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The hit movie, American Graffiti, filmed in Modesto and Petaluma, California is one of the most influential of all teen films. It depicts multiple characters going through a coming of age, dealing with decisions to attend college or reside in a small town in the early 1960’s. Songs and music greatly influence the movie and are at the heart of the film as Dee Jay, Wolfman Jack, spins records of 41 tunes from various artists on the radio throughout the film.

George Lucas wrote each scene with a particular song in mind as its musical backdrop. The cost of licensing the 75 songs Lucas originally wanted was one factor in United Artists’ ultimate decision to reject the script; the studio also felt it was too experimental — “a musical montage with no characters.” Lucas co-wrote and directed the film that was finally produced by Universal after several other film producers turned it down. This was the first time a feature film of recorded musical selections (due to a low budget) was made. (United Artists also passed on Star Wars which Lucas shelved for the time being.)

American Graffiti depicts teenagers’ relationship with hot rod cars and their obsession with radio. Disc Jockey, Wolfman Jack’s broadcasts, with his mysterious and mythological faceless voice, ties the film together. Richard Dreyfuss’s character catches a glimpse of the mysterious Wolfman in a pivotal scene in the movie.

Prominent in American Graffiti was “cruising the strip.”  This brought back memories when I was in high school in the fifties. On Friday and Saturday nights, we would “drag the main,” in our “cool cars,” blasting music on the radio, on Main Street in Walnut Creek.  It was a ritual that lasted for many years – part of a rite-of-passage, as depicted in the film.

Some of the, now-nostalgic, songs played in the film are Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets; 16 Candles by The Crests; Runaway by Del Shannon; Why Do Fools Fall in Love by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers; Fanny Mae by Buddy Holly, At the Hop and She’s So Fine by Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids; The Stroll by The Diamonds; See You in September by The Tempos;  Surfin Safari by The Beach Boys; The Great Imposter by The Fleetwoods; Almost Grown by Chuck Berry; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters; The Book of Love by The Monotones; The Great Pretender by The Platters;  Little Darlin by The Diamonds; Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee and the Starlighters; Ain’t That a Shame by Fats Domino; Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry and I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos.

In its purest form, Rock & Roll music has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat and a catchy melody.  Early Rock & Roll drew from a variety of sources, primarily Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Country, Gospel, Traditional Pop, Jazz and Folk. These influences combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was fast, danceable and catchy. The first wave of rock & rollers were chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent, The Everly Brothers and Carl Perkins, among many others. These rockers set the template for Rock & Roll that was followed over the next four decades.

As the late fifties gave way to the early sixties, the rockabilly stars of the previous decade – the Everlys, Elvis and Roy Orbison, to name a few, were still having hits, but the older pop-music stars were fading away as they struggled to find material that would click with this new and energetic generation of kids. Pop music gradually became controlled by new young vocal groups, taking their power from a combination of the performer’s charisma along with the songwriting talents of the production team, who operated behind the scenes. Eventually rock artists came to be expected to write and even produce their own songs, becoming responsible for everything about how their records sounded.

The music of the late fifties, as with society in general, morphed into the early sixties without too much alteration. The films’ 1962 setting represents nearing an end of an era in American society and pop culture.Rock & Roll music as well as the teen culture of the late fifties and early sixties was obviously very different than it is today. In just a few short years the society we knew then was about to change, rather drastically, never to return to those relatively halcyon days of the past. Growing up in suburbia (Lafayette) I was a teenager in the fifties and a young man in the sixties. At times it was rather disconcerting going from the calm fifties to the sometimes tumultuous sixties that occurred during my high school and undergraduate college days.

The advent of the 1960’s ushered in a new era in contrast to the comparative quiescence of the 1950’s. A new president was elected, the first president born in the 20^th century. The hopes of many were dashed three years later with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Vietnam War unfortunately split the country almost in half and prompted many anti-war marches and rebellious acts. The counterculture movement was just around the corner.

Locally, the first onset of the free-speech movement was being acted out on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley by Mario Savio and others. It quickly spread across the country. It didn’t take long for some people to start calling Berkeley – “Berserkly.”  These things and more had a lasting effect upon the country, socially and culturally. Thus, modern music today reflects a lot of this change.

The music associated with American Graffiti will live on in the annuals of modern American music and in the hearts and minds of those who experienced it live – and hopefully for generations to come.

