Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, June 16, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, June 16, 2018 

Boston Court Annual New 
Play Reading Festival

Tournament Foundation 
Elects New Board Members

Chris Holden’s Statement 
on Budget Agreement

 
Boston Court Pasadena 
announced the full details of its 
14th annual New Play Reading 
Festival, July 19 - 28. Curated 
by Literary Manager Emilie 
Beck, in concert with Artistic 
Directors Jessica Kubzansky 
and Michael Michetti, the 
New Play Reading Festival is 
a key component of Boston 
Court Pasadena’s commitment 
to nurturing playwrights and 
new work, and continues the 
company’s core mission of 
developing and programming 
works that are inherently 
theatrical, textually rich, and 
visually arresting. This year’s 
Festival features four female 
playwrights.

 The plays for the 2018 New 
Play Reading Festival are 
How the Light Gets In by 
E.M. Lewis, Pairi Daiza by 
Nahal Navidar, Ladies by Kit 
Steinkellner and Drunk at the 
Base of the Bodhi Tree by Julie 
Hébert. Additional finalists 
were Three Girls Never Learnt 
the Way Home by Matthew 
Paul Olmos and The Chinese 
Lady Performs for Us by Louisa 
Hill.

 “This year, we received 230 
submissions for our New Play 
Reading Festival,” said Boston 
Court Pasadena’s Literary 
Manager, Emilie Beck. “We 
are thrilled that three of the 
four playwrights are based 
in Los Angeles and all four 
are women. While we read 
without attention to gender, 
we were drawn to these voices, 
which speak to a wide array 
of underrepresented female 
experiences.”

 Each play will receive a four-
day workshop, culminating 
in final public reading. Since 
Boston Court Pasadena 
opened in 2003, the theater 
has mounted 60 productions, 
33 of which have been world 
premieres – 18 of those world 
premieres were first discovered 
as part of the New Play Reading 
Festival.

 In addition to the readings, 
each Thursday night during the 
Festival will feature a preview 
of the coming weekend’s plays, 
a discussion of what makes 
a “Boston Court Pasadena 
play” and an inside look at 
the play development process. 
Literary Manager Emilie Beck 
and Artistic Directors Jessica 
Kubzansky and Michael 
Michetti will be joined by the 
festival playwrights for a lively 
discussion and an audience 
Q&A.

 The New Play Reading Festival 
is open to the public and free-
of-charge, but reservations are 
recommended. Information 
and reservations are available 
online at bostoncourtpasadena.
org, by calling 626-683-
6801. The New Play Reading 
Festival is supported in part 
with funds received from the 
Pasadena Tournament of Roses 
Foundation and the Playhouse 
District Association.

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, July 19 at 7:00pm

Festival Preview and Playwright 
Discussion

A preview of the coming 
weekend’s plays, a discussion 
of what makes a “Boston 
Court Pasadena play” and 
an inside look at the play 
development process. Literary 
Manager Emilie Beck and 
Artistic Directors Jessica 
Kubzansky and Michael 
Michetti will be joined by the 
festival playwrights for a lively 
discussion and an audience 
Q&A.

 Saturday, July 21 at 11:00am

How the Light Gets In 

Written by E.M. Lewis

Directed by Emilie Beck

A travel writer who never 
travels. A Japanese architect 
who can’t figure out how to 
build a simple tea house. A 
tattoo artist who refuses to 
draw on a woman’s skin. And 
a homeless girl who lives under 
a weeping willow tree in the 
Japanese Garden. Four lonely 
people find each other when 
one of them falls apart.

Saturday, July 21 at 2:00pm

Pairi Daiza 

Written by Nahal Navidar

Directed by Shishir Kurup

When 24-year-old Iranian 
Independent-Fighter Zahra 
learns she is 7 months pregnant 
in the heat of the Iran-Iraq 
war, she rejects her maternal 
instincts and chooses to remain 
in combat. As her impending 
due date approaches, Zahra 
must learn how to deal with 
the traumas of her past life and 
open herself up to hope and 
love.

 Thursday, July 26 at 7:00pm

Festival Preview and Playwright 
Discussion

A preview of the coming 
weekend’s plays, a discussion 
of what makes a “Boston 
Court Pasadena play” and 
an inside look at the play 
development process. Literary 
Manager Emilie Beck and 
Artistic Directors Jessica 
Kubzansky and Michael 
Michetti will be joined by the 
festival playwrights for a lively 
discussion and an audience 
Q&A.

