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Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of the West’s most important public intellectuals returns to Wilshire Boulevard Temple to discuss the most urgent humanitarian crises around the globe and the subject of his new book, The Will to See, in conversation with author and journalist Tom Teicholz. Over the past fifty years, philosopher, filmmaker, activist, and the author Bernard-Henri Lévy has reported extensively on human rights abuses around the world. In 2020, Monsieur Lévy, traveled and reported from eight international hotspots – in Nigeria; Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan; Ukraine; Somalia; Bangladesh; Lesbos, Greece; Libya; and Afghanistan – that have escaped global attention or active response.

Not sure if you’re ready yet to hit the road because of COVID-19? Go on a virtual tour of California’s Highway 1 where it hugs the ocean from Santa Monica to Fort Bragg.

Through photos, video and stories, discover the wonders and history of places including Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, and Mendocino. We virtually explore beaches, ride giant Clydesdale horses, and step into the past to behold the moss-covered stumps of redwood behemoths felled 150 years ago. We even stop at a historic resort or two to admire the cuisine and the view. Sharon Boorstin is a contributing writer for the Los Angeles Times, specializing in lifestyle, food and travel. In 2019 she won Visit California’s Eureka Award for Best Newspaper Travel Article. In the 1970s and ‘80s Sharon was the Restaurant Critic of the (late) Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, and in the ‘90s she edited the annual Gayot Guidebooks for Los Angeles and other cities. She also wrote for magazines including Bon Appetit, Smithsonian and Town & Country Travel. With her husband Paul, she wrote dozens of screenplays for feature films and television including Angel of Death (ABC) starring Jane Seymour. Her memoir/cookbook, Let Us Eat Cake: Adventures in Food and Friendship (Harper-Collins 2002), was a selection of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club. Raised in Seattle, Washington, Sharon moved to Los Angeles in 1966 after earning a California Lifetime Teaching credential at U.C. Berkeley. She taught high-school History, English and Social Studies in L.A. for 11 years. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture.

The craze for skiffle music in Britain lasted for only two years, from 1956 to 1958, but this invigorating blend of American folk, jazz, and blues, which grew out of the traditional jazz revival in England, set the stage for the British Invasion of the 1960s.

The Bee Gees was a family band that started even before its three members became teenagers. Their extraordinary talent and ability to change their sound with the times helped make them one of the longest surviving groups of the rock era. Cary Ginell is a Grammy-nominated writer and author of 12 books on American music. After a 30-year career in radio, he has spent the last 20 years as a public speaker, talking about music in classrooms, at conferences, and on cruise ships. Cary brings a lifelong passion for the recording industry to his work and is one of the world’s foremost authorities on his specialty, western swing. Cary previously served as President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, an international organization of music scholars and world-renowned institutions. He holds a master’s degree in Folklore from UCLA and a bachelor’s in Radio/TV/Film from Cal State University Northridge. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture.

"Community All-Stars" theme Saturday, December 11 Parade starts 10am BANDS ★ FLOATS ★ AUTOS ★ HORSES ★ SANTA CLAUS Santa’s Village, 9am-2pm Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St., Camarillo HOLIDAY SHOPPING ★ FOOD TRUCKS ★ MUSIC ★ VISIT SANTA www.pvrpd.org/christmas-parade

Please join us at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) on October 23, 2021 from 6 - 8 pm as we celebrate the opening of Drifters, a solo exhibition of LA-based artist Rosha Yaghmai curated by Alexandra Terry, Chief Curator. Rosha Yaghmai (b. 1978, Santa Monica, CA, USA) lives and works in Los Angeles. Through a sculptural practice that melds industrial and craft processes, Yaghmai’s work utilizes these provocations to alter the familiar. Yaghmai was the subject of a solo exhibition at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art in San Francisco in January 2019. She was also included in the 2018 iteration of Made in LA at the Hammer Museum. Rosha Yaghmi: Drifters at MCASB is on view from Saturday, October 23, 2021 to Sunday, January 9, 2022.

In the 13th century, the Mongols emerged from the steppe lands of inner Asia to create the largest land empire the world has ever seen. Under the charismatic leadership of Chingis (Genghis) Khan and his descendants, the Mongol armies conquered or profoundly affected all the civilizations of Eurasia, from China and Japan to the Middle East and Europe.

This lecture will explore how and why they were able to do so and what impact they had on subsequent world history. Paul Hanson, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of History at California Lutheran University. He received his Ph.D. in South Asian and Middle Eastern History from the University of Chicago. Twice a Fulbright Scholar in India, his research has focused on the relationship of religion and political legitimacy in Islamic empires. Other national fellowships and awards have funded further studies in London, Sri Lanka, and Jordan. Winner of the President's Award for Teaching Excellence, his classes made use of many of his own photographs taken during his travels in over 50 countries. He was a founding board member of the South Asian Studies Association and a member of many other professional associations. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture. There are additional requirements for attending in person.

The recent withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan led many commentators to invoke an oft-used phrase about the country as “The Graveyard of Empires.” While not historically accurate, it does call attention to the difficulty foreign powers have had in trying to invade and rule the country.

This lecture will survey Afghan history with respect to its relations with various invaders from Alexander the Great to the British, Russians, and Americans and explore some of the reasons most were ultimately unsuccessful in establishing firm control. Paul Hanson, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of History at California Lutheran University. He received his Ph.D. in South Asian and Middle Eastern History from the University of Chicago. Twice a Fulbright Scholar in India, his research has focused on the relationship of religion and political legitimacy in Islamic empires. Other national fellowships and awards have funded further studies in London, Sri Lanka, and Jordan. Winner of the President's Award for Teaching Excellence, his classes made use of many of his own photographs taken during his travels in over 50 countries. He was a founding board member of the South Asian Studies Association and a member of many other professional associations. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture. There are additional requirements for attending in person.

This lecture will explore the potential causes, both natural and human-induced, of climate change in the context of warming global temperatures and extreme weather patterns. We will contemplate the chemical/physical concepts behind these processes, study phenomena occurring through real-world applications across the globe, and discuss relevant implications for the long-term health of the planet and its inhabitants. Grady Hanrahan is a Professor of Chemistry at California Lutheran University (CLU). He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Plymouth, England. With experience in directing undergraduate and graduate research, he has taught at California State University, Los Angeles, and CLU. His research interests span instrumentation design and development, chemometrics, computational neural networks, environmental analysis, and the use of swarm intelligence metaheuristics to model complex chemical and biological systems. He has written or co-written numerous peer-reviewed technical papers and is the author or editor of five books detailing the use of chemical separation methods and computational modeling techniques. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture.

After having presented with the revolutionary Impressionists in their first couple of solo exhibitions, Paul Cézanne went on to isolate himself in Aix-en-Provence and develop a unique and challenging personal style which would go on to have a major impact on the next few generations of artists.

Radically redefining space, Cézanne developed new ways of depicting space that challenged the traditional role of art being "a window on the world" and tried to address the reality of three-dimensional space being presented on a two-dimensional surface without reliance on illusion.

This lecture will give an overview of his career, the advancements that he made, and the styles that he would inspire. Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.
In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through UCLA Extension and California State University at Channel Islands, she also works as an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Moorpark College and an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture.

America’s Teaching Zoo shines bright this holiday season during the first ever holiday light event.

WILD LIGHTS & DISCO NIGHTS will inspire a groovy energy as guests walk through a sparkling disco ball forest.

Visit Ira the lion under the Lion’s Den Canopy of Lights! MOVE and GROOVE to the tunes in front of our INTERACTIVE light wall in our ARCTIC VIBES area.

Join us on a themed night and come dressed to impress according to the theme.