Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 27, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, October 27, 2018 

Watch JPL Employee 
Pumpkin-Carving Contest

Rose Queen Louise Siskel Crowned

Local Area 
News Briefs


Police look for Luxury 
Wheel Thieves

 

 Once a year at Halloween, 
JPLers take a break from 
building robots that explore the 
solar system to craft dramatic 
creations that have as much in 
common with standard jack-o’-
lanterns as paper airplanes do 
with NASA spacecraft. Now in 
its seventh year, the unofficial 
pumpkin carving contest gives 
engineers a chance to flex their 
creative muscles and bond as a 
team, said NASA mechanical 
engineer Mike Meacham, who 
is co-running the one-hour 
competition this year.

 “I don’t think, even at the 
time, they appreciated just 
how seriously our engineers 
were going to take it,” he said 
of the first contest. In 2017, 
Meacham – who works on the 
entry, descent and landing of 
the Mars 2020 rover – and his 
team won third place with a 
green Frankenstein gourd that 
hovered in mid-air, suspended 
by a mini-parachute and an air 
blower.

 Other past standouts include 
a team that transformed a 
pumpkin into a twinkling UFO 
in the midst of beaming up a 
(miniature) cow. Another team 
turned their pumpkin into a 
spinning carnival-swing ride, 
while a third created a robotic 
arm that could flip a light switch 
on and off.

 Displayed together in a dark 
room, the creations flicker, 
lurch, glow and make noise in 
ways that defy the imagination. 
A panel of judges awards the 
first-place pumpkin the same 
day. The prize? Victory itself.

 The rules are simple: no 
planning, carving or competing 
during work hours.

 “They do it all in their own 
time,” said Meacham, who’s 
been brainstorming his ideas 
for six months. “They go home, 
use their own resources, plan 
it out, and all we give them is a 
pumpkin.”

 This year’s contest takes place 
on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 11 
a.m., during the engineering 
section’s lunch break. The 
winners will be named in the 
afternoon.

 The event will be covered live 
on NASA JPL’s social media 
accounts. Photos and video will 
be posted on NASA JPL’s Flickr 
account the same day.

 The event will stream 
live at nasa.gov/
socialmedia

 
Pasadena Police on Thursday, 
released a series of photos, 
asking for the public’s help 
finding brazen car wheel 
thieves that targeted high 
end luxury vehicles across 
Southern California, including 
Pasadena.

 According to police, the 
suspects enter secured parking 
garages, remove the wheels 
leaving the cars on cinder 
blocks.

 The men where described as 
Hispanic or Middle Eastern, 
25 to 30 years old. One of the 
suspects has a tattoo on his 
right arm. The suspects were 
confronted by a resident in 
September and photographed. 
Police also identified two 
vehicles used in the crimes, 
one a Ford F-150 and a Jeep 
Grand Cherokee, both vehicles 
are gray with paper plates. The 
Ford has black fenders police 
said. 

 Anyone with information is 
urged to call Detective Philip 
Klotz at (626) 744-7108. 

 


 Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses officials Tuesday named 
Louise Deser Siskel as the 101 
Rose Queen during their annual 
Announcement and Coronation 
ceremony that took place at the 
Pasadena Playhouse. 

 The announcement was made 
by 2019 Tournament of Roses 
President Gerald Freeny and 
follows a month-long selection 
process with 24 Pasadena 
area schools participating in 
interviews. The Rose Queen 
Siskel and Royal Court 
(pictured above) were selected 
based upon a combination 
of qualities, including public 
speaking ability, academic 
achievement, youth leadership, 
and community and school 
involvement.

 During the coronation 
ceremony, President Freeny 
presented Rose Queen Siskel 
with a Mikimoto crown 
featuring more than 600 
cultured pearls and six carats 
of diamonds (pictured right). 
The event was hosted by Chris 
Schauble, co-anchor of the 
KTLA 5 Morning News. 

