Imagine a future in which you are genetically profiled and told not to reproduce, based on unfavorable strands in your DNA. Eugenics, the study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding, is the focus at the Maltz Museum of Jewish History (2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood, 216.593.0575, maltzjewishmuseum.org). On loan from the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race, which runs through Jan 21th, is a mash-up of objects, pictures, vintage film footage, and eyewitness and survivor testimonies telling a chilling story of racial "cleansing." But eugenics wasn't just a Nazi Germany thing. It was an international phenomenon, supported by actual physicians, public health officials and scientists in many places, including America. Passionate disagreements on eugenics echo today in heated debates on stem-cell research, cloning, "designer babies," assisted suicide and other subjects. Where do you draw the line? Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m-5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday. And, although the museum is usually closed Mondays, it will be open Monday, Jan. 21 for a free MLK Day open house. Other days, admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors and students, $5 ages 5-11. - Jara Horvath

THURSDAY JANUARY 17

Suzanne Gordon on nursing staffing

Poll after poll shows that healthcare is reliably one of the top three issues on the minds of Americans, along with the war in Iraq and the economy. While some pundits and politicians dither about how we've got "the best health-care system in the world," regular people who have dealt with the system aren't so easily convinced. No one has more of an intimate view of the system than nurses, and they're some of the leaders today in kicking up a storm, advocating for change. One of their key issues is how the relentless drive for profits over patient care has impacted on hospital staffing, patient loads and nurses' ability to provide quality care. Suzanne Gordon, author of Nursing Against the Odds and a soon-to-be-published tome on the pros and cons of staffing ratio laws, will be speaking about the staffing crisis at the Sheraton Hopkins (5300 Eiverside Dr.) at 7 p.m. It's free and open to the public. Call Jobs with Justice at 440.333.7007 or go to clevelandjwj.org for more info. - Anastasia Pantsios

FRIDAY JANUARY 18

Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program

A colony of meerkats getting its own hit reality-TV show is one of the success stories in the tireless work undertaken by scientists around the world to study, evaluate and preserve exotic animals who turn out to be unbearably cute. Yes, yes, "indicator species," "ecological niches," global warming, blah blah blah. Really, you just want to snuggle those adorable furballs and murmur babytalk to them when National Geographic cameras aren't running. The latest? Dendrolagus matschiei, or Matschie's tree kangaroo, a fuzzy little marsupial from New Guinea's Huon Peninsula. Biologist Dr. Lisa Dabek of Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo will visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 Wade Oval Dr., 216.231.4600) at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the 12-year-old Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program's mission to protect the 150,000-acre habitat and meeting the needs of human communities as well. Following the lecture, Dabek will host a book signing, and the museum will open the Mueller Observatory for stargazing, weather permitting. It's $8. - Charles Cassady Jr.

MONDAY JANUARY 21

MLK DAY at severance Hall Its Day of Music features a wide range of performers including this Croatian ensemble.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events

Me, I honor Martin Luther King Day by going to Big Fun on Coventry Road and thoughtfully contemplate vintage Star Trek action figures of those fighting aliens who were black on one side and white on the other. More meaningful events abound this MLK holiday weekend. Lorain County Community College in Elyria starts early, with a "Dream is Alive" youth dance in the College Center Mall, open to Lorain County youth 13 to 18 for a $3 admission, from 7 p.m.-midnight. For information, call 440.326.1407. At 3 p.m. Sunday a traditional free concert in honor of Dr. King's birthday will resound at the Tri-C Metro Campus auditorium (2900 Community College Dr.). Lecresia Campbell and the Voices perform along with Rhythmic Sounds of Mega, the Cleveland Philharmonic, and Cleveland School of the Arts Concert Choir. Call 216.987.4805 or go to tri-c.edu/events/docs/january.htm for tickets. On the holiday itself, the Rock Hall observes free admission highlighted by performances from national and local artists; call 216.781.ROCK. Severance Hall's annual Dr. King event is a community open house and "Day of Music" from noon-5 p.m., featuring the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the U of Akron Steel Drum Band, the Oberlin Conservatory, the North Coast Men's Chorus, belly dancers, Croatian music, jazz stylings and more. It's free, but tickets are required; call 216.231.1111 or go to clevelandorchestra.com. Winter Discovery Day at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History means gratis admission and discount $1 planetarium shows from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; call 216.231.4600 or go to cmnh.org. The Cleveland Public Library was ahead of the game by opening a Martin Luther King Jr. Branch (1962 Stokes Blvd.). On Monday it presents the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. as its keynote speaker in a free public program at 1 p.m. that includes a concert by the CPL Staff Chorus and African- American art show and reception. The Western Reserve Historical Society holds a kids' "discovery hunt" free activity tied to its exhibit Carl and Louis Stokes: From Projects to Politics. Call 216.721.5722 for info. - CC

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23

Cleveland Cinemas Resident Appreciation Nights

Should the writers strike persist indefinitely, word is Tinseltown has a year's worth of features stockpiled. Then they'll run out. And American movies, as we've known them for the last hundred years, shall cease to exist. Hallelujah! But before folks revert to reading books or maybe talking to each other, know that Cleveland Cinemas has a belated holiday gift for neighbors of their multi-screen Chagrin Cinemas, Shaker Square Cinemas, Solon Cinemas and Tower City Cinemas. Each 'plex will host a free movie night for respective communities. Residents who RSVP receive a pass good for two admissions on the assigned resident-appreciation night, which range from tonight through Thursday, Jan. 24. All RSVP e-mails must be received by Thursday, Jan. 17 with a limit of two passes per household. Attendees must bring a valid photo ID with approved zip code. Go to clevelandcinemas.com. (Or Badmovies.org, if you want to fantasize about the Hollywood writers' strike continuing, We can dream, can't we?) - CC