March 7 – 13, 2011

PACIFIC AVENUE AND MISSION STREETS ca. 1924-27. That would be Wachovia or whatever name that bank has now where the Arlington Hotel used to be. Then there’s Lulu Carpenters, the very old and almost original Bookshop Santa Cruz location. Odyssey records was in here someplace too.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

MARDI GRAS KIDS PARADE. Simon Kelly of Soquel sent this Lent greeting card!!

BUYING OUR CITY COUNCIL. I’d guess that it’s all because of Santa Cruz being a small town but it’s not only fair game but even tradition to question national politicians ethics and honesty. WE care where and how politicians get their money and why they vote like they do. Huge scandals erupt, conflicts of interest are taken seriously, votes are examined, connections are dissected and careers are made or broken when these facts are exposed. Here in Santa Cruz, a city that is financially dependent on both UCSC and The Boardwalk for it’s existence none of those connections or conflicts seem to count. Anyone who cares can see that George Ow, Joe Simitian, Susan Bosso, Fred Keeley, Jeremy Neuner, Caleb Baskin, Neal Coonerty, Craig French, Calif Real Estate Action, Charlie Canfield, Calif Apartment Association, and Donna Murphy all contributed big time to Hilary Bryant’s campaign…and it doesn’t seem to matter hereabouts. Almost all the same people and orgs donated campaign funds to David Terrazas. Like Simitian, Rittenhouse, Canfield, Latino P.A.C. of Santa Cruz, University Business Park, Western Storage, Ryan and Neal Coonerty, Judy Warner, Democratic Women’s Club, Keeley, Zach Friend, Woodmont Real Estate in Belmont, and CAAPAC (calif Apartment Association. Does the fact that a large percentage of these campaign contributions were filed after the last filing date so we wouldn’t know about them until after the election? No I guess it doesn’t…but it would on a national level. Why is that?

KZSC 88.1 FM PLEDGE DRIVE. Times are tough all over and as you’ve heard UCSC has been going through those times too. This week is the Spring Pledge Drive time on KZSC. As you must have heard KZSC is the USA’s most listened to college radio station. KZSC radio has 20,000 watts of power and reaches a potential audience of 2.5 million people. “Its coverage area map looks like a giant spacecraft hovering over Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Salinas, Seaside, San Mateo, Gilroy and San Jose”. It was ranked as the number-one most listened-to college radio station by Radio-Locator, an online site with links to more than 10,000 stations. KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1 FM is the only college station west of the Mississippi River to make the Huffington Post’s top five. Anyway, Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold will be my guest Tuesday Night (March 8 from 7-8 p.m.). He’ll give some awesome pledge gifts and so will I. The station needs all the financial support possible, so its operations won’t be cut…along with everything else. Tune in, BUT call in too and pledge something, and ask John Leopold something about the County you want to know it’ll be a good time. Call 831 459-4036 or go online and donate http://kzsc.org/pledge .And be sure to mention my program Universal Grapevine, that’s just like voting to keep it on the air.

SAN JOSE, LARGEST US CITY WITH NO PUBLIC WATER FLUORIDE.

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle tells how backward San Jose is…if you haven’t guessed. It also tells how backward Santa Cruz is with their “no to fluoride” while the rest of the world has been improving dental health for decades. Just read what the medical world, the dental world, health officials know about the benefits of adding fluoride to the drinking water. Sometimes I wonder how the anti-fluoride people have avoided falling off the edges of the earth all these years, they must worry about it. Read it here. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/19/BAF11HPE8A.DTL

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS & ROBOT & YOU!!! There are lots of ways of killing time and improving your mental capacity online, but this one is really great. More importantly there’s no gimmicks, charges, or signing up..

SCRP (Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning) To Entertain New City Council People.

SCRP recently announced that Hilary Bryant had accepted an invitation to attend their next meeting in two weeks. It’s an attempt by SCRP to have ” an open format discussion of some of the many City issues that SCRP members are concerned with. Basically it’s an opportunity to get to know each other better and to form a good working relationship” It says in the SCRP email. David Terrazas will be the next invitee.

