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I VOTED FOR MICAH!! Faithful, or at least readers who read last weeks column, may remember I said I wasn’t endorsing anybody for Santa Cruz City Council. Then at the weekly Penny University meeting I learned that Mark Primack absolutely hates Micah Posner!! That did it, if Primack hates Posner, I’ll support him and I did vote for Micah at the last minute. Obviously, so did a lot of other people. Now the tough work starts!!!
RUMINATING ON ROMNEY, Part 1. The world will little note, nor long remember, what Mitt Romney said in the last campaign…but it’s not for lack of trying. Don Webber of Beach Hill Neighbors and La Bahia campaigns sent this article.
RUMINATING ON ROMNEY, Part 2. I’d never sink so low as to bring up the weird cult beginnings of the Mormon Church and digging up golden plates near Palmyra, New York. And why mention that women still can’t hold equal offices within the church. Or that Blacks were finally given equal rights in 1998. Hell, plural marriages still might catch on, and the connection to the Marriott’s Corporation can’t be important. Nope, what I like are the underpants that Mitt Romney has to wear. Known as Garments, and that by wearing them as all good Mormons do, they are more or less prevented from thinking about sinful things. Here’s a link to more on those unmentionables.
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KARL ROVE EATS IT ON FOX NEWS. |
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING MIND READING MAGIC. I swiped this stupefying mental magic trick from Peter Scott’s old webpage try it a few hundred times and if you figure it out let him & me know…
| ABC NEWS DECLARES BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT. Good fun to watch this in case you watched someplace else. |
MORE ON DE-SAL. Here’s a great National Science Foundation article about how the sucking in of ocean water and the dumping it back into the bay will affect the ocean environment. Tell Mike Rotkin to read it…obviously he hasn’t. It’s titled, “Stirred Not Mixed: How Seawater Turbulence Affects Marine Food Webs”. It ends by saying, ““The best environment for motile bacteria is one in which the organic matter is lightly stirred into the water rather than vigorously mixed.”
BIG BASIN BUS SERVICE BAN??? Peter Scott of Campaign for Sensible Transportation sent this… “There is now the chance that our Transit District’s summer weekend bus Service to Big Basin Redwoods State Park—which was cut last
year for budgetary reasons—may be restored. But we need to add support to make it happen. Please consider signing our on-line petition, which may be viewed here.
Also, consider forwarding this email to any others. We need to gather as many signatures as we can”. If you have any questions, see addresses in the link.
FRACKING IN CALIFORNIA. IT’S HERE NOW AND DANGEROUS. Discover the reality of fracking in Santa Cruz County – hear two experts on the subject.
Unbelievably, fracking in California is unregulated by State government, although hundreds of fracked wells have been drilled in the state. “The Monterey Shale Formation, which federal energy officials estimate contains nearly two-thirds of the nation’s shale oil reserves….stretches from Santa Clara County through the Central Valley to Ventura County” (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 7/13/12). Environmental concerns about fracking include the enormous amount of water required (2 – 8 million gallons per well!), contamination of drinking water supplies, increased carbon emissions that will undermine California’s efforts to fight climate change, adverse impacts on the habitat of endangered species, fish kills and breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can transmit diseases to wild animals. WILPF is fortunate to have two knowledgeable speakers on fracking for our Nov 20 public program. Rose Braz coordinates the climate campaign for the CBD, including organizing against fracking in California. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and has worked both in private practice and at the United Nations International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland. The Climate Law Institute wages innovative legal and public-pressure campaigns to limit global warming pollution and to prevent climate change from driving species extinct.
Steven Craig, former Director of the Ventana Wilderness and Land Trust, and CEQA advisor to cities and counties in central and southern California, has explored how oil and gas excavation are regulated in Monterey and San Benito Counties. Mr. Craig was part of the group that established strict excavation regulations in Monterey County, and he will be talking about how to accomplish these goals effectively, focusing on “what you can do at the local government level”, including CEQA review, and zoning ordinance revisions. November 20 , 7 – 9 pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 225 Rooney St., Santa Cruz. Free, donations welcomed. For more information, call WILPF, 831-428-5096 . Co-sponsored by the SC chapter of the Sierra Club and Transition Santa Cruz.
