Early this morning an arrest warrant was issued for the suspect believed to be responsible for a home invasion sexual assault. Wanted for rape, sodomy, false imprisonment, oral copulation, burglary, and sexual battery is Omar Sosa, 6-22-1983, of Berkeley. 

Sosa was identified as having been responsible for entering the minor victim’s bedroom early Saturday morning, November 20, 2010, through an unlocked window. He sexually assaulted her and fled the scene.  

Detectives believe Sosa has left the Bay Area and may be headed south in an attempt to flee to Mexico. He is believed to be driving a ’97 Ford Ranger, gray, double cab, with a white camper shell (no license plate at this time). 

Detectives are asking for the community’s help with this investigation. Anyone who may have any information regarding this crime is urged to call the BPD at (510) 981-5900 (non-emergency dispatch line). If callers wish to remain anonymous they are asked to call the Bay Area Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

[Editor’s note: A reader has forwarded this email from Councilmember Linda Maio.] 

Dear Residents: 

What follows reports another pedestrian robbery with a gun—this one on Thursday at 11:30 in the morning. Because the Police Area Coordinator’s reports, and my own, travel only via the email trees that are available to us, many of our neighbors and visitors to our area remain uninformed of the recent spate of pedestrian robberies, in our area, using a gun. While I don’t want to alarm residents, this is serious and requires more outreach. Therefore, I am preparing a flyer to be distributed around the neighborhood. It will include direction on what to do to help the police should we be either a witness or a victim or have useful information. If you have a staple gun and can help put up flyers, please let me know.  

Councilmember Linda Maio 

From the Police Area Coordinator report of Friday, November 19th 

Daytime pedestrian robbery in Area 1 

Regarding the recent spate of pedestrian robberies in the North Berkeley flatlands we learn of another. On Thursday the 18^th at 11:30 am a pedestrian in the area of M.L.K. Jr. Way and Hearst Ave. was robbed via gun by a suspect described as a black male adult in his 20’s, 5’6” to 5’7” tall, with a thin build wearing a black t-shirt and baggy jeans. Our Department is taking this series very seriously. Our patrol officers have the suspect descriptions, and our Area Commanders are focusing efforts and resources in the area. The Department is well aware that residents are very disturbed by these robberies and will provide updates as often as possible. 

x

This morning at 6:11 a.m., Patrol officers from the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) responded to a residential sexual assault which occurred on Evelyn Street in North Berkeley. 

The suspect entered the minor victim’s residence through an unlocked bedroom window. 

The suspect was described by the victim as: Hispanic male adult, 20-30 years old, 6’0, 190 lbs, with 1-2” length hair, clean shaven 

Wearing blue jeans, a light colored shirt, and a black zip hooded sweatshirt 

Described as having a very pronounced nose and spoke with a heavy accent 

May also have injuries to his hands or fingers 

The Berkeley Police Department needs the community’s help in catching this suspect. 

If you know the identity of this man, or you were a victim of or witness to a similar crime, please contact the Berkeley Sex Crimes Detail (510) 981-5734. 

If the event has just occurred or is in progress, please immediately report it to the BPD Dispatch at (510) 981-5900 or, from your cell phone, at (510) 981-5911 

[Editor's Note: Evelyn Avenue runs approximately from El Cerrito Plaza through Albany and Berkeley to Santa Fe. Presumably this is the described location of the reported crime.]

The University of California Board of Regents this morning approved an 8 percent undergraduate tuition hike for the 2011-12 academic year. 

The vote came a day after 13 people were arrested during rowdy demonstrations against the increase at UC San Francisco's Mission Bay campus, where the regents are meeting this week. 

Although the protesters were absent today, several people spoke against tuition hikes during the meeting this morning, saying the 8 percent increase is unfair. 

The University of California system has seen a 32 percent increase in undergraduate tuition since the 2009 academic year. 

"The damage of a 32 percent hike is like a deep gash cutting through the student body," a UC Berkeley student said during public comment today. 

The 8 percent increase, which takes effect in the fall of 2011, means undergraduate tuition will increase by $822, to $11,124 per year. 

The board also approved a proposal by UC President Mark Yudof to provide grants for undergraduates with household incomes of less than $120,000 to cover the fee hike for one year. 

The increase didn't receive unanimous praise from regents, however. 

"The time I've been on the board, if we enact this increase, fees will have increased 50 percent. Shame on us," Regent Eddie Island said. 

"What we are doing is accelerating the velocity toward the destruction of something that we all hold dear," he said. 

KPFA LISTENERS WILL CONVERGE outside of Pacifica's offices in Berkeley (next door to KPFA) for a DRAMATIC PUBLIC READING of some of the thousands of letters they have sent to Pacifica's executive director Arlene Engelhardt, urging her to return the Morning Show, the bay area's only locally-produced non-commercial morning news and information program, to the airwaves. WELL-KNOWN VOICES will be on hand to participate.  

The event will take place FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, from NOON - 1PM at 1925 MLK Jr Way, Berkeley. Engelhardt says she's making the cuts out of financial necessity, but can't answer why she's taking KPFA's biggest fundraiser off the air. Now KPFA's morning audience has dropped, Pacifica management has had to call off two days of scheduled fundraising, and KPFA's union has filed legal actions over the treatment of its workers.

SaveKPFA supporters are also circulating a petition on the matter, titled Restore the KPFA Morning Show. Among the early signers are poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, writer Raj Patel and historian Gray Brechin. 

Pre-event interviews are available. The contacts below can put you in touch with KPFA listeners, staff and volunteers spokespeople. 

CONTACTS:  

Margy Wilkinson, 510-219-2567, margylw@earthlink.net 

Mal Burnstein, 510-527-1798, mb@bt-law.net 

Pamela Drake, 510-593-3721, pamelad205@sbcglobal.net 

With Mayor Bates on vacation for the month, Councilmember Linda Maio presided over the second City Council meeting of November on Tuesday evening. After ceremonial matters and public comment, the bulk of the meeting was spent on the year-to-date crime report, a status report from the city's information technology department on an old software program (FUND$), and an update on employee safety and workers' compensation from human resources. The only action taken Tuesday night was to unanimously approve a resolution to endorse BevMo's United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 5 campaign. 

The Council declared November 16, 2010 Kaz Tanahashi Day, in honor of the work of the Japanese calligrapher, Zen teacher, author, translator of Buddhist texts, environmentalist, and peaceworker. The City Manager announced that the winter homeless shelter had opened Tuesday night, despite the warm weather, and that December 3 will be a multicultural evening at B-Tech from 6-10 pm. Public commentators included Jasper Kingeter, who ran against Linda Maio in this month's election, and who came to the meeting to let council members know about some issues that he thought are important to Berkeley residents. Promoters for Telegraph's holiday street fair came to promote Telegraph's holiday street fair, which is happening on December 11, 12, 18, 19, 23, and 24. Two public commentators returned to speak out against the Berkeley Housing Authority, which they allege is guilty of abuses and interference with due process. 

The year-to-date crime report, which is usually a quarterly report, updated the Council on the progress of the Police Department under new police chief Michael Meehan. Overall, crime has decreased significantly over the last five years, with a notable decrease in the eleven months that Meehan has been chief. The report cited new programs and policies such as Crime Analysis and Response Strategies (CARS) and a focus on crime as causes of the impressive crime reduction. 

Next, the Council took on FUND$, a software purchased in 1990 that deals with functions like business licenses, building permits, and city payroll. The software needs replacing, as it is outdated and difficult to use and service, but it has to be replaced incrementally and there are limited resources to work with in its replacement. The IT department will be back on December 14 for feedback on their Work Plan. 

Finally, the Council heard a presentation from Human Resources about the current Workers' Compensation Program. The update on policies to reduce injuries through training, ergonomic evaluations, and other preventative measures will be followed up on in six months.

[Editor's note: At the end of this video can be seen the infamous Dan Spitzer, the notorious persecutor of Berkeley Daily Planet advertisers.]

What began as a peaceful Sunday evening gathering at the South Berkeley Senior Center erupted into verbal conflict and political clashes that eventually drew the attention of the Berkeley police who dispatched a half-dozen squad cars and a fire-truck to the scene.

The Bay Area chapter Jewish Voice for Peace had intended to host a presentation by several young activists who had disrupted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the Jewish Federation’s General Assembly in New Orleans on November 8. But the Berkeley event started to go off-the-rails even before the meeting was officially convened. 

With more than 50 participants gathered in chairs in a large circle in the large Senior Center auditorium, an older woman pulled out a camera and began taking photos. At this point, a woman sprinted across the open circle and planted herself directly in front of the camera. “Oh! How nice! You want to take my picture? Here’s a close-up of my hand!” 

A JVP organizer stood up to explain that there had been reports that some people were planning to disrupt the meeting and, as a result, it was decided that a “no photos; no videotaping” rule would be in force. 

A gray-bearded gentleman sitting next to the would-be photographer objected.
Introducing himself as a “Constitutional lawyer who has testified before the United Nations,” he maintained that photographs were perfectly legal since “this is a public event.” 

“But this is a private event,” the JVP convenor replied. “We rented this hall and we have the right to conduct the meeting under our own rules.” 

The Senior Center’s on-site manager was invited into the meeting area and she corroborated JVP’s position, explaining “this building is open to the public Monday through Friday but is available to be rented to private parties on the weekends.” Despite this explanation, the lawyer continued to insist that he was right “and any police officer would agree.” (Within an hour, police were standing watch in the auditorium and the supervising officer confirmed that the JVP was within its rights to request that no photos or videotaping occur during a private event it had paid to host.) 

That was only the first of many debates that would break out over the next hour. After the lady’s camera was briefly holstered, the meeting was called to order. It was suggested that everyone take a moment to introduce themselves, indicate where they lived, and share some thoughts about how they intended to spend Thanksgiving. Civility seemed restored. 

The four young activists sat on the edge of a stage beneath a large screen that displayed a blow-up of the JVP webpage. The activists, representing JVP’s Young Leadership Institute, were introduced and praised for their courage in daring to criticize the leader of Israel’s government “in the same room occupied by their parents, their rabbis, their elders.” 

The plan was to show the videotape of the disruption in New Orleans, where five young dissenters rose from the crowd to raise voices and banners. Unlike most protests, where there is a single outburst followed by a speedy ejection, the New Orleans protests must have been extremely nettlesome for the Prime Minister and the hosts because as soon as the disruption from the first protest had died down and calm had been restored, another protester popped up somewhere else in the crowd with another banner and another cry. 

The theme of Netanyahu’s speech focused on critics who sought to “delegitimize” Israel by maintaining that “Israel is presumed guilty until proven guilty.” Ultimately, five different individuals rose to issue five specific complaints: “The Loyalty Oath delegitimizes Israel,” “Occupation delegitimizes Israel,” “The siege on Gaza delegitimizes Israel,” “Silencing dissent delegitimizes Israel,” and “The settlements betray Jewish values.” 

Understandably, many members of the New Orleans audience were offended and some bystanders physically attacked some of the protestors. An online video of the event shows one audience member jumping atop a chair and angrily ripping a protest banner apart with his bare teeth. 

The Berkeley presentation proceeded calmly until the first of the four young activists began to speak. Suddenly an ear-splitting whistle drowned her out. A woman jumped to her feet and began loudly reading a long statement printed on several pages. She held the page before her eyes and she walked back and forth in the midst of the circle. Other cameras suddenly began to appear in the hands of people gathered around the circle. 

A modest amount of bedlam ensued. The disrupter was entreated to return to her seat so the evening could proceed. After several minutes of “competing narratives,” the woman sat down and the speaker attempted to resume her explanation of how the New Orleans protest was conceived and planned and what they hoped to achieve. 

At which point, another disrupter jumped to her feet, again armed with a printed statement that she proceeded to read with great fervor as members of the crowd shouted objections. Some followed her closely as she crisscrossed the floor, with the flag of Israel draped over her shoulders. “Personal space” was apparently being tested, leading to a flurry of warnings, mostly along the lines of “Don’t you dare touch me or I’ll call the police.” 

The youngsters on the stage responded by beginning to clap and sing the peace song, “ Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu.” Slowly, the audience — including the disrupters — all joined voice in the shared song. Once again, civility was restored. 

Suddenly a man came rushing across the floor. He crashed into my chair as he ran past, clutching his face. “Excuse me,” he apologized as he rushed by. “I have to get something out of my eye.” 

It turned out he apparently had been pepper-sprayed by the lady wrapped in the Israeli flag. A young woman reportedly was also hit in the face by the same woman’s can of chemical irritant.  

The two pepper-spray victims were later identified as JVP members Glen Hauer, 54, and Alexei Folger, 46. The attacker was identified as Robin Dubner." 

The next young activist began to speak — only to be disrupted by another audience member. Calling for “mutual respect” and a willingness to honor differences, one of the young activists proposed that anyone with a question or a comment be given one minute to express their feelings. Another disruption quickly followed as another critic began to expound well beyond the one-minute limit. 

Tempers continued to flare until a strong operatic voice broke through the babble. An energetic lady with red hair and a British accent was suddenly throwing her arms wide and belting out a tune called “Christians Arise!” It brought everything to a halt and injected some timely laughter. 

“I knew it was a completely inappropriate song,” she told the Planet later. “But, at the time, I think it was just what the evening needed.” (At another stormy moment in the proceedings, she would race to the stage, plop down behind a piano and begin to belt out some Beethoven, until the crowd found itself clapping along with the beat.) 

As the shout-fest reached another peak, one of the young activists calmly walked to the center of the circle with his arms spread and invited everyone to “Please relax and take three long breaths.” Again: civility. 

Which lasted about two minutes. At which point, a portly bearded man [Editor’s Note: Dan Spitzer of Berkeley] jumped up and began lambasting the youngsters while defending Israel’s “right to defend itself.” 

By now, half the audience was on its feet. Some were following the disrupters, some were trying to keep a serviceable distance between the disputing parties and urging people “Don’t engage. Don’t engage with them.” The “no photography” rule was long-forgotten. Dozens of people had their cell phones out and were aiming them like protective shields — at arms length — at different members of the crowd. 

By now, the Berkeley police were on the scene. They had been holding their ground, watching over the proceedings from the sidelines. Following the pepper-spray attack, they moved in and handcuffed the spray-can assailant. 

Throughout all the tumult, the five young activists remained calm and resolute in their attempt to mediate the unfolding events. In addition to inviting one-minute statements, they also said they would welcome extended questions from the audience at the end of their presentation. As it turned out, they were never able to resume (let alone finish) that presentation but, refusing to surrender to chaos, they consulted with one another and came up with another plan. 

Each activist invited members of the audience to join them in small discussion groups at various fringes of the auditorium. And, happily, as the police slowly withdrew and the fire truck returned to station, the evening had been transformed into a scene of quiet and earnest debate. 

One of the key questions tossed at the students came from an angry man who yelled: “How does it feel to have someone disrupt YOUR speech? It doesn’t feel so good when the tables are turned, does it?” 

He may have missed a key point. Unlike in New Orleans, where members of the audience physically assaulted the dissidents, pushed them to the ground and muzzled their mouths before dragging them to the exits, these young Jews acted with compassion, tolerance and decency towards their fellow Jews. It was also worth noting that it was the young people, not their older detractors, who showed a prevailing interest in accommodating, rather than suppressing, dialog. 

In a report on the New Orleans protests, the Jewish Journal quoted a participant who observed: ‘What were they against…. The Loyalty Oath? The Occupation? Gaza? Most Jews would agree with them.” But while many might agree with the criticisms, there was still the feeling that disrupting Netanyahu’s speech was inappropriate. 

This critical issue was debated online in response to an online article posted by Tikkun Daily. David Stein suggested that it was “rude and undemocratic” to disrupt the Prime Minister. Neil Landers replied that the Prime Minister’s views are “incessantly broadcast loud and clear by the media…. It is hardly democratic to give all our airtime to a narrow spectrum of vision.” Landers concluded that: “when we decide how to interpret the protesters’ interruptions, we should consider the massive structures of force organized to amplify the president’s ideology and suppress any dissenting views. This is not the case of two equal people.” 

Tikkun noted that the response of the Jewish media had been surprisingly sympathetic to the young protestors. Ha’aretz quoted 17-year-old Hanna King’s rationale for her decision to act: “We believe that the actions that Israel is taking, like settlements, like the occupation, like the loyalty oath, are contradictory to the Jewish values that we learned in Jewish day school…. Oppressing people in refugee camps is not Tikkun Olam. And it is a hypocrisy that I cannot abide.” 

The Jerusalem Post offered the following quote from Eitan Isaacson, one of the New Orleans disrupters: “The time has come for the Jewish community to talk. We didn’t say anything new. We just made the disaffection of young Jews apparent…. If it weren’t for the interruption of Netanyahu, people wouldn’t be discussing it.” 

And finally, a quote from the Jewish Journal — from a member of the General Assembly audience in New Orleans: “Hey, we talk about getting the younger generation involved in Israel…. Here they are.” 

I do not think that many people noticed the pepper-spraying incident when it first happened. … The attendees were visibly shaken, and wisely cautioned against people walking back to their cars alone. The two JVP members who were pepper-sprayed recounted their stories and one asked to leave as her face was all red and her contact lenses were burning. They informed us that the offender had been handcuffed for a few moments but the police had then determined there was no sufficient evidence to arrest or press charges. That the options were either to perform a citizen’s arrest – at which point everyone involved gets arrested – or for both to walk free, since it is one word against another, forget about the pepper-sprayed face. … I offered to walk the pepper-spray victim to her car outside. 

I was still dumbfounded by the police action, or rather inaction, I asked the officer a couple of questions. According to her, the pepper-spraying constituted a misdemeanor offense which the police had not witnessed. This makes the testimony of both parties equally valid, as the person who used the pepper-spray could claim that they were grabbed first and acted in self-defense. The fact that 20 witnesses could confirm one version was immaterial because they clearly belonged to one group. … 

The officer conceded that her understanding of the law is that if two people had a verbal altercation then one of them sucker-punches the other then claims that they had acted in self-defense, because they thought that the other person was going to punch them first, then their defense is admissible and no arrests should be made. And the solution, Officer, to people walking into private meetings with intent to disrupt and propensity to use violence than claim self-defense? None that she could think of (as long as they stop short of pulling a gun, which constitutes a felony, not a misdemeanor).  

It is a sensitive issue, you see, because of free-speech limitations. She can get sued for infringing on somebody’s free speech. She is wrong. As I learned when I got home, Berkeley Penal Code S 602(o) states that a trespass is committed when a person refuses to leave a space not open to the public after being asked to do so by the owner’s agent, the person in lawful possession, or by a peace officer who is called by either. Next meeting, I will have a copy of this law ready to show to the police when they come and sit there doing nothing.
 

Mohammad Mahmud is a member of UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) 

Last night, up to a dozen members of San Francisco Voice for Israel/StandWithUs, a right-wing Israeli advocacy group with a documented track record of aggressively taunting and intimidating grassroots peace activists , attended a Bay Area Jewish Voice for Peace community meeting at a South Berkeley Senior Center with the intention of disrupting, intimidating and possibly assaulting Jewish Voice for Peace members.

Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest U.S. Jewish peace group dedicated to a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on democracy and full equality --- the Bay Area chapter is the founding chapter of the organization. Approximately 50 to 60 people were at the meeting, and numerous witnesses are available to corroborate the events. Eyewitness testimonies are here and here  

Wrapped in an Israeli flag, San Francisco Voice for Israel/StandWithUs (SFVI/SWU) member Robin Dubner, an Oakland based attorney, pepper-sprayed two JVP members in the eyes and face after they attempted to nonviolently block her ability to aggressively videotape the faces of JVP meeting attendees against their will. The members, Alexei Folger and Glen Hauer, were careful to make no physical contact with her or her camera prior to the attack. 

Folger said, “I did not see it coming and all of a sudden there was gooey stuff all over my head and hand. I have never been pepper-sprayed before, my whole head felt like it was on fire.” 

