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Delays in cleaning up toxic material from a partial nuclear reactor meltdown at the Santa Susana Field Lab near Simi Valley, and from other accidents and practices there, will be the topic of an online Community Forum on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The basis for the discussion will be the 2021 documentary film "In the Dark of the Valley," which shows how operations at the former nuclear lab and rocket testing facility released atomic radiation and toxic material into the environment. The 1959 nuclear accident attracted little attention at the time, but decades later, some experts have said it released up to 260 times the radiation that occurred at Three Mile Island, and nuclear contaminants remain in the soil. Thousands of test firings of rocket engines over six decades rattled neighborhoods in nearby Simi Valley and the engines were flushed with trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical identified as a carcinogen. An estimated half million gallons of TCE were released into catch basins over the years and ran freely into the ground, according to NASA and other government reports. Those logging in to the forum will receive a link to view the film in advance, and three speakers will focus on barriers to cleanup efforts, years of delay, public health consequences and how to help. -- Robert Dodge, a family physician in Ventura, is president of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles and is co-chair of the organization's Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. -- Denise Duffield, who appears in the documentary, is Associate Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles and heads its nuclear threats program. She leads the group's efforts to ensure a full cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site. --Melissa Bumstead, featured in the film, is a Simi Valley mother who became an "accidental activist" after her 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia in 2014. While her daughter was being treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, she met other families whose children had cancer and found that many of them, like her own family, lived within miles of the field lab. She has devoted years to speaking at public hearings, attending rallies and organizing support for cleaning up the site. She launched a change.org petition that now has more than 740,000 signatures. The forum, a program of Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley, is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome. For information and a link to the event, visit forum.chaliceuu.org.org. For questions, contact Randall Edwards via e-mail at forum@chaliceuu.org or through the church office at (805) 498-9548.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space is thrilled to present the Americana duo The SideMen on Saturday February 5, 2022 at 7:00 pm at NAMBA Performing Arts Space. The SideMen, recently joined solo performers Peter Martin Homer and Nick Justice, blend traditional Folk, Americana and Country. Rooted in early folk music, they tell stories of lost souls, broken dreams and the search for redemption. NAMBA is located 47 S. Oak St., Ventura, CA. Please note that proof of vaccination or Covid test must be presented to enter.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space is thrilled to present The Salty Suites on Saturday February 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm at NAMBA Performing Arts Space. The Salty Suites, featuring Chelsea Williams, play original songs and traditional music of the world: Bluegrass, Depression and Old Country, Swing, Classical, and Roots with a current edge. NAMBA is located 47 S. Oak St., Ventura, CA. Please note that proof of vaccination or Covid test must be presented to enter.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space is thrilled to present Dirty Cello on Saturday February 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm at NAMBA Performing Arts Space. Led by vivacious cross-over cellist, Rebecca Roudman, Dirty Cello is cello like you’ve never heard before. From down home blues with a wailing cello to virtuosic stompin’ bluegrass, Dirty Cello is a band that gets your heart thumping and your toes tapping! NAMBA is located 47 S. Oak St., Ventura, CA. Please note that proof of vaccination or Covid test must be presented to enter.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space is thrilled to present Andre Thierry on Saturday February 26, 2022 at 7:00 pm at NAMBA Performing Arts Space. Andre Thierry is a phenomenal talent who has been capturing the attention of music lovers all over the world. The award-winning musician and his band effortlessly deliver energetic performances, blending his own electrifying sounds with stirring dance beats, exhibiting elite accordion style. NAMBA is located 47 S. Oak St., Ventura, CA. Please note that proof of vaccination or Covid test must be presented to enter.

Join SLOMA and GALA on Friday, February 4 from 5-8 PM to celebrate the work of London-based artist William Brickel! Come sip wine and listen to music from a live DJ all while you explore the mysterious and complex work of Brickel. These intimate scenes of male bodies perform and draw out emotional distress and catharsis; each canvas a window into a state of emotional vulnerability. This event is hosted in conjunction with SLO County Arts Art and About program. Admission is always free!

“In the Moment”, February 4th through March 27th, is an exhibition featuring members of The Painters Group The paintings on display in this exhibition all represent specific moments that at first glance may appear mundane but in actuality reflect profound realities of the artists’ lives. Rooted in the unique specificity of each artist’s story, these works depict the value found in the simple moments of our lives, an invitation to create and contemplate, and a reminder to be present in moments that you might otherwise pass by. Image credit: Jamie Dietze, Sleep Now, Little One(s), 2013, oil on canvas (detail). Courtesy of the Galt Family Private Collection with support from the Dietze Family Trust.

Have you ever wondered why that lion is just lurking about the painting or why those insects were included in that drawing? Did the artist really need to use that particular color? Join us as we investigate the greater meanings behind the language of signs, symbols and colors used in the arts through the ages and their significant impact on our cultural development. Our exploration will examine the religious art of Judaism and Christianity, as well as the elements of nature used to provide deeper insights and meaning. We will also question whether these signs and symbols are still readable today or, are they being negated by our shifting world. Christine Maasdam holds a Master in Humanities and a B.A. in Cultural Geography. Her art studies include The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, The Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center in D.C. and Post Graduate studies in Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime at the University of Glasgow. She is a graduate of the Art Crime Investigation Seminar led by Robert Wittman, founder of the FBI's National Art Crime Team. Christine is a member of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and holds a certificate from Trident Manor on Protection of Cultural Venues. Christine received Sotheby’s certification on Determining Value: An Appraiser’s Perspective. She has spent over a decade as a LACMA docent and is an active volunteer at the City of David archaeological dig in Israel. The Fifty and Better program 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.

Anyone who took high school U.S. History knows about the California Gold Rush of 1849, but they may not know about the Klondike Gold Rush between 1896 and 1899. The 100,000+ “stampeders” who made their way to the Canadian Yukon in search of gold had a lot more challenges than the Forty-niners — starting with climbing steep mountain passes in sub-zero temperatures with a year’s worth of supplies piled on their backs. We’ll meet the men who became “Klondike Kings,” the few women who became “Klondike Queens,” and the many stampeders who went home empty-handed — or never made it home at all.

We’ll explore 1890s Seattle, where stampeders geared up before sailing north. We’ll also explore the makeshift boomtowns of Skagway, Alaska, and Dawson City in the Yukon, where miners played with their newfound riches and shady folks sought to take it away. The Klondike Gold Rush is a colorful story of human persistence, greed and luck — a story that deserves to be told. 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. The Fifty and Better program 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.

Learning systems inspired by the brain’s neural structure exhibit intelligent behavior and can learn by example through highly interconnected computer processing elements—a key feature of the artificial intelligence (A.I.) paradigm. This lecture provides an introduction and timely perspective on the fundamental and technological aspects of A.I. along with real-world applications in fields as diverse as biology, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and environmental science. 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. The Fifty and Better program 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.