Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, February 17, 2018

B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 17, 2018 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 17, 2018 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS 
Jeff’s Book PicsBy Jeff Brown FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett 


controversial Founding Fathers.

Jefferson’s Daughters: Three 

Dr. Joseph Warren: The BostonYoung America by Catherine 
Sisters, White and Black, in a

Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the

Birth of American Liberty by

Kerrison 

Samuel A. Forman 

The remarkable untold story of

The definitive biography of thetwo white and free, one black and 

Thomas Jefferson’s three daughters—

Revolutionary War doctor and 
enslaved—and the divergent paths

hero. An American doctor, 
they forged in a newly independent

Bostonian, and patriot, JosephAmerica. Thomas Jefferson had three 

Warren played a central role in thedaughters: Martha and Maria by his

events leading to the Americanwife, Martha Wayles Jefferson, and

Revolution. This detailed biographyHarriet by his slave Sally Hemings.

of Warren rescues the figure fromIn Jefferson’s Daughters, Catherine

obscurity and reveals a remarkableKerrison, a scholar of early 

revolutionary who dispatched PaulAmerican and women’s history, 

Revere on his famous ride and was 
recounts the remarkable journey

the hero of the battle of Bunker 
of these three women—and how 

Hill, where he was killed in action. 
their struggle to define themselves

Physician to the history makers ofreflects both the possibilities 

early America, political virtuoso,
and the limitations that resulted 

and military luminary, Warren 
from the American Revolution. 

comes to life in this comprehensiveAlthough the three women shared

biography meticulously grounded ina father, the similarities end there. 

original scholarship. 
Martha and Maria received a fine 
convent school education while 

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to 

Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

they lived with their father during

What does everyone in the modern 
hothouse of intellectual ferment 

his diplomatic posting in Paris—a

world need to know? Renowned 
whose celebrated salonnières are 

psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s 
vividly brought to life in Kerrison’s

answer to this most difficult of 
narrative. Once they returned home,

questions uniquely combines the 
however, the sisters found their 

hard-won truths of ancient tradition 
options limited by the laws and

with the stunning revelations of 
customs of early America. Harriet 

cutting-edge scientific research. 
Hemings followed a different path.

Humorous, surprising and 
She escaped slavery—apparently

informative, Dr. Peterson tells us 
with the assistance of Jefferson 

why skateboarding boys and girls 
himself. Leaving Monticello behind,

must be left alone, what terrible 
she boarded a coach and set off 

fate awaits those who criticize too 
for a decidedly uncertain future.

easily, and why you should always 
For this groundbreaking triple

pet a cat when you meet one on 
biography, Kerrison has uncovered

the street. What does the nervous 
never-before-published documents 

system of the lowly lobster have to 
written by the Jefferson sisters when

tell us about standing up straight 
they were in their teens, as well as

(with our shoulders back) and about 
letters written by members of the

success in life? Why did ancient 
Jefferson and Hemings families. She

Egyptians worship the capacity 
has interviewed Hemings familyto pay careful attention as the 
descendants (and, with their cooperation, initiatedhighest of gods? What dreadful paths do people 
DNA testing) and searched for descendants oftread when they become resentful, arrogant 
Harriet Hemings. The eventful lives of Thomasand vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, 
Jefferson’s daughters provide a unique vantagediscussing discipline, freedom, adventure and 
point from which to examine the complicatedresponsibility, distilling the world’s wisdom into 
patrimony of the American Revolution itself. 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules 
The richly interwoven story of these three strongfor Life shatters the modern commonplaces 
women and their fight to shape their own destiniesof science, faith and human nature, while 
sheds new light on the ongoing movementtransforming and ennobling the mind and spirit 
toward human rights in America—and on theof its readers.The preceding book reviews are 
personal and political legacy of one of our most from Amazon.com. 

All Things By Jeff Brown 

EDITOR’S LETTER BY WILLIAM FALK 
EDITOR IN CHIEF “THE WEEK” 

As you squeeze into a downsized airline coach seat thatthe universe. What I want is what I need, and who cares 
would be snug for a 9 year old, you find a peacock in thewhat I need affects you? This worldview, unfortunatelynext chair, warily eyeing you. Or a diapered duck. Or ais promoted and magnified by technology thatpig(without a diaper).Or a large, growling dog. Absurd,encapsulates people in a bubble of personal preferences.
I know, but entirely possible: Last year, Delta aloneThus it is that public places are filled with obliviousflew 250,000 service and emotional support animalsmorons loudly running their mouths on smartphones,
brought be passengers who insisted they needed cats,or plowing down crowded sidewalks with their earsturkeys, rodents, untrained dogs, and even a peacock toplugged and their downturned heads buried in texts.
keep them calm at 30,000 feet.(The Peacock, thankfully,In fetishizing individual expression, social mediawas rejected.)Some of these animals have pooped inhas fouled the virtual public square with bile and 
seats and aisles; others have bitten passengers and othermenace. And national politics, there are no longersupport animals. If there’s a single phenomenon thatany commonly agreed upon facts, no basic standardscaptured the spirit of this age, It’s this one. As Davidof decency, just tribes fighting for dominance. If youLeonhardt put it in the New York Times this week, thedisagree, you are an un-American loser. Am I readingsupport animal is one more piece of proof that we livetoo much into the story of the peacock on the plane?
in a culture that “fetishizes individual preference andPerhaps so. But just wait until the next time you settleexpression over communal well being.” The credo ofinto an airline seat and there is a comfort creature with 
this culture is simple and shameless: I am the center of a sharp beak glaring at you. 


