Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, October 7, 2017

B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 7, 2017 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 7, 2017 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS 
Jeff’s Book PicsBy Jeff Brown FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett 

Sapiens: A Brief History of 
Humankind by Yuval Noah 


Bored and Brilliant: How 

Spacing Out Can Unlock HarariYour Most Productive and 

 From a renowned 

Creative Self by Manoush 
groundbreaking narrative 

historian comes a bestseller 

Zomorodi 
of humanity’s creation and 

“Bored and Brilliant is full of 
evolution that explores the ways

easy steps to make each day more 
in which biology and history 

effective and every life more 
have defined us and enhanced 

intentional. Manoush’s mix of 
our understanding of what 

personal stories, neuroscience, 
it means to be “human.”One 

and data will convince you that 
hundred thousand years ago, 

boredom is actually a gift.”Charles 
at least six different species of 

Duhigg, author of The Power of 
humans inhabited Earth. Yet 

Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better. 
today there is only one—homo 

It’s time to move “doing nothing” 
sapiens. What happened to the 

to the top of your to-do list.In 
others? And what may happen 

2015 Manoush Zomorodi, host 
to us?Most books about the 

of WNYC’s popular podcast 
history of humanity pursue 

and radio show Note to Self, led 
either a historical or a biological 

tens of thousands of listeners 
approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah 

through an experiment to 
Harari breaks the mold with this 

help them unplug from their 
highly original book that begins 

devices, get bored, jump-start 
about 70,000 years ago with the 

their creativity, and change their 
appearance of modern cognition. 

lives. Bored and Brilliant builds 
From examining the role 

on that experiment to show us 
evolving humans have played in 

how to rethink our gadget use 
the global ecosystem to charting 

to live better and smarter in this 
the rise of empires, Sapiens 

new digital ecosystem. Manoush 
integrates history and science to 

explains the connection between 
reconsider accepted narratives, 

boredom and original thinking, 
connect past developments with 

exploring how we can harness 
contemporary concerns, and 

boredom’s hidden benefits to 
examine specific events within 

become our most productive and 
the context of larger ideas. 

creative selves without totally 
Dr. Harari also compels us to 

abandoning our gadgets in the 
look ahead, because over the 

process. Grounding the book in 
last few decades humans have 

the neuroscience and cognitive 
begun to bend laws of natural 

psychology of “mind wandering” 
selection that have governed

what our brains do when we’re 

life for the past four billion 
years. We are acquiring the ability to design not 
only the world around us, but also ourselves. 
Where is this leading us, and what do we want to 
become?Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 
25 illustrations/diagrams. 

doing nothing at all.Manoush 
includes practical steps you can take to ease the 
nonstop busyness and enhance your ability to 
dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and 
life. The outcome is mind-blowing. Unplug and 
read on. 

All Things By Jeff Brown 

VETERAN GETS TRUCK, TRANSPORTS DOZENS 
TO HOSPITAL AFTER LAS VEGAS SHOOTING 


Taylor Winston a Marine veteran ran from dangerafter a sniper opened fire on the crowd, but insteadof leaving, he drove more than two dozen victimsto the hospital.Winston said he loaded some of themost critical victims into a stolen truck and spedto Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center – all 
before ambulances had arrived on scene, reports“CBS This Morning”.”Me and a friend went andgot a few drinks and found our other friends nearthe side stage and we just kind of posted up thereto watch and enjoy the concert,” Winston said.
Moments later, the gunfire began.”People startedscattering and screaming and that’s when we knewsomething real was happening,” Winston said.
Winston, Lewis and thousands of others needed 
to get to safety, but were boxed in by a fence.”Theshots got louder and louder, closer to us and sawpeople getting hit, it was like we could be hit at anysecond. Once we got to the fence, I helped throwa bunch of people over, and got myself over,It wasa mini war zone but we couldn’t fight back.” The 
29-year-old veteran couldn’t fight the threat, buthe was able to drive.”I saw a field with a bunch of 
white trucks. I tested my luck to see if any of them 

had keys in it, first one we tried opening had keyssitting right there. I started looking for peopleto take to the hospital,” There was just too manyand it was overwhelming how much blood waseverywhere.”Victims squeezed into the backseatand spread across the bed of the truck.”Once wedropped them off, we were like well, let’s go backfor round two and go get some more,” he said. “Itransported probably 20 to 30 people injured tothe hospital.”Winston joined the Marines at age17, eventually serving two tours in Iraq. In 2011,
he was honorably discharged as a sergeant.”I thinka lot of my training in the military helped me inthe situation. We needed to get them out of thereregardless of our safety,” he said.Winston rejectsthe “hero” label. He said he saw many people –
like him – doing good deeds.”There was a lot ofbravery and courageous people out there. I’m gladthat I could call them my country folk,” he said.
Winston says he is just 100 percent lucky that hewas not injured or killed. He returned the keys tothe owner of the truck Monday night. While hedoesn’t know which of his passengers survived, hefeels confident that his decision made a difference. 

