NOW MORE THAN EVER!!! This was back on October 15,1952. These intrepid Democrats were standing on Pacific across from Leask’s Department Store (and the Rittenhouse Building) at Pacific and Church Streets. According to the photographer’s notes they were about to embark on a trip to San Francisco to hear Adlai speak.
DEMOCRAT PARTY PRESS RELEASE. I’m not sure if everyone saw this press release but it’s typical McPherson sleaze that’s spreading faster than good folks can control…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement from SC County Democratic Party Chair
October 8, 2012 – Recently, the McPherson campaign has passed out campaign materials to voters in which he seems to imply that he is either a Democrat or is endorsed by the Democratic Party. Neither is true. Eric Hammer was unanimously endorsed by the Santa Cruz Democratic Central Committee in April. Eric not only has the support of the local Central Committee, he has also been endorsed by virtually every prominent Democrat including John Burton, the State Party Chair, as well as Congressman Sam Farr, Assembly Members Bill Monning and Luis Alejo, and many others. Mr. McPherson on the other hand was a lifelong Republican until he changed his party affiliation to “decline to state” a few days after the June primary. Mr. McPherson should be proud of his lifelong affiliation with the Republican Party and not send out literature implying he has the support of the Democratic Party. Sincerely, Michael Breeden Chair, Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee, 831 905-2146.
MORE MC PHERSON MUCK. A friend sent me a 231 page research report from the political research team of Koenig & Dorsey that was done back in 1995 when McPherson was running for State Senate up in Sacramento. I wish I could print or even link to it here. It details his Sentinel editorials, his votes against women, children, labor, education, gun control, seniors, environment, abortion, his campaign contributions from corporations and his acceptance of their money, his real estate involvements, his votes for the medical industry…on and on throughout his entire career.
How any thinking Democrats, especially local Democrats, can possibly support this weasel is way beyond me. His brother Fred however, is a great guy. You may remember that I worked for them for six months writing my column back in the day. But then I called Charlie (Boardwalk) Canfield “greedy” because he didn’t want to pay the same business taxes as the rest of the Santa Cruz businesses, and I was fired immediately. John Robinson (Lynn’s husband) worked at the Sentinel at the same time. He of course went on to get Canfield’s support of Lynn’s campaign and I guess is still President & CEO of California Attractions & Parks Association and is in Sacramento.
P.S. Kris Reyes (Ryan Coonerty’s buddy and the Boardwalk’s Community Relations director) is C.A.P.A’s director of external affairs.
LONDON’S TUBE & FUNNY NOTICES. You gotta admire the Brits, their sense of humor, and perseverance. Check this out
ELERICK’S INPUT.
Candidates answer questions on transportation issues
The Campaign for Sensible Transportation asked questions of local candidates running for election in November, including those running for 5th District Supervisor, and those running for City Councils in both Santa Cruz and Capitola. We received answers from all of the candidates running for Santa Cruz City Council, one candidate for Capitola City Council and one of the two candidates running 5th District County Supervisor, Eric Hammer.
The other 5th District Supervisor candidate, Bruce Mc Pherson, failed to respond even though follow up requests were made.
You can see all the questions and responses at www.sensibletransportation.org , as well as a scoring made by the Campaign, based on how answers matched our goals for the future of transportation in our County. Those candidates elected in November will most likely serve on the Regional Transportation Commission and the SCCMTD Board, the governing agencies that decide for us what we’ll see in our transportation future. Take a close look at the responses of the candidates and see how their views on this important issue line up with yours.
(Paul Elerick is co-chair, along with Peter Scott, of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation , and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary in his daily shot on KUSP and here, reveals problems with De-Sal in Monterey and possible public ownership. He tells of the County Board Of Supes meeting in Watsonville to deal with severe problems with the Pajaro River and the levee. Later he tells about Fort Ord issues and maybe a cemetery and a “Horse Park“. Supervisor John Leopold’s Transportation Corridor (Soquel Drive) is a big topic and Gary closes with praising the Ventana Wilderness Alliance’s Wild And Scenic Film Festival which happens on Oct. 25. I couldn’t agree more. It’s a great 3 hour collection of truly inspiring “get involved” environmental films…De-Sal opponents should not miss this!! (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)
LENNY BRUCE IN PERFORMANCE. I was lucky to see Lenny Bruce perform many times…this isn’t typical of his later work, but still great.
WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL. As a benefit for the Ventana Wilderness Alliance you should definitely see the eleven films (three hours total) at The Del Mar on Thursday October 25 from 7-10p.m. Protecting the environment, organizing, getting involved, saving the earth, cartoons, victory parties like saving Mono Lake…very inspirational. I’ve seen them all and rate them 5 stars. “Renowned conservationist” Gary Patton hosts the program…and every de-sal opponent should be there. Tickets at Patagonia Outlet or online at www.Ventanawild.org. or call 831-423 3191.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo questions the meaning of life in the abstract…look below.
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan reflects on the debates, the races and looks ahead !!! Scroll downwards…to the end of the column.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), catch the aloha spirit at the 24th annual Pacific Rim Film Festival, meet one adorable, reanimated pooch in Tim Burton’s doggy-centric Frankenweenie, and find a few more artists worth seeking out for the last weekend of the Open Studios Art Tour. Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THE REAL ARGO vs. the REEL ARGO. Check out this link to the real story then be sure to see Argo asap.
ARGO. Alan Arkin and John Goodman are big helps to actor and director Ben Affleck
in this exciting and preposterous film based on facts. You must know by now that it’s about getting some American govt. employees out of the US Embassy in Tehran. They create a fake very Hollywood film crew and fool everybody. It’s tense, well directed, neatly acted…and in case you wondered (spoiler alert here) ARGO stands for “Ar-Go fuck your self”. It’s the funniest, and most often repeated, line in the film. Go see this fine piece of work.
PAPERBOY. Somebody called this film trash, and it is. It wallows in being TRASH. Nicole Kidman is a trashy whorish, peroxidey Barbie, Mathew McConaughey is a trashy, slimy, masochist, John Cusack is a trashy murderer and Zac Efron is of course very clean. If you can see it knowing it’s trash, it’s a great film. Much fun, over the top, gutsy, wild style, a class of its own…I liked it.
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. How can a movie starring Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell which tries so hard to copy Quentin Tarantino’s early films be so bad? It’s been getting good critics reviews but it’s gross when it should have been clever, it’s crude when it needed precision. No finesse!
FILM CRITICISM. Unlike most critics and film fans I didn’t care much for Moonrise Kingdom or Exotic Marigold Hotel. As I’ve been saying for years, look around, find a critic you like and stay there. I realized last week that for me Joe Morgenstern who writes for The Wall Street Journal is a critic I agree with a lot. Check out what HE says about “Argo” and “Seven Psychopaths” …I agree.
HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. Mr. Paul Hostetter shares…
“Hey folks –BluePrint in SF, Sri. Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath in Milpitas, Ross Daly and company (Labyrinth-Teslim-Kitka, meaning Ross Daly & Kelly Thoma, Teslim (Kaila Flexer and Gari Hegedus) with bassist Miles Jay, and Kitka) up and down the state, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin in Oakland, Sonny Landreth in Live Oak, Patrice Maginnis, Michele Rivard, Sheila Willey and pianist Michael McGushin in Santa Cruz, the noted Bulgarian band Kabilé nearly everywhere, Ensemble Basiani from Georgia (the other one), and MacArthur Genius Chris Thile and his band, the Punch Brothers. More to come, and pertinent details as usual right here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html Hope to see you at one of these. 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.
The October 16th Grapevine has Catherine Segurson talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then Richard Popchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness Alliance. “Film Festival”. Tuesday, October 23rd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold returning as special guest co-host. Professional political advisor Bruce Van Allen talks about the area’s politics and makes guesses on October 30. Celia and Peter Scott talk about the last 5 decades of local City and County politics on Election Night (November 6th) followed by retiring City Council member Katherine Beiers who wraps up her political career. Linda Bixby and Jimmy Cook will discuss child placement and the local CASA organization on November 13.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 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. “When women kiss it always reminds me of boxers shaking hands”, H.L. Mencken. “Hypocrisy is the Vaseline of social intercourse“, J.R. Newman. “If you wait long enough beside the river, you will see the bodies of your enemies float by“, Ying Chu
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
ONE WAY ON PACIFIC 1964. I was going to suggest that this was a traffic experiment for one way traffic back in the day…it’s not really. It’s theMiss California Pageant just starting up. See all the Marines driving those Oldsmobiles? If you squint a little you’ll see we’re about where the Metro Buses park. Who can “miss” the Miss California Pageant when we now have the Roller Derby Girls???
BRUCE MC PHERSON NEWS. Jim Coffis has started SLV News (San Lorenzo Valley) online. Check it out, it’s got many sources of news from The Valley.
http://slvnews.blogspot.com Most importantly it’s got plenty of SLV people reporting on their opinions and facts about McPherson. How he’s been a no–show at forums, how he’s left early at other forums. It tells of problems the Valley Women’s Club has with him…check it out.
SLV News quotes McPherson saying, “He said (referring to his Sentinel editor years) “I’ve written about the district for 26 years, I know the issues well. I don’t need any on the job training. I’ll hit the ground running and give you four years. I can deliver best for you.” Yes, he wrote about the district for 26 years…he worked hard to bring Nuclear Power to Davenport, he wrote many times pro developing Light House Point,we fought him hard when he supported bring 10,000 homes to what is nowWilder ranch State Park, he wanted Wingspread’s Ocean front property developed for condo’s. Yes, he wrote editorials and reports for 26 years, probably Fred Keeley helped him do that too. Vote for Eric Hammer.
THE CHESTNUT STREET CLIFF PROJECT. One BrattonOnline Reader wrote in to say (partly) “The entirety of Union St. is only six houses long between the cliff and Mission Street. Truth be known, the cliffs on Chestnut Street Extension have been spewing water onto Chestnut St. for most of any given year and that cliff has periodically been sliding onto Chestnut. It supports a public walk way from the neighborhoods above Mission St. to the downtown and most Union Street people walk this path rather than use their cars to get to downtown. That is the only reason to support its stabilization… and I really doubt it is a project based upon any particular parties benefit. That beautiful paved path down the hill has been in jeopardy of sliding down the hillside for years”. There’s clue in there somewhere.
ADDITIONAL CORRECTION. Somehow that blue link in Paul Elerick’s Input to The Campaign For Sensible Transportation got misspelled last week. They’ve update it with candidates statements.
MY CAR STORY. I mentioned last week I needed a “new” car and asked if anyone who had any ideas about that to contact me. I also predicted that because everyone assumed I’d get hundreds of calls that hardly anyone would make the effort. My friend Ralph Davila did call and said he figured I’d get lots of calls and that he knew of a car that was just right. I went way out near the fields in Watsonville and bought the 1998 Honda Accord last Sunday, it’s wonderful. That was the only call I got and I’ll never figure it out. Folks will be telling me for weeks that they knew of a great car but figured I’d get too many calls, but thanks.
HEXAFLEXAGONS…an illegitimate offspring of Mr. Rubic??? This one is all over FB, but maybe you missed it??
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about a program called Smart Growth America,” “It is not easy to find effective ways to engage the public in the important land use policy decisions that will shape our future. Today, I want to alert interested members of the public, and also interested elected and non-elected officials at the local government level, of some help that is available, an opportunity to get free technical assistance to maximize what is often called “smart growth” planning. Smart Growth America, whose tagline is, “making neighborhoods great together,” is offering technical assistance grants to local communities. You can get details at Information on Smart Growth America Technical Assistance Grants or try Technical Assistance Webinar Materials The application deadline is October 25th.
(Gary Patton is “Of Counsel” to the Santa Cruz law firm of Wittwer & Parkin, which specializes in land use and environmental law. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, “Two Worlds / 365” – www.gapatton.net )
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo welcomes back students…and gives warnings…see below
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Obama scores what could be a knock out blow…look about three pages down…
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau calls this week’s column”14 Plus Years of Injustice”. In it he states, “Five Cubans fighting terrorism in South Florida have served 14 years of prison, more than enough time for the U.S. public to learn from its media about the horrific injustice done by the U.S. government to these Cuban men. But the media has barely touched the grotesque frame up of Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino and Rene Gonzalez, the Cuban Five as they are called. These Cuban intelligence agents volunteered in the 1990s to infiltrate violent groups of Miami-based Cuban exiles who had orchestrated bombings in Cuba of tourist spots – hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars, and even the Havana airport where vacationers from Canada and Europe arrive. By scaring foreigners with violence they hoped to intimidate tourists from visiting Cuba, and thus hurt the island’s economy”.
He closes with, “Amnesty also condemned the trial results because the U.S. government has material related to Cuban espionage and the U.S. government knew the Five were not engaged, and refused to turn over to the defense that information so the jury could not know about that. Finally, a perfect storm of prejudice existed in Miami. The jury understood they had good reason to feel frightened should they vote for acquittal. The media needs to report this horrific injustice. Readers should write President Obama with the clear message: FREE THE FIVE NOW. Read it all here.
AFTER ANTARCTICA. Micaela Neus continues writing…only from Chile (this week)
“One always leaves Antarctica without the promise of return. The routes back here are longer and stranger than those to other places, and require a more emphatic departure from the rest of the world. No matter how many seasons you spend working on the ice, you cannot know for certain that this one wasn’t the last. This basic truth lends an aura of melodrama and preemptive nostalgia to the final days of any season. Mine were no exception.
This wistfulness slips into some of the very busiest days of the year. A Turnover Boat happens twice a year (when one season’s crew “turns over” the station to the incoming crew) and always comes with a list of extra activities that must get done in the same number of days as a normal port call. My job is to organize and oversee offloading cargo from our research and supply vessel, the ARSV Laurence M. Gould, and the spring Turnover Boat usually carries a large load of gasoline, Freshies, science equipment and general station supplies in addition to the summer crew.
After three months of quiet routine and only eighteen other faces to see, the influx of energy and new stimulus threatens to overwhelm some winterovers. I felt refreshed, honestly! The changes came like cold water splashed on my face, shocking but invigorating, and I spent the last week zipping from one task to the next, one conversation blending naturally into another.
And then it was time to go. The morning looked like a movie set. Broken sheets of winter sea ice paved the ocean from our harbor to the horizon, but the weather remained mild and nothing appeared to move. We stood on the aft deck waving at our friends on the pier until a rare fog obscured the view completely. The ship pushed the sea ice aside and left a trail of open water behind us, leading our eyes on a path back to station. Soon the ocean closed itself up once again and we went inside. So long, Palmer Station!
A year of my life disappeared into the mist that morning. Living in Antarctica is a rupture of such magnitude that leaving closes up the slit, so quickly and seamlessly, that I find myself wondering if the whole thing wasn’t a dream. I guess it depends on where I next wake up”.