JVP had earlier this year filed a police report about a June SFVI/SWU protest at which JVP and (peace group) Women in Black members were intimidatingly videotaped and threatened by a StandWithUs supporter after being taunted with chants like “Nazi, Nazi, Nazi” or “Kapo,Kapo,Kapo”. Caught on a widely seen videotape was a SFVI/SWU supporter pointing his camera to the faces of silent peace vigil participants while saying “You’re all being identified, every last one of you…we will find out where you live. We’re going to make your lives difficult. We will disrupt your families…” 

For that reason, JVP members were particularly concerned about protecting the safety of meeting attendees and preventing the videotaping. 

Hauer, a retired attorney and member of San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’har Zahav who was treated for pepper spray explained, ”When one of the intruders [Dubner] continued standing and filming people despite the facilitator and facility manager repeatedly telling her that she could not, I first asked her politely to please put away the video camera, then several times told her to put away the camera, and then tried nonviolently to stay in front of the camera with my body. I could have taken the camera but decided instead to talk to the woman and to try to be the only person she photographed." 

Hauer, who also leads groups on healing from WWII & the Holocaust, and speaks to churches about anti-Semitism as it relates to the movement for peace in the Middle East, went on: 

“In my mind was the history targeting of Jewish peace activists by the right wing of the Jewish community--the posting of our photos on internet hate sites, for example, followed by acts of vandalism at our homes and places of work. There were many in the room for whom I care deeply. I could also see that many at the meeting were new to the work we were doing, and I did not want them to be scared away.” 

Dubner was accompanied by up to a dozen other StandWithUs members--including Susan Meyers, Mike Harris, Bea Lieberman, Faith Meltzer, and Ross Meltzer--who repeatedly disrupted and aggressively videotaped the JVP meeting and JVP members against their will, wielding the cameras in an intimidating and belligerent manner. Despite repeated requests from the JVP meeting facilitator and other JVP activists to desist from recording and put away their videocameras, the SFVI/SWU activists – who had spread themselves throughout the room – continued to record and launch lengthy monologues while the presenters attempted to speak. 

They were explicitly invited by the JVP facilitator to stay in the meeting and participate without videotaping but they refused. They also refused offers for floor time by the presenters. The manager of the facility asked the SFVI/SWU members to abide by JVP’s rules or face the police, and when SFVI/SWU refused to comply with JVP’s protocol, the police were called. 

At one point, JVP members and presenters worked to restore calm and de-escalate by singing the Hebrew peace song, Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu (Peace will come to us) while waiting for the police to arrive. Most meeting attendees did not know until later that 2 people had been attacked with pepper spray. 

When police arrived, Dubner was temporarily placed in handcuffs while other members of San Francisco Voice for Israel/StandWithUs remained inside the meeting blowing loud whistles, using videocameras to intimidate meeting attendees. 

Dubner refused repeated requests by JVP members or the police to identify the substance she sprayed. A police officer later identified it as pepper spray and paramedics were called to help treat the victims of the attack. One of them, Alexei Folger, looked visibly red and swollen, as though she had been burned on more than half her face. 

Immediately following the attack, Ms. Folger, not knowing the nature of the substance on her face, rubbed some of it on Ms. Dubner’s shirtsleeve at which point the physically powerful Ms.Dubner, who also wore a pen videocamera in her shirt pocket, started physically shoving the petite Ms. Folger. A Jewish Voice for Peace staff member stood between them to prevent further escalation or physical contact between Ms Dubner and the shocked and injured Ms. Folger. 

This deliberate confrontation is part of a pattern of escalating intimidation and attacks against peace activists in the Bay Area. Earlier this year, the home of Tikkun Magazine editor Michael Lerner was covered in threatening posters (http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/vandalism.) In addition to the videotaped harassment of Women in Black and JVP members, several months ago someone sprayed on the outside of the JVP offices “Jewish Voices for Palestine: Viva Barch Goldstein" () ### 

About 200 University of California students and faculty have gathered at UC San Francisco's Mission Bay campus this morning to protest proposed student fee hikes and changes to employee retirement plans. 

The protest is taking place outside a UC Board of Regents meeting, where the board will consider an 8 percent fee hike for students. Regents will also discuss proposed changes to retirement benefits for employees. 

"They're putting workers into abject poverty," said Paul Haller, a building manager at UC Berkeley. "I've worked here for 27 years, and back then I didn't think about retirement, but now it's a lot more important." 

Picket lines formed in various parts of the campus, with students and faculty chanting, "UC Me? UC worker poverty. UC Me? UC student poverty." 

A video of the protest appears to show protesters being pepper-sprayed by police at one point. 

At least five protesters had been arrested as of 9 a.m. 

UC President Mark Yudof has proposed raising fees by 8 percent for the 2011-12 academic year, which means undergraduate fees would increase to $11,124 per year. 

He has also proposed that the university provide grants for undergraduates with household incomes of less than $120,000 to cover the fee increase for one year. 

Today, over 500 students and workers are demanding a stop to unnecessary fee increases and benefits cuts. Protesters are blocking entrances to the UC Regents meeting. Three students have already been arrested for demanding entrance to the meeting to carry their message to the Regents. Police have used pepper spray on the crowd. Some barricades have been knocked down as protesters push toward the entrances. 

Protesters include members of the UC Student Association, AFSCME Local 3299, CUE-Teamsters Local 2010, UAW Local 2865, UC-AFT, and the California Nurses Association who have joined together to raise awareness of moves by the UC administration that will mire even more Californians in debt and poverty. 

University of California Regents are once again embroiled in controversy over proposed student fee hikes and wage and benefit cuts for graduate student instructors and front line staff. Many students and staff believe these cuts are unnecessary, and would promote poverty and debt in California. 

Regents will be discussing another 8% increase to student fees. 

“Why are Regents pricing middle class families out of UC? My student fees have gone up 40% over the last two years. I am lucky to still be here, but it is getting harder and harder to afford an education at UC,” said Claudia Magana, UCSC student, “It’s heartbreaking to see bright, hardworking students being forced out of quality education or condemned to a lifetime of debt when they graduate.” 

An independent study of University of California finances conducted by UC Professor Charles Schwartz indicates that students now pay more than the true cost of providing an education. UC officials have come under fire for using student fees to fund expansion projects. 

Along with fee hikes, University officials are looking at severe cost cutting measures such as reducing tuition and fee waivers for graduate student instructors, tripling healthcare premiums for retirees, and raising the retirement age for new staff. 

“I haven’t received a cost-of-living increase for 3 years, and furloughs have eaten away at my modest savings. I want to retire with some amount of dignity, but UC’s proposal to triple healthcare premiums for retirees could be the difference between barely making it and being down-and-out.” Said Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie, UC Berkeley Legal Assistant. 

Graduate student instructors perform a large share of instruction at the University of California. In exchange for their teaching, Graduate student instructors are provided a stipend and a waiver of educational fees. UC Regents will be discussing a rule change that would drastically cut fee waivers for graduate student instructors. 

“The university system is being overtaken by bankers and Wall Street type CEO’s, it is completely ill-managed,” said Lakesha Harrison a UCLA Licensed Vocational Nurse and President of AFSCME Local 3299. “Last year employees and students voted no confidence in President Mark Yudof, his Wall Street approach is to dismantle the Master Plan and all the good it has done for California” said Harrison. “Yudof’s pension proposals would devastate patient transport, custodians and other workers who do physically demanding jobs because they penalize workers who are physically unable to work until 65 by reducing retirement income and raising health care costs for retirees.” 

Public outcry over UC’s management performance has steadily increased in response to the release of an 8-part investigative report about UC Regent conflicts of interest written by journalist Peter Byrne. The investigative story titled “The Investors’ Club: How the University of California Regents Spin Public Money into Private Profit,” chronicles a troubling history of conflicts of interest involving numerous UC Regents. 

According to Byrne, this is a problem that has plagued UC for decades but has accelerated in recent years as the Regents have increasingly failed to hold themselves to sufficient ethical standards in their investments practices, particularly around questionable private equity investments that Byrne says have directly benefited individual Regents.  

Six years ago we wrote about the Berkeley flea market in the Planet and its history and unique place in the community are worth telling again. Unlike a corporation operating for profit, the Berkeley flea market is run by Community Services United (CSU), a consortium of non profit Berkeley organizations which receive quarterly payments out of the income generated by the flea market. These organizations each send a representative to the Board of Directors which meet monthly to oversee and set policy for the market. The funds given to these organizations make it possible for them to carry out their programs in the community. 

Happening every Saturday and Sunday at the Ashby BART station parking lot, it has it all -- exotic clothing, jewelry, local and imported arts and crafts, books, cd’s, electronic equipment, foods, plants, home crafted soaps and scents and much much more. There are vendors selling household goods and a section for the traditional kind of flea market goods, the pots and pans and things no longer in use. You can go there to look for a gift for a lover, a friends, a child or a parent – find it all and have so much fun at the same time. 

You can take a break and sit at one of the outdoor tables and have a snack – or a meal. Enjoy African, Mexican, Caribbean food or a plain old hot dog, a cup of coffee or a smoothie. And if you’re stressed out there is usually a booth offering massage. More than a place to shop, the Berkeley Flea market is a “scene”, a place to hang out, stroll up and down the aisles and check in with friends. A long time resident in the neighborhood says, “I think it’s part of the community, people look forward to it, I think a lot of older people walk through the market, I don’t say they always spend money but it gives them something to do on the weekend.” 

It all started back in 1975 when some thirty community service organizations got together and formed CSU to pool some of their resources and provide support each other. At the time they were operating with government war on poverty money. Then, in 1978, with the passage of Proposition 13 and then governor Reagan’s drastic cuts in money for social programs, CSU member organizations found themselves desperate for funds to carry on their work. The usual sorts of fund raising activities, benefit concerts and such, often ended up costing more than they brought in. The flea market was a brilliant idea in many ways. A few of the early activists who are still around recall the vision and its fulfillment in those early days. 

Making it work was “challenging”, according to Alameda County supervisor Keith Carson, an early member who acted as manager for the first few years. The mechanics of the operation were complex, Carson described what it was like: “We didn’t have any road map. We had to deal with the BART administration, to deal with the surrounding neighbors and the impact in the community ... (with) police and their concern around crime. (We) had to figure out how to keep the facility clean ...” And they had to attract vendors. People’s memories differ but all agree that it took some time before the market was able to turn a profit. 

Marty Lynch, now Executive Director of LifeLong Medical Care, was a representative to CSU in the early days. When we spoke several years ago he commented that, “Very early on we realized that part of the benefit was really to support the underground economy of south Berkeley. A community that then was even poorer than it is now. A lot of people were living on the edge and this provided another venue to make a few bucks.” That's true now more than ever. 

There were some bumpy periods. At one point in the eighties BART tried to kick them out. Apparently it was not so much a matter of objecting to the flea market but BART officials were afraid that it established a precedent whereby other groups might want to take over BART facilities for possibly less desirable purposes. There was a long drawn out legal battle which finally granted the flea market the legal right to an ongoing lease. 

In 2005 there was another threat in when the specter of redevelopment reared its head. Some City Hall pols approached the flea market board and neighborhood groups with the idea of building condos on the site of the BART parking lot. They had a developer who was interested and had even looked into the feasibility of moving the flea market up on Adeline Street. This clearly was a terrible idea and was met with howls of protest. For months there was much maneuvering by politicians, various agencies and the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corps. Neighborhood groups held meetings mostly expressing opposition to the proposal and the flea market vendors were very worried. Eventually the whole idea seemed to fade away. 

The vendors are a very diverse group. An increasing number of them, maybe half, are immigrants or refugees from other countries. Selling their wares at the flea market provides them a much needed source of income. Other vendors have a long history in the neighborhood. In better times all the 250 stalls were fully rented to the vendors. In the present depressed economy the market is usually only about 75% full. The types of goods that are offered also reflect the economy. Market manager Errol Davis has worked for the market more than 16 years. He says that these days there are fewer up scale antiques and collectibles and more “useful stuff for ordinary people”. Stall fees at $30 a day – and $20 on 1st and 3rd Sundays – are a bargain compared to other flea markets. 

The market runs every Saturday and Sunday when it doesn't rain. The income from the stall fees pays all the expenses – the BART lease, toilet rental, dumping fees, insurance, security, staff salaries and all the miscellaneous expenses in addition to the regular contributions to the member organizations. It is easy to get to by BART and it is one of the few markets that does not charge admission.

On Friday, November 12, a constellation of legendary reporters from the Bay Area and beyond gathered at the Metreon’s City View auditorium to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Pacific News Service/New America Media. Since it’s founding in 1968 by Franz Schurmann and Orville Schell, two UC Berkeley professors, PNS has distinguished itself by reporting from the world’s forgotten neighborhoods — from distant battlefronts to local barrios. Many of journalism’s brightest stars were on hand to honor Sandy Close, PNS’ guiding light and Franz Shurmann’s partner in life and work. 

Many of the speakers who shared memories recalled how Sandy would come up with startling ideas that challenged their perceptions, tested their imaginations and changed their lives — like convincing a local writer to travel to Nebraska to provide missing perspective on a national story or convincing a young reporter named Mary Jo McConahay that there were stories to be told in the countries of South America. And there was the notorious PNS stringer Richard Boyle, celebrated as “the last reporter out of Cambodia,” whose reporting on the war in El Salvador became an award-winning Oliver Stone film by the same name and won an Oscar nomination for actor James Woods. 

Emil Guillermo anchored the event, honoring each of the past four decades by introducing veterans from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s. The speakers’ list included PNS veterans Louis Freedberg, Charles Jones, Don Maynard, Rubin Martinez, Mary Jo McConaughy, NPR’s Renee Montagne, Frank Viviano, Thuy Vu, Joan Walsh, keynote speaker Richard Rodriguez and a host of younger reporters from the ranks of New America Media. NAM’s current work has expanded beyond ethnic media (drawing on the resources of 2,500 ethnic news organizations) to encompass the world of youth, both through regular reporting and through the support of several specialized publications including YO! Youth Outlook Magazine, The Know (“Youth Voice of the Central Valley”) and The Beat Within (a weekly collection of poems and articles written by America’s incarcerated youth). 

State Senator Mark Leno arrived carrying a shining State Proclamation mounted on a large slab of polished wood. “The State is busted,” he said, “but we can still afford a nice plaque.” By comparison, Gavin Newsome’s letter-sized City Proclamation, mounted inside a paper folder, looked shabby in comparison. “I am a huge Sandy Close fan,” Leno declared. “Not a groupie,” he quickly qualified, “but a fan.”  

While Schurmann had a prescient gift for analysis, Close had a knack for seeking out the unconventional and seizing opportunities that were not even apparent to most people. When Sandy recently heard that PNS and NRP regular Sandip Roy was preparing to spend some time in India she immediately suggested: “You could be our Calcutta Bureau.” At a time when corporate media has been closing down foreign bureaus, PNS continues to “expand.” The secret? As one PNS veterans put it: “Every writer is a bureau.” 

Through the evening, PNS and its current consciously multicultural avatar, New America Media (NAM, founded in 1996), were praised for “empowering voices of dissent” for “giving voice to the voiceless” and acting as “a convenor of communities.”  

The stories from the “old-timers” were filled with mirth, with more than one veteran recalling the Friday afternoon deadlines when all the manually typed stories had to be assembled, stapled and placed in envelopes to be licked and sealed by wine-soaked tongues before being boxed and hauled off to be mailed. It was a time before fax machines, let alone the Internet. 

The latest generation of young writers brought some emotional moments, recalling what New America Media meant in their lives. One speaker had been rapping and dealing drugs on the street at the age of 13 when a friend confided: “You’re really good with words. You should come down to this office where I work.” 

“You have a job? You work in an office?!” the young rapper blurted in amazement. “I didn’t know anyone my age with a job.” The office turned out to be Sandy’s NAM office and the former drug-dealer is now a thriving journalist. Another graduate of NAM nearly broke into tears remembering “the first time the Oakland Tribune printed one of my clips!” 

A closing slideshow prompted bittersweet memories of Sandy’s husband, a redoubtable scholar and professor of history who traveled widely, wrote extensively and spoke 12 languages. Franz Schurmann passed away this August but the parade of black and white photos of Franz making friends in far-off villages in Afghanistan, India, and Vietnam provided a perfect ending for an event that also served as a fundraiser for the Franz Schurman Memorial Travel Fund. 

The ceremonies ended with former Taiwan singing star (and NAM’s current marketing director) Kay Wang Leventhal’s moving performance of a Chinese love song cherished by Franz and Sandy and a parting promise that PNS/NAM would “continue the mission of trespassing borders into the 20^th century.” 

Midnight Matt, the 53-year-old tree sitter, looked out over People's Park Sunday from his forty foot high redwood tree and pronounced it "cool." 

It was a toasty, golden-hued day in the park as Cal students hosted their 15th annual "Bear Fest." 

What is a "Bear Fest?" Hint: it's not a conclave of four-footed bears. It's a well meaning exercise in town-gown public relations in which Cal. students assume the role of university ambassadors. 

Signs attached to tent poles at game booths related the unvarnished history of the park--including an homage to Cal. student James Rector, who was killed in the struggles over the park in 1969. 

This was the first People's Park event since the park became a political hot potato in recent city council elections--passed from Beier, to Rosales, to Worthington. 

Now the park could do what it does best: just be itself. 

But how could any self-respecting tree-sitter fall for all the P-R hype? 

Without an I-phone, computer, or any link to the outside world, Mr.Matt inhabits a fool's paradise on prime real estate. He is in his third week of his tree sit-in protest. And although he claims that the university has altered park trees and shrubs, he admits that his main goal is to "stick it to the U." 

The university counters that it has not disturbed the plants. "Our job is to maintain the park in order to ensure that it is as clean, safe and welcoming as possible," according to a university spokesman. 

Matt's complaints may refer to actions by the university in 2008 that were contested by tree-sitting protests. That protest ended the same day it started when, according to the Planet, "campus police signed a Christmas truce," that spared two acacias. 

Mr. Matt passes his time, reading and observing, he said. What is he reading? A guide to herbs, and a children's book teaching the Hebrew alphabet. Now you know. 

If only he had come down and mingled. He might have scored a top-dog, one to a customer-- unless he had gotten lucky at the game booths and won some raffle tickets which could be exchanged for more than the allotted pups. 

He might have won a video camera in the raffle. 

He might have been entertained by all the talented student musicians and choristers. But without amplification, the muted sounds didn't drift to his tree. 

From his perch, the scene looked good to him. 

Only a Gandhi could have resisted the student's blandishments. More than two-hundred Top Dogs found homes among the homeless and other Berkeley citizens; another 800 went home with the students. 

You almost have to give the university credit for 15 years of trying to integrate what Moe Moskowitz called "some people's park." And events such as "Bear Fest," provide a futuristic glimpse of what the park might be, a coalition of students, homeless, and Berkeleyans--as it was at its bloody birth. 

Was this "fest" a harbinger of peace and tranquility to come or was it just another romp in the park with a hot dog, or to use Mr. Matt's description, just cool. 

Time will tell. 

One of the fest organizers observed that the only time students use the park is for basketball. They show up for weekend student events (Bear Fest is an annual event), but you won't see them in the park on Monday. In fact, unless there is a student sponsored event, the students don't usually come, according to the organizer. 

Still, the students have attended student events in the park for 15 years; perhaps, because the residence halls give sensitivity trainings in homelessness, addiction, and all the usual suspect social issues. 

Everyone wants to do the right thing by the park, but what is the right thing? 

Trying to solve this conundrum is enough to drive one up a park redwood. 

Ted Friedman has lived a half block from People's for 30 years. Recently, he has increased his "visits” to the park.

Born in Manhattan in 1946, Dorien Ross was a well loved writer, teacher and clinical psychologist.  

