BrattonOnline: the latest incarnation of Bruce Bratton's weekly opinion columns, 34 years and running. Featuring additional content from Paul Elerick, Gary Patton, Lisa Jensen, Tim Eagan, Saul Landau, and more!

Bruce Bratton hosts University Grapevine, linking local and campus issues, every Tuesday 7:30-8:30 p.m. on KZSC 88.1 fm.


PROBABLY NOT HALLOWEEN!! That's Vivian Fryckland and Louis Haber posing in front of the old Santa Cruz City Hall which was the former residence of Frederick Augustus Hihn, an early very successful developer. The photo was taken in the mid 1930's promoting a Fiesta. It is a Harry A. Kay photo. He had a studio at 145 Pacific Avenue.

photo credit: Bratton's private photo collection.
Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

PETER SCOTT, PAUL ELERICK and JEAN BROCKLEBANK FILE LAWSUIT TO STOP STEALTH WIDENING OF HIGHWAY ONE.

Paul Elerick's Input this week says it all. "The issue of widening highway 1 a piece at a time is headed to the courts. It appears the only way to get Caltrans to produce an environmental impact report for their plan to widen Highway 1 all the way to San Andreas Rd. is for a judge to say, "Do it". The Campaign for Sensible Transportation filed suit in Sacramento Superior Court last week requiring just that. The Campaign's press release and the Complaint can be viewed here. (There are 15 important pages in this suit. Read it and see how this would increase greenhouse gases, add to global warming, go against the Cities General Plan, and that Caltrans has no evidence that it'll help decrease traffic or traffic time....they say local traffic would increase if the lanes are built.!...Bratton)

The issue of Caltrans latest project, the Soquel – Morrissey Auxiliary Lanes was given the go-ahead after a consultant concluded that this chunk of widening Highway 1 would not have a negative impact on anything. Their 540-page report "proves" it with charts, graphs, and numbers. What is missing, of course, is the cumulative impact of each of these short "auxiliary lanes" Caltrans will want to do, so why not include them all in one report that we'll be paying $11 million dollars to see sometimes next year? Here's how the Sentinel covered it

(Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates, serves as the chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and is a member of the Sierra Club's Santa Cruz Group's executive committee).end of Elerick's Input.

GOODBYE MARDI...AND THANKS FROM ALL OF US. It's nearly impossible to say more about Mardi Wormhoudt after so many kind words from so many loving friends have been spoken and printed. She was a good friend and one of the very few elected politicians I've trusted. We had good laughs together and some sad times too, I can't find where it comes from but "we'll not see her like again".

LATEST NEWS FROM VICTORVILLE. Attending to more family and serious car repair affairs, I was in Victorville for four days last week, (that's why this BrattonOnline is so late):

ROY ROGERS MUSEUM CLOSES. The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum is closing so stated the front page of The Victor Valley Press of 10/22/09. It seems that Roy and Dale opened the museum in 1967 in Apple Valley (where the Oasis lanes Bowling Center now stands). In 1976 it moved to Victorville along Interstate 15. Roy died in 1998 of heart failure, Dale died in 2001 from the same thing. In 2003 the museum complete with a stuffed Trigger moved to Branson, Missouri, and Roy's son "Dusty" Rogers ran it. It didn't work out in Branson and it's closed now. Go to www.RoyRogers.com for more details.

UMA AND TRAVOLTA DANCE IN PULP FICTION.

WinCo STORES. Santa Cruz should have a WinCo employee-owned-Supermarket low-priced-grocery Store! My sister Jerrie and I went into the Victorville WinCo Supermarket store and I was blown away. Much larger than our Costco, there are 70 WinCo's in the 6 Western States they range from 90,000 to 100,000 square feet and are open 24 hours. Each store has about 200 employees and the whole chain is employee owned. Centered in Boise, Idaho each store has far more bulk grains, bulk foods, even bulk candies than any of our locally owned groceries. Unlike Costco you can buy one each of any product or the huge cartons too. And the stock reaches way higher than Costco, the stores are enormous. The employees vote on all policies, and have medical, DENTAL, and optical plans. All I know is what I saw and read on their website. WinCo should make true Socialists like Mike Rotkin drool, it should also make Peter Koht start finding out why we don't have one. Why can't we create an Economic Zone...and help start one. Even Think Local should wonder and support it, I mean they say it's ok to shop in Santa Clara County, Monterey County and San Benito why not Boise??? Check it out...

CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY CONVICTED OF FRAUD. Never mind why I was reading Deseret News. I happened on this Scientology article.

LANDAU'S PROGRES. Read Saul Landau's last installment of his meeting with Fidel Castro titled "Consumerism can't coexist with planetary survival"
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

PATTON'S PROGRAM. Gary talks and writes about State and local water policies. He discusses water assessment and the Santa Cruz City Council. Monterey has a lot of historic integrity Gary tells who it works. Cemex is planning on expanding and Gary ruminates on the Planning Commission and the new Floral Park in Live Oak. He closes with discussing CEQA and PCL. (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.)

EAGAN'S DEEP COVER. Look down a few pages to check on a party Tim Eagan thinks we should no or know more about.

CASEY'S COMPUTER COMMENTS. Lasers vs. Jets (printers).

The LaserWriter, which debuted from Apple, cost nearly $7,000 in 1985 and it printed 300 dots per inch (DPI). A "dot per inch" means exactly as it sounds. If you were to print a solid black line one inch long and took a magnifying glass you could have counted 300 horizontal dots. Today laser printers have a resolution of 1200 x 1200 (DPI). That is to say 1200 horizontal dots x 1200 vertical dots per inch . This makes for some very crisp text and graphics.

Ink jet printers have always cost less than a laser printer of an equivalent resolution. The biggest difference is in the cost per printed page, which also depends on the amount of text and graphic per page being printed. An ink cartridge will last a long time if you are printing pages with one single sentence versus a full page of text.

Regardless of how much you print, ink jet cartridges will need to be replaced more often than a toner cartridge for a laser printer. The trade off is a laser toner cartridge costs more but will last longer than an ink jet cartridge.

The money for printer manufacturers is in the "consumables." The manufacturers attempt to get us to buy overpriced ink and toner. It is possible to refill them yourself, however, it is really a messy job and not at all intuitive in how to. I would rather buy a "re-manufactured" cartridge and save 50% of a new one.Ink jet printers are available in very high quality, fine enough for photography. These of course will cost more than the typical ink jet printer ($750 for a Canon Pixma Pro 9500) and I would likely use only Canon ink in a printer like that.

Laser printers are coming down in price and can be had for less than $100, however, these are not for a color printer. A color laser for general use will cost nearly $500 and for photographic use will be more. I recommend doing your own research on products. The following sites have reviews on lots of products, not just printers.http://www.consumersearch.com/

This site is specifically reviews on technology electronics.http://www.pcworld.com/reviews.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/

McCruzers GROUP. Do you know about the new McCruzers Group (One of the oldest Mac users group in the state and restarting after a period of no meetings) that'll meet next week at Cruzio? It will be on Wednesday October 28 at 6 pm at Cruzio downtown. Cruzio is not actually in charge of the Macintosh User Group Meeting, but the person who is in charge, Mike Brogan, is indeed holding the meeting in Cruzio's downtown office. Please email omike@cruzio.com if you have further questions.

(Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and remember I do house calls, affordably. computer casey@yahoo.com )?

MIKE JACOBS DIED. Mike Jacobs died last week, he was a good friend and as they say, an inspiration to anyone who knew him. Here's a link to a eulogy that tells a lot more about Mike's contributions. HOMAGE TO MIKE JACOBS FROM AN OLD FRIEND (link expands, click again to collapse).

RETHINK AFGHANISTAN is a brand new film by Robert Greenwald, whose other films include Outfoxed, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, and Iraq For Sale. A Brave New Films release, October 2009 (www.rethinkafghanistan.com) Stated briefly, Eight years already. What's the mission? What's the Exit Strategy? After eight years of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, violence and instability still prevail. The film focuses on what military escalation will achieve in Afghanistan and how the war could further destabilize a nuclear-armed Pakistan. It examines the staggering costs of the war, which could easily exceed $1 trillion, and the civilian casualties caused by U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan. It questions the assumption that war can liberate Afghan women. Finally, former high-ranking CIA agents explain why there is no "victory" to be won in Afghanistan.

