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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DEBRA BOWEN, NOT MCPHERSON. It was great news this last Sunday to see that The San Francisco Chronicle (10/22) endorsed Debra Bowen over Bruce McPherson. Read the Chron's reasoning in supporting Bowen. Now, see how easy it is to hack into McPherson's Diebold voting machines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JESZiLpBLE&mode=related&search= I think the most damning report is when CNN's Jack Cafferty says it takes 2 minutes to rig a McPherson voting machine. Watch this on CNN & You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1rfGNf3nNw&mode=related&search=
WHEN YOU VOTE ABSENTEE. S.S. Drake wants to remind all of you who are voting absentee that it'll cost you 63 cents postage to mail it back. You can drop off your ballots if you don't want to pay. Go to our County Voting site at http://www.votescount.com/nov06/1012pr.htm and check to get all the information.
SUPERVISOR WORMHOUDT TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC CLUB. Supervisor Wormhoudt will give her thoughts and some sharp opinions on local politics, what did happen and what might happen on and after voting day which is only 11 days later. Mardi was Mayor of Santa Cruz during and after the '89 earthquake, she's been our County Supervisor for 12 years and she's been a friend and believer in the People's Democratic Club, so you know she's got a lot to tell us. It happens this Thursday October 26th at 7 p.m. at London Nelson Center in Santa Cruz. Contact Paul Elerick at 688-2304 about info on the PDC.
ELERICK'S INPUT. Paul's getting angry in this week's Elerick's Input. He asks why there's no hue and cry over the Republicans hacking the local Democratic website. Paul says it's should really test our D.A. Then he goes on to ask why UCSC's City Council Candidates Forum only gave candidates two days advance notice...good question. He continues by asking why County Superintendent of Schools Diane Siri who was making big money on the job ($140,000) is entitled to so big a deal as $27,000 a year as a consultant. Paul awaits the DA's decision, read here.
PATTON'S PROGRAM. Click here. Our Board of Supes will be dealing with rules on hot tubs and swimming pools. Plus affordable housing, of course. Monterey County is still dealing with Rancho San Juan, the biggest development project in that county's history. Salinas changed their zoning code and the result may be some better planning rules. Read about S.M.A.R.T. a new website about San Luis Obispo. Then prepare to be startled by the predicted growth of Soledad and Greenfield.
EAGAN'S ADDITION. Tim says a lot in this way out version he calls "A Moral-a-Minute". No clicking here or there just scroll downward and don't forget it.
SAUL LANDAU AND PROGRESO WEEKLY. Read what Saul Landau and his friend Frank Hassen say in their piece titled "A Modest Proposal". They suggest what Bush the devil should do IF he truly seeks deliverance and or redemption. It isn't really modest, that's Saul's sense of humor.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. TERENCE WELCH returns to tell us about the progress of Prop 89, the clean campaign money proposition. And as a Halloween special Wiccan High priestess Neta Whitty will discuss local witchery and answer the major question "Since you ride a broom only at night do they run on Lunar Power"? Actually we'll talk about Halloween and Samhain. That'll be Thursday 4-5p.m. KZSC 88.1 FM. and remember, it's pledge drive time so consider pledging and getting some significant Santa Cruz memorabilia and supporting the growing success that is KZSC FM.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. Don't forget that this Saturday night is the premiere performance of this new Chamber Orchestra. They will perform Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" with vocalists Kathleen Nitz Kasdorf and Mary Elizabeth Enman. They will also do Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings and Grieg's Holberg Suite.
The performance will be at Holy Cross Church Saturday Oct 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets at the door or at Streetlight Records or by phoning 1 800-838-3006. Go to their website at www.scmusic.org for details.
INFAMOUS. This is the deeper, and more homosexual, story of Truman Capote and how he wrote "In Cold Blood". The cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow (who's in it just to sing one song!!) Isabella Rossellini, Peter Bogdanovitch, Daniel Craig as Perry Smith, murderer (and the object of Truman's affection), and then Sandra Bullock playing Truman's buddy Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird). Excellent film, just go without question no matter how much you liked Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the role, England's Toby Jones makes a bitchier and more vulnerable T. Capote.