Her deeply moving novel, Beginning with A, is based both on the grief she suffered over her brother’s death and the extraordinary experiences she had after she left home at the age of 16 to learn Flamenco guitar from a Gypsy family in Moron de la Frontera, near Sevilla in Spain. Published by City Lights books, this novel, as Publisher’s Weekly has written, is infused with “mischief and mysterious beauty.” Stories and essays by Dorien Ross have been widely anthologized and published in magazines such as Tikkun. In 1991, one of her essays was selected for the prestigious annual volume, Best American Essays. As well as a degree in English Literature from Washington University, Dr Ross earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Berkeley. She directed the program in psychology at New College in San Francisco for four years in the 1980s and in the same period served as Director of the Day Program at St Georges Home for Children in Berkeley. 

Famous for her penetrating psychological insight, she maintained a clinical practice for years, both in Berkeley and in Manhattan. She is survived by her mother, Blanche Ross, and a wide circle of friends around the world, who will miss her vibrant energy, her humor, her honesty and her big heart.  

This Monday I woke earlier than usual— the added hour from the end of daylight savings helped me to do that—when surprisingly, at 7 am, just a few moments after I plugged in my telephone, it began to ring. "Hi Susan, I'm Evan," the voice said, "I'm sorry to say I have tragic news." Since I had just taught a workshop on the weekend and spent most of the day Sunday in bed recovering, I had a long list of tasks to accomplish before picking up my grandson in the afternoon. But suddenly another reason to rush had fallen into my life. 

Though I had not met Evan before I knew his name from my friend Dorie who, suffering from pain and various serious medical conditions for years, often called on him for small jobs, to drive her places, to walk her dog, the little Wizard of Oz Terrier named Abby. Dorie, who had attended my workshop and started writing again after a long drought, was exuberant, even irrepressible, bursting with an energy that would not let her sit still all day Saturday. She was still very excited that night, Evan says, but ill, with the headache that so often plagued her, pain in her foot from a recent surgery, and, as no one knew then, an infection in her blood. Up past one am in the morning with Evan, wailing as in jazz not pain, but also feeling fragile, she asked him to stay in her spare room that night. She was still asleep when he left in the morning. 

He checked on her later, a couple of times. The second time she was still out and not breathing. After an ambulance brought her to the hospital, they tried to revive her. Eventually she was breathing. But over night all her systems had shut down. Call her friends, the staff had told him. "She only has a few hours," he told me. I raced around doing the minimal—teeth brushing, clothes, a few spoonfuls of cereal and yogurt. The critical care staff had placed her in a room that looked over Berkeley and the bay. 

The day was uncommonly clear, even for a fall day, and beautiful. We were all—the dozen or so people in the room—thinking how effusive Dorie would have been about this view. She was effusive, large souled, large breasted, big-hearted, passionate, often over the top, pushing your boundaries and your tolerance and then making you laugh, amazingly honest, with blazing insight into the human psyche. Alternately we sang and told stories about her, discussed a few practical necessities, stood by her bed and stroked her, some cried, some teared up, a gentle Rabbi came, the nurse giving us the schedule: the morphine drip , the removal of the machine that had been making her breathe. We couldn't decipher the blinking lights, the green and blue graphs with numbers running across the screens on either side of her bed. And in any case there she was, Dorie, strong in her presence, unconscious but still herself it seemed, breathing hard, not giving up as she had not over 17 years of pain and illness. 

In my own mind I told myself stories. They were wrong, the doctors, her kidneys would come back, her liver would miraculously start working again, that heart which had been arrested would spring free and give her life again.  

After leaving the hospital I went shopping, picking out my grandson's favorite foods, which gave me the particular kind of humble joy that has the power to answer shock and grief, at least temporarily. As I cooked he drew a wonderful design and made a cut out from it, like a badge or a decoration. We watched 2 Loony Tunes cartoons together, for which he had a running commentary; it was not unlike watching a movie with a knowledgeable critic. Over and over again the heroes, the coyote or the duck, would be smashed to smithereens or exploded and then without much evident damage, spring back to life. But Dorie, I had learned from the hospital, had really gone, two hours after they removed the life support and I left her side. 

The next morning, as I was changing my sheets, I found two loose socks. In an inexplicable world, this gave me some comfort. I tried to penetrate my long list of tasks, and managed to accomplish a bit, but my own heart still propelled me in the direction of this death, as I started calling and writing people we knew in common, writing an obituary, faxing it to Blanche, Dorie's brave and caring mother. By the end of the day I was exhausted and sorting laundry once more. Socks misplaced again. I matched up all of them. Except one. A red one is still missing. Dorie would have loved this. Red, her favorite color. 

Wrapping yourself in the flag: it’s a hoary cliché. Usually, it implies using phony patriotism to disguise nefarious aims. There’s a quote mistakenly attributed to Sinclair Lewis which has been turned into a popular bumpersticker: “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.” Wikiquotes thinks the source was Harrison Salisbury’s characterization of Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here: "Sinclair Lewis aptly predicted in It Can't Happen Here that if fascism came to America it would come wrapped in the flag and whistling 'The Star Spangled Banner.”

But neither Sinclair Lewis nor Harrison Salisbury, nor anyone else for that matter, could have anticipated that fascism would come to the South Berkeley Senior Center on a Sunday night in November 2010 in the person of a middle-aged lady wrapped in an Israeli flag with the Star of David on her back. If I hadn’t seen it on video, I might not have believed it. 

As it happens, among the spectators at the meeting, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, were a couple of low-key respectable people I know pretty well, and their accounts confirm what the video shows and JVC’s subsequent press release claims. One of them, a neighbor, someone I knew only as a planning advocate, forwarded a link to me with JVP’s video of the event, with the comment “what a mess!” What a mess indeed. 

Even better, veteran journalist Gar Smith, who has been writing for the Planet lately, also was in the audience. His first person account is in today’s issue.  

The woman who is shown wrapping herself in the flag seems to have gone on to pull out a can of pepper spray which she directed against those who were trying (non-violently) to prevent her from photographing audience members against their will. It’s not at all clear to me how this act, which seems to me to be simple assault, if I correctly remember the definitions from my criminal law class thirty years ago, didn’t get her arrested by the police who were reported to be present.  

Fascism. That’s a heavy-duty label, and one that didn’t occur to me as applying to misguided ultra-Zionists until I saw the picture of the woman wrapping herself in the flag. I remember very little of my serious undergraduate Government course entitled “Communism, Fascism and Democracy”, and anyway, that was in the late fifties and I suspect the analyis is somewhat different now. So I availed myself of that excellent memory-substitute, Wikipedia, from which I extracted this footnoted quote:  

“Fascists believe that a nation is an organic community that requires strong leadership, singular collective identity, and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong.^[16] They claim that culture is created by the collective national society and its state, that cultural ideas are what give individuals identity, and thus they reject individualism.^[16] Viewing the nation as an integrated collective community, they see pluralism as a dysfunctional aspect of society, and justify a totalitarian state as a means to represent the nation in its entirety.^{[17][18] .”}  

There’s much more to the definition, of course, and it would be unfair to brand the whole nation of Israel with the actions of its craziest defenders, the people who have been attacking Middle East peace advocates like JVP all over the Bay Area in the past few months. But if wrapping yourself in a flag and attempting to shut down a peaceful meeting by shouting isn’t the way fascism shows itself, what is it?  

Also seen in the video produced by Jewish Voice for Peace, the organizers of the meeting where this took place, was one Dan Spitzer, who has made a career, in the best fascistic style, of bullying anyone who has the temerity to disagree with the policies of the current government of Israel. At the Planet, we’ve gotten many reports from terrified small businesses of his appearances on their premises making scenes in front of their customers, with the intention of persuading them to cancel their ads.  

After seeing this video, I realized that Spitzer was also the man who used the question period of a panel discussion at U.C.’ s School of Journalism several years ago to launch a gratuitous verbal attack on me and on the paper, just because I happened to be in the audience. The timid newsies and academics on the panel and in the audience that night, by and large, didn’t speak up, just sat there as if they were stuffed. 

Until recently, it has been possible to stifle any criticism of Israel or its advocates like these with the threat that critics would be labeled as anti-Semites, as I have been, simply because I published such criticisms. But now it’s time and past time for Berkeley’s civic leaders to speak up about the vicious tactics which have been used here against JVP and other organizations by self-styled friends of Israel. Someone in authority in city government ought to be asking why the Berkeley police stood idly by as someone commited an assault before a score of witnesses with a bogus claim of self-defense.  

Would it be possible for the Berkeley City Council (which has taken positions on bullying everywhere else in the world, Darfur, Tibet, you name it) to condemn those who attacked attendees at a peaceful meeting on city property in the city of Berkeley? How about Berkeley’s numerous religious citizens and their leaders, the priests, ministers, rabbis? Granted, few of them spoke up when the Planet was attacked, but hasn’t the time come now to take a stand?  

Now for the good news: three cheers, and three cheers more, for the brave members of Jewish Voice for Peace, who are not at all afraid to speak up. Some (though not all) of them, are young, and it’s hard to challenge the mistakes of your elders, especially if you generally respect their opinions.  

The young people who carried out the New Orleans protest remind me of the young members of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee back in the heyday of the civil rights movement in the United States. Some of SNCC’s elders urged caution, but the young folks realized that it was time for direct action and just did it.  

I’d even wager that a pretty sizeable percentage of the older people attending the convention in New Orleans knew that the young activists who unfurled banners at Netanyahu’s speech were justified in their criticisms of the government of Israel—even if the elders lacked the courage to join the protest. It’s hard to pin the anti-Semitic label on brave young Jews like these. Anyone, Jewish or not, who is genuinely concerned for the survival of Israel as a democratic and tolerant state should thank them for pointing the way toward peace with justice.  

UC Berkeley's own Matthew Taylor has a piece in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz explaining the new militancy of young American Jews like himself.

Richard Brenneman forwards a link about a possible new buyer for Golden Gate Fields which appeared in a trade publication.

Chris Hedges has a terrific column in Truthdig about what happened to academics who refused to cooperate with those who were intent on purging dissenters, featuring mathematician Chandler Davis, author of a recent Planet commentary on fighting for free speech.

The much anticipated first volume of autobiography of legendary American author and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, best known by his pen name Mark Twain, lands on bookstore shelves today (Monday, Nov. 15), 100 years after his death, courtesy of editors at the Mark Twain Papers and Project at the University of California, Berkeley's Bancroft Library.

A sublimely silly piece from the San Francisco Chronicle about Berkeley's Measure R, written by someone who doesn't seem to know how to follow the money. Write to them, and cc us so we can print your letters when they don't.

Richard Brenneman continues to track misdeeds at the University of California on his blog:"It’s been a bad year for University of California students, but a very good year for UC Berkeley bioengineer Jay Keasling. During the same UC Board of Regents session that boosted student fees by another eight percent, the regents handed the professor an 11 percent raise just a few weeks after his private corporation went public and earned him more than $10 million worth of stock."

Dan O'Neill

Joseph Young

Recycle Blues; Defacing Signs; Smartmeter Spy; The Situation at KPFA:; Construction Interests Fund School Board Campaigns;NIMBY Notice; Public Crimes; State Parks Initiative; PUC; Most Moronic Post-Election Analysis I've Seen Yet; Cut Military Spending 

Recycle Blues 

What can the City of Berkeley be thinking? Here is a city where the houses in every neighborhood are “charming” in real estate parlance, “fine grained” to the city planner, and interesting to all of us. Here is a city where not just the grand neighborhoods of the Uplands and Thousand Oaks are a place to take out-of-town visitors for a sightseeing drive, where Dohr Street and Parker and Rose are just as likely to have a treasure as Southampton or The Arlington. 

So now the City has placed in front of every Stockbroker Tudor, every Victorian Farmhouse, and every Craftsman Bungalow an enormous powder blue recycling cart. Perhaps in the Uplands or on Southampton these hideous carts will be hauled inside between weekly pick-ups. For much of Berkeley the density of housing is too great to make room to hide these things. They will be along my street all week long for us to shudder at. 

They didn’t have to be powder blue. There are over 30,000 households in Berkeley so this order must have been huge. The bureaucrat who picked powder blue must have liked the color. No matter that brown would have matched the shingles of half of Berkeley and been just as symbolic and just as easy to differentiate from the grey carts and the green waste carts. Powder blue? Did this eco-crat go to UCLA? Does she or he love Siamese cats? Why? 

And last question. Can we paint our cart? Camouflage it? Please! 

Christopher Adams 

* * * 

Defacing Signs 

“Should we ask Mayor Tom Bates to make stealing/defacing campaign signs illegal…?” -- Morning Shu. 

Of course not. Campaign signs are protected political speech, and so are the comments written (or pasted) on them by opponents. How educational either sign is may be debatable, but it makes no sense to try to criminalize one side in a debate.

I would prefer to nurture the idea that stealing and destroying campaign signs is bad form, wasteful, and that those who respect democracy’s rusty, sometimes cranky mechanisms should encourage others to respect them too, rather than deprive us all of a piece of the debate, however little it may offer.

Sign alteration, on the other hand, is an art. The “nimby robot” people are perhaps not the best practitioners, and could get some much-needed inspiration from the creative posse opposing San Francisco’s Measure L.

Carol Denney 

* * * 

Smartmeter Spy 

Open letter to the California Public Utilities Commission concerning their response to the discovery that the Director of the Smartmeter program, William Devereaux, had been caught spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement (cf. SF Chronicle, 11/9/2010). 

The following was reported in the San Jose Mercury, 11/10/2010, concerning William Devereaux's spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement, for which he has since resigned. 

"It is of serious concern to the CPUC that a senior PG&E official may have been involved in unethical behavior," said CPUC spokesperson Terrie Prosper. "We are investigating the allegations to ascertain the facts, and to determine whether any laws or regulations were violated, and whether sanctions are appropriate." 

But the CPUC has allowed, and fostered the project that Mr. Devereaux directed, which was to install devices on people's houses that for some people are a source of illness, ill health, and malaise. And the CPUC has ignored this fact, and turned a deaf ear on the hundreds and thousands of complaints about this imposition. 

To the extent that the CPUC not only allows but guides PGE's installation of Smartmeters against the wishes of individuals and property owners, the CPUC is itself guilty of unethical behavior. In other words, the CPUC's "concern" about Mr. Devereaux's spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement is wholly hypocritical. 

How do individuals know that their ailments, such as insomnia, headaches, and other things, have their source in the Smartmeters? Because when they wrap the Smartmeter in aluminum foil, thus shutting off their exposure to its microwave emissions, their ailments disappear. 

I strongly urge the CPUC to end its hypocrisy by ending its own unethical behavior, and listen to the people it is duty-bound to protect against precisely the detrimental effects of such technology. 

Steve Martinot 

Re: The Situation at KPFA 

Arlene Engelhardt blatantly abandoned any pretense that the issue was purely economic when she said on Michael Krasny's Forum (in answer to a question about why the morning show hosts cannot continue to produce the morning show while they are still being paid through early December) that "there has been so much one-sided spewing that it makes for very bad radio." She thus admitted to meddling in station programming, which is completely outside the purview of Pacifica Foundation officers. This is truly outrageous— I would thank Ms. Engelhardt to let the listeners decide what is and is not good radio, and leave the programming decisions to the station staff! 

Avilee Goodwin 

Construction Interests Fund School Board Campaigns 

I'm a parent in WCCUSD (West Contra Costa Unified School District), have served on district committees and know a fair amount about the district politics. 

Looking at the list of contributors for the Berkeley Unified Measure H, I see a lot of the same construction interests that are involved with the WCCUSD and our $1,389,579,060 construction bond program. Construction interests have given hundreds of thousands $ to some of our school board members. Charles Ramsey has received the most contributions; coincidentally he is on the WCCUSD committees that oversee the construction bond program, the facilities subcommittee and the rep on the CBOC (Citizens Bond Oversight Committee). The Chair of the CBOC received over $40K from construction interests when he ran for school board in 2008--many contributing firms received "no-bid" contracts from WCCUSD 

I'm sorry to say this, but Berkeley Unified should get ready for construction interests helping to select their school board, more bond measures, unlimited cost overruns, etc. Education and student safety might not become such a priority. 

Linda Ruiz Lozito  

NIMBY Notice 

Thank you, whoever you are, for informing me that I am a nimby robot. I had no idea that I was a nimby, after living on Dwight Way since 1984 and—what was I thinking?—expressing my opinion about Measure R, which I believe circumvents the consensus achieved by the community members appointed by the council to develop a downtown plan. Who cares that my considered opinion, as indicated by my No on R sign, would be defaced? 

I care. I was deeply insulted, and, fact is, this was an illegal act, and your identity should be revealed to the community. If you remain anonymous, I will know that you are a coward. I hope you know you are one, too. 

Fran Haselsteiner 

State Parks Initiative  

My fellow Californians; I am not happy with you. I'm not talking to the minority who voted for the State Parks initiative, but rather the majority of you who voted against it or didn't bother to vote at all. 

Let's look at the deteriorating state of our once lovely parks: campgrounds closed, restrooms locked or too filthy to use, roads in need of repair, infrastructure crumbling. 

Now, think about the 18 bucks a years it would cost to bring them back to their past glory. What is 18 bucks a year? You spend more than that each month on your latte or mocha. You spend more than that each month so you can send pointless texts to your friends while driving seventy on the crowded freeway. You spend more than that each month on additional tips because the waitress was cute and smiled at you. You spend more than that each month when you buy the twenty dollar bottle of wine because your tastes have become too sophisticated for the eight buck bottle. You spend more than that each month when you buy an appetizer, knowing that the main meal is more than a grizzly bear could eat. You spend more than that each month when you get your hair styled, when it could be cut for half the price. 

This vote is what happens when "cheap" runs headlong into "selfish." 

A couple of months ago I camped in a North Dakota state park. Beautiful, clean, well-maintained, free hot showers. California, once America's cutting edge state is now so far behind North Dakota that we can no longer see the dust they kick up. 

Now, go have a five buck latte and whine to your friends about the rude columnist who made you feel bad. 

Meade Fischer 

* * *  

Open letter to the California Public Utilities Commission concerning their response to the discovery that the Director of the Smartmeter program, William Devereaux, had been caught spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement (cf. SF Chronicle, 11/9/2010). 

To the CPUC: 

The following was reported in the San Jose Mercury, 11/10/2010, concerning William Devereaux's spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement, for which he has since resigned. 

"It is of serious concern to the CPUC that a senior PG&E official may have been involved in unethical behavior," said CPUC spokesperson Terrie Prosper. "We are investigating the allegations to ascertain the facts, and to determine whether any laws or regulations were violated, and whether sanctions are appropriate." 

But the CPUC has allowed, and fostered the project that Mr. Devereaux directed, which was to install devices on people's houses that for some people are a source of illness, ill health, and malaise. And the CPUC has ignored this fact, and turned a deaf ear on the hundreds and thousands of complaints about this imposition. 

To the extent that the CPUC not only allows but guides PGE's installation of Smartmeters against the wishes of individuals and property owners, the CPUC is itself guilty of unethical behavior. In other words, the CPUC's "concern" about Mr. Devereaux's spying on the anti-Smartmeter movement is wholly hypocritical. 

How do individuals know that their ailments, such as insomnia, headaches, and other things, have their source in the Smartmeters? Because when they wrap the Smartmeter in aluminum foil, thus shutting off their exposure to its microwave emissions, their ailments disappear. 

I strongly urge the CPUC to end its hypocrisy by ending its own unethical behavior, and listen to the people it is duty-bound to protect against precisely the detrimental effects of such technology. 

Steve Martinot 

* * * 

Most Moronic Post-Election Analysis I've Seen Yet 

So the Dems lost because they weren't leftist enough ? What are you smoking, Becky ? The Dems lost over 60% of the white vote, only college brainwashed white women supported them and that just barely. 

California was the exception only because four million white middle class voters have fled from here since 1990. So the remaining voters elected four tired old Party Hacks over four RINO Republicans. 

And guess what, Jerry Brown is going to do the nasty in the progressives' southerly orifices big time. He'll probably cut more than Meg ever could and Meg flipflopped on almost every issue as a cogent analysis in yesterday's Mercury News demonstrated. 