Mark your calendar for the Danville Community Band’s Annual Spring Concert, Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 4 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.  For reservations call 925-943-SHOW (7469)

Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.

 

One of the most important trends of our time is the rise of the global consumer. Millions of people throughout the world are enjoying a better lifestyle than their prior generations could have imagined. This improvement in the standard of living of so many people is a trend that has decades to go. This long-term trend is truly transformational to the global economy and provides some significant investment opportunities. Of course, I am talking about the rise of the consumer class in the emerging markets of the world. China and India are leaders in the great consumer wave, but the same thing is happening in other parts of the world like Latin America and Africa. Researchers estimate that by 2025 the ranks of the “consumer class” (those with disposable income) will rise from about 2.4 billion today to 4.2 billion by 2025. If these projections hold true, there will be more people in the middle class than poor for the first time in history.¹

There is no doubt that this trend offers a tremendous opportunity to both large multinational corporations and local business domiciled in these growing markets. Millions of new people joining the middle class mean a sizable increase in purchases of goods and services that go toward an improved standard of living. In 2010 consumer spending in the emerging markets was $12 trillion. Those markets are expected to grow to about $30 trillion of spending by 2025, which would comprise nearly half of all global spending at that time. Take a look at one sector for example; between now and 2017 developing countries are projected to account for about 70% of the increase in pharmaceutical sales. ¹

Did you know that Chinese consumers have become the number one buyers of luxury goods in the world? Yes, they rank ahead of the Japanese, Europeans and Americans. China’s consumers now account for 25% of luxury spending worldwide. ¹

Consider what is happening in Latin America. Demographically, Latin America has tended to have a few rich people, lots of poor and not many in the middle. This is changing and will continue to change. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, middle class households grew from 56 million to 128 million from 1990 to 2007. Overall, consumer spending in the region has increased from about $683 billion in 1990 to $2.7 trillion in 2010. ¹

So does this mean we should invest everything in China or Latin America? Of course not. However, I believe it makes a lot of sense to pay attention to this mega-trend when we are allocating our investments. Long-term investors need make sure they have exposure to these fast growing consumer groups by using a combination of direct investment in the developing markets along with allocations to large global businesses and brands. Pay less attention to where a company is headquartered and focus more on where their customers are.

1. American Funds, The Long View, January 2013

Damien helps individuals invest and manage risk.  He is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and a principal of Walnut Creek Wealth Management. These are the views of Damien Couture, CFP^® and not intended as investment advice.  Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic stability and differences in the accounting standards.  Your comments are welcome.  Damien can be reached at 925-280-1800 x101 orDamien@WalnutCreekWealth.com.

Allow me to begin with a quick acknowledgment of my lack of geographic exploration. I realize that Alive Magazine reaches the better parts of the Tri-Valley area as quickly as I realize that for the last eight months my boundaries have seldom left the Danville area. Not very Ponce de Leon of me. By way of explanation I can only offer that (obviously) this is my backyard, and with a potential fussy seven month old in the car, traveling outside the comfort zone of town can be daunting. But alas, you the reader should not feel overfed or neglected, and so I offer you my word that the next articles will be written outside Danville until I have covered all the cities in our circulation. On to business!

Have you ever witnessed a food movement—something so large and influential that, like a zeppelin, seems to silently move into town in the dead of night and redefines your food beliefs? I have.

Meet Ike. Everybody I have talked to says this is the best sandwich they have ever had; but why? First, you strap the standard list of deli ingredients to a box of dynamite, then step the mandatory safe distance away, then BOOM…blow the standards all over a mountain of unorthodox sandwich fillers like mozzarella sticks, onion rings, or jalapeno poppers. Next, go ahead and sauce up your creation with mind twisters like cranberry sauce, Sriracha, marinara, or coleslaw. Finally, for good measure, put it all on freshly baked bread lathered in Ike’s Dirty Secret Sauce (a mayo/garlic concoction) prior to baking. This is Ike.

Ike first opened in the Castro District and quickly angered the neighbors by serving over 1200 customers a day. Since then he has opened eight more locations to serve the masses, and the numbers have not dwindled. Thankfully he found his way to the Trader Joes shopping center in Danville.

I hope by now that you have come to rely on me offering my monthly reports worthy of praise for more than the food. As stated, I enjoy dissecting every nuance of a restaurant, and yes, while the sandwiches here are beyond extraordinary, an isolated incident on my first visit compels this article.

