Women

It didn't play out ideally for Cecilia Nicolas and Nohemi Martinez, but both Glendale Community College women's track and field runners said their desire to succeed fueled them to cross the finish line first at the Western State Conference Championships. Rodriguez and Martinez were the only Vaqueros - both men and women - to finish first Friday at Moorpark College, as the women took third with 108 points, behind West L.A. College (119) and College of the Canyons (112). The Wildcats swept on both sides, as their men also finished first with 135 points.

I’ve written before about the changing status of girls in public schools and in higher education. Attendance in my advanced placement courses are, and have been for the past four or five years, 60-40 girls over boys. That pretty much mirrors a trend in colleges throughout the land, and they both represent a complete reversal in percentages from all the preceding years. But what to make of it? Is there an evolutionary shift taking place? Have centuries of discrimination against women finally caught up with us?

Two women wearing hooded sweat shirts on Sunday beat and robbed a 59-year-old woman of her purse on South Brand Boulevard, police said. The woman was walking north about 6:20 a.m. on the 1700 block of South Brand Boulevard when two other women suddenly approached from behind and tried to pull the purse away. She yelled “Don't, I don't have anything in there,” but that didn't stop the women, one of whom struck her in the mouth after the purse strap broke, according to police.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE - The Verdugo Hills chapter of Business and Professional Women is holding a workshop for women Nov. 22 on how to properly respond to awkward situations in the workplace. "What do you say when you don't know what to say?" will cover topics ranging from the death of a loved one to the loss of a promotion. The event will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Red Lion Hotel, at 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd. Tickets are $25 for nonmembers and $20 for members.

CITY HALL ? Mayor Dave Weaver's call for a fiscal study of the Commission on the Status of Women has many local activists concerned that the group's existence may be in peril. The study, which Weaver called for during the past month of study sessions on the city's $149.2-million general fund budget, determined that the commission has cost of $111,000 for the city since its inception in 2003. Expenditures included partial salary for a city staff member, as well as sponsorship of various community programs and studies.

KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN I have been pondering about what the No. 1 killer of the nuclear family is. I tend to believe it can be summed up and derived from one root source: selfishness. Selfishness comes in all forms. It leads people to affairs. It can cause individuals to strive for two-career homes (for the wrong reasons), which can lead to children being raised in day care. It even causes us to seek out "highs" to make our lives more exciting, such as drugs, alcohol or sexual addictions.

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF GOD More sky than man can see, More seas than he can sail, More sun than he can bear to watch, More stars than he can scale. RALPH W. SEAGER God is extravagant in his love for us and in his creation all around us. Sometimes I seem to take it for granted, other times I am in awe of it all. A few weeks ago, I was with a group of women studying a book about spiritual disciplines. Three of the disciplines are the Practice of Celebration, the Practice of 'Slowing' and the Practice of Servanthood.

Some years back, a former student dropped in to tell me how his life was going. That's always something I look forward to. The young man seemed to be enjoying being a 20-something bachelor. After telling me how much he remembered my class, he revealed that he had a new teacher. Someone named Tom Leykis, who has a daily, nationally syndicated radio program. "When it comes to women, he knows how to handle them," he said. "Handle them?" I asked. "What does that exactly mean?"

KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN Today, I write to the readers who are married and, or, parents, specifically women. The Scripture that comes to mind is: Titus 2:3-5a, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, and to be busy at home ... " In the past year, I have been counseling several women who are going through what I would term a mid-life crisis.