SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.1967.Contrary to popular opinion, they must have had plans or even blueprints when they built this mess. It doesn’t seem like anybody would have approved it had they known. But at least we can look around at Ocean Street and the neighbors on Water Coloma and Leonard Streets and see what could have been. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC CLUB RE-VISITED. Paul Elerick adds a lot more news from this January meeting of THE PDC that happened last Thursday (1/24), scroll down for his take on it. More than 40 avid, progressive Democrats attended and gave committed, enthusiastic life and support to re-creating genuine Progressive changes to our County. Issues including, Immigrant Rights, replacing both our Sheriff and District Attorney Bob Lee, control of our City Council by groups like The Chamber of Commerce, concentrating on local campaign finance limits and reform, encouraging the growth of businesses that don’t pay fair wages, gun control measures, and the creating a strong Blue-Green Alliance. It was an exciting evening. The present City Council and their dreams of making Santa Cruz into a Big City earned lots of talk and future work. PDC President and Democrat of the year Brian Murtha presided.

OUTRIGHT PLUGS.Some may remember that I found a great ’98Honda Accord through the kindness of you readers (especially Ralph Davila). I needed two important items to make the car perfect. One was a special new ignition key that has special codes and secret gimmicks built into it. I went to Kenville Locksmiths now in their “new” location at 111 Union Street (423-3252). They’re across the street from Cypress lounge.. They got me the proper key; it worked neatly, and were many dollars cheaper than the other key places I tried, who didn’t even have the right “blanks”.

PLUGS, PART TWO. My “new” Honda Accord came with near black tinting on the rear three windows. I had the growing suspicion that there may be cars behind me, and to the left and right as well, but I couldn’t see them. I literally called eight car window places and got prices well over (like $100) the price that Classic Glass did the job for. Both of these locally owned, generations-run businesses, were kind, quick, and actually fun to do business with. I told them I’d send all of you there, and I am. Classic Glass is at 917 Water Street, 423-5054. Tell them I sent you. Plus, they sell antique glasses, mirrors, frames and related items.

FILM CRITICS NICK OSCAR TALK CANCELLED. It’s very disheartening but our annual Critics Oscar gathering at the Nick won’t be happening this year. Morton Marcus started these Critics gatherings in 1998 – 15 years ago – and Lisa Jensen, Wallace Baine and I carried it onward in recent years. First, Wallace cancelled this year because he doesn’t get a chance to see films anymore, and Christina Waters gamely joined our plans for this year. Then scheduling problems arose and it just couldn’t happen. “Crowds” of 100 or more film fans added lively, fun discussions of dozens of Oscar contending films each year. Maybe next year…send me, Lisa, and the Nick any and all feedback about reviving it in 2014.

THE CARTOON JAZZ ORCHESTRA THIS FRIDAY NIGHT. As their press release says, “Yikes! Foiled again! If you were among the millions of little and big kids who grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra (CJO) will bring back memories by the truckload. The music that accompanied Mickey, Minnie, Bugs, Daffy, Woody, Rocky, Bullwinkle, and their fine-feathered friends provided a special soundtrack for our young lives.
The Cartoon Jazz Orchestra is a sixteen-member jazz ensemble made up of some of the Bay Area’s top professional musicians, who play a veritable children’s zoo of instruments. Much of the CJO repertoire was composed by the great 20th-century composer Raymond Scott. Lenny Carlson’s Aluminum Sunset: A Tribute to the Music of Raymond Scott is a three-movement suite written in honor of Scott’s innovative and fun music, which also happens to be very difficult to execute. DETAILS???

When: Friday, February 1, 2013. 7:30 PM.
Where: Oak Lounge, Tresidder Student Union (Second Floor)
Admission: Free and open to public.

Contact: 725-2650 continuingstudies@stanford.edu

Permalink: http://events.stanford.edu/events/350/35003

What’s almost as exciting is that Jeff Sanford and Lenny Carlson have asked me to lead the Q & A session that follows. Don’t worry, I’ll save you! So, fasten your seat belts, beep-beep, we’re off on a grand adventure. th-th-th – That’s all, folks!

LATTÉ BREAKING NEWS. Deborah Whizin is out as Publisher at The Santa Cruz Weekly. I can’t remember the woman’s name who’s replacing her, but she worked at the Weekly/Metro years ago. I think she was there before they fired DeCinzo, then they fired me, later on they canned Traci Huikill, now Deborah. They must have really, really big plans!!!

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about The Santa Cruz Supervisors making committee appointments this week. (I’d add, lets all watch McPherson and Zach Friend’s handiwork on these). Patton goes on to talk about De-sal in Carmel. An AgKnowledge class that’s starting up and he adds comments about Guv Brown’s big, big plan for two tunnels. Read all of above at Gary’s KUSP Land Use scripts

(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. Coming of Age in Santa Cruz…according to DeCinzo. (Scroll Down)

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Professor Eagan defines Liberal and Progressive…see below and pay attention.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau writes about Celia Sanchez, a major figure in Fidel’s life. He says, “Fidel, without Celia at his side, and still missing his friend and doctor Rene Vallejo, understood the depths of his personal loss. He made Celia into a national hero, which she richly deserved. Thanks to this biography, not heavy on critical characteristics, readers can understand some of the elements and people in the underground and the mountains, that put the Cuban revolution together, and how the word “commitment” resonated through the life of Celia Sanchez Manduley. This heroic woman’s body and brain throbbed with vital energy that she transmitted to her revolutionary work and to her comrades”. Read the rest of the article 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), we’ll take a fresh look at a classic Diana Gabaldon novel, consider the depth of the Oscar-nominated Amour, and listen to three little words from the great Neil Gaiman that should become the Mantra for every creative artist.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

QUARTET. Dustin Hoffman (age 75) directed thiscutesy geezer movie about has been Opera singers living in a British Old folks home. Maggie Smith steals every frame of the film she appears in (and she always will!). It’s mostly corny, heartfelt, and very predictable. I liked it better than Exotic Marigold Hotel because the characters are smarter, and not as mean. Go see it, you’ll cry a few times…that’s if you ever cry over movies.

HANSEL AND GRETEL. This film is “Grimm” in more ways than one. Maybe they were trying to make a parody of fairy tales. That would explain why they have Hansel using automatic weapons, wearing a wrist watch, playing a Flintstones phonograph, stabbing foes with a taser and junk like that. The language is like, “ok you guys, let’s go get them witches”. It was of course the weekend box office’s biggest money maker. Don’t go even though Famke Jensen is in it, so’s Jeremy Renner, but never mind, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 17 (out of 100)

PARKER.There is one, and just one reason to see this film, Jennifer Lopez has never been better!!! Jason Stratham does about the best he can with a script and editing job that makes little plot sense. It’s a gang hoist gone bad-revenge-Florida-stab-shoot-blood-January-action movie that no one should ever watch.

CELEBRATE PIANO ENSEMBLE! – in Concert!!! Come hear and see Celebrate Piano Ensemble’s annual concert at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall on Sunday, February 10, at 2:00 p.m. Twelve well-known Santa Cruz pianists will again flex their fingers (120 in total) in a concert that has become a tradition for duo-piano music lovers. The duo-pianists performing are: Josephine Alvarado, Karen Cole, Thomas Cole, Chris Dennis, Ray Fernando, Laureen Herr, Nicki Kerns, Lynn Kidder, Lavinia Livingston, Zack Myers, Ivan Rosenblum and Vlada Volkova-Moran.

They will be joined by renowned tango dancers John and Nancy Lingemann. The Lingemann‘s are well known for their Tango classes and many performances in Santa Cruz, and the Carmel area. Experience the thrill of Tango dancing at its best, along with masterful performances of the music of composers from the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st century, music that is seldom heard, explicitly written for duo-pianists. The music will be played on UCSC’s beautiful matched Steinway grand pianos. This event is a benefit for Talent Bank Awards Festival, a scholarship program of the Music Teachers Association of California, Santa Cruz branch. Suggested donation is $15 for adults, $10 for students/seniors.

