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OUR STATE ASSEMBLY RACE.More than a few local politicos are wondering and worrying about both Mark Stone and Ryan Coonerty running for State Assembly. Will they run against each other? What kind of platform could Ryan possibly come up with? What’s he done besides declaring Durbin Year and supporting every single development that has come across his desk? Lots of talk now…wait until the districting is announced!!!
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS DANGEROUS?This is from an article in India Today that Fred Yukic sent in…”Fresh doubts have arisen about the safety of genetically modified crops, with a new study reporting presence of Bt toxin, used widely in GM crops, in human blood for the first time. Genetically modified crops include genes extracted from bacteria to make them resistant to pest attacks. These genes make crops toxic to pests but are claimed to pose no danger to the environment and human health. Genetically modified brinjal, whose commercial release was stopped a year ago, has a toxin derived from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt).Till now, scientists and multinational corporations promoting GM crops have maintained that Bt toxin poses no danger to human health as the protein breaks down in the human gut. But the presence of this toxin in human blood shows that this does not happen. Scientists from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women. Read it all here
BURGER KING PUNISHING STAFF OF LIFE CUSTOMERS. An email…
“The Burger King on Soquel Avenue punishes their neighborhood and increases the fast-food chain’s profits….when the Staff of Life’s new parking lot fills up, and there’s no available residential parking on nearby streets, some unfortunate local shoppers have been using the Burger King’s parking lot before crossing Darwin street to BUY LOCAL at the Staff of Life, or heading to other nearby destinations. BURGER KING is watching, and calls Tri-County Towing who immediately shows up and tows the unlucky vehicles away. The minimum weekend punishment vehicle towing fee is $389.00, which BURGER KING and the towing company split. Pure profit for BURGER KING, pure pain for our BUY LOCAL shoppers and friends. I know, as this happened to a visitor to my nearby house recently”. Dean Quarnstrom
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LOS CENZONTLES SINGING « LA PELOTA ». I got this great song and strong statement from Davia Nelson. Watch all of it, and listen/read the words.
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OUR GOVERNMENT TARGETING CUBA’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Pat Matecjek sent this link to us…” The U.S. government’s half-century campaign to discredit and destroy Cuba’s experiment with socialism has had many ruthless aspects, but perhaps none more so than efforts to disparage and damage the Caribbean island’s widely admired health-care system. In January, the government of the United States of America saw fit to seize $4.207 million in funds allocated to Cuba by the United Nations Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the first quarter of 2011, Cuba has charged. The UN Fund is a $22 billion a year program that works to combat the three deadly pandemics in 150 countries. [Prensa Latina (Cuba), March 12, 2011] “This mean-spirited policy,” the Cuban government said, “aims to undermine the quality of service provided to the Cuban population and to obstruct the provision of medical assistance in over 100 countries by 40,000 Cuban health workers.” Most of the funds are used to import expensive AIDS medication to Cuba, where antiretroviral treatment is provided free of charge to some 5,000 HIV patients. [The Militant (US, Socialist Workers Party), April 4, 2011] read it all here…
The Regional Transportation Commission recently solicited nominations for a Regional Advisory Committee, as requested by AMBAG, (Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments). They then nominated the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Chamber, the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Business Council, a representative from the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors, a member of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director Direction of Action Pajaro Valley, and their own Bicycle Committee Chair. All these “stakeholders” fit the requirements suggested to the RTC by AMBAG.
Committee members chosen will act as liaisons for their stakeholder groups, and provide ongoing feedback between policy makers and the public at large. There will be other nominees from Government Planning Departments.
Let’s hope they include some balance to the Advisory Committee, like a few citizens from the environmental community, people supporting alternative transportation, and (gasp!) even a few members from the public, since this group would represent a lot more “stakeholders” than those who have been nominated by the RTC. (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary discusses Monterey and their de-sal plant proposal. He tells about a water transfer plan, then he plugs a special Garden tour happening Sunday all about Native plants..and he closes praising Stockholm’s public transit system. (Bratton note…ever notice when you go on vacation how their transportation systems are always better than ours???)