Micaela has left her living and working as a mechanic in Antarctica (which she did for more than four years), and is moving on. She was in Chile eating Avocados when she wrote this.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
LIVE FROM LONDON. If you genuinely love great live theatre you need to see any and all of the live televised productions from London’s National Theatre. Comedies, dramas, Shakespeare, world premieres of new plays, the very best in live theatre. The Del Mar screens these live ( via an antenna on the roof) and theatre people all over the world are loving what they see, and share. The next play is” THE LAST OF THE HAUSSMANS” (in state-of-the-art DIGITAL Picture & Sound!)Thursday October 11th at 7:30pm and a repeat matinee show Sunday October 14th at 11am. That’s it just twice. The release says, “Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Billy Elliott, Mamma Mia!) plays Judy Haussman with Rory Kinnear (National’s Hamlet) and Helen McCrory (The Queen, Hugo) as her children in his eagerly-anticipated new play: a funny, touching and sometimes savage portrait of a family that’s losing its grip. That’s Thursday October 11th at 7:30pm and a repeat matinee show Sunday October 14th at 11am.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express(http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), more Open Studios Art Tour updates as North County artists gear up for the weekend. Also, find out how to enjoy Britain’s acclaimed National Theatre, live, in the privacy of your own local movie theater. Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. Coming of age and fitting in and Emma Watson is the only real star. Funny, painfully reminiscent, close to home and another fine story of a bunch of friends just like you and I had a few decades ago. Go see it.
THE ORANGES. These two neighboring families live on Orange Drivein New Jersey. The teen age daughter of one family falls in love with and MOVES INwith the father of the other family!!! You’ll squirm, laugh a little and feel uncomfortable all the way through this one…but it is intriguing. It’s like eaves dropping, but you’d rather not.
RENT MOVIES LOCALLY. I’ve been renting movies at Cedar Street Video and East Side Video for at least seven years. One of my largest pleasures and joys is when I find an unknown masterpiece that was never shown on any local screen and many films that were never released in the USA…and there are hundreds. I’m working now with webwoman Gunilla to create an alphabetical list of these gems that you can go to and discover for yourself. Four this week are Pariah (2012), a study of growing up black and lesbian in Brooklyn. Sundance loved it. Black Butterflies (2010) a true story about Cape Town poet Ingrid Jonker. Bag Of Hammers (2012) Young adults scamming their way around Los Angeles come to terms with reality. Funny, well written, worth seeing. Free Men(Ismael Ferroukhi, dir.2012). Paris, young Algerian works hard to survive and faces life threatening choices…amazing, and a hit at Cannes!!! Rent them at Cedar Street Video, I did.
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.
Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9Then David Foster from Habitat for Humanitydiscusses the newly opened Re-Store project. The October 16thGrapevine has Catherine Segurson talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then Richard Popchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness Alliance. October 23rd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold returning as special guest co-host. Professional political advisor Bruce Van Allen talks about the area’s politics and makes guesses on October 30. Celia and Peter Scotttalk about the last 5 decades of local City and County politics on Election Night (November 6th) followed by retiring City Council member Katherine Beiers who wraps up her political career. Linda Bixby and Jimmy Cookwill discuss child placement and the local CASA organization on November 13.Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest winnersread 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 Jameson 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. Alyce Cadwallader keeps finding these someplace…so thank her when you see her.” The easiest way to stay young is to lie about your age“. “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”.” It’s important to have self-control. When you are angry, count to ten. When you are really, really angry, swear”. “What is this nonsense about beauty being skin deep? That’s deep enough. What do you want? A beautiful liver?”.
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS.
Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online.(Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
MUCH EXPOSED AT DESAL CANDIDATES NIGHT LAST WEEK. The Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives held a well organized Santa Cruz City Council candidates night at London Nelson Center last Thursday night. It was a night to remember!!! At one point Richelle Noroyan, because she completely lacked any knowledge of how the LAFCO –City-UCSC water authority worked, had to be corrected by the moderator Rick Longinotti. Noroyan, completely unable to stand any such give and take and so poorly informed on this topic, stormed out of the hall saying “this isn’t working for me”. I never in many years of candidates experienced such crazy behavior Can anyone possibly imagine how she would handle herself if she was on the City Council? Write her off. Also write off Pamela Comstock, even though she is backed by developers, the Council power group, and Coonerty’s she had to admit when asked, that she knew nothing and “had a lot to learn” about desal. What kind of newbie do we want on the council with these issues facing them? And she hasn’t done her homework, why???
Outgoing mayor Don Lane had the nerve to complain that he was only given 2 minutes when the sponsoring organization made a longer presentation. Lane too needs more time on the citizens side of the railing to experience what it’s like being given 2 minutes to the Councils hours of their presentations. Cece Pinheiro got a lot of laughs when she asked if anyone in the audience would like to shower with her to save water! It was a night like that. Jake Fusari is another one of those nice, young, naive kids who know next to nothing about local politics. Where are good candidates when we need them?
Mark Levy and some other well meaning readers sent this brilliant Samuel Jackson clip. Jackson based this on the hit children’s book “Go the Fuck to Sleep” which he also reads on You Tube.
PATTON EXPOSES CITIES “WATER SUPPLY PROJECT”. Gary Patton in his KUSP broadcast for Monday Oct.1st says, “The Santa Cruz City Water Commission meets Tuesday evening, and will be reviewing its role in what the City is now calling a “Water Supply Project.” To be less coy, what the City is now calling a “Water Supply Project” is actually the City’s proposed desalination plant. I continue to be surprised by the City’s unwillingness to be forthright. There are, in fact, some good arguments in favor of desalination, but there are some very good arguments on the other side, too. It would be the best for everyone, I think, if the City would frankly acknowledge what is going on”. He continues, “To summarize, the City’s “Water Supply Project” used to be called the City’s proposed “desalination plant.” Changing the name (which began with the City’s last budget) doesn’t change the essence of the project. Similarly, the City has made an official commitment to accommodate future UCSC growth by building desalination facilities. At times, City officials have denied that commitment, but it’s down in black and white, as an Exhibit to the “Comprehensive Settlement Agreement” between the City, UCSC, and other parties. Again, there are some good arguments favoring continued UCSC growth, but there are also good arguments on the other side. A full, frank, and fair discussion would be to everyone’s advantage. At least, that is my personal view. Links to the Water Commission agenda can be found at blogs.kusp.org/landuse“.
Mt. RUSHMORE ON CHESTNUT STREET, PART 2. I’m not printing the faces suggested so far for carving into that excavation on Chestnut Street extension. One caller did suggest however that the cliffs are getting extensive and expensive re-shoring because Ryan Coonerty’s close friend and business partner Jeremy Neuner’s house is atop those cliffs and just maybe this project was just slipped into some budget somewhere. Has anyone seen any public notice anywhere of this project, before or during its development? If not, why not?
ELERICK’S INPUT. Paul Elerick sends this heads up note…
Campaign for Sensible Transportation website recently updated
If you haven’t checked www.sensibletransportaton.org recently, now is a good time to do it. You’ll find a lot of new information that includes the questionnaires sent to city council candidates and the two candidates for 5th District County Supervisor, and their answers. Eric Hammer, one of the candidates was the first to return his questionnaire; we’re hoping to hear from the other (Mc Pherson). There’s also new stuff about rail and an excellent video by Peter Calthorpe describing Transit Oriented Development.
Supervisors approve Aptos Village Plan
In a love-fest for Barry Swenson Builders and county planners, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved the project known us the Aptos Village Plan, including last minute changes. The historicAptos Fire Station will be demolished and additional residential units were added. Swenson’s reps also asked to add a second “anchor store” at this time, saying in their written presentation that the project would not be “financially feasible” without it. They didn’t get the 2nd anchor store, but were required to come back with a specific proposal to their “community” who had approved only one anchor store. There still can be a hang-up with the Public Utilities Commission needing to approve the makeup of the rail crossing nearest to the Bayview Hotel.
We’ll be watching this. This project is probably the best that has surfaced over the past thirty years for this area, but still leaves the most important issue unanswered – traffic. With the threat of Safeway’s mega store being proposed just a short distance away, neither of these developers (and the County) want to acknowledge their cumulative impact on Aptos. This needs to be done before either project begins.
(Paul Elerick is co-chair, along with Peter Scott, of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation , and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).
KEVIN SPACEY DOES CHRISTOPHER WALKEN AND JACK NICHOLSON
I NEED A CAR. Over the last 37 years of creating this column I’ve asked readers a few times if they knew of a good deal on a used car….I need one again!!! The transmission is failing on the small 1995 Buick I’m driving now. Each time I put this in a column only one or two folks respond believing that I’ll be swamped with offers, nope. Then for weeks and even months afterwards folks say they “almost responded” but figured I’d get dozens of answers, but I don’t!!! So please email me at bratton@cruzio.com if you know of a car somewhere near $3000 or maybe a bit more, like $4000. I’ll be eternally grateful…and mobile. Do it now while you’re thinking about it OR if you have ideas on where I could go to get a good deal. Thanks.
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about Private vs. Public water and Monterey County possibly allowing Cal-Am possible control of their water supply. He talks about the future of Fort Ord and where’s the action on that issue? Monterey County is also working on establishing an actual Toll Road!!! 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)
XEROX COMMERCIAL. A Marilyn Monroe imitation.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. The Renaissance Faire never changes, scroll below…
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim E. unmasks the real Mitt Romney see a few pages downwards…
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s Progreso Weekly article is « Where’s The Rage »
It’s a critique of Richard Gere’s role in Arbitrage, the movie. He says, “Since we will not learn in school the lessons about the 1% we ought to know, many of us rely on movies and TV, so that through images and sound we can form ideas of who the men were who screwed up our economy. In Arbitrage, we see how Hollywood conceives of a cinematic grammar into which we can analyze the nature of the people who sparked the financial crisis” Later he writes, “This façade of a philanthropic patriarch who philanders as naturally as he dines with his family, emerges on screen as a realistic portrait of a felon who could wreck the world economy and think only of saving himself as the world collapses around him. Realism, Hollywood style. Justice? Not in the “Arbitrage” script, nor in the vision of the U.S. economy or justice system. Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered fruitless raids on licensed marijuana distributors, unsuccessfully prosecuted former presidential candidate John Edwards for campaign funds and mistress problems, and former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens for using steroids, but has indicted none of the criminal bankers who broke the system. Will a film about governmental cowardice toward Wall Street provoke the AG to arrest a real bad investment banker-arbitrager? Don’t hold your breath!” Read all of it here
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “Lace up your walking shoes for the Open Studios Art Tour this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), where I preview some notable South County artists you won’t want to miss, along with a new Open Studios-themed murder mystery by Santa Cruz author Vinnie Hansen. And speaking of art, check out the cover of my new novel, Alias Hook! ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
LOOPER. You just have to forget the age old time travel problem..that if you go back in time and kill your father then where will you be…or will you even be??? Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt shoot at each other, Emily Blunt goes around looking pretty with an axe and it’s all good film fun. Just don’t too intellectual about time travel, and enjoy the effects, some are special.
BELOVED. It’s a drama about two women and their sex lives with French actors singing pop tunes in Paris starting in 1964 sums it up. Catherine Deneuve is back and so is Ludivine Sagnier as a young singing prostitute, but they can’t save this very overworked plot. Go only if you like to see Paris scenery…there’s lots of it.
BACHELORETTE. Lots of cocaine, New York City, fuck words, and even with Kirsten Dunst there is non one in this film you’d ever want to meet of spend 1 hour and 31 minutes with (film length). However Adam Scott who’s from Santa Cruz is in it and his Mom still lives here. So if you do go and you talk about it in the future, be kind.
TERRIBLY CUTE KITTY WRESTLES TODDLER
THREE PHOTOGRAPHERS: DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS 5 Different Directions 5, a compelling new selection of photographs by Susan Lysik, gail nichols and Susan Hillyard, runs from Friday, October 5 through Friday, November 30, 2012 in the Hallway Gallery at London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center Street in downtown Santa Cruz.
This is the fifth annual collaboration of the Different Directions women. IMBY, a series of colorful images and thoughtful commentary distilled from posts in Susan Lysik‘s daily on-line photo journal, is a loving and intimate portrayal of the abundant life in her backyard garden. In dramatic contrast, Still Lives, a collection of black and white images of mannequins presented by gail nichols, explores the interplay between manufactured fantasy environments and the often unwittingly surreal urban landscape. Susan Hillyard‘s captivating images in iPhoneographycelebrate a hip new technology, and reveal some of the magical creative potential of the iPhone, where images can be taken, processed in many different ways, and shared instantly. The L.N.Center is open from 9 am to 9:30 pm, Monday through Saturday. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, October 5 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, and is included in the October First Friday Art Tour.
For further information on Different Directions 5, please contact Susan Lysik at 831/425-1305, or email soozalope@cruzio.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. OCTOBER 2nd has Susan Lysik and Susan Hillyard from Different Directions photography group talking about their new show at London Nelson Center 10/5-11/30. Then land use attorney Bill Parkin talks about the legal issues involved with the Aptos Safeway expansion. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9Then David Foster discusses the newly opened Re-Store project. The October 16th Grapevine has Catherine Segurson talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then Richard Popchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness alliance. October 23rd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold returning as special guest co-host. Professional political advisor Bruce Van Allen talks about the area’s politics and makes guesses on October 30. Retiring City Council member Katherine Beiers wraps up her political career on November 6th (election night). Linda Bixby and Jimmy Cook will discuss child placement and the local CASA organization on November 13.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. “He is such a devout Catholic, he won’t be happy until he’s crucified”, John B. Keane. “Few sinners are saved after the first twenty minutes of the sermon”, Mark Twain. “Life is the ever dwindling period between abortion and euthanasia”, Patrick Murray.
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MOUNT RUSHMORE ON CHESTNUT?? No official word yet about what or why the cliffs going down Chestnut Street between Mission and Locust Streets are being cleared, but I figured it out. The city is going to sculpt a local version of Mount Rushmore on those cliffs with favorite Santa Cruzans faces carved into the hillside. First guesses are, Charlie Canfield, Fred Keeley (with hair), Louie Rittenhouse, Jan Beautz, Dan Forbus, and of course Cynthia Mathews. And your suggestions are…..???
POLITICAL SIGNAGE. The big and expensive Cynthia Mathews sign on Louis Rittenhouse’s lot at Almar and Mission Street says more than a lot. Yes, that’s the same lot that Mike Rotkin and Scott Kennedy were caught ripping down the campaign signs back in 1998. I’ve printed Jerry Kaufmann’s and my version of that story many times over the years. Now, just to give us another accurate picture of both Rotkin and Kennedy, here is an article from the October 28, Metro Santa Cruz written by then reporter, John Yewell….
