SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL CARRIERS. This was taken June 9, 1956. These young whippersnappers would be about 55-60 years old now. Note the narrow bike tires!! Those station wagons parked in the background were the Sentinel delivery vehicles. I believe this was taken in the old Sentinel parking lot before the new building went up. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

FORGET LOCAL BANKS…GO CREDIT UNIONS. We talked about taking your money out of Wall Street banks and putting it into locally owned banks and credit unions on Universal Grapevine last week. After heavy reactions from listeners I looked up the ownership of our two, count them, two “locally owned” banks. Aside from what looks like an almost perfect roll-call of Republicans the bank owners/directors of both banks are a very familiar bunch of names. Names such as Bruce McPherson, Scott Daly, Craig French, George Ow, Jesse Nickell, Whiting Foods, Charlie Canfield, Gary Reece, John Burroughs, Douglas Austin, “Mas Mac” (MacDonald’s Restaurants), Rowland Rebele, George Galluci, and so forth. What it amounts to seems to be a decision…having your money in national/international Wall Street Banks and seeing the profits go to supporting war efforts and buying and controlling national and international support from politicians OR keeping it in locally owned banks and thereby supporting local development we don’t want and supporting local politicians who fail to fairly represent us.

TOM WAITS READS CHARLES BUKOWSKI. A Valentine’s Day offering!!

SANTA CRUZ FUTURES?? Wal-Mart is proposing 12 new stores in San Diego. Read this… With our real estate kissees and development darlings on our City Council now how long will it be before Wal Mart and other corporate monsters are welcomed here?

US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Just read the national news re the Chamber of Commerce then try to “Think Locally” about our very own chapter. Think about our local City Council elections too while you’re at it.

Even more revealing is this Stop The Chamber link… We do need to think locally about the Chamber’s ties to corporations…just where are our priorities?

UCSC AND WATER PROBLEMS. I emailed hydrologist Bob Curry about his statements on my KZSC radio program about UCSC having all the water it needs…if they drilled for it. He replied, “Sorry about all of this Bruce. I must be more careful and tell the whole story when asked a point blank question. Yes, UCSC has enough water within the present campus boundaries to supply its needs. But no, they can’t do it without lots of effort, possible purchase of water rights, and NO UPPER campus development. My calculations show that enough rain falls on Marshall Field and the undeveloped upper campus to maintain high water tables over the shallow bedrock (mostly granite and mica-schist). That water supports the redwood forest. It is NOT water in the karst marble. It is a perched water table 10-40 feet deep. I calculated that a “well” field with cistern-like wells, each about 20-30 feet in diameter and connected by a pump and pipe network that was automated and would alternate between “wells” could supply campus needs. This was based on demand back in the 1980’s when I did the calculations. It would then have taken about 100 such porous cisterns, some with a radial set of infiltration capture drain pipes.

You must appreciate that this effort would kill off much of the forest, destroy the natural areas, and probably require an exchange agreement with the City to allow the campus to operate in drought times and late summer with a seasonal water exchange to compensate for low water tables in the cisterns. You must also appreciate that the shallow water collected by such a scheme does NOT meet California or other water quality criteria and that it would all have to go through full surface water treatment as does the City’s San Lorenzo River source.

Regulatory and legal water rights issues would be daunting, but probably less so than trying to pump from the karst that would be expected to dewater summer flows in Kalkar Quarry, and other springs below campus. Kalkar flows were appropriated when I checked but others were not. Of course City parks and neighborhoods would be seriously impacted by loss of water from springs. Remember, Santa Cruz is here because natives lived here and the Mission located where that spring flow was reliable. High Street was a year-around source of water that is now culverted and paved over. How soon we forget!”

I didn’t know what karst meant here’s what Wikipedia says, “Karst topography is characterized by subterranean limestone caverns, carved by groundwater”. And they also say, “Karst landforms are generally the result of mildly acidic water acting on weakly soluble bedrock such as limestone or dolostone“. I would guess the moral of the story is, “DON’T PUT THE KARST BEFORE THE WHORES”.

