail built by the end of 2010. His choice:San Francisco Bay Trail Project. 


Pacific Steel Castings (PSC):Politicians Protecting Polluters

By Merrilie Mitchell
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 03:51:00 PM

Community members have real health concerns re pollution from Pacific Steel Castings company located at 2nd and Gilman. Here are a few of the problem chemicals: 

· Very fine particles of metal such as manganese, a potent neurotoxin 

· Dangerous gases--> formaldehyde & benzene, which cause cancer and foul odors 

 

Three political “tricks” protect the polluters and prevent change: 

1. Toxics have been marginalized into just an “odor problem”. Mayor Bates and Councilmember Linda Maio play into this and the following games as well.. 

2. Mayor Bates is our rep on the Air Quality Management District which set the bar so high for pollution that PSC's toxics are “under the radar.” This is most irresponsible to children because they are growing and absorb and store chemicals at a much higher rate than adults. 

3. PSC claims that changing their carbon filters is a trade secret! Come now, we change a car or vacuum filter when necessary or it won't work! 

Let’s be open about problems so we can try to solve them. In this case we can ask the University to try to build a better or recyclable filter, and can seek research grants. 

 

Pacific Steel pollution smells like burnt pot handles although the company has been known to add, “air fresheners” to disguise the smell. or to schedule work after 8pm in the winter when folks will be less likely to smell it. Problem is when the weather is cold, pollutants stay nearer the ground and may remain there rather than disperse from the tall stacks to blow wherever the wind goes. It is also unhealthy for workers to work “graveyard shift.” 

 

Industries like PSC must clean up their act, and long-term politicians like Mayor Bates and Linda Maio who protect polluters rather than the people deserve “Time Out”. 

 

PSC is an old Berkeley Company that does needed specialty work such as crafting parts to repair the SF Bay Bridge. I don’t want to lose them. 

 

We need President Obama to put stimulus money into clean air filters, and clean up and restoration of our environment, a real “New Deal” for people and our Planet. 

 

Meanwhile: Helpful hint: Eat a high quality diet and you absorb less toxic metals into your bones. Example: Those with diets high in bone-building nutrients like calcium are unlikely to store lead in their bones!!! 

 

Merrilie Mitchell is a candidate for Berkeley City Council in District 1. 


Bay Area Residents Asked to Vote on a Site SAVE THE BAY Will Adopt and Clean Up

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 05:18:00 PM

Providing further proof that trash in San Francisco Bay is a serious pollution threat to people and wildlife, Save The Bay's 5th Annual Bay Trash Hot Spots includes 225 creeks and shoreline areas where cities identified toxic levels of plastic bags, cigarette butts, fast food containers, old tires and more. Trash is a dangerous pollutant that harms wildlife, spoils water quality, threatens public health, and smothers sensitive wetland habitat. Interactive maps showcasing the 225 hot spots can be found at: www.saveSFbay.org/baytrash .  

 

"The staggering number of hot spots underscores the pervasive and growing problem of trash pollution in our waterways and the imperative for Bay Area cities to take the lead in solving this problem," says Save The Bay Chief Strategy Officer Felicia Madsen. "Now for the first time cities are required to stop trash from polluting our great natural treasure."  

 

Save The Bay – San Francisco Bay’s leading champion since 1961 – is urging cities to stop trash at its source by passing bans or fees on commonly littered items such as plastic bags, Styrofoam and cigarette butts, and installing trash capture devices in storm drains to prevent trash from flowing to the Bay and ocean. The community can immediately help clean up many of these hot spots by volunteering on Coastal Cleanup Day this Saturday, September 25.  

 

Save The Bay Launches Contest to Adopt a Hot Spot 

 

Committed to working with volunteers and city agencies to eliminate trash from the Bay, Save The Bay is asking residents to vote for one of seven selected Bay Trash Hot Spots that the nonprofit will “adopt” with a series of volunteer cleanups throughout 2011. The contest sites were chosen based on several criteria, including proximity to heavily-used areas and major transportation corridors, habitat for endangered species, and Clean Water Act violations (note that hot spots are not ranked). Save The Bay encourages Bay Area residents to vote for a hot spot at www.saveSFbay.org/baytrash . The contest sites include Damon Slough in Oakland, the Hayward Regional Shoreline, Mission Creek in Fremont, Coyote Creek in San Jose, the Guadalupe Slough Baylands in Sunnyvale, Redwood Creek in Redwood City and Colma Creek in South San Francisco. 

 

New Water Board Regulations Require Cities to Reduce Trash
 

In October 2009 the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) issued a revised Municipal Regional Permit requiring certain cities, counties and government agencies to eliminate hundreds of trash hot spots around the Bay. For the first time ever, the permittees are mandated to reduce the amount of trash in their stormwater by 40 percent by 2014 and 70 percent by 2017, with the goal of completely preventing trash and litter from polluting the Bay by 2022. To initiate that process, the Water Board required the permittees to identify a specific number of trash hot spots within their jurisdictions using several methods including data compiled during previous Coastal Cleanup Day events and their own trash assessment surveys. 

 

The Water Board determined the number of hot spots each permittee would have to designate within their jurisdictions based on population or acreage of commercial and retail land area. Flood control and water districts also had to identify hot spots. Santa Clara County has 74 trash hot spots, with Alameda County not far behind with 69 trash hot spots. There are 49 hot spots in Contra Costa County and 31 in San Mateo County. Fairfield, Suisun City and Vallejo are the three Solano County cities that must comply with the Water Board's provisions – they selected a total of 10 trash hot spots. The next step outlined under the new permit is for cities, counties and agencies to establish a baseline level of trash to measure future progress. 

 

"The Water Board's ground-breaking requirements for reducing trash flowing to the Bay are stringent, and we applaud the cities for taking the first steps to identify their hot spots," says Water Board Executive Officer, Bruce Wolfe. "Now we must ensure that the cities – through their reporting and on-the-ground trash control measures – do in fact reach the mandated goals of reducing trash flowing to the Bay." 

 

The Water Board's permit applies to more than 70 cities, counties and agencies in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, as well as the cities of Fairfield, Suisun City, and Vallejo, comprising roughly 72 percent of the population in the Bay Area. 

 

Trash Problem in the Bay 

 

Bay trash is accumulating in massive amounts – choking wetlands, poisoning and entangling Bay animals, harming water quality and threatening public health and our quality of life. Last year on Coastal Cleanup Day over 250,000 pounds of trash and recyclables were pulled from the Bay and its watershed, according to data collected by the over 22,000 volunteers at cleanup events around the Bay. The most common litter items picked up in California last year included cigarette butts, food wrappers and plastic bags. In fact, Save The Bay estimates that more than one million plastic bags pollute the Bay each year. Over the years, Coastal Cleanup Day has evolved into an important means of gathering data; and the types and frequency of litter recorded has proven a valuable measure of the trash problem in the Bay. 

 

“California Coastal Cleanup Day is not just the state’s biggest volunteer event, but also its largest trash data collection effort. The hard work of tens of thousands of volunteers each September provides cities with much needed information on the types and amount of trash littering our coast, bays, and shorelines; and helps provide a clue as to where this trash is coming from,” says Eben Schwartz, Coastal Cleanup Day Director. 

 

More than 500 species of wildlife depend on San Francisco Bay including 23 endangered species such as the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse. Bay wetlands provide a protected nursery for newborn fish, birds and other marine animals such as seals and leopard sharks. Trash in the Bay has global ramifications. The North Pacific hosts a floating garbage patch estimated at twice the size of Texas, where plastic particles are more abundant than plankton. Countless seabirds, marine mammals, and fish die annually from eating or getting tangled in marine debris. 

 

Save The Bay is Leading Regional Advocate for Reducing Trash Pollution 

 

Years of sustained advocacy by Save The Bay and our members finally produced an approach that will begin to significantly reduce Bay trash, most of which is plastic debris. Almost 40 community organizations and environmental groups and 20 state and federal legislators joined with Save The Bay in advocating that trash must be regulated like mercury and other urban runoff pollutants. Thus, the Water Board now requires cities to limit the amount of trash reaching the Bay. 

 

As part of its Clean Bay Project, Save The Bay works to help cities meet the Water Board requirements through proactive best practices to stop trash as its source. For example, after advocacy by Save The Bay and its members, the Fremont City Council passed an ordinance banning polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) to-go containers. Save The Bay also worked with San Mateo County, and asked supporters in the area to urge their Board of Supervisors to move forward with a polystyrene ban, prompting the Environmental Quality Committee to recommend the ordinance to the full board. Oakland and Millbrae have already banned Styrofoam and Save The Bay is now working with Hayward and Santa Clara to develop bans on this problem pollutant. 

 

Save The Bay is also assisting cities and counties throughout the region – including the Bay Area's largest city, San Jose, as well as Marin County, Santa Clara, Berkeley and Fremont – to pass landmark legislation to stop the distribution of single-use plastic and paper carryout bags, which will require residents to switch to reusable bags. 

 

Community Volunteer Information for Coastal Cleanup Day:  

 

Sign up on Save The Bay’s website: www.saveSFbay.org/volunteer or visit the Coastal Cleanup Day website for a cleanup event near you: http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd2.html 

 

About Save The Bay 

 

Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay. As its leading champion since 1961, Save The Bay protects the Bay from pollution and inappropriate shoreline development, making it cleaner and healthier for people and wildlife. We restore habitat and secure strong policies to re-establish 100,000 acres of wetlands that are essential for a healthy Bay. We engage more than 25,000 supporters, advocates and volunteers to protect the Bay, and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders by educating thousands of students annually. www.saveSFbay.org  

 

 


Radio Station KPFA’s Jazz Show Personality The Doug of Edwards Dies at 80

By Sam Edwards, President, Friends of Negro Spirituals and Gabrielle Wilson, Producer and Co-host, Radio Station KPFA,
Monday September 20, 2010 - 04:29:00 PM

Berkeley’s Pacifica Radio Station KPFA’s (94.1 FM) jazz programmer or jazz activist, as he sometimes referred to himself, “The Doug of Edwards” died in the mid morning of September 19, 2010 at the age of 80. Earland Edwards was his legal name, but he was called Doug by most. For the past thirty years, beginning in May of 1980, never once arriving late for his show, Doug was heard live from 11 PM – 1 AM on Saturday nights hosting his jazz program, Ear Tyme. Sometimes called “Sir Doug of Edwards” by his close KPFA friends Afikahn Jahmal Davys and Ken Pruitt, from the time he joined KPFA until failing health led to his hospitalization a few weeks ago, Doug punctuated virtually every show with his signature theme music, Milt Jackson’s Blues for Roberta, signaling the identity of the show and transitions . 

Though glaucoma and cataracts were robbing him of his eyesight and illness his vitality in recent weeks, the radio personality continued to do his broadcast with hands on help from his long time partner Cindy until near the end of his life. 

He established Jazz Passages in 2000 and hosted the program during KPFA’s Music of the World slot until a few weeks ago. Gabrielle Wilson, his producer, began filling in for him. He was a deeply committed jazz radio man. 

Doug began his volunteer jazz radio host career in 1978 at San Francisco’s radio station KPOO, 89.5 FM, hosting a program called The Audible Art Gallery for two years. He played jazz recordings and did broadcasts of jazz musicians performing live in the studio. His mission was to create stronger connections between the artist and community; he tended to focus on what he called “resident musicians,” connecting them and the community. It was at radio station KPOO that he began evolving a concept of jazz radio programming that set him apart from other on air personalities and that he brought to fruition at Radio Station KPFA. For several years, as observed by Bob Hershon, Doug would drag his “mixing board, mikes, stands, and cables into out-of-the way clubs and school auditoriums, recording hitherto unrecorded musicians, and editing it for his Saturday night broadcast on KPFA.” 

He orchestrated and hosted KPFA's broadcast of San Francisco's Hunters Point’s first town hall meeting on September 29, 2001, giving the community a vital voice. Perhaps no surprise, on November, 5, 2001, Edwards presented a live broadcast of The BAJABA Showcase from 195 Kiska Road in Hunter's Point, featuring the Imani Voices of Praise and Yancy Taylor, the prominent vibist. 

In 1998, Doug and his very good friend Afrkahn Dayvs, also a fill-in for Doug at KPFA and a regular programmer at Carmel’s station KRML 94.7 FM and Cupertino’s radio station KKUP, 91.5, FM, with technical direction from Jim Bennett in a time slot donated by Greg Bridges, began presenting a live broadcast of The BAJABA Showcase on KPFA from the Buriel Clay theatre, located in the African- and African-American Cultural Center in San Francisco, and which featured resident musicians. 

Increasingly, Doug with technical assistance from Mickey Maize (Ms. M), Deverol Ross and Michael Yoshida, opened the doors of his radio programs to musicians, poets, and leaders in community organizations, young aspiring radio programmers, and others who accepted the opportunity to appear and promote their upcoming events. He made the radio station culturally relevant and accessible to all communities, though he kept playing jazz. 

Doug was born on January 9, 1930 in Harlem, New York to a Caribbean born father and an American mother. He was the oldest of three siblings, having a younger brother and younger sister. He joined the army at the age of 17; after his discharge, he worked for a short while in the CORE voter registration drive. Doug explained, “I was totally committed to civil rights, voter registration, and fair housing.” 

He moved to San Francisco in 1972. He worked in several different occupations, including traffic controller, officer manager, and in the poverty program. 

He and his long time partner Cindy got married on September 9, 2010 in the Palo Alto Veterans’ Hospital in which he was hospitalized and died of suspected lung cancer. 

With his passing, The Doug of Edwards has left behind his newly wedded wife, Cindy, a son from his first marriage, five grandsons, three daughters, a host of friends, musicians, radio station KPFA, radio audiences, and his many jazz and other CDs and albums. 

 


William Coblentz: a Tribute

By Christopher Adams
Monday September 20, 2010 - 05:50:00 PM

When the New York Times gives a West Coast person, other than a politician, an obituary that is almost news in itself. So I was happy to see that the death last week of William Coblentz, the San Francisco attorney, made it to the Times, not least because of his long service as a regent of the University of California. As a land use attorney Coblentz, or at least his firm, was not always on the side of the angels, in San Francisco or here in Berkeley, but on the Board of Regents he was a refreshing voice of progressivism.  

Toward the end of Coblentz’s term as a regent I got a job in the UC Office of the President. As part of my job I often went to regents’ meetings, and so it was that I found myself at lunch between sessions sitting next to Coblentz. When he asked what I did, I said I was an architect. “And what are you working on?” he asked. I told him I was trying to draft an affirmative action policy for the appointment of design professionals. (Design professionals was the collective term denoting architects, engineers, landscape architects and planners who receive commissions from the University and whose appointments, above a certain fee level, had to be approved by the regents.)  

Coblentz clearly understood the ramifications of affirmative action and asked some probing questions about how I was doing this. Then he pulled out his wallet, fished inside until he found a business card with his name on it as a San Francisco Airport Commissioner. He wrote down a name on the back of the card and handed to me. “Call this person and tell them I suggested you call. He knows all about affirmative action.”  

The next day I called the Airport Commission and had a long conversation with the person Coblentz knew. Using many of his suggestions I drafted a policy document. San Francisco was much more aggressive on affirmative action than the university, and I knew my draft could not be as strong. Even so it was watered down once it was reviewed by campus administrators and, of course, by UC attorneys. But much of it survived, especially key provisions which required a design professional firm to be 51 percent owned by a qualifying minority or by a woman in order to qualify for affirmative action.  

Despite a lot of grumbling by campus administrators, who were used to giving jobs to the same old firms over and over, the policy was successfully implemented. While I never dropped Coblentz’s name, I am sure that chancellors and other high-ranking UC officials knew that this had caught the attention of a regent and was not just one more bit of bureaucracy from the Office of the President. Of course there were some initial squabbles, but as I processed the agendas for subsequent regents’ meeting I began seeing many more minority and women-owned firms submitted for regents’ approval. While the policy only slightly increased African American participation, this was probably because there were, and still are, few African American design firms. It increased Hispanic participation (which had been nil). It probably increased Asian-American participation, but that was already high, because of the number of Asian-American-owned firms already in the field. Where it had the biggest impact was for women. There were a number women working in high level jobs at large, successful California architecture and planning firms, but most of them were listed as “associates” or maybe junior partners. While I have no statistics, I think it is safe to say that in the next few years there was a significant increase in female partners having a major ownership interest.  

All this is now past history. Another regent, Ward Connerly, led the electoral fight which resulted in passage of Proposition 209 and outlawed affirmative action in any public agency in the state including the university. Certain groups, especially African Americans and Hispanics are still woefully underrepresented in the fields included as design professionals. Women, I think, have achieved a significant level of advancement, not enough certainly, but a big jump from where they were. 

Moral: Regents do matter, especially good ones, like Bill Coblentz, who are too few.  

Christopher Adams worked as an architect and planner at the UC Office of the President and at UC Merced. He lives in Berkeley. 

 

 


Opinion

Editorials

The Circus is Back in Berkeley

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:12:00 PM

This week, ladies and gentleman, we offer for your viewing pleasure the return of one of the greatest shows on earth—well, anyway, one of the scariest shows in Berkeley. Yes, Mesdames et Messieurs, the Berkeley City Council is finally back in town, appearing occasionally at a venue near you, and visible from time to time on your computer screen for sensational at-home entertainment. Live and/or taped coverage can also be enjoyed on cable television Public Access Stations B-TV Channel 28 and C-TV Channel 33

You really have to see it to believe it. And you can’t tell the players without a program, so first check out the agenda , which in a mere several hundred pages will allow you to preview all the action before it starts. If you can bear to read it, you’ll know more than you ever wanted to know about how this city works. 

This week’s hot act: the appeal of the Zoning Adjustment Board’s unanimous (read homogeneous) decision to let former city planning director Mark Rhoades and his developer partners tear down the building which now houses Berkeley Honda on South Shattuck in hopes of building more—wait for it—condos or perhaps student rentals. 

Here’s the description: “a mixed-use development with two 5-story mixed-use buildings (2598-2600 Shattuck Avenue) and one 3-story residential building (2037 Parker Street), with a total of 155 dwelling units, 22,905 square feet of ground floor commercial space, and at least 170 parking spaces…” 

Appellants are—accursed category—neighbors, including Planning Commissioner Patti Dacey, who object to the city’s decision to exempt such a large project from scrutiny required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Others expressing concern include the Machinist’s Union, which fought hard to preserve the union jobs at the Honda agency when a new owner tried to get rid of them, and the LeConte Neighborhood Association, which wants the traffic and parking implications of such a large development to get the thorough vetting which a full CEQA review would provide. 

At this time, the appellants are simply asking the City Council to hold a public hearing so that all concerned can voice their doubts in the full public forum. Even that might be more than city officials, both employed and elected, are willing to allow, however, given how well-wired the developer applicants seem to be. 

As for the side shows, you’ll have to watch them yourself. A note for those who can’t stay up until the wee hours of the morning, should the action last that long: you can always review previous council meetings, which are archived on line, and even use the (somewhat clumsy) fast forward button to skip the dull parts. If we have time, we might watch them for you and report back on this site within the week if there are any big changes, though that seldom happens. 

Councilmember Arreguin does have an action item enabling enforcement of anti-blight laws on the absent owners of vacant lots, who currently exploit loopholes in the law to avoid penalties for neglecting properties which are often being held for speculative purposes. With construction financing now scarce, developers are tempted to demolish buildings while they have the chance and leave the site vacant (and sometimes blighted) until the economy improves, a fate that neighbors fear might befall the property which is now the Honda building.  

While we’re on the subject of landbanking: a recent visit to Montreal reminded me of all the hoo-ha over the south side of the U.C. campus in general and Telegraph Avenue in particular. When election time rolls around, challengers love to run against Telly—George Beier is making his third appearance in the ring doing just that in District 7. Incumbent Councilmember Kriss Worthington is being held to account for all the sins of the world as they are committed on the fabled Av, and even for People’s Park, which has been “that way” since before Councilmember Arreguin in District 4 or candidates Jason Kingeter (District 1) or Stewart Jones (District 8) were even in kindergarten.  

We stayed in Montreal’s Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), near the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), a choice which caused the friends we’d come to visit, who live in quasi-suburban enclaves on the city’s outskirts, to roll their eyes just a bit. Our bed-and-breakfast was an urban and urbane restored historic Victorian, charming, comfortable and within walking or Metro range of all the sights of lovely Old Montreal.  

Yes, the university neighborhood was also a bit dirty and more than a bit noisy—so as Berkeleyans who live within walking distance of UC and who did business on Telegraph for many years we felt right at home. Street people had all the usual punkish paraphernalia intended to signal that they were part of an individualistic crowd: tattoos, piercings, exotic hair colorings, creative clothing--uniform in their attempt to be original.  

We saw the usual assortment of street beggars, just like home, sometimes as many as three in a block, many with the eroded teeth that signal methamphetamine or heroin addiction. Some were even sleeping in doorways, possible in the temperate fall weather, but we wondered what they do when it gets really cold, as it will soon in Montreal.  

And it was noisy! As some Canadians say, just like their Alaska and Minnesota neighbors, You Bet it was.  

Post-game ruckus assaults anyone in earshot of fraternity row in Berkeley, sometimes even up on Panoramic Hill. My dear friends in the LeConte neighborhood are wont to complain if partyers run up the amps on weekends. But those Canadian students YELLED—it seemed like 24 hours a day. Granted, it was the first back-to-school week, so maybe they’ll calm down as midterms approach, but while we were there we heard a constant stream of basso chants—we thought it might be a demonstration, but no, just healthy guys having fun. And some LOUD street fights, right under our 3rd-floor window. 

A major difference from Telly, however, is that the main drag, Rue St. Denis, is block after block of “resto-brasseries artisanales” (brewpubs) and music clubs, some of which seemed to stay open all night for the benefit of roistering young people. This scene makes Telegraph Avenue look wimpy, with its sidewalks almost all rolled up by about ten. 

Another difference is the amount of litter left on the street. By the end of an active day sidewalks and streets in Montreal’s Quartier Latin were strewn with trash of all kinds, but on at least three nights out of five I heard a heavy-duty sweeping machine pass by in the middle of the night, so by morning most of the junk was gone. This doesn’t happen here—litter falls, and there it rests.  

Crime rates too are equally high there, as in near-campus neighborhoods all over North America and probably the world—it just seems to go with the territory when students come and go at all hours, often carrying expensive electronics. Montreal doesn’t have the problem we do with guns, but there are knifings there. 

A couple of years ago Berkeley activists Anne Wagley and Doug Buckwald participated in a conference on town-gown relations in Boulder. They reported that in many university communities as the campus perimeter expanded the attendant problems, including crime, expanded right along with it. The similarities in such neighborhoods in Montreal and Berkeley and many other college towns far outnumber the differences, which is why it seems so silly to blame incumbent councilmembers in campus districts for intractable problems.  

And why Measure R, on your November ballot right now, falsely touted as a “Downtown Plan”, is the ultimate tin fiddle. It will permit unbridled UC Berkeley expansion, allow viable older buildings to be torn down with no replacement in sight, and encourage the do-nothing council majority to pretend to be doing something that they have no intention of doing. 

On some blocks in Montreal, UQAM buildings from the fifties and sixties have all the grace and charm of the notorious public housing high-rises built in the same period in U.S. cities, and seem to have similar problems. If Measure R passes, or if the independent progressive candidates are defeated, Berkeley could be in for some of the same, with the same outcomes predictable.  

 

 


Cartoons

Odd Bodkins: The mint sauce.

Dan O'Neill
Monday September 20, 2010 - 05:43:00 PM

 


BOUNCE: Mad tea

Joseph Young
Monday September 20, 2010 - 05:52:00 PM


BOUNCE: Hum hum war

Joseph Young
Monday September 20, 2010 - 05:55:00 PM


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 04:45:00 PM

Pool Politics Revealed

Normally Daily Cal news items are made available through the Google news search. However a recent news story, "Election Politics May Have Swayed Council Pool Vote", which did see print on paper and is archived online does not appear in the Google news search. Since websites can control accessibility though Google news, it would seem that the Daily Cal is keeping the story from appearing in search results. That story reveals that two city council members voted against the Worthington-Wozniak compromise because they didn't want Kriss Worthington to have a success before the election. So two city council members, George Beier does not tell their names, voted against children in an attempt to sabotage Worthington's re-electability. Those two council members should oust themselves from office immediately. Playing politics with youth recreation is revolting. Those two council members are in support of Beier obviously, who is running in unity with Wozniak; yet the vote was against a compromise Wozniak co-created. Lastly, in an issue separate from the pool, Beier was invited to the People's Park committee meeting this week, and he did not show up, even though he is running on a platform to change People's Park.

Nathan Pitts 

Faith 

We'll never advance to the summit
By allowing our standards to plummet.
Some want a theocracy.
We're a democracy,
Freedom of faith, but not FROM it.

Ove Ofteness 

 

The Poor 

The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty. 

The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama’s first year in office. 


The poverty rate increased from 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people, in 2008. Poverty rose among all race and ethnic groups, but stood at higher levels for blacks and Hispanics. The number of Hispanics in poverty increased from 23.2 percent to 25.3 percent; for blacks it increased from 24.7 percent to 25.8 percent. The number of whites in poverty rose from 8.6 percent to 9.4 percent.—Child poverty rose from 19 percent to 20.7 percentReporting from Los Angeles and San Francisco —  


On the other hand, smashing the record for the most money ever donated by a candidate in a political election, Republican Meg Whitman has written her gubernatorial campaign a $15-million check that brings her personal stake in the race to $119 million. Neither side is really concerned about the poor and needy. They is concerned for its own interests, and especially for the lifestyle of its rich people.  

Although the world envies that lifestyle, much of it is based on greed and selfishness. 

Ted Rudow III,MA 

 

 

Brown Nostalgia 

There's a bit of nostalgia in a desire to see Jerry Brown return to a place of prominence in the state government. So many Californians look back fondly on the days when Brown fascinated and infuriated us with his quirky habits, frequent philosophizing, and uncanny ability to shake up politics as usual. 

But nostalgia alone is not why California needs him to be the next governor. He is by far the best, smartest and most experienced person for California’s top spot. 

Brown has no "moonbeam" view of how to fight California's many problems now that he’s been the mayor of Oakland. In that capacity Brown was brought face to face with a city in turmoil. As governor Brown would excel with managing California's abundant resources. 

His record of defending the environment, supporting needed regulation on industry, and supporting civil rights would serve him well. Here's supporting Jerry Brown in the race for governor. 

Ron Lowe  

 

Berkeley’s Planning Department 

 

I wish I could gouge taxpayers and residents by pulling obscure laws and regulations out of nowhere like the Planning and Building Dept. of Berkeley. 


After noticing an oddity in my yard, I had a plumbing specialist video my sewer lateral. Apparently it was damaged beyond repair and leaking sewage. My quote for fixing this was around 2400 dollars-but not all of this was going to the parts and labor of repair. That's right, the City Planning Dept. gets to scalp $500 out of the bill. The latest addition of $150 was called a "load of BS" by the contractor.
The Clerks at the Planning Dept., running out of things to do in a huge recession and falling tax revenue, are making nonsense up to cover their budget holes and save their increasingly worthless positions on the payroll.  


Recently, due to "environmental concerns", all new home sales have to prove that they have a new sewer lateral to the main. Obviously, raw sewage running into the ground would be a concern for groundwater and pollution-hence most homeowners should probably choose to replace the old ceramic pipes with plastic ones. The onus, of course, is on the homeowner to foot the bill from the house to the city line. Not cheap. 


With out of pocket cost of near 1700 dollars, one would think that the City would waive it's typically trite fee gouging to encourage all homes to update as it's A BENEFIT TO EVERYONE TO HAVE A MODERN SEWER CONNECTION. Poo in the water table is a BAD THING.

It's good for you.
It's good for me.
It's good for the City.
It's good for all the little creatures in the soil.

The City touts the new regulation as mandatory and for the "environment" in their paperwork.What is increasingly clear is that the City has "OFAP" syndrome-that's Obsessive Fee and Permit Syndrome. Making homeowners pay $500 for a piece of paper and a clerical stamp of approval is called Civic-Sanctioned-Stealing. They make up a regulation-we follow it-we pay them the right to follow their regulations. The City does almost ZERO to earn $350 in a "permit" and $150 dollars in an Inspection "Certificate." The contractor digs the hole, lays the pipe, connects to the main line and does a DVD show and tell to the clerks at City Hall. After watching the home movie, the Contractor has to pay the blackmail fee of $500 to the City. The cost is passed to the homeowner.  


I have to say this is an egregious example of municipal blackmail-they don't even send an inspector. This is an order of magnitude worse than the "fee " the City gets to allow a new water heater to be installed. Both Water Heater and Sewer Lateral fees are just checks sent into the event horizon called The City of Berkeley. You never pay their "professionals" to come and look at the work, because they DO NOT BOTHER. As if they would know what a good sewer lateral looked like in the first place-or if a new water heater would blow up my house. They don't-I've seen them in action. They walk around, mumble, collect the check and sign you off. 


