Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 4, 2017

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 4, 2017 

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown

On the Marquee: 

Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

The Art of Invisibility: The World’s 
Most Famous Hacker Teaches 
You How to Be Safe in the Age 
of Big Brother and Big Data by 
Kevin Mitnick ,Mikko Hypponen 
(Foreword), Robert Vamosi 
(Contributor)

 Be online without leaving a trace.
Your every step online is being 
tracked and stored, and your identity 
literally stolen. Big companies and big 
governments want to know and exploit 
what you do, and privacy is a luxury 
few can afford or understand.In this 
explosive yet practical book, Kevin 
Mitnick uses true-life stories to show 
exactly what is happening without 
your knowledge, teaching you “the art 
of invisibility”--online and real-world 
tactics to protect you and your family, 
using easy step-by-step instructions. 
Reading this book, you will learn 
everything from password protection 
and smart Wi-Fi usage to advanced 
techniques designed to maximize 
your anonymity. Kevin Mitnick 
knows exactly how vulnerabilities 
can be exploited and just what to do 
to prevent that from happening. The 
world’s most famous--and formerly 
the US government’s most wanted--
computer hacker, he has hacked into 
some of the country’s most powerful 
and seemingly impenetrable agencies 
and companies, and at one point was 
on a three-year run from the FBI. 
Now Mitnick is reformed and widely 
regarded as the expert on the subject 
of computer security. Invisibility 
isn’t just for superheroes--privacy is a 
power you deserve and need in the age 
of Big Brother and Big Data. 

You Are the Universe: 
Discovering Your Cosmic Self 
and Why It Matters by Deepak 
Chopra and Menas C. Kafatos Ph.D. 

 Now a New York Times Bestseller! “A riveting and 
absolutely fascinating adventure that will blow your 
mind wide open!” —Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi. Deepak 
Chopra joins forces with leading physicist Menas 
Kafatos to explore some of the most important and 
baffling questions about our place in the world. 
What happens when modern science reaches a 
crucial turning point that challenges everything 
we know about reality? In this brilliant, timely, and 
practical work, Chopra and Kafatos 
tell us that we’ve reached just such a 
point. In the coming era, the universe 
will be completely redefined as a 
“human universe” radically unlike 
the cold, empty void where human 
life is barely a speck in the cosmos.You 
Are the Universe literally means what 
it says--each of us is a co-creator of 
reality extending to the vastest reaches 
of time and space. This seemingly 
impossible proposition follows from 
the current state of science, where 
outside the public eye, some key 
mysteries cannot be solved, even 
though they are the very issues that 
define reality itself:What Came Before 
the Big Bang?Why Does the Universe 
Fit Together So Perfectly?Where 
Did Time Come From?What Is the 
Universe Made Of?Is the Quantum 
World Linked to Everyday Life?Do 
We Live in a Conscious Universe?How 
Did Life First Begin?“The shift into 
a new paradigm is happening,” the 
authors write. “The answers offered 
in this book are not our invention or 
eccentric flights of fancy. All of us live 
in a participatory universe. Once you 
decide that you want to participate 
fully with mind, body, and soul, the 
paradigm shift becomes personal. 
The reality you inhabit will be yours 
either to embrace or to change.” What 
these two great minds offer is a bold, 
new understanding of who we are and 
how we can transform the world for 
the better while reaching our greatest 
potential.

A Good Man, a Great Dad 
and a Loving Husband: Every 
Man’s Guide to a Brilliant Life 
by Bradley Brown

 In this book you will find 
common-sense approaches to help 
you to be a good man, a great dad and a loving 
husband. I have invested 55 years into researching 
this book. Like any good scientist, trial and error 
have played a major part in my findings. Wisdom 
is about learning from what we have done or what 
others before us have experienced and evolving as a 
result.

 It is my hope that the wisdom I share with you 
here will make your journey towards a brilliant life 
a straighter road, allowing you to get there faster.


A WRINKLE IN TIME


By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

“Believing takes practice.”

Although this quote from the book A Wrinkle in Time 
does not get said in our production, I have used it as my 
inspiration for our show. I didn’t read this book as a kid 
- I came to it only as an adult when I was thinking of 
plays for the Field Trip Series - but I wish I had though. 
This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved: 
science fiction (I was a huge Robert Heinlein fan) about 
disconnected and disoriented kids. 

 And Meg, the protagonist, is just the kind of kid who 
should go on this journey – a true “Hero’s Journey” if 
there ever was one. An awkward, lonely and dispirited 
girl on the brink of adolescence who learns two 
invaluable things that all of us needed to learn when 
we were young and impressionable: that we are loved 
and that we are perfect just as we were. Believing takes 
practice…believing in yourself and more importantly 
believing in others – your parents, your friends, your 
siblings – just at the moment when you are questioning 
everything.