LINK TO “DE-SAL ALTERNATIVES”. There’s a great letter from Rick Longinotti responding to no-brainer Mike Rotkin, details about this Wednesday night’s meeting and some very sane thinking about de-sal plants. Read it all here http://desalalternatives.org/?p=286 .

DOG PLAYING PIANO AND SINGING.

GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 IN THE NY TIMES. That re-uniting of our Goodtime Washboard 3 at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage last week even got a tiny mention in Monday’s New York Times!!!

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about a Redevelopment Meeting Tuesday night and about how much good redevelopment does for us. Then on Tuesday he gives another point of view on how redevelopment $ takes so much away from other needy projects. He talks some more about Capitola’s General Plan. In closing he talks about the weather and the Community Water Coalition and a global water policy. Read it here. (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. Gary has his own website, “Two Worlds / 365” – www.gapatton.net )

JOHNNY CASH SINGS ABOUT CHARLES BUKOWSKI

BEREAVEMENT CORRECTION & ADDITION. Last week I got Richard Bender’s news on passing date wrong. It’s this Saturday February 19 at the Elks Club on Jewel Street from 1-3 p.m. Plans are finalized (according to Nora Hochman) for her mom Bernice Belton. Her services will be Saturday March 26^th at Jade Street Park in Capitola from 4-6:30 p.m. You can read her Sentinel summary here. A much more personal message from Chris Krohn

can be read here (link expands, click again to collapse).

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Scroll down past almost everything to see Tim’s take on Mantras. Are today’s mantras yesterday’s bumper stickers?

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau writes , “Egypt on Fire” (and I excerpt it here) “Last week Yemen and Jordan also erupted. The “spreading” syndrome inflicted Washington. Not good to show millions of angry poor people demanding rights. No sightings of the super rich who rely on the military to protect their wealth and privilege. They watch on TV – from London or New York. What will Washington do – other than hand wring and emit “democracy” platitudes through press secretaries? Democracy, as the world has learned, is replaced by more serious U.S. concerns: assured oil supplies and Israel. But the White House also knows the majority in the region think Israel and the United States, not Iran, constitute the great threat. (88 percent said Israel, 77 percent the United States, and 10% thought Iran was a threat. Noam Chomsky, “Democracy Now,” February 3) Read more… Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa reports, “Service may be interrupted as I take my first few halting steps out of Ludditeville into the 21st Century with my spanking new iMac. But keep checking back at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/) for news of a new cinematic celebration of the venerable Catalyst, a flashback to a movie that completely knocked me out as a kid (coming to a big screen near you), and an invitation to join Bruce Bratton, Wallace Baine and moi at the Nickelodeon this Sunday at 11a.m. for our annual slugfest over who will (and SHOULD) win this year’s Oscars. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

WATERS WEIGHS IN. Christina does some price checking for you, recommends a few good wines and reviews Saul Landau’s new docu on the Cuban Revolution – all at http://christinawaters.com

WILL THE REAL TERRIORIST PLEASE STAND UP? Award winning filmmaker, Saul Landau will launch his latest documentary, Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up, at the Live Oak Grange on March 2.The film documents aspects of US/Cuba policy that involves the CIA, violence, and 5 Cubans serving long sentences in U.S. prisons. The film features an interview with Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five who is currently serving life imprisonment in Victorville Maximum Security Prison for “conspiracy to commit espionage.” [Who are the Cuban Five?] Landau also interviews Luis Posada Carriles, Orlando Bosch, and others who have acknowledged perpetrating acts of terrorism in Cuba as “freedom fighters.” A delightful surprise is the remarkable appearance in the film by Fidel Castro in conversation with Danny Glover.A dessert reception with the film maker will be held at 6pm – admission $30.[To attend, please contact nabbey@cruzio.com]

The film will be shown at 7pm with a question and answer discussion with Saul Landau following – admission $10. Sponsored by Pastors for Peace, Santa Cruz Cuba Caravans and Three Americas, Inc.For more information – nabbey@cruzio.com

BRIGHTON BEACH ENGLAND. I went there just to compare it with the Boardwalk, and we have better sand, as you can see.