 According to Tournament 
officials, Queen Siskel is a 
senior at Sequoyah High School 
and lives in San Marino. She 
is currently a member of the 
Debate Team, the Judicial 
Committee at Sequoyah High 
School, and YMCA Youth and 
Government. Her research in 
space biology has been funded 
by NASA Ames, and she is 
currently conducting breast 
cancer research at Charles 
Drew University. Siskel enjoys 
reading, playing board games 
with her family, traveling, and 
laughing with friends. She plans 
to study cellular and molecular 
biology and would like to attend 
Johns Hopkins University, 
The University of Chicago, 
or Tufts University. Louise is 
the daughter of Charlie Siskel 
and Abigail Deser; she has one 
brother, Simon.

 Rose Queen Siskel and 
the Royal Court will attend 
numerous community and 
media functions, serving as 
ambassadors of the Tournament 
of Roses, the Pasadena 
community, and the greater Los 
Angeles area. The grand finale 
will be their appearance on the 
Royal Court float in the 130th 
Rose Parade and attending the 
105th Rose Bowl Game, both on 
Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

 Photos by D. Lee/MVNews

Blair Named Grammy 
Museum Signature School

 

 Blair High School is one 
of four high school music 
programs in L.A. County 
selected as 2018 GRAMMY 
Museum Signature Schools 
grant recipients. Created in 
1998, the GRAMMY Museum 
Signature Schools program is 
a GRAMMY In The Schools 
initiative that recognizes U.S. 
public schools that make an 
outstanding commitment to 
music education during an 
academic school year.

 The Grammy grant provides 
Blair with up to $7,500 each 
year for three years. This year 
Blair has used these grant funds 
to purchase MIDI keyboards 
and two MacBooks, as well as 
licenses for Soundtrap music 
composition software. Music 
class students have used their 
accounts to create original 
music, record themselves 
playing their instruments, 
collaborate on projects and 
create “remixes.”

 On Oct. 16 the GRAMMY 
Museum announced that 
four Los Angeles County 
public high schools have been 
selected to receive cash grants 
totaling $90,000 thanks to the 
GRAMMY Museum Signature 
Schools program, a GRAMMY 
In The Schools initiative, and 
the philanthropy of The Chuck 
Lorre Family Foundation.

The recipients are:

Blair High School-Pasadena

Glendale High School-Glendale

John Marshall High School-Los 
Angeles

Norwalk High School-Norwalk

 The cash awards will be 
distributed over a three-year 
period.

 In addition to the grants, 
each of the recipients will be 
recognized at the Museum and 
will receive a custom award. 
GRAMMY Museum Signature 
Schools grants in Los Angeles 
are made possible through the 
generous support of The Chuck 
Lorre Family Foundation.

Suspect Arrested in 
Fatal Hit and Run

Police announced 
Wednesday the arrest of 
Francisco Javier Soto Cedillo 
in connection to a fatal hit 
and run that killed Jessica 
Torres, 27, of Pasadena 
Sunday night. Cedillo was 
arrested in the 800 block of N. 
Oakland Avenue. Police also 
found a Nissan Pathfinder 
with front end damage. 
Police had responded to 
the 1100 block of North Fair 
Oaks Ave. at around 7:20 
p.m. of a pedestrian struck 
by a vehicle. Torres was 
pronounced dead at the 
scene. Cedillo bail was set 
at $85,000. 

Howlin’ 
Halloween 
for Entire 

the Family

 Join Pasadena Humane 
Society for a special spook-
tacular Halloween event 
this Sunday for kids at the 
Pasadena Humane Society.

 The event is set from 1:00 
p.m. - 4:00 p.m., bring the 
entire family and come 
trick-or-treat with Pasadena 
Humane Society shelter dogs, 
create Halloween animal 
crafts, play games, and more! 
Drop in anytime between 1:00 
p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Kids of all 
ages are welcome and must 
be accompanied by an adult. 
Registration is recommended 
but walk-ins are welcome. 
Please leave your pets at 
home.

