Bruce Bratton hosts University Grapevine, linking local and campus issues, every Tuesday 7:30-8:30 p.m. on KZSC 88.1 fm.
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SWANTON FIRE SATELLITE VIEW. Daughter Jennifer Boulanger sent this
she says and proves, "This really shows you the area, and w/photos you can click on .
View Lockheed Fire Map in a larger map
Trust her...it's the best of all the online ways to check out up to date fire damage.
SWANTON-"BONNIE" DOON FIRE. Having spent the first years of my Santa Cruz County living on Swanton Road (1970-1983) and the next 10 years in Bonny Doon the fire assumes a big part of my thoughts. Jodi Frediani has kept many of us up to date on the battle. She quotes the San Jose Mercury article
"Despite Lockheed fire, legendary logging family stays put" by Paul Rogers About the McCrary's of Swanton Road "In the past seven decades, they have stood firm against floods, fires, lawsuits, environmental activists, recessions and earthquakes." And replies...
"Actually, I thought the McCrary's were the ones who initiated the lawsuits, or at least petitions. Against San Mateo County when they tried to prohibit logging. Against NMFS over their listing of Coho salmon. Against Santa Cruz County when they used their zoning code to decide where logging could take place. Standing firm...yes, prevailing... no!!
" "Look at this tree. It's 900 or 1,000 years old. It was just going like a blowtorch last night. But it should survive," he said. Even those parts of Big Creek property that are burned probably won't be lost to timber production. Fires take out the younger, spindly redwoods, McCrary noted, leaving the older ones, whose bark is nearly fireproof."
Glad to see Bud admits the truth after he and his foresters have repeatedly claimed that they need to log to stop fire. I also find it interesting that half of the burn area (according to this story) is on lands of Big Creek Lumber. I would assume that most of the redwood forest has been logged repeatedly. Guess logging doesn't stop fire after all. In fact, CAL POLY's own fire expert has studied the effects of selection logging on fire risk and concluded that such logging actually increases the threat of fire for several years post logging". Jodi .
GREY HAYES WRITES. Grey Hayes who lives near Molino Creek and who's fought so many fights to save our area's tar plant and other living things and was living in the fire area writes..."It's laying in thick and sooty. We hear the choppers dropping water in the distance - the very distant Distance, such that you have no idea where they are beating back the flames.
Closer, echoing pops of exploding trunks purcuss from deep in the redwood/Douglas fir forest. How far away are those? No more sizzle and roar of groves of trees 'torching off'. Now, mostly cinders and soot, and lung fills of smokey air. Mostly like the pre-smoking ban bars, but sometimes more like a smokehouse.
Some big trees were weakened enough to crash down with huge new piles of fresh, green needles, creating smoldering hell and filling the bowl-like landform of our land.
The leading fierce edge of the fire is far above and below us today. Big tankers replaced insufficient helicopters down where our watershed meets the coast. High up near the highest ridge of Ben Lomond Mountain at Thayer Lane, firefighters were successfully snuffing spot fires thrown 100's of feet across their fuel break - the triggering point for the original mandatory evacuation of Bonny Doon.
Bulldozers scraped a 20' wide swath from west of the wedding knoll to the coast highway, which Cal Fire hopes will contain the fire to the north, adding to the overall 30% of the fire's edge that has been either 'dozed' or no longer has sufficient connectivity to fuels that pose a hazard.
And so, our position has stabilized with 2/3 of the land's boundary having been burned, and with each end of those burned flanks being 'tied in' to the long and wide bulldozer swaths that disappear into the far distance.
Crews have been chopping up brush and trees with chainsaws throughout the day in various attempts to create bounds to the big wildfire or smaller back burns that will eliminate fuel along the fire's side and arrest it's uncontrolled advance. The more skilled take out smoldering trees, bury smoldering wood, and limb up trees near smoldering hot spots deep in the forest. All that smoke is slow to be put to rest.