(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 )
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo goes back in time…to the 1800’s…scroll down
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim wades through the muck looking for sanity…see below.
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UCSC STEREOTYPES. There’s a lot of these “UCSC stereotype” clips on You Tube.
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LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau says “The United States is stuck in the past as Cuba changes”. He leads the piece with…”President Obama and his advisers share with most of the mass media the same visual weakness when it comes to Cuba: they don’t see the obvious, the crucial facts and context that stare them in the face. As Cuba begins to undergo basic changes to its economy and governmental structure, the reporting from western media follows predictably context-free and thus irrelevant standards. To think otherwise, reporters and advisers have learned, would be a bad career move. In order to invalidate Cuba’s attempt to change the social relation of its society and spread its word to the rest of the third world the western media has consistently failed to place a context around the events that led up to the revolution. Instead, Washington and the stenographers called “the press” judge Cuba’s revolution by U.S. standards and in the U.S. context. Cuba must always perform according to what the media assume are standards of democratic perfection. This criterion for judging, beyond its vagueness, leads one to wonder about values and priorities. President Obama and his advisers share with most of the mass media the same visual weakness when it comes to Cuba: read it all here..
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), get ready to sing the praises of St. Cecilia with the Santa Cruz Chorale, and live every writer’s fantasy of time-traveling back to Paris in the 1920s in Woody Allen’s new comedy masterpiece, Midnight In Paris. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
FILMS. In descending order.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.(repeat) Woody Allen’s latest and one of his best. Funny, very funny, nostalgic, historic, touching…and the nicest Owen Wilson we’ve seen in years. At the Nick screening you could tell it was a hit all the critics stayed after and talked, laughed and almost outdid each other with which part was funniest. Go see it. Read up on just who Djuna Barnes was, I did. She was a friend of Mina Loy and Man Ray.
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS IN 2D . I didn’t know the Del Mar would be showing a 2D version of this unique film, but they are. 3D would be much better but as I said last week, “ I wouldn’t kid you for anything…this is one film you can’t see by renting…it won’t be in 3D. And It must be seen in 3D. Werner Herzog has his crazed narration and silly extras tacked on it , but seeing these ancient cave paintings is important…if you like ART. Susan Hillhouse curator of MAH says that the prevailing thinking as to why did our early cave painters painted was because they wanted to capture or pay homage to the spirit of the animals. That’s why the paintings are so far into the interior of the caves. That’s why there aren’t any paintings of people, trees, and what we now call art. See the amazing thinking of these ancestors of ours and what their lives were like. See it quickly at the Del Mar or you probably will never see it at all.
INCENDIES. (REPEAT) One of the most thought provoking films in years. It’s about a brother and sister searching for their long lost brother, because their mom leaves them a letter after she dies. You shouldn’t know any more than that before you see it. Many plot twists and turns; some will leave you with jaw agape. A serious film and one you’ll remember.
THE DOUBLE HOUR. (repeat) I guarantee this well made Italian thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s perfectly created,and will have you re-thinking about Hitchcock’s best works. I don’t think he could have created this puzzling epic… see it asap
L’AMOUR FOU.You may not know just how important Yves Saint Laurent was to the serious fashion business. I had no idea and didn’t care very much anyways. But this is an excellent documentary about a very courageous gay guy who completely changed that fashion world. Well worth seeing.
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK.(repeat). I confess I’d never heard of Bill Cunningham before but after watching this documentary on the NY Times clothes photographer I know it’s been my loss. He photographs clothes being worn in the New York Streets and in the fashions houses but more than that he’s his own person…and you’ll love him for just that. Don’t miss it quickly.
