Columnists

Kurt Drückler was a heavy smoker. For many years, the German gentleman ran a tobacco shop on the corner of Alexandrinen and Sebastian streets in the heart of Berlin. A few months after I was born, he died from emphysema. This lingering and painful disease, caused by years of inhaling tobacco smoke, prevented him from traveling to the United States in 1966 to see me, his newborn grandson.

Medicine is a science with more questions than answers. Doctors are always searching for a better way to treat specific diseases. Veterinarians are no different. Veterinary research is responsible for the development of new treatments and preventative vaccines.

In 1957, musical theatre was dramatically changed with the Broadway opening of multi-award winning "West Side Story". Leonard Bernstein's music and Jerome Robbins' choreography raised the bar for musicals forever.

“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” We have heard this old adage many times, but how many of us really think is it true? I don’t know about soothing the savage breast, but what I do know is that music is something that can be appreciated by everyone. Even those like my friend Jim who claims that he is not a “music fan.” “That’s my wife’s department,” he says. Well, if he had been with me last Saturday afternoon when South Valley Symphony presented a concert at Gavilan College Theater, I think he would have changed his mind.

TO LOSE weight in a healthy way, embrace fats. That’s right, eating fats does not make you fat. In the last couple of years, research has proven that eating a diet with heart-healthy fats—the fat found in avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, ground flaxseed and nuts, for instance—is significantly more likely to lead to long-term weight loss compared to a low-fat approach.

Days grow short, fog-filled nights creep into the valley. Afternoon winds rustle trees, sending showers of gold from winter branches, gathering on the ground. Pull warm sweaters close, set a fire on the hearth. Put the kettle on and settle before the fireside.

Recent studies have raised our awareness that sitting for long periods can be hazardous to our health. At the same time, more and more leisure and work activities involve sitting. Some experts recommend converting our desks to sit-to-stand workstations as a means to a healthier future. But for financial or other reasons, not all of us can make this change. Are we doomed? Perhaps not.

What do you get when you stir up a burping ogre with a

People say their favorite holiday is Thanksgiving: no rushing around (except to get that turkey on the table), no gifts to wrap, no crush of holiday shopping. Just the natural warmth overflowing from a holiday filled with food, friends and family getting together to share and give thanks.

When meeting with a financial advisor, the purpose for the appointment will somehow revolve around money; you need help with a 401(k) rollover or advice on how to start a retirement plan for your business, you want to set up a program to save for your kid's college educations, you have received an inheritance or maybe you just want to get in on the latest IPO stock coming out of the Silicon Valley. That said, whatever prompted the appointment, it's not all about the money.