Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 29, 2012

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views News Saturday, September 29, 2012

YOM KIPPUR THOUGHTS

By Christoper Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of “Self-Sufficient Home,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” and 
other books. He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.
ChristopherNyerges.com.]

“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt


A TASTE of ARCADIA WAS ALIVE

WITH THE “SOUND OF MUSIC’ 

by Joan Schmidt

 The Los Angeles County Arboretum was the setting of Arcadia’s biggest-
ever Taste of Arcadia this past September 24. There was a record 75 vendors 
and a dozen new 2013 cars were on display. Arcadia Fire Chief Tony Trabbie 
and Arcadia Police Chief Bob Guthrie attended as well as many city officials. 
City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto came with his wife Christine and I also saw 
Council Members John Wou and Peter Amundson. 

 When we first 
arrived, we were given a 
tray with a peacock design 
on it and a tote bag for 
many goodies! We soon 
approached a table. At it 
were the three stars of The 
Sound of Music, Angela 
Cartwright (Brigitta), Kym 
Karath (Gretl), and Debbie 
Turner (Marta).

 Angela Cartwright 
was a favorite of mine in 
various series. I remember 
her from “Make Room for 
Daddy”, and “Lost in Space”. 
Besides her acting career, she 
is an accomplished author, 
photographer, artist and 
designer. It was interesting 
to chat with her about her 
many talents.

 Kim Karath guest-
starred on many series 
through the years including 
“Dr. Kildare”, “Lassie”, “My Three Sons”, “Lost in Space”, “Family Affair” and “The Brady Bunch”- all 
favorites of mine. Currently, she is the President of the Aurelia Foundation, whose goal is to create 
model day programs for young adults with disabilities. 

 The third actress from Sound of Music was Debbie Turner- a local girl. She was born in 
Pasadena and began TV commercials at six months old. A ’74 graduate of Arcadia High School, she 
went on to USC. Presently she lives in Chanhassen MN with her husband of thirty-two years and 
their four daughters. She is a successful floral designer for décor of wedding and large events.

 Also present were Debbie’s two sisters, Patricia and Michelle, also actresses. During her 
childhood, Patricia appeared in TV shows and commercials, most noteworthy her role in “Leave It to 
Beaver” as Linda Dennison. In 1966, Patricia was crowned Miss Arcadia, and rode on the City’s Float 
in the Tournament of Roses Parade. In her senior year at Arcadia HS, she was voted homecoming 
queen. She has three grown children and lives in Aliso Viejo, CA.

 Michelle is a 1970 AHS graduate and has appeared in several TV shows and commercials. She 
lives in Utah with her husband and two sons. During the winter she is a professional ski instructor. 
She is the only one of the three sisters to still pursue acting and last year won a Best Supporting 
Actress award for her work in “An Evening with My Comatose Mother.”

 After we passed the actresses’ table, we saw LASD Reserve Commander, Gary Jones, a dear 
friend since ’93. Gary told me he was a guest of the “Turners”, and it just went over my head. After 
sampling delicious fare, and visiting displays, we met Michelle and Patricia Turner, who were so 
gracious. They informed me that Gary’s sister Carol was Linda’s best friend growing up! What a small 
world it is!

 The Taste of Arcadia was spectacular and was more than I ever expected. Angela Cartwright 
was so gracious and we spoke at length. There also was a unique book sold that had photos from the 
movie being made and replicas of notebooks the young actors used for lessons and much more!

 Thank you, Arcadia Chamber for a really awesome evening! 

In high school, my 
best friend was Jewish, 
and when we 
were together, people 
often thought that we 
were brothers. Having 
been born into 
Catholicism, I knew little of Judaism. But by my 
40s, I learned that my father’ father was a Hungarian 
Jew, and converted to Catholicism when 
they came to the U.S. in 1906 in order to “fit in.” 

Perhaps that explains my ongoing desire to learn 
more about Judaism and its ancient practices.

We just experienced Rosh Hashana, The Jewish 
New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, 
where Jews seek to identify their misdeeds 
of the previous year, seek forgiveness, and make 
atonement for those sins. 

It reminds me of Catholic Confession, whose efficacy 
is directly proportionate to the intensity of 
the feeling and desire of the confessor.

So, during the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur 
week this year, I listened to a Jew and a Christian 
discuss the idea of forgiveness. The Jew stated 
that he must ask forgiveness directly (or via telephone) 
to the person offended, he must receive 
forgiveness, do restitution as necessary, and only 
after that could God forgive him. The Christian 
stated that, according to his beliefs, it was not 
necessary to go to the person offended, but that 
one need only ask forgiveness from God, or from 
God through the priest.

I would often debate matters of religious belief 
and dogma with my mother as well as our local 
priest. My mother told me that all I needed was 
to look in the Bible and that I should quit pretending 
that I know more than the priest or the 
Bible. I told her that I wasn’t trying to act as if I 
knew more than the priest, that I was only asking 
the priest questions, and rather than consult 
the Bible, I was simply consulting my own inner 
sense of rightness, and logic, and what seemed 
sensible. It led to many lively conversations and 
some enlightening moments. 

Though all religions seems to be able to back up 
their ideas with tradition, or written verses, I’d 
have to go along with the Jews on this one, that 
it is always best to seek forgiveness directly from 
those you’ve wronged, and to make restitution directly 
to them. Certainly this violates no code of 
ethics on any side, and by so doing, I would think 
that God would smile down on you.