 The Pasadena Humane 
Society & SPCA is a donor-
supported, nonprofit 
organization that provides 
animal care and services for 
homeless and owned animals 
in the Greater Los Angeles 
Area. The organization is 
dedicated to promoting 
humane treatment and 
compassion and care for all 
animals. The animals in its 
care come from 11 animal 
control contract cities, as well 
as partner shelters across the 
Los Angeles area and beyond. 

 For more information visit: 
pasadenahumane.org.

Museum Tackles Cultural 
Appropriation Versus 
Cultural Appreciation

Pet of the 
Week


All art including fashion has 
a long history of acquiring 
influences from various cultures 
but where is the line between 
cultural appreciation and 
cultural misappropriation? At 
what point does respect for 
other cultures lead to or become 
an exploitation of cultural 
imagery? The USC Pacific Asia 
Museum is proud to announce 
a very special Conversation@
PAM inspired by current special 
exhibition, Ceremonies & 
Celebrations: Textile Treasures 
of the USC Pacific Asia 
Museum Permanent Collection, 
bringing academia and social 
media influencers together to 
discuss the very timely topic of 
cultural appropriation versus 
appreciation. The free event will 
take place Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m. at 
the USC Pacific Asia Museum 
46 North Los Robles Avenue 

 Panelists (pictured above) 
include MacArthur Genius 
Awardees and bestselling 
authors, Dr. Viet Than Nguyen 
and Dr. Josh Kun, East Asian 
studies scholar Melissa Chan, 
and social media influencer 
Aditi Mayer.

 “Not only is this issue of 
cultural appropriation timely, 
but as an Asian art museum, 
this is something we need 
to deal with every day, from 
the way we display art, to our 
representation of ourselves as an 
institution to our patrons. We 
wanted to do something specific 
to how academia and public 
culture function,” said USC 
PAM Interim Director, Selma 
Holo. “This is not going to be a 
generic conversation at all, but 
about what really is going on in 
society today to help us think 
critically as museum visitors, art 
historians and the public.”’

 More information can be 
found at: pacificasiamuseum.
usc.edu.

Free Monthly Events at 
Pasadena Senior Center

There is something for 
everyone in September 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. 

 Pasadena Financial Planning 
Day for All Ages – today, from 
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This seminar 
will include workshops with 
topics related to avoiding the 
avalanche of student debt, 
changes to the 2018 federal 
tax code, how to invest your 
401K and how to avoid the 
three biggest retirement 
planning mistakes. In addition 
to the workshops, you can 
discuss your financial questions 
one-on-one with a certified 
financial planner. People of all 
ages are welcome. Presented 
by the Financial Planning 
Association San Gabriel Valley.

 Halloween Treats at the 
Coffee Bar – Wednesday, Oct. 
31, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Don 
your finest Halloween apparel 
and come to the Pasadena 
Senior Center coffee bar for 
free coffee, hot apple cider, 
festive candy and other treats. 
DJ Joe will entertain in the 
lounge area with an eclectic 
mix of tunes. 

 A Matter of Balance – 
Tuesdays, to Nov. 20, from 1 
to 3 p.m. Are you concerned 
about falling? Learn how 
to reduce the fear of falling 
and increase balance, 
activity levels, confidence 
and independence during 
this eight-week, interactive 
workshop that combines 
discussion, video and exercise. 
Reservations are required: 
626-685-6732. 

 Hearing Loss Update – 
Thursday, Nov. 1, at 10 a.m. 
Learn about new technologies 
and hearing-related products 
that can help you in your 
day-to-day life, and how you 
can optimize your hearing as 
you age. Presented by HEAR 
Center.

 Braille Class – Thursday, Nov. 1, 
from noon to 2 p.m. One in five 
older adults experiences vision 
loss. The Braille class meets 
every Thursday and combines 
educational programming 
and speakers with a support 
group for older adults with 
low vision. Allan Markowitz will 
discuss the history and types of 
wines at the Nov. 1 class. 