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. Betsy Herbert opens the Jan. 29 Grapevine talking about Fracking and proven results. Sky-Power specialist Joe Jordan returns to Grapevine in the second half hour to talk about some great comets heading our way, and about renewable energy. Kerry Kriger opens with “Save the Frogs” on Feb. 5^th. Lisa Jensen, Christina Waters, and I talk about the Oscars and who needs them on Feb. 12. Kimberly Jannarone and Nancy Carlin discuss the huge Peer Gynt Project about to happen at UCSC. They’re followed by Sandra Nicols and her topic of Santa Cruz’s Board of Education. 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, 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. “I love children. Especially when they cry – for then someone takes them away”, Nancy Mitford. “Why should we do anything for prosperity? What has prosperity ever done for us?”, Joseph Addison. “Some mornings it just doesn’t seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps“, Emo Phillips.

THE WORLD FAMED “JUPITER” LOCOMOTIVE. This engine was owned by the Santa Cruz Railroad Company and ran both board feet of lumber and bored tourists around our county circa 1878. It has been prominently displayed in the Smithsonian Institute since 1976. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

SPEECH WRITING HINT.I’ve been telling radio classes at UCSC for many years the little known “fact” that you should write 150 words per minute when you make a speech. President Obama today delivered 2137 words in 15 minutes in his Inaugural Address. That figures out at 142 words per minute, and that’s pretty close.

GUN MADNESS…AN IDEA, A PLEA. Lee Quarnstrom (formerly of this area and his wife Chris sent this letter. It gives some positive action we can all do…now.

“Friend(s): We are so sickened by the recent plague of gun violence that has broken out recently — in schools, a movie theater, places where boys and girls and men and women go expecting to learn and/or to be entertained — that we have taken one very small step hoping to help curb the madness. We have made a small ($100) donation to the group started by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, to try to bring some common sense to bear in the firearms debate that has begun and, hopefully, will continue until solutions are found. Specifically, Giffords and Kelly have formed a political action committee designed to counter the efforts of the politically powerful NRA.

The National Rifle Association, as everyone knows, is NOT what it claims to be: an organization of gun owners. Rather, it is a marketing organization for the manufacturers of firearms and has the sole purpose of helping those gun-makers sell as many of their products as they can.
Giffords and Kelly, as we understand it, support what they believe is Americans’ Second Amendment right to own firearms. Their goal is not to disarm Americans but to work with lawmakers to eliminate the availability of the useless but deadly semi-automatic rifles designed for use by the military as well as accessories such as clips that hold enough ammunition to kill, for instance, 20 schoolchildren and six of their teachers.

If you are unaware of it, Lee’s 18-year-old son Eric was shot to death in San Francisco in 1982. A lesson to be learned is that the loss of one’s own child is unnatural and the pain of that loss never subsides.

If you are interested in helping Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly stand up to the NRA, you can make a contribution online, securely, here
or you can send a check to:
Americans for Responsible Solutions
P.O. Box 15642
Washington, D.C. 20003

Let’s hope that there will be fewer, even no, gunshot massacres in this new year. Best,
Chris and Lee Quarnstrom

SCIENTOLOGY EXPOSED BY PULITZER AUTHOR. For some reason Santa Cruz has looked the other way and let Scientology exist as just another philosophy. It isn’t, and maybe, just maybe, the world may be catching on read this book review from the New York Times…

Now if we could just get someone to expose the Western Service Workers and their sneaky cult.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary Patton talks about The Eco-Farm conference in Feb. Then there’s the S.Cruz City Council voting on cutting down historic trees and spending even more money to push their damned De-Sal bait and switch. He discusses CEQA and why it’s necessary/ There’s new news about the Save The Frogs Academy and he closes with facts about water rights.Read all of above at Gary’s KUSP Land Use 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)

VINTAGE DE CINZO.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim exhumes Snidely Whiplash…with an update!! Scroll lower down.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. “Cuba Opens To Small Business” is this week’s Saul landau article in Progreso Weekly. In it he says, “Realists who have studied Cuba see a well-organized government and society with no serious succession problems or internal threats. U.S. pessimists see no clear and immediate benefits to the Obama administration for taking steps to improve relations. Indeed, in Washington, no signs of policy change appear on the Obama agenda. The “what’s in it for us” attitude of the White House does not offer much positive perspective on the President changing course in the next four years. He has shown little interest in Cuba, or the rest of Latin America, after appearing in 2009 in Trinidad and raising hopes in the region, and then squashing them. Optimists now predict that by 2050, the embargo might self erode. On the other hand, some large business interests may soon see Cuba as a market of 11 million people, and as a potentially lucrative source for investment. Their pressure could change the political climate. And those on the left who have always thought the U.S. had done wrong to Cuba could better organize for their position. How weird that some people still think that “doing the right thing” should prevail in the White House, rather than the “how I can benefit” approach. It was not the Obama I voted for, but the one I got. Maybe he’ll think of his legacy?” Read the entirety of Saul’s article here…

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS: Lisa writes: “This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), check out the dark satisfying French love story, Rust and Bone, and don’t miss the last weekend for the Actors’ Theatre’s entertaining 8 Tens @ Eight Festival, and its companion mini-festival Best of the Rest.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

MAMA. Jessica Chastain in another winner!!! Jessica plays a rocker, baby sitter and this is one grand ghost horror film. Like the original Frankenstein films we actually feel some empathy for the ghost. It’s a classic and well made film. No blood, no slashing, no cellar stairs…go see it, you’ll be impressed. Remember too that it was directed by Guillermo del Toro which gives it 6 points to start with.

RUST AND BONE.It’s a really nice film with Marion Cotillard playing a young woman who trains whales in a French Marineworld. One whalecauses an accident and Marion loses her legs. It isn’t as mawkish as it sounds. You’ll keep watching, but it does lack feeling. Cotillard should get awards mailed to her regularly every time she makes a film, she’s that good. See it, it was made in France not Hollywood, and say that a few times before you go in.

BROKEN CITY.What a cast, Mark Wahlberg, Catherine Zeta -Jones, Russell Crowe and still it pretty much bombs. New York City crooked mayor, city politics, private detective, double crossing, all that usual stuff, a murder of course. You’ve seen this movie one hundred times. And Catherine Zeta Jones gets more beautiful with each decade. Wait and rent it.

>LAST FRIDAY EASTSIDE ART SHOW. Canvas for a Community.Come by the Feldner Project Open House, Friday, Jan. 25, 3-7 p.m., 1030 41st Avenue, Santa Cruz. Art by Barbara Lawrence, Stacey Pollard, Anna Oneglia, Stephen Laufer, Erika Perloff, Claire Lerner, Stephanie Martin, Andrew Purchin, Robert O Bauspies Jr, Don Lobner, Kimberly Parrish and Peter Hanson. Free admission. The show remains up through February. Contact misskimp@gmail.com for further information. The building is for lease and open by appointment. If interested, or if you’re wondering is the Feldner project is real visit www.feldnerproject.com

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 January 22 Roberta Bristol, Ruth Solomon and Beth Pettengill all talk about dance history in Santa Cruz and the big dance production happening on Jan. 25 at Cabrilho College. Then Steve Pleich discusses the newcommunity action group being formed. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Betsy Herbert opens the Jan. 29 Grapevine talking about Fracking and proven results. Sky-Power specialist Joe Jordan returns to Grapevine in the second half hour to talk about some great comets heading our way, and about renewable energy. 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, 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. “I’d rather be dumb and clean than smart and dirty, anytime“, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. “Go tell families with silverware and cars, “what’s the use of all that noise and money”, Han-Shan. “I hate politics“, Samuel Fuller.

SANTA CRUZ DEPOT. Somewhere around the turn of last century we can see the depot before they added long running roofs along the tracks….back when trains had passengers. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

SNEAKY SUPER SECRET SOUND CHECK AT THE SF JAZZ CENTER.

