The Saratoga Foothill Club is kicking off its 2004 public lecture series with physician, author and lecturer Dr. Leonard Shlain. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 27.

Shlain will give a speech entitled "The Alphabet Versus the Goddesses, The Conflict Between Word and Image," which explores the role of literacy through time and how Shlain believes alphabetic literacy rewired the human brain, changed culture and molded religion and history.

The club is located at 20399 Park Place in Saratoga. An $8 donation will be taken at the door.

Examining lives of
Rabbinic women

Congregation Beth David will host a special workshop to examine the Rabbinic view of women. The workshop will discuss the laws that structured the lives of Jewish women and the stories concerning the relationship of men and women in the Rabbinic Period.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Dvora E. Weisberg, the assistant professor of Rabbinics and director of Beit Midrash at the Hebrew Union College­Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. The cost is $18, with proceeds benefiting the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism.

Registration is due by Jan. 21 by calling E. Sesma at 408.366.9117. For more information, call 408.257.3323.

Senior program
gets new name

The Los Gatos­Saratoga Community Education and Recreation Department has renamed its Senior Program to The 55+ Program. The revamped program will sponsor classes, events and trips geared for individuals over the age of 55.

In conjunction with the Live Oak Senior Nutrition and Service Center, The 55+ Program will also host a table-game night every Wednesday at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center and regularly feature special lectures and entertainment.

For more information, call 408.354.2360. The center is located at 208 E. Main St. in Los Gatos.