AUCTION

SKIING SALE A winter sale of vintage posters features more than 100 ski posters, including advertisements for Sun Valley, Idaho; Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; and St. Pierre de Chartreuse in France. A series of eight posters from the Dartmouth Winter Carnival have never been offered at auction. The sale also includes Judaica, such as a 1932 poster for the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv ($2,000-$3,000) and a ca. 1944 placard titled “The Families of the Warsaw Heroes, Jerusalem” ($400-$600). Preview: Today, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Auction: Tomorrow, 10:30 a.m., Swann Galleries, 104 E. 25th St., between Lexington and Park Avenue South, 212-254-4710.

BENEFITS

CHEFS FOR CHARITY New York chefs pitch in at a tasting fund-raiser for Save the Children and Unicef’s tsunami relief efforts. Participating restaurants include Bouley, Cafe Boulud, Chantarelle, Cru, Nobu, and Payard. Tonight, 7-10 p.m., Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses St. at Hudson Street, 203-221-4161, $50 in advance, $60 at the door.

MAKING A DIFFA-RENCE More than 50 designers, including Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren Home, created elaborate tabletops for the “Dining By Design” show. Each participant was given a round table seating ten, and told to decorate it however they choose (as long as they left room for a place to chill the Champagne!). Architect David Rockwell and the editor in chief of ELLE Decor, Margaret Russell, host a sold-out gala Monday that benefits Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. For everyone else, there’s a sneak preview of the decorations the day before (Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $10) and a drinks-and-dessert party after the gala (Monday, 9:30 p.m, $75.) All events: Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St. at Eighth Avenue, www.diffa.org.

BOOKS

SMALL-TOWN STORY Pearl Abraham reads from her novel “Seventh Beggar” (Riverhead), set in a contemporary chasidic community in Monsey, N.Y. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Upper West Side, 2289 Broadway at 82nd Street, 212-362-8835, free.

WORKING IN AMERICA A new reading and discussion group focuses on work ethic in America. Alexandra Zobel leads the “Working More Than 9 to 5” series, which will meet the first Thursday of every month through May. The first session features a discussion of “Mordecai: An Early American Family” (Hill and Wang), Emily Bingham’s book about three generations of a Southern Jewish family. First session: Tomorrow, 4 p.m., New York Public Library, New Amsterdam branch, 9 Murray St., between Broadway and Church Street, 212-732-8186 to register, free.

FILM

SMOKE SIGNALS Jane Campion’s “Holy Smoke” (1999) stars Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel in the story of a young woman’s relationship with a man hired to deprogram her after time spent in a cult. The film screens as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s celebration of Miramax’s 25th anniversary. Tonight, 8:15 p.m., tomorrow, 5:30 p.m., Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-708-9480, $10 general, $8 seniors, $6 students, free for children under 16. Note: Tickets do not include admission to the museum but the cost may be applied to a museum ticket within 30 days. Paying the full museum admission allows admission to same-day screenings.

FOOD & DRINK

VIETMAMESE VALENTINE A pre-Valentine’s Day cooking class for couples concludes with an afternoon brunch. Chef Lan Tran Cao leads the lesson, from which couples will be able to take home Vietnamese pastry hearts. Saturday, February 12, and Sunday, February 13, 11 a.m., Gallery Vietnam, 345 Greenwich St., between Jay and Harrison streets, 212-431-5888, $100 each person, reservations required.

MUSIC

NICE DAY Jazz chanteuse Anita O’Day performs this week. Her long career has included singing swing and bebop with Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk; a candid memoir about drug addiction; and an appearance in a documentary about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, “Jazz on a Summer’s Day,” which made her an international star. Tonight and tomorrow, 8 and 10 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, 212-582-2121, $30 admission, $10 minimum at tables, $5 minimum at the bar.

CAN DO Philip Glass joins the performance ensemble Bang on a Can for a performance of his 1969 work “Music in Similar Motion.” The People’s Commissioning Fund concert also features three world premiere works by Cynthia Hopkins, Carla Kihlstedt, and J.G. Thirlwell. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, 129 W. 67th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-501- 3330, $20.

TALKS

LIVE RADIO A discussion about the state of talk radio features panelists Al Franken of Air America, Maria Hinojosa of “Latino USA,” and journalism professor Lee Thornton. The talk will focus on radio’s effect on the political process – Do hosts influence their listeners’ votes? Can talk shows offer dialogue or are they a venue for unproductive ranting? The editor and publisher of Talkers Magazine, Michael Harrison, moderates the discussion. Tomorrow, 6-7:30 p.m., Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-621-6600, $15 general, $12 members.

THROWING PUNCHES Writers and boxing fans Carlo Rotella and Geoffrey Ward discuss the sport with moderator Robert Anasi, the author of “The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle” (North Point). Mr. Rotella wrote “Good With Their Hands: Boxers, Bluesman, and Other Characters from the Rust Belt” (University of Cali fornia) and Mr. Ward is the author of a new Jack Johnson biography, “Unforgivable Blackness” (Knopf), the basis of a recent Ken Burns documentary for PBS.A signing follows the discussion, which is the part of the author2author series. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Housing Works Used Book Cafe, 126 Crosby St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324, free, used book donations encouraged.

GALLERY GUIDES An art critic for The New York Sun, David Cohen, moderates “The Review Panel,” a discussion series in which critics discuss four pre-selected exhibitions on view in New York museums and galleries. Friday, 6:45 p.m., National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-369-4880, $5.

THEATER

DIRECT HIT In Bonnie Culver’s drama “Sniper,” a teenager in upstate New York goes on a killing spree. Adam Hill directs. Through Saturday, February 12, Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Center Stage, 48 W. 21st St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, fourth floor, 212-352-3101, $15.

FAMILY CIRCUS Susan Austin Roth’s “Bye, Mom! Or How to Not Bury Your Mother” tells the story of a stubborn woman hanging onto life and her four children – an obsessed daughter, a nerd, a nebbish, and an airhead. When the not-so-happy clan convenes in Florida, the result is a dark comedy about questionable family values. Yanna Kroyt Brandt directs the Quercus production. Friday through Sunday, February 20, days and times vary, 45th Street Theater, 354 W. 45th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-279-4200, $15.

TOUR

STAY AT THE YMCA The Municipal Art Society takes architecture buffs inside the historic 63rd Street Y, the largest YMCA in the world. The 1929 structure, often called a “city within a building,” contains a cafe, theater, two pools, three gyms, and nearly 500 guest rooms. Architect Douglas Larson, a board member at the Y, leads the tour. Sunday, 2-3:30 p.m., meet in the lobby of the Y, 5 W. 63rd St. at Central Park West, 212-439-1049, $15 general, $12 members.

---

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.