LOCALmotion – Jozelle Smith

In addition to its regular 10:00 a.m. Sunday services, Westside Unity Church offers terrific midweek insights too, e.g. this Wednesday October 9 starts with meditation 6:30 – 6:45 p.m., followed by a Meditation and Prayer Class 7-8:30 p.m. This kicks off a four- week class facilitated by Rev. James Daly, where you can learn how to develop a daily practice to listen to your inner guide; log those insights and track your progress; learn how to bring yourself through change without drama; and develop the skills to assist others through your own daily practice. Westside Unity is located at 10724 Barman Avenue, near Overland Ave.

Boasting probably the highest ongoing rate of new members is the Culver City Rock & Mineral Club, as they welcome Jenny Bingham, Henry Borensteein, Laurie Lizer, Sarah Lizer, and Claudine Lucier to the fold. From Program Chair Ellen Moe comes the announcement that the program for Monday, October 14 (Columbus Day) will be “ROCKS + ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY = FUN,” presented by member Bruce Mensinger, who will reprise the program he gave to the Culver City Senior Center this summer. It is an informal slide show of some of Bruce’s favorite close-up photographs featuring all kinds of rocks. Audience participation is encouraged as they view this natural abstract art and reveal what they can see in the swirls, colors and patterns. Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Ave. Enter via the rear door. Guests are always welcome!

Here’s your opportunity to be a true “patron of the arts” in Our Town: The Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation has launched a community campaign to raise funding for the City’s cultural event programming which was lost when the state eliminated the Culver City Redevelopment Agency as well as all redevelopment agencies in California. The Cultural City Campaign accepts grants, business contributions and individual donations. Over the years you may have enjoyed the Culver City Music Festival, an annual summer concert series; Made in Culver City film program celebrating the classic films produced in “The Heart of Screenland”; and Music in the Chambers featuring musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Donations from Culver City residents and business owners will help save these wonderful cultural events. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Checks may be made payable to the Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation and mailed to Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation, 9770 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA, 90232. More information on the Cultural City Campaign and the Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation is available by calling (310) 253-5716.

Mark your calendars and get your “OK” sign out. “Be Prepared” isn’t just the Boy Scout motto any more; the “California Great ShakeOut” is the largest preparedness event in the U.S., and it takes place on October 17th this year. Designed to test our preparedness for a major earthquake or other disaster, the ShakeOut actually offers Culver Citizens two opportunities to practice our preparedness. The California Great ShakeOut occurs at 10:17 a.m. and you can join almost 9 million other Californians in practicing Drop, Cover and Hold On. You can ALSO participate in the City of Culver City’s own “ShakeOut” (Annual Disaster Drill) at 7:00 pm by doing the same. For the Culver City one, it is hoped that you also utilize the City’s “OK” sign program to let first responders know that you are “OK.” (Just place an “OK” sign in your window or on your door in a location most visible from the public right-of-way to signal that you and your family are “OK”. In the event of a real disaster, if your family was not “OK”, you would post nothing and contact 9-1-1 to let them know of injuries, etc.) The OK signs are available for download, as well as family disaster plans and disaster supply checklists at www.culvercity.org/emergencyprep. Additional information can also be found at www.ShakeOut.org.

This Wednesday, October 9, the Culver City Democratic Club will host a free screening of “Four Days in Chicago .” This film documents the Occupy Movement’s demonstrations in Chicago against the 2012 NATO Summit. Following the screening will be a Q&A with the film’s editor, Nicholas Golding. “Four Days in Chicago” is lifelong activist Haskell Wexler’s personal look at Chicago over four days in May 2012 — four days filled with politics, protest and police. The Occupy movement, the National Nurses Union, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Code Pink and others converged on Chicago to tell President Barack Obama and Mayor Rahm Emanuel to stop spending on wars around the world, and bring the money home for housing, schools and healthcare. The film criticizes Emanuel’s decision to bring police in from other states, and spend $27 million in security arrangements to secure the city against citizens speaking out. The protest was a huge event in Chicago, but received no national press coverage, save for sensationalized images of a menacing Black Bloc. The screening will be held at the Veterans’ Memorial Building, Rotunda Room, 4117 Overland Ave. Refreshments will be served.

Happiest of Autumn birthday wishes go out to Natalie Meyers, Cathie Seeman, George Audet, Shirley Cox, Kim Jacobi, Robert Tidwell, Marjorie Walsleben,Gary Wolf, Jay Shery, Larry Burns, Jon Franzoia, Paul Madison, Ricardo Guevara, Gudrun Anni Naschak, Alfonzo Miguel Wilson, Kyung Jong Choi, Lauren Hall, Kathleen Rodriguez, Linda Silva, Kevin Winton, Eri Adelman, Janice Church, Jeffrey Fennema, Deborah Gregory, Barbara Hodson, Theresa Jones, Tina Rochon, Carmen Chavolla, Kate Glass, Kimiko Kelly, Swagata Mandal, Mohammad Saleem, David Friedland, Judith Carlson, Betty Mendoza, Andrea Cimini, Crystal D’Angora, and Joyce Dallal. If you’d like to have your (or a friend, neighbor or family member’s) birthday noted here, send the info to [email protected] and we’ll post it!