We're back to @70 firefighters this evening- the 'yard' shines from the flashlight beam reflecting off of a well spaced line of safety suited fire fighters. Some snore, others mutter greetings as I take a round inspecting the fire's status. I will sleep much longer and deeper this evening. Thanks everyone for your kind words and well wishes. A few more days of this, I think". Grey.
Bill Findlay who lives in the little town of Ayer in Scotland supplied a vial of water from the original Loch Lomond to our local Loch Lomond Reservoir when it opened back in the fall of 1960. Bill writes, "Sorry to hear and see the terrible fires raging in the Santa Cruz area. We here will be thinking and praying for the citizens of Bonnie Doon, a place that has long been special to me. Please convey my best wishes through your column to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. Best wishes, Bill. Bill and I have never met but we email a lot.
ERRORS CORRECTED . Patricia Snyder says, "It's Julia Child, not Childs". And John Nicol said I also erred in naming Walnut Street as Lincoln Street in an ancient photo. David Bolam said I saw Patty Gallagher play Winnie in The Rogue Theatre production of Beckett's Happy Days up at UCSC in May not last Fall...he's right on too!!! Those corrections are great, I love them. It shows you care....and so do I.
HISTORICAL PHOTO NUMBER TWO,
BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ BASEMENT March 27, 1976.
We'll have to ask Neal C. but the Bookshop basement in the old location housed many attempts to draw crowds. On the right is late '60's radical Jerry Rubin addressing a bunch of locals. (photo courtesy of Eric Fingal's private collection)
INSIDE THE RITTENHOUSE MAUSOLEUM . A friend went inside the Louis Rittenhouse Mausoleum Building at Church and Pacific for some kind of workshop last week and sent this report.. Well, it has a nice veranda up there on the fourth floor and a decent view of downtown. Who ever moves in has a huge expense since there is no wiring to the outlets that would and should be in the wall (if they were there), and there is no lighting at all aside from the men and women's bathroom. The men's bathroom DOES NOT have waterless toilets???? I was shocked!!! How could the City Planners and City Council NOT REQUIRE waterless toilets installed in a new building? The Regal Cinema Nine installed them after they already had the typical water types....there's no false ceiling and no lights up...it is going to cost the first tenant a lot to finish out the inside of that building. One extension cord on the floor covered nearly the entire perimeter to power laptops and such. Amongst those other things needed to start occupancy in the Rittenhouse Mausoleum they would have to put in flooring as the sub floor is now exposed." end of spy report. Sounds to me like we should force the City Council to have their meetings in there to make them pay for what they forced on our city...and we could have had a beautiful Plaza in the same location!!!
UPDATE ON LEFTMOST CITY . Re my last week plug for Gary Patton's update on Bill Domhoff's book on Santa Cruz City politics Bill emailed to add "Thanks for the plug on the Patton piece, and for stirring up controversy RE Mike Rotkin, but just for the record, Rittenhouse is quoted more than Rotkin, 3 to 2, and Mike was on the council from 79 to 88, and then back on in 92, and involved in the quake stuff when off the council thru VSC, so he is in fact the most involved over time, what with Van Allen losing and Kathy Beiers not on the council until 89, etc. And his dissertation provides more detail on NAM and Westside Neighbors than any other source, so naturally we quoted him. None of the other activists have provided written accounts of what went on. I much like Gary's piece, and the county is part of the large story, but our book is a critique of rival theories of city power structures, so as we said, we focused on the city level". Good to know Bill D. quoted Louis Rittenhouse more than Mike Rotkin, which sure is refreshing and vital and academic too.
BOYCOTT WHOLE FOODS. I can't include all the folks who sent in this Boycott Whole Foods piece from Common Dreams and thanks. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/13-0 It tells how Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is a Right wing Libertarian, anti single payer health insurance, a union buster, and how Whole Foods is a liberal democratic yuppie hangout.
