ALIVE Holiday Gift Guide

December 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

During the month of December, it is not at all uncommon to find the magazine universe well populated by holiday gift guides. Most readers understand that these are really supplemental advertising sections and that the term “guide,” while perhaps not altogether misleading, is here used most liberally.

Over the years we’ve included our share of these special ad sections—ones comprised of collections of bright, shiny objects and “unique” services — so this December we thought we’d do something different and dispense with the holiday gift guide concept altogether.

This year we have only two suggestions for your holiday shopping. First, consider a gift subscription to ALIVE Magazine. After all, if you enjoy reading ALIVE, isn’t it likely that someone you care about would too? Surely, someone you know loves music, so what could be better than Dr. Anderson’s “Notes on Key” column every month. And what about movie buffs? With Carolyn Hastings’ monthly reviews you’ll have that part of your gift list covered.

In fact, with Bertolero on gardening, Hirsch on sports, Hubinger on travel, Donaldson on cars, Fallon’s recipes, Rovner’s fashion tips, Grutzeck’s beauty advice, Tullis’ restaurant reviews, investment advice from Damien Couture and useful guidance on health and wellness from the likes of Trina Swerdlow and doctors Maimone, Brown and Davis, a subscription to ALIVE might be your “one size fits all” gift resource. And for those hard-to-buy-for folks on your list, ALIVE feature writers Mike Copeland, Bob Fish, Joe Redmond, Anita and Antonia Venezia, and Susan Wood provide an eclectic variety that is certain to be appreciated throughout the year.

Our other gift suggestion is to do your shopping at the fine businesses that advertise in ALIVE. Whether it be a business that offers a unique service, like Koko Fit Club in Danville or Celebration Salon; a leading retailer like Pattiv’s or Heller Jewelers ; a one-of-kind business like the Cotton Patch or Katrina Rozelle, or a mainstay service provider like Oak Park Auto Service or Advanced Laser, you’ll find something great that is sure to be long remembered after the holidays.

Whatever gifts you choose for others this holiday season, all of us here at ALIVE wish you and yours the very best in good health, joy and fulfillment, today and every day in the coming year.

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, December 2012

Just Say No to Compromise

November 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By the time this issue of ALIVE is published the presidential election will be history and we’ll either have a new president or we’ll be looking forward to another four years of an Obama Administration. Regardless of your preference or what outcome you had hoped for, it is what it is.

Barring another “hanging chad” fiasco as we experienced in 2000, as of Wednesday morning, November 7th, roughly fifty percent of Americans are feeling disappointed.

While the ideological divide in politics today is often spoken of as a severe, sobering anomaly, when I think back to elections as far back as the Johnson – Goldwater race, I really don’t think things are all that much different. In fact, our history has always reflected major differences, with supporters of each side nearly evenly split.

It has always been the case that if you happen to be on the “winning” side of the coin you’re relieved and feeling great. If you’re on the other side, you’re thinking, now what? Whichever side, winner or loser, in each case the percentages are just about 50-50.

To answer the “now what” question we often hear, “we need to compromise.” We know political gridlock is at hand when we hear the excuse, “What is different today is ‘their’ extreme position and an unwillingness to compromise.” (The ‘their’ being whatever side the speaker happens to disagree with).

I would argue that, in large measure, this notion of compromise is nonsense. At best, politicians’ promotion of compromise is simply a lazy approach to problem solving; at its worst, it is a calculated devise suggested by politicians in an attempt to manipulate their followers, as in, “I cannot get anything done because they (the other side) will not agree to compromise.”

Regardless of who won the election, our president must lead without pitting one group against another — be it race, income bracket or faith. Going forward, the many problems our country faces can best be solved if work together at finding solutions. And, this does not mean we need to “compromise” either. What we really need are informed yet open-minded citizens and leaders who are willing to think, form logical arguments, and then do their best to explain and argue their point of view to convince others to their way of thinking.

