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DATELINE SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
THE NEW BOARDWALK ENTRANCE!!! It couldn’t possibly be that the 12 (TWELVE) million dollars the Boardwalk is spending on their new entrance would be to convince the unsuspecting public that they do not have free access to the beach through the Boardwalk…and that they have to buy tickets??? I’m still betting Canfield et all have always wanted and plan on building a huge addition to the Boardwalk right exactly across the street, where Beach Flats sits. They’ve let their many, many houses and empty lots that they own in the flats go completely to hell just for that time when they can develop as big an amusement park where they can legally charge admission. By the way, ask the City Council candidates where they stand on how Cynthia Mathews and her trained monkeys treated the Beach Flats Community Gardens. Ask them, especially Cynthia, what their position will be regarding the Beach Flats Community itself.
| BEER BOTTLE ORCHESTRA. Very far out orchestra. |
| MICROSOFT MUSIC..WITH ORCHESTRA!! |
| KAEPERNICK ABOUT HILLARY & TRUMP |
COTATI NATIONAL MONUMENTAL DISASTER. Many locals still don’t understand the full impact the declaring the Cotati- Cemex- Coast Land and Dairies- Davenport ranch area as a National Monument would have on our City and especially on our still semi wild North Santa Cruz County. The huge traffic on our nearly stalled Highway One, the killing and decimating of the wild life that exist there now are only some of the dangers. Those Hilltrompers who support this destruction of nature should be extra ashmed posing as nature lovers and protectors!!
Ted Benhari wrote a note to the FRIENDS OF THE NORTH COAST that said:
“It would be great if everyone wrote an email to President Obama – president@whitehouse.gov – with the message that even though protecting land by declaring it a national monument is generally a wonderful thing, in this case (Coast Dairies) the land is already fully protected and the BLM just doesn’t and won’t have the money to properly manage the hundreds of thousands of visitors that will want to come and check it out, and the local infrastructure (roads, law enforcement, fire services) just can’t handle it. It would only take 5 minutes to send this message, I think all of us can find an extra 5 minutes in our day to do it. Thanks!”
It’s the least we can do to protect the Coast Land and Dairies land. And we need to hurry before Barack leaves office!!
KAEPERNICK STANDS FOR WHAT EXACTLY? Damned right, he can and should sit during the national anthem if he chooses. Imagine just for a minute a full baseball or football stadium with everyone feeling totally free to sit or stand during the anthem…it would be like voting, we’d see how our huddled masses actually feel about our government, and our country. But mixing it up a bit, here’s a statement from The Federalist about Kaepernick’s attitude re Hillary. It never received much press. “San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who recently refused to stand during the national anthem at a preseason game, just unloaded on Hillary Clinton. “We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate,” he said, referring to the 15,000 emails Clinton “wiped” from her private, unsecured server she used during her tenure as secretary of State. “That doesn’t make sense to me.” “If it was any other person, they’d be in prison,” he said.” So what is this country really standing for?”
COUNCIL CAMPAIGNING. The Santa Cruz City Council Candidates and their campaigns are really underway…and Labor Day is more or less the real getting down to brass tacks startoff. The turnouts at the Glover/Krohn/Sandy Brown/Schnaar events has been wonderful and like those endorsement meetings, full of great and NEW energy. People want to see and help to create a Brand New City Council that’s obvious. By the way, I have to apopogize… I said last week that I saw the Sentinel’s Bernie Sanders basher Steve Kessler at the London Nelson Bernie event on 8/24, and that he was clapping enthusiastically. He wasn’t there he told me. That guy sure looked like Kessler I even waved to him, he waved back, but Steve said nope not true, and that he’d never go to a Bernie event, and for sure wouldn’t applaud. Sorry to give the wrong impression, very sorry. If you want to be a part of, or just feel the energy of these campaigners go to Chris Krohn’s CAMPAIGN KICKOFF PARTY Saturday, September 10th from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM The home of Janet Gellman, 311 Park Way, Santa Cruz, CA
BERNIE’s “OUR REVOLUTION” MEETING. Tue Sept 20, 5:30pm – SC4Bernie General Meeting, 5:30pm potluck. 6:00pm Brand New Congress livestream. 6:30pm Brand New City Council Barnstorm and campaign workgroup breakouts for City of Santa Cruz campaign London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St, Santa Cruz. RSVP here!
