The long-awaited book Images of America: Italian Oakland, by now-retired award-winning Oakland Tribune reporter and columnist Rick Malaspina, portrays East Bay Italians through some 200 vintage photographs, interviews and commentary. Rick emailed me that his book, with the assistance of actual family remembrances and photographs, was his parting gift to the Italian community before relocating …

At long last, ALIVE’s Senior Staff Writer Anita Venezia’s debut novel, Crosswinds at Campo Carcasso — A Journey of a Thousand Tales, is now available. The riveting novel portrays five unlikely protagonists ensnared in the web of illicit looting of golden treasures and ancient artifacts from 2000-year-old cavernous crypts in Etruscan Cities of the Dead …

With Mindy Joshua-Matthews Would it be overstating the obvious to say that Facebook is a modern day phenomenon? While most of us were doing “who- knows- what” in our college dorm rooms, Mark Zuckerberg and his buddies at Harvard developed a social networking internet sensation that would forever change the world. Facebook, simply put, is …

Whether we like it or not, everything alive is always a “work in progress.” Nothing living remains absolutely stagnant. So the truth is, we humans are continually changing on numerous levels that include…mind and body. This may sound simple and straightforward, but the tricky part is keeping up with our own transformational process. Now, if …

The Blackhawk Museum Guild of Danville is sponsoring their Second Annual Bargain Basement Sale that begins with a first-choice buying opportunity at a wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres preview on Friday Night September 9, from 5 to 8 pm for a $20.00 per person donation. Admission to the weekend Bargain Basement Sale is free to …

Assistance League of Diablo Valley forged a relationship with the Independent Living Skills Program of Contra Costa County in 2004-2005, when several forward thinking chapter members toured the offices of the various services. A visit to the ILSP facility, located in Martinez, revealed a welcoming environment where emancipating foster youth could gather for fellowship, life …

It’s no fun finding a parking spot before a spa treatment, and it’s certainly no fun maneuvering through traffic after one. It can also be a disappointment going to the spa with girlfriends to celebrate a special occasion, being separated into different rooms upon arrival. Can you imagine a spa that would allow you to …

Q. Tom, how is the real estate market really doing? Really? For every positive thing I hear or read about the market, it seems I hear or read something negative too. Why all the contradictory information? You’re right on with your perception of contradictory indicators regarding the marketplace. National vs. local data, sensational vs. realistic …

Put me in the mediocre camp … but hey that’s not bad! The summer months have been marked by renewed talk of a recession. We have seen a pull back in the equity markets and some disappointing job reports. The housing market has continued to struggle as well. The European debt crisis refuses to go …

Recently I spent a week in Austin, Texas, where I attended the annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. For a taste of local color and a bit of homespun humor, our keynote speaker was Jim Hightower, a populist who prides himself on watching over “The Powers That Be on behalf of the …