EARLY SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COURTHOUSE. Noting the workers hanging out on the scaffolding this must have been in 1867, the year this courthouse opened. It was the first building built to be our courthouse. It burned down or up(?) on April 14, 1894. The building faced Cooper Street. It was replaced the following year with the legendary Cooper House. Read all about the Cooper House in my article in the special 30th Anniversary Issue of Good Times due out next week. Thank you very much. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection, click for bigger version. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

IS SANTA CRUZ PREPARED FOR TSUNAMIS AND EARTHQUAKES? Did New Orleans have warnings about levees, floods, and potential? They certainly did. Were they prepared? Certainly not. Has Santa Cruz been warned about earthquakes and tsunamis? Yes, we've been warned many times. Now we need to make sure our elected officials take charge and make every resident aware of our emergency planning. This especially applies to residents of Beach Flats and all businesses and residents living in our flood plain. Do you know where our flood plain is? I don't either, but we should be informed by now. Which route to higher land? Where will the busses be to evacuate us, and our neighbors? Which sirens will we hear? Who comes knocking on our doors to make sure everyone is ok? Do those art lovers still feel justified in building 100 family homes at The Tannery which is in the flood plain? And our local levees, what shape are they in?

Here's a paragraph from HISTORY NEWS NETWORK. Last September, a Category 5 hurricane battered the small island of Cuba with 160-mile-per-hour winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one died.

CUBA'S DISASTER HANDLING SKILLS. Louis Head and some more folks sent letters about Cuba's reacting to disaster. Read this letter Louis sent describing how efficient Cuba is at handling disaster "Less than 2 months ago, Cuba was able to move 1.7 million people on short notice. The whole civil defense is embedded in the community to begin with. People know ahead of time where they are to go. They come to your door and knock, and tell you, evacuation is coming, then they come and tell you, now.

If there's no electricity, they have runners who communicate from a headquarters to central locations what is to be done. The country's leaders go on TV and take charge. But, it's not only the leaders who are speaking. The TV weather people are knowledgeable. And the population is well educated about hurricanes. They not only evacuate. It's arranged beforehand where they will go, who has family where. Not only pickup is organized, the delivery of people is organized. Merely sticking them in a stadium is unthinkable. Shelters all have medical personnel, from the neighborhood. They have family doctors in Cuba (!), who evacuate together with the neighborhood, and already know who, for example, needs insulin.

If they evacuate to a countryside high school -- a last resort -- they have dormitories there. They also have veterinarians and they evacuate animals. They begin evacuating immediately, and also evacuate TV sets and refrigerators, so that people aren't reluctant to leave because people might steal their stuff.

It's not throwing money at the problem. It's not financial capital, it's social capital. The u.s. in this sense has zero social capital.

Dealing with hurricanes in Cuba, as compared with how it's done in the u.s., is similar to the differences in how they deal with medicine. It's not reactive; it's proactive. They act as early as possible. The u.s. doesn't have civil defense, it has civil *reaction.* So for the moment, forget Bush's role in this disaster and ask your local officials how safe are we here in Santa Cruz. Don't count your blessings count our warnings.

PLAZA POTENTIAL IN DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ? NOT WITH THIS COUNCIL. Judi Grunstra sent this piece from Seattle about their public plazas. It still seems like someone could and should get Louis Rittenhouse to deal with the city to share that hole at Pacific and Church with the right businesses like small shops and provide our city with an aesthetic and useable plaza. Read here http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/238427_architecture30.html Judi goes on to say, "New City Hall Plaza works on several levels, but fails to make a big splash. Downtown Seattle urgently needs a dramatic, all-things-to-all-people plaza that's equally suited to private contemplation or noisy demonstrations; It's an intriguing public space that works, literally, on several different levels. But it's not all it could be".

THE BEST NEWS SOURCES FOR CALIFORNIA STATE NEWS. I personally have serious doubts about the quality, honesty and fairness of our easy to grab State news sources (Sentinel, S.F. Chronicle, KSCO, and KPFA News). So I've asked Assemblyman John Laird, Gary Patton and former Assemblyman John Vasconcellos for their inside opinions and favorite State news sources. John Laird was the first to answer, he says: "The best news source for California news, which I log onto every day, is Rough and Tumble - http://www.rtumble.com. It is a compilation of stories of state politics from most big daily newspapers in California and links are provided along with a summary of each major story. About forty are listed each day, and it's posted usually about 7 a.m. It gets you to whatever most papers are covering.