It was busy, of course, and my wife and I approached the counter confused. The menu boasts well over 200 unique variations of this American staple and we settled on a #49 and #214. The helpful teen behind the counter rang us up for a #49 and two #14’s. I should have caught it but didn’t until the card was charged. There would have to be a manager involved to facilitate the refund and we were in danger of creating a pile up. This had the potential to get ugly. In seconds, the bright aura of the girl in charge sauntered to the counter, made a quick analysis of the situation, gathered the correct information and refunded my card while informing me that they would like to purchase our sandwiches for the (three minute) inconvenience. I had no time to refute. It was done. She thanked us “so much” for coming in and in 10 minutes my wife and I were having our taste buds ripped from our mouths. You cannot teach this type of customer service, especially to a person that is spending their whole shift “in the weeds.” Sold for life!

As an ode to you, my readers, I want to buy you an Ike’s. Drop me a line to let me know you’re reading every month and I will select five random people to deliver a voucher for a free Ike’s. My only advice is to bring an umbrella if it’s raining because you might be waiting outside.

Drop me a line at tobintullis@yahoo.com with the subject Line: “Ike’s” … I will reply!

Coaching and watching organized kids’ games can be a paradox. Intellectually, almost everyone in the stands knows that nearly none of these kids will play professionally and very few will even make a high school team, especially in basketball or baseball. Yet, the intensity can match anything experienced at Oracle Arena, AT&T Park, or Yankee Stadium.

Fans, mostly parents, whoop and holler as if a Super Bowl Championship is on the line. Middle aged coaches pressure and manipulate officials, many of whom are adolescents. If you win you exult, if your team loses there is despair a plenty.

As a veteran youth sports coach I have some perspective. I was as intense as anyone when I coached my children, especially in baseball. Some teams with whom I was involved won championships and we took home gigantic trophies that seemed very important, almost vital, at the time. Because our teams were often winning, opposing parents and coaches would taunt and distract our 10-year-old pitchers to help their teams and, following the lead of those parents, the games were rudely reviewed by children on the school yard the next day.

If I had a good team that lost a midseason game I would get calls from our team’s parents with “suggestions” for avoiding future such calamities. During those seasons the results of games played by elementary school students would dominate the lives of many families.

Parents of the less talented players would want to play the games for fun, while parents of the star players would want to play to win, which created friction in the stands. Leagues would often encourage even-handed roster deployment, and then publish results and standings in the newspaper and host formal trophy presentations at the end of March-Madness style playoff tournaments.

Basically, a lot of the focus on results was a waste of emotion and energy. Watching players grow and develop while building some lasting relationships was terrific. However, with a few exceptions, the best players can be identified by third grade and everyone else is playing for fun or to fulfill the expectations of a parent.

Baseball is most problematic. Because it’s impossible to have a good game without pitchers who can throw strikes, the best young athletes wind up on the mound. This creates a series of one-on-one confrontations where the top players are matched against average-or-worse players with predictable results.

At least in the lower levels of soccer and basketball it is possible to hide a weak or one-dimensional player and assign a role that can lead to some success. In baseball, everyone has to eventually step into the batter’s box and face the music.

If you’re just beginning in youth sports try to realistically assess the abilities of your son or daughter and get him or her into a sport that best meets their needs. If you have an older friend or neighbor with a sports background it doesn’t hurt to get an assessment that isn’t tied to wishful thinking or love. It’s great to be on a team and learn about sportsmanship and cooperation, and it’s even better if those lessons are learned in an environment where the child has at least a chance of performing well.

Then, go to the games, pull for your child and his or her team, and then have a post game snack and forget about the outcome. If your young child is obviously better than most then it’s certainly okay to pursue higher levels of play. Just understand that there is loads of attrition in youth sports and that if making a high school team is the focus a lot can happen between third grade and ninth grade.

And at all times try and model behavior that will make you proud years after the trophies tarnish and the mitts and cleats are relegated to the attic.

 

I have heard people brag about not needing more than a few hours of sleep. They would stop bragging if they knew what they were doing to their body.

There are always a few exceptions. Some time ago, I helped celebrate the 104^th birthday of Jack Heart who smoked and also drank a half pint of bourbon a day. I’ve attended many more funerals since for people with similar bad habits. One should not plan on being an exception.

