Posted on June 7, 2011 by Bruce

DAVENPORT’S OCEAN VIEW HOTEL. This structure was built in 1906. The photo was taken November 7, 1950. It was right there on Highway One facing the Ocean. It had 28 rooms, and it burned in a spectacular fire on March 28,1962.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

OUR STATE ASSEMBLY RACE.More than a few local politicos are wondering and worrying about both Mark Stone and Ryan Coonerty running for State Assembly. Will they run against each other? What kind of platform could Ryan possibly come up with? What’s he done besides declaring Durbin Year and supporting every single development that has come across his desk? Lots of talk now…wait until the districting is announced!!!

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS DANGEROUS?This is from an article in India Today that Fred Yukic sent in…”Fresh doubts have arisen about the safety of genetically modified crops, with a new study reporting presence of Bt toxin, used widely in GM crops, in human blood for the first time. Genetically modified crops include genes extracted from bacteria to make them resistant to pest attacks. These genes make crops toxic to pests but are claimed to pose no danger to the environment and human health. Genetically modified brinjal, whose commercial release was stopped a year ago, has a toxin derived from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt).Till now, scientists and multinational corporations promoting GM crops have maintained that Bt toxin poses no danger to human health as the protein breaks down in the human gut. But the presence of this toxin in human blood shows that this does not happen. Scientists from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women. Read it all here

BURGER KING PUNISHING STAFF OF LIFE CUSTOMERS. An email…

“The Burger King on Soquel Avenue punishes their neighborhood and increases the fast-food chain’s profits….when the Staff of Life’s new parking lot fills up, and there’s no available residential parking on nearby streets, some unfortunate local shoppers have been using the Burger King’s parking lot before crossing Darwin street to BUY LOCAL at the Staff of Life, or heading to other nearby destinations. BURGER KING is watching, and calls Tri-County Towing who immediately shows up and tows the unlucky vehicles away. The minimum weekend punishment vehicle towing fee is $389.00, which BURGER KING and the towing company split. Pure profit for BURGER KING, pure pain for our BUY LOCAL shoppers and friends. I know, as this happened to a visitor to my nearby house recently”. Dean Quarnstrom

LOS CENZONTLES SINGING « LA PELOTA ». I got this great song and strong statement from Davia Nelson. Watch all of it, and listen/read the words.

OUR GOVERNMENT TARGETING CUBA’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Pat Matecjek sent this link to us…” The U.S. government’s half-century campaign to discredit and destroy Cuba’s experiment with socialism has had many ruthless aspects, but perhaps none more so than efforts to disparage and damage the Caribbean island’s widely admired health-care system. In January, the government of the United States of America saw fit to seize $4.207 million in funds allocated to Cuba by the United Nations Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the first quarter of 2011, Cuba has charged. The UN Fund is a $22 billion a year program that works to combat the three deadly pandemics in 150 countries. [Prensa Latina (Cuba), March 12, 2011] “This mean-spirited policy,” the Cuban government said, “aims to undermine the quality of service provided to the Cuban population and to obstruct the provision of medical assistance in over 100 countries by 40,000 Cuban health workers.” Most of the funds are used to import expensive AIDS medication to Cuba, where antiretroviral treatment is provided free of charge to some 5,000 HIV patients. [The Militant (US, Socialist Workers Party), April 4, 2011] read it all here…

ELERICK’S INPUT. “So how does one become a “stakeholder”?”

The Regional Transportation Commission recently solicited nominations for a Regional Advisory Committee, as requested by AMBAG, (Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments). They then nominated the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Chamber, the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Business Council, a representative from the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors, a member of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director Direction of Action Pajaro Valley, and their own Bicycle Committee Chair. All these “stakeholders” fit the requirements suggested to the RTC by AMBAG.

Committee members chosen will act as liaisons for their stakeholder groups, and provide ongoing feedback between policy makers and the public at large. There will be other nominees from Government Planning Departments.

Let’s hope they include some balance to the Advisory Committee, like a few citizens from the environmental community, people supporting alternative transportation, and (gasp!) even a few members from the public, since this group would represent a lot more “stakeholders” than those who have been nominated by the RTC. (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary discusses Monterey and their de-sal plant proposal. He tells about a water transfer plan, then he plugs a special Garden tour happening Sunday all about Native plants..and he closes praising Stockholm’s public transit system. (Bratton note…ever notice when you go on vacation how their transportation systems are always better than ours???)

(Gary Patton is “Of Counsel” to the Santa Cruz law firm of Wittwer & Parkin, which specializes in land use and environmental law. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, “Two Worlds / 365” – www.gapatton.net )

VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo goes back in time…to the 1800’s…scroll down

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim wades through the muck looking for sanity…see below.

UCSC STEREOTYPES. There’s a lot of these “UCSC stereotype” clips on You Tube.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau says “The United States is stuck in the past as Cuba changes”. He leads the piece with…”President Obama and his advisers share with most of the mass media the same visual weakness when it comes to Cuba: they don’t see the obvious, the crucial facts and context that stare them in the face. As Cuba begins to undergo basic changes to its economy and governmental structure, the reporting from western media follows predictably context-free and thus irrelevant standards. To think otherwise, reporters and advisers have learned, would be a bad career move. In order to invalidate Cuba’s attempt to change the social relation of its society and spread its word to the rest of the third world the western media has consistently failed to place a context around the events that led up to the revolution. Instead, Washington and the stenographers called “the press” judge Cuba’s revolution by U.S. standards and in the U.S. context. Cuba must always perform according to what the media assume are standards of democratic perfection. This criterion for judging, beyond its vagueness, leads one to wonder about values and priorities. President Obama and his advisers share with most of the mass media the same visual weakness when it comes to Cuba: read it all here..

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

LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), get ready to sing the praises of St. Cecilia with the Santa Cruz Chorale, and live every writer’s fantasy of time-traveling back to Paris in the 1920s in Woody Allen’s new comedy masterpiece, Midnight In Paris. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

FILMS. In descending order.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.(repeat) Woody Allen’s latest and one of his best. Funny, very funny, nostalgic, historic, touching…and the nicest Owen Wilson we’ve seen in years. At the Nick screening you could tell it was a hit all the critics stayed after and talked, laughed and almost outdid each other with which part was funniest. Go see it. Read up on just who Djuna Barnes was, I did. She was a friend of Mina Loy and Man Ray.

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS IN 2D . I didn’t know the Del Mar would be showing a 2D version of this unique film, but they are. 3D would be much better but as I said last week, “ I wouldn’t kid you for anything…this is one film you can’t see by renting…it won’t be in 3D. And It must be seen in 3D. Werner Herzog has his crazed narration and silly extras tacked on it , but seeing these ancient cave paintings is important…if you like ART. Susan Hillhouse curator of MAH says that the prevailing thinking as to why did our early cave painters painted was because they wanted to capture or pay homage to the spirit of the animals. That’s why the paintings are so far into the interior of the caves. That’s why there aren’t any paintings of people, trees, and what we now call art. See the amazing thinking of these ancestors of ours and what their lives were like. See it quickly at the Del Mar or you probably will never see it at all.

INCENDIES. (REPEAT) One of the most thought provoking films in years. It’s about a brother and sister searching for their long lost brother, because their mom leaves them a letter after she dies. You shouldn’t know any more than that before you see it. Many plot twists and turns; some will leave you with jaw agape. A serious film and one you’ll remember.

THE DOUBLE HOUR. (repeat) I guarantee this well made Italian thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s perfectly created,and will have you re-thinking about Hitchcock’s best works. I don’t think he could have created this puzzling epic… see it asap

L’AMOUR FOU.You may not know just how important Yves Saint Laurent was to the serious fashion business. I had no idea and didn’t care very much anyways. But this is an excellent documentary about a very courageous gay guy who completely changed that fashion world. Well worth seeing.

BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK.(repeat). I confess I’d never heard of Bill Cunningham before but after watching this documentary on the NY Times clothes photographer I know it’s been my loss. He photographs clothes being worn in the New York Streets and in the fashions houses but more than that he’s his own person…and you’ll love him for just that. Don’t miss it quickly.

X MEN: FIRST CLASS. I have to admit that I get big kicks (guilty pleasures) from watching Kevin Bacon and January Jones. Both of them are absolutely nutty screen personalities, and both probably act exactly the same off screen. This so called prequel tells how some genuinely bizarre super heroes grew up. One has big feet and can hang from trees, one can scream so loud he can fly on the sound waves, another babe can grow wings and hover, but she joins the evil Kevin Bacon for some reason. Never mind any of that, it’s all nonsense. My 12 year old grandson Henry Kloiber liked it and he has a taste for the visual and this film is 99% special effects. So go warned…if at all.

UCSC PROMOTIONAL PITCH. Just to be fair…there’s this side of it all…

TED x. (Repeated for emphasis) This singular event, well one of a kind event, happens June 11^th at Cabrilho College’s Music Recital Hall from 9 to 5 p.m. Tickets are going fast. A day full of local speakers/presenters and more of the same is happening all over the world. Details are too much to print here go to http://www.tedxsantacruz.org/engage . I’ll get there early, and save you a seat. It’s one of those events that either you know about or you find out about too late. Go to that website and remember that ticket price includes lunch and afternoon refreshments!!!

SPECIAL GARDEN TOUR ON SUNDAY.I lifted this from Gary Patton’s weekly broadside… This Sunday June 12, the California Native Plant Society is sponsoring a “Native Plant Garden Tour.” As I’ve mentioned before, if you’d like to take part, you will need to register. Registered participants will get the addresses of the various gardens on the tour. If you don’t register, you won’t know where to go. “How to” information will be provided to participants, and I’m encouraging KUSP listeners and BrattonOnline readers to sign up and get some time outdoors, maybe with your kids, as you view these very pleasant, but somewhat unusual, residential landscapes. Using native plants has lots of benefits. Most important, from my point of view, is that the conversion of residential landscaping to schemes based on native plants can significantly address what is truly a water supply crisis in the Monterey Bay Region.

Water “supply” needs to balance with water “demand,” and as we look to the future, that equation doesn’t balance in our region. Hence, there are lots of new “supply” alternatives being proposed, most notably desalination proposals which can have truly horrendous environmental and global warming impacts. Another approach to balance is to reduce “demand” to meet existing supply. A huge percentage of our residential and commercial water use is devoted to landscape maintenance, and “going native” can make a big difference. Details at their website

OPERA IN THE LIBRARY.(Another repeat, plus correction) Four resident opera singers from Opera San Jose will be performing arias from the 2011-12 new season. That means we could hear a little something from Faust, La Traviata, Idomeneo, Pagliacci or La Voix Humaine…and they’re all great. That’s Saturday June 18^th at 2:00 p.m. in the meeting room upstairs….for free.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7. After Neal, Jim Emdy of area radio notoriety presents a preview of Opera San Jose’s new season, and the San Francisco Opera’s current production of Wagner’s Ring. The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Ellen Primack details this year’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on July 5^th followed by a return of Anita Monga of the now legendary San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Author, historian, Geoffrey Dunn will tell us all about Sarah Palin’s Lies and his new book news on July 12. Michael Warren will give us an in depth Shakespeare Santa Cruz preview on July 19 and Sue Heinz will return to tell us even more about Tarot, The Qabalah, and of course astrology. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. All of these quotes are from the California Native Garden Tour Site…

http://www.californianativegardentour.org/index.htm

“It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not”.

– W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, Garden Rubbish, 1936

“I always think of my sins when I weed. They grow apace in the same way and are harder still to get rid of”.

– Helena Rutherfurd Ely, A Woman’s Hardy Garden

“Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that it’s done above and beyond earning a living and deals with what people really care passionately about. Remember, no one gets paid to rebel. All revolutions start with volunteers”.

– Susan J. Ellis

“Let us a little permit nature to take her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we”.

– Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, 1533 – 1592

“The name Iceberg comes from the way the lettuce was transported in the USA. Starting in the 1920’s, it was transported on train wagons covered in crushed ice, making it look like icebergs.

– Unknown

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

Deep Cover

Posted in Weekly Articles | Comments Off

May 31 – June 6, 2011

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Bruce

COUNTY BANK BUILDING. Re-built after the 1894 fire wiped out half of this block on Pacific Avenue. It was listed on the National Historic Place Register in 1982.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

UCSC GROWTH AND DE-SAL. The way it’s been planned is just about like this. UCSC is going to grow by 3000 students. Students who live on campus right now are each paying $1400 per month to share a room with three other students. That includes some kind of meal plan. Of course tuition is in addition to that figure. So naturally they work hard to move off campus where they will pay an average of $500-700 each per month. Remember that the University System can’t and won’t build anywhere near the necessary student residences for this huge increase. Now the impact of 3000 more students living in our neighborhoods and paying combined sums that are impossible for normal people will keep rents going higher and higher every year. That 3000 student population will need water, and by any/all figuring that water just isn’t going to be there. So UCSC and The City Of Santa Cruz made a deal….that’s Ryan Coonerty and Chancellor Blumenthal that we’d give them the water. You figure it out. You’ve seen all these plot plans in various forms over the last few years. That’s why Bill Kocher, Mike Rotkin keep beating the drums for De-sal…they know those students are coming.

STILL MORE COONERTY’S!!! I heard it on last week’s Bushwhacker’s Breakfast Club on KZSC in Ryan’s bi-weekly interview that Mrs. and Mr. Ryan Coonerty are expecting!!! Whether it’ll mean another attorney, jeweler, assemblyman, or book dealer is anybody’s guess. Ryan didn’t give Bushwhacker host John Sandidge a very direct answer to his question, “are you going to run for assembly?”. He’s running, you can tell.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE, II. Back in 1989 or 90 one of the top Amusement park trade magazines stated that Charley Canfield’s Boardwalk had annual rate of 3 1/2 million visitors. Whether that figure has gone up or down in these recent years we can only guess, because naturally the Boardwalk doesn’t have to provide those figures. Now would you figure that since the Boardwalk charges at least $10 per car and lord knows how much profit on beer, rides, and chocolate twinkies that their taxes must produce at least $1 per person or $3,500,000 per year for the city…that’s reasonable. Now someone tell me just how much in annual taxes the Boardwalk really, really pays and I’ll keep very, very quiet about it…or not!!!

COONERTY CANFIELD BEACH???Actually Dr. Mark Bernhard sent in this great old photo of Huntington Beach or Surf City back in the day. (1928)

JAMES DURBIN AT THE BOARDWALK. Anyone willing to bet on how much money the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk profited when James Durbin drew those 30,000 fans to the bandstand?? Now, who’s willing to provide figures on how much money the City Of Santa Cruz LOST on that same appearance? Why, just why doesn’t that seem fair?

LOCAL DE-SAL DEBATE ON COMMUNITY TV. The Desalination vs. Alternatives Debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters in April and recorded by Community Television of Santa Cruz County is scheduled to play on Comcast Channel 25 and Charter Channel 71, and will also be streaming LIVE at www.communitytv.org on the following dates and times.
6/1/2011 at 2:30 PM
6/2/2011 at 1:30 PM
6/3/2011 at 10:30 AM
6/4/2011 at 10:30 PM
6/5/2011 at 3:00 PM
A video of the debate is also posted on Community TV’s website at www.communitytv.org. You should watch it. Mike Rotkin shows his pro de-sal side, does several “no brain” things and makes his pitch why he’s supporting UCSC growth by selling de-sal. Ridiculous.

ARANA GULCH, THE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY AND THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ. This is a press release BrattonOnline received just before the Monday deadline.

“During the past several months, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) has been negotiating with City of Santa Cruz’s staff over proposed bicycle transportation corridors that would divide Arana Gulch into three sections and significantly impact the greenbelt’s scenic beauty and natural resources.

1) The Santa Cruz City Council will not guarantee funding for managing the Arana Gulch Greenbelt to heal impacts of construction of bikeways through the greenbelt’s meadows, creeks, and woodlands. Thankfully, City has secured millions of dollars to improve access, but unfortunately refuses to guarantee funding for conserving natural areas against the damage that always occurs with increased access.

2) The City is unwilling to commit to scientific accountability measures (success criteria) for the restoration that is required by regulations protecting the endangered Santa Cruz tarplant. CNPS feels it is critical that the criteria be made explicit before bikeway construction plans are approved by the Coastal Commission.

3) The City Council is unwilling to re-align and modify the design of a small portion of the trail system, on the proposed paved north-south bikeway, to safeguard one of the Greenbelt’s most sensitive habitat areas.

The mission of CNPS is to conserve California native plants and their natural habitats, and increase understanding, appreciation, and horticultural use of native plants. For decades CNPS has offered significant volunteer time, consultation, and funding to assist with management of the City’s greenbelts. The group is saddened that the City has refused its generous offer for compromise”. Vince Cheap, CNPS Conservation Committee Chair, Santa Cruz County Chapter.

LEONTYNE PRICE SINGS AIDA. Thank Kit Birskovich for finding this gem and testament to the human voice.

