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Click on the issue below to check out what Diablo readers are saying—or give us your own feedback. Fill out the form on the right to comment on what's in the magazine, website, or anything else that's on your mind.
April 2013
Letter to editor re Are You Tough Enough?:
Dear Kristen Haney,
I just read you article about your experience at the Tough Mudder. I have done 6 including the first one in California at Bear Valley. You couldn't have captured the experience and highlighted it better. My friends, family and clients keep questioning my sanity as I continue to register for new events. You clearly "Got it".
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Next challenge...the Spartan in Monterey!
— Wisti Quenneville
March 2013
Letter to editor re The New Face of Addiction:
Thank you for publishing the article, “The New Face of Addiction” [March, 2013], on prescription drug abuse among teens. Illuminating a problem that many would prefer to deny takes courage.
Since the time when the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association classified addiction as a disease, much research has been done to determine effective treatment, including the growing field of addiction medicine. The crucial s tep of initiating abstinence for opiate users can now be greatly helped by medicines such as Suboxone, which significantly reduces craving and virtually eliminates frightening and unnecessary withdrawal symptoms. We know the fear of withdrawal symptoms prevents many from entering into recovery.
Healing and recovery is possible when addictive disease is acknowledged and met with compassionate and supportive care as well as ongoing accountability. For families who are or will struggle with the problem, there is hope. As someone who works with teens struggling with drug abuse, the first thing I tell parents is that by being willing to acknowledge the problem and seek help, they have taken the most important step in obtaining treatment for their child. Early intervention and effective treatment can greatly reduce the impact of addictive disease on both the individual sufferer and his or her loved ones.
— Jeff Kent
January 2013
Letter to editor re Excluded:
Your article Excluded by Peter Crooks was an excellent expose. Let me tell you I was a member of the Boy Scouts in Danville in 1960. Yes a church sponsored us too. I was practicing tying knots and so I took it on myself to tie a fellow scout up and boy did those knots do the job. The scout master was simply horrified. I never made it to summer camp. I knew what I felt inside and I was 14 at the time. I did not like anything about the Scouts. I chose not to go any more. As far as High School went, I think it was the worst four years of my life. I was different and I knew it and the bullying was terrible. I thought of doing suicide at one point. I had phenomenal inner strength from my English boarding school days and that training saw me through. I graduated from San Ramon High School in 1966.
I want to commend the strength that Ryan has and the understanding from his mother and father. Ryan is doing everything I wish I could have done to change the way things are. Time changes a lot of things and Ryan's story is moving and touching and simply magnificent.
I commend the quality of reporting injustice in our community and all our Politicians on Ryan's side and Corporate sponsors pulling their support of the Boy Scouts of America. How about a list of all the Boy Scout supporters? It would be nice to boycott them.
If the Nobel Peace Prize has an award for Ryan lets give it to him. Ryan is a champion and a leader that the Boy Scouts of America should be so proud. Ryan is of the material that great leaders come from regardless of their sexuality. Ryan should be on the cover of Time Magazine for youth of the year.
— Michael Ross-Smith
JULY 2012
Letter to editor re Robert Reich:
I'm always amused by liberals who whine when they claim they've been the victim of ad hominem attacks, yet in their very next breath, they commit ad hominem attacks on conservatives. Robert Reich (aka "Economics Guru") reflects this typical behavior by whining about Bill O'Rilley calling him a "communist" and then attacking Mitt Romney as an "empty suit". If an empty suit is someone who actually contributes to our economy, employing thousands and saving companies in distress, so be it. With California unemployment still about 11% and no end in sight for nationwide unemployment consistently over 8%, we know who the empty suit is Mr. Reich. For those with 'real jobs' (if you're lucky) and not some University 'guru', think tank genius or beltway pundit, your alarm clock is about to ring very loudly come November.
— Allison Snow
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JUNE 2012
Letter to editor re Sullenberger:
On the afternoon of January 15, 2009, I was sitting in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York surrounded by a thousand psychoanalysts. I was a not a patient, merely a kibitzer at the national meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association. My wife, Dr. Elise Miller of Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, had won the Association’s CORST Essay Prize. I was accompanying her to the convention where she was to read her paper and receive her prize. I was in the lobby, I recall, when a buzz of conversation, starting I don’t know where, in several places at once, came rolling through, and a piece of incredible news was passing from person to person. Very soon we were all running to the nearest television to watch, over and over, grinning most of us, tearful some of us (me), the bits of chance video that caught Flight 1549 skimming down onto the flat water of the Hudson and coasting to a dignified stop, and then the boats from all sides pounding their way toward the craft, and then the passengers emerging in their orange vests onto the wings of the metal cylinder improbably floating there between New Jersey and New York. And then people in the hotel began heading out to get cabs and trains to get down to the river to see it for themselves (I wanted to go but couldn’t). I had spent a good deal of time in Manhattan in the early 2000s, and the combination of jet-plane-plus-New-York had come to mean disaster and death: Egypt Air 990 in 1999, September 11 in 2001, and then Flight 587 falling into Queens in November 2001. Here was an airplane-meets-city story with a happy ending. Captain Sullenberger and crew lit up New York that day with the light of pure joy and gave it a moment of deliverance that is still fresh. My wife and I headed home from JFK a couple of days later, on a different airline, and as we boarded our plane, an Airbus A320, I said to the officer who was welcoming us, “Isn’t this the same plane that Sullenberger flew?” He said, “Yes, you’re on a very good airplane.” And when I sat down in my seat and picked up the Safety Information Card from the pocket, there, under the heading “in case of a water landing,” was the drawing at which I had always scoffed (“yeah, right”). A white airplane floats calmly on blue water, slightly tail down but serenely self-composed, about to disembark its unruffled passengers to safety. Sullenberger and team had made this unlikely cartoon, this child’s wish, this dream, come true. Thank you, Captain.