If it wasn't for the Blue Dogs there NEVER would been a Democratic House in either 2006 or 2008. If you lib morons are stupid enough to retain the same failed leadership of Pelosi, Reid and Obama for 2012 then look for the same results. 

Oh yes I know, Becky, that silent leftist majority has once again failed to show up at the polls for the 44th year in a row. Just keep the blinders on and listen to another lecture by Pope Noam, that tribune of the Peepul as he drives his Lexus back home to lily white Lexington. 

As for Kamala Harris she's the worst DA in Frisco since the last leftist held that job. It really has nothing to do with the death penalty which is very rarely enforced here in California. She's simply an incompetent leftist ideologue. Don't bother to introspect, just keep blaming everyone else for your bad judgment. 

It wasn't just the Likudnik nuts who put you out of the print business, it was your many bad stands on many issues. Wake up or go the way of KPFA. After 40 years in the Oak-Berk Zoo I'm be glad to be out of there. 

Al Blue
 

Ukiah 

Cut Military Spending 

Please stop paying out all this money for defense; we do not need it, what we need is to support human needs, education, health and welfare. 

Hilary FitzGerald-Nicholson

I have a proposal to make to all PGE customers. It is a fairly delicate matter, given the fundamental assumptions of this culture. So I will try to be soft and subtle about making it. But I know I will fail. 

PGE has been caught in a number of nefarious situations recently. An insufficiently maintained gas main blew up in San Bruno, killing 8 people and levelling around 40 houses. Then more recently the Director of PGE's Smartmeter installation program, William Devereaux, was caught infiltrating a number of email mailing lists of the anti-Smartmeter movement under a false name (the real word is "spying"). We caught him (yes, I'm a proud member of that movement) and issued a strong press release about his derogation on Nov. 8. The Chron and the Mercury featured it on their front pages (it even made the NY Times), leading to his suspension the next day by PGE, and his resignation the day after that. Ironically, the last event coincided with a power outage in the Martinez area, causing the Tesoro refinery there to vent massive amounts of gas, with accompanying huge flares, lighting the landscape and darkening the sky with smoke, forcing people to stay indoors to escape its toxic effects. 

These are not just spectacles on which we might have a ringside seat. Our rates for electric power from PGE will be going up as a result (more than the usual periodic increases). PGE has already said so, and started making phone calls to people to inform them. I got one myself. 

Therefore, a word about these events, please. 

San Bruno. The maintenance of equipment is PGE's first responsibility to us. When they spent $50 million trying to pass Proposition 16, which would have given them a de facto power monopoly, it amounted to a diversion of funds which should have gone for maintenance. Now 8 people are dead, amidst massive destruction. In effect, a crime has been committed, a crime of negligence. Call it "involuntary manslaughter." PGE has said that it will pass on to us those reconstruction costs not covered by their insurance. If we pay that, we will become accessories to PGE's manslaughter, under the laws of any state in this union. The law states that any person who contributes money (voluntarily or not) to an organization that commits a crime becomes an accessory to that crime, after the fact. 

Smartmeters. Smartmeters are new meters that radio their data on private residence energy consumption to PGE by means of microwave radio frequency radiation (902-928 MHz). This is a small part of the electromagnetic band that cell phones use. And they do so continually throughout the day as part of local "mesh networks." (I'll let my readers look that up, but it is like the internet.) The installation of Smartmeters contains a criminal component (for which a new term has been invented). That criminal component derives from the fact that these meters are detrimental to our health. Many people get unusual headaches, insomnia, numbness or tingling, etc. And it is easy to test if such ailments come from the Smartmeter on one’s their house. One has but to wrap the meter in aluminum foil, thus protecting oneself from its microwave radiation, and any meter-originating ailment will go away. 

Now, the name for the crime thus committed is "toxic trespass." PGE has prior permission (called an "easement") to come on a person's property to read and maintain its meters. But it does not have an easement to go on people's property and install a harmful device without the owner's permission. When they do so, they are committing a crime – at least, for those who are electromagnetic-sensitive. And they will be charging us for the device thus criminally installed. That is, the costs of the meters, their installation, and the increased use of energy in their operation will be passed on to us, making us accessories to the imposition of illness on those so affected. 

I needn't say much about the invasion of privacy inherent in the Smartmeters, which violates the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution. PGE will be getting data on our energy use hour by hour. What they will do with this data, and whether or not they will sell it, is not being discussed. But it should be kept private data. Nor need I say much about the meters' inaccuracies. They have caused energy bills to double, triple, even quadruple (but never, to my knowledge, to decrease). 

How can we protect ourselves against this, so that we are not just sitting ducks to corporate criminal negligence and profit-hunger? How do we keep from being accessories to PGE's crimes? Here is where my proposal confronts cultural assumptions. Let each neighborhood organize an assembly of residents that will discuss and decide for itself what would be a fair rate to pay for electric power, and pay that rather than what PGE bills. As long as people pay something, their power cannot legally be shut off. Call them "community power councils," or "rate-payer's unions," or "assemblies of resistance." It doesn't matter. But if a neighborhood is together in it, PGE will have to come down and negotiate. We were never asked if we wanted these meters. It is high time we had a say. If we can bring PGE to the negotiating table, we can hold them responsible for their criminal trespass against us. And those who wish their privacy to be kept sacrosanct, a Smartmeter opt-out option can be demanded.

'It's time for all of us to truly save KPFA' 

The recent cuts were necessary to restore KPFA to financial solvency for the first time in 2 years, and bring it back from the brink of collapse. (The cuts restored the 2003 (pre-Iraq War) staff level.) The controversial part, for Pacifica's new Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt, was deciding where to make the cuts. She settled on the only fair and equitable solution - to follow the union contract and base the layoffs on seniority. 

The Pacifica Foundation Board passed the following motion on October 3, 2010: "The Pacifica Foundation Board fully supports the Pacifica Foundation Executive Director in the difficult task of balancing the KPFA budget; utilizing the staff cuts recommended by the Executive Director in accordance with principles she has enunciated, of respect for seniority, recognition of skill sets and maintaining the programming grid to the extent possible." 

However, a story has been circulated repeatedly that a 'mis-directed email' disclosed a 'hit list' drawn up by three of the KPFA Pacifica National Board members to purge their political opponents. In the ensuing week the hosts of the Morning Show, Letters to Washington, and Against the Grain all whipped the KPFA community into frenzy to oppose this 'hit list'. 

Of course, there was no 'mis-directed email' and there was no 'hit list'. Any claim that the layoff list is a hit list to selectively purge political opponents is easily dismissed by simply posting the union seniority list. 

It is understandable but unfortunate that so many people believe this fabricated story, but it is more troubling that some are willing to keep the station at financial risk while fabricating stories to inflame and confuse the KPFA community. 

We should thank the Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt and Chief Financial Officer Lavarn Williams for tirelessly working to put KPFA and Pacifica back on a solid financial footing, and being so steadfast in face of malicious abuses that have been hurled at them. 

We should do all we can to continue to financially support KPFA, for free speech can only be truly exercised by those who are fiscally independent. 

Although there is an internal strife within the KPFA community, we need to bridge the divide and all work together to strengthen the station so that it can continue as a healthy, vibrant fertile ground for information and inquiry, and empower those who are in a position to provide all of us with the programming we so depend upon to be the informed citizens that are the hope of a decent society. 

It is critical that we end the power of corporate money to control our lives, our environment, our elections, and it is corporate free media that is the pathway to all of these goals. 

Livability is one of those once innocuous words, like sustainability, that now receive almost unquestioned acceptance in the bureaucracy, academia and the media. After all, words like sustainability and livability have no acceptable negative form. Who could be in favor of anything unlivable, insensitive, unhealthy or unsustainable? 

Back in the late seventies, when I served as Special Assistant for Information Policy in the Office of the Secretary, our shibboleth was “balanced”. Can anyone be in favor of unbalanced transportation? It didn’t matter that the word had no meaning and we couldn’t explain it to others, it still became standard in the rhetoric of secretarial officers. In an unkind moment a reporter asked the present DOT Secretary Ray LaHood what he meant by livable, given that the department had just added it to its criteria for giving away money. He replied vaguely it was something about being able to walk to work and the park and a restaurant, to a doctor and a few more things. 

Well it turns out I was living the livable life style when I was growing up in Queens, New York in the fifties and didn’t know it. Here all along I just thought we were poor. 

Aside from seeking to have the same modal shares of America in 1910, or Tajikistan today, this idea fails on both theoretical and practical grounds. Theoretically, whatever merit the idea might have, livability means very different things in a tenement in Brooklyn, or a place in Billings, Des Moines, or Peoria. I can recall being sent to the store for milk or lettuce by my Mom after school. If I didn’t get there in time the four heads of iceberg lettuce (I was 16 before I found out that there were other kinds) were gone. The milk was “milk”. Today in a supermarket the milk section is bigger than the grocery store I went to as a kid. There’s skim, 1%, 2%, whole, lactaid, acidophilus in quarts, half-gallons, and gallons and 86 kinds of lettuce. The typical market today has above 50,000 items. That means that the market shed for such stores is far broader than it was back in the day. 

We were three generations of the family in the same household and we all had the same doctor who lived two blocks away. Today I don’t have a doctor – I have half a dozen – none of them selected on the basis of distance. When one selects doctors, best, not closest, matters. Hospitals are growing in size but declining in the number of facilities per thousand population. All of this is simply representative of the immense trend towards specialization in our society – an increasing division of labor in all activities and an accompanying division of tastes and preferences in an increasingly affluent society. If you want a loaf of wonder bread there’s a 7-11 down the street; if its ciabatta with sun-dried tomatoes there’s this really great place I know a few miles off of exit 29 on the freeway. 

In today’s job market don’t we expect that people will be willing to go farther to find the job they want or can get? If the average travel time is about 25 minutes and a half-hour commute is acceptable, how long is one unemployed before the acceptable becomes 45 minutes or an hour? In this period of housing constraint in which people are even more locked into their homes by underwater mortgages, the commute will grow as people get desperate. 

In my town of College Point, Queens when the factory whistle blew a few thousand walked in the gate and out again when the whistle blew in the evening. People don’t live outside the factory gate anymore and haven’t for awhile. Again, specialization and division of labor are the main factor. Job groupings are far smaller today, and the rate of job turnover means more people won’t/can’t move every time they change jobs. Moreover, about 70% of workers live in a household with other workers – whose job will they live next to? 

More importantly, the great competitive strength of America lies in access to skilled workers. Employers will be reaching out farther and farther to find the specializations and skills they require. We should expect work trip lengths to grow not become walking trips. It won’t be inner city oriented either. The metropolis of today is of immense size because many employers need a market of hundreds of thousands of potential workers to reach the ones they need. The Atlanta region with 26 counties is not a great economic engine because it is 26 charming adjacent hamlets, but rather because the market reach of employers, suppliers, customers and job seekers spreads over several million residents. 

In this environment it takes massive transportation capability to assure that market shed. The questions are how many potential employees can I reach in half an hour; how many suppliers, how many customers? In the future more of us will be free to live where we want and work where we want. Most will not be willing to trade living floor space for a close-by sidewalk café. Americans will drive to where they want to walk. 

There remains, of course, lots of room now within the existing land use distribution to make it easier for those who wish to live closer to shops, jobs or entertainment. People also are free to go to the nearest store or nearest doctor. The fact that so few do so reflects the oft-forgotten fact that people have their own notions of what is most important. Trying to coerce them to live the way government – particularly the upper bureaucracy – thinks they should live holds many perils. The American people have no obligation to live in ways that make it convenient for government to serve them. Government isn’t smart enough to know how people should live or to order their lives in more “convenient” arrangements. 

On the practical side: 

It’s on the practical side that the concepts of livability really fail. The central failure inheres in what the Europeans call subsidiarity, proposes that any necessary activity of an authority should be conducted by that level of governance closest to the problem that can effectively address it. Having livability rise to become central principle of federal transportation investment planning is an egregious failure in our historical system of decentralized government. If sidewalks and bike paths are federal then everything is federal. 

The mayors of our cities love it. Why not? It is the closest they have come to being able to lay claim to direct federal funding, getting those pesky states and suburban communities where the majority of Americans live out of the way. They see it as finally being their turn at the money from Washington. In these times, when every government level is broke, livability and sustainability can prove a potential lifeline, and a bonanza as well to developers – often themselves subsidized – who focus on the inner city. 

The livability criterion is ultimately centralist: fed-centric. It is not up to local people if they want to densify or not, but real power will rest with a really “smart” guy behind a desk in Washington. Proposals for federal “performance measurement” degenerate into a charade that produces pre-ordained results. Now I can fund my friends, who are as right-thinking as I am! 

The problem here is a total disconnect between what people in a diverse democracy want, and what the central bureaucracy, and their academic allies, wish to impose. The livability agenda may be popular in the press and among pundits, but for most communities and people it’s neither popular nor remotely democratic. 

Alan E. Pisarski is the author of the long running Commuting in America series. A consultant in travel behavior issues and public policy, he frequently testifies before the Houses of the Congress and advises States on their investment and policy requirements. 

This article first appeared on the New Geography website.
 

In the wake of the election, progressive movements and their members are debating what went wrong. Some say the media amplified the bizarre statements of the Tea Party. Still others argue that Obama didn’t offer sufficient leadership or remind us what he had actually achieved during his first 18 months in office. Many blame no one, knowing that midterm elections bring a backlash, regardless of who is in power. 

All of these are basically true. But something gets lost in this wringing of hands or resigned acceptance of inevitable defeat. Barack Obama ignited a hope for change and then squandered the opportunity -- right in the middle of high unemployment, terrible economic anxiety, and widespread fear of a declining America -- to hold tightly to the terms of debate that vaulted him to power and might have resulted in many fewer Democratic losses. 

But he is not alone. Progressives all over the country sat back for 18 months without pushing him to guard those terms of debate, namely those of equality, fairness, decency, and a society that must depend on the state to protect the poor and the vulnerable. During his presidency, FDR confided to unions and progressive activists that they had to “force” him to do things that would be politically unacceptable. Progressives didn’t do that during the last eighteen months. Had they pushed much, much harder, we might have kept more people in their homes, and had a national jobs program that would have softened the terror of having no livelihood. 

It is true that Obama faced an obstructionist Republican Senate minority. But he would have changed the terms of debate if he had allowed Republicans to filibuster and read telephone books for two weeks over the question of taxes. Imagine the spectacle. Americans would have perked up their ears, a new national conversation could have eclipsed the Tea Party, and many people would have agreed that the wealthy didn’t need tax cuts and that they should expire. 

History reminds us that any social movement that changes the terms of debate will eventually change the national conversation. 

Look back at the successes of the modern women’s movement. They didn’t win all their battles, but they forced the nation to debate why men rape 92 year-old women or 3 three year- old girls and gradually people began to recognize that rape is not about sexual lust. They also forced the nation to consider what constitutes sexual harassment at work -- for which there existed no language before the movement -- and over time, the public began to understand why sexual blackmail undermined a woman’s civil rights and her right to earn a living. By openly discussing “date rape” and “marital rape,” activists launched a heated debate over what is acceptable and what is not. In the end, many laws, policies and social customs changed dramatically. 

But it didn’t stop there. Violence against women and incest against girls had been painful individual secrets. By openly discussing them, women even convinced the UN’s General Assembly in 1993 to vote for a convention that described such violence as a violation of their human rights. A decade later, rape as a tool of war also became a violation of women’s human rights, replacing their traditional role as part of the spoils of war. 

The demand by women to control their own bodies, and to decide whether to have a child, whether to terminate a pregnancy, changed the terms of debate so radically that the country is still wrangling over the implications of a woman’s right to control her own reproductive choices. In fact, it has even become a litmus test for politicians. 

The women’s movement didn’t win all its battles. But it did change the terms of debate, redefining traditional customs as crimes. That was its great accomplishment and that is why the nation is still debating much of its movement’s agenda from the late 1960s and 1970s. 

By now, most people know that a large segment of white women in the nation either sat out this election or switched to the Republicans out of economic fear. Yet Obama did little to remind women how much he had, in fact, done for them: He ended the gag rule; he made sure that women could sue for discriminatory pay; and his health care program and the stimulus helped many women protect their families and keep their jobs. But he needed to shout these from the White House because women’s fears, amidst so much unemployment and so many foreclosures, certainly eclipsed what he actually did for them. In short, he didn’t give white women a reason to vote for him. It was minority women who gave him their votes. Had he courted all women and addressed their needs for economic security and child care, the conversation might have been quite different. 

What Obama, Democrats and progressives failed to do during this electoral cycle was to define and then proudly grab the terms of debate. If you look back at all successful social movements, all their great accomplishments, some of which changed laws, were to change the terms of debate. The Civil Rights movement forced Americans to question the truthfulness of racial supremacy and the fairness of racial inequality. The environmental movement asked whether we could protect the planet’s health and sustainability if we raped all of its resources. And the gay and lesbian movements, by encouraging people to leave their closets, forced Americans to recognize the ordinary humanity of their gay friends, neighbors, and relatives. Just recently, a new movement launched by young undocumented college-aged immigrants is encouraging students to come out of the shadows and, following the successes of gays and lesbians, proudly say “I’m undocumented and unafraid.” 

These are the social movements that change the conversation. Instead, Obama, Democrats and progressives allowed the well-organized, oil-funded Tea Party and its media echo chamber to turn the mantra of “no taxes , no government, no deficit” into the terms of debate. No wonder they have so many victories to celebrate after this election.
 

Ruth Rosen, a former columnist at the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle, is a Professor Emerita of History, currently teaching at U.C Berkeley. Her most recent book is "The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America" (Penguin 2007) "

On November 2nd, Democrats were “shellacked” because they didn’t have a coherent message about the jobs crisis. Whereas Republicans said, “Lower taxes and fewer regulations create jobs,” Dems equivocated, “Let’s not go back to the Bush era.” To prevent another Democratic disaster in 2012, President Obama must develop a forceful jobs narrative. 

While most demographic groups shifted in favor of Republicans, only “liberals” – 20 percent of the electorate – stayed with Democrats. Political analyst Bill Schneider noted Dems lost because the other wing of their base, the populists, abandoned them. 

Schneider observed there is a class difference between populist and liberal Democrats. While they share many of the same values, when times are tough populists focus on jobs and the economy. When they leave the Democratic base, “What’s left is a liberal Party: the Party of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.” 

To bring populists back into the Democratic Party President Obama has to have a coherent jobs message. He has to be reborn as a populist and speak with passion and coherence about jobs. 

Two days after the election, Obama was interviewed by Steve Kroft for 60 Minutes, which illuminated the problems with the President’s jobs narrative. 

Obama acknowledged the jobs problem but didn’t seem to know what to do about it. When asked what message voters sent on November 2nd, Obama responded: “I think that, first and foremost, they want jobs and economic growth in this country. They want to feel that the next generation is gonna be able to benefit from the American dream the way previous generations have.” Then the President acknowledged that his message hadn’t worked: “The hardest argument to make in politics is: things would have been a lot worse if we hadn't done all those taken all these steps… So, people are looking and saying, ‘Well government intervened a lot, spent a lot of money, and yet, I still don't have a job or my neighbor still doesn't have a job or that home is still being foreclosed down the block.’ And our argument was, ‘Well, we had to take these steps to stabilize the economy and things would be a lot worse if we hadn't taken these steps.’” 

Towards the middle of the interview, Kroft focused on jobs: “You spent nearly a trillion dollars on the stimulus package. Short-term interest rates are practically zero. And still the unemployment rate is 9.6 percent. What can you do to create jobs that hasn't already been done?” 

Unfortunately, Obama did what he has often done recently, he got defensive about his stimulus package. Then, rather than get specific about a jobs program, the President spoke in vague terms of “things we can do to accelerate growth:” accelerated equipment depreciation, new infrastructure projects, tax breaks for companies investing in the US, investment in clean energy, and so forth. That was all that was said about jobs, the 60 Minutes interview segued into whether Obama could work with a divided Congress. 