You would think water heaters(energy saving), sewer laterals, roofs and so on would benefit the overall health of the City enough to waive excessive fees to do these upgrades. No, the City has a captured audience and is balancing their excessive pensions and salaries off of higher taxes, fees, tickets, "upgrades" through backdoor taxes. One has to wonder how the brainiacs at City Hall think they can recoup lost revenue in this economy by killing development, improvements and remodeling through obscene and petty fee overload. I know of at least 2 jobs that just got killed because the Planning Dept is smoking fee, variance and permit crack cocaine by the kilo. One set of owners just wants to leave the City. 


If the City's 14 million dollar budget hole isn't bad enough, killing business will sink the putt on their books. It's time for Berkeley to cut internal costs and stop ripping everyone off. 


Mathew Parker 


Montgomery Wards or Cesar Chavez Learning Center?

By Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan
Monday September 20, 2010 - 04:07:00 PM

When I was elected as school member 20 years ago, the city had not done any major repairs, modernization or expansion in 20 years. Many of schools had not been seismically retrofitted. During my time as school board member, I changed state laws to get more funding for Oakland and other urban districts and I raised local bonds. This allowed us to expand and reduce class sized to 20 in grades K-3, and modernize and retrofit our schools. 

In addition, in the Fruitvale area the school sizes ranged from 1400 at Hawthorne to about 800 at Garfield etc. Immigrant and other poor children in the flatlands were in seriously overcrowded schools and forced to go to school in year round shifts, breaking up their school year and learning. Teachers had to move every 3 months. The average school size then was about just under 400 kids, so this neighborhood was getting the worst and most overcrowded facilities and education. Parents jusifiably thought their children deserved better and they united under Oakland Community Organizations to demand the site for a school. Hundreds of parents and neighbors came to School AND Council meetings. 

When the City took over Wards as a redevelopment site it was a blight and partially demolished. It had been vacant for decades. I was told the retrofit work required to save the building made the only likely use, fairly expensive condos. To try to save the building for part of a school would be too expensive for state bond requirements. That block was one of the few large spaces large enough for a school and playing fields. I was not on the Council at the time but did lobby for the site, we had not built a new school for nearly 25 years. There was discussion of letting a Seattle developer build condos in the old building on half of the block. In the end the Council gave the whole site to the schools and we built two small schools (which helped reduce the size of surrounding schools and stopped year round shifting of students) and the city built large playing and soccer fields...the only ones in that part of the city. 

This was a community choice between saving the Wards Building as condos and for its historical role as a catalog store (it was that role not the architecture that was cited as the reason for preservation) or building schools and fields for an underserved community. Other more affordable housing projects were underway and have built since at the Fruitvale Transit Center and nearby. 

Not every decision we make as public officials is popular. I work to hear as many views as possible and try to weigh what would be best for the city as a whole. This whole issue is many years ago and in a different part of town but I would say judge for yourself, take a drive by the neighborhood or check out the web sites for the schools: 

http://www.thinkcollegenow.org/
http://ics.ousd.k12.ca.us/


Tax and Regulate

By John A. McMullen II
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 07:34:00 AM

OK…if Bill Maher has the cojones to speak up, so do I.

In November a crucial measure will be put to a vote:

Proposition 19—The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 

Read the initiative at: http://www.taxcannabis.org/index.php/pages/initiative/ 

[The Los Angeles Times/USC survey] finds 49% support the ballot measure but a third of those only "somewhat" support it. Of the 41% who oppose it, a vast majority believe it will worsen social problems. One in 10 is undecided.—LA Times, May 31, 2010 

I’ve talked to some friends and they are not particularly enthusiastic about this, some stoners are now parents are are scared of everything (which I understand), but we ought to think this thing through because we might not have this chance again. Thus I write this open letter. 

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself. So it’s time to speak up, convince your neighbors, and turn the tide. 

Here’s why I’m supporting it: 

  • It’s a natural thing that grows wild; no processing necessary.
  • History has shown that while you can legislate against people’s appetites, it doesn’t work out so well.
  • Keeping it illegal has given power to crime. It gives criminal organizations the money to buy political power the same way Prohibition gave it to the Mafia.
  • The paradox of having cigarettes and booze legal and pot illegal fosters disrespect for the law through its hypocrisy—particularly among young people.
  • It is used as a lever by police to roust, intimidate and suppress the poor, minorities, and politicos.
  • It doesn’t lead to—what, do I really have to say it? Gateway drug nonsense, blah, blah…
  • Hardly anyone tokes up then beats the wife and kids, pulls out the gun and waves it around, or runs the car up on the sidewalk.
  • Driving under anything including antihistamines is less than wise, but driving stoned is not anywhere in the same category of impairment as booze.
  • Smoking anything is not so good for you, but there are vaporizers and tinctures and recipes and all kind of ways to ingest it.
  • Seems every living mammal has to change his consciousness sometimes: jimson weed for horses, catnip for kitties, some animals just bang their head on a rock.
  • We don’t want kids to do pot—but we don’t want them to do booze either. And those who want to experiment will do it regardless. If you want to find where to get pot, ask a teenager.
  • However, the strength and purity are at issue, just like in Prohibition days (there used to be signs in the South that read “Moonshine Blinds” because sometimes they used lead instead of copper pipes for the still or turned it to methanol instead of ethanol).
  • Today we don’t know what the illegal stuff is cut with—like formaldehyde.
  • Since they have to smuggle it, they have made hybrids that are inordinately potent to cut down on volume which is of concern when you’re smuggling things.
  • Police and DEA efforts to eradicate have failed miserably. COST OF MARIJUANA ENFORCEMENT IN CALIFORNIA IS OVER $200 MILLION PER YEAR and 8,500 prisoners in California jails for pot. http://www.canorml.org/background/CA_legalization2.html
  • We need the tax money. Instead of spending to eradicate, let’s tax the sale of it. Estimates are $1.2 BILLIO N for California in taxes with another $14 Billion in spin-off revenue.
  • Medical pot is available if you make up a good story—which fosters more lying.
  • No matter how they slice it, it just ain’t that bad for you. In a lot of circumstances it is good for you—including relaxation and sex. Yes, it affects your brain, duh, but so does happy hour or a boring job. It ain’t perfect, and it’s better to be high on life, but the current Prohibition is much ado about our political insanity.
  • There are a some people who will get addicted—to anything: computer games, their Blackberries, running (bad for the joints?), cell phones (brain cancer), sex (good and bad for you). But Stop the Insanity! We’re all adults here, right? Who needs government to act in loco parentis? Hey, am I starting to sound like a Tea Party-er? Did you know Sarah Palin smoked it in Alaska when personal use was legal? http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978310189
Remember, it was William Randolph Hearst who lobbied to make it illegal because he was afraid that hemp would be used as paper—and he had just sunk a lot of money into a pesticide that could protect all the forests in the Northwest he owned to cut down trees for paper pulp—and paper mills really make a big pollution mess. Hemp don’t need no stinking pesticides. It’s a weed! Henry Ford wanted not just to make a car that ran on hemp, but a car made out of hemp! There is more than a little circumstantial evidence that Thom. Jefferson and Geo. Washington grew it and mixed it with tobacco—and you really can’t call them slackers. 

Don’t you think that you should be allowed to grow a little 5’ x 5’ plot for yourself along with your tomatoes, peas and marigolds? 

Let’s look at some law enforcers who support it: 

  • James Gray, retired last year from the Superior Court Judge in Orange County
  • Norm Stamper, San Diego police officer for 28 year then chief of police in Seattle, WA.
  • Joe McNamara, former San Jose’s chief of police
GOOD MEDICINE? “For example, researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY), Upstate Medical University in Syracuse published data in the June issue of the journal Pharmacology concluding that the administration of the plant cannabinoids delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC halted cellular respiration and tumor growth in human oral cancer cells. Specifically, investigators reported that cannabinoids were a ‘potent inhibitor’ of Tu183 human cancer cells, a notoriously difficult to treat type of oral cancer.” www.norml.org 

Who knows what else it’s good for? 

And we’re not alone! Washington State is going for hemp, too: 

http://elections.firedoglake.com/2010/06/02/washington-state-favors-marijuana-legalization-52-to-35/ 

Sometimes voting is a crock of the lesser evil, but occasionally there is something on the ballot that is a good enough reason to register.  

The US taxes from tax Beer Wine Liquor had, until the Income Tax of 1913, made up 40% tax of US Federal taxes. The Crash of ’29 left the dry US without tax revenue, so a major reason to end prohibition was to get more US taxes from Beer Wine Liquor.  

So when you go to the polls in November to vote against Meg CEOEBay and Carly Failure-ino, cast a vote for sanity and nature and a major revenue lode for California! 

I think it will be a tad difficult for the Feds to suppress it here if we vote it legal. Imagine a states’ rights issue that we can support! Don’t let a Prop 8-like irony recur in the Golden State. 

And for the true believers, open up your wallets, go to www.taxcannabis.org and pony up a little money. Think of how much bread you’ve dished out for weed over the years. Imagine having the paranoia lifted.  

And when you talk about it to others, make sure you use the words TAX, REGULATE, CONTROL rather than legalize. Talking about it with others might make them think, act and vote. 

Do a little of your own investigation, and make your own rational decision.  

Then in January, we’ll all declare a Saturday holiday, hang around the shanty, and get a good buzz on! 


The Deadly Non-Emergency

By Carol Denney
Monday September 20, 2010 - 03:59:00 PM

If I stood on a public street and sprayed school kids with bug spray, I hope you would be outraged.  

But every day in Berkeley, smokers at bus stops envelope everyone in secondhand smoke, deadly even in small doses. School kids, pregnant women, everybody has to breathe it or risk missing the bus. If they say a word of reproach about the illegal behavior, they risk being assaulted by someone they have to share the bus stop with daily. 

The science on deadly secondhand smoke is clear. The bus stop regulation prohibiting smoking is more than six years old. Many of the bus stop regulations are now superseded by commercial districts smokefree regulations, which are equally unenforced. 

It’s deadly, even in small doses, immediately so for many people with cardiovascular disease. We have forward-thinking policymakers who, years ago, saw the importance of the law, and we have the law. What we don’t have is enforcement, and hundreds of people are getting a cumulative, daily dose of toxins because they simply cannot avoid going to work, to school, to church, to the post office. 

On the Berkeley Police Department’s website is an area where one can report crimes by email or by phone. The categories are: “ Harassing Phone Calls ”, “Theft from Vehicle”, Theft Vehicle Tampering”, Identity Theft ”, and “Vandalism.” There’s no category regarding areas where smokers, who often take cues from each other rather than signs, have decided to test the limits of Berkeley’s enforcement policies. 

Call your City Council representatives. Recommend that smokefree bus stops move up the priority list, so that they are considered at least as important as vandalism and harassing phone calls, neither of which is deadly. It’s true that the police have to prioritize, but on the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and especially since crime is down 10% in almost all categories, it’s worth reflecting on the fact that people with disabilities are not necessarily able to stand at a distance from smoke for long periods of time and need equal access to the bus stops.  

Please speak up. You don’t have to be disabled, or pregnant, or especially sensitive to cigarette smoke to participate in the best, most cost-effective effort to reduce secondhand smoke exposure, preventable deaths, and health costs by simply speaking up when smokers light up at bus stops or in commercial districts. You might even be a smoker, like most smokers, who hopes to quit and appreciates the common sense of regulation. 

Please help educate your neighbors, your commercial district merchants, and your smoking friends about the necessity of protecting people from secondhand smoke. Berkeley’s Public Health Department has stickers available to merchants and the public, which are useful to help educate people about the law. The Police Review Commission, on September 15th, unanimously recommended improved training and enforcement. 

But don’t forget to simply speak up. Smokers often bank on the general unwillingness to confront someone about secondhand smoke to render an entire beach, a park, a sidewalk, and certainly a bus stop completely unavailable to others. And while it may not seem like an emergency to you, to some of us it is. 

Carol Denney is a Berkeley resident, a bus rider, and a cancer survivor.  

 

 


Columns

Wild Neighbors: Last Cat Standing: Predators Past and Present

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 03:21:00 PM
Sabertooth at the Smithsonian.
Ernest V. More
Sabertooth at the Smithsonian.

Big predators have a powerful mystique, a theme explored by David Quammen in his book Monsters of God. If the police had shot a coyote on Shattuck Avenue, would anyone have set up a shrine in its memory? 

As it happens, at about the time the mountain lion made its ill-fated venture downtown I was reading The Wolf’s Tooth, an interesting study of keystone predators and trophic cascades by wildlife biologist Cristina Eisenberg. The book’s title and epigraph come from Robinson Jeffers’ poem “The Bloody Sire”: “What but the wolf’s tooth whittled so fine/ The fleet limbs of the antelope?.” If the antelope Jeffers had in mind was the American pronghorn, it was a different tooth entirely; but I’ll get to that later. 

Keystone predators are species whose behavior controls the population of prey species and sends ripples (“cascades”) through the local food web to the benefit or detriment of non-prey organisms or plants. Remove those predators and a whole sequence of dominos fall. The phenomenon was first described for starfish and mollusks in Pacific Northwest tide pools and has been generalized to other marine and terrestrial ecosystems. 

Probably the best-publicized case of the consequences of reintroducing an absent keystone predator is the return of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park. Without wolves, the park’s elk grew complacent and tended to hang around the same creeks all day, browsing the aspen down to stumps. Reintroduced wolves created what has been called an “ecology of fear.” The elk became nervous, tending to move around more. That allowed the aspen to rebound. Riparian songbird diversity increased. Beavers returned to previously abandoned drainages to do their own ecosystem engineering. The wolves also killed or intimidated Yellowstone’s coyotes, reducing coyote predation on pronghorn calves. 

Eisenberg, a wolf person, has studied their ecological role in the northern Rockies and worked with landowners who are open to living with wolves. But she reviews the literature on other potential candidates for keystone species. She says black and brown/grizzly bears are too omnivorous to have a measurable impact on mammalian prey species. (The polar bear, an obligate carnivore, would be a different story.) Mountain lions, which prey primarily on mule or white-tailed deer, appear to control prey populations in some locations (including Zion National Park) but not in others. It’s not clear what makes the difference. 

Whatever the current North American predator-prey dynamics are, they used to be a great deal more complex. Whereas the mountain lion is now our only major feline predator, it had company in the Pleistocene. Lions—the same species as the modern African and (barely surviving) Asian lion—were widespread, and well-represented at sites like Rancho La Brea. So were sabertooth cats like Smilodon fatalis, our official state fossil: robust, long-fanged beasts with no living counterpart. The sabertooth’s less common relative, the scimitar cat (Homotherium serum), preyed on young mammoths and mastodons. Jaguars ranged as far north as Washington State and Nebraska. 

There was even a North American cheetah (Miracinonyx trumani), the predator that may have driven the pronghorn’s adaptations for speed. Pronghorns are faster than they need to be to escape wolves and other living species. Cheetahs would have given them a run for their lives. 

And that’s only the cats. The modern timber wolf coexisted with the dire wolf, which must have occupied a somewhat different ecological niche. The extinct short-faced bear may have been a more dedicated carnivore than its living cousins. A North American species of hyena could have been a predator or scavenger—or both. 

Pleistocene North America, in short, was much more like the contemporary African savanna in megapredator diversity. With so many contenders—lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and spotted hyenas in the African case—it’s harder to assign keystone status. 

The cause of the demise of the great North American predators and their prey is still hotly debated, of course. The recent proposal that a meteorite strike caused the Pleistocene extinction seems to have been discredited, leaving human overkill and rapid climate change as the main contenders. Imagine, though, what a world we’d have had if things had gone otherwise: a pride of American lions strolling by Peet’s, or a lone Smilodon. 


Dispatches From The Edge: Afghan Talks: A Delicate Moment

By Conn Hallinan
Monday September 20, 2010 - 04:29:00 PM

Peace talks involving the Taliban and its allies are apparently underway, according to the Asia Times (AT), and from most accounts a deal appears doable. AT’s Pakistan bureau chief Syed Saleem Shahzad reported Sept. 11 and 15th that, under the auspices of the Pakistan military and intelligence services, “serious negotiations” were taking place, with Saudi Arabia serving as the go-between to the U.S. 

That the antagonists are looking for a way out of the nine-year war is not surprising, given the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and the rising tide of opposition in Europe and the U.S. to continuing the war. What is surprising is that at the same time as there looks to be a possible diplomatic breakthrough, the U.S. has launched a major military operation in Kandahar. Is the new offensive a cover for the secret talks or an effort by the U.S. military to derail any possibility of serious negotiations?According to the AT, while Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar has not been directly involved in the talks, according to a “Pakistan security official” the elusive cleric “has shown a positive and flexible attitude.” The talks also include Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has been a major thorn in the side of the occupation troops, particularly the U.S. 

There are several sticking points, but none of them seem insurmountable. The Taliban want to talk about the 60 Afghans currently imprisoned in Guantanamo, while the U.S. wants to make sure al-Qaeda can no longer operate from within Afghanistan. 

On the first point Pakistan appears hopeful that the U.S. will release the detainees. It “would be a good will gesture from the American side,” a Pakistani official told the AF, “and also set the stage for negotiations between the Taliban and Washington.” Regarding al-Qaeda, the Taliban say they are willing to make sure that no “outside” forces use Afghanistan as a springboard to attack other nations. The Taliban have agreed to expel the terrorist organization, but they argue that al-Qaeda be given “honorable treatment.” What that means is not clear, but it is not likely to become a major sticking point. U.S. intelligence says al-Qaeda has virtually no presence in Afghanistan. According to Shahzad, the terrorist organization is more interested in the Central Asian “Stans” and southern Russia. On Sept 9, the group set off a bomb in the North Ossetian capital of Vladikavkaz that killed 18 people. 

According to AT, al-Qaeda would rather get the U.S. out of Afghanistan than for it to have an in-country presence, and the organization would have no objection to the Taliban cutting a deal with Washington. 

The Americans also want the right to keep troops in Northern Afghanistan, the home of its major in-country allies, the Northern Alliance, but, according to officials close to the talks, the Taliban want all foreign troops out. 

The Taliban originally demanded the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan that existed at the time of the 2001 invasion. But in Ramadan talks held in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, “Taliban representatives indicated a willingness to accept a more broad-based political setup in Afghanistan,” says Shahzad. The Taliban are still hostile to some of their internal opponents, ranging from former mujahedeen leaders to men like General Abdul Rashid Dostrum of the Northern Alliance. However, according to Pakistan officials, the group is willing to work with other people associated with their opponents, provided “they have a clean reputation and have never been involved in bloodshed.” The “clean reputation” refers to graft. As for the “bloodshed,” all sides have at one point or the other fought one another, so it is unclear what the Taliban mean. 

“The process of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table is gaining momentum,” says Shahzad, “with the United States and its allies escalating their efforts to get America out of the Afghan quagmire.” 

So then why has the U.S. launched an offensive into western Zhari near the city of Kandahar? This is the same region that the Canadians went into in 2006 and got thoroughly thrashed. Not even the U.S. commander on the ground thinks much is going to come of it. Lt. Col. Peter Benchoff of the 101st Airborne told the Los Angeles Times that, as far as western Zhari goes, “Security sucks. Development? Nothing substantial. Information campaign? Nobody believes us. Governance? We’ve had one hour long visit by a governmental official in the last two and a half months.” 

The 101st’s base is regularly mortared, and three contractors were killed two weeks ago by Taliban shells. The town has no schools, no clinics and no government presence. 

Indeed, the situation all over the country is going downhill for the U.S. and NATO. In spite of the surge—allied troops levels have risen from 30,000 in 2005 to 150,000 today—the country is less secure and more violent than it was in 2001. 

The Afghan Study Group found that American combat deaths have sharply escalated, as have roadside bombs, suicide attacks, assassinations, and civilian casualties. According to the International Security Assistance Force, shellings, bombings and small arms attacks for August 2010 were up 49 percent over August of last year. And local Afghan media sources report that there are four to five assassinations every day in Kandahar City. 

For the Sept 19 election there were 350 fewer polling places—14 percent of the total—than there were last year, because the government could not provide security.More than that, Gareth Porter of Inter Press Service found that there has been a sharp drop in the number of roadside bombs being reported by local people. “The percentage of Taliban roadside bombs turned in had been averaging 3.5 percent from November 2009 through March 2010,” says Porter, but after the U.S. stepped up its nighttime raids with Special Forces, “the percentage of turn-ins fell precipitously to 1.5 percent.” In short, the “surge” has deeply angered the average Afghan.Parts of the country that used to be safe, like the north and east, are increasingly insecure, and in places like the North, most the insurgents are non-Pashtuns. Pashtuns make up the bulk of the Taliban and are mainly concentrated in the south. According to the United Nations, travel is no longer safe in 30 percent of the country, and insurgent attacks have more than doubled from a year ago—from 630 in August 2009, to 1,353 in August 2010.The Americans attribute the rise in violence to the surge, but most of the attacks are occurring in places where the surge has no presence. “We do not support the perspective that this constitutes ‘things getting worse before they get better’” Nic Lee, director of Afghan NGO Safety Office, told the New York Times, “but see it consistent with the five-year trend of things getting worse.” 

Under pressure to show “progress: in the Afghan war, the U.S. military has fallen back on a device it used during the war in Southeast Asia: the body count. Gen. David Petraeus told National Public Radio that this summer, NATO forces has killed or captured 2,974 insurgents, 235 of them “commanders.” But Porter found that the captures included “suspected” insurgents, which generally means anyone in the immediate vicinity of a raid. The Guardian concluded that as many as two-thirds of those detained in such raids are innocent. 

Porter also questions the “commander” designation, since the Taliban is not organized into formal fighting units. “The vast majority of those ‘leaders’, it appears, were low level Taliban personnel who are easily replaced,” he says. Given that the step up in raids over the past year has not resulted in a reduction of insurgent activity—indeed, quite the opposite—Porter’s doubts seem valid. 

Is the Kandahar operation, then, blind folly—Gen. David Petraeus is lobbying for keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan for years to come—pre-negotiating positioning, or theater, because the enormous U.S. military budget is coming under increasing pressure? No one is going to suggest cutting military spending while the troops are locked in battle, a point that U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates have been arguing to Congress. 

The danger is that the U.S. will step back from an opportunity to end the bloodletting in Afghanistan because Washington is worried that it will look like a defeat—it is—or because keeping the war going will armor the Pentagon from spending cuts. There was a moment like this in 2007, but the U.S. ignored a tentative Taliban peace proposal and the war got worse. If the Obama Administration is not careful, it could happen again, and the U.S. will slip deeper into the Afghan quagmire. 

For other writing by Conn Hallinan see dispatchesfromtheedgeblog.wordpress.com  

 


Restoration Comedy: Mods and Rockers

By Jane Powell
Monday September 20, 2010 - 03:27:00 PM

Reporter: “Are you a mod or a rocker?”

Ringo Starr: “No, I’m a mocker.”

Since last October I’ve been engaged in trying to get a HAMP modification for my mortgage. I was rejected outright once, began the reapplication process in May (because you have to start all over once you’re rejected), flew to Washington DC in mid-July to attend an event sponsored by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, where I was told I would have a reply from Fannie Mae in a week. You may have noticed it is now September. The GMAC representative will not return my calls or e-mails. 

I finally called Fannie Mae. The first time I called, on August 17th, all customer service reps were busy, so I left a message. No one called back. I called again on August 30, and was told they couldn’t find my file, and someone would check into that and call me back. No one did. 

I called again on September 7th, was told that the file had been “escalated” by the portfolio manager, but that they required more bank statements because the rental income on the bank statements didn’t match up with the rental agreements for my tenants, and that I would have to deal with the servicer from now on. The woman actually said, “Don’t call us.” 

My immediate thought was, “I’m a freaking taxpayer- we own you, and I will call you if a damn well feel like it!” That same week I received another letter from GMAC, the exact same form letter I received at the end of July, requesting letters from all my tenants detailing how much their rent was and how often they paid it. Which I had faxed to GMAC already. Those of you who have been following this story will not be surprised by this. 

So I called GMAC and explained that I had already sent the requested information at the end of July. As it turns out, that was not the actual information they wanted. No, they wanted to know why the rental amounts didn’t match up perfectly with the bank statements. Oh, let’s see- BECAUSE THERE WAS ANOTHER F*CKING CHECK INCLUDED IN THE SAME DEPOSIT? BECAUSE THE NEW TENANT IS PAYING HIS DEPOSIT IN INSTALLMENTS AND IS THEREFORE PAYING MORE THAN THE LISTED RENT? Was this verbal explanation enough to satisfy them? You know the answer. They want me to write a letter of explanation detailing why for each deposit that doesn’t match up. I asked once again, as I always do, if this was absolutely, positively, the only other thing they needed. As usual, they said yes, and as usual, as soon as I send the letter of explanation they will think of something else they require. 

Meanwhile, I sent my story to David Dayen, who has been writing about the HAMP debacle at FireDogLake. It was a nice write-up, and most of the commenters were supportive, except one who suggested I made a bad investment and bad decisions and should just do a short sale and get on with it. So blaming the victim continues. 

The whole thing is a mockery. The Treasury Department recently admitted that they view HAMP as a success because it kept a glut of foreclosures from coming on the market all at once, and that’s all that mattered. I imagine, in some of my more down moments, employees at various servicers sitting around the break room amusing each other by reading homeowners’ Hardship Affidavits out loud and mocking them. 

But I’m good at banging my head on the wall, so I duly wrote a letter explaining every rental deposit going back to last January, and faxed that off along with the latest bank statement. I called the next day to see if they got it. Somewhat surprisingly, they had. I was told (again) that they had all they needed and I would have an answer in thirty days. I asked if that meant they were sending it to Fannie Mae- but didn’t really get a straight answer. 

So I called the rep again. I was stunned when she picked up the phone. I asked if she had received the fax, since I have taken to faxing everything to every fax number I have. I told her the Loss Mitigation people had said it would take thirty days, and she said she would put in a call to the manager and see if the file could be expedited. I expect “expedited” will mean it will only take 29 days. 

So it has been almost an entire year and I still haven’t been offered even a TEMPORARY modification. I suppose all these hoops make sense from the bank’s point of view, but for myself, through this whole process I have resented being treated like I’m some kind of deadbeat because I am asking for help. I have paid every goddamn mortgage payment on time, I have given them every ridiculous thing they asked for, and I can’t even get a freaking temporary modification? I think it’s time to lawyer up. 

Jane Powell writes for the Planet whenever she feels like it. Some day she may actually go back to writing about houses, in the meantime, you can contact her at hsedressng@aol.com


Blogbeat: Help Save KittyCat

By Thomas Lord
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 07:32:00 AM

Thinking of adopting a cat? This column is both an invitation to do so and a warning not to. 

The cat goes by the pseudonym “KittyCat”. KittyCat is wanted. Not wanted by a loving family – wanted by the law. This is an outlaw cat, in desperate trouble. 

Considered armed and dangerous, KittyCat is to be taken into custody on sight, if possible, and delivered to Cat Jail (aka the Animal Shelter). It is possible that KittyCat faces the death penalty, if not adopted. 

KittyCat’s crime: KittyCat delivered a skin-breaking bite, leaving two clear fang punctures and a third tooth puncture. The victim is expected to survive the wound although KittyCat is sought to be observed for signs of rabies.  

KittyCat is at large in Southwest Berkeley. Officials are hopeful KittyCat will soon be taken into custody. If KittyCat shows no signs of rabies, adoption is a possibility – otherwise the death penalty follows. 

 

A Troubled Youth 

 

I have been tracking the story of KittyCat for some time. I have pieced together the tale of a difficult youth based on interviews conducted over more than two years. 

As an adolescent, KittyCat came to live in a in a Southwest Berkeley apartment we shall call “the HipsterPad.” 

KittyCat lived in the HipsterPad with a caretaker we shall call “Original Daddy”. Original Daddy and KittyCat moved into the HipsterPad with a paramour whom we shall call “Kind Lady”. To this domestic situation, Kind Lady brought her puppy, whom we’ll dub “Happy Puppy”. 

For reasons unclear , Original Daddy and Kind Lady parted ways. Original Daddy left HipsterPad but declined to take KittyCat with him. Kind Lady did not quite adopt but neither quite kicked out KittyCat. 

This is the beginning of an apparently common pattern: KittyCat began to belong more to the apartment than to any particular person. 

After Original Daddy left, Kind Lady and Happy Dog found a new (human) beau. A swell guy whom we’ll call “Swell Guy”. 

Swell Guy and Kind Lady and Happy Puppy eventually decided to move on to a sweeter pad. A deal was worked . Some acquaintances of theirs, folks whom I’ll call the “Fancy Group,” took over the HipsterPad and retained a portion of the rent control benefit. They (sorta) took over care for KittyCat.  

KittyCat had new caretakers – but with a catch. A three-day warning eviction notice was tacked to the door for non-payment of rent. One of the Fancy Group members moved out. Another moved in. The group persisted but the cast changed. In the midst of all this, one new resident was a new dog. 

The new dog, whom I shall dub “Dangerous Fool,” is a pure Pit Bull. He’s a Pure Pit Bull with a very sweet temperament for the most part for a non-neutered adolescent male dog. Alas, he was very badly trained. Left off his leash, Dangerous Fool charged any stranger in sight, baring teeth, nipping, and once (allegedly) catching a child by the ankle. 

In spite of the bad training, Dangerous Fool was left off leash much of the time. Some tense words occurred between me and the Fancy Group as a result. 

KittyCat survived among all this chaos. I could see he wasn’t bathed as often and dropped some weight – but KittyCat is tough and he got by. 