 Saturday, July 28 at 11:00am

Ladies

By Kit Steinkellner

Directed by Michael Michetti

Ladies is a fictional account of 
a year in the life of The Blue 
Stocking Society, the world’s 
first major feminist movement 
in 1750’s London, and explores 
the tangled knot of electric 
and jagged relationships that 
comprise this group. These 
women are pioneers and 
revolutionaries, emboldened by 
the call to arms to be the first of 
their kind and burdened by the 
misfortune of being born far 
ahead of their time.

 Saturday, July 28 at 2:00pm

Drunk at the Base of the Bodhi 
Tree

By Julie Hébert

Directed by Jessica Kubzansky

A woman with a broken ankle 
washes up at the base of a Bodhi 
tree in the foothills of SoCal 
seemingly out of nowhere. 
When another woman hiking 
in on a solitary mission to 
commune with a dead man 
encounters this intruder, sparks 
fly as they navigate the tricky 
terrain of understanding--
until a real brush with danger 
changes everything once more. 

 Boston Court Pasadena 70 N 
Mentor Ave. All Performance 
are free but reservations are 
recommended. For more visit: 
BostonCourtPasadena.org or 
call 626.683.6801.

 The California Legislature 
passed the Fiscal Year 2018-
19 Budget, the final agreement 
between the legislature and 
Governor Jerry Brown. 
Assemblymember Chris 
Holden released the following 
statement:

 “After a robust negotiation 
process we have once again 
reached a budget agreement 
that is balanced, reflects 
our strong economy and 
increases our rainy day fund, 
but also protects and expands 
California’s progressive gains to 
meet the challenges we face.

 Early last year, I fought to 
increase reimbursement rates 
for developmental disability 
service providers in cities that 
had minimum wage laws that 
outpaced the State’s. Now with 
a $25 million dollar increase 
in our budget, that would be 
matched with federal funds, 
we have $50 million dollars 
to keep these vital services for 
individuals and families living 
with disabilities including 
autism, Down syndrome, 
cerebral palsy, and intellectual 
disabilities.

 Homelessness continues to be 
one the biggest issues facing 
California and I am encouraged 
that the budget includes $500 
million, $250 million above 
the May Revision, in one-
time funding for emergency 
aid for local governments to 
respond to homelessness. In 
addition to these guaranteed 
funds, the state legislature is 
also working to pass Senate 
Bill 1206 and Senate Bill 912, 
that will make an additional 
$4 billion available to address 
homelessness.

 After hearing from students, 
parents, faculty, and staff at 
our universities, we added an 
additional $105 million to the 
original $92.1 million ongoing 
increase over the current year 
that was presented in the May 
budget revision, and added a 
$167 million increase in one-
time funding. The UCs will 
now receive $97.1 million in 
ongoing funds and $177.1 
million in one-time funding.

 The budget also begins to 
help the many California 
families suffering in poverty. 
Specifically, $90 million one-
time and $360 million ongoing 
funds will increase CalWORKS 
grants to help parents feed and 
house their children while they 
work toward a better future. 
It also expands the Earned 
Income Tax Credit to ensure an 
additional 700,000 households 
can take advantage of the tax 
credit.

 As it relates directly to the 41st 
Assembly District, the budget 
increased funding to support 
the Affordable Sales Program 
on the State Route 710 corridor 
in order to ensure that the sale 
of Caltrans surplus property 
is maintained as affordable 
housing.”

 The New Play Reading 
Festival is open to the 
public and free

 The Tournament of Roses Foundation elected Robin Flynn, Paige 
Parrish, and Rob Woolley to the 2018-2019 Board of Directors. 
These new members replace outgoing board members Mitchell 
Ing, Norma Garcia Kachigian, Michael Riffey, Libby Evans 
Wright and Amy Wainscot who provided outstanding service and 
leadership.

 The Foundation Board also elected officers: Maxine Harris, 
President; Diana Petersen- More, Vice President; Shannon Boalt, 
Treasurer; and Mark Harmsen, Secretary. Members continuing 
to serve on the Foundation Board are Nancy Neal Davis, Jerri 
Price Gaines, Phil Orozco, and Alex Aghajanian. Tournament of 
Roses Association member Ed Morales will be transitioning in to 
replace Association member Amy Wainscott.