Speak Out California, is a project of former Assembly member Hannah Beth Jackson and supported by a number of progressive legislators -- http://speakoutca.org/ It is new, and is designed to highlight pending issues and progressive responses at the state level.

There also is a daily summary of top Sacramento stories, the Capitol Round-Up, usually e-mailed about 7:30 a.m. each weekday, which talks about ten or so of the top stories around the Capitol. It presents each story with a summary and an edge and then lists you to it. It is spearheaded by the editor of Capitol Weekly, which is a Sacramento version of Roll Call and just appeared in its new version last week. You can subscribe to Capitol Round-Up by logging on to http:// www.capitolbasement.com

I hope this is helpful." John

Thanks, John these are troubled times, we need every good source of news possible.

NEW CITY HAPPENING NEAR SAN JOSE? Here's an article by Rodney Foo of the San Jose Mercury about a 25,000 unit housing scheme proposed near the Morgan Hill border. Read it and think about how easy it would be for some developer to put another of these "Instant add-a city" to our county. Now of course, developers toss in the "affordable housing" units. In the bad old days for Rye Kelley's Wingspread Conference Center all they'd throw in were cheap performing arts centers. Click here for Foo's article on our future problem.

97 YEAR OLD UKELELE JAZZ LEGEND BILL TAPIA TO PLAY SANTA CRUZ THIS FRIDAY. Andy Andrews, secretary of the estimable Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz, ukuleleclub.com, sent in this press release. It is actually such a perfect press release I'm just printing it all. Besides that, it's interesting and has tons of interest for all area Hawaii enthusiasts.

"At the age of 97, Bill Tapia may well be the oldest touring musician in the world! Bill's remarkable musical skills plus his enduring wit and charm have earned him adoring fans everywhere he has performed. His music, singing, humor, and storytelling - that can take you back to the 1920's - make each of his performances a unique and memorable experience. Bill, at age 19, was a member of the famous Johnny Noble Orchestra that opened the world famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel - "Waikiki's Pink Palace" - in 1927. This musical virtuoso has played with Louis Armstrong and given ukulele lessons ukulele to the likes of Clark Gable, Shirley Temple and Arthur Godfrey.

Bill will be joined onstage by the Hawaiian singer Mihana, daughter of Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame legend Irmgard Farden Aluli, and a member of the Hawaiian family group Puamana. Mihana's 2002 solo album "Rust On The Moon" reached #22 on the national Americana chart and won a jazz category Na Hoku Award (Hawaii's Music Awards). Rounding out Bill Tapia's quartet will be Ruth Davies on Bass and Akira Tana on percussion. Ruth Davies has performed with such jazz and blues greats as Charles Brown, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison and Maria Muldaur. Akira Tana has played and recorded with Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, Lena Horne and The Manhattan Transfer.

This amazing evening will also include the Santa Cruz Premiere of the award winning documentary film of Bill Tapia's life "To You Sweetheart, Aloha." This 55 minute film has been critically acclaimed everywhere it has been shown. Opening for Tapia will be Michelle Kiba and Her Aloha Style Band with dancers from the Hula School of Santa Cruz - Ka Lei Wehi O Ka Mailelauloa. The event is a fund-raiser for the Ukes for Kids Project, which gives away ukuleles to young children and is sponsored and organized by the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz. For more information (or tickets) contact Andy Andrews (408) 828-2131 andy@cruzio.com

Show Information
Friday September 9th 8:00 PM Doors open at 7:15
Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz
Tickets $23 in advance • $26 at the door
Purchase tickets at Pearl Alley Box Office 120 Pearl Alley Santa Cruz (831)454-9044
and at Aloha Island Grille 1700 Portola Santa Cruz (831) 479-3229
or online at www.ticketleap.com (enter search word "Tapia")

2046. This is film director Wong Kar Wai's sequel to In The Mood For Love and doesn't quite match the inventiveness of In The Mood but that was a high goal to shoot for. It's a very controlled mix of science fiction and the continuing story of communication between the sexes. Great fx too. Go see it.

THE CONSTANT GARDENER. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, plus Kenya, and John LeCarré all fight for top billing in this clever, absorbing and delicate thriller. LeCarré has the international pharmaceutical giants as the mysterious killers and it works. You will forget that this is fiction, it's almost a documentary, and the quality of everything in the film makes it excellent and definitely worth big screen viewing.

