Blog Archives

ORIGINAL STICKY WICKET, Oct. 25, 1953. This car accident happened on Mar Vista Drive in Aptos, near those four radio station antennas and the Aptos Grange. The Sticky Wicket was our local coffee house of the late 50’s and early 60’s. Many plays and musical performances were held there. Vic and Syd Jowers owned the Wicket, which folded when Highway One cut off easy access and Manuels Mexican Restaurant became the cultural focus of the county. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bratton@cruzio.com

DATELINE November 24, 2014

LEON PANETTA GOES TO CHURCH. As we should all know by now, Leon Panetta wrote another “snitch” book about one of his former bosses. Bookshop Santa Cruz held an author event and there were some “issues” and “problems”! There was much concern two weeks ago equally about Alex Darocy being assaulted by Leon Panetta’s Security guards and about the protesters at the Peace United Church on High Street being banned from Bookshop Santa Cruz.

As a reaction to Darocy having his camera jammed to his face by Leon’s guards when he got too close to Leon, my professional media friends all agreed…real professional photographers never interfere or mess with any security guards and also real professional photographers use telephoto lens. As fas as the banning of anybody from Bookshop Santa Cruz Casey Coonerty Protti the owner says, “The only person that is banned as of now is Alex Darocy. I initially banned the four protestors that disrupted from inside the building. The reason that happened is that I had compromised in several areas to allow for various ways that this subset of protestors could be seen and heard beyond even the other protest groups (access to every entrance to the area, prioritizing their questions in the Q&A, passing out literature in line) and even after conceding in those ways with the one request of not disturbing the actual event by blocking views or delaying the event, they did it anyways. I thought we were partners and explained how it would put our booksellers in a difficult position if they did it (please don’t make booksellers bouncers) and they still did it. So I was angry at the time and banned them. But, it was peaceful and they were silent and they left as requested so I understand that they were compromising too. So, the next day I asked to meet with Keith McHenry and rescinded the ban”. She added,” Happy to answer any other questions. I met with 7-8 concerned people from the protest groups last Wednesday (11/19) to come to a better understanding of all of our perspectives. I think anytime we can meet ahead of time to understand the various needs is helpful”. One of the protesters connected with the aforementioned church emailed BrattonOnline to report, “Panetta’s appearance was unfortunately arranged between Bookshop Santa Cruz and our church administrator as a routine space rental matter, without any consultation beforehand involving the church’s leadership. We were disconcerted when a couple of weeks ago, Panetta’s security operation visited us to inspect the premises, and they dictated to us exactly how they would require us to limit the use our property by “potentially dangerous persons” whom they expected would show up to protest. But once our staff had sealed the deal, we didn’t feel we could arbitrarily cancel it, so we let it be, knowing there would be demonstrations of disapproval both within and outside the church. It is an inadvertence that we have not had a policy to require a process of review and consent by church leadership before our staff commits our space to anyone who wishes to promote ideas that are contrary to our values. In the future, we definitely will have such a protocol in place”. The protester continues… “What the four of us did was, having arrived early and purchased admission tickets (which came with a copy of Panetta’s self-serving book) we sat in the second row behind the front row, which had been reserved for Coonerty Protti dignitaries, with our “Stand Up For Peace” banner and t-shirts concealed. When Panetta got to the point in his comments where he explicitly justified the War on Terror, we figured that was our cue. So we stood up, unfurled the banner facing the audience, and walked out silently with it, so that we wouldn’t have to be seized and thrown out violently. On our way out of the sanctuary, passing through the narthex, we were confronted by Mistress Coonerty Protti, mad as a wet hen. That was when she banished us for life from Bookshop Santa Cruz. Keith began to argue with her, but I quickly ushered him and the others out with me in order to avoid a making an undignified scene. On our way walking down the steps to the front parking area, we passed by Deputy Chief Rick Martinez who was standing by. He observed me holding the crumpled up banner in my arms, and commented, “Thank you for your moderation,” What a guy, eh?’ Yes, I agree, being banned from a bookshop and the free speech concept is a tough one.

BROTHERS AND PAINT AND TROUBLE.Watch this cute piece of your own history in the old days when you got in big trouble.