Where’s Your Sign?(Oct. 28 1998)
Jerry Kaufman is not a man who minces words.” What are you rotten stinking bastards doing?” he screamed as he hurtled himself across Almar Street hobbling on his cane. “You’re the lowest bums I ever laid eyes on.” From inside Aldos Restaurant last Saturday evening with his partner, Elaine Herman, Kaufman says he had spotted council members Michael Rotkin and Scott Kennedy tearing down campaign signs belonging to Timothy Fitzmaurice, Keith Sugar and Christopher Krohn–the Santa Cruz Action Network (SCAN) slate of City Council candidates–and replacing them with a sign for rival Linda Steinau. Kaufman, who supports the SCAN slate, swung a verbal left hook at Rotkin. “You give socialism a bad name,” he said to the leftist UCSC lecturer. He followed with a jab at Kennedy, who is a staff member at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. “You’re about as nonviolent as Mussolini,” Kaufman barked, “you disgusting fat galoots.” Then, for emphasis, Kaufman took his cane and whacked to pieces the just-installed Steinau sign. Rotkin tried to calm Kaufman down, to no avail. “Jerry was out of control,” Rotkin says.
Kennedy and Rotkin say they were on the property with the permission of the owner, Louis Rittenhouse (who confirms this), and were acting on his instructions in removing signs–although a sign for candidate Pat Clark, who is supported by Kennedy but not Rittenhouse, was not removed. Kaufman says he saw Kennedy throw a Fitzmaurice sign into the street, and produces a tire-marked sign to back up his story. Kennedy denies this. In fact, Rotkin says, they delivered the three removed signs to nearby Democratic Party headquarters on Swift Street. But longtime Democratic Party activist and high school teacher Ed Porter, who was in the office when Kennedy and Rotkin arrived, says he saw no signs delivered. Both Steinau and candidate Jane Walton say the SCAN supporters are the ones playing dirty. “I had to replace several today up on Broadway,” she says. “That’s part of the deal” of running for office, she says. Walton says SCAN candidates routinely violate municipal posting restrictions and trespass on private property. Welcome to this year’s election week sign wars”. Now in 2012 at that Almar/Mission corner along with the Mathews sign, you’ll see what we can assume is a Rittenhouse approved sign pushing Comstock. Stay tuned on this one.
CITY COUNCIL FORUM THURSDAY NIGHT. Here’s Gary Patton talking about a candidate’s night…(from his KUSP broadcasts) As a former elected official myself, I do pay attention to elections, and this year I am paying particular attention not only to the amazingly important federal and state elections scheduled for November, but to some pretty important local elections, too. County Supervisorial elections in both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties will have a profound impact on future land use decisions. City Council elections, perhaps particularly in the City of Santa Cruz, may also have a big impact on future land use and water policy decisions.
If you are going to be voting in the City of Santa Cruz (and there is still time to register to vote, by the way), you might want to attend a candidates’ forum for Santa Cruz City Council candidates, scheduled for tomorrow evening. The forum will focus on water issues, and is sponsored by the Surfriders Environmental Alliance, the Surfrider Foundation, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Peak Water, Desal Alternatives, the Community Water Coalition, Teach the Forest, and Save the Waves. The candidates’ forum will begin at 6:30 Thursday evening Sept. 27at the London Nelson Center, located at 301 Center Street in the City of Santa Cruz. The law firm with which I am associated represents the Community Water Coalition, one of the sponsors, but that’s not the only reason I am going to be at the forum tomorrow tonight. I hope to see you there!”.
JACK WEBB & JOHNNY CARSON & FUN. Peggy Snider found this gem and sent it onwards…
HUMAN TRAFFICKINGAND PROP 35. Local WILPF activist Nancy Abbey has been concerned about proposition #35, the one that claims to end or combat human trafficking. She wrote this last week for BrattonOnline…
Proposition 35,Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, seems a “no-brainer”
SHIRLEY TEMPLE WALKING IN THE RAIN
Who isn’t against sexual exploitation! But Prop 35 is so flawed that in a few years, after much damage to the life of admittedly not so innocent people, we’d be back to the ballot box as we are this year after almost a decade of the “Three Strikes” law.
This proposition has several worrisome aspects, but there’s one in particular that bothers me.
Since a major motivation for human trafficking is financial gain, the idea of increased fines and penalties seems an appropriate deterrent to the crime. But this initiative doesn’t stop there. It broadens the definition of human trafficking and requires that anyone convicted of human trafficking register as a sex offender for the rest of their lives.
Sex offender? Isn’t that a sexual deviant? A pervert in not so “politically correct” terms?
If the intent of this law is purely punitive, then living with that label is surely punishment. The framers of the initiative got that right!
But if there’s any intent of rehabilitating someone caught up in the wide net this bill would cast, that label will be a deterrent to a new means of livelihood. What chance would a convicted human trafficker have of finding honest employment after serving their time? What chance of getting education or training for another career? Of finding housing that wouldn’t be plagued with the animus and fear of neighbors?
Sorry, we need to bring more attention to human trafficking – whether sexual exploitation or labor exploitation – but let’s do it with a thoughtful approach that can deter human trafficking, not just clean up punitively after the fact”.
Others are becoming aware of the faults with propositions, and especially with Prop.35’s unique problems…In Monday’s (9/24) S.F. Chronicle Edith Kinney talks about the more and more challenging Prop 35 that we face in just 6 weeks in an article titled “Beyond Sexual Exploitation”…”Voters should remember that human trafficking is not the same as prostitution. Indeed, the state’s 2007 report “Human Trafficking in California” concluded: “[T]he perception that most human trafficking is sex trafficking must be dispelled, and other forms of forced labor recognized.” While tough-on-crime approaches to sex trafficking assuage the public’s moral outrage, cracking down on prostitution to combat trafficking will increase demands on the criminal justice system while likely doing little to assist exploited victims themselves”.
A Board of Supervisors public hearing that is scheduled for Tuesday, September 25th, on Barry Swenson’s Aptos Village development will include a review of the changes to the plan being proposed. For those new to this ongoing “plan”, originally adopted in some form in April 1979, the current plan was approved by the Planning Commission in February, 2010. Not much has changed with this property since 1979, except for lots of thrashing around by different developers that didn’t produce anything acceptable to the community, nor were investors willing to get involved. However this time, Barry Swenson Builders are sure they have a project, BUT with certain changes to the plan that was approved by the Planning Commission:
1. The historical Firehouse and VFW building must be demolished. It was deemed “unmovable”.
2. 10 more residential units need to be added.
3. A second “anchor store” must be added or the “project isn’t financially feasible”.
Searching through the documentation online, there was no indication of a traffic study being done, other than the statement “standards of dwelling unit density, site coverage, yard spaces, heights of structures, the distances between structures, off-street parking, and off-street loading facilities will be such that the development will not generate more traffic than the streets in the vicinity can carry and will not overload utilities”.
Traffic will be increased by that second “anchor store”, and traffic will be the major problem with this development. Why not more details? Also, if the Firehouse can’t be moved, what’s going to happen when they get down to moving the Apple Barn that is also a requirement of the Aptos Village Plan? (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 says we should pay attention to Watsonville’s General Plan which they will be working on…this Tuesday. He too tells us details about developer Barry Swenson’s plans for Aptos Village and our board of Supes decisions. That means 63 new residential units and 75,000 sq. ft of commercial development where the old Apple barn now sits. He talks about ALBA and why we should know more about this word and the organization behind it. (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)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA. Micaela Neus writes her very last column…from Antarctica’s ice…
After weeks of preparations, a few whispered prayers and more than one mumbled curse, the mighty ship ARSV Laurence M.Gould (LMG) arrived in Arthur Harbor last Saturday morning. Her final departure in June marked the beginning of winter and her return now signals its end. I remembered a ship that looked tubby and clumsy, was painted a garish orange with sickly yellow accents, and swayed unevenly from side to side due to her shallow draft. People often compare the LMG to a diesel-powered rubber ducky and on other days, I might have laughed at those jokes. But on that morning, no other ship on the sea could have been a more welcome sight to winter over eyes!
The days since then have passed in a blur. The boat more than doubled the population on station, not counting the ship’s crew who remain onboard, and the rush of new faces has left some of my fellow winterovers quite overwhelmed. We spent the last three months with only nineteen people and have gotten to know one another’s voices and habits.
A few footsteps or even a single sneeze would suffice to identify someone in the winter. New people mean a barrage of unfamiliar sounds and unanticipated routines. We bump into one another, do that little right-left-right dance of trying to walk by a stranger with whom you’re out of sync. Yesterday, I got confused by the fragrance of someone’s lotion: what is that bizarre smell? No one wore that brand in winter.
Yet the boat also brought the things we miss most during the winter: Freshies and mail. Nothing on earth rivals the pleasure of a handwritten postcard and crisp red apple after ninety days of canned fruit and Facebook! My first meal consisted of a pile each of carrots, cherry tomatoes, and real (not dehydrated or canned!) mushrooms, plus a generous helping of roasted root vegetables, with an apple and a banana for dessert. The emotional experience is hard to describe– I bed more relaxed and yet more homesick with each bite. You’ll find similar descriptions of food’s impact on morale and mental health in the earliest accounts of Antarctic expeditions, and I felt a sense of solidarity with my forebears. Not too long ago, people died on this continent from various forms of malnutrition and vitamin deficiency, not to mention plain old starvation. People elsewhere in the world continue to die for the same reasons today. Good food is a blessing beyond compare, and one we must fight to defend these days.
Personally, I got reenergized by the boat’s arrival. My role as the cargo supervisor keeps me hopping, mixing with our summer replacements and the ship’s crew as well as spending time with the winterovers. Still, quiet moments do manage to wiggle their way into my day. I’ll catch myself looking across the harbor at the glacier or over toward the
mountains behind our little islands. Not exactly day-dreaming, not exactly zoning out. My impending departure has stirred up a surreal form of nostalgia, one that starts before the trip ends. One day soon, I’ll wake up somewhere that is not Antarctica. What then?
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and was living at Palmer Station, Antarctica now she’s leaving, and probably forever!!)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE SQUIREL. Kit Birskovich found this tribute to mother nature and patience…and especially NUTS!!!
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo deals with fast food and fast legal action…scroll down
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim visits Romney World again, featuring thrill rides for the rich!! Page downward about 3 pages.
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul writes, «On A pedestal of Nuclear Immorality » he says, “What did Iran do to us to merit heavy U.S. sanctions? The media doesn’t ask this question. Oh yeah, 30-plus years ago Iranian zealots grabbed some CIA and Embassy folk in Teheran and held them hostage, and then let them go, and Reagan took credit. But before we plunge into military conflict with Iran, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu extols, the press might indulge its public in some useful historical review – they forgot some important history – to try to deal with the alleged threat of “nuclear mullahs” as Bill Keller called Iran’s religious leaders”. He closes with, “.Nuclear weapons are bad, just as the Iranian Ayatollah characterized them. And the United States has exclusively used them, and then tested them. Its political leaders knew the tests could hurt humans. We stand on a pedestal of nuclear immorality when we threaten Iran”. Read it all here
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “Don’t turn around, but the Open Studios Art Tour is just around the corner. Read my handy guide to getting the most out of Santa Cruz’s premiere art event this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/)—beginning with the Open Studios Preview Show opening at the Art League this Sunday. ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
RUBE GOLDBERG IS ALIVE AND WELL. Another Birskovich discovery which is one of my favorites…
THE MASTER. Scientologists have been told not to see this film, but you should. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and especially Joaquin Phoenix do Oscar winning roles in this spell binding film. The director Paul Thomas Anderson has always made fine films but this one tops them all.
END OF WATCH. One of the finest cop-buddy movies I’ve seen. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena make you believe they are good friends and South Central LA cops too. All the acting, and especially the camera work, is exciting and new, and a lot of hand held action. The locations are authentic, the plot has a few holes in it but go see it, very well done.
DREDD IN 3D. Another Blade Runner justice in a future mega city type violent bloody excellent movie. The main villain is named Madrigal (really) the futuristic boring buildings were probably designed by Barry Swenson (maybe) but above all that is a fast paced, beautifully edited, fantastic use of 3D the likes of which we seldom see. If you like these no holds barred enforcer films go see this….and see it in 3D.
HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET. Elisabeth Shue has done a little better in her film career and Jennifer Lawrence should sue whoever made this piece of crap horror flick. At least when somebody goes down the stairway into the cellar part of the stairway is circular…and that’s about the only original bit in this stupid (only 12% Rotten Tomatoes) horror mess. Don’t even think about this film. That’s why they didn’t publicize it, or the ratings.
TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE. This is Clint Eastwood as I’ve always thought of him…corny, trite, sappy, not too quick. His movies, his acting, and his politics are all in the same bucket. A Hollywood dollop of tripe. Don’t go. Except that Amy Adams does do her usual excellent acting, in spite of everything.
CAPITOLA BOOK CAFÉ READING. Joanne Leonard author of The Healer of Fox Hollow will be doing a reading at 7:30 p.m. from her book Thursday Sept. 27 at The Capitola Book Café. It’s a fine book and Joanne is an excellent writer, and Rick Kleffel will be doing a live interview with Joann for his KUSP “Agony Column” Program.
HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. There’s a lot of new stuff here and check it out at http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html, such as Korean Culture Day at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill in a few places, BluePrint’s Dancas Nativas in SF, Bosnian Sevdah & Dance at the Croatian American Cultural Center, Sri. Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath – violin duet in Milpitas, Sonny Landreth on guitar, “Women Over the Edge,” Ensemble Basiani, there’s just no end to it. 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.
On Sept. 25thScott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes followed by Jim Emdy from KUSP. He and I will talk about the many area opera season’s. OCTOBER 2nd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold returning as special guest co-host. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9th ,then David Foster discusses the newly opened Re-Store project. October 16th Grapevine has Catherine Segurson and Rebecca Goldman talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then Richard Popchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness alliance. Land Use attorney Bill Parkin talks about the legal issues involved with the Aptos Safeway expansion on October 23rd followed by Linda Bixby and Jimmy Cook discussing child placement and the local CASA organization. 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. Amazing but true, Alyce Cadwallader sent even more winning quotes…
“What do you mean, my birth certificate has expired?”,
“Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. “Yes” is the answer”
“Don’t you think it is funny that after Monday (M) and Tuesday (T) the rest of the week is WTF?”
“You have to stay in shape. When my mom was 60, she started walking 5 miles a day. Today she is 97. And, we still don’t know where the hell she is.” Thank Alyce, not me.
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS.
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EAST CLIFF DRIVE NEAR SEABRIGHT. CIRCA 1911. Carolyn Swift of the Capitola City Museum tells us that this photo was taken by Alfred Sutton and the folks in the photo are headed to downtown Santa Cruz.
