Column

Comfort Food is a fun novel by Kate Jacobs, author of the bestselling Friday Night Knitting Club. The main character is Augusta “Gus” Simpson who is a well-known hostess and has her own show on the Cooking Channel. After being the top dog for years, her ratings are slipping and the producers want to pair her with an up and coming new Cooking Channel star. Carmen Vega is a former Miss Spain and a decidedly ambitious diva. She and Gus constantly butt heads and their debut live show seems headed for disaster when their guest stars can’t show up.

Quick thinking Gus quickly grabs a motley crew of friends and family in the audience to help her and Carmen cook on air. There are her two slightly dysfunctional daughters, Sabrina and Aimee and Sabrina’s ex-boyfriend Troy. There is Oliver, an ex-financial wizard turned chef and Hannah, an ex-tennis star turned recluse. The mixture of these crazy personalities produces chemistry on air and the show becomes a hit. The rest of the book is a madcap story about what ensues.

Full of yummy descriptions of gourmet meals, Comfort Food is a feast for the senses. The plot has some twists and turns and some of the characters are just plain zany. I loved the relationships between such a different personalities and how they interact. There’s some romance thrown in there and a twist on who gets the girl. It was an altogether enjoyable light read. It is good for reading on the beach or near the pool this summer. If you’re looking for a great escape without the calories, try Comfort Food.

“The Arts are very necessary for young people…” Actress, Carol Channing

When the economy tightens and school budgets shrink, music programs and other arts courses are often the first to be cut. Young people are then deprived of the unique opportunity the Arts provide – helping develop their own creativity, learning self discipline, teamwork and leadership skills to increase their sense of self-worth and enjoyment of life.

“Rather than think of courses in the Arts as a sort of ‘whipped cream’ they must become basic experiences in education,” stated Psychologist, Abraham Maslow. “Education is learning what to grow toward, what is good and bad, what is desirable and undesirable to choose and not to choose.”

Students involved in the Arts are more likely to be high achievers on tests, less likely to drop out by grade 10 and are more engaged with learning during the school day, according to a study by the Arts Education Partnership. Students exposed to the Arts do better in other subjects than those who are not. “Students would stagnate without any form of visual or performing arts training,” said, Bruce Smith, a lifelong artist and high school art teacher. Training in the Arts is essential to be a well-rounded person.

Late in the 20th century educators, researchers and other enlightened people were in common agreement that the visual arts and performing arts (music, theater and dance) all belonged in the “core” curriculum of our public schools. No longer were Arts courses thought of as peripheral or nonessential for the education of our youth. Today it’s a different story. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts these courses are considered nonessential and are being dropped in many of our public schools.

Visual and performing arts are at the very heart of an intelligent and well- informed citizenry. Teachers, administrators and curriculum coordinators of our public school system embrace this philosophy, and the University of California system and the California State Universities do also. This is evidenced by the fact that visual and performing arts are one of the required courses for admission to a university and have been for a number of years.

One of the greatest values of a comprehensive arts program (music, art, theater and dance) is that it allows all students to develop, to the best of their ability, those qualities that will help them understand and enjoy life to its fullest.

After a member of the British House of Commons during World War II said that everything, including the Arts should be set aside for the war effort – Winston Churchill rose and declared, “But that’s what we’re fighting for!”

Long live the Arts! They help define our culture and who we are. They should be at the basic core of learning in our schools. The Arts are not a frill but an important mode of expression that defines our humanity and our happiness.

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.

Well, I went ahead and did it. In the little quiz a month or so ago, I said that Doc Medich and Fritz Peterson were the Yankee pitchers who swapped wives. Shame on me! Thanks to reader, Dominick Collichio, my error was pointed out. It was Mike Kekich, not Doc Medich. I got my “iches” crossed. Thanks to Dominick for pointing this out. I am happy to see he reads this nonsense. I promise to keep my “iches” under better control. Speaking of “iches” or “itches,” let’s go.
 

1. Who was the male star of the 1955 movie “Seven Year Itch”?
2. Who was the long time second baseman for the Orioles and Angels in the 70’s and 80″s?
3. Whose first hit record was “Rags to Riches” in the 50’s?
4. The original name of this TV series was “You’ll Never Get Rich.” Who was the star and what was the name of the character?
5. Michael Richards played Kramer on the “Seinfeld” show. What was Kramer’s first name?
6. Who made a classic introduction to a long movie career when he played Tommy Udo in 1947’s “Kiss of Death”?