Hosted by Central Coast Workers Against War (a committee of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council), Reel Work Labor Film Festival, SEIU Local 521 Social & Economic Justice Committee, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Rethink Afghanistan will be shown Friday, Oct. 30, 7pm Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange
1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.Voluntary donations to support US Labor Against the War.
Contact: jeffrey@reelwork.org

AMELIA EARHART STUFF. I haven't seen the Swank movie yet but I used to work with a guy named Joe Klass at KGO radio in San Francisco. Joe wrote a book titled Amelia Earhart Lives. Check it and him out at http://www.joeklaas.com. So one day around 1970 I said "Hi Joe, where's Amelia this week?", so Joe says "Well she was at a small shopping plaza in East Berlin on Monday". He was serious and with fellow theorists tracked Amelia nearly forever. He sold commercials for KGO radio at the time. The book was published by McGraw Hill. "Joe Klaas reports Joe Gervais' astonishing search for the truth about Amelia Earhart, and how he turned up startling findings such as the wreckage on a California mountain of a 1937 Lockheed Electra bearing the same registration number as the plane she flew on her "last flight"; the twenty-eight-year incarceration in New York mental hospitals of a man who claimed to have seen her alive after her crash; and the climactic discovery and meeting of a mysterious elusive lady who knew Amelia Earhart, who Gervais felt resembled her, and whose name appears to be the key behind a dramatic and highly revealing code". I never did read it.

UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Next Tuesday November 3rd Tandy Beal will talk about her re-creation of Mixed Nutz on November 3rd, also Gabriel Harrison and Kathleen Moody will talk about the Public Art Project that's working so well in Downtown Santa Cruz. Nutritionist Cindy Martino returns November 10 about how to eat healthy during the Holidays, and then Carmina Eliason will return to tell us about Mi Casa the Pajaro Valley Arts Project. S.F.State theatre person and Santa Cruz local Bill Peters will be on the Nov. 11th program talking about Shakespeare's 12th Night production coming to Actors Theatre Nov. 20 & 21st. Noted marriage family therapist Jane Dawson will be my guest for the full hour on November 24th talking about handling pressures and relatives during the holidays. County Supervisor John Leopold will give us the inside scoops on what's happening on December 1st. So either tune in or stay tuned whatever works best for you.

QUOTES. "Work is love made visible" Kahlil Gibran. "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong—but that's the way to bet", Damon Runyon, "Everybody dies", John Garfield.

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.


THE PALO ALTO CONCRETE SHIP. It was beached here on purpose January 22, 1930. Originally built as an oil tanker, it never saw much sea duty. This photo was taken 1947.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.
Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

CABRILHO'S NEW CROCKER THEATRE LEAKS. The rains came not long after that big gala opening last weekend of Cabrilho's 500+ seat theatre. The rains along with what Project Supervisor Dan Martinez said were complex building fittings and construction aligning created a flooded floor in the brand new space. Martinez said "it was a minor issue and it wasn't terribly damaging and it wasn't a very big flood". Community groups who have planned on using some of the other new theatre spaces on the Cabrilho Campus have also been having their dates changed and are questioning what's happening. Just part of having so many new spaces opening all at the same time, I guess.

AFTERMATH #1. The 20th Earthquake Anniversary Events were unusual to say the least. Cynthia Mathews thanked FEMA at the post office step ceremony which didn't draw any applause and more than a few odd stares, and then somebody thanked The Red Cross which went over just as big. How soon we forget. But Mardi Wormhoudt did get several tributes and she deserved every one of them. People talked about Mardi all day and into the night party high atop Louis Rittenhouse's Mausoleum. One person who remained on everyone's minds as an immensely effective chief before, during and after the Quake is Mimi Paulsen. Mimi was director of the Downtown Association at the time. Actually she and I were working on a DTA project upstairs on Cooper Street above Shandrydan's when the quake hit. Like Mardi, Mimi was able to rise above the chaos, grab control and do the necessary organizing for the Downtown Businesses. She should get some special award. Right now she's getting ready for her sister's wedding in NYC and her son's Bar Mitzvah. Mimi and her husband Greg who are living in Los Altos & will be celebrating their 23rd anniversary this weekend. Their son Sam will be 16 next month, attending Mountain View High. Their youngest son Alex turns 13 soon and is in 7th grade. How time flies.