Lou Cavigilia of Louis’ Cajun Kitchen & Bourbon Bar (Clouds) said, in an unusual FB note, that I was out of touch and should spend as much time downtown as I did back in the day. He’s gloating here about the San Francisco Warriors defeating our City Council and the Beach Hill Neighbors…and defeat they did. But Louie should know that I now spend way MORE time around downtown, collecting news, gossip and an occasional fact. It’s just that Louis hangs with the sports crowd in his bar and I hang with environmentalists, and that ilk at Lulu’s Coffee House. Louie (then owner of Clouds) and I also disagreed over the Rittenhouse Building. Along with many, many friends I waged a long battle to have that vacant corner turned into a small park-like “Plaza” with tiny little gazebos and businesses, and a performing arts space with lots of benches and grassy knolls. Louis and the City Council won that battle too, and now we have the Rittenhouse Building staring at us. What victories!!! What City Councils!!!
THE CHALICE WITH THE PALACE & THE VESSEL WITH THE PESTLE.
Danny Kaye was never funnier than in this bit …
UNIONS & THE BASKETBALL ARENA. Judi Grunstra emails to add, ” I watched several hours of the City Council meeting (on TV) at which they discussed the Warriors proposal. As you mentioned in your column, why didn’t local unions weigh in on their role (or lack of) in this? Did it have anything to do with the fact that the structure is only a temporary one? Unions were certainly very much involved in the proposed La Bahia project. Do you have any idea of why they didn’t speak up this time? There are so many issues, large and small, that have a potential downside, from the neighborhood issues to the junk food that will probably be sold at the concessions, to the security at the games, etc. (the council mentioned inspecting backpacks, but what about metal detectors, security cameras?) And in peace-loving Santa Cruz, a team called the Warriors. Oh the irony!” Judi Grunstra. She’s right, how long will it be before the police need more money to cover the extra patrolling the nights after the basketball games let out? Could we have a contest to see if there is any structure in the world uglier than the Kaiser PermanenteTent? Then too Ryan Coonerty who used out of town promoters to win his elections, and who helped bring the “out of town” Warriors D team here, who has opened his private business branches “out of town”, had the unmitigated gall to criticize Beach Hill Neighbors for using an “out of town” attorney?? Wait too, isn’t John Barisone Capitola’s Out of Town Attorney?? Remember back in the day when the Santa Cruz City Council worked very hard to actually represent the citizens of Santa Cruz? Now it’s rare on any land use issue that the citizens don’t have to fight the City Council…and none of the new or old candidates are much, if any, better.
LEVITATION AT THE BEACH. Try this between sets.
ERIC HAMMER GETS SIERRA CLUB ENDORSEMENT. Here’s what Eric’s endorsement by the Sierra Club says, “Thank you for your efforts in seeking our endorsement for this year’s Election. Many factors are taken into account as described in Club guidelines. In addition to having well thought out pro-environmental positions on a variety of issues facing our county, other factors including electability, community involvement, enthusiasm and vision are considered in making endorsements. We do not take making endorsements lightly and purposely set the bar rather high. The Santa Cruz Group of the Ventana Chapter has chosen to endorse you for the seat of District 5 Supervisor in Santa Cruz County for the June 2012 election. This endorsement has just been authorized by the California State Sierra Club organization. You are now permitted to list our endorsement and the official Sierra club seal of endorsement logo on your campaign materials”. Ask McPherson about how he supported a Nuclear Power Plant in Davenport, the 12, 000 home development in Wilder Ranch, the condos on Lighthouse Point…just ask him.
HISTORICAL PHOTO DATA CORRECTION. Stanley Stevens author, editor, historian states “The photo for last week’s column (Thursday, September 13, 2012), labeled “ca. 1867” is about 10 years off. My research shows that the Santa Cruz City Hall, the building to the left of the site of the 1882 Octagon building, was built in 1877, by Architect William Henry Burrows. Burrows also did the Smith Opera House in Santa Cruz, 1877 and the City Hall, on the West side of Front Street (at site of MAH), Santa Cruz, 1877. Architect of the City Hose Cart, Santa Cruz, 1877. Architect of the Katie Hihn Cope House, Walnut Av. at Chestnut St., Santa Cruz, 1877.Architect of the Nathaniel Manson House, Walnut Av., Santa Cruz, 1877. Architect of the Murdock Young’s Candy Store, Ice Cream Saloon, & Candy Manufactory, Pacific Av., Santa Cruz, 1877-78. Stan Stevens closes with… “Also, the method of keeping the dust abated was by driving a horse-drawn wagon with a tank loaded with water. Known as “sprinkling”, this was used until the streets were macadamized”.
MORE ON SAME PHOTO DATA CORRECTION. W.C. Casey adds and agrees – “this is a great photo.(scroll down) Besides the good view of the 1867 Courthouse, the building on the left is the first City Hall, built in 1877. The Octagon was built in 1882, so the photo was made sometime between those two dates. The building partly visible to the left and behind the Courthouse is the 1873 Odd Fellows building, with its mansard roof. The very top of the clock tower is visible just to the left of the Courthouse tower. The building behind and to the right of the Courthouse was known as the Ely Block No. 1 (built in 1875). On page 161 of John Chase’s Sidewalk Companion, there’s a photo of these same buildings (plus the Octagon) from Pacific Ave.
NBA BASKETBALL CHEERLEADERS. Just what we need in Santa Cruz check out the Wizard Cheerleaders.
CHESTNUT STREET CLIFF DESTRUCTION. Every tourist has noticed, every local has wondered, and traffic has been mucked up for weeks…and still no explanation why the huge undertaking and cliff removal on the Chestnut Street cliffs. (between Mission and Locust streets). How much is that costing our City? Who ordered it? Will that one block widening really help the flow of traffic down Chestnut? And once again…where are the experts and authorities who can identify all the remains both human and archeological and preserve them? Who’s in charge there? Who’s supposed to be in charge there? Ask your City Council candidates those questions too.
BALANCING A COKE CAN
JOHN STENOVICH SERVICES. The sadness over John Stenovich’s dying won’t go away for years. The services will happen Saturday, October 13th at 2 p.m. at The First Congregational Church, 900 High Street.
SANTA CRUZ POLICE AND BUMS AND BIKES. Some more questions for all these wanna be City Council candidates…1. What will you do to stop the illegal noise caused by the roaring motorcycles racing around our downtown? How will you force our police to enforce the noise laws against those bikers as equally as they enforce the loitering anti-homeless ordinances? 2. Bums, real bums, are hanging out and sleeping nights in the Public Storage lockers at 1001 River Street across from the Tannery. Why aren’t the cops protecting the neighborhood from these hoods?
TOOTHPASTE COLLECTION. If you head over to MAH between now and November 25 you can see “Santa Cruz Collects“. On the second floor right next to the antique dentist chair is my collection of toothpastes from all over the world. I’ve been collecting for maybe 35 years. About half of 70 or so come from well meaning friends who have enjoyed trying to find “local” toothpastes. I checked out toothpaste collectors online, there’s very, very few and they all apparently collect like “Barbie”, “Spongepants” and American type pastes..not me. Also please note if you can read them that I think every single tube from everywhere contains FLUORIDE!!!
SPEAKING OF TEETH… PORTLAND GOES FOR FLUORIDE. I reported last week that Portland was one of the last large cities in the USA to NOT fluoridate their water… they just decided to do just that!!! Congratulations Portland…we should have a City Council so smart.
ELERICK’S INPUT. Paul Elerick writes… Santa Cruz County Metropolitan Transit District continues to excel!
The Campaign for Sensible Transportation received this information from SCCMTD General Manager Les White: “By way of an update, METRO placed five new Highway 17 buses in service in 2008. In 2010 The Santa Clara VTA used funds from their local sales tax Measure A to purchase five additional Highway 17 buses and title them to METRO. Metro continues to set ridership records on the service and is expanding
frequencies as funds from the slowly rebounding economy allow.” Many of us cannot make use of the METRO for various reasons, but many do, especially the Highway 17 route. It’s reassuring that people like Les White are in charge there, and continue to fight the financial battles to keep our busses running. Also, there seem to have been improvements in the bus service to Cabrillo. With school now in session, the long lines waiting for busses aren’t as long as they have been in the past”. (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 talks about more land use issues in Monterey. He relates the issue of keeping Fort Ord wild or…., then he gives details on the transportation Commission meeting that’s happening. And he says we need to pay more attention to the Garrapata Water System..which seems obvious!!! 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)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA. I emailed Micaela Neus (our voice from Antarctica) because I hadn’t heard from her in a while. I know she’s getting ready to leave, here’s what she wrote, (in merely minutes)…
“I celebrated an anniversary on Monday, a full year on ice, and Antarctica put on her party hat for me: fifty knot winds and a mild blizzard! I felt myself take on that peculiar hunch as I picked my way between buildings, walking the way one does when the ground is too slippery to trust. A few weeks ago, shuffling along in exactly the same posture, I wondered how long we would have to live in these conditions before new muscle memories would erase the old. Perhaps after enough time, our bodies might literally forget how to behave in the rest of the world. Life on another continent would be like hugging a stranger, familiar in basic form yet not entirely comfortable.
I rarely get a chance to celebrate anniversaries, honestly. I began deploying to Antarctica in 2007. I haven’t stayed in one place, relationship, job, or even country for an unbroken year since then, unless time in Antarctica counts. In a sense, Antarctica belongs to each of these categories. It’s a place where I work, distinct from any other nation even though it’s not officially a country. Most significantly, this continent is my long-term relationship. I wake up with her, work with her, plan my life around her. Friends and family became somehow secondary after we met. They have come to understand that plans must bend around the time I choose to spend here, a place they cannot visit.
Heck, I’m going to grad school in order to better understand her wants and whims! I would not do the same for any living person.
Of course, every relationship has rough patches, demands compromises, etc. The last few months of winter have gotten a bit stifling and the anniversary has forced me to ask the question, Is this Where I See Myself Another Year from Now? The answer is complicated, but I do think we should spend some time apart. Last Sunday I packed my bags which gave me that gut-twisting mixture of regret and relief familiar to everyone who has ever “moved out.” My big red taxi arrives in less than a week, ready to float me back across the Drake Passage, north to the Real World and whatever comes next”.
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and has been living at Palmer Station, Antarctica from 2007 until October 2012.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. De Cinzo checks out traffic problems…looks more like hwy.17. Scroll below…
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim deals with TRUTH in a searingly honest way…scroll below.
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau reacts to the Campaigns and writes, “USA and Mexico Best Democracies Money Can Buy”. He says, “Republicans have also tried to limit participation in voting by numerous means, including pushing so-called Voter ID laws that would demand photo identification of all voters. The less the masses vote, the better for the oligarchs. In Ohio, the GOP controls both houses of the Legislature, the governorship, the secretary of state’s office, and the state Supreme Court. Soon after the 2008 election, it imposed a draconian photo ID law designed to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of suspected Democrats, as is being done in other states around the U.S. Since 2009, the Ohio GOP has purged roughly a million citizens from the state’s voter rolls. This accounts for some 15% of the roughly 5.2 million votes counted for president in the state in 2008. The purge focuses on counties that are predominantly urban and Democratic. In addition, electronic voting machines have been installed throughout the state, which are owned, operated, programmed and maintained – and will be tallied – by Republican-connected firms.
Saul continues later and says, “Mexico’s elite still attempts to hide its political hands because their Supreme Court has not yet informed their people that corporate wealth is a form of freedom of expression as Citizens United did for the American public. So there is plenty of proof that U.S. and Mexican super elites have modernized election theft. The old days of stuffed ballot boxes and dead people voting now appear as primitive larceny techniques. The piety of both elites about how they cherish democracy has become downright offensive. Read it all here…
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), meet some obsessed Santa Cruz collectors and their amazing stuff in a new exhibit at the MAH, and feast your eyes on the splendid new film from graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), in live-action and living color. Also, with a certain famous pirate captain poised for a comeback this year, check out my illustrated history of Captain Hook on stage and screen. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
ARBITRAGE. Richard Gere in many suits, and Susan Sarandon filling in as tricky wife to Gere’s “one percenter”. That’s it, and it does have some Wall Street type tension going for it…no Academy Awards here…but, yet, maybe, it has a certain something that keeps you awake though the entire 108 minutes. That something is a vehicular accident that involves Tim Roth. Any Tim Roth film is usually worth seeing.
CROOKED. The play Crooked produced by The Van Antwerp Theatre Company at the Broadway Playhouse is definitely worth seeing. It’s an intense drama between a 14 year old daughter, her Mother and the daughter’s new girlfriend. Arguing, screaming, exciting, loving, questioning, and touching. One non-stop act with many scenes, it’s playing now though Sept. 29. Tickets at brownpapertickets.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. Mireya Gomez will talk about the Day Worker Center in Live Oak on Sept. 18, then Rose Sellery and Lisa Litten dish last minute details on their fashionART show. On Sept. 25thScott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes followed by Jim Emdy from KUSP. He and I will talk about the many area opera season’s. OCTOBER 2nd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold returning as special guest co-host. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9th ,then David Foster discusses the newly opened Re-Store project. October 16th Grapevine has Catherine Segurson and Rebecca Goldman talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then Richard Popchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness alliance. 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!!!
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. More from AlyceCadwallader of Redding, CA. formerly Alyce Vestal of Watsonville.
I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.
This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore.
I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.
All the toilets in New York’s police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.
Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS.
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060
The original Santa Cruz County Courthouse. This is pre-Cooper House pre-Octagon hall of Records and pre-Lulu Carpenter’s Cooper Street!! It’s of course Front Street and Cooper, circa 1867. Note the organic streets and no visible trash anywhere!!!?
DOROTHY DANDRIDGE AND THE NICOLAS BROTHERS, AND EVEN GLEN MILLER!
QUESTIONS FOR CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES. All those meaningless candidate forums are blossoming around the City and County starting just about now. Any candidate worth their salt can shake their way out of direct answers. In consideration of that weasel-ness ask Cynthia Mathewsand Don Lane why they support a NON UNION Basketball Arena. Then ask any and all of them…
Who will you vote for, McPherson or Hammer?
Will you allow a Walmart or another Whole Foods in Santa Cruz?
Do You agree with what happened at La Bahia, Arana Gulch, and theCoast Hotel?
Do you Support the Warriors $5.4 million dollar basketball arena?
Do you want a de-sal plant here?
Is widening Highway 1 a good idea?
Don’t let them sneak out of answers by saying “studies must be done”, “we must look into that”, “it’s too early to make a statement”, as candidates they must have platforms and statements and most importantly solid positions on all of above. Go get ‘em!!
LOU HARRISON STATUE ON HIGHWAY ONE!!! This is the best idea I’ve had in hours…you know that monolith remainder of the La Fondabridge that still stands in the middle of Highway One?? Lets commission a local sculptor to create a statute of Lou Harrison to put on top of it!! Don’t snicker…just think for a minute. Here’s Lou Harrison, world famed composer with out any tribute or recognition from his hometown. Not one greedy developer has even named a street, a cul-de-sac after Lou. No Santa Cruz City Councilmember has ever suggested such a thing, neither has Aptos or its Chamber of Commerce said anything about honoring Lou. Lets get together and think about that. Have you heard any statements from Aptos Safeway about naming any of its monstrous plotting after Lou? The answer is nope!!!
