Bruce Bratton hosts University Grapevine, linking local and campus issues, every Tuesday 7:30-8:30 p.m. on KZSC 88.1 fm.
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IMMIGRANTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES. Watsonville City Councilman Ramón Gómez & The Santa Cruz County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are hosting a panel and public forum on the civil rights and liberties of immigrants. The forum, Immigrants and Civil Liberties will be held Thursday, October 6 at 7pm, at the Watsonville City Council chambers. Here's their press release.....
"The United States depends on Mexican & other immigrant labor. Hundreds of thousands of people come here every year to take jobs that pay better than jobs available at home. However, resistance to Mexican immigration runs high, and a variety of barriers stand between immigrants and social, educational and legal services. Front line workers providing these services are limited mostly to helping overcome ever-changing artificial barriers.
But the U.S. also needs these immigrants as citizens. It needs for them to assume the responsibilities of citizens, to enrich the national political process through their active participation in all aspects of the life of this country. Immigrants are hard-working, tax-paying residents and consumers. They attend churches, form volunteer organizations, and their children also grow up to become active members of their communities. Immigrants are full-fledged participants in the life of this country, but the U.S. has failed to provide ways to assist new residents in taking up their critical roles in a participatory democracy, to obtain legal standing as residents and eventually citizens. This failure, costly to our society, is in part a failure to guarantee the exercise of civil liberties and civil and human rights to newly arrived immigrants.
The forum will address the following questions: Which of the civil liberties and rights of US citizens, and which of the internationally recognized human rights, apply to legal immigrants to the US? Which apply to undocumented immigrants? Which of these remain to be extended to both legal and undocumented immigrants? How can the ACLU and other organizations committed to the defense of civil liberties expand these rights, especially for Mexican & other Latin American immigrants in the State of California?
Panelists include: Luis Angel Alejo staff attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance. Doug Keegan, Director, Santa Cruz County Immigration Project and Cesar Lara, Director, The Citizenship Project.
NOTES FROM LOUISIANA. Dorene Blake is a longtime friend, Santa Cruzan and a therapist. She has worked as a volunteer on three Red Cross disasters. The first was in Alaska at the air crash in 2000. She worked in New Jersey with the victims of 9/11 and she emailed us her diary from her recent trip to Louisiana to work with the Katrina survivors. Read it here.
THREE EXCELLENT ACTIVIST WEBSITES. There's little doubt about the fact that emails and websites are literally helping to change the world. SCRP's (Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning) use of the internet was of key importance in educating Santa Cruz in the many flaws in the Coast Hotel plans. Now as newspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury) are laying off more and more employees, the problem is finding the time to read all the online news sources. Here's three.
RANCHO SAN JUAN. The original proposal of developing 2,500 acres just north of Salinas has now been limited just to the 671 acre Butterfly Village golf village concept.
Read that news report from the Monterey Herald's Larry Parsons right here. Julie Engell, chair of the Rancho San Juan Opposition Coalition, tells us that the convoluted details of the Rancho San Juan make it the biggest project ever proposed for the Monterey Coast. Readers of this column should be sure to add this new website to their "favorites" links. It'll keep us up to date on the exact same developer and politico dealing we have faced, and continue to face, here in Santa Cruz County. www.stopranchosanjuan.org
FRIENDS OF BUENA VISTA. Watsonville, or some people in Watsonville, want to annex 400 acres of land and let developers build 2250 homes there. That means not just the loss of that farmland but it will add 9000 residents to the area. California cities are desperate for money, and are all to willing to sell out to anybody for anything that will appear to bring in cash ASAP. Click here www.friendsofbuenavista.com to see how Friends of Buena Vista are dealing with those gullible politicians and the wily developers. Again, it's another land use battle exactly like we have in Santa Cruz. We've got to get it together, and on a larger basis.
ARANA GULCH BATTLEFRONT. These notes will be too late for Tuesday's (Sept. 27) City Council meeting but go to http://members.cruzio.com/~arana/ and get the big picture of what's going on between the City Council and City Manager Dick Wilson on one side, and the concerned people who want to protect our green spaces like Arana Gulch on the other side. After former councilman Scott Kennedy snuck in a plot to set aside 6 acres of Arana G. to be developed later, we can now see how his plan bloomed. The Council and boss Wilson want to build 15 homes on those 15 acres, despite what previous city councils have wanted.
AND SPEAKING OF LAND ISSUES... Don't forget to check out Gary Patton's Land Use Report
CALIFORNIANS TO WEAR TINY TRANSMITTER TRACKERS. Marvin Kaplan sent an email with news about how we must stop a battle to get Californians to wear tiny transmitters that will allow "Them" to track us. Read his letter here SEEMED LIKE OLD TIMES. I ran into Jennifer Brager and her old flame Don Burke at Bookshop Santa Cruz last Sunday. The short and long of it is that Jennifer is going to law school in Portland and Don's working for some high tech company up there. Jennifer and Don both were heavily involved with progressive politics in Santa Cruz and they both miss this place. Don says that Portland is not a bad place to live, and there are things happening up there. We only discussed Santa Cruz politics a little bit, I explained how I think it's never been worse here, and that developers are putting on more pressure than any time since I got here in 1970. Don reads BrattonOnline.com weekly so he had some version of the truth about Santa Cruz. He promised to subscribe to this column which would be great if more people did, because that makes some kind of difference in internet workings, which I don't quite understand yet. Don and Jennifer looked happy, and their energy is missed.