THOSE EXPENSIVE CAMPAIGN SIGNS…NOW WHAT? Jeffrey Smedburg emailed to state…”Hey, political activists, I hope your candidate or measure won. But in any case, you don’t need all those signs any more. It’s polite to pick up all the ones in public places and offer to take them back from your supporters. So what do we do with them all?
First, you can take them apart into their component materials: paper, plastic, metal. The metal frames are expensive and can be used again, so your campaign may want to keep them for next election. Or if your campaign doesn’t want them, I’m sure you can think of someone who will be doing this all again in 2 years. Remember, Reuse is better than Recycling. Bent or rusty metal frames can be dropped off at a recycling center, or for GreenWaste customers only, put in your blue recycling cart.
Paper & cardboard signs are easy. They go in the mixed paper bin at a drop-off recycling center or in the mixed recycling blue carts throughout Santa Cruz County.
Plastic film signs (I didn’t see any this year, but someone may have used them) can be treated like any other flexible, stretchy plastic bags and wrap: bag them in a larger plastic bag, knot it at the top, and deliver to a drop-off recycling center or put in your blue cart.
Corrugated plastic signs are accepted as hard plastic at drop-off recycling centers. GreenWaste and City of Watsonville customers can put these in your blue curbside cart.
Drop-off Recycling Centers in Santa Cruz County:
– Buena Vista Landfill, 1231 Buena Vista Drive, South County.
Hours: 7:30-3:30, closed Sundays.
– Ben Lomond Transfer Station, 9835 Newell Creek Road, San Lorenzo
Valley. Hours: 7:30-3:30, closed Sundays.
– City of Santa Cruz Resource Recovery Facility, 605 Dimeo Lane, off
North Coast Highway. Hours: 7:30-3:30, closed Sundays.
– City of Watsonville Garbage and Recycling Drop-off, 320 Harvest
Drive, Watsonville. Hours: 7:30-3:30, closed Sundays.
– California Grey Bears Recycling Center, 2710 Chanticleer Avenue,
Mid-County. Hours: 7:30-3:30, open every day.
Best news ever for progressives in the County. First, Eric Hammer is in a virtual tie for 5th District Supervisor. Voters in the heart of the 5th sent a message to Eric’s opponent Bruce Mc Pherson that spending over $200,000 isn’t going to get him elected. Final vote count should solidify Eric’s win.
Next best news? Passage of Measure P that gives Santa Cruz voters the right to vote on Desal without the threat of a future city council overturning a public vote on this important issue. It also serves as a wakeup call to Soquel Creek Water District customers and that they need to be more aware of what Desal may mean to them.
Good news continued with the passing of tax measures to support public education and beating back the anti-union measure. Living in Aptos, it’s especially encouraging to see Measure L pass, showing that those of us who live in the Pajaro School District really do care about the future generation’s children. Congratulations go to Micah Posner for winning the 4th seat on Santa Cruz City Council. He still may be the third highest vote getter; again we’re waiting for the final vote count and it’s very close, less than 100 votes.
But there were two hard to understand losses, state-wide. The chemical industry beat back Prop 37, so we’ll still have to be careful where we buy our food, and we’ll still be living with capital punishment till sometime in the future.
County Elections did a great job on election night. Now if we could only figure out how to count carry-in absentee ballots and other special handling ballots quicker”.
(Paul Elerick is co-chair, along with Peter Scott, of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.
| COWELL BEACH HELL…A JOB FOR MAYOR LANE AND CYNTHIA. Karen Mazik Atkinson sent this shocking short film showing just how bad our city council has allowed our beaches to deteriorate. |
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary Patton talks about AMBAG, the possibility of the removal of the San Clemente Dam, a well planned Water Alternatives Forum on Thursday and an ECO farm. Go here to read his entire scripts. http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse (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)
| ELIZABETH WARREN WINS. |
VINTAGE DE CINZO. De Cinzo says “tanks a lot” to the Monterey Aquarium. Swim downward a league or two to see.