The 35,000 square foot and $65 million dollar SF Jazz Center won’t open officially until January 21, Martin Luther King Day. The building is on the corner of Franklin and Fell Streets in San Francisco in the Hayes Valley neighborhood near the Opera House and the Davies Symphony Hall, one block west of Van Ness. Daughter Hillary Bratton, being with iTunes at Apple, and son-in-law Martin Kloiber being a VP with Avid Technology got us a special invitation to the Jazz Center’s Super Secret Sound Check last Sunday. We not only got to the first song ever played in the Center but also had a private tour of the guts and bowels of the entire Center from Sam Berkow who was and is the sound designer of the Center. Sam also did the Hollywood Bowl, The Lincoln Center, and the Grand Ole Opry. We heard the very hot, Red Hot Skillet Lickers with Chris Siebert on piano. It was a genuinely moving experience. I’d spent many of my early years listening to the jazz greats when they played San Francisco. Miles Davis at the Blackhawk, Earl Hines at The Hangover, Kid Ory at The Tin Angel, Cannonball Adderley at the Jazz Workshop, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, those were the best of times but they never would have dreamed of a place like the new SFJazz Center. Go here to check it all out and get up to the Center as soon as it opens, you’ve never seen or heard anything like it.

To top that all off we had dinner at the HAYES STREET GRILL, one of “The Cities” finest “new” traditions..

BERKELEY PLANET EDITORIAL. Long time readers know I see mostly terrible similarities between UC Berkeley and their relationship with the City Of Berkeley and our UCSC relationship with our city. Becky O’Malley editor of The Berkeley Daily Planet and I have talked about it, a lot. Here’s her editorial from last week…

NEW GUN POLICY.Issue every child at birth a derringer (tiny, cute 2 bullet pistol) and teach them how to use it responsibly by the time they are four years old. We could have marksmanship contests and award teddy bear targets to the winners. By high school every student would have an assault rifle and instead of Senior Proms they would re-enact the O.K Corral or the action of their choice from any current video game

ELERICK’S INPUT. Santa Cruz Warriors- a Class Act

We (family) attended our first Santa Cruz Warriors game last night and we all had a ball. The Home Team did too, pulling out a win in the last quarter. We arrived early to watch warm-ups and by game time at 5 P.M., the stadium was full. Warrior’s staff (plenty) made sure we found our seats OK, even walking me up the steps to reach them. Amusement for the fans during halftime and long time-outs included a musical chairs game for kids in center court, a beach ball volleyball game for the fans in the stands and souvenir T-shirts tossed to the fans. Lots of family groups with little kids were in attendance with everybody was involved in cheering on “our” team.

Quality basketball? You bet! Picking up the Sentinel sports page this morning we learned that two of the Tulsa 66’ers, had just been called up to play for their NBA parent team. Expect to see some of our Santa Cruz Warriors get a call from their Golden State Warriors NBA team, they are that good.

So what’s not to like about Warriors basketball? We got there early and found parking OK, after being chased out of the Walgreen parking lot across the street. The lot remained mostly empty at the end of the game. Security is always needed, but c’mon, is “wanding” (passing security wand) 8 year old girls necessary? Noise? Yes it was noisy inside during the game, but I have no way of knowing how loud it was outside the stadium. We’ll be looking forward to more Santa Cruz Warriors games. (Paul Elerick is co-chair, along with Peter Scott, of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary outlines gun shop regulations and our county. He details stuff about City Council meetings here and in Monterey. More news and links to Keep Fort Ord Wild, and news about a guided walk and hike to UCSC’s proposed North Campus happening Saturday 1/19 at noon. Read all of above at Gary’s KUSP Land Use 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)

A TRIBUTE TO BOB DYLAN. The Wheel Company is producing this mammoth show… they say “We are really excited to bring you a third Bob Dylan Tribute show at The Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz on Friday, January 25th with some very talented musicians playing some classic tunes from one of our generations most influential writers and poets. In between the songs will be audio clips from some of Dylan’s famous interviews, a video presentation and even spoken word by one of our own Santa Cruz Supervisor, John Leopold. The doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8 sharp with tickets available only at www.thewheelcompany.com Get your tickets early as the show will probably sell out.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim gives us insight on Uncle Sam’s diet vs. his diet. Scroll below.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Danny Glover and Saul Landau write about the United States Influencing Cuban Five decision. They say, “Maybe President Obama might agree to Cuba’s proposal to exchange – independent humanitarian gestures – the Cuban 5 for Alan Gross, the contract agent who worked for AID and tried to set up non-traceable satellite systems inside Cuba as part of an effort to subvert its government. Gross was convicted and sentenced to 15 years by a Cuban court”. For a YouTube video with Danny Glover and Peter Coyote taken from the trial transcript go here, then 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. “As the movie awards season heats up, this week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com), I review The Impossible and Zero Dark Thirty, sound off on the Oscar nominees, and, oh yes, I’ll probably have something to say about the femme-o-centric Golden Globes ceremony.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

ZERO DARK 30. Jessica Chastain is a very good actor, and she won a Golden Globe but it shouldn’t have been for this role. It’s a well made movie, clever, unique style, very exciting…mostly. The odd thing is watching James Gandolfini playing Leon Panetta!!!

Even in IMDB credits Panetta’s name isn’t used, just C.I.A. director. But Gandolfini wears Leon-type glasses and has a weird com-over like Leon does. And somehow it works, despite the 100 pound and 6 inches in height difference. Once again, I don’t think the film was all that good and yes, it sure does show the USA using lots of torture to locate Osama Bin Laden, what’s new about that?

GANGSTER SQUAD.Watching Sean Penn playing Mickey Cohen and Josh Brolin acting as a LA Detective kept reminding me of Dick Tracy vs. Rugface. This was supposed to be some kind of satire or spoof of film noir cop movies, but it wasn’t. It’s bloody and violent beyond all belief, it’s crude, unfunny, pointless and lacks style. By no stretch should any children be allowed to see it, and you shouldn’t bother either.

THE MAGISTRATE. The National Theatre Live Telecast of John Lithgow in”The Magistrate” is this Thursday at 7:30 at The Del Mar. It shows again on Sunday Jan. 20 . Academy Award nominee and Tony Award-winner John Lithgow (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Shrek, 3rd Rock from the Sun) takes the title role in Arthur Wing Pinero’s uproarious Victorian farce, directed by Olivier Award-winner Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You and Into the Woods, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London). In a similar vein to the National Theatre’s smash-hit classic comedies, She Stoops to Conquer and London Assurance, The Magistrate is sure to have audiences doubled up with laughter. When amiable magistrate Posket (John Lithgow) marries Agatha (Olivier Award-winner Nancy Carroll, After the Dance), little does he realise she’s dropped five years from her age – and her son’s. When her deception looks set to be revealed, it sparks a series of hilarious indignities and outrageous mishaps

General Admission Tickets $15.

Seniors, Students & Shakespeare Santa Cruz Subscribers Only $13

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS PLAY SAT.JAN.19 8pm.& SUN.JAN.20,3 p.m..

Ivan Rosenblum and friends are playing music by Purcell, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms Turina, Jacob and Ives. It’s a program titled, “Transcriptions & Transgressions”. They play at Christ Lutheran Church 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Go to www.chamberplayers.org for all info.

“8 TENS @ 8”.Best collection of 8 ten minute plays I’ve seen in their 18 seasons. Now through Jan. 27 you’ve got a chance to see what I think are the best 8 10 minute plays they’ve ever assembled. Fast and funny plays, two deeper inner looking serious plays, the acting range is about like you’d expect and it’s all worth attending. I used to be a judge for 8 10’s and there have been some real clunkers…not this year. As usual it’s at The Center Stage Theatre on Center Street.

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.