CHEAPER THAN COSTCO. Al Wasserman noted Santa Cruz authority, and radio commentator, sent an old fashioned letter, because he is "not conversant with the internet". The letter says that prescriptions from Canada are about one half of what Costco is charging!! He saw Tri-Cor, a cholesterol lowering drug, sell for $313 at Costco. He gets his Tri-Cor from Canada for $126.93. Postage is prepaid he says and all you need is your doctor's prescription, and they take credit cards. Call Canada Drugs toll free at 1-866-444-3784. You can call (but not email) Al Wasserman at 831 338-4233.
THE FILM SECTION. Santa Cruz certainly is blessed with more cinema fans per capita than any city in the world. So therefore we have more film festivals than anyplace else too. Por ejemplo...
The Earthvision Film and Video Festival One of the many films and videos being screened at Earthvision is "The Faces of Cuba"; it'll be screened on Saturday, Oct. 1, 7pm at the Rio Theater. It's an intimate montage of the soulful, diverse and fascinating faces of Cuba, offering a personal glimpse into the lives and realities of the Cuban people. It was filmed in Santiago Province, Bayamo, Trinidad, Santa Clara and Havana in 2003 and 2004. It was produced by local film maker Marigold Fine. Check out the rest of the festival at www.earthvisionfest.org
EARL JACKSON'S FREE FILMS. Earl Jackson is back from Korea and is showing ten evenings of films he's carefully selected and titled "Signs and Symptoms". It's an eclectic bunch of foreign films featuring Earl's unique comments and discussions after each screening. The films begin this Wednesday night. September 28, 7PM Baskin Auditorium 101.UCSC Campus with....
Martha (Rainer-Werner Fassbinder 1974) Leave your sunscreen at home for this heartwarming tribute to the sanctity of marriage. It stars the queen of agony, Margit Carstensten, and Peeping Tom's favorite Austrian menace, Karlheinz Boehm.
Free and open to the public.
FLIGHTPLAN. Jodie Foster retains her crown as the best actor in the business in this super-duper exciting film. The ending will make you shout "aw nuts", but go anyway, it's a well structured thriller that'll have you on the edge of your seat. You can bet it will not be shown during your next plane trip, so see it now.
CORPSE BRIDE. Tim Burton's films have so much cleverness going for them its odd when you find yourself wondering how much longer this one will last. Corpse Bride should have been either shorter or have had more of a story. This film feels stretched thin. Great voices, perfect stop motion animation, and technically better than any in its field, but still it's slow, and it lacks Burtons usual over the top brilliance.
BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE MISTRESS. An excellent film, beautifully photographed and since it takes place where the Yangtze River dam will forever cover this rare scenery it's almost a documentary. It's a symbolic story of China itself facing and embracing the capitalist world, see it on the big screen in the next few days.
JUST LIKE HEAVEN. It's a San Francisco film and I still didn't see Ralph Peduto in it. Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo make a cute Hollywood couple, but not much more than cute. This film will make you miss the great and superbly clever Hollywood ghost comedies like Topper, and The Horn Blows At Midnight. You'd be bucks ahead by waiting and renting this one.
CRY WOLF. Not your usual "who's killing the kids" flick. Accents and sound levels make it hard to hear who's saying what, but the direction and acting is way above screamer film stuff. Wait and rent this one too, then you could turn up the volume or go back and play the parts you didn't get the first time.
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED. Live Schreiber, the actor who directed this film, hits you over the head for the first 1/2 of this film making everything way too obvious and overplayed. Elijah Wood as the searcher was far better as Frodo and the Holocaust memories have been dealt with far more effectively in other films. Go warned.
MAH PRESENTS THE TALICH QUARTET. UCSC's Arts & Lectures is bringing the Talich Quartet here for a concert on Friday night October 14 at 8 p.m. in the UCSC recital hall. They'll be playing music by Mendelssohn, Dvorak and somebody named Jiri Gemrot. They started at the Prague University. The Museum of Art & History will present the Talich's at a lunchtime artist talk free on that same day at 12 noon. The Talich Quartet will talk and give a musical presentation. This is a fine opportunity to see and hear internationally recognized musicians up close and ask questions. Actually Giri Gemrot is a 54 year old Czech composer who works a lot with more traditional Czech composers established pieces. Call 831 429-1964 for information. For tickets to the UCSC concert call 459-2159 or go to www.artslectures.ucsc.edu
INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT SERIES. The Music Department at UCSC is presenting another of their annual North Indian Music series. It opens this season with Rajeev Taranth playing sarod and Abhiman Kaushal on tabla. Taranth is a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and has won awards from the Indian Government for his musical achievements. Kaushal has performed with Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and Lakshmi Shankar. The concert will be Saturday October 15 at 7:30 in the UCSC Recital Hall. Call 459-2159 for tickets. Or go to http://events.ucsc.edu/tickets
QUOTES. "She dresses to the left." -Patrick Murray. "My boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married, and I didn't want him to." -Rita Rudner. "He kissed me as though he was trying to clear the drains." -Alida Baxter.
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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REAL STATE NEWS. I'm continuing to track down what news sources respectable politicians use. We've heard from John Laird and Gary Patton. Here are a few more California State News sources. The first links are from Senator John Vasconcellos, he said his old staff came up with them.
California Chronicle California Political Daily http://www.calpday.com It contains California public policy, politics, and government updated continuously throughout the day. It is a daily collection of breaking stories from California newspapers. Check it out. Another Vasconcellos staffer added this, "My recommendations are http://www.aroundthecapitol.com and http://www.rtumble.com. I find the daily round-up on aroundthecapitol to be indispensable. Dan Weintraub at the Sacramento Bee also has a pretty good blog on CA politics, as does John Myers at KQED. Only 48 days until the November 8th Special Election.
KUSP LAND USE REPORTS Speaking of Gary Patton, here is, as usual, his KUSP Land Use Report. Lots on water this week, and a bit of UCSC expansion. There's no limit to the amount of useful stuff one can learn, so be sure to click it and check it out.
