Around town

'Cigar Tasting/Live Cigar Rolling Demonstration' Grant's Tobacconists, 562 Market; 981-1000. 5:30-8:30pm, free. The public is invited to watch cigar roller Rene Sanchez create premium cigars. Also enjoy hors d'oeuvres and Latin music by DJ Om.

'Grotto Nights VII: Losing It' San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin; 441-8822, boxoffice@magictheatre.com. 4pm and 6pm, free (reservations required). Author Andrew Sean Greer, playwright Rodes Fishburne, filmmaker David Ewing Duncan, and others present works about losing things. The event benefits the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

'Queer Beats: How the Beats Turned America on to Sex' Commonwealth Club of California, 595 Market; www.commonwealthclub.org. 5:30pm, $15. Editor Regina Marler reads from her anthology Queer Beats.

'Stem Cells: Up Close and Personal' San Francisco Marriott, 55 Fourth; www.isscr.org. 7-9pm, free (registration required). KQED's Michael Krasny moderates a panel on stem cell research featuring Nobel Prize-winner Paul Berg and other experts. The evening is presented by the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

Benefits

'Think Globally, Eat Locally!' Unicorn Pan Asian Cuisine, 2533 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 841-4339, johnnyi@ Lmi.net. 11:30am-10pm, Call for price. Eat and bid on great prizes at Unicorn Pan Asian Cuisine's annual benefit and silent auction; proceeds benefit the Spirit Support and Action Centre, a nonprofit organization whose HIV-positive members run a school and AIDS orphanage in Uganda.

Around town

'Down for Whatever' San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin; www.sfpl.org. 6pm, free. Author Frederick Smith reads from his new book Down for Whatever, which is about black and Latino experiences of being queer.

Benefits

'Sweet Sixteen Gala Fundraiser' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-2787, www.ybca.org. 8:30-11pm, $25-55. Help Visual Aid celebrate 16 years at this fundraising party with DJ Case Simmons, wine, dessert, and a "Mr. and Miss Sweet 16" pageant.

'Tips for Using Your First Amendment' Northern Police Station, 1125 Fillmore; 290-2708. 7-9pm, free. Commissioner Rick Knee, Bay Guardian editor Tim Redmond, activist Kimshree Maufas, and others participate in a panel discussion about the First Amendment.

Around town

'Presidio Pasados' Presidio of San Francisco, Officer's Club, 50 Moraga; 561-5500, www.presidio.gov. 1-8:30pm, free. First children will witness California folklore and history during the program "Passport Through Time." Then all are invited to enjoy "Fandango! Songs and Dances from Early California" (5:30pm).

'Unruly Bodies: The Art of Marylin Minter' Koret Visitor Education Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third; 357-4000, www.sfmoma.com. Noon-1pm, free with museum admission ($6-10). Curator Joshua Shirkey discusses the ways in which Minter's paintings and photographs explore glamour.

Bay Area

'How to Destroy the Universe Festival – Part IV' Berkeley Shipyard, 1010 Murray, Berk; (415) 252-7666, www.mobilization.com. 8pm-1:30am, $11-16. See 8 Days a Week.

Benefits

'Simply Studded' Women's Building, 3543 18th; www.chocolatebabydesigns.com. 9pm, $10. The suave models of Studded, Aisha Pew and Breonna Cole's fashion line for butches, show off new spring and summer fashions. Part of the proceeds benefit the Women's Building.

Around town

'Summer Block Party' Florida St between 18th and 19th Sts; 648-7562. Noon-5pm, free. Horizons Unlimited and CELLspace present this end-of-the-year outdoor party featuring game booths, a barbecue, music, performances, community tables, and more.

Bay Area

'How to Destroy the Universe Festival – Part IV' Berkeley Shipyard, 1010 Murray, Berk; (415) 252-7666, www.mobilization.com. 7pm-2am, $15-22. See 8 Days a Week.

Benefits

'San Francisco FrontRunners Pride Run 2005' Golden Gate Park, Polo Field; John F. Kennedy at 36th Ave; 978-2429, www.sfpriderun.org. 9am, $25-30. Get your heart pumping on the 5/10K run/walk to benefit the UCSF AIDS Health Project and Family Builders by Adoption.

Bay Area

'No! Go! Yell! Tell!' Studio Naga, 5850 San Pablo, Oakl; (510) 652-NAGA, www.studionaga.com. noon-1pm, free (call for reservation). Studio Naga offers a free self-defense class for kids based on Indonesian martial art form Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen.

Around town

'How to Destroy the Universe Festival – Part IV' StudioZ.tv, 314 11th St; 252-7666, www.mobilization.com. 7pm-2am, $9-16. See 8 Days a Week.

Jewels in the Square Union Square, Geary at Powell; www.sfpt.org. 2pm, free. Karen Quest and the Cowgirl Tricks perform trick roping and a comedy act.

Benefits

'Drumming Out Hunger' Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.drummingouthunger.com. 2-4:30pm, $25. Percussionist Emiliano Benevides teaches a workshop on Frevo, the Brazilian Carnaval style of music and dance. The event benefits Cancer Hospital in Goiania, Brazil.

Bay Area

'Family Explorations! Living Traditions and Historic Objects' Oakland Museum of California, Tenth at Oak; (510) 238-2200. 1-4pm, free with museum admission ($5-8). Native American singer and percussionist Jane DeCuir and Taiko ensemble Somei Yoshino perform during a program of activities, history, and folklore that will explore California's diverse traditions.

Around town

'The Last Secret of Watergate: The Story of Deep Throat' Pan Pacific Hotel, Bella Vista Room, 500 Post; 782-8937. Noon-1:30pm. The Bar Association of San Francisco presents a talk by John O'Connor – the attorney for W. Mark Felt, a.k.a. Deep Throat – in conversation with Joan Ryan.

Wendy McClure A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness; 441-6670. 7pm, free. See 8 Days a Week.

On the Page pre-release event Swig, 561 Geary; www.onthepage.org. 6:30-8:30pm, free. Celebrate On the Page magazine's first print edition. The online publication features poetry, photo essays, fiction, and nonfiction.

Tamale Lady's birthday party Zeitgeist, 199 Valencia; 255-7505. 7pm, free. Knock back a drink, enjoy delicious homemade tamales, and celebrate the 52nd birthday of Virginia, the Tamale Lady.