January 15 has Marcus Cato and Brian Spencer discussing “8 Tens @ 8” now at the Art Center Theatre. Then Ian Coulson tells us all about bee keeping and honey. On January 22 Roberta Bristol, Ruth Solomon and Beth Pettengill all talk about dance history in Santa Cruz and the big dance production happening on Jan. 25 at Cabrilho College. Then Steve Pleich discusses the newcommunity action group being formed. 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, 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. “Among the greatest things which are to be found among us, the Being of Nothingness is the greatest”, Leonardo Da Vinci.” The Self is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere”, Carl Jung. “How can any man be sad and watch a sunset?”, Bela Lugosi.

LOWER PACIFIC AVENUE, SANTA CRUZ. Maybe circa 1890’s?? notice no cars, street car tracks, and “Theraputic Baths” on the roof of a building maybe on Pacific and Spruce Streets. Any/all data would be appreciated. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

WHAT I DID ON MY HOLIDAY VACATION. As previously mentioned, I flew to daughter Jennifer’s family (and house) in Mar Vista (Santa Monica) for a few days, then to my sister Jerrie’s home in Victorville and beyond that to a stunning (really !!) two day tour of Joshua Tree National Park, 29 Palms, Palm Springs, and lots of Yucca Valley. There are too many items to report on in just this week’s column but do note that when you’re past 75 you don’t have to take off your shoes for airport security. I didn’t ask how old you must be to keep your hat on. I was once again amazed at the rip off prices for snacks, sodas, and food in airports. Talk about captive audiences!!! Why and who allows this? I found that my Hershey bar was made in Mexico, and no longer made in Hershey, Pennsylvania where I visited their amusement park many times in the late 40’s and early 50’s. Speaking of airports I was killing a lot of time (don’t ask why) in the airport in Ontario before flying back to SJC. Who do I meet but Phil and Sue Bonner of Kentucky who told me they were nearly life long friends of Cynthia and Bill Mathews. we had a great conversation, and I avoided any references to our local politics. It was a fine holiday. Yes, we saw the 26 ft. tall statue of Marilyn Monroe in the town square of Palm Springs. Yes, it looks just like you think it looks.

LOU HARRISON’S STRAW BALE HOUSE.‘For years I’d heard Lou Harrison and Bill Colvig talk about their dream straw bale house down in Joshua Tree. Finally, through the kindness of Eva Soltes and Shauna Tucker I got to visit it. Sister Jerrie, Dori and Merl Abel (niece and husband) got to experience what can only be called the Lou’s spirit home. The house, the feeling, the creativity is so much like Lou it is awe inspiring. We also toured The Sacred Tree bed and breakfast another straw bale construction just down the road. If you like desert and yuccas this is the place to be.

CITY HALL & POLICE DEPT. PARKING LOT SOLAR PANELS. Hardly any citizen or tourist could possibly miss the huge columns and Solar Panels being built in our City Hall Parking lot.

It is a big project and is being built by developer Barry Swenson. Folks have been wondering how and why the contract was assigned to Swenson and why there were no competing bids allowed. Ron Pomerantz, sustainable advocacy and open government enthusiast as well as a former City Council candidate wrote the following to let the rest of us in on “Business As Usual” at City Hall.

“The Photovoltaic Projects on the 2 City Parking Lots”
You’ve most likely noticed a construction project in the City Hall parking lot…read the rest here. Link expands, click again to collapse.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA NEWS. I didn’t get the heads up until too late for my pre-holiday column but The Roman Catholic Church in San Juan Bautista actually apologized to the local Amah Mutsun tribe for the tragic events which occurred during Mission times. That seems unbelievable…The Catholic Church apologizing and offering a “Mass of Reconciliation” for the wrongs they did. I’m wondering if the Pope and Rome know about this? Could this be the start of something bigger? Like the Catholic Church apologizing for anything? Think about that.

GOODBYE “MIKE” HUGH JOHNSTON. Attorney and mandolinist Mike Johnston died Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Mike was the original mandolin player in our Hot Damn String Band for decades. He was an ardent environmentalist and wrote a fine article in a book on our North Coast. A Celebration of his life is happening this Sunday Jan. 12. If you’d like to attend call 831 761-9923 for details.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary is talking to Carmel’s League of Women Voters on Wednesday. He includes the link to Good Times article on Bill Kocher’s de-sal conflict of interest… , He talks about Cal Am and their proposal and how to connect with your State Officials and closes with checking out the California Native Plant Society. Read all of above at Gary’s KUSP Land Use 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)

VINTAGE DE CINZO. Violence in our classrooms ?? DeCinzo thought about that…see below.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim offers an inside view of the deep conflict within the Republican Party (hint…it’s no party !) Scroll below.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. « No Longer a Bourgeois Social Order » is this week’s piece from Saul. Among other things he writes… “But where do transsexuals, gays and lesbians go to meet others (in Cuba) for socializing and sex? They have made their spots, places where large crowds gather on weekend nights to hook up and go inside a dark place to have sex. CENESEX workers try to distribute condoms as a public health measure, but the police do not break up the crowds or intrude on the indoor private spaces. Hotel rooms are expensive, and few habaneros have access to private space or permission inside their homes to bring lovers of the same sex. Under Mariela’s leadership and obviously with the at least tacit support of her father, President Raul Castro, CENESEX has made huge strides in enlightening Cuba’s youth and bringing the new culture in to challenge the old. But she knows she has a long way to go before the old macho culture concedes to facts and reason around the issues of homosexuality. Indeed, it took decades before Cuba’s medical profession began to concede that homosexuality could not be simply dismissed as a “bourgeois social disorder.” Read all of it here…

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Happy 2013, everyone! It’s a numbers racket this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), where I reveal my Top 10 movies of 2012, and look back on a dozen alternative ways to spend the 12 Days of Christmas. Also: can Les Miserables really be as awful—or as great—as everyone says? Find out what I think!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

DJANGO UNCHAINED. Quentin Tarantino is one of the very few American directors who has a style. It’s bold gutsy, intelligent, clever and more clever, and even innovative. Django is one of his finest. So are Inglorius Basterds, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and Pulp fiction. Django is a comedy satire on westerns and resembles Blazing Saddles in lots of ways. It’s focus is slavery pre-Lincoln film time. Yep, nigger the word is used throughout the film, a lot. Hopefully it’ll take as much energy out of using that word as Lenny Bruce did by saying fuck. The New Yorker uses fuck all the time now,. When both Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx are the stars and they say nigger you know there’s reasons behind it. Go see it.

PROMISED LAND. Matt Damon and Frances McDormond do wonderful acting jobs in this “fracking film”. It should be difficult for any Santa Cruzan to sit through it and NOT think about De-salination and how the city council and Bill Kocher the water director are working hard to accomplish the exact same environmentally dangerous goal.

Go see the film, you can almost fill in every local name with the folks in this movie.

THE IMPOSSIBLE. ‘The tsunami in Thailand in 2004, Naomi Watts, and Ewan McGregor make this one very exciting film. Naomi is certainly up for Oscar time and the special effects people should be too. It’s very Hollywood, very exciting and again it does make you wonder what Santa Cruz will do and how we’ll react when the big one hits here. We have zero preparation, just like Thailand did. Maybe we could turn the basketball arena upside down and use it as an ark!!!

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON.‘This should really be called “The Sex Life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt”. It surely isn’t fun, not at all educational and may even be true if you want to believe some papers and notes found after Daisy died at age 100. Daisy was FDR’s 5^th cousin and is played by Laura Linney (she shouldn’t have). Bill Murray as FDR isn’t all that wonderful or believable either.

CIRQUE Du SOLEIL. I’m only one of many who think that making the most exciting dangerous aerialist moves in circus history into filmed slow motion sagas took all the danger out of what Cirque does best. It’s a mash-up of 6 or 7 Cirque productions. The water spectacle O (I saw it live in Las Vegas), the Elvis Show, The Beatles Show and other scenes are stripped of almost all grace and excitement. Forget it.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE.‘Hoping to see the magic I figure both Billy Crystal and Bette Midler‘have always had, this film was a genuine let down. Cheap, stupid lines and making both Crystal and Midler into mean, dumb grandparents just didn’t work.