GORILLA MY DREAMS. Sally Clark, ace photographer and good person and fine friend has some problems with brain and spinal cancer. So Wormy (not her real name) of Curbside Coffee Cart fame (in front of Logo's) is putting on one hell of a benefit this very Sunday. This is the benefit that had that papier mache cow that got vandalized acopuple of weeks ago. Now Wormy has a beautiful stuffed toy gorilla maybe 5 or 6 feet tall as first prize, go to Logo's and see it, before some lucky person wins it. The benefit and gorilla will raise money to help Sally pay for her cancer operations. Sista Monica will preside and perform at the benefit. Plus, there will be a silent auction of many, many art donations and wine donations and excellent things like that. There'll also be a dinner known as a Summer Feast. It all happens this Sunday, September 25 at 3 p.m. at 595 Wente Avenue, Ben Lomond. Get gorilla drawing tickets and party tickets and information at the Curbside Coffee Cart or call 336-2077. If you can't attend, the benefit checks can be sent to "Sally Clark" at PO Box 3855, Santa Cruz, CA, 95063.
POLICE WANT TO USE RADAR, SO THEY'RE INCREASING SPEED LIMITS? Debbie Bulger sent this in, and we need to pay attention. "The Public Works Staff and the Santa Cruz Police Department are recommending the City increase posted speed limits. The reason for the staff recommendation is to preserve the police department's ability to use radar for speed enforcement. (State law prevents the police from using radar if most people are going more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit.) Because of this dangerous state law, the posted speeds on Morrissey and Bay were changed to 30 mph to permit radar enforcement. This was a test to see if radar enforcement would lower the 85th percentile speed enough to use radar at the previously posted 25 mph. The staff report explains that this experiment failed.
So why are they recommending a strategy that doesn't work? A better strategy is to put our energy and resources into altering the streets so that speeders voluntarily slow down. The City's traditional posting of 25 mph on all City streets is not based on a desire for enforcement, but rather on a desire for safety and quality of life. What is our vision for Santa Cruz neighborhoods? Do we want a community that emphasizes quality of life and safety, or do we want to accommodate speeders in our neighborhoods? Should we work to preserve the use of radar, or should we work to slow down speeders who endanger our children and pets, who generate excess noise, and who decrease our quality of life?
The noise generated by a vehicle at 35 mph is DOUBLE the noise generated at 25 mph. The chance of a pedestrian dying when struck by a car is THREE TIMES GREATER if the car is going 30 mph rather than 20 mph. When struck by a car going 40 mph, 85% of pedestrians will die. At 25 mph a car will be able to brake soon enough to avoid hitting a person 150 feet ahead. At 38 mph, the driver will not be able to stop in time and will hit the person at 36 mph.
The streets affected would be:
High Street, increase to 30 mph from Laurent to Bay and to 35 mph from Bay to city limits.
Western Drive, increase to 30 mph
Delaware Ave, increase to 30 mph
Fair Ave, increase to 30 mph
Bay Street from West Cliff to California, increase to 30 mph
Water Street from River to North Branciforte, increase to 30 mph
North Branciforte from Water to Fairmont, increase to 30 mph
Broadway from Pine to Frederick, increase to 30 mph
Coral Street from Evergreen to Harvey West Blvd, increase to 30 mph
Carbonera Drive and Isbel Drive to Bartlett Way, increase to 30 mph
LaFonda Ave between Oak Way and Soquel Ave, increase to 30 mph
Meder Street between Bay and Western, increase to 30 mph
Morrissey Blvd from Prospect Heights to Pacheco, increase to 30 mph
Graham Hill Road, Ocean St. Extension and Ocean Street from city limits to Water St., increase to 30 mph
Additionally, Morrissey Blvd from Fairmont to Water and Bay Drive up to High, previously posted at 30 mph as a test would remain at 30 mph.
If you think the 25 mph speed limit should be maintained, contact the City Council citycouncil@ci.santa-cruz.ca.us and the City Transportation Commission pw-transportation-commission@ci.santa-cruz.ca.us.
Debbie Bulger.
Let your favorite City Council person know what you think of this and do it quickly. The Council is notorious for giving the police whatever they ask for.
SAY NO TO MERGING THE MONTEREY PENINSULA AND FELTON'S WATER SYSTEMS. Margie Kay (former star of the defunct but charming General Feed and Seed Show now on Community television) sends in this article by Virginia Hennessey of the Monterey Herald. Tell your Felton friends to take notes.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY DISASTER PLANNING. Patti Jazanoski saw my question about just how prepared is the City or the County of Santa Cruz in case an earthquake or tsunami hits. She sent this link http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/oes/Santa Cruz County 2002 EMP.htm. I've seen it before, but you tell me just how secure you feel after trying to read or enlarge those imbecilic maps or, trying to understand what the realistic plans are for you and your family that they have on these pages. I hope none of our money was spent on this BS and I hope that whoever is responsible lives in some part of our vast flood plain.
FREE THERAPY. Tim Seidl of Ben Lomond sends this link to one of the funniest animated cartoons I've ever found on the web. Click on it, especially if you are completely frustrated and depressed about George Bush as president. Put you cursor on Georgie and drag him around for an hour or two, you'll feel better, I guarantee it. http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AGAIN. S.F. Weekly has a great article on the dangers of allowing existing nuclear power plants to automatically renew their licensing by 20 years. There's also an article in the online edition of American Prospect on the same topic. Link here: http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_power_plants/articles.cfm?ID=13447 Can anyone tell us where all this talk about nuclear power plants is coming from lately?
PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC CLUB. Fred Keeley will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the People's Democratic Club Thursday September 22 at 7 p.m. at London Nelson Community Center. Fred's going to talk about being inside politics, the November election, and tax collecting in Santa Cruz (I made that up, but he might if we ask him!). For more information on what Democrats are doing in Santa Cruz county go to www.cruzdemocrats.org. Now's the time to plan on helping to hang door hangers.
PROGRESSIVE COALITION. There'll be an endorsement forum also at the London Nelson Community Center, September 26 at 7p.m. Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt will moderate. This will cover the State ballot propositions. Some of the member groups of the Progressive Coalition are; The Monterey Bay Central Council, SCAN, GLBT Alliance, People's Democratic Club, Santa Cruz Green Party and SEIU Local 415.
FOR OPERA FANS ONLY. The opening two operas in the San Francisco Opera's 2005-06 season are wonderfully performed and beautifully sung, but both of them wouldn't be good choices if you haven't been to many operas. George Frideric Handel's Rodelinda was first performed in 1725 and is a baroque opera. But this production is set in a film noir Italy of the 1940's and looks more like Sin City than the usual medieval Lombardy with castles, royal gardens, and a dungeon. Updating it by hundreds of years brings out the serious side of this opera seria. Centering on love, power, politics, and women's place in the ruling class, makes this opera well worth hearing, and especially seeing, just for the absolutely stunning set design. There are two counter tenors in Rodelinda and even that doesn't ruin the very serious setting. In the good old opera days instead of high singing counter tenors they used "castrati", a castrati would be like if Eddy Fisher and Wayne Newton gave birth to a singing baby boy. A little joke there, anyway if you like Handel's music, gorgeous singing get tickets right away. Go to www.sfopera.com and check it all out, there's only five more performances.
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA'S THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS. Gioachino Rossini like Händel wrote both serious and comic operas. Tancredi, Otello, and William Tell are some of his serious operas. He also wrote Barber of Seville and Cenerentola which have much humor. I can't think of another opera by anybody that is as plain goofy, and nutty as Italian Girl In Algiers. It's Marx Brothers funny. And it contains coloratura (decorative) singing that goes off the charts, so it has some glorious and gorgeous music too. www.sfopera.com.
GUESS WHO?? I've been meaning to mention for years now that you'll never guess who's on the board of directors of the San Francisco Opera...Claude Jarman!!!. Who's Claude Jarman? Just the 12 year old co star with Gregory Peck in "The Yearling"(1946). He also did High Barbaree with Van Johnson and Intruder in the Dust. The Academy awarded him a special miniature Oscar for Yearling. Then he sold Amway for a while, then he got very culturally involved in San Francisco. That's just in case somebody asks you about Claude Jarman.
TOUCH THE SOUND. This is a documentary about sound, not about Evelyn Glennie, the deaf percussionist. Evelyn is the tour guide and expert on exploring what sound is. The film is by Thomas Riedelsheimar who did Rivers and Tides which was about the sense of touch using Andy Goldsworthy as the guide. Don't go only to see what was filmed in Santa Cruz when she was here with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, there's only about 30 seconds of the usual Santa Cruz stuff, Boardwalk, surfers. No CabMuFest. There are some shots of her playing barefoot in the Mission at San Juan Bautista, but it's a fine film about sound and musician composer Fred Frith, who visits and plays here often, has a prominent part too.
LORD OF WAR. Nicolas Cage plays his well honed part of Mr. Disturbed and Mr. Possibly Nuts guy again, and he's got it down perfectly. The film really says a lot about international gun sellers. And for a main stream release it is a fairly gutsy diatribe on how world powers depend on wars to make profit. Adding The Constant Gardener's film theme of exposing the ruthless and greedy pharmaceutical giants, you'd think more people would wake up on some of these bizarre world dealings, but I guess not. Go see this film, you'll be entertained.
MEMORY OF A KILLER. (The Alzheimer Case) That other title is real, this is about a contract killer who has Alzheimer's. He's got a bad and alternating memory and gets weird flashbacks when he's on a job he doesn't want to do. It's Belgian film and has all the ingredients of a good international thriller, go see it.
AN UNFINISHED LIFE. This mainstream Hollywood has it all. Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, a bear, Jennifer Lopez, and her kid. You can almost write the story without seeing it. It should be called Grizzly Man 2, Redford being the grizzly. It's a blah film and you can see why they let it sit on the shelf for a year or more before releasing it.
QUOTES. "A Boy Scout troop is a bunch of boys dressed as jerks, led by a jerk dressed as a boy." -Shelley Berman. "My Mother didn't breastfeed me. She said she just liked me as a friend." -Rodney Dangerfield. "I understand the importance of bondage between parent and child." -Dan Quayle. "Friends are people who borrow books and set wet glasses on them." -E.A. Robinson
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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ABOUT 41ST AND HOME DEPOT. The current issue of Aptos Times (which is mistakenly labeled April 1st, 2005 (as in April Fools Day I guess) has everything you'll need to know about the Kmart, Safeway, Home Depot plot and plans for Soquel Drive and 41st. Try to pick up a copy, it has an aerial view of the Aptos High athletic field plus Trent Dilfer on the cover. Best Buy Electronics is also interested in the Kmart space. Home Depot is almost finished meeting the County requirements for the property. The brand new Safeway building will open in 2006 and the present Kmart, Safeway building will be razed according to the Aptos Times. Taco Bell, The USA Gas Station, and the Round Table Pizza will stay as is. But the little mall where the Back Shop and the 99 cent store used to be, will become parking. The very vacant lot at Soquel and 41st, which is being cleared, will become two mixed office and retail buildings, but no tenants yet. They're bringing in 350 trees and outdoor seating to where Home Depot wants to be. Safeway just paid the county $850,000 in the form of transportation impact, which was based on studies done while Kmart was still there. The Aptos Times goes on to say (on the traffic increase) that Sutter Hospital is building a new branch at Research Drive and some car dealer is opening a site along Soquel Drive too. Safeway's adding a Starbucks and Beverley's Fabrics is happy about that. The article written by Dany Wolf also reminds us that San Lorenzo Lumber is owned by Lumberman's Inc. I'm trying to find a link to the full article so that you don't run off half cocked and fuming. Lumbermans Inc is owned by the Lanoga Corporation. Look them up too, it's worth the time.