Read us online at: 
www.mountainviewsnews.com 
PLANNING FOR THE 
FUTURE (WITHOUT ACRYSTAL BALL)

Creating a will, trust, or any type of estate plan has alwaysinvolved dealing with an uncertain future. Consider thatjust 20 years ago in 1997, the estate tax had an astonishing55% rate with only a $600,000 exemption. Because of thelow exemption and high rate back then, tax-driven estateplanning was a mathematical necessity for a large segmentof the population.

Fast forward to 2017. Not only do we now have agenerous $5.49 million exemption and a lower 40% rate, wealso have renewed emphasis and action from the Presidentand Congress on repealing the estate tax, as evidenced bythe September 27, 2017 Unified Framework for Fixing OurBroken Tax Code. So what does this mean for you, as you’replanning for the future?

Estate Tax Repeal Means No Need to Plan...Right?
Nothing could be further from the truth! Although therewas a lot of tax-driven planning in the past, in recent yearsestate planning has largely focused on preserving familyunity, protecting assets, ensuring privacy, and effectivelypassing along financial and emotional legacies.

And, for those with high net worth, it’s also worthmentioning that estate tax repeal isn’t a foregoneconclusion at this point either. The Unified Frameworkstill must be crafted into legislation that and pass bothhouses of Congress before being signed by the President.
Given the political division the country faces (and thelikely stiff opposition to the President’s tax proposal fromCongressional Democrats), this will be no small feat.

Today, the focus of estate planning has shifted away from 

death taxes to other concerns that affect most families. 
Good estate planners now work with clients to protecttheir families against costly, public probate, guardianship,
or conservatorship court proceedings and also furthertheir legacy goals.

You might be worried about some of these thingshappening to your family:

A financially irresponsible child or grandchild wastingtheir inheritance simply because they lack the financialmaturity to handle wealth. 

A divorcing spouse of one of your heirs taking advantageof family wealth.

Family discord lurking under the surface that tears yourfamily apart, especially after the death of the patriarch ormatriarch. 

A lawsuit, judgment, or bankruptcy that causes yourfamily to lose their inheritance.

Alzheimer’s or another cognitive impairment affectingyou or someone else in your family.

Luckily, we have well-developed, flexible legal strategies(such as lifetime asset protection trusts, standby specialneeds trusts, and robust incapacity planning, to name afew) for overcoming these issues. Although estate planningcan’t necessarily repair a damaged family relationship,
proper planning can help make sure it does not get anyworse. But these strategies only work when you implementor refresh your will, trust, and estate plan.

So, there’s no crystal ball. Where should I go fromhere? According to WealthCounsel’s 2016 Estate PlanningLiteracy Survey, about 74% of Americans find estateplanning to be a confusing topic. So, you’re not alone ifyou’re unsure about your next steps. 

If you don’t yet have a will or trust, now is the time toexplore getting one. If you have an “old” will or trust,
now is the time to talk with us about whether you needan update. Modern families need modern estate planningsolutions, and we are ready to help you create a flexibleestate plan that works now, and will work in the future,
even if the current tax laws change (even though no onehas the proverbial crystal ball).

Dedicated to building your wealth, empowering yourfamily and securing your legacy. 


A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a missionto 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 talkabout ensuring a legacy of love and financial securityfor your family by calling 626.587.3058 or visit 
www.GarlettLaw.com for more information. 

BUSINESS TODAY 

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques 


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA 


LESS WORK, MORE PLAY 


I recall reading a passage in one of many bookswritten by the late renowned best-selling author,
Steven Covey that went something like this, “Iworked hard to climb up the career ladder, thenwhen I got to the top I realized it was leaning againstthe wrong wall.” This conveys the experience ofpeople who are so focused on the next promotionand the next raise until they lose sight of the thingsin life that are most important. Created from a 
combination of the words “work” and “alcoholic,” 
a workalcoholic is defined as a person who isobsessively addicted to work.

It is a general belief that the word workalcoholicwas introduced into the American lexicon in the 
late 1960’s, but it was not until the 1990’s that the 
term began to be used widely. Initially, being aworkalcoholic was viewed as a positive charactertrait but over the years it has come to be associatedwith high levels of stress, and in its most extremeform may be classified as a work-related obsessive-
compulsive personality disorder.

Working to provide for one’s livelihood is a factof life, and people who are able to make a livingdoing something they absolutely love is the bestpossible scenario. However, working excessive 

hours on a consistent basis, without little to no 
regard for balancing work to allow for personaltime, has it’s own set of consequences. It is 
understandable that an employee may put in extrahours from time to time. But when the extra hours 
become the rule, as opposed to the exception, it’stime to take an inventory – especially when theextra hours begin to interfere with one’s ability tobe available for other important things in life, likefamily, friends and fun from time to time.

A parent has the best of intentions when theywork hard to ensure that their children have 
everything that they need and much of what they 
may want. This often requires long hours at work,
and when those hours are extended on a regularbasis, it reduces the availability of what childrenwant most from their parents – personal time.

In the end, making time for personalrelationships and taking time to pursue life’ssimple pleasures are the types of time investmentsthat add meaning to life. Though I’ve not beenable to identify the source of this quote, I find itappropriate to provide context, “No man ever saidon his deathbed, I wish I had spent more time atthe office.” 

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