LEON’S BOOK IN NY REVIEW OF BOOKS. In an article titled “How to Become Eminent in Washington” parts of the review stated, ““One might ask why the world needed a memoir from Leon Panetta . . . ? And it must be said that across nearly 500 pages, he doesn’t demonstrate the need with thundering conviction. For long passages, Worthy Fights is simply a dull book, a victim of the author’s proclivity, or of his assumptions that readers are aching to learn the behind-the-scenes details about often mundane bureaucratic decisions on questions ranging from the budget to intelligence. This assumption appears to derive from the fact that Panetta suffers from no deficit in self-esteem. The book has just started when he stops to inform us that his life, and by implication, ours, could have been very different if he’d pursued his first passion, the piano.” (WHAT???) Here’s the end of the article, “Panetta seems to view such considerations [working for the common good, far-sighted, goal-oriented] as above his pay grade. His idea of politics is essentially instrumental and technocratic. That’s the outlook required to be able to hop from Congress to the budget office to the White House to the CIA to the Pentagon and succeed at each (and become an eminence.) Washington will always need such people, but these days it needs much more than that.” End of review.

MICROSOFT WALTZ. In case you don’t hear the subtle lyricism in this famed tone poem.

ARANA GULCH UPDATED…and Rest In Peace. Jean Brocklebank, leader and organizer of Friends of Arana Gulch ( http://members.cruzio.com/~arana/ ) muses and curses over the loss of irreplaceable nature in our midst.

“When a natural area has been manipulated by an industrial-scale disruptive project, and evidence of the destruction is removed, most people tend to forget what happened and instead simply begin to delight in the aftermath, as though nothing ever happened to the place. We are observing this happening at Arana Gulch, where the intrusive construction corridor fencing is being removed. The City is pushing hard to get most of the project ready for prime time. Meanwhile locals are already using the pavement that is in place. Recently we heard a couple gleefully remark, as though handed a gift, that it “looked so much better now that the fencing was gone.”

Compared to the massive construction eyesores of the past year, lack of fencing has given a false sense of “looking good” to undiscriminating eyes. Most walkers on the paved routes, glad to be able to walk again in Arana Gulch, stay on those routes and fail to see the destruction almost in front of their noses. Their eyes glued on the pavement are no longer shocked at what remains: not only the construction mess still there but also less unpaved, natural grassland. Relieved that the construction fencing is coming down, their eyes see what is left and think it is as good as before. Developers certainly count on this human perception.

And so it goes. Each new generation sees a little less of the natural world but each new generation appreciates what is left, not realizing what was there BEFORE. And thus, the natural world is slowly, insidiously destroyed and gentrified. Visitors to Arana Gulch will now think they are walking through a park, complete with lots of signs and benches. BEFORE they walked through a natural area. Click HERE to see what the walkers, following the pavement, failed to notice all around them on November 23rd. I am numb right now. For the first time in almost 20 years I feel truly defeated. The City won, People Power won, the mis-informed won, the gentrifiers won. The brainwashing worked because no one, except those of us who cared, will ever know what was really lost. RIP Arana Gulch.

79 SONGS WE DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. It’s too late now but Gary opens this week’s broadcasts with news of a meeting Monday about The Community Water Dialogue in Watsonville and the Sustainable Groundwater management Act. On Tuesday he talks about Land Watch of Monterey County and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the Carmel Valley Association, the League of Women Voters, and the Monterey County Ag Land Trust, and Agri-culture. Then he suggests that for Thanksgiving you and your family take a hike Think about Wilder Ranch, or Pogonip, or Nisene Marks in Santa Cruz County, or Point Lobos or the lands of the former Fort Ord over there on the Monterey County side of the Bay. Our land use policies, local, state and federal, have helped preserve and protect the stunning natural environment in which we are so privileged to live. Get out there and give thanks! That’s a good suggestion for today!” Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

JERRY SEINFELD & GEORGE STEPHANOPOULIS TALK ABOUT TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. Remember “ mad cow” disease?? DeCinzo does, scroll downwards.

 

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Eagan goes deep into super and supernatural powers to explain “just how it is”.. see some few pages below.

 

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “The Oscar race starts now with Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in the gripping Theory of Everything. And need further proof that fairy tales are taking over the world? Check out the new trailer for Into the Woods, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

 

 

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 sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. On November 25 UCSC Professor Emeritus Lincoln Taiz talks about Population Growth and Climate Change followed by Social Media strategist Lydia Snider who’ll give us internet business marketing hints on Nov. 25. Then December 2has Ashlyn Adams owner of Westside Video telling film and video rental secrets.. She’s followed by Sentinel’s restaurant reviewer Ann Parker talking about eating out during the holidays. Attorney Bob Taren guests on December 9 opining on recent local politics. 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 herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine 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, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. “Ooh, with a little luck — December will be magic again”, Kate Bush. “Some say I have a beautiful voice, some say I have not. It is a matter of opinion. All I can say, those who don’t like it, shouldn’t come to hear me”, Maria Callas. “I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death. ~ George Carlin