Anthony Walton sent this link to Fox News about that boycott...amazing and real!!!
Another Boycott Whole Foods article in Huffington Post
Want Ben Wyskida's more reasons to boycott Still more of Ethan Nichten's reasons for Boycotting Whole Foods
LOCAL WHOLE FOODS AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD !! Jodi Frediani emails once again to ask "Does Santa Cruz have a sign ordinance, or a mobile sign ordinance? I'm assuming there is a bill board ordinance since we have none. I was down on West Cliff to eat my lunch today and there was a giant mobile bill board parked on the street advertising Whole Foods new local stores. Nothing like blocking the view with advertising for the latest out-of-town business to set foot in our little city-by-the-sea. I have a call into City Code Enforcement, but no response yet. The company Whole Foods has hired is Mobile Outdoor Promotions USA 1-800-835-ROLL. The driver sat in his rig listening to music. Hook your advertising to a truck and drag it around town. Good for keeping down one's global foot print. If it's not illegal, it sure should be".
With recent articles in local newspapers about beach volleyball and competition for Main Beach courts, here's something Santa Cruz leaders should check out. Interest in beach volleyball is growing throughout the U.S., and will be a NCAA sport next year. The Association of Volleyball Professionals put on a great three days of volleyball competition last week... in a parking lot under the entrance to the Bay Bridge. Our family members are really into beach volleyball and attended the Friday event, had a great time, got to mingle with the players and got some autographs.
Hello CVC ! Here's a chance to bring some revenue back to Santa Cruz that was once here when AVP was known as the Cuervo tournament. There are 48 players involved in this competition, plus their family members and coaches, all needing a place to stay and restaurants to eat in. One of the AVP coaches, Jeff Alvina is from Santa Cruz, providing a local connection. Of course, then there's the national coverage Santa Cruz would get with ESPN. Wouldn't it nice to see Main Beach on TV as the primo beach volleyball site in California. Right now Hermosa, Manhattan and possibly Santa Barbara are the only AVP tournament beach sites in the state.
The word we got was that AVP would LOVE to come back to Santa Cruz, but according to their tour director, Santa Cruz wasn't friendly to them when they used to come here. Their traveling storage vans, including ESPN's were regularly ticketed, and in general, Santa Cruz was "hard to work with". Shouldn't we try again?
The problems are there, to be sure. Charging to see an event on a public beach has been seen as insurmountable. Marc Monte seems to have solved that problem, getting State Parks to lock down Seacliff Beach every October for this annual fireworks fundraiser. The other problem has to do with booze on the beach. These events sell a lot of that, but somehow Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches have solved that problem too. I'll bet that Santa Cruz could make more money in one 3-day weekend of AVP that they could by charging $6 an hour for main beach courts all summer long" Paul Elerick is an Aptos resident, active in mid-county political issues, member of Nisene 2 Sea, Seacliff Improvement Association, Aptos Neighbors Association, and the countywide Campaign for Sensible Transportation).
The Watsonville Pride March will take place this Sunday, August 23rd starting at 10:30am at the city plaza in downtown Watsonville. The second annual event, organized by Somos LGBT, aims to promote pride amongst the Watsonville lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, and organizers say such events are making a difference. They point to such events once being completely absent in the Pajaro Valley, but that there are more student clubs and community events that create a more welcoming environment for members of the LGBT community although there is much work to be done. They also point to Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative, being narrowly defeated by Watsonville voters in 2008 which would have been impossible just a few years ago. For those wanting to help out with Watsonville Pride, contact (831) 239-0746 or 359-0877. Last year, hundreds of community members came out to support the first annual march.
PATTONS PROGRAM. Gary discusses why we should think about curtailing any more homes being built in our forest lands. He talks about The Chanticleer Park in Live Oak, and about dogs going leash free in Ocean View Park. Fred Keeley's California Forward has made several issues very important. Gary relates concepts about Lot Line adjustment, and Land Use and the Coastal Act... (Gary Patton is "Of Counsel" to the Santa Cruz law firm of Wittwer & Parkin, which specializes in land use and environmental law. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton's.)
