Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 16, 2023

6

ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain View News Saturday, September 16, 2023 

San Marino Upcoming 
Events & Programming

Japanese Heritage Shoya 
House to Open on Oct. 21

JPL Built Greenhouse Gas 
Detector Closer to Launch

 A state-of-the-art imaging 
spectrometer, which will 
measure the greenhouse gases 
methane and carbon dioxide 
from space, moved closer to 
launch this month after being 
delivered to a clean room at 
Planet Labs PBC (Planet) in San 
Francisco.

 Designed and built by NASA’s 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
in Southern California, this 
science instrument will be part 
of an effort led by the nonprofit 
Carbon Mapper organization to 
collect data on greenhouse gas 
point-source emissions. Built 
around technologies developed 
for NASA airborne campaigns 
and space missions, the Carbon 
Mapper imaging spectrometer 
will provide targeted data on 
“super-emitters” – the small 
percentage of individual sources 
responsible for a significant 
fraction of global methane and 
carbon dioxide emissions.

 The Carbon Mapper coalition 
is a public-private effort 
led by the Carbon Mapper 
organization and its partners, 
including JPL, Planet, the 
California Air Resources Board, 
Rocky Mountain Institute, 
Arizona State University, and 
the University of Arizona.

 The instrument is an advanced 
imaging spectrometer that 
measures hundreds of 
wavelengths of light reflected by 
Earth’s surface and absorbed by 
gases in the planet’s atmosphere. 
Different compounds – 
including methane and carbon 
dioxide – absorb different 
wavelengths of light, leaving 
a spectral “fingerprint” that 
the imaging spectrometer 
can identify. These infrared 
fingerprints, invisible to the 
human eye, can pinpoint and 
quantify strong greenhouse 
gas emissions and accelerate 
potential mitigation efforts.

 The spectrometer arrived Sept. 
12 at Planet, where it will be 
integrated over the next several 
months into a Tanager satellite 
designed by the company. 
Launch is planned for early 
2024.

 Before leaving JPL, the 
spectrometer was put through 
a series of critical tests to ensure 
that it could withstand the 
rigors of launch and the harsh 
conditions of space. Engineers 
subjected the spectrometer to 
intense vibrations similar to 
what it will endure atop a rocket 
blasting into orbit, as well as to 
the extreme temperatures it will 
experience in the vacuum of 
space.

 There was also an opportunity 
to use a sample of methane to 
test the completed instrument 
while it was in a vacuum 
chamber at JPL. The test was 
successful, with the imaging 
spectrometer producing a clear 
spectral fingerprint of methane.

 “We are thrilled to see the 
exceptional quality of the 
methane spectral signature 
recorded. This bodes well for 
the space measurement soon to 
follow,” said Robert Green, the 
instrument scientist at JPL.

 “This delivery is a very exciting 
step for us as our team can now 
begin the final stage in satellite 
integration,” said Jeff Guido, 
senior director of new missions 
at Planet. “This milestone 
is an excellent example of 
the innovative ways that 
government, philanthropy, and 
industry can play to each other’s 
strengths to build exceptional 
capability that has the potential 
for global impact.”

 The new satellite is part of 
a broader effort by Carbon 
Mapper to survey the globe 
for point-source emissions of 
methane and carbon dioxide. 
That effort includes using 
measurements provided by an 
instrument already in orbit: 
NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral 
Dust Source Investigation, or 
EMIT, an imaging spectrometer 
developed by JPL and installed 
on the International Space 
Station. A second imaging 
spectrometer is being built by 
Planet in collaboration with 
JPL. The teams will continue 
working side by side to deliver 
these new greenhouse gas 
measurement capabilities.

 Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit 
organization focused on 
facilitating timely action 
to mitigate greenhouse gas 
emissions. Its mission is to fill 
gaps in the emerging global 
ecosystem of methane and 
carbon dioxide monitoring 
systems by delivering data at 
facility scale that is precise, 
timely, and accessible to 
empower science-based 
decision making and action. 
The organization is leading the 
development of the Carbon 
Mapper constellation of 
satellites supported by a public-
private partnership composed 
of Planet Labs PBC, JPL, the 
California Air Resources Board, 
the University of Arizona, 
Arizona State University, and 
RMI, with funding from High 
Tide Foundation, Bloomberg 
Philanthropies, Grantham 
Foundation for the Protection 
of the Environment, and other 
philanthropic donors.