Research has shown that getting enough sleep (at least seven hours a night) does the following:

• Helps prevent type II diabetes
• Helps to balance blood sugar
• Reestablishes the immune system
• Helps prevent cancer
• Increases your ability to deal with stress
• Helps prevent brain degeneration
• Allows for release of HGH which can slow down aging and promote repair and healing
• Promotes healthier youthful skin and fights wrinkles
• Helps prevent mood swings and bad behavior including ADHD
• Is very essential for cardiovascular health
• Is essential the preserving your Telomeres

So many times our solution to a health problem is to take a pill and your doctor might even agree and prescribe one. This is the typical case of treating the symptom and not the cause. There are many causes of poor sleep and each can be corrected by a specific treatment.

Some of the more common causes of poor sleep are:

• Bad sleeping habits such as irregular bedtimes or watching TV in bed
• Poor diet and eating habits
• Drinking alcohol
• Sleep Apnea
• Stress, or worse, distress

There are many more causes, but I will just address these common ones for now. Bad sleeping habits consist of irregular bedtimes, sleeping with lights on or disturbing sounds.  The brain has a built in clock that can be affected by light. Humans did 99+% of our evolving without lights which forced our sleeping hours. Staying up late watching TV, or worse, watching it in bed, can throw off the brain clock making sleep very disturbed.

Poor eating habits and bad diet can also be an enemy of sleep. You should try to eat a simple dinner early enough to have it mostly digested by bedtime. You know how kids get hyper on sugar? Adults are prone to that as well. Desserts should be deserted except for special occasions.

A poor diet low in minerals and vitamins can cause sleep problems. Taking natural supplements Niacin and Magnesium right before bed can help. Those prone to hot flashes should try Niacinamide.

Having a “night cap” may help you to go to sleep, but the effects reverse about three or four in the morning. Alcohol is not the answer to sleep problems, or for that matter anything related to good health.

Sleep Apnea us usually accompanied by snoring which of course affects sleep partners as well. I have some sleep apnea patients that don’t snore; they just hold their breath and gasp. Anyone who has this problem should be tested for sleep apnea and if he or she does not have this specific condition the snoring can be decreased with an oral appliance.

Stress is actually good for you. It is distress that causes serious health problems. In my TMJ clinic, when the patient really wants to be helped, I suggest a book by Hans Selye entitled “Stress with out Distress”.

This book suggests ways to change distress, which is stress with no goals or purpose, into stress and then how to deal with it.  An example would be recognizing that the root of ones distress might be a hating one’s job, and beginning training to move into another occupation might still be stressful but there is and end in sight, which takes away the distress.

The side effects of sleeping pills, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds and muscle relaxants can be worse than the problem. In addition, the type of sleep that is achieved does not start to compare to the benefits of the real thing. Western Medicine must turn away from treating symptoms and move towards treating the patient and the root cause of his or her maladies.

Robert Brown, DDS has a TMJ, orthodontia, and sleep apnea practice in Danville and thoroughly enjoys discussing holistic medicine. You can contact him at 925-837-8048, at info@aodtc.com, or visit his web site at www.aodtc.com.

 

In a past article I went over the general aspects of thyroid disease and the options for successful treatment. In this article, I would like to concentrate on the most misunderstood cause of thyroid problems – an overly-active or over vigilant immune system attack on the thyroid gland. This particular autoimmune problem is called Hashimoto’s Disease. In the U.S., this is by far the most common cause of low thyroid function. In this condition the immune system, usually given the task of protecting you from foreign invader substances and organisms, falters and begins to attack the thyroid, slowly destroying tissue over time. This causes low thyroid function (hypothyroidism), leading to fatigue, hair loss, bowel problems, brain fog and a host of symptoms related to a general slowing of function in every cell in your body.

Genetics play a role here and can lead to susceptibility for thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases as well. These diseases are known by the particular tissue the immune system attacks, like, rheumatoid arthritis (joints), celiac disease (small intestines), multiple sclerosis (central nervous system), psoriasis (skin), and, of course, Hashimoto’s disease (thyroid). It is really the immune system that is deranged and malfunctioning so it’s very important that it is evaluated and kept under control in order to decrease the potential devastating affects of this malfunction.

It sounds serious, and it is. You may be thinking, “Well if I have the gene for this, is there anything that I can do about it?” YES THERE IS!  There are natural treatments that can rectify this situation and restore balance without resorting to drugs that only mask the symptoms, allowing the condition to worsen.