 Bios of the three new board members can be found at: 
tournamentofroses.com/foundation.

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation

 The Tournament of Roses Foundation is a tax exempt, non-
profit public benefit corporation established to receive and 
manage contributions from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses 
Association, its supporters and the general public. The 13-member 
board of directors is comprised of community leaders and 
Tournament members, appointed by the Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses Association. Organizations or individuals interested 
in making a contribution or inquiring about the grants process 
should contact the Foundation by calling (626) 449-4100 or 
visiting the Tournament of Roses website at: tournamentofroses.
com/foundation.


Bronson (A459074) is a very 
affectionate, lovable dog. He 
is a good side kick, and likes 
to be only a few paws away 
at all times. He has been on 
a few Wiggle Waggle Wagon 
field trips and volunteers 
report he is energetic and 
friendly to people of all ages. 
He loves going for walks, 
runs, and is looking for a 
new best friend. Come visit 
Bronson at the Pasadena 
Humane Society today. 

The adoption fee for dogs 
is $130. All dogs are spayed 
or neutered, microchipped, 
and vaccinated before going 
to their new home. 

New adopters will receive a 
complimentary health-and-
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well 
as a goody bag filled with 
information about how to 
care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.
org. Adoption hours are 11 
a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. Tuesday through 
Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Saturday.

Pets may not be available 
for adoption and cannot be 
held for potential adopters 
by phone calls or email.

Pet of the 
Week

Ramp-Up in Antarctic Ice 
Loss Speeds Sea Level Rise

 

 Ice losses from Antarctica 
have tripled since 2012, 
increasing global sea levels by 
0.12 inch (3 millimeters) in that 
timeframe alone, according 
to a major new international 
climate assessment funded by 
NASA and the European Space 
Agency (ESA).

 According to the study, ice 
losses from Antarctica are 
causing sea levels to rise faster 
today than at any time in the 
past 25 years. Results of the 
Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-
comparison Exercise (IMBIE) 
were published Wednesday in 
the journal Nature.

 “This is the most robust 
study of the ice mass balance 
of Antarctica to date,” said 
assessment team co-lead Erik 
Ivins at NASA’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory in Pasadena, 
California. “It covers a longer 
period than our 2012 IMBIE 
study, has a larger pool of 
participants and incorporates 
refinements in our observing 
capability and an improved 
ability to assess uncertainties.”

 This latest IMBIE is the 
most complete assessment of 
Antarctic ice mass changes to 
date, combining 24 satellite 
surveys of Antarctica and 
involving 80 scientists from 42 
international organizations.

 The team looked at the mass 
balance of the Antarctic ice 
sheet from 1992 to 2017 and 
found ice losses from Antarctica 
raised global sea levels by 0.3 
inches (7.6 millimeters), with 
a sharp uptick in ice loss in 
recent years. They attribute the 
threefold increase in ice loss 
from the continent since 2012 
to a combination of increased 
rates of ice melt in West 
Antarctica and the Antarctic 
Peninsula, and reduced growth 
of the East Antarctic ice sheet.

 Prior to 2012, ice was lost at a 
steady rate of about 83.8 billion 
tons (76 billion metric tons) per 
year, contributing about 0.008 
inches (0.2 millimeters) a year 
to sea level rise. Since 2012, 
the amount of ice loss per year 
has tripled to 241.4 billion tons 
(219 billion metric tonnes) -- 
equivalent to about 0.02 inches 
per year (0.6 millimeters) of sea 
level rise.

 West Antarctica experienced 
the greatest recent change, 
with ice loss rising from 58.4 
billion tons (53 billion metric 
tons) per year in the 1990s, to 
175.3 billion tons (159 billion 
metric tons) a year since 2012. 
Most of this loss came from the 
huge Pine Island and Thwaites 
Glaciers, which are retreating 
rapidly due to ocean-induced 
melting.

 At the northern tip of the 
continent, ice-shelf collapse 
at the Antarctic Peninsula 
has driven an increase of 27.6 
billion tons (25 billion metric 
tons) in ice loss per year since 
the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the 
team found the East Antarctic 
ice sheet has remained relatively 
balanced during the past 25 
years, gaining an average of 5.5 
billion tons (5 billion metric 
tons) of ice per year.