Family Storytime

Tuesday, September 19 at 10:30 AM, Children’s Area

 Storytime features activities for children ages 5 and under 
that will promote early literacy and lifelong learning through 
songs, movement, fingerplays, and books. Storytime is 
also an opportunity for caregivers to learn ways they can 
incorporate learning activities into everyday routines. 
Storytime occurs weekly on Tuesday through October 3. 
Registration is not required. Please watch our social media 
for cancellations.

Story, Stomp, & Sing

Thursday, September 21 at 10:30 AM, Children’s Area

 In partnership with the San Marino Music Center, we are 
proud to present an all new music and movement Storytime 
for children ages 0-5! This early literacy program will 
feature instrument exploration, songs, fingerplays, dances, 
and books. Please watch our social media for cancellations. 
Registration is not required.

Movie Night

Saturday, September 30 at 6:30 PM, Lacy Park

 Bring your chairs, blankets, and snacks to enjoy a movie 
in the Park! We’ll be showing The Super Mario Bros Movie! 
This is a free event and registration is not required. 

California Coastal Cleanup Day

 California Coastal Cleanup Day is September 23. Coastal 
Cleanup Day is a chance for everyone in the state, no matter 
where they live, to help clean up trash from the environment 
before the rains come and wash it out to the coast and ocean. 
Visit coastalcleanupday.org to learn more.

DID YOU KNOW?

Music and singing are an important component of building 
early literacy skills. 

 When we manipulate letter sounds by stretching out 
words, blending sounds, and clapping syllables, it sharpens 
the ability to separate sound units. Research shows that 
understanding letter sounds and combinations is a predictor 
of successful reading and spelling development. Adults can 
work on these and other preliteracy skills with their little 
ones at our Story, Stomp, & Sing program! See below for 
details.

Photo Contest Exhibition at Crain Art Gallery

 A special exhibition is on display at the Crain Art Gallery 
in Crowell Public Library, featuring the photos from this 
year's Photo Contest! Check out the entries from our local 
community, including the winners of each category. This 
exhibition is open to the public until Friday, October 20. 

Fire Department

 On Tuesday, September 12, the San Marino Fire Department 
hosted fire personnel from throughout the San Gabriel Valley 
for emergency incident, command simulation training. 
Command simulation training provides a virtual scenario 
in which Fire Department personnel act out command of 
an emergency incident such as structure fires, hazardous 
materials release incidents, wildland fires, violent incidents, 
etc. in real time with video and live dispatch of the event. 
Participants are then able to review their response with 
training staff to critique and provide areas for improvement.

 The Fire Department conducted inspections and gave final 
approval for the Huntington Library Gala. Inspectors apply 
the Fire Code associated with public assemblage events to 
ensure that patrons of the event were safe from any hazards. 
The Fire Department also conducted final inspections for 
both the sprinkler and fire alarm systems for the San Marino 
Community Center. The final approval of the systems were 
the concluding steps to achieving Certificate of Occupancy 
for the opening of the San Marino Community Center.

 The San Marino Fire and Police Departments held an early 
morning ceremony to honor the victims of the September 
11 attacks on our nation. The early morning ceremony was 
followed by a Public Safety Appreciation Ceremony hosted 
by the Chinese Club of San Marino. We are so thankful to be 
part of community that honors our first responders. 