WHOLE FOODS, OUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR???. This is from Organic Bytes a publication of Organic Consumers Association

Whole Foods Market Plays Dumb on Activists’ Arrests, Unlabeled Frankenfoods
Ask WFM to Respect Consumers’ Right to Know About GMOs…and Anti-GMO Activists’ Freedom of Speech! As OCA activists Alexis Baden-Mayer and Mike Durschmid await a June 7 court appearance resulting from their arrests at a Whole Foods GMO Food Dump in Chicago, the debate over whether food retailers should label genetically modified foods is heating up.On May 24, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times published Monica Eng’s report, “Consumer Activists Seek Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods: They Have Become So Common That Even Organic Retailer Whole Foods Says It Can’t Avoid Stocking Some.” Eng writes: “Used in an estimated 70 percent of all American processed food, genetically modified crops make up 93 percent of all soy, 86 percent of all corn and 93 percent of all canola seeds planted in the U.S., which makes stocking only non-GMO products difficult, said Joe Dickson, quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “‘Until there’s federal government mandated labeling of GMO ingredients, there’s no way to tell if packaged products contain GMO ingredients,” Dickson said. “Our approach is to work in the spirit of partnership with our suppliers to encourage them to take active steps to avoid GMO ingredients.'” The idea that Whole Foods has no control over the unlabeled genetically modified foods sold in their stores is as credible as their initial claim that no anti-GMO activists had been arrested at their Chicago store. (Once they gave up pretending there was no arrest, they insisted they had nothing to do with it, even though police were on site before the GMO Food Dump began and could only have been alerted by Whole Foods employees or executives.)

We can’t let the “world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket” continue to play dumb. It’s time Whole Foods’ took responsibility for the Frankenfoods in their stores and for trying to stifle anti-GMO activists! Tell Whole Foods to respect consumers’ right to know about GMOs and stand up for activists’ right to free speech. Take

HBO’S GAME OF THRONES & GREAT SCENE. Again, I’m hooked on an HBO Series. Not “Treme”or “True Blood” but “Game of Thrones”. It‘s a medieval fantasy, nicknamed “Stonehenge Sopranos” by one critic. Anyway aside from having Emilia Clarke, one of the world’s most beautiful women, it had a truly memorable scene last week…(which is rare, even for HBO series). So, there’s this evil king that nobody likes, who demands that he be allowed to wear his golden crown, which was taken from him by the good people before they tied him to the stake. They give him the golden crown, but first they toss the crown into a cauldron, melt it to burning liquid then pour in on his head!!! Memorable, and imaginative. I guess you had to have been there, but I liked it.

ELERICK’S INPUT. Mid-County Condominiums, why build more? New condos sit vacant today. Sunday’s Sentinel Real Estate section featured the Grand Opening of “Capitola Shores”, that long-vacant “new” development next to Spa Fitness on 41^st Ave. There are probably many reasons for the vacancies, starting with the prison-like architecture of the complex, the prices, and the implication that Capitola Shores is actually within view of the shore. “Cabrillo Commons”, has not come close to selling out. These are the condos across Soquel Dr. from the Temple Beth El and Cabrillo College. Much more tastefully designed than Capitola Shores, they still are not selling, even after significant price drops from when they opened.

There is a new sign up across State Park Drive from Poor Clare’s announcing still more condos somebody is planning on building. This doesn’t even address the 80 units the county has approved for future development on Poor Clare’s property, or the temporarily stalled Par 3 project that promises over a hundred more units.

Then there’s the condo development planned for the property across Soquel Dr. from Rancho Del Mar shopping center and the grand-daddy of them all, Aptos Village itself. Pictures promote the Village as being transformed in a condo paradise, with shops and walkways, and a sign posted at the entrance from Barry Swenson Builder says its coming. Currently, traffic frequently comes to a halt on Soquel Dr., because there’s no place to go. The idea that Santa Cruz County is “built-out” is a joke, at least when talking about mid-Santa Cruz County. There seems to be a rush to keep approving more of these condo projects to generate more tax income for the County and City’s involved, without considering the current glut of condos on the market. (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

OTTER TEACHES BOY HOW TO PLAY. Another Birskovich discovery. This time the San Diego zoo otter has fun with a spectator.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary’s still on vacation. Watch this space. (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. Dr. DeCinzo takes a sidewise look at our usual summer entertainment and ailments. Scroll down.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Would Tim Eagan put the knock on our loyal elephants (tusk, tusk) look downwards about 3 pages.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. In his weekly article titled “Cuba: Facts and Realities” Saul Landau writes, “No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver” – Spanish saying (There is no worse blind person than the one who does not wish to see.) On May 13, Miami newspaper headlines and TV leads should have said: “Obama makes fool of himself.” The “leads” would have referred to his statement: “I would welcome real change from the Cuban government.” Obama’s conditions? “For us to have the kind of normal relations we have with other countries, we’ve got to see significant changes from the Cuban government and we just have not seen that yet.” A clever tabloid might have headlined, “Obama Goes Blind – Can’t See Changes Right in Front of His Eyes!” If Granma had a sense of humor its editorial would have begun with: “President Obama stands for ‘Change we can believe in,’ but does not stand for change Cuba’s leaders believe in.” Indeed, changes in Cuba have come fast and furious over recent months, but apparently Obama has his own definition of the word “insignificant.” Or, maybe his advisers did not inform him that Cuba has freed all the “political” prisoners it arrested in 2003 and some others as well. Read it all right here… Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), fall in love with Paris all over again in Woody Allen’s magical Midnight In Paris, revisit the season finale of American Idol to see how finishing just out of the top might be a great career move for James Durbin, and get ready to welcome the next generation of James Durbin’s when the White Album Ensemble brings three new young vocalists onstage in its annual concert of Beatles music with the Santa Cruz Symphony. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975

ALBERT HERRING, the opera. No joking…tickets are about gone and there are only four performances. It’s one of the best stage productions of all the events that UCSC presents each year. Nicole Paiement conducts a chamber ensemble of members of the UCSC Orchestra as well as student singers in a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten’s three-act comic opera from 1947. Directed by Brian Staufenbiel. It’s funny, newly set in Santa Cruz, guaranteed good voices from two separate casts, and reserved seats. June 2-3-4 at 7:30 pm (Thu-Sat) & June 5 at 2:00 pm (Sunday matinee)
Reserved seating and Performed in English with supertitles click link: Tickets on sale online at santacruztickets.com UCSC Ticket Office (831-459-2159)
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium box office (831-420-5260) Parking $3. Please arrive early to purchase a permit and locate a parking space. NOTE: Guests may be directed to the Core West parking garage (free) and shuttled to the Recital Hall — on Saturday, June 4 in particular. Doors open 30 minutes before curtain. Reserved seating. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house manager.

NEW MUSIC WORKS & AVANT GARDEN PARTY. 30 years in the making and they are always good fun. Their press release says, “Come out and party outdoors in a beautiful garden for a beautiful cause, New Music Works! The 30th Annual Benefit Concert, the Avant Garden Party features extraordinary music, food, wine and a silent auction featuring many local Santa Cruz area businesses. All proceeds go towards New Music Works’ whose mission is to cultivate the creation and performance of new musical works that engage the public through innovative small chamber ensemble works with diverse cultural influences and contemporary guest artists. BTW, if you volunteer for at least 2 hours, you can attend for free! If interested, please contact volunteer coordinator, Zigi Heinz, at <volunteer@newmusicworks.org> or (831)335-3456.

TEDx. SANTA CRUZ. This singular event, well one of a kind event, happens June 11^th at Cabrilho College’s Music Recital Hall from 9 to 5 p.m. Tickets are going fast. A day full of mostly local speakers/presenters and more of the same is happening all over the world. Details are too much to print here go to http://www.tedxsantacruz.org/engage . I’ll get there early, and save you a seat. It’s one of those events that either you know about or you find out about too late. Go to that website and remember that ticket price includes 2 meals!!!

TOM LEHRER. “When You Are Old and Gray” again, courtesy Kit Birskovich.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NOZH0y7VxE&feature=feedlik_more

THE GOLDEN FLEECE: A GRAND RE-OPENING CELEBRATORY EXTRAVAGANZA. This news for knitters and crocheters just came in…The Golden Fleece, a locally owned yarn store, will celebrate a grand re-opening on Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5^th, at its store location (317 Potrero Street, Santa Cruz) which is on the corner of River and Potrero. The shop will open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm both days and there will be trunk shows, free spinning workshops, weaving demonstrations, raffles, prizes, and refreshments.

The Golden Fleece has been a fixture for fiber enthusiasts in Santa Cruz for over 15 years. The new shop owner, Gunilla Leavitt, is perhaps most notably known as the Knitting Doctor at Knitting Arts in Saratoga and Green Planet Yarn in Campbell, along with three stores in Santa Cruz County, over the last 7 or 8 years. Decorative changes aren’t the only new things at The Golden Fleece: Gunilla has set up a Pattern Station – a computer where customers can search for, purchase, download, and print online patterns; the shop stays open until 9:00 pm on Tuesdays for Social Knitting where knitters and crocheters can relax and work on their projects; and Knitting Doctor hours are Tuesdays from 2:00 to 6:00 pm where Gunilla is available to help solve any fiber arts problem – she hasn’t been stumped yet!

During the grand re-opening weekend, there are two trunk shows scheduled: Saturday, June 4^th from noon to 2:00 pm, Laura Schickli from Handwerks (www.handwerkstextiles.com) in Palo Alto will visit with her hand dyed yarns plus samples and patterns and local Spinner Extraordinaire Heather Bloom will be on hand Saturday from 3:00 to 6:00 pm and Sunday noon to 3:00 pm.

Raffles and prizes from Plymouth Yarn, Cascade Yarn, BeSweet, and more, as well as gourmet cupcakes from Starz Cupcakes in Capitola, round out the offerings of what promises to be an exciting weekend.

For more information, please visit www.thegoldenfleece.com or call 831-426-1425. Regular shop hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm; Tuesday from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm; and Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Starting this week, the shop will be open on Sundays as well.

Gunilla Leavitt if you’ve forgotten, is the most important person in the BrattonOnline machine. She’s the genius behind getting this column online and has been since it started online back in 2003. Watch for her ad in the column to the right next week.

GEOFF MORTEN GALLERY ONLINE. Jenny Morten has created an online gallery showing of the late Geoff Morten’s works…CLICK here

FILMS…. IN DESCENDING ORDER. (Actually it’s rare, but they’re all good films)

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS. Woody Allen’s latest and one of his best. Funny, very funny, nostalgic, historic, touching…and the nicest Owen Wilson we’ve seen in years. At the Nick screening you could tell it was a hit all the critics stayed after and talked, laughed and almost outdid each other with which part was funniest. Go see it. Read up on just who Djuna Barnes was, I did. She was a friend of Mina Loy and Man Ray.

THE DOUBLE HOUR.I guarantee this well made Italian thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s perfectly created,and will have you re-thinking about Hitchcock’s best works. I don’t think he could have created this puzzling epic… see it asap.

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS IN 3D. I wouldn’t kid you for anything…this is one film you can’t see by renting…it won’t be in 3D. And It must be seen in 3D. Werner Herzog has his crazed narration and silly extras tacked on it , but seeing these ancient cave paintings is important…if you like ART. Susan Hillhouse curator of MAH says that the prevailing thinking as to why did our early cave painters painted was because they wanted to capture or pay homage to the spirit of the animals. That’s why the paintings are so far into the interior of the caves. That’s why there aren’t any paintings of people, trees, and what we now call art. See the amazing thinking of these ancestors of ours and what their lives were like. See it quickly at the Del Mar or you probably will never see it at all.

BILL CUNNINGHAM; NEW YORK.I confess I’d never heard of Bill Cunningham before but after watching this documentary on the NY Times clothes photographer I know it’s been my loss. He photographs clothes being worn in the New York Streets and in the fashions houses but more than that he’s his own person…and you’ll love him for just that. Don’t miss it quickly.

INCENDIES.One of the most thought provoking films in years. It’s about a brother and sister searching for their long lost brother, because their mom leaves them a letter after she dies. You shouldn’t know any more than that before you see it. Many plot twists and

turns; some will leave you with jaw agape. A serious film and one you’ll remember.

Woody Allen on clarinet with small jazz band (love his jumpin’ crossed legs! and notice his closed eyes…Kit Birskovich):

PAULINE KAEL, THE BEST OF FILM CRITICS. Every once in a while I’ll read one of Pauline Kael’s books just to remember what she stood for in film criticism. My favorite is “I Lost It at The Movies”. She remains one of the most honest, no bullshit film critics of all time. Her writings on Last Year at Marienbad, Charade, and Marlon Brando remind you of what straight writing can be like. I knew Pauline in Berkeley when she and her husband ran the Cinema Guild. Her one paragraph film descriptions in the Guild mailers, and lots of party arguments, are what started me on all this film stuff. Read “Lost It” if you can find it.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31, then Paul Whitworth fills us in on the plot behind Krapps Last Tape which he doing for Jewel Theatre Co. 6/2-6/5 . Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7. After Neal, Jim Emdy of area radio notoriety presents a preview of Opera San Jose’s new season. The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Ellen Primack details this year’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on July 5^th followed by a return of Anita Monga of the now legendary San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Don Young, author of Battle For Snow Mountain opens the show on July 12, followed by author, historian, Geoffrey Dunn who’ll tell us all about Sarah Palin’s Lies and his new book news. Michael Warren will give us an in depth Shakespeare Santa Cruz preview on July 19 and Sue Heinz will return to tell us even more about Tarot, The Qabalah, and of course astrology. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “Mausoleum, noun. The final and funniest folly of the rich”, Ambrose Bierce. (Sent in by Jane Bruce Munro, and thanks). “You can tell how bad a musical is by the number of times the chorus yells “hooray”, John Crosby. “One of my chief regrets during my years in the theater is that I couldn’t sit in the audience and watch myself”, John Barrymore.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

De Cinzo visits the boardwalk.

Deep Cover

May 25 – 31, 2011

EMILY’S BAKERY CORNER MAY 2, 1962. Mission and Laurel Streets and you can see that gas was only 31.9 !!!! There are exactly two cars in this photo and that’s even more proof that this was back in the day. As someone said “you could get gas there then and you can get…”( just kidding).

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

Kit Birskovich continues with the best of You Tube and other visuals. She says…”MOTHER BLOWING NOSE” = better than the best Disneyland thrill ride. Also, something to be learned here about the intersect of Terrible and Hilarious:

SAD COASTAL COMMISSION NEWS. Pat Matejcek writes, “Sara Wan, a 15-year member of the California Coastal Commission and it’s most knowledgeable and stalwart defender, fell victim to others’ political ambition and campaign donor favoritism and was not reappointed to the Commission. Here’s some of what The L.A. Times article said, “Wan, a longtime Malibu environmental activist and chair of the panel, was told earlier this week she would not be reappointed after 15 years on the commission. She was widely regarded as the most consistently conservation-minded member of the panel, which wields broad regulatory power over development along the state’s 1,100 miles of coastline”. Then it said, “Wan earlier this year riled the state Democratic Party leadership with her unexpected election to the chairmanship of the panel. In a Jan. 13 letter, California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton wrote Wan to tell her that he believed she had “screwed” another candidate out of the position. On a panel that is often closely divided on some of the state’s biggest, most sensitive projects, Wan enjoyed the adoration of environmentalists and the ire of developers, who often saw her strongly oppose their projects on environmental grounds. She also has been an aggressive advocate of preserving coastal wetlands, marine life and public access to the coast, at one point setting up her towel in defiance of security guards on Malibu’s Broad Beach to protest beach-access restrictions.

Los Angeles television producer and environmental activist Dayna Bochco is expected to be named this week to the California Coastal Commission, replacing longtime commissioner Sara Wan on the influential panel. Conservation groups heralded the selection of Bochco, calling her an advocate for the environment who has fought for marine life protections and worked to battle storm-water pollution, marine debris and climate change. Bochco runs a production company with her husband, well-known Hollywood producer Steven Bochco, that has produced television shows such as “NYPD Blue,” “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” She is a board member of Heal the Bay and sits on the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Southern California Leadership Council. “Dayna has some big shoes to fill. Sara was the best coastal commissioner California ever had,” said Heal the Bay President Mark Gold. “Every time anyone watches birds or marine mammals, visits a wetland or enjoys the beach, they should remember Sara’s courage and conviction for coastal protection.” You can read all of the LA Times story here . Just to watch and listen to her in action on the Commission when they were here was an experience…and that’s politics, Burton politics.

COMPOSTING TOILETS…ANOTHER VIEW. Celia Scott sent this piece to the De-Sal groups and gave me permission to print it here…” I think the discussion of composting toilets is going off track at bit. The feasibility of such toilets for institutional and commercial use is well established, and their use can make a huge difference in water conservation. The composting toilets at the Vermont School of Law (where I was a student the summer of 2002), in a classroom/office building have reduced water consumption from the usual 15 gallons per day per person to 15 gallons per day. The VSL is in South Royalton, VT., where water is very limited, and the school had to find a way to retrofit and expand an old building to without increasing water demand. Their solution has been followed in many places, but not here in California by the UC system unfortunately. Furthermore, the combining of composting toilets with a grey water irrigation system for landscaping is also well established at the Bronx Zoo in New York, which has a huge number of visitors every year. If you want to look at the excellent video the Zoo has made about their system, just google “Poop at the Zoo”, and it will come up first (easier than the long url).

So I am not convinced that schools could not be retrofitted with composting toilets, and am certain that it could work for many other institutional and commercial uses….as well as local government. It may be that the feasibility/affordability of residential composting toilets is not imminent….but the discussion should not be confined to residential use when there are so many examples of its feasibility/affordability as mentioned above”. Celia Scott.

BOYCOTTING GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, ANOTHER GREAT CAUSE.. Dan Dickmeyer notes from Canada…” ABC news had story tonight about two girls who were using cookie sales to raise money to help stop palm oil tree destruction of orangutan habitat only to find GS cookies are laden with the product . They failed to get much of a rise out of the national office of the Girl Scouts except they will think about a substitute”. What Dan didn’t mention is that 200 million boxes of this junk food are sold every year. I’ve written so many times over the years about why the Scouts won’t sell environmental, natural products, maybe even locally produced goods, items that promote health and instead of giving more than half the profits to the conglomerate bakers, and keep the money for the organization? Watch Dan’s and ABC’s news story here…

ELERICK’S INPUT. James Durbin – a winner. So much has been written about the screwing this talented entertainer got by being voted off American Idol, there’s not much more to say. We’re left with finding out which of the two remaining C & W performers will win it, but I won’t be watching. I can’t bear the thought of watching the three judges fawning over these two teenagers, knowing they should have been a distant 2^nd and 3^rd behind James. Let’s hope there’s a Giant’s game on somewhere. But what needs to be mentioned is the good work behind getting James back to Santa Cruz to sing for us. Let’s give Mayor Coonerty, and the business community a hand for tweaking Idol hard enough to make them and Fox Network give in and bring James home. They deserve credit for taking on the NASCAR set and the rest of the Bible belt.