FLUORIDE AND PORTLAND AND SAN JOSE. From Monday’s New York Times… it’s the same story that our backwater town goes through. Notice how it says, “In Portland, Ore., the largest American city not fluoridating its water , a decision involves questions of personal choice and societal burden”. It also tells how the City of San Jose voted to fluoridate its water last year!!!
ELERICK’S INPUT. Paul attended the annual Labor Day Picnic (and missed last week’s deadline) here’s his report:
Best Labor Day Picnic Ever!
Our Central Labor Council brothers and sisters hosted the best attended Labor Day Picnic ever! Parking was stretched to its limit at DeLaveaga Park, but nobody turned around and left. It was a wonderful event with inspirational music and speeches, the usual meet-and-greet by those running for office, and a great turnout of organizers of the various measures. WILPF and PDC were neighbors doing tabling along with many others. The event produced this impressive turnout of Labor supporters:
California Secretary of Natural Resources, John Laird
State Assemblymember Bill Monning (and candidate for State Senate District 17)
Cabrillo College Trustee Margarita Cortz
Santa Cruz County Board of Education candidate Sandra Nichols
Santa Cruz County School Boardmember Jack Dilles
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Mark Stone and candidate for 29th Assembly District Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Candidate Eric Hammer
Monterey County Supervisor Fernando Armenta
Monterey County Supervisor Jane Parker
Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter
Santa Cruz City Council candidates Micah Posner, Steve Pleich, Richelle Noroyan, Don Lane, Cynthia Mathews, Pamela Comstock, CeCe Pinheiro
Santa Cruz City Councilmember Lynn Robinson
Watsonville Mayor Eduardo Montesino and City Councilmembers Lowell Hurst, Daniel Dodge Sr., Oscar Rios, Felipe Hernandez Angelica Lopez, representing Watsonville City Council candidate Karina Cervantez
Salinas City Council members Jyl Lutes, Gloria De La Rosa
Candidate for Salinas City Council Margie Wiebusch
Candidate for Monterey City Council Alan Haffa
Pacific Grove Mayor Carmelita Garcia
Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado
Candidates for Live Oak School Board Jeremy Ray, Phyllis Greenleaf
Candidates for Santa Cruz City Schools District Patty Threet, Sheila Coonerty, Claudia Vestal
Santa Cruz City Schools District Trustees Ken Wagman, Steve Trujillo, Deb Tracy-Proulx
Salinas Union High School District Trustees Lila Cann, Evamarie Martinez
Gonzales Unified School District Trustee Becki Rangel Hadley
Candidates for Pajaro Valley Unified School District Maria R. Orozco, Lupe Rivas, Karen Osmundson
Candidate for Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Jennifer Colby
Noticeably missing were County Treasurer Fred (who?) Keeley and 5thDistrict Supervisor candidate (ex-Republican and recently turned into an “independent” Bruce Mc Pherson, recently endorsed by Mr. Keeley. Could they both have been “out of town”? (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).
YODELING
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about our City Council and The S.F. Warriors deal. He discusses Monterey County Land Use decisions; he bemoans the possibility that the Fort Ord Land Use Authority may be phasedout of existence and gives us details on Prop. 31. 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 )
LOUIS ARMSTRONG…WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo show he cares about UCSC students returning to Santa Cruz. See downwards about 3 pages..
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim examines the real meaning of citizenship… see below a few pages…
FOREVER 21. How did we ever do without Forever 21 on Pacific Ave???
Funny picture sent in from Pomeroy Audio of Brooklyn, N.Y.
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau has problems with the election…Read “Think About Life Under President Romney Shudder” The biggest and most dangerous distortion, however, comes with his casting of corporations as “people… Of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. Where do you think it goes?” (Aug. 11, 2011) At Bain, he amassed some $250 million by piling debt onto U.S. companies, and then leeching huge fees from those companies, as payment for his advice: either fire workers or move their jobs to Asia. He chose Paul Ryan as his Vice, a self-righteous liar with whom he plans to destroy Medicare under the banner of saving it. (See Paul Krugman’s “The Medicare Killers, NY Times August 31.) He backed the two foolish wars of George W. Bush, for which the U.S. borrowed money and increased the deficit. Now, Romney blames Obama for the economy-in-free-fall he inherited from Bush, and the recession reaching across the world. Only memory will destroy Republican chances in November, so keep your recollections clear and at hand.
Obama did not cause the current mess. Nor did his stimulus “make things worse,” as Paul Ryan repeated at the RNC. Indeed, Ryan supported every catastrophic Bush initiative, only to become reborn in ideological innocence in time for the election. But some people, as Chris Matthews said, “knew him before he was a virgin.” God help the public if it doesn’t see through these corporate hustlers”. Read it all here
ROBOTS. Robot and Frank, the film has nothing on these freaky creations…
LISA JENSEN LINKS. “The Fall Arts season in Santa Cruz is officially under way! This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), get ready for a royal smackdown at Jewel Theatre Company’s ambitious season opener, Mary Stuart. Also, big book news from another local novelist (not me), and how you can help her out.” Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
PESKY DRIVER SOLUTION. Debbie Bulger sent this brilliant traffic solution
SAMSARA. If you loved Koyaanisquatsi, Baraka, and Chronos, you’ll love this one. No words, just a 70 mm travelogue shown in brilliant digital screening at the Del Mar.
Like any good documentary it gives you lots to think about. IF you are an optimist you’ll leave this film wildly enthusiastic about life If you’re a pessimist…guess what? Go see it just fir the sheer beauty.
SLEEPWALK WITH ME. Complex, worth seeing, worth thinking about. A would be comic played by director Mike Birbiglia makes us think about our roles in life. Quirky, off beat, imaginative, unique. Go for it!!
THE WORDS. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoë Saldana. Because 41st Avenue had a power failure on Saturday I had to see 4/5 of this film twice.The odd thing is that I liked it more than every critic in the USA and most of the Rotten Tomatoes people too. It is cerebral, and only a little corny and far fetched at the end, and you must like “chick flicks” which I do…so go see it and let me know what you thought. It’s about writers, and their inner lives.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY. Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver play dull predictable roles in this piece of junk. It’s a government secret plot that happens in Spain. Sigourney Weaver has never, never been worse…Do Not Attend!!
BRANDED. I’ve liked Leelee Sobieski ever since Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut but she and Max Von Sydow should be ashamed to have been cast in this other piece of junk. It could have been a contender because it centers on all the corporations controlling what we think by modifying our food…don’t see this one either.
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.
Julie James from The Jewel Theatre Company will talk about their new season and Jim Stearns will discuss his book “Feeding The (Grateful) Dead” on Sept.11.Mireya Gomez will talk about the Day Worker Center in Live Oak on Sept. 18, then Angelo Grova and Tina Brown return to dish details on their fashionART show. On Sept. 25thScott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes followed by Jim Emdy from KUSP. He and I will talk about the many area opera season’s. OCTOBER 2nd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drivewith County Supervisor John Leopold repeating as special guest co-host.Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9th ,then David Foster discusses the newly opened Re-Storeproject. October 16th Grapevine has Catherine Segurson and Rebecca Goldman talking about The Catamaran Literary Reader then RichardPopchak discusses The Ventana Wilderness alliance.
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-grapevinethen 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 Harderon 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 Dolgenoson Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Conpany. Then there’s Pat Matejcekon 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, Celiaand Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011. Hear them all!!!
QUOTES. “I am you, you are me, what are we doing to each other?”,Chicago Seed. “Hell is Other People“, John Paul Sartre. “If I were dead I couldn’t attract a female fly”, Richard Brautigan.
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
NON HISTORICAL PHOTO. This photo courtesy of The Beach Hill NeighborsAssociation shows the parking and living problems IF the Basketball moguls get their way with our City. Look at that photo, think about where you’d park…how far would you walk? Think about all the other places the Warriors basketball corporation could put this monstrosity. Do we need such ugliness next to our already decaying San Lorenzo River?
BASKET CASE #1. Doesn’t it seem odd that Kaiser Permanente denies health coverage anyone living in Santa Cruz County and still will have their name on the front of this “temporary metal tent”?? Have you seen the hot cheerleaders on the Warriors website? Will we have Santa Cruz High School girls doing this??? And didn’t we stop the Miss California Pageant for the same reason???
BASKET CASE #2. Check out how nervous Don Lane is in this Channel 8 newscast as he attempts to explain how the City Council really, really isn’t railroading the project.
BASKETBALL PARKING??? From the email bag…
Here’s a map and a note from the Beach Hill Neighbors Association to help you locate the proposed basketball arena construction.
WHO OWNS THE WARRIORS AND WHY DO THEY NEED OUR $5 MILLION DOLLARS? Unloading the email bag we read….”Mike Ozanian, writing for Forbes about the business of sports, says: “Peter Guber and Joe Lacob bought the Warriors basketball team in 2010 for $450 million. Last November, Guber and Lacob bought a development team, the Dakota Wizards, reportedly for around $2 million. Guber also recently bought an interest in the LA Dodgers baseball team, which sold for $2 billion, and as you can see, he is no stranger to mining for government benefits”.
A CASE OF SWOLLEN BASKETBALLS.You might want to read a few thousand words by Bill Simmons, a basketball authority, on the hapless Golden State Warriorshere. It’s lengthy (then again, there’s so much bad news), Bill Simmons is the editor-in-chief of Grantland and the author of the recent New York Times no. 1 best-seller The Book of Basketball. For every Simmons column and podcast, log on to Grantland. To send him an e-mail, click here.
IDENTICAL TWINS (11 MONTHS OLD) SHAKIN’ IT UP. Kit Birskovich found this cutesy gem, check it out…
DOCTOR JOHN STENOVICH DIED. John Stenovich was not just an excellent dentist he changed people’s lives and lived a happy life himself. He died last week. We lost an excellent human, a fine cornet player, and a sense of humor that will never die. He was my dentist for decades…I miss him.
SANTA CRUZ WEEKLY OR WEAKLEY? First there were more words around town that The Santa Cruz Weekly couldn’t pay for writing additional event coverage then last week it was announced that Steve Palopoli would be brought back from the
free lance “contributor” list to replace Traci Hukill as editor of the Weekly. Newspapers are a strange business. Which reminds me that next year marks my TENTH (10) year blogging BrattonOnline…
SCARED OF HEIGHTS? Don’t watch this….really!
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary says on his KUSP series, “The Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, will meet Wednesday, September 5 at 1:30 p.m. at the Capitola City Hall. If you care about water supply issues, within the water service area of the City of Santa Cruz, you may want to attend.
LAFCO will soon decide whether or not the City of Santa Cruz should be allowed to extend water service, outside its current water service area, to facilitate over 3,000,000 square feet of new construction on the UCSC North Campus. Since the City is facing a genuine water supply crisis, this is not a trivial question, and LAFCO is taking it seriously. A couple of informal LAFCO committees will be reporting at tomorrow’s meeting. The final decision is scheduled for the Commission’s October meeting. That meeting will be held on October 10th, and the location of the meeting is yet to be determined. The Wittwer & Parkin law firm, with which I am associated, is representing the Community Water Coalition, which opposes the extension of water service to the UCSC North Campus unless and until it is clear that there is an adequate water supply for existing customers, and to keep fish alive in North Coast streams and the San Lorenzo River. There is a meeting about that topic also on Wednesday. The Department of Fish and Game is addressing these issues at the Scotts Valley Hilton, starting at 10:00 a.m.
(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)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA.Micaela Neus wraps up Antarctica slowly…”We have entered our last month of winter solitude. The replacement crew arrives in three short weeks. The time will pass in a blur of preparations for the summer season of field science, so we try to concentrate on wrapping up the remaining winter projects even as our thoughts start to drift northward. In other words, we start paying more serious attention to the news.
Antarctica has an insulating effect, psychologically. News of the Real World gets discussed, but often feels about as significant as the hunks of brash ice in the winter. They appear, bobbing harmlessly about the harbor, after a glacier calving. People comment when one looks like a swan or giant face and high tide may strand smaller pieces on the shoreline for a few days. Eventually, it all melts or disappears over the horizon. And nobody cares, really. We don’t need to go boating, so brash ice has little meaning to us.
Headlines matter more than ice, of course; still, it’s a fair comparison. We flew the flag at half mast for the Sikhs slain in Wisconsin and made as many bitter “legitimate rape” jokes as we could through clenched jaws. Nevertheless, these events happened on another planet to unfamiliar people called “Americans”– an alien race to which everyone here belongs– and we aren’t expected to respond to them ourselves. They occur without any social context for us, like getting a postcard from a colony on Mars.
Presidential campaigns are a particularly funny example of this phenomenon. I spent the winter of 2008 in Antarctica as well, making this year’s elections the second time in a row that I’ve missed on the TV commercials, protests, bumper stickers, petitions, arguments, rallies and other forms of foreplay that lead up to our getting screwed in November. I don’t want to get into bed with either of these men, frankly… and yet none of us will be avoid waking up to one of them in another few months. Antarctica has allowed me to stand back and watch the campaigns like another Olympic event. In one short month, I’ll have to get back into the game myself. What’s my move? “.
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and is currently living at Palmer Station, Antarctica until at least October 2012.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. Professor DeCinzo deals with a non-vegetarian meal.
See below a few pages
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim goes even more profound than ever…scroll below…
LANDAU’S PROGRES.Saul takes on baseball as a business….he could have said the same about pro basketball ever coming to Santa Cruz. His article is titled “Baseball Hell Of A Business”. In it he states, “The players, especially the stars, make high salaries, but the team owners reap the big profits from tickets, TV rights, plus the food and booze sold at the games. It’s a big business, like all professional sports, that uses good old American values to lure buyers – come see the game and buy tee shirts and other paraphernalia that says “Giants” on it (hats, jackets, sweatshirts, bats, autographed balls and anything a sales maven can think of) – anything to attract a young child or mentally undersupplied adult. Nielsen reports that “ad spending on sports jumped 33% ” between 1974 and 2011, “to almost $11 billion annually.” In case one wonders about the price of tickets, “team owners in Major League Baseball (MLB) set ticket prices as profit-maximizing monopolists.” (Donald L. Alexander, Major League Baseball, Monopoly Pricing and Profit-Maximizing Behavior Journal of Sports Economics) So, when you take your family to the ballpark to root for the Giants, Dodgers, Marlins, whoever, and if you feed them at the ballpark, you’ll be over one hundred dollars poorer – albeit you’ll have spent the afternoon outdoors with the family who will then want to buy things they saw advertized on TV while watching a baseball game at home. Baseball might be a sport kids play, but professional baseball is solid business. Go Giants!” 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: “It’s all about books this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), as Laurie King launches her new Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes mystery, Garment Of Shadows at the Capitola Book Cafe. Breaking news about Alias Hook my new novel, it’s headed for publication next year.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
SCARY MOVIE NEWS. A knowledgeable film enthusiast emails…”Food for thought. Here in “progressive” Santa Cruz, the number one grossing movie in the county (August 24-26 weekend) was the conservative anti-Obama doc 2016 at the Cinema 9, ($4,767 for the 3 days).It did about $1,100 more than the next highest gross. Not sure what this means, but it scares me”. I agree and think we should be very, very scared!!