DOMINOS MEET THE SIMPSONS IN GERMAN

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about the threatened Mobile Home Rent control. He then talks about the proposed killing of the Redevelopment Agencies and says that our Live Oak district has done a great job with re-development projects. Then there’s discussion of “Publicly owned Tidelands and developing them. He welcomes The Coastal Commission, and notes that La Bahia won’t be on the agenda. Gary slams last week’s Good Times commercial to develop La Bahia and says, “Not mentioned in the article is the fact that the hotel proposal is in direct conflict with provisions of the City-adopted, Commission-approved Local Coastal Program. The La Bahia developer, in other words, didn’t want to follow the existing rules, but wants the rules changed to accommodate his desired development. That approach to coastal protection is what is sometimes called a “slippery slope.”

(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 )

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim looks at leaders and followers in our time and wonders at it all. Scroll down.

MURALIST PETER BARTZAC’S BLOOD BATH. Also to be appreciated at the end of this week’s column…way down there

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul Landau writes in this week’s Progresso Weekly article titled “Droning As Foreign Policy” …In late 2002, another zany incident mushroomed into a pretext for war and on-going assassinations. An Iraqi “scientist” defected to Germany and told its intelligence officials a hair-raising tale about Saddam Hussein’s secret possession of weapons of mass destruction. The Germans delivered this account to the CIA, but dubbed the Iraqi “Curve Ball to show their skepticism.” The eager-for-war Bushies, however, ignored German doubts. This story – true or false — answered their bellicose prayers: they could sell this crap to media hacks – like Judith Miller of the New York Times — to help convince the incredulous public” Read the entire piece here
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

LONDON’S CHAMPION COFFEE BEANS AND BARISTA. So London is turning out world champion coffee beans and baristas…how’d that happen?

KEFAUVER’S SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS. “Social Media Cutting Edge”: Get Used to “QR Codes” – For Starters, what are they? Last week, I attended London-based Eye For Travel’s two day conference on travel and social media, “Social Media Strategies for Travel” in San Francisco. At the conference, in addition to networking with travel industry folks at hotels, airlines and tour operators, I made peace with the fact that QR codes are not going away. I had been hearing the buzz about them and now have my own.

For more starters, here is Wikipedia’ s definition of a QR code: “A QR Code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the abbreviation for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.
(Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code)

Here’s what one looks like:
http://socialmediawithkaren.blogspot.com/2011/03/test-test.html

For more information on why you want one and how to do it (for free) visit:
http://uqr.me, a free social utility designed to share web content with the real world, letting you turn just about anything into a link. There’s a quick video that serves as a good introduction to the world of QR.

Karen Kefauver Multimedia Journalist & Social Media Consultant Santa Cruz, California, USA Blog: Adventure Travel Journal Blog: Karen’s Social Media Tips Website: www.karenkefauver.com Contact Me Facebook Twitter

LISA JENSEN LINKS. You never know where or when art is going to pop up in Santa Cruz. This week on Lisa Jensen Online Express visit some local shows by fresh young elementary school artists and wily veterans alike, look forward to a concert of dueling chorales coming soon to Holy Cross Church, get your green on with Johnny Depp as the way-out Western lizard hero Rango—and more!

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

MEDIAWATCH.COM, Ann Simonton and group just released their March 2011 newsletter check it out here http://www.mediawatch.com

HOSPICE OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SEEKS VOLUNTEERS. Hospice of Santa Cruz County is in need of friendly, compassionate men and women to join their Volunteer Visitor and Grief Support Volunteer positions. They are currently recruiting volunteers to work in grief support positions and as visitors who give support directly to patients and their families in their homes and in Skilled Nursing Facilities and/or Residential Care Facilities throughout Santa Cruz County. The 4-week Volunteer Visitor training begins March 17th. To find out more, please call their Volunteer Coordinator at 430-3006.

