Cards

Reporting from Johannesburg — This whole world championship thing is nothing new to Dutch Coach Bert van Marwijk. Sure, Netherlands has never won a World Cup. Neither for that matter has Spain, its opponent in Sunday's World Cup final. But during his only year as a player with Holland's national team — he appeared in part of one game — Van Marwijk and his father teamed to win a world championship at the Dutch card game Klaverjassen. "You know your stuff," Van Marwijk complimented a questioner who brought up that fact at Saturday's news conference, which followed a brisk but relaxed hourlong workout by the Dutch team.

The cost of medical marijuana identification cards is going up in Santa Cruz County. Since the county program started nearly five years ago, $35 medical marijuana IDs good for three years have been issued to more than 1,600 residents. But the IDs are legally binding only in Santa Cruz County, so the county is joining the state medical pot ID program. State-backed cards cost $101 and must be renewed annually.

For the third year, artist Thomas McKnight has designed the president's official Christmas card, featuring the Clinton cat, Socks, resting on a chair in the Green Room of the White House. McKnight, known for his homespun, whimsical style, designed the Clintons' 1994 holiday card featuring the Red Room, and the 1995 card showing the Blue Room. The 300,000 presidential greeting cards are being produced by the Cleveland-based American Greetings Corp.

In a matter of months, Visa U.S.A. plans to bring what some have called the payment system of the future to every U.S. city. Technically this system is called "on-line point of sale." But most people would think of it simply as a way to pay for groceries, stereo equipment and clothing with an automated teller card, sometimes called a "debit card." You may have seen this system in operation in local areas. For example, a shopper selects a blouse at a store that uses point-of-sale terminals.

The Dodgers put a new spin on Frank Sinatra riding high in April and shot down in May. They were rolling on Monday and staggering on Thursday. Just in time to head to San Francisco for a three-game series. That's called bad timing. The Dodgers, such a hot team a moment ago, suffered their third consecutive tough defeat to the Cardinals, falling, 7-4, on Thursday afternoon in St. Louis. That sends them to the Bay Area trailing the Giants in the National League West by three games.

Re "Panel OKs Use of Identity Cards," June 18: So, the clowns in our state big top want to require the state to accept IDs issued by foreign countries. California has no oversight in the issuance of these cards. This leapfrogs our laws and allows illegal aliens immunities we don't grant legal aliens or even Americans. It also allows foreign countries to create and implement domestic policy. Our state and country have rules we call laws, which the bearers of these foreign IDs have violated; otherwise they'd have U.S.-issued visas or legal residency cards.

A high school teacher, fed up with the Bush administration's popular playing cards featuring Saddam Hussein and other most-wanted Iraqis, is now selling her own deck, "Operation Hidden Agenda." Kathy Eder's 55 playing cards show pictures of President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others, along with quotes questioning the rationale for the war. The backs feature a 1983 photo of Rumsfeld shaking Hussein's hand.

The PLO will start issuing identity cards in the name of the state of Palestine in December, Palestine Liberation Organization sources said Friday. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat will announce the program during celebrations in December of the second anniversary of the start of the uprising in the Israeli-occupied territories, they said. The cards, modeled on Tunisia's national identity cards, will cost about $100. Family registration books will also be available for about $25, the sources added.

Orange County's Medi-Cal patients Tuesday began using the state's new plastic ID cards that allow doctors and other medical providers to check eligibility, eliminate fraud and speed reimbursements. The new California Benefits Identification Cards eliminate the bother of answering questions about eligibility and waiting for paper cards, which were reissued each month, said Linda Monroe, a spokeswoman with Orange County's social services agency.

A 14-year-old boy accused of running over a schoolmate with his bicycle and stealing 150 Pokemon cards was sentenced Thursday to probation and ordered to pay $100 in restitution to the victim, prosecutors said. The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, also is required to complete 10 days of community work and 70 hours of voluntary service with local charities as part of his punishment, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Kang.