LES MISERABLES. Pretending to be something it isn’t, puts it at the very bottom of my list. Like its title, the music is miserable, the lyrics are beneath junk, and it all sounds like Andrew Lloyd Webber and I can’t stomach Andrew Lloyd Webber. For years I thought he wrote Les Miz, Robert Norse corrected me and said he liked the movie. It ruined Victor Hugo’s book, the voices sound like the Disney Snow white soundtrack, and the photography was ok. The switch from a play onstage to what was supposed to be reality was phoney, etc. etc.

JACK REACHER. It takes about 30 minutes before all the sniper shootings stop reminding you of Newtown and Sandy Hook. From then on Jack Reacher is another top notch Tom Cruise chase- intrigue – inside the department traitor-movie. Robert DuVall and Rosamund Pike, especially Rosamund add much to this twisty, sneaky, unpredictable thrill ride.

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.

Brian Staufenbiel is on January 8 talking about the UCSC Opera program. After which Heather McDougal talks about her new book “Songs For A Machine Age”. January 15 has Marcus Cato and Brian Spencer discussing “8 Tens @ 8” now at the Art Center Theatre. Then Ian Coulson tells us all about bee keeping and honey. On January 22 WILPF is sending someone to talk about Fracking. Followed by folks from our local dance groups talking about the history and richness of dance hereabouts and the special program happening on Jan. 25 at Cabrilho College. 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’http://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, 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. “Avoid like the plague a clergyman who is also a business man“, Saint Jerome. “I started out with nothing. I still have most of it”, Michael Davis. “My grandfather died in the great crash of 1929—a stockbroker jumped out of a window and crushed him and his pushcart down below”. Mario Cuomo.

PACIFIC AVENUE 1957. These snow photos that I print every season are necessary proof that it can happen here. It’s obviously 7:46 am by the Town Clock shown here atop the ODD Fellows hall right there 2 doors from the Palomar Hotel. Leask’s department store here on the right is now the Urban Outfitters or something. That’s our nearly venerable Cooper House on the far left. If you enlarge enough you can see the marquees of both the Santa Cruz Theatre sort of where 99 Bottles is and the Del Mar marquee right where it still is….and go see Lincoln this holiday season. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

A NAGGING THOUGHT OR QUESTION.It’ll be quite a while before the Sandy Hook school tragedy in Newtown, Conn. is forgotten, and we have some new tragedy to feel frustrated about. And while the gun control monster is just about all we can think about, there’s another deeper but unspoken angle lurking out there. What if Adam Lanza hadn’t committed suicide after shooting those children, and was captured alive? How would the United States vote right now on giving him the death penalty or life imprisonment? How would you vote? How would Santa Cruz vote? Obama said, “We will have to change”. I’m still wondering just how much we will change.

MAYORS AGAINST GUN CONTROL. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg started MAIG. Wikipedia says, “Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) is a coalition of over 600 mayors who support a number of gun control initiatives that the group calls “commonsense reforms” to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the United States. Most recently the group has focused on an effort to defeat a bill in Congress that would require each state to recognize carry licenses issued by other states”. Have I missed the Sentinel article that reports on either Hilary Bryant or Don Lane joining MAIG??? I mean Santa Cruz would be 100% in favor of gun control, right? Why doesn’t some group collect signatures at the opening night of The Warriors game favoring gun control?

MORE ON GUNS AND SHOOTING.Long time friend Bob Reid sent this…”I reposted a column on my site that I had written after the shootings in Arizona, and posted again after the Colorado theater shooting. I know it will continue to be sadly relevant. I believe that it is an important perspective to have represented in the conversation about our relationship with guns. Be sure to read it…

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Read Gary’s daily KUSP scripts this week when he talks about The Pajaro Valley and the river being besieged. He tells of the Monterey City Council issues and about the problems with the re-use policies happening at Fort Ord. He talks about the conflict of interest that Bill Kocher has in selling De-sal plants and how the town of Gonzales is getting wind turbines without any EIR’s. Read all of above at Gary’s KUSP Land Use scripts

(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.Holiday time at those neighbor’s ?? De Cinzo takes a poke.

Scroll down just a bit…

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim shows the Republicans how to cheer!!! See below…

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s weekly column is titled, ” Obama could use gross and the five to restore relations”. In it he states, “President Obama could assent to the reciprocal humanitarian gestures that would bring Alan Gross, an American contractor home and send the Cuban Five back to their island and their families. Only the extreme right wing Cuban exiles in south Florida and in northern New Jersey would loudly complain. Most Americans don’t know who the Cuban Five are. The gesture would also open the road for more relations with Cuba, may be even a lifting of the travel ban that prevents American from going to the island, and a loosening of the economic embargo – good for U.S. business. All of Latin America would praise Obama as would most of the world. Read all of it here….

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express), enjoy some merry Marxism as Cabrillo Stage resurrects Groucho, Chico, and Harpo in the entertaining new holiday production, A Night At The Nutcracker.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

THE TURIN HORSE.Only if you truly enjoythe mystery of early Bergman films or the staging of Beckett plays (without the words) or Tarkovsky, Lars Von Trier, Eisenstein, Bunuel films…will you enjoy what Turin Horse shows us. Beal Tarr who also made the unforgettable Werckmeister Harmonies said Turin Hose might be his last film because there’s nothing left to say in cinema after Turin Horse. Rent it at Cedar Street Video (that’s where I found it)…or they say you can watch it online, but be sure to add it to your masterpieces

THE ELEMENT OF CRIME. Lars Von Trier is another favorite living director. His Melancholia, Medea, The Kingdom, Anti-Christ, and Breaking the Waves are all cinema masterpieces. Be sure to catch up on his early Elements of Crime. Also at Cedar Street Video….rent locally!!!

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. A huge box office success on its opening weekend but I’ll bet it plummets fast. Even Ian McKellan as Gandalf can’t rise above a boring, violent script. Dwarves fighting elves, elves fighting trolls, orcs and wargs and all in 3D and expensive Computer Graphics…it’s still monotonous. As we’ve been told, there’ll be more…but dare we hope for a semblance of what Tolkien had in mind???

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.

Then on December 18 Futzie Nutzle talks about his Blitzer Gallery show followed by Bonnie Stoehn and Virginia Wright telling us about Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies or MAPS, and the treatment ofdepression and PTSD. On Christmas Night (12/25) I’ll be in LA and Victorville so we’ll re-play the Grapevine with Katherine Beiers , Celia and Peter Scott. Same goes for Jan.1, 2013 when we’ll replay an important Grapevine. Brian Staufenbiel is on January 8 talking about the UCSC Opera program. After which Heather McDougal talks about her new book “Songs For A Machine Age”. 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, 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. “People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them”, Dave Berry. “Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Hunter S. Thompson. “Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store”,Dr. Seuss

BEFORE THE POST OFFICE. The Swanton House was an early Fred Swanton project. It burned down in 1887 in the huge downtown fire. It was the first three story hotel in town. Our present post office opened around 1911/1912. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

SUBROSA WINDOWS SMASHED!!! This is from an email last week…”Over the weekend (Dec. 1 &2)two of our windows were busted out on two consecutive nights. It wasn’t a burglary (though that has happened several times in the past), but just a semi-random asshole thing to do, we guess. Windows can be replaced, of course. But it is expensive (and disheartening). If you’d like to help, come in during staff hours (9am-2pm M-F) and help make the space feel safe. Or if you can’t make it in, please support our winter fundraiser. The good news is that we’ve met 33% of our goal in our fundraiser. But we only have a little under a month left, which works out to be just over $400 a week.

‘Again, if you can, please stop in and help make the space feel safer. And thanks as always for your support. Wes Modes, SubRosa Collective Fundraising Bottomliner”. Few businesses (or collectives) are as community oriented as The Subrosa. Now’s the time and season, to help out.

