Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 23, 2013

14

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 16, 2013 

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

MAKING HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY FABULOUS

HARDER THAN IT 
LOOKS

Managing Family Dynamics for a More Fun and 
Joyful Celebration – 

When Amber Nelson took the mic as the guest 
speaker following the monthly luncheon at Sierra 
Madre Women’s Club on Tuesday, March 13th, 
it was clear that she excels in her profession as 
a communications expert. She has amassed an 
impressive list of business clients, from small 
“mom and pop” companies to multinational 
corporations like General Mills, Target and 
Georgia Pacific. After earning a degree in 
journalism from Boston University, this 
Boise, Idaho native honed her skills in her first 
professional job working on the nation’s very first 
anti-smoking campaign, “Let’s Make Smoking 
History.”

Amber moved to Southern California in 1995, 
working in an inhouse marketing position for a 
firm in Santa Ana. There, she extended her craft 
to working with nonprofit organizations as well. 
After purchasing a home in La Canada, the grind 
of her daily commute served as the impetus for 
the founding of her company, Lingo Consulting, 
Inc. 

Her topic was most timely for the upcoming 
Easter holiday, and is in fact, applicable to any 
gathering with family and close friends. She 
engaged the audience with questions and shared 
several, light-hearted examples and provided 
many practical suggestions. Amber shared 
her belief, “Communicating well is the secret 
sauce” for great gatherings. The content of her 
presentation is captured in the outline that she 
prepared as a guide for her main talking points. 
It is printed in its entirely below: 

Holidays and family gatherings are a time to relax 
and rejoice, celebrating the ones we love. All too 
often, however, we end up with less than perfect 
occasions that leave us feeling disappointed. The 
following five tips can help to make your family 
get-togethers more of what you want them to be.

1. Reality Check – Think back to the 
last few holidays with your family. What 
did you appreciate? How did you show your 
appreciation? What made you cringe? How did 
you share your displeasure? How would you 
improve the experience?
2. Setting Intentions – What do you want 
from your holiday celebrations with your family? 
Do you want to build memories for the little 
ones? Foster a sense of family and belonging? 
Show off your amazing culinary skills? Dazzle 
the relatives with your irreverence? How can you 
do your part to make the celebration what you 
want it to be?
3. Right-Sizing Expectations? – Do others 
share your vision of a really meaningful holiday? 
What do you think they value? How can you 
realistically make a holiday you will enjoy while 
allowing for other visions?
4. Beginner’s Mind – When you release 
your expectations, you make room for possibility. 
If you welcome each family member as they 
are, see and accept them as they are, you may 
find new understanding and create unexpected 
connections.
5. Enjoy What’s in Front of You – the 
baby may be crying, but you can appreciate 
how your daughter tries to comfort him. The 
ham may be overcooked, but you can join in on 
the laughter when your brother uses humor to 
ease the tension. Most people, when given the 
opportunity, will rise to the occasion. Give your 
family that opportunity.


This accomplished women is the daughter of 
Ellen Burry, Sierra Madre resident and member 
of the city’s Women’s Club. Amber Nelson is a 
master moderator, innovative interviewer and 
communications expert. She is the president of 
Lingo Consulting, Inc. For more information, 
email Amber@LingoConsultingInc.com or call 
(818) 653-0401. 

 
With markets so rapidly changing, it's easy to imagine how property appraisers might sit in a darkened 
room, waving their hands over a crystal ball, and producing the mysterious and all-powerful 
document of a home's value. Let's dispel the notion of magical figures and look more carefully at 
the process.

 When comparing against similar properties, it's not just the final price that counts. Appraisers also 
factor in any "incentives" offered, such as sellers who pay closing costs or remodeling allowances. 

 Perhaps the most important factor that lenders review in an appraisal is the closing dates of the 
"comparables" (other homes by which yours is measured). Unfortunately, with today’s stricter lending 
requirements, most "comps" must have sold within the last 60 or even 45 days to carry weight. 
Markets change so quickly that any sale price over two months old may be completely irrelevant.

 Now a few words about how foreclosures in a neighborhood affect determination of value. Technically, 
appraisers shouldn't consider them, because they don't fit the Appraisal Institute's definition of 
"a property reasonably exposed in a competitive market." However, if several area homes have been 
abandoned, we know the negative effect that can have on a home's “perceived” value.

Amber Nelson (l) with Sierra Madre 
Woman’s Club Preisdent Mary Carney


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

Not everybody realizes how 
important it is to follow protocol. 
Many Philistines in 
our society do things so haphazardly 
that it is a real affront to those of us who know 
better. There should be a law forbidding such perfunctory 
behavior. We have a law for everything else, why 
not this? Plus, it would better serve our country and 
help maintain civilized behavior among our citizens.