RANGO. This #1 box office hit last weekend isn’t quite in the Pixar level of genius but then again, it’s George Luca’s Industrial Light and Magic’s first attempt at animation. It’s all hokum and a crude parody of every western ever filmed here and in Italy and it contains plenty of in-jokes. I dozed off a few times and I wasn’t especially tired, it’s like that. And it’s hard to believe it wasn’t filmed in 3D, it looks like it was. Check out the trailer:

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt literally light up the screen with their first love scene. This is what Hollywood does best and this is definitely a fun, entertaining film. It has faux religious over-under tones and it’s in the Memento/Inception sci-fi tradition. It’s from a short story by Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner). See it by all means necessary, it’s good fun, and even has you thinking about stuff like free will, predestination, choice, and special effects.

MY DOG TULIP. You’d figure in a very stylish animated cartoon with a voice cast containing Christopher Plummer, Isabella Rosellini, and Lynn Redgrave in her last role that this would be a brilliant film. Even more so because its from the autobiographical book by Brit writer J.R. Ackerly. Maybe because I was in the US Army K-9 corps and trained German Shepards and this is about Ackerley’s over the top love of his Shepard it just seemed too weird to watch. I shared none of Ackerley’s need for that kind of love and didn’t like this movie either. Go warned.

OF MICE AND MEN. Santa Cruz’s Jewel Theatre Company are presenting this classic play from Steinbeck’s book at the former Actor’s theatre at 1001 Center Street. Mike Ryan, Erik Gandolfi and Harry Meserve star in John Steinbeck’s story of two farm hands as they struggle to exist. On a couple of levels. For information or tickets visit jeweltheatre.net or call 425-7506. “Of Mice and Men” runs March 11-19. Showtime’s are at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $22-$27.50. call 831.454.1143 or go to JewelTheatre.net

BAROQUE FESTIVAL & RARE STRINGS. The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival is presenting Rare Strings this Saturday night with Concert II: “Rare Strings.” Traveling by lute and guitar, virtuoso artist John Schneiderman will offer concert goers a musical promenade from Moscow to the Dresden court and the Parisian salon (including a brief escapade to Vienna). This program of music from the 1700s and 1800s includes selections by Weiss, Alexandrov, Sychra, Coste, and Mertz, played on a collection of “rare strings”: The baroque lute, 11-string Russian guitar, and 19th-century 7-string guitar, each a different “endangered” musical animal, were brought to the brink of extinction by emerging rival species, or changing environmental conditions. It’s Saturday, March 12, at 7:30pm at UCSC’s Music Center Recital Hall (UCSC Campus) Tickets at UCSC Ticket Ofc (www.santacruztickets.com, 831-459-2159), SC Tickets Civic Center Box Office, and SC Baroque Festival (www.scbaroque.org, 831-457-9693).

ONE MORE YOU TUBE DOMINO THING…from a K-Mart in Finland!!!

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. March 8th is one of the great 88?s (KZSC) Pledge Drive and County Supervisor John Leopold & I will play lots of the Arhoolie label and other recordings and exhort you into supporting our number one most listened to college radio station in the USA. Peggy Dolgenos and Westi Haughey from Cruzio will talk about their new location and their new lighting of “the fiber internet”, on March 15 followed by Julie James of Jewel Theater Company talking about “Of Mice and Men” (now playing). The Museum of Art & History’s pottery show is the topic on March 22 with Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro. Carolyn Burke will share views on her brand new Knopf book on Edith Piaf and her early death also on the 22nd. Then on March 29 Sara Wilbourne administrator of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre will discuss their latest plans and projects. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

QUOTES. “I used to do drugs. I got so wrecked last night I waited for the stop sign to change—and it did”, Steve Krabitz. “If you drink don’t drive. Don’t even putt”, Dean Martin.” I know I’m drinking myself to a slow death, but I’m in no hurry“, Robert Benchley.