FLICKA. If you like teen-age-girl-and-her-horse-movies this is the apex of the bunch. Following hard on the remake of Lassie, Flicka does a very good job of retelling. But like the new Lassie film, what was wrong with the original? Did the remakes say anything new? No but you'll probably cry and think about how Roddy McDowell played the teenager and now Alison Lohman has the role. That's new, but aside from that...now will Thunderhead be far behind?
THE PRESTIGE. Take Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and add Christopher Nolan, the director of Memento, and you'd think you'd have a thrilling film...and you do. But along with that cast add a plot, two magicians in the early 1900's, fully costumed and all, and then add Michael Caine and you expect so much that the film can't possibly deliver. I wanted this to be my favorite movie of the year, and it wasn't. But it's enthralling and interesting and all out of sequence like Memento was and you seem to spend more time tying the plot together and guessing what time frame the story is in now. You need to see it, if you like films it's head and shoulders above anything else on the screens. Oops, I forgot that David Bowie plays the much misunderstood scientist Nikola Tesla, of coil fame, and he's very good too.
SPEAKING OF NIKOLA TESLA. Quite a guy. They named a crater on the opposite side of the moon after him. Mark Twain was a close friend of his. He believed in celibacy, was asexual, and thought his chastity helped him be more productive. He invented radio, said that one day women would become the dominant sex and he hated Thomas Edison and died in New York City on January 7, 1943. He made the cover of Time, was born in Croatia, and the FBI searched in vain for Tesla's "Death Ray" that they believed he was working on when he died.
QUOTES. I just found this one in this week's Progreso Weekly... "Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.", that's J.F.K. talking about Bay of Pigs. "Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected." -Red Buttons. "Only presidents, editors, and people with tapeworm have the right to use the editorial 'we'." -Mark Twain. "Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends." -Woody Allen.
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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PRT (PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT) SYMPOSIUM. Because a lot of concerned citizens care, the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) will hold its next annual conference in Santa Cruz on November 17 and 18 at UCSC's University Inn on Ocean Street. Plan on attending and learning how, and why, and where this transportation can work in Santa Cruz. We've done enough bitching against widening, gas guzzling, improving bus service and so on BUT PRT would be a huge step forward for the city. It would be a tourist attraction, it would save traffic problems, and it's doable. City Councilperson Ed Porter has been the stalwart behind this for years.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE AND ED PORTER. The very same City Councilperson Ed Porter will be my first guest on University Grapevine this Thursday (KZSC 88.1 fm 4-5 p.m.) we'll talk all about Personal Rapid Transit and how the little cars zoom around, unlike the big tram, elevated, train type cars...that's why it's called PERSONAL rapid transit!! After Ed, Amelia McDonald and I will talk about the huge Peace Rally in San Francisco on Saturday, October 28th, and how Santa Cruzans can get involved, and what the rally means.
KZSC PLEDGE DRIVE NOW. Tune in to KZSC (88.1 FM) and the Grapevine program 4-5 p.m. on Thursdays and to The Bushwhackers Breakfast Club 8-8:30 am this week and next. In addition to some interesting guests on Grapevine, I'm going to give away some valuable gifts to folks who contribute to the Pledge drive. One will be a genuine Return to Santa Cruz poster personally autographed by Rory Calhoun when we brought him back here in 1991. There'll be other Santa Cruz theatre memorabilia such as original tickets to the Del Mar Theatre. KZSC will soon be doubling its broadcasting strength and every pledge helps.
