Nov 16 diablo gazette digitalrev

A Visit to

Cuba

•Concord City Council Race Review •Secret Service Tales: “Assassin Scare” •Best Midnight Munchies Restaurants •Travel: A Visit to Cuba •Food, Crafts and Holiday Fun •Holiday Calendar of Events ...and more great stories inside....

See Page 16

See Page 5

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from the publisher

by David King

When it Rains It Pours

It is a hectic time. More so this year with the elections. Is this the oddest election of all time? I will be glad when the voting is over, and let’s hope the winners aren’t as bad as the losers said he or she would be. Down come the Halloween decorations, up goes Thanksgiving – unless you’re one of those households that skip straight to Christmas decorating. Then Black Friday, Cyber-Monday,etc. When it

rains, it pours. And it has been raining a lot.

Despite the anxiety, I am looking forward to the holidays. Diablo Gazette wishes all of you the happiest of times.

Thanks for reading. Please follow our Facebook page and look for additional and expanded articles at www.

diablogazette.com.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Book Review: At the Edge of the Orchard

bookends

by Tracy Chevalier

by Jill Hedgecock,

Program Coordinator Mount Diablo California Writer’s Club jillhedgecock.com In At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier (2016, hardcover, Viking, 289 pages, $18.36), James and Sadie Goodenough live a destitute farming life in the harsh, black swampland of Ohio with their five surviving children.

Consistent with the 1800s era when sons and daughters rarely lived to see to adolescence; swamp fever claimed five of their ten children.

In a world with few pleasures, James covets one thing above all else: the sweet taste of golden pippin apples. His wife Sadie, however, craves the hard cider made from the sour apples called “spitters.” John Chapman (best known as Johnny Appleseed) is more than happy to encourage Sadie’s thirst for the alcoholic applejack. This turns out to be unfortunate for the Goodenoughs given Sadie’s embittered and vengeful personality. All-out war breaks out in the Goodenough family when it comes time to decide whether to plant more “eaters” or spitters. When James’s wife loses all restraint and decides to take an axe to her husband’s “eater” trees, and everything goes wrong, the youngest Goodenough, Robert, escapes the swampland, leaving two sisters and two brothers behind, including frail Martha.

Robert heads West taking odd jobs and never lingering longer than a few years at any one place. In Texas, he meets Molly, who fancies Robert a lot more than he likes her. When Robert lands in California, Molly tracks him down and their tenuous romance resumes. Here too, Robert meets real-life character, William Lobb, a Cornish plant collector who is employed by Veitch Nurseries.

Mr. Lobb gives Robert a job supporting

the collection of evergreen trees and seeds to ship back to England and Wales. His occupation becomes an important part of Robert’s life journey as he learns how to be a “tree man.”

Tracy Chevalier has written eight historical novels, including the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was made into an Oscar®-nominated film.

Her skill in capturing the days of old serves this book well. Chevalier does a tremendous job of describing the haphazard birth of San Francisco as a city in the gold rush days, the wonderment of first views of the majestic redwoods, the challenges of ship travel, and the development of the tourist industry surrounding the sequoias of California at Calaveras Big Trees.

The book is revealed through multiple perspectives, including James, Sadie, Robert and Martha Goodenough. Told partially as epistolary (in the form of letters) fiction, the novel describes the difficult circumstances the men and women had to overcome, and the lack of communication available between families in those days, while trying to survive on the American frontier.

The novel is a stark reminder of the rigors American pioneers faced in the mid-1800s. I can’t think of a better book to read as an homage to the pioneers that provided the foundation to make California a great state on this Thanksgiving holiday.

moviemavericks

So, What is Cyber Security Exactly?

computercorner

by William Claney, Computers USA

The information technology wags (IT geeks) are quick to point out that cyber security is today’s number one threat to the health and welfare of your digital world. Well, that may be true, but what is cyber security and how do I get one?

The University of Maryland University Collage (UMUC) a leading security educational facility describes cyber security this way, “Cyber security, or information technology security, protects computers, networks, programs & [sic] data from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction.”

Okay so this problem sounds like something Wal-Mart might be interested in, perhaps, to keep their shoppers credit card information safe. Well, since Wal-Mart, along with dozens of other corporate data breaches, make the news every day, what chance do you have using your little computer to fend off weapons and attacks from all over the Internet?

The big companies ignored the problems; they let their security lapse and didn’t believe their own geeks when they were told of threats, patches, updates, malware, viri, bots, DDoS, security holes and the gambit of vulnerability problems. All the problems were to “high-tech” for the suits in the

golden offices so their warnings went unheeded. Will you make the same mistake?

What have you done lately to protect your computing environment? It is good you have anti-virus, and some of you have malware protection, but it’s not enough. Do you think you’re safe from an attack of 10,000 computers at once? Let me say it again, so you think you are safe from 10,000 computers attacking you?

Pause and think about it. Every time you enter the Internet tens of thousands of computers are trying to find your weakness and invade your life. True.

How do you fight back, do you even have a chance? The answer is yes.

You can fight back, and you can be safe. We certainly recommend antivirus and anti-malware protection, but that’s not enough anymore. You need cyber security through a managed service provider (MSP). It monitors bad activities on your computer and mobilizes a coordinated defense. With an MSP you join an army of good guys that point their computer power in the direction of your protection. Fight back with truly amazing defensive power.

Find out more by contacting an MSP near you, like us.

Chisolm assembles a rowdy and raucous group of misfits to aid in taking back the town of Rose Creek. The pack includes gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), weapons expert Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Indian tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) and wanted Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo).

Antoine Fuqua command of his craft, technique, and cinematic language are commendable, he’s graduated into

another level on this picture. This is a wonderfully directed film without a single wasted moment in the 135 minute running time. Some may find the elongated battle sequence that takes up the majority of the second hour over-kill, I found it exhilarating and worth the price of admission. Chris Pratt once again proves to be a major presence, he nearly walks off with another film. Stopping the thieving thespian are his high-caliber costars, who are all on target.

Director: Antoine Fuqua Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke

by Jason Rugaard www.moviemavericks.com

Antoine Fuqua’s remake of John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven, which itself was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, is the best traditional big studio-released western in over 20 years. Lately revisionist takes on the genre such as The Revenant, True Grit, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight have dominated the format. So, it’s refreshing to see a sturdy unabashedly earnest honest-togoodness ‘cowboy’ movie. This marks the third successful collaboration between director Antoine Fuqua and leading man Denzel Washington. Although, equally captivating are Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke,

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

and Vincent D’Onofrio.

It’s 1879, and a corrupt barron is attempting a land grab on the unsuspecting citizens of the mining town of Rose Creek. Locals that have stood up to the sadistic industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) have been brutally murder in public view, to assure minimal resistance from the other townsfolk. The widow of one of the slaughtered men rides to the nearest town to recruit someone who can fight back against Bogue. There she comes upon Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), who is hesitant to accept the job until he learns of Bogue’s involvement.

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What Really Matters

by Dan Ashley, ABC-7 News Anchor http://abclocal.go.com

A Proposition about Propositions Take comfort- relief is at hand!

The long, winding, and weird road that has been this presidential election is nearing an end after months of campaigning that has wobbled from the outrageous to the absurd. After all of the talking and yelling on the stump, voters finally get their turn.

In California, that turn also includes a long list of statewide propositions on the ballot. Some are of vital importance on issues that voters should probably help decide like bond money for schools or whether there should be a death penalty in California. Others can be confusing, misleading, often competing measures that can muddy the already murky waters of state government. When deliberative bodies like the state legislature pass decisions along to the electorate, there is always the risk of unintended consequences.

Take Prop 56 as an example which would raise taxes on a pack of cigarettes by $2. Certainly, the goal of convincing or compelling more people to quit smoking is a noble goal that helps both the smoker and society by extending lives and reducing health care costs.

But will it also end up creating a greater underground market for cigarettes?

Does that significant jump in cost further

incentivize bootleggers from buying smokes elsewhere, say Nevada, and selling them here?

And then there is this. If the state becomes dependent on that new revenue source, (hard to imagine that happening, I’m sure) what happens when that money begins to fade if fewer people stop smoking as we would all hope?

Sometimes, the propositions on the ballot can make one wonder…. Why? Take Proposition 60. Why are we being asked to decide whether porn stars should have to wear condoms while making their movies? Isn’t that a workplace safety issue that could be left to state regulators or legislators to decide? After all, voters were not asked if construction workers should have to wear hard hats and steel-toed shoes on the job.

California voters have already voted on a key component of making our system work—they voted to elect lawmakers to make the laws. What Really Matters is that they stop passing the buck on decisions they were put in power to make.

Dan Ashley is an anchor at ABC-7 News and can be seen weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. on ABC-7 and at 9 p.m. on KOFY TV20. Contact him at Dan. Ashley@abc.com. Visit http://www.rockwithpush. com for more on the band.

“Escape Alcatraz” Thrilling New Ride Opens at Fisherman’s Wharf A new $1 million drop ride added to the SF Dungeon show underneath Fisherman’s Wharf debuted this Halloween weekend. The new ride

creates a thrilling finale to the sixtyminute Dungeon experience, complete with fresh sets, script, characters, and costumes that culminates in a heartpounding drop ride simulating a jump from the infamous island prison into the frigid and choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay. This is a below sea level construction marvel engineered by Swiss-based WillTEC. The custom-built ride height totals 23 feet with a drop of just over 11 feet. The ride will hold a total of 18 passengers per drop while a snug lap bar provides passenger safety in two gondolas, each holding nine passengers at a time.

Nothing else like The San Francisco Dungeon or the new “Escape Alcatraz” drop ride exists in the entire country, making this the first and only family-friendly attraction of its kind in the United States to be created by Merlin Entertainments.

Here’s what to expect. As you depart the popular “Ghosts of Alcatraz” show scene, you’re marched through a dimly lit corridor into a stark and foreboding

and immersive processing room.

Realistic prison set pieces and props, including posters of prisoners and the prison’s rules, surround you as you’re fingerprinted and processed as prison inmates by a grim and not-so-friendly guard. As is true with all Dungeon shows, you will also learn a bit of true history surrounding 1915 Alcatraz and its infamous past.

Next, as prisoners you are shuffled out to the desolate prison yard where you find yourself joining an escape attempt as a storm rages above. Sirens, barking dogs, shouting guards, and the scream of bullets fly past. Searchlights sweep across the faces of trapped prisoners who… desperate to escape The Rock… now face a jump… into the deathly San Francisco Bay… and DROP! Lucky prisoners successfully “Escape Alcatraz” and complete their journey through The San Francisco Dungeon.

Elaborate sets with simulated grass and foliage create an authentic recreation of an Alcatraz cliff complete with barbed wire on aged wooden supports, sooty brickwork, and splashes of mud.

Sounds of distant thunder, sea gulls, sea lions, crashing waves, and the hum of the prison echoes around a room filled with the smell of briny sea air. Detailed prison guard costumes, sharp and irreverent script writing, and hilarious visitor interaction and engagement make the show and build-up to the (optional) drop ride that much more genuine and thrilling.

The San Francisco Dungeon admission starts at $22 for adults, with lower rates for SF Bay Area residents, youth, seniors, students, teachers and the disabled. For best pricing, visit www.thedungeons. com/sanfrancisco

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Pumpkin Pie Minis FrugElegance

by Carol and Randi

The Frugirls www.frugelegance.com These mini pumpkin pies are so easy to make and are just the right size. They are perfect for your dessert table with other bite size favorites. Your guests can enjoy several sweet treats without any slicing or cutting -less hassle, less mess and easier serving.

Ready-made pie crusts make these mini-pumpkin pie preparations even easier. Following the directions for the filling on the canned pumpkin pie mix.