Abruptly, the Fancy Group announced their departure. The HipsterPad would be empty. 

I asked: 

“Are you guys taking KittyCat?” 

“Well, we’re going to leave him here for a couple of weeks while the upstairs neighbors take care of him, then come back and pick him up once we’ve settled. We talked to them. We’ll leave them with a bunch of food.” 

“Ahh,” I managed. 

“We should leave some food with you, too, just in case.” 

“Uh... OK,” I said, not knowing what else to say. 

The Fancy Group had never actually arranged for the upstairs neighbors to care for the cat. Had never given them food. Had told them simply that, “KittyCat? Oh, that’s not our cat.” KittyCat was abandoned. I was left holding the bag, so to speak. 

I wiped the dirt of deception off of my glasses and tried to make the best of things.  

Here’s the deal: 

KittyCat is a middle-aged or perhaps slightly senior male. He’s sweet. He’s tough. He enjoys the outdoors. He likes coming inside. He likes being rubbed. He likes catching mice and gulping them down in a couple of bites. 

He does have some issues. Don’t scratch his belly. He likes that just fine because, to him, that means you want to fight. He’ll present his belly. He’ll play along. Then he’ll attack. I learned that many, many months back before all the chaos. He likes head rubs quite a bit. I never had any trouble with head rubs until the other day, when I was putting out food and water for him. He asked for head rubs and he got head rubs. It went on quite well for quite a while. 

Then he bit me. Hard. 

 

So You Think This Is Unusual? 

 

I called the very kind folks at the very reluctant to kill Berkeley Animal Shelter.  

“Hi. My name is Tom. I have this awkward problem with a cat. My neighbors had this cat....” 

Well, I had said about that much, more or less, when she interrupted: 

“And they moved away and left it behind?” 

“How did you guess,” I said without actually asking. 

We chatted a bit. One gist is that I could bring the cat in myself and have it go up for adoption. But then our chat took a darker twist. 

Something I said – I forget exactly what – caused my friend on the phone to ask: 

“Wait... stop … did he bite you?” 

“Yes.” 

“Did it break the skin?” 

“Yes.” I did not say it to her, but actually it broke the skin a bit more than I am used to in cat incidents. Don’t get me wrong: thorough cleaning and direct pressure did the trick – but if the bite had been a quarter inch to the side I’d have been in the Emergency Room with a major vein or artery puncture. 

“Hold on. Let me grab a form. I need to do a bite report. We want to quarantine that cat for rabies.” 

Save This Cat (Maybe) 

Let us assume, as I do, that the shelter will (as is their policy) observe KittyCat for a few days and make sure there are no signs of rabies. I rather doubt KittyCat has rabies. 

Then KittyCat goes into the usual program that happens when any cat is dropped off: 

KittyCat is abandoned and so adoption is the main path to life. 

Are you a really qualified cat person who wants to adopt a slightly troubled, older, abandoned, non-rabid neuter male KittyCat? 

Until next week, do be in touch: lord@emf.net 


Senior Power: Q & A

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 03:07:00 PM

It’s six months since the first “Senior Power” column. I’ve received emails from as far as New Zealand and even Texas! I appreciate the positive comments. Some of the questions deserve an attempt at response. As Levi Strauss put it, “ An expert knows all the answers - if you ask the right questions. ” Here goes Q & A.  

 

“What’s that Save Section 8 you mentioned?” [Planet August 17, 2010].  

Save Section 8 was a nonprofit self-help, grass-roots effort in behalf of American senior citizens who needed, and continue to need, access to rent-subsidized apartments. It was founded in 1997 by Helen Lima, a retiree and Section 8 tenant. No admission or membership fees were charged, and voluntary contributions were the only source of income. Petitioning, picketing, and regular program meetings were major activities. As her health deteriorated, one of Lima’s final accomplishments was spearheading production of the video, “ Housing is a human right: seniors and Section 8;” it is in the Santa Clara City Library.  

 

“You mentioned phone numbers for reporting elder abuse. One was for Alameda County. Is there a Contra Costa County number?” [Planet June 1, 2010]. 

The Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging is at 40 Douglas Dr., Martinez 94553-4068. 925/313-1700; Adult Protective Services’ numbers are 925-646-2854 and 877-839-4347. 

 

“Do you really believe there is such a thing as senior power and that writing letters and making phone calls contribute to change ?” 

It’s like sisterhood. Both sisterhood and senior power could be powerful. Resist the “What can I do?” exception syndrome. Write letters, with cc’s (i.e. clear copies) to advertisers, sponsors, ad agencies, products, services, mass media, networks, stations, newspapers. Don’t waste your money on registered mail. Write to your elected government representatives in your role as consumer, voter, tax payer, local resident, reader, subscriber. Request a written response (don’t provide your phone #). Cite a specific document or action. When commenting on a TV program, provide the air date, title of program and episode, and local channel number. When contacting a newspaper editor, provide issue date, volume or issue number, page number(s), and writer if identified. And vote! 

 

“These days one frequently hears about abuse of disabled placard cards so I’m surprised that you tout them.”  

Yes, I do refer to the placard (Planet April 27 and June 29, 2010, for example), but you have parked the cart after the horse. I advocate applying for and cherishing a no-fee placard if one is eligible within the definitions and parameters of the application form. It will greatly improve life. Get the application form online (CA DMV), print it out, and send or take it to your physician for her/his signature; then mail it to the address on the application. 

“Can you tell us what the ‘Elder Index’ is?” 

AB 324 (Beall) would require the California Department of Aging to update annually the Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) for each county and to use the Elder Index to make prescribed calculations and analyses relating to elders living below the Elder Index's poverty threshold. It would also require the Department to report Elder Index data to each service area included in the state plan and that local areas utilize the Elder Index when conducting analyses of need. This bill would also require area agencies on aging to update annually the intake form for the Linkages Program to include the most current Elder Index, in order to identify elders in economic need and refer these elders to other appropriate resources and programs. 

The federal Older Americans Act provides for various programs, including the Senior Community Service Employment program (SCSEP), an employment and training program for employed, low-income seniors, locally administered by area agencies on aging. This bill would require the area agencies on aging to use the Elder Index to track state-administered SCSEP participants’ progress toward economic sustainability. The Elder Economic Security Standard Index for California Seniors is supported by CARA (California Alliance for Retired Americans), which is holding its 7th Annual Convention, “Taking Back the State in 2010”, October 12-13, in Oakland. 

Introduced just two years ago, the Elder Index is far more accurate than the FPL because it is (Federal Poverty Level) a county-specific benchmark that shows how much it costs retired older adults to cover all of their most basic needs — food, housing, health care, and transportation — while living independently. 

 

“I was amazed to discover that Medicare doesn’t pay for hearing aids. How can I get my elderly, deaf parents a special telephone without paying an arm and a leg?” [Planet May 30, 2010] 

Easy. Go online http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/telco/public+programs/ddtp.htm to the California Deaf and Disabled Communications Program. You can download an application form (English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong) for a free specialized phone. 

 

“Whatever became of Maggie Cheng who used to be at the North Berkeley Senior Center?” 

You are probably referring to the one and only Maggie Cheng who was a full-time staff member of the North Berkeley Senior Center from November 1994 to April 2001 and, to my knowledge, the only Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking staff member the Center has ever had. She was offered professional advancement to the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board staff. In the interim, she has received her B.S. degree from San Francisco State University in Business Administration with concentration in International Business, her job title has advanced, her son has graduated from UCB in Applied Mathematics with concentration in Computer Science, and they are still living in the East Bay. 

 

“You certainly panned taxi scrip. [Planet May 25, 2010]. I still want to apply.” 

Good for you. You can access via the Internet the Berkeley Paratransit Services for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities. (It’s located in the city’s Housing and Community Services Department). Complete the Alameda County Non-ADA Paratransit Services [electronic] Application Form. This Taxi Scrip Program provides a limited amount of free scrip (i.e., temporary paper money) to pay for rides in conventional taxicabs, wheelchair-accessible taxicabs, vans, and other selected vehicles by those whose incomes are not more than 30 percent of the Area Median Income AND either certified by East Bay Paratransit as disabled or 70 years of age or over.  

 

“We’re new in the area, recently applied for Medicare. How to go about locating a physician?” 

Welcome! Medicare’s website provides access to a Healthcare Provider Directory, which will identify physicians who accept Medicare-approved amount as payment in full on all claims. General practitioners as well as specialists, e.g. geriatric medicine, are identified. Locating a physician with room in his/her practice is another matter! And be sure to sign up for your own secure MY MEDICARE [Planet March 25, 2010]. 

 

“Is a prescription required for Viagra?” 

Yes. Viagra (also called sildenafil citrate) is a prescription med. And it is not covered by Medicare Part D. Perhaps you have an HMO that does partially. There are other products advertised, mostly late-at-night in dubious TV presentations; they may imply but not refer to erectile dysfunction. Re Internet info: Dot coms are often advertisements. Look for dot.eds, dot.govs, and dot.orgs. Some Canadian sources seek customers without prescription. I am reluctant to impose “Discuss with your physician” as a response to this very relevant question—many senior citizens do not have a physician of their very own! 

 

xxxx 

 

“Is there a senior culture?” I asked [September 7, 2010 “Senior Power” column]. Barbara Morris responded: “Yes, there is a senior culture and it’s a culture of decline that is out of step with reality. The lifespan has increased by 30 years in the past century, yet healthy individuals continue to retire at age 65, become part of the traditional retired culture and before they know it, their goose is cooked. The human mind and body were not resigned to lie fallow. Healthy individuals need to plan well in advance of retirement for balanced, lifelong growth and productivity. The old cliché applies: Use it or lose it.” 

I had the pleasure one afternoon this week of hearing the Trio Brillante perform at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Fifty seniors and disabled persons enjoyed their music courtesy of Berkeley Chamber Performances (www.berkeleychambeperform.org). Clarinetist Tom Rose moderated. Caroline Lee provided a unique opportunity to hear viola. Betty Woo’s piano “exuded with orchestral strength.” The San Francisco Chronicle got it right: “…the music was stylish and distinctive.”  

Flu shots clinics: The new 2010-2011 annual influenza vaccination recommendations issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) include Fluzone High-Dose vaccine among the vaccines recommended for adults 65 years of age and older. Fluzone High-Dose vaccine is also a payable benefit under Medicare Part B. Fluzone High-Dose vaccine provides an additional option for adults 65 years of age and older to help combat the burden of influenza. The American Lung Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider to learn more and determine which flu vaccination option is best for you. Although there is special concern for the elderly, remember that the CDC now recommends that everyone over six months of age get immunized against the flu. However, as people age, their immune function tends to decrease, which makes older adults not only more susceptible to infections, but also less responsive to vaccination. Although this group has the highest rates of annual immunization, they may not respond to standard-dose influenza vaccine as well as younger adults. On average, in the United States it is estimated that 90% of the 36,000 annual deaths attributed to influenza and its complications are in people 65 years of age and older. In December 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed Fluzone High-Dose vaccine, which is designed to help generate a stronger immune response in people 65 years of age and older. And a pneumonia “shot” is likewise an important consideration for senior citizens. 

Berkeley’s Public Health Division and Berkeley Unified School District have announced a free Flu shot Clinic for Berkeley Seniors (65+) and persons with disabilities, on Saturday, October 2nd. It will be held from 9 AM until 12 noon at the wheelchair accessible-Longfellow Middle School Gym at 1500 Derby Street in Berkeley. Enter through the Ward Street Gate. Consider using AC Transit bus #88 on Sacramento Street and or Ashby BART station. For further information or to request accommodations, call (510) 981-5300; 981-6903 TDD. 

Fluzone-High Dose and Pneumococcal Vaccination will not be offered at this clinic.  

xxxx 

 

Candidates running for election in November 2010: You are invited to email to Senior Power (pen136@dslextreme.com) a statement of your “platform” regarding senior citizens. If you are running for re-election, please describe the highlights of your record on issues important to seniors. Early Voting begins on Monday, October 4, 2010.


Arts & Events

Galleries-San Francisco Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:25:00 PM

ARTHAUS  

"The Back Yard," through Sept. 30. Works by Chris Schiavo.  

Free. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 411 Brannan St.,  

San Francisco. (415) 977-0223, www.arthaus-sf.com. 

 

GEORGE KREVSKY GALLERY  

"Summer Reading," through Oct. 2. Works by Lawrence Ferlinghetti,  

Helen Berggruen, Ken Kalman, Rockewell Kent, Clifford Odets, Man Ray, Raymond  

Saunders, Ben Shahn and others.  

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 77 Geary St.,  

San Francisco. (415) 397-9748, www.georgekrevkygallery.com. 

 

LOST ART SALON  

OPENING -- "Adine Stix: A Retrospective," through Oct. 31. An  

extensive survey of paintings from the 1960s.  

245 S. Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 861-1530,  

www.lostartsalon.com.


Classical Music-San Francisco Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:21:00 PM

GOLDEN GATE PARK MUSIC CONCOURSE  

"Golden Gate Park Band" Sept. 26, 1 p.m. Celebrating Irish  

patriot Robert Emmett Day, with traditional Irish music. Free.  

"Golden Gate Park Band" Oct. 3, 1 p.m. Works by Roger Nixon, Aram  

Katchaturian, Henry Fillmore and more. Free.  

Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way, San Francisco.  

 

HERBST THEATRE  

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Sept. 24, 8-10 p.m. Works by  

Mozart. Nicholas McGegan conducts. $25-$85.  

401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 392-4400,  

www.cityboxoffice.com. 

 

KNUTH HALL  

Pacific Chamber Symphony, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. Works by Beethoven and  

Schubert. $9-$38.  

Free. Creative Arts Building, San Francisco State University, 19th  

Avenue and Hollaway, San Francisco. (415) 338-1431. 

 

LEGION OF HONOR MUSEUM DOCENT TOUR PROGRAMS -- Tours of the  

permanent collections and special exhibitions are offered Tuesday through  

Sunday. Non-English language tours (Italian, French, Spanish and Russian) are  

available on different Saturdays of the month at 11:30 a.m. Free with regular  

museum admission. (415) 750-3638.  

ONGOING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM --  

"Doing and Viewing Art," For ages 7 to 12. Docent-led  

tours of current exhibitions are followed by studio workshops taught by  

professional artists/teachers. Students learn about art by seeing and making  

it. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to noon; call to confirm class. Free with museum  

admission. (415) 750-3658. 

ORGAN CONCERTS -- 4 p.m. A weekly concert of organ music  

on the Legion's restored 1924 Skinner organ. Saturday and Sunday in the Rodin  

Gallery. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3624. 

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors  

on Tuesdays. Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and  

Clement Street, San Francisco. (415) 750-3600, (415) 750-3636,  

www.legionofhonor.org. 

 

OLD FIRST CHURCH  

San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. Works  

by Bay Area composers. Mark Alburger, musical director.  

Thomas Schultz, Sept. 26, 4 p.m. Works by Hyo-shin Na, Schubert  

and others.  

$14-$17; children 12 and under free. 1751 Sacramento Street, San  

Francisco. (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA  

"Aida" by Giuseppe Verdi, through Oct. 6. A bitter love triangle  

plays itself out against a backdrop of war and cultural oppression in this  

compelling tale of conflicting loyalties and forbidden passion. Sung in  

Italian with English supertitles. Sept. 10, 8 p.m.; Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.;  

Sept. 19, 2 p.m.; Sept. 24, 8 p.m.; Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 2, 8 p.m.; Oct.  

6, 7:30 p.m. $20-$320.  

"Werther" by Jules Massenet, through Oct. 1. A new production of  

the Massenet's strongest and most involving tragedy, with Tenor Ramsn Vargas  

and mezzo-soprano Alice Coote. Sung in French with English supertitles. Sept.  

15, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 18, 8 p.m.; Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 26, 2 p.m.; Sept.  

28, 8 p.m.; Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $20-$360.  

"Le Nozze di Figaro," by Mozart, through Oct. 22. Nicola Luisotti  

conducts. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Sept. 21, 8 p.m.; Sept.  

23, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 25, 8 p.m.; Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 3, 2 p.m.; Oct. 5,  

7:30 p.m.; Oct. 10, 2 p.m.; Oct. 16, 8 p.m.; Oct. 22, 8 p.m. $20-$360.  

"Opera at the Ballpark," Sept. 24, 8 p.m. A live simulcast of  

"Aida'' by Verdi, shown at AT&T Park, San Francisco. Free.  

$25 to $245 unless otherwise noted. War Memorial Opera House, 301  

Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY  

"Quiet City," by Copland, through Sept. 25, 8 p.m. Wed. and Sat.;  

2 p.m. Thu. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts. $15-$140.  

"Free Concert in Justin Herman Plaza," Sept. 24, Noon. Program to  

be announced, event takes place at Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco. Free.  

"French Classics," Sept. 29 through Oct. 3, 8 p.m. Wed. and Sat.;  

2 p.m. Sun. Works by Ravel, Debussy, and Berlioz. Michael Tilson Thomas  

conducts. $15-$140.  

$25-$130. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.  

(415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. 

 

SEVENTH AVENUE PERFORMANCES  

"San Francisco Renaissance Voices Opening Gala," Oct. 2, 7 p.m.  

"An Evening at Elizabeth's Court,'' featuring Celtic harper Diana Rowan.  

$30-$40. www.sfrv.org. 

1329 7th Ave., San Francisco. (415) 664-2543,  

www.sevenperforms.org. 

 

ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL  

"Sunday Afternoon Recitals," 3:30 p.m., unless otherwise  

noted. Sept. 5: Travis Baker.  

Sept. 12: Christoph Tietze.  

$5 suggested donation. 1111 Gough St., San Francisco. (415)  

567-2020, www.stmarycathedralsf.org.


Classical Music-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:20:00 PM

HERTZ HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY  

University Symphony Orchestra, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, 8 p.m.  

"Symphony No. 5,'' by Tchaikovsky. David Milnes conducts. $5-$15.  

Bancroft Way and College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 642-4864,  

http://music.berkeley.edu. 

 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: Robert Levin, Sept. 29, 8 p.m.  

Works by Mozart. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan. $25-$85.  

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469,  

www.lesherartscenter.com. 

 

LIVERMORE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER  

Pacific Chamber Symphony: Joseph Kalichstein, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.  

Works by Beethoven and Schubert. $7-$39.  

2400 First St., Livermore. (925) 373-6800,  

www.livermoreperformingarts.org. 

 

SMITH CENTER AT OHLONE COLLEGE  

Fremont Symphony Orchestra: "Triumph of the Spirit'' Sept. 25, 8  

p.m. Works by Mollicone, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. $20-$48.  

43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont. (510) 659-6031,  

www.smithcenterpresents.com. 

 

ST. ALBAN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH  

Rita Lilly and Tim Rayborn, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. Works from medieval  

Portugal and Spain. Presented by MusicSouces. $15-$20.  

St. Alban's Episcopal Church,, 1501 Washington Ave., Albany.  

 

ZELLERBACH HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY  

"Kronos Quartet," Sept. 26, 11 a.m. Works by Osvaldo Golijov,  

Aleksandra Vrebalov, Raz Mesinai, Maria Schneider and Bryce Dessner. Free.  

UC Berkeley campus, Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley.  

(510) 642-9988.


Professional Dance Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:14:00 PM

ZELLERBACH HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY  

Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.  

$20-$48. www.calperformances.org. 

UC Berkeley campus, Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley.  

(510) 642-9988. 

 

COUNTERPULSE  

"2nd Sundays," 2-4 p.m. Sun. Sept. 12: Philein Wang,  

ZiRu Tiger Productions, Tammy Cheney, Lenora Lee. Free.  

1310 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 626-2060,  

www.counterpulse.org. 

 

DANCE MISSION THEATER  

"Passages," Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2:30  

p.m. Sun. Choreographed by Lenora Lee. $14-$20.  

3316 24th St., San Francisco. (415) 826-4441,  

www.dancemission.com. 

 

DANZHAUS  

"This Dance This Place," Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 and Oct. 7  

through Oct. 2, 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat. Choreography by Lizz Roman. $20.  

www.lizzromananddancers.com. 

1275 Connecticut St., San Francisco. www.danzhaus.com. 

 

THE GARAGE  

Zack Bernstein, Miriam Wolodarski, Jennifer Mellor and Jeni  

Bregman, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, 8 p.m. $10-$20.  

975 Howard Street, San Francisco.  

 

ODC DANCE COMMONS PERFORMANCE ART COMPLEX  

"ODC/Dance: Architecture of Light," Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, 8  

p.m. $20-$35.  

351 Shotwell St. (between 17th and 18th streets), San Francisco.  

(415) 863-6606, www.odctheater.org. 

 

PENA PACHAMAMA  

"Flamenco Thursdays" with Carola Zertuche, 8:30 p.m.  

Thursdays Music and dance with performers of traditional flamenco. $10.  

Brisas de Espana Ballet Flamenco, 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. Sun.  

$10-$15.  

For ages 21 and older. 1630 Powell St., San Francisco. (415)  

646-0018, www.penapachamama.com. 

 

ZACCHO STUDIO  

"Debris/Flows," Oct. 1 through Oct. 3, 8 p.m. Fri.; 6 and 8 p.m.  

Sat.; 6 p.m. Sun. New works from Nina Haft & Company. $12-$18.  

1777 Yosemite Ave. #330, San Francisco. (415) 822-6744,  

www.zaccho.org.


Readings-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:13:00 PM

A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS  

Monique Truong, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. "Bitter In The Mouth.''  

Allen Klein, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. "Change Your Life!''  

Matt Stewart, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. "The French Revolution.''  

6120 LaSalle Ave., Oakland. (510) 339-8210, www.ggpbooks.com. 

 

BOOKS INC., BERKELEY  

Charles Yu, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. "How To Live Safely In A Science  

Fictional Universe.''  

Rick Meyerowitz, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. "Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead.''  

John Vaillant, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. "The Tiger.''  

Susan B. Katz, Sept. 30, 4 p.m. "ABC Baby Me!''  

1760 4th Street, Berkeley. (510) 525-7777, www.booksinc.net. 

 

DIESEL, A BOOKSTORE  

Jory John and Avery Monsen, Sept. 26, 3 p.m. "All My Friends Are  

Dead.''  

Leslie Brody, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. "Irrepressible.''  

Steven Kotler, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. "A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue  

and the Meaning of Life.''  

5433 College Avenue, Oakland. (510) 653-9965. 

 

LAFAYETTE PUBLIC LIBRARY  

Vendela Vida, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. "The Lovers.''  

3491 Mt Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. (925) 283-3872,  

www.lafayettelib.com. 

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING CIVIC CENTER  

"Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival," Oct. 2, Noon-4:30 p.m.  

2180 Milvia St., Berkeley. (510) 981-7533, www.ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

 

MILLS COLLEGE  

Jen Bervin, Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m. "The Desert.''  

5000 Macarthur Blvd., Oakland. (510) 430-2296, www.mills.edu. 

 

MRS. DALLOWAY'S  

Mary Catherine Bates, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. "Composing A Further  

Life.''  

Deborah Fallows, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m. "Dreaming in Chinese.''  

Marie Dern, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. "Jungle Garden Press.''  

2904 College Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 704-8222. 

 

UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOKS  

Peter Limbrick, Sept. 28, 6 p.m. "Making Settler Cinemas.''  

Suzanne Woods Fisher, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m. "Writing The Amish.''  

Marvin T. Brown, Sept. 29, 6 p.m. "Civilizing The Economy: A New  

Economics of Provision.''  

Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Sept. 30, 5:30 p.m. "Forced To Care.''  

2430 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 548-0585,  

www.universitypressbooks.com.< 


Stage-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:12:00 PM

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Compulsion," through Oct. 31, 8 p.m. Tue. and Fri.; 7 p.m. Wed.;  

2 and 8 p.m. Thu. and Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun; check website for special  

matinees. A new play featuring Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy  

Patinkin. $14.50-$73.  

2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949, (888) 4BR-Ttix,  

www.berkeleyrep.org. 

 

EAST BAY IMPROV  

"Tired of the Same Old Song and Dance?" 8 p.m. East Bay  

Improv actors perform spontaneous, impulsive and hilarious comedy on the  

first Saturday of every month. $8.  

Pinole Community Playhouse, 601 Tennent Ave., Pinole. (510)  

964-0571, www.eastbayimprov.com.


Stage-San Francisco Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:09:00 PM

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER  

"Scapin," by Moliere, through Oct. 10, 8 p.m. Tue.-Sat.; 2 p.m.  

Wed., Sat.-Sun. Check website for exact dates and times. Directed by Bill  

Irwin. $10 and up; check website for special deals and events.  

Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. (415) 749-2228,  

www.actsf. org. 

 

BEACH BLANKET BABYLON This long-running musical follows Snow  

White as she sings and dances her way around the world in search of her  

prince. Along the way she encounters many of the personalities in today's  

headlines, including Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Arnold Schwarzenegger,  

Harry Potter, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Britney Spears, Dianne Feinstein,  

Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush, Michael Jackson,  

Martha Stewart, Tom Cruise, Angelina, characters from Brokeback Mountain and  

Paris Hilton. Persons under 21 are not admitted to evening performances, but  

are welcome to Sunday matinees. 

"Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon," 8 p.m. Wed. -  

Thurs.; 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fri. - Sat.; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sun.  

$25-$78. Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (formerly  

Green Street), San Francisco. (415) 421-4222, www.beachblanketbabylon.com. 

 

CHANCELLOR HOTEL UNION SQUARE  

"Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast," 8 p.m.  

Fri. -Sat. Audiences gather for a 90-minute show abounding with local  

anecdotes and lore presented by captivating and consummate conjurers and  

taletellers. $30.  

433 Powell St., San Francisco. (877) 784-6835,  

www.chancellorhotel.com. 

 

CLIMATE THEATRE  

"The Clown Cabaret at the Climate," 7 and 9 p.m. First  

Monday of the month. Hailed as San Francisco's hottest ticket in clowning,  

this show blends rising stars with seasoned professionals on the Climate  

Theater's intimate stage. $10-$15.  

285 Ninth St., Second Floor, San Francisco.  

www.climatetheater.com. 

 

CURRAN THEATRE  

"Dreamgirls," through Sept. 26, 8 p.m. Tue.- Sat.; 2 p.m. Wed.,  

Sat.- Sun. The Broadway musical sensation comes to San Francisco, based on  

the book by Tom Eyen, with music and lyrics by Henry Krieger. $30-$99.  

445 Geary St., San Francisco. (415) 512-7770, www.shnsf.com or  

www.bestofbroadway-sf.com. 

 

KIMO'S BAR  

"Fauxgirls," 10 p.m. Every third Saturday. Drag cabaret  

revue features San Francisco's finest female impersonators. Free. (415)  

695-1239, www.fauxgirls.com. 

1351 Polk St., San Francisco. (415) 885-4535, www.kimosbarsf.com. 

 

THE MARSH  

"The Mock Cafe," 10 p.m. Saturdays. Stand-up comedy  

performances. $7.  

"The Monday Night Marsh," 8 p.m. Mondays. An ongoing  

series of works-in-progress. $7.  

EXTENDED -- "The Real Americans," by Dan Hoyle, through Sept. 25,  

8 p.m. Thurs. and Fri.; 5 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. Hoyle connects liberal city  

life with small-town America. $20-$50.  

1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. (415) 826-5750,  

www.themarsh.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COLLEGE CLUBHOUSE (800) 838-3006,  

www.clubhousecomedy.com.  

"Naked Comedy," A comedy showcase featuring some of the  

best comedians in San Francisco. BYOB for 21 and over. Saturdays, 9 p.m. $10. 

"Hump Day Comedy," Host Rich Stimbra and a variety of  

stand-up comics will get you over the Wednesday work hump. BYOB for 21 and  

over. Wednesday, 8 p.m. $5. 

414 Mason St., Suite 705, San Francisco. (415) 921-2051,  

www.sfcomedycollege.com. 

 

SHELTON THEATER  

"Shopping! The Musical," by Morris Bobrow, A quick-paced  

musical about those obsessed with buying things. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.  

$27-$29. www.shoppingthemusical.com. 

Big City Improv, 10 p.m. Fridays. $20. (510) 595-5597,  

www.bigcityimprov.com. 

533 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 433-1227,  

www.sheltontheater.com or www.sheltontheater.com. 

 

VICTORIA THEATRE  

OPENING -- "Jerry Springer the Opera," through Oct. 16, 8 p.m.  

Wed.-Sat. The hilarious and award-winning musical about the outrageous talk  

show comes to San Francisco. $25-$36. www.jerrysf.com. 

2961 16th St., San Francisco. www.victoriatheatre.org.


Popmusic-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:15:00 PM

"POINT RICHMOND MUSIC SUMMER CONCERT SEASON," -- Sept. 10 and  

Sept. 24. Concerts take place at the corner of Park Place and Washington  

Avenue in downtown Point Richmond. Sept. 10: Je Conte, Kickin' The Mule,  

Freddie Hughes.  

Sept. 24: Trio Paz, El Desayuno.  

 

Free.5:30-7:45 p.m. 

 

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. 

The Rocketz, Violation, Faraway Boys, Cruz Missles, Bullet 66,  

Sept. 24, 7 p.m. $8.  

Bum City Saints, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. $8.  

The Deadbeats, Sept. 26, 5-10 p.m. $5-$10.  