SENTINEL AND ENDORSING SCHWARZENEGGER. I've subscribed to and read the Santa Cruz Sentinel for at least 34 years. Every so often I think they've changed, they must have changed...just even a little bit, then once again they come out and endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor. Then we hear rumors about their wondering why their subscribers numbers keep dropping, they wonder why the paper is up for sale. Watch the rest of their endorsements, The San Jose Mercury, the Monterey County Weekly, LA Daily news, Sierra Club, Barbara Boxer, John Laird, John Vasconcellos, Fabian Nunez, Loni Hancock, Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, Barbara Lee, Planned Parenthood Affiliates all came out supporting Debra Bowen for Attorney General. Will the Sentinel have the integrity to NOT endorse Bruce McPherson? Who wants to hold bets? Go here http://www.debrabowen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=157&Itemid=30 to read what Bowen is saying about McPherson. Then go anywhere to learn what McPherson has done and continues to do to destroy our legal voting accountability.
PLAN AHEAD. More on this next week but County Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the People's Democratic Club. She'll talk about local politics. That's Thursday night October 26 at 7 p.m. at the London Nelson Community Center.
FREDERICK STREET. The City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission on October 5th failed to consider inadequate parking, the traffic congestion, and pedestrian problems when they voted to deny the Frederick Street project 4 to 3. That's where the developers are trying to build a high density 3 story project that would forever change the Frederick Street Park, the street itself and the neighborhood. Neighbors gathered more than 600 signatures to stop this monster project and instead buy the property formerly occupied by the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall at 170 Frederick Street. They ignored the lack of bus service for this proposed 32 bedroom units plus garages which mysteriously are planned for windows and are between 427-544 sq.ft. (garages aren't required to have windows, but bedrooms are!) This is inserting a densification project into a R-1-5 neighborhood which could set the stage for new density in the General Plan! The (Hopefully) new Santa Cruz City Council will hear this issue on December 12. The shameful way the present council went belly-up for the new Ocean Street hotel should make everyone worried that we'll lose even more if we don't change the council. Sign the Frederick Street Park petition and get informed by going to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/170frederick
LOCAL ELECTIONS ON COMMUNITY TV. There's no reason in Santa Cruz to not know your candidates, or at least what they look and sound like. John Patterson, Director of Operations of Community Television of Santa Cruz County, has sent a schedule for all the forums from now ‘til then. Click here to check them out on either channel 26 or channel 72.
ELERICK'S INPUT. Read Paul Elerick's dissection of state ballot measures 1A and 1B. Paul is voting NO on both of them and urges you to do the same.
PATTON'S PROGRESS. See what Gary says about The Dalidio Ranch initiative and our Measure J. He talks more about the definition of affordable housing and the possibility and meaning of creating The City Of Carmel Valley. Then he talks about our "Water World of Monterey Bay" and what the recent Land Trust purchase of Pajaro Valley means economically.
LANDAU'S PROGRESO. Click here http://www.progresoweekly.com to read Saul Landau's take on Congressman Mark Foley and his preying on pages and what's going to happen on election day. While you're there read Bill Moyers' writing on "Lincoln Weeps", a view of where Washington and we are today that Moyers wrote for Common Cause.
EAGAN'S EFFULGENCE. Effulgence is a great word to describe Tim's weekly colorful editorial cartoon creation...scroll in a downwards direction and catch up on North Korea's little bomb.
A LEGAL HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. There are a lot of problems with this new publication. It contains only the most conservative of legal cases and only the most anti-environmental viewpoints. Bob Bosso, one of the lead authors, was the developers attorney who tried to develop Wilder Ranch. Bosso sued me and 9 friends for $121,000,000 when we fought what we thought was a Mafia controlled development who wanted to almost double the size of Santa Cruz by building 10,000 homes on the ranch. (We Won!!) There are no writings by attorneys such as Gary Patton or Celia Scott there are no progressive land use cases...it's a terribly biased publication. Sara Clarenbach asked me to review it a few years ago; I told her all of above after showing it to several knowledgeable friends. Maybe they changed it in the last year or two but I doubt it. Read it, and look at the pictures, but realize that it's barely half the real story of our county's legal history especially since 1965.
