Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 31, 2016

B4

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 31, 2016 


Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown


Hidden Figures: The American 
Dream and the Untold Story of the 
Black Women Mathematicians 
Who Helped Win the Space Race by 
Margot Lee Shetterly

 The phenomenal true story of the black 
female mathematicians at NASA whose 
calculations helped fuel some of America’s 
greatest achievements in space. Now a 
major motion picture .Before John Glenn 
orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong 
walked on the moon, a group of dedicated 
female mathematicians known as “human 
computers” used pencils, slide rules and 
adding machines to calculate the numbers 
that would launch rockets, and astronauts, 
into space.Among these problem-solvers 
were a group of exceptionally talented 
African American women, some of the brightest minds of 
their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the 
South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service 
during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s 
aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the 
right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a 
shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle 
Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, 
high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical 
Laboratory.Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them 
to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women 
of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped 
America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive 
victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete 
domination of the heavens.Starting in World War II and 
moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement 
and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven 
accounts four African American women who participated in 
some of NASA’s greatest successes.

Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled 
Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia 
Holt 

 An Amazon Best Book of 2016.The riveting true story of 
the women who launched America into space.In the 1940s 
and 50s, when the newly minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
needed quick-thinking mathematicians to calculate velocities 
and plot trajectories, they didn’t turn to 
male graduates. Rather, they recruited an 
elite group of young women who, with only 
pencil, paper, and mathematical prowess, 
transformed rocket design, helped bring 
about the first American satellites, and 
made the exploration of the solar system 
possible. For the first time, The book tells the 
stories of these women--known as “human 
computers”--who broke the boundaries of 
both gender and science. Based on extensive 
research and interviews with all the living 
members of the team, The book offers a 
unique perspective on the role of women in 
science: both where we’ve been, and the far 
reaches of space to which we’re heading. 

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold 
Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War 2 
by Denise Kiernan

 An incredible true story of the top-secret World War 
II town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the young women 
brought there unknowingly to help build the atomic 
bomb.“The best kind of nonfiction: marvelously reported, 
fluidly written, and a remarkable story...As meticulous and 
brilliant as it is compulsively readable.” —Karen Abbott.The 
height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home 
to 75,000 residents, and consumed more electricity than 
New York City, yet it was shrouded in such secrecy that it 
did not appear on any map. Thousands of civilians, many 
of them young women from small towns across the U.S., 
were recruited to this secret city, enticed by the promise of 
solid wages and war-ending work. What were they actually 
doing there? Very few knew. The purpose of this mysterious 
government project was kept a secret from the outside world 
and from the majority of the residents themselves. Some 
wondered why, despite the constant work and round-the-
clock activity in this makeshift town, did no tangible product 
of any kind ever seem to leave its guarded gates? The women 
who kept this town running would find out at the end of the 
war, when Oak Ridge’s secret was revealed and changed the 
world forever.Drawing from the voices and experiences of 
the women who lived and worked in Oak Ridge, The book 
rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of World War II from 
obscurity. 


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

 ..step by step 

COMMERCIAL AUDITION 
TECHNIQUES... 

CAMERA TECHNIQUE... 

PROFESSIONAL TOOLS... 

CAREER ADMININSTRATION 

Be completely ready and... 

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

SOME NEW YEAR QUOTES!

 Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it 
right. – Oprah Winfrey

 We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are 
going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called 
Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. – 
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 A year from now, you’re gonna weigh more or less than 
what you do right now. – Phil McGraw

 May the New Year bring you courage to break your 
resolutions early! My own plan is to swear off every kind 
of virtue, so that I triumph even when I fall! – Aleister 
Crowley

 If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would 
be to find out who I am. – Cyril Cusack

 May the long time sun shine upon you, all love 
surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your 
way on. -Mike Heron

 New Year’s Resolutions that will guarantee your best 
year yet.

1. Put your phone down during life’s important moments

2. Pursue your passion

3. Get your finances in order

4. Get out of your comfort zone and take advantage of 
opportunities

5. Be less of a couch potato

6. Tidy up and revamp your home

5. Have good food around and watch your alcohol and 
drug intake

7. Practice gratitude and positivity

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


WHY GO TO THE 

TROUBLE OF 
ESTABLISHING 

A TRUST?

My last article talked about what a trust is. Now I’m going to 
tell you why someone would go to the trouble of creating a 
trust in the first place. Ready? The short answer is, because 
the trouble one goes through to create a trust is generally 
minuscule compared to trouble left for family members 
when someone dies without a trust. But let’s go a little 
deeper…

 During our lifetime, we can transfer our assets with a 
simple stroke of the pen. By signing our name to a piece of 
paper - usually a contract of some sort - we can buy, sell, or 
exchange almost anything with almost anyone. 

 But after we die, how do we transfer the assets we own? 
It comes down to two options. We can either preplan to 
transfer our assets how and to whom we choose, or we can 
let the state transfer our assets for us once we’re gone. The 
first option is handled through a trust. The second option is 
handled through the court process called probate.

 So why not just let the great state of California handle 
things for us? Well, probate is:

 Expensive. Probate fees are statutory. In other words, they 
are written into California’s laws and based on a percentage 
of the total value of your estate (your estate = all your stuff). 
Probate fees consist of filing fees, court fees, attorney’s fees, 
executor’s fees, bond fees, referee fees, appraisal fees, etc. All 
totaled, probate fees generally amount to between 5 and 10 
percent of the value of the estate. The fees for administering 
a trust are generally significantly less than probate. 

 Public. Value privacy? Probate is a court proceeding so 
everything is a matter of public record. EVERYTHING. Not 
only can your reputation and legacy be dragged through 
the mud but anyone who cares to look (and there are plenty 
of scoundrels and con-artists who do look) will know how 
much your beneficiaries are inheriting, when they will 
receive it, and exactly where to find them. A trust, on the 
other hand, is completely private with no public record or 
court involvement necessary.

 Time consuming. Probate in California takes on average, 
around a year-and-a-half. And that’s only if things don’t get 
complicated. Probate can, in fact, take years. And keep in 
mind, throughout the probate process, the surviving family 
members have little to no access to the assets being probated. 
A trust, however, usually only takes months to administer 
and distribute, not years.

 Emotionally draining. Most people (other than lawyers, 
that is) don’t like being hauled into court. Not only does it 
cost time, money, and privacy, it also takes a toll emotionally. 
Rather than grieving for your loss on your timetable, you 
are forced onto the Court’s schedule. In comparison, 
administering a trust, because it is handled in private and 
not through court, can take place at the trustee’s pace and 
comfort level.

 Loss of control. Finally, even with a will, probate means 
a loss of the ability to provide protection for your heirs’ 
inheritance against bankruptcy, lawsuits, and divorce. 
Going through probate also means giving up much of the 
ability provide your family with tax advantages, limits on 
how they may spend their bequest, or guidance as to what 
age (or maturity level) they should receive their inheritance.

 It all comes down to making an already very difficult 
situation (your passing) more difficult or less difficult on the 
people you love most in the world. If your choice would be 
to opt for “less difficult” you understand why people go to 
the trouble of creating a living trust.

 I sincerely hope you and yours have a wonderful new year 
and an outstanding 2017. Happy New Year!

 Dedicated to empowering your family, enhancing your 
wealth and establishing 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?

Contact us at: editor@mtnviewsnews.com or www.
facebook.com/mountainviewsnews AND Twitter: @mtnviewsnews


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