RE: THOSE MARCHING SOLDIERS FROM LAST WEEKS PHOTO. Ever watchful Linda Rosewood emails in to say,"I think from the angle of the sun, and from other information I've read, the photo you've identified as "marching south on Branciforte" is actually of soldiers marching west on Soquel at Branciforte". So dear readers, if you scroll down to last week's photo that means that the Rio Theatre is behind the soldiers and Shopper's Corner would be in the lower right hand corner". Thanks Linda. The weird thing is that I've goofed the same directions up on his photo before.
PAUL ELERICK AND GARY PATTON ON NEWS SOURCES: Paul Elerick, political activist, emailed and stated: "We enjoyed your column this week, especially the comments on our pathetic lack of news sources in the area. Thanks for passing on John Laird's tip. Here's another news source your readers should be aware of, radio station KRXA-AM 540. It's coming from Monterey and is a breath of fresh air. They have hired former KION-TV evening news anchor Beverly Beyer doing a morning drive-time program, they carry the Bill Press talk show later in the day, and they broadcast 21 hours a day. Check out www.krxa540.com for more details." Gary Patton emails about his news sources, "I don't really have any pipeline to truth, I'm afraid, or any "special" sources of information. In terms of magazines that I like, I read both In These Times and The Nation. I read lots of newspapers, mostly in print versions but sometimes on line - just the regular press locally here, in Monterey County, and the Sacramento Bee. I review Salon.com and Grist on the web and am on all sorts of listserves, from SPEL to environmental to justice groups. The California Budget Project, by the way, generally gives a great picture of what's happening on the state scene, in most key areas where money is involved (everything important, in other words)."
SAN JOSE OPERA'S "THE CRUCIBLE". Arthur Miller wrote his play the "The Crucible" as a reaction to the Red Scare and Senator Joe McCarthy's communist huntings in the 1950's. Sean Connery did a TV version in 1959 but the biggest and best film of this play was the 1996 film starring Daniel Day Lewis, Wynona Ryder, Paul Scofield and Joan Allen. Reducing any play to make an opera requires massive cuts, as much as 2/3rds some say. This play is so good, so engrossing, so contemporary, that it hits audiences hard no matter what. Robert Ward got permission from Arthur Miller to base his opera on the play, and the opera has been performed by mostly smaller opera companies ever since its premiere in 1961. The opera won a Pulitzer prize. The music isn't the best reason to see San Jose Opera's production because it's nearly atonal, hard to enjoy, and doesn't add much to the plot. It's the singing by the San Jose cast and just experiencing the meaning and applications of the witch hunting plot that makes it worthwhile. Soprano Deborah Berioli as Elizabeth Proctor, and Joseph Wright as John Proctor gave performances way ahead of their years in opera. Soprano Laura Twelves as Abagail Williams sang the brass off the banisters in the newly re-opened art deco California Theatre, home of the San Jose Opera. The set didn't add a thing to the opera either, too minimalist and made no point at all, but the orchestra and the costumes were excellently done. The opera, the play and the film reminds all audiences of our current president's holy driven mistakes, and dealing with love, jealousy and greed, the opera will be performed forever. That's reason enough to see it.
MARGIE KAY ENCLOSES A LETTER AGAINST RANCHO SAN JUAN. Read what a letter writer to the Salinas Californian says against Rancho San Juan.
GARY PATTON'S KUSP REPORTS. Read Gary's reports on our Board of Supervisors handling of Greenwaste at the landfill...dangers of global warming and our California water supply...Coastal Cleanup Day...and as we should all be aware of How the growing Water Problem is completely interwoven with land use.
MARGIE KAY REPORTS ON DESALINIZATION SECRETS. Margie Kay sends an article telling how the Monterey County Board of Supes is dealing with the desalinization of water. Some points we should consider watching out for in the railroading we're getting from the bankers of brine.
WITH SANDY LYDON IN JAPAN. Sandy Lydon has been sending at least 8 letters online covering his history group tour of the non tourist Japan. Here's a link to read how they are doing. There are some awe inspiring happenings and loony stories about luggage too. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JapanLydon2005
AN APOLOGY. I mistakenly quoted Judi Grunstra in last week's column saying she said some things about San Jose's plaza that were really came from the newspaper article she kindly emailed instead. Judi wouldn't ever have said those things, not ever, not nohow. Deep bows to ms. Grunstra.
THE MAN. Whoever had the idea of coupling Eugene Levy with Samuel L Jackson should be sentenced to drive stunt cars for movie chase scenes for life. Eugene Levy's one shtick character hasn't been funny since Waiting for Guffman. Making Samuel L. Jackson into a mean nasty policeman with zip sense of humor in what is supposed to be a comedy is plain wrong, or just dumb in general. I walked out on this one, a rare occurrence, so don't you walk in, if you know what's good for you.
EL CRIMEN PERFECTO. This is a Spanish comedy film. We US film goers aren't used to this kind of goofy-loony humor. It has walking, talking, joking, zombies with meat cleavers in their skull, that sort of thing. It is a department store funny film, and while not exactly up to Marx Brothers or Abbot & Costello quality, it is fun to watch.
