A Primer in Human Genomics for the Curious Non-Scientist

with USC Professor Hal Slavkin
Beginning Tuesday October 6, 12:30 - 2pm

If you’ve ever wondered what all this genome business is about, you won’t want to miss a single session of this upcoming free class brought to Crowell Library by USC’s Emeriti Center College: A Primer in Human Genomics for the Curious Non-Scientist. In six sessions, participants will explore evolution, healthcare and biotechnology, with a focus on the new personalized, precision healthcare options. Advances in human, animal, plant and microbial genomics is rapidly enhancing the understanding of genes, allowing innovations in designing new organisms for specific applications such as removal of hydrocarbons from sea water, and precise approaches to diagnosis and drug treatments. The mantra “faster, cheaper and better” is rapidly advancing genomics, especially with drug designs for specific individualized cancers.

Back in 2000 when the Human Genome Project completed its first draft, the effort took more than a decade at a cost of millions of dollars -- to just partially complete one person’s genome. By the end of 2013, the human genome was completed and the cost of sequencing was reduced to $1,000 per person’s genome within a 24 hour time period. How did that happen and what does this mean for the future?

These classes will be presented by Professor Hal Slavkin, Dean Emeritus, University of Southern California School of Dentistry, who retired in June 2014 after 46 years on the full-time faculty. During his academic career he served as Chair of Biochemistry, Dean of the School of Dentistry, and served as the Director for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. He is a Member of the Institute of Medicine, a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International and American Associations of Dental Research, and the International Society of Developmental Biology. Professor Slavkin lives in Marina Del Rey.

Reserve your spot in class by calling the library at (626) 300-0777.

Three Secrets to a Healthy Life with Bernardo Perez III, D.C.

Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 p.m.

Who doesn’t want to have more energy, better digestion, better quality of sleep, or maybe lose weight? Come to a free presentation, “Three Secrets to a Healthy Life.” Bernardo Perez III, DC will demonstrate ways to create a lifestyle that protects you from premature aging and illness. Nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are the keys to health and happiness. But according to a recent study, very few adults actually meet the criteria for a healthy lifestyle. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that only 3% of American adults got a perfect score on what the authors say are the four basic criteria for healthy living. Just 13.8% met three of the criteria; 34.2% met only two criteria. Women scored slightly better than men.*

Don’t miss this great opportunity to get a foothold on health and happiness. Dr. Perez has presented a number of health-related programs at Crowell Library and is a popular and fun presenter. He is nationally board certified, California Board Certified and a member of the International Chiropractic Association. He attended the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles and was born and raised in southern California. Dr. Perez specializes in identifying and correcting brain and neurotransmitter imbalances. He is dedicated to helping people of all ages by applying knowledge and experience in rehabilitation so they can attain their optimal state of health and well-being.

Whether thirteen, thirty or beyond, everyone benefits from a healthy lifestyle. This program at Crowell Library will be an easy way to get started on that road, or to just fine-tune day-to-day health strategies.

* http://www.webmd.com/diet/4-steps-healthy-lifestyle

Friends of Crowell Library: Meet the Authors!

Ken Oder: The Closing
Tuesday September 22nd 7:00 p.m.
Alice Simpson: Ballroom
Thursday, October 22nd 7:00 p.m.
Edward Larson: The Return George Washington
Thursday, November 12th 7:00 p.m.

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Authors series continues this fall with writer Ken Oder who grew up in White Hall, Vir¬ginia, a farm town of about fifty peo¬ple near the Blue Ridge Moun¬tains. Although he moved to Los Ange¬les in 1975, prac¬ticing law and serving as an exec¬u¬tive, White Hall’s moun¬tains and its peo¬ple still come out in his stories. His latest, The Closing, was voted Number 1 Best-Selling Kindle Legal Thriller and Number 6 Best-Selling Kindle Mystery novel on Amazon.com. The story begins when two men meet in the Virginia state penitentiary and discover they have only one thing in common: they both want their lives back. Meet Ken Oder on Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 pm in the Library’s Barth Community Room.

Author Alice Simpson will talk about her latest title, Ballroom on Thursday, on October 22, also at 7:00pm. A novel told in interconnecting stories, Ballroom is a poignant story about a group of strangers united by a desire to escape their complicated and unhappy lives, if only for a few hours each Sunday evening, in a dilapidated Manhattan dance hall on the verge of closure. Kirkus Reviews wrote: “…Simpson is a master at creating realistic characters. Readers who enjoy seeing inside the hearts and minds of others will relish sharing the lives of Simpson’s creations.”

And on Thursday, November 12, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Professor of Law at Pepperdine University Edward Larson, will present insights into his latest book, The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789, an exacting and elegant look at the critically important, yet “forgotten” years in Washington’s distinguished life.
All programs are free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served. With such wonderful Friends as these, the authors keep coming at Crowell Public Library!

Free Picture Tapping Workshop

Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 p.m. and
Thursday, September 17, 7:00 pm

Parents, teens and even younger kids can learn a mind-body technique that might help them cope with anxiety, worry and stress on September 16th and 17th at Crowell Public Library. By intervening in the body's flight, fight or freeze response, this technique has been used to help students improve their test performance, help executives overcome their fear of public speaking, athletes improve their performance and hospital patients deal with pain and stress. Instructor Tee Ming Ooi uses a combination of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), neuro-linguistic programming and inner-child work that strives to intervene in the body's flight, fight or freeze response to thwart self-sabotaging patterns. Her mission is to help everyone reduce their stress levels naturally.
Participants in this two-part workshop will learn about mental and emotional first aid, how to acknowledge their emotions, change their physical state, direct their emotional release through “tapping,” and embrace a positive future while forgiving others and oneself.
Tee Ming Ooi has conducted workshops for parents and boy scouts and has provided online resources on various stress relief tools. She offers easy techniques that adults, teens and kids can use to shift from anxiety, stress, anger or frustration to more resourceful states of calm, peace and love. She is a “life coach” trained in several mind-body-emotion methods, who wishes to spread this knowledge so that many can experience increased peace and productivity.
Learn to how deal with anxiety, worry and stress naturally at this free workshop Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. at Crowell Public Library.