Meetings

Public Safety Commission

Monday, September 18 at 6:00 PM; City Hall Council 
Chambers and Zoom (Public Access)

Design Review Committee

Wednesday, September 20 at 6:00 PM; Barth Room and 
Zoom (Public Access)

Library Board of Trustees

Monday, September 25 at 8:00 AM; Barth Room and Zoom 
(Public Access)

 

 The Huntington Library, 
Art Museum, and Botanical 
Gardens will offer visitors 
a unique opportunity to 
see a restored residential 
compound from 18th-century 
rural Japan. Opening Oct. 
21, the Japanese Heritage 
Shoya House, a 3,000-square-
foot residence built around 
1700, served as the center 
of village life in Marugame, 
Japan. The compound has 
been reconstructed on a 
2-acre site, which includes a 
newly constructed gatehouse 
and courtyard based on the 
original structures, as well as a 
small garden with a pond, an 
irrigation canal, agricultural 
plots, and other landscape 
elements that closely resemble 
the compound’s original 
setting. Visitors will be able to 
walk through a portion of the 
house and see how inhabitants 
lived their daily lives within 
the thoughtfully designed and 
meticulously crafted 320-year-
old structure.

 Los Angeles residents Yohko 
and Akira Yokoi offered 
their historic family home 
to The Huntington in 2016. 
Huntington representatives 
made numerous visits to the 
structure in Marugame and 
participated in study sessions 
with architects in Japan before 
developing a strategy for moving 
the house and reconstructing 
it at The Huntington. Since 
2019, artisans from Japan 
have been working alongside 
local architects, engineers, 
and construction workers to 
assemble the structures and re-
create the traditional wood and 
stonework features, as well as 
the roof tiles and plaster work, 
prioritizing the traditions of 
Japanese carpentry, artisanship, 
and sensitivity to materials.

 “The new Japanese Heritage 
Shoya House will offer a 
glimpse into rural Japanese life 
some 300 years ago and provide 
insights into that culture and 
its sustainability practices,” 
Huntington President Karen 
R. Lawrence said. “We are very 
grateful to the Yokoi family 
for giving The Huntington 
the opportunity to tell this 
important story as an immersive 
experience for visitors.”

 The historic house was 
the residence for successive 
generations of the Yokoi family, 
who served as the shoya, or 
village leaders, of a small 
farming community near 
Marugame, a city in Kagawa 
prefecture, Japan. Chosen by 
the feudal lord, a shoya acted 
as an intermediary between the 
government and the farmers. 
His duties included storing the 
village’s rice yield, collecting 
taxes, and maintaining census 
records, as well as settling 
disputes and enforcing the 
law. He also ensured that the 
lands remained productive by 
preserving seeds and organizing 
the planting and harvesting. The 
residence functioned as the local 
town hall and village square.

 Sustainability is a major theme 
of the interpretive scheme. “We 
aim to present a working model 
of Edo period permaculture 
and regenerative agriculture,” 
said Robert Hori, the gardens 
cultural curator and programs 
director at The Huntington. 
“It represents real-life 
circumstances. An authentically 
constructed Japanese house 
using natural materials, 
combined with careful attention 
to agricultural practices, will 
demonstrate how a community 
became self-sufficient. We will 
show how emphasis was placed 
on reducing waste and repairing 
items so they could be reused 
or repurposed. Visitors will see 
how this 18th-century Japanese 
village maintained a symbiotic 
relationship between humans 
and the surrounding landscape.”

 The compound occupies 
a recently developed area 
along the north end of The 
Huntington’s historic Japanese 
Garden. While the garden has 
featured an iconic Japanese 
House for the last 100 years, this 
new structure and surrounding 
elements will provide visitors 
with a fully immersive 
experience, allowing them to 
walk through it and learn about 
18th-century rural Japanese life.

The Huntington Library is 
located 1151 Oxford Road San 
Marino. For more information 
visit: huntington.org,

 

 Since its beginnings in 1923, 
The Walt Disney Company has 
grown from a small animation 
studio to a worldwide 
megamedia corporation. 
Audiences all over the world 
recognize Disney characters, 
and the company’s products and 
services appeal to people of all 
ages. 

 “The Magic of Disney” will be 
the theme of the autumn term 
of The Masters Series, which 
embraces lifelong learning, 
Tuesdays, Sept. 12 to Oct. 3, 
from 2 to 4 p.m. via Zoom, 
presented by the Pasadena 
Senior Center. 

Sept. 12 – 100 Years of Disney: 
Walt Disney and the company 
he founded; evolution of the 
Disney brand. 