We found the canned pumpkin 4” circle was the perfect size to fit in a cupcake pan. Using the can, we cut the circle for each of the mini pie crusts, then pressed into the cupcake tins. Then pour the prepared pie mix until full in each of the prepared cups.

Using small fall pie crust cutters*, we rolled the scraps of pie crust to make cutouts to embellish the pies. Brush the cutouts with some of the left over evaporated milk from the filling. Then add the cutouts to the pies after the first 13 minutes of baking and reduce the oven temperature. *We love to saving money when we can. Our original blog post has information on shopping options for where to buy the fall leaf pie cutters. www.Frugelegance. com Directions: •Preheat oven to 425 degrees •Prepare pumpkin pie filling per can directions •Cut out (12) 4” circles from the Ready-made pie crust and line each tin in your cupcake pan, crimping top edges with your fingers •Bake pies for 13 minutes at 425 degrees •Turn down heat, add top cut outs if you choose and bake for additional 19-23 minutes until filling is set (toothpick comes out clean) •Let cool and gently use a spoon to lift the pies out of the pan Enjoy plain or with a dollop of whipped cream topping! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We hope you will visit us at frugelegance.com, the place where frugal and elegance always come together. Follow us on Facebook and be a Fru-Girl (or Guy) too!

Grateful Garden Gardenwise

by Jere Peck, Garden Manager The Gardens at Heather Farms

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you might be asking yourself, “How the heck is it already November?” But alas, the leaves are changing colors, the air is crisp, and we even had our first soaker of the rainy season (hooray!). Yes, once again, it is that time of year to pause and give thanks.

Thanksgiving is truly the perfect holiday for gardeners and cooks. The whole meal is built around use of seasonal foods. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato casserole, and of course, anything made with cranberries. The entire Thanksgiving meal is a showcase of the garden’s abundance, as well as a chance to share its bounty with family and friends and be thankful for all that we have.

You don’t necessarily need to grow edibles to join in the festive, seasonal fun.

In fact, you likely already have everything you need in your garden to make your own holiday wreath. Evergreen branches will last several weeks, but you can also use vines, ground covers, or anything else that suits your fancy. Nothing quite says the holidays like little red berries; however, if you plan to bring your wreath indoors, keep in mind that those berries can attract bugs.

Here at The Gardens at Heather Farm, we are grateful for so many things. We are grateful to our wonderful volunteers who help to maintain a beautiful space.

We are deeply grateful to our members, donors and community partners who support us in pursuit of our mission to enrich the community through the beauty and environmental stewardship of our gardens. Also, we are grateful to the garden itself for its fertile soil, colorful life, and all that it teaches us.

Meanwhile, out in the garden... let the subtle hints of Fall sound an annual alarm in your head, “Plant

now! Plant now!” Forget spring, here in California the time to plant is Fall.

Especially those California natives! Get plants in the ground now and by spring they will have developed a healthy root system that will prepare them for the long dry months of scorching heat that summer brings. And for all the “black thumb” gardeners out there, plant bulbs.

These garden treasures require little to no effort at all. Simply place the bulbs in a shallow hole, cover, and watch them explode next year. Garden tip: plant bulbs extra dense. You will be grateful you did.

Dig it. Happy gardening!

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Spotting a Serious Home Buyer Jennifer Stojanovich Realtor

One of the frustrations you may encounter when selling your home is dealing with people who may not be serious about buying. Perhaps they’re just testing the waters of the market or daydreaming about one day owning a home when they walk into your open house. You can save yourself a lot of annoyance by learning how to spot the serious buyers. Here are a few clues to guide you.

They are pre-approved for a mortgage.

Serious buyers know that they need to get pre-approved for a mortgage before looking for a home in earnest. That pre-approval from a lender is a signal to sellers that says they’re ready and able to move forward with an offer.

They’ve taken the time to be vetted by a lender and they’re financially capable of purchasing a home.

They are looking at homes that match their wish list. Perhaps a potential buyer comes along that is looking for a home in a certain price range and yours fits the bill. But you learn that they are really hoping for a home in a suburban community that is close to amenities, while your home is a rural property on the outskirts of town. If your home doesn’t hit the marks on a buyer’s wish list, it’s likely they aren’t serious about it.

They are more likely to be judgmental.

Buyers who aren’t too serious about putting in an offer on your home are more likely to be polite and friendly when taking a tour. Those who are a little more reserved or point out various flaws? It’s more likely they’re the ones who are thinking seriously about your home.

Don’t let their poker faces throw you off.

Most buyers know or have been coached

by their agent to refrain from displaying an emotional response to your home.

They return for a second or third look.

Those buyers who come back for a second or even a third look at your home are the most interested and probably the most likely to put in an offer. Those who are just browsing will not take the time to come back for another look.

They make possessive comments.

Seasoned real estate agents are attuned to what potential buyers are saying about your home, and there are certain types of comments that can provide clues that a buyer is serious. If they make remarks about how a piece of their furniture will fit in a room or how nice one of their rugs will look in the living room, they are already envisioning themselves living in the space.

They have been looking for a while.

Buyers that are at the beginning of the process looking at their first homes probably aren’t quite ready to pull the trigger and put in an offer without looking at other homes first for comparison. The further the buyer is into the process, the more likely they are serious. This is especially true if they are up against any deadlines, like the beginning of a new job or the start of the school year.

Selling your home can be an emotional and complex process, but learning to spot serious buyers can save you time and heartache in the end.

Compliments of Virtual Results.

Jennifer Stojanovich is a broker associate at Better Homes Realty in Clayton. Visit my blog for more home tips at www. jenniferstojanovich.com.

See Our Ad on Page 4

from the principal’s desk

by Dr. Patrick Gaffney, CVCHS

Election: The Movie

by Edi Birsan,

Concord City Councilman Editor’s Note: Concord Councilman Edi Birsan’s column explores the issues facing voters and the future council. The priorities include the topics of political reform, public safety, traffic and roads, economic reform, and social reform. It is quite thorough and much more than we have space to provide. You can read Edi’s entire unedited article on our website www.diablogazette.com.

We had Halloween as the Fright Night followed by the Day of the Dead for many; however, the true scary spectacle is not for another week- Election Night.

We have seen the truth scared out of our election process, integrity turned upside down and myths and distortion masquerading as facts. If this could all just be turned into movies, I have a few movie pitches I’d like to make.

Telling Lies: While campaigning, the nation accuses a candidate of lying 70% of the time. They could be wrong. To tell a lie, you must be aware of the truth. Is this candidate lying his way to office, or just unaware and too impatient to know the truth in the first place… let alone being able to fabricate around it?

Or, is he a drone controlled by a virus infected artificial intelligence operating on twitter?

Ethics: A local public official who upon learning of some untoward LEGAL donations to his campaign returns the funds. When it becomes a distraction

for his city, he recuses himself from any decision that might imply conflict of interest. An independent investigation reports that the donating COMPANY was in the wrong, and the official acted appropriately. Yet despite his corrective actions, he’s branded “unethical” by a group of ill-mannered news columnists.

Demonic Attacks: Without knowing the opponent’s position on public policy, a desperate attack on an opponent’s religion insults all Christians, the Pope and Rome. Uh oh.

Opaque Transparency: A system is in place for companies to come before a City Council for bids. But one refuses to do so, making legal claims and demands, and does not address their issues in public. Somehow, that is considered transparency, but when the Council asks the staff to not make a recommendation, leaving it to the people and the Council to decide without such bias. The street mobs are tricked into riot on suspiciously violating transparency led by a set of masked assassins.

ESP Conspiracy Theory: Public officials all come to the same conclusion?

Was it ESP=Extra Special Politics, the great conspiracy; or, ESP, the uncanny supernatural ability to make an identical decision independently, driven by the common desire to have an unbiased presentation? (aka Especially Simple Prognosis).

We are looking at the culmination of politics by emotion. That equates to dating based on the writing on a

As the school year begins, one of the questions I often get asked by CVCHS parents: Is it possible for my student to receive a failing grade?

Truth be told, some students face academic challenges. However, our team comprised of teachers and academic counselors are committed to making failure as difficult as we can. CVCHS expects our students to graduate, but also recognize that the high school journey has some bumps along the way, and we are not going to be passive when students struggle.

CVCHS has implemented a “Failure Free Zone” which is taking an aggressive stance on student intervention. Our teachers and academic counselors are making every attempt to eliminate failure as an option for our students.

For example, freshman year of high school may be one of the most important transitions in deciding if a student will be able to succeed in higher education. Failure to graduate from high school is strongly tied to ninth grade course failure. That’s why Bob Ralston, bathroom wall at a bus station. This is not just limited to the national debacle, but permeates down to the smallest local ‘discussions’ where the hyperbolic and hubris seem to have no sense of decent recanter coming from the society at large.

It is truly a frightening experience which may shock people into doing nothing, or worse, making really scary choices. I cannot wait till it is over and wake in the morning to be told ‘Dear, it was all a bad movie…er, dream.’

Call me if you want to meet and talk as I will listen. Edi Birsan 925 798 3537.

EdiBirsan@gmail.com

our 9th Grade Academic Advisor, is working tirelessly to identify our incoming students early who need help in the transition process.

Here at CVCHS, failure free is also addressed through several intervention programs including Saturday Bridge and Peer Tutoring which are led by AVID teacher Sarah Lovick. These comprehensive tutorial programs allow struggling students to receive weekend and after-school help from teachers and fellow students. This year, approximately 125 students are participating in Saturday credit recovery and 100 plus students a week attend after-school tutoring in order to regain their path toward graduation.

Throughout my 24 years in education, there’s always been a growing concern when students are given grades they don’t earn or just allowed to pass for no reason.

However, that’s simply not the case here at CVCHS. Our failure free philosophy not only makes our students accountable for work, it refuses to accept complacency or under performance.

REMEMBER TO VOTE

ON NOVEMBER 8th

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The Diablo Gazette’s

November 2016

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FUNDRAISERS

•Pancake Breakfast - Supporting Veterans of foreign Wars – 2nd and 4th Sundays includes eggs, pancakes, sausage, beverage.

8 – 11 a.m. Willow Pass Road, Concord $5, $3 Children under 12. http://www.vfwpost1525. org •Nov 6- “Johnny Rocket and Candy Wrapper” – Musical revue from Broadway hits of 40’s and 50’s, Elivs and Neil Diamond

by Bill and Shirley McQuiston. Diamond Terrace 6401 Center St. Clayton. 4:00 – 6:30pm. Hosted by GFWC Clayton Valley Woman’s Club. Tickets $25. For reservations call 925-672-9448.

•December 3 -4-Start a family tradition by celebrating the holidays at the 21st annual Teddy Bear Tea and Holiday Boutique at The Gardens at Heather Farm.

Enjoy a variety of sweet and savory teatime treats, a visit to ‘Bearland’ for story time, souvenir photo, plus goodies for each child.

The Holiday Boutique offers special oneof-a-kind gifts. The Teddy Bear Tea raises funds for The Gardens’ youth education programs. tea seatings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek. Tea is $20/child; $25/adult; free for Teddy Bears!

Perfect for children ages 3 to 9. Free parking and admission to the Holiday Boutique.

Reservations required: https://gardenshf. org/teddy-bear-tea-coming-dec-3rd-4th/ or call 925-947-1678.

OUTDOORS: • Concord: Todos Santos Park OFF the Grid Mondays. Find the full lineup available at http://offthegridsf.com.

• Walnut Creek: Off the Grid Every Tuesday; 1380 N. California Blvd. from 5-9pm; Live music from 6-8 pm featuring, Quinn Deveuax , Food truck lovers rejoice!

The community of Walnut Creek can come together to enjoy a variety of Off the Grid food trucks, live entertainment, wine and beer garden, and lots of tasty reasons to come back every Tuesday with family and friends for this ongoing weekly event. Find the full lineup available at http://offthegridsf.com.

• November 24 - 24th Annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot. from 6:30 to 11am.

“Move your feet before you eat!” More than 7,000 runners and walkers from across the country are expected at Walnut Creek’s largest running/walking event to raise funds for both the Contra Costa County Food Banks and local public schools. Perfect for a familyfriendly challenge, , runners and walkers can enter the 5k run/walk, 10k, half mile, quarter mile, the one-hundred-yard dash, or Kids’ Fun Run (12 and under) from Broadway to Civic Park . Costumed runners are welcome.

Costume contest begins at 9:30 a.m. Rain/ shine. Registration is now open. For more information and registration: Please visit www. formaturkeytrot.com.

Club/Support Group Events FAMILY EVENTS

• Galindo Home and Gardens - 1721 Amador Avenue, Concord Visit the fullyrestored 1856 Victorian home of Francisco Galindo, one of Concord’s founding fathers, and his wife, Maria Dolores Manuela (Pacheco) Galindo. This includes the 1875 addition

by Francisco Galindo’s son, Juan “John” Galindo. Tours are Sundays 1pm – 4pm and by appointment. For further information, contact the Concord Historical Society www. concordhistorical.org • November 11- Veterans Day Ceremony –Free concert performed by the Walnut Creek Concert Band honors veterans. 11 a.m. at the Lesher Center of the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr. Walnut Creek.

•November 26- Dec 11: Victorian Tea and 33rd annual Holiday boutique at Shadelands Ranch Museum with hundreds of handcrafted gifts for sale. Three-course tea luncheons include delicious scones, homemade lemon curd and the Museum’s Secret Shadelands Tea Blend. Tea seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and faire from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $35/person for tea; free parking and

admission to faire. 2660 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek. Reservations required: 925935-7871.

Home & Garden/Farmers’ Markets

• Concord Tuesdays, 10am to 2pm, yearround, rain or shine, Todos Santos Plaza. • • Concord Thursdays, 4pm to 8pm, Todos Santos Plaza.

• Martinez Sundays, 10am to 2pm, yearround, Main St. and Estudillo.

• Walnut Creek Diablo Valley Farmers Market Saturday 9a.m. - 1 p.m. Shadelands Business Park, N. Wigett Lane and Mitchell Dr. Contra Costa Certified Farmers Market Sundays 9 am - 1 pm, Year Round, North Locust St between Giamona and Lacassie St. (925) 431-8361 http://www.cccfm.org

VISUAL ARTS/THEATRE/ MUSIC

Get Ready for Thanksgiving with the 24th Annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot

“Move your feet before you eat!”

More than 7,000 runners and walkers from across the country are expected at Walnut Creek’s largest running/ walking event to raise funds for both the Contra Costa County Food Banks and local public schools. The 24th Annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot begins at 6:30 am to 11 am on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a perfect family-friendly challenge for runners and walkers to enter the 5k run/walk, 10k, half mile, quarter mile, the one-hundred-yard dash, or Kids’ Fun Run (12 and under). Rain or Shine.

Costumed runners are welcome.

Race registration is now open and the entry fee ranges from $16.50-$24/racer and includes a Turkey Trot Race T-shirt while supplies last.

The beneficiaries of the Turkey Trot are the Walnut Creek Education Foundation, P.E.A.K. Education Foundation, Wellness City Challenge, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, The Rollins Family Foundation and Forma Kids Foundation. Sponsored by Forma Gym. For more registration information visit www.formaturkeytrot.com.

Diabetes Health Fair at Concord Senior Center

by Christine Kogut In the early 1950’s, I loved spending the night at my Nana Christine and Papa Ole’s house in Oakland. Before we could eat our breakfast Nana would inject Papa with his insulin with the biggest syringe with the sharpest needle my little eyes had ever seen.

Papa, always a jokester, would then turn to me and say “Now it’s your turn”. Well I didn’t think it was funny then and it really wasn’t funny when he ultimately lost both his legs to this insidious disease.

Great strides have been made in the ensuing years in the quest to stamp out diabetes but we’re not there yet. Diabetes may cause devastating damage to your kidneys, pancreas, circulatory system, integumentary system (skin), central nervous system, and even the reproductive system. I have friends who suffer terribly with neuropathy and pain because they’re diabetic.

According to the American Diabetes Association 1.4 million

Americans are diagnosed with some form of the disease yearly. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. According to ADA, one quarter, (25.9%) of seniors are affected by diabetes.

A Diabetes Health Fair will be held on Saturday, November 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle. Individuals with diabetes, those that have been diagnosed prediabetic or individuals wanting to learn more about the disease are encouraged to attend. Free health screenings for blood glucose, blood pressure, dental, eye, hearing and more will be offered.

Bring your list of medications for review Presentations by endocrinologist, Ammar Quobaitary, MD; Tai Chi instructor, Lester Wong, PharmD; and Doreen Colondres, “Cocina Latina” celebrity chef will be featured. You might even win a raffle prize!

Thank You For Reading The Diablo Gazette To Advertise call (925) 298-9990

• The San Francisco Dungeon -- Live actors in full Barbary Coast period costume and make-up engage make this a one-of-a-kind attraction on Fisherman’s Wharf. (No, it’s not a sex club.) The San Francisco Dungeon is a 60-minute walkthrough experience that explores San Francisco’s dark and sinful past from the pre-Gold Rush era to Alcatraz (1849-1907). Full of laughs and screams.

The stories are based on real San Francisco history and legends. Shows run continuously from Sunday - Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Fisherman’s Wharf at 145 Jefferson Street, San Francisco. Admission starts at $22 for adults, with lower rates for SF Bay Area residents, youth, seniors, students, teachers and the disabled. For more information, visit: www.thedungeons.com/sanfrancisco.

• November 11-13: Diablo Ballet kicks off the holidays and its 23rd season featuring Lew Christensen’s Airs de Ballet -- Begin your holidays in style as Diablo Ballet presents the opening program of its 2016-2017 season with A Swingin’ Holiday and More. Set to the music of the 30’s and 40’s, audiences will enjoy their favorite holiday tunes by legends Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Nat “King” Cole, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as jazzy renditions of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite”, which will be performed by the sixteen-piece Diablo Ballet Swing Orchestra under the musical direction of Greg Sudmeier.

The program also features the Diablo Ballet Premiere of Lew Christensen’s classical Airs de Ballet. This high-spirited, humorous work displays the versatile personalities of Diablo Ballet’s dancers. Following each performance, ticket holders are invited to meet and mingle with the costumed dancers at a postperformance reception. A Swingin’ Holiday and More performs November 11-13 at the Del Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Times and Tickets info call 925-943SHOW (7469) or visit www.lesherartscenter. org or www.diabloballet.org.

• November 11 - “La Vida de los Muertos – the Joyful Journey” – Caroline Lugo’s and Carole Acuna Ballet Flamenco. 8 p.m. at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $30-$40. 943-7469. www.

Leshercenter.org.

• November 12 - “Rock Stars and Stripes: the American Rock Experience” – presented by David Victor Presents- 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center, Walnut Creek. Tickets $39 - $79.

• November 18-19 - “Christmas Ballet” – Presented by Smuin Ballet. Lesher Center for the Arts. Walnut Creek. $57-73. Leshercenter. org. 943-7469 • November 25-27: Contra Costa Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”-Returning for its 26th year, Contra Costa Ballet presents the Bay Area’s most family-friendly production of The Nutcracker. For one weekend only. Join Clara and her beloved nutcracker-turned-prince on a magical journey among giant mice and toy soldiers into the deliciously-delightful Candy Kingdom. Contra Costa Ballet brings The Nutcracker to life with colorful costumes, whimsical sets and an array of talented, young dancers. This one-hour performance is an

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 9 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990 elegant introduction to the holiday classic.

Running Time: approx. 60 minutes, with no intermission. . Hoffman theater, 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek. For times and tickets go to www.lesherartcenter.org • December 2-4: DIABLO CHORAL ARTISTS presents “Christmas Pudding”, a concert of traditional English songs featuring works by Rutter, Tavener, Vaughan Williams, Byrd, Holst, and more.

Includes a Christmas carol sing-along. Music Director, Mark Tuning. Friday, December 2, 8:00pm, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda, Sunday, December 4, 3:00pm, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1601 Mary Drive, Pleasant Hill. Details and ticket purchase on website: www.dcachorus. org, 925-680-7089, info@dcachorus.org adults $25, seniors 60+ $18, students $5, ($3 discount before 11/29: adults & seniors)

GOVERNMENT • Concord City Council, 1st, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 6:30 pm, Council Chambers, 1950 Parkside Dr, Concord. Or watch online at http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/citygov/agendas/ council/ • Concord Planning Commission 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 7 p.m. Concord Chamber, Concord Civic Center 1950 Parkside Dr www.cityofconcord.org • Clayton City Council, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 7pm. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Rd, Clayton. http://ci.clayton.ca.us • Martinez City Council, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. City Hall, 7 pm, 525 Henrietta Street, Martinez. Or Listen online at http:// www.granicus.com/streamingMediaHelp/ minimumSystem.htm, http://www. cityofmartinez.org • Walnut Creek City Council, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 7 pm. Or watch online at http:// www.walnut-creek.org/services/citizen/ granicus.asp •Pleasant Hill City Council, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 7:30 pm, Council Chambers of the Pleasant Hill City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Or follow online at http://www. ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/media/

CLUBS

•American Association of University Women Concord Branch www.aauw-concord.org •American Legion Post 171 - 5 p.m. third Tuesdays, Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord.

687-1427.

•B2F Business Networking Group - noon first and third Thursdays. 998-8844.

•Beachcomber Singles - Social and service activities for active adults age 45 and above.

For more information call (510) 799-2207, Or visit our website: www.beachcombersingles. org/ •British Club - 11:30 a.m. first Wednesdays, Zio Fraedo’s, Pleasant Hill. 682-7978.

•Circle of Friends - second Mondays, Walnut Country Club, Concord. 998-8844.

•Clayton Valley Garden Club- 7p.m. June 8, Diamond Terrace 6401 Center St., Clayton. Guest Speaker: Corky Quirk from U.C. Davis discusses “Bats in the Garden” complete with live bats. Contact: www. claytonvalleygardenclub.org •The Clayton Valley Woman’s Club, meet the second Tuesday of each month at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 5555 Clayton Road, in Clayton. New members are always welcome.

For Membership information call Michele at 925-672-6464 or Linda at 925-482-0807. www.claytonvalleywomansclub.org.

•Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise Rotary Club7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, Clayton. 689-7640 or www.claytonvalleyrotary.org.

•Clutch Busters Square Dance Club - 7:30 p.m.-9:30 pm Thursdays, New dancers and those wanting brush-up are welcome. Willow Pass Community Center, 2748 E Olivera Rd, Concord. 686-3774.

•Concord Art Association - 12:50 p.m. second Tuesdays, Concord Library. 646-5455.

Concord Ducati Bike Night, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month at Lazy Dog Café, 1961 Diamond Blvd, Concord.

925/849-1221 http://norcaldoc.com •Concord Diablo Rotary - 12:15 p.m.

Wednesdays, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Concord.

EXCEPT the 2nd Wednesday, meeting is at 6:15 P.M. at the Crowne Plaza. Contact EdiBirsan@Gmail.com or 510-812-8180 •Concord Garden Club - Meets third Tuesday of the month, The Salvation Army Community Church Fireside Room 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

3950 Clayton Road, Concord, CA 94521.

Contact Concord Garden Club President Devlyn Sewell 925-825-9097 for additional information.

•Concord Lions Club - 7 p.m. third Tuesdays,

Mt. Diablo Recycling honors America Recycles Day with Free e-Waste Drop-Off and Compost Giveaway Old computers, printers, televisions, cell phones and other electronic equipment don’t have to take up space in your home—they can be recycled for free at Mt. Diablo Recycling (MDR), part of the recycling and recovery companies of Garaventa Enterprises.

Mt. Diablo Recycling’s free e-Waste event will take place on Saturday, November 12, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the MDR facility located at 1300 Loveridge Road in Pittsburg. Anyone who drops off their e-Waste items will also receive up to two bags of compost for free. Mt. Diablo Recycling’s staff will

be on hand to assist people with bulky recycling items. You can even choose to stay in your car during your drop-off.

This free e-Waste event is in conjunction with America Recycles Day, (November 15) an annual celebration of all things recycling.

Mt. Diablo Recycling is one of the largest, state-of-the-art recycling centers in Northern California.

For more information about celebrating America Recycles Day, please contact Nicole Impagliazzo at 925.692.2224 or Nicole@ Garaventaent.com

Strandwood Elementary School named National Blue Ribbon School for 2016 Congratulations goes out to Strandwood Elementary School in Pleasant Hill.

Strandwood Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) has been named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2016, one of 329 honorees overall recognized from across the country this year and one of 33 from California. The Pleasant Hill school was honored in the category of “Exemplary High Performing Schools.” The award is based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

“We could not be more proud and honored,” said Strandwood principal, Dr. Cheri Scripter. “We have a very spirited and engaged school community where students feel a great sense of being a part of something good and this pride fuels their motivation to do their best and inspires them to keep their dreams big and their hopes

W

NE

high. Students, staff, and community members work hand-in-hand at our school to support each other’s evolution,” she added.

“Strandwood Elementary is a wonderful example of how, when we work together in the best interest of children, we can achieve great things,” said Dr. Nellie Meyer, MDUSD Superintendent Strandwood joins three prior Blue Ribbon honorees in MDUSD: Foothill Middle School in Walnut Creek, Monte Gardens Elementary in Concord, and Walnut Acres Elementary in Walnut Creek.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.

“Bishop Wears No Drawers”

Concord Author, Dr. Michael Barrington, Publishes Incredible Life Story

Concord resident Dr. Michael Barrington, was born in Manchester in the UK. but has lived in the Bay Area for 30 years. As the president of MJB Consulting, he travels all over the world providing Monitoring and Evaluation Services to humanitarian organizations such as USAID, UNICEF, Oxfam, Save the Children etc. and has worked in more than forty countries. He provides the same services for Rotary International and as a committed member of the Concord Rotary Club, focuses on developing international projects and has helped in initiating projects in ten countries.

He is a former Catholic Missionary priest and ministered in Nigeria, Mexico and Brazil. He speaks six languages and academically considers himself to be “over engineered” having three Masters Degrees and a Ph.D. He spent a year living as a hermit. His book “The Bishop Wears No Drawers” is a memoir of his experiences in Nigeria where he lived for ten years, both during and after their civil war. He now lives in Concord with his French wife and a crazy American Eskimo dog. He spends his free time in playing golf and writing.

In his spellbinding and riveting memoir, Barrington provides a brutally honest and gripping portrayal of his life as a young missionary priest. A racist, alcoholic pastor nurses him through his first bout of malaria fever. Stood up to be shot by a group of drunken soldiers, a whiskey drinking ‘John Wayne’ type priest shows him real caring. Devastated by the death of a twelve-year-old school girl he was mentoring, he then must bury her. A Muslim friend offers him his youngest wife for the night if only he will stay in his house.

Set during a pivotal period in the history of the Catholic Church and bloody civil war in Nigeria, The Bishop Wears No Drawers is a true-to-life “survivor” tale replete with adrenaline pumping adventures, daunting challenges and the added dimension of one priest’s profound religious struggles to find his true self.

Combined with warm humor, moving insights and personal testament, Barrington offers an unfettered glimpse into the rarely entered domain and closed doors of the highest level of church management. This is a book you will not be able to put down.

You can buy the book at Amazon.com by clicking or following this link: http://amzn.to/2f2KLDs

La Tapatia Mexican Restaurant, Concord.

687-3594.

•Concord Mystery Book Club - 2:30 p.m. second Sundays, Concord Library, 646-5455.

•Concord Senior Club - ballroom dancing, 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 p.m. second Saturdays. 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord. 798-4557.

•Contra Costa Genealogical Society - 7 p.m. second Thursdays, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Concord. www.rootsweb. com/~cacccgs.

•Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society - 7:30 p.m. second Mondays, Centre Concord. 4292748 or www.ccmgs.org •Creekside Artists Guild Meets 2nd Wed. each month @ 7-8:30pm. Clayton Library Story Room, 6125 Clayton Rd., Clayton. Arlene 6739777, akiksen@aol.com •Concord United Methodist Women Monthly Meeting 510-758-4837 •Diablo Numismatic Society - 7 p.m. third Thursdays, Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord.

825-0649 or xsteamerx@aol.com.

•The Diablo Regional Concert Band Thursday evenings at the Martinez Adult Education facility - 600 F Street in Martinez. Everyone who enjoys playing their band instrument is welcome to sign up at the Martinez Adult Education office. For more information call Cora Martens at (925) 451-6222. or visit www.

DiabloRegionalConcertBand.com •Diablo Toastmasters, every Thursday 7 – 9 p.m., Sizzler Rest., Concord. http://www. diablotoastmasters.org.

•Diablo Valley Democratic Club - 7 p.m. third Wednesdays, Ygnacio Valley Library, Walnut Creek. 946-0469 or http://www.dvdems.org.

•Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group – 6:30 p.m. 3rd Wednesdays. Pacheco Community Center, 5800 Pacheco Blvd., Pacheco. 6957655 or www.dvmug.org.

•Diablo Valley Mustang Assoc meets 7:00 pm second Wednesdays each month at Fuddruckers Concord. All Mustang afficiados invited. Nancy Russell 925-825-5994. www. dvma.org •Diablo Valley Wings, Chapter P of the Gold Wing Touring Association - 12:15 p.m. third Tuesdays, Sizzler, Concord. 686-3774 or http://www.GWTA-CA-DVW.org.

•East Bay Prospectors Club - 7 p.m.4th Wednesday, 1021 Detroit Ave., Unit D, Concord. 672-1863 or www.eastbaygpaa.webs. com.

•Ellen’s Guild - 10 A.M. second Tuesdays, •Family Stress Center, Concord. 672-5409 or www.familystresscenter.org.

•Hope Academy Concord Open House, Third Thursday of each month, 9 – 9:45 a.m. Reservations required: Judy Davies 687-7555; 5353 Concord Blvd. www. hopeacademyconcord.org •Kiwanis Club of Greater Concord - 8:15 a.m.

Wednesdays, Buttercup Grill and Bar, 4301 Clayton Rd., Concord. 372-5348.

•Knitting Group - 2 p.m. first Sundays, Concord Library. 646-5455.

•Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038 Meets 7:30 p.m. 1st Tuesday of the month, •St.Bonaventure Church, 5562 Clayton Road, Contact Rayce at 683-9717 or rayce@aol.com.

Martinez TOPS Club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Thursday morning 9am10am, in the Martinez Senior Center at 818 Green Street. Men and women are invited.

First meeting is free. Membership is $4/ month. For more information call Sharon (925) 229-2166.

•Mt Diablo Metal Detecting Club Meets at the Elks Lodge in Walnut Creek. 1475 Creekside Dr. 730 pm meets on the second Wednesday. www.mdmdctreasurehunting.com. www. mdmdc.com •National Marine Corps Business Network: www.nmcbn.com/ We normally meet the second Tuesday of each month. Contact 925680-8714.

•Odd Fellows - 3 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays, Pacheco Lodge 117, Concord. 6827358.

•Pleasant Hill Walnut Creek Mothers’ Club, http://www.phwcmothersclub.org •Rising Stars Toastmasters. This group was created for job seekers. For more information, contact Derrick Smith at (925) 381-4551 or go to risingstarstm.toastmastersclubs.org.

•Snowchasers Ski Club - Snow skiing and Snowboarding- First and Third Wednesdays of each month. Snowchasers meets 7:30 pm Sizzlers Concord. Contact Steve or Rosalie Rhodes,925-228-8145. www.snowchasers.org •The Sons in Retirement (SIR) local Branch #19 Concord/Clayton meets over lunch at Oakhurst Country Club on the first Thursday of every month.

Continues at www.DiabloGazette.com

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 10 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette •(925)-298-9990

Taro Root - More than Just Poi

farmerfresh

by Debra Morris,Pacific Coast Farmers Market http://www.pcfma.org/concord

Most everyone knows how taro root is made into Hawaiian poi, a somewhat colorless gray starchy mixture with the texture of pudding. But roasting or baking can bring out a sweet nutty flavor. The cooked taro leaves are also tasty in Asian soups and stir fry dishes.

Taro is a starch-rich, globular fleshy taproot of aroid family plants.

Its underground root is one of the popular edible root vegetables in large parts of Asia, the Pacific Islands, West Africa, and the Amazonian regions of South America. It has beautiful large heart-shaped leaves sometimes called “elephant ears.” The root, or “corm,” is about the size of a turnip and has a rough brown outer skin. The delicious crisp meat becomes soft and edible once cooked and has a flavor somewhat like water chestnuts. Asian specialty produce growers like Her Farm of Fresno, Vang Vegetable Farm of Merced, or Xiong Farm of Stockton harvest taro root and taro leaves during the fall months.

Taro is one of the finest sources dietary fibers, having 4 grams of fiber per serving. It also has good quantities of vitamin A, niacin, and thiamin. Buy fresh, firm, medium size hairy corms that feel heavy in hand for their size.

Avoid those with soft spots, cracks, or featuring sprouts at the scales.

Fresh corms should be stored in cool, dark, well-ventilated place like potato, yams, etc. Do not keep them inside the refrigerator. Taro greens, however, should be placed inside the refrigerator similar to other greens.

Taro root is inedible when raw and considered toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals. Taro corms and leaves should be processed and boiled before eating as they can be unpleasantly bitter and harmful for health when eaten raw. However, the plant parts are very safe after cooking (boiling, frying, or steaming).

The corms, which have a light purple color due to phenolic pigments, can be roasted, baked, steamed or boiled, and the natural sugars give a sweet nutty flavor. The starch is easily digestible, and since the grains are fine and small it is often used for baby food. The leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C and contain more protein than the corm.

The leaves are only edible when cooked and can be prepared in a variety of ways including boiling, frying, and baking. In Hawaii, it’s used to make the famous poi.

aRt Cottage

by FROgard

Concord Art Association Member Art Show Twenty artists or more will be exhibiting their work at aRt Cottage for the month of November. These artists are all part of the Concord Art Association (CAA) which currently has 100+ members. Founded in 1963, it is a non-profit group that supports artists and brings art to our community through education, events and exhibits. It is the oldest art organization in Contra Costa County.

CAA is open to all artists any medium, style and skill level. Interested

artists should check out their website at concordartassociation.com. The CAA Member Art Show will run from November 1-25.

Here are a few of the exhibits you will see this month at the Open House and Reception on Saturday from November 5, from 2pm to 4 pm. aRt Cottage hours are Tuesday Friday from 11a.m.-5p.m. and Saturday from 1p.m.-5p.m. Call us (925) 9563342 or drop in at 2238 Mt. Diablo Street. Learn more on our website http://www.artcottage.info/

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 11 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990

journey-man’s journal

by John Cooper

A Day on the Bay Not all adventures require substantial time off, expensive equipment, and logistics. In fact, some of the best adventures are right before us, here locally.

At a recent golf charity-fundraiser, my mother won a day of sailing on the San Francisco bay. Having no interest herself and being somewhat frightened of sailing, she was quick to offer the trip to me, which I gladly accepted. The excursion included a day of sailing around the bay with six guests aboard a Beneteau Oceanis 48, a world class sailing yacht equipped with the latest, state of the art electronics, and all the interior appointments you would expect of a half a million- dollar yacht. Our crew for the day included my wife and I, and four of our friends and neighbors, none of whom had ever sailed before.

The day started like any other, with just a hint of light fog in the early morning, which gave way quickly to the rising warmth of the sun. The forecast for the day was for light winds and sunshine, a perfect forecast for sailing. Eager to get situated and to let the day unfold, we boarded the yacht at the Marina Bay harbor in Richmond.

I’m by no means a skilled sailor, however just a couple short years ago I learned the basics of sailing and navigation and received a license to sail basic keelboats. I prefer to think that I have just enough knowledge and information to be dangerous and quickly overwhelmed. However, I did master the man-overboard technique so we at least had that going for us.

It’s often been said among experienced sailors that the San Francisco bay is one of the most challenging places in the world to sail with the abundance of traffic, the shifting tides and currents, and of course the late afternoon winds. But I’m not so sure. Navigating

the seas and dealing with the Katabatic winds off the coast of Antarctica seems just a bit more serious to me.

With light wind at our backs, we raised the sails and set out toward Angel Island. Now when I said that we “raised the sails”, what I really meant was that we pushed a button, and the sails were raised automatically; did I mention that we were aboard a Beneteau Oceanis 48 with state of the art electronics?

Moving at a comfortable pace we took in the sights of Tiburon, Belvedere and Sausalito before heading toward the

Golden Gate Bridge. As we drew closer to the bridge, a small group of dolphins appeared off the stern of the sailboat and swam beside us for a short distance. The boat began to lean as the wind blew harder and we made our approach toward the Marina district with views of downtown on the right and Alcatraz Island to the left.

We sailed by Pier 39 with thunderous applause (and smell) from the many seals who’ve taken up residency nearby. After sailing under the Bay Bridge, the Millenium Tower came into view. The Millenium Tower as you may have recently heard is a new 58 story skyscraper in downtown San Francisco that is slowly tilting and sinking into the soil. As we passed the tower, we all took a guess at which way it appeared to be falling. At best, it was a split decision as some saw it leaning to the left while others were sure it was leaning to the right. It’s not quite the leaning Tower of Pisa, but give it another 843 years and it might come close.

As luck would have it, a Giants game was under way so we sailed over to McCovey Cove to try our luck and catching a homerun before it splashed into the water. I’ve sat in the stadium before and watched a game and wondered who those people were aboard those fancy sailboats.

I stood at the helm as a light wind blew and the bow was turned back toward the marina from where we started. I knew that all good things eventually come to an end; however, for just a moment I thought how great it would have been to set the auto-pilot toward Hawaii.

IMPORTANT DATES November 8 Election Day November 11 Veterans Day November 24 Thanksgiving

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 12 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette •(925)-298-9990

2016 Election Tip Sheet Concord City Council Elections What an interesting election we face from the national races down to the local ones.

The Concord City Council race has a very competitive field of candidates and the City of Concord is currently facing some major issues and opportunities that need strong leadership.

Here is a final look at the candidates for Concord City Council. There are two seats available, and if Councilman Tim Grayson wins the Assembly race, a third seat will be appointed by the Council to fill his vacancy.

Make sure you get out and vote!

Carlyn Obringer:

Edi Birsan:

Caryln Obringer holds an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She is no stranger to local government with a resume that includes City of Concord Planning Commission Chair; Former Chair of the Commission for Women, Former Contra Costa County Board member, Design Review Board, City of Concord Liaison to TRANSPAC, community council member, Family Justice Center, Concord member of the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Safe Routes to Transit Plan Advisory Committee for the City of Concord, 2013 Concord AAUW Woman of the Year, Former president, Soroptimist International of Diablo Vista, Former vice-chair and current member, Concord Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee. She is the only candidate endorsed by the Concord Police Association. Fighting crime is a primary issue with a five-point plan on her Website: www.carlynobringer.com

Pablo Benavente:

Pablo Benavente holds a BA in Political Science from CSU East Bay. A longtime Concord resident, Benavente has worked for Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at Congressman Sam Farr’s office in Washington, and is very active as a union political organizer.

Pablo has spent his career advocating for working families, to help lift people out of poverty. His focus would be to make sure the incoming labor force is comprised of Concord residents, create affordable housing, and that new developments would unite the community.

He also feels there has been a lack of diversity within the council, and he would represent a voice for those who have not been heard. www.Pabloforconcord.com

Harmesh Kumar:

Dr. Kumar was recently endorsed by the East Bay Times.

He has attempted to run for council several times. He continues to attend council meetings and speaks on social issues. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and operates a private practice in Concord. He has worked in the mental health field for more than three decades. He also operates a network of well-recognized assisted living facilities across Northern and Central California.

Kumar takes the well-being and happiness of those he cares for very seriously. He offers free services to veterans with PTSD, substance abusers, suicide counseling, the homeless, and survivors of domestic violence. “No candidate talks about these issues that impact every local community,” he said. “Our seniors are suffering from loneliness and a lack of care, system-wide. Lack of affordable housing and other basic services leads them to desperation, violence and suicides.”

Kumar’s priority is to address affordable housing issues, support a police substation in the Monument area, helping small businesses grow by reducing fees and red tape, and also address drug addiction and mental health issues within Concord.

“I am humbled and honored to get the endorsement from the editorial board of The East Bay Times for my city council race. I ask for your vote on November 8th,” he said.

For more information visit www.drkumar4concord.com

Don’t forget to VOTE on

Tuesday, November 8.

Every Vote Counts!

Incumbent Edi Birsan has been a Concord resident for 33 years. As a councilman, he has been the most outspoken member of the council and has fought his way against the status quo elite. He prides himself as the champion of the people’s voice through campaigns for directly elected mayor, political reform and community action. The most accessible councilmember in recent memory, he listens to everyone, will meet with anyone and take action as available. Edi is an extremely hard working philanthropist. He’d like to eliminate Measure Q and reduce unfunded liabilities, reopen police substations in the Monument and in North Concord, supply body cameras for police, expand housing options with “tiny” houses, establish a rent control ordinance, and obtain subsidy for secondary units. Call him at (925) 798-3537 Email: EdiBirsan@gmail.com. www.edibirsan.com

Gloria Casillas

Gloria Casillas is a CSU Sacramento graduate with degrees in Government and History. She has been a civil servant for 10 years, most recently as an analyst at Cal-Trans for all Bay Area toll bridges.

She understands the attention given to CNWS, but doesn’t want that to take priority away from resident needs. Many neighborhoods need additional resources to be revitalized.

Her focus is on neighborhood safety, outreach, investment in infrastructure and revitalization. Review her grassroots campaign on her Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ GloriaCasillas4ConcordCityCouncil

Hope Johnson:

Hope Johnson is a paralegal who has come to prominence as a vocal critic of the council’s selection of the Concord Naval Weapons Station developer and has led a recall effort on Mayor Hoffmeister. San Francisco board of Supervisors appointed her chair of the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force in San Francisco.

As a Concord resident, she follows local politics closely. “The council needs an ethical member who has some experience with the issues that are coming our way,” she said. Her motivation is to end political corruption, and promote ethics within government.

“I will respect your taxpayer money. I will work for balanced budget allotments, development beneficial to us all, private sector jobs with living wages, improve city management and code enforcement, crime reduction and traffic mitigation. We need rent solutions that preserve good landlord-tenant relationships, better schools, and a modern vision for Concord that matches policy with results.” She is endorsed by East Bay Times. www.

Hope4Concord.com

Eduardo Manuel

Eduardo Manuel was a former Mayor of Hercules. Manuel believes his experience and leadership skills is needed on the council. He has worked at several county government positions throughout his career. His three main issues facing Concord: the development of the CNWS, rent control and finding a happy balance between landlord and tenants. He favors returning to an elected mayor, and one-year terms for mayor and vicemayor.

Manuel also interested in growing Concord tourism, improving police relations with residents through community events, pot lucks, and more social gatherings. He wants Concord to be the most fun city in Northern California. He has no website or Facebook page.

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 13 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990

Secret Service Insider

lifetimeofsmiles

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by Dr. Robert Waldman

Stories from a Former Agent

www.RobertHWaldmanDDS.com

Assassin or Just Trying to Impress a Girl?

The atmosphere at a presidential function or a campaign rally is electric. There is an energy in the air and it is contagious. People are excited, cheering, smiling, and generally, very happy and enthusiastic. With tens of thousands in attendance, Secret Service agents are on high alert looking for behavior that could spell threat, taking no chances and will always err on the side of caution.

It is abnormal when a person attending this type of event displays none of the event’s emotions, but instead appears sullen and expressionless, as if his mind is somewhere else, totally unaffected by the noise and fanfare. Secret Service Agents hone in on this lack of emotion.

Another attention getter is the person, who after standing in line for hours amongst a crowd of enthusiastic rally goers, waiting for the event doors to open, suddenly turns and leaves, after noticing that up ahead are checkpoints and magnetometers. This raises obvious concerns and is the equivalent of the driver who makes a u-turn and drives away from a DUI check point. In either case, the individual is going to get some immediate face time with law enforcement.

Then there is the person who attends an event wearing heavy, bulky, clothing, such as a coat, when it’s 100 degrees out. These is strange and disconcerting observances take an agent to a hyper-alert level. Obviously, not everyone fitting these descriptions is a wouldbe assassin. Often, there are perfectly logical explanations for these types of behaviors.

Other times, it may be that the person just isn’t blessed with an abundance of common sense.

Case in point: The date was October 30, 2000, just one week before the presidential election. It was warm inside the convention center as the capacity crowd of 8000 ecstatic rally goers, frantically cheered and waved Bush/Cheney signs. They were apparently oblivious to the fact that the republican presidential nominee, Texas Governor George W. Bush and his two speaking guests, Arizona Senator John McCain and actor Chuck Norris were not scheduled to arrive for another 45 minutes.

As the Site Agent, it was my event. I was responsible for the development of the security operations plan which, amongst other things, included determining the number of agents (Post Standers) needed, briefing them on their assignments, and posting them. I also had a large contingency of uniformed police officers assigned to me which I briefed and posted in mid and outer perimeter security positions. Their Sergeant, Bruce, also in charge of the SWAT team, was assigned to me as well and wearing a suit. Bomb sweeps were completed hours before, all agents and police officers were posted, and the public, having gone through physical security checks and magnetometers, filled the convention center approximately an hour earlier. Now all waited for the arrival of the Republican presidential nominee and his entourage.

I made several rounds over the last few hours to each of the Secret Service and police posts, both inside and outside the arena, checking on all personnel and ensuring our predetermined plans were being executed properly. All was flowing smoothly when I received a radio call from Post 113 requesting I respond to his location. I knew something was up. Normally when a Post Stander has a general question for the Site Agent, he/ she will ask it over the air. But when the Site Agent is requested to respond to a Post Standers location, there’s usually something up. Bruce and I made our way to Post 113’s location, which was on a walk way that cut through the crowd, about 60 feet in front of the stage. When we got there I asked him what was up. He said, “Behind me, at the 7 o’clock position, about 20 feet back is a white guy, about 6’2, mid 20’s, dark slicked back hair, wearing a trench coat.” The guy stood out and looked menacing. I saw him as I continued to generally observe the crowd without making eye contact with him. I said, “I see him. What the hell’s he doing wearing a trench coat? It’s burning up in here and that idiot’s wearing a trench coat.” The agent agreed and added, “For the last 10 minutes, that guy’s been staring me down. He’s just been standing there, motionless, with his hands in his coat pockets, staring at me. Like he’s challenging me.” I looked at Bruce and said, “Okay, we’ll check him out.”

Knowing this guy was likely watching us as well, instead of approaching him directly, Bruce and I continued through the walkway, stopping to briefly speak with the other Secret Service Post Standers and uniformed officers, so it would appear we were just making our rounds, checking up with our personnel.

Eventually we made our way out of the area and out of the line of sight of our subject.

Bruce and I then worked our way around the side of the crowd until we were about 20 feet behind him. From our vantage point, we could see he was still in the same position, staring at the agent at Post 113. There was an attractive blond woman, also appearing to be in her early 20’s, on his right. It appeared they may have been together, but it was hard to say, as he didn’t pay any attention to her and instead stayed fixated on the agent.

We casually approached him from behind, me on his left, Bruce on his right. His hands were still in his pockets. I gave Bruce a slight nod and we simultaneously moved in and grabbed each of the subjects’ wrists, maintaining his hands in his coat pockets. It was a subtle move, not attracting the attention of those around us. I held my badge in my left hand against my chest so he could see it but not others. I said, in a somewhat quiet voice, “He buddy, Secret Service. I’d like to talk to you for a second.” His eyes were the size of silver dollars. He suddenly lost his challenging, menacing look. In a startled voice he asked, “What did I do? I didn’t do anything.” I replied, “Nothing, we just need to speak with you for a second.” He nervously said, “Okay, sure.” I asked if he had anything in his coat pockets or hands. He said he did not. With my right hand still clutched to his left wrist, I directed him to slowly take his hand out of his pocket one finger at a time. He complied and performed the same procedure for Bruce with

his other hand. We then walked him over to a side door and into a secure hallway.

Once inside the hallway I asked if he had any weapons or sharp objects on him. He said he did not. We patted him down and ran his ID. Everything came back negative. He was very nervous and again said, “What did I do?

Why do you want to talk to me? I didn’t do anything.”

I replied, “It’s probably 90 degrees in here, people are sweating, and I’ve got a guy wearing a trench coat, with his hands concealed in the pockets, who for the last 10 minutes has been staring down one of my agents. Now why the hell do you think I want to talk to you?!” His eyes widened more and his jaw dropped, as if truly shocked at what he heard.

“What? Oh, no, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be staring. I swear I wasn’t trying to stare down the Secret Service. I was just watching you guys. I think what you guys do is cool. I swear I didn’t mean to do that. I would never do that,” he plead on the verge of tears. I asked him who the blond was. He said she was a girl he had just started dating and thought it would be exciting to bring her to the rally. I asked a series of questions. His answers and demeanor clearly indicated he posed no threat. He stated he and his family were Bush supporters and that they owned a restaurant in town (which we confirmed). I asked why he was wearing the trench coat.

He said, “I knew you guys (Secret Service) wore coats and I just thought it would be kind of cool.” He then looked down, “Plus, I thought it might impress her.” I said, “We’ve got 8000 people in here. Our agents are tuned up, scanning the crowd for anybody who may pose a threat, and I’m wasting my time with some guy who’s trying to impress his girlfriend!? Do you have any common sense?” He apologized profusely and said he would also like to apologize to the agent he had been staring at. I told him no, that instead of paying attention to the agents, he should be paying attention to his girlfriend.

We let him back into the rally. It was an anticlimactic end to an observance of abnormal behavior. Thankfully, most of these situations end in much the same way. But agents must assume the worst until proven otherwise. After all, John Hinckley was also just trying to impress a girl.

Governor Bush and his entourage arrived on time and the event went off without a hitch.

In one week, he would be elected the 43rd President of the United States.

Trench Coat: Bad Idea

If you have questions you would like to ask the agent, please send them to info@ diablogazette. com. Select questions will be answered in a Q and A format in future issues.

Tips to Tame Your “Sweet Tooth” The Holiday (Candy) Crunch, a veritable sugar train that starts with Halloween and chugs along into Valentine’s Day, assumes its annual sweet tooth attack. While it’s up to you to control your household’s consumption, there are some candy categories that you’ll want to steer clear of from a dental perspective.

Sticky treats, such as toffee, caramels and jujubes are probably the most harmful for teeth as the remnants from these soft candies stick to teeth and are difficult to remove. It’s not actually the amount of sugar in candy that can cause decay, but the amount of time that the candy stays in the mouth. Hard candies that you suck on over a long period are also a poor choice.

Candy that is present in the mouth for an extended time offers a sustained food source for bacteria. Feeding off the sugars in the candy, bacteria forms an acid which works to dissolve the tooth enamel, initiating the decay process.

If you need a quick sugar fix, popping a solid chocolate bar in your mouth is a better choice than munching on one filled with a gooey center, as the candy filling from the sticky contents may adhere to the teeth and provide a longerlasting food source for the natural bacteria to feed on in the mouth.

Say “Cheese” for a Smart Snack!

When you feel a snack attack come on, try to identify is if it’s a true hunger or thirst-related need for food, or if you’re just reacting to stress or boredom. If you are indeed responding to a physical midmorning or afternoon tummy growl, it’s tempting to just grab the first thing that comes your way. Plan for snack attacks by making sure that there are always healthy options available close at hand.

Nutritious snacks that are also teethfriendly include fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, plain popcorn, nuts, seeds and cheese. In fact, cheese is recommended even after a meal. If you can’t brush your teeth or rinse your mouth out with water after you eat, munching on a piece of cheese is proven to help protect your teeth against cavities.

It may sound strange, but eating cheese helps to increase the amount of saliva in the mouth, which helps to rinse food particles away. Also, cheese provides a coating of calcium on the teeth. After a meal, the pH level in your mouth often drops and your mouth becomes more acidic - a potentially damaging situation for teeth. Eating a piece of cheese neutralizes the acids and helps maintain a safe pH balance for your teeth.

Aged cheddar, Swiss, blue cheese, Monterey Jack, Brie, Gouda and processed American cheese have all been shown to reduce dental cavities.

Cheese is also an abundant source of natural dietary calcium, making it a smart snack in the most delicious way.

Remember to floss and brush thoroughly immediately after having your treats. If you can’t brush right away then at least rinse your mouth out with water to flush away any residual candy, and get rid of the sugary culprit!

There’s no better time than the present to start easy habits ensuring healthy, bright smiles!

Wishing you a bright and healthy smile, and as always don’t forget to swish, floss, brush and swish again at least twice a day. Happy Holidays to all.

Please visit my website to find out more about my Clayton Rd, Concord, practice.

-Dr Rob-www.RobertHWaldmanDDS.com

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 14 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette •(925)-298-9990

Midnight Munchies in Concord

by Richard Eber I have a Maria Maldaur song lyric in my head, “Midnight at the Oasis. Send your camel to bed.” I’m also hungry and it’s after hours. If you want a place to eat at this hour that is not a drive-thru, your options are limited for enjoying a midnight or early morning meal.

Unlike serving the basic needs of those who work graveyard shifts and odd hours, midnight munchers and night owls often require a diverse set of menu choices.

Even with limited dining options, (those who expect cuisine on the Michelin rated restaurant guide need not bother) it is possible to eat well after 10pm.

However, I suggest you arrive as early as possible. Sometimes when the doors are about to be shut, employee priorities often change from customer service to going home.

Anyway, here is my list of the top late night local restaurants, separated for you by category: Diners, Mexican food, bar food, and Asian fare.

Denny’s - Diners are ideally suited for late night meals especially for breakfast and burgers which can easily made to order. Denny’s seems to always be there for those who are hungry. This stalwart of late night eating features a dependable menu of breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and numerous other options.

Despite what many of their detractors might say, the food is good and we are lucky Denny’s is around to service us.

Open 24 hours. 1313 Willow Pass Rd, Concord. (925) 798-4040 La Pinata 6 - a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. Mexican cuisine is excellent for late night dinning because food prep can be done in advance allowing for fresh ingredients to be used even when kitchen staff is limited. This is a firstclass restaurant with an outstanding bar.

They offer a full complement of south-ofthe-border cuisine including an excellent chili rellano, tacos, enchiladas, shrimps, and other traditional dishes from this genre. The quality and presentation of the food served is a big step above local taquerias. This is an excellent choice for a late-night dining experience. Open 9AM-3AM. Located 2301 Willow Pass Rd. in Concord. (925) 609-9119

Concord City Council Inches Forward on Rent Moratorium BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse Being called “bar food” is not a disgrace but rather a culinary genre of restaurants that put equal emphasis on liquor and food. They are often open late at night which is a good thing when most of their competitors are closed. BJ’s menu features the normal fried calamari and burgers to Asian Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, Ahab Poke made with chopped sashimi-grade tuna, and salads for those with lighter appetites. They also offer a wide variety of ribs, burgers, and pizza which has wide appeal to their bar patrons. Of course, they are famous for their large selection of beers which include some in house product BJ’s produces. Bring a date or to come with a crowd. There is also ample parking available late at night at the Sun Valley Mall. Open till 12am Sunday to Thursday, 1am on Fri-Sat. Located at 385 Sun Valley Mall in Concord. (925) 849-1090 Steamboat - There are only few of Asian establishments open past 10pm, but are a good alternative when you are not craving burgers and fried foods. Steamboat is one of several new restaurants to open in the culinary diverse world of Park and Shop in Concord. Steamboat, as this cuisine is known in China, Korea and Mongolia, consists of simmering different foods in a metal pot in the center of the dining table.

Hot broth is provided to each patron to cook their food. As this process takes place, the soup takes on more flavor as it is being consumed by adding beef, pork, lamb, chicken, mushrooms and assorted vegetables to the steaming broth.

Steamboat also has skewers of meat and vegetables to accompany the Hot Pot along with an assortment of noodle and rice dishes. For dessert, they offer a macaroon ice cream sandwich. The experience almost amounts to a self-serve Benihanas. Open 5pm to 12am. Located at 1845 Willow Pass Rd. Concord.

(925) 246-9999 There you have it. These are four of the best places to go to satisfy a late feeding frenzy. Check out my four runner-up restaurants, on www.diablogazette.com.

clayton update

Here are events that will occur next Howard Geller, Mayor of Clayton month: Election – With Election Writing a Clayton Mayor’s Column for Day around the corner, we have all been three publications has its challenges. But, inundated with mailers touting who to Clayton has a balanced budget, strong vote for as well as what measures and reserves, bridged the Great Recession propositions to vote for. In all elections, by not cutting public services, and we the right to vote is a right our forefathers experienced few major issues during my fought for which many people living in eight years on the City Council. other countries do not have. I encourage This year our City Manager, Gary Napper, added two more solid department all to be well-informed and read all sides and opinions. Please remember if you do heads to our City staff, Mindy Gentry not vote, you are allowing someone else to as Community Development Director make decisions for you. and Chris Wenzel as our latest Chief Veteran’s Day – Veteran’s Day is on of Police. Couple these with our “star” Friday, November 11th and the Concord/ Finance Manager Kevin Mizuno, we now Clayton VFW Post 1525 will host our local have what I consider one of the strongest Veteran’s Day service at Willow Pass management teams assembled to serve Park at 11:00 am. It will be a one-hour our community. ceremony followed by a Veteran’s softball

Community Prayers and Testimony Appear to Have Impact

After an exhaustive six-month process of studying the housing crisis, the Concord City Council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee met to hear testimony and make policy recommendations to the full council.

Roughly 50 Concord community members and faith leaders held a prayer vigil before the meeting and spoke passionately about passing a moratorium on unjust rent increases until a more permanent solution can be negotiated.

The community’s prayers and testimony inside the Committee hearing appeared to have had an impact as Councilmember Dan Helix shifted his position to make a recommendation of a

45-day rent moratorium, possibly longer, to cap increases at 3%.

Helix and Councilmember Leone also recommended a hotline and a mediation board, two suggestions that do very little to address the immediate crisis. Neither proposal offers any protection to renters, and each puts the onus on tenants to fight back against unjust increases and evictions rather than putting the onus on landlords to get approval before taking such actions.

The community felt that after hearing six months of renter horror testimonies and studying more than 300 pages of

tournament.