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Mr. T. Eagan exposes the GOP’s soul searching about three pages down from here….
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s weekly scripture is titled “It’s Over, Thank God! “In it he states, “It’s finally over. I had grown weary of having presidential campaign ads interrupting the commercials. As much as I despise commercials interrupting programs, at least they have something concrete to sell like a car or a beer. This seemingly eternal campaign seemed to begin years ago. Indeed, by late October, more than 915,000 campaign messages had appeared on U.S. TV sets – a record that belongs in the Guinness Book of Stupid Records, especially if you analyze the content of the campaign messages: Vote for Beaver’s father (1950s TV), who will fix the economy his big shot investor friends helped break, or vote for the cool guy who only disappointed you”. He closes with, “Obama will appoint better judges, more serious people to government agencies like the EPA and NLRB, and not endanger women’s rights. So, I voted for Obama=Bad, rather than Romney=worse. On Wednesday they told me we’d won. I wonder”. Read it all here…
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
BATTERY VIDEO CLIP.. A PRANK. Dr. Mark Bernhard emailed to say that clip last week was somebody’s idea of a joke. We shouldn’t take 9 volt batteries apart and try to find dozens of little batteries inside. It’s pretty funny when you think about it. AND it did sound sort of odd…thanks Mark.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.
THE SESSIONS. This’ll end up near the top of my best 2012 films for sure. It re-asserts the power of film as a story telling medium. As you probably read it’s about this guy who’s confined to an iron lung. Then he hires Helen Hunt to be his sez therapist. Helen Hunt should be mailed the Oscar immediately and avoid all that Hollywood fuss. She deserves another Oscar for this role.
SKYFALL. Daniel Craig plays James Bond more like Steve McQueen would rather than Sean Connery. But he’s no Steve McQueen either. No charm, just a professional spy type like Fred Keeley. Lots of great, exciting, suspenseful action, Judy Dench is her usual great self, and Albert Finney is still able to walk a little, but he’s had it. Go see it, it’s the best since Sean Connery quit.
FLIGHT. People should realize that this “Flight” refers more to Denzel Washington’s not facing his alcohol problem and not the upside down plane crash. It’s a bit too Hollywood in parts, but Denzel is one of our finest living actors and he’s great here. So, even if you’re afraid of flying go see it. The plane crash is over quickly, and the rest of the story is absorbing and well done.
HOSTETTER HOTLINE. Paul’s deadlines and mine are far apart (like one week late, but he tries hard…”Basking in our delayed and extremely lovely Indian Summer, I nearly forgot to mention a couple of things coming up very soon, to wit: combined duo gigs with Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin with bassist Paul Knight, known variously as themselves, as well as Imperfect Strangers and Nearly Perfect Strangers, playing soon all around the Bay soon, not to mention Sarod Master Rajeev Taranath who’s returning to UC Santa Cruz this weekend as well; BluePrint’s Danzas Breves in SF; and Ray Brown’s Great Big Band channeling Stan Kenton at Cabrillo College’s Crocker Theatre – presented by Kuumbwa (of course). This and more at http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html Let’s hope we all make it through the next 24 hours to an America we still want to be part of. And we’ll go from there. Yrs, ph
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 archived…(see next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG.
Linda Bixby and Jimmy Cook will discuss child placement and the local CASA organization on November 13, right after that Jim Coffis, editor of the San Lorenzo Valley Newsletter discusses that area. November 20 has Wes Modes talking about all the happenings at SubRosa. After which Julia Chiapella and Jory Post tell us about “phren-Z” their new online magazine. Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers Contest winners read their works for the full hour November 27. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome, so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years, here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click here, then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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, 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 Conpany. 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. Hear them all!!!
QUOTES. “An empty stomach is not a good political adviser”, Albert Einstein “The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes”, Aristotle. “In most communities it is illegal to cry “fire” in a crowded assembly. Should it not be considered serious international misconduct to manufacture a general war scare in an effort to achieve local political aims?” Dwight D. Eisenhower. “He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career”, George Bernard Shaw
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BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
Deep Cover by tim eagan.
