Woodburning perils

The subject of a toasty winter hearth could bring out two very different reactions: fond reminiscences of companionship and tradition or alarmed questions about health risks and social responsibility.

“You will not find a doctor who says it’s fine to (breathe in woodsmoke) anymore than one who says it’s fine to smoke tobacco,” said Los Altos resident Nancy Williams, who has made a mission of educating her neighborhood about the downside of a decorative hearthfire.

Can this community be ‘cool’?

Los Altos residents are building buzz about the city’s future role in the cool cities movement, in which communities strive to meet or exceed greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

More than 755 cities nationwide, including Los Altos Hills, have committed to municipal environmental action by adopting the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

LASD board votes to continue full-day kindergarten at Bullis next year

With kindergarten orientations and preregistrations looming, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees decided Jan. 14 to continue the full-day kindergarten program, currently run on the Bullis-Purissima School campus in Los Altos Hills.

The board voted 4-0 (Trustee Bill Cooper was absent) to continue offering the full-day kindergarten program on the Bullis-Purissima campus next year. The board has yet to vote on the scope of next year’s program and still has not decided on the long-term status of the full-day program in the district.

LAH to weigh alcohol reimbursement policy

Los Altos Hills council members are scheduled to discuss a policy at their Thursday meeting that could prohibit reimbursements for alcohol.

The issue arose when City Clerk Karen Jost submitted the Emergency Communications Committee’s $154.65 BevMo! receipt for approval at the Jan. 10 council meeting. The bill included wine and glasses purchased for the ECC’s annual holiday party Dec. 9.

Fire threat sparks proposal for county fee

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 15 to postpone a decision on whether to assess an emergency response and disaster preparedness fee for home and business owners in unincorporated areas. The delay will allow supervisors to solicit additional public input at a hearing scheduled 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Board of Supervisor Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose.

The national alarm sounded by wildfires in Southern California last summer raised concerns about evacuation preparedness and early warning systems within Santa Clara County.

LA employee files civil harassment suit

Los Altos city employee Dawn Silva filed a civil suit Jan. 18 charging sexual harassment against Los Altos, its police department and former chief. Silva, assistant to former Police Chief Bob Lacey, alleged that Lacey created a hostile work environment and sexually harassed female employees and that the city did not act to prevent it. She referred questions to her lawyer, Robert Cummings.

“This is something she reported to human resources, she wasn’t getting any response, and she started having physical manifestations of stress,” Cummings said. He declined to specify what reparations Silva would request in the suit, which is classified as unlimited.

News Briefs

LAH resident hears tiger mauling case

Los Altos Hills resident Socrates Manoukian, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge for the past 15 years, heard arguments in the San Francisco Zoo tiger attack case last week.

Editorial

The Los Altos School District board has filed a lawsuit against the Santa Clara County Board of Education, challenging the county board’s ruling that Bullis Charter School – approved and sponsored by the county – can grant priority acceptance to students in the Bullis-Purissima School attendance area.

The district may have a good case. Los Altos school board members cite the state education code, which states, in part: “Admission to a charter school shall not be determined according to the place or residence of the pupil.”

Letters to the Editor

Racist panhandling

I recently witnessed a very sad and outrageous event at Whole Foods Market in Los Altos.

No Shoes, Please

“For an Asian American, being a foodie on the Internet is kind of like being a rock star without having to be unemployed or doing a lot of drugs or disappointing your parents.”

The Pinhead Chronicles

The hammock, the hanging bed suspended by nets and used by natives of Brazil for several hundred years, was made of bark fibers from the “hamack” tree.

• A whale’s heart beats only nine times per minute.

Wedding

Marquez Swede and Michael Cummer

Marquez Alexis Swede and Michael Reid Cummer were married Sept. 8 at Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens in Santa Barbara. A reception was held at the University Club of Santa Barbara.

SF film critic examines history of censorship

Mick LaSalle, movie critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, entertained a Morning Forum audience with a mini-course on the sociology of movies Jan. 15 at Los Altos United Methodist Church.