JERRY KAUFMAN RIDES AGAIN. It's important as well as necessary to either remind old timers or inform new voters that Mike Rotkin does sneaky campaign tricks like posing as an environmentalist by using an old photo of Vicky Nichols with her baby on his campaign brochure. Vicky's baby is now in kindergarten and they have moved to Virginia. Can't he find any local environmentalist to endorse him? Remember when he and Scott Kennedy were caught red handed by activist Jerry Kaufman tearing down campaign posters for Tim Fitzmaurice, Christopher Krohn, and Keith Sugar when they were running for city council? That's dirty pool and sneaky too. They flung the posters in the street, later we found out the property was owned by the very same Louis Rittenhouse. Rotkin and Kennedy said they were taking them down because Louis wanted them to!!! Believe that??? That would be Louis' property at Almar and Rankin by the Safeway Almar Plaza. Lynn Robinson has her sign there now, like she does on Louie's other prominent hunk of land at Pacific and Church. They don't call Lynn the Developers Dimpled Darling for nothing; nope... it's costing them plenty.
PROBLEM WITH NATIVES AND PLANTS. Some friends were noting the other day that it's almost always the native born citizens who support growth and development. For example the locally born residents of Bodega Bay and even our own Davenport wanted and even fought for Nuclear Power Plants in their home towns. Watch and see how the proponents of the desalination plant on Terrace Point line up. Folks who watch such things will also tell you that it's the native born who want Costco, Home Depot, and about any development that's offered them. Probably because they lack the experience of new residents who have seen what such things did to their old home town. Just wait and see.
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, AND THE ISLE OF ISLAY. The San Francisco Opera's current production of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde is the best of the three or four I've ever seen. Scholars and critics call this the deepest and most meaningful of all love stories ever staged, and I agree. No world famed singers, but these singers can act and sing perfectly for the demanding roles they play. There are only a couple of performances left. Go to www.sfopera.com for tickets. Only drinkers of Scotch could possibly care, but Isolde is another spelling of the island of Islay off Scotland's coast. Islay is where Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardberg, the three best single malt Scotches, are produced.
GRUDGE 2. The original Japanese film was scary and original. Like most horror films it didn't have a reasonable plot, and it worked. The two American copies are just exercises in scary scenes. Forget any story, just scary scenes for the sake of making you jump...and you won't jump very high. Get the original, Ju On directed by the same director Takashi Shimizu, the scenes plus the sounds will scare you...if that's your thing.
THE MARINE. John Cena, the hunk/hulk star of this so called film, is a professional wrestler and a better actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger and therefore we should elect him Governor of California. Because then he won't make any more movies, and that's the best thing we can say about Arnold being Governor: he hasn't made many movies lately.
MAN OF THE YEAR. As every film critic in the world has noted, Robin Williams can and has made mostly terrible movies, and this is another flop. Boring, bland, no-edge, trite and fake, dull and chicken are the worst thing you can say about a film that claims to be political, and this is all of that. Laura Linney and Jeff Goldblum are in it and they deserve some humanitarian award just for trying to save this disaster.
THE NEW YORKER. OCTOBER 16 TH ISSUE. I've mentioned this before and The New Yorker doesn't like to talk about it but there are now more Californians subscribing to the New Yorker than New Yorkers AND there are more Northern Californians subscribing to it than Southern Californians. Anyway, the Oct. 16th issue is chock full of grand reading (and writing too... as usual). Check out Murdoch's Game page 68...all about Rupert Murdoch and his politics and Hillary Clinton AND The Monterey summit! Then page 86, It Should Happen to you, is about YouTube. On page 138 is The Formula, a device and system that can and has predicted hit movies!!! Page 150 He Knew He was Right is all about how Christopher Hitchens converted. Santa Cruzans should especially read the page 96 article by Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. It's titled Paranoid Style...How conspiracy theories become news. Yes, it mentions Robert Kennedy Jr. and 9/11, and "Loose Change" and Greg Palast, "Why We Fight", and other area hit topics. By the way, have you realized that no Santa Cruz conspiracy theorists were anywhere near the World Trade Center on 9/11 or in Dallas when Kennedy was assassinated? Hmmm!!
