A recent incident at the notorious Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph has led to calls for a boycott of the home of the Sixties Free Speech Movement. -more-

A Christmas Carol -more-

Everyone knows the story of “A Christmas Carol”: the grouchy old man who dismisses Christmas greetings with “Bah, humbug!,” his hard-working clerk Bob Cratchit, cheerful, crippled Tiny Tim, the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. This is a good time to reread the story, available for free from Project Gutenberg. “A Christmas Carol” is remarkably pertinent not only to the season but to the contemporary political climate. -more-

All the world is young at Christmastime -more-

[steppingstone |ˈstepi ng ˌstōn| noun

a raised stone used singly or in a series as a place on which to step when crossing a stream or muddy area. Oxford American Dictionaries]

Stepping stones originally referred to those stones that allowed one to go from the bank of a river to the far side, and to arrive safely—maybe getting just a little bit wet. Some of these stones are rocks; some are pebbles. Some are smooth and cherished, even polished and displayed on mantelpieces. Some are rough; scratch one’s bare feet. Sturdy shoes insure our safe traversal. But there they are and there they have been: stones taking us from the womb to the tomb. Some stones are seen very clearly looking back, but are rather fuzzy looking forward. What is the next stone? -more-

Catherine "Kay" Kerr, a dedicated environmentalist and widow of Clark Kerr, the 12th president of the University of California system, died Friday (Dec. 18). She was 99. -more-

Lewis Carroll wrote: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Carroll was musing about Wonderland but his words apply to the White House, where the Obama Administration has lost its sense of direction. The challenge for Progressives is to recalibrate the President’s moral compass. -more-

The weather and a persistent head cold have kept me indoors for most of December. Contact with the natural world has been pretty much limited to killing ants in the kitchen (yes, the Argentines are back) and watching the bird feeders. Ron decided to hang up a suet feeder this year, and the chestnut-backed chickadees have responded—up to four at one time. We’ve also had visits from a ruby-crowned kinglet. -more-

On November 15, 1988, the State of Palestine was unilaterally declared in Algiers when the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s National Council adopted the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. The independent State of Palestine is widely recognized by over 100 United Nations member countries, although oftentimes in equivocal terms. Although an independent state, it has no universally recognized borders. In 1993, the Palestinian Authority recognized the state of Israel. Now it is the time for Israel and the world to recognize Palestine as an independent state in the 1967 borders. -more-

ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act, last revision in July. The Act has a three-part, controversial definition of disability. Under the ADA, a person with a disability has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, OR has a record of such an impairment, OR is regarded as having such an impairment. -more-

In the course of battling a mental illness, a number of mental health consumers ultimately discover that regular employment is not a good fit. While “normal” people occasionally have a “bad day” in which their work isn’t up to par, a person with a mental illness may have a bad day more often, and may need a work situation that can accommodate this factor. Such an accommodation isn’t done in most companies--they may expect that their employees be efficient at all times. The effects of psychiatric medications in combination with residual symptoms of the illnesses often slow down and impair job performance, sometimes to the point of the work not being at a competitive level. The mental health consumer is then stuck in a lifetime of not being able to work, and thus of not having a lot of the good things in life that people in mainstream society frequently take for granted. A reader writes: -more-

Once again, the Berkeley Main Public Library is due lavish praise for the many excellent programs it offers its patrons week after week. Debbie Carton, Librarian and Head of the Art and Music Department deserves much credit for these stimulating programs. Her "Playreading for Adults" is a popular, ever expanding class meeting each Wednesday from 12 noon to 1 p.m. for a reading of plays which are acted out by members of the class. But this past Tuesday evening, Debbie outdid herself with an unforgettable production of Dylan Thomas' play, "Under Milk Wood". Thirteen adult members and five children of the play reading group sat at long tables and did a staged reading of this classic play for voices, beautifully directed by Libby Vega. -more-

Two East Bay favorites are putting on special holiday shows: -more-