Showing clips of silent and black-and-white films, LaSalle said that movies reflect the era in which they are made. Cultural historians use early films to discover how people dressed, lived and worked. Even pornographic movies of the 1970s have intrinsic value, he joked – the ordinary, middle-class furniture of that era has been preserved on film.

Main Street Cafe & Books shows Valentine paintings

Main Street Cafe & Books has scheduled “From the Heart,” an exhibition sponsored by the Fine Arts League of Cupertino, Feb. 1-29. An opening reception is set 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the cafe, 134 Main St., Los Altos.

The exhibition will showcase 40 paintings by local artists commemorating Valentine’s Day.

Los Altos Library solicits community input for expansion plans

The Los Altos Library is conducting a needs-assessment survey at the main and Woodland branches to determine future library needs and to gather expansion ideas.

Christ Episcopal hosts Ugandan children’s benefit Jan. 30

Christ Episcopal Church has scheduled “The Spirit of Uganda,” an evening of traditional East African dance and music performed by African children, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30.

Sponsored by Empower African Children (formerly Ugandan Children’s Charity Foundation), the performers raise money and awareness for the foundation, AIDS and children in Africa.

Library, League of Women Voters co-host ‘Great Decisions’ series

The Los Altos Library and the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mountain View Area have scheduled the Foreign Policy Association’s annual Great Decisions series. The series is set to begin 1 p.m. Feb. 7 and continue every Thursday at 1 p.m. through March 27 in the Program Room of the main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road.

Discussion topics were chosen in light of their anticipated importance to U.S. foreign policy in coming months. Each meeting will feature speakers and/or videos followed by questions and discussion by participants.

Tribute to the Packards at history museum

The Los Altos History Museum has opened “Lucile and David Packard: Valued Partners,” an exhibition that runs through June 22. An opening reception was held Sunday.

Six public programs supporting the exhibit range from lectures and videos to a family day featuring children’s activities.

Community Briefs

Irregulars Book Club welcomes Kirsten Miller

The Los Altos Library has scheduled Kirsten Miller, author of the Kiki Strike, girl detective, novels, 4 p.m. Tuesday. Miller will discuss her series and offer a question and answer session. The Los Altos main library is located at 13 S. San Antonio Road.

CHASE program offers drug awareness for children

Los Altos resident Lanna Lanman joined the Community Hope and Sober Events (CHASE) program to dispel stereotypes about drugs and alcohol and raise thought-provoking questions for parents.

“You think of people who misuse drugs and alcohol as being poor, but really the more money is where it’s at,” Lanman said.

Schools Briefs

LASD holds kindergarten orientation

A kindergarten parent orientation meeting is scheduled 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at each elementary school in the Los Altos School District. Parents unsure of their school of residence should call the district office at 947-1150.

Los Altos boys make good use of overtime

The Los Altos High boys basketball team struggled to make shots, grab rebounds and defend the paint against Lynbrook. But the host Eagles found a way to win, even if it took a while.

Los Altos edged the Vikings 54-47 in double overtime Jan. 16, preserving its perfect record in the SCVAL El Camino Division.

St. Simon basketball tournament tips off this Thursday

St. Simon School’s fourth annual Father Tom Murray Memorial Basketball Tournament is scheduled Thursday through Sunday in Los Altos.

Eight boys teams and eight girls teams are set to compete in the eighth-grade tournament, taking place in St. Simon’s gym.

NJB grows locally

The Foothill SLAM Chapter of the National Junior Basketball league has grown substantially at the high school level this season, according to organizers. More than 70 students from area schools such as Mountain View, St. Francis, Los Altos and Homestead tried out for the chapter’s high school division, comprising three varsity and three junior-varsity teams. “We are absolutely thrilled with the response from these high school kids,” said Deb Bell, a local NJB board member and Los Altos School District volunteer. “One of our goals this year was to continue to grow the number of high school athletes in our NJB league, and we did it.” The high school division, which began in 2003, has playoffs next month.