My mother always told me that I think about 
things too much. Maybe she was right, maybe 
not. But it is good to ask questions, and to 
seek answers. While I have never been big on 
the dogmas which arise from traditions, I have 
loved the origins of most religions. It is why I 
became a Buddhist at age 14, and still continued 
some connection to various Christian churches. 
I studied the Sufi sect of Islam, and I have studied 
Hinduism. I find that there is value in all these 
traditions, when seen purely. When asked my religion, 
my answer is very much like the answer 
that Gandhi would give: “I am a Christian, a Jew, 
a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Hindu.” Properly understood, 
yes, it does make sense.


Bob Clayton with actresses Angela Cartwright & Kym Clayrath


LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS PASADENA FORUM TO ANALYZE 
NOVEMBER BALLOT MEASURES OCTOBER 6

 Voters who want to be in the know about the 11 propositions on the November ballot can expect lively discussion 
and even debate at a free public forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters Pasadena Area. Titled 
“Are You in the Know?” it will be held Oct. 6, 9:30 to noon, at the Women’s City Club, 160 N. Oakland Ave., 
Pasadena. 

 A team of League members who have studied the measures in depth can help people separate 
fact from fiction regarding the hotly debated, competing tax measures of Gov. Jerry Brown 
and education advocate Molly Munger. Speakers also will analyze and present background 
information and prospective effects on each of the other 10 measures, including a business tax. 
Three other propositions address criminal justice issues: ending the death penalty, tougher penalties for human 
sex trafficking and modifying the three-strikes law. Three affect the legislature: a two-year cycle for the state 
budget, limits in campaign donations, and a challenge to the recently redrawn political boundaries for state senate 
district. Two address consumer issues: genetically altered food and auto insurance.

 As a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government, the 
League invites people at the forum to share information and express divergent views. At this forum the League 
will only analyze the measures. 

 Lunch will follow the program and costs $20, including tax, tip and parking. Information and reservations are 
available by calling 626-798-0965, 10am-1pm M-F. Walk-ins are invited with no cost for admission.


THE WORLD AROUND US


MARS ROVER TARGETS UNUSUAL ROCK EN ROUTE TO FIRST DESTINATION

 NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has driven up to a football-size rock that will be the first for the rover’s 
arm to examine.

 Curiosity is about 8 feet (2.5 meters) from the rock. It lies about halfway from the rover’s landing 
site, Bradbury Landing, to a location called Glenelg. In coming days, the team plans to touch the rock 
with a spectrometer to determine its elemental composition and use an arm-mounted camera to take 
close-up photographs.

 Both the arm-mounted Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer and the mast-mounted, laser-zapping 
Chemistry and Camera Instrument will be used for identifying elements in the rock. This will allow 
cross-checking of the two instruments.

 The rock has been named “Jake Matijevic.” Jacob Matijevic (mah-TEE-uh-vik) was the surface 
operations systems chief engineer for Mars Science Laboratory and the project’s Curiosity rover. He 
passed away Aug. 20, at age 64. Matijevic also was a leading engineer for all of the previous NASA Mars 
rovers: Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity.

 Curiosity now has driven six days in a row. Daily distances range from 72 feet to 121 feet (22 meters 
to 37 meters).

 “This robot was built to rove, and the team is really getting a good rhythm of driving day after day 
when that’s the priority,” said Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager Richard Cook of NASA’s Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

 The team plans to choose a rock in the Glenelg area for the rover’s first use of its capability to 
analyze powder drilled from interiors of rocks. Three types of terrain intersect in the Glenelg area—
one lighter-toned and another more cratered than the terrain Curiosity currently is crossing. The 
light-toned area is of special interest because it retains daytime heat long into the night, suggesting an 
unusual composition.

 “As we’re getting closer to the light-toned area, we see thin, dark bands of unknown origin,” said 
Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology, 
Pasadena. “The smaller-scale diversity is becoming more evident as we get closer, providing more 
potential targets for investigation.”

 During Curiosity’s two-year prime mission, researchers will use the rover’s 10 science instruments 
to assess whether the selected field site inside Gale Crater ever has offered environmental conditions 
favorable for microbial life.

************

 ON BEHALF OF MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY, I’d like to invite all of our readers to an 
astronomy lecture this Saturday afternoon, Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m. at the Altadena Public Library, 600 E. 
Mariposa St., Altadena. 

 The speaker is Dr. Barry F. Madore, senior research astronomer at the Observatories of the Carnegie 
Institution for Science. Dr. Madore’s talk is titled “Cognitive Astrophysics and Pentessence, The Fifth 
State of Matter.” This talk introduces a synthesis of recent studies into how we think, how we express 
those thoughts, and ultimately how we see and model the universe, drawing heavily from recent findings 
in the cognitive sciences, linguistics, computer science, astrophysics, cosmology, and philosophy.

 The public is welcome, and there is no charge. Ample parking is available in the library parking lot, 
at the southwest corner of Mariposa St. and Santa Rosa Ave. (Christmas Tree Lane).

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com.


The image was taken by the left Navigation camera (Navcam) at the end of the drive. The rock has 
been named “Jake Matijevic.” This commemorates Jacob Matijevic (1947-2012), who was the surface 
operations systems chief engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the project’s 
Curiosity rover. He was also a leading engineer for all of the previous NASA Mars rovers: Sojourner, 
Spirit and Opportunity. Curiosity’s contact instruments are on a turret at the end of the rover’s arm. 
They are the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer for reading a target’s elemental composition and 
the Mars Hand Lens Imager for close-up imaging. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech