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October 2013 Mt. Diablo Interpretive Association Needs Your Help By Fran Miller
The wildfire that just one month ago ravaged the eastern side of Mount Diablo is a memory, but the devastation left in its wake is ever-present. While naturalists acknowledge that such a fire is merely part of the environmental cycle, and that it will take only three to five years for the area to regenerate, they also acknowledge that Mother Nature could use a hand in the healing process. Assisting in the rehabilitation of the charred picnic areas, mangled fencing, and damaged signage is the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association (MDIA), a non-profit volunteer organization which assists the California Department of Parks and Recreation in maintaining and interpreting Mt. Diablo State Park for its 700,000 visitors each year.
Photo by Steve Hutchcraft
Started in 1974 as an informal interest group, MDIA later became formally recognized by the State Park system as the single cooperative association for Mt. Diablo State Park. MDIA’s responsibility has grown over the years to include the publication of guidebooks, maps, and newsletters and the overseeing of all merchandising. The association is proud to have played a major role in the construction and recent remodel of the museum atop Mt. Diablo’s summit, and it is responsible for the creation and staffing of the Visitor Center at Mitchell Canyon. MDIA publishes the popular Trail Map of Mount Diablo State Park, various natural history brochures, and Mountain News. MDIA was instrumental in the creation of an interpretive trail from Blackhawk to the summit, where hikers learn of 150 million years of geologic history, ancient landscapes, prehistoric animal life, evolving plant forms, and also about the massive tectonic forces that formed the mountain today. The association is operated by a number of committed volunteers who work hand-in-hand with park staff and carry out duties as requested. MDIA President Jim Mitchell, who retired this past April as Director of R&D for the Clorox Company and now spends much of his time on Mt. Diablo, says that MDIA often has more volunteers in the park than park staff. “It’s like running a small business,” says Mitchell. MDIA’s day-to-day focus is to enhance the public’s appreciation of the mountain through education programs, nature hikes and other sponsored activities, but the association and its volunteers are ready to jump-in during a
See MDIA continued on page 26
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Serving Alamo and Diablo Alamo Rotary Names Dick Olsen Citizen of the Year
Each year the Rotary Club of Alamo selects an Alamo Citizen of the Year. Nominations are solicited from a very wide cross section of the Alamo community. The nominee must be a person who has demonstrated a unique commitment to the Alamo community that places him/her in a special place Dick Olsen, left, is congratulated after being named deserving of this recogni- Alamo’s Citizen of the Year. tion. Alamo has hundreds of dedicated citizens who give countless hours of their time to our benefit and others without seeking any kind of recognition. They give of themselves to our community, and they represent the very best of citizenship, service, and integrity. Dick Olsen is one of those special people who gives so much to Alamo but very often keeps a low profile to the community. In other words, he isn’t interested in achieving recognition, which makes this award so much more meaningful. Dick conceived the Stone Valley/I680 interchange project, helped recruit volunteers, and worked closely with the landscape architect. He raised funds to pay for the plants and gardeners. Perhaps his most notable activities and results were the many meetings, emails, and telephone conversations to gain final project approval from Caltrans. Dick then ordered the trees and plants and turned the project into realty. Once the project was approved and funded, Dick spent hundreds of hours working and leading the effort to plant the trees and plants, install the irrigation system, spread the tanbark, kill the weeds, and fertilize the plantings. We all are indebted to Dick’s dedication, many skills, gentile guidance, and unselfish devotion to the improvement of the I680 interchange, the area will be enjoyed and will benefit all who live in Alamo long into the future. To this day he continually monitors and man-
See Olsen continued on page 22
Posted on a pole on the Iron Horse Trail at the Stone Valley Rd. intersection was a sign encouraging those passing by to “Take a smile.” It read, “C’mon! Take a smile! Love, Some AWESOME PEOPLE!” Little tear off strips were available for taking and remembering to smile!
Volume XIII - Number 10 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Sharon Burke ~ Writer sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com
The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
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Page 2 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Boulevard View
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor
Twenty-two years ago our young family was living in Oregon. An opportunity arose to host a high school student from Japan for two weeks. We thought the opportunity would be an enriching experience for all. We signed up and received our student Kyoko. Through a lot of pantomiming and dictionary thumbing, we were able to communicate and had a wonderful time welcoming Kyoko into our home. Another family hosted Kyoko’s friend Satomi, and the two girls and two families participated in many activities for those couple weeks. The following year we repeated the experience with our new student Fumi. After moving to the Bay Area we participated in a similar program with French students. We have enjoyed both cultures and have made lasting friendships across both oceans. Not only have we learned some new vocabulary (which has become infinitely easier with the advent of computers and smartphones), but we have enjoyed different cuisines, and we have also used the experiences to explore more of our region and state. This summer one of our French students, Delphine, returned for a six week visit to brush-up her English skills as she prepares for a big college entrance test next spring. As this was Delphine’s second journey here, she wanted to explore Los Angeles as well. The opportunity provided us with an excuse for a long weekend of L.A. sight-seeing capped off by a visit to the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center, which was something I personally always wanted to see. This month Satomi returned to visit our family for a three day stay. We had stayed in touch and had a previous brief visit 10 years ago. Her visit this time gave us a chance to hike around the Lafayette Reservoir, walk the Iron Horse Trail, and see some sites that have made our area famous and which many of us just take for granted - today we took the Silicon Valley tour with stops and pictures in front of Yahoo, Steve Jobs’s boyhood home, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Stanford University, and Facebook. The day was capped off by a night
at the A’s ballgame. Our lives have been enriched from these connections. About six years ago I received an email from Erick, one of my readers, who was trying to help an email contact from Sweden find information on her great grandfather who was believed to have lived in the Lafayette area in the early 1900s. Viktoria, in Sweden, had contacted Erick via the www.findagrave.com website. The site is useful to genealogists who can ask for help in finding and posting grave site information for their relatives, include headstone pictures. Having a passion for genealogy myself, I contacted Viktoria and did some research for her at the Martinez Court House. We became email and Facebook friends. Fast forward to this summer. My daughter was traveling in Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, and Scotland. When I asked Viktoria for a helping hand in finding places for my daughter to visit, an arm was extended and my daughter was welcomed into Viktoria’s home Amy, Viktoria, and Hedvig as a “bonus daughter.” It was an amazing experience for all. Another contributor to the Lafayette Today paper, Kathleen McAdam, has held a Scottish dancing class in the local area for years. We connected at one of her classes. When I recently mentioned my daughter’s trip, Kathleen too reached out. Not only did she offer wonderful advice about things to see and do in Ireland and Scotland, but she contacted a cousin who lives in a suburb of Edinburgh. The suburb was originally a village named...Corstorphine, our surname. Kathleen’s cousin met my daughter at the bus stop and took her on a personal tour of the “homeland.” The connections we make with people introduces us to new ideas, new foods, and new sights and makes the world we live in a little smaller and a little more personal.
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Danville Fall Crafts Festival
Fall is in the air, and art is everywhere as the Danville Fall Crafts Festival welcomes visitors of all ages. This much-loved event takes place in downtown Danville on Saturday and Sunday, October 26 and 27, from 10AM to 5PM. Hosted by the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Danville, the admission-free festival takes place along Hartz Avenue, between Diablo Road and Hartz Way, and features 200 talented artisans showing their work. Genres range from ceramics, glass, fiber art, wood, and leather to paintings, jewelry, photography, and mixed media. For family-friendly fun, explore the enchanting Glass Pumpkin Patch on Prospect at Hartz Avenue, which displays more than 1,000 glass pumpkins of every size, color, and shape. The always-popular Children’s Costume Parade starts at 10AM at School and Hartz Avenue on Saturday, October 26, with safe trick-or-treating throughout the event. Other activities for youngsters include face painting, inflatables, and train rides. For adults, a Beverage Garden sponsored by the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce offers refreshing microbrews and wines. Prospect Avenue events, held between Hartz Avenue and Front Street, include special merchant activities and a local dance performance on Saturday, with a Classic Cars and BMX Bike Show on Sunday. Talented street corner musicians provide entertainment for festival-goers all weekend long and includes world music tunes, lively xylophone and marimba music, and romantic Italianate ballads on guitar and mandolin. Festival visitors also enjoy free unlimited parking in city-owned lots and curb-side spaces (the two-hour parking limit will not be enforced) as well as free parking for bicycles. For more information, contact (925) 8374400 or visit the festival website at www. mlaproductions.com.
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Page 4 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club Welcome Coffee
The Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club Welcome Coffee is a free gathering open to all who are thinking of joining the club. This casual get-together is the perfect opportunity to learn about the many facets of the Newcomers group while enjoying coffee and some treats with friends. The coffee will be held October 29th, from 10am-noon. For more information, visit www.alamodanvillenewcomers.com or email alamodanvillenewcomers@gmail.com.
San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club
The San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club holds a monthly luncheon on Heather Gass, Each Founder of the East aBay Tea Party the third Thursday of the month. luncheon features guest speaker and is open to current and prospective members in the San Ramon Val“The Dark Side of Sustainability” ley. For more information or reservations, contact Dee Bradshaw at (925) Prior 837-9600. to becoming an activist for private property rights and for liberty, Heather was a net
for 17 years. She is the author of three technical books and dozens of IT training videos. In SRVRWF Present David Spady founded the East Bay Tea Party which has over 3000 members and affiliates nationwide. H
San Ramon Valley Republican Women Federated presParty group’s major focus is Agenda 21 and private property rights. Heather has been edu ent David Spady speaking on “The Greatest Threat to Calimotivating conservative groups all over the state and has become an expert on One Bay A fornia’s Future.” David is President and Regional Public Planning. If you have been of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) of andMedia 9 Bay Area Affairsis Strategy is based in Camarillo, planned forwhich the Town of Danville by 2030, youCalifornia. just might want to come to our January He serves as Director of Government Affairs for Salem Communication Corp. and as State Director of Americans for Prosperity in California, a national grass roots organization focused on economic issues, free-markets, and Social limited government. ~ 11:30am The talk will take place at the Crow Canyon Country Club, located at 711 Silver Lake Drive, ~ Danville, on Tuesday, Octoberand 22nd. Social time begins 12 Noon Luncheon Speaker ~ $25.00 pm pm at 6 followed by dinner and the speaker at 6:30 . The cost is $40. For reservations, call Mary at 925-837-5465 e-mail srvrwf. For reservations, call Mary or 925.837.5465 lunch@gmail.com. Reservations are due by Friday, October 18th. or e-mail: srvrwf.lunch@gmail.com For more information, visit www.srvrwf.org.
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Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 5
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Alamo Cemetery Tour
A tour of the Alamo Cemetery is scheduled for Saturday, October 26th at 10am. The cemetery is located on La Gonda Way and El Portal on the Alamo-Danville border. The tour features docents talking about our early pioneers. Historic re-enactors will be present at several grave sites. For more information or to set up a special group tour, call Patty Dobbin at 925-838-0127.
Danville Library Book Sale
Expand your horizons with a book from the Friends of the Danville Library Book Sale. The sale will begin for library members only on Friday, October 11th from 9am - 10pm. The sale will then be open to the public on Friday, October 11th from 10am- 5pm, Saturday, October 12th from 10am - 4pm, and Sunday, October 13th from 12:05pm - 3:45pm.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
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The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) will be held on Wednesday, October 16th. The VFW Post 75 of San Ramon Valley meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building located at 400 Hartz Avenue in Danville. The building is located on the corner of East Prospect Avenue and Hartz Avenue. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Ernie Petagara at (925) 362-9806. Find out more about the VFW and our Post on the internet at www.vfwpost75.org.
Collections for the Troops
Once again we had fantastic collections at Lunardi’s in Danville and at CVS in Alamo. Without our shoppers and our two stores, we couldn't function. We have sent 1,110 boxes filled with 27,268 pounds of “gourmet junk food” and coffee to our service men and women. Please let us know at the collections or via our web contact, deltanupsi.org, if you have a service person in Afghanistan.
AARP Tax-Aide Call For Volunteers
Museum of the San Ramon Valley
Do you like working with people? Are you good with numbers? Contra Costa County AARP Tax-Aide is looking for volunteers to become members of a team providing free tax preparation for individuals of all ages. Tax-Aide volunteer positions include Tax Counselors who are trained by Tax-Aide and certified by IRS and Client Facilitators who schedule appointment and assist clients at tax sites. Orientation is in November 2013, and classes for tax counselors start in January 2014. If interested, call LaVerne Gordon at (925) 726-3199 for information and to apply.
Save the Date Alamo Tree Lighting Festival Sunday, December 1st • 4:30-6:30pm
Remembering President John F. Kennedy
We all remember where we were on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. JFK was the first American President born in the 20th century, and, with his young, attractive family, he energized the nation. His ready wit, new ideas, and style led people to call his Presidency “Camelot.” An exhibit featuring the Kennedy years will be in place in the Waiting Room at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley from October 1-November 24th. This “mini exhibit” displays newspapers and magazines which feature Kennedy and his family. There is a collection of Kennedy dollars and a video sharing his many memorable speeches.
Indian Life Exhibit
Take a journey back in time, at least 5,000 years, to reflect on what it was like in our valley long before the arrival of the Spaniards and the town of Danville existed. The Indian Life exhibit opens Saturday, October 5th at the Museum. This exhibit will run through Sunday, November 10th and will not only be open for the public to view the daily life of our first Californians, but it will serve as a classroom for 4th grade classes in the San Ramon Valley School District to visit on a field trip to learn their local history curriculum. The Museum is located at 205 Railroad Ave in Danville. For information call 925-837-3750 or visit museumsrv.org. Museum hours are Tuesday – Friday: 1 – 4pm, Saturday: 10am – 1pm, and Sunday: noon – 3pm.
Lafayette Reservoir Run – October 27th “The fastest 5K and the toughest 10K in the land”
The Lafayette Reservoir Run involves kids, parents, grandparents, and hundreds of serious runners from all over the Bay Area. Over 2,500 participants compete in a 10K, 5K, or 2 mile race through the heart of downtown Lafayette, around the reservoir and back. Sprinters, walkers, the “stroller brigade” and many four legged residents share the streets on the last Sunday morning in October. Race times begin at 8am and “day of” registration begins at 6:30am. Enjoy music provided by Stanley Middle School and a pancake breakfast provided by the Lafayette Rotary Club. There are medals for all top participants in the 5K and 10K. The two mile fun-run is a non-timed event. Pre-registration can made via the www.lafayettechamber.org website. Click on the “Res Run” button on the home page. 8
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Contra Costa County Releases Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan By Supervisor Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County, District 2
In September during National Suicide Prevention Week, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors adopted a new county wide strategic plan to address suicide prevention. The Suicide Prevention Plan is intended to provide the community with resources and strategies to prevent suicides. Contra Costa’s suicide rate is 10.9 per 100,000 in population, higher than the state average of 10.3 per 100,000. Approximately 112 county residents take their lives each year, more than those who are killed in homicides. The tragedy of suicide crosses over socioeconomic status, age, gender, and ethnicity. Suicide has an everlasting impact on the survivors. Family members and friends are left to process the loss of their loved one. As a result of the experience, they are at an increased risk for suicide themselves. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and, generally, those over 45 years of age are at greatest risk. Suicides are preventable and these statistics can change if everyone takes action together. Adoption of the strategic plan culminates a two year collaboration between Contra Costa Behavioral Health Services, the Contra Costa Crisis Center, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers, John Muir Health, Kaiser Permanente, and other community groups and public agencies. The effort began with the formation of a Suicide Prevention Committee, charged with drafting a Countywide plan aimed at reducing attempted and completed suicides. Stakeholders were asked to contribute their knowledge, commitment, and resources to help implement the County-wide strategies. Suicide prevention and this collaboration is one project being funded through the California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), adopted by voters in 2004 as Proposition 63, which was designed to expand and transform California’s county mental health service systems. The committee analyzed data provided by the Coroner’s Office to identify at-risk populations, common methods of suicide, and how to improve delivery of crisis-support and prevention services. Recommendations in the Strategic Plan include increasing coordination between county systems and community service providers to improve access to help, improving protocols for triage and assessment of at-risk people, and training
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 7
about warning signs and effective prevention practices for healthcare providers and community “gatekeepers” such as teachers and the clergy. To download an electronic copy of the strategic plan, please visit www.cchealth. org/mental health. You can also receive a hard copy by contacting my office. Contra Costa Behavioral Health Services has also created an educational video as part of efforts to raise awareness about this preventable tragedy. The video is available online on their website at www.cchealth.org/video. People who need support can call the free, 24-hour crisis and suicide prevention line at (800) 833-2900. If you would like additional information about this topic or other County issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (925) 957-8860, or by email at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us.
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Relevancy ties information to the brain’s primary role: survival. Learning is a biological process for survival. Last year the Rancho Romero School Site Council and staff set out to improve the percentage of students who report being involved in meaningful and relevant participation at school. Student surveys, observations, and other data revealed a need to increase valued responsibilities, planning and decision-making opportunities, and chances to contribute to others in the school environment. With only a few weeks into the school year more students than ever are engaged in relevant, engaging, and interesting activities with opportunities for responsibility and contribution. Greatness Kids - Greatness Kids is a leadership program, started at Rancho this year by BJ Byrd, PE Specialist, and supported by parent volunteers, site administration, Rainbow Para Educators, and noon supervisors. Over 120 fourth and fifth grade students signed on for training and have committed to work with the Roadrunner Running Club and/or the Recess Assistant Program for the entire year. Training includes skills in organization, responsibility, safety, friendship, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. This is an organic leadership program, tailored to our students. Roadrunner Run Club - Two hundred and thirty students have started on their personal goal to run 100 miles between September 18th and the end of the school year. Students will have the opportunity to run or walk up to four days per week, two mornings before school and two during noontime recess. Pledge to Humanity - All students will have the opportunity to make a pledge to humanity this year. Gaby Ghorbani is leading the charge with Student Council to get everyone involved in acts of kindness, compassion, and action. Service projects will include working with our sister school, Coronado Elementary in Richmond, preparing lunches for local homeless shelters, participating in an annual Rancho Romero Walk-a-Thon for a designated local charity, and supporting the Wheelchair Foundation through fundraising and ability awareness. Teaching and Learning - Teachers have embraced the Common Core Standards, and meaningful participation is clearly evident across the grades. Students are sharing opinions on issues and classroom problems; are responding to relevant and complex questions that encourage self-reflection, critical thinking, and dialogue; are creating democratic processes for sharing thoughts and concerns on a particular issue; are having choices on specific tasks and books; and are directly involved in setting goals and evaluating their own progress. Dr. Keith R. Gronbach, D.D.S.
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Being the smallest school in the district, it might seem that building a sense of community would be easy. While it is true that getting to know names and faces is easier at a small school, developing a true sense of community is as difficult as it is in larger schools. In small schools, we draw from a much smaller pool of people to organize, plan, and implement activities to build our community. At no time is the work of community building more important than at the start of the school year. New families and changes in leadership require a great deal of coordination, energy, and imagination. Once registration has been completed and students are in their classes the real work of community building begins! It is a combination of long-standing traditions and innovative ideas that pulls the community together. It starts with our Back-to-School Nights. This year we had two, one for kindergarten and one for grades 1 – 5. Both were well attended as teachers and room parents provided important information for a successful year. On September 7th Alamo School took an active part in the Alamo Music & Wine Festival, with our chorus and PTA game booth featured at the annual event. On September 17th our PTA hosted its first Family Reading Night of the year coordinated by Yelena Vitale and featuring volunteer readers as well as our librarian Marcie Wehrley. Our traditional Family Game Night will take place on October 18th during our Annual Fall Book Fair (October 18-25). On September 22nd we celebrated the completion of our new teaching garden and cob shed at our 2nd Annual “Day on the Green.” Families gathered for an afternoon in the celebration of a healthy earth, mind, and body. Coordinated by our garden committee (Sharon Dodson, Melanie Volk, Lisa Gartland-Dempster, Cathy Garrett, Kathy Finley) the event featured a mini-farmer’s market, facepainting, food, crafts, and gardening. This is just the beginning of what we expect to be a big part the garden will play in our educational program. Perhaps no single activity draws a wider range of our community together around a single goal than the SRVEF Annual Run for Education (formerly Primo’s Run). Coordinated by Kristin Kiltz and Melissa Economos, Alamo’s participation in the Run for Education has skyrocketed over the past two years. Last year, Alamo School captured the Top Performing School trophy with 334 registered runners/walkers for a 103.1% participation rate! In the first few weeks of the 2013-2014 Run for Education registration, Alamo was again in the lead. With just a few days left to register, we encourage all members of the Alamo School community to register for the Run for Education at www.srvef.org/the-run. The year has only just begun, but our “Little School that Could” is off to a great start in bringing our community together for another fantastic year!
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By Stan Hitomi, Principal, Alamo Elementary School
Realtors Recommended for a Reason
Important Dates Oct. 13 Oct. 14-18 Oct. 18 Oct. 18-25 Oct. 31 Nov. 1
SRVEF “Run for Education” (formerly Primo’s Run) Conference Week (grades 1-5) Family Game Night Fall Book Fair Halloween Parade NO SCHOOL – Staff Development Day
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Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun K. McElroy, Principal Common Core Math
As promised, this month’s article will focus on Common Core (CC) math. I felt it was best to provide readers with a student perspective on how their math classes differ this year versus last year. I met with students from each grade level of math and asked them to explain how their math classes have changed from last year to this year. The student responses are unedited, which may lead you to infer and sometimes smile at the candid nature of their responses. Each set of responses has the initials of the student and the grade level of math. If you are feeling industrious, go to the link on math practices, and see where student responses align with the eight math practices (www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice). The over arching goal of the CC is to be college and career ready – look for evidence in the student responses that would appear for readiness in a work place. [CZ – CC 7] They (teachers) want you to justify the problems from homework. The classroom is rearranged. There is a different style of teaching. Everyday we have to get out what is says on the board and correct our homework on our own instead of the teacher collecting it, grading it, and giving us a score. [SO – CC 8] – There is more explaining the answer, more teacher to student time, more explaining of notes, and not just writing notes down. There is less homework and more detail in the problems. We take group quizzes, but tests are taken alone. Students answer the questions versus the teacher just telling them. Whenever a student gets the problem wrong, she (the teacher) doesn’t just say it’s wrong, she explains why it’s wrong. We self-correct and grade ourselves. We haven’t actually looked in the book, most of the problems come from another place. [NB – Advanced Algebra I-8]– There are “block days (83 minute classes).” We work on advanced problems in groups. We take notes in class so we can understand the homework. The teacher teaches us math vocabulary, not just how to work with numbers. We correct our homework in class so we can correct our mistakes. The homework is not just based on numbers but on completion and correcting our mistakes We do class work to make sure we are proficient in that type of math. Tests have more points per problem - one point for trying, one point for set-up,
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 9 and one point for the correct answer. The standards are posted in the room, so we know what to prepare ourselves for. We are allowed to compare. [AF – CC Advanced Algebra I-8] We have time in class to work in groups, but we each do our own job such as editor, recorder, and materials person. The Problem of the Month is written on the white board, and if we have extra time after a quiz or class work, we can work on it to keep us occupied. Everyday we go over a different concept, and we practice it on paper. When we get to class, we go over the homework from last night and correct it. Homework is graded from zero to five. Sometimes we have practice tests that we work on with our neighbor. No homework is given before test days. [KL – CC8] There have been a couple of changes in our math class this year because we now have a block schedule. It makes it a lot easier to talk to our teacher about problems we might be having. We also do a new thing where we explain why our answer is correct. This helps a lot because if you had the answer wrong before, they give you a chance to realize what you had done wrong. The teachers are very good about explaining the problems to make them easier for us. They also give us real life situations where we can use what we have learned. [GG – CC 6] This year we have groups to consult with instead of rows of desks. It’s much more independent than last year. We check our own work instead of being graded by the teacher. Our grades are dependent on our honesty, as we decide what grade we should get based on how hard we tried to complete the problem. There are many opportunities to take notes. We decide for ourselves whether or not to do our homework. Our grades depend mostly on effort not how many questions we got right . [JC – CC 6] The difference in my math class from last year to this year is we work in more groups. We do also more writing and explaining of our answers. One of the biggest difference is we barely go over the homework in class, but the day after we go over it. We spend more time on one question as opposed to just flying through many questions. It’s much easier to learn because it’s at a slower pace. [KN – CC 7] There is a different style in the classroom, you have to justify every single answer--there is different teaching, and there are more “talkers.” The rules are more strict work then play! Everything is changed about the classroom and teaching. You can’t really do anything except following the rules. Stone Valley Math teachers are Chris Sherwood – CC 6/7– csherwood@srvusd.net, Wendy Nacamu – CC6/8 – wnacamu@srvusd.net, Rachel Lynch – CC7/8,Accelerated 7 rlynch@srvusd.net, and DavidAndrzejewski –AdvancedAlgebra I dandrzejewski@ srvusd.net. Please let me know if you have any questions, smcelro@srvusd.net.
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Page 10 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
San Ramon Valley High School
By Ruth Steele, Principal Common Core-The Biggest Challenge is Change
11 Critical Home Inspection Traps to be Aware of Weeks Before Listing Your Home for Sale Alamo - According to industry experts, there are over 33 physical problems that will come under scrutiny during a home inspection when your home is for sale. A new report has been prepared which identifies the 11 most common of these problems, and what you should know about them before you list your home for sale. Whether you own an old home or a brand new one, there are a number of things that can fall short of requirements during a home inspection. If not identified and dealt with, any of these 11 items could cost you dearly in terms of repair. That's why it's critical that you read this report before you list your home. If you wait until the building inspector flags these issues for you, you will almost certainly experience costly delays in the close of your home sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers
away altogether. In most cases, you can make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself if you know what you're looking for, and knowing what you're looking for can help you prevent little problems from growing into costly and unmanageable ones. To help home sellers deal with this issue before their homes are listed, a free report entitled "11Things You Need to Know to Pass Your Home Inspection" has been compiled which explains the issues involved. To hear a brief recorded message about how to order your FREE copy of this report, call toll-free 1-866-265-1682 and enter 2001. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get your free special report NOW to learn how to ensure a home inspection doesn't cost you the sale of your home.
“Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to stay the same, but get better.” ~ Sydney Harris School systems are incredibly hard to change. There are inherent problems that can arise whenever change is required because change brings fear, discomfort, difficulty, and uncertainty. Common Core requires change on a significant level. There is a fundamental shift in what we need to believe as educators in order to successfully move from STAR based teaching to the skills-based education that Common Core requires. This shift is exactly what our students need because they have to know how to problem solve, analyze, predict, debate, construct arguments using evidence, and read and write effectively. Common Core requires that all teachers, in all curriculum areas, help in teaching these skills to all students and that student learning becomes more student-centered and less teacher-centered. But this raises many questions: What will grades look like? How will learning be assessed? What will students be This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors #01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013 learning? Will teachers be teaching the same content? The simple answer is that students will learn the same content, but it is the Monte Vista High School way they learn it that will change. This is where the challenge lies. In order By Janet Terranova, Principal to shift teaching and learning strategies, there is a huge amount of work to Amazingly we are already into our fifth week of school. be done to help teachers, students, and parents with this transition. Students and families have left the “summer routine” Our greatest challenge for this year, and the years to come, is managing this change so that everyone can understand what it is, why it’s happening, behind and are settling into the “school routine.” Monte and how it will happen. The outcome will be significant improvement in our Vista had a very successful Back-to-School Night. Parents students’ learning and their preparation for the world beyond school, but as had the opportunity to learn about their student’s classes with any significant change, it will take time and patience to get there. and experience some of their anxiety trying to get from one end of the campus to the other during passing period. Each fall all schools must prepare a School Profile. When students request transcripts be sent to colleges and universities, this profile must be included. The profile outlines Monte Vista’s scores on ACT, SAT, and Advanced Placement tests as well as other demographic information. At the end of the report we have the opportunity of listing the highlights and accomplishments of our students. As always this is so impressive, and invariably we have more to acknowledge than space on the paper. Below is a small sampling of the impressive accomplishments of our students that were placed on our profile. • Four students received top honors in California - Letters About Literature National • 3rd place at Contra Costa County Mock Trial Competition • 2nd Place at 7th Annual Moot Court Competition • Contra Costa County “Poetry Out Loud” Student Winner/State Competition in Senate Chambers in Sacramento • U.S. Junior Mathematical Olympiad Exam - MV student places in the top 400 Women’s Volleyball All-American Academic Team • Ten MV students place in Speech and Debate Nationals • Eighteen students place in State Championships • Two MV students are Intel International Science & Engineering Finalists • Two MV students are Grand Prize winners at the Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair • One MV student is a 3rd place winner in ISEF Competition in Medical Sciences • One MV student is a 2nd place winner in CSSF Toxicology State Competition In Stone Valley Shopping Center • Jazz Band places first in Lincoln Jazz Competition As a school and community we are proud of our students and the adults in their lives that are helping them develop into amazing adults. As we move into the new school year, I will once again ask you to encourage Enjoy Our Patio Dining students to get involved with activities and/or community service. Studies prove that the most successful students are those students involved in extra-curricular Monday - Saturday: Lunch and Dinner activities. If you have a student in school or can influence a student, please encourage them to get involved in school or community activities. Sunday: Dinner only We Offer a Full Bar and Lounge If you would like more information about Monte Vista High School, please 3168 Danville Blvd, Alamo Margaritas are a House Specialty visit our website at www.mvhs.schoolloop.com.
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Alamo Women’s Club
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 11
Music Festival Rotary Raffle Prizes Awarded
The Alamo Music Festival Rotary Raffle raised over $9,500 which will help The Alamo Women’s Club was established in 1916 and is the longest standing service greatly with our support of the local school programs. Rotary extends their organization in the valley. We invite you to thanks to the raffle donors and congratulations to the raffle winners! • Foursome for golf at Round Hill Country Club ~ John McCorduck get to know us by joining us at one of our • Mountain Bike from Alamo Bicycles ~ Rafael Bustillos upcoming programs. Members come from • Faz Danville dinner for two plus bottle of Faz Cab ~ Pat DeRensis many locations and all are welcome. For more • McCovey’s $50 gift card plus two framed Giants World Series photos information, contact Jeri Strong, jeristrong@ ~ Ann Newman gmail.com. • Tickets for A’s game courtesy of Bay Area News Group ~ Sheila Campbell October will feature two main events at our and Lydia Ramos Clubhouse; the public is invited to both. On October 12th we will hold a • Peppermill Reno – 2 nights stay ~ Michele Hingst Community Craft Boutique and Garage Sale, 9am to 3pm. Come and join • Alamo Ace Hardware and Garden Center $50 gift card ~ Kristi Young Wallace us, rain or shine. Lots of interesting items will be for sale from a broad • Cline Cellars Jerobaom of Cashmere wine ~ Aksel Schmidt range of 40 vendors. Items range from vintage treasures to handicrafts, • Cline Cellars two magnums of Ancient Vines Zinfandel ~ Allan Hatan and holiday decor, household goods, and more. Our deserving philanthropies Willie Lott who benefit from our fundraising efforts are Hospice of the East Bay, • Jacuzzi Family Vineyards VIP Tour and Tasting for four ~ Dennis Raefield Youth Homes, STAND For Families Free of Violence, We Care, Brighter • Cline Cellars VIP Tour and Tasting for four ~ Jane Forman Beginnings, Canine Companions for Independence, George Marks Chil• New York Stock Exchange tour for five ~ Janet Carlson dren’s House, and VESTIA as well as our scholarships which we award • Open Door Tutor ~ Barbara Young each year in May. Canine Companions for Independence, will have a booth at the upcoming AWC Garage Sale. Assistance puppies in training and graduate dogs will be present to answer questions and sell wonderful items, all for a good cause. CCI is a non-profit organization that provides people with mobility disabilities highly trained assistance dogs at no cost to the recipient. For more information visit www.cci.org. Come and be a part of our effort to help our community! Join us on Wednesday, October 23rd, starting at 11:30am for a fun-filled laughter-laden luncheon with entertaining local author/columnist, Penny Warner. Penny has recently been awarded an “Agatha” for her children’s books. The Agatha is a national award for best young people’s books along the lines of Agatha Christie. Penny has been featured on many television shows, 20% discount on treatments has written helpful parenting articles, was and products*, including: a local comedic columnist, and now writes adult and children’s books with many titles set in the Bay Area. o Restylane-L o Sculptra Please RSVP to njhowsmon@sbcglobal. o Perlane-L o Epionce net for the luncheon by October 18th. The non-member cost of the luncheon is $25. o Dysport o Elta MD Our Club is a part of the larger General Federation of Women’s Clubs who, like AWC, are living a mission of community improvement through volunteer service. Last year 3,500 nationwide clubs with Announcing Epionce Intense Defense Serum – Award winning serum which 100,000 members completed 116,204 promotes anti-aging and repair. Contains active vitamins A, B, C, D & E. projects and donated nearly $39 million to their communities! Reach out and join us to become a member ‘Living the Volunteer Spirit’ by helping us help our philanthropies. For more information on membership, contact jeristrong@gmail.com. Our clubhouse is available for events, weddings, and meetings. Call 925-8201943 or email alamowomensclubrent@ *Discount applies when purchased at the Open House gmail.com for details, or visit www.alamowomensclub.org.
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Page 12 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
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Tip of the Month Just Say No By Cynthia Ruzzi
Intersection Updates
On a recent morning, members of the Rotary Club of Alamo gathered to install barn owl nesting boxes in the area along Stone Valley Rd. which the club has landscaped. One box is located 100 feet north of the green PG&E boxes, and the other is visible from the off ramp from southbound I680 to eastbound Stone Valley Rd. The area contains many gophers, and since barn owls prey on gophers it is an environmentally sensitive way to attempt to control the gopher population. Barn owls are nocturnal, so it may not be apparent that barn owls have taken up residence in the boxes. They also don’t typically mate until late winter, so it may be a while before there are any owls living there. Prior to the beginning of the rainy season the Club intends to have the decoration of the PG&E boxes completed. A professional mural painter has agreed to create and paint a suitable scene on the boxes, which will further enhance the overall appearance Rotarian Joe Combs, Chris Suter, Jeff McClung, Dr. Ken Soult, and of the site. The Rotary Club Jack Campbell helped install the new owl nesting boxes. is also making plans to landscape several more areas around Stone Valley Rd. and I680. Under consideration is the corner of Stone Valley Rd. and the entrance to southbound I680, the corner of the northbound exit from I680 and eastbound Stone Valley Rd. and the corner of Stone Valley Rd. and the entrance to northbound I680. The Club estimates the cost of landscaping each corner to be $2,500. Currently, the Club has sufficient money on hand to landscape only one corner with hopes that residents of Alamo will contribute the remaining amount. If you wish to donate to this effort, checks should be made out to the Alamo Rotary Foundation and mailed to Rotary Club of Alamo, PO Box 303, Alamo, CA 94507.
I’m on a diet. I’m not alone – according to a Colorado University study, one third of all women and one fourth of all men in the US are on a diet. In fact, the American Medical Association states that 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. The US Department of Agriculture reports that average Americans consume 150 pounds of sugar in a year - perhaps explaining why dieting is a $60 million dollar industry in our country. We rightly promote “Just Say No” to drugs, but we forget to say no to the drugs in our food, and sugar is the cocaine of food! Sugar is in everything. In America we are eating about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. Some might say it’s not our fault because our ancestors were programmed to seek fat and sugar for survival, and we just haven’t grown out of it. However, do we really need our food manufacturers to ‘support’ this glitch in evolution by adding sugar to everything? We live with so much abundance and access to food, but we are still facing a famine – a nutritional famine. We may be overfed, but we are starving to death for the nutrition our bodies need to prevent diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. For three years, my husband and I followed a 90LOV diet. Ninety percent of our food was local, organic, and vegetarian. I was fond of saying that the other ten percent, I ate whatever I darn well pleased. While you wouldn’t find me swigging a Coke, I wouldn’t turn down the dessert menu after a meal, and I never met a piece of bread or a pint of ice cream that weren’t my friends. What I didn’t realize at the time was that allowing myself 10% processed foods led to the addiction to desire more, and before you know it 10% became 12%, 14% ... 25%. Add this to sitting at a desk all day, and making excuses for not biking and well, here I am facing an adjustment. I want to strip MSG, aspartame, caffeine, and particularly refined sugar from my diet. I’m targeting these items because this toxic mixture is what causes us average mortals to crave more and thus gain more. Manufacturers add these chemicals to food because of the affects they have on the neurotransmitters of our brain that trigger these cravings, and thus we want to eat more and buy more. I’m targeting refined sugar. When I consume conventional foods (filled with sugar), I hear my body say, “Sugar rush! Hey, pancreas, quickly produce lots of insulin so this chick doesn’t kick it.” The pancreas is very compliant (for now) and being the fat producing hormone does what it does - it turns sugar into fat for use later. However, by now we all know, I’m not running any marathons these days, and my body says, “We’ll just put it here on your thighs for use later.” I thought I had this figured out. But if you think Eskimos have a lot of words for snow, then try to find these word no-no’s - MSG, aspartame, caffeine and refined sugar - on your average food label. There are so many derivatives of these used in processed foods that it takes a chemical degree to analyze each package. We take our cars to the mechanic for regular tune-ups, but rarely do we visit a doctor before we feel ill. I’m on a diet for life - learning how much protein and other nutrients I need for optimum performance, and I’m basing it on simple, natural, local, organic food. Join the San Ramon Valley High School Environmental Club and Sustainable Danville Area for an evening screening of Hungry for Change on Wednesday, October 23rd at 6PM at the SRVHS Performance Arts Center, located at 501 Danville Avenue to learn more about feeding your body. There’s a plethora of films and books to start on the path, but I’m ready to work with a health coach who will help me optimize my nutrition and life choices for best performance. I’ll be working Four Quadrant Living, a Danville Area Sustainable Business. Dina Colman has just finished writing her first book and will be holding a launch party Saturday, October 12th, from 3 - 5pm at Rakestraw Books in Danville. RSVP to Dina at dina@fourquadrantliving.com or to Rakestraw Books at (925) 837-7337. For more information about these and other local sustainable events, visit www. sustainabledanville.com or join us at www.facebook.com/sustainabledanvillearea. When Rotarians are working at the site, they often get questions from passersby and drivers who stop for a while to talk about the project. The most common question is, “What are those little wooden boxes?” The answer is that under each little wooden box is a battery operated control valve for one section of the irrigation system, and the boxes are intended to protect them from the elements...mystery solved. The Rotary Club of Alamo is proud that they have been able to beautify an area that is the front door to our community and for so long had been a neglected weed patch. Club members have a phrase that they use in reference to the project. Rotarians say that together, “They have made a difference in our community,”...and they have.
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Solar Currents
By Mark Becker, GoSimpleSolar
“What are you going to do with the savings?” That’s a question I’ve always wanted to ask our customers after we complete a solar PV installation for their home or business. Solar PV systems installed on my home, place of business, and investment properties have generated savings for my family and business. These savings go to a variety of personal and community investments. A 401K, the children’s 529 plan, local Veteran’s charities and events, and most recently, a solar system donation to a high school in Bangladesh. If you were “solarized,” what would you do with the savings? Average solar system lifetime savings vary from $100,000 to oftentimes more than $300,000. We’ve installed residential projects that are projected to save over half a million dollars during the warranted 25-year/expected 30 year-plus life of the system. Note: Your PGE bill doubles every 10 years and quadruples every 20 years at the current annual utility escalation rate. Impact - Solar energy provides financial return for Americans, but it provides life changing social impact for those who have no electricity at all. The Bangladeshi High School students tell of educational, cultural, and economic impact in their “Thank You” letters to us. We all know the pain points of a recurring electric bill - The main pain point of a recurring electric bill is a zero return on investment. Taking control of the cost of your electric bill by changing electric providers is what installation of a solar energy system achieves. Sometimes there are barriers to this process. As a business owner, it’s important for me to communicate that with our unique approach and lifetime roof warranty there is no threat to the integrity of the customer’s home due to water leakage. With an appropriate amount of time dedicated to design, panel color choice, and location, any aesthetic concerns (if there are any) can be allayed. Most importantly, the misconception that “solar is expensive” has to be corrected. With the great variety of financial options available, it’s much more expensive to be buying power from PGE than it is to be providing it TO yourself from your own rooftop. Simply switching electric providers by entering into a “power purchase
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 13 agreement” (PPA) with a finance company reduces electric bill costs from day one, oftentimes with zero money down. One of my favorite quotes, “Having solar is like having an ATM on your roof.” If you’re a resident of Contra Costa County, especially Danville, the amount of available roof space allowed by building code for solar panels is about to get smaller. The Town of Danville (and at some undefined point in the future the rest of Contra Costa County, we’re told) will, on January 1st, 2014, begin to enforce the State Fire Marshall PV Installation Guidelines. The result of this clear pathway requirement on a residential roof can be a less efficient solar installation, cutting into the savings a solar PV system can provide. Of course fire safety is critical, but less restrictive and more thought-out guidelines to accommodate differing roof designs should be considered. Adapting business practices to achieve lowest cost of installation - The majority of solar installers have been focused on lowest initial installation price. Pundits say a business must adapt to this strategy to compete. The solar business is not exempt from seedy players or practices. Perform your due diligence by validating references. Utilize the resources of the Better Business Bureau and Contractor’s State License Board. Set priorities as to how important it is for you to have reliable products installed by specialty licensed personnel and by a company with experience and longevity. Many people prefer a local contractor. A local responsive contractor typically means greater customer support and satisfaction. Relying on Yelp.com reviews alone is NOT a means of appropriately vetting a contractor. Yelp is notorious for its inability to weed out false positive and negative reviews. I’ve been moved to emulate - Instead of entering into a solar PPA with a third party financier for one of my investment properties, I’ve purchased a solar PV system for the home, thus becoming the financier. I’m selling the power to the tenants at a cost lower than PG&E rates. The tenants save money, and I earn money, increase the value of my home and get the 30% federal tax credit for the system. I’ll also depreciate the solar system as a business asset. It’s a win-win for everyone (except PG&E, I suppose). Mark Becker is the President of GoSimpleSolar, by Semper Fidelis Construction Inc, a Danville based Solar Installation Firm (License 948715). Mark can be reached at 925.915.9252. Visit GoSimpleSolar’s NEW and larger showroom at 100 Railroad Avenue, Suite B, Danville (behind Pete’s Brass Rail) or www.GoSimpleSolar.com, or email Mark@ GoSimpleSolar.com. Advertorial
Page 14 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Russian River Rose Company By Linda Summers Pirkle
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Fall is a particularly nice time to visit the wine country in the Russian River area. Our destination, Russian River Rose Company, is a mile from downtown Guerneville. During the harvest season the two-lane road leading to the Rose Company is lined with vines hanging with bright purple grapes. Their brochure says, “Stop and smell the roses.” Stepping out of our car, I was pleasantly greeted with the smiling face of Jan Tolmasoff, co-owner of the Rose Company as well as the lovely fragrance of roses. The rose garden is a nursery and garden with arches, meandering pathways, a butterfly garden, and beautiful roses of all kinds. The family business began in 1982, when Jan, her husband Michael, and their two children Alex and Tanya spent weekends at the local farmers’ market selling home grown fruit and vegetables. One Saturday, Jan set a small potted rose on the table to brighten up their stand. A customer came by asking the price of the rose. The idea sprang from that exchange, and then the quest for roses began. Since then roses have been collected in the village of Mendocino, from old homesteads, other rose friends, and many other sources. Their collection grew to over 650 and keeps growing. Tanya, who grew up on the rose farm, reminisced about her childhood. “I remember my brother Alex and me getting up at 5AM to help our dad (a chemical engineer) collect roses for the rose water and perfume. It was a slow process. The fruit trees were removed, making more room for meandering paths and rose vines. It is strange to think I played on a swing set that was now where an arch dripping with roses is now located.” Now, at age 30, Tanya, a dancer and co-director of the UPside Dance Company, is back at the farm helping out and bringing her own spin to the family business. Last May she hosted the May Day Frolic, which was a huge success. “So many people of all ages were inspired by seeing contemporary dance among the roses.” Even grandson William, age 17, shares the family rose passion. His science projects revolved around roses, and at age 10 he cultivated his own rose called “Little White Star.” In 1976 the original Tolmasoff home was an 850 square foot 1950’s wood sided house sitting on 15 acres. Jan says, “Our children lived in a happy construction zone .Now, after many years of design, engineering, and building, the home has a turret and a second story wing. The south facing bank of French doors and the dining room behind them are a passive solar collector, storing heat (or coolness) in dining room floor tiles laid over a two-inch concrete pad.” They are proud of the solar panels that have supplied hot water since 1980 and even added a 5KW solar photo-voltaic power plant, installed in 2011, which generates all of their electricity. The farm is enchanting to explore. All roses are labeled. Visitors are encouraged to wander the grounds and take advantage of the “sweet scented seats.” The self-guided tour describes each area. The Rose Allee, for instance, is a series of eight 12’ by 12’ iron arches constructed by Michael Tolmasoff in 2001. The Allee leads through the vineyard and perfume rose fields to the Wine and Roses garden and provides a happy home for 28 beautiful ramblers. The Russian River Rose Company will be hosting a Russian Tea and Fragrance Festival on October 19 & 20. They will be celebrating the debut of their 2013 estate produced Rose Oil perfume called “Rose Embrace.” Their brochure describes the occasion as an event with “maidens in Russian costumes, offering samples of the rose water and rose oil mist. The festival will feature live Slavic Folk Music, Mystical Tealeaf readings, and the aromatic ‘Sweetooch-nee Tea’ prepared in their Antique Russian Samovars and of course real Russians!” The Russian River Rose Company is located at 1685 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg, CA 95448. Their phone number is 707.433.7455.Their website is www.russian-river-rose.com. Linda Summers Pirkle, travel consultant and long term Danville resident, has been arranging and leading tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, Danville 925.648.0293 either for groups or for friends and family. “If it’s 3426 Camino Tassajara a trip for my husband and me, my husband drives and I talk (he’s a captive audience) – the perfect combination! What a great place to live, so much to Alamo 925.820.8492 Open Tues thru Sat 10 to 6 see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” 3189 Danville Boulevard Sunday 11 to 5 • Closed Monday ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.
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Celebrating 30 Years in Alamo and 20 Years in Livermore 30 Years in Alamo and 20 Years in Livermore Alamo and 20 YearsCelebrating in Livermore editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Thank You For Supporting Local Family Business Thank You For Supporting Local Family Business orting Local Family Business Livermore Store 447-0471 Alamo Store 820-4731
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Halloween Decor Hand-blown From Glass Decorative to Glitter Lights, Spiders and 50% off Glass Pumpkins Hand-blown Decorative Webs, Paper Glass PartyPumpkins 50% off Alamo Store 820-4731 Alamo Plaza Shopping Center Goods, Ghouls, Witches Stone Valley Rd. Exit West off Hwy 680 to Danville Blvd.,Crows Right 1 Block.& Vampires Mon.-Fri. 9:30-8:00, Sat. 9:30-6:00, Sun. 11-5:30 Skeletons and more www.ShopRichards.com
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Page 16 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Fall Pruning
By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb
Now is a great time to prune your trees to protect them against winter storms. There are three kinds of tree failure: branch, column, and entire tree. Judicious pruning reduces the likelihood of all three kinds of failure. Selective removal of weight from leggy branches makes it much less likely that a branch would fall, causing injury or damage to property. It takes a lot of “in tree” experience to identify branches with weak crotches and/or with unsafe weight distribution. Thinning the canopy to reduce friction from the wind greatly reduces the odds of a column breaking, or of the entire tree falling over. When done correctly, a tree pruned for safety should still look natural, even after 30% of its foliage is removed. Many evergreens, such as cedars, cypresses, and redwoods, and many species of deciduous trees, such as valley oaks, can be pruned in this time of year. Monterey Pines should only be pruned between October 15th and February 15th unless compelling safety reasons dictate otherwise.. The timing for pruning is restricted because sap from pruning cuts attracts bark beetles that are destructive to pines. These beetles become dormant during the fall and winter months. Some species of beetles carry pine pitch canker, an increasingly common fungal disease that disfigures pine trees, sometimes killing them. If your tree has dead tips scattered throughout the canopy it probably suffers from pine pitch canker. To prolong the aesthetic life of a diseased tree, prune out the infected tips before February 15th. October is also a good time, if you haven’t already, to make your landscape more fire safe. It is not uncommon for the East Bay to experience hot, dry, and gusty winds in the fall due to sinking air from the bay combining with inland high-pressure systems. The Oakland Hills fire of 1991 occurred on October 20th, its precursor, the 1923 Berkeley Fire, started on September 27th. Removing dead wood, breaking up fire ladders, and limbing vegetation back from your home can greatly improve the chances of your home surviving a wildfire. Brende & Lamb knows how to fire prune your landscape in a way that improves fire safety, without sacrificing the natural aesthetic. Clearing some under-story trees and removing dead wood usually enhances the natural feel of a landscape by making it look more like a mature forest. Pruning trees for safety is a craft requiring study and experience. A wellpruned tree should not only be safer, but it should look beautiful. At Brende & Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning. Each plant has a natural growth pattern, and our trimmers are expert at accentuating the shape given the plant by nature. Our trimmers are well practiced in aesthetic pruning and are attuned to the artistic flow inherent in tree forms. One form is weeping, as with Willows and Chinese Elms. In some species, such as the
The 2014 regional Royalty contestants for the California State Horseman’s Association (CSHA) Region 5 were recently crowned. Congratulations to Bailey Newlin (left), Junior Miss CSHA Region 5, and Kate Sorel (right) Miss CSHA, Region 5. CSHA was founded in 1942. The organization fosters interest in all breeds of horses and forms of horsemanship throughout the State of California. They offer a wide range of programs, offering participants opportunities for growth and enjoyment regardless of their type of riding or level of experience. Royalty contestants compete in a weekend-long series of events that include a memorized riding pattern with verbal testing, a formal interview with impromptu questions assessing poise and personality, a 20 page written test to evaluate the contestants knowledge of horsemanship, as well as a written essay and memorized speech. CSHA Royalty will make appearances and speak at a variety of California events and parades including the Walnut Creek Parade of Lights. The program encourages strong skills in horsemanship as well as confidence, enthusiasm, grace, and etiquette.
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Monterey Cypress, branches ascend at acute angles to the trunk, giving the tree an upswept look. Branches in the Coast Live Oak bend and twist, forming complex arcs. Each tree species has a unique form and flow. When necessary, trees and shrubs can be reduced in size, but crown reduction requires a good eye: a poorly reduced tree looks like a thicket of stubs. Topping is almost always a bad idea. However, the crown of many trees can be reduced by cutting back long branches to the crotches formed by shorter branches growing in the same direction. If the branch doesn’t fork, we cut back to the lowest growth point that will neither create a thick stub nor undermine the arching quality of the branch. When a tree or shrub has been reduced in this way, it’s difficult to detect the cuts or tell that the branches have been shortened. If your trees need a little TLC to protect them against winter winds, or if your property could use a little fire protection, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial
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Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 17
Life in the Alamo Garden
By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect Water-Wise Design
It’s always a challenge to understand what kind of rainy season we are going to have. So, over the years I have implemented into my practice water-wise landscape design. I am a 5th generation native Californian and have been designing landscapes for over 35 years here. Over the years, living in and out of drought conditions, I have learned to stay the course of good water-wise landscape design. As residents of Alamo, it is vital to conserve water as a habit. It seems we should know better by now, but we get fooled from season to season when we experience many years of El Nino. With global warming concerns, it is time to get smart and stay smart. Here are seven practices I always implement into my designs, and these are some of the same practices you can take to implement into your new or existing landscape no matter what the forecast might be.
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One: Start with your soil. Thriving soil with good organics is the foundation of a water conserving landscape. How much water you need to keep your landscape alive is directly equivalent to the amount of compost in your soil. Compost increases permeability and capacity to hold water, thus reducing the amount needed for irrigation and thus lowering your watering bills. Two: Use the EBMUD book Plants and Landscapes for Summer-dry Climates of the SF Bay Region. These types of plants have adapted to summer dry conditions and once established can survive dry summers with little or no water. There is an old gardener’s adage: “right plant – right place.” Appropriately designed planting requires less watering, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying, thus lowering operating costs and use of resources. Minimize your lawn area. One thousand square feet of turf can save about 10,000 gallons of water per dry season. If you absolutely need a lawn, minimize the size and place it where it will be used for relaxation and play. Three: Cluster your plantings by water needs. This method is known as hydrozoning. In a hot sunny location group sun-loving, low water use plants, and then design the irrigation system to water that cluster of plants. The same goes for shade areas. Hydro-zoning can more easily match plant requirements, thus saving water. Hydrozoning allows you to separate your irrigation valves so each zone can be managed more accurately. This method can save you an unbelievable amount of water! Four: Design and install high efficiency irrigation systems. Use bubbler and drip irrigation where possible so that water can be applied directly to the root zone. Minimize spray irrigation where possible. Use the newest irrigation technology: MPR (matched precipitation rates) sprinkler heads, bubbler, drip, micro-sprays, and soaker lines, and upgrade to a new controller. There are many choices that offer high technology that use historical weather data, solar and moisture sensors, and rain sensors. Some systems can detect problems like a broken sprinkler head. I was able to adjust my controller last summer to save 15%. With new technology I believe you could easily save 25-50% of the water you use for your landscape now! Five: Manage your landscape water use. Know your landscape watering needs and how much water is being applied. Adjust your controller often as weather conditions change. Install a new “Water Smart” controller. Set your controller to water early in the morning when evaporation rates are low and wind is calm. Water deep and less often; this will allow water to get into the root zones. Avoid over watering and run-off. Good water management saves thousands of gallons! Six: Mulch! Mulch reduces water loss and prevents weed growth. Mulch often! Regularly mulch around your trees, shrubs, and ground covers, and cultivate your soil regularly to allow water to penetrate more easily. Seven: Make saving water important to you! Every drip counts! Get involved in your garden. Use licensed landscape professionals to assist you in
CONTACT: Mark Landolf Email: mark@melarchitect.com
925.8 37.3434
water-wise design and implementation of your garden. A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Investing in a water-wise planting and irrigation design for your new or existing garden can save you thousands of dollars over time! The savings can well exceed the cost of the design itself! Gardening Quote of the Month: “The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.” - Native American Saying If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or for design ideas, visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial
Page 18 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Clip Notes
By Jody Morgan
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Captain • We have no cost options! Meriwether Lewis de• Savings of AT LEAST 0.55% to 1.50% scribed in mortgage insurance rates! prickly pears, gnats, and FREE consultation and option sheet! mosquitoes as “our trio of pests.” On one occasion, Captain William Clark extracted seventeen spines from the soles of his feet. The moccasins worn by the Corps of Discovery Lewis and Clark led during the summers of 1804 and 1805 were insufficient protection from these dangerously armed native plants. Yet archeological evidence indicates Opuntias, as prickly pears are properly called, have been serving desert-dwelling humans for some 12,000 years. Although suited by evolution to survive in severely dry habitats, given sufficient drainage, prickly pears can grow almost anywhere. The most widely distributed cactus genus, Opuntias thrive in 46 of our 50 states. Like other members of the cactus family, Opuntias transformed their leaves into spines, thus conserving water normally lost through transpiration. Their green flattened stems store water and produce plant food. In addition to their sharp spines, Opuntia pads (stems) and fruit have tiny glochids that stick into flesh. Once freed of their daunting dual encumbrances to enjoyment, the pads, or “nopales” as they are known in Mexico, and the fruit, called “tuna” by those in the know, are nutritious and delicious. European explorers quickly discovered prickly pears prevented scurvy. How did the first intrepid souls learn to get past the painful prospect of a close encounter with these cacti so they could reap the rewards of harvesting pads and fruit? Possibly man followed the example of other desert denizens. A tale from Texas relates that coyotes brush the spines off with their tails before savoring the fruit. Somehow ancient people learned to use the many species of Opuntia for food, medicine, fiber, fuel, building materials, and fencing. Had Lewis and Clark known the trick, they could have solved their mosquito problems and reduced the pain of spine-spiked feet. The sap of prickly pears is a natural mosquito repellent. When spread on water, it smothers mosquito larvae for up to a year. The sap is also effective as a salve on cuts, burns, and bruises. The sap strengthens adobe and concrete and renders paint waterproof. The same sticky substance creates candles, functions as a stiffening finish for fabric and works as chewing gum. Dried pads are pounded to produce fibers for mats and baskets. The woody skeletons are used in constructing houses and furniture. The seeds are ground into flour. As a host for a scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, Opuntias are responsible for cochineal, a red dyestuff so prized its price was routinely quoted on London and Amsterdam Commodity Exchanges. Valuable as fodder for livestock and filled with vitamins and amino acids essential to the human diet, Opuntias seemed to hold the key to solving the problem of world hunger. Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa’s self-styled “plant engineer,” began with Indian Fig, Opuntia ficus-indica, one of the least prickly species, and developed a series of “spineless” hybrids introduced to the market in 1907 in a 28-page catalogue. Yes, you could take a single pad and easily root it to fill your field. But could you afford the original investment of $1,000-$10,000 for a single specimen? According to a story told by a docent at the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens (www. lutherburbank.org), the spineless pads never succeeded as cattle feed, but one elephant that came through Santa Rosa annually with the circus train doted on the delicacy. Aztec legend holds that the god Huitzilopochtli advised the nomadic tribe to found a permanent settlement at the place where they witnessed perched upon a prickly pear cactus growing on a rock in the middle of a lake an eagle consuming a snake. After wandering for 200 years, they spotted the prescribed vision in 1325 AD and founded what is now Mexico City. The central emblem of the Mexican flag commemorates this achievement. Despite being disgruntled by battling their spines, Lewis was overwhelmed by the spectacle of Opuntias in bloom, recording their beauty in his journal in July 1805. Yellow, orange, and red blossoms yield richly colored fruits. Of the 200 currently recognized species of Opuntia, Mexico alone boasts more than 100 with edible fruits. As docent leader of the annual Fruit Tasting Tour at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, I had a husband declare one of the six species of Opuntias on offer the most delectable fruit imaginable only to have his wife proclaim it, “Yucky!” Many delicious unusual fruits will be prepared for this year’s tasting which will be held Saturday, October 19th from 1pm-2:30pm. Call 925-944-9352 to register. Members are $12 and General Admission is $20. the preponderance of the data we use. Eventually, we’ll make it all cloud-available. Names and Labels We frequently encounter situations where another technical company has By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO been working. I appreciate it so much when the previous technician took the Documentation isn’t glamorous, but it makes our job time to document what he did for the client in plain English. There are many so much easier. Just ten years ago, we used to burn up ways to configure technology, and unwinding someone else’s work without a the printer with customer reports, and we stored manila cheat-sheet is time consuming for us and expensive for the client. Sometimes folders with accumulated client information. I’m happy technicians are of the opinion that if they share their decisions and work with to say that as of this month, we’ve scanned anything the client, they’re making themselves less valuable, so they don’t document their relevant into a PDF and given away our huge file cabiwork. Worse yet, they drag their feet and won’t answer questions. That sort of net, and all of our records are now electronically kept. immaturity and insecurity is an example of the worst my profession offers, and Instead of storing atoms (paper), we store bits (elecit should be corrected immediately if encountered. I certainly won’t tolerate it. tronic files). Everything is either online on our office server, There are other areas of documentation that have been made easier with or we store it on our Microsoft Sharepoint server that comes with our Exchange improvements in technology. For instance, when computers enter our shop, service. If we have client notes, we scan them with our Canon multifunction printer/ they immediately get their own name-label we make on a little Brother personal scanner/fax/copier, where they are then placed on our server as an Adobe PDF file. label maker. If you go to a friend’s home and see a white label on the top bezel, Realistically, we should commit to either our internal server or Sharepoint, but we you’ll know Portable CIO has been there to service the computer! haven’t quite figured out which will serve us best. I like parts of Sharepoint, but parts I recently purchased another more advanced Brother label printer system for adstill seem clunky when I need my files. My file server works terrifically, so it holds
See Portable CIO continued on page 21
editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 19
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Vital Change in TVTC Agreement Among Jurisdictions By Roger Smith, AIA President Remember the Tri-Valley Transportation Council (TVTC)?
In June 2008, 150 Alamo residents attended a TVTC meeting to protest the addition of the County’s downtown Alamo intersection widening project to the TVTC list of traffic mitigation projects funded with fees that seven tri-valley jurisdictions (Contra Costa County, Danville, San Ramon, Alameda County, Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton) collect from developers. Alamo was successful in the protest. Why? Because Alamo’s County supervisor responded to her constituents and took the project off the funding list, and the other jurisdictions’ representatives’ votes couldn’t counter her vote – because the TVTC had a unanimous vote rule for TVTC funded projects. Then, early this year, TVTC representatives voted unanimously to rescind that unanimous vote rule. Now, each of the seven jurisdictions is taking the new TVTC agreement with the new, voting rule to its town/city council or County board of supervisors to pass. The new voting rule will allow TVTC to pass a traffic mitigation project for funding in a community over the opposing vote of the community’s local TVTC representative. As Alamo Today goes to press, the County has not committed to a definite date for when the County Board of Supervisors (BOS) will consider the new TVTC agreement with the new 6-to-1 voting rule for TVTC funded projects. We know that the BOS must consider and act upon the agreement before Thursday, October 17th, when the TVTC will hold a public hearing on it. If you don’t like this turn of events, that a regional government body will be able to override the vote of one jurisdiction to accrue funds toward a traffic mitigation project in that jurisdiction’s community, then this is the time to say so. To let your opinions be known, contact the Clerk of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, Tiffany Lennear, TLenn@cob.cccounty.us, 925-335-1900, the TVTC Chair, Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, 510-272-6691, or in care of TVTC staff Paul Keener, PaulK@acpwa.org, and to Alamo’s Contra Costa
County Supervisor Candace Andersen, dist2@bos.cccounty.us, 925-957-9960. AIA also encourages you to attend the October 17th, 4PM, TVTC Public Hearing at the office of TVTC Chair Haggerty, Heritage House on the Alameda County Fairgrounds, at 4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton. For information, call 925-551-6995.
Contra Costa County Warning System
The Contra Costa County Warning System (CWS) got its start during the 1990’s to address problems created by the venting of hazardous materials by oil refineries into local residential areas. Its original methods included the use of sirens, landline phones, and radio announcements. The CWS now has its own website, www.COCOCWS.us. The CWS of 2013 continues to alert people in Contra Costa County to imminent threats to their life and safety. Depending on the emergency and affected area, a combination of notification methods now are being used. They include sirens, NOAA weather radios, and alerts via telephone, texting, email, Facebook, and Twitter. Individuals can register their cell phones on the CWS site to be “alerted” of any emergencies in their home, school, or work within the County. Visit their site’s “Notification Methods” page for more information on how the CWS is to be used.
AIA’s Annual Membership Drive
Alamo is a special community that all of our residents can be justifiably proud to call home. Now in its 58th year, AIA, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, has the longest history of serving our community and helping shape it into “Alamo - the place where we love to live”! Since 1955, Alamo residents have been joining the Alamo Improvement Association and working in support of AIA’s mission statement, which is to “preserve the semi-rural character of Alamo.” As Board President, I want to thank all of our many volunteers, both past and present, for their efforts over the last 58 years in making Alamo into the wonderful community that it is today. Please watch for the AIA membership letter and form, then complete it, and return it to AIA to our P.O.Box 156, Alamo, CA, 94507. Please visit www.AlamoCA.org for information on AIA, articles of interest to Alamo residents, membership forms, and more. Don’t be left out; now is the time to renew or become a new member of AIA.
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Page 20 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Using Charitable Trusts in Your Retirement Planning
Brought to you By Peter, Jim, Paul, and Bob
In conjunction with Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor
IT’S AUTUMN IN ALAMO! Alamo is especially beautiful during the fall season. With the onset of so many special activities happening in the next few months, our Chamber Members are ready to assist in many ways. From personal needs ranging from health to finance and for home and business needs ranging from purchasing homes, to home fixups, to retail buys, and to eating out — our caring members are ready to help and support you. Join us at our October 23rd Mixer. Time: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Call 208-4707 for location. ALAMOCHAMBEROFCOMMERCE.COM
Alamo Police Services District P-2, Zone B
Deputy Michael Carson, Alamo Resident Deputy, activities for August 2013
Deputy Carson Completed:
187 Calls for service • 4 Moving citations • 1 Non-moving citation • 8 Reports
Deputy Carson Responded to or Conducted
33 Patrol requests/Vacation house checks • 12 Alarm calls (46 total in Alamo) • 3 Found property • 1 Lost property • 5 Suspicious circumstances • 2 Service to citizens • 3 Vandalism • 2 Identity theft • 7 Petty thefts • 1 Auto burglary • 2 Residential burglaries • 2 Warrant arrest • 4 Drug Possession
If I Were a Thief Program 52 Streets covered • 40 Flyers distributed Reported Incident
• Via Don Jose - Burglary, Residential - Deputy Carson responded to a reported residential burglary. The homeowners were out of town at the time. It was reported the front door had been forced open. Upon arriving on scene, Deputy Carson, along with other Valley Station Deputies checked the interior of the home. The front door had been forced open and personal items stolen. Evidence was collected. There are no known suspects or independent witnesses. This is an ongoing investigation. • Miranda Ave. - Juvenile Citations - Deputy Carson responded to a report of several juveniles on the roof of a school. While checking the campus, Deputy Carson contacted several juveniles behind a building. Upon further investigation, Deputy Carson found several of the juveniles to be in possession of unlawful substances, alcohol, and tobacco products. The juveniles were arrested, cited, and released to their parents. Deputy Mike Carson is Alamo’s full time resident deputy. His position is funded by Alamo’s P-2B police services district, which includes approximately 60% of Alamo household. District households pay an $18 annual parcel tax plus a portion of the 1% property tax. The Alamo Police Services Advisory Committee advises Sheriff David Livingston on the resident deputy and his services. The Committee is composed of Alamo residents within the district and it meets on the first Monday of each month at 5pm in the offices of the Alamo Chamber of Commerce, located at 120B Alamo Plaza. Alamo citizens are welcome to attend the meetings.
Land “rich” and cash “poor.” That describes Jim and Angela in a nutshell. While they actually live quite comfortably on their professional incomes, they are getting closer to retirement age and are looking for ways to supplement the income they expect from their employers’ retirement plans. By far the largest asset they own is a tract of unimproved real estate that Angela inherited from her parents. Part of her family’s former farm, the property is located in a prime new development area, which has made its value increase over the past few years. But the land provides no current income.
What Can They Do?
Angela could sell the land to a developer now or at retirement and invest the proceeds in income-producing investments. Either way, she and Jim would lose a substantial portion of the property’s appreciation to capital gains tax. A better strategy might be to establish a charitable remainder trust (CRT). To implement this strategy,Angela would transfer the land to an irrevocable trust created to provide lifetime payments to her and Jim. At the death of the surviving spouse, the trust property would be transferred to a charitable organizationAngela has named in her trust agreement. With a CRT, the trustee can sell the trust property and reinvest the proceeds without having to pay any immediate tax on the gain. Thus, Jim and Angela would have more money invested toward retirement than if they had sold the land and invested the proceeds themselves.They also may be able to claim a current income-tax charitable deduction for the value of the trust property, which the charity will eventually receive (within tax-law limits). Jim and Angela could invest their tax savings outside of the trust to produce additional income.
Income Options
ACRT can be structured either as an annuity trust or as a unitrust. The type of CRT chosen determines how payments from the trust are calculated. IfAngela chooses a charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT), she and Jim will receive annual payments of a set percentage of the trust’s initial fair market value. The percentage must be at least 5% and cannot exceed 50%. A charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) would pay Jim and Angela an annual income based on the fair market value of the trust property, revalued each year. Again, the percentage must be at least 5% and cannot exceed 50%. If the trust investments perform well, the income will increase. Some people prefer to use a CRUT because it can provide a hedge against inflation. CRUTs also can accept additional gifts; CRATs cannot. Two other CRUT features that might appeal to Jim and Angela are the option to limit the annual payments to the trust’s income in any year when the trust’s income is less than the fixed percentage amount (a net-income CRUT or NICRUT) and the ability to include a “makeup” provision(anet-incomemakeupCRUTorNIMCRUT).Themakeupprovisionwouldrequire the trustee to make higher payments in years in which the trust income exceeds the fixed percentage amount, to the extent that payments in prior years were less than the fixed percentage. How would these features help Jim and Angela? When they establish the CRUT, Angela couldtransferthelandandJimcouldtransferasmallamountofincome-producinginvestments or cash to be invested. The trust could hold the land until Jim and Angela are ready to retire, paying them the income from the investments in the meantime. Then, the trustee could sell the appreciatedlandandinvestinsecuritiesthatwouldproduceacurrentincomefortheirretirement. Even if the investment income exceeds the fixed percentage set for their CRUT, the makeup provision would require the trustee to pay the excess to Jim and Angela to compensate for the earlier years of low income.
Protection, Too
A CRT also may offer some protection from creditors. Depending on the laws of their state, inserting spendthrift clauses in their trust agreement could protect the trust property from creditors. (In some states, spendthrift protection is applied automatically by statute.) Jim andAngela should be aware, though, that certain states extend spendthrift protection only to trust beneficiaries other than the trust grantor(s). A charitable remainder trust can be used to help accomplish numerous financial planning objectives. However, complex legal requirements must be met to secure many of the benefits a CRT offers. You’ll want to consult with your professional advisor before deciding to use a CRT in your financial planning. And, if you decide to establish a CRT, seriously consider using an experienced professional trustee, such as a bank or the charity itself, to administer your trust. Please contact Peter Waldron at 925-659-0383 to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation, or email peter.waldron@lfg.com. Paul Solorzano: California Insurance License #0A46330, Peter T. Waldron: California Insurance License #0E47827, Robert J. Waldron, Jr.: California Insurance License #0686859, James R. Westermeyer: California Insurance License #0C17637. Peter T. Waldron, James R. Westermeyer, Paul Solorzano, & Robert J. Waldron Jr. are registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a broker/dealer, member SIPC, and offers investment advisory service through Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a registered investment advisor, Spectrum Wealth Partners, 3000 Executive Parkway, Ste 400, San Ramon, CA 94583. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstance. The content of this material was provided to you by Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. for its representatives and their clients. Advertorial
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Inheritance Jackpot: Will the Kids be Happy? By Robert J. Silverman
Where we live many people have sizable estates. Consequently, when they die and their kids (or other loved ones) receive an inheritance, it can be analogous to hitting the jackpot. The goal of many of my clients - aside from avoiding unnecessary taxes and estate administration costs - is to help make their children comfortable. Sometimes, they articulate their desire to give their kids a better life than they’ve had. Naturally, many say something like: “I just want my kids to be happy.” This begs the question: Will the receipt of a substantial inheritance actually help make the kids happy? Almost everyone’s gut reaction is to answer this affirmatively. Interestingly, when looking at lottery winners, the happiness answer is not so clear. In a Wall St. Journal article from last December, the author wrote about what he captioned “America’s Dangerous Powerball Economy.” He cited a famous 1978 study about lottery winners, finding an initial “happiness boost” right after winning; however, within a few months their happiness had receded to a pre-lottery winning level. Then, as more time passed, they were actually less happy than they had been before winning. The author points out that it would be misguided to conclude that money makes us unhappy. Rather, he points to a huge amount of research demonstrating that money, when earned, is typically associated positively with happiness. Conversely, when it is unearned and raw purchasing power is untethered from hard work and merit, people are much less likely to be happy and feel successful. I did not delve into applicable research, but the findings and principles are consistent with anecdotal evidence and applicable to my 20 years of experience helping people plan and administer their estates. When people establish and/or review their estate plan, a reasonable question for them to ask is, “What kind of legacy do I want to leave?” In some cases, it can help to ask, “How much is too much to leave the kids?” As with most estate planning topics, there is no “one size fits all.” The answer varies widely among clients. For some, the answer might be $1 million, or $1 million per child. For some, it might be 5-10 times that amount, or more. For others, the answer is that no amount is too much to leave the children. Might you feel better and your kids be just as happy if you were to leave a bit less to them and some portion to worthwhile charitable organizations - either directly or in one of several kinds of charitable trusts? In fact, there are a number of compelling types of charitable trusts, with tax and non-tax advantages, that are known as “split interest” trusts, in which the interest being gifted is split between charitable and non-charitable beneficiaries (e.g. the kids). An important related question: When is the right time for kids to receive an inheritance outright, with no strings attached? Many clients who have minor or young adult children include in their living trust a customized trust for their children. Typically, such trusts provide that if a child has not reached a certain age when his or her parents die, the trustee is to dole out money for the child’s needs (e.g. health, education, maintenance and support); however, distributions beyond those needs are withheld until the child reaches an age, or a percentage at each of several ages, at which the client projects that the child will be able to handle such distributions responsibly. Sometimes, people choose instead to create a lifetime trust for each child, in which varying standards of distribution are set forth, but no age mandates outright distribution. This option can be helpful for creditor protection purposes and/or to help shield assets for the inheriting child in the event he or she marries and then divorces. Once a child develops a solid work ethic and starts to experience significant successes based on the fruits of his or her own labor, the receipt of an inheritance is less likely to create problems. But picking the right age(s) is not easy and it’s a moving target. Your kids change as do your assets and your objectives. So, be sure to revisit your estate plan regularly to ensure that your trust distribution provisions are consistent with your current wishes, and consider the merit in trying to avoid falling into the inheritance powerball trap. I offer a complimentary Estate Planning primer and/or free introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 240, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474, rsilverman@ rsilvermanlaw.com, www.silvermanlaw.com. * Estate Planning * Trust Administration & Probate * Real Estate * Business This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and is not intended nor should it be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain and rely upon specific advice only from their own qualified professional advisors. This communication is not intended or written to be used, for the purpose of: i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code; or ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any matters addressed herein. Advertorial
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 21
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Portable CIO continued from page 18
vanced labeling. This label printer is extremely versatile, and we’re still figuring out how to take advantage of all its tricks. Two great features that sold me are that you can connect it to your computer and download graphics for incorporation into your labels, and you can generate unique sequential serial numbers for successive labels. We use these specialized labels as our service tags to put on customer monitors, and they look great. I wasn’t too surprised to see labels similar to ours adorning every electronic device and gadget I saw during a recent visit to ABC News 7 studios in San Francisco. Our family had the opportunity to watch a live newscast from within the studio, and I marveled at the technology they use behind the scenes. Everything is labeled, from the cables, mice, keyboards, monitors, desks, lights, racks, etc.! It shows how versatile these little label printers are and how it helps complicated operations stay on track. When a million viewers expect the broadcast to be perfect, a label telling someone which remote control to grab can make all the difference. To me, good documentation extends from the initial proposal we make, all the way through to the invoice. It’s similar to the old adage we were taught when writing a paper in high-school: tell them what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said. In my experience, disagreements occur at the intersection of complicated work and poor communication. Documentation is our best communication, because written words cannot be ignored and are harder to misconstrue, particularly if they’ve been signed. It protects both the client and the vendor to have clear and distinct goals before we begin working on their behalf. If we do our job right, there are clear expectations set through a written estimate which explains exactly what we are going to do and how much it should cost. There shouldn’t be any surprises when the invoice comes. When we invoice, we use plain-English explanations. Nothing irritates me more than a vendor who tries to obfuscate the true costs of a job by lumping everything together under one line-item on an invoice. So, we write invoices the way we want to receive them. I want each invoice to tell a small story about the issue we addressed for the client. We have to be realistic that at some point, someone else may be taking our place, and they’re really going to appreciate that we were professional enough to clearly write down what we did for that client. I think we’re all still figuring out computers and how to effectively use them to better our lives. Certainly having great documentation is a step in the right direction. Do you need help getting your documentation in order? Your friends at Portable CIO can help. Call us at 925-552-7953, or email helpdesk@theportablecio.com. Advertorial
Page 22 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
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Bed Wetting- It’s More Common Than You Think By Jeremy Lieb, MD
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Breast Cancer Awareness: Focus on Survivorship By Tiffany Svahn,MD
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is the ideal time to focus on survivorship. Because of advances in research, early detection and improved treatments have led to higher cure rates and a growing population of breast cancer survivors. In the United States today, there are an astounding 2.5 million breast cancer survivors! Health care providers involved in the treatment of breast cancer now spend a significant amount of their attention on addressing the issues of survivors in addition to the actual treatment of the disease. Breast cancer survivors have a unique set of needs – there are both psychological and physical side effects of going through breast cancer treatment. Many of the side effects are short-lived and resolve soon after treatment ends. However, there are unfortunately many side effects that persist for many years and sometimes indefinitely – they can be related to surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or hormonal therapy. Tools that can help with after treatment side effects include prescribed exercise programs, physical therapy, lymphedema therapy, nutritional changes (think Mediterranean diet), and psychological therapy, to name a few. Some centers that treat breast cancer now have survivorship programs – the practice where I work, Diablo Valley Oncology, will be rolling out its survivorship program this October, in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This program will be very closely associated with our Lifestyle Center. On October 12th, we will be having our annual Many Faces of Breast Cancer survivorship program at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, where a panel of experts will address the many issues that survivors face, including a question-and-answer session with the panelists. We hope to see many of you there as we celebrate all of those who have survived breast cancer, and those who continue to fight the battle. Tiffany Svahn, MD is a Medical Oncologist and Hematologist with Diablo Valley Oncology. Dr. Svahn specializes in treating patients with breast cancer. Dr. Svahn sees patients at Diablo Valley Oncology’s comprehensive cancer center is located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill and at their satellite office in San Ramon. For more information, call (925) 677-5041. Advertorial
Approximately 10% of children who are ten years old still continue to intermittently wet the bed at night. In fact, I’ve had patients as old as 16-17 who complain of intermittent bed wetting episodes. Often the kids are very socially and physically capable, but their bladders are not quite as mature. Fortunately, most bed wetting will improve and resolve over time. The goal of treatment is to have dry nights. This will allow for less anxiety for sleepovers and hopefully help build your child’s self confidence. There are several different ways to address treatment. The first is to focus on the overall bladder and bowel behavior. It is important to discourage your child from holding their urine until there is an emergency. Regular voiding can help to build healthy bladder function. Also, regular daily bowel movements help to reduce pelvic pressure. It is important to limit evening fluid intake and reduce fluids that can stimulate the bladder and increase urine production, such as soda. Make sure your child goes to the bathroom at bedtime. This should be a routine done after brushing their teeth. The reported treatment with the most success is using a night time wetness alarm. Even though it is reported as an excellent treatment, I’ve found it’s usually best at waking up the parents, your dog, and the neighbors while your child continues to sleep. I’ve found the best success with using the pill or nasal spray form of DDAVP (desmopressin acetate). This medication works by producing less urine at night and therefore less urine to leak on the bed. This medication does not create a dependency and will not delay natural progression to dry nights. It is safe and often very effective. Parents should not forget that bed wetting is an accident. The best thing you can do is to be understanding, and let your child know you are there to help. Also, be sure to work with your doctor as a team so your child feels secure and gets all the help needed. Dr. Lieb is a Board Certified Urologist with Pacific Urology and focuses on treating pediatric patients. Pacific Urology has offices in Walnut Creek, Concord, San Ramon Brentwood, Livermore and Antioch. For more information, call (925) 609-7220 or visit www.PacificUrology.com. Advertorial
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the project. The results speak for themselves. To learn more about this project, please see page 12. The project at the interchange is the crowning jewel of Dick’s contributions to the Alamo community. In the past he managed and helped maintain the bus bench project, managed the annual Easter egg hunt, supervised the beverages for Alamo’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting, and worked on many other activities over the years to make Alamo a better place to live. His heart and his generous spirit are with this community.
After receiving the award, Dick said he was humbled and accepted the award on behalf of all the Rotarians who invested many hours of hard work in the landscaping project underplaying the fact that none of which would have happened without his vision and leadership.
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Your Personal Nutritionist By Linda Michaelis, RD. MS.
To Cope
You graze when bored, or you reach your hand into the office candy jar each time you pass by. You feel sluggish in the afternoon and head to the vending machine for a pick-me-up. These are opportunities to eat for reasons other than hunger. No matter why food calls your name, one thing rings true--we have all eaten when we weren’t hungry. Here are common situations in which my clients eat when they are not hungry:
Emotions are a common trigger to eat. Happy? You might eat a treat to celebrate. Sad? You might have comfort food to soothe yourself. Angry? You may take it out with a fork instead of the person who really caused your anger. If you turn to food for emotional reasons, you won’t resolve the underlying issues. I help my clients track their food and note their emotional state when they head for a snack. Writing your feelings down helps you make a connection never seen before. In the future you will know to look for a different outlet for dealing with your feelings.
Out of Boredom
Some individuals eat out of boredom. They are usually busy people who find that when they have time on their hands they use food for entertainment. I have these clients keep a list of tasks that need to be done and tackle that list when they feel bored.
Because Other People are Eating
When you’re enjoying a dinner with friends, it is easy to eat past the point of fullness. It is easy to indulge when others around you are eating, too. Research shows that our habits mimic our companions’ actions in situations like these. When your dining companions devour a second basket of bread or order dessert, don’t automatically follow suit. I always tell my clients to leave the table and go to the bathroom to get away from the food and check in with their hunger.
Because Food is There
Do you have a candy jar at the office that calls your name? Do you feel powerless to pass up food at a party, even if you’ve already eaten? When food is in sight, it is easy to grab a handful because it’s there. Any food that is visible and easily accessible is hard to turn down. Keep treats out of sight and enjoy them when you plan to have them. If you
Are You on the Medication Merry-Go-Round? By William Shryer, LCSW, DCSW, Clinical Director, Diablo Behavioral Healthcare
How many have been depressed or had other disorders that required prescribed medications? For adults, less than 50% respond to the level called remission or feeling completely well to the first medications and even less to the second or third medication tried. The side effects of medication include feeling sluggish, being nauseated, having sleep problems, and having other side effects too numerous to mention which can all contribute to feeling frustration or going off of medication. At times, the side effects of suddenly stopping medications results in even more unpleasant side effects called discontinuation syndrome. For those who stay with the antidepressant merry-go-round, after a period of not getting better with the typical antidepressants, then often comes the “augmenting,” or adding on of agents as seen on TV with the cute little cartoons with such “augmenting” agents such as Abilify or Seroquel, two well known antipsychotics with more side effects than are imaginable. Remember, the majority of depressed people are not psychotic. Are the side effects of weight gain, confusion, feelings of dullness, and feelings of being sleepy all the time like a punishment for being depressed? The problem here is multi-pronged in that the drug companies and insurance companies work together. This has led to our psychiatrists to become nothing more than walking prescription pads who hold appointments with their patients for as short as 15 minutes. No longer do psychiatrists have the time to talk and get to know their patient. All they have time for is to get to know the symptoms and what medications can treat those symptoms. Many patients being treated for depression and other disorders have to then see an outside non-medical therapist such as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Social Worker, or Psychologist for ongoing psychotherapy to discuss why the treatment isn’t working and why they are not getting over their symptoms. This is where another fracture takes place as these two providers rarely talk. When ongoing communication does not take place, it’s the patient who suffers. Trying to find competent care for the treatment of depression, anxiety, or obsessivecompulsive disorder is an uphill battle, and we at Diablo Behavioral Healthcare are
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 23 buy cookies, put them on a high shelf in a cabinet—not on the counter. When you’re already full and food is out at a party, stand with your back to the table or in another room.
Because It’s a Special Occasion
If you work in a big office or have a big family, it seems like every day is someone’s birthday. If celebrations often involve cake or alcohol, it might seem that every party is calorieladen. If you don’t want to have cake, don’t get in the cake line —you can always just show your face at the celebration. Remember, celebrations are about the people, not the food.
Because You’re Tired
The dreaded afternoon energy lull can drive the most disciplined of us to food— especially sugary treats. That sugar rush might be followed by an even worse crash. Instead, take a walk around the office, or choose a refreshing drink like iced coffee.
Because the Clock Says so
Do you pull out your lunchbox at noon just because the clock indicates the lunch hour? Or do you head to the kitchen at 6pm just because that’s your dinner time? Don’t eat when the clock tells you to! When mealtime hits, use it as a cue to check in with your hunger level. Are you hungry? If so, whip up a healthy meal. If not, wait until you are hungry, and ignore the clock.
Because You Can’t Say No to Food Pushers
If you’re a people pleaser, it can be hard to say no, especially when friends offer you scrumptious food. And sometimes people who push food don’t take no for an answer. When encouraged to eat food that is not wanted, I tell my clients to say that they are not hungry now but that they would love to take it to eat later. Then they can tell their friend how yummy the food was and not hurt anyone’s feelings.
Because You Suffer from Clean Plate Syndrome
Most of us have grew up hearing, “There are starving kids who would love to eat that.” Do you still feel obligated to clean your plate, even when you’re not hungry enough to comfortably finish it all—especially at a restaurant where you’re paying for a meal? To prevent overeating, take stock throughout your meal to gauge how hungry you are; you might find that you don’t need those last few bites after all. If that doesn’t work, use smaller plates at home to eat less! I enjoy setting up personalized meal plans based on individual health concerns and strive to teach people to listen to their body hunger. My office is located in Alamo and I am happy to talk with you about nutrition concerns. I am glad to inform you that insurance often pays for nutritional counseling. Please visit www. LindaRD.com for more information on services or call (925) 855-0150. Advertorial well aware of this. We have put together a comprehensive program with all resources under one roof. Board Certified Child and Adult Psychiatrists handle the medical care, and every patient has a case manger to make sure the treatment is progressing and the patient is receiving the care most appropriate for their situation. We have been providing psychotherapy and medication management for over 25 years in Danville. We treat patients from three years for developmental evaluations to seniors. A few of the more challenging conditions we have expert training in are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Treatment resistant depression is being successfully treated with our most recent addition of TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. I urge any of you in treatment for depression to ask your provider about this to see if they have even heard about this cutting edge treatment. If they have a negative opinion about it, share with them the information on our website to review the well-known medical schools utilizing this treatment. To name a few, there is Johns Hopkins, Weill Cornell in NYC, Stanford Hospital and Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School. These are not fringe organizations and are in fact leading the research to find even more uses for this technology. Recently researchers have been looking into possible use of this for fibromyalgia, early onset Alzheimer’s, migraine headaches, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, ringing in the ears, ADHD, and post stroke rehabilitation to name but a few. What has researchers so excited? We can thank the high tech area of Silicon Valley for many of these breakthroughs. Researchers had this technology for the past 20 years or so, and it has only been FDA cleared since 2008. The technology allows practitioners to stimulate the neurons with pulses from what in its simplest terms is a fairly powerful electromagnet. This does to the brain what medications try to do. This is the same technology that allows us to perform an MRI used so often in medical care to see into the body without the danger of X-Rays. TMS is in fact a non-invasive medical procedure performed under the care of a psychiatrist to do what antidepressants try to do without the side effects. If you’re curious about this contact our office to arrange a time to discuss this change option further. Explore our website dedicated to TMS at www.blackhawkTMS.com to learn more. For more information on TMS or any other of our comprehensive services contact our office at (925) 648-4800 and we will take the time to answer your questions. Our office is conveniently located at 4185 Blackhawk Plaza Circle Suite 210 next to Bank of America. Advertorial
Page 24 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
Roseacea
By Dr. Jerome Potozkin
Last week I saw a lovely woman named Brenda (not her real name). She was very frustrated by chronic facial redness. She was a long-standing sufferer of Rosacea, and she came to see us to explore treatment options. Rosacea is one of the most common reasons people have redness and flushing. It can be embarrassing as some people think they look like a drunk, even though they might not drink alcohol at all. There are other causes of redness and broken capillaries on the face, the most common being chronic sun damage. It is never too late to protect yourself from the sun by using sunscreen on a daily basis. Are you concerned about vitamin D deficiency from lack of sun exposure? Feel free to take an oral vitamin D supplement. Historically, the only way to effectively treat facial redness was with laser or light based technologies. We have been treating patients for years with both the V-Beam laser as well as with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). Both devices can minimize redness and treat broken capillaries with minimal to no downtime and no need for anesthesia. The devices can also create an overall rejuvenated appearance. It is unusual to see true breakthroughs in medicine. However, that has just changed with a new medication to treat facial redness. Mirvaso Gel just received FDA approval and is starting to become available at local pharmacies. It is covered by many insurance plans. For most people, there is an immediate and dramatic decrease in facial redness. The gel is applied once a day, and the results last about 12 hours. It can minimize the diffuse redness like no other medication to date. It will not get rid of broken capillaries, but we can clear those with laser or light based technologies. Brenda decided to embark on a series of IPL treatments, and she will use Mirvaso Gel when it becomes available (likely available when this comes to print). She has already seen decreased redness and brown spots. If you or anyone you care about has Rosacea or facial redness, we are happy to help them. Dr. Potozkin is a board certified dermatologist who has been serving the local community since 1993. His office is located at 600 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 102 in Danville. He is accepting new patients. Please call 925-838-4900 or visit Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial
The U17 G Mustang Fury won first place in their age group at the Stanford Summer Soccer Classic tournament. The team allowed only 1 goal in 4 games to win this championship. Pictured from back left: Taylor Barker, Mady Engelhart, Carley Kruger, Hannah Perrien, Karen Lindow, Sarah Wayland, Sophia Tomei, Shaye Lawrentz, Front left: Brianna Engle, McKenzie Zwetsloot, Christina Chace, Kyndel Sidore, with coaches Steve Sidore and Scott Kruger (not pictured: Bailey Blankenship, Taylor Nixon, Riley Glasson, Allie Davis, Mackenzie Shrieve, Coach Shannon Blankenship).
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A History Lesson
By Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.
As tribute to the new school year, I thought it would be an appropriate time for a brief history of the craft and art form that is plastic surgery. Interestingly, it is a longer-standing discipline than one might believe. While many great advances in modern cosmetic and reconstructive surgery have occurred in recent years, many advances made prior to the turn of the 20th century are the foundation of this field of medicine. Historians believe that the first reconstructive surgeries were performed in India around 600 B.C. with facial feature reconstructions being the most common procedures. During this time in India, criminals and traitors noses, ears, and lips were commonly removed as punishment for crimes. To repair the wounds, skin was grafted from the forehead, cheeks, or arms and stitched in place. The Western migration of Indian cosmetic surgery techniques can be attributed to traveling traders who would have seen the procedures (or perhaps been themselves operated upon) in the North Indian markets. The techniques learned in India traveled west where they were developed to fit the needs of the societies they encountered. In Egypt, post-mortem plastic surgery was practiced on mummies to eternally preserve a deceased person’s most distinctive features. Across the Mediterranean, the egocentric culture of the Roman Empire created a market for cosmetic surgeries within the upper classes. Scar revisions, male breast reductions, and nose and ear reconstructions on maimed gladiators were all common procedures in Ancient Rome. With the rise of Christianity during the Middle Ages, cosmetic surgery was branded as unholy, and practice of the craft was forbidden. However, despite the church’s strong opposition, cosmetic surgery was studied and practiced in secret. Knights sent on crusades in the Middle-East encountered the forbidden surgeries and medical texts. Homebound knights imported the practices they learned abroad, opening secret surgery practices in Western Europe. By the 16th century, cosmetic surgery began to be publicly practiced again. Bologna-born Gasparo Tagliacozzi recognized his patients’ desire for an emotional recovery from physical deformities and abnormalities. Cosmetic surgery allowed his patients to achieve their emotional recovery through a physical transformation. However, the masses were less sympathetic to Tagliacozzi and his patients. After his death in 1599, his written work was largely destroyed and forgotten. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that cosmetic surgery was rediscovered by the Western world. In 1794, British soldiers stationed near Pune, India witnessed the miraculous transformation of a nose-loping victim. The victim, a cattle-driver who was imprisoned and punished by an enemy Sultan underwent a rhinoplastic procedure by a local bricklayer. A year after his nose was cut-off, the cattle-driver reappeared one day with a fully intact nose. The curious British soldiers inquired after the man’s transformation and were taken to where the cattle-driver had received his rhinoplasty. This story quickly circulated in Britain and Europe through newspapers and magazines. The procedure’s journey to Europe followed shortly after and quickly gained interest. German surgeon, Karl Ferdinand von Graefe coined the term “plastic surgery” in 1818 and like Tagliacozzi wrote numerous texts on the budding field. Many of the most modern cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries were not perfected until 20th century physicians realized the importance of plastic surgery. Injured soldiers returning from World Wars I and II came bearing devastating injuries. Out of necessity, surgeons perfected skin grafting, and limb and facial reconstructions. These new surgical skills gradually were adapted to serve patients outside of wartime hospitals. In recent years, plastic surgery has experienced a great rise in popularity. The patients I see in my clinic are typical of most plastic surgery patients with interest in preserving and perfecting their physical image. The specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery has made great advancements since the first rhinoplasty in ancient India. Though such procedures are now routine, I hold a great deal of respect for the history of the craft and make continued learning a critical part of my practice. We are continuing our celebration of the new school year in our Lafayette office. Please call 925-283-4012 or stop by to hear about laser and skin care specials we are offering to help heal the damage that the long summer has caused. I look forward to meeting you during a consultation soon. Barbara L. Persons, MD is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925-283-4012 or drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com. Advertorial SOURCES:www.plasticsurgery.org/about-asps/history-of-plastic-surgery.html,http://plasticsurgery.about.com/od/historyofplasticsurgery/a/ history_of_PS.htm, www.plastic-surgery.net/history-plastic-surgery.html, www.aafprs.org/patient/about_us/h_father.html, www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1438692, www.randomhistory.com/2008/08/31_plastic.html, www. plasticsurgery.com/breast-augmentation/the-history-of-plastic-surgery-a1751.aspx, www.apsi. org.in/History/HISTORY%20OF%20INDIAN%20PLASTIC%20SURGERY.html, www. baps.org/Spiritual-Living/Weekly-Satsang/Enlightening-Essays/Sushrut-(Father-of-CosmeticSurgery)-2155.aspx, http://archive.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-plastic-surgery/ volume-4-number-2/sushruta-the-first-plastic-surgeon-in-600-b-c.html#sthash.ZHcWlxUd.dpbs, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2845369, www.ayurvedapilescure.com/blog/?p=167, http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-plastic-surgery-4082.html.
