Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 24, 2016

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 24, 2016 

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown


Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts 
for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson 

From the New York Times bestselling author 
comes an enchanting collection of stories for 
the holiday season.For years Jeanette 
Winterson has loved writing a new 
story at Christmas time and here she 
brings together twelve of her brilliantly 
imaginative, funny and bold tales. For 
the Twelve Days of Christmas—a time 
of celebration, sharing, and giving—she 
offers these twelve plus one: a personal 
story of her own Christmas memories. 
These tales give the reader a portal 
into the spirit of the season, where 
time slows down and magic starts to 
happen. From jovial spirits to a donkey 
with a golden nose, a haunted house to 
a SnowMama, Winterson’s innovative 
stories encompass the childlike and 
spooky wonder of Christmas. Perfect 
for reading by the fire with loved 
ones, or while traveling home for the 
holidays. Enjoy the season of peace 
and goodwill, mystery, and a little bit 
of magic courtesy of one of our most 
fearless and accomplished writers.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris 

David Sedaris’s beloved holiday 
collection is new again with six more 
pieces, including a never before published story. 
Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy’s 
elf and the annals of two very competitive families, 
are Sedaris’s tales of tardy trick-or-treaters (“Us 
and Them”); the difficulties of explaining the 
Easter Bunny to the French (“Jesus Shaves”); what 
to do when you’ve been locked out in a snowstorm 
(“Let It Snow”); the puzzling Christmas traditions 
of other nations (“Six to Eight Black Men”); what 
Halloween at the medical examiner’s looks like 
(“The Monster Mash”); and a barnyard secret 
Santa scheme gone awry (“Cow and Turkey”).No 
matter what your favorite holiday, you 
won’t want to miss celebrating it with 
the author who has been called “one of 
the funniest writers alive” (Economist).

The Transparency of Things: 
Contemplating the Nature of 
Experience by Rupert Spira 

The purpose of this book is to look 
clearly and simply at the nature of 
experience, without any attempt to 
change it.A series of contemplations 
leads us gently but directly to see 
that our essential nature is neither a 
body nor a mind. It is the conscious 
Presence that is aware of this current 
experience. As such, it is nothing that 
can be experienced as an object, and yet 
it is undeniably present.However, these 
contemplations go much further than 
this. As we take our stand knowingly 
as this conscious Presence that we 
always already are, and reconsider the 
objects of the body, mind, and world, 
we find that they do not simply appear 
to this Presence; they appear within it. 
And further exploration reveals that 
they do not simply appear within this Presence 
but as this Presence.Finally, we are led to see that 
it is in fact this very Presence that takes the shape 
of our experience from moment to moment while 
always remaining only itself. We see that our 
experience is and has only ever been one seamless 
totality, with no separate entities, objects, or parts 
anywhere to be found.


NUTS AND BOLTS OF ACTING TECHNIQUE 

A FOUR MONTH INTENSIVE 

Sundays, January 15 - May 7 (No class Easter, April 16) 

2:00pm - 4:00pm 

Zydeco Casting Studios 

626-355-4572 

Nuts and Bolts begins at the beginning and proceeds in a clear and detailed step by step manner... clarifying your 
understanding of the process of acting... giving you a “tool kit” to own and use... providing you with a solid foundation 
from which to work. This will always be the most important step an actor can take on the path to a rewarding career.

Career Launching Pad

ZERO TO SPEED...in 6 weeks 

LEARN THE PROCESS

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COMMERCIAL AUDITION 
TECHNIQUES... 

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LAUNCH AT THE AGENT SHOWCASE! 

Can we brag? Over 80% of our graduates have signed with top industry 
agents. If working as an actor is your goal...this class was designed to meet it!

COMMERCIALS A-Z 

Sundays, January 8 - Febuary 12 

5:00pm to 9:00pm 

Zydeco Casting Studios 

Call: 626-355-4572


All Things By Jeff Brown

BUDDHA AND JESUS/SO DIFFERENT YET JOY 

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL!!!


BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


WHAT IS A TRUST? 

Black’s Law Dictionary defines a trust as “An 
equitable or beneficial right or title to land 
or other property, held for the beneficiary by 
another person, in whom resides legal title or 
ownership, recognized and enforced by courts of 
chancery.” 

 Say what?

 Okay, ridiculous legalese aside, a trust is 
simply an agreement, between two parties, 
regarding assets. The first party, the trustor 
(also called the grantor or settlor), creates the 
trust and puts assets into the trust. The second 
party, the trustee, agrees to manage the assets 
held in the trust for the benefit of – you guessed 
it, the beneficiaries identified within the trust 
document. And on a very basic level, that’s all 
there is to it.

 But of course trusts can be very lengthy and 
quite complicated. A good trust must meet the 
trustor’s goals, account for the trustor’s specific 
assets, and be set up to achieve favorable legal, tax, 
and asset protection results for the beneficiaries. 

 The trustee manages the assets per the terms 
written into the trust. The trustee also distributes 
the assets, or a portion thereof, to the beneficiaries 
when and how the trust specifies. The trustee 
takes on a fiduciary duty which mandates he or 
she follows the terms of the trust and carries out 
the wishes of the trustor. 

 There are many different types of trusts but 
probably the most common is the revocable living 
trust (“RLT”). Why? Well because one person 
can serve in all three roles (trustor, trustee, and 
beneficiary) during their lifetime. 

 For example, Peter could set up a trust, put his 
assets into the trust, manage those assets, and 
also benefit (receive income) from those assets. 
Peter can plan to transfer those assets to his 
minor son, Paul, when he dies. To accomplish 
this Peter would name his sister, Mary, as his 
successor trustee. May would then manage the 
trust assets for the benefit of Paul, until Paul is 
old enough to manage the assets for himself.

 Pretty cool, huh? But why would someone 
want to go to the trouble of setting up a trust? 
Well, because the trouble of setting up a trust 
is generally miniscule compared to the mess, 
expense, and yes, trouble left for loved ones when 
someone dies without a trust. I’ll go into more 
detail regarding the benefits of a trust in my next 
article. In the meantime, I wish you and yours 
a wonderful holiday filled with lots of love and 
laughter.

 Dedicated to empowering your family, 
enhancing your wealth and entrenching your 
legacy,

 

A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer 
(Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), 
Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents 
protect what they love most. His office is located 
at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 
91024. Schedule an appointment to sit down and 
talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial 
security for your family by calling 626.355.4000 or 
visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information.


WINTER SALE!

For over 30 years the Book Rack has been what a bookstore looks like in a childhood memoryfilled 
up and down ,.vith old and new volumes, staffed by people who love and know books. 
Certainly there is a variety: new and used paperbacks(in great condition), used hardbacks, 
Fiction, Non-Fiction, Western, Classics, Children’s, Sci-Fi, and Romance. 

The staff are very helpful in finding the book you want, as well as selecting the perfect gift for someone 
special. Special services include, a hardback rental service, and a book trade-in service (Some 
conditions apply of course, but you can trade in old books for store credit!) Located on the corner 
ofS. l st Avenue and Bonita, Arcadia, Ca., open daily Mon-Sat 1 Oam-6pm and Sun 11 am -4pm.


If you’re a book collector, an avid reader or just hungry for a good deal, then don”t miss 
THE BOOK RACK’S WINTER SALE going on NOW thru January 5th•


We’d like to hear from you! 

What’s on YOUR Mind?

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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com