—J. A. Gray, Albany, CA
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On the Best of the East Bay,
Loved your write-up on the Paul Mitchell School [“Best of the East Bay,” July]. I gave it a try, and it was just as you described. Got a great (slightly edgier) update to my cut and color for half of what I’ve spent elsewhere. Thank you for the great tip
–Cheryl Voloshin
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On the June Issue,
I enjoyed reading the June issue, as I have with past issues as well. Your magazine always catches my eye in some form or another. Great recommendations on restaurants, shopping, etc.
-Anonymous
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Great article - makes me want to visit Los Angeles next time I'm in SoCal visiting family. I grew up in California and feel like I've missed a vacation spot!
–anonymous
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Dear Mr. Crooks,
I wanted to congratulate you on the most exciting, well-written magazine article I have ever read. I am a mom of three who had followed Chris Butler's apparent rise to fame and shocking fall. I was so astonished by your detailed account of what went down and how your relentless commitment to reporting the truth and courage to expose him, led to his arrest. You are a very talented writer and local hero, along with R. Rutherford and Cortez. I hope YOUR story leads to a national exposure, movie, book deal, and that you are enjoying a well-deserved vacation.
I know this is probably a once in a lifetime kind of story for you, but as a Diablo reader I would love to see more in-depth stories about local high profile news events we see in the paper.
Thank you again,
Melissa Lynch, Alamo
I read ‘Spring Fever’ [March 2011] while my family and I drove to Scottsdale to watch the Giants. We already had reservations at Don & Charlie’s but The Breakfast Club and Pizzeria Bianco were added to the list after reading the article. Wow! It was delicious. Thanks for the suggestions.
–Shelley Swinson
This month’s issue came just in time to help with honeymoon plans. The Kauai piece [“Romance Isle,” February] gives some serious inspiration.
–Rachel Christie
I appreciate the reporting in this article [“Detox Diary,” January]. I think you did a great job incorporating Western medicine’s perspective, without making either side look unreasonable.
–Doc Shunney
Great article [“The Naturalist,” January]. Nice to see articles about local artists. I’d like to see more like it. Loved the prints.
—anonymous,
I just received the December issue of Diablo. What a classy, classy issue. I can honestly say that I look forward to receiving Diablo each month. I find it mind-boggling how your publication has evolved over the years. You are right up there with the very best of them. Congratulations.
-Helene Harks
On Thank you for including Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios in The November print issue of Diablo Magazine as well as on line.What a great surprise to be leafing through and see the beautiful hand blown glass vase by Michael Sosin.
I like that you put us under shopping on The List.
I started this event 20 years ago because I believed strongly in the work of the hand and the survival of craft as an art form and a viable livelihood. Artisans not only create their work, they also create their jobs.
Thank you for your continued support of working artists and craftspeople.
Susan Brooks
co founder Berkeley Artisans
Berkeley Artisans
http://www.berkeleyartisans.com
berkeleyartisans@yahoo.com
2547 8th Street 24a
Berkeley, CA 94710
August
On Elaine Taylor's Camp Arroyo
This article is amazing, i am currently a camper at camp arroyo, i go to the heart disease camp, camp taylor, this camp has changed my life in ways that i thought impossible..i couldnt thank you enough =]
On Christine Carter's Raising Happiness
I love this interview with Carter. I heard her at the Lafayette Library. She is so charismatic and this comes across in your interview. I've read this awesome book. It has helped me personally to be a happier person and to be a better grandparent. Thank you for interviewing Carter and for sharing some of her book with your readers.
July
June 22, 2010
How To Connect the Dots in the Community:
People complain about the escalated costs of living and advertising their businesses for a better ROI. But, what in this all-about-me-and-my-smart-phone generation constitutes a great return on investment besides the dry math percentage? What about humanity and kindness coming back ten-fold for fond memories vested in the future, not to mention cultivating a genuine foundation for relationships, business or otherwise or both?
