BeaconMediaNews.com
26 | NOVEMBER 28, 2013 - DECEMBER 4, 2013
Correction(s)
InnerViews
Editor’s Note: In last week’s special section, Readers’ Choice, there were a couple of errors we did not catch in time. Here are the correct profiles and listings. We apologize for the inconvenience.
When we gather together
Family Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning – Silver Family Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning began in 2012 by Oscar Mendo. With five years prior experience in the trade and his IICRC certification, Oscar is dedicated to his craft and provides his customers with honest, affordable and top quality work. “Our customers are part of the family,” says Oscar. He can clean just about any kind of carpet and upholstery. Cleaning your carpets and upholstery is what they specialize in. Fast, courteous service is their promise to all their valued customers and friends. El Monte (626) 232-4004 www.myfamilycarpetcleaning.com
Our emphasis is on convenience. We offer eye exams seven days a week; we are open weekday evenings until 8 pm. Linden Optometry was founded by Dr. William Linden O.D. in 1956. Although he passed away in 1997, Linden Optometry a P.C. continues to serve the community under the careful direction of Dr. Alan Limfat, O.D. We are open seven days a Week! Mon-Fri: 9am - 8 pm; Sat. 8am -6pm, and Sun 10-5.
Linden Optometry, a P.C. - Gold Our goal at Linden Optometry a P.C. is to be a full-service optometry provider for patients in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond.
Nicki C’s - Gold 470 S Rosemead Blvd Pasadena (626)792-7437 www.nikkics.com
We have a staff that speaks nine different languages. (626) 796-1191 477 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena Dog Zone – Gold (626) 358-0771
Designs 2 –GOLD Interior Design
Designs 2 owner Jan Tuszynski has been creating custom interiors for her clients for over 29 years; many of whom have been working with her throughout the years. She realizes that each client has specific needs or visions for their home: together with a client, Jan develops a very personalized design. This demands that no two projects are alike. A challenge? Yes, but one Jan welcomes and enjoys! A custom design plan also needs a wide range of workmen to make the vision come to life. With her years of experience, Jan has established a trusted relationship with many contractors and craftsmen in the area and she brings them into the project to work as a team. The goal is to have every job completed with ease and client satisfaction. This is what makes Designs 2, and Jan, so often selected for recognition by her clients. 55 W. Sierra Madre Blvd #100 Sierra Madre (626) 355-7139
By Fran Syverson It’s the Monday night before Turkey Day, and I head off to the worship service that has, for me, become a tradition. It’s an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Words to an old hymn run through my mind: “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” It’s the “gathering together” that I like. Each year leaders of several diverse faiths come to take part. This year is no exception. Listed on the program are Lutherans, Episcopalians, Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists, and people from the Hsi Lai Temple, the Sikh Faith, the Muslim Community, Temple Beth David, and the Baha’i Community. Indeed, we gather together… . The reason Thanksgiving is chosen for the interfaith worship, of course, is that it’s not a religious holiday per se. It’s a national one. Easter or Hanukah just wouldn’t work out as well.
It’s a simple, no-frills worship this year. In turn, each faith leader, in distinctive ecclesiastical garb, offers a thanksgiving prayer in his or her own tongue, and in the style customary for the faith. Some chant; some sing. Words are not translated—we must go with the rhythm and flow as they are offered. So instead of listening with our ears and our mind, we sort of have to listen with our soul, I guess. The rest of our evening is given over to the reading of Presidential proclamations and to singing our two most sing-able patriotic songs, both of them full of thankfulness. Most of us vaguely have known that Presidential proclamations formalized Thanksgiving observances. Now we are hearing them read—Washington’s original one on Oct. 3, 1789, and Lincoln’s on Oct. 3, 1863, exactly 74 years later. We may have studied those proclama-
tions in school, but, if you’re like me, haven’t heard them since. It’s inspiring to listen to those words, full of hope and gratitude. When we sing “America,” I still get teary-eyed. “…I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills; my heart with rapture thrills…” Yes, it’s corny, but my heart does “with rapture thrill.” The verses are printed for us in paragraph format, and somehow that makes it easier to really pay attention to what the words are saying. I still find this phrase to be most poignant: “America! America! May God thy gold refine, till all success be nobleness…” Would that it be true! And so, with voices raised in song and prayer, the evening closes. Despite our divergent views, people of many faiths have once more “gathered together” in mutual respect and thankfulness. I’ll be back next year!
Hollywood and Broadway Stars come together to fight ALS at Pasadena Playhouse - Jan. 14 Co-Producers Juliana Hansen and Jonathan White will present a one night only benefit performance, ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS, on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8pm, hosted by The Pasadena Playhouse. The evening will also include a silent auction and VIP post-show meet-and-greet. Proceeds will provide critical funding for The ALS Association Golden West Chapter’s mission priorities in care services, public policy, and cutting-edge global research toward treatments and cure. ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS will be directed by Grammy Award-nominee Bruce Kimmel, with musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Allen. The evening will feature performances by (in alphabetical order) Obba Babatunde, James Barbour, Kay Cole, Daisy Eagan, Crow Garrett, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Juliana Hansen, Melora Hardin, Jean Louisa Kelly, Jason and Nolan Livesay, Gary Morgan and The Flying Morgans, Karen Morrow, James Mulligan, Reagan
Pasternak, Jonathan Pendragon, Christy Carlson Romano, Joan Ryan, Rex Smith, Charlene Tilton, and Terri White, with more to be announced. "As often as possible, we open the doors of our beautiful theatre in support of worthy causes,” said Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse. “I am sure that this will be an entertaining and exciting evening that will raise funds for vital research in an important area. All of us at The Playhouse are happy to participate in this noble effort." “I am so excited to be working on an event supporting The ALS Association,” said co-producer Jonathan White. “My inspiration to do so came many years ago when a member of my extended family left college to be the primary caregiver for her father when he was diagnosed with ALS. Years later, I became more aware of Lou Gehrig’s disease and the incredible support network of people it takes to manage it. The opportunity to collaborate on a charitable event with brilliant performers, as well as compassionate human beings with a hearts of gold, was irresistible.”
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS eventually lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. There is no cure, and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration modestly extends survival. ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Coming Together to Fight ALS will take place on Monday, January 14, 2014 at 8pm at The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, in Pasadena, 91101. Tickets are on sale now, and prices range from $25—$100, with premium seating available at $250. The VIP postshow meet and greet is available for an additional $75. To purchase online go to www. PasadenaPlayhouse.org/onestarrynight Tickets are also available via phone at (626) 356-7529 and in person at The Pasadena Playhouse box office (visit website for hours).