TRANSPORTER TO. (WHERE?) This film is only for fun and not worth your money unless you miss James Bond flicks. Jason Stratham out kicks even Jackie Chan with his kung faux moves. Don't go unless you can save gas money by walking to your favorite theatre.

A SOUND OF THUNDER. Ben Kingsley and his white wig will make you laugh and the plot is another time travel mess, however I liked it. I just hope we start that time travel pretty soon because every time I see another TT film I keep thinking about all the preposterous problems of going back and forward in time, they are endless and thought provoking. Go warned.

GOOD TIMES 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. It was only 30 years ago I began this column in volume one, number one of Good Times, as I've said before. Watch for their Special EXTRA Edition on Tuesday Sept. 13. The G.T. crew has worked long and hard on creating what sounds like a genuine special edition. They asked me to write a story on the Cooper House, so I did. I talked with Max Walden, Don McCaslin, John Thomson, Michael Bates and scores of Cooper House heroes. It's all in there plus I talked to someone who may have the most credentials to be the most Santa Cruzan of us all. Go for it!

FARMERS MARKETS. Nesh Dhillon called in to tell us that this is Capitola's last Farmer's Market for this year, so get there and show your support. They'll be back in May 2006. Our Downtown Farmers Market is at its seasonal best now in September and October. Plenty of peppers, basil, lettuces, corn, tomatoes, and big sweet strawberries, stone fruit is still plentiful. I just heard about the Westside Farmers Market on Swift Street near Kelly's Bakery but all I know is that it's on Fridays.

LYDON'S JAPAN TOUR PART TWO. Sandy and Annie Lydon are taking a bunch of locals around Japan. Sandy writes newsletters for those of us who only stand and wait. Click here to read what happened in Tateyama Airport and how Lud McCrary of Big Creek Lumber used to be an engine room oiler in the Merchant Marine during WWII. It sounds like an excellent time is being had.

UCSC ARTS & LECTURES 2005-2006 season presents LLAN DE CUBEL. That's an award winning folk group from the province of Asturias in Spain. They'll be at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall on Thursday, September 22 at 8p.m. They play bagpipes, fiddles, drums and flutes, and many other famed groups cover their tunes...hear the source! Or go to www.llandecubel.com Tickets at 459-2159 or that UCSC Box Office.

CHRISTOPHER O'REILLY. Is a far ahead piano player and composer. He's been here before with The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He plays the music of Radiohead and Elliot Smith. His concert is being presented by UCSC's Arts& Lectures and is at the same UCSC Music Center Recital Hall. It starts at 7 p.m. Tickets at 459-2159 or the UCSC Box Office.

CARTRIDGE WORLD. This is that new store off the parking lot at Cathcart and Cedar across the street from The China Szechwan restaurant on Cathcart. Their official address is 1101 Pacific Avenue Suite H but it's not on Pacific at all. What they do is sell and recycle your inkjet or laser printer cartridges, and you walk out with a guaranteed color or black and white cartridge for about one-half the cost of a new one. The printer companies hate Cartridge World and have tried legal moves to stop then from selling refills, but it didn't work. Yes, it's a franchise and yes, by definition, the profits go out of state (probably Australia) and they open one new store every day and there are 975 stores now in 20 countries. So until some local people figure how to compete, try out Cartridge World. Tell Paul or Brenda Tanner you saw it here and they'll at least look surprised!! Call 427-2694.

HOME DEPOT AT 41ST, WHO CARES? Since we already had and have the detritus from a Kmart there, it wouldn't seem to matter much if another Home Depot opened on the same property, but it does. Home Depot's calculated guess is that it will increase traffic at the 41st intersection by 29%, does that get to you? Then stop and think that no new shoppers from over the hill will shop at H. Depot, they have a store near them. So this will suck customers only from existing businesses, many of which are locally owned. Besides that, Home Depot pays employees so poorly the company actually has to educate employees on how to get social welfare aid, not a great place to work.

POTTERY & GLASS SECONDS SALE. Ann Schwartz sent this notice for the Oct 2 sale at Cabrilho's parking structure. Check it out here http://seconds-sale.com

QUOTES. "I was actually the first birth from an inflatable woman." -Tony D Meur. Speaking of "The Aristocrats"..."I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose-they should draw the line at goats, though." -Elton John. "Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel." -Leonardo DaVinci (really!!)

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.