Thanksgiving – This might be an early reminder, but with a monthly column I try to look forward to when my next publication will print. Thanksgiving for me has always been one of my most enjoyable holidays where friends and family gather together to enjoy one of my favorite meals; the turkey, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and apple pie.

I wish you and yours a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Education Opportunity - Last month, I came across an interesting read in the Wall Street Journal entitled, “Charter Schools Are Reinventing Local Control in Education”. Much of the author’s premise was that “charters are fomenting a quiet revolution in governance in public education.” Anyone who knows me well knows I am a strong advocate for public school options and the

evidence surrounding the housing crisis, that Council should pass an immediate moratorium. However, it is unclear when a full vote will happen, and with Dan Helix retiring from Council, many worry that any action to help renters will not be passed this year.

“This year, my rent jumped from $1,300-$1,650; there’s bed bugs; and the manager is not making repairs,” said Betty Gabaldon, a Concord Cashier and single mom. “I sometimes don’t have enough for basic necessities like food and clothing, and my seven-year old daughter is worrying where we are going to live.

We need relief, and we need it now.”

“People are making impossible choices between keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the table,” said Kristi Laughlin with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy.

“The question is, will this Council be accountable to Concord residents or will they be accountable to special interest lobbyists like the CA Apartment Association?”

Residents as well as community, labor, and faith leaders will continue pushing the full Concord City Council in the coming weeks and months to pass a moratorium until an agreement can be reached that is fair for both tenants and landlords.

Raise the Roof” is coalition including the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, California Nurses Association, the Contra Costa Labor Council, the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, East Bay Housing Organizations, The Ensuring Opportunity Campaign, The Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, Monument Impact, MultiFaith ACTION Coalition, SEIU-USWW, Tenants Together, UFCW International, and UNITE-HERE 2850.

access provided to all students regardless of background or situation.

If approved next month by the Contra Costa County Board of Education, the Clayton Valley Charter Technology Academy will offer students a rich content of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) courses. The Tech Academy will also give students the opportunity to take and receive college course credits, giving them advanced placement during their college years.

There’s no debate. Charters are outperforming expectations and are in high demand with increased open enrollment interest and large student waiting lists. Each year, there are over 500-600 students placed on waiting lists at Clayton Valley Charter High School. As a community, we must do more to respond to the growing demand by responsible parents and students for

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 15 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990

successful schools. I applaud the progress of our local education and civic leaders in proposing this innovative approach emphasizing a high-tech and dual enrollment curriculum focused on 21st century careers for Contra Costa County students.

Our community recognizes high-paying jobs often go unfilled because of the growing demand of the high-tech sector, regionally and throughout the nation. The Tech Academy will provide more County students with excellent opportunities

to further their learning experience in college or high-skilled trade schools.

Our East Bay region is an epicenter of technology and innovation.

It only makes sense to welcome the Tech Academy and create more groundbreaking education options for our students.

Please join me in urging the County Board of Education to favorably consider this investment into our community and trust parents to make the best decision for their student’s academic success.

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 16 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette •(925)-298-9990

Cuba is Rich…in Culture

by Kelly Hedgecock

When do we need to buy our visa? Were With relations continuing to thaw they going to question our motives? As with Cuba, Americans now have a new we scrambled to fill out the necessary destination opportunity for that curious paperwork, we noticed families bringing traveler and adventurer, which I am one. comforters, air conditioners, even cases of When it comes to discussing Cuba as an Corona with them American, all commodities in there’s a lot a country with a US of hearsay. trade embargo.

“Don’t you In the end, we have to had no problems travel with entering Cuba. a private The only question tour group? customs asked was I heard you “Have you been can’t use to Africa in the bank cards last six months?” in Cuba. Be However, we waited careful, it’s two hours for our dangerous luggage. Finally, there! it came through I heard Rangel, our first local Cuban friend and we embarked the food to our first accommodation - a “casas is terrible!“ My boyfriend, Paul, and I particulares.” wanted to see for ourselves.

“Casas particulares” or “private After some preliminary research, we houses” are the preferred method of room learned Americans have twelve reasons and board in Cuba. Many local families for traveling to Cuba, but that general tourism is not one of them. Our incentive rent out extra rooms in their homes, charging tourists $30 USD per night; for going was to have people-to-people a fortune for Cubans considering this interactions, stay with Cuban families, amount is equivalent to monthly salaries and visit museums. of some doctors. In addition, meals We flew to Havana from Cancun. cooked by the hosts were the some of the We felt uneasy at the Cancun airport.

best food we had in Cuba. A typical meal would include fish, chicken or pork paired with white rice, black beans, plantains, avocado and cucumber. Breakfast was

Playing with a band on the Malecon often a treat with a fresh mango or papaya smoothie, eggs, cheese, and bread with butter and jam.

As for the money situation, tourists who exchange their money will receive “CUCs” (pronounced ‘kooks’) or Cuban Convertible Pesos. One CUC is worth one USD. Locals use the regular national peso, which is worth much less.

Unsuspecting tourists are consistently overcharged for everything from taxi rides to meals to tours. We quickly

learned the proper prices from savvy tourists and kind casas particulares hosts.

The major issue with private businesses charging tourists premium prices is that it creates a huge economic divide between Cubans in the tourist industry and resentment from the rest of society.

We had many interactions with locals.

Most encounters started with conversation asking where we were from and ending with them wanting something from us. By the way, fair warning: If someone tells you their friend works at a cigar factory and can get you the best cigars for a great price, do not go with them. If you agree to get a drink or meal with a local, expect to pay

Riding in a 60’s convertible for theirs as well. Don’t get me wrong, the Cubans were good people. They never pressed too hard, were always kind and charismatic. Cubans respect the law and fear of getting caught with drugs and guns keeps the crime rate low. We felt very safe throughout the trip.

Cuban streets Exploring Old Havana, walking along the Malecón, riding in a vintage 60’s convertible, eating traditional Cuban food on the balcony of an apartment-turnedrestaurant, riding horses in Viñales Valley, tasting Cuban rum, seeing a cabaret are all experiences we will cherish forever. Cuba is a country rich in culture with the most loud and proud people I have ever met. If you are an adventurous traveler, speak a little Spanish, and want to immerse yourself in a country where it feels like you traveled fifteen years back in time, a trip to Cuba is for you.

Kelly Hedgecock, 25, grew up in Walnut Creek, is the daughter of our own Diablo Gazette’s Bookends columnist Jill Hedgecock and works at a San Francisco ad agency. She loves to travel.

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 17 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990

Resident Tales When I was growing up on my Grandpa’s farm in Quaker Hill, Connecticut, my sister and I and our parents lived next door to a very old house. It was built in 1725 according to the date carved in the upper part of the chimney. In that house lived my Great Aunt Aggie, her husband, John Libbey, and my Great Grandparents.

My sister and I were frequent visitors in that house. Its yard, porch, and rooms were our own special “playground”. We could come and go any old time of day to visit or act out imaginative stories or just to sit and read a book. Our mom always knew where we were and that we were safe there with our special people watching us.

To some people, that house probably seemed rather spooky. Its rooms were slightly off-kilter and a jumble of different shapes and dimensions, probably due to many upgrading and add-ons over the centuries. One room was about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. It only contained a dining table and chairs and a few side-board type chests. It was the place for the whole Hempstead family plus a few friends to gather for Thanksgiving dinner.

The dining table was stretched to its full length and several additional tables were added so that there was seating for 25 people for that special occasion.

But my favorite room of all was the small, cozy room just beyond the dining room. It contained an old-fashioned settle (a long seat or bench with wooden arms and a high back). It sat to the left as you entered the room and was built into the corner. At right angles, in the wall was a fireplace. In the cold autumn months, there was frequently a fire burning in the fireplace and one could curl up in the settle and watch the “pictures” in the embers and flames for hours.

Another feature of that room was an old rocking chair. It was not your run-of-the-mill rocking chair but very special and spooky in character. It was made of very dark, hard wood painted with many coats of black paint. Its arms were a bit curved and the backrest was curved at its top.

In that backrest was carved the face of a snarling pirate! His mouth was carved around a big open space; his lips curled mincingly showing a few irregular stubs of teeth ready to bite into anyone who annoyed him. He sure was scary. And it was fun to stick your hand in his mouth now and then just to show how brave you were.

One day, when I was enjoying a good rocking in the “pirate” chair, I felt a swooshing round about my head. Soon, I realized there was a bat in the room, zooming in circles, dipping and rising, looking for a way out.

However it was that the poor creature had gotten into the room, he surely didn’t want to stay. Soon I became aware of another phenomenon: there

Autumn Memories was a bunch of my family members outside of the closed French windows that led from this room to the porch.

They were all gesticulating and yelling instructions all at once: “Be very

still!” “Don’t let that bat get tangled in your hair!” “Stay there!” “No, come out here!”, etc.

Neither the bat nor all the kerfuffle fazed me one bit. I just enjoyed the

by Marge Crawford dance of the bat thoroughly and went into fits of laughter. Looking back, I think of it only as another fun adventure in that really, very old house.

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Christmas For Everyone For the past eight years, I have been involved with Christmas For Everyone. This organization has helped thousands of people in our community celebrate Christmas with their families. These are families that do not have the resources for gifts or even a Christmas dinner.

Christmas For Everyone (CFE) is a non-profit volunteer group that for the past 28 years has sought out financial sponsors and donations from the public of toys for kids, blankets, jackets, clothing, appliances and the like including “gently used clothing”. Each year, they transform a local church center in Concord into a “shopping mall” where families can come and choose items for their families, have a complete Christmas dinner, listen to live Christmas music, get haircuts, enjoy a play center created for their kids and feel that they and their families have celebrated Christmas. Last year, CFE served Christmas dinner to over 2,500 people.

With Corporate Sponsors feeling the “crunch”, it makes every small donation even that much more important. This year we have lost several of our corporate sponsors who in past years have donated $30,000. We need your help to provide a full Christmas Day so no one spends the holiday alone or in need. Here’s how you can become part of this awesome event. Make a small donation of money, buy a sale item you saw in the store that you could afford to donate or go through your closet and donate those “gently used clothing” items you have been meaning to get rid of for years.

Donations can be made to the New Hope International Church at 2120 Olivera Rd. in Concord. In Clayton, I am now accepting donations at my home for Christmas for Everyone. I will make weekly or even daily trips to the event center to make your donating even easier. Feel free to drop off any donation to me at 252 Mountaire Parkway Clayton. You can leave bags on my doorstep.

Much needed donation ideas include: money, gloves and hats, almost new to new clothing, new unwrapped gifts for all ages

(especially for teens and adults), sleeping bags, rain gear (ponchos, etc.), new or almost new blankets, lap robes (wide & Long).

Volunteers are also needed to hang posters and sort clothes and on Christmas Day to deliver food to the homebound. Entertainers (musicians, singers, clowns), and hair stylists are also welcome. We need a clean-up crew for the day after Christmas. Call 925-228-2233 or email cfe_christmas@comcast.net to volunteer.

Check website for more information and hours at www.christmasforeveryone.com or facebook.com/ christmasforeveryone.

If you have any questions, call me. 925-323-4913. If you feel inclined to make a money donation, I do have a secured mailbox. Just let me know you left something in that locked mailbox so I look for it.

I want to thank those that have donated in the past to this great cause. I want to thank those of you that will make donations this year. If you have the time, get involved. I promise you it will make this Christmas one that you will not forget.

~ Clayton Mayor Howard Geller

The Color Run Tropicolor® World Tour Comes to Bay Area

The Color Run®, has no winners or official times. It simply celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality, helping participants achieve their fitness goals by providing a fun, un-intimidating running environment.

The Color Run®, one of the largest 5k event series in the world is coming to Six flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo on November 12th.