I will be the first to admit that, throughout my lifetime, 
I have not always been committed to civilized behavior. 
It took me a long time to realize what civilized behavior 
really was. Before I got married, I had an idea of 
what I thought civilized behavior was. Unbeknownst 
to me I had wandered about in sheer ignorance.

Looking back, I think of those times and know why 
somebody said, "Ignorance is bliss." And to be sure, 
I was very blissful. In fact, I did not know how very 
blissful I was.

Then came the time when I was willing to throw away 
all that bliss for the, "I do," of a certain young lady I 
chanced to meet. It was then that my idea of bliss radically 
changed forever.

After getting married I realized just how uncivilized by 
behavior had been up to this point. Fortunately, for me, 
my bride was more than willing to take up the challenge 
of nurturing me to a more civilized behavior.

I would not say that she has been overwhelmingly 
successful in this attempt, however. I am a lot more 
civilized today than I was prior, which has to count for 
something.

One of the things that she attributes to civilized behavior 
has to do with cleanliness, in particular, clean 
clothes. For some reason she has a fetish that everything 
has to be cleaned. In my uncivilized days, I had 
more of a fetish about saving water. Through the years, 
her persistence has paid off and I have come to the 
place that I really appreciate clean clothes.

Of course, there is a discrepancy in what each of us 
deem as clean.

For me, clean is when it passes the sniff test. As long as 
I cannot smell anything on my shirt, I consider it clean. 
My wife, on the other hand, believes that if you wear a 
piece of clothing one time it ceases to be clean.

Then there are spots. If a spot is on my shirt where nobody 
else can see it, I consider the shirt clean. After 
all, appearance is what really counts. However, my wife 
believes any and every spot renders a shirt unclean.

This brings me to the subject at hand. That is, the proper 
etiquette for eating an ice cream sundae. It appears, 
so I am told, that the correct way to eat an ice cream 
sundae is not to get any on your shirt.

My favorite ice cream sundae is hot fudge, which is humanly 
impossible to eat without getting something on 
your shirt. No matter how careful, I always drip hot 
fudge on my shirt. The cleaner the shirt, the bigger the 
smudge.

It is for this reason that the Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage has laid down some very strict rules when 
it comes to ice cream sundaes. No ice cream sundaes! 

Period! For the most part, I do not let her catch me eating 
an ice cream sundae. It is more for her good than 
for mine that I keep this a secret. Whenever she discovers 
I have had an ice cream sundae it affects her blood 
pressure, not to mention the wear and tear on her vocal 
cords. (I will not even mention my eardrums.)

I have tried everything under the sun to master the etiquette 
of properly eating an ice cream sundae. No matter 
what I do or try, the result is always the same. Some 
little smidgen of fudge on my clothing somewhere.

I recently came to a milestone in my pursuit of ice 
cream sundaes. At first, I thought it was an ingenious 
plan. In the beginning, it looked promising. It went 
simply like this. Since a hot fudge sundae usually drips 
on my shirt evidencing the fact that I indulged in the 
forbidden delicacy, I switched to strawberry sundaes 
where there is absolutely no chance of smearing your 
shirt with fudge.

This plan of mine worked for several months but came 
crashing down this past week. I had indulged in a very 
delicious strawberry sundae and thought I had gotten 
away with it. When I got home my wife looked at me 
and then said, "What is that stain on your shirt?"

Knowing that if I confess I had an ice cream sundae I 
would be in deep trouble the thought occurred to me 
until I took my chance.

"I think it's lipstick," I said with a smile on my face.

"Oh, I thought it was strawberry syrup," she said.

I am not sure what that means but I did not want to 
pursue the subject at the time.

I am learning that some things are not worth the effort. 
The apostle Paul thought this too.

"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: 
all things are lawful for me, but all things edify 
not" (1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV).

There is a proper way of doing everything and some 
things are not worth doing at all.

Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 
PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, 
in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or 
e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is www.jamessnyderministries.
com.

THE PROPER ETIQUETTE FOR EATING 
AN ICE CREAM SUNDAE


10 ESSENTIAL MOBIL APPS FOR ON-THE-
GO MARKETING

Our smart phones keep getting smarter. If you are using social media and email marketing for your 
business, there is a lot you can do from a smart phone. For example, if you use Constant Contact, you 
could compose an email campaign from your phone, schedule it and see how many people opened the 
email and who opened it. 

 

Here are 10 of my favorite apps:

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that specializes in 
Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media Education for businesses and non-profits. “Like” 
them on Facebook for trending news in social media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.
facebook.com/hutdogs.