Mountain View boys hope strong finish leads to return to SCVAL’s upper division

Perched near the top of the SCVAL El Camino Division on the strength of a defense that gives up less than one goal per game, the Mountain View High boys soccer team seems poised to get back to the league’s upper division before long.

The Spartans were dropped from the De Anza Division after finishing last a year ago, but would likely return if they finish at or near the top of the El Camino Division. Mountain View is off to a 5-2 start, good enough for second place.

Mountain View High girls soccer team beats rival Los Altos for second time

They did it again. For the second time this season, the Mountain View High girls stunned first-place and defending section champ Los Altos in soccer.

The Spartans beat the host Eagles 2-1 in SCVAL De Anza Division action Jan. 16. Mountain View trailed 1-0 at halftime, then scored on shots by Tavi Crum (assist Mimi Arrilega) and McColl Matthews (Kirsten Belinsky).

Owls rally in second half to defeat Rams

Round one goes to the Owls. In the first of two scheduled meetings with City College of San Francisco that will likely decide the division champ, the Foothill College women’s basketball team escaped with a 59-56 road win Jan. 16.

“It was wild,” Owls coach Jody Craig said. “It was one of those epic battles we seem to get into at their place.”

Suiting up

For many men, the thought of wearing a tuxedo is about as appealing as donning a suit of armor in a steam room. They see formal wear as the enemy – it’s stuffy, constrictive and too much work to put on.

But there are times in life that one must embrace the enemy: prom night, dinner at the captain’s table on that Caribbean cruise and your wedding day. While some men skate by in a suit, the tux remains the wedding standard. It’s almost as essential as the ring.

After the honeymoon, couples navigate a muddy Mississippi

If the wedding day is like the sailing of a ship – streamers, music, champagne and people waving, hugging, shouting, laughing – and the honeymoon like a luxury cruise, the marriage itself might be likened to Mark Twain’s description of life on a Mississippi steamboat.

Thinking he is embarking on a most romantic adventure, Twain talks Mr. Bixby, the pilot of the Paul Jones, into taking him on as a cub pilot and “teaching” him the Mississippi from New Orleans to Cincinnati.

Trendy destination weddings bring pleasures and pitfalls

Couples spend an average of $28,000 for their weddings, according to Modern Bride magazine. Having the ceremony at an island resort or on the beach can be less expensive than having it close to home, and it confers an exotic twist to the special ceremony. It can turn your wedding day into an unforgettable mini-vacation for you and your guests.

Six things to know before you plan a destination wedding:

‘Last Supper’ dishes up notable chefs’ last meal selections

In his introduction to Melanie Dunea’s coffee table book “My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals” (Bloomsbury, 2007), Anthony Bourdain, chef/owner of Brasserie Les Halles in New York, explains that a favorite pastime of chefs is musing about “what single dish, what one mouthful of food from anywhere in the world or anytime in (their lives)” they would choose as their last.

The question raises the interesting idea of how chefs interpret the mode of their dying. Depending on who is doing the free-associating, “Last Supper” means different things. Bourdain imagines himself strapped to an electric chair; his last meal would be roast bone marrow with parsley and caper salad (recipe included), served with slices of good baguette and sea salt and consumed with Guinness after hours at the dining room at St. John in London.

Pianist O’Riley pairs classical with rock

Stanford Lively Arts presents Christopher O’Riley, acclaimed pianist and radio host, for his “Reimaginings: Radiohead and Shostakovich,” scheduled 8 p.m. today at Dinkelspiel Auditorium.

In this program, O’Riley challenges the boundaries of both classical and rock music by pairing his own original solo piano transcriptions of songs by the British rock group Radiohead with piano preludes by Dmitri Shostakovich.

World Harmony performs Monday in Mountain View

The World Harmony Chorus is scheduled to perform 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View.