If the Democrats are going to win back the populist wing of their Party, the President has to develop a forceful jobs narrative. Eight steps are involved: 

1. It can’t be defensive. Whether the 2009 stimulus was good or bad, it’s ancient political history. The President needs to reset the political dialogue by stating: the number US problem is the lack of good jobs. That’s my top priority.
2. Obama has to be passionate. One of the problems with the Kroft interview was that the President appeared cerebral. If jobs are truly his number one priority, he has to convey that he cares about the subject.
3. Obama is at his best when he speaks from a solid values base. He needs to kickoff his jobs initiative by stating the obvious: Every American who wants to work should be able to find a decent job.
4. The President should be careful about going into wonk mode. Nonetheless he should talk about a handful of specific ways to create good jobs: a public-private partnership to jumpstart employment, one that could involve accelerated depreciations schedules and the like.
5. Obama should deplore outsourcing and call for penalties on US corporations that outsource jobs.
6. He should indicate that he is willing to renegotiate trade agreements to protect American jobs.
7. Of course, the President should reach out to Republicans, ask them for their concrete suggestions about creating jobs. However, he should warn them that since this is the nation’s number one priority, Americans will not accept delay or obstruction on this critical topic.
8. Finally, Obama has to explicitly state that if necessary government must be the employer of last resort. He should take a forceful stand for a massive effort to upgrade America’s infrastructure.

Barack Obama needs to focus on America’s jobs problem. He needs to make it his number one priority and let everyone in the country know that. 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net

Conversations With Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence, and Empire,”by Reese Erlich, PoliPoint Press, 2010, $14.95

The following from the Washington Post is why you should read journalist Reese Erlich’s book on terrorism: 

“U.S. military teams and intelligence agencies are deeply involved in secret joint operations with Yemeni troops, including the U.S. military’s clandestine Joint Special Operations Command, whose main mission is tracking and killing suspected terrorists.” 

But who are these “suspected terrorists”? 

To the government of President Ali Abdullajh Saleh, members of the Southern Movement, as well as Shiite Houthi in the north, are “terrorists,” but the current fighting is a civil war, one that we are being drawn into on the side of an unpopular and authoritarian regime. 

“The War on Terrorism” never made any sense,” argues Erlich. “You can wage a war against an enemy country or an insurgency, but you can’t wage war on a tactic.” In short, just because a group uses the weapons of al-Qaeda doesn’t mean they are same. 

Erlich tries to redefine the way we think about the term “terrorism” by placing it in a historical context and letting “terrorists” talk about their goals and political philosophy. What emerges is far more complex and nuanced than the cartoon characterizations by the mass media. 

Hamas is considered a “terrorist” organization by the U.S., and the chair of its political bureau, Khaled Meshal, a “terrorist.” But as Erlich points out, Hamas is not considered “terrorist” by other countries in the neighborhood, and it will have to be part of any eventual peace settlement. To dismiss Hamas as “terrorist” is not only false, it is politically disastrous. 

Erlich’s interview with Israeli Geula Cohen, a founder of the 1940s Stern Gang, makes an interesting comparison to Meshal. The Stern Gang bombed civilians, assassinated diplomats, and used murder and violence to drive Palestinians off their lands. But while Hamas and Meshal are condemned as terrorists, Cohen and the Stern gang are hailed as heroes, with streets named after them and museums celebrating their feats. 

In short, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. 

A major strength of the book is that the author has spent several decades reporting on this area of the world. When he challenges the mainstream media for reporting that the Taliban are a major recipient of the drug trade in Afghanistan, he can draw on more than eight years reporting on the story to demolish the charge. 

The Middle East is a complex place, and the author is always careful to keep the reader informed. If one doesn’t happen to have the history of Hamas or Hezbollah in one’s memory banks, Erlich will provide it. 

Erlich is not afraid of asking hard questions or going into dangerous situations, and he is sharply critical of many of the people he interviews. But he also believes the term “terrorist” is a dangerous distortion of reality that can turn a political conflict into a forever war. It also serves as a cover for the expansion of American power into the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as a stream of revenue for the arms industry. 

The book is revealing and well written, and whether one is new to the subject or well versed, the reader is going to get a lot out of this slim volume of revealing interviews and sharp commentary. 

Read Conn Hallinan’s columns at dispatchesfromtheedgeblog.wordpress.com 

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The expression “buzzard’s luck” attached itself to President Obama in my mind around the time of the Gulf disaster, and subsequent events have strengthened the association. It connotes prolonged intractable wasn’t-for-bad-luck-I’d-have-no-luck-at-all misfortune. The classic formulation, from the buzzard’s point of view, is: “Can’t kill nothing and nothing won’t die.” A Google search picks up several sportswriters applying it, prematurely, to Bruce Bochy. 

When you think about it, though, buzzards—in the vernacular sense of the turkey vulture—have it fairly easy. Killing is just not in their repertoire. They don’t have the raptorial feet they would need to handle large live prey, although there are reports of turkey vultures eating minnows, eggs, and the occasional disabled or immobilized bird. And something is always dying, somewhere within cruising range. 

The buzzard thing is a matter of linguistic confusion. “Buzzard,” from the French busard, was originally used for European hawks much like our red-tailed hawk. Britain, unlike southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, has no native vultures. Somehow English colonists came to use “buzzard” for the turkey vulture and its more southerly relative the black vulture instead of the hawks. “Vulture” appears to derive from the French vautour. 

Old world vultures are bare-headed carrion-eaters akin to the eagles; their resemblance to New World vultures and condors reflects convergent evolution for a scavenging lifestyle. New World vultures are now back in their old taxonomic home as a separate family in the order of diurnal birds of prey, after being classified with the storks for a while. 

If turkey vultures and black vultures ever had a serious run of bad luck, it was about a century ago when they were suspected of being predators of young livestock and vectors of anthrax, hog cholera, and foot-in-mouth disease. In Texas alone, over 100,000 vultures were slaughtered after having been lured to walk-in traps. In fact, only the more aggressive black vulture is a stock killer, and later research established that most pathogens are killed in the turkey vulture’s digestive tract. Vultures are still subject to persecution, as in 1989 at Disney World, for aesthetic reasons. Vehicular collisions remain an occupational hazard. 

But there are those who appreciate vultures. You’ve probably heard of the annual celebration on March 15 when the turkey vultures return to Hinckley, Ohio. Wenonah, New Jersey also hosts an East Coast Vulture Festival in March, at which the birds are celebrated with art exhibits and dance performances. I am trying hard to visualize that. The western counterpart of these events is the Kern River Valley Autumn Nature and Vulture Festival in September (kern.audubon.org/tvfest), celebrating the southward passage of at least 25,000 migrant turkey vultures. 

Turkey vultures do, in fact, perform a courtship dance. The male and female face each other, bills gaping and wings raised, and alternately jump up and down while “yapping,” as the observer described it. Lacking a syrinx, these birds have a limited vocal range. Mostly they hiss; whines and grunts are also reported. 

Like many large birds, turkey vultures mate for life, although pairs in migratory populations appear not to spend the winter together. 

They consistently return to the same nest site. One survey found that 87 percent of vulture nests west of the hundredth meridian were in rock outcrops. Typically, all the nests located in the Contra Costa County Breeding Bird Atlas survey were on cliff ledges or in casves. In wooded areas, they’ll use thickets, hollow logs, and the abandoned nests of other birds. A few nests in human structures have been reported. Marin County atlasers found nests in a burned-out hollow at the base of a redwood, the hollowed-out trunk of a living oak, and a cavity under a log. 

Two eggs is a typical clutch size, incubated by both parents. When disturbed at the nest, young vultures stomp their feet, hiss, and often throw up. If that doesn’t deter the intruder, they bluff an attack. Their final line of defense is feigning death, sometimes also employed by incubating adults. 

The young are fed carrion, of course. Turkey vultures are eclectic enough in their diet to experiment with palm nuts, juniper berries, and rotting pumpkins, but mostly it’s dead animals. Naturalists have debated for years about whether these birds locate their food by sight or smell. Field experiments indicate that smell plays a major role: turkey vultures are better at finding concealed carcasses than black vultures. The olfactory bulb of the turkey vulture’s brain is relatively large among birds, larger than in black vultures and condors. 

At least one natural gas company has exploited vultures to locate pipeline leaks by injecting ethyl mercaptan, which draws the birds. An observer reported that turkey vultures in Cuba “were frequently seen around a large specimen of Stapelia nobilis, a plant whose flowers reek of the smell of rotten meat.” (Ron has a couple of Stapelias in pots on the office windowsill, but so far they have not attracted vultures.) Smell wouldn’t help vultures find fresh carcasses, though. To that end, they appear to keep an eye on the behavior of crows, ravens, and other scavengers. 

Not a bad life, in short, if you don’t mind the taste of carrion. 

The Sausalito Village organization, along with its parent organization, Marin Village, began providing services in October. This new service organization is dedicated to enabling Sausalitans to remain in their homes as they grow older. Areas in which trained volunteers will play critical roles in making the Sausalito Village concept a vital component of community life will include transportation, home maintenance, companionship and personal assistance. A program of classes, events, and social activities will also be offered to dues-paying members. Per household, dues are $20 per month or $200 per year. Members who can contribute at a higher level can help Sausalito Village to expand. Donations above $200 are tax deductible. Membership applications are available at the Marin Village website. The Sausalito Village Steering Committee is asking friends across Marin to join the Founders Circle by donating from $1000 to $5000. 

Sausalito Village News’ first issue appeared in April. Sausalito Village does not have a separate website. It has pages on the Marin Village website. Go to www.marinvillage.org and click on Sausalito at the left of the home page. This situation reflects the fact that it is affiliated with Marin Village, a county wide organization that provides some services on a countywide basis, as well as a corporate identity, insurance, and various other administrative functions for Sausalito Village.  

This new nonprofit is working closely with Sausalito City staff on transportation issues and arrangements have been made for the use of Sally Shuttle to transport members to programs and events, both within Sausalito and throughout the Bay Area. A senior center is located in the Sausalito City Hall basement. Sausalito has Meals-on-Wheels, but does not provide taxi scrip to senior citizens and disabled persons. Sausalito Village is one of the Community Village organizations which has just launched. Whistlestop serves as its fiscal sponsor. Whistlestop operates a fleet of paratransit vehicles serving Marin as well as a Senior Center in San Rafael. Marin Village serves the whole county; Sausalito Village serves Sausalito.  

More than a hundred Sausalito residents converged on the Sausalito Women’s Club in March 2010 for the first Sausalito Village/Marin Village community meeting. Speaker Loulie Sutro, Marin Village founder and its board president, explained how, while working with the Marin County Grand Jury on a study of services for seniors in Marin County, she learned of Boston’s groundbreaking Beacon Hill Village (Boston, MA) program, also a membership dues-paying organization. Since beginning operations in 2001, Beacon Hill Village has offered its members the types of services they require in order to remain, safely and comfortably, in their homes as they grow older. 

Elsewhere around the county, other communities are interested in what Sausalito is doing. Marin Village has begun accepting applications for membership. All Sausalito residents who join Marin Village automatically become members of Sausalito Village at no additional charge and will become entitled to all benefits provided both by Marin Village and Sausalito Village.  

Marin Village and Sausalito Village will be offering plenty of services and activities for the healthy and active as well as for the not so healthy and the frail. Other villages have found that young and healthy members join because they enjoy the interesting and fun program offerings and the friends they make. They also realize that joining provides access to services and help they may suddenly need at some point in the future. And they realize that by joining now they are helping to provide the support required to sustain an organization whose services they are likely to require.  

The Steering Committee Chair for Sausalito Village is also on the Marin Village Board. Marin Village is the umbrella organization and Sausalito is the first "community village organization" (CVO) to organize. It is hoped that other communities in Marin will follow Sausalito's lead in the coming months. The idea behind this two-level form of organization is that certain services, which are best provided at a countywide level, will be offered directly by Marin Village and that other services, tailored to specific communities, will be delivered by the “CVOs”.  

Persons wishing to volunteer can choose to become a member of Sausalito Village, or they can simply enlist as a volunteer with no further obligation. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, contact Felicity Kirsch at 888-3919, Stella Shao at 331-1888, Betsy Stroman at (415) 331-1464, or stellashao@aol.com . 

A comparison of some Sausalito and Berkeley demographics may be of interest. Berkeley has three city senior centers, meals-on-wheels, and taxi scrip.  

Sausalito encompasses 1.9 square miles of land and 0.3 square miles of water. The 2000 population was 7330, 12.25% of whom were 65 years of age or more. The median age was 45.4, higher than the national median of 35.3. 69.1% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Per capita income in 1999 was $81,040, significantly higher than the national average. 3.3% of the population lived below poverty.  

Berkeley encompasses 10 square miles of land area. The 2000 population was 102,743, 10.2% of whom were 65 years of age or more. The median age was 32.5, lower than the national median of 35.3. 64.3% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Per capita income in 1999 was $30,4777; 10% of the population lived below poverty.  

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NEWS and VIEWS 

Like to see/hear live theatrical and music performances in the afternoon? [Un]Willing and or [un]able to pay and to go outside of Berkeley? What web sites, newspapers, columns and people do you rely on to know about these occasions? Would you like to know more about such events beforehand?! 

California Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Solano), who chairs the Assembly’s Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, reports that currently there are approximately 7,000 certified geriatricians nationwide -- one for every 2,546 older adults. In California, the numbers are even more alarming with only 534 geriatricians, which equates to approximately one for every 8,000 Californians over the age of 65.  

Throughout December 2010, a bulletin board display of some of Bulbul’s very contemporary cartoons and comic strips that focus on senior citizen’s interests can be viewed at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, corner of MLK. AC bus #25 stops at the Center. 

Helen Rippier Wheeler can be reached at pen136@dslextreme.com. No email attachments; use “Senior Power” for subject. 

"CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S OVO," -- Nov. 27 through Jan. 24. A lively rush into a world of insects and acrobatics. Written and directed by Deborah Colker. See website for times, dates and complete details. Performances take place under the "Grand Chapiteau'' at AT&T Park. 

$38-$250.www.cirquedusoleil.com.< 

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER  

"Marcus; Or The Secret of Sweet," by Tarell Alvin McCraney, through Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Tue.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Wed., Sat.-Sun. A play focusing on a young black man seeking out his personal identity in the days before Hurricane Katrina strikes. Directed by Mark Rucker. $10 and up.  

Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. (415) 749-2228, www.actsf. org.< 

BAYANIHAN COMMUNITY CENTER  

"A History of The Body," Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Sat.; 6 p.m. Sun. A play looking at how images in the media affect perceptions of immigrant women. Written by Aimee Suzara, choreographed by Frances Sedayao. $10-$15. (415) 239-0249. 

1010 Mission Street at Sixth, San Francisco. (415) 348-8042.< 

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," ongoing. 8 p.m. Wed. - Thurs.; 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fri. - Sat.; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sun.  

$25-$134. Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (formerly Green Street), San Francisco. (415) 421-4222, www.beachblanketbabylon.com.< 

BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM  

"Yo Gabba Gabba Live!" Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 2 and 5 p.m. The children's show comes to life live on stage. $35.50-$45.50.  

99 Grove St., San Francisco. (415) 421-TIXS, www.bgp.com or www.ticketmaster.com.< 

CHANCELLOR HOTEL UNION SQUARE  

"Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.< 

COW PALACE  

"The 32nd Annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair," Nov. 26 through Dec. 19, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. This annual Bay Area favorite sends visitors back to Victorian London and into the living pages of some of Dickens' greatest books with costumed actors, music halls, shops and pubs designed to recreate the feel and look of 19th century England. People can buy gifts and goodies from "street vendors'' and shops, enjoy a traditional tea and British pub meal, or have a pint at "Mad Sal's Dockside Alehouse.'' $12-$25; $60 for season pass. (800) 510-1558, www.dickensfair.com. 

Geneva Avenue and Santos Street, San Francisco. (415) 404-4111, www.cowpalace.com.< 

CUTTING BALL THEATER  

"The Tempest," by William Shakespeare, through Nov. 28, 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.; 5 p.m. Sun. No performance Nov. 25. This uniquely San Franciscan version of the Shakespeare classic promises to give an up close look at the monsters lurking inside all of us. $15-$50. (800) 838-3006. 

The EXIT, 277 Taylor St., San Francisco. (415) 419-3584, www.cuttingball.com.< 

DNA LOUNGE  

Hubba Hubba Revue: Secret Agents, Nov. 19, 9 p.m. $10-$15. 

375 11th St., San Francisco. (415) 626-1409, www.dnalounge.com.< 

EUREKA THEATRE  

"Murder For Two: A Killer Musical," through Nov. 21, 7 p.m. Wed.; 8 p.m. Thu.-Fri.; 6 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. "42nd Street Moon'' presents a mix of mystery and old-fashioned musical comedy. Book by Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian. $24-$44.  

215 Jackson St., San Francisco. (415) 255-8207, (415) 978-2787, www.42ndstmoon.org or www.ticketweb.com.< 

HERBST THEATRE  

"Oy Vey In A Manger," Nov. 26, 8 p.m. The Kinsey Sicks, self-proclaimed "dragapella beautyshop quartet,'' present their over-the-top holiday show, with songs such as "Tis The Season To Drink Stoli.'' $25-$35.  

401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com.< 

KIMO'S BAR  

"Fauxgirls," ongoing. 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.< 

MAGIC THEATRE  

"Or," by Liz Duffy Adams, through Dec. 5, 7 p.m. Tue.; 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 2:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun. A comedic play about a spy trying to get into showbiz. $30-$60.  

Building D, Fort Mason Center, Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org.< 

THE MARSH  

"The Mock Cafe," ongoing. 10 p.m. Saturdays. Stand-up comedy performances. $7.  

"The Monday Night Marsh," ongoing. 8 p.m. Mondays. An ongoing series of works-in-progress. $7.  

"It's All The Rage," by Marilyn Pittman, through Dec. 5, 8:30 p.m. Sat.; 7 p.m. Sun. A new solo show that deals with the murder-suicide of Pittman's parents, looking at their history, and dealing with the tragedy in a way that is heartbreakingly sad, but manages to be funny as well. $20-$50.  

1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. (415) 826-5750, www.themarsh.org.< 

ORPHEUM THEATRE  

"West Side Story," through Nov. 28. The legendary show, with standards such as "Tonight,'' "America,'' and "Maria,'' is considered one of the best ever written. Book by Arthur Laurents; music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. $30-$99.  

1192 Market St., San Francisco. (415) 512-7770, www.shnsf.com.< 

PHOENIX THEATRE  

"The Tender King," by Ian Walker, Nov. 20 through Dec. 11, 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. A gripping portrayal of presidential decisions surrounding the end of World War II, focusing on Harry Truman's time at the Potsdam Conference. $20-$25. www.secondwind.8m.com. 

414 Mason St., Sixth Floor, San Francisco. (800) 838-3006, www.offbroadwaywest.org.< 

PIER 29 SPIEGELTENT  

"Teatro Zinzanni," through March 6, 6 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 5 p.m. Sun. Teatro Zinzanni presents a new production, "License To Kiss II, A Sweet Conspiracy,'' offering a blend of European cabaret, circus arts, music, comedy and more. $117-$145.  

Embarcadero at Battery Street, San Francisco. (415) 438-2668, www.zinzanni.org.< 

PIER 39 A pier filled with shops, restaurants, theaters and entertainment of all sorts from sea lions to street performers.  

"SAN FRANCISCO CAROUSEL" -- The Pier's two-tiered, San Francisco-themed carousel with hand-crafted ponies that rock and move up and down and tubs that spin. In addition, carousel has hand-painted pictures of San Francisco scenes like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown and Coit Tower. $3 per ride. "FREQUENT FLYERS'' -- A bungee trampoline where people can safely jump and flip over 20 feet in the air thanks to the help of bungee cords and a harness. Jumpers must weigh at least 30 pounds and not more than 230 pounds. $10 per session. (415) 981-6300.  

"RIPTIDE ARCADE" -- A 6,000-square-foot, surfer-themed arcade offering the Bay area's only 10-gun, Old West-style shooting gallery and 100 cuttingedge video games, virtual reality units and popular novelty games. Included are the "Dance Dance Revolution'' game, driving and roller coaster simulators, the "Global VR Vortex'' virtual reality machine, "Star Wars Trilogy,'' "Jurassic Park,'' "Rush 2049,'' and classics such as "Pac Man'' and "Galaga.'' Games are operated by 25-cent tokens and range in price from 25 cents to $1.50. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; through Feb. 26: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (415) 981-6300.  

"TURBO RIDE" -- Three simulated rides where the hydraulic seats move in synchronization with events on a giant screen are available at the Turbo Ride complex. The 12-minute-long rides in 3-D and 4-D are: "Dino Island II''; "Haunted Mine Ride,'' and "Extreme Log Ride.'' $12 general for one ride; $8 seniors and children ages 3 to 12 for one ride; $15 general for two rides; $11 seniors and children ages 3 to 12 for two rides; $18 general for multi-rides; $14 seniors and children ages 3 to 12 for multi-rides. (415) 392-8872.  

STUDIO 39 MAGIC CARPET RIDES -- A comedy action adventure utilizing special effects to created a personalized movie with visitors as the "stars'' flying above San Francisco. The Magic Carpet Ride is free. No reservations required. Ride is approximately five minutes. Personalized videos will be available for $30 for one: $10 for each additional tape. (415) 397-3939. SEA LIONS -- California sea lions, nicknamed "Sea Lebrities,'' "hauled out'' on Pier 39's K-Dock shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and by January of 1990 had taken over the docks. Due to a plentiful supply of herring and a protected environment, the population has grown and now reaches as many as 900 during the winter months. Weather permitting, free educational talks are provided by Marine Mammal Center volunteers on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Free. (415) 705-5500. 

"Tony n' Tina's Wedding," ongoing. The original interactive comedy hit where audience members play the roles of "invited guests'' at a fun-filled wedding ceremony. The popular dinner comedy performs at Swiss Louis Italian Restaurant. Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Matinees: Thursday and Saturday, noon. $88.50-$115.50. (888) 775-6777, www.pier39shows.com. 

Free. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; certain attractions and shops have differing hours. The Embarcadero and Beach Street, San Francisco. (415) 623-5300, (800) SEADIVE, www.pier39.com.< 

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN BRANCH  

"Creating Coraline: The Making of a New Musical," Nov. 28, 3-4:30 p.m. Join SF Playhouse's Artistic Director Bill English and special guests as they talk about what it has taken to bring the new musical "Coraline" to the stage. Attendees have a chance to win free tickets to the show. Event takes place in the Koret Auditorium. Free.  

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.< 

SF PLAYHOUSE  

"Coraline," through Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Tue.-Wed.; 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.; 3 p.m. Sat. Neil Gaiman's children's book is brought to life on the stage with music by Stephen Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. $30-$50.  

533 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 677-9596, www.sfplayhouse.org.< 

SHELTON THEATER  

"Shopping! The Musical," by Morris Bobrow, ongoing. A quick-paced musical about those obsessed with buying things. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. $27-$29. (800) 838-3006, www.shoppingthemusical.com. 

Big City Improv, ongoing. 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.< 

THRILLPEDDLERS HYPNODROME  

"Pearls Over Shanghai," ongoing. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.; 7 p.m. Sun. See San Francisco's longest running Cockettes musical, running through Dec. 19. $30-$35.  

575 10th Street, San Francisco. www.thrillpeddlers.com/.< 

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS THEATER  

"ODC/Dance: The Velveteen Rabbit," Nov. 26 through Dec. 12. The beloved holiday production returns for its 24th season. Directed by KT Nelson. Times vary throughout run; see website for full details. $15-$45. www.ybca.org. 

700 Howard St., San Francisco. (415) 978-2787, www.ybca.org.< 

ZEUM Zeum is a technology and arts museum for children and families featuring exhibits and workshops that cover a variety of fascinating subjects. 

"Mark Foehringer Dance Project presents Nutcracker at Zeum," Nov. 27 through Dec. 19, 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sun. A unique version of the holiday classic "Nutcracker.'' $25.  

$8-$10. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. 221 Fourth St., San Francisco. (415) 820-3220, www.zeum.org.<

BOOKS INC., ALAMEDA  

Jerri Lange, Adam David Miller, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m. The authors read and discuss their memoirs.  

Free. Readings at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 1344 Park St., Alameda. (510) 522-2226, www.booksinc.net.< 

BOOKS INC., BERKELEY  

Tom Hudgens, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. "The Commonsense Kitchen.''  

Bobby Flay, Nov. 20, 1 p.m. "Bobby Flay's Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network's Ultimate Cooking Challenge.''  

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

DIESEL, A BOOKSTORE  

Tom Hudgens, Nov. 27, 3 p.m. "The Commonsense Kitchen.''  

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

MERCURY 20 GALLERY  

Joseph Lease, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. "Broken World.'' $5.  

475 25th St., Oakland. (510) 701-4620, www.mercurytwenty.com.< 

MRS. DALLOWAY'S  

Matthew Levesque, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m. "The Revolutionary Yardscape.''  

Peter Balakian, Nov. 21, 4 p.m. "Ziggurat.''  

L. John Harris, Nov. 22, 6:30 p.m. "Foodoodles: From The Museum of Culinary History/Cartoons and Commentaries.''  

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

ASHBY STAGE  

"Ladylike" and "Crotch,'' Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 8 p.m. A weekend of queer performance with Keith Hennessey and Monique Jenkinson. $20. (510) 841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org. 

1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. < 

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY  

"Palomino," by David Cale, through Dec. 5, 7 p.m. Tue.; 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun. Writer and actor David Cale plays seven different characters in this one person play about a Central Park carriage driver who dreams of writing a great novel. $10-$55.  

Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org.< 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead," Nov. 26 through Jan. 15, 8 p.m. Tue. and Fri.; 7 p.m. Wed.; 2 and 8 p.m. Thu., Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun.; 8 p.m. Dec. 1. A deliciously silly world premiere for the holidays, written by Lemony Snicket, directed by Tony Taccone. $14.50-$73.  

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

CAL PERFORMANCES All performances in Zellerbach Hall unless otherwise noted. 

"Mummenschanz: 3x11," Nov. 26 through Nov. 28, 2 p.m. Fri.; 2 and 8 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. The world-renowned Swiss pantomime group performs a retrospective on the company's 33 years of original theater. $22-$52.  

Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.net.< 

EAST BAY IMPROV  

"Tired of the Same Old Song and Dance?" ongoing. 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.< 

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Cinderella," by Rodgers and Hammerstein, through Dec. 5. Featuring Grammynominated Broadway star, Frenchie Davis; directed by Elizabeth McKoy. See website for full performance listing. $15-$33. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. 

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org.< 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"White Christmas," by Irving Berlin, Nov. 26 through Dec. 4, 8 p.m. Nov. 26, 27, Dec. 3, 4; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 27, 28, Dec. 4. The Diablo Theatre Company presents the holiday classic, featuring songs such as "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.'' $20-$42. www.diablotheatrecompany.org. 

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.com.< 

MASQUERS PLAYHOUSE  

"The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee," through Dec. 18, 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Nov. 14, 21, Dec. 5, 12. The Tony Award-winning story about overachievers' angst comes to life, with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin. $20.  

105 Park Place, Point Richmond. (510) 232-4031, www.masquers.org.< 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY DEPARTMENT OF THEATER, DANCE AND PPeErRfFoOrRmMaAnNcCeEs SaTtU DZIeElSl e-r-b ach Playhouse unless otherwise noted. 

"Deviations," by Joe Goode, through Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. A new work developed by Goode with his students at UC Berkeley. Performances take place at the Durham Studio Theater on campus. $7-$15.  

Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Berkeley campus, Spieker Plaza, Bancroft Way and Dana Street, Berkeley. (510) 642-9925, www.theater.berkeley.edu.<

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. 

Excruciator, 2nd Class Citizens, Potential Threat, Sarcosis, II Malocchio, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. $10. 

Sin Remidio, Rabia Al Sistema, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. $8. 

$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, ongoing. 9 p.m. First and third Wednesdays.  

Free.  

Dave Widelock Jazz Trio, Nov. 27. $3. 

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  

Houston Jones, Nov. 19, 8-11 p.m. $10. 

The Dangerous Martini Quartet, Nov. 20, 8-11 p.m. $10. 

Blues Jam, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. $3. 

Mark Hummel & Friends, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. $10. 

707 Marina Vista Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-6985, www.armandosmartinez.com.< 

ART HOUSE GALLERY  

Serafina Brown, Steve Webber, Mad and Eddie Duran, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.  

$10. 

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

ASHKENAZ  

The Rastafarians, Nov. 19, 9 p.m. $12-$15. 

Mark St. Mary Louisiana Blues, Zydeco Band, Nov. 20, 9 p.m. $10-$13. 

Flameco Open Stage, ongoing. 7:30 p.m. $10. 

Red Hot Chachkas, Nov. 21, 3-4:30 p.m. $4-$6. 

Motordude Zydeco, Nov. 23, 8:30 p.m. $10. 

Shirzad Sharif, Alan Kushan, Pourya Khademi, Nov. 24, 9 p.m. $12-$15. 

Tabores Julio Remelexo, Pablo Paulo Band, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. $10-$13. 

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Nov. 27, 9 p.m. $12-$15. 

"Family Square Dance with The Squirrelly Stringband," Nov. 28, 3 p.m. $4-$6. 

"My Amp Showcase," Nov. 28, 7 p.m. $5. 

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

BECKETT'S IRISH PUB  

Justin Anchetta, Nov. 19.  

D'giin, Nov. 20.  

Trio of Doom, Nov. 24.  

The P-PL, Nov. 26.  

Free. Shows at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2271 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 647-1790, www.beckettsirishpub.com.< 

BLAKE'S ON TELEGRAPH  

The Pentacles, Average Height Children, Slow Trucks, Nov. 19, 9 p.m. $10. 

Over The Rainbow, Nov. 21, 9 p.m. $8. 

"No More Turkey-- Tofu Concert," Nov. 26, 8:30 p.m.  

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.< 

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."Music at Chouinard," ongoing. 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. 

"Wild Turkey Picnic," Nov. 26, noon-5 p.m. Collect all of your turkeystuffed relatives and couch potato friends, pack some turkey sandwiches and come for a picnic and walk. Free. 

Free. Tasting Room: Saturdays-Sundays, noon-5 p.m. 33853 Palomares Road, Castro Valley. (510) 582-9900, www.chouinard.com.< 

DASILVA UKULELE CO.  

Kathy Sparling, Nov. 20, 8 p.m. $20. 

2547 8th St., Suite 28, Berkeley. www.ukemaker.com.< 

FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER  

David Lanz, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. $18-$27. 

Roger McGuinn, Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m. $12-$30. 

4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 931-4848, www.firehousearts.org.< 

FOX THEATER  

Pretty Lights, Thunderball, Gramatik, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. $27.50. 

1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 452-0438, www.thefoxoakland.com.< 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE  

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

West Coast Songwriters Competition, ongoing. 7:30 p.m. $6.50-$7.50. 

Dennis Kamakahi, Nov. 19. $20.50-$21.50. 

The Waybacks, Absynth Quintet, Nov. 20. $20.50-$21.50. 

Red Horse: Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, Nov. 21. $30.50-$31.50. 

Culann's Hounds, Qin, Nov. 24. $14.50-$15.50. 

Jody Stecher & Bill Evans, Nov. 26. $20.50-$21.50. 

Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Nov. 27. $20.50-$21.50. 

"Irish Christmas In America," Nov. 28. $20.50-$21.50. 

Music starts at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.< 

JAZZSCHOOL  

Vocal Jam Session, ongoing. 7:30 p.m. $5-$10. 

Mana Humana, Nov. 19, 8 p.m. $12. 

"Mandala: The Music of Keith Jarrett," Nov. 20, 8 p.m. $15. 

"Happy Hour Jam," Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. $5-$10. 

Wayne Wallace, Nov. 21, 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," ongoing. 5 p.m. Sundays. A weekly bluegrass and Americana series.  

"Jazzschool Tuesdays," ongoing. 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Featuring the ensembles from the Berkeley Jazzschool. www.jazzschool.com. 

Macabea, Nov. 19, 8 p.m.  

Ravi Abcarian Group, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.  

Flowtilla, Nov. 26, 8 p.m.  

Harley White Jr. Trio, Nov. 27, 8 p.m.  

8 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-8277, www.jupiterbeer.com.< 

KIMBALL'S CARNIVAL  

"Monday Blues Legends Night," ongoing. 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. < 

THE NEW PARISH  

LoCURA, Nov. 19, 9:30 p.m. $8-$12. 

Kings Go Forth, Nov. 20, 9:30 p.m. $7-$10. 

The Thermals, White Fang, Nov. 21, 8:30 p.m. All Ages. $14-$16.  

579 18th St., Oakland. (510) 444-7474, www.thenewparish.com.< 

ROUND TABLE PIZZA  

East Bay Banjo Club, ongoing. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays.  

Free.  

1938 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill. (925) 930-9004.< 

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW For ages 21 and older. 

"Live Salsa," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 9 p.m. Thursdays. Featuring DJ Vickity Slick and Franky Fresh. Free.  

Montuno Swing, ongoing. 8 p.m. Wed. $10. 

"Shepeople's First Anniversary Celebration," Nov. 19, 9 p.m. $15-$25. 

"King of King's," Nov. 21, 9 p.m. $10. 

Mega Banton, Baby Face, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. $15-$25. 

2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 548-1159, www.shattuckdownlow.com.< 

STARRY PLOUGH PUB  

The Starry Irish Music Session led by Shay Black, ongoing. Sundays, 8 p.m. Sliding scale.  

Amendola, Blades, Skerik, Baby Gramps, Nov. 19, 9 p.m. 410. 

Moetar, Joe Rut, Kenney Fresno, Nov. 20, 9 p.m. $8. 

Spirits in the Basement and Friends, Nov. 26, 9 p.m.  

Phoenix Ash, Dangerous Gift Idea, Automatic Band, Nov. 27, 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  

Bang Data, Nov. 19, 9 p.m. $10. 

Hella Gay, ongoing. 9 p.m. $7. 

The Frail, Nov. 24, 9 p.m. $5. 

Hot Tub DJs, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. $5. 

Hounds & Harlots, The Sore Thumbs, Nov. 27, 9 p.m. $5. 

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100, www.uptownnightclub.com.< 

YOSHI'S  

Goapele, through Nov. 21, 8 and 10 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.; 7 and 9 p.m. Sun. $24-$28. 

Head Royce School Jazz Bands, Nov. 22, 8 p.m. $20. 

Nguyen Le-Saiyuki, Nov. 23 and Nov. 24, 8 p.m. $18. 

Ahmad Jamal, Nov. 26 through Nov. 28, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun. $5-$30. 

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.<

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Cinderella," by Rodgers and Hammerstein, through Dec. 5. Featuring Grammynominated Broadway star, Frenchie Davis; directed by Elizabeth McKoy. See website for full performance listing. $15-$33. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. 

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org.< 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Smiun Ballet presents The Christmas Ballet, 2010 Edition," Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, 8 p.m. Fri.; 2 and 8 p.m. Sat. Performance includes two new works by Amy Seiwert and Amy London, along with older favorites. $20-$62.  

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.com.< 

MILLS COLLEGE  

"Mills Repertory Dance Company: Fast Forward," Nov. 19, 1 and 8 p.m. The annual fall concert will feature work choreographed by Shinichi Iova-Koga, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yvonne Rainer and Brenda Way. Performance takes place at Lisser Hall on campus. $12-$15.  

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

"CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S OVO," -- Nov. 27 through Jan. 24. A lively rush into a world of insects and acrobatics. Written and directed by Deborah Colker. See website for times, dates and complete details. Performances take place under the "Grand Chapiteau'' at AT&T Park. 

$38-$250.www.cirquedusoleil.com.< 

COUNTERPULSE  

"2nd Sundays," ongoing. 2-4 p.m. Sun. Sept. 12: Philein Wang, ZiRu Tiger Productions, Tammy Cheney, Lenora Lee. Free.  

"Ampey!" through Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. New works by Adia Tamar Whitaker. $14-$24.  

1310 Mission St., San Francisco. (415) 626-2060, www.counterpulse.org.< 

COWELL THEATER AT FORT MASON CENTER  

"Afsaneh Art & Culture Society presents Encounters: New Moon on the Silk Road," Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. $18-$25. 

Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. (415) 345-7575, www.fortmason.org.< 

DANCE MISSION THEATER  

"Manifestival For Social Change: Like Oil and Water -- From Gaza to the Gulf," through Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Dances that explore the intersection of art, politics and spiritual practice. $20-$36.  

3316 24th St., San Francisco. (415) 826-4441, www.dancemission.com.< 

ODC DANCE COMMONS PERFORMANCE ART COMPLEX  

"Mills Repertory Dance Company: Fast Forward," Nov. 20, 8 p.m. The annual fall concert will feature work choreographed by Shinichi Iova-Koga, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yvonne Rainer and Brenda Way. Performance takes place at Lisser Hall on campus. $12-$15.  

351 Shotwell St. (between 17th and 18th streets), San Francisco. (415) 863-6606, www.odctheater.org.< 

ORPHEUM THEATRE  

"West Side Story," through Nov. 28. The legendary show, with standards such as "Tonight,'' "America,'' and "Maria,'' is considered one of the best ever written. Book by Arthur Laurents; music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. $30-$99.  

1192 Market St., San Francisco. (415) 512-7770, www.shnsf.com.< 

PENA PACHAMAMA  

"Flamenco Thursdays" with Carola Zertuche, ongoing. 8:30 p.m. Thursdays Music and dance with performers of traditional flamenco. $10.  

Brisas de Espana Ballet Flamenco, ongoing. 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.< 

PIER 29 SPIEGELTENT  

"Teatro Zinzanni," through March 6, 6 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 5 p.m. Sun. Teatro Zinzanni presents a new production, "License To Kiss II, A Sweet Conspiracy,'' offering a blend of European cabaret, circus arts, music, comedy and more. $117-$145.  

Embarcadero at Battery Street, San Francisco. (415) 438-2668, www.zinzanni.org.< 

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS THEATER  

"ODC/Dance: The Velveteen Rabbit," Nov. 26 through Dec. 12. The beloved holiday production returns for its 24th season. Directed by KT Nelson. Times vary throughout run; see website for full details. $15-$45. www.ybca.org. 

700 Howard St., San Francisco. (415) 978-2787, www.ybca.org.< 

ZEUM Zeum is a technology and arts museum for children and families featuring exhibits and workshops that cover a variety of fascinating subjects. 

"Mark Foehringer Dance Project presents Nutcracker at Zeum," Nov. 27 through Dec. 19, 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sun. A unique version of the holiday classic "Nutcracker.'' $25.  

$8-$10. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. 221 Fourth St., San Francisco. (415) 820-3220, www.zeum.org.<

MEYEROVICH GALLERY  

"Jim Dine at 75, Classic Symbols: Hearts, Robes & Venuses," through Dec. 31.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 251 Post St., San Francisco. (415) 421-7171, www.meyerovich.com.<

"BERKELEY ARTISANS HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS," -- Nov. 27 through Dec. 19. More than 100 artists and craftspeople will be showing their works, including glass, ceramics, furniture, photography, paintings, and much more. 

Free.11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.www.berkeleyartisans.com.< 

ALEXANDER'S FINE ART  

"May The Force Be With You," Nov. 20, 1-4 p.m. Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilms, hosts the introduction of a new line of "Star Wars'' themed fine art. Activities include a "Star Wars'' costume contest. www.disneyartonmain.com. 