QUOTES. "In our school you were searched for guns and knives on the way in and if you didn't have any, they gave you some." -Emo Philips. "I don't want a lawyer to tell me what I cannot do; I hire him to tell me how to do what I want to do." -J.P.Morgan. "Read over your compositions, and when ever you meet with a passage that you think is particularly fine, strike it out." -Samuel Johnson. "The Dawn is a term for the early morning used by poets and other people who don't have to get up." -Oliver Herford.
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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ROTKIN MATHEWS BUTTON PHOTO. Just to dispel rumors, I obtained this photo from secret sources. Yes, there are an awful lot of people who know that Rotkin and Mathews have been in office way too long. They consistently block progress by their being in office all this time, and believing they know what's best for us. Santa Cruz has changed, they haven't. Where can you get buttons like these?? I'm not sure, but if you email me I will try and find out.
BETTINA APTHEKERS STORY. Bettina Aptheker is a Professor of Feminist Studies at Kresge College at UCSC. She just published a book titled Intimate Politics.
In one paragraph she revealed how her dad, the late, controversial, and well known historian, Herbert Aptheker used to molest her when she was little. The history world has gone a little bonkers over the revelation that one of their vaulted ranks could do such a thing. Click here on the History Network review by Jesse Lemisch of her book and see just a sampling of the attitudes and reactions to Bettina's sharing. http://hnn.us/articles/30522.html
HULDA HOOVER MC LEAN, R.I.P. Hulda Hoover McLean was an original. She added much to the color and character of Santa Cruz County. And she died at the age of 100 (and a few weeeks) last week. The Sentinel had a story about her, and here's another one, courtesy of webmaster Gunilla Leavitt who knew her quite well. http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/1997/janfeb/articles/hulda.html
ALTERNET PRESENTS KEITH OLBERMAN. If you haven't seen and heard or even read Keith Olbermann's absolutely head on courageous criticism of W. Bush on MSNBC please, please go to this link and watch it. http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/42664 . Then, as Wolfgang Rosenberg was saying, stop and think about where MSNBC's political stand must be, to allow this scathing bunch of accusations against the president. Remember that MSNBC is owned by General Electric, Microsoft, and NBC. And, without doing any checking, I'm sure those groups were/are big time Bush contributors. Let's see how long Olbermann keeps his job.
ELERICK'S INPUT. Paul Elerick goes on to criticise Bruce Woolpert's Committee for Good Governance. Paul then tells about watching the Governor's debate and laments the phenomenon that Democrats aren't excited about Angelides.
TIM EAGAN. Scroll downwards and check out Mr. Eagan's update on our current situation. Would you like a game of "pass the blame", anyone?
GARY PATTON'S KUSP REPORTS. Gary devotes the entire week of broadcasts to General Plans. He gives links and data on how important General Plans are. He suggests we all get copies of the Land Watch Monterey 64 page booklet on such items as consistency, traffic problems and why new roads don't work, and specifically about the pressure on politicians to make tough decisions. It's a much needed and masterful source of information... don't miss it!!
SAUL LANDAU AND PROGRESO WEEKLY. Read Alvaro Fernandez's article on the problems in Miami and specifically about the Miami Herald. Don't miss Saul Landau's excellent piece on What Happens When Castro Dies?. One of the best answers I've read...and it makes sense.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. This Thursday and every Thursday from 4-5 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 FM. Bill Park used to teach film history and so he wrote a book about the history of Hollywood. AND he did it in rhyme! Like all great epics it's in heroic couplets and goes from D. Wark Griffith to Scorsese and from silents to dvd's...an heroic accomplishment. The second half I'll be talking with Jen Laskin, who is a member of the Brown Berets. We'll find out who started them, their goals, future plans, and what the story was behind the Maria Shriver demonstration.