A suggestion for funding State Parks in Santa Cruz County.When are we, as Santa Cruz County residents, going to get our Electeds to pitch in and help pay for keeping our State Parks open? These parks are a huge tourist draw for Santa Cruz County, and need to be maintained and kept open. How about splitting the money we’re now giving to promote the hotel industry and the Beach Boardwalk, both institutions who should be promoting themselves anyway? (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

ANOTHER LAUGHING BABY CLIP.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary’s on vacation for two weeks. (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”

VINTAGE DE CINZO. Roaring Camp is still doing their annual Memorial Day Weekend War Re-enactment spectacular and I’m repeating this extra special DeCinzo super pertinent masterpiece. Plus the link to Roaring Camp’s own website to prove we’re not kidding…wonder if they’ll add our water boarding sideshow???

http://www.roaringcamp.com/events.html

Now scroll down to see what DeCinzo had to say about that vainglorious exhortation.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan shows us what we needed to know about Debt Ceiling. Scroll down a few pages.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul asks, « WHO’S THE NEXT ENEMY” in this week’s Progreso Weekly”. He opens with, “How did this country survive before it found formidable enemies around which the government could mobilize hatred and fear? I don’t remember the 1930s when poverty, capitalism, godlessness, fascism, communism, Jews and alcohol competed in the American mind for the role of number one adversary. No clear winners! On December 7, 1941 – I was almost 6 – the Japanese boldly and in retrospect foolishly bombed Pearl Harbor. Japs and Nazis, the perfect vile duo. Hollywood took over. Every Saturday, I fought them vicariously in the movies – our good guys beating their bad guys. Since then – with brief exceptions – a viable enemy has united us. To keep that evil from our shores we’ve maintained a “defense’ budget.How did this country survive before it found formidable enemies around which the government could mobilize hatred and fear? Read the rest here…
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

MORE MORGANI ART. Dwight Smith did this extra spacey portrait of the movable, memorable, mirthful Morgani. You can hear him actually talk on Universal Grapevine this Tuesday May 31^st 7-7:30 p.m. KZSC 88.1 fm

LISA JENSEN LINKS. How seaworthy is the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie? How fishy were the American Idol voting results the week James Durbin got eliminated? How awesome are the 32,000-year-old French cave paintings revealed in the new Werner Herzog doc? Explore these and other mysteries this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

FILMS…IN DESCENDING ORDER

BEAVER.It’s not easy to imagine Mel Gibson being married to Jodie Foster, and it’s not easy to imagine an extrovert as Gibson being so depressed that he has to communicate using a hand puppet. In spite of all that imagining, this film is nearly great. It’s long, but seems like parts are missing. See it only if you aren’t depressed.

BRIDESMAIDS.This film is a genuine surprise, it’s sad, poignant, dumb in parts, touching, gross, and proves that Kristin Wiig can act. I’m guessing that it’s the Judd Apatow directed sequences that are the gross minutes. It’s worth seeing just for the touching moments.

HESHER. Natalie Portman is in this “crazed and silly attempt to shock” movie and believe it or not so is old and heavy Piper Laurie!!! Joseph Gordon Leavitt is excellent in every role I can remember him in and he’s fine in this one too. But the plot and dreams and aims of the director are so amateurish that the movie does nothing except baffle. Don’t go, no one else is either.

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. This jerky quirky film is supposed to be a Quentin Tarantino grindhouse, chopfest, “Machete”, exploitive update homage type thing. It stars Rutger Hauer who must be very desperate…he hasn’t had a good part in years, and this certainly isn’t it either. Watching a busload of school kids’ burn to death isn’t that much fun, neither is all the buckshot in the chest stuff, or even chopped off heads rolling in the streets. But that said it’ll be a cult hit with folks who think all that’s cool.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, part 28 or something. Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz have exactly zero going for them as a couple. Believe it or not this film is almost as boring as the last 27 episodes…or more. Even the 3D is boring, the plot makes no sense and even though it’s Disney, it’s no Pixar film. Rent it if you have to but otherwise try never to even think about these Pirate films. No fun at all.

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. Paul’s going to some island near the Equator, or so he says, that’s why this link is so late. “Here is a last-minute reminder about Harry Shearer showing The Big Uneasy at the Roxie in SF on the 10th of July. Not to mention the SC Baroque Festival’s Annual Garden Tour being held this year in one great big single garden, the amazing UCSC Arboretum, on the 29th of May, and the Britten comic opera “Albert Herring”, coming up on June 2-3-4-5. details here, as usual: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html If you scroll down the page, there are a couple of fat links to general area events, and of course there are all those little links up top to event sources of all sorts. This will be my last update for awhile. An island near the equator beckons. All the best, ph

ORESTES TERRIORIST. UCSC’s Danny Scheie directs a student cast in this new adaptation of Orestes by Mary-Kay Gamel – it’s a modern retelling of the tragic and bloody myth of young Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Klytemnestra, and his sister Elektra. Score by Philip Collins. This is the final weekend. Special 2-for-1 tickets on May 26. “Talk-backs” after the Saturday performance. May 26-29 7:00 pm (Thu-Fri-Sat) 3:00 pm (Sunday).UCSC Ticket Office (831-459-2159) Santa Cruz Civic Box Office (831-420-5260) www. santacruztickets.com

CADENZA, The Chamber Orchestra presents its final concert this season, it’s titled, “PASSION”. It features Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Guitar Concerto No.1, Op. 99
Agustin Barrios Mangore – La Catedral, Piazzolla – Oblivion, Piazzolla – Los Quatros Estaciones Portenäs. Artists are Mesut Ozgen – Guitar, Patricia Mitchell – Oboe and Cynthia Baehr – Violin. The press release says, “Passion with no limits… an evening of limitless emotional range and depth, featuring works of passion ” con sabor”!
One of the most beautiful Guitar concertos by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, followed by two of Piazzolla’s most enthralling and passionate works – a musical evening to sweep you off your feet!” Which is a lot, especially in church. It’s Saturday May 28, 2011 @ 8pm at First Congregational Church. 900 High Street, Santa Cruz. Tickets are Available at: Streetlight Records or By Phone: 1.800.838.3006.Or at the door.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Shira Bogin talks about student art and MAH on May 24 after Shira, David Warren will give us the lowdown on his local production of TED that happens June 11. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31, then Paul Whitworth fills us in on the plot behind Krapps Last Tape which he doing for Jewel Theatre Co. 6/2-6/5 . Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7. The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Ellen Primack details this year’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on July 5^th followed by a return of Sue Heinz telling us more about Tarot, The Qabalah, and astrology of course. Don Young, author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “A Boy Scout troop is a lot of boys dressed as jerks, led by a jerk dressed as a boy”, Shelley Berman. “I have already given two cousins to the war and I am ready to sacrifice my wife’s brother”, Artemus Ward.” I think husbands and wives should live in separate houses. If there’s enough money, the children should live in a third”, Cloris Leachman.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO..

Re-peat of his classic on Memorial Day weekend at Roaring Camp.
Roaring Camp Forever!!!

Deep Cover

May 17 – 23, 2011

KNIGHT’S OPERA HOUSE, SANTA CRUZ 1877. This magnificent structure cost $4,200 to build, and opened November 23, 1877. It was on Union Street where Center Street crosses over by the Goodwill Store and Georgiana Bruce Kirby School are now. It lasted 44 years to 1921 when it was hauled to Capitola and later demolished on June 7, 1961. John L. Sullivan appeared here, so did Zasu Pitts. It’s claimed that her career began here, but I doubt it.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

Kit Birskovich, Noted pianist and keen online clip researcher has been sending some great viewables. She says re, “Duet for saxophone and dog”. This dog sings quite well, sax player pretty good too.

Kit adds to this baby conversation..”Pretty sure you’ve probably seen this already: Twin babies talking to each other. Incredibly wonderful.

RYAN AND HIS RAIDERS. Ryan C. succeeded in carefully orchestrating David Terrazas, Hillary Bryant, and Lynn Robinson’s votes on the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities program. I’ve cut copied, edited, deleted and cleaned up what The Sentinel printed last Wednesday on how the Council voted. It said, “SANTA CRUZ – The City Council on Tuesday voted not to support state legislation that would allow local authorities to opt out of a federal immigration reporting-and-detention program opponents say is designed to deport undocumented residents rather than just violent offenders. This is about deciding whether to participate in the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities program, also stands in contrast to the city’s status for three decades as a so-called sanctuary city, where resources won’t be used toward deportation. The 4-3 vote demonstrates a shift in the council majority that has been under way for the past several years, with city leaders now less likely to weigh in on controversial national issues in favor of focusing on problems within the city’s jurisdiction. “What it says to me is that the council does support injustice and racial inequality in Santa Cruz,” Krysta Villeda, a fourth-year UC Santa Cruz student”. It’s great that Don Lane came down on the side of humanity; his votes are so all over the place. Few bets are being taken on how he’ll stand on anything once he becomes mayor. More…” Mayor Ryan Coonerty and Council members Lynn Robinson, David Terrazas and Hilary Bryant said they were reluctant to pass a resolution by Councilman Tony Madrigal that urged county officials not to detain people on immigration holds unless they are suspected of a serious or violent crime and have access to an immigration attorney. Although the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has supported revising Secure Communities, the council majority said it did not believe the city should advise the sheriff on the federal program. Councilwoman Katherine Beiers said it was largely meaningless considering the council often takes more positioned stances on other state legislation. Beiers, Madrigal and Vice Mayor Don Lane voted in favor of Lane’s follow-up motion to simply support AB 1081 without adding language about when the sheriff should comply with immigration holds. But the majority also voted it down.

Ryan’s leading his raiders on a long campaign against the Homeless, continuing the attack against Calvary Episcopal Church & giving UCSC all the water they need to bring in 3000 more students…and mostly from out of state??? Realize too that all of this is being orchestrated for Ryan’s run for State Assembly. Can’t you just see that campaign now? Tough on crime, tough on illegal immigrants, bridged the gap with UCSC, brought in $$$new construction (I’m not mentioning “James Durbin Year”) or as one astute local anonymous observer noted, “There will be new lines drawn for everything by this August, including probably a state senate seat centered on the central coast. Though Bill Monning is not termed out until 2014, there’s a good chance he’d go for it. The only other candidate in the mix for that seat at the moment is John Laird, and he’s already got a great job. Fred Keeley’s ruled himself out.
That would open up Bill Monning’s seat in 2012. Those boundaries too will be redrawn this August (possibly leading to some complications for him & Luis Alejo, but probably not). Ryan (who is termed out from the council in 2012, as is Tony Madrigal) is a very likely candidate again (he tried to run in 2008). The only other candidate in the mix for that seat at the moment is Mark Stone”. It’s going to be a long hot summer even without a water shortage.

1 MILLION $$ FOR SIGNAGE WON’T HELP. What possibly possesses people to think that spending huge bucks on pretty signs will bring more tourists to Santa Cruz. You know what will bring more people to Santa Cruz? 1. Preserving the few precious historically important structures that we already have and 2. Not allowing franchises to build more ugly corporate structures on our main thorough fares. Like the Hyatt and all the rest of the new motels on Ocean, and the next new one out on Mission. As previously mentioned, Santa Cruz has the west coast’s ugliest approach highways, streets and entrances. We’ve got to demand more from those developers, not print fancy signs…it’s too late, and it’s too late.

HISTORIC PARADE PHOTO. Chris Krohn emails to comment on that undated parade heading South on Pacific in last week’s column…”Nice picture…what strikes me is 1) the absence of trees (we’ve made a big improvement), 2) the tiny width of the opposite sidewalk, 3) I can also see the St. George Hotel, and the street is 4) scarily wide and the whole scene is not pedestrian oriented, but car-centric…no?!”. Then the irreplaceable Len Klempnauer sent in…”The parade photo in your latest column was taken in 1952 (between January and June), showing the Santa Cruz High School marching band. Among the majorettes are Betty Winterhalder, SCHS Class of 1952, Jackie Forgey and Shirley Mills, both SCHS Class of 1953, and Kim Gardner, SCHS Class of 1954.
— Len Klempnauer, SCHS Class of ’54. Thanks to Len, I’ll know better next time.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary has lived, breathed, preached and instituted land use policy in the Central Coast Area for more than 4 decades. On one of his weekly broadcasts this week he lists some achievements we’ve reached…”In Santa Cruz County, community involvement in land use policy issues has made a real difference. Here is just a partial list of accomplishments:

The preservation and protection of the Santa Cruz County North Coast, at one time slated for a new city, and a nuclear power plant, and various types of resort developments, including a proposed condominium project with its own airport, in Bonny Doon.
No massive new freeways cutting through the middle of Santa Cruz, and cutting through what is now the UCSC campus, to join Highway One on the North Coast with Highway 17 and Highway One going south.
Greenbelts all around the City of Santa Cruz; and
The Measure J Growth Management System that brought effective “smart growth” principles to Santa Cruz County in 1978, including the preservation of commercially viable agricultural land for productive agricultural use, and an aggressive affordable housing program.

Land use policy making by local governments was also decisive in stopping offshore oil production along the California coast. And that started right here. Read it all here

Short video, no sound: Elk splashing in a big puddle:

VINTAGE DE CINZO. Roaring Camp is still doing their annual Memorial Day Weekend War Re-enactment spectacular http://www.roaringcamp.com/events.html

Now scroll down to see what DeCinzo had to say about that vainglorious exhortation.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Professor Eagan illustrates the simple approach to taxing the rich. Scroll down asap.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul reports on the reaction to love in bloom or “Tornados, a Wedding, Osama and Obama”. He starts with…”Spring did not return at the end of April, the time poets love; nor, as T. S. Eliot hoped, did we experience rebirth from the womb of suffering. Quite the opposite occurred for more than 300 people who died when tornados struck their homes in southern states. Love and poetry did find a dramatic antithesis at the royal British wedding. One wit described the ceremony as offering the real meaning of “white trash.” The world’s most spiritually vapid family nonetheless gets millions to cheer – mostly on TV – while spending tens of millions of the public’s money to show off new dresses and hats to accentuate their weak chins. As one cynic remarked, “So much attention to a vestigial institution whose real legacy is kinkiness. They, of course, do have occasional straight sex since they must – sigh, what a bore – reproduce their parasitic specie.” Simultaneously, the British government announced it would lay off some 1 million government workers. I wonder if any of them enjoyed the lavish display staged for the royal nuptials. In that same week, the equally un-poetic assassination of Osama bin Laden took place. U.S. Navy Seals assassinated – they lacked training in kidnapping – bin Laden and three others, including one woman (possibly one of his wives). Read the rest here. Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

Triple banjo performance, with Steve Martin (who wrote the piece). Happy time!

OPERA IN THE LIBRARY. Four resident opera singers from the San Jose Opera will be performing arias from the San Jose Opera Company’s new season. That means we could hear a little something from Faust, La Traviata, Idomeneo, Pagliacci or La Voix Humaine…and they’re all great. That’s this Saturday June 18^th 2:00 p.m. in the meeting room upstairs….for free.

OPERA ON THE CAMPUS. Plan now (June 2-3-4) for the annual student production of Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring. The press release says, “Nicole Paiement conducts a chamber ensemble of members of the UCSC Orchestra as well as student singers in a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten’s three-act comic opera from 1947. Directed by Brian Staufenbiel. Set in a small town called Santa Cruz ca. 1900, a small committee has been appointed to identify a suitably virtuous village girl to be crowned May Queen and offers 25 guineas as the prize. But the evidence against its nominees is universally damning. Every single girl nominated has a questionable reputation and none is deemed worthy to wear the May Queen’s crown. Since there are no qualified candidates for Queen, why not have a May King? Why not the bashful Albert Herring, whose timidity is universally known? Albert is crowned “King of the May Festival,” only to launch a night of revelry that leaves his elders aghast and his chums impressed. Sung in English with supertitles.With the UCSC Orchestra. June 2-3-4 at 7:30 pm (Thu-Sat) June 5 at 2:00 pm (Sunday) Reserved seating.

3 minutes of a slam poet – in praise of teachers. (Yes that is Billy Collins sitting to the right.)

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa asks…”How did James Durbin rock Santa Cruz over the weekend? Find out at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). American Idol may have let him get away, but his career is just beginning; 30,000 Cruzans were there to see the first show of the rest of his life, and here’s why we love James. Also, let’s talk pirates, in honor of Captain Jack Sparrow sailing back onscreen this week On Stranger Tides. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

FILMS, IN DESCENDING ORDER…

NUREMBERG: IT’S LESSON FOR TODAY. This documentary of the Nuremberg trials was made in 1948 by the US Government, shown in Germany back then and was never shown in the USA (TOO GRISLY!!). It’s been restored and is the most complete visual record of that trial. As the website says, “The film ends with Justice Jackson’s stirring words: “Let Nuremberg stand as a warning to all who plan and wage aggressive war.” On the occasion of its 60th Anniversary, the Berlin International Film Festival has designated the screening of this historic restoration a Berlinale Special. Take a friend, watch this film and think about our foreign policy.