Danbert Nobacon, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. $5-$10.  

Filthy Thieving Bastards, Oct. 3, 5-10 p.m. $10.  

$5 unless otherwise noted. Shows start Friday and Saturday, 8  

p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510)  

525-9926, www.924gilman.org. 

 

ALBATROSS PUB  

Whiskey Brothers, 9 p.m. First and third Wednesdays.  

Free.  

Free unless otherwise noted. Shows begin Wednesday, 9 p.m.;  

Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 1822 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley.  

(510) 843-2473, www.albatrosspub.com. 

 

ARMANDO'S  

The Jeff Magidson Blues Band, Sept. 24, 8 p.m. $10.  

El Desayuno, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. $10.  

The California Honeydrops, Sept. 26, 3-6 p.m. $10.  

The All Night Flight Band, Sept. 30, 8-10 p.m. $10.  

West of Next, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. $10.  

Jim Ocean & Friends, Oct. 3, 4-6 p.m. $10.  

707 Marina Vista Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-6985,  

www.armandosmartinez.com. 

 

ART HOUSE GALLERY  

Houston Jones, Sept. 25. $10.  

2905 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 472-3170. 

 

ASHKENAZ  

Head For the Hills, Town Mountain, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. $8-$10.  

Norma Fraser, Mystic Man, Lakay, Sept. 25, 9:30 p.m. $12-$15.  

Hipwaders, Sept. 26, 3-4:30 p.m. $4-$6.  

Mo'Rockin Project, Sept. 26, 8:30 p.m. $10-$12.  

Beausoleil, Avec Michael, Doucet, Sept. 28, 8:30 p.m.  

Clear Conscience, Sept. 29, 9 p.m. $10.  

"Benefit For Golden Toad Camp," Sept. 30, 8 p.m. $10-$20.  

Cumba Tokeson, Oct. 1, 9:30 p.m. $10-$13.  

Kabile, Oct. 2, 9 p.m. $12-$15.  

Alphabet Rockers, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. $4-$6.  

Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Oct. 3, 8 p.m. $10-$12.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com. 

 

BECKETT'S IRISH PUB  

The P-PL, Sept. 24.  

The Mundaze, Sept. 25.  

Eastbay Beastgrass, Sept. 26.  

Matt Lucas, Sept. 29.  

Free. Shows at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2271 Shattuck Ave.,  

Berkeley. (510) 647-1790, www.beckettsirishpub.com. 

 

BLAKE'S ON TELEGRAPH  

Arnocorps, Nihllst, Static Thought, Saint Vernon, Sept. 25, 8:30  

p.m. 18+. $10-$12.  

The Shure Thing, Sun House, Fat Opie, Oct. 1, 9 p.m. 18+. $10.  

Ejector, Triple Cobra, Club Crasherz, The Coloring, Oct. 2, 9 p.m.  

18+.  

For ages 18 and older unless otherwise noted. Music begins at 9:30  

p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886,  

www.blakesontelegraph.com. 

 

CAFE TRIESTE  

True Margrit, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. $10-$15.  

2500 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-5198,  

www.cafetrieste.com. 

 

CAFE VAN KLEEF  

The Lovelight Blues Band, Sept. 24, 9:30 p.m. $5.  

1621 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 763-7711,  

www.cafevankleef.com. 

 

CHOUINARD VINEYARDS AND WINERY The winery features an exhibit  

of stone craft and baskets honoring the rich culture of the Ohlone Indians.  

Palomares Canyon was a summer home to the Ohlone Indians. The exhibit also  

includes historical photos and artifacts that document more recent colorful  

inhabitants to the canyon. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Music at Chouinard," 4:30-8:30 p.m. on select Sundays  

June-August. The rest of the year features live music in the tasting room on  

the second Sunday of each month. Enjoy the best of Bay Area artists at  

Chouinard. Bring your own gourmet picnic (no outside alcoholic beverages).  

Wines are available for tasting and sales. $40 per car. 

"Nerve Racking Theatre," through Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. Watch horror  

movies under the stars!  

Sept. 11: "House on Haunted Hill'' (1959).  

Sept. 12: "Bucket of Blood'' (1959).  

Sept. 25: "White Zombie'' (1932) and "Dracula'' (1931). $20 per  

car; reservations required. (510) 582-9900. 

Free. Tasting Room: Saturdays-Sundays, noon-5 p.m. 33853 Palomares  

Road, Castro Valley. (510) 582-9900, www.chouinard.com. 

 

FELLINI RESTAURANT  

Suzy Williams and Brad Kay, Oct. 2, 10 p.m. $10.  

1401 University Ave., Berkeley. www.fellinirestaurant.net. 

 

FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER  

Earl Klugh, Sept. 24, 8 p.m. $35-$45.  

Mose Allison, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. $22-$32.  

Dala, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. $12-$24.  

Franc D'Ambrosio, Oct. 3, 2 p.m. $15-$25.  

4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 931-4848,  

www.firehousearts.org. 

 

FOX THEATER  

Passion Pit, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. $35.  

X Japan, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. $37.50.  

The Black Keys, Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, 8 p.m. $32.50.  

The Flaming Lips, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, 8 p.m. $39.50.  

1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-0438,  

www.thefoxoakland.com. 

 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE  

"Freight Open Mic," Tuesdays. $4.50-$5.50.  

Po' Girl, JT Nero, Sept. 24. $20.50-$21.50.  

House Jacks, Sept. 25. $20.50-$21.50.  

Luce, Jesse Brewster, Garrin Benfield, Sept. 26. $20.50-$21.50.  

Michel Taddei and Friends, Sept. 27. $8.50-$9.50.  

Freight Open Mic, Sept. 28. $4.50-$5.50.  

Ledward Kaapana, Fran Guidry, Sept. 29. $20.50-$21.50.  

Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Sept. 30.  

$30.50-$31.50.  

Soul Power, Eastside Horns, Oct. 1. $14.50-$15.50.  

Tito y su Son de Cuba, Oct. 2. $18.50-$19.50.  

Vishten, Oct. 3. $18.50-$19.50.  

Music starts at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2020 Addison St.,  

Berkeley. (510) 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org. 

 

GREEK THEATRE  

Band of Horses, Admiral Radley, Darker My Love, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.  

$35.  

Vampire Weekend, Beach House, The Very Best, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.  

$37.50.  

Train, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $39.50-$55.  

Arcade Fire, Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, 8 p.m. $46.  

Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road, Berkeley. (510) 548-3010,  

www.apeconcerts.com. 

 

HEATHER FARMS PARK  

The Billy Martini Show, Sept. 26, 1 p.m. $5.  

301 N. San Carlos Dr., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-6766,  

www.walnutcreekrec.org. 

 

JAZZSCHOOL  

Frank Jackson Quartet, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. $15.  

"Vocal Jam Session," Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

Esencia, Sept. 26, 4:30 p.m. $20.  

Kim Nalley, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $18.  

The Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. $18.  

San Francisco Bourbon Kings, Oct. 3, 4:30 p.m. $15.  

Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise  

noted. 2087 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

 

JUPITER  

"Americana Unplugged," 5 p.m. Sundays. A weekly  

bluegrass and Americana series.  

"Jazzschool Tuesdays," 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Featuring the  

ensembles from the Berkeley Jazzschool. www.jazzschool.com. 

8 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-8277,  

www.jupiterbeer.com. 

 

KIMBALL'S CARNIVAL  

"Monday Blues Legends Night," 8 p.m.-midnight. Enjoy  

live blues music every Monday night. Presented by the Bay Area Blues Society  

and Lothario Lotho Company. $5 donation. (510) 836-2227,  

www.bayareabluessociety.net. 

522 2nd St., Jack London Square, Oakland.  

 

ORACLE ARENA  

The Eagles, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. $55-$199.  

Hegenberger Road and Interstate 880, Oakland. (510) 625-8497,  

(925) 685-8497, (415) 421-8497, www.ticketmaster.com or  

www.theoaklandarena.com. 

 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW For ages 21 and older. 

"Live Salsa," Wednesdays. An evening of dancing to the  

music of a live salsa band. Salsa dance lessons from 8-9:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

"Thirsty Thursdays," 9 p.m. Thursdays. Featuring DJ  

Vickity Slick and Franky Fresh. Free.  

Signal Path, Blockhead, Nocando, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. $12-$15.  

The English Beat, Oct. 1, 9 p.m. $20-$25.  

Brasiu, Oct. 2, 9 p.m. $5-$10.  

2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159,  

www.shattuckdownlow.com. 

 

STARRY PLOUGH PUB  

The Starry Irish Music Session led by Shay Black,  

Sundays, 8 p.m. Sliding scale.  

The Unreal Band, Naked Barbies, Sept. 24, 9 p.m.  

Happy Clams, Goatfluffer, Lick, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. $8.  

Just Married, Chatroulette, Sept. 30, 9 p.m. $12.  

Maurice Tani Band, Pete Anderson, Oct. 2, 9 p.m.  

For ages 21 and over unless otherwise noted. Sunday and Wednesday,  

8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck  

Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082, www.starryploughpub.com. 

 

UPTOWN NIGHTCLUB  

Fleshies, Mystic Knights of the Cobra, Bobby Joe Ebola and the  

Children MacNuggits, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. $10.  

Ice Cube, Del The Funky Homosapien, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. $50.  

Planet Booty, Oct. 2, 9 p.m. $10.  

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100,  

www.uptownnightclub.com. 

 

YOSHI'S  

Geri Allen, Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2  

and 7 p.m. Sun. $5-$24.  

Fade2Black, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. $15.  

Dave Liebman, Sept. 28 and Sept. 29, 8 p.m. $16.  

Hot Club of Detroit, Sept. 30, 8 p.m. $10.  

Chante Moore, Oct. 1 through Oct. 3, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 7  

p.m. Sun.  

$28-$40.  

Shows are Monday through Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7  

p.m., unless otherwise noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200,  

www.yoshis.com.


Berkeley Film Festival at the Shattuck This Weekend

By Justin DeFreitas
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 05:41:00 PM

The Berkeley Film and Video Festivals marks its 19th year this weekend with another vast and varied program of independent productions. If there’s a theme to the annual festival, the theme is that there is no theme; it simply showcases independent film in all its unruly diversity, from the brilliant to the silly, from mainstream to left field, from documentaries and drama to comedy and cutting-edge avant garde. 

The festival, put on annually by the East Bay Media Center, runs Friday through Sunday at Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in downtown Berkeley. 

This year’s wide-ranging program features more than 60 works, from brief clips by budding filmmakers, running just a few minutes in length, to full-length features by established directors — all of them truly independent and all of them unlike anything showing at your local megaplex.Friday night spotlights the best work of USC's films school with a series of short works, both live action and animation.Other highlights of the festival include: 

Virtuoso: The Olga Samaroff Story, concerning the triumphs and travails of the great concert pianist, Julliard educator, feminist and New York Evening Post music critic. Samaroff comes to life in this documentary. In a time when Americans — especially women — weren't taken seriously as classical musicians, an unknown 25-year-old San Antonio pianist, Lucy Jane Hickenlooper, changed her name, boldly staged an outrageously ambitious concert at Carnegie Hall, and virtually forced America and Europe to recognize her prodigious talent. She later used her powers of persuasion and media savvy to launch the career of her second husband, Leopold Stokowski, before becoming, in her later years, an inspirational teacher and mentor to a generation of American classical musicians. 

Jesus Comes to Town, a noirish short feature in which the son of God, like a rock star slumming it among the great unwashed, drops in on a poker game and drives up the stakes. 

How the Themersons Walked Backward, a film about avant garde artists Stefan and Franciszka Themerson that uses the couple’s own aesthetic — their words, cartoons and films — to create a documentary in their own image. 

The Oak Park Story, a documentary about the residents of a decaying low-income housing complex in Oakland who took matters into their own hands and sued their negligent landlord, only to see the restored complex lose its its vibrant, communal spirit? 

What if Cannabis Cured Cancer?, an eye-opening documentary narrated by Peter Coyote that challenges the conventional wisdom regarding marijuana’s alleged dangers and documented and potential medicinal properties. 

Being in the World, in which director Tao Ruspoli interviews philosophers, jazz musicians, artists and craftsmen in an examination of the nature of self-expression, art, and the effort to find oneself in an increasingly fractured world. (Followed by a Q&A with Ruspoli.) 

Modus Operandi, Frankie Latina's sleazy retro tour of 1970s underworld blaxploitation chic by way of the back alleys, swimming pools and abandoned industrial wastelands of Milwaukee in a sort of post-modern James Blond flick. 

A tribute screening of the late Loni Ding's classic 1983 PBS documentary Nisei Soldier, which looks at the lives and sacrifices of Japanese Americans during World War II. After having been rounded up and sent to internment camps, young Japanese American men were compelled to demonstrate their loyalty to America by serving in the military, and did so emphatically, the 442 becoming the army’s most decorated regiment. 

Across the Waves, a series of stirring portraits of Asian Americans explores the obstacles that they and generations of their families have overcome en route to successful lives in the western world. 

Hawaii: A Voice for Sovereignty, a documentary about the growing sovereignty movement that seeks to restore the Hawaiian nation and to educate the world about the truth behind the unwanted absorption of the archipelago by the United States of America. 

A spotlight on Berkeley filmmaker Waylon Bacon, with a screening of a selection of his disturbing short films, including Poster Boy, Bob, My Worst Nightmare, and his latest, Help Wanted, in which Jim gets a disturbing — and graphic — tour of his prospective workplace, a warehouse of human remains where employees are required to murder homeless, hookers and minorities in order to supply inventory. A grim and graphic satire of the dehumanizing aspects of the modern job market. 

Kick Me Down, a Canadian feature about estranged stepbrothers who clash when a death in the family brings them back into each other’s lives. A love triangle only further complicates the twisted family dynamics. 

Turbulence, an experimental interactive feature invites viewer participation in selecting narrative developments at dramatic crossroads in the story. 

The Berkeley Video and Festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Shattuck Cinemas in downtown Berkeley. Tickets are $10-13 dollars and are good for an entire day. For a complete schedule, see http://berkeleyvideofilmfest.org/ 


Around and About: Carneiro Launches Berkeley Symphony on Thursday with Violin Concertos

By Ken Bullock
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 05:18:00 PM

Joana Carneiro will ascend the podium Thursday evening at 7 to inaugurate Berkeley Symphony's new season at Zellerbach Hall with two violin concertos: Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, opus 61, and John Adams' Violin Concerto--with violinist Jennifer Koh, 2008 Grammy nominee, as guest soloist. Following the concert will be a dinner for subscribers at Zellerbach to celebrate the new season--and the music of John Adams. $20-$60. 841-2800; berkeleysymphony.org 

And on Sunday, CalPerformances' Fall Free For All--free concerts, including sing and dance-a-longs--around the UC campus: at 11 a.m., the Kronos Quartet at Zellerbach Hall and Marc Teicholz, classical guitar, at Hertz Hall; at noon, Teslim duo (violin and oud) playing Greek,Turkish and Sephardic music at Wheeler Auditorium and conductor-vocalist Melanie De More leading a community sing with Gullah stick "Pounding for Peace" in the Lower Sproul Plaza Tent ; One o'clock: Diamano Couras West African Dancers at Zellerbach and the San Francisco Adler Fellows singing opera at Hertz; at 2 p. m. Word for Word stages a short story, Frankie the Rooster, by Gary Soto at Wheeler and the UC Jazz ensembles swing in the Lower Sproul Tent; at 3, Dance with Mark Morris (demonstration and teaching choreography from Looky) at Zellerbach and Pacific Mozart Ensemble at Hertz; at 4 Melody of China at Wheeler and Latin jazz by the John Santos Sextet in the Lower Sproul Tent; at 5 Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir at Zellerbach and the Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players at Hertz. No tickets required. 642-9988; calperformances.org  

Baseball season overlaps with theater season at Contra Costa Civic Theater, with Bleacher Bums, Fridays and Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 2, through October 3, at Pomona and Moeser Lane, El Cerrito. 524-9132; ccct.org 

Altarena Playhouse presents the musical comedy I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Fridays, Saturdays--and this Thursday only--at 8, sundays at 2, through October 23 at 1466 High Street, Alameda. $19-$22. 523-1553; altarena.org 

And TheatreFirst plays their final week of Anton in Show Business, Thursday through Saturday at 8, Sunday at 2 at the Marion Greene Theater, 531-19th Street just off Telegraph (on the north side of the Fox Theatre, a block from 19th Street BART) in Uptown Oakland. $15-$30. 436-5085; theatrefirst.com


Theatre Review: COMPULSION with PATINKIN—Rep goes 14 for 14!

By John A. McMullen II
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 08:20:00 AM
Mandy Patinkin, Hanna Cabell, and Matte Osian
kevinberne.com
Mandy Patinkin, Hanna Cabell, and Matte Osian

Truth be known, in my house we watch TV reruns of “Criminal Minds” just to see Mandy Patinkin. 

Mr. Patinkin won the Tony for creating the role of Ché in “Evita,” he created the title character in Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” as well the unforgettable Inigo Montoya in “The Princess Bride, and he’s won a Emmy. Now, he’s here in Berkeley! He could improv reading and singing the Yellow Pages, and I’d pay serious bucks.  

Lucky for all, he creates the compelling character of Sid Silver—based not all loosely on Meyer Levin—in Rinne Groff’s COMPULSION now at Berkeley Rep through Hallowe’en. 

Levin was a best-selling author of documentary fiction who wrote the kidnap-murder novel “Compulsion” about thrill-killings of his Harvard classmates Leopold and Loeb. 

Following his example of drama and fiction based on the real story, Rinne Groff has written what I will venture to predict will be the next Broadway hit based on this true story.  

Levin originally brought Anne Frank’s diary to the attention of Doubleday publishers. Levin was obsessed with writing the stage play of Frank’s story while keeping her Jewish identity foremost when that was not a selling point.  

Sid Silver is a driven man with a cause and a finely honed if idiosyncratic and self-serving sense of justice. He is filled with all the PTSD of a vicarious Holocaust survivor. Silver sacrifices all for his pursuit of his art, his script, his justice, and his people. Intriguingly, we learn, Silver/Levin was also a puppet-maker with his own theatre. 

Echoing Levin’s love of puppets, the play includes marionettes of Anne, her brother and others as integral characters. The astonishing likeness of puppets to the photos of the characters, the lifelike nuances of their movements, and the artistry of the puppeteers up on the catwalk add immeasurably to the production. The most moving scene is Levin in bed with his wife when marionette Anne appears from under the covers to plead his case for persevering to tell her story against his wife’s prohibitions.  

The other hook in the production is the double-casting which gives two extraordinary actors the opportunity to transform chameleon-like into multiple personae.  

Hanna Cabell plays both Silver’s French wife and the literary agent he bangs up against with seamless transitions of hair, makeup, and costume that is practically prestidigitation. Matte Osian plays various corporate characters that are so close to one another in appearance that even Silver gets confused though all are absolutely differentiated in character; Osian is then unrecognizable as the Israeli theatre director. 

Watching Patinkin on stage, one senses that one is witnessing a memorable theatrical experience. There is never a downturn in tension. He plays near-rabbinical, passionate argumentation to the point of momentary rage, and then softens it with charm and a joke. Whether growling and crouching like a cornered lion, romancing his wife with a waltz, or singing (YES!) a little ditty in Yiddish in his impossibly high tenor, he makes every moment filled and special. I remember seeing Burton do Hamlet, and O’Toole in a one man show in London that gave me the same feeling. Three times in a lifetime is lucky.  

Trying to follow the steps of the story to give a truthful picture, the plays slows a bit in the second act, but I was rapt with what Patinkin and company would do next, and it’s a lag that can easily be tuned up. 

A world premiere, COMPULSION is a tri-partite endeavor which has just come from Yale Rep and is on its way to NYC’s Public Theatre. That is 14 plays in 14 years that the Rep has sent to New York. 

Director Oskar Eustis had his roots in SF at the Eureka and midwived “Angels in America” with Rep’s Tony Taccone. Eustis now helms The Public Theatre in NYC. He has shaped a masterpiece in COMPULSION. 

The projections are expertly done, taking us through the 50’s from McCarthy to the ’56 and’67 wars, through the diary, through Levin/Silver’s life in Israel after NYC, and his OCD relationship to Frank.  

The costumes are apt, dressing Silver is mismatched pants and jacket like a writer who just reached into his closet in the dark, and contrasts it with the cosmopolitan stylishness of the other characters. 

The lighting and sound are spectacular. It is the most impressive and realistic thunderstorm I’ve ever seen in a theatre, and I hail from thunderstorm country.  

A long time ago, director Simon Levy (perhaps quoting another) posited to me that there are three things that attract audiences: Spectacle, Controversy, and Personality. In COMPULSION, we have “the hat trick.” 

Après theatre, we were hungry, so we ventured up to the corner to REVIVAL where co-owner Jerry greeted us outside the door and welcomed us in. I ordered a glass of red wine, and Amy, the other owner, must have seen me make a face upon tasting, and asked me if it was ok. I wouldn’t have complained, but she graciously insisted that I had to be satisfied and brought over another sample. With its inventive array of cocktails, it’s delicious, local farm fare, and personal amiability and service this place is going to become the next “Sardi’s”—Mandy and the cast were there (E. got her program autographed)—as was the cast of Aurora’s “Trouble in Mind” when I reviewed it last week. A traditional reason to go to theatre is a drink and a nosh thereafter, so check it out. 

 

COMPULSION by Rinne Groff 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 

Tickets at www.berkeleyrep.org or (510) 647-2949. 

Run time 2 hr 30 min which includes one intermission. 

WITH: Mandy Patinkin, Hannah Cabell, Matte Osian, and Puppeteers Emily DeCola, Daniel Patrick Fay, Eric Wright. 

Written by Rinne Groff, directed by Oskar Eustis, Scenic Design by Eugene Lee, Costume Design by Susan Hilferty, Lighting Design by Michael Chybowski, Sound Design by Darron L West, Video and Projection Design by Jeff Sugg, Puppet Design and Puppetry Supervision by Matt Acheson, with Stage Management by Michael Suenkel, 


Film review: HOWL Opens September 24 at the Elmwood in Berkeley

By Gar Smith
Monday September 20, 2010 - 03:46:00 PM

Howl is an unusual hybrid — a feature film and a documentary interrupted by a turbo-charged acid trip. It’s a film of three parts: a POV interview with the poet, a courtroom drama, and an animated evocation of Ginsberg’s breakthrough poem. 

Thanks to James Franco’s pyrotechnic recitations (and Erik Drooker’s phantasma-gorgeous animated interpretations), this may be the first time a team of award-winning directors and actors has been upstaged by a poem. (Hopefully, one of the bonus DVD features will be an uninterrupted version of Drooker’s visual rendering of Ginsberg’s poem.) 

Documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (“The Times of Harvey Milk,” “Celluloid Closet”) call this their first “feature film,” but it’s really a documentary in feature-film trappings. Howl introduces actors playing Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy but these beat masters don’t have a single word of onscreen dialog. They appear in silent, mime-like montages serving as On-the-Roadmarks to Ginsberg’s voiced-over recollections of love unrequited, love requited and lost and, finally, love redemptive. 

Franco does a fine job channeling Ginsberg’s voice and cadence, both in full poetic cry and in casual, spontaneous, unrehearsed meander. When he dons a pair of thick-framed glasses, his resemblance to the young Ginsberg is uncanny. “Howl” fails to show Ginsberg “walking the angry streets” or interacting much with the world and only begins to soar with its restaging of the first public reading of “Howl” and the subsequent SF “obscenity” trial. 

Ginsberg makes no appearance during the third of the film that depicts the trial. Instead, he’s seen cemented to a sofa alongside a silently spinning two-reel tape-recorder as he addresses — at length — an unseen interviewer (who is heard asking only one question). The setting tells us there is no question that we are hearing Ginsberg’s “exact words.” 

The courtroom sequence, which will decide the fate of City Lights Bookstore owner and “Howl” publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is the classic movie cliché. An earnest young defense attorney squares off against an older…, well, “square,” public prosecutor while a poker-faced judge calls the time-outs in a battle of pugilistic jurisprudence. Sadly, the filmmakers leave Ferlinghetti (the only character in this tale who is still alive) to sit and watch silently as the debate over Ginsberg’s poem — and the attendant cultural debate about freedom of speech, the death of the pin-stripped Fifties and not-so-immaculate conception of the Sixties — rages around him. 

Ferlinghetti’s lawyer, Jake Erhlich, is played by “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm. Even Hamm admitted that it was a challenge to play a character dressed in post-50’s attire without being mistaken for Don Draper. The biggest problem, for those who remember Jake Erhlich, is that Hamm is such a hunk. Whenever he rises — slowly — to address the court, he looks like a Trident missile rising out of a silo. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (Academy Award-winner John Stratham) begins the trial looking like a worthy adversary but winds up looking like a rattled rabbit. There is a marvelous moment (apparently true, since the script was drawn from trial transcripts) when McIntosh becomes so flustered at his inability to understand the defense’s argument that “obscenity” could be “art,” that he explodes in a moment of wild frustration and unwittingly blurts out a spontaneous “beat howl” of his own. 

Small production effects fall short in a few spots. Ginsberg’s 30-something stubble is not convincing and a recurring visual trope in the Howl animation (glowing bodies racing through the sky and leaving luminous trails) unfortunately echoes the CGI effects from “The Fantastic Four” and a currently running TV ad for Cascade dish soap. 

Ginsberg, who, in his later long-haired-and-robed incarnation, was a familiar and soothing sight at anti-war protests on the Berkeley campus and around the Bay Area (ringing cymbals and singing Hindu devotionals), originally arrived in the Bay Area in 1954 and settled in a Berkeley cottage in the 1600 block of Milvia. 

The reading at the Six Gallery on October 7, 1955 featured six poets (“Six at Six”). The event was hosted by Kenneth Rexroth and included readings by Phil Whalen, Phil Lamantia, Gary Snyder and Michael McClure who read “For the Death of 100 Whales,” a poetic precursor to the modern environmental movement. Ginsberg didn’t mount the stage until around 11PM. Holding pages of his still-unfinished poem and fortified by several glasses of red wine (courtesy of Kerouac, who had passed the hat earlier in the long evening), he began a reading that would reverberate like Gabriel’s Trumpet. 

In the restaging of the Six reading, Franco revels in Ginsberg’s words, gaining confidence as the astonished audience responds with rising enthusiasm. Raising his eyes from the page to make eye contact with the crowd, he his begins to bob and weave as the audience bursts into laughter and shouts at the audacity of his words. Franco makes the most of some of the best lines an actor could ever wish to howl, memorializing those “who chained themselves to subways for the endless ride from Battery to bold Bronx on Benzedrine until the noise of wheels and children brought them down shuddering mouth-wracked and battered bleak of brain all drained of brilliance in the drear light of Zoo.” 

Later, Ginsberg would recall the “strange ecstatic intensity” that gripped both poet and mob. At the end, Rexroth was in tears and Ginsberg also wept. McClure rose to declare: “In all our memories, no one had been so outspoken in poetry before.” Ferlinghetti contacted Ginsberg the next day and “Howl and Other Poems” soon appeared as part of City Lights’ Pocket Poets Series. It originally sold for 75 cents and has since sold nearly one million copies. 

The film ends with one of those “what-became-of” summations of the major characters — providing a reminder that, alone among all these departed luminaries, we still have dear Lawrence Ferlinghetti with us. (Today, the former gallery at 3119 Fillmore is home to a commercial establishment but, if you wander to the rear of the store, it is rumored that you can still see the remains of the slightly elevated stage on which Ginsberg stood and Kerouac lounged during that epochal reading a half-century ago.) 

As the bios scroll, Ginsberg’s craggy voice fills the theater singing “Grandfather Death.” His faces only appears momentarily — just at the end, singing the last line of the song and raising his eyes to the camera with a sly grin. As the final credits roll, so does the voice of Ginsberg acolyte, Bob Dylan, who joins The Band for a fine, howling rendition of “This Wheel’s on Fire.” 

(Parental Advisory: Raw language and flying CGI characters with genitals.)


Don't Miss This: A Fall Free for All

By Dorothy Snodgrass
Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 05:09:00 PM

Those of you avid lovers of music, dance and drama will be in absolute Seventh Heaven on Sunday, September 26th when Cal Performances presents its "Fall Free for All" program, starting at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. These programs, too numerous to mention, will take place at Zellerbch Hall, Hertz Hall, Wheeler Auditorium and Lower Sproul Plaza. 

The very popular Kronos Quartet will get things off to a rousing start in Zellerbach Hall at 11 a.m.  

Then, at 1 p.m. the Adler Fellows of the San Francisco Opera Company will entertain at Hertz Hall.  

At 2 p.m. the U.C. Jazz Ensemble will liven things up in Lower Sproul Plaza. The Word for Word Theatre Company presents "Frankie the Rooster" at 2 p.m. in Wheeler Hall. 

The Mark Morris Dance Group will kick up a storm in Zellerbach Hall at 3 p.m. (with audience participation!). Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir will lift spirits at 5 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall. Again, these are just a few of the outstanding programs taking place on the U. C. campus on September 26th 

Another event taking place that busy Sunday is the Rockridge "Out and About" celebration on College Avenue between Alcatraz and Manila Streets 12 a.m. - 6 p.m. There you'll find a street picnic, dance bands, Artisan Alley and Kid's Court. 