608 Main St., Pleasanton. www.alexandersfineart.com.< 

HALL OF PIONEERS GALLERY  

"Oakland Chinatown Pioneers," ongoing. Twelve showcases, each focusing on historic leaders and personalities of the community.  

Free. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Chinese Garden Building, 275 Seventh St., Oakland. (510) 530-4590.<

AUDIUM  

"Audium 9," ongoing. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. An exploration of the spatial dimension of music in a unique environment of 176 speakers. $15.  

$15. 8:30 p.m. 1616 Bush St., San Francisco. (415) 771-1616, www.audium.com.< 

COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER  

"John Brown's Truth," Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m. A multi-genre opera by William Crossman. $10-$15.  

544 Capp St., San Francisco. (415) 647-6015, www.sfcmc.org.< 

HERBST THEATRE  

"New Century Chamber Orchestra presents Waltzing in Appalachia," Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Works by American composer Mark O'Connor. $29-$49. www.ncco.org. 

George Komsky, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. $30-$40. 

401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com.< 

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," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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.< 

SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC  

"The Viola Project VII," Nov. 19, 8 p.m.  

Free.  

"Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," Nov. 20, 7 and 9 p.m. Work by Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn. $15-$20.  

"Brass Chamber Music Concert," Nov. 22, 8 p.m.  

Free.  

Paul Hersh and Friends, Nov. 22, 8 p.m. Works by Elgar and Britten. $15-$20.  

$15 to $20 unless otherwise noted. Hellman Hall, 50 Oak St., San Francisco. (415) 864-7326, www.sfcm.edu.< 

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA  

"Madama Butterfly," by Giacomo Puccini, through Nov. 27. Nicola Luisotti conducts. 8 p.m. Oct. 12, 15, 23, 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 27; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 26, Nov. 11, Nov. 17; 2 p.m. Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. $20-$360.  

"The Makropulos Case," through Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Nov. 24; 8 p.m. Nov. 13, Nov. 16, Nov. 20; 2 p.m. Nov. 28. Sung in Czech with English supertitles. $20-$360.  

"Aida" by Giuseppe Verdi, Nov. 23 through Dec. 5, 8 p.m. Nov. 23, Nov. 26, Nov. 29; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2; 2 p.m. Dec. 5. 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. $25-$320.  

$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  

"Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs," through Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Wed., Fri., Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts soprano Elza Van Den Heever. $15-$140.  

Organ Recital with Olivier Latry, Nov. 21, 6 p.m. Works by Bach, Schumann and more. $20-$30.  

"Michael Tilson Thomas and Pianist Yefim Bronfman with the San Francisco Symphony," Nov. 24 through Nov. 27, 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Wed.; 6:30 p.m. Fri.; 8 p.m. Sat. Works by Brahms and Berg. $15-$140.  

$25-$130. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org.< 

ST. MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH  

Tanya Tomkins, Nov. 21, 4 p.m.  

$25-$28. www.sfems.org. 

1111 O'Farrell St., San Francisco. (415) 928-7770, www.stmarks-sf.org.< 

ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL  

Angela Kraft Cross, Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m.  

David Hatt, organist, Nov. 28, 3:30 p.m.  

$5 suggested donation. 1111 Gough St., San Francisco. (415) 567-2020, www.stmarycathedralsf.org.<

BERKELEY PIANO CLUB  

"An Afternoon of French Music," Nov. 21, 2 p.m. Zina Schiff, violin, Lois Brandwynne, piano. $10-$30.  

2724 Haste St., Berkeley. < 

DIABLO VALLEY COLLEGE  

Diablo Valley Masterworks Chorale Winter Concert, Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Works by Bach, Brahms, and Mozart. $20-$25. (925) 685-1230. 

321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill. (925) 687-4445, www.dvc.edu.< 

FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER  

"Schumann Festival," Nov. 20, 2-8 p.m. Five events celebrating the music of Robert Schumann. $10-$32.  

4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 931-4848, www.firehousearts.org.< 

HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY, VALLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS  

Holy Names University Orchestra, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. Works by Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. $5-$10.  

Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. < 

OAKLAND EAST BAY SYMPHONY  

"Opening Weekend," Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Works by Narada Michael Walden and others; special guest Carlos Santana. $25-$70.  

$15-$67. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 625-8497, (415) 421-8497, www.oebs.org.< 

PERFORMING ARTS THEATER, EL CERRITO HIGH SCHOOL  

Berkeley West Edge Opera presents "Handel's Xerxes,'' through Nov. 21, 8 p.m. Nov. 13 and 19; 2 p.m. Nov. 21.  

$22-$69. (510) 841-1903, www.berkeleyopera.org. 

540 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. < 

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH  

Voices of Musica Sacra, Nov. 27, 3 p.m. The group performs selections from American choral music, 1621-1863. (925) 680-7089, www.vmschorus.org. 

86 Oak Grove Road, Concord. < 

ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH  

Tiffany Ng, organ, Nov. 21, 4 p.m. $10-$20. 

"Chamber Music Sundaes," Nov. 28, 3 p.m. Works by Mozart, Brindel and more. $25.  

2727 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-6830, www.stjohnsberkeley.org.< 

ST. STEPHENS CATHOLIC CHURCH  

Voices of Musica Sacra, Nov. 28, 3 p.m. The group performs selections from American choral music, 1621-1863. (925) 680-7089, www.vmschorus.org. 

1101 Keaveny Court, Walnut Creek. <

For its many innovative programs, all free, the Main Berkeley Public Library is due lavish praise. And much credit should go to Debbie Carton, Music and History Librarian ( a Whirling Dervish if ever there was one!) Her popular and ever expanding program ,"Play Reading for Adults" is held every Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Story Room, attracting more than 20 participants, who sit in a circle at a round table, reading from the selected play ("Cyrano" being the latest.) On Tuesday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. Playreaders will present a staged reading of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood" in the Library's 3rd floor Meeting Room. 

But last Sunday theatre lovers were offered a profoundly moving experience with the "Book Into Film" program. For this program, we were to read Carson McCuller's award winning novel, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" at home, then gather to watch the film together, followed by an animated discussion. In this tender but intensely dramatic story, set in a small Georgia town, the author has created unforgettable characters -- a deaf mute devoted to his obese, slow-witted Greek friend; a black physician dying of cancer but still caring for his patients; a young girl caught in poverty, but dreaming of owning her own piano some day; and Willie, a black youth who loses his feet through an unfortunate accident. 

As to be expected, there's much racial violence in this film, with blacks attacked by angry white men and hatred taking over the community. Yet in the end, McCuller offers hope, even assurance, that peace and order will be restored to this small southern town. 

It should be noted that in addition to drama and literature, the Library often presents Noontime Concerts. On Thursday, December 9th, 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. on the Fifth Floor Art and Music Room Jazz pianist Bill Bell will perform jazz standards and seasonal favorites, getting the holiday season off to an early start.

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. "Horse-Drawn Train Rides," ongoing. 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'," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs, check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

"Toddler Time," ongoing. 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.  

"Potato Harvesting," ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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. 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 ongoing. 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. "Weekly Wednesday Ride at Lake Chabot," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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 Ongoing.  

Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley. www.ebparks.org.< 

CIVIC PARK, WALNUT CREEK  

"Walnut Creek On Ice," through Jan. 17. A special holiday time outdoor ice skating rink. See website for complete details. www.walnut-creek.com. 

1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. < 

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."Sea Siblings," ongoing. 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. 

"Catch of the Day," ongoing. 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 Squirts," ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

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. "Exploring Nature," ongoing. An exhibit of Shawn Gould's illustrations featuring images of the natural world.Ongoing.  

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.< 

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. Public Tours of the John Muir House, ongoing. 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, ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

SPECIAL EVENTS Ongoing.  

$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.< 

LIVERMORE AREA RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT ongoing.  

4444 East Ave., Livermore. (925) 373-5700, www.larpd.dst.ca.us/.< 

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SHORELINE ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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. "Valley Children's Zoo," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

"Wolf Cub Overnight," Nov. 19, 7 p.m. An overnight event specifically for Boy Scouts; satisfies Achievement 7. Tour the zoo at night and investigate how some common items are made and how much energy is saved by re-using and recycling them, all while playing games and having fun. $45 per person; preregistration required. 

$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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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.< 

PREWETT FAMILY WATERPARK ongoing. There are pools and water slides for all ages, from the Tad Pool for toddlers to Boulder cove for older swimmers. In addition to fun pools and slides there are fitness pools for lessons and exercise, lawns for relaxing, locker rooms, community room and kitchen. Lap lanes are open year round. Food and beverages are not permitted in the park. Picnic tables are available outside the park. 

$4-$11. Sunday through Friday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Aug.23-27, 30-31. 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch. (925) 776-3070, www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CitySvcs/Prewett.< 

QUARRY LAKES REGIONAL RECREATION AREA ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 -- ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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. "Toddler Time," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing.  

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."Sunol Sunday Hike," ongoing. Sundays, 1:30-3 p.m. A natural history walk in the wilderness. 

"Sunol Sunday Hike," ongoing. 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.<

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. "In a New Light," ongoing. 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.Ongoing. 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."North Beach Walking Tour,", ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

$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.Ongoing.  

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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Exhibition features sculpture by Maya Lin.  

BENJAMIN DEAN LECTURE SERIES -- Ongoing.  

$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 -- Ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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," 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. "Leaders of the Band," ongoing. An exhibition of the history and development of the Cathay Club Marching Band, the first Chinese American band formed in 1911.Ongoing.  

$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.< 

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. 

"Van Gough, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay," ongoing. Exhibit open through Jan. 18, 2011.  

LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA -- Ongoing.  

"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.  

"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.Ongoing.  

EXHIBITS Ongoing.  

$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 Ongoing.  

101 Howard Street, Suite 480, San Francisco. (415) 543-4669, 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," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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.In the Gould Theater unless otherwise noted. $4 after museum admission unless otherwise noted. (415) 682-2481. 

"Sunday Jazz Brunch," ongoing. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $21-$53. 

$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 ongoing. 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 ongoing.  

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 ongoing. 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 Ongoing.  

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 Ongoing.  

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.''Ongoing.  

"Urban Kidz Film Series," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

$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) ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 "Earthquake Exhibit," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Toddlers may comfortably climb the carpeted "treehouse'' and make a myriad of discoveries, from the roots to the limbs.  

"Live Animal Exhibit," ongoing. Visit with more than 100 creatures including small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, raptors and small birds, insects, spiders and tide pool creatures. "Saturdays Are Special at the Museum," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 1-4 p.m.  

$3-$5. "Film Series for Teenagers," ongoing. Fridays, 7 p.m. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," ongoing. Saturday, 1:15-2:15 p.m. 

"Meet the Animals," ongoing. Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. Learn about the animals that live at the Randall Museum. 

"Drop-in Family Ceramics Workshop," ongoing. Saturday, 10:15-11:15 a.m. $5. 

"Golden Gate Model Railroad Exhibit," ongoing. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 

"Meet the Animals," ongoing. 11:15 a.m.-noon. 

"Animal Feeding," ongoing. Saturday, noon. 

"Third Friday Birders," ongoing. 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. 

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 ongoing. 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. "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.Ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

"Adventures at Sea: Life Aboard a 19th century Sailing Ship," ongoing. 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. 

"Animals of Hyde Street Pier," through Nov. 19, 3-3:30 p.m. Experience the sea life of Hyde Street Pier.  

Dates: 11/1, 11/3, 11/5, 11/19. Free. 

"Historic Waterfront Walking Tour," ongoing. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Park Rangerled, hour long tour of San Francisco's northern waterfront. Tour takes place on various days throughout November; see website for full details. Free. 

"Sailing Adventure Aboard Scow Schooner ALMA," ongoing. 12:30-4:30 p.m. Three-hour educational, hands-on sailing program. Takes place on various days throughout the month; see website for full details. $20-$40; children under 6 are free. 

"Lighthouses of San Francisco Bay," Nov. 21, 3:15-4 p.m. An illustrated talk on the lighthouses of San Francisco Bay. Free. 

VISITOR CENTER -- Ongoing. 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.Ongoing. TEMPORARILY CLOSED.  

$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 PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY AND MUSEUM ongoing. "Dance in California: 150 Years of Innovation," ongoing. 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," ongoing. This permanent exhibit is a comprehensive study of a generation of national and international conductors. In Gallery 5.  

"San Francisco 1900: On Stage," ongoing. In Gallery 4.  

"San Francisco in Song," ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

$8-$10. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. 221 Fourth St., San Francisco. (415) 820-3220, www.zeum.org.<

"BERKELEY ARTISANS HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS," -- Nov. 27 through Dec. 19. More than 100 artists and craftspeople will be showing their works, including glass, ceramics, furniture, photography, paintings, and much more. 

Free.11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.www.berkeleyartisans.com.< 

"MAGICAL HOLIDAY EVENING," -- Nov. 19. Shops, restaurants and businesses in downtown Pleasanton usher in the holidays with festive decorations, lights, window displays, treats, carolers, bell ringers and more. See website for complete details. 

6-9 p.m.www.pleasantondowntown.net.< 

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS  

Country Folk Art Show, Nov. 19 through Nov. 21, 5-9 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. A show featuring artisans from around the country. $7. www.countryfolkart.com. 

4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 426-7600, www.alamedacountyfair.com.< 

ALEXANDER'S FINE ART  

"May The Force Be With You," Nov. 20, 1-4 p.m. Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilms, hosts the introduction of a new line of "Star Wars'' themed fine art. Activities include a "Star Wars'' costume contest. www.disneyartonmain.com. 

608 Main St., Pleasanton. www.alexandersfineart.com.< 

ARMANDO'S  

Mark Hummel & Friends, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. $10. 

707 Marina Vista Ave., Martinez. (925) 228-6985, www.armandosmartinez.com.< 

ASHKENAZ  

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Nov. 27, 9 p.m. $12-$15. 

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

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead," Nov. 26 through Jan. 15, 8 p.m. Tue. and Fri.; 7 p.m. Wed.; 2 and 8 p.m. Thu., Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun.; 8 p.m. Dec. 1. A deliciously silly world premiere for the holidays, written by Lemony Snicket, directed by Tony Taccone. $14.50-$73.  

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

BOOKS INC., BERKELEY  

Bobby Flay, Nov. 20, 1 p.m. "Bobby Flay's Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network's Ultimate Cooking Challenge.''  

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

CAL PERFORMANCES All performances in Zellerbach Hall unless otherwise noted. 

"An Evening With Puzzle Master Will Shortz," Nov. 21, 7 p.m. The puzzle master and crossword editor for the New York Times discusses the history of crosswords and his passion for puzzles. $20-$36.  

"Mummenschanz: 3x11," Nov. 26 through Nov. 28, 2 p.m. Fri.; 2 and 8 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. The world-renowned Swiss pantomime group performs a retrospective on the company's 33 years of original theater. $22-$52.  

Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.net.< 

CIVIC PARK, WALNUT CREEK  

"Walnut Creek On Ice," through Jan. 17. A special holiday time outdoor ice skating rink. See website for complete details. www.walnut-creek.com. 

1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. < 

CLAREMONT RESORT AND SPA  

"Holiday Open House," Nov. 23, 5-7 p.m. A tree lighting ceremony, a 10 foot tall gingerbread replica of the Claremont, carolers, and a visit from Santa are all on tap at this holiday kick off event.  

41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley. (510) 843-3000, (800) 551-7266, www.claremontresort.com.< 

FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER  

"Schumann Festival," Nov. 20, 2-8 p.m. Five events celebrating the music of Robert Schumann. $10-$32.  

Roger McGuinn, Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m. $12-$30. 

4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 931-4848, www.firehousearts.org.< 

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Cinderella," by Rodgers and Hammerstein, through Dec. 5. Featuring Grammynominated Broadway star, Frenchie Davis; directed by Elizabeth McKoy. See website for full performance listing. $15-$33. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. 

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org.< 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Smiun Ballet presents The Christmas Ballet, 2010 Edition," Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, 8 p.m. Fri.; 2 and 8 p.m. Sat. Performance includes two new works by Amy Seiwert and Amy London, along with older favorites. $20-$62.  

"White Christmas," by Irving Berlin, Nov. 26 through Dec. 4, 8 p.m. Nov. 26, 27, Dec. 3, 4; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 27, 28, Dec. 4. The Diablo Theatre Company presents the holiday classic, featuring songs such as "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.'' $20-$42. www.diablotheatrecompany.org. 

1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.com.< 

MERCURY 20 GALLERY  

Joseph Lease, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. "Broken World.'' $5.  

475 25th St., Oakland. (510) 701-4620, www.mercurytwenty.com.< 

OAKLAND EAST BAY SYMPHONY  

"Opening Weekend," Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Works by Narada Michael Walden and others; special guest Carlos Santana. $25-$70.  

$15-$67. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 625-8497, (415) 421-8497, www.oebs.org.< 

SMITH CENTER AT OHLONE COLLEGE  

"An Evening with Dr. Philip Zimbardo," Nov. 19, 7 p.m. A discussion with psychologist Philip Zimbardo, best known for his famous "Stanford Prison Experiment,'' which showed how everyday people can turn into sadistic monsters under certain conditions. $10  

43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont. (510) 659-6031, www.smithcenterpresents.com.< 

TOMMY T'S COMEDY AND STEAKHOUSE  

Tommy Davidson, Nov. 24 and Nov. 26 through Nov. 24, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wed., Fri.; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Sat.; 7 p.m. Sun. $20-$30. 

5104 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton. (925) 227-1800, www.tommyts.com.< 

UPTOWN NIGHTCLUB  

The Frail, Nov. 24, 9 p.m. $5. 

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100, www.uptownnightclub.com.< 

YOSHI'S  

Ahmad Jamal, Nov. 26 through Nov. 28, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun. $5-$30. 

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 ARTISANS HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS," -- Nov. 27 through Dec. 19. More than 100 artists and craftspeople will be showing their works, including glass, ceramics, furniture, photography, paintings, and much more. 

Free.11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.www.berkeleyartisans.com.< 

"MAGICAL HOLIDAY EVENING," -- Nov. 19. Shops, restaurants and businesses in downtown Pleasanton usher in the holidays with festive decorations, lights, window displays, treats, carolers, bell ringers and more. See website for complete details. 

6-9 p.m.www.pleasantondowntown.net.< 

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS  

Country Folk Art Show, Nov. 19 through Nov. 21, 5-9 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. A show featuring artisans from around the country. $7. www.countryfolkart.com. 

"Fog City Cat Club International Cat Show," Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. More than 200 purebred cats compete in twelve rings of competition. Vendors will also be on hand with all variety of cat toys, gifts, food and much more. www.fogcitycatclub.com. 

4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. (925) 426-7600, www.alamedacountyfair.com.< 

ALEXANDER'S FINE ART  

"May The Force Be With You," Nov. 20, 1-4 p.m. Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilms, hosts the introduction of a new line of "Star Wars'' themed fine art. Activities include a "Star Wars'' costume contest. www.disneyartonmain.com. 

608 Main St., Pleasanton. www.alexandersfineart.com.< 

ASHKENAZ  

"I Like My Bike Night," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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 CITY COLLEGE  

"Berkeley City College Fall Arts Festival," Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 5-8 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. An exhibit and sale featuring work from 25 diverse artists.  

2050 Center St., Berkeley. (510) 981-2800.< 

CAL PERFORMANCES All performances in Zellerbach Hall unless otherwise noted. 

"An Evening With Puzzle Master Will Shortz," Nov. 21, 7 p.m. The puzzle master and crossword editor for the New York Times discusses the history of crosswords and his passion for puzzles. $20-$36.  

Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.net.< 

CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY AND LIBRARY  

"California Genealogical Society and Library Free First Saturday," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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. 

ASK JEEVES PLANETARIUM -- Ongoing. The planetarium features one of the most advanced star projectors in the world. A daily planetarium show is included with general admission. Call for current show schedule.  