13 ASSASSINS. Either you know Takashi Miike’s films or not, and this one is excellent. An “old fashioned” samurai film, it’s got all the ingredients necessary to make it thrilling, choppingly bloody, and even have a story line. It’ll remind you of Seven Samurai and a lot of American Westerns for good reason, and if that’s your thing, see it twice. It’s perfect.

THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER. Aside from the Princess being beautiful she’s boring, the little bit she does talk at all. Why all the fuss over her never comes across. It’s a costume French drama set in the late 1500’s, and is fun to watch, but you won’t get involved.

EVERYTHING MUST GO. It’s a tribute to Will Ferrell’s acting that we can take him so seriously in this drama, right from his first seconds on screen. It’s a sad film..no laughs and it almost works. It’s based on a Raymond Carver short story. Local angle…Carver taught at UCSC from 1971-74. Ferrell has done serious roles onscreen before and this isn’t his best but it’s way better than those man-child gross out comedies he makes his millions from. They ruined the Carver’s story pithy quality, and you leave wondering, so what? But it’s one of the few films in town worth watching.

PRIEST IN 3D. Paul Bettany is one of those actors you can’t stop watching. But I did because this film is terrible and I left after about 20 minutes. It looks really good, the 3D is not too bad but the vampire, bloody teeth, chewing, fleshy stuff has no discernable plot and you can’t possibly follow or care who gets killed or saved. Just don’t go, no matter what.

FUNNY STUFF Oh, and the Comic for Tetris fans — (rest your mouse on the strip to access a secret “balloon.”)

MUSIC IN MAY. Music In May 2011 will once again feature Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet and pianist Amy Yang. Joining the roster will be Richard Rood of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, cellist Danielle Cho, and violist Alexandra Leem. On Friday night it’s Prokofiev 5 Melodies for Violin and Piano, John Wineglass Piano Trio (WORLD PREMIERE) Janacek String Quartet No. 1, Mahler Piano Quartet and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8. On Saturday night May 21, (same place) it’s

Beethoven Horn Sonata transcription for viola and piano, Schumann Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), Op. 82 and closing with a Mendelssohn Octet. That all occurs at the Resurrection Church (7600 Soquel Dr. Aptos CA 95003).8 p.m. both nights and there’ll be a 7 p.m. pre-concert lecture Tickets online at www.santacruztickets.com. or in person at Santa Cruz Civic Box Office (831) 420-5260. Go to www.musicinmay.org for more details.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Maya Barsacq talks about Cadenza on May 17 and then Carolyn Swift talks about the new picture book on Soquel, which she says is fantastic. Shira Bogin talks about student art and MAH on May 24 after Shira, David Warren will give us the lowdown on his local production of TED that happens June 11. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31, then Paul Whitworth fills us in on the plot behind Krapps Last Tape which he doing for Jewel Theatre Co. 6/2-6/5 . Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7. The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Don Young, author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “There’s been no top authority saying what marijuana does to you. I really don’t know that much about it. I tried it once but it didn’t do anything to me”, John Wayne. “Life without caffeine is stimulating enough”, SANKA Advertisement. “…A generation that lives with no purpose and no aim is a generation that lives in ecstasy”, Jonas Mekas

Best of Vintage DeCinzo

Roaring Camp Forever!!!

Deep Cover

May 11 – 17, 2011

PACIFIC AVENUE PARADE (BEFORE OUR CITY COUNCIL STOPPED THEM). Send in your best guess on the date of this parade. Note too that the parade is heading South. We’ve a collection of parade photos and it’s surprising how many times they went the other way. Note the original County Bank building…that’s about the only recognizable landmark left.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

DE LAVEAGA GOLF COURSE AND OTHER TOXIC AREAS. It has never ceased to amaze me why our city or any city will subsidize such an intense and huge waste of perfectly great property for a sport, especially golf. Why not permanent city run roller skate rinks, bowling alleys, or horseback riding? Then again, our fair city closed down our municipal swimming at Harvey West park…and still is willing to spend our hard acquired city coffers supporting Golf? If you genuinely care about the environment ask the folks who run De LaVeaga about their use of pesticides. Ask if it’s true that, like many golf courses, there is so much toxic pesticide used on the greens that each one has a separate drainage system so the poisons won’t pollute the land around the greens. As some pillar of wisdom once said, ”The waste is a terrible thing to mind” and paying for and supporting a few golfers hobby at the expense of some very necessary improvements to our city is more than terrible.

TRAFFIC TICKETS FOR TEXTING AND PHONING,UNFAIR. You’ve seen those electric highway warning signs like “Don’t phone and drive $250 it isn’t worth it”.

If tickets cost that much just for phoning shouldn’t drinking coffee and driving cost at least that much? How about eating a cheesy sloppy burrito and driving? Shouldn’t that cost at least $500 or would that be Facial Profiling or worse? Lets’ protest.

MARIN STOPPED DE-SAL, SO CAN WE. Convince your neighbors and learn more yourself by attending this community event: “Sustaining Our Water Future in Santa Cruz” with guest speaker James Fryer. James Fryer is former head of conservation programs, Marin Municipal Water District and has over 20 years of experience working on freshwater, estuarine studies. In June of 2009, as a former MMWD conservation coordinator he authored a report released by Food & Water Watch that found desalination unnecessary in Marin. Instead, Fryer recommends a package of solutions that includes improving landscape irrigation, decreasing system leaks and enhancing reservoir operation to meet Marin’s future water needs at a much lower cost and environmental impact. He’ll have a lot to say about the similarities between Santa Cruz and Marin’s problems. After Fryer’s talk there’ll be a slide show titled “Rain Catcher”, a slide show by Bobby Markowitz. Markowitz is a designer of rainwater catchments with Earthcraft Design. It all happens Thursday, May 12th, 7-8:30pm, Unity Temple, 407 Broadway, Santa Cruz. Free Admission.

Here’s a link to “An Investigation of the Marginal Cost of Seawater Desalination in Marin’s Proposed Desalination Facility …by J Fryer
p.s. Marin County tried the sneaky tactic of writing their desal ballot measure so no one would know how to vote…which is what Barrisone, Kocher, Ryan, Rotkin and people like that are planning here.

SECRET DE CINZO CARTOONS.More than just rumors have it that the anti-desal folks are in cahoots with spectacular editorial cartoonist Steven DeCinzo to produce spanking new Desal cartoons. I’ve seen the rough sketches and can tell you they are some of the sharpest, funniest drawings he’s ever done. The anti desal folks are working hard to educate those amongst us that there are other and better ways to go. Help counter the Santa Cruz City Water Department’s heavy pro de-sal campaign both in print and onstage by sending a few dollars to help pay for some educational materials the cause. Match the $1,000 pledge to help in halting the “proposed” desal plant and advancing sustainable water alternatives for Santa Cruz. Send a contribution to

SC Desal Alternatives
157 Van Ness Ave. #5
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

THE LEAGUE MARCHES ON. The League of Women Voters of Santa Cruz County will hold its 46^th Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 21, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Beachcliff Clubhouse, 863 Via Palo Alto in Aptos. The public is invited. Jackie Jacobberger, Past President of the LWV of California will be the keynote speaker on the topic: California’s Fiscal Woes. Can We Finance Our Future? Ms. Jacobberger’s talk will focus on California’s budget issues, how we got here, and some of the reform proposals. The event will begin with a salad bar luncheon. For more information visit the League’s website calendar at http://www.lwvscc.org

ELERICK’S INPUT. “Combining the Regional Transportation Commission

with the Transit District – be careful!!”

Our elected officials are looking at ways to save money by combining the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. The Transit District is struggling right now to maintain a critical asset, i.e. public transportation to County residents, whereas the Regional Transportation Commission is coordinating road repair, bicycle programs, and of course their number one priority, widening Highway 1. The RTC must be given credit for steadfastly supporting the purchase of the 32 mile rail line between Watsonville and Davenport, and working for over a decade to complete this deal.

But combining these two agencies needs to be looked at very carefully. The makeup of the governing bodies of these two organizations has lots of overlap right now, and the majority of both agencies favor widening Highway 1. The Metro District is successful because of a ½ cent sales tax measure was passed back in 1978 to support public transit. The RTC and the highway widening supporters failed to pass a sales tax measure to widen the highway back in 2004. Watch how this stated plan to combine the two agencies progresses. If a sales tax measure (that already passed back in 1978) to fund pubic transit has to be put before the voters again in 2012 in order to merge the two agencies, we’re looking at the possibility of losing a great bus system due to the “no more taxes – ever” crowd, and they are capable of winning as it would take 2/3 majority vote to keep the bus system funded. Oh yes, by the way, the majority of the anti-tax crowd want to widen the highway”.(Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about his vacation plans, then he warns us about a plan to cut 4000 trees at Fort Ord. He tells of Heritage Ranch and how it really isn’t heritage…He announces that Water Study talk on Wednesday night. There’s more news about the State realignment plot. Gary closes by discussing PPIC, never to be called “pupik”.

VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo tweaks our Sheriff’s dept little hobbies…take a downward spin…

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Social reconstructionist Tim Eagan shows how much we should CARE about….scroll below

BARTCZAK’S BULLFROGS. Scroll down a few pages to see Peter’s latest artistic achievement….titling them could be your problem….

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul’s column this week is “Free Private Manning”. He leads off with, In April; the Army transferred Private Bradley Manning from a Quantico, Virginia, solitary confinement cell to the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas. At Quantico, according to a Human Rights Watch report, the military had shackled Manning, stripped him naked and isolated him. The government explained they did these apparently cruel deeds because they feared Manning might commit suicide.“

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

LISA JENSEN LINKS.Hop into the Wayback machine this week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/) to revisit bohemian Santa Cruz of the early ’70s via the stunning photo portraits of former Cruzan Jim Hair. Also, will James Durbin make it into the Final Three on American Idol? If so, prepare for another tsunami when Durbinmania hits the Boardwalk Bandstand his weekend. (Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975).

FILMS DESCENDING…

QUEEN TO PLAY.A 2009 French film starring Kevin Kline speaking French

But see it more to experience Sandrine Bonnaire (you’ll recognize her) as the housemaid who becomes obsessed with playing chess. A lovely well told story, with French charm, some wit and lots of pathos. See it if you like really good films that stay with you for days.

MEEK’S CUTOFF. This film stays with you for days but then again so does the flu and jock itch. It’s about three families traveling the Oregon Trail in 1845. There’s an unbelievable and rare division of opinion among real film critics ranging from calling it classic to boring. I’m on the boring side. It’s slow, nothing happens, no point is made, it’s tedium to the fullest. Michelle Williams from Wendy and Me is the star but she could have spent her time in better ways. Oh yes, there’s an American Indian in it but he doesn’t help either.

SOMETHING BORROWED. This meaningless drivel stars Ginnifer Goodwin (the youngest of Mormon Wives on HBO’s Big Love series and Kate Hudson at her dimmest best. It’s about screwing your best friends in every sense, and it’s not funny, deep, meaningful or worth seeing. And I’m sorry I did.

THOR. Like just about everybody else I figured that with Kenneth Brannagh directing and Anthony Hopkins playing Odin how bad could it be? I found out…very bad. The only good from this fake 3D film is that those two guys made enough money to go on pursing some quality projects they must have had in mind. Just like Wagner’s Ring operas the God and humans use the rainbow bridge and we are reminded in the film that it’s original Norse name is Bifrost. Wagner doesn’t name the bridge, but never mind. It took in $66 million on opening weekend. Natalie Portman does her cute bit, and Chris Hemsworth the new 28 year old Australian hunk as Thor even makes Governor Schwarzenegger look puny. But don’t go anyways

WAGNER’S RING, PART 2. DIE WALKURE. Back in the day Walkure’ s (Valkyries) stayed alive by eating the corpses of the soldiers who died on battlefields. That of course was extra- environmental, but that’s not in this opera. I said on KZSC’s Bushwhackers last Friday that this opera was 4 hours long. I was fibbing because I knew what the reaction would be…and I was right. Actually its 5 ½ hours long and begins at 9 am. at Cinema 9. Deborah Voight has been singing this, her first Brunnhilde, Bryn Terfel as Wotan and Stephanie Blythe as Fricka. Odin and Wotan are the same guy if you happen to see Thor and wonder why they both wear eye patches. It’s because he was hanging from an oak tree..but that’s another story. Get tickets to see this Metropolitan Opera production this Saturday at Cinema 9. You’ll never see or hear another like it.

SOME BAROQUE NOYSE. The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival continues with concert # V titled “ PRIMAL WINDS: The Whole Noyse”. The Whole Noyse derives its name from medieval England, when a group of loud wind instruments was called a ‘noise’. At the cusp of Renaissance and Baroque, their repertoire includes rousing dances and canzonas by Josquin Desprez, Giovanni Gabrieli, Girolamo Frescobaldi and others, all played on replicas of 16th to early 17th-century instruments. Featuring The Whole Noyse: Stephen Escher (curved cornetts, recorder), Richard Van Hessel & Sandy Stadtfeld (sackbuts – ancestor of the trombone, recorder, gittern), Herbert Myers (curtal – ancestor of the bassoon, recorder, viola), with Alexandra Opsahl (cornett, recorder).AND

? Special Guest: Back by Popular Demand – Darryl Coe returns with his Drehorgel and Affe (outside). Darryl plays a “hurdy gurdy” type thing and Affe is his hand puppet. It all happens at the First Congregational Church, 900 High Street, Santa Cruz Saturday May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Astrologer Sue Heinz will be on May 10, then Mark Kay-Gamel who’ll talk about her new Orestes Terrorist production happening on UCSC campus May 20-29. Maya Barsacq talks about Cadenza on May 17 and Carolyn Swift talks about the new picture book on Soquel which she says is fantastic. Shira Bogin talks about student art and MAH on May 24. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7.The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Don Young author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

QUOTES. “When I was a boy, the Dead Sea was only sick”, George Burns. “Every day in every way, I get worse and worse”, Patrick Murray. “Santa Claus has the right idea— visit people just once a year”, Victor Borge.

Best of Vintage DeCinzo

Deep Cover

May 3 – 9, 2011

GOVERNOR RONALD REAGAN AT UCSC, AGAIN.This photo of “Ronnie Babe” at UCSC was taken October 18, 1968. Still trying to set the record straight Ronnie was sworn in as Governor a few minutes after midnight on January 2, 1967. His astrologer Carroll Righter (my father’s fraternity brother in law school) told Ronnie to hold it after midnight to appease the stars. So Ronnie was already Governor in last week’s photo (taken May 18,1967).That was about the student vigil against tuition. Ronnie came back to UCSC on October 18, 1968 to attend a UC Regents meeting when this was taken. John Wilkes, senior lecturer emeritus in UC’s Science Communication Program emails, ““As a senior at UCSC in spring quarter 1967 I was one of the students participating in the protest vigil. Ronald Reagan was on campus as chairman of the UC Board of Regents. As governor, he automatically assumed that title and function, and he was at UCSC to chair a meeting of the Regents. The meeting took place in the library in the Cowell College courtyard, and the photo was taken just outside the library”. John Wilkes Cowell College ’67.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

EDITH PIAF TRIBUTE. There are dozens of Piaf clips on you Tube here’s an interesting one.

TANNERY ARTISTS AS TOURIST DRAW…NOT!!! George Newell gave a talk about the Tannery at the April meeting of Lifelong Learners up at UCSC. I really and truly wish the tannery well now that it’s there. That said I can never figure why Santa Cruz with its high rents and supposed caring for humanity and the poor became so elitist and gave Tannery housing to so called “Artists” instead of teachers, nurses, homeless veterans, and people struggling to make a living who don’t pose as “Artists”. Newell works hard to justify the expense of the Tannery to the city. One of his biggest “moments du merde” (aka. bullshit) was when he said, and you’ve heard it dozens of times, with all the artists living in the Tannery it’ll become a tourist attraction. People will come here from all over to see the amazing atmosphere and creations on display at the Tannery. STOP RIGHT HERE…now think about that…and be very, very honest….how many of you actually think that tourists would rather come here to see the Tannery instead of Carmel and Monterey?? We have next to nothing to draw money-spending over-night tourists, not now, not never. The Boardwalk sure, but those tourists only come here for the rides, they never go downtown, never shop. So to repeat…lets see a show of hands of how many of you would ever say to your visitor friends or relatives…”oh, don’t go to Monterey and the Aquarium, and the Cannery OR don’t go to Carmel and walk the Gallery walk go to the Santa Cruz Tannery”. Poor choice Santa Cruz, about that Tannery, and Newell never once mentioned that they built it on the San Lorenzo flood plain. And on opening weekend they had to sandbag the street level parking spaces because the river overflowed. More later. Naturally.

Many Hands Dancing.
Kit B writes to say, “I really enjoy the videos you choose to post. Regarding the recent “Thousand Hand Guan Yin:” There is a much better version of this that uses the actual music they danced to (see below). More remarkable still, all the women dancers are deaf. Two teacher/coaches are at each wing to cue the dancers. I find this version even more moving than the one you posted. Thanks for all you do for us Santa Cruzans.

DANCING IN THE STREETS HUGE SUCCESS.Whoever was responsible for that Dance celebration a week ago that took place all over Downtown deserves some kind of medal. Great crowds, wonderful community feeling, genuine Santa Cruz spirit, and some fine dancing from where I sat. We need more of that stuff. More parades, more celebrations, more community…that’s what’ll bring tourists here. Have you ever gone traveling and lucked upon some local celebration by accident? It automatically becomes one of most treasured memories of all time.