Self-Publishing Workshop

Saturday September 12th 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

As part of the Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Authors series back in February, local author Christopher Lynch proved a dynamic and highly likeable speaker when he gave a talk on his latest novel, One-Eyed Jack (which has since been optioned for a feature-length film). He has also self-published many short stories and is back this Fall to present a workshop on the ins and outs of self-publishing. This free workshop will include the pros and cons of doing it yourself versus traditional publishing, editing, formatting the manuscript as an e-book or print on demand, cover design, ISBNs and barcodes, costs of services, pricing, sales channels, promotion, and a live step-by-step demonstration of an e-book being uploaded and created on Amazon.

With an extensive background in non-fiction, Chris has written for numerous local and national publications. He recently wrote and published an authorized biography of the iconic child actor Ken Osmond, (Eddie Haskell from the TV series Leave it to Beaver) Eddie: The Life and Times of America's Preeminent Bad Boy. When he’s not writing, Christopher enjoys mountain climbing and has reached the summits of Mount Whitney, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, and most recently, completed a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp. He once trained and led eleven blind hikers to the summit of 10,000 ft. Mount Baldy, the highest point in Los Angeles County, and the third highest point in Southern California. A documentary film is being made of this adventure. Chris is a member of Sisters in Crime Los Angeles chapter, as well as Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn about self-publishing from a true pro on Saturday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room. The authors will keep coming this Fall, thanks to the Friends of Crowell Public Library.

Social Security Workshop

Thursday, September 10, 6:30 p.m.

According to famed financial journalist Jane Bryant Quinn, the average retiree leaves thousands of dollars on the table* simply because they don't understand how to optimize their Social Security benefits. This upcoming free workshop at Crowell Public Library offers a chance to avoid this mistake. This informative and easy to understand evening will be led by John Pak, a Certified Financial Planner who will simplify some of the more popular rules as well as the confusing ones. He will revisit the origins of the Social Security system, take a closer look at the mechanics of the program, and explore the ways in which individuals can maximize benefits and avoid the pitfalls. This workshop is open to all who are interested in learning and discussing this federal program. Did you know there are over 500 different ways that enrollees can claim benefits? Or that one can claim 50% of one’s ex-spouse's benefits? Or that one can earn 8% per year for delaying benefits?

John C. Pak has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He received a B.A. in Finance through Cal State Fullerton's Mihaylo School of Business and completed financial planning training through NYU. He is very active in spearheading community outreach initiatives with local colleges, public libraries and lifelong learning centers in the greater Los Angeles County area to promote financial literacy and empowerment. John's firm, Searchlight Financial, is the host of KFWB 980AM radio’s “Smart Money Fundamentals.” This workshop has been conducted at numerous Los Angeles area libraries, as well as UCLA extension, UCR extension, UCSB extension, Cal State University of Long Beach (OLLI) and Cal State University of Fullerton (OLLI).

People who have worked hard all their lives should get the most out of their benefits. Don’t miss this free seminar Thursday, September 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Crowell Public Library.

*http://www.aarp.org/work/social-security/info-10-2013/when-to-claim-social-security-benefits.html

LA Opera Talk -- Gianni Schicchi and Pagliacci

Sunday, August 30th, 2:00 p.m.

For more than six years, LA Opera has visited Crowell Public Library with its Opera Talk series where volunteer community educators present fascinating facts and musical excerpts from the operas that are playing downtown at the Music Center. LA Opera’s 30th Anniversary Season will open in September with the double bill of Puccini’s comedic masterpiece Gianni Schicchi and Leoncavallo’s thrilling drama Pagliacci. Opera superstar Plácido Domingo will perform a rare stunt by singing the lead role in the first opera and conducting the orchestra in the second! Join Community Educator Ray Busmann for an engaging and informative talk about these two gems of the Italian repertoire and learn about LA Opera’s stunning stage productions by Woody Allen and Franco Zeffirelli.

This free presentation will include plenty of video excerpts from both operas. Funny and witty like a prime-time sitcom, Gianni Schicchi is the story of a greedy family trying desperately to rewrite the will of their deceased patriarch for their own benefit. And in the heart-wrenching Pagliacci, an explosive mix of jealousy, lust and hate leads to a shocking and murderous conclusion.

Ray Busmann, a former classical music radio announcer in his native Germany, has loved opera ever since he was five years old and enjoys sharing his passion for the art form with audiences of all ages. He has worked as an artist and educator for over 30 years and he freelances as a translator and voice-over artist for Hollywood movies. This is his third season as a volunteer Community Educator for LA Opera.

Opera has something for everyone. An opera can sweep you away to foreign lands, take you back in time, dazzle you with pageantry and bring history to life. It is literature, social studies, cultural diversity, multiple languages and most of all, it is exciting! Come explore the world of opera through LA Opera’s education programs. Learn all about this sensational season opener at the LA Opera on Sunday, August 30th at 2:00 p.m. at Crowell Public Library.