X MEN: FIRST CLASS. I have to admit that I get big kicks (guilty pleasures) from watching Kevin Bacon and January Jones. Both of them are absolutely nutty screen personalities, and both probably act exactly the same off screen. This so called prequel tells how some genuinely bizarre super heroes grew up. One has big feet and can hang from trees, one can scream so loud he can fly on the sound waves, another babe can grow wings and hover, but she joins the evil Kevin Bacon for some reason. Never mind any of that, it’s all nonsense. My 12 year old grandson Henry Kloiber liked it and he has a taste for the visual and this film is 99% special effects. So go warned…if at all.
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UCSC PROMOTIONAL PITCH. Just to be fair…there’s this side of it all… |
TED x. (Repeated for emphasis) This singular event, well one of a kind event, happens June 11th at Cabrilho College’s Music Recital Hall from 9 to 5 p.m. Tickets are going fast. A day full of local speakers/presenters and more of the same is happening all over the world. Details are too much to print here go to http://www.tedxsantacruz.org/engage . I’ll get there early, and save you a seat. It’s one of those events that either you know about or you find out about too late. Go to that website and remember that ticket price includes lunch and afternoon refreshments!!!
SPECIAL GARDEN TOUR ON SUNDAY.I lifted this from Gary Patton’s weekly broadside… This Sunday June 12, the California Native Plant Society is sponsoring a “Native Plant Garden Tour.” As I’ve mentioned before, if you’d like to take part, you will need to register. Registered participants will get the addresses of the various gardens on the tour. If you don’t register, you won’t know where to go. “How to” information will be provided to participants, and I’m encouraging KUSP listeners and BrattonOnline readers to sign up and get some time outdoors, maybe with your kids, as you view these very pleasant, but somewhat unusual, residential landscapes. Using native plants has lots of benefits. Most important, from my point of view, is that the conversion of residential landscaping to schemes based on native plants can significantly address what is truly a water supply crisis in the Monterey Bay Region.
Water “supply” needs to balance with water “demand,” and as we look to the future, that equation doesn’t balance in our region. Hence, there are lots of new “supply” alternatives being proposed, most notably desalination proposals which can have truly horrendous environmental and global warming impacts. Another approach to balance is to reduce “demand” to meet existing supply. A huge percentage of our residential and commercial water use is devoted to landscape maintenance, and “going native” can make a big difference. Details at their website
OPERA IN THE LIBRARY.(Another repeat, plus correction) Four resident opera singers from Opera San Jose will be performing arias from the 2011-12 new season. That means we could hear a little something from Faust, La Traviata, Idomeneo, Pagliacci or La Voix Humaine…and they’re all great. That’s Saturday June 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the meeting room upstairs….for free.
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. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7. After Neal, Jim Emdy of area radio notoriety presents a preview of Opera San Jose’s new season, and the San Francisco Opera’s current production of Wagner’s Ring. The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14th. Ellen Primack details this year’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on July 5th followed by a return of Anita Monga of the now legendary San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Author, historian, Geoffrey Dunn will tell us all about Sarah Palin’s Lies and his new book news on July 12. Michael Warren will give us an in depth Shakespeare Santa Cruz preview on July 19 and Sue Heinz will return to tell us even more about Tarot, The Qabalah, and of course astrology. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.
QUOTES. All of these quotes are from the California Native Garden Tour Site…
http://www.californianativegardentour.org/index.htm
“It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not”.
– W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, Garden Rubbish, 1936
“I always think of my sins when I weed. They grow apace in the same way and are harder still to get rid of”.
– Helena Rutherfurd Ely, A Woman’s Hardy Garden
“Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that it’s done above and beyond earning a living and deals with what people really care passionately about. Remember, no one gets paid to rebel. All revolutions start with volunteers”.
– Susan J. Ellis
“Let us a little permit nature to take her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we”.
– Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, 1533 – 1592
“The name Iceberg comes from the way the lettuce was transported in the USA. Starting in the 1920’s, it was transported on train wagons covered in crushed ice, making it look like icebergs.
– Unknown
BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.
Deep Cover
