The rhythms of Afro-Cuban dance, the history of the Brazilian slave trade and the finer points of big sisterhood – these are just some of the lessons Elisabeth Newton, 13, a freshman at Berkeley High School, is learning through her World Arts and Movement Class at Common Ground, a school-within-a-school at BHS, which focuses on social justice and multi-culturalism. -more-

Cal has depended on freshman Jamal Sampson to score points so far this young season, but on Wednesday night the Bears got the points they needed from some old heads. -more-

Thursday, Nov. 29

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21 Grand Nov. 29: 9 p.m., Lemon Lime Lights, Hillside, Moe! Staiano, $6; Nov. 30: 9 p.m., Fred Frith, Damon Smith, Marco Eneidi, Sabu Toyozumi Ensemble, Phillip Greenlief, $10; Dec. 1: 9 p.m., Toychestra, Rosin Coven, Darling Freakhead, $6; All ages. 21 Grand Ave., Oakland. 444-7263 -more-

Three people were among those attending the orientation workshop at the Berkeley WorkSource One Stop Career Center Wednesday morning: one holds a doctorate in history, another is homeless and a third has worked as a computer assistant. This is the face of unemployment in Berkeley and it’s not going to change soon. -more-

The Cal women’s basketball team squandered a big lead but recovered to defeat Fresno State, 62-55, Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion. -more-

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Before a vocal audience Tuesday, the City Council scrapped a controversial, seven-week-old redistricting ordinance and decided to start the contentious process from scratch. -more-

St. Mary’s senior Danielle Stokes committed to run track for Cal State Northridge this week, according to her high school coach. -more-

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Officials at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced Wednesday that lab researchers are working on three projects that could strengthen homeland security and help combat terrorist activities. -more-

EAST MEADOW, NY - Cal’s Natalie Coughlin, the 2001 Pac-10 and NCAA Swimmer of the Year, added another accolade to her outstanding career Tuesday at the FINA World Cup in East Meadow, NY. -more-

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SAN FRANCISCO — They were walking corpses, the once-beautiful men who dragged themselves to pray at the Metropolitan Community Church each Sunday. Too sick to sit, many would drape their gaunt, lesion-covered bodies across the pews. -more-

Spencer Dornin was among five Golden Bears receiving All-MPSF honors this week. The senior two-meter man from Laguna Beach was named to the All-Conference First Team. -more-

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SAN FRANCISCO — Police arrested two AIDS activists Wednesday for allegedly stalking and threatening newspaper reporters and Public Health Department workers. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A coalition attacking suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment rallied Wednesday around a bill aiming to curb both by making cities share sales taxes. -more-

ROSEVILLE — The nation’s preoccupation with security after this fall’s terrorist attacks could help revive the hard-hit high technology industry, experts from top tech firms said Wednesday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A bitter battle between the creditors and business partners of bankrupt ExciteAtHome threatens to unplug the cable network’s high-speed Internet service for 4.2 million subscribers as early as Friday, depending on the outcome of a pivotal court hearing. -more-

In early October, Keith “Kiki” Bell, a junior at Berkeley High School, found out that two of his friends are HIV positive. The news was devastating. -more-

In a rematch of last year’s hard-fought Northern California Regional championship game, the Berkeley Yellowjackets used their inside power to beat Oakland, 64-50. -more-

Wednesday, Nov. 28

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MUSIC

UC Berkeley student Andy Katz, perhaps the first student ever appointed to the Zoning Adjustments Board, took a seat on one of the city’s most influential governing bodies Monday. -more-

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OAKLAND – Tuesday’s pre-trial hearing in federal court for brothers Vijay and Prasad Lakireddy centered on one disputed point: does the defense have the right to subpoena documents that would show how much time a certain translator/ interviewer spent with the witnesses to the Lakireddys’ alleged misdeeds? -more-

The Daily Planet received the following letter to the president. (Spelling has not been edited.) -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — An investment real estate agent accused of bilking more than $20 million from four Bay Area banks has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison by a judge in Israel. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A 20-year-old San Bernardino man has been arrested and charged with threatening three people by sending them letters he claimed were laced with anthrax. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Now may be the time to buy for those who have always wanted to own a house in the San Francisco Bay area. The cost of mid-priced homes fell in October to less than a year earlier, marking the first time since 1995, but that trend didn’t hold true in Southern California, a real estate firm reported. -more-

MARTINEZ — A trio accused of killing five people, including the daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, wanted to bring truth to the world through a self-awareness program, prosecutors say. -more-