Sept. 19 – Disney as Storyteller: 
Disney characters and films; the 
classic Disney formula. 

Sept. 26 – More Than Just 
Movies: Disney television; 
development of Disneyland and 
other company theme parks. 

Oct. 3 – To Infinity and Beyond: 
Expansion of the Disney brand; 
what “Disney” means today. 

 The cost for the four-week 
series is only $50 for members 
of the Pasadena Senior Center 
and $60 for nonmembers 50 
and older. 

 Dr. Andi Stein, a professor 
at Cal State Fullerton whose 
specialty is tourism and theme 
parks, will lead the course. A 
former journalist and public 
relations practitioner, she is the 
author of the books “Why We 
Love Disney: The Power of the 
Disney Brand” and “Attracting 
Attention: Promotion and 
Marketing for Tourism 
Attractions.” She has been to all 
12 Disney theme parks around 
the world. Her favorite Disney 
character is Mary Poppins. 

 To register or for more 
information, visit: 

 pasadenaseniorcenter.org and 
click on Lectures & Classes, 
then Masters Series Lifelong 
Learning or call 626-795-4331. 
Everyone who registers will 
receive a link to each week’s live 
Zoom presentation. Registered 
participants will have access to 
recordings of the programs for 
up to one month after the final 
session. 

Disney to be 
Theme of 
Masters Series

Doo Dah Parade Returns 
to Old Town Pasadena

 Pasadena’s Occasional Doo 
Dah Parade will celebrate 44 
years of irreverent frolicking 
with a memorable cast 
of performance artists, 
showstoppers, hoofers 
and crooners, disruptors, 
political pundits, satirists, 
absurdists, lone wolves, float 
makers, and merrymakers by 
returning to its original route 
in Old Pasadena on Sunday, 
November 19.

 Pasadena Doo Dah Queen 
wannabes will have their 
chance to win the crown at 
the Doo Dah Queen Tryouts 
on Sunday, October 8 at the 
Old Towne Pub, 66 N. Fair 
Oaks Ave. Enter through the 
alley 39 E. Holly St. 

 The parade steps off at 11:00 
a.m. at Raymond Avenue at 
Holly Street, heads south and 
turns right onto Colorado 
Boulevard, ending at 
Pasadena Avenue. As always, 
the event is free-of-charge to 
the public.

 Known as the twisted 
sister of the conventional 
Rose Parade, the Occasional 
Pasadena Doo Dah Parade 
began as a grassroots event 
in 1978 to gain national 
attention for its eccentric 
and, often, irreverent satire. 

 Street parking will be 
available on side streets. 
Multiple public parking lots 
and garages are available 
within Old Pasadena. The LA 
Metro’s Gold Line’s Memorial 
Park station brings you right 
to the parade formation area. 
Pasadena Transit bus lines 
come directly to the area.

 There will also be an official 
after-party at the Old Towne 
Pub.

 For more information visit: 
pasadenadoodahparade.info.

Community Center Grand Opening Dedication

 You are invited to celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated Community 
Center! It will take place on Thursday, September 28 at 5:15 PM. There will be tours 
and light refreshments; everyone is welcome. Visit www.CityofSanMarino.org/
CommunityCenter for parking information and more details.

 
This year is the 15th 
anniversary of ShakeOut, 
which began in Southern 
California in 2008. Millions 
of people worldwide will 
practice how to Drop, Cover 
and Hold On during the 
Great ShakeOut Earthquake 
Drill.

 Each year the City of 
Pasadena participates in the 
drill so that we know what to 
do when an earthquake hits. 
We will be doing so again 
on October 19. This is an 
opportunity to practice your 
earthquake survival skills. 
These kinds of drills train 
us to act quickly – to DROP, 
COVER and HOLD ON 
immediately to minimize 
injury so that we will be 
prepared when the next 
earthquake happens. You 
never know where you will 
be when an earthquake hits 
and it’s important to know 
what to do instinctively when 
the ground begins to shake. 

 For more information visit: 
shakeout.org/california. 

2023 Great 
California 
ShakeOut Drill

Thursday, Oct. 19 at 
exactly 10:19 a.m.

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