AUGUST’S TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1. June Lockhart 2. Ray Milland 3. Cy Young 4. Shangri-la 5. Ira Gershwin 6. Hubert Humphrey

AUGUST TRIVIA WINNER:
Debbie McGaffey of Livermore

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by September 25, 2010. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 199 East Linda Mesa Avenue, Suite 10, Danville, CA 94526. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Financial Planning week™ 2010

The challenging economic environment seems to have everyone’s attention these days. Now more than ever, consumers should take the time to improve their financial knowledge in order to make better financial decisions. That is what Financial Planning Week™ is all about. The Financial Planning Association (FPA®) is excited to be celebrating the ninth annual Financial Planning Week™, October 4-10. During this week, the FPA® strives to build public awareness of the financial planning process, enabling individuals to make prudent financial decisions to achieve their life goals and dreams.

The FPA® is a non-profit member organization that believes that everyone is entitled to objective advice from a competent, ethical financial planner to make smart financial decisions. We have one of the strongest chapters in the nation right here in our own backyard. Our local chapter, The FPA® of the East Bay, has a membership of over 400 local financial professionals representing some of top financial planning minds in the Bay Area. Our members demonstrate a professional commitment to education and a client-centered financial planning process.

The FPA® offers some excellent resources to consumers. Please visit www.fpaforfinancialplanning.org and explore some of the free resources available that include: Find a Planner – The FPA offers consumers an easy way to search for a CFP® professional in their area. Ask a Planner – Use the Ask a CFP® professional hotline to ask a general personal finance question by email. Free Literature – The FPA offers a number of free brochures on a variety of personal finance topics. Career Center – The FPA provides a wealth of information for those interested in a career in financial planning.

20 Ways to Celebrate Financial Planning Week

• Balance your checkbook
• Make a monetary contribution to your favorite charity
• Start a savings account for a child, vacation or a gift for yourself
• Help teach your children how to save and spend wisely
• Get your estate in order: Create or revise your will and other estate-planning documents
• Call your financial planner and share your appreciation for their service
• Pay off a credit card
• Get a head start on college — investigate college planning options
• Establish an emergency fund
• Evaluate your employee benefits and begin planning for open enrollment
• Develop your holiday spending budget
• Plan for year-end tax strategies
• Purchase a session with a financial planner for a relative, friend or colleague
• Give a relative, friend or colleague a subscription to a personal finance magazine
• Invite a financial planner to speak at your workplace
• Review your insurance coverage
• Write down your financial goals and revisit them periodically
• Start using personal finance software to help you better understand your money
• Look up three financial terms that have baffled you and resolve to understand them
• Talk to a relative about their plans for long-term care

Financial Planning Week™ is an excellent time to asses your own personal finances and to discover the value of financial planning. I strongly urge you to do one of the things on the list above and visit the site to take advantage of the free, objective content made available by the Financial Planning Association™. Happy Financial Planning Week™!

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 should not be construed as investment advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Not all recommendations are suitable for all investors. Each investor must consider their own goals, time horizon and risk tolerance. Your comments are welcome. Damien can be reached at 925-280-1800 x101 or Damien@WalnutCreekWealth.com.

In the short bonus section that plays at the end of the film, Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon’s brother, Kip, sings a song to his bride at their wedding that expresses his comparative love for her and technology—“…yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see… always and forever…” he sings, as he wipes a tear from his eye. While it’s pretty hilarious, you still feel touched by Kip’s sincerity—yes, he is s a geek but it’s a heartfelt gesture of true love just the same.

I sometimes wonder, with today’s swirl of computers, smartphones, iPads and GPS units, are we drowning in a techno-polluted sea of our own making? Are we losing touch with what it means to be human? Would our quality of life be better if we took a few steps back and lived without our steady press forward into a future seemingly filled with ever more clever gadgets and gizmos?

I’d say it’s a matter of perspective—of keeping “things” in their proper place in the hierarchy of human affairs. We must remember that technology is a means to, not an end in itself. As the saying goes, “The most important things in life are not things.” How and why we use technology defines its value, so if we strive to create and use it in ways that support virtue and health, I say, “Bring it on—the more technology, the better.” We just need to control the technology, not let it control us.
Of course our cover this month is certainly all about technology. Our ALIVE Marketplace application is just one way we’re doing our best at ALIVE to add value to what we offer to our readers and advertisers.

Technology is neutral. So long as the motivation behind it is to make life better and serve those around us, then our satellite radios, microwaves and graphite golf clubs are good things. It’s okay to love technology, but not as much as you, you see, always and forever…