A DATE WITH DREW. A documentary about how LA creep Brian Herzlinger tries to get a date with Drew Barrymore. It's even creepier that Drew agrees, and does meet with him! This pathetic ego-driven film says more about both of those people than it should. It should be required viewing in Psych 1a class. It should never have been filmed. I should have walked out early on, but I waited to see if Drew would be weird enough to meet this guy.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Not knowing anything about the real case this film was "based on", and believing the testimony as given the film actually does make you wonder about the devil and exorcism material. So call it a curious film. The acting is ok, Laura Linney will remind you of Jody Foster a lot, and it is definitely not just another "Exorcist" film.
KEN KOENIG'S JAZZ MASTERPIECE. Ken Koenig, former First Night board member, photographer, and psychiatrist has finished his documentary on Howard Rumsey's Hermosa Beach Lighthouse, "Jazz on the West Coast: The Lighthouse 50's and 60's". It's 77 minutes long and will premiere at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, 307 Mirada Road, Miramar Bach, Half Moon Bay. Howard Rumsey will be there in person, and it's a fundraiser for The Bach Dancing &DS. Ken's spent years on this project, I saw a very early version; it is an important film covering a neglected part of jazz history. Ken's got Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, and many more west coast jazz legends in it. The benefit is Sunday, September 25, 4:30-7:30. call 650-726-4143 for reservations, or go to www.bachddsoc.org and get more of the story.
EARL'S EVENINGS. Earl Jackson, film lecturer and Asian Film scholar has just returned from teaching film in Korea. He's put together some great evenings of free films and lively discussions. The films will be at 7p.m. at UCSC's Baskin Auditorium 101. The public is invited. Sept. 28. MARTHA. 1974(Rainer Werner Fassbinder), Oct.5. Dragnet Girl 1931(Ozu Yasujiro), Oct.19. Read or Die Episode 1 2001 (Masanari Koji) and The Mysterious Object at Noon (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), Oct.26 Yangsando 1955 (Kim Kiyong), Nov.2, The Housemaid 1960 (Kim Kiyong), Nov. 9. Three Women 1977 (Robert Altman), Nov. 16. Old Boy 2003 (ParkChan-wook), Nov.23 Tropical Malady 2004 (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), Nov.30 Aventurera 1950 (Alberto Gout). Earl's choices of films are amazing and edifying and lots of fun. Stay around until after the films when everybody gets involved with wild and nearly meaningful opinion slinging. I'll save you a seat.
CRUZIO ANNOUNCES 7TH ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS FAIR "GROWING A SUSTAINABLE SMALL BUSINESS". Cruzio's Small Business Fairs keep growing and this year it will happen at The Attic on Pacific. Here's part of their press release:
Cruzio, the leading local Internet Service Provider, will host the 7th Annual Cruzio Small Business Fair, on Wednesday, November 16th, 2005 from 4-9pm at The Attic, 931 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz. This year's fair will focus on the theme Growing a Sustainable Small Business, and provide tools and resources to help both new and established small businesses develop and find new customers.
According to the United States Small Business Administration, small firms "Represent 99.7% of all employers" and "employs half of all private sector employees." (www.sba.gov). To serve the many existing and in-the-works small businesses in Santa Cruz County, Cruzio established the Small Business Fair in 1999, and has been providing the event annually as a resource to the community.
Cruzio works hard to meet the needs of local small businesses through the Small Business Fair, and sponsors and attendees like Christina Lopp, of Kapiolani Design, report that the fair provided "...exposure to hundreds of small businesses through Santa Cruz County...and helped get my name and expertise known throughout the community." The Fair will include three panel presentations with local small business leaders and experts giving practical advice and tips on the topics of: Growing a Sustainable Small Business, Finding and Keeping Customers, and Marketing Basics & Beyond. Each panel discussion will be one and half hours long and followed by Q&A.
The Fair also includes informative resource booths and networking opportunities. Admission is $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and a complete dinner provided by The Attic is available for an additional $10. Registration and in-depth panel information is available at the event's Web site: www.smallbusinessfair.com. Attendees can choose to attend two of the three panels throughout the evening.
WHERE: The Attic, 931 Pacific Ave., Downtown Santa Cruz, 95060
INFO: For more information and to register go to www.smallbusinessfair.com.
QUOTES. "Cleopatra had the body of a roll-top desk and the mind of a duck." -Rowan Atkinson. "Yesterday was the first day of the rest of your life and you messed it up again." -Patrick Murray. "Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week." -Will Rogers.
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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IS SANTA CRUZ PREPARED FOR TSUNAMIS AND EARTHQUAKES? Did New Orleans have warnings about levees, floods, and potential? They certainly did. Were they prepared? Certainly not. Has Santa Cruz been warned about earthquakes and tsunamis? Yes, we've been warned many times. Now we need to make sure our elected officials take charge and make every resident aware of our emergency planning. This especially applies to residents of Beach Flats and all businesses and residents living in our flood plain. Do you know where our flood plain is? I don't either, but we should be informed by now. Which route to higher land? Where will the busses be to evacuate us, and our neighbors? Which sirens will we hear? Who comes knocking on our doors to make sure everyone is ok? Do those art lovers still feel justified in building 100 family homes at The Tannery which is in the flood plain? And our local levees, what shape are they in?
Here's a paragraph from HISTORY NEWS NETWORK. Last September, a Category 5 hurricane battered the small island of Cuba with 160-mile-per-hour winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one died.
CUBA'S DISASTER HANDLING SKILLS. Louis Head and some more folks sent letters about Cuba's reacting to disaster. Read this letter Louis sent describing how efficient Cuba is at handling disaster "Less than 2 months ago, Cuba was able to move 1.7 million people on short notice. The whole civil defense is embedded in the community to begin with. People know ahead of time where they are to go. They come to your door and knock, and tell you, evacuation is coming, then they come and tell you, now.