EARL JACKSON MOVES TO KOREA...OUR LOSS. Earl Jackson, long associated with UCSC, has decided to live permanently in Korea. Earl taught film at UCSC for many years. He is now teaching at Korea University and is co director of the Trans Asia Screen Culture Institute. He is also a freelance screen writer for the Korean Film Institute. Earl taught many of us new ways to look at films. He would find films never released in the US and teach us how to break our Hollywood viewing habits For the last 10-20 years Korea has lead the world in creating good films, with Earl there they'll produce even more. He will be sorely missed.
GUARDIAN. Kevin Costner does an OK job as a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer but the film is very boring, and blah, and superficial, and Sela Ward plays Costner's wife. No one will know who Sela Ward is until you see her. She has one of those faces that only exist in Hollywood films where people only have one dimension. Also note that Ashton Kutcher is in this film... like with Keanu Reeves and Sylvester Stallone, you need to be warned about the danger of paying money to see these people do whatever they do.
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING. Nowhere near as bad as some folks are saying. It's nicely photographed; actually it has some exciting photography. It certainly doesn't enhance the story of good old Leatherface and we could use some new details but maybe part 4 will be better. You know of course it's about Texas and many, many chainsaw massacres. Attend accordingly.
SHORTBUS. John Cameron Mitchell created an unbelievably good new film when he did Hedwig and The Angry Inch. He made another excellent film in the new Shortbus. Shortbus being the little bus with "special Students" that follows the regular school bus. If you read about films, you know that there's more in your face sex organs and tricky sex in Shortbus than any other film released to the public…ever. But after a while you get used to it and realize Mitchell has developed a subtle tricky story that is funny , and touching. You'll leave the theatre humming, "we will all get it in the end".
LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. When you take Forest Whitaker, add many pounds, and have him portray Idi Amin as the dictator of Uganda, you have one hell of a movie. See this film now, before everybody starts the Oscar business and you end up saying I never heard of that film. Go, just go.
DEPARTED. I liked Leonardo DiCaprio more in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Romeo and Juliet, and even Titanic, than in Departed but it's a little bit fun. Add Matt Damon, and especially Jack Nicholson and you can't take your eyes from the screen. Martin Scorsese directed and it's about gangs and cops and snitches on both sides. Everybody tries to have a Boston accent and pretty much fails and the phoniness grates on your senses. And the storyline is unnecessarily complicated, but all in all go see it, it's good fun.I didn't know that DiCaprio was the uncredited executive producer on "The Aviator" with Scorsese directing!
MARIAMA: A TALE OF FREEDOM AND GRACE. "Written and performed by Marian Oliker, it's a solo show directed by Greg Fritsch. MARIAMA follows two young women--one Senegalese, the other white American--as they pursue their dreams to dance. The Senegalese Mariama, newly arrived in New York City, falls in love with ballet. Marian, a modern, jazz and ballet dancer, finds her passion in West African dance. The play, set amid the racial strife of the Sixties, erupts in jazz, Motown, classical and West African music. Ultimately, it poses the question: how much are you willing to risk to follow your heart's desire? So come and enjoy...and leave the theater with an open heart". (email from the company). Fridays and Saturdays, October 13, 14 and 20, 21. All shows at 8 PM. Actors Theatre, 1001 Center Street, Santa Cruz. Advance tickets at Logos or maybe at the door.
MORE ON THOSE 1954 CARS IN THE COLUMN PHOTO. Jean Brocklebank writes,"Those old 50s vintage cars weren't all that bad on mileage, considering they were made of heavier materials than today's plastic behemoths. My 1953 Chevy got 17 mpg. That is better than all SUVs. I bought my Chevy for $250 in 1962 so I could drive the 10 miles from Woodland hills to UCLA. After I graduated from UCLA, I sold the Chevy for $250. Regrettable decision. I must have learned something in college: I've had my 1972 VW bug for 34 years."
QUOTES. My webmistress (that doesn't sound right) webperson Gunilla Leavitt of www.GodmomasForge.com sent in these two gems: "Pay no attention to what the critics say. Remember, a statue has never been set up in honour of a critic" -Jean Sibelius. "Is there anything better than to be longing for something, when you know it is within reach?" -Greta Garbo. "By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." -Socrates.