When I started the Field Trip Series in 2014 I hoped 
that it would grow into a yearly offering that would 
speak to school kids and their teachers, supporting 
curriculum and inspiring a love for theater in our young 
patrons. But even more, I hoped that the stories would 
be ones that would inspire and challenge and enthrall 
– and they have! - from the Civil War drummer boys 
of Battledrum, to the young scientist on the brink of 
everything in Einstien is a Dummy, to the sterling 
friends in Charlotte’s Web, and now to Meg in A Wrinkle 
in Time. I’m so happy that this play features a girl on 
the brink of womanhood learning to negotiate the world 
and her own transformation. I cannot imagine a more 
fitting story to share with young people who themselves 
are on the brink of adulthood.

 I am so grateful to all the artists who are helping me 
realize this show: the actors who are always up for any 
wild suggestion and the designers who are as delighted 
as I am to tell this story and who keep coming up with 
so many great ways for us to realize the vision of this 
show. We have started our technical rehearsals (when 
we add the sound, lights, and projections) and it is truly 
a collaborative and incredibly fun journey. We are using 
the Playhouse in ways we’ve never tried before and I 
hope it will delight our patrons as much as it does us! 
“Believing takes practice” and I’m still practicing!

 As always we here at SMP do all of this for you – our 
faithful patrons. I look forward to seeing you and the 
young people in your life (this show will truly captivate 
them) in the audiences. We open next Friday, March 10 
and run Friday nights and Saturday matinees through 
April 22. For tickets please call Mary in the box office at 
626.355.4318 or go to SierraMadrePlayhouse.org. Hope 
to see you soon! 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

By Sean Kayden

2017 is going to shape up 
to be an exciting year for 
Knox Hamilton. I can feel 
it and so will you. The 
Little Rock, Arkansas alt-
dance-pop group have 
been floating around for a 
few years with a couple of self-released EPs as well 
as their 2015 EP, How’s Your Mind. With a slew of 
opening shows under their belt and performing 
alongside indie heavy hitters such as Young the 
Giant and The Head and The Heart at several highly 
regarded music festivals, Knox Hamilton is looking 
to have their own kind of successful breakthrough. 
The trio, which includes, Boots Copeland (vocals, 
guitar, bass), Drew Buffington (guitar), and Cobo 
Copeland (drums), couldn’t be more ready to release 
their bright debut album, The Heights (Prospect Park 
Records). The extensive thirteen-song collection is 
filled with breezy guitars, pulsating drumbeats, and 
groovy bass lines. The formula they’ve cooked up 
here is a winning one leaving the listener enraptured 
by all its sheer beauty. The suitably titled The Heights 
undeniably takes you, the listener, to new altitudes 
all while capturing the aura of sunny California. 

 Right away, the listener will be immediately 
hooked with the driving force of “We Get Back.” It’s 
a splash of excitement packaged in a three-minute 
gem. The soft vocals of Copeland are complimented 
with the echoing synths, effervescent drums, and 
beach-y guitars. The jubilant opener definitely 
gets you excited for what’s to come. “Washed Up 
Together,” one of the singles off The Heights and 
previously found from their last EP, still holds up 
finely as a strong addition. With angelic vocals, 
sweet harmonies, pensive lyrics, and lovely keys, 
you get quite the song to appreciate here. It’s another 
exercise in catchy vibes that you’ll grow to love with 
this band. Toe-tapper “Set It On Fire” (also found on 
the previous EP) will keep you moving and shaking 
if that’s what you’re into. With their idyllic sound, 
Knox Hamilton stays consistent in tone throughout 
the course of their solid debut. 

 “Pretty Way To Fight,” is a fresh song for this 
composition and grabs you right from the beginning. 
This elegant, under-the-radar track puts Knox 
Hamilton in a whole new light. The song propels the 
audience into another realm with sparkling guitars, 
virulent synths, and sweet bass lines. Knox Hamilton 
knows how to switch things up a bit without veering 
off the path completely. “How’s Your Mind” is found 
here as well, making the debut album ultra familiar 
to those who are fans of the band. For those unaware 
of this one, it’s another distinctive winner from the 
band. You have the dreamy hooks we’ve come to love 
from them, the infectious chorus as expected, and 
the gentle vocals that are truly hard to resist. 

 As you make your way through The Heights, you’ll 
notice the band’s very first single dating back to 2014, 
“Work It Out” making an appearance as well as the 
terrific “Rightfully So” from their last EP. Then there’s 
“Never My Love,” a solid cover of a song that’s 50 years 
old from pop group The Association. With Knox 
Hamilton applying their signature flair on the song and 
making some contemporary adjustments, the fans are 
rewarded with something familiar yet original. “Barely 
Missed You” is the true stunner here. Starting off with 
“I barely missed you last night” the song already has ex-
lovers pondering about their former significant others. 
As far as the tempo goes, it’s the most graceful outing 
from the band. “Barely Missed You” is unmistakably 
an emotionally affective track and if you’re a sucker for 
charming harmonies, then this one will is clearly for 
you. “Barely Missed You” enables Knox Hamilton to 
reveal a more diverse and gentle component to their 
overall sound. 