Sign up for their upcoming classes and presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule 

Legal Notices

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2013-056055

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: MAMA BLEU DESIGNS 207 PARK AVENUE, SIERRA 
MADRE, CA. 91024. Full name of registrant(s) is (are) LAURA CLAUSON 207 PARK AVENUE, SIERRA 
MADRE, CA. 91024. This Business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL. Signed: LAURA CLAUSON. 
This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/21/2013. The registrant(s) has 
(have) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. 
NOTICE- This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the 
County Clerk. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this 
statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the 
rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See section 14411 et seq. Business and Professions 
Code)Publish: Mountain Views News Dates Pub: March 23, 30, April 06, 13, 2013


ORDER TO SHOW 
CAUSE FOR CHANGE 
OF NAME CURISSA 
SCOTT

CASE NO. TS016064

TO ALL INTERESTED 
PERSONS: Petitioner 
CURISSA SCOTT HAS FILED 
A PETITION WITH THE 
LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR 
COURT - SOUTH CENTRAL 
JUDICIAL DISTRICT FOR 
A DECREE CHANGING 
NAMES AS FOLLOWS:

Present Name: 

 Curissa Scott 

Proposed Name: 

 Kurissa Latrice Karpha

A HEARING on the petition 
will be held on 04/08/2013 at 
8:30AM in Dept. B located 
at 200 West Compton Blvd., 
Compton, CA 90220

THE COURT ORDERS that all 
interested in this matter appear 
before this court at the hearing 
indicated below to show cause, if 
any, why the petition for change 
of name should not be granted. 

 Any person objecting to the 
name changes described above 
must file a written objection 
that includes the reasons for the 
objection at least two court days 
before the matter is scheduled to 
be heard and must appear at the 
hearing to show cause why the 
petition should not be granted. 

 If no written objection is timely 
filed, the court may grant the 
petition without a hearing.

Petitioner Appearing Pro Per

Curissa Scott

17223 Wall Street

Carson, Ca. 90746

310-200-1291

JDC - MVNews

March 9, 16,23 and 30, 2013

City of Sierra Madre

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

From: The City of Sierra Madre

Subject: 2008-2014 Housing Element, including 
General Plan Amendment (GPA 13-01 A, B, 

 and C), Municipal Code Text Amendment 
(MCTA 13-01) and Zone Change No. 13-01 

Applicant: City of Sierra Madre

Project Location: Properties in the City of Sierra Madre, County of 
Los Angeles, State of California

The City of Sierra Madre gives notice, pursuant to State of California law, that 
the Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a General 
Plan Amendment (GPA 13-01A) to adopt the 2008-2014 Housing Element, 
which is a State mandated General Plan element. The Housing Element must 
be updated pursuant to California Government Code Section 65588 for the 
2008-2014 planning period. Implementation of the new Housing Element 
requires two additional GPAs (13-01B) to adopt a new Land Use Category 
RH1 (Residential High Density, up to 20 dwelling units/acre), and GPA 13-01C 
to change the Land Use designation of property located at 271-293 Mariposa 
Avenue from RH (Residential Medium/High Density, up to 13 dwelling units/
acre) to RH1 (Residential High Density, up to 20 dwelling units/acre). The 
final aspect of the project includes a Municipal Code Text Amendment (MCTA 
13-01) to add a new zoning category R-3H (Multiple Family Residential High) 
and a Zone Change (ZC 13-01) to rezone 271-293 Mariposa Avenue from R-3 
to R-3H. 

DATE AND TIME OF HEARING PLACE OF HEARING

City of Sierra Madre City of Sierra Madre

Planning Commission meeting City Council Chambers

Thursday, April 18, 2013 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

(Hearing begins at 7:00 p.m.) Sierra Madre, CA 

All interested persons may attend this meeting and the Planning Commission will 
hear them with respect thereto.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The project qualifies for a 
Negative Declaration pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA). The Initial Study/Negative Declaration document and 
Draft 2008-2014 Housing Element are available for review at the Development 
Services front counter, the Sierra Madre Library, and on the City’s website (under 
the Development Services page) at www.cityofsierramadre.com. The public 
comment period for the Initial Study/Negative Declaration ends on April 15, 
2013. 

APPEAL: The decision of the Planning Commission is subject to a 10-day 
appeal period to the City Council. If in the future anyone wishes to challenge 
the decision of the Planning Commission in court, one may be limited to raising 
the issues that were raised or presented in written correspondence delivered to 
the Planning Commission at, or before, the scheduled public hearing. For further 
information on this subject, please contact the Development Services Department 
at (626) 355-7138.

We’d like to hear from you! 

What’s on YOUR Mind?

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