"Secret of the Cardboard Rocket," ongoing. Take a journey through the solar system with two young adventurers who turn an old cardboard box into a rocket. Recommended for ages 5-10. 

"Space NOW!", ongoing. Each week, this real-time ride through constellations, stars, and planets will reflect current happenings in our sky. Space NOW! will also tie in activities going on throughout the center. This is Chabot's first daytime guided tour of the universe. 

"Tales Of The Maya Skies," ongoing. "Tales of the Maya Skies'' is a new full-dome planetarium show that explores the cosmology of the ancient Maya, along with their culture and their contributions to astronomy. Starts November 21. 

"Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity," ongoing. Take a ride to the inside of a massive black hole and learn about the latest scientific evidence, which suggests that black holes are real. Narrated by Liam Neeson. Suitable for age 12 and older. Free with General Admission ticket. 

"Sunshine," ongoing. A 15-minute planetarium show for children ages 5 and under. In the show, Sunshine, a lovable animated cartoon of the Sun, urges children to sing and play along with his tricks. In the process, he introduces the colors of the day sky and the other suns of the night sky. Free with regular general admission. 

"Astronaut," ongoing. What does it take to be part of the exploration of space? Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Narrated by Ewan McGregor. 25 min. 

"The Search for Life: Are We Alone?" ongoing. A voyage from the ocean deep to the outer reaches of the cosmos in search of life, narrated by Harrison Ford. 

"The Sky Tonight," ongoing. Saturdays, 8 p.m. Take a live tour of the starry sky overhead on the night of your visit. The show includes a look at constellations, planets and special celestial objects. 

"Sonic Vision," ongoing. Friday-Saturday, 9:15 p.m. This show uses the latest digital technology to illuminate the planetarium with colorful computer-generated imagery set to today's popular music, including Radiohead, U2, David Bowie, Coldplay, Moby and more. 

"Immersive Space: Fly Through the Cosmos," ongoing. Fridays, 8 p.m. Experience the "digital universe'' in a new full-dome system. Travel to the nearest star and beyond in seconds. 

CHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER -- Ongoing. "Escape from the Red Planet,'' a cooperative venture for families and groups of up to 14 people, age 8 and up. The scenario on this one hour mission: You are the crew of a shuttle to Mars that has been severely damaged in a crash landing. Your replacement crew is gone, the worst dust storm ever recorded on Mars approaches, and air, food, and water are extremely low. The mission: get the shuttle working again and into orbit before the dust storm hits. Reservations required. Children age 8-12 must be accompanied by an adult; not appropriate for children under age 8. $12-$15; Does not include general admission to the Center. Reservations: (510) 336-7421.Ongoing.  

"Dinner, Movie and the Universe," ongoing. Every Friday and Saturday evening. Enjoy a bistro-style dinner, then cozy up for a film in the 70-foot MegaDome theater and end the evening with a telescope viewing. Call to purchase general admission tickets and to make dinner reservations. (510) 336-7373. 

"Chabot Observatories: A View to the Stars," ongoing. This new permanent exhibit honors the 123-year history of Chabot and its telescopes. The observatory is one of the oldest public observatories in the United States. The exhibit covers the three different sites of the observatory over its history as well as how its historic telescopes continue to be operated today. Included are informative graphic panels, multimedia kiosks, interactive computer programs, hands-on stations, and historic artifacts. 

Telescope Visions Class, ongoing. 7 p.m. This course introduces participants to the astronomer's main tool: the telescope. Classes are held in the Galileo Room twice monthly. $85-$95; reservations required. (510) 336-7373. 

"Bill Nye's Climate Lab: Opening Weekend," Nov. 20 through Nov. 21, 10 a.m. Celebrate the public debut of Bill Nye's Climate lab where guests can board a hot air balloon, operate a wind turbine, learn about clean energy and more. Also enjoy music, food and interactive family-friendly zones throughout the center. $10.95-$14.95; advance tickets recommended. 

TIEN MEGADOME SCIENCE THEATER -- Ongoing. A 70-foot dome-screen auditorium. Show times subject to change. Call for current show schedule. Price with paid general admission is $6-$7. Theater only: $7-$8. (510) 336-7373, www.ticketweb.com. 

"Forces of Nature," ongoing. This film showcases the awesome spectacle of earthquakes, volcanoes, and severe storms as scientists continue their quests to understand how these natural disasters are triggered. 

"The Living Sea," ongoing. The film celebrates the beauty, power and importance of the ocean. Produced in association with The National Maritime Center, the Ocean Film Network and Dr. Robert Ballard. 

"The Human Body," ongoing. This show explores the daily biological processes that go on in the human body without our control and often without our notice. This amazing story is revealed in detail on the giant screen. 

"Dinosaurs Alive," ongoing. A global adventure of science and discovery, featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous, "reincarnated" life-sized for the giant screen. Audiences will journey with some of the world's preeminent paleontologists as they uncover evidence that the descendents of dinosaurs still walk (or fly) among us. From the exotic, trackless expanses and sand dunes of Mongolia's Gobi Desert to the dramatic sandstone buttes of New Mexico, the film will follow American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) paleontologists as they explore some of the greatest dinosaur finds in history. 

"Cosmic Voyage," ongoing. A breathtaking journey through time and space. Zoom from the surface of the Earth to the largest observable structures of the Universe and back down to the sub-nuclear realm, a guided tour across some 42 orders of magnitude. Explore some of the greatest scientific theories, many of which have never before been visualized on film. 

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.< 

CIVIC PARK, WALNUT CREEK  

"Walnut Creek On Ice," through Jan. 17. A special holiday time outdoor ice skating rink. See website for complete details. www.walnut-creek.com. 

1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. < 

CLAREMONT RESORT AND SPA  

"Holiday Open House," Nov. 23, 5-7 p.m. A tree lighting ceremony, a 10 foot tall gingerbread replica of the Claremont, carolers, and a visit from Santa are all on tap at this holiday kick off event.  

41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley. (510) 843-3000, (800) 551-7266, www.claremontresort.com.< 

DUNSMUIR HOUSE AND GARDENS HISTORIC ESTATE ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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.< 

FRANK OGAWA PLAZA  

"Oakland Artisan Marketplace," ongoing. 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,"' ongoing. 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. < 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE "NanoZone," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Play some of the world's most popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," ongoing. Use simple and colorful objects to complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting, comparing, weighing and counting.  

HOLT PLANETARIUM Ongoing. 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.< 

SMITH CENTER AT OHLONE COLLEGE  

"An Evening with Dr. Philip Zimbardo," Nov. 19, 7 p.m. A discussion with psychologist Philip Zimbardo, best known for his famous "Stanford Prison Experiment,'' which showed how everyday people can turn into sadistic monsters under certain conditions. $10  

43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont. (510) 659-6031, www.smithcenterpresents.com.< 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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. "Limited Access Day," ongoing. Due to ship maintenance, tours of the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing. Closed on New Year's Day. 

"Family Day," ongoing. 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. 

"History Mystery After Hours Tour," ongoing. 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. 

"Flashlight Tour," ongoing. 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. 

$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.<

"SUN SPHERES," -- ongoing. "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.< 

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," ongoing. 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. < 

FORT MASON CENTER  

"Celebration of Craftswomen," Nov. 27 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 4 through Nov. 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. More than 200 craftswomen will be offering up a unique opportunity to find gorgeous, one of a kind holiday gifts, fine crafts and contemporary art. Event takes place at the Herbst Pavilion. $7-$9. www.celebrationofcraftswomen.org. 

Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, San Francisco. www.fortmason.org.< 

HOTEL DES ARTS The boutique 51-room art hotel in Union Square features an art gallery by Start SOMA. 

"Painted Rooms," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.< 

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, BAYVIEW-ANNA E. WADEN BRANCH  

"Bayview's Historical Footprints," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Exhibition collects archaeological remains from the Gold Rush-era cemetery and the ruins of old City Hall destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.  

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.<

"BERKELEY ARTISANS HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS," -- Nov. 27 through Dec. 19. More than 100 artists and craftspeople will be showing their works, including glass, ceramics, furniture, photography, paintings, and much more. 

Free.11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.www.berkeleyartisans.com.< 

ALEXANDER'S FINE ART  

"May The Force Be With You," Nov. 20, 1-4 p.m. Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilms, hosts the introduction of a new line of "Star Wars'' themed fine art. Activities include a "Star Wars'' costume contest. www.disneyartonmain.com. 

608 Main St., Pleasanton. www.alexandersfineart.com.< 

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER  

"El Corazon de la Communidad: The Heart of the Community", ongoing. 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 "NanoZone," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Play some of the world's most popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," ongoing. Use simple and colorful objects to complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting, comparing, weighing and counting.  

"Kapla," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

SPECIAL EVENTS Ongoing.  

$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," ongoing. 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, www.oacc.cc.< 

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  

"Going Away, Coming Home," ongoing. 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.<

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. "Toddler Time," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m. Feed the pigs, check for eggs and bring hay to the livestock. 

"Country Kitchen Cookin'," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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. 

"Potato Harvesting," ongoing. 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.< 

ASHKENAZ  

Red Hot Chachkas, Nov. 21, 3-4:30 p.m. $4-$6. 

"Family Square Dance with The Squirrelly Stringband," Nov. 28, 3 p.m. $4-$6. 

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

BAY POINT LIBRARY  

"Monthly Craft Night," ongoing. 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.< 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE  

"Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead," Nov. 26 through Jan. 15, 8 p.m. Tue. and Fri.; 7 p.m. Wed.; 2 and 8 p.m. Thu., Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun.; 8 p.m. Dec. 1. A deliciously silly world premiere for the holidays, written by Lemony Snicket, directed by Tony Taccone. $14.50-$73.  

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

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM ongoing.  

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. "International Automotive Treasures," ongoing. An ever-changing exhibit featuring over 90 automobiles.  

"A Journey on Common Ground," ongoing. 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. 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. 

ASK JEEVES PLANETARIUM -- Ongoing. The planetarium features one of the most advanced star projectors in the world. A daily planetarium show is included with general admission. Call for current show schedule.  

"Sunshine," ongoing. A 15-minute planetarium show for children ages 5 and under. In the show, Sunshine, a lovable animated cartoon of the Sun, urges children to sing and play along with his tricks. In the process, he introduces the colors of the day sky and the other suns of the night sky. Free with regular general admission. 

"Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity," ongoing. Take a ride to the inside of a massive black hole and learn about the latest scientific evidence, which suggests that black holes are real. Narrated by Liam Neeson. Suitable for age 12 and older. Free with General Admission ticket. 

"Space NOW!", ongoing. Each week, this real-time ride through constellations, stars, and planets will reflect current happenings in our sky. Space NOW! will also tie in activities going on throughout the center. This is Chabot's first daytime guided tour of the universe. 

"Astronaut," ongoing. What does it take to be part of the exploration of space? Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Narrated by Ewan McGregor. 25 min. 

"Secret of the Cardboard Rocket," ongoing. Take a journey through the solar system with two young adventurers who turn an old cardboard box into a rocket. Recommended for ages 5-10. 

"The Search for Life: Are We Alone?" ongoing. A voyage from the ocean deep to the outer reaches of the cosmos in search of life, narrated by Harrison Ford. 

"The Sky Tonight," ongoing. Saturdays, 8 p.m. Take a live tour of the starry sky overhead on the night of your visit. The show includes a look at constellations, planets and special celestial objects. 

"Sonic Vision," ongoing. Friday-Saturday, 9:15 p.m. This show uses the latest digital technology to illuminate the planetarium with colorful computer-generated imagery set to today's popular music, including Radiohead, U2, David Bowie, Coldplay, Moby and more. 

"Tales Of The Maya Skies," ongoing. "Tales of the Maya Skies'' is a new full-dome planetarium show that explores the cosmology of the ancient Maya, along with their culture and their contributions to astronomy. Starts November 21. 

"Immersive Space: Fly Through the Cosmos," ongoing. Fridays, 8 p.m. Experience the "digital universe'' in a new full-dome system. Travel to the nearest star and beyond in seconds.Ongoing.  

"Dinner, Movie and the Universe," ongoing. Every Friday and Saturday evening. Enjoy a bistro-style dinner, then cozy up for a film in the 70-foot MegaDome theater and end the evening with a telescope viewing. Call to purchase general admission tickets and to make dinner reservations. (510) 336-7373. 

"Chabot Observatories: A View to the Stars," ongoing. This new permanent exhibit honors the 123-year history of Chabot and its telescopes. The observatory is one of the oldest public observatories in the United States. The exhibit covers the three different sites of the observatory over its history as well as how its historic telescopes continue to be operated today. Included are informative graphic panels, multimedia kiosks, interactive computer programs, hands-on stations, and historic artifacts. 

Telescope Visions Class, ongoing. 7 p.m. This course introduces participants to the astronomer's main tool: the telescope. Classes are held in the Galileo Room twice monthly. $85-$95; reservations required. (510) 336-7373. 

"Bill Nye's Climate Lab: Opening Weekend," Nov. 20 through Nov. 21, 10 a.m. Celebrate the public debut of Bill Nye's Climate lab where guests can board a hot air balloon, operate a wind turbine, learn about clean energy and more. Also enjoy music, food and interactive family-friendly zones throughout the center. $10.95-$14.95; advance tickets recommended. 

TIEN MEGADOME SCIENCE THEATER -- Ongoing. A 70-foot dome-screen auditorium. Show times subject to change. Call for current show schedule. Price with paid general admission is $6-$7. Theater only: $7-$8. (510) 336-7373, www.ticketweb.com. 

"The Human Body," ongoing. This show explores the daily biological processes that go on in the human body without our control and often without our notice. This amazing story is revealed in detail on the giant screen. 

"The Living Sea," ongoing. The film celebrates the beauty, power and importance of the ocean. Produced in association with The National Maritime Center, the Ocean Film Network and Dr. Robert Ballard. 

"Forces of Nature," ongoing. This film showcases the awesome spectacle of earthquakes, volcanoes, and severe storms as scientists continue their quests to understand how these natural disasters are triggered. 

"Dinosaurs Alive," ongoing. A global adventure of science and discovery, featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous, "reincarnated" life-sized for the giant screen. Audiences will journey with some of the world's preeminent paleontologists as they uncover evidence that the descendents of dinosaurs still walk (or fly) among us. From the exotic, trackless expanses and sand dunes of Mongolia's Gobi Desert to the dramatic sandstone buttes of New Mexico, the film will follow American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) paleontologists as they explore some of the greatest dinosaur finds in history. 

"Cosmic Voyage," ongoing. A breathtaking journey through time and space. Zoom from the surface of the Earth to the largest observable structures of the Universe and back down to the sub-nuclear realm, a guided tour across some 42 orders of magnitude. Explore some of the greatest scientific theories, many of which have never before been visualized on film. 

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."Animal of the Day!" ongoing. Saturdays and Sundays, 1-1:20 p.m. Come up close and learn about Fairyland's creatures. 

"Arts and Crafts," ongoing. Noon-3 p.m. Event features arts and crafts projects for children and their families. $6. 

$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.< 

CIVIC PARK, WALNUT CREEK  

"Walnut Creek On Ice," through Jan. 17. A special holiday time outdoor ice skating rink. See website for complete details. www.walnut-creek.com. 

1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. < 

CLAREMONT RESORT AND SPA  

"Holiday Open House," Nov. 23, 5-7 p.m. A tree lighting ceremony, a 10 foot tall gingerbread replica of the Claremont, carolers, and a visit from Santa are all on tap at this holiday kick off event.  

41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley. (510) 843-3000, (800) 551-7266, www.claremontresort.com.< 

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."Sea Siblings," ongoing. 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. 

"Catch of the Day," ongoing. 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 Squirts," ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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. "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.Ongoing.  

$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 ongoing. 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. "This Is Your Heart!" ongoing. An interactive exhibit on heart health.  

"Good Nutrition," ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an Exercycle for calculating how calories are burned.  

"Draw Your Own Insides," ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies.  

"Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention," ongoing. 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. "Exploring Nature," ongoing. An exhibit of Shawn Gould's illustrations featuring images of the natural world.Ongoing.  

"Waterfowl of the Freshwater Marsh," ongoing. 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. 

"Weekend Weed Warriors," ongoing. 1-4 p.m. Help the shoreline to eliminate the non-native plants that threaten its diversity. Ages 12 and older. Registration required. 

"Nature Detectives," ongoing. 11 a.m.-noon. An introduction and exploration of the world of Black-Crowned Night-Herons. Ages 3-5 and their caregivers. 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," ongoing. 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, www.jcceastbay.org/.< 

JULIA MORGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS  

"Cinderella," by Rodgers and Hammerstein, through Dec. 5. Featuring Grammynominated Broadway star, Frenchie Davis; directed by Elizabeth McKoy. See website for full performance listing. $15-$33. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. 

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org.< 

JUNIOR CENTER OF ART AND SCIENCE ongoing. 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. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

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 ongoing. 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 "NanoZone," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. Play some of the world's most popular math games, such as Hex, Kalah, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks.  

"Math Rules," ongoing. Use simple and colorful objects to complete interesting challenges in math through predicting, sorting, comparing, weighing and counting.  

HOLT PLANETARIUM Ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

$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.Ongoing.  

"Saturday Stories," ongoing. 1 p.m. For children ages 2-5. Free."Saturday Stories," ongoing. 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. "Valley Children's Zoo," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing.  

"Wolf Cub Overnight," Nov. 19, 7 p.m. An overnight event specifically for Boy Scouts; satisfies Achievement 7. Tour the zoo at night and investigate how some common items are made and how much energy is saved by re-using and recycling them, all while playing games and having fun. $45 per person; preregistration required. 

$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.< 

PIXIELAND AMUSEMENT PARK ongoing. This amusement park for children features pixie-sized rides such as a dragon roller coaster, swirling tea cups, a carousel, red baron airplanes, an antique car ride and a miniature train among other attractions sure to please the little ones. Classic carnival-style food and souvenirs round out the experience. Admission to the park is free; ride tickets are $1.25 each or 10 tickets for $10; Day wrist band for unlimited rides, $25. Specials and season passes are also available. 

Nov. 2010: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed Nov. 25-26. 2740 E. Olivera Road, Concord. (925) 689-8841, www.pixieland.com.< 

POINT PINOLE REGIONAL SHORELINE ongoing. 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.< 

PREWETT FAMILY WATERPARK ongoing. There are pools and water slides for all ages, from the Tad Pool for toddlers to Boulder cove for older swimmers. In addition to fun pools and slides there are fitness pools for lessons and exercise, lawns for relaxing, locker rooms, community room and kitchen. Lap lanes are open year round. Food and beverages are not permitted in the park. Picnic tables are available outside the park. 

$4-$11. Sunday through Friday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Aug.23-27, 30-31. 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch. (925) 776-3070, www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CitySvcs/Prewett.< 

ROBERT SIBLEY VOLCANIC REGIONAL PRESERVE ongoing. 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 ongoing. 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. "Toddler Time," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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 -- Ongoing.  

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. "Limited Access Day," ongoing. Due to ship maintenance, tours of the navigation bridge and the engine room are not available. Tuesdays.  

"Flight Deck Fun," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.Ongoing. Closed on New Year's Day. 

"Family Day," ongoing. 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. 

"History Mystery After Hours Tour," ongoing. 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. 

"Flashlight Tour," ongoing. 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. 

$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 ongoing. ` 

$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.< 

YOSHI'S  

Ahmad Jamal, Nov. 26 through Nov. 28, 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 and 7 p.m. Sun. $5-$30. 

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.<

ASHKENAZ  

"Family Square Dance with The Squirrelly Stringband," Nov. 28, 3 p.m. $4-$6. 

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

ELKS LODGE, ALAMEDA  

"All You Can Dance Sunday Socials," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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," ongoing. 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.< 

UPTOWN NIGHTCLUB  

Hot Tub DJs, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. $5. 

1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 451-8100, www.uptownnightclub.com.<