MARK STONE’S APPOINTMENT. I got this from the San Lorenzo Valley News

http://slvnews.blogspot.com

STONE NAMED CHAIR OF ASSEMBLY HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

SACRAMENTO – Assembly member Mark Stone (D-Santa Cruz) has been named Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee. The committee considers legislation regarding child welfare, adult foster care, Cal WORKS, and developmental disability services. “I’m pleased to continue my work to protect the most vulnerable Californians by serving as Chair of the Human Services Committee,” said Stone. “I look forward to focusing on legislation to improve the lives of California’s children, elderly, and disabled citizens.” Stone’s appointment builds upon his previous work as a champion for disadvantaged children. As a Santa Cruz County Supervisor, Stone served on the Santa Cruz County First 5 Commission and the Santa Cruz County Child Welfare System Improvement Plan Steering Committee. During that time, he led an overhaul of the County’s child welfare system, allowing disenfranchised youth of Santa Cruz County to have a voice in their future”.

TRUE COSTS OF DE-SAL. Pat Matecjek sent this link to Huffington’s Post

which says in part…”In a new report issued today, the Pacific Institute released the results of a year-long analysis of the complex and controversial costs of seawater desalination. The conclusion? It is still really expensive, especially compared to alternatives”. It also concludes, “But the public and water planners must not blindly assume that desalination makes sense now: it remains among the most expensive options available to meet water demands”. read all of it here

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary states in his KUSP script, “For as long as I have been involved in public life in Santa Cruz County, the elected officials of the City of Watsonville (with some individual exceptions, of course) have wanted to pave over the agricultural land surrounding Watsonville, to build housing, and stores, and factories. The aim has been, it is always claimed, to achieve “economic” benefits for Watsonville. Often, “equity” benefits have been cited, too. The concept has been that we must accept negative “environmental” impacts in order to achieve positive “economic” and “equity” gains. That is the story featured in the Sentinel article”. Agriculture is, by far, the biggest business in the Pajaro Valley, and hundreds of farmworkers depend on employment in the agricultural fields surrounding Watsonville. Does displacing agriculture, and these workers, and putting up a big-box store on productive farmland, actually achieve economic and equity advances for the community at large? Soon, Watsonville voters will have a chance to decide”. Read it all here…XXXXX (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.Substitute Bruce McPherson’s name for Ralph Nader’s and you are up to date!!! Scroll below…

EAGANS DEEP COVER. You’ll have to discover T. Eagan’s « Bubba Bubble » on your own…scroll down…

LANDAU’S PROGRES. “Israel and Gaza Again” is Saul’s title for his weekly opinion in Progreso Weekly. In it he says, “Much of the media propagated the Israeli lie that wicked Hamas started the current fighting by firing missiles, which forced innocent Israel to defend its people and territory. President Barack Obama and the U.S. and Israeli mainstream media blamed Hamas. Yes, Palestinians fired rockets into Israel, and Israel claimed its only reason for bombing Gaza was to stop the rocket fire. However, Israel has consistently launched violent attacks into Gaza with far more firepower and accuracy than that available to the Gazans. The war has ended, temporarily. One hopes Obama fashions the courage to tell Netanyahu and company to stop its brutality and withhold aid until Israel starts moving toward making real peace, recognizing that Palestinians merit a larger and contiguous piece of their rightful (by the 1967 accords) land, as a state”. 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. “Go Psycho for Christmas this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), as Anthony Hopkins steps into the role—and the famous silhouette—of Alfred Hitchcock during the making of his famous horror movie, in Hitchcock.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

HITCHCOCK. According to folklore, Alfred Hitchcock was a very private person. This film does nothing to convince us that we are getting any closer to the real guy at all. Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins do all they can with a “filmsy, flimsy”, script. But the film does include the fact that Hitchcock changed forever the way we see films from the beginning, instead of walking in any old time. James D’Arcy looking so much like Anthony Perkins is the scariest thing in the film about the making of Psycho.

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.

December 11 has photographer Charles Berger discussing the changing field and definitions of photography. After which, UCSC Student Kim Schneider comes back talking about Teach the Forest, LRDP’ s, and late breaking LAFCO items. Then on December 18 Futzie Nutzle talks about his Blitzer Gallery show. Bonnie Stoehn and Virginia Wright tell us about Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies or MAPS, and the treatment ofdepression and PTSD. On Christmas Night (12/25) I’ll be in LA and Victorville so we’ll re-play the Grapevine with Katherine Beiers , Celia and Peter Scott. 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, 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. “I could prove God statistically“, George Gallup. “Work is our sanity, our self respect, our salvation,> So far from being a curse, work is the greatest blessing”, Henry Ford. A license plate I saw at highway 9 & 1 last week ..“IH8W8IN“(clever , right??)

CLEAN BEACHES. This was back about 1940 or so, before the Dream Inn, before dirty beaches, The Ideal Fish Restaurant building was there. Check it out and think about how all the development this area has received, and just how much better is it now??? Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

WARRIORS RUBBER WELCOME MAT. I really hope the Warriors tent deal works out. I mean it’s here, the city has gone way out on a limb financially, aesthetically, and almost morally to make money off the deal. But, when I read items in Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle such as, “Warrior’s Credibility May be Shot” I have serious doubts. Read all of Randy Shandobil’s Open Forum column here. Its about trusting the management of the Warriors. Read the part where it says, “The Warriors, led by owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, are asking San Franciscans, city leaders, planning commissioners and environmentalists to believe that the team can build a 17,500-seat, 135-foot tall arena on Piers 30-32 without blocking views from the waterfront, without creating traffic gridlock along the Embarcadero and without harming the San Francisco Bay. And the Warriors promise they can do all that using local union workers. And they wouldn’t use any public money. Can they deliver on all those promises?”

Then read the part where it says, “Public Relations 101: To persuade people to trust you, be transparent and tell the truth. Are the Warriors being fully forthright and transparent about any potential problems they might encounter in building their arena? So far, there is nothing to suggest they haven’t been. But if the Warriors continue to be evasive about the true status of their star players, San Francisco city leaders might wonder if they are getting the whole truth about the team’s ability to build a waterfront arena, without blocking waterfront views and without using any public money”. What I hope won’t happen (but I’m afraid it will is that in about the Spring of 2014 the Warriors owners will decide that the “Santa Cruz team and arena deal” isn’t working. They’ll find a loophole, a clause, some very legal to back out of town, leaving us all high and dry. That’s Spring of 2014. Speaking of high and dry, I asked Don Lane when we were both working at the Grey Bears Holiday Dinner about the huge rain run-off from the Warriors rubber tent roof. He said he didn’t know but would look into it. That’s if we ever get that much rain again!!!

NEW/REVISED PARKING LOT AT FARMERS MARKET?? Micah Posner emailed last week… “There is a new impetus/argument for the garage or a Paid Not to Park Program. The city will be giving the Seaside Company 250 spots downtown during the summer for their employees in exchange for lot for the basketball stadium”. Apparently The Downtown Commission discussed this idea last week.

FAREWELL MARGARET METZINGER. Margaret Metzinger died a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t know Margaret, but she certainly had a lot of friends. Here’s an email I received…”Margaret was an educator, nurse, and political activist. For over twenty years she lived in Santa Cruz, California, a place that she loved and we had hoped she would be able to return home to. She was active in the Santa Cruz community as a member of WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom), the Raging Grannies, and a number of other social justice organizations. One of her greatest joys in life was live music, and on any given night she would go out in Santa Cruz to see live performances. She was never in a rush, and always had time to listen or talk. Even strangers were treated as friends. She will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved her. A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, December 7, 2012 at 12:00 noon, at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz at 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 427-2227. For further information please email margaretmemorial@gmail.com

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about LAFCO, and UCSC. Then he explains RTC and TAMC, he mentions the Ventana Wilderness Alliance. In addition to those topics he states, “In Santa Cruz County, slightly more than half of the population lives outside of an incorporated city. If you live in Live Oak, or Aptos, or Soquel, or Ben Lomond, or Freedom, or La Selva Beach, or Pasatiempo, or Boulder Creek, or Felton, you need to pay attention to what the County Planning Commission is doing. While the ultimate responsibility for land use and planning decisions outside the boundaries of cities is with the Board of Supervisors, the Board often defers to what the Planning Commission does, or recommends. So, here is a “heads up.” The Santa Cruz County Planning Commission is going to hold an evening study session on Wednesday, December 12^th, next week, at 6:30 p.m. The study session will focus on a proposed “Transit Corridors Plan for Sustainable Communities.” Unincorporated areas in mid-county would be directly impacted. Mark your calendar for next Wednesday’s (Dec. 14) meeting.