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, November 2012

People to Admire and Respect

October 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

ALIVE October 2012 | From the PublisherAt one time or another, most everyone encounters a well known person; a sports star, Hollywood celebrity or even a bona fide American hero. In ALIVE humor columnist Mike Copeland’s book, ALIVE & Kickin’, Mike devotes an entire chapter to his encounters over the years with famous people. When then ALIVE fitness columnist Lorrie Sullenberger’s husband famously landed his plane in the Hudson River to become miraculously transformed into a celebrity, Lorrie and Sully found themselves on a first name basis with the likes of “recognizable” folks like President Barack and Michelle Obama, Harrison Ford and Sean Penn.

This month we have two stories that tell of personal encounters with well known individuals. In the first article by author Bob Fish, you’ll read about his personal relationship with one of America’s — indeed, one of the world’s—most notable people, the first human being to walk on the Moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong. Then, in our second feature, you’ll learn about ALIVE retired Marketing Director Joe Redmond’s “up close
and personal” relationships with Hollywood notables like Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and even Marilyn Monroe!

It is exciting to meet other people who are well known. I suppose it has to do with the fact that we all appreciate accomplishment, and by connecting with others who have done things that are highly valued by many, perhaps a bit of their celebrity status will rub off. It’s why most of us cannot resist name dropping when the opportunity presents itself.

Even so, and although it is a well worn cliché, we might all do well to remember that even famous people “put their pants on one leg at a time.” In the end, what makes a person great is not how many people know of them (or follow them on Twitter), but by what their actions say about their character.

That said, there are individuals who, while they may not have yet garnered an invitation to the red carpet, I deeply admire and respect just the same. The two authors of our features this month, Bob Fish and Joe Redmond, are prime examples. Those who know Bob and Joe know that they both have accomplished much in service to others and to their communities. They may not be celebrities, but because I know their character, in my eyes they are every bit as deserving of recognition as any of the aforementioned individuals.

As much as we fawn over Hollywood celebrities and pay fitting tribute to genuine heroes like Neil Armstrong, we can all recognize admirable character traits—even greatness—in those closest to us, if we will but make the effort to see it.

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, October 2012

You Can Count on These

September 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Facebook. Where does it stand as we measure things in terms of quality? Does it have the attributes that will make it something of lasting value? Will Mark Zuckerberg be spoken of in years to come as a prodigy or giant of industry, or will he be known as a “one hit wonder”—little more than a flash in the pan?

Technology, fashions and times change but when it comes to character, integrity and honor; to quality, precision and stability, there are some things, and people, that you can count on—they have been proven over time.

This month we are pleased to pay homage to two stalwart icons of the American experience that fully express the aforementioned qualities—the members of our military, and the incomparable singer and movie star, Pat Boone.

In our first article, beginning on page eighteen, author Bob Fish and photographer Susan Wood give us a look at what to expect at the upcoming Fleet Week activities that will be celebrated in the Bay Area, beginning October fourth. This traditional event is much more than a display of our nation’s military hardware—it is an opportunity for all of us to learn about and appreciate the extraordinary individuals in our military who serve and protect us. And while the Navy’s Blue Angels’ performance is certainly a reason not to miss Fleet Week, an even better reason is the opportunity to say “thank you” to our men and women in uniform.

Then, in an article beginning on page twenty-four by Joe Redmond, and a follow up exclusive interview by Antonia Venezia on page twenty-six, we catch up with legendary singer / actor, Pat Boone. We featured Boone in the May 2006 issue of ALIVE, and he was the first celebrity to appear on an ALIVE cover. As you’ll read, after a 50-plus year stellar career, Pat Boone is still going strong, working in show business, producing new records and being actively in supporting political candidates and causes he believes in.

The men and women of our armed forces and Pat Boone have much in common. They represent the best that America has to offer in terms of steadfast character, proven over time. Solid and committed to being the best, by any measure, they are Patriots we can be proud of.

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, September 2012

Curiosity: Something Big

August 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Most people living in the industrialized world — certainly Americans — enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. We like our iPads, HD TVs and GPS systems and are thankful for modern medicine and medical technologies. Even though we are surrounded by the fruit of scientific discovery, the day-to-day investigative and creative work of scientists goes largely unnoticed. It is only when something “big” happens or when some new gadget is introduced that most of us have any awareness of science and how it impacts our lives.