CHICKEN WITH PLUMS. This part fantasy film takes place mostly in imaginary Tehran. It’s cute, clever, blah, blah, and nicely photographed. Nothing really wrong with it, but you won’t remember a thing about it afterwards. The same folks also made Persepolis a few years ago which was animated…this one isn’t.
LAWLESS. Guy Pierce never looked so greasy and nasty. Gary Oldman never was so totally unused, Jessica Chastain just sort of appears occasionally. The picture does NOT achieve what it tried to say. Poorly cut and completely senseless in parts it still has some fine scenes in it. I’m not yet a fan of Shia Le Boeuf, the “nice” kid as lead in this “based on true life” shoot em up.
POSSESSION. Is a Jewish versions of the Exorcist…seriously. It’s about a Dybbuk in a box. Wikipedia says …” In Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk (Yiddish, from Hebrew adhere or cling) is a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person”.. The first 3/4 of this movie is almost as boring as Cosmopolis but it takes off when it goes way over the top into the Jewish traditions. I liked the last part…scary, bold, well directed.
COSMOPOLIS. Good film directors make bold statements in their films. See Fellini, Bergman, DeSica etc. David Cronenberg directed this film and he’s done statement before like, Bug, Crash, M. Butterfly, and History of Violence. Cosmopolis is a boring flop of a film. It’s faux intellectual, preachy, and more boring than the brain can take. Robert Pattinson was better than expected, Paul Giamatti does his best, but it’s still a serious miss of a film.
HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. A few new things on the page and a top-of-the-list reminder that Debo Band will be at Yoshi’s in San Francisco on Tuesday night. You will not doze off there! And they might still have a half-off ticket deal for web purchases of tickets. Other than that: The O’Brien Party of 7 (not to be confused with another local band of the same name), at the Freight and Kuumbwa, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, the remarkable Andy Irvine resumes his west coast tour, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill at the good old Ku-UM-bwa and in Pacific Grove, the south Indian violin duo of Nagaraj and Manjunath, ace electric guitarist Sonny Landreth, and eventually the Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile. But there will be updates before they get to town. I think the autumn flood of upcoming gigs will be upon us shortly. What there is, is to be found here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html, per usual. And don’t forget about Gabriella Café’s Salon Series. Next up is poet Gary Young, on Tuesday night (if you’re not going to hear Debo in SF). Check here about that, and oh yes, Jeannine Bonstelle is now singing there on Wednesday evenings. More in due time. 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. Grapevine on Sept. 4th will have Joan Van Antwerp telling news about the Van Antwerp Theatre Company’s next play. “Crooked” opening Sept. 19. Right after Joan, Jack Bowers and Sayaka Yabuki from New Music Works will share thoughts about their John Cage tributes. Julie James from The Jewel Theatre Company will talk about their new season and Jim Stearns will discuss his book “Feeding The (Grateful) Dead” on Sept. 11 Mireya Gomez will talk about the Day Worker Center in Live Oak on Sept. 18, then Angelo Grova and Rose Sellery return to dish details on their fashionART show. On Sept. 25thScott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes followed by Jim Emdy from KUSP. He and I will talk about the many area opera season’s. OCTOBER 2nd means the Bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive with County Supervisor John Leopold repeating as special guest co-host. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9th ,then David Foster discusses the newly opened Re-Store project. 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!!!
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. All of these quotes are from long time friend Alyce Cadwallader now of Redding, CA. Where she got them… we’ll never know…
“Never test the depth of the water with both feet”. “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you”. “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day”. “Don’t worry; it only seems kinky the first time”. “A closed mouth gathers no foot”. “Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night”.
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“THREE WAY” TRAFFIC ON PACIFIC (1925-28). Note the cars PARKED on both sides of Pacific Avenue and a parade of cabins on trucks going down themiddle of the street. You can also see the then County Bank Building at Cooper and Pacific and all the men wearing hats!!! That’s of course our Town Clock sitting in its’ original location atop the IOOF Hall.
THE BASKETBALL ARENA. It took a while but at last the citizens are taking a look at Don Lane, Martin Bernal and The Warriors proposed Basketball Arena. First there’s the Beach Hill Neighbors meeting and asking Lane about noise, parking, the $5 million dollars more that the City is supposed to loan to the Warriors, and the avoidance of the many zoning laws effecting this “temporary” structure. As they did with The Coast Hotel, The Development of Terrace Point, and The La Bahia Project, SCRP(Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning) have invited representatives from the City to a meeting to discuss the visual impacts of the tent, will there be any extra events between May and September when the area is already packed with parking, and will the city be responsible for cleaning up the neighborhoods after each event? There are so many more questions we should all be asking before we allow this railroading by our city officials. Ask those City Council candidates where they stand on the Basketball Arena would they be supporting it if they were on the Council now…knowing as little as the Council does?
PARKOUR DOG FROM THE UKRAINE. Ann Osterman found this one.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY GRAND JURY YEAR BEGINS. This oft maligned group could have an impact if we assisted them in looking for issues. I’ve been summoned but excused once or twice but still think that given the proper directions the Grand Jury might have effects. Here in its entirety is their press release…
August 22, 2012, Santa Cruz, CA–The Santa Cruz County Grand Jury has started its 2012-2013 investigation year. The Grand Jury is a group of trained citizens charged with ensuring that county and city departments and special districts function in the best interest of the residents of Santa Cruz County. The Grand Jury is the watchdog group that holds local governments accountable to its citizens.
If you have a complaint or commendation about your county or city government services or conduct, this year’s Grand Jury wants to hear from you. You can access complaint forms online by visiting “http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/grandjury/index.htm, or outside Room 318-I at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. You may also email grandjury@scgrandjury.org or call (831) 454-2099.
About the Santa Cruz Grand Jury
The Grand Jury is a body of 19 local citizen volunteers impaneled by the Superior Court of Santa Cruz in accordance with the California Penal Code. The Grand Jury has three primary functions: (1) selectively audit local governmental agencies and officials; (2) investigate citizen complaints; (3) publish its investigative findings and recommendations to improve governmental operations. For additional information or press inquiries, please call the Grand Jury at (831) 454-2099 or email grandjury@scgrandjury.org.
ELERICK’S INPUT. Paul Elerick reports on the Aptos Safeway Development…
APTOS SAFEWAY SHOPPING CENTER, THE LATEST.
Last week, the latest “design review” meeting was hosted by Safeway consultants, Safeway execs, their “development company”. It was the best attended public meeting Aptos has seen for awhile. The Sentinel reporter said 160 people were there, but that didn’t include those that couldn’t get in due to space not being available. The format set up by Hamilton/Swift consultants left only a few minutes (less than 10) for public input on the project, which is what most of the audience was there for, having seen enough of Safeway’s design in previous meetings. Here’s how the half-hour for “public testimony” was allocated.
Introduction of several Safeway and developer managers – five minutes
Introduction of Theresa Thomae, director of Cabrillo’s Small BusinessDevelopment Center who has been funded by Safeway with a $50,000 grant to help relocate existing businesses who will be put out on the street – 10 minutes.
A rather long winded statement of support for the project by Chris Mann, the Board President of the Santa Cruz County Business Council, speaking as an Aptos resident – 5 minutes.
That left about 10 minutes to have the people reminded that the meeting was only to discuss “design review” that left new attendees wondering when they could voice their opinion on the project.
The design review presentation looked a lot like previous designs presented by Safeway; the audience being told there would be a “larger” meeting later on. Most of the people there, wearing anti-Safeway t-shirts and holding anti-Safeway expansion signs stayed for the rest of the design review, but are looking forward to that “larger” meeting at a larger venue. Cabrillo College’s theater was mentioned as one place that would work. Here’s hoping that this meeting will be managed in an orderly manner, and Aptos residents will be allowed to speak”. (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 reports on The Attack against CEQA and says, “The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is California’s most powerful and important environmental law. More than anything else, CEQA facilitates and empowers community participation in the governmental decision making process.
I’ve placed a link in today’s Land Use Report blog to Everyday Heroes, a publication of the Planning and Conservation League Foundation. Everyday Heroes provides story after story about how CEQA is being used to protect our natural environment, to prevent pollution, to accomplish environmental justice goals, and to support good community development and land use planning. I’ve also included links to some of my own recent writing about CEQA, and particularly about the attack on CEQA that is being mounted in the State Legislature.
GOODBYE BOARDWALK HURRICANE. I love roller coasters, even these little metal ones and will miss “The Hurricane”. Lets hope Charlie doesn’t plan on another high rise ugliness like “The Doubleshot” that goes against every environmental principle by rising its’ 125 foot proof of how money and fear can buy out our city council.
I hate to say it, but it appears that Governor Jerry Brown has joined the attack on CEQA. His recent statement that “I’ve never seen a CEQA exemption that I don’t like,” has, at the very least, emboldened those business interests that would like to avoid CEQA requirements. Last week, as you may or may not know, we almost lost CEQA entirely in a last minute legislative play to “gut and amend” a completely unrelated bill that would essentially have made CEQA meaningless. On August 13th, Brian Nestande, a Republican member of the California State Assembly, did something quite unusual. He voted for a bill, AB 1500, containing a tax increase. Nestande was promptly stripped of his Party prerogatives by other Republicans, but the fact that he voted for a bill with a tax increase, authored by the Democratic Speaker of the Assembly, was explained by the fact that the Speaker had apparently promised him that the Speaker would support legislation to eliminate all those horrible environmental provisions in the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, that the Republicans have loved to hate for the last twenty years or more. In other words, the leadership of the Democratic Party in the Assembly was rumored to be ready to eviscerate CEQA, in return for this pro-tax vote.
By last week, it was clear that Democratic State Senator Michael Rubio, from Bakersfield, was prepared to carry a bill to gut CEQA, put together by a business-based coalition. I saw a draft of the proposed legislation, and it would, in fact, have essentially repealed CEQA, without doing so upfront. Last Wednesday, the President pro Tem of the Senate, Darrell Steinberg, put an end to this “gut and amend” revolution for this session, but promised significant changes to CEQA next year. For all those who care about environmental protection, get prepared for a battle royal – and maybe even before next January”. Read all the rest 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)
Micaela Neus emails from Antarctica…”The calm before the storm: that’s the phrase on everyone’s lips these last few days. The first boat of the summer season arrives almost exactly one month from today and will bring in our replacements so we can go home. The preparations for the Turnover Vessel (so called because we will “turn over” the station to the new crew) will take every moment of the next few weeks. We must clean and stock supplies, stage the northbound cargo and shovel out the storage places for the incoming cargo, wrap up all our winter tasking, hide the evidence, etc. No matter how much we do, we’ll think of something we left out.
But all that starts in September. These last two weeks of August still hold some of the pleasures of a secluded winter on ice. The Real World has yet to intrude and there’s a feeling that we’ve got the whole continent to ourselves. For another ten days or so.
And then the rush and crush of coming and going. I’m looking forward to seeing my summer friends return although I know it will be like meeting an alien species. How do you have so much energy? Why are you so tan? And where did you get that avocado? They’ll look at me in much the same way and ask me what the winter was like. I’ve got one month to think of my answer”.
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and is currently living at Palmer Station, Antarctica until at least October 2012.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo imagines the John Lennon tragedy scroll down…
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan plus 1,000,000 Mitts…a nightmare, down below
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s article is titled, “A Move To Free The Cuban Five”. Saul and Danny Glover visit Gerardo Hernandez in prison in Victorville. He states, “We drove from the prison to the Ontario airport and asked ourselves: What, we asked ourselves, was a well-educated Cuban man doing in such a place? The U.S. government knew the Cuban agents had infiltrated Cuban exile groups that intended to cause damage to Cuba’s tourist economy. The five were fighting terrorism and sharing information with the FBI. They should never have been charged and now, almost 14 years of prison later, they should at last be freed. President Obama could and should pardon them and send them home. Cuba has indicated it would respond by freeing Alan Gross, who worked for a company contracted to USAID with a design to destabilize the Cuban government and was convicted in Cuba. It’s time for President Obama to put this issue on his agenda” Read the entire story here….Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD fromroundworldproductions@gmail.com
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa had a big Birthday Party last weekend and is recovering….she says she’ll have a bunch of surprises including her signing a book publishing deal, if you go to… http://ljo-express.blogspot.com
Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN.Why this magnificent film has that name is a mystery to me. Sugar Man was/is only a record producer it’s a great singer Sixto Rodriguez who was searched for. Please see this film if you like great song writing, guitar music, enjoy genius, and have ever wondered about the seamy side of show business. It’s one of the finest documentaries I’ve ever seen. Read more here…
COMPLIANCE.Truth is way more than fiction and this film tells of phone call pranks (disasters) that ruined people’s lives. All about phone call sex, fast food clerks, and superb acting, this film will freak you out and leave you trembling and nervous. Once again, it’s based on phone calls that are still happening. Go see it and wonder.
ROBOT & FRANK. Frank Langella has always been a fine actor and he does very well in this pseudo comedy about a forgetful senior who has to live with a robot his son buys for him. It’s pretty good but should and could never win many awards for anything, except frustration.
PREMIUM RUSH. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a bicycle messenger in NYC. He gets chased by Michael Shannon and the result will remind you of Bullitt. Great bicycle chase scenes, for no reason at all it goes into a quasi-comedy then hard core action. Not great, but the stunts are fantastic and you’ll stay with it all the way through.
2 DAYS IN NEW YORK (but it seems longer). This is a French Comedy directed by it’s star Julie Delpy. French comedy is different from Spanish or British or Italian or Asian comedy. French comedy isn’t funny, and this film proves it. Don’t go.
A GEORGE PAL PUPPETOON…in case you forgot, or weren’t there!!
PARANORMAN IN 3D.I liked George Pal Puppetoons (see above) so when I heard that Paranorman was the latest in stop motion animation I had to see it. Stop motion animation is now so computer driven that it’s nearly impossible to see any difference from any Pixar, Spielberg computer driven cartoon. Paranorman is boring, trite and not worth seeing. Vampires, vampires, everywhere…when will it end??
HIT AND RUN. This absolutely blah attempt at comedy is a road movie. The plot IF you can stay awake to follow it, involves lots of people in cars driving and stopping a lot to do stupid things. I have no idea why it was made….and had to look it up 2 days after I saw it just to remember the storyline…it’s that bad.
YES ON P PARTY TIME… Measure P is the Right to Vote on Desalination. And on September 7, First Friday in Santa Cruz, you’re invited to a Barn Dance at the 418 Project, 418 Front St. No partner or dance experience necessary. Andy Wilson, the popular caller at Pie Ranch barn dances, will teach the dances to live music. Dancing starts at 8pm. Tickets are $25 or $12 for students, with proceeds benefiting Yes on Measure P, the Right to Vote on Desalination. Prior to the dance there is a dinner catered by India Joze, starting at 6.30pm, reservations required..