These genetic tendencies are both controlled and triggered by diet, stress and lifestyle. Once a gene is switched in the wrong direction you can alter these same factors, THAT YOU CONTROL, to markedly decrease the effect. This is most efficiently done by finding and fixing the things that are causing your immune over reaction. This can be difficult, but is usually possible.

Emerging theories suggest that most, if not all, immune conditions come as the result of problems with an unhealthy digestive tract. This is because it is associated with the largest total amount of immune tissue of your body.

From beginning (mouth) to end (you can guess), your digestive tract has a surface area of about two full tennis courts. This surface, if injured or inflamed by poor diet choices or toxic exposure, will allow the entrance of substances that the immune system sees as “foreign” (antigens). This triggers an antibody attack. While the digestive system is designed to extract nutrients and fluid from your dinner, it is also designed to protect the gut from antigens. Unfortunately, with poor dietary choices, the digestive tract can begin to break down and start letting harmful substances into your blood including bad bacteria, yeast and even parasites. This is called “leaky gut syndrome.”  The antigens are identified as potentially harmful, and the war is “on.”  Inflammation (cytokines) increases and spreads to other structures in the body including joints, organs, brain and thyroid. No wonder autoimmune conditions are so varied it their symptoms.

The thyroid is one of the most susceptible organs to the immune response. Therefore, you could use thyroid symptoms as an early indicator of an “out-of-whack” immune system. Making sure you are addressing this before more organs go off line becomes crucial to maintaining your health and quality of life. At our clinic we can use appropriate blood, hormone and gut testing to see what exactly caused the wayward immune attack and can direct a treatment program for correcting these problems. In this way, our Functional Medicine protocol produces the most effective natural approach to the thyroid/autoimmune problem so you can feel good again.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek.  He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4325 (HEAL).  Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

 

 

If you are suffering from a pinched nerve or herniated disc, you know how debilitating it is and how the pain slowly leaks the vitality from your life. Since 1999 when Align Healing Center opened its doors, we have been specialists in treating pain naturally; whether it’s back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain or any other pain, we have been there to awaken the healing potential in the body and relieve the pain. That being said, we are always in search of miraculous new ways to relieve pain without the use of drugs, invasive procedures and certainly without inducing more pain! If you or someone you care about suffers from pinched nerves or disc related pain, it is worthwhile to explore the exceptional, non-invasive, natural therapies that are available today.

How can I heal my pain without drugs or surgery?

1. Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy

Non-surgical spinal decompression is a state of the art treatment that has been helping thousands of patients with chronic neck or low back pain, sciatica, and herniated, bulging or degenerated discs. This is an entirely different treatment from traditional chiropractic adjustments. Many of the patients who are candidates for this procedure have already tried chiropractic, physical therapy, injections, and/or were told they would need surgery.

This breakthrough treatment works by gently separating the vertebra which decompresses the disc, thus causing the bulging material to be drawn back into the disc. It does this by reversing the internal disc pressure, thus creating a vacuum effect. According to the Journal of Neurosurgery (vol. 81, 1994), decompression was found to substantially reduce the pressure inside disc, therefore allowing water and nutrients to be absorbed and initiate the healing process within the disc itself. Non-surgical spinal decompression is very effective, has a high success rate, and can be utilized for both cervical and lumbar disc injuries.

2. Class IV Laser Therapy

Laser treatments at Align Healing Center are done with the K-laser 1200 Class IV Laser. Class IV Laser therapy gets to the root of the injury and treats it at the cellular level, providing energy to the cells so they can heal. This laser does not cut or burn but is gently absorbed by the tissue.  During each painless treatment, laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

There is hope!

We have found that a combination of Class IV laser therapy and spinal decompression offers outstanding results in healing stubborn pain due to a pinched nerve, bulging discs or spinal degeneration.

As a general rule, most patients experience significant changes in symptoms within one to three sessions.  Occasionally, a more advanced degenerative condition or multiple level herniated discs may take 8-10 sessions before realizing a major decline in symptoms. Relief response varies according to age, body morphology and the degree of severity.

This unique combination of non-invasive therapy offers a chance for realizing a permanent cure for neck or back pain. This eliminates the long-term care commitment forced upon patients by other symptomatic low-back pain treatments, such as drugs, injections or surgery.  With proper care and rehabilitation of your spine you can be back to your healthy self quickly!

For more information about Dr. Niele Maimone, DC or to set up a complimentary consult call 925.362.8283 or visit www.alignhealingcenter.com.