PETER BARTCZAK’S BLOOD BATH FOR GEMINI COLONEL GADDAFI.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

Deep Cover

Posted in Weekly Articles | Comments Off on March 7 – 13, 2011

February 28 – March 6, 2011

CAFFE PERGOLESI. January 20, 1954. As we can see this was once Dr. Miller’s office…and the home of pain. Now it’s Caffe Pergolesi the home of coffee and pleasure, at the corner of Cedar and Elm streets. The original Pergolesi used to be many blocks north.
photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

TO HELL WITH SEGWAY, THIS IS FOR SANTA CRUZ!! Watch this super scooter ride then imagine it racing up Empire grade! Geez, we could issue one to each UCSC student, and maybe even outlaw bicycles forever!!!

BUMPING BAHIA. After our City Council led by Rattling Ryan cancelled everything and asked for a postponement before The Coastal Commission met to make decisions about destroying La Bahia the reactions were hot, heavy and mostly asking for more citizen input. Jean Brocklebank opens this week’s La Bahia topic by asking “How is it that the “City” can decide to ask for a continuance to another hearing, if the “City” never discussed this in public. It wasn’t on their Tues. agenda but it was announced after their Tues. meeting. It smacks of sharp practice, not to mention a violation of the Brown Act”.Jean Brocklebank.

This next missive is from Don Webber, one of La Bahia’s many concerned neighbors.

Below is the “official” explanation (from Friends of La Bahia) as to why they retreated from the March 10 rendezvous with Coastal Commissioners. Their assertion that the project’s best interests are best served by requesting a “slight delay” seems to boil down to:

1. Canfield-Swenson were unable to persuade the CC staff to recommend approval.
2. Canfield-Swenson would probably lose if the decision were made on March 10. So they want to wait till new commissioners are on board, lobby the hell out of them, and they figure they might stand a better chance.

It’s apparent that the Canfield-Swenson development team believed that they could use their considerable local influence to bulldoze the Coastal Commission staff and board much like they did our city council. That’s not working out as they hoped.
They show no outward sign of making any substantive change to their dream project, however. Rather they are poised to apply more lobbying pressure. They initially targeted only Commissioner Stone; this signals their intention to target the rest of the commissioners, significantly pinning their hopes on the commissioners yet to be named.

ORGANIZING THE BOOKCASE. From Eileen Begley at Bookshop Santa Cruz

This letter was sent to pro-La Bahia developers from La Bahia

February 23, 2011

Dear La Bahia supporter,

You have been a strong supporter of the proposed La Bahia Hotel and we are writing to give you a status update of the Coastal Commission hearing on this project. Please see the attached letter.

It was decided a few weeks ago to have the La Bahia Hotel placed on the Coastal Commission’s March 10th agenda. Their meeting is here in Santa Cruz March 9th – 11th. As the cornerstone of beach area revitalization and the Beach/South of Laurel Plan, the La Bahia is extremely important to this community, so a local Coastal Commission hearing was preferred. It now appears that it may be in the project’s best interest to request a slight delay. Therefore the City of Santa Cruz in cooperation with the project developer is requesting a POSTPONEMENT of the Commission’s consideration of this project.

Here is why: The La Bahia is a complex project that requires significant review by Coastal Commission staff, as they conduct their final analysis and prepare their staff report. The City wants to continue to be able to work with Commission staff to answer any questions and consider any ideas that may arise, to be sure the results of their input is considered in the final project that is presented to the Commission.

  • We just learned that the Governor has dismissed two of his predecessors appointees to the Commission and the new appointees will likely not be seated by March. As well, there is possibility of further change right up to the hearing date. Due to the significance of this project to the City and the community it is important that the project be afforded consideration by a full Commission. We want to make sure that all of them have time to familiarize themselves with the project and the goals of the City’s certified Local Coastal Plan for the Beach/ South of Laurel Area.
  • We appreciate your support and look forward to eventual approval of the very best plan for the La Bahia site and the Santa Cruz beach area.
  • Sincerely, Friends of La Bahia

ARTIST WRITES ABOUT A BETTER LOOK FOR BEACH STREET. Dear

BrattonOnline, Thanks for focusing on the La Bahia. I am a local artist and feel very strongly about the Seaside’s abuse and neglect of our beautiful historical gem. Their uninspiring business strategy for Santa Cruz’s most valuable real-estate has left it closed down for a majority of the year and a cesspool for crime. I’ve never understood why the city has not tried to do more for this part of our city, to expand beyond the Boardwalk.