While it captured little attention outside the scientific community, on November 26, 2011, the stage was set for something big (and exciting) to happen in the world of scientific research — something so big it may forever alter our understanding of life itself.

At 10:00 AM EST on that date, NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory left the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for its eight month, 352 million mile journey to Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory is mobile, similar to previous rover missions like the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission with its Sojourner rover, and the 2003 Mars Explorer missions that included separate launches of two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. On this mission, the rover is named Curiosity. It is due to set down on the surface of Mars, inside Gale Crater, at 10:31 PM, PST on August 5th.

Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity. It is powered by an onboard reactor instead of solar panels, and its scientific instrument payload is vastly more sophisticated than those of previous missions. Curiosity’s complex payload includes a suite of instruments, appropriately named the Sample Analysis at Mars; an X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument called CheMin; a Mars Hand Lens Imager; an Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer; the Mars Science Lab Mast Camera; a Radiation Assessment Detector; an Environmental Monitoring Station; a Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument; a Sample Acquisition/Preparation and Handling System, and my favorite—the ChemCam—which will be used to fire a high-energy laser into rocks as far away as 30 feet from the rover, vaporizing some of the rock so that the ejected material and excited atoms can be analyzed.

Curiosity’s primary mission is to assess whether its landing area on Mars (Gale Crater) has ever had or still has environmental conditions favorable to microbial life—both its habitability and its preservation. The complex instruments onboard Curiosity should provide rich data that might help scientists answer these questions.

University of New Mexico senior research scientist, Horton Newsom, is one of the team leaders overseeing the ChemCam laser that will study the geology of Mars, looking for possible signs of past life. “The previous Mars landers observed things that they could not analyze very well,” Newsom said, “There are many questions we have right now that we know we will be able to answer with vastly more sophisticated instruments.”

As you consider Curiosity’s mission, it is good to realize that the “big things” of science really only happen after years of dedicated, concentrated work by thousands of scientists like Dr. Newsom. Between the time spent with our iPads and cell phones, we should pause a moment to say “thank you.”

Editor’s Note: Mars is so far away that it takes 13.8 minutes for signals to travel from Curiosity to Earth. This creates unnerving operational challenges. To learn more, see our website homepage at aliveeastbay.com for the NASA video, “7 Minutes of Terror.”

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, August 2012, Column

Rib Pokin’ Writing

July 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

ALIVE July 20212 | From the PublisherOne of the joys of my work is the opportunity to read new articles each month about a variety of topics. I look forward to learning new things and the fact that all of our writers are passionate about their particular area of interest ensures that I always enjoy what they have to say.

It doesn’t matter whether I am reading the latest automotive review in Passing Lane by Charles Donaldson, a stock market forecast by Damien Couture in Market Watch, or about the history of Jazz in Dr. Anderson’s Notes on Key music column, I always find much to appreciate.

Apart from the subject matter, the quality of the writing makes all of our columnists’ work a pleasure to read—something equally valid whether it is Paul Hirsch writing about the Giants in Off the Bench or Peggy Fallon offering up a new recipe for apricot pie in Market Fresh.

From time to time, all our writers inject a bit of humor into their articles but over the past five-plus years it has been the responsibility of Michael Copeland to poke our readers in the ribs every month. If you follow Mike’s column, you know that feeling of anticipation as you wonder what smile-evoking spin Michael has placed on some otherwise common-place topic.

While many of our writers, including Peggy Fallon, Bob Fish, Trina Swerdlow and Anita Venezia are accomplished authors, we are excited to announce the addition this month of yet another ALIVE columnist to that list — our own Michael Copeland — with the publishing of his book, ALIVE & Kickin’: Sideways Views from an Upright Guy.

As always, I hope you enjoy this month’s issue of ALIVE — and if you yearn for more rib pokin’, be sure to order a copy of ALIVE & Kickin’, too!

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, July 2012

All Kinds of People

June 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This month’s issue calls to mind an important fact — there are all kinds of people in the world. Be it our neighbors and members of our local community or people of distant lands; customs and tastes vary. From food and fashion to religion and politics, ideas and opinions can differ widely. Where you might prefer egg noodles and broccoli, another likes meatballs and marinara or guacamole and red chilies. There are Atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Taoists, Wiccans and everything in between.