EAGAN'S DEEP COVER . Scroll down at least 3 pages to catch Tim's take on vox populi...as we live it!!!
LANDAUS PROGRES . Read Saul Landau's article on Obama taking on Health Care. Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
CASEY'S COMPUTER COMMENTARY. Long time friend Patrick Casey has been involved with technology development and computer support for 25 years; several years with Seagate and several more years with Apple and various other companies both large and small. He's been focused on providing computer support to individuals since 2002. Figuring that having trouble with your computer is now one of the most frustrating things in life I asked him to supply us with an insider's bunch of hints, tips and useful knowledge. Here's his first "COMMENTARY"...
My friend has an older Macintosh and she wanted to update to the latest and greatest OS from Apple. However her hardware (her computer) was too old and would not support the new OS. She finally got a new Macintosh after I explained that computers age rather quickly and a six year old computer might well be 42 years old. She still isn't happy that her laptop was outdated in only six years.
Microsoft Vista users also need an advanced (newer) computer (hardware) to operate properly. There is a certain amount of planned obsolescence in the systems to get us to continue buying more computers. Linux, however, is a different OS that runs on all types of computers both new and old.
Just because the computer is old though, is not necessarily a reason for it to be giving you any trouble. The biggest gain in computer performance you can make is to increase your memory if you have less than one gig installed. To check how much you now have, right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then click Properties.
The amount of RAM that is installed on your computer is in the Computer section. The last paragraph in the window displayed indicates RAM installed. If you think you might want to purchase more memory, be sure to write down your computer make and model so you can tell the folks at your local computer or electronics store. Let them look up which type of memory you need and how much you can install in your computer. It's not too difficult to install if you are slightly mechanical.
Viruses can slow down a system to the point that it will become unresponsive, unreliable, and just plain unusable. Some of them are terrible and can steal passwords and information. I use AVAST antivirus software and recommend it. It is free and a very good product that updates itself as needed ; sometimes that means daily as new strains of the nasties begin to spread. AVAST is also recommended by CNET and PC Magazines.
Removing the virus is typically not difficult; however, it can take hours for the antivirus program to scan each individual file on the hard drive. Send me your questions and I will respond as soon as I can. Next week I will write about the kinds of problems people are having and also go into greater detail on some general maintenance you can do to improve performance.
Please feel free to send your questions to computer_casey@yahoo.com
SMOKEY HOSTETTER'S HOT STUFFF . It's been a very, um, interesting week here in Bonny Doon, but things are settling down. And I've had enough downtime inside the house (avoiding the bad air) to finally catch up on this page, which I recommend you consult right now. A number of other things in the offing over the next few days and months, I'll add them as soon as the smoke clears.
OPINION OFFSHORE. CUBA. I asked a trusted friend who knows and experiences our USA offshore politics firsthand to write for us when possible....here's the second installment.
OFAC: Obama's real "death panel" by Yaineris Martinez
OFAC, or the Office of Foreign Assets Control, is the entity charged with enforcing the economic embargo against Cuba[i], which due to its extraterritorial nature is more commonly and accurately referred to as a blockade. U.S. companies or their subsidiaries in other countries and foreign companies with subsidiaries in the U.S. risk fines if they are found to be selling most goods to Cuba, although there are complex and stifling exceptions for medical supplies and food products. Nevertheless, OFAC holds supreme control over whether any good, of which more than %5 of its components are of U.S. origin, is available or not to Cubans for import, including medical supplies and food products.