5 years ago I submitted renderings of the La Bahia to the City, the Preservation Committee and to Canfield and Co. The Preservation Committee invited me to make a presentation with my drawings which were inspired by San Diego’s Old Town. The complex was turned into restaurants, galleries, boutiques and even had a wine garden in the courtyard. Local artists, wineries, breweries, and innovative small businesses could truly revitalize this area instead of plunking down a high end hotel on top of a potential cultural attraction and in the middle of drug dealers and gangstas.

Unfortunately I didn’t affect much change but I still do dream of a La Bahia makeover, it’s such a beauty, if you can see beneath the peeling paint and rot. The story in the Sentinel today does give a glimmer of hope. There’s definitely not enough about the poor stewardship the Seaside Co. delivers the city of Santa Cruz. And what about that asphalt parking lot sitting on top of our lagoon???!!! This is supposed to be a progressive city!

Yours, Lyn Guenther.

Thanks Lyn and all the other reader/writers.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON LA BAHIA. If you really want a better and even historical view on the La Bahia Battle read this well done piece from the June 30, 1999 issue of Metro Santa Cruz

BETTING ON RYAN AND TERRAZAS. I stated a few weeks ago that I’m willing to bet anybody that David Terrazas like Hilary Bryant and Lynn Robinson will vote exactly the way Ryan Coonerty wants them to. What I really said was:

“TERRAZAS BET. WHAT HE WROTE, WHAT HE’S PLANNING. David Terrazas fooled a lot of friends and folks during his first campaign. They thought maybe, just maybe he would represent the progressive part of our community, I never did. Now we’ve just begun to see his pro-development, pro-business stand. Terrazas op-ed in Sunday’s Sentinel when he said things like “Enhance our town’s business environment”, and “simplify the process to obtain business permits” means just that. Like Berkeley’s Developing Democrats, Terrazas and Ryan Coonerty will be teaming up to bring us more big time development than we’ve seen in decades. Locally owned hah! Watch and See. I shuddered when one friend even thought Terrazas was “naïve”, not so, watch his pro- LOBA, pro Chamber of Commerce votes and positions from here on out. I’ll tell you what, why don’t we make a bet…every time Terrazas votes WITH Ryan Coonerty on a meaningful issue you pay me $5, every time he votes against RYAN I’ll pay you $5. Sure, add in Hilary Bryant and Lynn Robinson as part of RYAN’s voting followers. After I wrote that Ryan answered me and said wait and see if Terrazas and I agree on the appointments we’ll be making. I’m not talking about funny little advisory commission appointments that have no power, I’m talking about La Bahia, Arana Gulch, Closing libraries, issues that make up our community.

GRAVAGO SOLD. Barbara Horscraft announced that she sold Gravago and will now become a buyer/shopper for new owner. Alls well that ends well.

SANTA CRUZ HIGH HISTORY & ZASU PITTS. Cindy Stone now residing in Texas sent us this bit of memorabilia she found at her mom’s place. Click thumbnails for larger images.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary praises Monterey County Supervisor Jane parker and Santa Cruz County John Leopold for their regular holding of regular public meetings so everyone can air their concerns. Why don’t the rest of our supervisors do the same? Don’t they care? Patton goes on to urge us to go to Elkhorn Slough and just get out of doors more. He goes on to say that the Sierra Club has many outings that are good fun. He closes by reminding us that the Coastal Commission will be in the County Building on the 5th floor wed march 9-Friday March 11 hearing many issues and of course not the La Bahia Canfield- Swenson- Rotkin-Coonerty project that Ryan yanked out of the community purview.(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 )

HUMAN TETRIS, REMEMBER TETRIS?