If there's no electricity, they have runners who communicate from a headquarters to central locations what is to be done. The country's leaders go on TV and take charge. But, it's not only the leaders who are speaking. The TV weather people are knowledgeable. And the population is well educated about hurricanes. They not only evacuate. It's arranged beforehand where they will go, who has family where. Not only pickup is organized, the delivery of people is organized. Merely sticking them in a stadium is unthinkable. Shelters all have medical personnel, from the neighborhood. They have family doctors in Cuba (!), who evacuate together with the neighborhood, and already know who, for example, needs insulin.
If they evacuate to a countryside high school -- a last resort -- they have dormitories there. They also have veterinarians and they evacuate animals. They begin evacuating immediately, and also evacuate TV sets and refrigerators, so that people aren't reluctant to leave because people might steal their stuff.
It's not throwing money at the problem. It's not financial capital, it's social capital. The u.s. in this sense has zero social capital.
Dealing with hurricanes in Cuba, as compared with how it's done in the u.s., is similar to the differences in how they deal with medicine. It's not reactive; it's proactive. They act as early as possible. The u.s. doesn't have civil defense, it has civil *reaction.* So for the moment, forget Bush's role in this disaster and ask your local officials how safe are we here in Santa Cruz. Don't count your blessings count our warnings.
PLAZA POTENTIAL IN DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ? NOT WITH THIS COUNCIL. Judi Grunstra sent this piece from Seattle about their public plazas. It still seems like someone could and should get Louis Rittenhouse to deal with the city to share that hole at Pacific and Church with the right businesses like small shops and provide our city with an aesthetic and useable plaza. Read here http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/238427_architecture30.html Judi goes on to say, "New City Hall Plaza works on several levels, but fails to make a big splash. Downtown Seattle urgently needs a dramatic, all-things-to-all-people plaza that's equally suited to private contemplation or noisy demonstrations; It's an intriguing public space that works, literally, on several different levels. But it's not all it could be".
THE BEST NEWS SOURCES FOR CALIFORNIA STATE NEWS. I personally have serious doubts about the quality, honesty and fairness of our easy to grab State news sources (Sentinel, S.F. Chronicle, KSCO, and KPFA News). So I've asked Assemblyman John Laird, Gary Patton and former Assemblyman John Vasconcellos for their inside opinions and favorite State news sources. John Laird was the first to answer, he says: "The best news source for California news, which I log onto every day, is Rough and Tumble - http://www.rtumble.com. It is a compilation of stories of state politics from most big daily newspapers in California and links are provided along with a summary of each major story. About forty are listed each day, and it's posted usually about 7 a.m. It gets you to whatever most papers are covering.
Speak Out California, is a project of former Assembly member Hannah Beth Jackson and supported by a number of progressive legislators -- http://speakoutca.org/ It is new, and is designed to highlight pending issues and progressive responses at the state level.
There also is a daily summary of top Sacramento stories, the Capitol Round-Up, usually e-mailed about 7:30 a.m. each weekday, which talks about ten or so of the top stories around the Capitol. It presents each story with a summary and an edge and then lists you to it. It is spearheaded by the editor of Capitol Weekly, which is a Sacramento version of Roll Call and just appeared in its new version last week. You can subscribe to Capitol Round-Up by logging on to http:// www.capitolbasement.com
I hope this is helpful." John
Thanks, John these are troubled times, we need every good source of news possible.
NEW CITY HAPPENING NEAR SAN JOSE? Here's an article by Rodney Foo of the San Jose Mercury about a 25,000 unit housing scheme proposed near the Morgan Hill border. Read it and think about how easy it would be for some developer to put another of these "Instant add-a city" to our county. Now of course, developers toss in the "affordable housing" units. In the bad old days for Rye Kelley's Wingspread Conference Center all they'd throw in were cheap performing arts centers. Click here for Foo's article on our future problem.
97 YEAR OLD UKELELE JAZZ LEGEND BILL TAPIA TO PLAY SANTA CRUZ THIS FRIDAY. Andy Andrews, secretary of the estimable Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz, ukuleleclub.com, sent in this press release. It is actually such a perfect press release I'm just printing it all. Besides that, it's interesting and has tons of interest for all area Hawaii enthusiasts.
"At the age of 97, Bill Tapia may well be the oldest touring musician in the world! Bill's remarkable musical skills plus his enduring wit and charm have earned him adoring fans everywhere he has performed. His music, singing, humor, and storytelling - that can take you back to the 1920's - make each of his performances a unique and memorable experience. Bill, at age 19, was a member of the famous Johnny Noble Orchestra that opened the world famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel - "Waikiki's Pink Palace" - in 1927. This musical virtuoso has played with Louis Armstrong and given ukulele lessons ukulele to the likes of Clark Gable, Shirley Temple and Arthur Godfrey.
Bill will be joined onstage by the Hawaiian singer Mihana, daughter of Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame legend Irmgard Farden Aluli, and a member of the Hawaiian family group Puamana. Mihana's 2002 solo album "Rust On The Moon" reached #22 on the national Americana chart and won a jazz category Na Hoku Award (Hawaii's Music Awards). Rounding out Bill Tapia's quartet will be Ruth Davies on Bass and Akira Tana on percussion. Ruth Davies has performed with such jazz and blues greats as Charles Brown, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison and Maria Muldaur. Akira Tana has played and recorded with Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, Lena Horne and The Manhattan Transfer.