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Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 25
In School Special - (Kids to age 16)
Free exam and X-rays with cleaning for $100 (Expires 10-31-2013)
Page 26 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
What do ED and Arthritis Have in Common? By Dr. Jeffrey G. Riopelle, MD
ED, the nickname for erectile dysfunction, has several important causes. ED simply involves the inability to achieve an erection adequate for satisfactory intercourse. Under age 40 it is most typically caused by psychological factors, although the cause can occasionally be due to rare factors such as chromosomal abnormalities, congenital defects, or previous trauma. In men over 40 ED is more commonly caused by physical abnormalities. One of the most common causes is development of a venous leak. In order to achieve an erection, the brain sends stimuli to the penis which causes the arteries to dilate, sending extra blood to the organ. Simultaneously the veins in the corpus cavernosum (the body of the penis) contract, keeping blood in the penis. This venous constriction allows the penis to accumulate a large volume of blood, which physiologically stays in the penis until after ejaculation. Unfortunately with age these blood vessels may become leaky and produce only a partial erection or no erection at all. Alternatively, an erection may occur, but it is lost too early. Another important cause of ED is arterial obstruction or clogging by plaque. In this case the arteries are too clogged to send enough blood to the penis to cause an erection. If the penile arteries are clogged, the coronary (heart) arteries may be clogged as well. if arterial clogging is suspected, the patient should be tested with exercise stress testing to see if he is at risk for a heart attack. Another important cause of ED is the inability of the arteries to dilate due to inadequate production of a dilating substance called nitrous oxide. Low testosterone, also known as low T, can also lead to ED. Blood testing provides the answer. Trauma or previous surgery, especially prostate surgery, can also play a role. Finally, psychological insecurity also plays a role as the worry of being unable to attain an erection can make any type of ED worse. The mainstay in the treatment of ED is currently the use of Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis. These three medications all work by increasing the levels of nitrous oxide in the penis. Nitrous oxide causes the arteries to dilate, sending more blood to the penis, causing the erection. These medications work great in psychological ED,
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and they also may help in most other forms of ED, especially in cases of venous leaks and inadequate nitrous oxide production. A much less popular but even more effective treatment is injection of the penis with a medication, alprostadil, sold under the brand names Caverject, Edex, and Prostin VR. Alprostadil can also be given as a penile suppository named Muse. Alprostadil works for about 80% of men with ED. Finally, in the case of low T, the ED can respond to testosterone supplementation either as a gel, an injection, or a pellet implant. So what do ED and arthritis have in common? Well, besides both becoming more prevalent with age, autologous adipose derived stem cells are being tested for use in both arthritis and ED. In both cases, fat is removed from the abdomen or sides, the stem cells are removed from the fat, and then these stem cells are reinjected back into either the penis or the affected joint the same day. This is a patient sponsored FDA approved study, meaning patients must pay for the treatment, but a perfect candidate would be someone who wants fat removed anyway and wants to see what effect the stem cells in that fat might have on either ED or an arthritic joint. We want to stress that this study involves the use of one’s own stem cells and not the use of the controversial fetal stem cells done in other countries.
Dr. Riopelle Sponsors Good Deed Contest
Dr. and Donna Riopelle believe that our youth are the future of the world, and they should be encouraged to do good things for others. Therefore, we are sponsoring an annual Good Deed contest. If children or teens want to enter, simply have them write a short paragraph about a good deed they have done for someone in the past six months, and email it to riopellecosmeticsurgery@gmail. com by October 8th. The winner receives a free iPad.
Annual Halloween Candy Buyback Contest - We Need Your Candy!
Dr. Riopelle and his daughter Natalie are organizing a Halloween candy buyback contest for schools. Students can turn their candy into a school rep, who will collect the candy and turn it in to our office. Schools can win up to $1,000, and the candy will go to the Blue Star Moms for holiday packages for overseas troops. This event is sponsored by local doctors. For information on any of our programs, please call our office, San Ramon Valley Medical Group, Inc., at (925) 275-9333 or visit our website at www. riopellecosmetic.com. We are located at 5401 Norris Canyon Rd, Ste. 312 in San Ramon. Advertorial
MDIA continued from front page
crisis. MDIA will be teaming with the State Park to accomplish restoration, repair, and replacement of fire-damaged park areas – but they need help. The fire, which began at 1pm September 8 on Morgan Heartfelt & Territory Road southeast of Clayton, burned more Supportive than 3,000 acres. It took 1,300 personnel from Cal Fire, local fire districts, cooperating agencies and At All Times... state park staff to battle the weeklong blaze. While park roads, trails and campgrounds have been rewww.excellentcareathome.com opened, many are severely damaged and in need of repair. “We are asking for those who cherish Mount Diablo State Park to help us fund much of this work,” says Mitchell. “Donations of any amount are appreciated and will be used for the designated purpose of helping the park recover and repair.” MDIA seeks to raise $30,000 to cover costs. Donations of any amount are appreciated, and MDIAoffers the following thank you gifts: $100 donation or more - The Mount Diablo Guide, MDIA’s newly revised guidebook to the Park which includes all new color photographs and updated maps and illustrations. $250 donation or more - Mount Diablo, The Extraordinary Life and Landscapes of a California Treasure, a fine art photography book by photographer Stephen Joseph and writer Linda Rimac Colberg. $500 donation or more – a choice of either book or a popular Mount Diablo bike jersey. “Fundraising started out strong,” says Mitchell, who emphasizes that because theirs is a 100% volunteer organization, every dollar donated goes right into the Park. “But we still need help, and we are pleased with any amount that people can donate.” For more information about MDIA and to donate, please visit www.mdia.org. Damage at Muir Picnic area. Photo by Jim Mitchell
Our mission is to provide personalized care, help maintain independence and enhance our client’s quality of life on a daily basis. • Free in-home assessments • Regular home visits ensure the right care plan • Hourly care for you • Live-in care • Fully bonded and insured • Geriatric care mgmt. • Elder referral and placement 3645 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite D Lafayette, CA 94549 (beside Trader Joe’s)
925-284-1213
Tassajara 4-H member, Aline Spyrka, had quite a summer showing her horse, Endless Invitations AKA Buster. Aline has been a member of Tassajara 4-H for five years and started in the Horse Project. She worked her way through local and 4-H shows learning more and more each year. This past June Aline traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the Pinto World Championship Horse Show, the largest gathering of Pinto horses, ponies and miniatures in the world. Her first time at a World Show, Aline guided Buster to win three World Championship Titles in Youth Solid Bred Disciplined Rail, Youth Solid Bred Western Pleasure, and Youth Solid Bred Ideal Western Pleasure. “4-H is not just about animals,” said Aline. “This year I plan to be in Leadership, Judging, Record Book, as well as Horsemastership. I have also done projects in Craft, Cooking, Cake Decorating, Guide Dogs, Photography, Marketing, Dog, and Horse Adventures. There are so many opportunities in 4-H.” For more information about Tassajara 4-H, visit Tassajara4h.org or CA4H.org.
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The Eye Opener
By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry Retinal Detachments
Thankfully there are very few ocular emergencies that we deal with at the office; however retinal detachments is one of them. Whenever someone calls into the office with the possible signs of a detachment, that person is usually seen in the office the same day. There are several signs and symptoms of a retinal detachment that a patient needs to know to be able to correctly assess the situation. Most patients will experience an increase in the amount of floaters, flashes of light, possible loss of vision, and areas of gray or black in their visual field. Most patients have floaters; but in this case, there is a large change in the quantity and/or size of them. In addition, there are usually accompanying flashes of light. These floaters and flashes are consequences of the forces of the retina pulling away from the back surface of the eye. Even though a patient can have an increase in their floaters with flashes and not have a detachment, it is extremely important to have this evaluated as soon as it happens. In addition, there will be loss of vision in the affected eye; this can vary from a very little change to severe vision loss. Vision loss in a detachment is determined by whether or not the macula is still attached. Since the macula is the only area of the retina where sharp 20/20 vision is achieved, if the detachment does not include the macula, the vision loss will be minimal. However, if the detachment is very near or includes the macula, vision will be less than 20/400, or the equivalent of the big “E” on the eye chart. Lastly, a person will notice an area of gray or black in their vision that corresponds to the area of the retina that is detached. It is also important to note that a person will not experience any pain from a detachment because there are no pain receptors in the retina. Patients often note that they either just woke up with the symptoms or that it happened in the course of a normal day. After a dilated evaluation reveals a detachment, the patient is then referred to a retinal specialist that same day or the next day. It is advisable for the patient to go straight to the specialist because they are already dilated and the sooner treatment is initiated, generally the better the prognosis. Surgical repair can either be done in office or will require an outpatient procedure. This is determined by the surgeon and the evaluation is based on the location, vision loss, size, and duration of the detachment. In addition, other factors include age, other associated medical conditions such as diabetes, and if there has been a hole or detachment in the other eye. Even though the surgery is delicate, the recovery from the surgery can be tedious. Patients often have to lie face down for a period of time to help ensure the retina remains attached. Some detachments just “happen,” and there is not necessarily a cause. However, conditions such as trauma, high myopia (near-sightedness), diabetes, and other systemic conditions can increase your likelihood of having a detached retina. In the end it doesn’t necessarily matter how the retina became detached, it just matters how quickly you can have your retina checked via dilation and be referred to a specialist in a timely manner. It is important that if you experience flashes of light, floaters, loss of vision, or an area of black or gray in your vision that you are checked that day. I would much rather see a patient with these symptoms and not have a detachment than a patient waiting a period of time for the symptoms to “go away” and then possibly have permanent decreased vision because they waited too long. Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 925-820-6622 or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our newly updated website at www.alamooptometry.com, and become a fan on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial
Many Faces of Breast Cancer
Come and experience the Many Faces of Breast Cancer, an event focusing on the unique needs and issues of survivors and providing the latest information on breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in women. Join an engaging panel of medical experts as they offer insight into the latest data surrounding treatment, and explore key survivorship issues like lymphedema, psychological, fatigue, and physical rehabilitation. The event will take place on October 12 from 10AM to 12PM at the Lesher Center, located in Walnut Creek, Knight Stage 3. The program and breakfast are complimentary. Please register by calling (925) 677-5041 x272.
Alamo Today ~ October 2013 - Page 27
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Page 28 - October 2013 ~ Alamo Today
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The Alamo Real Estate Market, Hot and Hotter!
Fifty-four sales were recorded above the $1.5 million mark, which means 47% of Alamo sales were for more than $1.5 million. Only 20% of sales in 2012 climbed above Last year I reported that the Alamo Real Estate Market was getting hot. Now I can say this number. This is the most important sign that the Alamo real estate market is traveling that it is definitely hot and getting hotter. Back then, 61% of Alamo homes sold for more th in the right direction on the road to recovery. The average size of one of these homes sold than $1 million. Year-to-date, through September 20 , this number has increased by nearly in 2013 was 3,890 square feet, and the average price paid was $1,680,560. The average 10% to 71%. This is a great sign and points to continuing market improvement in Alamo. price is about $15,000 greater than last year, and the average size is about 11% smaller. The imbedded chart provides some insight into the market dynamics for the year to The homes that sold for more than $2 million in 2013 accounted for less than 9% date. Only one home sold for less than $500,000 so far this year. With the exception of of all Alamo home sales, but this is up from about 1% last year, so the high-end is one price band reported here, all bands are selling for an average price of at or more than starting to come back. The average sales price for this group when I reported last was $430 per square foot. Thirty-two, or 28%, of the 115 properties sold between $500,000 $2,871,500. In 2013 it has slipped a bit to $2,495,500. Homes closed in this price range and $999,000. The imputed average size for these homes was 1,930 square feet, and last year tended to be very large and averaged 7,090 square feet in size. These homes, the average per square foot price was about $430, which is about 24% higher than the newer ultra-luxury homes, carried a per square foot price of $405. This year’s $2 million number reported for 2012. The average price paid for homes in this tier is $829,949, up plus home is a great deal smaller, coming in at an average size of 5,484 square feet and from $729,665, or about 4% more than last year. commanding a per square foot price of $454. What this adds up to is that a home that is Roughly 24% of the sales fell in the range between $1 million and $1.499 million. 33% smaller is commanding a dollar per square foot price that is 12% higher. It could This price band is up significantly from the 16% reported in 2012. On average last year’s not get much better than that. homes were 3,347 square feet in size compared to 2,833 square feet this year. Dollars I am a firm believer that the best time to buy or sell a home is when prices are rising paid per square foot increased from $366 to $434 for an increase of 18.6%. The average as they are now. Why? Because everyone in the transaction wins. The seller has sufprice paid was slightly above the middle of the price range at $1,229,893. That’s up about ficient buyer attention to ensure that he gets the best price he can obtain, and the buyer $5,000 from last year. This year’s home is approximately 500 square feet smaller than acquires an asset that is appreciating, thereby off-setting the cost of borrowing money. when I last reported, which means buyers are getting a lot less home for roughly the same This is undoubtedly the most positive review of the Alamo real estate market I have money spent. This is a very bullish sign for the Alamo housing market. given in more than seven years. I must admit it feels pretty good. Alamo Home Sales YTD September 2013 It’s important to remember that there really is no “average” home and no Price Range Units Sold Days on Mkt. Avg. Sold Price Avg. Size $ Per Sq. Ft. two homes are exactly alike. If you would like an honest opinion of your home’s $0-$499,000 1 16 $ 449,000 1,348 $ 333 current market value, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email $.5mm-$999,000 32 27 $ 829,949 1,930 $ 430 joecombs@thecombsteam.com. $1mm- $1.499mm 28 88 $ 1,229,893 2,833 $ 434 For more Alamo and Danville Real Estate articles, please visit our website $1.5mm-$1.999mm 44 25 $ 1,680,561 3,890 $ 432 at www.thecombsteam.com. $2mm plus 10 51 $ 2,495,500 5,484 $ 455
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Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources. Joe Combs, Nancy Combs, The Combs Team, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.
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