Last but certainly not least, the Women's Faculty Club at U.C. will present its always delightful "Arts in the Afternoon" recital in the Stebbins Lounge on September 30th, 3 - 5 p.m. featuring soprano Angela Arnold, winner of a recent KDFC contest, and Michael Seth Orland, piano. Guests will then be treated to a dessert buffet in the dining room. Did you say there's nothing going on in September?


Highlights-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:27:00 PM

"GOING 4 GREEN FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. A  

family-oriented street festival and celebration all about going green,  

featuring vendors, games, presentations, food, crafts and more. See website  

for complete details. Event takes place at Jack London Square, Oakland. 

www.goinggreenjls.com. 

"ROCKRIDGE OUT AND ABOUT STREET FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 26. A street  

festival featuring live music, fashion shows, kid's fun, wellness activities,  

food and drink, dancing and more. Event takes place on College Avenue between  

Alcatraz and Manila. 

Free.Noon-6 p.m.www.rockridgeoutandabout.com. 

"THE CINE+MAS SAN FRANCISCO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL," -- through  

Sept. 28. The festival, which takes place in San Francisco, Berkeley, San  

Jose and Marin, showcases the work of emerging and established filmmakers  

from the U.S., Latin America, Spain, Portugal and more. See website for  

venues, times and tickets. 

www.sflatinofilmfestival.com. 

"THE MUSIC FOR PEOPLE AND THINGAMAJIGS FESTIVAL," -- through  

Sept. 26. A event dedicated to promoting experimental music that incorporates  

made and found instruments and alternate tuning systems. Events take place at  

a variety of venues; see website for full details. 

$10-$15.(510) 418-3447, www.thingamajigs.org. 

 

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. 

The Rocketz, Violation, Faraway Boys, Cruz Missles, Bullet 66,  

Sept. 24, 7 p.m. $8.  

Filthy Thieving Bastards, Oct. 3, 5-10 p.m. $10.  

$5 unless otherwise noted. Shows start Friday and Saturday, 8  

p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510)  

525-9926, www.924gilman.org. 

 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Compulsion," through Oct. 31, 8 p.m. Tue. and Fri.; 7 p.m. Wed.;  

2 and 8 p.m. Thu. and Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun; check website for special  

matinees. A new play featuring Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy  

Patinkin. $14.50-$73.  

2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949, (888) 4BR-Ttix,  

www.berkeleyrep.org. 

 

BOOKS INC., BERKELEY  

Rick Meyerowitz, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. "Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead.''  

1760 4th Street, Berkeley. (510) 525-7777, www.booksinc.net. 

 

DIESEL, A BOOKSTORE  

Steven Kotler, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. "A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue  

and the Meaning of Life.''  

5433 College Avenue, Oakland. (510) 653-9965. 

 

FOX THEATER  

X Japan, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. $37.50.  

The Black Keys, Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, 8 p.m. $32.50.  

1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-0438,  

www.thefoxoakland.com. 

 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE  

Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Sept. 30.  

$30.50-$31.50.  

Music starts at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2020 Addison St.,  

Berkeley. (510) 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org. 

 

GREEK THEATRE  

Band of Horses, Admiral Radley, Darker My Love, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.  

$35.  

Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road, Berkeley. (510) 548-3010,  

www.apeconcerts.com. 

 

HERTZ HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY  

University Symphony Orchestra, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, 8 p.m.  

"Symphony No. 5,'' by Tchaikovsky. David Milnes conducts. $5-$15.  

Bancroft Way and College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 642-4864,  

http://music.berkeley.edu. 

 

JAZZSCHOOL  

Frank Jackson Quartet, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. $15.  

Kim Nalley, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. $18.  

Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise  

noted. 2087 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: Robert Levin, Sept. 29, 8 p.m.  

Works by Mozart. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan. $25-$85.  

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469,  

www.lesherartscenter.com. 

 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW For ages 21 and older. 

The English Beat, Oct. 1, 9 p.m. $20-$25.  

2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159,  

www.shattuckdownlow.com. 

 

UPTOWN NIGHTCLUB  

Fleshies, Mystic Knights of the Cobra, Bobby Joe Ebola and the  

Children MacNuggits, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. $10.  

Ice Cube, Del The Funky Homosapien, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. $50.  

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100,  

www.uptownnightclub.com. 

 

YOSHI'S  

Geri Allen, Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2  

and 7 p.m. Sun. $5-$24.  

Dave Liebman, Sept. 28 and Sept. 29, 8 p.m. $16.  

Shows are Monday through Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7  

p.m., unless otherwise noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200,  

www.yoshis.com. 

 

ZELLERBACH HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY  

Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.  

$20-$48. www.calperformances.org. 

UC Berkeley campus, Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley.  

(510) 642-9988.


General-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:26:00 PM

"65TH SEMI-ANNUAL FINE ARTS AND CRAFTS FALL FAIR,' Sept. 24  

through Sept. 26. More than 150 artists will gather to showcase paintings,  

sculptures, jewelry, photography, clothing, accessories and more. Event takes  

place along Locust Street between Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Civic Drive,  

Walnut Creek. See website for complete details. 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.(925) 933-6778,  

www.pacificfinearts.com. 

"CALIFORNIA COASTAL CLEANUP DAY," -- Sept. 25. Tens of thousands  

of Californians are expected to participate in the 26th annual event that  

hopes to bring people together to clean more than 800 sites along the coast,  

and to have a good time while supporting environmental causes. See website  

for local sites and contacts. 

9 a.m.-Noon.(800) COA-ST4U, www.coast4u.org. 

"FALL FIESTA FOR THE ARTS," -- Sept. 24. Enjoy live entertainment  

from Ballet Folkorico Tiapalli at this annual fete benefitting the Sun  

Gallery's Children's Art Education Programs. Event takes place at the Hayward  

City Hall Rotunda, 777 B St., Hayward. 

$35-$40.5:30-8:30 p.m.(510) 581-4050, www.sungallery.org. 

"GOING 4 GREEN FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. A  

family-oriented street festival and celebration all about going green,  

featuring vendors, games, presentations, food, crafts and more. See website  

for complete details. Event takes place at Jack London Square, Oakland. 

www.goinggreenjls.com. 

"RECIPE FOR MURDER," -- Sept. 24. An interactive mystery dinner  

theater with three course gourmet meal and the chance to solve the crime for  

prizes. Event takes place at the Farmer Restaurant in the Pleasanton Hotel,  

855 Main St., Pleasanton. 

$64.7 p.m.www.pleasantonhotel.com. 

"ROCKRIDGE OUT AND ABOUT STREET FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 26. A street  

festival featuring live music, fashion shows, kid's fun, wellness activities,  

food and drink, dancing and more. Event takes place on College Avenue between  

Alcatraz and Manila. 

Free.Noon-6 p.m.www.rockridgeoutandabout.com. 

"THE CINE+MAS SAN FRANCISCO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL," -- through  

Sept. 28. The festival, which takes place in San Francisco, Berkeley, San  

Jose and Marin, showcases the work of emerging and established filmmakers  

from the U.S., Latin America, Spain, Portugal and more. See website for  

venues, times and tickets. 

www.sflatinofilmfestival.com. 

"THE MUSIC FOR PEOPLE AND THINGAMAJIGS FESTIVAL," -- through  

Sept. 26. A event dedicated to promoting experimental music that incorporates  

made and found instruments and alternate tuning systems. Events take place at  

a variety of venues; see website for full details. 

$10-$15.(510) 418-3447, www.thingamajigs.org. 

"WINE FOR A CURE," -- Sept. 25. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation  

presents the third annual benefit, showcasing wines from the Livermore  

Valley, paired with food from a special local menu. See website for full  

details. Event takes place at John Madden's Goal Line Productions, 5959  

Coronado Lane, Pleasanton. 

$75 and up.5-10 p.m.http://nca.cff.org/wineforacure. 

"WOMEN OF TASTE," -- Sept. 25. A annual roof top charity benefit  

featuring live music, food from Bay Area restaurants and beverage purveyors,  

auctions and more. Event takes place at the Kaiser Rooftop Garden, 300  

Lakeside Dr., Oakland. 

6-10 p.m.www.girlsinc-alameda.org/women-of-taste. 

 

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS  

"RV Show and Sale," Sept. 24 through Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.  

Mon.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. RV dealers from all over  

California display the latest models on the market. $6-$8. www.rvshows.net. 

"Kidsfaire," Sept. 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. One of California's largest  

children's events, featuring acres of fun with nonstop family entertainment  

including Clowntown, Sports City, and visits from Barney. See website for  

complete details. $5-$8. www.thekidsfaire.com. 

4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 426-7600,  

www.alamedacountyfair.com. 

 

ASHKENAZ  

"I Like My Bike Night," 9 p.m. First Fridays of the  

month. This monthly series brings bicycle innovators, enthusiasts, artists  

and organizations together under one roof, as well as encourages regular  

Ashkenaz show-goers to leave their cars in the driveway and arrive at the  

venue by bicycle instead. $8-$25.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com. 

 

AUCTIONS BY THE BAY  

"ArtiFacts: A Lecture Series for Collectors," 3 p.m.  

First Sundays of the month Guest curators, scholars and conservation experts  

from throughout the Bay Area discuss the art of collecting. First Sunday of  

every month, 3 p.m. $7; includes a preview of the monthly estate auction  

which takes place the following day at 10am.  

Auctions by the Bay Theater-Auction House, 2700 Saratoga St.,  

Alameda. (510) 835-6187, www.auctionsbythebay.com. 

 

BAY AREA FREE BOOK EXCHANGE  

"Free Books," 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. - Sun. Donate your  

unwanted books and receive new titles for free.  

10520 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. (510) 526-1941,  

www.bayareafreebookexchange.com. 

 

BERKELEY FELLOWSHIP OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST HALL  

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Sept. 26, 2 p.m. Hear the congresswoman  

from the 9th Congressional District talk on war and peace. Free.  

1924 Cedar St., Berkeley. (510) 495-5132, www.bfuu.org. 

 

CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY AND LIBRARY  

"California Genealogical Society and Library Free First  

Saturday," 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Event takes place on the first Saturday  

of every month, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Trace and compile your family history at this  

month's open house event. Free. www.calgensoc.org. 

2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland. (510) 663-1358. 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of walking tours that  

explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran tour  

guide Gary Holloway. Walks are given on specific weekends. There is a  

different meeting place for each weekend and walks take place rain or shine  

so dress for the weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place  

will be given with confirmation of tour reservation. Call for details.  

678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848,  

www.californiahistoricalsociety.org. 

 

CALIFORNIA MAGIC THEATER  

"Dinner Theater Magic Show," 7:30 p.m. Fri - Sat. Enter  

the joyous and bewildering world of illusion while chowing down on a home  

cooked meal. Each weekend features different professional magicians.  

Recommended for ages 13 and older. $54-$64 includes meal.  

729 Castro St., Martinez. (925) 374-0056, www.calmagic.com. 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility  

unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive  

exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing  

and films. 

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children  

under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free.  

Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday,  

11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000  

Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org. 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in  

the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the  

37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron  

Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped  

gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available  

yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the  

public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the  

grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday  

of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11  

a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland.  

(510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org. 

 

EL CERRITO COMMUNITY CENTER  

"A Taste of El Cerrito," Sept. 25, 5-9 p.m. Live music, hors  

d'oeuvres, drinks, raffle and more are on tap for this year's festival. $45.  

www.tasteofelcerrito.org. 

7007 Moeser Ln., El Cerrito. (510) 215-4370. 

 

FRANK OGAWA PLAZA  

"Oakland Artisan Marketplace," 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays.  

The City of Oakland and Cultural Arts & Marketing Department presents a  

weekly market featuring fine arts and crafts of local artists. Free. (510)  

238-4948, www.oaklandartisanmarketplace.org. 

14th Street and Broadway, Oakland.  

 

JACK LONDON AQUATIC CENTER  

"Oakland Artisan Marketplace,"' 11 a.m.-6 p.m.  

Saturdays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays The City of Oakland and Cultural Arts &  

Marketing Department presents a weekly market featuring fine arts and crafts  

of local artists. Free. (510) 238-4948, www.oaklandartisanmarketplace.org. 

115 Embarcadero, Oakland.  

 

JC CELLARS  

"Harvest Crush Wine Benefit," Sept. 24, 6-8:30 p.m. An evening of  

food, wine tasting, tours, raffles, auctions and more, benefiting "Adopt A  

Special Kid'' non-profit. $20-$75.  

55 Fourth St., Oakland. (510) 465-5900. 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small:  

nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this  

microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows  

and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on  

water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride  

earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay  

with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the  

exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra  

Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There  

are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock  

compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new  

exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real  

astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a  

remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may  

hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to  

4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of  

math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations  

of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most  

popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to  

complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting,  

comparing, weighing and counting.  

 

HOLT PLANETARIUM Shows on Saturdays and Sundays.  

Programs recommended for ages 6 and up unless otherwise noted. $2.50-$3 in  

addition to general admission.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132,  

www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE  

Exploring cinema from the Bay Area and cultures around the world,  

the Pacific Film Archive offers daily film screenings, including rare and  

rediscovered prints of movie classics; new and historic works by world famous  

directors; restored silent films with live musical accompaniment;  

retrospectives; and new and experimental works. Check Web site for a full  

schedule of films.  

"First Impressions: Free First Thursdays," first Thursday of  

every month. Special tours and movie presentations. Admission is free. 

Single feature: $5-$8; Double feature: $9-$12 general. PFA  

Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-5249,  

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, MORRISON LIBRARY  

"Lunch Poems," 12:10-12:50 p.m. First Thursdays of each  

month  

2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-3671. 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft  

carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched  

in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was  

never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of  

enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11  

space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later  

recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic  

Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today,  

visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and  

experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are  

being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear  

comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in  

layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for  

the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not  

allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of  

the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will  

show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then  

let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum  

admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John  

Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge.  

Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the  

service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four  

with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the  

areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family  

of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

"Flashlight Tour," 8:30 a.m. Receive a special tour of  

areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that  

have limited access during the day. $30-$35 per person. 

"History Mystery After Hours Tour," 7 p.m.-10 p.m.  

Explore the USS Hornet after hours and learn the history of this ship while  

it is illuminated in red lights used for "night ops." Also, hear stories  

about the ships' legendary haunts. Reservations required. (510) 521-8448  

X282. 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily,  

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda.  

(510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org.


Exhibits-San Francisco Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:24:00 PM

"SUN SPHERES," -- "Sun Spheres'' is a trio of mosaic  

sculptures by artist Laurel True at the intersection of Ocean and Granada  

Avenues in the OMI District of San Francisco. 

(415) 252-2551, www.sfartscommission.org/pubart. 

 

AIA SAN FRANCISCO  

"Water for a Sustainable City," through Oct. 29. Exhibit explores  

the development of San Francisco's water system through the lens of  

architecture and design.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 130 Sutter St., # 600, San  

Francisco. (415) 362-7397, www.aiasf.org. 

 

CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS The Victorian landmark has 1,500  

species including rare and beautiful tropical plants from 50 countries.  

Exhibits include Highland Tropics, the Aquatic Plants, Lowland Tropics,  

Potted Plants and the new Special Exhibits gallery. Opened in 1879, the wood  

and glass greenhouse is the oldest existing conservatory in the Western  

Hemisphere. 

"Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants," through Oct. 31.  

Special exhibition of carnivorous plants features living plants and  

activities for families.  

$5 general; $3 seniors, students and youth ages 12-17; $1.50  

children ages 5-11; free for ages 4 and under; free first Tuesdays.  

Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate Park, San  

Francisco. (415) 666-7001, www.conservatoryofflowers.org. 

 

EVENING GALLERY WALKS These monthly evening gallery walks or  

"crawls'' are a way to learn about art for the casual viewer without the  

intimidation of visiting a gallery with no one else around. Generally the  

galleries are filled on the "walk'' evenings with people drinking wine and  

talking. Gallery owners are happy to answer questions about the art on view.  

The important thing to remember is that it is free to gaze and drink. 

"First Thursday," 5:30-8 p.m. Generally some 20  

galleries participate in this monthly evening of open galleries. Many are  

located around Union Square. Some of the galleries that participate on a  

regular basis are Pasquale Iannetti Gallery, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, and  

Hackett-Freedman Gallery, all on Sutter Street; Meyerovich Gallery and Dolby  

Chadwick Gallery on Post Street; and Rena Bransten Gallery and Stephen Wirtz  

Gallery on Geary Street. Sponsored by the San Francisco Art Dealers  

Association. First Thursday of the month. Free.  

San Francisco.  

 

HOTEL DES ARTS The boutique 51-room art hotel in Union Square  

features an art gallery by Start SOMA. 

"Painted Rooms," An exhibit of painted rooms in the  

hotel by emerging artists.  

Free. Daily, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. 447 Bush St., San Francisco. (415)  

956-4322, www.sfhoteldesarts.com. 

 

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO  

"The Digital Liberation of G-d," A permanent interactive  

media installation created by New York-based artist Helene Aylon, which  

examines the influences of patriarchal attitudes upon Jewish traditions and  

sacred texts.  

Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday,  

8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 3200 California St., San Francisco.  

(415) 292-1200, Box Office: (415) 292-1233, www.jccsf.org. 

 

MILTON MARKS CONFERENCE CENTER  

"Local Color," through Oct. 10. Works by 27 artists from the  

Peninsula Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art.  

455 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco.  

 

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, BAYVIEW-ANNA E. WADEN BRANCH  

"Bayview's Historical Footprints," A permanent  

photographic exhibition celebrating the diverse history of Bayview Hunters  

Point featuring multimedia oral histories from community elders.  

Free. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wednesday, 1  

p.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. 5075 Third St.,  

San Francisco. (415) 355-5757, www.sfpl.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN BRANCH  

"Digging Deep: Underneath San Francisco Public Library,"  

Exhibition collects archaeological remains from the Gold Rush-era cemetery  

and the ruins of old City Hall destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.  

"Singgalot (The Ties That Bind)," through Oct. 24. The exhibit  

celebrates 100 years of Filipino American experience with photographs, images  

and historical documents drawn from the National Archives, the Library of  

Congress and personal collections.  

Free. Monday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 9  

a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 100 Larkin St., San  

Francisco. (415) 557-4400, www.sfpl.org. 

 

USF THACHER GALLERY  

"Galleons and Globalization: California Mission Arts and the  

Pacific Rim," through Dec. 19. The exhibit explores the lively commerce in  

iconography, materials and ideas that shaped California's rich mission arts.  

2130 Fulton St., San Francisco. (415) 422-5178. 

 

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS The center's visual arts  

exhibitions feature contemporary art and popular culture by local, national  

and international artists. There are four rounds of exhibitions in the  

galleries each year. 

"PlayCRAFT: A Game of Your Design," through Oct. 3. Create your  

own design object as you explore the "TechnoCRAFT'' exhibition.  

$3-$6; free the first Tuesday of every month. Tuesday, Wednesday  

and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. 701 Mission St., San  

Francisco. (415) 978-2787, www.ybca.org.


Exhibits-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:23:00 PM

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER  

"El Corazon de la Communidad: The Heart of the Community",  

Painted by Joaquin Alejandro Newman, this mural installation  

consists of four 11-foot panels that mix ancient Meso-American and  

contemporary imagery to pay homage to local activists Carmen Flores and Josie  

de la Cruz.  

Free unless otherwise noted. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 1637  

Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. (510) 535-5631. 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small:  

nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this  

microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows  

and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on  

water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride  

earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay  

with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the  

exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra  

Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There  

are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock  

compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new  

exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real  

astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a  

remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may  

hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to  

4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of  

math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations  

of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most  

popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to  

complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting,  

comparing, weighing and counting.  

"Kapla," The hands-on exhibit features thousands of  

versatile building blocks that can be used to build very large, high and  

stable structures and models of bridges, buildings, animals or anything else  

your mind can conceive.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132,  

www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife  

rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned  

animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum  

offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals  

to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum  

includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent  

exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild  

animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital  

complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory  

facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping  

and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The  

hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned  

animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there  

are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. June 16-Sept. 15: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

Wed.-Sun.; Sept. 16-June 15: noon.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.  

1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org. 

 

OAKLAND ASIAN CULTURAL CENTER  

"Oakland's 19th-Century San Pablo Avenue Chinatown," A  

permanent exhibit of new findings about the rediscovered Chinatown on San  

Pablo Avenue. The exhibit aims to inform visitors about the upcoming  

archaeological work planned to explore the lives of early Chinese pioneers in  

the 1860s.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.  

Pacific Renaissance Plaza, 388 Ninth St., Suite 290, Oakland. (510) 637-0455,  

http://www.oacc.cc. 

 

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  

"Going Away, Coming Home," A 160-foot public art  

installation by Mills College art professor Hung Liu. Liu hand painted 80  

red-crowned cranes onto 65 panels of glass that were then fired, tempered and  

paired with background panes that depict views of a satellite photograph,  

ranging from the western United States to the Asia Pacific Area. Terminal 2.  

Free. Daily, 24 hours, unless otherwise noted. Oakland  

International Airport, 1 Airport Drive, Oakland. (510) 563-3300,  

www.flyoakland.com.


Museums-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:19:00 PM

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND The  

Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret  

and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in  

California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent  

display. 

Free. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5:30 p.m. 659 14th St., Oakland.  

(510) 637-0200, www.oaklandlibrary.org. 

 

ALAMEDA MUSEUM The museum offers permanent displays of  

Alameda history, the only rotating gallery showcasing local Alameda artists  

and student artwork, as well as souvenirs, books and videos about the rich  

history of the Island City. 

Free. Wednesday-Friday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-4  

p.m. 2324 Alameda Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-1233, www.alamedamuseum.org. 

 

BADE MUSEUM AT THE PACIFIC SCHOOL OF RELIGION The museum's  

collections include the Tell en-Nasbeh Collection, consisting of artifacts  

excavated from Tell en-Nasbeh in Palestine in 1926 and 1935 by William Badh,  

and the Howell Bible Collection, featuring approximately 300 rare books  

(primarily Bibles) dating from the 15th through the 18th centuries. 

"Tell en-Nasbeh," This exhibit is the "heart and soul"  

of the Bade Museum. It displays a wealth of finds from the excavations at  

Tell en-Nasbeh, Palestine whose objects span from the Early Bronze Age  

(3100-2200 BC) through the Iron Age (1200-586 BC) and into the Roman and  

Hellenistic periods. Highlights of the exhibit include "Tools of the Trade"  

featuring real archaeological tools used by Badh and his team, an oil lamp  

typology, a Second Temple period (586 BC-70 AD) limestone ossuary, and a  

selection of painted Greek pottery.  

"William Frederic Bade: Theologian, Naturalist, and  

Archaeologist," This exhibit highlights one of PSR's premier  

educators and innovative scholars. The collection of material on display was  

chosen with the hopes of representing the truly dynamic and multifaceted  

character of William F. Badh. He was a family man, a dedicated teacher, a  

loving friend, and an innovative and passionate archaeologist.  

Free. Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Holbrook Hall, Pacific  

School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0528,  

http://bade.psr.edu/bade. 

 

BERKELEY ART MUSEUM AND PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE  

"Thom Faulders: BAMscape," through Nov. 30. This commissioned  

work, a hybrid of sculpture, furniture, and stage, is the new centerpiece of  

Gallery B, BAM's expansive central atrium. It is part of a new vision of the  

gallery as a space for interaction, performance, and improvised experiences.  

"Himalayan Pilgrimage," through Dec. 19. Exhibition features  

sculpture and painting dating from the ninth to the eighteenth centuries and  

drawn from a private collection on long-term loan to the Berkeley Art Museum  

and Pacific Film Archive.  

"Hauntology," through Dec. 5. Drawn primarily from the museum's  

recent acquisitions of contemporary art, this exhibition explores a wide  

range of art through the lens of the concept of "hauntology,'' a term coined  

by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida in 1993 to refer to the study of  

social, psychological, and cultural conditions in the post-Communist period.  

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley.  

 

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM  

AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent exhibition of  

internationally renowned automobiles dated from 1897 to the 1980s. The cars  

are displayed as works of art with room to walk completely around each car to  

admire the workmanship. On long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution is  

a Long Steam Tricycle; an 1893-94 Duryea, the first Duryea built by the  

Duryea brothers; and a 1948 Tucker, number 39 of the 51 Tuckers built, which  

is a Model 48 "Torpedo'' four-door sedan.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"International Automotive Treasures," An ever-changing  

exhibit featuring over 90 automobiles.  

"A Journey on Common Ground," An exhibit of moving  

photographs, video and art objects from around the world exploring the causes  

of disability and the efforts of the Wheelchair Foundation to provide a  

wheelchair for every person in need who cannot afford one.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Free Public Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Docent-led guided  

tours of the museum's exhibitions. 

$5-$8; free for children ages 6 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10  

a.m.-5 p.m. 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. (925) 736-2280, (925)  

736-2277, www.blackhawkmuseum.org. 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of walking tours that  

explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran tour  

guide Gary Holloway. Walks are given on specific weekends. There is a  

different meeting place for each weekend and walks take place rain or shine  

so dress for the weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place  

will be given with confirmation of tour reservation. Call for details.  

678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848,  

www.californiahistoricalsociety.org. 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility  

unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive  

exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing  

and films. 

"Beyond Blastoff: Surviving in Space," An interactive  

exhibit that allows you to immerse yourself into the life of an astronaut to  

experience the mixture of exhilaration, adventure and confinement that is  

living and working in space.  

"Chabot Observatories: A View to the Stars," Explore the  

history of the Chabot observatories and how its historic telescopes are used  

today. Daytime visitors can virtually operate a telescope, experiment with  

mirrors and lenses to understand how telescopes create images of distant  

objects and travel through more than a century of Chabot's history via  

multimedia kiosks, historical images and artifact displays.  

EVENTS --  

"Live Daytime Planetarium Show," Saturdays, 2:30 p.m.  

Ride through real-time constellations, stars and planets with Chabot's  

full-dome digital projection system. 

"Galaxy Explorers Hands-On Fun," Saturday, noon-4 p.m.  

The Galaxy Explorers lead a variety of fun, hands-on activities, such as  

examining real spacesuits, creating galaxy flipbooks, learning about  

telescopes, minerals and skulls and making your own comet. Free with general  

admission. 

"Daytime Telescope Viewing," Saturday and Sunday, 11  

a.m.-5 p.m. View the sun, the moon and the planets through the telescopes  

during the day. Free with general admission. 

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children  

under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free.  

Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday,  

11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000  

Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org. 

 

HAYWARD AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM The museum is located in  

a former post office and displays memorabilia of early Hayward and southern  

Alameda County. Some of the features include a restored 1923 Seagrave fire  

engine and a hand pumper from the Hayward Fire Department, founded in 1865; a  

Hayward Police Department exhibit; information on city founder William  

Hayward; and pictures of the old Hayward Hotel. The museum also alternates  

three exhibits per year, including a Christmas Toys exhibit and a 1950s  

lifestyle exhibit. 

EVENTS --  

50 cents-$1. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 22701 Main St.,  

Hayward. (510) 581-0223, www.haywardareahistory.org. 

 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM The museum's permanent collection  

includes objects of Jewish importance including ceremonial art, film and  

video, folk art and fine art, paintings, sculptures and prints by  

contemporary and historical artists. 

"Projections," Multimedia works from the museum's  

extensive collections of archival, documentary and experimental films.  

Located at 2911 Russell Street.  

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$4-$6; free for children under age 12. Sunday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-4  

p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. CLOSED APRIL 3-4 AND 9-10; MAY 23-24 AND 28;  

JULY 4; SEPT. 3, 13 AND 27; OCT. 4; NOV. 22; DEC. 24-25 AND 31. 2911 Russell  

St., Berkeley. (510) 549-6950, www.magnes.org. 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small:  

nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this  

microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows  

and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on  

water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride  

earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay  

with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the  

exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra  

Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There  

are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock  

compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new  

exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real  

astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a  

remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may  

hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to  

4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of  

math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations  

of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most  

popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to  

complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting,  

comparing, weighing and counting.  

 

"Animal Discovery Room,,' 1:30-4 p.m. Visitors of all  

ages can hold and touch gentle animals, learn about their behavior and  

habitats and play with self-guided activities and specimen models.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," This science park shows and  

explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on  

water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building.  

"Ingenuity in Action," Summer 2010. Enjoy the best of  

the Ingenuity Lab. Engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials  

to design, build and test your own innovations.  

"Kapla," Play with simple, versatile building blocks  

that can be used to build very large, high and stable structures.  

"KidsLab," This multisensory play area includes  

larger-than-life blocks, a crawl-through kaleidoscope, the Gravity wall, a  

puppet theater and a reading area.  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of nanotechnology  

through handson activities and games.  

"Planetarium," Explore the skies in this interactive  

planetarium.  

"Science on a Sphere," Catch an out-of-this-world  

experience with an animated globe. See hurricanes form, tsunamis sweep across  

the oceans and city lights glow around the planet.  

EVENTS --  

"Scream Machines -- The Science of Roller Coasters, through Jan.  