 Friday Movie Matinees – 
Fridays, Nov. 2, 9 and 16, at 1 
p.m. Everyone enjoys watching 
movies and the pleasures 
they bring. Nov. 2: RBG (2018, 
PG). The documentary film 
examines the personal and 
professional journey of U.S. 
Supreme Court Justice Ruth 
Bader Ginsburg, who at the 
age of 84 has developed a 
legal legacy while becoming 
a pop culture icon. Nov. 9: 
Mamma Mia! Here We Go 
Again (2018, PG-13) starring 
Amanda Seyfried and Meryl 
Streep. Five years after the 
events of 2008’s Mamma 
Mia!, Sophie prepares for 
the grand reopening of the 
Hotel Bella Donna on a Greek 
island as she learns more 
about her mother’s life. Nov. 
16: On Golden Pond (1981, 
PG-13) starring Henry Fonda 
and Katharine Hepburn. On 
summer vacation at their cabin 
on a lake in New England, a 
cranky retired professor with 
memory problems and his 
understanding wife agree 
to look after the 13-year-old 
son of their daughter’s (Jane 
Fonda) fiancé. 

 Founded in 1960, the 
Pasadena Senior Center 
is an independent, donor-
supported nonprofit that offers 
recreational, educational, 
wellness and social services to 
people ages 50 and older.

 Daniel (A464854) is 
a handsome black and 
white boy who is about 
5 years old. He likes to sit 
high on his tower in the 
cat room to watch over 
everyone with his bright 
green eyes. Daniel likes to 
keep his social circle pretty 
small so it takes a few 
minutes for him to warm 
up to you. If you give him 
a chance, in his own time, 
he’ll slowly come over to 
you and head butt you on 
the forehead to say hello. 
Visit Daniel today in one of 
our cat communal rooms. 

 The adoption fee for cats is 
$75. All cats are spayed or 
neutered, microchipped, 
and vaccinated before 
being adopted. 

 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.

Metro Board Approves 
Motion to Fund Soundwalls

Craftsman 
Weekend

The Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (Metro) Board 
of Directors on Thursday 
unanimously approved 
a motion by Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger and co-
authored by Director Ara 
Najarian, to allocate $3.29 
million to provide a segment 
of soundwalls in La Cañada 
Flintridge. 

 In May, the California 
Transportation Commission 
awarded La Cañada Flintridge 
$5 million for construction 
of the soundwalls, which 
was matched by a local 
commitment from the city. 
The action today by the 
Metro board will help to 
fully fund the project for 
both pre-construction and 
construction activities.

 “These soundwalls have 
long been a priority for the 
city and its residents, and I 
want to thank our partners 
on the La Cañada Flintridge 
City Council, and also 
recognize Senator Anthony 
Portantino for his leadership 
on this issue in Sacramento,” 
said Barger. “The city made 
a substantial commitment to 
this project, investing $3.71 
million of its subregional 
share to ensure the project 
gets constructed.”

 A report back on a plan 
to address the backlog 
of soundwall projects 
countywide was also included 
in the motion.

 Pasadena Heritage 
Craftsman Weekend In its 
27th year, Pasadena Heritage 
will present the Annual 
Craftsman Weekend on 
November 9-11. The Weekend 
will feature house tours of 
notable Craftsman properties, 
along with bus and walking 
tours of the surrounding 
neighborhoods. Other events 
scheduled include a Show 
and Sale with exhibitors of 
antique and contemporary 
furniture and decorative arts, 
a silent auction, workshops 
and presentations. In addition, 
Pasadena Heritage will be 
offering exclusive receptions at 
historic locations throughout 
the weekend. 

 For tickets and information, 
please visit: pasadenaheritage.
org/CraftsmanWeekend or call 
626.441.6333. 

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