For example, in 2004 the Chiron Corp was fined $168,500 for shipping vaccines to Cuba for infants and children from its plants in Germany and Italy. The vaccines included those for polio, haemophilus influenza, flu, rabies and a vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Also that year, OFAC fined Alpha Pharmaceutical Inc. $198,711 for exporting pharmaceuticals to Cuba.[ii] Many had hoped that this policy that has been maintained by 11 U.S. presidents against now 2 Cuban presidents would be eased or even ditched altogether by the Obama administration in keeping with his promise to restore the U.S. reputation in the world and give up its hegemonic attitude toward the rest of the Americas. But, already the Obama administration has collected more than $365,000 in fines from companies who have engaged in sales to Cuba.
One of these is Philips Electronics of North America Corporation, which just paid $128,750 for "an employee's travel to Cuba in connection with the sale of medical equipment by a foreign affiliate" that took place between the years 2004-2006. Philips is a multinational originating in Holland that has affiliates in 60 countries. Likewise, Lactalis USA, Inc., a subsidiary of a French cheese company paid $20,950.38 for selling milk to Cuba. Randy Alonso, a Cuban TV personality stated in a recent article[iii] that this policy that blocks the sale of even medical equipment and food "has caused the premature death or the deterioration of the quality of life of the Cuban people." So is it an exaggeration to call OFAC a "death panel"? I don't think so.
Let me tell you a personal story...
A few years ago, I was visiting a friend in Havana whose mother had always been so warm and welcoming to me. Although we saw each other rarely, we had developed a sweet bond and I cared about her deeply. She had survived breast cancer and complete mastectomy and had spent a couple of years feeling well. On this occasion she had traveled to Havana from her home province to undergo a test to see why she was having so much pain in her chest. When I arrived the family was in an uproar because the machine used for the test was broken and she would have to travel to the other end of the island for the test. They were especially upset because this was the second time she had come to Havana in hopes of a diagnosis, but the time before the machine was broken too.
I had just read an article about all the Venezuelans getting cataract surgery in Cuba for free and this set me off on a rampage about why the Cuban government would spend money on these surgeries instead of on getting this damn machine fixed. The room fell quiet, everyone knowing there was a gringo in the room, and my friend's mother said sheepishly, "It's not that we don't have the money, it's that the machine is made in the U.S. and they will not sell us the parts to repair it. We will have to buy another machine on the black market to replace the broken one."
It turns out that she had cancer again and it had become systemic by the time it was diagnosed. She died weeks later. That day was the last time I saw her. Now perhaps in this particular case an earlier diagnosis would not have mattered. But what about others who needed this type of screening while the machine was out of order? How many early diagnoses were missed? And how many others died? Have they yet to replace the machine three years later? It could be that the employee of Philips Electronics was going there to sell them a "new" one. Ok, so Obama did not invent OFAC, but he has inherited it. It is now HIS monster. HIS "death panel" that decides what foods, medicines, vaccinations, and medical equipment will be sold to Cuba. Come on— Obama, manda el bloqueo al carajo ya!"
[1] For details OFAC's Cuba Sanctions see http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml
[1] ii List of OFAC fines by month and year can be found at http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/civpen/index.shtml
[1] http://granma.co.cu/2009/08/07/interna/artic06.html
WATERS WEIGHS IN. Richard Wagner's four opera (16+ hours) The Ring is an experience. Christina went to her first Ring in Seattle and said it was a journey. A pilgrimage. A transformation. Also a marathon of physical
endurance. Yeow"...she also said "Officially, I'm back from Seattle with a few dining stories and a great meal at Bonny Doon Winery's Cellar Door as my re-entry into the non-Valhalla world of Santa Cruz. At http://christinawaters.com.
AWARD WINNING HEATHER McDOUGAL. If you've never visited Heather McDougal's website you should it's called Cabinet of Wonders..it's right here... what's extra great news is that she's won another award and her story The Candy Store is included in an anthology or as she says,..." August 29th, the Writers of the Future awards ceremony (I got second place for my story The Candy Store) is going to be an enormous bash because it is the 25th anniversary of the award. All kinds of notables are expected. I'll be there, receiving the award and signing afterwards and generally trying not to look too horrible in an evening gown thingie; and I believe they have a book signing the next day at some so-far unspecified book store, probably in Hollywood somewhere. Although it's been in Pasadena and elsewhere around L.A., so there's no knowing. I'll post it when I know". And I'll pass it on too.