2. This head-spinning, stomach-churning exhibition for thrill-seekers  

features interactive exhibits, artifacts and images to explore.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132,  

www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife  

rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned  

animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum  

offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals  

to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum  

includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent  

exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild  

animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital  

complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory  

facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping  

and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The  

hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned  

animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there  

are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. June 16-Sept. 15: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

Wed.-Sun.; Sept. 16-June 15: noon.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.  

1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org. 

 

MEYERS HOUSE AND GARDEN MUSEUM The Meyers House, erected in  

1897, is an example of Colonial Revival, an architectural style popular  

around the turn of the century. Designed by Henry H. Meyers,the house was  

built by his father, Jacob Meyers, at a cost of $4000.00. 

EXHIBITS --  

$3. Fourth Saturday of every month. 2021 Alameda Ave., Alameda.  

(510) 521-1247, www.alamedamuseum.org/meyers.html. 

 

MUSEUM OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE VILLAGE  

A science museum with an African-American focus promoting science education  

and awareness for the underrepresented. The science village chronicles the  

technical achievements of people of African descent from ancient ties to  

present. There are computer classes at the Internet Cafi, science education  

activities and seminars. There is also a resource library with a collection  

of books, periodicals and videotapes. 

$4-$6. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, noon-6 p.m.;  

Sunday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. 630 20th St., Oakland. (510) 893-6426,  

www.ncalifblackengineers.org. 

 

MUSEUM OF CHILDREN'S ART A museum of art for and by children,  

with activities for children to participate in making their own art.  

ART CAMPS -- Hands-on activities and engaging curriculum for  

children of different ages, led by professional artists and staff. $60 per  

day.  

CLASSES -- A Sunday series of classes for children ages 8 to 12,  

led by Mocha artists. Sundays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

OPEN STUDIOS -- Drop-in art play activities with new themes each  

week.  

"Big Studio." Guided art projects for children age 6 and older  

with a Mocha artist. Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. $5.  

"Little Studio." A hands-on experience that lets young artists  

age 18 months to 5 years see, touch and manipulate a variety of media.  

Children can get messy. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5.  

"Family Weekend Studios." Drop-in art activities for the whole  

family. All ages welcome. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. $5 per child.  

FAMILY EXTRAVAGANZAS -- Special weekend workshops for the entire  

family.  

"Sunday Workshops with Illustrators," Sundays, 1 p.m. See the  

artwork and meet the artists who create children's book illustrations. Free. 

EVENTS --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For children ages 2-5. Free. 

Free gallery admission. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;  

Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 538 Ninth St., Oakland. (510) 465-8770,  

www.mocha.org. 

 

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Art a la Carte," Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. Art docents offer a  

variety of specialized tours focusing on one aspect of the museum's permanent  

collection. Free with museum admission.  

"Online Museum," Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Explore the museum's  

collection on videodisks in the History Department Library.  

Docent Gallery Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. 

"Explore our New Gallery," through Dec. 2. The new Gallery of  

California Art showcases more than 800 works from OMCA's collection-one of  

the largest and most comprehensive holdings of California art in the world.  

"Gallery of California History," through Dec. 2. This new gallery  

is based on the theme of Coming to California.  

OPENING -- "Pixar: 25 Years of Animation," through Jan. 9.  

Exhibition presents an unprecedented look at the Emeryville-based animation  

company.  

$5-$8; free for children ages 5 and under; free to all on the  

second Sunday of the month. Special events are free with museum admission  

unless noted otherwise. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5  

p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510)  

238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

 

PARDEE HOME MUSEUM The historic Pardee Mansion, a  

three-story Italianate villa built in 1868, was home to three generations of  

the Pardee family who were instrumental in the civic and cultural development  

of California and Oakland. The home includes the house, grounds, water tower  

and barn. Reservations recommended. Group tours may be arranged between 9  

a.m. and 4 p.m. Tues.-Sun.  

Private Tours and Teas: Take a private tour followed by tea in the  

Pardee family dining room (available for 4-12 persons).  

Tour with light tea: $12 per person  

Tour with high tea: $25 per person.  

High tea without tour: $20 per person. 

$5-$25; free children ages 12 and under. House Tours: 10:30 a.m.  

every Wednesday and second Saturday of each month; 2 p.m. the second Sunday  

or each month. 672 11th St., Oakland. (510) 444-2187, www.pardeehome.org. 

 

SHADELANDS RANCH HISTORICAL MUSEUM Built by Walnut Creek  

pioneer Hiram Penniman, this 1903 redwood-framed house is a showcase for  

numerous historical artifacts, many of which belonged to the Pennimans. It  

also houses a rich archive of Contra Costa and Walnut Creek history in its  

collections of old newspapers, photographs and government records. 

EXHIBITS --  

$1-$3; free-children under age 6. Wednesday and Sunday, 1 p.m.-4  

p.m.; Closed in January. 2660 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek. (925)  

935-7871, www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us. 

 

SMITH MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY,  

HAYWARD The museum houses significant collections of archaeological and  

ethnographic specimens from Africa, Asia and North America and small  

collections from Central and South America. The museum offers opportunities  

and materials for student research and internships in archaeology and  

ethnology. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Meiklejohn Hall, Fourth Floor,  

25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward. (510) 885-3104, (510) 885-7414,  

www.isis.csuhayward.edu/cesmith/acesmith.html. 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY  

--  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Native California Cultures," This is an exhibit of some  

500 artifacts from the museum's California collections, the largest and most  

comprehensive collections in the world devoted to California Indian cultures.  

The exhibit includes a section about Ishi, the famous Indian who lived and  

worked with the museum, Yana tribal baskets and a 17-foot Yurok canoe carved  

from a single redwood.  

"Recent Acquisitions," The collection includes Yoruba  

masks and carvings from Africa, early-20th-century Taiwanese hand puppets,  

textiles from the Americas and 19th- and 20th-century Tibetan artifacts.  

"From the Maker's Hand: Selections from the Permanent  

Collection," This exhibit explores human ingenuity in the living  

and historical cultures of China, Africa, Egypt, Peru, North America and the  

Meditteranean. 

$1-$4; free for children ages 12 and under; free to all on  

Thursdays. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m. 103  

Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 643-7648,  

http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu. 

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY  

 

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Tyrannosaurus Rex," A 20-foot-tall, 40-foot-long  

replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is made from casts of bones of  

the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana,  

the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone  

missing.  

"Pteranodon," A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile  

with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as  

the dinosaurs.  

"California Fossils Exhibit," An exhibit of some of the  

fossils that have been excavated in California. 

Free. During semester sessions, hours generally are:  

Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5  

p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Hours vary during summer and holidays. Lobby,  

1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, #4780, University of California,  

Berkeley. (510) 642-1821, www.ucmp.berkeley.edu. 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft  

carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched  

in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was  

never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of  

enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11  

space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later  

recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic  

Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today,  

visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and  

experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are  

being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear  

comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in  

layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for  

the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not  

allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of  

the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will  

show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then  

let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum  

admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John  

Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge.  

Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the  

service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four  

with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the  

areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family  

of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

"Flashlight Tour," 8:30 a.m. Receive a special tour of  

areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that  

have limited access during the day. $30-$35 per person. 

"History Mystery After Hours Tour," 7 p.m.-10 p.m.  

Explore the USS Hornet after hours and learn the history of this ship while  

it is illuminated in red lights used for "night ops." Also, hear stories  

about the ships' legendary haunts. Reservations required. (510) 521-8448  

X282. 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily,  

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda.  

(510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org.


Museums-San Francisco Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:18:00 PM

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art  

Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its  

new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San  

Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to  

house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum  

offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"In a New Light," There are some 2,500 works displayed  

in the museum's new galleries. They cover all the major cultures of Asia and  

include Indian stone sculptures, intricately carved Chinese jades, Korean  

paintings, Tibetan thanksgas, Cambodian Buddhas, Islamic manuscripts and  

Japanese basketry and kimonos.  

ONGOING FAMILY PROGRAMS --  

Storytelling, Sundays and the first Saturday of every month, 1  

p.m. This event is for children of all ages to enjoy a re-telling of Asian  

myths and folktales in the galleries. Meet at the Information Desk on the  

Ground Floor. Free with general admission.  

"Target Tuesday Family Program," first Tuesday of every month.  

Free with general admission.  

"Family Art Encounter," first Saturday of every month, 1 p.m. to  

4 p.m. Drop in to make art related to the museum's collection. Children must  

be accompanied by an adult. In the Education Studios. Free with admission.  

DOCENT-LED ART TOURS -- The museum's docents offer two types of  

tours: a general introduction to the museum's collection and a highlight tour  

of specific areas of the collection. Free with museum admission.  

ARCHITECTURAL GUIDES -- Tuesday through Sunday at noon and 2:30  

p.m., Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Learn about the former Main Library's  

transformation into the Asian Art Museum on this 40-minute tour. Free with  

museum admission.  

RESOURCE CENTER -- Tuesday through Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

Watch a video, or learn more about Asian art with slide packets, activity  

kits and books. Free with museum admission. 

SPECIAL EVENTS -- Free with general admission unless  

otherwise noted.  

"Japan's Early Ambassadors to San Francisco, 1860-1927," through  

Nov. 21. Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the  

ship Kanrin Maru and the first Japanese embassy to the United States, this  

thematic exhibit focuses on some of the first Japanese diplomats and cultural  

emissaries in San Francisco, and how they responded to the experience of  

being in America.  

$7-$12; free children under age 12; $5 Thursday after 5 p.m.; free  

to all first Sunday of each month. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday through  

Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 200 Larkin St., San  

Francisco. (415) 581-3500, www.asianart.org. 

 

BEAT MUSEUM Formerly located on the California coast in  

Monterey, the Beat Museum now sits in historic North Beach. The Museum uses  

letters, magazines, pictures, first editions and more to explore the lives of  

leading beat figures such as Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen  

Ginsberg, Neal Cassady and many others. A gift shop and bookstore are open to  

the public free of charge. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"North Beach Walking Tour,", A 90-minute walking tour of  

North Beach with Beat Museum curator Jerry Cimimo. See the bars,  

coffeehouses, homes, and other Beat-related highlights of North Beach. Call  

for info. $15. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$4-$5. Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. CLOSED MONDAY. 540 Broadway,  

San Francisco. (800) KER-OUAC, www.kerouac.com. 

 

CABLE CAR MUSEUM The museum is located in the historic Cable  

Car Barn and Powerhouse. Visitors can see the actual cable winding machinery,  

grips, track, cable and brakes, as well as three historic cable cars, photo  

displays and mechanical artifacts. The best way to get to this museum is by  

cable car; street parking is practically non-existent. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

Free. April 1-Sept. 30: daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 1-March 31, 10  

a.m.-5 p.m. 1201 Mason St., San Francisco. (415) 474-1887,  

www.cablecarmuseum.org. 

 

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  

"Nightlife," 6 p.m. Thursdays. Every Thursday night, the  

Academy transforms into a lively venue filled with provocative science,  

music, mingling and cocktails, as visitors get a chance to explore the  

museum.  

"Where the Land Meets the Sea," Exhibition features  

sculpture by Maya Lin.  

BENJAMIN DEAN LECTURE SERIES --  

$14.95-$24.95. Daily, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Golden Gate Park, San  

Francisco. (415) 379-8000, www.calacademy.org. 

 

CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  

HISTORY WALKABOUTS -- A series of monthly walking tours  

that explore the history, lore and architecture of California with veteran  

tour guide Gary Holloway. Walks take place rain or shine so dress for the  

weather. Reservations and prepayment required. Meeting place will be given  

with confirmation of tour reservation. Tour price includes admission to the  

Museum.  

MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent collection is made up of  

the Fine Arts Collection, consisting of 5,000 works of art that represent the  

history of California from pre-Gold Rush days to the early decade of the 20th  

century; and The Photography Collection, containing nearly a halfmillion  

images in an array of photographic formats documenting the history of  

California in both the 19th and 20th centuries. The Library and Research  

Collection contain material relating to the history of California and the  

West from early exploration time to the present including texts, maps, and  

manuscripts.  

"Landscape and Vision: Early California Painters from the  

Collections of the California Historical Society," open-ended. An exhibit of  

oil paintings including a large number of early landscapes of California,  

from the museum's collection.  

"Think California," Sept. 24 through Feb. 5, Wed.-Sat. noon-4:30  

p.m. An exhibition highlighting the colorful history of California through  

the institution's remarkable collection of artwork, artifacts and ephemera.  

Themes include: Coming to California, Scenic Splendors, Earthquakes, Floods  

and Volcanoes, and more. $1-$3; members are always free. 

"Think California," through Feb. 5. Exhibition features artworks,  

artifacts and ephemera exploring California's colorful history.  

$1-$3; free children under age 5. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-4:30  

p.m. 678 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 357-1848 X229,  

www.californiahistoricalsociety.org. 

 

CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA The CHSA Museum and  

Learning Center features a permanent exhibition, "The Chinese of America:  

Toward a More Perfect Union'' in its Main Gallery, and works by  

Chinese-American visual artists in its Rotating Galleries.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Leaders of the Band," An exhibition of the history and  

development of the Cathay Club Marching Band, the first Chinese American band  

formed in 1911. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$1-$3; free children ages 5 and under; free for all visitors first  

Thursday of every month. Tuesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-4  

p.m. 965 Clay St., San Francisco. (415) 391-1188, www.chsa.org. 

 

CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM The museum, formerly known as the  

Jewish Museum San Francisco, has a new addition designed by Daniel Libeskind  

and is dedicated to exploring the richness and diversity of Jewish thought  

and culture.  

GALLERY TOURS -- Sunday and Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Free. 

"As It Is Written: Project 304,805," through Oct. 3. Exhibition  

centers around a soferet (a professionally trained female scribe) who writes  

out the entire text of the Torah, at the Museum, over the course of a full  

year. She will be one of the few known women to complete an entire Torah  

scroll, an accomplishment traditionally exclusive to men.  

"Reinventing Ritual: Contemporary Art and Design for Jewish  

Life," through Oct. 3. The first major international exhibition to examine  

the reinvention of Jewish ritual in art and design.  

"Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World)," through  

Oct. 26. The first major museum survey of the award-winning illustrator,  

author and designer.  

$4-$5; free for children under age 12; free third Monday of every  

month. Sunday -Thursday, noon-6 p.m. DEC. 25, NOON TO 4 P.M.; CLOSED JAN. 1.  

736 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 655-7800, www.thecjm.org. 

 

DE YOUNG MUSEUM The art museum has now reopened in a new  

facility designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron and Fong  

and Chan Architects in San Francisco. It features significant collections of  

American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries; modern and  

contemporary art; art from Central and South America, the Pacific and Africa;  

and an important and diverse collection of textiles. 

ARTIST STUDIO PROGRAM -- 1-5 p.m. Wed.- Sun. A monthly  

interactive program during which the public can meet and work with a featured  

artist. Demonstrations take place in the Kimball Education Gallery, which  

does not require paid admission. (415) 750-7634. 

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES --  

"Children's Workshops: Doing and Viewing Art and Big Kids-Little  

Kids," Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3 p.m. Family tour and  

art activity for ages 4-12. 

LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA --  

LECTURES BY DOCENTS -- These lectures are free and are  

held in the Koret Auditorium unless otherwise noted.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Poetry Series," 7-8:30 p.m. $8-$12. (415) 750-7634. 

"Friday Nights at the de Young: Cultural Encounters,"  

5-8:45 p.m. The de Young stays open until 8:45 p.m. each Friday night and  

hosts special events including live music, dance, film, lectures and artist  

demonstrations.  

Aug. 22: "Cultural Encounters presents Hot Brazilian Nights.''  

Event features music by Forro for All and art-making for the  

entire family.  

Aug. 29: "Cultural Encounters.''  

Event features live music by the Scott Amendola Trio. Free with  

admission. 

"Photo/Synthesis," through Oct. 3. Exhibition highlights the  

dynamic trend in the field of contemporary photography, collages,  

assemblages, and other multi-part or composite photo-based projects.  

"Pat Steir: After Hokusai, after Hiroshige," through Jan. 30.  

Exhibition shows the continued influence of the Japanese print on Western  

artists into the late twentieth century.  

OPENING -- "To Dye For: A World Saturated in Color," through Jan.  

9. Exhibition features over 50 textiles and costumes from the Fine Arts  

Museums' comprehensive collection of textiles from Africa, Asia and the  

Americas.  

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors  

the first Tuesday of every month. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, 9:30  

a.m.-5:15 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea  

Garden Drive, San Francisco. (415) 863-3330, www.deyoungmuseum.org. 

 

GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM The museum is a project of  

the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) Historical Society. 

EVENTS --  

EXHIBITS --  

$2-$4. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. 657 Mission St., Suite 300, San  

Francisco. (415) 777-5455, www.glbthistory.org. 

 

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN  

EVENTS --  

101 Howard Street, Suite 480, San Francisco. (415) 543-4669,  

http://www.imow.org/home/index. 

 

LEGION OF HONOR MUSEUM DOCENT TOUR PROGRAMS -- Tours of the  

permanent collections and special exhibitions are offered Tuesday through  

Sunday. Non-English language tours (Italian, French, Spanish and Russian) are  

available on different Saturdays of the month at 11:30 a.m. Free with regular  

museum admission. (415) 750-3638.  

ONGOING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM --  

"Doing and Viewing Art," For ages 7 to 12. Docent-led  

tours of current exhibitions are followed by studio workshops taught by  

professional artists/teachers. Students learn about art by seeing and making  

it. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to noon; call to confirm class. Free with museum  

admission. (415) 750-3658. 

ORGAN CONCERTS -- 4 p.m. A weekly concert of organ music  

on the Legion's restored 1924 Skinner organ. Saturday and Sunday in the Rodin  

Gallery. Free with museum admission. (415) 750-3624. 

SPECIAL EVENTS -- In the Gould Theater unless otherwise noted. $4  

after museum admission unless otherwise noted. (415) 682-2481. 

"Sunday Jazz Brunch," 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $21-$53. 

"Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine," Oct. 31. Exhibition  

explores the modern scientific examination of mummies providing new insights  

into the conditions under which the Egyptians lived, bringing us closer to  

understanding who they were.  

"Impressionist Paris: City of Light," through Sept. 26.  

Exhibition explores various aspects of life in and around the city in which  

artists came of age. Visitors to the exhibition are transported to  

Impressionist Paris as represented in over 150 prints, drawings, photographs,  

paintings, and illustrated books from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco  

and several distinguished private collections.  

$6-$10; free for children ages 12 and under; free for all visitors  

on Tuesdays. Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and  

Clement Street, San Francisco. (415) 750-3600, (415) 750-3636,  

www.legionofhonor.org. 

 

MARKET STREET RAILWAY MUSEUM The museum will  

permanently display a variety of artifacts telling the story of San  

Francisco's transportation history, including dash signs, fare boxes, a famed  

Wiley "birdcage'' traffic signal and more. 

Free. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 77 Steuart St., San  

Francisco. (415) 956-0472, www.streetcar.org. 

 

MEXICAN MUSEUM  

THE MEXICAN MUSEUM GALLERIES AT FORT MASON CENTER ARE CURRENTLY  

CLOSED --  

The Mexican Museum holds a unique collection of 12,000 objects  

representing thousands of years of Mexican history and culture within the  

Americas. The permanent collection, the Museum's most important asset and  

resource, includes five collecting areas: Pre-Conquest, Colonial, Popular,  

Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Latino, and Chicano Art. The Museum also  

has a collection of rare books and a growing collection of Latin American  

art. 

Fort Mason Center, Building D, Buchanan Street and Marina  

Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 202-9700, www.mexicanmuseum.org. 

 

MUSEO ITALOAMERICANO The museum, dedicated to the  

exhibition of art works by Italian and Italian-American artists, has a small  

permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper  

by such renowned artists as Beniamino Buffano, Sandro Chia, Giorgio de  

Chirico and Arnaldo Pomodoro.  

DOCENT TOURS -- Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free. 

$2-$3; free children under age 12; free to all first Wednesday of  

the month. Wednesday-Sunday, noon -4 p.m.; first Wednesday of the month,  

noon-7 p.m. Fort Mason Center, Building C, Buchanan Street and Marina  

Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 673-2200, www.museoitaloamericano.org. 

 

MUSEUM OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY  

--  

EXHIBITS --  

Free. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Humanities  

Building, Room 510, SFSU, Font Boulevard and Tapia Drive, San Francisco.  

(415) 405-0599, www.sfsu.edu/~museumst/. 

 

MUSEUM OF PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN  

EXHIBITS --  

Free. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Veterans Building, 401 Van  

Ness Avenue at McAllister, 4th Floor, San Francisco. (415) 255-4800,  

www.mpdsf.org. 

 

MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA A new museum exploring and  

celebrating the influence of the African Diaspora on global art and culture  

through interactive, permanent and changing exhibits and special programs.  

The museum occupies the first three floors of the new St. Regis Hotel at  

Third and Mission streets.  

PERMANENT EXHIBITS --  

"Celebrations: Rituals and Ceremonies," "Music of the Diaspora,''  

"Culinary Traditions,'' 'Adornment,'' "Slavery Passages,'' and "The Freedom  

Theater.'' 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Urban Kidz Film Series," Noon-3 p.m. An offshoot of the  

San Francisco Black Film Festival, featuring a striking assemblage of short  

and feature films designed to spark the imaginations of the 5-to-12-year-old  

set. $10 adults; children free. (415) 771-9271. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$5-$8; free children age 12 and under. Monday, Wednesday, Friday  

and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.;  

CLOSED MARCH 13 THROUGH MARCH 21. 685 Mission St., San Francisco. (415)  

358-7200, www.moadsf.org. 

 

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM LIBRARY (THE J. PORTER SHAW MARITIME  

LIBRARY) Closed on federal holidays. The library, part of the San  

Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, focuses on sail and steam ships on  

the West Coast and the Pacific Basin from 1520 to the present. The museum  

library holdings include a premiere collection of maritime history: books,  

magazines, oral histories, ships' plans and the San Francisco Maritime  

National Historical Park's 250,000 photographs. 

Free. By appointment only, Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., and the third  

Saturday of each month 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fort Mason Center, Building E, Third  

Floor, Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 560-7080,  

(415) 560-7030, www.nps.gov/safr. 

 

PACIFIC HERITAGE MUSEUM The museum presents rotating  

exhibits highlighting historical, artistic, cultural and economic  

achievements from both sides of the Pacific Rim. The museum features a  

permanent display documenting the history and significance of the Branch Mint  

and Subtreasury buildings. 

Free. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 608 Commercial St., San  

Francisco. (415) 399-1124. 

 

RANDALL MUSEUM  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Earthquake Exhibit," Learn about plate tectonics. Make  

a small quake by jumping on the floor to make a "floor quake'' that registers  

on the seismometer in the lobby. See the basement seismometer that registers  

quakes around the world. Walk through a full-size earthquake refugee shack  

that was used to house San Franciscans after the 1906 earthquake that  

destroyed so many homes.  

"Creativity and Discovery Hand in Hand," A photography  

exhibit that gives visitors a look into the wide variety of programs the  

Museum offers in the way of classes, workshops, school field trips, and  

special interest clubs.  

"Toddler Treehouse," Toddlers may comfortably climb the  

carpeted "treehouse'' and make a myriad of discoveries, from the roots to the  

limbs.  

"Live Animal Exhibit," Visit with more than 100  

creatures including small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, raptors and small  

birds, insects, spiders and tide pool creatures.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Saturdays Are Special at the Museum," Saturdays, 10  

a.m. to 4 p.m. A series of drop-in ceramics and art and science workshops.  

All ages are welcome, though an adult must accompany children under age 8. $3  

per child, $5 per parent-child combination.  

"Bufano Sculpture Tours," first and third Saturdays of the month,  

10:15 a.m. A tour of the giant animal sculptures of Beniamino Bufano. The  

sculptures were carved out of stone in the 1930s and include a giant cat and  

a mother bear nursing her cubs.  

"Animal Room," Visit some of the animals that live at  

the museum, including reptiles, raptors, tide pool creatures and small  

mammals.  

"Meet the Animals" Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. to noon. See the  

Randall's animals close-up and in person.  

"Animal Feeding," Saturdays, noon. Watch the animals take their  

meals.  

"Golden Gate Model Railroad Exhibit," Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4  

p.m. 

DROP-IN ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOPS -- 1-4 p.m. $3-$5.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Animal Feeding," Saturday, noon. 

"Film Series for Teenagers," Fridays, 7 p.m. 

"Third Friday Birders," 8 a.m. The hike through Corona  

Heights Park allows participants to enjoy the early morning views and learn  

more about the feathered inhabitants of the area. Children aged 10 and older  

if accompanied by adult. 

"Meet the Animals," 11:15 a.m.-noon. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," Saturday,  

10:15-11:15 a.m. $5. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," Saturday, 1:15-2:15  

p.m. 

"Meet the Animals," Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. Learn about  

the animals that live at the Randall Museum. 

"Golden Gate Model Railroad Exhibit," Saturday, 11  

a.m.-4 p.m. 

Free. All ages welcome; an adult must accompany children under age  

8. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS. 199 Museum Way, San  

Francisco. (415) 554-9600, www.randallmuseum.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR MUSEUM The museum is located  

in the historic Cable Car Barn and Powerhouse. Visitors can see the actual  

cable winding machinery, grips, track, cable and brakes, as well as three  

historic cable cars, photo displays and mechanical artifacts. The best way to  

get to this museum is by cable car; street parking is practically  

non-existent. 

Free. October 1-March 31: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Daily; Closed on New  

Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 1201 Mason St., San  

Francisco. (415) 474-1887, www.cablecarmuseum.com. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK One of only a  

few "floating'' national parks, the San Francisco Maritime National  

Historical Park includes four national landmark ships, a maritime museum, a  

maritime library and a World-War-II submarine named the USS Pampanito.  

HYDE STREET PIER -- Demonstrations, ship tours, programs, music  

and special events offered throughout the day. Check ticket booth for  

schedule. At the foot of Hyde Street, Hyde and Jefferson streets.  

Entering the Pier is free but there is a fee to board the ships.  

HISTORIC SHIPS AT THE HYDE STREET PIER -- The historic ships at  

the Pier are the 1886 square-rigger "Balclutha,'' the 1890 steam ferryboat  

"Eureka,'' the 1895 schooner "C.A. Thayer'' (not available at this time due  

to restoration), the 1891 scow schooner "Alma,'' the 1907 steam tug  

"Hercules,'' and the 1914 "Eppleton Hall,'' a paddlewheel tug.  

"Balclutha." This historic ship, a three-mast square-rigger, has  

undergone extensive repairs and preservation work. She now contains more  

original materials and fittings than any other historic merchant  

square-rigger in the United States. The Balclutha is a designated National  

Historic Landmark. At Hyde Street Pier.  

"Eureka." Explore this 1890 ferryboat with a 40-foot walking-beam  

engine. The boat once carried passengers and autos across the San Francisco  

Bay. At Hyde Street Pier. Daily, call for times of boat tour.  

"C.A. Thayer." A three-mast schooner used in the lumber and cod  

fishing trades. At Hyde Street Pier.  

"Alma." Between 1850 and the early 1900s, the best highways  

around the San Francisco Bay area were the waterways and the delivery trucks  

and tractortrailer rigs of the time were the flat-bottomed scow schooners.  

Able to navigate the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta region's shallow creeks,  

sloughs and channels, the scows' sturdy hulls could rest safely and securely  

on the bottom providing a flat, stable platform for loading and unloading.  

Made of inexpensive Douglas fir, scow's designs were so simple they could be  

built by eye or without plans.  

"Hercules." Tugs in the early part of the 20th century towed  

barges, sailing ships and log rafts between Pacific ports. Because prevailing  

north/west winds generally made travel up the coast by sail both difficult  

and circuitous, tugs often towed large sailing vessels to points north of San  

Francisco. In 1916 Hercules towed the C.A. Thayer to Port Townsend, Wash.,  

taking six days to make the trip. At the end of the sail era, the Hercules  

was acquired by the Western Pacific Railroad Company and shuttled railroad  

car barges back and forth across San Francisco Bay until 1962.  

"Eppleton Hall." Built in England, the steam side-wheeler plied  

the Wear and Tyne rivers of Northeast England. Designed to tow ocean-going  

colliers (coal-carrying sail vessels) the tugs saved transit time getting the  

sail vessels upriver to load. The side-wheelers were also used to tow newly  

built ships out to sea. From 1969 to 1979, the Eppleton Hall served as a  

private yacht. She was modified for an epic steam via the Panama Canal to San  

Francisco, passing through the Golden Gate in March of 1970.  

HISTORIC SHIP AT FISHERMAN'S WHARF --  

"USS Pampanito." This World-War-II-era submarine is berthed at  

Fisherman's Wharf. The submarine celebrated her 50th anniversary in November  

of 1993 and is perhaps best known for her participation in a "wolf pack''  

attack on a convoy of enemy ships during World War II. The entrance fee  

includes a taped audio tour that describes what life on this submarine was  

like. At Pier 45, near foot of Taylor Street. Monday through Thursday, Sunday  

and holidays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. $9  

general; $5 seniors, $4 active duty military, $4 youth ages 6 to 12; free  

children under age 6. (415) 775-1943.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Historic Ship Volunteer Work Party," Saturday, 9 a.m. Become  

part of an effort to preserve four of the park's nautical treasures. Work on  

a different ship each Saturday. Bring work clothes, work shoes and lunch.  