STARBUCKS ON OCEAN STREET. Doesn’t it seem to you like Santa Cruz has sold out again and again to all the corporate franchises? Can Ocean Street get any more touristy? Isn’t there some way to maintain what little character or authentic home town feeling we used to have? What’s amazing is that tourists still come here to see what? Well, there’s The Boardwalk and The University, they are unique for sure, but after that what draws attention? Certainly not another Starbucks.
(Paul Elerick is a member of, and former co-chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org . He’s a current member of Nisene to Sea, a group of mid-county citizens committed to maintaining an open hiking trail from Cabrillo College to Nisene Marks State Park
The small, quiet central Florida town where my son moved to afford a home proudly displays its slogan, “Watch Us Grow!” At least they are honest about it. That slogan could easily describe the course set for Santa Cruz by a consortium of speculators, financiers, city planners and politicians, UCSC administrators, their business backers and second home owners who have an economic stake in growth. The slogan these self-interests would like us to believe in is: “Trust Us. We Know What’s Best for You!” While they pay lip service to buzz words such as sustainability, neighborhood integrity and affordable housing, high rises displace single- family homes, UCSC hustles in more and more students, rents and housing costs escalate and public open space, the crown jewel of environmental activism from 40 years ago is neglected to the point where it is considered “unsafe.”
The ideology that holds this together and dismisses dissent is that growth is inevitable; we have to accommodate growth; managed growth is best left to experts; when we opted for a greenbelt we opted for increased density; increasing density leads to affordability. These core beliefs are widely held without question or examination. They are trotted out at every planning and council meeting whenever yet another new development is approved and neighbors’ concerns largely dismissed. As the pricy urban consultants like to say, Santa Cruz’s neighborhoods and main thoroughfares have a low profile and are underutilized. This suggests a lack of affection for what is established and familiar with a desired goal for transforming the town into an unrecognizable cityscape with profit as the motivator. Perhaps the more accurate slogan is “Watch Us Make Money!”
click here to continue (link expands, click again to collapse)
~Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild).
PATTON’S PROGRAM. From Gary’s Two Worlds website…
#249 / The Biggest Threat To U.S. Sovereignty
Former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has written an article that was published in the Sunday, August 14th edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. Here’s a linking right here to another online source. It’s an article worth reading.
Reich’s article is titled, “Candidates solicit biggest threat to U.S. sovereignty” in the print edition, and “Foreign Cash Is Hijacking American Democracy,” in the online version. In his article, Reich takes on Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump is always talking about threats to the sovreignty of the United States, but Reich isn’t convinced that Trump knows there the problem really lies.
click here to continue (link expands, click again to collapse)
~Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. UCSC and their punishing of peaceful protesters scroll down…
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Check out Eagan’s all time classic Subconscious Comic just below. See all the rest of them
here. And the latest EaganBlog, “Hillary Dillary”: Read Tim’s poem, nearly unforgettable, here.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa’s gone someplace again and says she’ll probably be back next week. We’ll wait here!!! Read her stuff at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THAT IS THE QUESTION
(THE NEWEST FILMS IN ORDER OF PERFECTION)
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS. Critics and most folks are calling this a romantic melodrama, I say that’s cheapening it. And gives it the wrong image I call it a contemporary Greek Tragedy. Those classic tragedies were meant to stir your emotions, cause you to think about your deepest values, to help us learn about love, sacrifice, and morals. Wikipedia says, “Tragedy (from the Greek: tragoidia) is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in audiences”. This film does all of that and more. We aren’t used to “deep” films like this anymore so we dilute them and call them weepers or melodramas. Stunning actors like Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz bring this highly emotional film into near legendary status. It’s from a book about a lighthouse keeper and his wife who can’t have children and find a baby. Please see it, if you like serious films.
LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD. First of all it gets a 93 on Rotten Tomatoes. Another excellent film from one of the very few living directors who know how to make a statement and still make good films, Werner Herzog. Herzog guides us through the new world of the internet in this documentary and gives us enormous topics and information re internet stuff to make you really wonder about our future and how the internet has and will continue to change our world. I guarantee that there’s at least a dozen ideas, and pieces of news you’ve never drempt of…and that will change how you look at your iPhone and keyboard from now on. Only go if you like thinking about big things.