This amazing evening will also include the Santa Cruz Premiere of the award winning documentary film of Bill Tapia's life "To You Sweetheart, Aloha." This 55 minute film has been critically acclaimed everywhere it has been shown. Opening for Tapia will be Michelle Kiba and Her Aloha Style Band with dancers from the Hula School of Santa Cruz - Ka Lei Wehi O Ka Mailelauloa. The event is a fund-raiser for the Ukes for Kids Project, which gives away ukuleles to young children and is sponsored and organized by the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz. For more information (or tickets) contact Andy Andrews (408) 828-2131 andy@cruzio.com
Show Information
Friday September 9th 8:00 PM Doors open at 7:15
Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz
Tickets $23 in advance • $26 at the door
Purchase tickets at Pearl Alley Box Office 120 Pearl Alley Santa Cruz (831)454-9044
and at Aloha Island Grille 1700 Portola Santa Cruz (831) 479-3229
or online at www.ticketleap.com (enter search word "Tapia")
2046. This is film director Wong Kar Wai's sequel to In The Mood For Love and doesn't quite match the inventiveness of In The Mood but that was a high goal to shoot for. It's a very controlled mix of science fiction and the continuing story of communication between the sexes. Great fx too. Go see it.
THE CONSTANT GARDENER. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, plus Kenya, and John LeCarré all fight for top billing in this clever, absorbing and delicate thriller. LeCarré has the international pharmaceutical giants as the mysterious killers and it works. You will forget that this is fiction, it's almost a documentary, and the quality of everything in the film makes it excellent and definitely worth big screen viewing.
TRANSPORTER TO. (WHERE?) This film is only for fun and not worth your money unless you miss James Bond flicks. Jason Stratham out kicks even Jackie Chan with his kung faux moves. Don't go unless you can save gas money by walking to your favorite theatre.
A SOUND OF THUNDER. Ben Kingsley and his white wig will make you laugh and the plot is another time travel mess, however I liked it. I just hope we start that time travel pretty soon because every time I see another TT film I keep thinking about all the preposterous problems of going back and forward in time, they are endless and thought provoking. Go warned.
GOOD TIMES 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. It was only 30 years ago I began this column in volume one, number one of Good Times, as I've said before. Watch for their Special EXTRA Edition on Tuesday Sept. 13. The G.T. crew has worked long and hard on creating what sounds like a genuine special edition. They asked me to write a story on the Cooper House, so I did. I talked with Max Walden, Don McCaslin, John Thomson, Michael Bates and scores of Cooper House heroes. It's all in there plus I talked to someone who may have the most credentials to be the most Santa Cruzan of us all. Go for it!
FARMERS MARKETS. Nesh Dhillon called in to tell us that this is Capitola's last Farmer's Market for this year, so get there and show your support. They'll be back in May 2006. Our Downtown Farmers Market is at its seasonal best now in September and October. Plenty of peppers, basil, lettuces, corn, tomatoes, and big sweet strawberries, stone fruit is still plentiful. I just heard about the Westside Farmers Market on Swift Street near Kelly's Bakery but all I know is that it's on Fridays.
LYDON'S JAPAN TOUR PART TWO. Sandy and Annie Lydon are taking a bunch of locals around Japan. Sandy writes newsletters for those of us who only stand and wait. Click here to read what happened in Tateyama Airport and how Lud McCrary of Big Creek Lumber used to be an engine room oiler in the Merchant Marine during WWII. It sounds like an excellent time is being had.
UCSC ARTS & LECTURES 2005-2006 season presents LLAN DE CUBEL. That's an award winning folk group from the province of Asturias in Spain. They'll be at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall on Thursday, September 22 at 8p.m. They play bagpipes, fiddles, drums and flutes, and many other famed groups cover their tunes...hear the source! Or go to www.llandecubel.com Tickets at 459-2159 or that UCSC Box Office.
CHRISTOPHER O'REILLY. Is a far ahead piano player and composer. He's been here before with The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He plays the music of Radiohead and Elliot Smith. His concert is being presented by UCSC's Arts& Lectures and is at the same UCSC Music Center Recital Hall. It starts at 7 p.m. Tickets at 459-2159 or the UCSC Box Office.
CARTRIDGE WORLD. This is that new store off the parking lot at Cathcart and Cedar across the street from The China Szechwan restaurant on Cathcart. Their official address is 1101 Pacific Avenue Suite H but it's not on Pacific at all. What they do is sell and recycle your inkjet or laser printer cartridges, and you walk out with a guaranteed color or black and white cartridge for about one-half the cost of a new one. The printer companies hate Cartridge World and have tried legal moves to stop then from selling refills, but it didn't work. Yes, it's a franchise and yes, by definition, the profits go out of state (probably Australia) and they open one new store every day and there are 975 stores now in 20 countries. So until some local people figure how to compete, try out Cartridge World. Tell Paul or Brenda Tanner you saw it here and they'll at least look surprised!! Call 427-2694.
HOME DEPOT AT 41ST, WHO CARES? Since we already had and have the detritus from a Kmart there, it wouldn't seem to matter much if another Home Depot opened on the same property, but it does. Home Depot's calculated guess is that it will increase traffic at the 41st intersection by 29%, does that get to you? Then stop and think that no new shoppers from over the hill will shop at H. Depot, they have a store near them. So this will suck customers only from existing businesses, many of which are locally owned. Besides that, Home Depot pays employees so poorly the company actually has to educate employees on how to get social welfare aid, not a great place to work.
POTTERY & GLASS SECONDS SALE. Ann Schwartz sent this notice for the Oct 2 sale at Cabrilho's parking structure. Check it out here http://seconds-sale.com
QUOTES. "I was actually the first birth from an inflatable woman." -Tony D Meur. Speaking of "The Aristocrats"..."I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose-they should draw the line at goats, though." -Elton John. "Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel." -Leonardo DaVinci (really!!)
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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