The free event will feature the 50-member chorus performing songs from around the world. The multigenerational group, taught and directed by CSMA faculty member Daniel Steinberg, meets weekly at the school. Steinberg will invite audience members to join with the chorus in singing select songs.

Community coalition sponsors health-care forum at Beth Am in LAH

A coalition of community groups has scheduled a forum, “Caring for the Common Good: Healthcare Crisis in Our Own Backyard,” 2-5 p.m. Sunday in the social hall at Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills.

The forum, sponsored by Beth Am Women, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Clara and Beth Am’s Peninsula Interfaith Action, will address health-care needs in Santa Clara County, where 11.5 percent of adults lack medical insurance.

Stanford University Press tackles complex translation of Kabbalah

The Zohar – an encyclopedia of Jewish mysticism, myth and esoteric teaching that forms the cornerstone of the Kabbalah – is getting a long-awaited renewal, thanks to Stanford University Press’ new translation, which Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel deems “masterful.”

Although only four of the projected dozen volumes are complete, the series has received a $10,000 Koret Jewish Book Award for “monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought.”

Marguerite McCreery, 99, longtime Los Altos Hills resident, librarian

Marguerite Edna Hannah McCreery died peacefully in her sleep Jan. 15 at the Rose Meadows Elder Care Home in San Jose, under the care of Pathways Hospice. She was 99.

A former Los Altos Hills resident, Mrs. McCreery was the wife of former Stanford University football star Hal McCreery, who passed away in 1963. The McCreerys were friends with Ernie Nevers, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn “Pop” Warner, Eddie Albert and other Bay Area football and golf greats. Mrs. McCreery was active in the Los Altos Golf & Country Club, where she was a champion golfer who scored five holes-in-one during her lifetime.

Datebook

THEATER

“The Real Thing.” Tom Stoppard’s semiautobiographical dramatic comedy. Bus Barn Stage Company. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, Jan. 31-Feb. 23; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 20; 3 p.m. Feb. 10 and 17. Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. $22-$32. 941-0551; www.busbarn.org.

ECH wants to be hospital of choice for patients, physicians

From its January 2007 award as a HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital in the top 5 percent of all hospitals in the country to its November 2007 recognition as a Center of Excellence for its bariatric surgery program, El Camino Hospital staff can look back proudly at last year’s accomplishments. But there’s no time to rest on laurels.

While the hospital’s $7.37 million net income for December exceeded its $4.6 million forecast, Chief Financial Officer Marla Gularte told the board of directors money would be tighter when the hospital begins to repay interest on the bonds sold to finance new hospital construction. That first bill is due in July 2009.

Don’t panic – signs show only minor setback in economic growth

While traders look for an emotional, panic-driven sell-off to mark the end to the carnage, the fundamentals of the economy show signs of only a modest retraction in overall economic growth. In 2001, stock market valuations were run up to the high end of the spectrum. This time, a bursting of the overheated housing bubble has sounded the alarm.

The Federal Reserve Bank helped pull the United States out of the 2001 recession by lowering interest rates to a historically low 1 percent – a rate that attracted homebuyers and a plethora of builders. The banks and financial companies that traded in these loans have disappointed shareholders with their reckless disregard for credit standards.

El Camino Hospital pharmacy system funded for improvements

The El Camino Hospital Board of Directors unanimously approved spending up to $3.4 million for consultant services to optimize the hospital’s computerized pharmacy system.

Chief Medical Information Officer Eric Pifer said a team of analysts from Eclypsis would assess hospital needs and procedures for its Sunrise Clinical Manager software program, named ECHO – El Camino Hospital Online.

Simitian, realtors look ahead after ‘contentious’ 2007

California State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) told a gathering of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors Jan. 4 that while the economy is feeling the effects of the subprime loan crisis, he does not believe future legislation will solve problems of financially troubled homeowners.

Simitian said the subprime loan crisis is a result of “ripples that have had ripples that have had ripples. … We’ll see legislation that addresses the problem prospectively, but we can’t unring the bell.”