Cause marketing or finding a creative intersect for your business to get involved with local community issues is such a rewarding (and relatively speaking--frugal) approach to advertising. It is the ultimate green attitude--recycling kindness on the planet.
I've seen more of this humane, genuine attitude of combining business with community efforts in Diablo Magazine than in any other magazine "out there." What a treat to see a sincere, caring attitude about citizen issues intertwined with all the exciting local hotspot information. This is a magazine that others like it, who are merely riding the coattails of an affluent location, can definitely learn from. Thank you for truly exuding a good "soul," Diablo Magazine!
Marie Hembree
Marketing Consultant
Walnut Creek
June
May
April
On Will Power
Great article! Can't wait to see the movie. Also, I love how he visits his hometown's Taco Bell everytime he comes home. I used to do the same thing when I lived in New York~
–anonymous
March
Diablo Magazine
I just wanted to thank you for the tickets I won to the Berkeley Wine Festival Opening Reception on Friday, March 12th. It was the best wine festival I have ever attended. Not only was the food fabulous but there was a large selection of wines that were new to me and I really enjoyed.
Thank you again, --Candice Key
I appreciate the front cover, the head-line about the crisis our education system is in. I would love to see this issue get elevated to the point of some good will come of it. Another facet of this education crisis in the public schools is the elimination music in the 4th and 5th grades (Mt. Diablo Unified School District). Pretty soon, the pool of young musicians who move up into middle and high school will go down in quantity and quality. Music is as important as the sciences -if not more!
–TTaylor, Walnut Creek
Martha Ross' article on the "Class Size Crisis" (Diablo, March 2010) is not only helpful, it's spot-on accurate. However, one argument used by Eric Hanushek, who scoffs at the advantages of small class sizes, needs correcting. Hanusheck is quoted as saying, "As a parent, if you're given the choice between a good teacher and a large class size, or a poor teacher and a low class size, you're going to choose the larger class. " Well, of course. But he avoids the other side of the argument: if you have two equally good teachers teaching the same class, and one has 40 students, the other 20, you're going to choose the smaller.
I taught for 22 years in the Acalanes district, and for the last 30 at Diablo Valley College. The huge majority of teachers do not want bad teachers, either as fellow workers, or as teachers of their own children. We get frustrated that our unions and administrators can't get off the dime and work out a fair, effective way to identify and relieve teachers who shouldn't be in the classroom.
Sadly, "bad teachers" has become the whipping boy for all the problems education faces, not only in California but in the nation. If only it were that easy.
Sincerely, Bruce Reeves, Walnut Creek
February
From the bottom of my heart, thank for the most wonderful weekend. Dan, you can’t believe what this has been like. With my Mother dying before Christmas, my sister dying in August, and an aunt, uncle and cousin, passing away all in 12 months, it has been horrible. But the January 30-31 weekend in Calistoga with your wonderful staff and exquisite accommodations, made my birthday special!! I am so grateful to Diablo Magazine for winning the special weekend.
Jason Wright spent time to outline all the wonderful wineries to visit during the day. That evening we celebrate my birthday at Sol-Bar. Thank you again for a wonderful weekend!! I will return every chance I have!!!
Cynthia Sund, Winner of Diablo Magazine Contest
January
Diablo Mag,
Six Lamorinda girlfriends and I just returned from a fantastic Napa getaway organized by Napa Valley Adventure Tours, who we discovered in your Jan 2010: “One Fine Day” article. NVAT took us on a 21-mile cycle ride with picturesque detours for gourmet sandwiches and red wine; found us the perfect rental house where an incredible local chef cooked us an amazing dinner; then took us on a gorgeous hike up Mt. St. Helena. Thanks for recommending such a great resource! –SC, Orinda
December
As a CAL alum and product of public school education throughout, I would suggest CAL and other institutions of higher to consider requiring those on athletic scholarship who leave school early for greener pastures that they pay "damages" back to school as soon as they sign their first professional contract, say in the amount equal to at least 10 times their total scholarship received. Mark Ibanez asked rhetorically, "what's the purpose of getting a college degree-to get a great living?" I would argue part of my taxes, alumni contributions, how small, benefited Best to get a free education, which he would not have gotten but for his ability and apparent commitment to get higher education and to complete it. Best and those, such as Tiger (what great living he turned out to live after jumping from Stanford), who leave early took a space away from someone who could have and would have gotten a degree. Some sort of equitable adjustment is needed here. Just throwing it out there for all of us to ponder.
james kim
danville, CA
November
October
At first I was going to write to celebrate the lovely Goapele on your cover, but then I read the article and realized there was even more to be impressed with than her fabulous look. As someone born the same year she was, and also with a two year old daughter (and an infant), I'm downright inspired by all she is and does. From mom to musician to entrepreneur to human rights advocate, she manages to express so many aspects of her identity with grace and flair. Thank you for featuring her!
–Anita, San Ramon
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