DE-SAL ON THE BALLOT? WHO’LL WRITE IT AND WHY!!! It begins to look like the City Council might put the construction of a de-sal plant on the ballot. They really don’t want to, but just maybe. The next question and we’ve seen this too many times that our ever conniving city staff will figure out a way to write and word the issue so that no one will be able to easily figure out how to vote. Like a yes means no De-sal or a no means build the plant. Watch for this and be very, very afraid.

COMPOSTING TOILETS @ $2000 EACH…WHERE’S THE LINE BEGIN?? Last week on Universal Grapevine my guest Bruce Daniels from the Soquel Creek Water District showed me and he talked about the composting toilets he found online.

One by Sun Mar costs $2000 by the time you can use it, and it’s electric. I looked and found one by Natures Head for $910 but you hand crank it then there’s one for $1049. So lets agree on which one we think will be cheaper in the long run than de-sal. Who knows??

WHY ARE ALL OUR MOTORCYCLE COPS SO FAT? Surely you must have wondered why Santa Cruz has so many fat motorcycle cops. From what I hear all cops want to be motorcycle cops (that’s why they never bust loud motorcyclists). But wouldn’t you think that our new police chief would hide these chubbos and put them in cars or behind desks instead of having them so conspicuous…and so beefy/ Who knows??

W.C. FIELDS…THE DENTIST. I thought his patient was Zasu Pitts but not! Watch this anyways it’s simply beautiful.

TOM HONIG’S “JUST A BIKE PATH” REMARK. Tom Honig in his Good Times “Best Of..” remark about The Coastal Commission’s denial of a “Bike Path” across Arana Gulch, saying “it was a bike path folks, not three mile island”. “Lightly opinionated” Tom maybe didn’t read that the proposed changes to Arana Gulch includes

1. Two 12′ wide paved routes (8′ hard pavement with 2′ of gravel on each
side) for a mile total length on 30 acres of prairie grassland

2. Two bridges – one 300′ long over Hagemann Gulch and one over Arana Creek
(mostly covering existing creek culverts), where the width of the bike route
will be 15′ as it crosses the creek

3. 300′ of the bike route will be on a raised ramp on the 100′ riparian
setback before it crosses Arana Creek, to allow an elevation gain of a three
story building

4. Latest cost estimates for the so-called “path” are $5 million.

5. The Coastal Commission did not turn down a network of walking trails.

6. If the Broadway-Brommer bike project was removed from the Arana Gulch
Master Plan, the CA Coastal Commission would unanimously vote for the
management prescriptions in the Master Plan, which include a network of
walking trails, some of which would be handicapped accessible.
(Thanks to Jean Brocklebank for these statistics. Go to Tom’s website and check his other stuff).

ELERICK’S INPUT. PG &E’s SmartMeters and electronic access to your home.

Thanks to our daily newspaper (Santa Cruz Sentinel), we were told who to call to get on PG&E’s “temporary delay list” for SmartMeter installations. They published a phone number to call, 877-743-7378, which I promptly did and got a real person immediately. I was asked to identify myself and specifically why I wanted to delay a SmartMeter installation. My answer was I didn’t really want to postpone the installation; I just wanted to opt out of ever getting one. Two reasons I gave her for this were I didn’t like to see PG&E’s meter readers put out of a job, and that I would never use any of their SmartMeter data, so just leave me off the SmartMeter list. The answer? “PG&E will put you at the end of their installation list for your area, and we will call you before any installation is scheduled for your home”. I thanked the person for taking the information. But a few hours later, another PG&E caller left a message on my phone asking if I would be willing to answer a six question survey by entering “1” on the phone. This proved to be a bust, I never got to the survey, just got routed back to the original message.

However, I must have triggered a mailing from PG&E’s SmartAC Program Manager, informing me of their new program driven by something that sounds suspiciously like a SmartMeter. It will allow PG&E to turn down your home air conditioning during periods of heavy electricity use and avoid power interruptions. Nowhere is the term SmartMeter used in the letter, they just refer to installing something called a “SmartAC device on your air conditioner”. They even offer a $50 reward for signing up.

PG&E seems hell-bent on getting electronic access to your home, one way or another. If you’re not interested in having their SmartMeter installed, the number to call is 877-743-7378. (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

RE ELERICK LAST WEEK. Reader Lois Robin writes, “Hi,

Noticed your comment on Bratton’s blog about trouble finding the Giants. Then when they were finally on Fox on Channel 2 (or 3) the commentators were so weak that you had to turn to radio. If it’s any comfort, I did the same thing, grumbling about those inept announcers. Fortunately we have John Miller and rest to keep us in touch on radio. Yup, it’s really hard to find them on TV even when you have an extended subscription to Comcast. I’ve given up on TV. If they are in the World Series then they put all the games on TV.

ZASU PITTS TRIBUTE. For all newcomers to Santa Cruz. Zasu Pitts lived here awhile and went to Santa Cruz High

CORNEL WEST WILL BE AT UCSC FRIDAY. (writing this on Monday) I’m assuming everyone knows by now that philosopher, author, critic and actor Cornel West will be speaking up at UCSC this Friday May 4^th at 7 p.m. I’mwondering what he’ll say about killing Osama Ben Laden, aren’t you?

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary invites us “to go to Helm”…but just for a meeting. He also urges paying attention to Monterey and some rooster rules. There’s a meeting about medical marijuana, another on that dratted Rental ordinance…You can also go to the nearly demolished Unity temple for a meeting on Water Issues. Then there’s the problem of HCP’s and what they don’t protect…like flora and fauna in our sand hills. (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 )

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul writes in his Progreso Weekly column titled ,”CIA CULTIVATED HUMAN HURRICANES” « Luis Posada Carriles, now in his 80s, has returned to Miami as a triumphant hero after an El Paso jury acquitted him of 11 counts of lying on an immigration form. Strangely enough, the Justice Department had presented evidence showing Posada had orchestrated a series of bombings in Cuba in 1997 – which killed one tourist. Posada returned to Miami where he makes celebrity appearances at fundraisers. According to one U.S. official who requested anonymity, “Posada has become a colossal pain in the ass.” Read all of it here Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. It’s all about art this week on Lisa Jensen Online Express. Check out some hot stops on the First Friday Art Tour, find out what’s new with the “Junk Art Scramble” pilot episode, and plan for a delectable Mother’s Day weekend with the 4th Annual Art & Chocolate art studio tour, in marvelous Mid-County. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

FILMS DESCENDING.(scroll down for past week’s film reviews of…)

In A Better World.

The Conspirator.

Winter in Wartime…should be “War in Wintertime” or actually “Time in A Winterwar”.

Source Code

Hanna

Limitless

Win Win.

Don’t think about Scream 4 or Fast Five…yes, I saw them, but never mind.

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF.Get your Scottish fix, or your South African one, or your North Indian one, or your Crescent City one, or simply face the Whole Noyse. Details all here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html Check back, there will be more.
Cheers, ph

NEW MONTEREY BAY GLASS FESTIVAL. Philip Glass has visited and played in Santa Cruz many times with Dennis Russell Davies’ Cabrillo Music Festival. He also did the old Palookaville and Temple Beth El as piano soloist. Now he’s starting the Day And Nights Festival in Carmel Valley, not far from Leon and Sylvia Panetta’s house. It opens August 19^th. Check out details here http://www.sfcv.org/article/philip-glass-founds-new-arts-festival-in-carmel-valley and herehttp://www.daysandnightsfestival.com

NEW MUSIC WORKS & DAVID GRISHAM @ CABRILHO (review) Phil Collins called the New Music Works last concert on Saturday April 23 “Whirled On A String”. It was certainly one of the most accessible, pop concerts NMW has put together. Phil’s own composition “Springing” played by Sandra Gu was also one of his more easily listened to pieces. The Cabrilho Recital hall was almost packed with folks wanting to hear David Grisman and he didn’t let them down. A fun night was had by all.

BARBARA DOWNS ART AT LULU’S, A MUST SEE. Check out Barbara’s website http://bdowns.com/blog and be sure to see her paintings at Lulu’s on Cooper Street. Fine paintings, even stronger than the coffee!

EAGANS DEEP COVER. What’s new??? Scroll to Eagan and see what inventions have wrought!!!

C.S. BIGGS MAY HOROSCOPE. I never knew that my friend C.S. Biggs “did astrology”. He says he also does counseling!!! See what he means about May being stubborn, disappointing and painful. Send me any/all reactions to his stuff.

GENERAL FORECAST
May’s trying to get through the door, but April just won’t call it quits. The theme for this month is stubbornness and how it interferes with our dialogue with our own life and how it can be the source of a lot of disappointment and pain. However, it does have its place in the scheme of things and is not going away any time soon.

ARIES: Money, money, money – that’s what it’s all about. Not really, but it certainly feels that way. Get the screaming demons out of your system and then sit down with yourself and find a practical solution that’s achievable. Don’t expect any help or support from your friends or mate. This one’s all yours.
TAURUS: Slow and steady is actually the right way to go about solving your current dilemma. How convenient – you just have to be yourself. I know that’s a novel approach for you but give it a try. Expect to be surprised at how some of your friends or your mate will react. Stand up for your emotional rights. You don’t have to get angry to be honest.
GEMINI: You and Pisces should sit down and have a beer together. No one else understands what it is like to be two people at once. It’s not about change as it is about acceptance and surrender. You two are just licking wounds that have already healed. Get your heads out of the water and pay attention to real life!
CANCER: Don’t get so uncomfortable when things get this nice. It’s not a prelude to anything; it is something in and of itself. Any time traveling in your heart or mind will only work against you, ruin the moment, and waste valuable time and energy. You’re like an athlete in training – pace yourself and know how to replenish.
LEO: You’re not really likeable right now but that’s O.K. even if it is disagreeable to all concerned. We’re big boys and big girls and can take some rockiness and uncertainty, right?. If it seems to go on for too long, that’s too bad. This is like the sting of the antiseptic as it washes out the wound…………
VIRGO: Once again, you’re being punished for doing the right thing. People are too self absorbed to understand your higher motives and goals, but you should be used to that. The certainty you feel about what you’re doing is real. Get better about saying no and most of your problems will disappear. Of course it’s not easy.
LIBRA: No matter how hard you try to please, you’ve been left out by the ones you trusted the most. It’s not the first time and you know the story, but it still hurts. When people tell you not to take it personally, they’re just trying to get away with murder. Forgive them, for you’ll be on the other side of the equation next time.
SCORPIO: I have nothing to say – the universe will treat you like the golden one this month and give you everything IT thinks you want. Therein lies the rub – you may not like all of the gifts. Don’t get too cocky – it’s not a reward for something you did. Don’t put on the false modesty bit, either. Be authentic for a change.
SAGITTARIUS: Everyone’s ganging up on you and maybe they have a point. You’ve got some crazy idea about how things should be and you’re way out of line. This happens to all of us and if you’re kind and keep your sense of humor, you won’t do as much damage or have as much to regret when you finally come to your senses.
CAPRICORN: It’s the opposite of last month and the going is hard for no reason. Everything seems fine on the surface, but the old magic is gone. Don’t panic – you’re just exhausted and need some time out. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a while before you can curl up with a good book in front of the fireplace.
AQUARIUS: It’s better that you don’t know what lies ahead. I know that this violates the control freak in you (most people don’t know that you are a control freak) but please be patient. It’s a good lesson for you to learn that you have been avoiding for a long time. Don’t worry – it’s not that big a deal.
PISCES: Now Pisces is bearing its soft belly and pretending to submit. Give me a break – I’m not buying it. Which one is you – the stubborn fool or the foolish victim? Neither is appetizing or appropriate for who you really are. Man up and own your personal power. The passive aggressive Pisces is a thing of the past.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Joseph Leone talks about his new book on Depression on May 3 after that Rebecca Jackson will describe the Music In May concerts on May 20 & 21^st. Astrologer Sue Heinz will be on May 10, then Mark Kay-Gamel talks about her new Orestes Terrorist production happening on campus May 20-29. Maya Barsacq talks about Cadenza on May 17 and Carolyn Swift talks about the new book on Soquel which she says is fantastic. Shira Bogin talks about student art and MAH on May 24. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7.The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Don Young author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “The fabled musk deer searches the world over for the source of the scent which comes from itself”, Ramakrishna. “It’s all soul”, Junior Wells. “Every word is like a stain on silence and nothingness”, Samuel Beckett.

Deep Cover

April 26 – May 2, 2011

EARLIEST PHOTO OF DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ. This was taken around 1859. It’s of course what we now call Pacific, Front, and Mission streets with that Jamba Juice, US Post office and stuff there now. Back then it was Willow, Front and Main Streets.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

ABBOTT & COSTELLO WITH ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT TYPOGRAPHY

SCRP MEETS DAVID TERRAZAS & VICE VERSA. Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning invited David Terrazas to our April 20^th meeting. David didn’t know what SCRP stood for but we explained it to him. I personally didn’t know what Terrazas stood for and still don’t after some pointed questions. About 20 of us were there, from the Sierra Club, DeAnza Park, PDC, De-Sal groups, groups like that. David spoke out in favor of strong neighborhood infrastructure, special districts, “polish some downtown spaces”, quality of life and safe campaign-type stuff. We told him people needed to feel more listened to; we needed to see a stronger City Council that isn’t so tied to City Staff. We asked why we don’t demand more from developers and developments. It was pointed out that Safeway finally gave in to many, many neighborhood demands before ethey opened the new Mission Safeway. We pointed out how the City never asks why and demand proof that developers projects “don’t pencil out”, like La Bahia. We grieved over “spot zoning” and fighting the General Plan. We asked and griped over the Unity Hyatt Place plain ugliness and traffic problem. Terrazas said he too like Hilary Bryant, would be in favor of a public ballot measure on building that de-sal plant. So it wasn’t a complete loss, on either side.

SCRP’s next meeting. As it says in SCRP’s latest email…Juliana Rebliagati, Don Lauritson and Eric Marlatt from the Santa Cruz City Planning Department have agreed to attend the SCRP meeting on May 4. They will discuss the Hyatt project on the site of the present Unity Temple on Broadway just off Ocean and the Park Pacific project (1547-1549 Pacific Avenue to 1110 Cedar Street) at the top of the Mall next to the bank and running from Pacific through to Cedar. That will be a good one.

GARY PATTON ON DE-SAL PLANT. This was in the Sentinel last Sunday and in case you missed it. Here it is with a forward by Jean Brocklebank …..Once again, Gary Patton demonstrates his remarkable mastery of “painting the Big Picture” for our community. With laser sharp analysis and keen political sensibility, he has clearly connected all the desal plant dots. From now on, the “business- as- usual- City Council” along with the unsustainable growth promoters, will be unable to stealthily drive their expensive and risky desal steamroller over the interests of the voters and water ratepayers for generations to come.

Gary’s profound article comes at time when the highly-visible grassroots efforts of Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives to educate, challenge, mobilize, and build community are starting to shake the power structure as well as nurturing a democratic space to advance sane solutions for living within our financial and environmental limits” J.B..

GARY’S OP-ED PIECE..

“The city of Santa Cruz is facing some fundamental questions, and water supply issues are central. Because the city provides water for residents and businesses not only in the city, but also in Live Oak, Capitola, and Pasatiempo and because the city is planning to build a desalination plant with the Soquel Creek Water District, which provides water to Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Rio Del Mar and La Selva Beach, the City Council’s decisions will affect something like 50 percent or more of the population of Santa Cruz County.

Here are three questions currently pending:

What sort of long-term plan for future growth and development is most appropriate? This question is posed in the city’s General Plan deliberations.
Should UCSC be given access to city water to accommodate a major expansion? This question is posed by the city/university applications to the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO.
What sort of future water supplies should be provided? This question is posed by the proposed desalination plant, and has been linked to a proposed Habitat Conservation Plan HCP, to be approved by federal and state resource agencies. The city is acting like these are three discrete inquiries. The city’s consideration and environmental review of these three projects is taking place as three separate processes, on separate timelines, separately funded, and sequenced so that the information developed on one of the inquiries is not readily available with respect to decisions made on the related issues.

The city needs to “get it together.” The current approach is likely to cause legal problems, since the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, demands that the environmental review of related projects not be inappropriately “segmented.” Legalities aside, the city is making it almost impossible for the public to understand what choices are actually available, and what choices are actually being made.

Should the city build a desalination plant? That question is related to the question of whether the city is going to back the university’s play for significant new growth almost doubling the physical construction on campus. Should the city have a General Plan goal of being able to accommodate any amount of new growth and development that might present itself? If “yes,” then maybe building a desalination plant would be advisable. But we don’t know the “answer” to these questions, yet, and the answers should be provided in conjunction with the decision on desalination.

BURNING MARIJUANA. Cool fun…in spite of everything.

There isn’t any question that the city should reduce its diversion of water from the San Lorenzo River and North Coast streams. The city’s current operations are killing endangered species, and federal and state laws require the city to cut back its diversions. This fact, however, does not necessarily mean that a desalination plant is required. An April 5 presentation by the city water director seemed to imply that conclusion, but anyone who sat through the entirety of the council meeting, including the public testimony, knows there are non-desalination options that could deal with the fish flow issues. Desalination is the decision that backs a major expansion of UCSC. Desalination is the decision that makes it possible for the city to continue to accommodate whatever new growth may come. Going with desalination is about accommodating new growth and development, including that major expansion of UCSC. Whether or not that is the right approach will be decided in the pending General Plan and LAFCO deliberations. But shouldn’t the key future growth decisions be directly related to the decision on the desalination plant, instead of having the desalination decision tied solely to a discussion about water supplies and fish? My answer is, “yes.”

And here’s a final point. What would this proposed desalination plant actually cost, in both financial and ecological terms? Until we know that, how can we say we should be backing a doubling of the UCSC built environment, and adopting a “let growth come” approach to the city’s General Plan? Where water and growth are concerned, the city needs to “get it together.”