Whether we are talking about the intriguing Romani culture (see Anita Venezia’s article, Gypsies), or the colorful, indigenous peoples of Thailand (see Susan Wood’s piece), one thing is clear: the world’s horizon is broader than the one we see from our front window. The farther we venture from home and familiar surroundings, the more we are exposed to the panoply of cultures that comprise the rich fabric of humanity. There is adventure and excitement to be found in the diverse peoples and cultures that populate our planet, and one the greatest joys of living is getting to know others who are different from us.

And yet, as significant as that joy is, it is even greater when we grasp that we are also very much alike. We all want to live, love and to be loved. We all want to be valued and respected, and we want to make things better for our children. Our world is big—but it is also very small, and we are wise to tread lightly when considering judgments or generalities about the customs, beliefs and values of others.

It is true that there are all kinds of people in the world. If we could but see some of our differences as things that bring flavor to living and what we have in common as the things to build upon to find that love and respect that we all need. The world can be better if we follow author Stephen Covey’s advice to, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, June 2012

Trust is Earned

May 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

CurrencySo, were you surprised by the recent, so-called GSA (General Services Administration) scandal? Shocked? Maybe. Alarmed? Angry? You should be both! It was our money they were spending and as of this writing, with hearings just getting started, it looks as though this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I doubt that you were surprised. How could you be? With out-of-control spending in Washington having ballooned our national debt to nearly 16 trillion dollars—that’s sixteen TRILLION, with a “T”—we all knew that “oversights” like this were probably common. We just don’t want to believe it. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s a bad dream where I keep repeating, “This can’t be happening. There’s no way they would do this.” But they do, do it—and they just keep on doing it.

I grew up in the 1960s—the era of Vietnam and “flower power,” when mistrust of big government became mainstream. Maybe you weren’t around yet but some of us remember the revelations of $400 hammers and thousand-dollar toilet seats—all products of the “military-industrial complex.” This propensity to spend without limit is nothing new, but the problem is, it’s getting worse, as that glaring “T” number above bears witness.

One thousand, thousand is one million. One thousand, million is one billion. A thousand billion is one trillion. To get a picture of what a trillion dollars looks like, a stack of $1,000 bills, four inches high, is one million dollars. A stack of $1,000 bills 358 feet high is a billion dollars. With a trillion, your stack is 67.9 MILES high. You’d have to be launched ten times higher than the space station orbit—over 1,086 miles into space—just to see the top of a stack of $1,000 bills. hat is our current (and growing) national debt.

Just how much debt is that, really?  It translates into over $50,000 dollars for every citizen—every man, woman, child, infant—in the United States. Is that a lot? The Treasury Secretary of the United States, Timothy Geithner, apparently doesn’t think so. He recently appeared on Meet the Press and spoke of our national debt as if it were little more than a modest nuisance—something that will be handled in due time.

I know I’ll get some flack for saying this, but my 1960’s upbringing won’t allow me suppress it, so here goes: Thank God for the Tea Party! They were the ones that most recently started shining some light into the filthy, black hole of unaccountable government spending.

As the GSA debacle unfolds, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn about legions of other “public servants,” caught in the act of shredding, burning or erasing the telltale tracks of outrageous waste.

I’ve always heard that trust is something you earn. But when those “T” dollars are thrown around, without so much as a faint appreciation of the fact that it came to them by way of the sweat of your (and my) brow, to my way of thinking, the GSA and their ilk have yet to earn even one red cent’s worth.

Eric Johnson

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, May 2012

Find a Place for Joy

April 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Native American PaintingHave you ever felt guilty doing something you enjoy? You know the feeling — I’m doing “X” but I should be doing “Y.” I’m working on my quilt but I really should be working on next month’s budget forecast. I’m reading (or writing) another chapter when I really should be studying for next week’s test. I’m going for a bike ride when I really should be cleaning out the garage.

To one degree or another, we all share in a day to day struggle to manage our time (or more accurately, our actions) in terms of “must-dos,” “should-dos,” “want-to-dos,” and “like-to-dos.” Time management gurus tell us that if we are grounded in what we value most, managing time is simply a matter of dividing our activities into categories like urgent, important, trivial and useless.