CRITICS AT THE NICK. Film buffs of all varieties should know about our umpteenth Meet The Movie Critics discussion happening at The Nick this Sunday 2/20 from 11am-1pm. Good Times Lisa Jensen, Santa Cruz Sentinel’s Wallace Baine and I will each hold forth with our opinions on last year’s films. We’ve also made sure that everyone attending gets to talk about their film likes and dislikes. Going way beyond Oscar predictions and into really good films we have a wonderful time sharing every year. My top 10 are even more off the popular charts than ever. For example, Tiny Furniture, Rabbit Hole, Enter the Void, Blue Valentine, Restrepo, Biutiful, Winters Bone, Black Swan, I Am Love, and The Kids are Alright.

HISTORICAL EVENT ITEM. Cynthia Mathews emails to tell everyone… The Cowell family legacy is woven throughout Santa Cruz County history and contemporary life – in its place names, public spaces, and the philanthropic contributions of the foundation that carries its name. On Saturday, February 19, that legacy will be highlighted at a celebration of Harry Cowell’s 150^th birthday, held at the UCSC Women’s Center on campus. The modest structure, tucked away near the main campus entrance, was the original Cowell family home in the mid-19^th century. The Harry Cowell birthday celebration is sponsored by the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District and UCSC, with co-sponsorship by the City of Santa Cruz. The event will be held at the UCSC Women’s Center (Cardiff House) from 10:30 am – noon. It will include a short talk on the Cowell family legacy by historian Frank Perry, refreshments and birthday cake, and an optional walking tour to the limekilns . For more information on the Cowell Lime Works Historic District, visit http://limeworks.ucsc.edu For more information on Harry Cowell and the Cowell Family legacy, contact Frank Perry: perry@cruzio.com or (831) 462-4916.

JUST GO WITH IT. It’s my own fault I went to see this film fully aware that it starred Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler. I honestly didn’t know that Nicole Kidman was in it too. There is nothing more to say about it that you can’t top. You don’t need to see one frame to know every line, every scene, every cliché. You’ve seen it far too many times already.

THE EAGLE. Channing Tatum comes from the Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson dropout school of acting. Jamie Bell fares a bit better but the entire junk action flick lacks so much it makes little difference. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 36 which is exactly twice the 18 they give Just Go With It.

GNOMEO & JULIET. It’s true the way overmilked plot of this cheap animated film was siphoned and related to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. What’s also true is that there is not one single clever line in the entire flop. Not even a hint of the cleverness we can expect from a Pixar film, but I was there with a small audience and there were really tiny very young laughing going on like maybe from 3-6 year olds. Hopefully they’ll learn from the experience.

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 sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. February 15^th Ellen Kimmel will talk about her unique views, programs and experiences with the elusive concept of Wellness. Then UCSC’s Don Williams will re-visit and talk about The American Menu play opening Feb 17^th. On February 22 Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Paul Burdick will be talking about what a Superior Court judge does. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES (Bruce must have gotten confused in the pre-Valentine’s Day frenzy, since he forgot to send me any quotes this week. Never fear, I came up with some suitable ones of my own! Happy Valentine’s! -the Webmistress)

“Give a man a free hand and he’ll run it all over you.” -Mae West. “Bride, n. A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her.” -Ambrose Bierce. “I married beneath me–all women do.” -Nancy Astor. “Whenever I date a guy, I think, is the man that I want my children to spend their weekends with?” -Rita Rudner. aaand my fortune cookie from tonight’s dinner: “Moderation in temper is always a virtue, but moderation in principle is always a vice.”