MORGAN. Ridley Scott’s son directed this Sci-Fi thriller about creating near-humans. Kate Mara, Michelle Yeoh, and Toby Jones make this movie work fairly well. “Ex Machina” and Scarlett Johansson in “Lucy” sort of fit into the same “good but not great” bag.
STILL PLAYING AT A THEATRE NEAR US
FROM BEST TO REALLY BAD
INDIGNATION. If you liked Portnoy’s Complaint, Goodbye Columbus or any and all of Philip Roth’s novels you’ll love this film. In 1951 a very nice teen age Jewish boy from New Jersey starts college and goes through sexual, religious, moral, and very touching life evolving events (most of which you probably did too!). The acting has no flaws or weak points, the story is pure Philip Roth and you’ll be moved like no other film in the last year or two.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC. Viggo Mortensen, the lead in this family saga, has never been better, and he’s almost always excellent. The older you are the more you’ll appreciate this extension of our 1950 & 60’s belief system. A film that has Noam Chomsky’s philosophy as a driver, Jesse Jackson, Joy of Sex book, Lolita, Glen Gould’s Bach Variations and some non-christian beliefs added, has to take you back just a bit. And in a good way. Viggo raises his family in the total wilds and later they have to face modern life and society. It’s as much fun as it is moving, sensitive , and well made. Frank Langella and Steve Zahn add to this hit film. Go for/to it!!
HELL OR HIGH WATER. Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and Chris Pine make this one wonderful, exciting, involving, and well acted film. Go see it ASAP. Cops and bank robbers in Texas, internal conflicts, evil bank laws and practices, and ethics and morals are all integrated. It’s hard t o believe that “Hollywood” could still make a film this good after all these years of junk.
WAR DOGSJonah Hill and Miles Teller do some fine acting in this only half – serious drama about how much money shysters in the United States make when we are at war. You’ll wonder if the USA could even stay alive financially if we weren’t always at war or “Peace Keeping” as it’s called. Not a great film but it does get the message across.
CAFÉ SOCIETY.Woody Allen’s newest starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Parker Posey and Steve Carell. Woody narrates the film and he’s older and his voice has lost that whiney, confused, contradictory warble that we’ve grown to love so much. This film doesn’t rank in his top 4 or 5 films. The story is original, the acting is perfunctory, Kristen Stewart is above reproach, but it’s no Midnight in Paris, Annie Hall, Blue Jasmine, Hannah and Her Sisters or Purple Rose of Cairo.
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS. The ever-popular, award winning Meryl Streep mugs , struts and acts her way through this odd portrait of an eccentric totally tone deaf New York socialite in the early 1940’s, Florence Foster Jenkins caught syphilis from her first husband, divorced him, kept his name and married another rich fellow socialite. She loved music, was friends with Arturo Toscanni but because of the tertiary stages of the disease, was unable to accurately hear her own singing voice. She gave concerts and recorded records and made millions laugh at her bizzarre off key voice. It’s a cute, somewhat serious comedy…and again Meryl Streep has the lead with Hugh Grant playing a good older version of Hugh Grant, and you know what that means.
DON’T BREATHE. This film has all the makings of a very scary horror flick. Timing, characters, kids locked in a house with a blind army veteran who wants to kill them because they tried to rob him. Yet, it lacks something and I’ve been thinking about it for three days and I still can’t figure why it doesn’t work. Great tension, fine acting, plenty of surprises, and yet it doesn’t add up. Maybe it’s because the blind veteran is also evil, and focused on killing. Maybe it’s because the kids were wrong in the first place in trying to rob him. But if you’ve seen everything else in town…this one won’t bore you, I promise.
SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU. This is worse than a Hallmark greeting card! Cloying, genuflecting, dull, and an unjustified view of how Barack wooed Michelle back in their Chicago days. Aside from the apparent facts that Obama smokes a lot and doesn’t like ice cream and that Michelle doesn’t like pie, there’s nothing to gain from seeing this trite mess. It’s genuinely boring too. You’ll keep waiting for something of substance, or conflict, or some kind of problem might be dealt with…nope, all sugar and spice. Well, not even spice actually.