LOS ANGELES — An attorney for former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson says he was partly to blame for his client pleading guilty to attempting to blow up police cars when she is really innocent. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A breakaway San Fernando Valley city would own nothing except streets and would have to buy parks, libraries and other assets from Los Angeles, according to a legal opinion for the agency overseeing possible secession. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A memorial to California journalists who died while pursuing news stories was given a new home and an 18th name on Tuesday at California State University, Northridge. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis plans to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Mexico City next week in an effort to boost the slumping economies of California and its southern neighbor. -more-

SAN SIMEON— In a dressing room in the remote recesses of Hearst Castle, Diane Marchetti glanced at a mirror, and had to like what she saw. Her evening gown shimmered like silver and sheathed her slender figure like a second skin. She tucked her hair beneath a curly blond wig and checked the mirror again. -more-

FRESNO — State Sen. Jim Costa, a longtime politician who has served 23 years in the Legislature and cannot seek re-election because of term limits, said Tuesday he is leaving public office and will not run for Congress. -more-

MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Harvard molecular biologist Don Wiley was last seen leaving a banquet in Memphis just before midnight on Nov. 15. His rental car was found a few hours later, abandoned on a Mississippi River bridge with the keys in the ignition and the tank full of gas. -more-

NEW YORK — Most major airlines plan to maintain a fuel surcharge of $20 on each one-way ticket even though the price of jet fuel has dropped by half during the past year. -more-

The words came to Ann Travers as she watched her husband sleep that night: “He’s going to make an excellent father.” -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Chronicle announced plans Tuesday to cut 220 jobs, adding Northern California’s largest newspaper to the list of media companies jettisoning workers to offset steep advertising losses. -more-

MONTEBELLO — Once a week, Tim Moynahan makes a half-hour drive from the San Fernando Valley to a small dairy east of Los Angeles. -more-

SAN JOSE — A leading maker of diabetes monitors has agreed to pay $45 million to diabetics across the country to settle a class-action suit that alleged its products were dangerously defective. -more-

The City Council will consider a recommendation at its meeting tonight to monitor Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s cutting, chipping and shipping of eucalyptus trees that a local group says are contaminated with the radioactive material, tritium. -more-

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Governor Davis’ cuts from the state budget for 2002 include $150 million gained by postponing the expansion of the Healthy Families health insurance program to cover low income parents as well as their children. -more-

MUSIC

Tigers, by a long shot, are the most popular animals in the zoo. -more-

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At tonight’s meeting, the council will examine its options in light of a successful petition drive to repeal the recently-approved council districts. -more-

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OAKLAND — The body of a missing photographer for the San Jose Mercury News was found Sunday outside a cemetery, police said. -more-

SANTA BARBARA — Picture it: a flood roaring down from foothills above this scenic coastal town, carrying room-sized boulders hurtling at 50 mph. -more-

SAN DIEGO — Despite a brief decline after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Customs Service seized a record 244 tons of narcotics along the U.S.-Mexico border in California over the past year. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Coast Guard unveiled a new port security program Monday that trains reservists to board cruise ships and commercial vessels on the high seas in search of terrorists. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Beleaguered credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. hired industry veteran Joseph Saunders as its new CEO Monday, ending a six-week search for a new leader to repair the company’s ailing loan portfolio and battered reputation. -more-

NEW YORK — Economists officially declare a recession exists, you might say, months after ordinary folks have sensed it coming, experienced it, and if able to, taken action to deal with it. -more-

SAN JOSE — Two former Cisco Systems Inc. accountants were sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison Monday for illegally transferring $7.9 million in Cisco stock to themselves. -more-

SAN JOSE — A resolution appears unlikely any time soon in the closely watched case of a Russian computer programmer charged with violating copyrights on Adobe Systems Inc. software. -more-

SALEM, Mass. — Once upon a time, there was money, and there were S&H Green Stamps. -more-

SEATTLE — Boeing Co. laid off 2,900 workers Monday as part of the company’s already announced plan to trim as many as 30,000 workers by the end of 2002. -more-

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — The bodies of four journalists were brought out of Afghanistan on Nov. 21, two days after the group was ambushed by gunmen on the road to Kabul. -more-

National Guard major general calls Berkeley his home -more-

Monday, Nov. 26

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St. Mary’s High senior Bridget Duffy captured her second straight CIF Division IV cross country state championship on Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno, running through a heavy rain to take the lead during the race’s second mile and winning with a time of 18:33. -more-

Prior to approving the Draft General Plan, the City Council will begin a fine tuning process Tuesday on some of the document’s housing, transportation and environmental management policies. -more-

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Cardinal earn spot in NCAA -more-