To reserve tickets to the dinner and/or the Barn Dance, go to VoteOnDesalSC.org or email rtvod2012@gmail.com All tickets will be available on the day of the event at Will Call. If you have any questions about this event, or you would like to check on the status of your ticket purchase, please feel free to contact Mathilde Rand at 831-475-2411“.
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 Tuesday, August 28 Lisa Uttal Project Coordinator of the brand new Santa Cruz Marine Sanctuary Center will guide us verbally through the new place. Sally Green from The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz follows Lisa. Grapevine on Sept. 4th will have Joan Van Antwerp telling news about the Van Antwerp Theatre Company’s next play. “Crooked” opening Sept. 19. Right after Joan, Jack Bowers and Sayaka Yabuki from New Music Works will share thoughts about their John Cage tributes. Julie James from The Jewel Theatre Company will talk about their new season and Jim Stearns will discuss his book “Feeding The (Grateful) Dead” on Sept.11. On Sept. 25thScott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes followed by Jim Emdy from KUSP. He and I will talk about the many area opera season’s. OCTOBER 2nd means the Bi-annual KZSC pledge Drive with a special guest co-host. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 9th, thenDavid Foster discusses thenewly opened Re-Store project. 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!!!
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. “It’s not the size of the Ship; it’s the size of the waves“, Little Richard. “I wish I could change my sex as I change my shirt”, Andre Breton. “It is better to have a positive Wasserman test than never to have loved at all”, Doctor Hip pocrates.
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A GENUINE KITCHEN BROTHERS PROJECT. Raymond Kitchen built most of this abalone shell, stone, and concrete “temple” in 1947. Dr. Stoller ,who did mushroom fertilizer research, finished the structure in 1954. According to John Chases book, Kitchen got the idea from a postcard he received from India. This temple is at 1211 Fair Avenue.
BRUCE McPHERSON’S BANK SUES COUNTY BANK. In Saturday’s (8/18) Sentinel we got to read this story… “SANTA CRUZ – Not often do banks sue each other, but two local banks are going head to head over the only remaining empty lot downtown since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. A lawsuit filed July 30 by developer Bill Brooks, lender Bayside Capital Partners and Lighthouse Bank against Santa Cruz County Bank gives a look inside the lending industry and its practices five years before the real estate market crashed. In this case, the crash has left the Lau property, a key piece of downtown real estate, tied up in litigation, with local lenders scrapping to get their money back. The property is located at 1547-1549 Pacific Ave. Most of the parties involved are big names locally: Brooks, who planned to build the Park Pacific luxury condo complex on that empty lot, Santa Cruz County Bank, headed by David Heald, and Lighthouse Bank, headed by Rick Hofstetter”. And it goes on, and on. What it didn’t mention, and we can only guess why, is that The Sentinel never mentions Lighthouse Bank’s owners Bruce McPherson and Redtrees Property Developer Craig French. Check out the rest of that 1% as in ONE PERCENTERS right here..see names you know like Jesse Nickell, John Burroughs, Doug Austin
FRED KEELEY IS A TRAITOR. Friday’s Sentinel (8/17) printed Paul Sosbee’s great letter…in case you missed it here it is…
FRED KEELEY IS A TRAITOR. Fred Keeley’s recent endorsement of Bruce McPherson is a betrayal of his previous constituents, and of his personal ethics. Bruce McPherson is trying to buy a sweet “retirement job” with his extensive political contacts. McPherson is basically a carpet bagger from Pasatiempo trying to tell us he can represent residents of the San Lorenzo Valley. Personally I will hold Keeley accountable for this betrayal of party and principle. McPherson is wrong for us, and furthermore McPherson’s recent change of party status tells us what kind of guy he is: no integrity, anything for a job, he will even drop his party affiliation in hopes of getting it. Paul Sosbee, Boulder Creek
HUMAN DOLPHIN. Like we need about 200 of these wonderful machines in our Monterey Bay Sanctuary..
INTENSE TAEKWONDO FIGHT…AND IT’S CUTE!!
SPEAKING OF JUGGLING. David Thiermann found this stunning clip of the world’s best jugglers…check it out.
BRUCE McPHERSON’ SACRAMENTO VOTING RECORD. You can and should check out the long report on McPherson’s Sacramento voting record…here it is….. http://www.mcphersonrecord.org . This is the same Bruce McPherson who only got a 6% rating (out of 100%) and who voted against these environmental issues
protecting state parks from unrelated development, limiting diesel engines’ carbon emissions
shifting the management of state forests to sustainable forestry practices
disclosure of carcinogens in cosmetics
limiting air pollution at port facilities
protecting salmon and other fish in North Coast streams
launching efforts to fight invasive species
protecting federal lands from environmentally destructive activities
McPherson also voted against these bills affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians in 2004.
According to Equality California’s Official Legislative Scorecard for the 2004 Legislative Session, Senator McPherson received a score of 20% (out of a possible score of 100%) on bills affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians in 2004.
non-discrimination in employment
urging Congress to end discrimination in immigration policy
a pilot HIV/AIDS pharmacy program
expanding sexual harassment training
technical amendments to Domestic Partnerships Law
creating a clean needle exchange program
legalizing clean needle sales by pharmacies
McPHERSON SUPPORTERS? It’s never surprising to see names like Louis Rittenhouse, Larry Edler, Kris Reyes, Jesse Nickell, Harvey Nicholson, Betty Danner, Charlie Canfield, George Ow, Gary Reece, Tom Honig, and Debbie Elston supporting a PRO-DEVELOPMENT Republican like Mc Pherson. It’s some of those other supporter names that surprise and disappoint so many and so much. You know who they are.
DRIVE IN THEATRES STILL WORK!!! Judi Grunstra sent this NYTimes piece. There are only 368 drive-in theatres left in the USA. And because they are so economical and affordable they are succeeding. Of course our all-wise elected officials elected to allow our much loved drive in to be torn down. And why was that exactly???
ELERICK’S INPUT. Paul Elerick says…
Vote Yes on Measure P and a Desal Dinner and Barn Dance!
Santa Cruz water customers will have a chance to vote on their water future by voting Yes on P in November. Hopefully Soquel Creek customers will have a chance to vote on the same issue, and I believe they will. Also, save Friday, September 7 to help with passing measure P. Information is at the end of this article.
Some more comparisons/contrasts between the two water districts involved with Desal.
Santa Cruz estimate of potential increase in water demand by 2030 = 15%
Soquel Creek Water District estimate decrease in water demand by 2030 = 11%
Soquel Creek Water Demand Offset Program requires developers to offset 120% of water demand from new projects.
Santa Cruz has no program to require developers to offset water demand, other than a new program under discussion to offset UCSC expansion.
Soquel Creek Water District Board asked their staff to determine how to achieve the desired pumping reduction (2900 acre-ft/year) with conservation alone (no desalination or water transfers)
Santa Cruz City Council has not asked their staff to investigate any alternative to desalination.
Soquel Creek District has written letters in October, 2011 and April, 2012 to Santa Cruz City Council asking for negotiations regarding water transfers and requesting Santa Cruz to initiate water rights applications with the State to enable the water transfers.
Santa Cruz City Council has not replied to those letters.
Two weeks ago I wrote here that SCWD’s alternative to Desal was a 40% reduction of water usage in drought years. That remains true, but the 40% reduction would be for all years, rain or drought. In either case, as a SCWD customer I’ll take the 40% reduction option if I get a chance to vote on it.
Description: Our Kickoff Fundraiser will be on September 7th, with a dinner catered by India Joze, followed by a Barn Dance. Dinner tickets must be reserved in advance. Dinner & Barn Dance tickets: $50 and up (students, $25) Barn Dance only: $25 (students, $12) To reserve tickets, send check to RTVOD, PO Box 3203, Santa Cruz, 95063. Tickets can also be reserved online by going to the RTVOD2012.org “Events” page. All tickets will be available on the day of the event at Will Call. If you have any questions about this event, or you would like to check on the status of your ticket purchase, please feel free to contact Mathilde Rand at 831-475-2411“. (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).
OWL PETS DOG. Very strange but watch it…what’s this world coming to???
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about Aptos and Barry Swenson planning, he mentions The Monterey Downs then closes on Friday with, “A City General Plan Update is still pending in the City of Capitola. I encourage Capitola City residents to read the latest version of the General Plan Update, and to get involved in the General Plan Update process. While project level planning decisions always attract the most attention, the long range planning decisions that are incorporated in a community’s General Plan are actually more important. That is because all project level approvals have to be found “consistent” with the adopted General Plan. The General Plan, in other words, is just what the courts say it is, a “constitution for land use.” Just as the enactments of the U.S. Congress must be consistent with the U.S. Constitution, actions taken by local governments that affect land use have to be consistent with the community General Plan. In the meantime, as the General Plan Update process proceeds, the City of Capitola continues to process various land use related projects. One project that might be interesting to KUSP listeners and BrattonOnline readers, is the proposed Villa Capitola Senior Housing project. This proposed project would require the demolition of an existing commercial salvage yard and the subsequent construction of a 23-unit market-rate rental development in a new, three-story building. The project is proposed at 1575 38th Avenue. The comment period on the project Initial Study ends on Monday, September 3rd. 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)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA. Micaela Neus emails direct from Antarctica…
“Whenever I meet people on the street back home and Antarctica comes up in conversation, jaws drop. The very mention of the continent conjures up images of rugged treks across a frozen wasteland and rough seas studded with icebergs. These do exist, of course… but not for the vast majority of people stationed here! Our work requires that we stick close to our stations and any travel that takes us more than two miles away from our own bunks counts as a serious bit of business. I’ve only left the two-mile radius Boating Safety Limits once in the past year; most days I stay within a few hundred feet of my pillow.
In fact, I can describe my daily route: down the Winterover Stairwell to my office, turn left through the Garage toward the Galley for meals, back to my office again, turn right out the door to the Warehouse to work, up the same stairs to the Gym, down the hall the our shared bathrooms, then back to my room. Repeat that sequence for a couple hundred days and it’s easy to forget why exactly Antarctica appears so exotic to northerners.
But then something happens to remind me that only a few people have a chance to take this place for granted: the seabirds returned this week. Kelp Gulls screaming at the Brown Skuas squawking back at them. Giant Petrels hanging in the sky like shaggy kites, so silent and still that you start looking for someone holding the string. I was squinting through a snow flurry, trying to sort out the Antarctic Terns from the Wilson Storm Petrels, when I remembered the Sheathbill nests tucked under our garbage compactor. Did their chick survive the winter? Will they return again this season? Moments like that bring these dead walls back to life. To honor that awareness, I’m posting some photographs of Palmer Station like the one seen here on my blog (http://thrills-chills.com) with some brief captions. The place looks a little prettier with a bright clear sky behind it, but these shots are more realistic!”
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and is currently living at Palmer Station, Antarctica until at least October 2012.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo examines our « power structure » see below…
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Eagan reveals the hiring of the Veep 2B?…scroll below
MICAELA IN PERSON IN ANTARCTICA. No screenings at Cannes or Sundance or Tribeca, Berlin or Aromas but here’s a very short psycho drama that BrattonOnline correspondent Micaela Neus created…
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s weekly article is sort of a review of Jerry Mander’s new book. He says, “Reading Jerry Mander’s The Capitalism Papers: Fatal Flaws of an Obsolete System (Counterpoint: Berkeley, 2012), I recalled lessons from my first Marxism class at the university. Capitalism has no morality, but must constantly grow. It creates inequality, exploits labor and nature and fights wars. Mander sees no way for all these negative qualities to lead the world to happiness, or even survival. Some keen observers noted these qualities of capitalism more than 150 years ago. But only good can come from reiterating basic truths and Mander has written a readable and snappy critique of the economic and political system that governs our lives and he offers good reasons to get rid of it and find a healthier – non-utopian – way to live together under a different economic and political system. Capitalism has produced a world of things, but in doing do so it has destroyed hunks of the environment, and made a mess of human relations. Karl Marx saw this in the 19th Century; Mander in the 21st“. Read it all here…
SAND ART VIDEO. I’ve always been a sucker for this jerky talent. Yes, there are better sand artists but…
LISA JENSEN LINKS: Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express, learn what you can do to help the local wild kitten population—for free—through August and September, courtesy of Project Purr. Also, it’s all over now, but find out why I think Anything Goes may have been the best Cabrillo Stage musical, ever!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
KILLER JOE. This is a masterpiece in the same category as Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, Bad Lieutenant, and other bloody, sex filled, blacker than black humor films. It’s the kind where you don’t want folks to know you laughed, and liked it, but did anyways. It has way fewer killings and violence than stupid films like Expendables 2 but it’s sharp, clever, thoughtful…and still funny. William Friedkin directed it. He also directed The Exorcist, Bug, French Connection and many more Mathew McConaughey, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church, and Juno Temple are the courageous stars of this never to be forgotten film. I loved it, but go warned
AWAKENING. A Classic British ghost film. Done with style, thought and some genuinely frightening moments. It takes place in a boarding school in England 1921, and Dominic West is the real star. He starred in HBO’s The Wire, was actually born in England and has a genuine Brit not Baltimore accent. Rebecca Hall and Imelda Staunton are perfect in their parts….see it IF you like ghost films.
EXPENDABLES 2. Bruce Willis is the youngest (57) then Arnold Schwarzenegger (65) and Sylvester Stallone (66) and that’s most of the story. Old guys doing stand-ins for other stunt men. A few dumber than dumb jokes, and of course the audiences are about the same…and it was the best selling film last weekend. What else needs saying, movie audiences are getting dumber and dumber…you should hear the laughs in the theatre over this piece of junk. Shameful, and all the stars are Republicans, they’ll probably desert the party like Bruce McPherson did.
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.
KUSP’s poet Dennis Morton will discuss poetry on August 21, after Dennis will be
Maryanne Porter from The Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters. On August 28 Lisa Uttal Project Coordinator of the brand new Santa Cruz Marine Sanctuary Center will guide us verbally through the new place. Sally Green from The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz follows Lisa. Grapevine on Sept. 4th will have Joan Van Antwerp telling news about the Van Antwerp Theatre Company’s next play. “Crooked” opening Sept. 19. Right after Joan, Jack Bowers and Sayaka Yabuki from New Music Works will share thoughts about their John Cage tributes. Julie James from The Jewel Theatre Company will talk about their new season on Sept.11. Jim Emdy also from KUSP and I will talk about the many area opera season’s on Sept. 25th. then Scott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager discusses films, digital releases and local movie tastes. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 2nd. 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!!!
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. With a special deep bow to Phyllis Diller…(1917-2012)
“Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.” “I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” “Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home.” “We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.” “Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.” “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?”