WHAT DO SUCCESSOR 
TRUSTEES AND 
EXECUTORS DO? 

Executor’s Duties 

An executor, sometimes called a personal 
representative, is the person who is named in a 
will, appointed by the court, and responsible for 
probating the will and settling the estate. 

Typically, a petition of probate must be filed 
with the court for an executor to be appointed. 
If the person agrees to be the executor, and 
no one objects, the court will issue letters of 
testamentary. These letters authorize the executor 
to gather the estate’s assets, sell assets, pay 
creditors, and open an estate bank account. An 
executor is ultimately responsible for distributing 
the estate assets to the heirs in accordance with 
the terms of the will. If there is no will, then your 
executor will distribute assets in accordance with 
California state law. Distribution of estate assets, 
in either case, happens only after debts, taxes, and 
administration expenses are paid. 

Trustee’s and Successor Trustee’s Duties 

A trustee, on the other hand, is an individual 
or trust company named in a trust document 
and is in charge of the assets that are held in a 

trust. Assets held in a living trust avoid probate, 
which means court supervision is not required. In 
most revocable living trusts, the trust creator acts 
as the trustee and can make changes including 
moving assets to and from the trust, changing its 
beneficiaries, or even revoking the trust entirely 
if it is no longer necessary. Once the trustee is no 
longer able to manage his or her affairs, because 
of cognitive impairment or another injury, the 
successor trustee will step in and handle the 
trust management. Upon the trustmaker’s death, 
the successor trustee will distribute the assets 
held in the trust to the trust’s beneficiaries and 
subsequently close down the trust. So this role is 
similar to an executor, but without the burden of 
probate. 

Other Thoughts

You do have the option of having more than 
one trustee or executor. It is often better to name 
a sequence of trustees or executors, however, 
rather than joint ones. The executor and successor 
trustee can be different people, but do not have 
to be. There are advantages and disadvantages 
to each setup. Be sure to speak with your trusted 
advisor about the nuances and legal strategies 
important to consider when selecting your 
executor and successor trustee. 

Dedicated to empowering your family, building 
your wealth and defining your legacy, 


A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a 
mission to help parents protect what they love most. 
His office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, 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. 

BUSINESS TODAY 

The latest on Business News, Trends and 
Techniques 

By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA 
GETTING AN “A” FOR HANDLING 
A CUSTOMER COMPLAINT 

Years ago, I went to lunch at a local restaurantyou agree or not. By listening, it may minimizewith a group of seven co-worker’s to celebrate ouror alleviate the customer’s frustration and set the 
supervisor’s birthday. It seems that we were forgottenstage for an amicable resolution. Sometimes, a 
after we were seated at our table as orders were customer simply wants to be heard, with not furthertaken and delivered to most of the tables around expectation other than “reporting” the problem tous. Somehow, our table had not been assigned tosomeone in charge.
any of the servers on the floor and none of the staff2) Address the problem by letting the customerhad notices. Finally, the manager made the roundsknow what you can do, and plan to do. It isn’t 
to our table and realized the oversight. We informed always possible to resolve the problem immediately,
her that we had already been waiting for almost 20so it may entail informing the customer that it willminutes and had a limited amount of time to getrequire an addition process and additional time on 
back to the office. our part.

She apologized, called a server over to take our3) Action by you “in the moment” gives the customerorder immediately, then instructed the server toconfidence that something concrete will be done toinform the kitchen staff to expedite it. When our address their concerns. Your first action must be a 
orders were ready, the manager helped the serversincere face-to-face apology for their inconvenience.
deliver the food to our table. She was making it4) Atone with an offer of something appropriate forclear to us that we mattered as customers as she your customer’s unfortunate experience. Sometimes, 
demonstrated her intention to “right the wrong.” the initial policy is sufficient, but you should useAbout half way through the meal, she returned todiscretion to select a response to encourage thecheck on us, asking if everything was okay and if wecustomer to have a positive impression of yourneeded anything else. We were impressed with how business. 
she’d handled the situation, but she went even further In the earlier example, the manager understoodwhen she handed us dessert menus and informed both the challenge and opportunity of resolving theus, “A dessert for each of you is on the house, andmatter with our group. We were a table of customers 
since you may not have time to eat it here, we’ll packwho worked at a nearby company, which meant thatit go.”some of us might be regular customers, and we were

This scenario holds some important lessonsthere for a special birthday celebration. Consideringabout turning a negative customer experience intothat our final lunch tab was over $150 (without thesomething really positive. If the manager were totip), her offer of a free dessert was the “icing onreceive a grade for how this was handled, it wouldthe cake” for how each us viewed her impressivedefinitely be an A+. All businesses can take a pageapproach to customer service approach. When we 
from this manager’s playbook, which is outlined inreturned to the office and shared our experience, thethree steps: restaurant became of the most popular “go-to’s” for

special office celebrations, as well as the weekly after1) 
Acknowledge the problem that the customer iswork “happy hour” spot. You can bet the restaurant 
having. Initially, it is important to listen to what therecouped the cost of our six free desserts many times 
customer has to say and it doesn’t matter whether over. 


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