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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LAST WEEK'S HISTORICAL CAR PHOTO. Never underestimate the sharp eyes of old car enthusiasts. Scroll down to last week's BrattonOnline historical photo of cars stuck in traffic on July 4, 1954. If you'd like to know or debate the make and years of each car in that photo read first what Dean Quarnstrom emailed through his brother Lee Quarnstrom, a former subscriber to BrattonOnline.com.
"From left to right, the parked cars facing camera are: 47-'48 four-door Dodge sedan, with suicide rear doors, then a '47 Plymouth two door sedan, with rear seat (not the "Businessman's Coupe with no backseat), and most likely a '53-'54 Pontiac four-door sedan, followed by a '51 -'52 Dodge four-door, then I think a Chevy and I can't see well enough...but no Studebaker....facing us and driving are a '51 or so Chrysler or Dodge 2 door, then a Pontiac followed by another Chrysler product."
Paul Elerick sent in his car identifications. He said: "Loved the old car picture this week. I think I found the '49 Studebaker? Also found on Washington St. 1948 Caddy, 1954 Chevy Bel Aire, 1954 Buick Convert, 1950 Dodge, 1953 Pontiac, 1949 Ford, 1950 Hudson, 1953 Ford (the parked convertible with a blanket over the seats), I think there are a couple 1950 Chevy's. Hey, those were the days. Some of those were surely gas guzzlers, but I remember getting 21MPG regularly with my 1st car, a '51 Merc. I now own two convertibles a 1954 Merc. and a 1950 Ford."
E-COLI CLAIMS ANOTHER  Chris Boland sent in this tribute to an old friend. |
GARY PATTON'S PROGRAM. Read Gary's comments on Self Government and even democracy! Then he goes on about Land Use issues and how we need to monitor our elected officials more closely. Then he takes on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and how they continue to vote behind closed doors. Gary talks and add links about Ocean Desalination plants and what's wrong with them. Hollister may have a new 4,400 homes for retired seniors right next to the airport, adding accidental drop ins for the drop outs??? AND he suggests we read the new Voters Ballots we got last week.
PAUL ELERICKS INPUT. Paul Elerick keeps on track with the shenanigans that the Regional Transportation Commission pulls in their effort to widen Highway One no matter the cost, or facts, or how the people voted. Click here to read Elerick's take on the widening ploy being used to widen from Soquel to San Andreas road!!
TIM EAGAN. About being safer...just scroll down to see Tim's take on where we're at.
THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT. This is a very new play by Stephen Adly Guirgus. He's caused some stir in play circles by writing provocative works and winning some awards, in the USA and on five continents. Last Days as presented by Pisces Moon Productions at the Broadway Playhouse is a play that seems to range from moments by Beckett, dialogue by Mamet and street talk by Spike Lee. It has a running depth of plot like the Greek tragedies. It's an extremely sensitive work about betrayal, free will, God, and Jesus. Plus it has important characters who appear and keep the dialogue deep and even funny sometimes. Freud, Mother Teresa, Don Ho, (no he doesn't appear), Satan, St Mathew, Pontius Pilate, and Mary Magdalene are all in it and they move the play along. It's also about, was Judas really acting as a friend when he betrayed Jesus? OR, why did God let Judas betray Jesus? Pisces Moon does a good a job as they possibly could, given the complexity of the play. And given the demands on the actors there aren't many local actors who could do any better. It's a real think piece and Guirgis does have some chopping to do, some scenes are plain awkward. It runs Thursdays through Sundays now until October 28. Tickets and info online at www.piscesmoon.org or by calling toll free at 877-238-5596.
RIGOLETTO AT SAN FRANCISCO OPERA. Highly recommended. Almost all great voices (the Duke was weak). Verdi is still the greatest opera maker in the world. Prepare to cry a lot. There was more audience applause during the opera than I've ever heard in San Francisco and the applause at the end nearly reached the levels I heard at Berlin's Staatsoper in 2002 and that was unbelievable.