MICHAEL JACKSON IN THE CLOUDS . Just proving the old adage, "Wash Me"
BULLS BALLS LUNCHEON BY FARM BUREAU . There's something wrong with our right wing conservative Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau serving bull's testicles as a fund raiser http://www.ksbw.com/entertainment/20372295/detail.html ..or is it just me?
DISTRICT 9 . If you like L. Ron Hubbard you'll love this sci-fi masterpiece. Tough to follow Brit Australian dialect set in South Africa, and the plot gets a mite holy as in holes but it's new and different and well done. Intelligent amazingly touching and worth seeing.
ADAM. The young lead has Aspergers Syndrome which adds a genuine heart to this coming of age film. The acting is very good; it's a feel goodie with soul. Not at all important but well done nevertheless.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. If you had any doubt that Quentin Tarantino could direct anymore I Basterds proves he's one of the most creative directors working today. Brad Pitt takes the lead and this film is pure movie fans heaven. Funny, clever, smart and everything you wanted in a film. Its 2 1/2 hours long but you'll want more go for it by any/all means.
G.I.JOE. There's nothing more to say about this than it opens with a huge HASBRO logo spread across the screen!!
FELTON SILENT FILM NIGHT. Friday night at 6:30 and again at 8p.m. historian Randall Brown will again present a free screening of a locally filmed Silent Film in Barbara Sprenger's Satellite Telework Center 6265 Highway 9 in Felton. He's showing Rubber Tires (1925) starring Bessie Love. Remember it's free and the place was jammed the first night I went there so arrive early.
JULIUS CAESAR @ APTOS GRANGE. After you see Shakespeare Santa Cruz's version in the Glen you'll want to see Bob Kilgore perform a new monologue that explains Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and its relevance to organizing today. On August 22 at the Live Oak Grange, union organizer Bob Kilgore will perform his new monologue, "Caesar's Autopsy", a unique analysis of Shakespeare's historical tragedy Julius Caesar. Kilgore draws on his decade of organizing experience to explain the inner workings of the political conspiracy to kill Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. His recitations of key scenes from the play provide vivid examples of what to do (and what not to do) when you're organizing people to take power into their own hands.
"There are many lessons organizers can learn from Shakespeare," Kilgore says. "It's fascinating to see how Cassius, Brutus and the others come together to take Caesar down. They make some big mistakes, too--in fact they all wind up dead--so I draw some conclusions from that side of it as well." "Caesar's Autopsy" looks at the potential for organizing social change in the U.S., in these times of having a former community organizer for President and incredible social technology at our fingertips. Yet it demonstrates that there are certain fundamental elements to organizing that have remained constant for millennia.
"I think of the show as honorable yet dangerous," says Kilgore. "It's worthy to share the secrets of agitation, but it's also a little nerve-wracking. When you organize you unleash tremendous energy for change—you don't know what can happen when people get together and decide to alter their relationship with the powers that be. It's risky and exciting, and I think Shakespeare captures that thrill perfectly." Admission is Free
"Caesar's Autopsy" Saturday August 22 at 8:00 pm. Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz ...it's a benefit for the Fund for Union Democracy.
 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Friends San Juan Bautista Mission Gardens August 16,2009 L to R: Bruce Bratton (BrattonOnline.com), Phyllis Rosenblum, Bruce Rosenblum (Santa Cruz Sentinel), Scott MacClelland (Santa Cruz Weekly) |
QUOTES. "Pity is for the living, envy is for the dead", Mark Twain. "The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain", Karl Marx. "The thought of suicide is a great consolation: with the help of it one has got through many a bad night", Friedrich Nietzsche".
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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