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Check out Tim Eagan’s explosive view of our expanding economy…scroll below.

LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul writes a piece titled , “A Letter To Bambi” in Progresso Weekly. There’s a great quote in it, “”There exists an almost extinct breed. Their character is shaped by honor, devotion, courage, and love of their homeland, their very reason to live. These rare specimens survive in a hostile environment. Lies, hypocrisy, cowardice and betrayal by the world around them cannot crush their unbreakable will to fight for their ideals. These men don’t fear prison or death; nor do they surrender or compromise their principals. No one and nothing can separate them from their goals. Luis Posada Carriles belongs to this nearly extinct strain.” Read it all here Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

MUSIC MAG ASKS IF MARIN ALSOP WILL STAY WITH CAB MU FEST? San Francisco Classical Voice last week had a question about Marin Alsop and her newest conductor job in Brazil…SFCV said…approaching her 20th year as music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Marin Alsop has always been a multitasker. After leaving the Colorado Symphony (1993-2005), she remained its music director laureate; following her 2002-2008 stint with the Bournemouth Symphony, she was named its conductor emeritus, even while becoming music director of the Baltimore Symphony in 2007. But now, there is a challenge of long-distance travel, for last week she was appointed to the post of principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in Brazil, succeeding Yan Pascal Tortelier. With up to 16 weeks in Baltimore, and 10 weeks in Brazil, in addition to guest-conducting in many venues, will spending a month in Santa Cruz be feasible for her? Neither the 16 weeks nor the 10 are likely to be in one block, and the distance between the two locations is about 5,000 miles — 10,000 miles roundtrip. From Brazil to San Francisco, it’s another 6,500 miles. Alsop may well have the oomph to circle the world and conduct everywhere, but will she? Probably, at least for a while.

KEFAUVER’S SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS. Have a LinkedIn Page? Posting Recommendations on LinkedIn Highlights Your Expertise.

LinkedIn is a fantastic way to boost your visibility as a professional — it’s the top social network site for business. Building a basic profile on LinkedIn is free and so is requesting recommendations on your page. The only catch? The person from whom you are requesting a recommendation must also have a LinkedIn page. Under the Profile tab on your LinkedIn page, you’ll find the Recommendations. From there, you can manage both recommendations you have requested and those you have given.

When you request a recommendation, be sure to take the time to change the default message to a personalized message. After all, you are asking a favor of someone. Identify yourself and how you know the person from whom you are requesting the recommendation.

After you receive the recommendation, you will have the opportunity to review it and or request changes, before it is posted. You also have the option not to post it at all.

Finally, make sure you send a note thanking the person who supplied the recommendation. It’s all basic etiquette, but in our busy lives, sometimes it gets overlooked. But that’s what makes social media civil and makes people remember you as the professional they want to work with! For tips on using Groups on LinkedIn, see last week’s Bratton Online.

(Karen Kefauver is a freelance journalist and social media consultant who teaches Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to business owners and executives in classes and private sessions. For info: Email: Karen@karenkefauver.com. Website: www.karenkefauver.com. Social Media blog: http://socialmediawithkaren.blogspot.com.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week Lisa Jensen actually admits, ” I need a nap after all the Oscar hoopla, so whatever goes up this week on Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/) will be a big surprise—especially to me. Stay tuned! Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.

GRUNSTRA ON BUMPER STICKERS. Knowing my never ending fascination with bumper stickers (now all but extinct) Judy Grunstra sent this from Librarian News…February 22, 2011 – 5:09pm — though she’s seen thousands of bumper stickers, Whitney Baker isn’t all that interested in what they have to say. She’s more interested in keeping them around for a long, long time.
She’s a conservator for the KU Libraries and took a five-month sabbatical to go around the country to look at bumper stickers, and she’s learned a lot about how to preserve them for others.