HISTORIC PHOTO OF GOVERNOR REAGAN. John Laird was first and Paul Hostetter was second to point out my error in saying that last week’s photo taken

May 18 1967 just before Ronnie was elected Governor should have read…quoting
Mr. Laird, “Bruce – Ronald Reagan was elected Governor in November, 1966, and would
have been Governor already for four months by the time listed with this
photo. He was on campus for the Regents meeting in the 1968-69 school
year sometime. I didn’t know he’d been there earlier, but he may well
have been. J”

BERKELEY’S CITY COUNCIL WATCH. I’ve kicked this idea around for years that it would be a good idea if we had some scorecard that told us how and who voted on issues. A simple one page sheet, none of the council people I spoke to ever followed up on it. Now Berkeley has a Council Watch. .Read up on it and read the ever lucid Berkeley Daily Planet.

FRIENDS OF WALNUT CREEK LIBRARY. Dozens, maybe hundreds of loyal locals have suggested that volunteers help out our over stressed library system. Watch this to see what the fans of the Walnut Creek Library did and do. They started a local “Amazon” type business selling used books…that would work in Santa Cruz where every household seems to have a thousand or two books lying around.

http://www.alibris.com/stores/wclf4ubs?cm_sp=browse-_-featSellers-_-rhs2

GOODBYE TO FAYE CUPP. Long time friend Faye Cupp died last Saturday. She was a positive force in many, many lives. She worked and played hard and changed lots of lives. She’ll be missed just about forever.

ELERICK’S INPUT.

THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF CABLE TV.

I’m probably the last to figure out what happened to the San Francisco Giants TV coverage that used to be available on Comcast Sports Net. Looking forward to an evening of baseball on TV with my grandson, we found “boxing” instead where the Giants used to be. Since nobody at Comcast could answer questions other than ask us what new service we wanted to purchase, we resorted to that old standby, “channel surfing”, and it paid off. Low and behold, the Giants were on Comcast’s channel 187, KOTR on something called MYnetwork. Looking for more, we found on the internet that this is indeed a Central Coast TV station, and MYnetwork is the “groundbreaking brain child of Rupert Murdoch”. That’s all well and good, but why such a hassle to learn about it? Then on Saturday to add insult to injury, the Giants TV was shifted to Fox Channel with two of the most inept announcers ever, forcing us to run for an AM radio to pick up KNBR.

Cable TV is here to stay, and we’ve had lots of enjoyment exploring all the channels on Comcast’s dial. But some things are hard to understand. For example, we no longer have KGO Channel 7 from San Francisco to watch what’s going on locally in that city. Our Salinas KSBW station now occupies both channel 6 and 7, blocking out KGO’s broadcast. The KSBW station manager announced this change as something he thought “everybody would like” and that nobody wanted to know what was happening in SF, all based on a “customer survey”. Sorry, nobody asked me. Any more dumb decisions like this will lead me straight to another cable service or dish provider.

(Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about LAFCO around the Bay. He syas there’s news about Salinas and the Board of Supervisors. Capitola is working on a General Plan. Scotts Valley is on the verge of killing their local Spineflowers and June Beetles. He ends his KUSP stuff with a thought on Law degrees and land use policy. (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 )

CAROLYN BURKE FROM PARIS.She writes,” I hope all’s well since we last had a chat. As you may know, my book launch at Bookshop SC had to be rescheduled due to a power outage that night. Could you please tell your listeners and readers that it WILL take place on Wed. My 4 at 7:30, finally. Meanwhile I’ve been on a whirlwind tour: LA (with a singer), NYC, Paris (under the stars), and London (also with a singer). Just for fun, here are the links to the two BBC interviews I did on Monday, egad! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fz84r – bbc world service interview. This will be available to listen to from 2300 UK time and will stay online permanently.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010dhct#p00gfdl4 – BBC Radio 4 Woman’s hour.

Cheers, all best, Carolyn Burke author of “No Regrets- The Life of Edith Piaf.

PHONE CALLS AT CONCERTS.This hilarious scene should be repeated every time a cell phone goes off don’t miss it…

VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo gives surfing a shove..scroll down

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim gives us a lesson on abortion….scroll down.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul and friend write, “Same Old Stuff from The Nuclear Gang” They start off by saying, “For 60 years the nuclear industry has promised the world cheap, safe and clean energy. As the Japanese government continues to extend its nuclear evacuation zone and with the eerie glow of the Fukishima plant as background, the pushers of nuclear power – including the President – still demand subsidies for new plants of Congress. As another Chernobyl-size disaster looms, the energy-fixated “problem solvers” continue to suffer from both temporary blindness and long-term amnesia – ignoring or down-playing the history of nuclear “mishaps.”Behind the push for this “clean” (no fossil fuel emissions) energy source, lies a deeper motive. Would you believe money? Read the rest here… Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), we celebrate the second most witching time of year (May Eve!) with one of the most bewitching movies, ever, another one of my personal favorites coming to the Aptos Weekend Classics series. Also, I preview some movies to watch for at the upcoming Santa Cruz Film Festival, offer some musings on the rock band Muse, and weigh in on Water For Elephants.

Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. This is probably too personal but the elephant in Water for Elephants is sexier than Reese Witherspoon ever could be.The film is just a test to see how long you’re willing to wait before the elephant kills Christophe Waltz. This is nothing more than a Republic Studio (Circa 1940) bland, dull, predictable “B Movie”.

WINTER IN WARTIME.Local Holland Dutch endure Nazi occupation with the usual who’s informing, who’s loyal, who’s not telling type plots. This film has a few too many

Plot twists and coincidences but it’s thrilling and will jerk your tears…go see it.

IN A BETTER WORLD. As the press release states, “Susanne Bier’s In a Better World is a fascinating look at the difference between revenge, pacifism and forgiveness”. That means bullying at school, dealing with death, divorce, danger and even dynamite. It’s exciting, touching, believable, and certainly worth seeing.

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. (remember, Paul’s stuff is about one week old).

New Music Works is doing something out of the ordinary this coming weekend. Well, that’s to be expected, but this has rather different appeal. And not so far off, a Johnny Clegg show I’ve heard very good things about in advance, and the real deal on the horizon: Shivkumar Sharma with Zakir Hussein at the Rio in Santa Cruz. Get tickets now. Check : http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html
More in due time. ph

STEPHEN FRY TALKS ABOUT LANGUAGE

MANY FACES OF COMEDY. The Language Program and Cowell College at UCSC present the 11th season of the International Playhouse, Many Faces of Comedy. This unique program will offer short, fully-staged comic pieces in Chinese, French, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, with English supertitles projected above the stage Works will range from an original Chinese piece, Flowers in the Fog, featuring music, dance, and martial arts, to scenes in French from Molière’s classic comedy, School for Wives, to two comic vignettes in Japanese, Keetai (Cell Phone) and Shinyuu (Friends) by Bananaman, as well as the Alphabet Song, by Kreva. Students of Spanish will present El eterno femenino (The Eternal Feminine) a play by Rosario Castellanos, while the Russian segment, a comic work by Mikhail Bulgakov, is entitled Ivan Vasilevich, and deals with an eccentric scientist of the 1930’s who creates a time machine.There’ll be just four public performances from Thursday, May 12, through Sunday, May 15. Curtain time is 8PM at the Stevenson Event Center, Stevenson College. There is no admission charge and parking is available close by for $2.00. For further information, please contact, Lisa Leslie at the Language

Program, 459-2054, or email ellisan@ucsc.edu.

THE BANANA MAN, JANGO EDWARDS AND TOM NODDY. Tom Noddy emailed to say,” Interesting to see Jango Edwards show up in a column that I consult for local comment. Jango is an American who is a living legend in European comedy. For many he first rose to attention at Amsterdam’s alternative event in the ’70s and ’80s, the Festival of Fools, an event that Jango initiated as something that he called “an annual gathering of a clown tribe”. I saw him do his one-man show in Paris in the 1980s and I have to say that I was baffled. As is the case with many performers, I was more focused on the audience reaction than with the stage performance and my experience with American audiences gave me no sense of how this was working. Americans had let their appreciation of physical comedy grow rusty. Since Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton it was more and more about stand-up comedy. While American clowns Bill Irwin, Larry Pisoni and Geoff Hoyle and Avner the Eccentric found ways to interest Americans in this “new vaudeville”, Jango and Leo Bassi were among those changing the tradition in Europe, a movement that has been referred to as Nouveau Clown. Good to see Jango in your column Bruce. Tom Noddy.

My response to Tom…Way back in 1939 Red Skelton had A. Robins on his show. Robins became Captain Kangaroo’s The Banana Man. His humor is more existential, Beckett, far out than any I’ve ever seen.

DIGITAL ARTS & NEW MEDIA HAPPENING @ UCSC. The Digital Arts and New Media MFA program at UC Santa Cruz presents an exhibition of ten graduate students whose works employ advanced technologies for creative potential and social impact.

The show reception on May 6 will be preceded by a talk by serial platform creator Steve Dietz, entitled “Between Media and Architecture”, as part of the Art Technology & Culture Colloquium at UCSC. The founder, president and artistic director of Northern Lights.mn, Dietz has organized and curated numerous contemporary and new media art exhibitions including 01SJ Biennial. He speaks and writes extensively about new media, and teaches about curating and digital art. From its home in the new, state-of-the-art Digital Arts Research Center (DARC), the Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program at UC Santa Cruz brings together the arts, engineering, humanities, and sciences to produce artistic and scholarly research in the context of a broad inquiry into digital arts and cultures.

http://danm.ucsc.edu

Digital Arts and New Media 2011 MFA Exhibition: PERMUTATIONS April 30-May 1 + May 5-8 (10am-4pm) Special Events Friday, May 6: Talk by Steve Dietz, 4pm Reception, 5:30-7:30pm. Opera premiere, 8pm http://danm.ucsc.edu/permutations

SOCIAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE @ CABRILHO COLLEGE. Cabrilho College will be holding its fifth annual Social Justice Conference this coming Friday and Saturday, April 29-30 (http://www.cabrillo.edu/~anajarro/socialjusticeconf/socialjustice.html). Secular Humanists of Santa Cruz County will have a table on the Campus Quad from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM with the recently formed Cabrilho College Secular Student Alliance. Feel free to come by to help out if you’re interested. The Secular Student Alliance is hosting journalist Ted Cox a sponsored speaker at the conference who will give a talk on “What I Learned at Straight Camp,” at 12:15 PM on Saturday, April 30 in the 450 Forum Building on Campus. The talk is about his experiences attending the “gay deprogramming” sessions held by a Christian group trying to scare gays straight. He went undercover to expose their abusive techniques.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Tuesday April 26 Jodi McGraw talks about the secrets of our sand hills followed by Bruce Daniels discussing the Soquel Water System. Joseph Leone talks about his new book on Depression on May 3 after that Rebecca Jackson will describe the Music In May concerts on May 20 & 21^st. Astrologer Sue Heinz will be on May 10, then Mark Kay-Gamel talks about the new Odyssey production happening on campus. Maya Barsacq talks about Cadenza on May 17 and Carolyn Swift talks about the new book on Soquel which she says is fantastic. Shira Bogin talks about student art and MAH on May 24. Frank Lima, aka The Great Morgani reveals just some secrets to his success on May 31. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7.The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Don Young author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “I just love Chinese food. My favorite dish is number twenty seven”, Clement Atlee. “I could never learn to like her—except on a raft at sea with no other provisions in sight”, Mark Twain. “Nouvelle Cuisine, roughly translated, means “I can’t believe I spent 96 dollars and I’m still hungry“, Mike Kalin.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

Deep Cover

April 18 – 26, 2011

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR RONALD REAGAN ON UCSC CAMPUS.Believe it or not the students were protesting by means of a vigil the increase in student tuition. This was on May 18 1967 just before Ronnie was elected Governor.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

1000 HAND DANCE. 10 Million viewers can’t be all wrong…check it out!!!

DE SALINATION FORUM. The League of Women Voters did their usual professional, clean, calm, well planned public forum this time on the contentious desal plant issue. How the Sentinel can count 10 people per row and multiply by 20 rows and report “more than 100 people” will keep their circulation as low as it is.( “Below 25,000”).

Former Santa Cruz County Supervisor Gary Patton was there and reports on it in his KUSP radio program he said, “The great “desalination debate” held in Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 24^th, was well attended, and I thought extremely informative. The League of Women Voters of Santa Cruz County deserves kudos for running what amounted to a flawless program. The debate, of course, focused on the plans of the City of Santa Cruz, and the Soquel Creek Water District, to build a new desalination plant, taking water out of the ocean, and then converting it by a reverse osmosis process into something we can drink and use to water our lawns.

The cost, if the project goes forward, will probably be upwards of $100 million dollars, based on what I heard at the debate. Whether we should be spending that kind of cash on a high-tech drought protection system, or whether we should invest, instead, in more conservation and a better sharing of regional water resources, was really the meat of the discussion. There are some arguments on both sides, all well displayed at the debate. Will the voters get to decide?

Speaking for the Santa Cruz City Council was former Council Member and Mayor Mike Rotkin. I thought his answer to a question about whether the voters should get to weigh in was revealing. In essence, he said that if the voters want to have their say, the voters will have to qualify their own referendum or initiative; no promises that the City Council itself, or the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors, will ask for the voters’ opinion. I’d say, start studying up!” End of Patton’s report.

“4-20” UCSC’s BIGGEST CELEBRATION. Here’s how UCSC admin looks at UCSC’s biggest news making effort of the year…every year.

April 14, 2011 To: UCSC Faculty and Staff

Fr: UCSC Public Affairs

(photo courtesy Santa Cruz IndyMedia go here for their coverage http://indybay.org/santacruz )

Re: Message to faculty and staff regarding “4-20”.UCSC anticipates that next week, as in recent years, there will be an unsanctioned “4-20” gathering on campus. It is likely to be disruptive for many on campus and in the surrounding community. This message is sent to help members of the campus community, others with valid reasons for visiting UCSC on the afternoon of April 20, and campus neighbors plan accordingly. To minimize this anticipated disruption, the following measures will be in place next Wednesday, April 20: • All inbound traffic at the campus’s West entrance will be diverted beginning at 2:15 pm.• Metro buses will enter campus through the Main Entrance only, travel up Coolidge, and loop back to the Main Entrance via Hagar. Metro buses during this period of time will only make one stop in the campus core, on Hagar between Quarry Plaza and OPERS.• A reduced number of campus shuttles will be in operation connecting the east and west sides of campus, following the normal “core” route west before turning uphill on Heller, and returning along McLaughlin to the east side of campus. (Disability van service, with the possible exception of delays caused by traffic congestion, will be unaffected by these changes.)• Campus parking regulations will be strictly enforced.• Sections of Empire Grade, uphill from the Arboretum, will be designated as a tow-away zone. Extra patrols will be on duty to enforce this restriction, and vehicles will be ticketed and towed at owners’ expense. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

DOG BALANCING BASKETBALL. http://www.wimp.com/dogbasketball

ELERICK’S INPUT. Earth Day Celebration in Santa Cruz a success!

Even though the location was less than ideal, (remember how much fun the Spring Fairs on Pacific Avenue were?) hundreds turned out last Saturday at the bench lands portion of San Lorenzo Park to celebrate Earth Day. Actually, the attendance could have been in the thousands, but you’d never know it by what our Sentinel reported the next day, which was not much! This should have been a front page photo-op, but instead they chose to cover a gimmick act at the Beach Boardwalk, which surely helps the Seaside Company folks, but not much else; hardly worth headlines on Sunday’s newspaper.

It’s impossible to write about all the great exhibits without leaving any out. The Campaign for Sensible Transportation got over 100 responses to a survey asking what people wanted to see their transportation dollars spent on. Five options were given; widening highway 1, improving Metro Bus service, using the rail line for transit, fixing potholes in roads and streets and improving bicycle and pedestrian access. Finishing a distant last in the survey was widening Highway 1, with strong support for improving bus transit. This should continue to confound the majority of our Regional Transportation Commissioners who continue to insist that widening Highway 1 stay as their top priority. People who stopped to talk about transportation issues were always astounded to find out that the RTC’s Auxiliary Lanes Project (it widens Highway 1 for less than one mile between Morrissey Blvd. and Soquel Ave over crossing) is costing over $22 million dollars while a reduction in bus service is being scheduled to save some $3 million per year. (Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , chair of the Transportation Committee of the Santa Cruz Group Sierra Club. and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).

AN OUTDOOR READING ROOM. An anonymous reader sent this in ; tell your Santa Cruz City Council to forget that stupid de-sal plant idea and invest in this.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about how The Monterey County Board of Supervisors didn’t exactly approve the new shopping center on highway 68. He gives opinions on merging RTC with Metro Transit…he claims that Habitat Conservation isn’t about conserving habitat and how developers have to handle it. Read it all here!

ABOUT RAIL TRAIL PROSPECTS.
http://www.wimp.com/vegetablemarket

VINTAGE De CINZO. Scroll below and see DeCinzo‘s take on Highway One’s “Fishhook” changes

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim creates a door knock for the ages, scroll down…

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Author, filmaker Saul Landau writes,” Almost 50 years after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the university professor tuned in to his I-pod radio. A news bulletin interrupted “It’s Make Believe Ballroom Time” to announce that an El Paso jury had acquitted Luis Posada Carriles, well-known terrorist, on 11 counts of lying on his immigration application. The University of Miami scholar shrugged at the news. Although Posada in some circles was known as the Hemisphere’s Osama bin Laden, the professor and colleagues focused on their research agenda. None even asked if some of the Posada trial “observers” (who looked like extras on the Sopranos) might have intimidated the Texas jury; or even wondered why the government presented evidence that Posada bombed hotels in Havana (one person died) and then charged him only with lying. The academics daunting challenge was figuring out new ways to get taxpayers’ money as Republicans slash precious services. Click here for the complete Progreso Weekly article. Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

WAKEBOARDING OR WHO NEEDS STEAMER LANE?
http://www.wimp.com/wakeboardingboss

JANGO EDWARDS? I’d never heard of him until Sandrine mentioned him…here’s what I found on You Tube.
He’s more weird than Jerry Lewis ever tried to be!!!.