As many people likely define their highest values in terms of things like family or duty to God or country, these are expressed in terms of a hierarchy of responsibilities. For example, because one places a high value of providing for their family’s physical needs, they spend a great deal of time working in some career or job. While this is all very natural and I won’t suppose to know what you value most, I do believe we are sometimes prone to under-valuing essential parts of our character that contribute much to our humanity—those parts of us that are emotion, creativity and artistic expression.

Our dramatic cover and the accompanying article about Native American artist, John Balloue reminds us that there is so much more to life than our “should dos.” What are the things that enrich our life experience? What contributes significantly to joy and fulfillment for ourselves and others?

My message this month is simple: regardless of what you consider to be most important, forget about feeling guilty. Find a place in your schedule for joy and artistic expression. In your own way you will be contributing to the richness of life’s experience for yourself and for everyone around you.

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Filed Under: April 2012, Archives, Column

Turning the Camera on Music at March 10-18 Film Festival in the East Bay

March 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The 17th Annual East Bay International Jewish Film Festival begins its nine-day run beginning Saturday, March 10 and concluding on Sunday, March 18. The Festival will screen 44 films in total, with many of them focusing on famous composers, musicians, conductors, and an American record company, Castle Records, which showcased the talents of legendary R&B singers Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters.

Opening the Festival on March 10 at the CineArts in Pleasant Hill is the moving French-Russian drama and Golden Globe nominee Le Concert about an ousted Bolshoi Orchestra conductor who dreams of performing one last concert in Paris. “If you like Tchaikovsky and want a film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, then this is a film for you,” says Ilana Revelli, co-chair of the Festival.

Sunday, March 11’s line-up includes a film that not only celebrates a particular music genre, 70’s pop rock, but is also a musical itself. In Mary Lou, award-winning Israeli director Eytan Fox has created a feature film that showcases the songs of singer and composer Svika Pick. “This wonderful film takes you on a journey with its protagonist, a young man who searches for the mother who abandoned him as a child,” Festival co-chair Kim Weinstein notes. “To familiarize our audience with Pick’s music, we’re preceding the screening with a mini-concert by The Vibers, a local band.”

The Wednesday, March 14th film Mahler on the Couch is an edgy drama about the famous conductor and composer Gustav Mahler, who turns to Sigmund Freud after the former’s wife has an affair with another artist. The film examines the cultural life of Austria in the late 19th century and the bonds that develop between a patient and his psychoanalyst.

Showing on March 17th at the Orinda Theatre with Restoration, an award-winning film about a restorer of antiques who himself is restored by a stranger, is the Bay Area premiere of the German drama Wunderkinde. It follows the lives of three teen musicians during World War II. “Although we did not purposefully seek out films with a musical bent,” says Revelli, “we were immediately moved by their ability to illustrate how music can bring people together as well as inspire them.”

In contrast, Wagner and Me reveals a different side of the power of music. This British documentary by actor Stephen Fry explores how he, as a Jew and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, struggles with his love of Wagner’s music even though the composer was an infamous anti-Semite. The documentary asks the question: Can you separate the artist from his art?

In addition to music-focused films, the Festival features non-music driven films, including many East Bay premieres and award-winning films. At the March 11 screening of Gei Oni, veteran Israeli director Daniel Wolman will be in attendance to discuss his film’s recent winning the Best Film prize in China’s this past October. A last minute addition to the Festival is Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi’s Cat), an animated film for adults and older teens that is set in Algeria in the 1920s. Based on a French new wave comic strip, this witty and highly original movie features a talking cat who wants a Bar Mitzvah, his rabbi, a wise Arab sheik and an eccentric Russian millionaire — all of whom journey to the heart of Africa.

The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival is presented by the Jewish Federation of the East Bay and is co-sponsored by Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Diablo Magazine, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and City National Bank. Films will be screened at the CineArts in Pleasant Hill, the Orinda Theatre and the Vine Cinema in Livermore. For tickets and a brochure, call the box office at 510.318.6456 or visit the website at www.eastbayjewishfilm.org.

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Filed Under: Archives, Column, March 2012
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