Call for meeting place. (415) 332-8409.  

Unless noted otherwise, events take place on the Hyde Street Pier,  

located at the foot of Hyde Street on Jefferson Street. 

EXHIBITS -- Current Exhibits at the Visitor Center:  

"What's Your Pleasure? Recreational Boats of California's Past,"  

openended. This exhibit includes 1940s Sacramento Hydroplanes, a Russian  

River launch from the 19th century, classic wooden motor launches and motor  

boats, and other smaller crafts.  

"Hydroplanes and Racing Boats," open-ended. A small exhibit  

showcasing 1930s racing engines and hydroplane boats.  

"Frisco Bound," an exhibition about immigration to San Francisco,  

clipper ships, and the Gold Rush era.  

"Hyde Street Ship Models," an exhibit of models of the historic  

ships at the Hyde Street Pier.  

"Discovery Room," a preview of the Maritime Library where  

visitors can look up documents and photographs.  

(415) 447-5000. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Adventures at Sea: Life Aboard a 19th century Sailing Ship,"  

Daily, 2:15 p.m.-3 p.m. Take a guided tour of the sailing ship  

Balclutha and learn about the hardships and awards of the sailors show fought  

for survival during the treacherous Cape Horn passage. Vessel admission. 

"Chantey Sing," Oct. 2, 8-12 a.m. Monthly sing along aboard a  

historic ship. Bring a mug for hot apple cider served from the ship's galley.  

Free; reservations required. Reservation line: (415) 561-7171. 

VISITOR CENTER -- 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Daily  

 

Entering the Pier is free but there is a fee to board the ships.  

The fee allows access to all ships and is good for seven days. $5; free  

children under age 16. May 28-Sept. 30: daily, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Oct. 1-May  

27: Daily, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Foot of Hyde Street, San Francisco. (415)  

561-7100, www.nps.gov. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND DESIGN A museum celebrating  

and promoting the art of contemporary craft and design. The museum showcases  

diverse exhibitions from regional, national and international artists,  

working in mediums such as wood, clay, fiber, metal and glass. 

EVENTS --  

$2-$4; free youths under age 18. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

550 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 773-0303, www.sfmcd.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Matisse and Beyond: The Painting and Sculpture Collection,"  

This newly reconceived exhibition of SFMOMA's modern art collection  

features paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the first 60 years of  

the 20th century. Featured artists include: Joseph Cornell, Ellsworth Kelly,  

Yves Klein, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Diego  

Rivera, Andy Warhol and Paul Klee.  

"Between Art and Life: The Contemporary Painting and Sculpture  

Collection," This new presentation of the SFMOMA collection  

features works from the past five decades by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Gober,  

Eva Hesse, Anish Kapoor, Sherrie Levine, Brice Marden, Gordon Matta-Clark,  

Barry McGee, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg and Kara Walker.  

"The Art of Design: Selections from the Permanent Collection of  

Architecture and Design," The exhibit will feature 100 selections  

from their architecture, graphic design and industrial design collections on  

a rotating basis. It features classic works plus new designs by up-andcoming  

artists.  

"Picturing Modernity: Photographs from the Permanent Collection,"  

Photography is possibly the quintessential modern art medium because  

its 160-year history corresponds almost exactly with Modernism's duration as  

a cultural movement. This exhibit looks at the photograph's unique pictorial  

ability and its ever-growing pervasiveness in modern culture, putting the  

medium in dialogue with paintings and other kinds of art.  

KORET VISITOR EDUCATION CENTER -- This facility includes  

multimedia display technology, "Pick Up and Go'' guides for adults and  

children, art videos, and a community art gallery created by participants in  

school, teen and family programs. Thursday, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and  

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Tony Labat's I Want You," The latest installment in the  

newly launched program series "Live Art at SFMOMA.'' The artist invites  

denizens of the Bay Area to make their own demands of the public which riffs  

on the iconic "I Want You'' army recruitment campaigns of World Wars I and  

II, he asks you what you would do if you had only one minute to seize the  

voice of authority, to be the finger-pointing Uncle Sam. 

Jesse Hazelip, through Nov. 13. Artists Gallery showcases the work  

of the Oakland-based artist.  

$7-$12.50; half price on Thursdays after 6 p.m.; free for all  

visitors on the first Tuesday of every month. Monday, Tuesday and Friday  

through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m. 151 Third St.,  

San Francisco. (415) 357-4000, www.sfmoma.org. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY AND MUSEUM  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Dance in California: 150 Years of Innovation," This  

permanent exhibit traces the history and artistic range of modern dance in  

California, with photographs and documents highlighting the achievements of  

Lola Montez, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, the Christensen  

brothers, the Peters Wright School, the company of Lester Horton, Anna  

Halprin and Lucas Hoving.  

"Maestro! Photographic Portraits by Tom Zimberoff," This  

permanent exhibit is a comprehensive study of a generation of national and  

international conductors. In Gallery 5.  

"San Francisco 1900: On Stage," In Gallery 4.  

"San Francisco in Song," In Gallery 3. 

Free. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1-5 p.m. San  

Francisco War Memorial Veteran's Building, 401 Van Ness Ave., Fourth Floor,  

San Francisco. (415) 255-4800, www.sfpalm.org. 

 

SEYMOUR PIONEER MUSEUM The museum, owned by The  

Society of California Pioneers, houses a permanent research library, art  

gallery and history museum. Exhibits include a photography collection  

documenting California history. 

$1-$3. Wednesday-Friday and the first Saturday of the month, 10  

a.m.-4 p.m. Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth St., San Francisco.  

(415) 957-1859, www.californiapioneers.org. 

 

TREGANZA ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY  

The museum, founded in 1968, houses collections of archaeological  

and ethnographic specimens from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and North America as  

well as small collections from Central and South America. There are also  

collections of photographs, tapes and phonograph records from Africa and  

Europe. In addition, there is an archive of field notes and other materials  

associated with the collections. The museum also houses the Hohenthal Gallery  

that is used for traveling exhibits as well as exhibits mounted by students  

and faculty. 

Free. Museum office: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.;  

Hohenthal Gallery, SCI 388: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Science  

Building, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. (415) 338-2467,  

www.sfsu.edu/~treganza/. 

 

ZEUM Zeum is a technology and arts museum for children and  

families featuring exhibits and workshops that cover a variety of fascinating  

subjects. 

EVENTS --  

$8-$10. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. 221 Fourth St., San  

Francisco. (415) 820-3220, www.zeum.org.


Kids-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:28:00 PM

"GOING 4 GREEN FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. A  

family-oriented street festival and celebration all about going green,  

featuring vendors, games, presentations, food, crafts and more. See website  

for complete details. Event takes place at Jack London Square, Oakland. 

www.goinggreenjls.com. 

"ROCKRIDGE OUT AND ABOUT STREET FESTIVAL," -- Sept. 26. A street  

festival featuring live music, fashion shows, kid's fun, wellness activities,  

food and drink, dancing and more. Event takes place on College Avenue between  

Alcatraz and Manila. 

Free.Noon-6 p.m.www.rockridgeoutandabout.com. 

 

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS  

"Kidsfaire," Sept. 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. One of California's largest  

children's events, featuring acres of fun with nonstop family entertainment  

including Clowntown, Sports City, and visits from Barney. See website for  

complete details. $5-$8. www.thekidsfaire.com. 

4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 426-7600,  

www.alamedacountyfair.com. 

 

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that  

dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a  

mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming  

techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with  

regular admission.  

ONGOING PROGRAMS --  

"Blacksmithing," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Watch a blacksmith turn iron into useful tools.  

"Horse-Drawn Train," Thursday, Friday and Sunday. A 20-minute  

ride departs from Ardenwood Station and Deer Park.  

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. Help slop the hogs,  

check the henhouse for eggs and bring hay to the livestock.  

"Victorian Flower Arranging," Thursday, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Watch as  

Ardenwood docents create floral works of art for display in the Patterson  

House.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Potato Harvesting," Learn the spectacular history of  

this New World native as you dig with your spade and help find the spuds. 

"Country Kitchen Cookin'," Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.  

Enjoy the flavor of the past with treats cooked on Ardenwood's wood burning  

stove. Sample food grown on the farm and discover the history of your  

favorite oldtime snacks. 

"Horse-Drawn Train Rides," Thursday, Friday and Sunday,  

10:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet Jigs or Tucker the Belgian Draft horses that pull  

Ardenwood's train. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at Ardenwood  

Station or Deer Park. 

"Toddler Time," Tuesdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Bring the tiny  

tots out for an exciting morning at the farm. Meet and learn all about a new  

animal friend through stories, chores and fun.  

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs,  

check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

$1-$5; free children under age 4. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont. (510) 796-0199, (510) 796-0663,  

www.ebparks.org. 

 

ASHKENAZ  

Alphabet Rockers, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. $4-$6.  

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com. 

 

BAY POINT LIBRARY  

"Monthly Craft Night," 4-5 p.m. Last Friday of every  

month. Each month features a different themed craft.  

Riverview Middle School, 205 Pacifica Ave., Pittsburg. (925)  

458-9597. 

 

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM  

AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM -- The museum's permanent exhibition of  

internationally renowned automobiles dated from 1897 to the 1980s. The cars  

are displayed as works of art with room to walk completely around each car to  

admire the workmanship. On long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution is  

a Long Steam Tricycle; an 1893-94 Duryea, the first Duryea built by the  

Duryea brothers; and a 1948 Tucker, number 39 of the 51 Tuckers built, which  

is a Model 48 "Torpedo'' four-door sedan.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"International Automotive Treasures," An ever-changing  

exhibit featuring over 90 automobiles.  

"A Journey on Common Ground," An exhibit of moving  

photographs, video and art objects from around the world exploring the causes  

of disability and the efforts of the Wheelchair Foundation to provide a  

wheelchair for every person in need who cannot afford one.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Free Public Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Docent-led guided  

tours of the museum's exhibitions. 

$5-$8; free for children ages 6 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10  

a.m.-5 p.m. 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. (925) 736-2280, (925)  

736-2277, www.blackhawkmuseum.org. 

 

CHABOT SPACE AND SCIENCE CENTER State-of-the-art facility  

unifying science education activities around astronomy. Enjoy interactive  

exhibits, hands-on activities, indoor stargazing, outdoor telescope viewing  

and films. 

 

Center Admission: $14.95; $10.95 children 3-12; free children  

under 3; $3 discount for seniors and students. Telescope viewing only: free.  

Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday,  

11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Also open on Tuesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. after June 29. 10000  

Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org. 

 

CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND A fairy tale theme park featuring more  

than 30 colorful fantasy sets. Designed especially for children ages 10 and  

under, there are gentle rides, a train, the "Peter Rabbit Village,'' puppet  

shows, story-telling and lots of slides and animals. Admission price includes  

unlimited rides, special shows, guest entertainers and puppet shows.  

OLD WEST JUNCTION -- Children's Fairyland's newest attraction is a  

Wild West-themed town sized just for children, with a livery stable, bank,  

jail and a water tower slide.  

PUPPET SHOWS -- Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.  

All shows are at the Open Storybook Theatre. Free with regular Fairyland  

admission.  

ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER -- Activities on Saturday and Sunday, noon  

to 3 p.m.  

ANIMAL OF THE DAY -- Saturday and Sunday, 1-1:20 p.m. at the  

Humpty Dumpty Wall. Learn about one of Fairyland's animal friends. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Arts and Crafts," Noon-3 p.m. Event features arts and  

crafts projects for children and their families. $6. 

"Animal of the Day!" Saturdays and Sundays, 1-1:20 p.m.  

Come up close and learn about Fairyland's creatures. 

$6; free for children under age 1; $2 for a Magic Key. No adult  

admitted without a child and no child admitted without an adult. Summer (June  

through Labor Day): Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and  

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fall and Spring: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.  

to 4 p.m.; Winter: Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CLOSED DEC.  

25-JAN. 4. 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-2259, www.fairyland.org. 

 

CRAB COVE VISITOR CENTER At Crab Cove, you can see live  

underwater creatures and go into the San Francisco Bay from land. You can  

also travel back in time to Alameda's part. The goal is to increase  

understanding of the environmental importance of San Francisco Bay and the  

ocean ecosystem. Crab Cove's Indoor Aquarium and Exhibit Lab is one of the  

largest indoor aquariums in the East Bay. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Sea Siblings," Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Explore  

the natural world and take part in a theme related craft. Designed for the  

3-5 year old learner. Registration is required. $4. (888) 327-2757. 

"Sea Squirts," 10-11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  

Discover the wonders of nature with your little one. Registration is  

required. $6-$8. 

"Catch of the Day," Sundays, 2-3 p.m. Drop by to find  

out more about the Bay and its wildlife through guided exploration and  

hands-on fun. 

Free unless otherwise noted; parking fee may be charged. 1252  

McKay Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-6887, www.ebparks.org. 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in  

the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the  

37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron  

Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped  

gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available  

yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the  

public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the  

grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday  

of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11  

a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland.  

(510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org. 

 

FOREST HOME FARMS The 16-acre former farm of the Boone  

family is now a municipal historic park in San Ramon. It is located at the  

base of the East Bay Hills and is divided into two parts by Oak Creek. The  

Boone House is a 22-room Dutch colonial that has been remodeled several times  

since it was built in 1900. Also on the property are a barn built in the  

period from 1850 to 1860; the Victorian-style David Glass House, dating from  

the late 1860s to early 1870s; a storage structure for farm equipment and  

automobiles; and a walnut processing plant. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Public tours available by  

appointment. 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon. (925) 973-3281,  

www.ci.sanramon. ca.us/parks/boone.htm. 

 

HABITOT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM A museum especially for children ages  

7 and under. Highlights include "WaterWorks,'' an area with some unusual  

water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a  

child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior  

thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Waterworks." A water play gallery with rivers, a pumping station  

and a water table, designed to teach about water.  

"Little Town Grocery and Cafe." Designed to create the ambience  

of shopping in a grocery store and eating in a restaurant.  

"Infant-Toddler Garden." A picket fence gated indoor area, which  

includes a carrot patch with wooden carrots to be harvested, a pretend pond  

and a butterfly mobile to introduce youngsters to the concept of food,  

gardening and agriculture.  

"Dramatic Arts Stage." Settings, backdrops and costumes coincide  

with seasonal events and holidays. Children can exercise their dramatic flair  

here.  

"Wiggle Wall." The floor-to-ceiling "underground'' tunnels give  

children a worm's eye view of the world. The tunnels are laced with net  

covered openings and giant optic lenses. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITS --  

$6-$7. Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday and  

Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Closed Sunday-Tuesday. 2065 Kittredge St.,  

Berkeley. (510) 647-1111, www.habitot.org. 

 

HALL OF HEALTH A community health-education museum and  

science center promoting wellness and individual responsibility for health.  

There are hands-on exhibits that teach about the workings of the human body,  

the value of a healthy diet and exercise, and the destructive effects of  

smoking and drug abuse. "Kids on the Block'' puppet shows, which use puppets  

from diverse cultures to teach about and promote acceptance of conditions  

such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, leukemia, blindness, arthritis and  

spina bifida, are available by request for community events and groups  

visiting the Hall on Saturdays.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"This Is Your Heart!" An interactive exhibit on heart  

health.  

"Good Nutrition," This exhibit includes models for  

making balanced meals and an Exercycle for calculating how calories are  

burned.  

"Draw Your Own Insides," Human-shaped chalkboards and  

models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their  

bodies.  

"Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention," An exhibit  

on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent  

cancer. 

Suggested $3 donation; free for children under age 3.  

Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510)  

549-1564, www.hallofhealth.org. 

 

HAYWARD SHORELINE INTERPRETIVE CENTER Perched on stilts above a  

salt marsh, the Center offers an introduction to the San Francisco  

Bay-Estuary. It features exhibits, programs and activities designed to  

inspire a sense of appreciation, respect and stewardship for the Bay, its  

inhabitants and the services they provide. The Habitat Room offers a preview  

of what may be seen outside. The 80-gallon Bay Tank contains some of the fish  

that live in the Bay's open waters, and the Channel Tank represents habitats  

formed by the maze of sloughs and creeks that snake through the marsh. The  

main room of the Center features rotating exhibits about area history, plants  

and wildlife. Part of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Exploring Nature," An exhibit of Shawn Gould's  

illustrations featuring images of the natural world. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Join  

an expert birder to go "behind the gates'' to areas of the marsh that are not  

open to the public. 

"Nature Detectives," 11 a.m.-noon. An introduction and  

exploration of the world of Black-Crowned Night-Herons. Ages 3-5 and their  

caregivers. Registration required. 

"Weekend Weed Warriors," 1-4 p.m. Help the shoreline to  

eliminate the non-native plants that threaten its diversity. Ages 12 and  

older. Registration required. 

Free. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4901 Breakwater Ave.,  

Hayward. (510) 670-7270, www.hard.dst.ca.us/hayshore.html. 

 

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE EAST BAY  

"Shabbat Celebration for Young Children," Saturday,  

10:30 a.m.-noon. Join other families with young children to sharethis weekly  

Jewish holiday of joy and renewal.  

1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. (510) 848-0237,  

http://www.jcceastbay.org/. 

 

JUNIOR CENTER OF ART AND SCIENCE A center dedicated to  

encouraging children's active wonder and creative response through artistic  

and scientific exploration of their natural urban environment. The center's  

classes, workshops, exhibits and events integrate art and science.  

EXHIBITS -- Three educational exhibits are mounted in the  

"Children's Gallery'' each year. A docent-led tour, demonstrations, hands-on  

activities and art projects are available to school groups throughout the  

year.  

"Jake's Discovery Garden," Jake's Discovery Garden is a  

new interactive studio exhibit designed for preschool-aged children and their  

adult caregivers that teaches young visitors about the natural environments  

found in their backyards, playgrounds and neighborhoods. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

Free; programs and special exhibits have a fee. September through  

May: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  

June through August: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 558  

Bellevue Ave., Oakland. (510) 839-5777, www.juniorcenter.org. 

 

LAKE CHABOT REGIONAL PARK The 315-acre lake offers  

year-round recreation. Services include canoe and boat rental, horseshoe  

pits, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and seasonal tours aboard the Chabot  

Queen. For boat rentals, call (510) 247-2526. 

Free unless noted otherwise; $5 parking; $2 per dog except  

guide/service dogs. Daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 17930 Lake Chabot Road, Castro  

Valley. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"NanoZone," Discover the science of the super-small:  

nanotechnology. Through hands-on activities and games, explore this  

microworld and the scientific discoveries made in this area.  

"Forces That Shape the Bay," A science park that shows  

and explains why the San Francisco Bay is the way it is, with information on  

water, erosion, plate tectonics and mountain building. You can ride  

earthquake simulators, set erosion in motion and look far out into the bay  

with a powerful telescope from 1,100 feet above sea level. The center of the  

exhibit is a waterfall that demonstrates how water flows from the Sierra  

Nevada Mountains to the Bay. Visitors can control where the water goes. There  

are also hands-on erosion tables, and a 40-foot-long, 6-foothigh, rock  

compression wall.  

"Real Astronomy Experience," A new  

exhibit-in-development allowing visitors to use the tools that real  

astronomers use. Aim a telescope at a virtual sky and operate a  

remote-controlled telescope to measure a planet.  

"Biology Lab," In the renovated Biology Lab visitors may  

hold and observe gentle animals. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 1:30 p.m. to  

4 p.m.  

"The Idea Lab," Experiment with some of the basics of  

math, science and technology through hands-on activities and demonstrations  

of magnets, spinning and flying, puzzles and nanotechnology.  

"Math Around the World," Play some of the world's most  

popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," Use simple and colorful objects to  

complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting,  

comparing, weighing and counting.  

 

HOLT PLANETARIUM Shows on Saturdays and Sundays.  

Programs recommended for ages 6 and up unless otherwise noted. $2.50-$3 in  

addition to general admission.  

$6-$12; free children ages 2 and under. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

University of California, Centennial Drive, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132,  

www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife  

rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned  

animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum  

offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals  

to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum  

includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent  

exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild  

animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital  

complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory  

facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping  

and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The  

hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned  

animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there  

are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. June 16-Sept. 15: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

Wed.-Sun.; Sept. 16-June 15: noon.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.  

1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org. 

 

MUSEUM OF CHILDREN'S ART A museum of art for and by children,  

with activities for children to participate in making their own art.  

ART CAMPS -- Hands-on activities and engaging curriculum for  

children of different ages, led by professional artists and staff. $60 per  

day.  

CLASSES -- A Sunday series of classes for children ages 8 to 12,  

led by Mocha artists. Sundays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

OPEN STUDIOS -- Drop-in art play activities with new themes each  

week.  

"Big Studio." Guided art projects for children age 6 and older  

with a Mocha artist. Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. $5.  

"Little Studio." A hands-on experience that lets young artists  

age 18 months to 5 years see, touch and manipulate a variety of media.  

Children can get messy. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5.  

"Family Weekend Studios." Drop-in art activities for the whole  

family. All ages welcome. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. $5 per child.  

FAMILY EXTRAVAGANZAS -- Special weekend workshops for the entire  

family.  

"Sunday Workshops with Illustrators," Sundays, 1 p.m. See the  

artwork and meet the artists who create children's book illustrations. Free. 

EVENTS --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For children ages 2-5. Free. 

SPECIAL EVENT --  

"Saturday Stories," 1 p.m. For ages 2-5. Free. 

Free gallery admission. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;  

Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 538 Ninth St., Oakland. (510) 465-8770,  

www.mocha.org. 

 

OAKLAND ZOO The zoo includes a Children's Petting Zoo, the  

Skyride, a miniature train, a carousel, picnic grounds and a gift shop as  

well as the animals in site specific exhibits, which allow them to roam  

freely. Included are "The African Savanna,'' with its two huge mixed-animal  

aviaries and 11 African Savanna exhibits; the Mahali Pa Tembo (Place of the  

Elephant), with giraffes, chimpanzees and more than 330 other animals from  

around the world; "Simba Pori,'' Swahili for "Lion Country,'' a spacious  

1.5-acre habitat offering both a savanna and woodland setting for African  

lions; "Footprints from the Past,'' an anthropology exhibit showcasing four  

million years of human evolution and an actual "footpath'' of the first  

hominids to emerge from the African savanna; "Sun Bear Exhibit,'' a  

stateof-the-art space the zoo has developed for its two sun bears; and  

Siamang Island, a state-of-the-art, barrier-free area that emulates the  

gibbons' native tropical rain forest habitat. Also see the Malayan Fruit Bats  

from the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Florida that are now roosting in trees at  

the zoo. In addition there are special exhibits and events monthly.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," The three-acre attraction  

offers a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The  

exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and  

more. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

"Endangered Species," An exhibit of photographs about  

the most endangered animals on the Earth and what can be done to save them.  

At the Education Center. Open daily during zoo hours. ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The  

three-acre attraction will offer a completely interactive experience for both  

children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters,  

reptiles, insects and more. Free with regular Zoo admission.  

"Wildlife Theater," Saturday, 11:45 a.m.; Sunday, 1:45  

p.m. On Saturday mornings listen to a story and meet a live animal. On Sunday  

afternoon meet live animals and learn cool facts about them. Meet in the  

Lobby of the Zoo's Maddie's Center for Science and Environmental Education.  

Free with regular Zoo admission. (510) 632-9525, ext. 142. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Bedtime with the Beasts," through Sept. 19 and Sept. 25 through  

Sept. 26, 7 p.m.-9 a.m. An overnight program for youth (ages 6-18) and their  

chaperones. An Oakland Zoo education specialist will lead your group on an  

evening hike around the zoo where you'll get to see what the zoo is like  

after all of the guests leave. Program includes an optional educational  

wildlife video and continental breakfast. $60 per person; Minimum group size  

15, pre-registration required. (510) 632-9525. 

$7.50-11; free children under age 2; $6 parking fee. Daily, 10  

a.m.-4 p.m. Knowland Park, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. (510) 632-9525,  

www.oaklandzoo.org. 

 

POINT PINOLE REGIONAL SHORELINE The 2,315-acre  

parkland bordering Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo offers views of Mount  

Tamalpais, the Marin shoreline and San Pablo Bay. There are trails through  

meadows and woods, and along the bluffs and beaches of San Pablo Bay.  

Visitors can hike, ride bikes or take the park's shuttle bus to reach the  

1,250-foot fishing pier at Point Pinole. 

$5 per vehicle; $4 per trailered vehicle; $2 per dog  

(guide/service dogs free). Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted.  

Giant Highway, Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

ROBERT SIBLEY VOLCANIC REGIONAL PRESERVE East Bay  

residents have several volcanoes in their backyard. This park contains Round  

Top, one of the highest peaks in the Oakland Hills. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 6800 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

SHADOW CLIFFS REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 296-acre  

park includes an 80-acre lake and a four-flume waterslide, with picnic  

grounds and a swimming beach. Water slide fees and hours: (925) 829-6230. 

$6 per vehicle; $2 per dog except guide and service dogs. May 1  

through Labor Day: daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; shortened hours for fall and  

winter. Stanley Boulevard, one mile from downtown, Pleasanton. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

SULPHUR CREEK NATURE CENTER A wildlife rehabilitation and  

education facility where injured and orphaned local wild creatures are  

rehabilitated and released when possible. There is also a lending library of  

animals such as guinea pigs, rats, mice and more. The lending fee is $8 per  

week.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Toddler Time," Learn about animals by listening to  

stories and exploring. Themes vary by month. Call for schedule. $7 per  

family.  

"Day on the Green Animal Presentations," Meet an  

assortment of wild and domestic animals. Wildlife volunteers will present a  

different animal each day from possums to snakes, tortoises to hawks.  

Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 

CHILDREN'S EVENTS --  

Free. Park: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Discovery Center:  

Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Animal Lending Library: Saturday-Sunday,  

10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1801  

D St., Hayward. (510) 881-6747, www.haywardrec.org/sulphur_creek.html. 

 

USS HORNET MUSEUM Come aboard this World War II aircraft  

carrier that has been converted into a floating museum. The Hornet, launched  

in 1943, is 899 feet long and 27 stories high. During World War II she was  

never hit by an enemy strike or plane and holds the Navy record for number of  

enemy planes shot down in a week. In 1969 the Hornet recovered the Apollo 11  

space capsule containing the first men to walk on the moon, and later  

recovered Apollo 12. In 1991 the Hornet was designated a National Historic  

Landmark and is now docked at the same pier she sailed from in 1944. Today,  

visitors can tour the massive ship, view World War II-era warplanes and  

experience a simulated aircraft launch from the carrier's deck. Exhibits are  

being added on an ongoing basis. Allow two to three hours for a visit. Wear  

comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steep stairs or ladders. Dress in  

layers as the ship can be cold. Arrive no later than 2 p.m. to sign up for  

the engine room and other docent-led tours. Children under age 12 are not  

allowed in the Engine Room or the Combat Information Center.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Limited Access Day," Due to ship maintenance, tours of  

the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," A former Landing Signal Officer will  

show children how to bring in a fighter plane for a landing on the deck then  

let them try the signals themselves. Times vary. Free with regular Museum  

admission.  

"Protestant Divine Services," Hornet chaplain John  

Berger conducts church services aboard The Hornet in the Wardroom Lounge.  

Everyone is welcome and refreshments are served immediately following the  

service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 

"Family Day," Discounted admission for families of four  

with a further discount for additional family members. Access to some of the  

areas may be limited due to ship maintenance. Every Tuesday. $20 for family  

of four; $5 for each additional family member. 

"Flashlight Tour," 8:30 a.m. Receive a special tour of  

areas aboard the ship that have not yet been opened to the public or that  

have limited access during the day. $30-$35 per person. 

"History Mystery After Hours Tour," 7 p.m.-10 p.m.  

Explore the USS Hornet after hours and learn the history of this ship while  

it is illuminated in red lights used for "night ops." Also, hear stories  

about the ships' legendary haunts. Reservations required. (510) 521-8448  

X282. 

$6-$14; free children age 4 and under with a paying adult. Daily,  

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pier 3 (enter on Atlantic Avenue), Alameda Point, Alameda.  

(510) 521-8448, www.uss-hornet.org. 

 

WATERWORLD CALIFORNA

$19.95-$31.95 General Admission; Season pass: $39.99-$59.99. Park  

closes in October and reopens in May. 1950 Waterworld Parkway,, Concord.  

(925) 609-1364, www.waterworldcalifornia.com.


Dance-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:22:00 PM

"DANCING AT THE DISTILLERY," -- Oct. 2. A funky dance party at  

St. George Spirits, makers of Hangar 1 Vodka, with live music from Jazz Mafia  

and other DJs. Event takes place at 2601 Monarch St., Alameda. A benefit for  

the Kala Art Institute. 

$45-$55.8-11 p.m.www.kala.org. 

 

ELKS LODGE, ALAMEDA  

"All You Can Dance Sunday Socials," Sunday, 4-6 p.m.  

Marilyn Bowe and Robert Henneg presents monthly socials with ballroom, swing,  

Latin and rock & roll themes. www.dancewithme.info. 

2255 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. (510) 864-2256. 