REGARDING MY “THE FRENCH LIKE JERRY LEWIS” REMARK. An email says, “Hello M. Bratton, I’m one of your French readers and listeners (I’m sure I’m not the only French person who follows you! am I? I also see you once in a while when I help out at the ticket booth for the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival). I do know the French get bad press about our devotion to Jerry Lewis and I think I came up with an explanation for that. I think it has to do with the fact that Mr. Lewis was accessible for us because lots of his skits were mostly visual AND he had a knack for funny sounds so forget about the language barrier!
That’s my explanation since most French people (I’m talking about common French people) do not speak English much or well this was really easy to cope with. There is actually somewhat of a culture of visuals (Mime Marceau) and funny sounds, which is personified in Louis de Funes’s style. Here is an idea of his talents in this video, it’s just an example and I was trying to find one with English subtitles but again, it’s not that necessary if you focus on what’s obvious, the sounds and funny faces!

I actually just remembered the French love another American called Django Edwards if I’m correct, mostly for the same reason, eccentric visuals and sounds!
I hope you will forgive my English and thank you for all your insight in your weekly column. Regards, Sandrine Georges.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. In celebration of William Shakespeare’s birthday this week, visit Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), and take a peek at the swashbuckling 30th Anniversary Season of Shakespeare Santa Cruz, shaping up now. Also, I continue to keep track of American Idol, so you don’t have to (including links to the videos you won’t want to miss)!

Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

FILMS DESCENDING…….

POETRY.Without a doubt this goes on my top ten films for 2011. I had read or heard nothing about it, and was emotionally devastated by its sensitivity and boldness. It’s a South Korean film and the official film website says, “A sixty-something woman, faced with a crippling medical diagnosis and the discovery of a heinous family crime, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class. Lee Chang-dong’s follow-up to his acclaimed Secret Sunshine is a masterful study of the subtle empowerment — and moral compass — of an elderly woman”. That’s all you need to know, just go and go quick…it’s beautiful. As The Nickelodeon says, “Santa Cruz has never figured out that they need to support these small foreign films on opening weekend if they stand
a chance of being around for more than a week”. And Poetry won awards…here’s what Wikipedia says, “Lee won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival.^[12] At the Grand Bell Awards, Poetry won the prizes for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.^[13] The film received the Korean Critics Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.^[14] The jury of the Blue Dragon Film Awards decided to exclude Poetry from the selection, since Lee had announced that he would boycott the ceremony. Still, they nominated Yoon for Best Actress as they thought the director’s decision should not affect the cast.^[15] The award was eventually shared by Yoon and Soo Ae, for her performance in Night FM.^[16] Lee received the award for Best Achievement in Directing and Yoon for Best Performance by an Actress at the 2010 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.^[17] The film was also nominated in the categories Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay.^[18]

CONSPIRATOR. Robert Redford’s big Lincoln assassination saga. It’s all about Mary Surrat’s (Robin Wright) trial and James McAvoy defending her. Wordy, interesting, and nicely filmed. Better on the big screen, but save your money and rent it instead.

WINTER IN WARTIME.More cliff-hanging scenes than Perils of Pauline and a bit hammy and predictable…but touching. A Dutch film about the Nazis vs. local Dutch. Well worth seeing, but not quite great.

LIMITLESS. I liked this businessman takes drugs to become millionaire by using all of his brain flick. Not as stupid as it sounds, and the lead Bradley Cooper looks exactly like Gavin Newsom. Robert DeNiro is in it too for some reason.

SCREAM 4. Because Wes Craven made this bloody gut-stabbing takeoff it’s insider funny IF you like bloody gut-stabbing films and scream masks. These films obviously make millions of dollars, otherwise there’s no justification for any of them. Insidious is a much scarier film but Scream films exist for blood scenes not scare time.

DINOSAUR EATS SCHOOL CHILDREN.

http://www.wimp.com/dinosaurchildren

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. Paul H reports…”Nothing utterly new and thrilling just yet, but a reminder of some good things coming right up, including a tragically under-announced Greek dance at Ashkenaz on Thursday, and some things on the weekend in Santa Cruz and Marin. It’s more or less all here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html—pass it around, and pay particular attention to the New Music Works concert at Cabrillo College next weekend, which has a very unusual and varied program that I think a lot of folks, indeed from all walks of life, will enjoy. More on this in the next update just have a look now and plan ahead. All the best,
ph

REEL WORK 2011. Valerie Lasciak sends this reminder… The Reel Work Film Festival is about to celebrate our 10th Anniversary starting on April 22nd and culminating on May 10th. Please check out our wonderful events at www.reelwork.org We’d love to see you there, entry by voluntary donation only.

ART & CHOCOLATE.Tour Artists’ open Studios in Live Oak and Pleasure Point May 7 & 8. (Mother’s Day Weekend, of course) go to www.MaggieHellman.com/Art&chocolate.html for maps, names and details.

WHIRLED ON A STRING. New Music Works presents: WHIRLED ON A STRING. A spirited evening of no holds barred virtuosity and lyricism. Featured Guest Artists: David Grisman, mandolin, Sandra Gu, piano, Chad Kaltinger, viola, and Akindele Bankole, tenor plus NMW Ensemble, featuring guest violinist Roy Malan; conducted by Phil Collins. There’ll be 3 World Premieres by: David Grisman – Eight by Eight (2011), Akindele Bankole, The Place ‘HA-MAKOM’ Opus 1, (2010) and Phil Collins – Springing (2010) Plus music by:
Peter Maxwell-Davies – Dances from the Two Fiddlers (1978),Elliott Carter, atenaires (2006) and Luciano Berio – o king (1968) (in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Morton Feldman, the viola in my life (1970) plus three David Grisman classics, specially arranged by the composer for NMW Ensemble:
– Dawg’s Waltz
– Opus 57 in g minor
– Shalom Aleichem (arrangement of a traditional Jewish prayer)
Post-Concert Discussion with The Artists. Saturday, April 23, 2011, 7:30PM
@ Cabrillo College Music Recital Hall (VAPA 5000 building), Aptos, CA. Tickets at the door or at www.BrownPapertickets.com

BIG ROLLING & THROWING STONES NIGHT.

Ukulele Dick is presenting s a special one-time-only show on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rio Theatre. “Throwing Stones” features 21 of the best musical acts Santa Cruz has to offer. Each act performs one Rolling Stones song (penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), done in the style for which the local performer is known. For example, Emmanuel Selassi will perform a Reggae version of the song “Salt of the Earth,” from the Stones’ Beggars Banquet album. The popular bluegrass band Harmony Grits takes on, what else, “19th Nervous Breakdown.” The roster includes singers Tammi Brown, Jayme Kelly Curtis and Alan Heit; dulcimer master Neal Hellman; Moneypenny & The Randy Agents (Bill Walker & Nancy Le Van); The Red Wine Sisters (Pipa Piñon and Paula Bliss); a revival of the popular Jugtown U.S.A.; Celtic band Isle of Light; the Andean stylings of Zun Zun; local “altared” wizard Rhan Wilson; country swingers Patti Maxine & Friends; Elvis impersonator Sandor Nagyszalanczy; Bottle Of Sound (offering French Musique); newcomers Peek-a-bone; a baroque trio composed of Barry Phillips, Shelley Phillips and Jesse Autumn; The John Baliff Capoeira Troupe; and of course, Ukulele Dick.
Several of the acts feature various kinds of dancers. Local writer Sven Davis provides a running narrative, and journalist Wallace Baine steps into the role of Beat Poet. The “Throwing Stones” backline features bassist Matt Bohn, drummer Olaf Schiappacasse, keyboardist/guitarist Bob Bliss, multi-instrumentalist Bruce Wandmayer and Ukulele Dick.

The Rio is located at 1205 Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. Tickets are $20 in advance at Logos Books and Music, 1117 Pacific Avenue, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/166720. Tickets are available for $25 at the door the night of the show. Service charges and city taxes apply. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Lively and eccentric dress is encouraged. Live music and unusual art installations will transform the Rio lobby into a carnival midway. The Rio Theatre can be reached at (831) 423-8209 or online at www.riotheatre.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 on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. On April 19^th Mike Pappas owner of the new True Olive Connection Tasting Room on Lincoln Street will tell us all about his olive oils and vinegars. After Mike, Sandy Lydon returns to explain all his new trips, classes and tours. Tuesday April 26 Jodi McGraw talks about the secrets of our sand hills followed by Bruce Daniels discussing the Soquel Water System. Astrologer Sue Heinz will be on May 10. Maya Barsacq talks about Cadenza on May 17. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Neal Coonerty helps me celebrate 5 years of Universal Grapevine on June 7.The Santa Cruz Bookshop Short Story Winners read their entries for the full hour on June 14^th. Don Young author of Battle For Snow Mountain will be on July 12.Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

QUOTES.

“I love mankind—it’s people I can’t stand“, Charles Schultz. “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness”, Oscar Wilde.

“Retirement at 65 is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples“, George Burns.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

Deep Cover

April 11 – 17, 2011

SANTA CRUZ, THE BAY, THE SAN LORENZO, NEARY LAGOON…1948. Just waiting for the Tsunami!!! But seriously squint closely to see the huge sand bar under the San Lorenzo Bridge where our city-owned parking lot used to be.

Those were the days.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

POWER OF WORDS. Scott MacClelland

DESALINATION PLANTS…LIKE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. Folks seem just as committed to believing that desalination plants will solve problems as people used to be in wanting Nuclear Power plants. Citizens of Davenport and Bodega Bay were completely convinced that Nuclear Power was the way to go. And Desal fans are just like that too. Questions are flying all over the internet about desal and what good it will do us and do we really need it. I’ve written many of them before and included a slew here again that I’ve picked out of email. Simply stated the City of Santa Cruz isn’t answering. They say costs aren’t available yet because choices haven’t been made…and yet they push and push. They ignore the fact that there’s no proof that the type plant they want here will work. And they deny that there’s none in existence of this kind that are working. Some questions are. Where is the city council taking us and future generations with their ill-conceived expensive desalination plant? Is there really not enough water for endangered salmon and threatened steelhead — seems like another drought alarm tactic to rush residents into approving a controversial and mega-expensive desal plant to be built on the city’s Westside. Appears that the besieged desal proponents are circling the wagons while gunning-up a kind of faux science solution that has no solid basis. The people of Santa Cruz are not stupid or easily deceived. Desal smells fishy. Please wake-up, city council members.

As the residents of Marin did last year, Santa Cruz voters will need to stop the city council’s desal plant scheme at the ballot box. We have a leadership drought. Desal is not about saving endangered and threatened fish! The so called “proposed” Santa Cruz desal plant is all about building the city’s biggest and most expensive infrastructure project in over half a century. Who are the interest groups and big players that are promoting desal — “the choice of last resort.” How about publishing a thorough investigative report to better inform residents and decision-makers at this time? Using “save the endangered fish” as a ploy for justifying the construction of an unproven, fossil-fueled powered desal plant is absurd. How can cash-strapped Santa Cruz afford to build a $100 – $140 million facility, while at the same time laying-off workers and drastically cutting back many important services and programs? We are a small city with ample rainfall; let’s get smart by reducing demand further, and storing and conserving our water now — before the next drought emergency.

MORE INTERNET QUESTIONS…

How much ocean water needs to be processed to produce 2.5 mill gallons of potable water and at what price per gallon compared to standard water treatment?

How much has already been spent on the project? (total cost and net cost to Santa Cruz)
How much will the project cost through completion of construction (total cost and net cost to Santa Cruz)?
How will the plant be financed and what will be the total cost of the plant, including interest payments?
What will be the operating costs of the plant?
What is the cost per gallon of water, (including construction and operating costs) of desalination, versus our current water supply?
What is the projected rise in energy costs during the next 30 years and how does that affect the operating cost of the plant?
What is the agenda for proceeding with expansion of the plant?

CORRECTION: Spain versus Italy or Madrid versus Rome, whatever. Last week I had a video clip of Placido Domingo singing something from Tosca. I titled it as being sung on the original location in Spain. Silly me, Tosca took and takes place in Rome. Placido was born in Spain, maybe that’s what I was thinking. If you google it, Rome is 18 hours and 26 minutes from Spain, if you go by way of France through Barcelona, Marseille, Monaco and Livorno. But you don’t have to. And thanks to all those eagle type readers for pointing out that tiny, tiny mistake.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOLKIDS LEARN FROM FIRE-DAMAGED FOREST. Jodi Frediani sent this intriguing story. Are we locals (like especially Bonny Dooners) learning from our last fire??

JAPAN’S NUCLEAR POWER PLANT EXPOSED. Simon Kelly sent this link to photos taken by a small unmanned plane of the power plant disaster. Scroll down a bit after you open it. http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp/daiichi-photos.htm

ANOTHER CORRECTION AND ADDITION. One avid reader pointed out that the clip of two dogs eating took place in a “busty” restaurant. hat typo occurred in the youtube video itself, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. More importantly, Ron Sandidge sent this educational addition re the same clever clip… TWO DOGS DINING.It was shot on location in Denmark. The waitress is Danish. The two flags on the counter in the background are the Dannebrog (Danish flag). Only Danes light candles creating hygge*) in the middle of the day – check the clock on the wall. See what I married into and have come to learn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Denmark

MUSIC IN THE FOREST. Mark Bernhard, dc. And some other kind readers sent in this same You Tube masterpiece. Nearly unbelievable, but nice.

TEXACO STATION, MORTON MARCUS, DeCINZO & BARTCZAK.Near legendary T. Mike Walker emails to say…”Thanks for another excellent issue. I especially enjoyed the pic. of you & the McDougal’s, as well as the animated Mort Marcus piece–I had never seen that either. And thanks for publishing DeCinzo, the last of the mavericks, and Bartczak’s Backwash–very surreal cartoon work. I also appreciated the photo of the Flying A gas station on Mission & King. In 67, for my 1st interview at Cabrillo, I had driven down the coast Road, thinking it would be shorter, and somewhere along the line lost all my brake fluid, so when I hit the first stop sign at Bay and Mission, I couldn’t stop, and started gearing down. When I got to Mission and King, I was doing about 15 mile per hour and steered across the lanes to crash into the huge stacks of used tires piled against the Mission Street back wall of the station. Pow! Tires everywhere! But no damage to anything that counted. Poor Mel Touey from Cabrillo drove out to get me–I was already over an hour late for my interview, and naturally they didn’t hire me that year. But the next year they did! (The year I discovered the newly constructed Hwy. 17.) Anyhow, keep up your good work. T. Mike Walker.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary alerts us to the proposed huge shopping center being planned for highway 68. He details what’s involved with “Consent Agendas”, he asks about De-sal plants and their costs and tells details on the League of Women Voters Debate Thursday night. He then goes on about drive through restaurants and their impact. He closes with some words on AMBAG.
(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 )

BEAR OPENS BEAR PROOF LOCKER. Read this article on bears, it’s funny, fascinating and tells more about our interfacing than you may want to know.

DOLPHINS AND CAT. Clytia.

LETTERS TO THE COLUMN.Here’s one I got this week, name withheld by request.

“The video of the dogs dining was so charming! I agree with you about “Certified Copy” – it annoyed me right from the start, despite my high hopes for it after seeing the trailer at the Nick and the fact that it was about art AND was filmed in Italy. After an hour I could stand no more, and walked out. This is something I’ve done maybe one other time (“Batman & Robin”) so that’s how bad I thought it was!! Binoche won best actress at Cannes for this? The filmmaker should not try to make another English-language film.
And the design of the proposed hotel where Unity Temple is really awful! I think Santa Cruz would benefit from some classy hotels (no, we’re miles away from becoming “another Miami Beach or Waikiki” as some exaggerated claims fear) but this design looks DULL DULL DULL! We need some distinctive architecture that might even be a destination in and of itself. We might be too small-town for a Frank Gehry, but come on!!” Anon.