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TWO WAY TRAFFIC ON PACIFIC IN 1953.The decades old argument over traffic on Pacific Avenue never dies. One way, two way, or better yet… closing it temporarily as a test. It would solve a lot of things. This is Pacific, Lincoln and Soquel Streets.
CLOSING PACIFIC AVENUE (TEMPORARILY).Earnest and heavy debates have continued almost daily about what to do with traffic on Pacific Avenue. Merchants being afraid of changing anything, ever, have always opposed any opportunity to alter their way of life. They oppose any parades, community events, or plans through the Downtown Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Now we’re seeing another attempt to make Pacific Avenue back into the traditional two way street is was for decades. When these plans are proposed there are always groups who want to close Pacific entirely and make it into a pedestrian mall. It’s worked for Santa Monica, it’s worked for Culver City and many cities around the country.
HERE’s a brilliant idea (dating back at least to post earthquake 1989 days…Close Pacific Avenue TEMPORARILY. Use those highway 17 type movable blocks and close Pacific just for 6 (six) months. See what happens. Check business reports (assuming there would be no fudging) and more importantly, assume that the merchants do not own Pacific Avenue. Put out some tables, chairs, benches, listen to the merchants woes and cries about the homeless, but end the bickering and guessing about Pacific Avenue. Be bold, adventurous, and add some new and needed magnetic attraction to bring our families , friends, and the rest of us back downtown.
STOMP OUT WINERIES!! Jan Mitchell sent this Opinion piece from the Salinas Californian dated July 25th. It bears a lot of new thinking..
*CORRIDORS OF CONTROVERSY*
Do Monterey County voters favor the “Napafication” of our wondrous Steinbeck Country through development of an Ag Winery Corridor Plan (AWCP)? Just imagine, 80 NEW miles of wineries, all meandering down River, Metz, Elm and Toro roads, all the way to Lockwood. Recently, reading the Salinas Californian“Wine Goal” feature, I questioned why special treatment for one special interest. Supervisors are elected to protect our County, our valuable agricultural land and environment, and our breathtaking coastline, which should include an equitable balance between a healthy economy and citizens’ safe quality of life.
In 2006, Monterey County grapes were a $255 million industry, with 41,209 acres planted in vineyards. How much is enough? Today, acres of healthful trees and habitat have been removed to make pathways for more vineyards. Take a look; as far as the eye can see. What happens when we have a glut on the market? Even Croatia has joined the competition! Viticulture is a thirsty crop. Continued expansion of grape acreage unfairly sacrifices our dwindling water supply to serve more vintner profits.
In addition, there are 21 possible accessory uses which can be approved for each winery (i.e. wedding chapels, bed & breakfast, picnic/campgrounds, restaurants, farm/employee housing, convention centers, golf courses, tennis courts, concerts etc.) The AWCP can easily become a sprawling city within itself!
More urgent, while some well-intentioned organizations advocate numerous sober-driving plans, the reality is we have more than our share of “not-so-sober” drivers. Consider why “Don’t Drive Drunk” messages are counter-productive. Danger awaits everyone when “wine sippers” drive. Yes, one can continue tasting and become intoxicated; it happens. There won’t be enough “tipsy taxi’s to transport visitors unfit to drive. Is this the future we want?
Who pays to upgrade corridor roadways to serve this commercial development? Existing infrastructure is insufficient to carry the current traffic load. In 2004, a conservative estimate for improving these roadways to safety standards was $180 million plus. Today, with concrete costs “up” per Caltrans, imagine current expenses. Take a drive; witness for yourself. Cha-ching!
And, what about adequate police officers to patrol this corridor? Shrinking government budgets guarantee more and more layoffs. In 2005, Fresno air regulators had approved the nation’s first air quality controls on wineries in an effort to clamp down on the smog-forming chemicals that drift into the atmosphere during fermentation. The winery rule approved by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District asked the 18 largest winemakers in the 8-county region to reduce pollution coming from their plants by 35%. Wineries in the valley had come under scrutiny because the fermentation process that turns grape sugars to alcohol releases ethanol, methanol, and other organic compounds into the atmosphere, where they react with sunlight/heat to form Ozone. Regulators estimated that the grape fermentation process released about 788 tons of pollutants per year.
The Californian reported (3/12/2006) “California Second in Air Pollution” only to New York, among states with the dirtiest air, according to data from the EPA.
To date, we haven’t solved our water, traffic, infrastructure, budget, and/or safety problems to the extent that we can afford such a mega plan. The current process works; why mess with success? (530) * Jan Mitchell is the representative of the Prunedale Neighbors Group, who has monitored the AWCP (Ag Winery Corridor Plan )for over a decade. (551).
LATTÉ BREAKING NEWS. Dr. Peter Nash long time favorite Santa Cruz Doctor who left town years ago, is returning to do a reading from his book, Coyote Bush: Poems from the Lost Coast. It was the winner of the 2011 Off the Grip Press Award for Poets over 60. There’ll be a reception with refreshments starting at 5 p.m. He’ll be at The Felix Kulpa Gallery at 6 p.m. this Saturday August 18th. Check out the book review
ELERICK’S INPUT.Paul Elerick gives us another look at The Regional Transportation Commission.
SCCRTC’s Commute Solutions Ride Sharing Program report card rates an “F”.
As reported here back in 2008, I was distressed that the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation (SCCRTC) had received a $120,000 grant from the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District’s treasury to fund their Commute Solutions program. This money went towards helping Cabrillo College’s students reduce auto dependency by encouraging alternative transportation usage, and should have gone to promote a competing program called RideSpring. Why so? RideSpring was already in use at Cabrillo, used by faculty and staff, and was a proven success. All that was needed at the time was to extend its availability to over 16,000 students. But instead the funding went to SCCRTC’s Commute Solutions program, a decision that has been proven a failure based on very little results. How so? Here’s a timeline:
June 2008: the RTC submitted a grant application to the Air District that expected to achieve at least 11 tons of pollution reduction in two years. The estimated emission reduction savings were calculated from 1900 carpoolers over a two-year period.
August 2008: the Air District awarded $120,000 to the RTC for this two-year program that was to end in February 2011. Three members of the RTC on the Air District’s board supported Commute Solutions (the RTC’s program) getting the $120,000 over RideSpring.
January 2011: the RTC requested a one-year extension to the project.
March 2011: The Air District approved the one-year extension to February 2012, stating that “all other terms and conditions of the existing grant remain in effect and that no further extensions will be entertained or approved by the Board”. In the early part of 2012 the RTC requested an additional two-year extension from the Air District, before submitting the results report in March 2012. Air District’s Air Pollution Control Officer, Richard Stedman: “We’re confident that the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission can get to where they need to go based on the plan they submitted.” How is this even possible? The project has already failed. The plan they submitted was supposed save over 11 tons in a two year period. It has taken three years to save 40 pounds of pollution (less than 0.2% of the expected result has been achieved). Providing the RTC with two more years does not change these results, or fix this disaster. It would be like providing more time to a very slow marathon runner that had only covered 300 feet when the other athletes had crossed the finish line 26 miles down the road. “If we give more time, he still could win!” – doesn’t really work, does it? The Air District evaluates projects based on measurable results, not on the opinions of grant recipients. The most important measurable results being emissions reduced and cost-effectiveness achieved. The actual results delivered, even with the one-year extension, was well under 1% of what was estimated by the RTC in the submitted plan, at a cost of close to $2M per ton, rather than the estimate of $10,500 per ton. What can be done? Perhaps the Air District Board of Directors or SCCRTC commission members can take action and prevent further waste of public funds? They can be found here: http://www.mbuapcd.org/component/content/article/12/36 http://sccrtc.org/about/commission-members/
(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’s KUSP daily program deals with Affordable housing in Santa Cruz, A toll road in Monterey County, new plans for Soledad, and a Santa Cruz City Water Management plan. He also says this about that proposed De-Sal plant… This November, voters in the City of Santa Cruz will get to decide if they want to have the final say on whether or not the City should help construct a new, $100 million dollar plus desalination plant. The so-called “Right to Vote on Desal” Initiative will be on the ballot on November 6th, though only within the City itself.
As KUSP listeners and BrattonOnline readers probably know, the City’s water service area goes beyond the City limits, encompassing areas in Live Oak, the City of Capitola, Pasatiempo and Branciforte, not to mention agricultural areas on the County’s North Coast. The election in November will not really be on desalination, per se. It will be on whether or not City voters should have the final sign off on a desalination project that could be very expensive, and that could have some very significant environmental impacts. Keeping the debate focused on the “right to vote” question seems very appropriate at this stage. That is actually the question that will face the voters in November. Nonetheless, many KUSP listeners and BrattonOnline.com readers might like to start reading up on the desalination process itself. If you are in that frame of mind, I’ve placed a link to a recent report on desalination in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. The report comes from the Pacific Institute, and is called Desalination, With A Grain of Salt. The link is available at kusp.org/landuse.
Gary Patton Two Worlds Blog – “This Is Desal….” called Desalination, With A Grain of Salt. The link is available at 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)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA AND APPENDICITIS ATTACKS. Micaela emails from Antarctica…”
We’ve reached that point in the winter where everyone starts to look forward to spring, the arrival of our replacement crew and our own departure to warmer lands. Experience has taught me that in another two or three weeks these feelings will reverse entirely and we’ll get sentimental and nostalgic, wishing the winter would never end. But for the moment, the dinner table talk has shifted toward post-Ice travel plans and favorite meals.
While leaving might be on everyone’s mind, no one wants to go home early… especially not as a Medical Evacuation or MedEvac. One of the winter crew at McMurdo Station caught his charter flight home because of a rupturing appendix. Luckily, the Australian Antarctic Division and Royal New Zealand Air Force found a window of good weather needed to land an Airbus A319 on the ice runway and pick him up. So far as I know, he’s in stable condition. Read the details HERE and HERE.
Appendicitis has a long history in the Antarctic, oddly. No one knows why, but Antarctic crews experience a “high incidence” of some uncommon medical complaints. Appendicitis is certainly the most life-threatening, and I’ve heard that some Antarctic programs requested (required?) winter overs to get their appendices removed prophylactically. I thought that getting my wisdom teeth pulled seemed extreme! Ice folk must also contend with kidney, bladder and gall stones more frequently than statistically predicted in a normal population elsewhere on the continent. Two people here on station have dealt with some kind of stone while on the continent, although this winter seems blissfully free of such conditions this season.
Doctors’ logbooks from the earliest days of Antarctic exploration have noted “a clinical impression” that even superficial wounds take longer to heal on ice than elsewhere. I would have to agree based on my personal experience, but I’ve never found or heard rumor of a formal study. I do have a copy of a “longitudinal study or personality and disease incidence among Antarctic winter-over volunteers” dated 1987 that found a positive correlation between physical and mental health in winter-over crews. I haven’t been sick or injured, which unfortunately doesn’t provide logical proof that I’m not insane.
Medical researchers discovered a thyroid condition known as Polar T3 Syndrome (aka the “Winter Over Syndrome”) caused by prolonged Antarctic residence, although the exact mechanism remains a mystery to my knowledge. After a few months on ice (especially in dark winter months), we begin to produce less T3 thyroid hormone. Symptoms include “depression, irritability, aggressive behavior, insomnia, difficulty in concentration and memory, absentmindedness, and the occurrence of mild fugue states known as “long-eye” or the “Antarctic stare.” So now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pack a suitcase just to be on the safe side”.
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and is currently living at Palmer Station, Antarctica until at least October 2012.
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan delivers another take on “Term Limits” look further down for it…
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau tells us more about the USA and Syria in his weekly article titled “Oh Horrors It’s Syria” it in he says, “we forget the “big” truth. That this is an attempt to crush the Syrian dictatorship not because of our love for Syrians or our hatred of our former friend Bashar al-Assad, or because of our outrage at Russia, whose place in the pantheon of hypocrites is clear when we watch its reaction to all the little Stalingrads across Syria. No, this is all about Iran and our desire to crush the Islamic Republic and its infernal nuclear plans – if they exist – and has nothing to do with human rights or the right to life or the death of Syrian babies. Quelle horreur!” Read it all here…
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Make way for comedy and kingship in Henry IV Part 2, now playing at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and consider an improbable premise redeemed with plenty of sly wit in the Indie comedy, Celeste and Jesse Forever.”
Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
AI WEI-WEI – NEVER SORRY.If you’ve ever grown tired of fighting our City Council, developers, or the system in general, see this documentary on Ai Wei-Wei. He’s a great Chinese artist and designed the bird’s nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics. He fights their corrupt government and they have tried to beat the hell out of him in every way possible…and he keeps coming back. Pay attention too as to the ways he uses Twitter to achieve his goals. Watch the trailer clip…and see it quick, it’ll probably leave soon.
HOPE SPRINGS. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are superb in this saga of marital problems. Steve Carrel is equally excellent at the marriage counselor. Beware though that contrary to the publicity there isn’t a laugh in this film. It’s mildly funny at moments but if you’ve ever had problems, issues, fights, or boredom in your relationships go see this “saga”. War of the Roses was funnier but not as memorable.
CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER.Here’s another extra intelligent, sensitive, half comedy-half tragedy that is centered on relationships. A married couple split but try to remain together and be close friends. We see how the world reacts to their attempt and also see our own relationship disasters…up on the big screen, you should see it too.
THE BOURNE LEGACY = BORED LETHARGY. This is the worst of the Bourne films. The acting is fine; the special effects are way over-much, it’s the stupid plot that will drive you crazy trying to figure out who’s who. Government spies, crooks, secrets, Rachel Weisz, motorcycle chases, Jeremy Renner, explosions, Edward Norton, drones, Albert Finney. Wait and rent it…oops I forgot there is a photograph of Matt Damon in it too.
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. Audrey Stanley will bring Shakespeare Santa Cruz up to date on August 14 followed by Becky O’Malley editor of The Berkeley Planet, whowill help us compare cities and campii influences. KUSP’s poet Dennis Morton will discuss poetry on August 21, after Dennis will beLisa Uttal ,Project Coordinator of the brand new Santa Cruz Marine Sanctuary Center. Grapevine on Sept. 4th will have Joan Van Antwerp whowill tell news about the Van Antwerp Theatre Company’s next play. “Crooked” opening Sept. 19. Right after Joan, Jack Bowers and Sayaka Yabuki from New Music Works will share thoughts about their John Cage tributes. Julie James from The Jewel Theatre Company will talk about their new season on Sept.11. Jim Emdy also from KUSP and I will talk about the many area opera season’s on Sept. 18th. Later, on September 25 Scott Griffin,Nickelodeon chief operating manager will discuss films, digital releases and local movie tastes. Cathy Pickerrell from Santa Cruz Chamber Players will provide season news on October 2nd. 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!!!
BEST OF VINTAGE STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. “Alcohol takes a case of nerves and turns it into a can of worms“, Ross McDonald. “Well the handwriting is on the floor!, Joe E. Lewis. “Good and Evil lay side by side while electric love penetrates the sky“. Jimi Hendrix.
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82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