 The finale is the acoustic title track that calms 
the listener down as we make our way to the end. 
The last track is tranquil and while it’s serenely 
compelling to listen to, it’s the most straightforward 
performance by the band. When it’s all over with, 
Knox Hamilton has undoubtedly delivered a solid, 
exceedingly gratifying experience for anybody who’s 
willing to grasp. Knox Hamilton is getting a head 
start in summer and so will you if you pick up this 
album when it arrives on March 10th. Trust me 
when I say it will cure your dreary day blues. 

All Things By Jeff Brown

Study finds humans cause 84 percent of US wildfires

Over the past two decades, humans triggered 84 
percent of all wildfires and tripled the length of 
the fire season, making it a nearly year-round 
phenomenon under drier, warmer conditions, 
according to a new study. 

 The findings come from a team of researchers 
at the University of Colorado and University 
of Massachusetts who examined wildfire data 
from 1992 to 2012 to conclude that humans 
had started 1.5 million fires during that period, 
expanding blazes into new and larger territories. 
The rest, researchers say, were sparked naturally by 
lightning.

 And even as climate change makes conditions ripe 
for fostering blazes, the actions of humans in drier, 
warmer climates are mostly to blame for starting the 
fires.“These findings do not discount the ongoing role 
of climate change, but instead suggest we should be 
most concerned about where it overlaps with human 
impact,” Jennifer Balch, the director of the University 
of Colorado Boulder’s Earth Lab and an assistant 
professor of geography, said in a statement. “Climate 
change is making our fields, forests and grasslands 
drier and hotter for longer periods, creating a greater 
window of opportunity for human-related ignitions 
to start wildfires.”

 Most lightning fires occur in the summer months, 
marking a brief fire season for wildfires. But 
humans sparked an average of 40,000 fires during 
the spring, fall, and winter each year, extending 
the fire season far beyond its natural scope.Of the 
human-caused fires in the study, 29 percent were 
caused by burning trash, while arson and misuse of 
equipment accounted for 21 and 11 percent of the 
blazes, respectively.But the most common day for 
a fire to begin is the Fourth of July, when fireworks 
spark nearly 8,000 blazes per year.

Knox Hamilton “The Heights” Rises 

Above The Rest 

Artist: Knox Hamilton

Album: The Heights

Label: Prospect Park Records

Release Date: March 10th, 2017

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


ESTATE PLANNING 
ESSENTIALS FOR PARENTS

 

A comprehensive estate plan can protect the things that 
matter most. For many, this means their property and their 
family.

 Including provisions for the care of your children in your 
estate plan is essential for peace of mind. But many parents 
struggle with including provisions such as naming a legal 
guardian for their child. Indeed, even the fictional parents 
in the popular television sitcom Modern Family struggled 
with this issue in a recent episode. While Jay and his new 
and much younger wife Gloria agonized and argued about 
who they should name as a legal guardian for their children, 
their children were left at risk that if something happened 
before they decided and properly named guardians in a legal 
document, a judge would make the decision for them. Not 
ideal, under any circumstances. 

 When naming a legal guardian for your minor children, 
there are many factors to consider, such as whether the 
guardian has similar values to yours or can provide a 
welcoming home environment. But the toughest decisions are 
often the most important. Consider the outcome if you died 
without having legal protections for your children in place. 
Your children could be subject to conflict between relatives 
or they could be raised by someone you would never want, or 
in a way you wouldn’t want. They could even temporarily be 
taken into the care of strangers.

 Identifying and naming a legal guardian for your children 
in your estate plan is both a difficult and important task. Don’t 
put off naming a legal guardian for your child. While thinking 
about what will happen to your child if you die is difficult even 
for fictional parents, your kids deserve the protection and you 
deserve the peace of mind that a legal guardian provides. 

 Unfortunately, even if you have made the hard decisions, 
and even if you have worked with a lawyer to name legal 
guardians in a Will, your kids could still be at risk, because that 
type of plan would not take into account what happens if you 
become incapacitated, or if your named guardians all live far 
from your home, and it wouldn’t protect against anyone who 
may challenge your decisions. The only way to ensure your 
kids are raised by the people you want, in the way you want, 
never taken into the care of strangers (even temporarily) and 
that your kids would never be raised by anyone you wouldn’t 
want, is by creating a comprehensive Kids Protection Plan, 
which very few lawyers are trained to prepare. 

 If you are ready to take that step, start by sitting down 
with us. We can walk you step by step through creating a 
comprehensive Kids Protection Plan® that not only names a 
legal guardian for your child in your Will, but also ensures 
your kids are fully provided for, in the short-term and the 
long-term, and in the event of your incapacity.

 Our number one goal is to ensure your entire family is 
protected and cared for no matter what. 

That’s why estate planning should be about more than just 
documents. It should be about ensuring you make informed 
and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourselves 
and the people you love. The right estate planning counsel 
will help you get more financially organized than you’ve ever 
been before, and make all the best choices for your family 
throughout your lifetime. And there’s nothing better than 
that.

 Dedicated to empowering your family, increasing your 
wealth and building 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 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.


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Call: 626-355-4572


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