Bruce Engelhardt writes re the Unity Temple Hotel, “This building, as proposed, is a disgrace and is exactly why I disapproved of the Coast Hotel project. It could easily fit into Sunnyvale but is a severe mar on the surface of our own local map. It’s a perfect example of unimaginative generic design and we deserve better in this art-oriented city. It will also result in serious traffic jams on Broadway, which is only one lane in each direction, during the prime tourist season as guests come and go amidst the usual cross-town traffic at rush hour. Worst of all, its way too close to sub-Broadway Riverside Ave. where I live”. Bruce Engelhardt

VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo thought The Sheriff’s Department was getting desperate…look below for more about that.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim gives us the world’s largest Tinker Bell. You just gotta see it…down there about 4 pages.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau writes in this latest issue of Progreso Weekly, “To Libya With God on our Side”. He says por ejemplo,” Grabbing other people’s land and interfering in their affairs became as American as apple pie before the annexation of Texas, and “Manifest Destiny” as the engine of U.S. foreign policy. In 17th Century inspirational moments God sent His chosen from England to found the “city on a hill” (Boston). He had dispatched other select British subjects to settle “the promised land” (Virginia).According to John L. O’Sullivan in 1839, God intended “the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” See how Americans talked to God before Pat Robertson – before God punished us with Hurricanes for allowing homosexuals to cavort. Read the rest here… Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER’S OWN REPORT ON HIS CUBA VISIT. Progreso Weekly carried this report from President Jimmy Carter…I hadn’t seen it anywhere else. He says, “We then visited Fidel in his private home and found him to be vigorous, alert, and especially intent on monitoring voluminous media reports on his list of prescribed subjects. His primary health problem concerned his left knee and right shoulder, badly injured in a fall in 2004 at a ceremony honoring Che Guevara. Before leaving Havana, I had a press conference, a TV interview, and another brief session with President Castro, who met me at the airport, where I repeated my request that Mr. Gross be released and relayed concerns I had received from the dissident groups. He promised to investigate the concerns and report his decisions to me”. Read it all here…

DAN BESSIE’S NEW BOOK “REELING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD”.Film maker and ex-Santa Cruzan Dan Bessie lives in France now with his on-line love of his life. He emails,” Really great that the first review for the e-book edition of my latest book received five stars. Wow! The review is here; hope you’ll help spread the word —The review says in part, “REELING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD isn’t going to help you find an agent, sell a screenplay or get you a starring role in the next Quentin Tarantino flick. Nor will it tell you which actor beat up his lover or what stars are snorting coke. What this always lighthearted and sometimes poignant memoir will do, however, is offer fresh insight into a wonderful but crazy industry, detail an insider’s look at how movie making actually works, and provide a great read. Dan Bessie is an award-winning filmmaker who cut his teeth in cartoon animation then went on to write, produce and direct more than 125 films, both live and animated, from shorts for schools to features to TV specials.

Grateful thanks, Dan Bessie danbes@volcano.net

LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/), local writer Claudia Sternbach recalls a life of small epiphanies, one kiss at a time. Also, more news about The Catalyst movie premiere at the Santa Cruz Film Festival, more James Durbin updates, and a look ahead to the swashbuckling 30th anniversary season of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

NEW MEDIA WATCH ISSUE. Ann Simonton sends in this new issue of Media Watch http://www.mediawatch.com . Read about Egyptian women and virginity tests, about Sex and Video games, and Death by stoning!!

FILMS, IN DESCENDING ORDER OF GREATNESS.

HANNA. This is another Sci Fi thriller starring the 17 year old Saoirse Clodagh Ronan. (If you spell that backwards you get Nanor Hgadolc Esrioas ). Anyways, she’s a super human result of some experiment that Cate Blanchett had something to do with. It is genuinely thrilling, exciting, well photographed, and just looks great on the big screen. It however does not make a lot of sense, but what does nowadays?

INSIDIOUS.The scariest thing in this film is Barbara Hershey’s plastic surgery. Her smile is now crooked and they can’t do many close-ups on her…poor thing. But the film itself is fairly scary in a Paranormal way. The houses are haunted, no bloody stuff, shadows, ghosts, and the evil place is called “Further” like Ken Kesey’ s bus!!! If you like scary films, this is a must see.

MIRAL.The very beautiful 27 year old Frieda Pinto (star of Slumdog Millionaire) who was born in Bombay here for some reason plays a 17 year old orphaned Palestinian girl involved in the Arab-Israeli war. The film deals with the Israeli Arab conflict in such a hammy, dull, overused plot it is simply insulting. Director Julian Schnabel has made a bunch of fine films and must have gotten too emotionally involved to remember how to direct. Don’t go.

POTICHE. Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu are lucky to get any roles anymore. They used to be great, but this crummy light weight comedy attempt makes fools of them both. It’s supposed to be a “feminist” theme but it’s actually degrading and embarrassing and not funny. It’s that thing about the French and comedy…remember how they think Jerry Lewis is funny? On the other hand Rotten Tomatoes gives this an 89% so there you are.

SANTA CRUZ BAROQUE FESTIVAL. The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival presents:
FOREST SONG: The Classical Clarinet (Concert IV)
Featuring Eric Hoeprich (classical clarinet) with Linda Burman-Hall (fortepiano)
In the baroque period the clarinet was indeed a ‘rare bird’ just hatched around 1700. The classical clarinet of Mozart’s time had only 5 keys but yielded great timbral variety. Enjoy the silken voice of this endangered instrument in works by Lefèvre, Stadler, Hoffmeister, Weber and Beethoven, brought to you by one of the world’s leading historical clarinetists. Eric Hoeprich has performed and recorded with renowned artists Frans Brüggen, Philippe Herreweghe, Sir Roger Norrington, and Christopher Hogwood, and Musica Antiqua Köln In addition to music, we explore parallels in the conservation of species and instruments with images of endangered wildlands, including rare birds and animals selected by biologist Richard Tenaza. This visual presentation is accompanied by a sound collage by Linda Burman-Hall. “Bilou Sapiens” (Wise Bilou) layers the voices of live wooden flutes over Tenaza’s fieldwork recordings of animal sounds from the Mentawai Rainforest (electro-acoustic composition with Lars Johannesson & Alissa Roedig, baroque flutes). Concert IV takes place on Saturday, April 16, at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall beginning at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased through the UCSC Ticket Office (www.santacruztickets.com, 831-459-2159), the Civic Center Box Office, and the SC Baroque Festival (www.scbaroque.org, 831-457-9693).

NEW MUSIC WORKS & WHIRLED ON A STRING. New Music Works presents
WHIRLED ON A STRING…A spirited evening of no holds barred virtuosity and lyricism on Saturday, April 23, 2011, 7:30PM @ Cabrillo College Music Recital Hall (VAPA 5000 building), Aptos, CA.
Featured Guest Artists:
David Grisman, mandolin, Sandra Gu piano, Chad Kaltinger viola, Akindele Bankole tenor…plus NMW Ensemble, featuring guest violinist Roy Malan; conducted by Phil Collins. There’ll be 3 World Premieres by: David Grisman – Eight by Eight (2011) Akindele Bankole, The Place ‘HA-MAKOM’ Opus 1, (2010) Phil Collins – Springing (2010).
Plus music by:
Peter Maxwell-Davies – Dances from the Two Fiddlers (1978)
Elliott Carter, Catenaires (2006)
Luciano Berio – o king (1968) (in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Morton Feldman, the viola in my life (1970)
plus three David Grisman classics, specially arranged by the composer for NMW Ensemble:– Dawg’s Waltz, – Opus 57 in g minor & Shalom Aleichem (arrangement of a traditional Jewish prayer). There’ll also be a Post-Concert Discussion with The Artists.

For more info like tickets etc go to… http://www.newmusicworks.org/event3.php

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF.(As usual check out the dates, some are gone) Before this weekend gets any closer, I thought I’d send this out. Last call for the rare appearance of my band, Party of Five (AKA Party of However Many, Party of Party, etc.) in Berkeley. Close to full, but think about it. Right on its heels, even before it in fact, the Borromeo String Quartet in both Santa Cruz and San Francisco. The marvelous Festival of the Mandolins takes place all day Sunday in San Francisco. Tune up for that. Later in the week, Édessa and the Disciples of Markos confound one and all at Ashkenaz, and going all the way into next weekend, the hardy and discerning may experience the Marin Symphony Chamber Chorus doing Ghost Riders in the Sky (among other things). On into Paddy Keenan, the New Music Works and their whack at the mandolin, and the Big Uneasy with Harry Shearer. Begin by clicking this link: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html Hope to see you at one or another of these things. Keep an eye for updates. All the best, ph. (Paul left out the Jug Band Festival last Sunday at Don Quixote’s which was great, at least the first half).

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Paul Johnston of Organizing for Santa Cruz will tell us about their many accomplishments on April 12, then Rick Longinotti will tell us many of the faults and failures of de-sal plants and why Santa Cruz is crazy to even consider the idea. On April 19^th Mike Pappas owner of the new True Olive Connection Tasting Room on Lincoln Street will tell us all about his olive oils and vinegars. After Mike, Sandy Lydon returns to explain all his new trips, classes and tours. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet”, Franz Kafka. “…the conscious “world” is in fact energy radiantly manifest at relative rates of regarded speed”, R. Buckminster Fuller.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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April 5 – 11, 2011

FLYING A GRAND OPENING. June 7, 1957. Real Santa Cruzans can identify this corner as Mission and King Streets intersection. I thought the clown was Hocus Pocus a genuine landmark of local history but this guy’s too thin. Except for the gas station, all the other buildings around Locust and Mission are still there.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

THE BROADWAY HYATT UNITY HOTEL.You know that with this City Council the proposed 111 room Hyatt Place Hotel at Broadway and Ocean is a slam dunk. Look at the design on page 4 here.

Does anyone care at all about this piece of stucco junk? Can anyone point out even one inch of beauty, interest, or design of this building? This council is not only hell bent on tearing down the La Bahia hotel’s integrity but they’ll allow another of these cookie

TWO DOGS DINING. Mr. Doug Pomeroy from Brooklyn sent this canine vs. cuisine adventure.

cutter boxes to further ruin any uniqueness Santa Cruz once had as a city. I’ve said this a few times before (like for the Rittenhouse mausoleum) that a plaque with each councilpersons name affixed should be prominently displayed on this Hyatt Horror so that our children and all visitors will know who to blame for allowing such feeble and boring structures to ruin our very tenuous reputation for a city with integrity. For shame.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary relates a lot of information on our City Water supply and the importance of our Water Commission and the role of our Community water Coalition. He tells of LAFCO meeting Wednesday at 9:30am in the County building and why we should care. There’s the Capitola General Plan Update happening. He closes with some words from President Nixon on land use, which seems startling. 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 )

LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (1980) One of my favorite arias in all of opera

“E Lucevan le stele” from Tosca

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Some news about Saul Landau’s new film “Will The Real Terrorist Please Stand Up”. In April 1961, the CIA sent a force of Cuban exiles to overthrow the Cuban government. This resulted in the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Fifty years later, a new documentary shows that US-backed violence against Cuba continued for decades. The new film, with Danny Glover, anti-Cuba terrorists, and Fidel Castro himself (filmed recently) is combined with fascinating archival footage and a rare recorded interview from prison with one of the Cuban 5. These men are serving long sentences in US prisons for trying to stop terrorism against tourist sites in their country.

Saturday April 16, 7:00PM La Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco
Doors will open at 6PM Tickets $15.00 Live music by The Cuban Cowboys! Reception after the screening. For more info call 415-647-2822 or purchase tickets online.

Saul Landau has produced over forty films. He has received numerous awards, including an Emmy with Jack Willis for “Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang”, the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award, the George Polk Award for Investigative Reporting, the First Amendment Award, and an award from the Chilean government for his human rights work. He is a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.(Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com )

SANDY LYDON’S CENTRAL COAST SECRETS. Be sure to click, and check out everything Sandy has going on at “C.C. Secrets“. He’s got news of a benefit at the Rio on April 23^rd to help the folks in Japan. He’s got more news of a rail walk starting this Friday night (4/8) at 7. An Abalone Fest (4/16), and a very special tour of China and Tibet in October which has only a few seats left. Read it all here

LISA JENSEN LINKS. It’s Team Tannery vs. Team Cabrillo in the first episode of Junk Art Scramble, a new locally-produced reality show. Join me at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/) for a ringside seat as the cameras roll. Also, the story so far on James Durbin’s excellent American Idol adventure, the return of the mighty Kong, and a chance to get your glam on at the upcoming gala kickoff event for this year’s 10th Anniversary edition of the Santa Cruz Film Festival. (Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975).

VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo looks closely at local lumber practices…scroll down.

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Just a few pages below you’ll find (IN FULL COLOR) Tim Eagan’s “Say What”

KEFAUVER’S SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS. NEW! Facebook Offers Easy Fix for Common Mistake with Facebook Business Pages.
Finally Facebook is providing a way for personal pages to be changed to business pages. There are a lot of organizations that set up Facebook pages as “profiles” and have been reluctant to make the transition to a business page. Now it can be done and you can automatically bring your “friends” over to the new page.
As a user of Facebook and a professional social media consultant, I dislike it when on my personal Facebook page, (which I reserve for friends, family and some business colleagues), I receive a notification that I have a new contact asking to “Friend me,” but then it turns out that request is coming from a business, not an individual. When a business asks to “Friend” me, I can’t tell who is running the page. I don’t want to add a business, even one I like, to my personal Facebook page which is devoted to my friends and family.
It’s a common mistake: business owners and well-intentioned employees often erroneously set up business pages on personal Facebook profile accounts. One simple way to distinguish between these two types of accounts on Facebook: when you connect with a new Friend it will say “Add a Friend.” When connecting with a page from a Business you receive a request to “Like” the page.
Facebook Crackdown
Facebook policy declares it has the right to shut down your Facebook page if you are using a Facebook personal profile account as a business account. They state: “Maintaining a profile for anything other than an individual person is a violation of Facebook’ s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. If you don’t convert your profile to a Page, you risk permanently losing access to the profile and all of your content.”
Here’s the FIX
Why should you convert your profile to a Page? Since profiles are for meant individual people, they aren’t suited to meet your business needs. Pages offer more robust features for organizations, businesses, brands, and public figures. Visit the Facebook Help Center and review options for “Converting your profile into a Page.” Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=18918. Thanks to Jim Coffis, Publisher of San Lorenzo Valley News Network, SLVNews.Net, for pointing out this Facebook update to me.
(Karen Kefauver is a freelance journalist who writes about sports and travel, including a monthly Sentinel column, Spin City, about bicycling. As a social media consultant she meets with business owners to develop social media strategies and teaches them the best ways to use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networks for business promotion. Contact Karen at: karen@karenkefauver and visit her website: http://www.karenkefauver.com. Her Facebook Page also offers free social media tips: http://www.facebook.com/karen.kefauver.business.
Blog: Adventure Travel Journal Blog: Karen’s Social Media Tips
Website: www.karenkefauver.com Contact Me Facebook Twitter

CRACKS. A terrible title, one I never figured out. This British girl’s 1934 boarding school drama will remind you of many other period films, except the acting is so good it surpasses them all. Remember “Picnic at Hanging Rock”?? It’s almost that good. Go see it.

PLACIDO DOMINGO (1992) Also singing “E Lucevan le stele” actually on location where the story took place in Spain.

CERTIFIED COPY. Abbas Kiarostami who directed Taste of Cherry did this one too. Juliette Binoche got the Cannes best actress award for her role in Certified Copy. I thought the entire film was a phony intellectual exercise that amounted to nothing of any substance. It seemed to matter to somebody (like critics and the film extras) whether this couple was married or not, I just couldn’t get involved.

SOURCE CODE. Jake Gyllenhaal does a Groundhogs Day time warp type plot in this science fiction/other reality thriller about a train blowing up in Chicago. Very complex and most of my friends either have seen it twice or feel like it’s necessary to do so. It’s good fun, you’ll keep thinking all the way through it, never boring, maybe a tiny, tiny plot hole here and there, but I’ve only seen it once so far. Go for it.

THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED. Bing Crosby, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan plus lots more music helps this kid with a brain tumor re-relate to the world. It’s sad, meaningful, sensitive, and well acted. Wait and rent it, but don’t forget it.

WIN WIN. What a fantastic rapid rise in fame Paul Giamatti has had. He’s great in every role we’ve seen him in. This 44 year old actor plays a tough dad in this one. There’s high school wrestling, and lots of family type drama. It doesn’t go too deep into anything but it’s still a good movie….rent it.

DON’T FORGET. Jane Eyre and Of Gods and Men.These films need and deserve big screens. And you deserve seeing them at their best. You’ll remember both of them long after they’ve left.

HOSTETTER’S HOT STUFF. (Bratton edit note…As per always, Paul works hard to get out this amazing list of events…plus graphics to match. And as usual I get the list about one week behind, so be very aware of the performance dates…’cause you probably missed a few of his hot hits). “Grueling little period coming up. Tough decisions lie ahead. Now that the weather seems to be lightening up, everyone also seems to be double and triple booking, so pay close attention to dates here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html, as they’re not quite in chronological order. But starting this Thursday

CHA SUN CHON AND FRIENDS. Nick Royal sent this clip which has to be the “cutest” quintet you’ve ever seen.

night, there’s the John Jorgenson Quintet in Felton, then two nights of real Cajun music: on Friday, BeauSoleil in SF and then the Magnolia Sisters on Saturday at the Freight. But meanwhile, Darol Anger and Scott Law are in Nevada City also on Friday the 1st, in the first of four gigs in the Bay Area. On top of that, the Endangered Baroque Music concert in Santa Cruz is also on Saturday the 2nd. And that’s not all. Then there’s a breather until Tuesday and Wednesday when Salif Keita sings at Yoshi’s in SF. Then there’s lots more the following weekend, and it’s still largely all here: http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html, and this will be added to (and you will be reminded again about that) in due time. Da best, 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 on “blog”) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Dan Haifley of O’Neill’s Sea Odyssey will discuss nautical and harbor changes on April 5^th followed by the New Director of the Santa Cruz City Museum Daniel Harder. Paul Johnston of Organizing for Santa Cruz will tell us about their many accomplishments on April 12, then journalist/photographer Peter McGettigan will discuss his views from behind the camera and reveal his new projects. On April 19^th Mike Pappas owner of the new True Olive Connection Tasting Room on Lincoln Street will tell us all about olive oils and vinegars. After Mike, Sandy Lydon returns to explain all his new trips, classes and tours.

Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “A pessimist is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for the coffin”, H.L. Mencken. “I am free of all prejudice, I hate everyone equally“, W.C. Fields. “:Those who give up smoking aren’t the heroes. The real heroes are the rest of us—who have to listen to them”, Hal Boyle.

BARTCZAK’S BACKWASH.Never subtle, Mr. Bartczak titles this one, “My revenge on Sarah…at last”.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

Deep Cover

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO..

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Best of Vintage DeCinzo

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Best of Vintage DeCinzo

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BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

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