The Tropicolor World Tour will combine the enjoyment of a 5k with all the fun leisure of an island-style vacation – full of unforgettable memories, music, and colors. Runners will be bathed in a tropical array of colors and island scents as they pass through the Tropicolor Zone of palm trees, arches, and island-style music. Afterwards, participants can enjoy fun and interaction at The Color Run’s Rainbow Beach with music, dancing, massive color throws, and unique photo opportunities during the Finish Festival.

The Tropicolor World Tour marks the fifth anniversary of The Color Run. The Color Run, a for-profit company and will be partnering with the American Diabetes Association for this event. Tickets are $34.99. The race will begin at 7:30 am. Registration is open for individual runners and teams. For more information and to register, visit http://thecolorrun.com

Inaugural CBCA Skip Ipsen Memorial Bocce Tournament Twelve teams competed in the two-day CBCA Skip Ipsen Memorial Bocce Tournament at the Ipsen Family Bocce Park in Clayton dedicated to the man whose dedication to Clayton and CBCA, vision and resources paved the way for the construction and operation of Clayton Bocce courts for the benefit of all.

The profits from this tournament will assist CBCA’s ability to offer college scholarships, sports and school equipment, programs and causes consistent with CBCA’s mission of doing good for the Clayton community. Ed’s Mudville Grill who won it 13-11 over Mazzei Realty in the Championship game.

Photo by Mike Fossan

Finalists. Front: l-r . Pat Middendorf , Matt Hill , Linda Mullen , Larry Mullen , Ricky Nolen , Aldo Ricetti , Herc Pardi , Carol Ricetti . Back: Jim Middendorf , Matt Mazzei , Tom Branich .

Thanks for reading The Diablo Gazette

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 19 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette • (925)-298-9990

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Be Wary of Low Cost Duct Cleaning Offers

by Desire Medlen Many homeowners have seen the ads for ducting cleanings offered by local HVAC companies or have received coupons in the mail for a value duct cleaning for “just $59.95. some have received telemarketing calls for as low as $34.95. It can leave you wondering if you should get your ducts cleaned for such a cheap price. As a consumer, you may want to think it over first.

The residential HVAC can be a journey into the unknown for many people. So when a technician comes to your home and tells you what your system needs; it can be easy to believe the experts in the field. However, the question is “do you really need your ducts cleaned?”

Duct cleaning is not a service that we provide, but we are aware of potential unscrupulous tactics sometimes used within the industry.

One major claim is that duct cleaning can help airflow in your home. Central heating and air conditioning systems do collect dust and debris over their lifetime, which can cause airflow issues to occur.

Cleaning the system itself, which includes the air handler or furnace and coil, will improve airflow. Cleaning the ducts alone will not increase airflow.

Another point these offers make is that a duct cleaning will improve air quality in the home. This is simply not true. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states, “Studies do not conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts or go down after cleaning”. In fact, if the cleaning is not performed correctly it may cause the ducting to be

disturbed and cause more air pollution, not to mention damage to your ducting.

If you have had recent renovations done in your home, if there were rodents or other vermin in your ducting, or mold has been found in your ducting, a duct cleaning may be helpful for you.

Be aware that a duct cleaning solely cannot solve vermin and mold issues, and underlying issues will need to be addressed, otherwise you can have the issue repeatedly.

If you feel like you would benefit from a duct cleaning, make sure to check the company’s license as it is required by the State of California for all duct cleaning technicians to be licensed. Most licensed companies charge anywhere from $500 to $1500 for a cleaning. When a company claims to do a thorough cleaning for less than $100, it is more than likely an opportunity sell you something else. Be wary if they inform of numerous costly repairs that need to be made. The best thing for a consumer is knowledge.

Once a technician tells you there are holes somewhere or evidence of mold, ask to see pictures if you cannot look for yourself. Also, make sure there is an identifying object in the photo so you know that it is your home and not a previous job they were at. It never hurts to get a second opinion before signing on for expensive work in your home.

Do you still have questions about duct cleaning or any other heating and air conditioning issues? Feel free to contact Clean Air at 925-689-7017 or visit our website at cahvac.com.

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Tee-Ball: The Secret to One’s Success

by Justin Barker, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce One can argue that Contra Costa County has produced a disproportionate number of the best athletes and teams in the state, the country, even the world. Is our fascination in sports just a distraction from our daily lives, or are there values being developed through participation in sports that will transcend into other areas of our lives, such as success in business?

One of my earliest life memories is playing tee-ball for the little league Yankees. Since then, I have continued to make sports and training a significant aspect of my life. I am not alone, as I know many community members who have made sports an important part of their lives as well. Recently, I spoke with members of the Concord Chamber of Commerce who attribute their success in business to lessons learned from participating in sports.

Dan Cunningham serves as the Treasurer of the Concord Chamber of Commerce. He is the owner of Padgett Business Services in Concord, a company that offers tax, payroll, accounting, and other services to small businesses. Dan has been an avid runner for the past ten years. Additionally, he serves as the announcer for the De La Salle High School lacrosse team. Dan shared with me that he announces because of his love for the game of lacrosse, and to give back to the schools. “Sports bring the community together. High school sports teach young people how to work together and how to deal with adversity.

Participating in sports has taught him goal setting, trust, and determination.

He is currently training for the New York Marathon in November. “The first thing I do when I sign up for a race is ask, what is my goal for the race? Even when things are not going well, don’t give up.”

Dan believes teamwork is the greatest quality from sports that has influenced his business. “No matter what you are doing, you cannot do it by yourself, you need other people. If you are running a play, you must trust a teammate is going to be where he says he is going to be. It is the same thing with business. I have employees and I trust them to do what they need to do.”

Gustavo Desperatti is the owner/ head instructor at Dogo Krav Maga self-defense in Concord. He has been

training in Krav Maga for nine years.

Gustavo trains in this particular art because “It is the most effective [selfdefense] technique you can use for real situations. This is why I began teaching it.” Gustavo explained “Krav Maga makes you take a big problem and simplify it.

It makes you think in different ways. It makes you concentrate.” Confidence and perseverance are values he has learned through practicing Krav Maga.

“Confidence. It makes you feel more secure in your approach. You go through tough times in training, where you feel you can’t go on any more. But you tell yourself, no, I can’t stop right now. I must keep going. I can go further.”

Brad Buchholz serves as the Fitness Director at The Big C Athletic Club in Concord. Brad grew up as an athlete and wanted to become a personal trainer since high school. Brad shared that the greatest life lesson he has learned from being in the fitness industry is commitment. “To lose weight, you have to be committed. There are so many obstacles you are going to encounter.”

Brad strives to understand his clients’ motivation to support their commitment.

Brad says people can learn from including exercise in their lives. “Generally, if you are healthy, you eat well. Your energy is going to be better and your body is going to process better. Try to be active and eat well, laugh and lower your stress.” As for transferable qualities from fitness to business, Brad says that “practicing what you preach” is crucial.

“You have to look the part. Be on time, be a team player, and show good sportsmanship. I think that’s why so many former athletes have good jobs, because they have those values instilled in them. I like knowing that people can rely on me. If I say I am going to take care of it, then I am going to take care of it.”

Sports not only benefits our physical and mental health, but in other avenues of our lives. It maximizes our potential in life. Athletics give us a form of competition that cannot be found in any other type of human interaction. Release the athlete in you. Tee-ball was just fun for me. I had no idea it was the beginning class of years of life lessons to help me become a better businessperson and community member.

Concord Chamber Welcomes Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice Photo Credit: Ken Juber

The Concord Chamber recently welcomed Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice, to Concord at 2050 Monument Blvd. with a ribbon cutting/ grand opening celebration. They are a warehouse store for everyone with serious foodservice needs.

Cash&Carry is open to the public and

is perfect for restaurant owners, caterers, event planners and dedicated foodservice professionals. They have 56 locations throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California and their hours are Mon-Sat 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You can call them at 1-800-662-4242.

Diablo Gazette • NOVEMBER 2016 • Page 20 • www.DiabloGazette.com | www.fb.com/DiabloGazette •(925)-298-9990

Photo Credit: Phillip Walton/SportStars Magazine

Carondelet Looking to Return to CIF State Championship

in Girls Golf

by Mike Wood

Carondelet hit lofty heights in high school girls golf in 2015. That included an undefeated regular season, the North Coast Section team championship and the tournament’s medalist, tying for second at the Northern California finals and finishing fifth at the state championships.

Flash to the present. As many champions learn, retaining that high echelon of success often is tougher than reaching it the first time.

“It makes you work even harder, because you know what it is like,” said junior Annika Borrelli about the challenge of repeating. “Our goal at NCS is to get first. We want to go out there and play our game.”

The Cougars are focused on defending their team title at the NCS Division I Tournament of Champions at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa having put together a stellar season once again.

But this time, Dougherty Valley stands firmly in Carondelet’s way. The Wildcats, who with Dublin joined the East Bay Athletic League this fall, have gotten the best of the Cougars in all three of their meetings this year. In league head-tohead competition, Dougherty Valley earned wins of 190-195 and 192-201, then edged Carondelet by four strokes for the EBAL title on Oct. 17 at Chardonnay.

“We have been playing really well,” Borrelli said. “We are still shooting exceptional scores. It’s all about getting rid of our mistakes.”

Coach Rick Eisenhour zeroes in one aspect of Carondelet’s game that needs work.

“From tee-to-green, we are doing fine.

We need to avoid the three-putts, make

the birdies we should make and eliminate the short misses,” said Eisenhour.

Those losses to the Wildcats are the only times Carondelet (16-2) have tasted defeat this season. The last time the Cougars gained the upper hand against Dougherty Valley was at the 2015 NCS TOC when Carondelet’s Angela Bagasbas won medalist honors with a 72.

In many ways, the Cougars have upped their game from last year. “In the EBAL finals they went from 390 at San Ramon Golf Club in 2015, to a 366 this year at Chardonnay,” Eisenhour said. “We skipped the 380s and 370s altogether.”

The Cougars again are a model of consistency with low scores, with 10 matches totaling a 200 or under in the competitive EBAL, known for its challenging courses and steep competition. Carondelet’s consistency is rooted in having its core cast back from last season. And aside from Isabel Minton being sidelined with a wrist injury, they are healthy. They boast senior Alexis Browne, juniors Borrelli and Bagasbas and sophomores Yealimi Noh and Courtney Gaoiran. And there’s freshman Carissa Wu, who shot a 2-under at the EBAL finals at Chardonnay.

Having played together for quite some time leads to forming strong bonds, both on the course and in the classroom.

“It allows our friendships to be ongoing,” Borrelli said. “We try to motivate each other and help someone who might be having a bad day. We have each other’s back.”

Competing and traveling in an American Junior Golf Association league was a positive for the players shoring up their confidence.

To make an NCS double, they will need to conquer the nuances of Chardonnay.

“It’s

undulating to say the least,” Eisenhour said. “The holes are up and down and all over the place.”

Should the Cougars make it thru NCS and NorCals, again there is the goal of heading to the state championships again, set for Nov. 15 at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga. There’s one motivator in getting there that has little to do with golf. Borrelli summed it up in one word: “Disneyland!”

The Road to Red Hill Following are the key dates and tournaments for 2016 girls golf postseason, which concludes with the CIF State Championships at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.

NCS DIV I Championship, Monday Oct. 31. At chardonnay Golf Club, Napa. Defending championsCarondelet.

CIF/NCGA NORCAL CHAMPIONSHIP Monday, Nov. 7 at The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch, Salinas. Defending Champ: St. Francis-Mountain View CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Monday, Nov. 14, at Red Hill Country Club, Rancho Cucamonga.

Defending Champ: Mira Costa.

Read the expanded version of this story plus more area youth sports at SportStarsonline.com, or pick up a copy of SportStars magazine at a store near you.