During her research, she found that the history of bumper stickers points back to Kansas. Many credit Forest Gill, a screen printer from Kansas City, Kan., with developing the idea. He founded Gill Studios Inc., which today operates out of Lenexa. Gill’s son-in-law, Mark Gilman, today is chairman of the board for the company.

He said Gill developed an adhesive paper sticker to replace cardboard signs tied to bumpers that were beginning to gain popularity at the end of the 1930s and early 1940s.

Though many have said the concept can be traced back to Gill, that’s not something the company has definitively established, Gilman said.
Check out the thumbnail gallery and Baker’s video about the collection now housed at the Spenser Research Library at Kansas University.

HOUSEMAID.A re-make of an earlier Housemaid this Korean film has all the characteristics of excellent Korean films. It’s crazy, dream- like, sexual, class oriented, and meticulous. Go see it, you’ll definitely cringe a lot.

NORA’S WILL. If you’re into Jewish culture don’t miss this Jewish/ Mexican bitter sweet pleasant & tender comedy in Spanish with subtitles. Touching, perfectly written, marvelously acted…fine photography. You’ll love it, just go.

UNKOWN. Liam Neeson stars in this reality-bending spy-assassin flick. It has more plot holes than the Vatican. It’s also full of those mind numbing scenes where you sit there wanting to scream out “don’t open the door” or “why not call the police“, or “better not drink that drink”, or “don’t go down the stairs” or simple minded things like that. January Jones (Mad Men) is in it too and she doesn’t help much. She’s type cast into playing a ditzy blonde (duh!)

A COP OUT. That’s not a movie title, that’s my plea for forgiveness because I just couldn’t face seeing Owen Wilson in Hall Pass, Big Momma’s Like Father, Like Son and especially Nicolas Cage in Drive Angry in 3D. I mean how would you like to wake up in the morning and fell like you had to see Nicolas Cage in a movie?

A BOOK…IN CASE WE FORGET.

LUIS VALDEZ’S “MUMMIFIED DEER” AT UCSC IS BIG HIT. Kinan Valdez, Luis Valdez’s son told us on Universal Grapevine that Mummified Deer is one of his dad’s favorite plays. It’s a theatrical biography of the Valdez family. It’s being presented by UCSC’s Theatre Arts Department and runs through Sunday March 6 at The Mainstage Theatre. Remember it starts at 7 p.m. thurs-sat. and 3 pm for Sunday matinees. Kinan’s directing it, and I agree that the student actors are fantastic. I saw it last Saturday, and liked it every bit as much as Zoot Suit. It’s crazy, historical, musical, commedia, corridos,

profound, slapstick, everything you want in a play. Special ticket offer: Buy one full-price ticket ($15), get a second ticket FREE at the Thursday, Mar. 3 evening performance. Tickets for “Mummified Deer” are available now at santacruztickets.com and at the UCSC Ticket Office and the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium box office.

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 March 1st Rob Slawinski will reveal secrets about the auction business. Gary Bascou 1/2 of Staff of Life follows Rob and will talk about their brand spanking new store. March 8th is one of the great 88?s (KZSC) Pledge Drive and County Supervisor John Leopold & I will play lots of Arhoolie Recordings and exhort you into supporting our number one most listened to college radio station in the USA. Peggy Dolgenos and Westi Haughey from Cruzio will talk about their new location and their new lighting of “the fiber internet”, on March 15. The Museum of Art & History’s pottery show is the topic on March 22 with Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro. Carolyn Burke will share views on her brand new book on Edith Piaf and her early death also on the 22nd. Then on March 29 Sara Wilbourne administrator of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre will discuss their latest plans and projects. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.

BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.

QUOTES.” One plays at being immortal and after a few weeks one doesn’t even know whether or not one can hang on till the next day“, Albert Camus. “In our fear, we make an image, and that image we call God”, The Knight, Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. “Sure we’re all one…but—shh—don’t spread it around.”, Jay Lynch

BEST OF DeCINZO.

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