Artist Marjorie Shachnow intricately crafts precious metal twigs, leaves and vines into exquisite jewelry. Add a sprinkle of tiny diamonds and the jewelry dazzles in its simplicity.

NEW YORK -- Henry Hill, the former mobster immortalized in "Goodfellas," says his current jail term saved his life.

BALTIMORE -- Former Creed lead singer Scott Stapp and members of the band 311 were involved in a fight on Thanksgiving in the lounge of a luxury hotel, according to hotel security staff and 311 members.

LOS ANGELES -- Long after the terrorist attacks on America, TV and film producers only tiptoed around certain hot-button issues, avoiding anything close to realism.

LOS ANGELES -- The third weekend was still a charm for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," which remained the top movie with $20.45 million.

NEW YORK -- Some met John Lennon in person, others knew him from the television, still others never knew him at all. On Thursday, they gathered by the hundreds in Central Park's Strawberry Fields to remember the pacifist rock star murdered 25 years ago by a deranged Beatles fan.

Surprises at

Unity Church in Napa Valley Richard Southern, Ph.D. will be the speaker at the 10 a.m. Sunday service and will facilitate a free workshop, "Living Your Purpose," at 11:30 a.m. Participants will do hands-on work developing their own personal mission statement. Location is the Welcome Grange, 3275 Hagen Rd., Napa. For more information, call 255-6881 or e-mail cdsxroads@juno.com/Register

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A VOENA CHRISTMAS -- VOENA, Voices of Eve 'N Angels, is the internationally acclaimed, multi-ethnic children's choir that combines inventive a cappella vocal arrangements with percussion, dance and theatrical elements. A joy for the eyes, ears and heart, and one you won't want to miss. Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. at Copia. $25 general/$22.50 member. Info, 259-1600.

From a young age, Patty Saldivar McClain knew she wanted to work in viticulture. "I grew up on Spring Mountain, where my father managed York Creek vineyard," said Saldivar McClain, director of vineyard operations for Hall Wines. "I knew in high school this is what I wanted. I even took my father, who was self-taught, to a seminar on phylloxera."

The huge-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" has given Mary Magdalene more fame lately than any biblical personality except Jesus. There's even a "Complete Idiot's Guide" to Mary and a forthcoming film version of the "Magdalene" comic books' woman warrior.

The fashion world loves petite things, skinny things, colorful things -- except when it comes to its books.

Eighth grade 4.0

During the 42 years since his death, the prolific C.S. Lewis has never failed to lure hordes of fans through his writings -- nor has the Oxford and Cambridge literature scholar ceased to rouse antipathy from religious skeptics.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Evangelist Rod Parsley wants to gather voters as he wins souls, a mixture that's causing a stir in the state that put President Bush back in the White House.

Education

The words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt were, "a day that will live in infamy". Infamy resonates in a haunting way: something criminal, brutal and shocking as it is defined. This thread weaves through the memories of many Americans as on December 7, 1941, Sunday morning, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Admiral Yamamoto led the Japanese Combined Fleet and delivered the U.S. Navy its greatest defeat. The attack was to immobilize the Pacific Fleet and prevent American interference as the Japanese expansion into Asia and the western Pacific moved forward.

We don't know the exact day Christ was born, so why celebrate on Dec. 25?

PRINCETON, N.J.-- In a marriage of new technology and old documents, a vast treasure trove of information about life in the early Islamic world is about to go online, enabling Muslims, scholars and the merely curious to peer into a window on the faith's rich history.

NEW YORK -- The prestigious Jewish Theological Seminary has sponsored dialogues with all sorts of American religious and ethnic groups over the past 67 years, but never with evangelical Protestants -- until last week.

Here are a few tidbits of holiday savvy that we hope will save you loads of heartache as you shop for this year's freshly cut tree. Keep in mind that we like freshly cut trees, but we also suggest that you consider a live tree and a synthetic one as well.

Santa Claus may need a bigger sleigh if he hopes to deliver this year to the growing number of American families buying real Christmas trees via the Internet or by mail order.

This year's 17th Napa County Landmarks annual Holiday CandleLight Tour will feature seven homes and an historic bed & breakfast inn in Napa's St. John's Historic District on Dec. 10.

Building on the hills of Napa presents a special set of challenges for a contractor, but what with the scarcity of building sites in Napa County, ingenuity can turn what might have been an impossibility into a feasible and attractive project.

Holiday home tour

Napa County Landmarks Candle Light Tour takes place Dec. 10, between 3 and 8 p.m.

Johnson-McEnery

Cavalli-Capponi

Dake-Stephens

St. Helena Hospital

AGUIRRE-ABUNDES MEZA -- Antonio Lopez Aguirre, 32, Monroe Street, Napa, to Macaria Abundes Meza, 27, Monroe Street, Napa.

BEAMAN -- Byron Beaman vs. Susan Beaman, Nov. 23, 2005