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Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, May 20, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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B2 BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 20, 2017 FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown The Return (Pulitzer Prize Winner): Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar The acclaimed memoir about fathers and sons, a legacy of loss, and, ultimately, healing.When Hisham Matar was a nineteen-year-old university student in England, his father went missing under mysterious circumstances. Hisham would never see him again, but he never gave up hope that his father might still be alive. Twenty-two years later, he returned to his native Libya in search of the truth behind his father’s disappearance. The Return is the story of what he found there.The Pulitzer Prize citation hailed The Return as “a first-person elegy for home and father.” Transforming his personal quest for answers into a brilliantly told universal tale of hope and resilience, Matar has given us an unforgettable work with a powerful human question at its core: How does one go on living in the face of unthinkable loss? Uprooted by Naomi Novik Winner of the Nebula Award for best novel• Naomi Novik, author of the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale.“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows— that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. DONATE EMPTY PILL BOTTLES TO HELP OTHERS When we pick up our prescriptions, we take the containers for granted. By contrast, in many countries medicine containers are very difficult to come by. Simply put, qualified medical care is scarce and expensive in impoverished communities. In developing countries, medicines when actually obtainable are often dispensed into hands, pockets, leaves or any other available container. Charitable organizations have started collection efforts to help those less fortunate than us. One example is the Malawi Project. The goal of the project was to provide clean, used pill bottles for reuse in Malawi, Africa. The method was simple: Collect your used pill bottles, remove the labels fully, then send them to the project’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The program ceased operation at the end of 2015, but M25m continues its collection of this typically disposable resource, giving new purpose to something many of us take for granted. Animal shelters and boarding kennels often also need prescription bottles to facilitate caring for animals. These organizations often lack adequate resources to purchase bottles for medication distribution. While it may seem inconceivable that something as small as a pill bottle is worth much, its value as a basic medical resource can make a significant difference to people and animals all over the world. This ties into estate planning because I believe estate planning is about much more than simply passing on your money to the next generation. Instead, it’s a whole lifestyle shift towards looking at how you can do the most good in the world while you are living and leave the world a better place after you are gone. And if you are a parent of young children, getting your little one’s involved in efforts such as these early in life teaches them what you value and how even small contributions can have a big impact. Passing on your values begins with conscious choices made on a daily basis and estate planning is one of the best ways I know of to consciously plan for a life that truly matters. Think about it. Dedicated to your family’s health, wealth, and happiness, A local attorney and father, 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 626.587.3058 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information. All Things By Jeff Brown ARCADIA POLICE GO HIGH-TECH TO ROUND UP PACKAGE THIEVES Thieves stealing packages off front porches has gotten out of hand.If the Arcadia police have their way, the long arm of the law is going to bust you. Cindy Liu of Arcadia has been the unfortunate victim of package thieves.“It says it’s been delivered, but it’s not gotten here,” she said Fret no more. She and many of her neighbors were glad to learn that Arcadia police have a high-tech weapon up their sleeves.They have been leaving phony packages on porches to lure thieves. And those packages contain a GPS device to track every move.The police know where the package is at all times.“I’m really glad because I have packages coming almost every day,” said Liu.The program has been in existence for two years but it was really put to the test Thursday evening.They placed a dummy package in the 1600 block of Holly Street and said it was picked up by 27-year-old Christopher Cook.He led officers on a chase in a stolen car. The suspect ended the chase and ran into a movie theater in South Gate, where police were able to apprehend him.Police said that since they have implemented the bait-package program, more than 100 people have been nabbed.“This program has been quite successful for us. And it wouldn’t have been possible without the partnership that we have with the community,” says Arcadia police Lt. Ray Nakamura.While police don’t want to reveal too much about the bait program, neighbors say they’re glad it’s being used and that it’s working.“I’m glad the police are doing their job and catching these guys, tracking them,” says Daniel Prado. Student Creates First Synthetic Retina For the Visually Impaired Until now, all artificial retinal research has used only rigid, hard materials. The new research, conducted by Vanessa Restrepo-Schild, a 24 year old researcher at Oxford University, is the first to successfully use biological, synthetic tissues, developed in a laboratory environment.The study could revolutionize the bionic implant industry and the development of new, less invasive technologies that more closely resemble human body tissues, helping to treat degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa. “Know yourself as nothing,feel yourself as Everything.” Rupert Spira Peter Pan Summer Acting Camp July 5 - July 30, 2017 San Gabriel Valley’s premiere boutique acting camp, where personalized attention and low student to staff ratio allows each actor to shine! Have FUN, build friendships and make memories acting, singing and dancing as we create professional quality performances of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. EVERY camper experiences the thrill of performing in a fully-produced show with stunning costumes, professionally designed lighting, sound, and sets. Personalized Attention Exceptional Staff All Levels of Experience ActingUpWorkshops.com 626.325.3018 Ages 8 -17 Mon – Fri 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Frostig School Gates Hall 971 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||