(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. Mr. DeCinzo’s $20,000 dollar raises are just a bit dated (maybe $200,000?) but the attitude, the attitude??? Scroll down…

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Obama begins working it out with the Republicans, but only maybe….see below.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s weekly column is titled, “Cuban Americans are Many things, But few are conservatives”. In it he says, “Several of our friends expressed shock when they learned that President Obama had won some 48% of south Florida’s Cuban-American vote. One asked: how can you explain that a reputedly reactionary community would yield such a high percentage vote for a Democrat? The answer relates to confusion. The Cuban Americans in the Miami area have gotten mislabeled. They do not belong in the social or “cultural conservative” category. Some sectors of the “Latino” community do have conservative social views. But apart from their harsh position on the Cuban revolution, Cuban Americans do not strongly oppose divorce, women’s rights, social security, social welfare payments, or sexual preference”. 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 at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), see if you have the Luck of the Draw at the Santa Cruz Art League’s annual art swap, check out some cool First Night festivities, find out if the new Anna Karenina is truly epic, or an epic fail, and read all about the “secret book sculptor,” the biggest mystery to come out of Scotland since the Loch Ness Monster.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY. Brad Pitt reminds us that he can act in this excellent gangster film. So does Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, and Ray Liotta. Liotta really got to me in his role as bad guy gone good. The dialogue, acting, editing, and directing all work together to make this one fine film. Its several cuts above any American gangster film in nearly a decade.

ANNA KARENNINA. It’s one of the very best love stories of all time. It’s been filmed many times and this version starring Keira Knightly and Jude Law with a script by Tom Stoppard, sets the entire drama in a half stage- half outdoors setting. This partial reality gets in the way. You constantly ask yourself is this real or the stage part? Nothing gets too serious before the stage stuff intrudes. Knightly has the ability to appear onscreen as the most beautiful woman ever filmed OR the plainest blah presence ever tolerated. If you’ve seen any version of this or can rent one , do it. This one misses.

PEER GYNT IN 2013 AT UCSC. Consider this a friendly warning that if you don’t set aside all the dates now, you’ll be sorry once the announcements are officially promoted. Here’s the Gynt project website http://thegyntproject.com. And here’s what Christina Waters wrote about the project a while ago… http://thegyntproject.com . Check it all out, and if you’ve always been curious about what’s behind Peer Gynt now’s the time.

NUTTY AT BLITZER.We used to call Futzie Nutzle “Nutty”, and people are calling him more often than ever nowadays!!! He told me, and Nutty never lies, that he’s got one of his biggest shows of art opening at The Blitzer Gallery where Wrigley’s used to be. It opens on December 7^th. If you think you’ve seen all the styles and beauty and politics on Nutty’s art, you’ll be surprised each time he has a new show. Go see this one.

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. Joe Jordan talks about NASA, space and Global Warming on December 4^th followed by Attorney Bob Taren wrapping up the local political year. December 11 has photographer Charles Berger discussing the fine points of his art. After which, UCSC Student Kim Schneider comes back talking about Teach the Forest, LRDP’ s, and late breaking LAFCO items. Then on December 18 Futzie Nutzle talks about his Blitzer Gallery show. On Christmas Night (12/25) I’ll be in LA and Victorville so we’ll re-play the Grapevine with Katherine Beiers , Celia and Peter Scott. 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, 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!!!

The First Santa Cruz Chinatown. This was on Front Street and was leveled by fire in 1894. That’s Loma Prieta Mountain in the distance. About 60 folks lived here. There were three gambling houses, laundries, and some boarding houses. This was about where Barry Swenson’s Galleria stands today. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

RAIN RUNOFF. Lane’s Leaking Lavabo, that’s just one moniker for the Warriors rubber tent. Only a few brave souls have been brave enough to ask about the enormous water run-off during the rains which should be happening soon. There seems to be no gutters on the tent, I can’t find any collection points or containers, so are they figuring that all that run-off rain will simply, and easily slide down the existing sewers? Before Lane’s Lavabo all the rain water was dispersed over the entire area now it’ll be as concentrated like coming out of a fire hose. December 23^rd is going to be one hell of a day and night and next morning in Santa Cruz.

LETTER TO LASALLE. I wrote a letter to Mick LaSalle the #1 film critic at the San Francisco Chronicle about two weeks ago. No response yet, but the world should know about it. I asked, “Isn’t it true that we should pay tribute to Alfred Hitchcock for only allowing audiences into the theatre to see films from the beginning? If I’m not mistaken it was Alfred Hitchcock’s strict timed admittance rule that was seriously imposed for the first time in USA theatres with “Psycho”? I was an usher (in uniform, with flashlight) back in the earliest 50’s; we had ushers back then just so that we could show patrons the empty seats in the dark. I remember whispered arguments in the audience such as “this is where we came in, let’s go”, and “no, I want to see this part again”.

But more than that, I remember folks and theatre owners saying “can you imagine having to wait until a movie begins before going inside?”. and “It’ll never work”…but it did, right? Bruce Bratton”.

OBAMA’S JOB CHART. Joy Hinz has a huge number of graphs on an amazing number of subjects. She was an Occupier…and proud of it…this chart came from her, via Nancy Abbey.

GOLDEN FLEECE AND YARN EMPORIUM. Gunilla Leavitt has been my more or less silent but loyal, faithful, creative partner in producing BrattonOnline.com since we went online weekly way back in 2003. She does everything necessary to get all this online every week. Plus, she and husband Tom Leavitt own The Golden Fleece yarn shop. It’s located at 317 Potrero Street right across Front Street from That Gateway Plaza (Cost Plus, Office Max Etc.). I’m not going to describe her shop you’ll have to see it yourselves. There are none others like it in the world!!! Plus, plus she also creates one hell of a newsletter, go here to read it… Like she says, this is the best time of the year to get gifts for the knitters or wanna be knitters in your circle of friends…or family!!!

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary’s weekly KUSP scripts include..

“For the last twenty to twenty-five years, local governments in Santa Cruz County have tried to find ways to make businesses and developers “pay their own costs,” instead of relying on public subsidies. The idea is that developers and businesses should themselves bear the cost of the public infrastructure that will be required by the new development or the new business. Various “fees” have been imposed to achieve this goal of making businesses and developers pay for the public costs associated with their activities. One of the most common fees has been a “traffic impact” fee, so that mitigations for new traffic will be paid for by those who are helping to generate that new traffic. Today, the Santa Cruz City Council will consider rolling back some of those traffic impact fees, to benefit businesses, and to shift more of those costs back on to the public. If you have a position on that, think about letting the Council know. The Council will also consider spending an additional $390,000 for consulting services from the Kennedy/Jenks consulting firm, partly in order to “educate voters” about the need for a proposed desal project. Again, if you have a position on this proposed expenditure, you should let the Council know what you think” He also talks about and gives links to items like losing your water rights, Rail Trail Planning workshops this week and changes to local Heritage Tree laws. Read it all 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)

VINTAGE DE CINZO.Nature lover deCinzo takes a hike…scroll below

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim takes on Life after War. See below about three pages.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s weekly article is titled “Drop “Greatest” and “Number One” and feel proud”. In it he says, “The veterans return to joblessness, homelessness and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” slogan translates into “paste this bumper sticker on your car,” not into increased care and comfort for the homecoming youngsters. For Conservatives, governments must fight wars, not care for the wounded when they return. The U.S. economy stagnates as Tea Partiers have captured the Republican command and the political system has become dysfunctional. The Democrats have not articulated a clear agenda. The cultural fissure that divided the country 150 years ago during the Civil War were camouflaged by economic up turns during the late 20th century, when the United States became the top dog in the West. Americans then felt secure: their children would live better”. Read all of Saul’s article here

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), strap on your goggles for the new Steam punk show at the new SCICA Gallery in the Tannery, prepare to be awed by the sheer gorgeousness of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, and get a sneak preview of my new novel (and a chance to win an early proof copy!).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

LIFE OF PI.For me this “magnum opus” from Ang Lee belongs right next to his version of “The Hulk”. Both are comic book fairy tales, signifying nothing. Pi, which as anyone knows who read the book is short for both “pissing” or Piscean. There’s lots of hype on the use of special effects…they’re pretty, and pretty good, but not worth going to the movies to see.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.Once in a great while films affect me so much and I take them so personally that I loose all critical facilities. That happened with Silver Linings Play Book. For some reason, I fell asleep many times during the first time I saw it. I saw it again last Saturday and figured out why…it was far too negative, mean-spirited, too full of arguing, and ridiculing bi-polar behavior just for laughs…it is not my kind of film. It’s also getting some pretty good reviews….you’re on your own, as usual.