 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW For ages 21 and older. 

"Live Salsa," Wednesdays. An evening of dancing to the  

music of a live salsa band. Salsa dance lessons from 8-9:30 p.m. $5-$10.  

2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159,  

www.shattuckdownlow.com. 

 

SOLAD DANCE CENTER  

"Persian Dance," Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 and 10  

p.m. Rosa Rojas offers traditional dance classes. $10.  

Citrus Marketplace, 2260 Oak Grove Rd., Walnut Creek. (925)  

938-3300. 

 

STARRY PLOUGH PUB  

"Ceili and Dance," Traditional Irish music and dance.  

The evening begins with a dance lesson at 7 p.m. followed by music at 9 p.m.  

Mondays, 7 p.m. Free.  

For ages 21 and over unless otherwise noted. Sunday and Wednesday,  

8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck  

Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082, www.starryploughpub.com.


Outdoors-East Bay Through October 3

Tuesday September 21, 2010 - 02:17:00 PM

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that  

dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a  

mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming  

techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with  

regular admission.  

ONGOING PROGRAMS --  

"Blacksmithing," Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Watch a blacksmith turn iron into useful tools.  

"Horse-Drawn Train," Thursday, Friday and Sunday. A 20-minute  

ride departs from Ardenwood Station and Deer Park.  

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. Help slop the hogs,  

check the henhouse for eggs and bring hay to the livestock.  

"Victorian Flower Arranging," Thursday, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Watch as  

Ardenwood docents create floral works of art for display in the Patterson  

House.  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Toddler Time," Tuesdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Bring the tiny  

tots out for an exciting morning at the farm. Meet and learn all about a new  

animal friend through stories, chores and fun.  

"Horse-Drawn Train Rides," Thursday, Friday and Sunday,  

10:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet Jigs or Tucker the Belgian Draft horses that pull  

Ardenwood's train. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at Ardenwood  

Station or Deer Park. 

"Country Kitchen Cookin'," Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.  

Enjoy the flavor of the past with treats cooked on Ardenwood's wood burning  

stove. Sample food grown on the farm and discover the history of your  

favorite oldtime snacks. 

"Animal Feeding," Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs,  

check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

"Potato Harvesting," Learn the spectacular history of  

this New World native as you dig with your spade and help find the spuds. 

$1-$5; free children under age 4. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont. (510) 796-0199, (510) 796-0663,  

www.ebparks.org. 

 

BAY AREA RAIL TRAILS A network of trails converted  

from unused railway corridors and developed by the Rails to Trails  

Conservancy.  

BLACK DIAMOND MINES REGIONAL PRESERVE RAILROAD BED TRAIL --  

This easy one mile long rail trail on Mount Diablo leads to many  

historic sites within the preserve. Suitable for walking, horseback riding,  

and mountain biking. Accessible year round but may be muddy during the rainy  

season. Enter from the Park Entrance Station parking lot on the East side of  

Somersville Road, Antioch.  

IRON HORSE REGIONAL TRAIL -- The paved trail has grown  

into a 23 mile path between Concord and San Ramon with a link into Dublin.  

The trail runs from the north end of Monument Boulevard at Mohr Lane, east to  

Interstate 680, in Concord through Walnut Creek to just south of Village  

Green Park in San Ramon. It will eventually extend from Suisun Bay to  

Pleasanton and has been nominated as a Community Millennium Trail under the  

U.S. Millennium Trails program. A smooth shaded trail suitable for walkers,  

cyclists, skaters and strollers. It is also wheelchair accessible.  

Difficulty: easy to moderate in small chunks; hard if taken as a whole.  

LAFAYETTE/MORAGA REGIONAL TRAIL -- A 7.65 mile paved  

trail converted from the Sacramento Northern Rail line. This 20-year old  

trail goes along Las Trampas Creek and parallels St. Mary's Road. Suitable  

for walkers, equestrians, and cyclists. Runs from Olympic Boulevard and  

Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette to Moraga. The trail can be used year round.  

OHLONE GREENWAY -- A 3.75-mile paved trail converted from  

the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway. Suitable for walkers, strollers  

and skaters. It is also wheelchair accessible. The trail runs under elevated  

BART tracks from Conlon and Key Streets in El Cerrito to Virginia and Acton  

Streets in Berkeley.  

SHEPHERD CANYON TRAIL -- An easy 3-mile paved trail  

converted from the Sacramento Northern Rail Line. The tree-lined trail is  

gently sloping and generally follows Shepherd Canyon Road. Suitable for  

walkers and cyclists. It is also wheelchair accessible. Begins in Montclair  

Village behind McCaulou's Department Store on Medau Place and ends at Paso  

Robles Drive, Oakland. Useable year round. 

Free. (415) 397-2220, www.traillink.com. 

 

BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL The Bay Area Ridge Trail, when  

completed, will be a 400-mile regional trail system that will form a loop  

around the entire San Francisco Bay region, linking 75 public parks and open  

spaces to thousands of people and hundreds of communities. Hikes on portions  

of the trail are available through the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Call for  

meeting sites.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

ALAMEDA COUNTY -- "Lake Chabot Bike Rides." These rides are for  

strong beginners and intermediates to build skill, strength and endurance at  

a non hammerhead pace. No one will be dropped. Reservations required.  

Distance: 14 miles. Elevation gain: 1,000 feet. Difficulty: beginner to  

intermediate. Pace: moderate. Meeting place: Lake Chabot Road at the main  

entrance to the park. Thursday, 6:15 a.m. (510) 468-3582.  

ALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA COUNTY -- "Tilden and Wildcat Bike Rides." A  

vigorous ride through Tilden and Wildcat Canyon regional parks. Reservations  

required. Distance: 15 miles. Elevation gain: 2,000 feet. Difficulty:  

intermediate. Pace: fast. Meeting place: in front of the North Berkeley BART  

Station. Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. (510) 849-9650. 

Free. (415) 561-2595, www.ridgetrail.org. 

 

BICYCLE TRAILS COUNCIL OF THE EAST BAY The Council  

sponsors trail work days, Youth Bike Adventure Rides, and Group Rides as well  

as Mountain Bike Basics classes which cover training and handling skills.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Weekly Wednesday Ride at Lake Chabot," Wednesdays, 6:30  

p.m. A 13- to 20-mile ride exploring the trails around Lake Chabot, with  

1,500 to 2,000 feet of climbing. Meet at 6:15 p.m. in the parking lot across  

from the public safety offices at Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. Reservations  

requested. (510) 727-0613.  

"Weekly Wednesday 'Outer' East Bay Ride," Wednesdays,  

5:30 p.m. Ride some of the outer East Bay parks each week, such as Wild Cat  

Canyon, Briones, Mount Diablo, Tilden and Joaquin Miller-Redwood. Meeting  

place and ride location vary. Reservations required. (510) 888-9757. 

Free. (510) 466-5123, www.btceb.org. 

 

BOTANIC GARDEN  

EVENTS --  

Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive, Tilden  

Regional Park, Berkeley. www.ebparks.org. 

 

CRAB COVE VISITOR CENTER At Crab Cove, you can see live  

underwater creatures and go into the San Francisco Bay from land. You can  

also travel back in time to Alameda's part. The goal is to increase  

understanding of the environmental importance of San Francisco Bay and the  

ocean ecosystem. Crab Cove's Indoor Aquarium and Exhibit Lab is one of the  

largest indoor aquariums in the East Bay. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Catch of the Day," Sundays, 2-3 p.m. Drop by to find  

out more about the Bay and its wildlife through guided exploration and  

hands-on fun. 

"Sea Siblings," Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Explore  

the natural world and take part in a theme related craft. Designed for the  

3-5 year old learner. Registration is required. $4. (888) 327-2757. 

"Sea Squirts," 10-11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  

Discover the wonders of nature with your little one. Registration is  

required. $6-$8. 

Free unless otherwise noted; parking fee may be charged. 1252  

McKay Ave., Alameda. (510) 521-6887, www.ebparks.org. 

 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE Nestled in  

the Oakland hills, the 50-acre Dunsmuir House and Gardens estate includes the  

37-room Neoclassical Revival Dunsmuir Mansion, built by coal and lumber baron  

Alexander Dunsmuir for his bride. Restored outbuildings set amid landscaped  

gardens surround the mansion.  

ESTATE GROUNDS -- Self-Guided Grounds Tours are available  

yearround. The 50 acres of gardens and grounds at the mansion are open to the  

public for walking Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Booklets and maps of the  

grounds are available at the Dinkelspiel House. Free.  

GUIDED TOURS -- Docent-led tours are available on the first Sunday  

of each month at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (except for July) and Wednesdays at 11  

a.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors and juniors (11-16), children 11 and under free. 

Dunsmuir House and Gardens, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland.  

(510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org. 

 

FIFTY-PLUS ADVENTURE WALKS AND RUNS The walks and runs  

are 3-mile round-trips, lasting about one hour on the trail. All levels of  

ability are welcome. The walks are brisk, however, and may include some  

uphill terrain. Events are held rain or shine and on all holidays except  

Christmas and the Fifty-Plus Annual Fitness Weekend. Call for dates, times  

and details. 

Free. (650) 323-6160, www.50plus.org. 

 

FOREST HOME FARMS The 16-acre former farm of the Boone  

family is now a municipal historic park in San Ramon. It is located at the  

base of the East Bay Hills and is divided into two parts by Oak Creek. The  

Boone House is a 22-room Dutch colonial that has been remodeled several times  

since it was built in 1900. Also on the property are a barn built in the  

period from 1850 to 1860; the Victorian-style David Glass House, dating from  

the late 1860s to early 1870s; a storage structure for farm equipment and  

automobiles; and a walnut processing plant. 

Free unless otherwise noted. Public tours available by  

appointment. 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon. (925) 973-3281,  

www.ci.sanramon. ca.us/parks/boone.htm. 

 

GARIN AND DRY CREEK PIONEER REGIONAL PARKS Independent  

nature study is encouraged here, and guided interpretive programs are  

available through the Coyote Hills Regional Park Visitor Center in Fremont.  

The Garin Barn Visitor Center is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to  

4:30 p.m. In late summer, the Garin Apple Festival celebrates Garin's apple  

orchards. The parks also allow picnicking, hiking, horseback riding and  

fishing. 

Free; $5 parking fee per vehicle; $2 per dog. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10  

p.m. 1320 Garin Ave., Hayward. (510) 562-PARK, (510) 795-9385,  

www.ebparks.org/parks/garin.htm. 

 

GREENBELT ALLIANCE OUTINGS A series of hikes, bike rides and  

events sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance, the Bay Area's non-profit land  

conservation and urban planning organization. Call for meeting places.  

Reservations required for all trips.  

ALAMEDA COUNTY --  

"Self-Guided Urban Outing: Berkeley," This interactive  

smart growth walking tour of central Berkeley examines some of the exciting  

projects that help alleviate the housing shortage in the city as well as  

amenities important to making a livable community. The walk, which includes  

the GAIA Cultural Center, Allston Oak Court, The Berkeley Bike Station,  

University Terrace and Strawberry Creek Park, takes between an hour-and-ahalf  

to two hours at a leisurely pace. Download the itinerary which gives specific  

directions by entering www.greeenbelt.org and clicking on "get involved'' and  

then "urban outings.'' Drop down and click on Berkeley. Free. 

Free unless otherwise noted. (415) 255-3233, www.greenbelt.org. 

 

HAYWARD REGIONAL SHORELINE With 1,682 acres of salt, fresh and  

brackish water marshes, seasonal wetlands and the approximately three-mile  

San Lorenzo Trail, the Hayward Shoreline restoration project is one of the  

largest of its kind on the West Coast, comprising 400 acres of marshland.  

Part of the East Bay Regional Park District. 

EVENTS --  

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 3010 W. Winton Ave., Hayward. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org/parks/hayward.htm. 

 

HAYWARD SHORELINE INTERPRETIVE CENTER Perched on stilts above a  

salt marsh, the Center offers an introduction to the San Francisco  

Bay-Estuary. It features exhibits, programs and activities designed to  

inspire a sense of appreciation, respect and stewardship for the Bay, its  

inhabitants and the services they provide. The Habitat Room offers a preview  

of what may be seen outside. The 80-gallon Bay Tank contains some of the fish  

that live in the Bay's open waters, and the Channel Tank represents habitats  

formed by the maze of sloughs and creeks that snake through the marsh. The  

main room of the Center features rotating exhibits about area history, plants  

and wildlife. Part of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.  

ONGOING EXHIBIT --  

"Exploring Nature," An exhibit of Shawn Gould's  

illustrations featuring images of the natural world. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Nature Detectives," 11 a.m.-noon. An introduction and  

exploration of the world of Black-Crowned Night-Herons. Ages 3-5 and their  

caregivers. Registration required. 

"Weekend Weed Warriors," 1-4 p.m. Help the shoreline to  

eliminate the non-native plants that threaten its diversity. Ages 12 and  

older. Registration required. 

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Join  

an expert birder to go "behind the gates'' to areas of the marsh that are not  

open to the public. 

Free. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4901 Breakwater Ave.,  

Hayward. (510) 670-7270, www.hard.dst.ca.us/hayshore.html. 

 

JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE The site preserves the 1882  

Muir House, a 17-room Victorian mansion where naturalist John Muir lived from  

1890 to his death in 1914. It was here that Muir wrote about preserving  

America's wilderness and helped create the national parks idea for the United  

States. The house is situated on a hill overlooking the City of Martinez and  

surrounded by nine acres of vineyards and orchards. Take a self-guided tour  

of this well-known Scottish naturalist's home. Also part of the site is the  

historic Martinez Adobe and Mount Wanda.  

ONGOING EVENT --  

Public Tours of the John Muir House, Begin with an  

eight-minute park film and then take the tour. The film runs every 15 minutes  

throughout the day. Wednesday through Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1  

p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.  

MOUNT WANDA -- The mountain consists of 325 acres of grass and oak  

woodland historically owned by the Muir family. It offers a nature trail and  

several fire trails for hiking. Open daily, sunrise to sunset. 

JOHN MUIR HOUSE, Tours of this well-known Scottish  

naturalist's home are available. The house, built in 1882, is a 14-room  

Victorian home situated on a hill overlooking the city of Martinez and  

surrounded by nine acres of vineyards and orchards. It was here that Muir  

wrote about preserving America's wilderness and helped create the national  

parks idea for the United States. The park also includes the historic Vicente  

Martinez Adobe, built in 1849. An eight-minute film about Muir and the site  

is shown every 15 minutes throughout the day at the Visitor Center. Self  

guided tours of the Muir home, the surrounding orchards, and the Martinez  

Adobe: Wednesday-Sunday, 1 a.m.-5 p.m. Public tours or the first floor of the  

Muir home: Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.  

Reservations not required except for large groups.  

$3 general; free children ages 16 and under. Wednesday-Sunday, 10  

a.m.-5 p.m. 4202 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-8860, www.nps.gov/jomu. 

 

KENNEDY GROVE REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 95-acre  

park contains picnic areas, horseshoe pits and volleyball courts among its  

grove of aromatic eucalyptus trees.  

$5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs Through  

September: daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante. (510)  

223-7840, www.ebparks.org. 

 

LAKE CHABOT REGIONAL PARK The 315-acre lake offers  

year-round recreation. Services include canoe and boat rental, horseshoe  

pits, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and seasonal tours aboard the Chabot  

Queen. For boat rentals, call (510) 247-2526. 

Free unless noted otherwise; $5 parking; $2 per dog except  

guide/service dogs. Daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 17930 Lake Chabot Road, Castro  

Valley. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM This is the oldest and largest wildlife  

rehabilitation center in America, taking in 6,000 injured and orphaned  

animals yearly and returning 40 percent of them to the wild. The museum  

offers a wide range of educational programs using non-releasable wild animals  

to teach children and adults respect for the balance of nature. The museum  

includes a state-of-the art wildlife hospital which features a permanent  

exhibit, titled "Living with Nature,'' which houses 75 non-releasable wild  

animals in learning environments; a 5,000-square-foot Wildlife Hospital  

complete with treatment rooms, intensive care, quarantine and laboratory  

facilities; a 1-acre Nature Garden featuring the region's native landscaping  

and wildlife; and an "Especially For Children'' exhibit.  

WILDLIFE HOSPITAL -- September-March: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The  

hospital is open daily including holidays to receive injured and orphaned  

animals. There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals and there  

are no public viewing areas in the hospital. 

EXHIBITS --  

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

$5-$7; free children under age 2. June 16-Sept. 15: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  

Wed.-Sun.; Sept. 16-June 15: noon.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.  

1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org. 

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SHORELINE This 1,200-acre park  

situated near Oakland International Airport offers picnic areas with  

barbecues and a boat launch ramp. Swimming is not allowed. The Martin Luther  

King Jr. Memorial Grove, a group of trees surrounding a grassy glade, is at  

the intersection of Doolittle Drive and Swan Way. The area also includes the  

50-acre Arrowhead Marsh (part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve  

Network) and a Roger Berry sculpture titled "Duplex Cone,'' which traces the  

summer and winter solstice paths of the sun through the sky. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted Doolittle  

Drive and Swan Way, Oakland. (510) 562-PARK, Picnic reservations: (510)  

636-1684, www.ebayparks.org. 

 

MILLER-KNOX REGIONAL SHORELINE A 295-acre shoreline  

picnic area with a secluded cove and swimming beach, and a hilltop offering  

panoramic views of the north Bay Area. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted. 900  

Dornan Dr., Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, Picnic Reservations: (510) 636-1684,  

www.ebparks.org. 

 

MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK The 3,849-foot summit of Mount  

Diablo offers great views of the Bay Area and an extensive trail system.  

Visitors to the park can hike, bike, ride on horseback and camp. Notable park  

attractions include: The Fire Interpretive Trail, Rock City, Boy Scout Rocks  

and Sentinel Rock, Fossil Ridge, Deer Flat, Mitchell Canyon Staging Area,  

Diablo Valley Overlook, the Summit Visitor Center (open Wednesday through  

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), the Art Gallery, the Observation Deck and the  

Mitchell Canyon Interpretive Center. 

Free. $6 per vehicle park-entrance fee; $5 for seniors. Daily, 8  

a.m. to sunset. Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, from the Diablo Road exit off  

Interstate Highway 680, Danville. (925) 837-2525, www.mdia.org or  

www.parks.ca.gov. 

 

OAKLAND ZOO The zoo includes a Children's Petting Zoo, the  

Skyride, a miniature train, a carousel, picnic grounds and a gift shop as  

well as the animals in site specific exhibits, which allow them to roam  

freely. Included are "The African Savanna,'' with its two huge mixed-animal  

aviaries and 11 African Savanna exhibits; the Mahali Pa Tembo (Place of the  

Elephant), with giraffes, chimpanzees and more than 330 other animals from  

around the world; "Simba Pori,'' Swahili for "Lion Country,'' a spacious  

1.5-acre habitat offering both a savanna and woodland setting for African  

lions; "Footprints from the Past,'' an anthropology exhibit showcasing four  

million years of human evolution and an actual "footpath'' of the first  

hominids to emerge from the African savanna; "Sun Bear Exhibit,'' a  

stateof-the-art space the zoo has developed for its two sun bears; and  

Siamang Island, a state-of-the-art, barrier-free area that emulates the  

gibbons' native tropical rain forest habitat. Also see the Malayan Fruit Bats  

from the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Florida that are now roosting in trees at  

the zoo. In addition there are special exhibits and events monthly.  

ONGOING EXHIBITS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," The three-acre attraction  

offers a completely interactive experience for both children and adults. The  

exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters, reptiles, insects and  

more. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

"Endangered Species," An exhibit of photographs about  

the most endangered animals on the Earth and what can be done to save them.  

At the Education Center. Open daily during zoo hours. ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Valley Children's Zoo," Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The  

three-acre attraction will offer a completely interactive experience for both  

children and adults. The exhibits include lemurs, giant fruit bats, otters,  

reptiles, insects and more. Free with regular Zoo admission.  

"Wildlife Theater," Saturday, 11:45 a.m.; Sunday, 1:45  

p.m. On Saturday mornings listen to a story and meet a live animal. On Sunday  

afternoon meet live animals and learn cool facts about them. Meet in the  

Lobby of the Zoo's Maddie's Center for Science and Environmental Education.  

Free with regular Zoo admission. (510) 632-9525, ext. 142. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Bedtime with the Beasts," through Sept. 19 and Sept. 25 through  

Sept. 26, 7 p.m.-9 a.m. An overnight program for youth (ages 6-18) and their  

chaperones. An Oakland Zoo education specialist will lead your group on an  

evening hike around the zoo where you'll get to see what the zoo is like  

after all of the guests leave. Program includes an optional educational  

wildlife video and continental breakfast. $60 per person; Minimum group size  

15, pre-registration required. (510) 632-9525. 

$7.50-11; free children under age 2; $6 parking fee. Daily, 10  

a.m.-4 p.m. Knowland Park, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. (510) 632-9525,  

www.oaklandzoo.org. 

 

PLEASANTON RIDGE REGIONAL PARK This 3,163-acre  

parkland is on the oak-covered ridge overlooking Pleasanton and the Livermore  

Valley from the west. A multi-purpose trail system accommodates hikers,  

equestrians and bicyclists. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Foothill Road, Pleasanton. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

POINT PINOLE REGIONAL SHORELINE The 2,315-acre  

parkland bordering Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo offers views of Mount  

Tamalpais, the Marin shoreline and San Pablo Bay. There are trails through  

meadows and woods, and along the bluffs and beaches of San Pablo Bay.  

Visitors can hike, ride bikes or take the park's shuttle bus to reach the  

1,250-foot fishing pier at Point Pinole. 

$5 per vehicle; $4 per trailered vehicle; $2 per dog  

(guide/service dogs free). Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise posted.  

Giant Highway, Richmond. (510) 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

QUARRY LAKES REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The park  

includes three lakes sculpted from former quarry ponds. The largest,  

Horseshoe Lake, offers boating and fishing, with a swim beach that will open  

in the spring. Rainbow Lake is for fishing only, and the third lake, Lago Los  

Osos, is set aside for wildlife habitat. In addition, there are hiking and  

bicycling trails that connect to the Alameda Creek Regional Trail. The park  

includes three lakes sculpted from former quarry ponds. The largest,  

Horseshoe Lake, offers boating and fishing, with a swim beach that will open  

in the spring. Rainbow Lake is for fishing only, and the third lake, Lago Los  

Osos, is set aside for wildlife habitat. In addition there are hiking and  

bicycling trails that connect to the Alameda Creek Regional Trail. 

$5 parking; $2 per dog except guide/service dogs; boat launch  

fees; Park District fishing access permit fee of $3. Through Labor Day:  

daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sept. 6 through Sept. 30, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 2100  

Isherwood Way,, between Paseo Padre Parkway and Osprey Drive,, Fremont. (510)  

795-4883, Picnic reservations:: (510) 562-2267, www.ebparks.org. 

 

ROBERT SIBLEY VOLCANIC REGIONAL PRESERVE East Bay  

residents have several volcanoes in their backyard. This park contains Round  

Top, one of the highest peaks in the Oakland Hills. 

Free. Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 6800 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

RUTH BANCROFT GARDEN One of America's finest private gardens,  

the Ruth Bancroft Garden displays 2,000 specimens from around the world that  

thrive in an arid climate. Included are African and Mexican succulents, New  

World cacti, Australian and Chilean trees, and shrubs from California. 

DOCENT TOUR SCHEDULE -- 10 a.m. Saturdays. Docent-led  

tours last approximately an hour and a half. Plant sales follow the tour. By  

reservation only. $7; free children under age 12.  

SELF-GUIDED TOURS -- 9:30 a.m.-noon Mon. - Thurs.; 9:30  

a.m. Fri.; 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sat.; 5 p.m. Sunday. Self-guided tours last  

two hours. No reservations required for weekday tours; reservations required  

for Friday and Saturday tours. Plant sales follow the tours. $7; free  

children under age 12.  

Gardens open only for tours and special events listed on the  

garden's telephone information line. 1500 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. (925)  

210-9663, www.ruthbancroftgarden.org. 

 

SHADOW CLIFFS REGIONAL RECREATION AREA The 296-acre  

park includes an 80-acre lake and a four-flume waterslide, with picnic  

grounds and a swimming beach. Water slide fees and hours: (925) 829-6230. 

$6 per vehicle; $2 per dog except guide and service dogs. May 1  

through Labor Day: daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; shortened hours for fall and  

winter. Stanley Boulevard, one mile from downtown, Pleasanton. (510)  

562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

SULPHUR CREEK NATURE CENTER A wildlife rehabilitation and  

education facility where injured and orphaned local wild creatures are  

rehabilitated and released when possible. There is also a lending library of  

animals such as guinea pigs, rats, mice and more. The lending fee is $8 per  

week.  

ONGOING EVENTS --  

"Toddler Time," Learn about animals by listening to  

stories and exploring. Themes vary by month. Call for schedule. $7 per  

family.  

"Day on the Green Animal Presentations," Meet an  

assortment of wild and domestic animals. Wildlife volunteers will present a  

different animal each day from possums to snakes, tortoises to hawks.  

Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 

CHILDREN'S EVENTS --  

Free. Park: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Discovery Center:  

Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Animal Lending Library: Saturday-Sunday,  

10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1801  

D St., Hayward. (510) 881-6747, www.haywardrec.org/sulphur_creek.html. 

 

SUNOL REGIONAL WILDERNESS This park is full of scenic and  

natural wonders. You can hike the Ohlone Wilderness trail or Little Yosemite.  

There are bedrock mortars that were used by Native Americans, who were  

Sunol's first inhabitants. 

SPECIAL EVENTS --  

"Sunol Sunday Hike," Sundays, 1:30-3 p.m. A natural  

history walk in the wilderness. 

"Sunol Sunday Hike," Sundays, 1:30-3 p.m. A natural  

history walk in Sunol Regional Wilderness. 

Free unless otherwise noted; $5 parking; $2 dog fee. Geary Road  

off Calaveras Road, six miles south of Interstate Highway 680, Sunol. (510)  

652-PARK, www.ebparks.org.


Pow Wow Now: Part 2: The Pow Wow Circle

By John Curl
Monday September 20, 2010 - 03:51:00 PM

Every year since our first Berkeley pow wow in 1993, I have borrowed a chalker from the city parks department—the kind with wheels that they use for marking softball playing fields—to lay out the pow wow circle. In the late afternoon of the day before the event, our pow wow committee meets on the grassy lawn of Civic Center Park. I bring a rope about 12 paces long, the chalker, and a large bag of powdered chalk. We explain what we are doing to all the high school students relaxing there or playing Frisbee, and once they understand they gladly move to one side. A member of the committee holds one end of the rope in the exact center of the park. We tie the other end of the rope to the chalker and another person pushes it in a perfect circle with about a 60 foot diameter. On the east end of the circle we chalk a turtle’s head, on the west end a tail, and four turtle feet in between. It has now become a special place, the pow wow arena. 

Tomorrow the pow wow dancers will be dancing inside the turtle circle, and at particular times the MC will also invite the spectators into the circle to join in certain dances. 

The turtle’s head marks the entrance into the arena. To one side are tables for the MC (this year Randy Pico, Luiseño), the arena director (Henry Johnson, Paiute), the coordinator (Gino Barichello, Muscogee), and other organizers. Posted near the MC table are an eagle staff and flags, including the US flag. These are carried around the dance circle by honored elders during the Grand Entry at the beginning of the pow wow, and at the closing. The eagle staff, a high curved wooden staff with eagle feathers attached, is equivalent to a flag for Native Americans. 

At the south end of the turtle circle is the host southern drum, which this year is Rockin Horse, and at the north end is the host northern drum, All Nations. Both are based in the Bay Area. The northern and southern drums represent different styles and traditions. 

Continuing around the dance circle are shade canopies where the dancers and their families and friends rest between events. The circle beyond that is a walkway, and finally the outside circles consist of Native vendors selling arts and craft items, mostly hand made, and Indigenous food. 

Inside and around the pow wow circle violence, drugs, or alcohol are never permitted. The arena has been blessed with prayer and sage; it has taken on a special atmosphere and become spiritual ground. 

Learning how to live in indigenous ways does not come easy to many people of European backgrounds, coming from such a long checkered history of aggressive domination justified as bringing the gifts of civilization to the world. But every year that I have worked on the pow wow I have felt the power of Native people increasingly impact our world with their living philosophy of peace, community, and sustainability. 

Our pow wow circle is a turtle because the turtle symbolizes the American continent. On the back of the turtle on our logo is a map of the Americas. The concept comes from an ancient creation story of the Great Flood, when all the animals clung to the turtle’s back, then dove down one by one to the bottom of the sea, each returning with a handful of earth which they placed on the turtle until the continent was formed. Native people often call the Americas Turtle Island. Our pow wow committee received the turtle island symbol from a group of North and South American Indigenous elders, who came together in Ecuador in 1991 to fulfill a prophesy that when the eagle of the North and the condor of the South joined together after 500 years, Native people would experience a cultural renewal. With each Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow I feel that cultural renewal increasing and changing the world. 

 

 

 

Part 3 of this series will appear next week. 

 

This year Berkeley Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow and Indian Market will be held in Civic Center Park on Saturday, October 9, 10am to 6pm. Sponsored by the City, it is always free.