JASON BOURNE.The minute you leave the theatre this movie will seem like a dream you had. It’s fuzzy, unclear, random scenes in random order, no real meaning…just like a dream. The director tried to make some new kind of spy killing, car chase, fire, explosion movie. Edits, cuts, dialogue are all mixed up and mixed together…it makes little or no sense at all. Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassell, Alicia Vikander, and Riz Ahmed from “The Night Of” all do their best, but it’s all the director’s fault. Well, Matt Damon just phoned in his part and he’s terrible. And it’s still better than Mechanic: Resurrection
MECHANIC: RESURRECTION. This got 24 on Rotten Tomatoes which puts it 3 below Ben Hur and 2 below Suicide Squad. Jason Statham does what is required while the special effects does all the rest. Jessica Alba cutes her way through the other usual car and boat chases. Just another James Bond, Mission Impossible spy-killer-travelogue, with extra blood. Don’t go.
STAR TREK BEYOND. The third in the new Trek movie series this is a waste of everyone’s time and money. They cop out and show a photo of Leonard Nimoy about half way through and show a snapshot of the entire Enterprise original 1966 crew. Mostly it’s just another throw bombs and shoot around corners (or curves on spaceships). Nothing near the humanity, intelligence, or real wit the original had, which made all of us such lifelong fans. The acting is terrible, the plot is meaningless. Go only if you need your periodic Star Trek Fix, and don’t care how “authentic” it is. ( I didn’t know Capt. James Kirk’s middle name was Tiberius and that Shatner is 85 years old and was born in Montreal).
DON’T THINK TWICE. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 99 % I give it about 4!!! I’ve always hated Improv Comedy, that’s why. This movie is totally about Improv Comedy and the internal combustion within a group calling them selves the Commune. I can’t tell you how many times I watched San Francisco’s The Committee throughout most of the 1960’s. A lot of the Nickelodeon audience laughed a lot when I watched it…go warned.
SUICIDE SQUAD Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Viola Davis could never be accused of acting in this horrible Gotham City disaster. Yep, Gotham City and yes Batman is in it for a few seconds but he doesn’t save this Super Hero flick from being one of the very worst ever made. (read any other review!!!). I could try to tell you about the plot, but there really isn’t one…it’s all violence, weird effects, killing, and to save production money most of it is filmed extra dark so you can’t see what might be around the corner. Don’t let anybody go, except your worst enemy. 26 on Rotten Tomatoes!! The executive producer of Suicide Squad Steven Munchin is Donald Trump’s finance director, if it matters who you give money to!
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE RADIO PROGRAM
KZSC 88.1 FM or live online at
www.KZSC.ORG TUESDAYS 7-8 P.M.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORGBob Morgan talks about the Widening Won’t Work movement (No on “D”)on September 6 followed by Martin Rizzo and his work in the “Do You Know My Name” book. Julie James speaks about the Jewel Theatre’s new season and “Streetcar Named Desire” on September 13, after which Bruce Daniels Pres. Bd of Dir. Soquel Water District talks about climate change and water.. Christina Morgan Cree unveils the latest crazes and styles in the Fashion Art Show on Sept.20. Michel Singher previews The Espressivo Orchestra’s next concert on September 27. Joan Van Antwerp talks about The Sidereal Theatre on Oct. 18. Then October 25 has Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Paul Burdick talking about our court system. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome, so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always (and only) at bratton@cruzio.com
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I go in spurts, watching the same types of videos for a while. This week, it’s been unexpected fan performances – you know, when the artist pulls someone out of the audience to perform with them on stage. Sometimes it’s cringe-worthy, and sometimes, like this one, it’s pure gold. Enjoy.
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NEW UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVE FEATURE. Stuff changes at KZSC a lot. If you missed either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts, go here. You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
QUOTES. “SEPTEMBER”
“I love September, especially when we’re in it”, Willie Stargell
“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost”, Henry Rollins
“My favorite poem is the one that starts ‘Thirty days hath September’ because it actually tells you something”, Groucho Marx
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
Deep Cover by Tim Eagan.