KEEPING MUM. If you remember the great old days of Alec Guiness' British film comedies for Ealing Studios in London and how death and dying weren't treated all that seriously you'll love Maggie Smith in Keeping Mum. There are wonderful laughs all the way through it, don't miss it.
BOYNTON BEACH CLUB. Florida, plus a retirement town, plus the love life of a group of seniors that includes Dyan Cannon (age 69), Sally Kellerman (69) Joe Bologna (72) and Brenda Vaccaro. It's mostly cute, poignant, overworked, but fun if you're a senior or know any.
RIDING ALONE FOR 1000'S OF MILES. This is a simple yet intricate story of a Japanese fisherman whose son is dying and how each of them try to relate before the death. Full of gorgeous scenery, excellent acting, and Ken Takakura who has been in films for many decades makes this one of my favorite films of the year. Please see it.
U.S. VS JOHN LENNON. A must... but only if you are a real John Lennon fan. It's mostly about Lennon and Yoko and how J. Edgar Hoover worked so hard to get rid of Lennon. It doesn't say Hoover was responsible for Lennon's death BUT you will wonder about it after the film is over.
ALMODOVAR FESTIVAL. From October 6th through October 19 the Nickelodeon is running a Pedro Almodovar festival. They are running it in four sets. These are all brand new prints, and remember... it's only once a day for two weeks.
- Friday 6th – Monday 9th
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown once daily at 6:50pm & ALL about my mother once daily at 8:40pm
- Tuesday 10th – Thursday 12th
- Talk to Her once Daily at 6:50pm & The flower of my secret Once Daily at 9:05pm
- Friday 13th – Monday 16th
- Live Flesh & Law of desire
- Tuesday 17th – Thursday 19th
- Matador & Bad education
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. This new organization is celebrating its very first season...right NOW!! Their first concert will be Saturday October 28 at Holy Cross Church 126 High Street at 8 p.m. They'll be playing Pergolesi's Stabat Mater featuring soprano Kathleen Nitz Kasdorf and mezzo soprano Mary Elizabeth Enmann. They'll also play Barber's Adagio for Strings and Grieg's Holberg Suite Opus 40. The orchestra members are the finest Santa Cruz musicians. Read all about the company at http://www.scmusic.org/about.html Tickets at Streetlight Records or by calling 1-800-838-3006.
NEW MUSIC WORKS. New Music Works is now in their 28th season!! Whew, and they are presenting their Sound Horizons Concert this Sunday October 8th at 7 p.m. at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. They'll be playing the compositions from young composers all around the Northern California area. They'll also play a piece that Lou Harrison wrote when he was only 19! Tickets at the door, or Streetlight Records, or The Civic Box-office or go to http://www.newmusicworks.org.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Ann Osterman from The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz will be my first guest. We'll be talking about Open Studios the best chance of the year to see and buy our counties finest art and crafts. Then Sandy Lydon will talk about his lecture and slide show that's coming up on October 14 at 7p.m. at Cabrilho College titled "Snakes in the Garden" about the Ku Klux Klan in Santa Cruz in the early 20th century and how that racism connects to the wider theme of modern day cyclical racism. That's all happening from 4-5 p.m. Thursday on KZSC 88.1 fm or it can be streamed all over the world on computers.
A JOKE. Cedar Geiger sent this joke; he got it from Michael Horne:
Laura Bush bought "Dubyah" a parrot for George's birthday. She told Dick Cheney, "The bird is so smart! George has already taught him to pronounce over 200 words!" Wow, that's pretty impressive", Cheney said. "But you realize that he just says the words. He doesn't really understand what they mean."
"That's okay," Laura replied. "Neither does the parrot."
QUOTES. "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." -Carl Jung. "Running through the park I had a bad asthmatic attack...three asthmatics jumped me. It was my own fault, I should have heard them hiding." -Emo Philips. "I was a Caesarian birth but you can't really tell, except that every time I leave the house I go out by the window." -Steven Wright. "The only parts of my original body are my elbows." -Phyllis Diller.
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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