 Antarctica’s potential 
contribution to global sea level 
rise from its land-held ice is 
almost 7.5 times greater than 
all other sources of land-held 
ice in the world combined. The 
continent stores enough frozen 
water to raise global sea levels 
by 190 feet (58 meters), if it 
were to melt entirely. Knowing 
how much ice it’s losing is key 
to understanding the impacts 
of climate change now and its 
pace in the future.

 “The datasets from IMBIE are 
extremely valuable for the ice 
sheet modeling community,” 
said study co-author Sophie 
Nowicki of NASA’s Goddard 
Space Flight Center in 
Greenbelt, Maryland. “They 
allow us to test whether our 
models can reproduce present-
day change and give us more 
confidence in our projections 
of future ice loss.”

 The satellite missions 
providing data for this study 
are NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land 
Elevation Satellite (ICESat); the 
joint NASA/German Aerospace 
Center Gravity Recovery and 
Climate Experiment (GRACE); 
ESA’s first and second European 
Remote Sensing satellites, 
Envisat and CryoSat-2; the 
European Union’s Sentinel-1 
and Sentinel-2 missions; the 
Japan Aerospace Exploration 
Agency’s Advanced Land 
Observatory System; the 
Canadian Space Agency’s 
RADARSAT-1 and 
RADARSAT-2 satellites; 
the Italian Space Agency’s 
COSMO-SkyMed satellites; 
and the German Aerospace 
Center’s TerraSAR-X satellite.

 Tom Wagner, cryosphere 
program manager at NASA 
Headquarters in Washington, 
hopes to welcome a new era 
of Antarctic science with 
the May 2018 launch of the 
Gravity Recovery and Climate 
Experiment Follow-on 
(GRACE-FO) mission and the 
upcoming launch of NASA’s 
Ice, Cloud and land Elevation 
Satellite-2 (ICESat-2).

 “Data from these missions 
will help scientists connect 
the environmental drivers of 
change with the mechanisms 
of ice loss to improve our 
projections of sea level rise in 
the coming decades,” Wagner 
said.

 To learn more about NASA’s 
Earth science missions, visit: 
nasa.gov/earth


Free Monthly Events at 
Pasadena Senior Center

 There is something for 
everyone in May at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. 
Holly St.

 You do not have to be a 
member to attend. Some events 
require advance reservations as 
noted.

 Friday Movie Matinees – 
Fridays, June 22, at 1 p.m. 
Everyone enjoys the experience 
of watching movies and the 
pleasures they bring. June 
22: “The Awful Truth” (1937, 
NR) starring Irene Dunne 
and Cary Grant. Unfounded 
suspicions lead a married 
couple to begin divorce 
proceedings, whereupon they 
start undermining each other’s 
attempts to find new romances. 

 Healthy Summer Snacks – 
Thursday, June 21, at 10 a.m. 
Summer is almost here! Learn 
about healthy snacks you can 
make at home as alternatives 
to store-bought snacks that 
are high in fat, sodium and 
bad carbs. Presented by Regal 
Medical Group.

 Mail Fraud – Thursday, June 
28, at 10 a.m. Older adults 
should be vigilant about a 
number of scams intended to 
deplete their life savings. Learn 
how to protect yourself from 
mail fraud. Presented by the 
U.S. Postal Service.

 LIMITLESS/LENNY – 
Friday, June 29, at 3:30 p.m. 
Guest artists from MUSE/
IQUE will explore the music 
of Leonard Bernstein and 
his enormous impact on the 
American sound. A limited 
number of complimentary 
tickets will be available to the 
LIMITLESS/LENNY concert 
Saturday, June 30, led by 
MUSE/IQUE musical director 
Rachael Worby. Register at the 
Welcome Desk or by calling 
(626) 795-4331.

 For more information visit 
www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org 
or call 626-795-4331.

Founded in 1960, the Pasadena 
Senior Center is an independent, 
nonprofit organization that 
offers recreational, educational, 
wellness and social services 
to people ages 50 and older 
in a welcoming environment. 
Services are also provided 
for frail, low-income and 
homebound seniors. 

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