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.

The winners from Bookshop Santa Cruz’s Young Writers Contest are featured for the entire hour on 11/27. Joe Jordan talks about NASA, space and Global Warming on December 4^th followed by Attorney Bob Taren wrapping up the local political year. December 11 has photographer Charles Berger discussing the fine points of his art. Then on December 11 Futzie Nutzle talks about his Blitzer Gallery show. 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 6 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!!!

BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.

QUOTES. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on the human face-forever…And remember that it is forever:, George Orwell. “I would like to do something worthwhile like planting a tree on the ocean, but I’m just a guitar player”, Bob Dylan. “I’m a double Libra, which has been a great consolation to me in this time of pain”, Kenny Schaffer.

ANOTHER LOGGING PICTURE FROM OUR MOUNTAINS.I don’t have any clue just where in our mountains this enormous and professional logging operation was taking place. It’s one of hundreds of photos showing the glories of clear-cutting. Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

OBAMA AND McPHERSON.What I see happening is that the Republican Party will re-form it self more toward center after last Tuesday’s stunning defeat. Then Bruce McPherson will go back to his lifetime party. It makes one wonder why, after losing elections for the State Senate, and then losing again for Lieutenant Governor and not even getting enough votes to beat Eric Hammer in the County primaries, why he even ran again, what’s in it for him? But now that leaves the local Democrats, who somehow against all logic and principles, voted for both Obama and McPherson on the same day, the only choice which would be to leave the Democratic Party.

THE MORRISEY SAFEWAY STORY. It’s odd that The Sentinel hasn’t given us the facts on what’s happening with Safeway’s plans to make the Morrissey Avenue Store into another monster store like Almar & Mission Street and like their proposed Rancho Del Mar plan. Well the woman who owns the property where Staff of Life used to be won’t let Staff O.L. out of their lease. She seems to prefer keeping the former S.O.L. store empty and collecting on that lease rather than dealing with Safeway. You better believe that Safeway wants to tear down and upsize that store, just wait and see.

DEAR DAUGHTER HILLARY. While having coffees in Octagonal Lulu’s last Sunday daughter Hillary, after hearing my subtle rant about the Warrior Tent said, “gee Dad you’re always against everything”. I need to state right here and just about now that it’s not true (unless)…about 98% of the time I follow the environmental groups like the Sierra Club or the Coastal Commission, if they approve of the impact, so do I. 96% of the other time I follow the citizens who live in the affected neighborhoods, if they can live with the project, that’s great and so can I. I usually oppose any developer and development that claims to need a change in existing codes, limits and regulations. For example three large hotels applied for and received approval last year with nary a word from all of above. Does that make it clearer?

(FROM LAST WEEK) I ran this item…

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…

If you haven’t gone there and tried this great piece of magic do so immediately. I hadn’t quite figured the final details but both brilliant guys John DeValcourt and Munich tourist Tom Noddy sent me perfect explanations of how that trick works. I’m not printing it here, but try it out and email me at bratton@cruzio.com and I’ll send you the solution, post haste.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary announces more news and voting on the future of Highway 68. He relates plans involving The Monterey Airport. He talks about the new County Railroad and the Coastal Commission’s role. He closes discussing the CWC the December 5^th meeting of LAFCO and de-sal and UCSC and water… read it all 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)

VINTAGE DE CINZO.Change this to Nob Hill or Whole Foods and it’s a classic…scroll down

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim shows us the Republican view of the future see below…

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul writes, « The Civil Society Ploy » in this week’s issue of Progreso Weekly. He says, “Can the United States export democracy to another country, the way it exports Coca Cola? Apparently the government, particularly, USAID, and the mass media – think so. But, some tricky issues emerge because we – the USA – the ‘city on the hill” represent “exceptionalism. “The United States, our teachers tell us, was God’s special gift to the world. God blesses America. Yet, as the exception, we ironically attempt to export the very qualities that make us exceptional? Or maybe our policy elite just want other countries to behave like junior partners of the GRAND OL’ EXCEPTION?”. There’s more and 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. Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), just say no to Black Friday at the Hand-Made Holiday Gift Sale, watch Daniel Day-Lewis perform alchemy as Lincoln, and find out what’s new in fiction when I join the literary blog chain, The Next Big Thing.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

CAN’T SEE UM!!! These gems came and went at The Nick. Not enough audience, so they left quickly. So rent them, when available or see them somehow. THE LONELIEST PLANET is an amazing accomplishment in film tension and photography.

Gael Garcia Bernal and his fiancée hike across the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. We watch and watch and watch then something happens for about 4 seconds and the entire film changes while they continue their hike. Magnificent, Go rent it, buy it whatever.

THE DETAILS. Tobey McGuire, Laura Linney, Elizabeth Banks all work perfectly in this odd, complex, and completely absorbing comedy. It too left early. See films locally should be some new motto.

LINCOLN. Such a huge and American movie. Daniel Day Lewis looks like every penny you’ve ever seen. This film covers only the Civil War and Lincoln’s backstage work in ending slavery. It’s so damned patriotic it would be illegal not to love this film to pieces. It’s an important film but I’m not sure if it’s good or just impressive. Foreign films critics would have a better vantage point to judge it’s good and bad points. But do see it.

HOLY MOTORS.It’s another film for cinema enthusiasts only. One of the year’s best. It’s funny, completely odd, very French sort of like the early Luis Bunuel films. Monsieur Oscar goes from job to job changing make-up, costumes, and personality. Why he does this and what role the cars he rides in are staggering. Go see it but only if you love good films.

A LATE QUARTET. Christopher Walken on cello, Philip Seymour Hoffman on second violin, Catherine Keener on viola…what’s not to like? Plus Beethoven’s favorite Quartet # 131. Wonderful film, especially if you like watching quartets and listening to Beethoven.

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.

November 20 has Wes Modes from the SubRosa Collective and Julia Chiapella plus Jory Post from “phren-Z” the quarterly. The winners from Bookshop Santa Cruz’s Young Writers Contest are featured the entire hour on 11/27. Joe Jordan talks about NASA, space and global Warming on December 4^th followed by Attorney Bob Taren wrapping up the local political year. December 11 has photographer Charles Berger discussing the fine points of his art. Then on December 11 Futzie Nutzle talks about his Blitzer Gallery show. 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, 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. “It takes forty dumb animals to make a fur coat, but only one to wear it”, Bryn Jones. “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another house”, George Burns. “I have problems flown in fresh daily wherever I am“, Richard Lewis.

OPENING OF HIGHWAY 1 “BY-PASS” AT MISSION STREET AND CHESTNUT. This was taken on November 27, 1956. Note that there’s no right turn onto Chestnut Street (it didn’t go through!!!) Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

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.

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…

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.

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)

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.com), get more Bond for your buck at the latest 007 movie, Skyfall, and put a smile on your face at the new Wit & Whimsy art show at the Scotts Valley Library.” Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

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