AFTERMATH #2.Sarah Yahm emails to say, "The earthquake aftermath oral history audio tour is finally completed and is up and ready to go here. I encourage you all to download the walking tour on your ipod and give it a spin on this earthquake anniversary weekend".
Well she means anytime after the last one or before the next one would be fine.

AFTERSHOCK, #1. Nick Royal says, "Bruce, I read your piece in the Good Times on the destruction of the Cooper House, and it made me think more about what happened. I recall at the time, thinking that the tearing it down--if it was in bad shape--made sense as a move to "get on with the rebuilding." Not long ago I was walking towards the new Cooper House building (which is so big!!), walking along side of the Rittenhouse Building that is (another crazy building), and thinking about the old Cooper House vs. the new big one.  The old one had character, and as you point out, the little plaza, and music.  I had a feeling for it. I realized, as I looked at the new one, I basically have no feeling for it! Nick Royal.

BILL MONNING DINNER OCTOBER 29TH. Reminder: Monning Fall Dinner Seats Going Fast. Assemblyman Monning sends this note...Dana and I hope you can join us Thursday, October 29, 2009 at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz for an evening of conversation, dinner and fun. We will be joined by emcees Fred Keeley and John Laird, guest speaker former State Senator and current Planned Parenthood Mar Monte executive Deborah Ortiz, and legendary singer Sista Monica Parker. Space is limited and reservations are required, so please RSVP to paula@millermaxfield.com by October 21 to reserve your seat. Please forward this message to everyone else you think will want to be there. Tickets are $100. You can pay at the door, or online at www.friendsofbillmonning.org. But be sure to RSVP by the 21st or we won't be able to provide a dinner for you. If you would like to sponsor a table of 10, please email paula@millermaxfield.com, or call our event hotline at 831-421-0339 or 831-655-1792.Thank you, Bill.

HEALTH REPORTS. John Tuck is resting impatiently (clever play on words) at his daughter Jaala's house after having a pig's heart valve replacement. About a month more rest should do it. Celia Scott had a hip replacement and she's doing ok too. Folks are still deliberating on when and where to have Leon Tabory's services, but most likely they'll be in Scotts Valley on November 15. Hospice is looking after Bob Van Hook and his daughter is right there for him 24/7. Morton Marcus made it to the Nickelodeon weekly critic screening Thursday but had to cancel Saturday's film discussion group. P.S. Both he and I liked the Coen brother's newest film A Serious Man, more on this film later. Marvin Kaplan is probably still convalescing at Driftwood but call before you visit...he may be going home soon.

ELERICK'S INPUT

RTC and Sentinel seeing STARS over highway widening. Interesting to note, the RTC is again attempting get us to accept their rush to justify their HOV lanes project.  This time its "green-washing" it with still another consulting company who will prove (or try to) that adding lanes to freeways is good for us.  You can read all about "STARS" (Sustainable Transportation Access Rating System) here.

It's too bad they overlooked the obvious starting point for STARS.  That would be the recently approved (by Caltrans), one-mile extension of highway widening from Morrissey to Soquel Avenue. Many of us have long insisted on a complete EIR for the HOV lanes project, which would include its northernmost segment, the aux lanes.  With absolutely no funding in sight for the HOV project, it would seem a no-brainer to at least do a complete EIR on the whole length of the project.  Why the rush to do another piecemeal widening of the highway?  We're talking about big dollars for these studies, so we should get the best possible information out of them.  I believe the recently completed study for the one-mile aux lanes amounted to 540 pages and cost $2 million dollars, and the projected cost for a complete HOV Lanes EIR is around $11 million.

(Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates, serves as the chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and is a member of the Sierra Club's Santa Cruz Group's executive committee).

SAM FARR AND AN INEVITABLE DINNER IN HAVANA. Read this article from Progreso Weekly, it makes you pause....not for long though.

LANDAU'S PROGRES. Saul Landau writes more about his recent meeting with a reflective Fidel Castro just last month.. As he says, "In 2009, a very retired Fidel has become reflective. He writes essays on current political issues, reads and selectively watches television. I made my first documentary film for public television with him in 1968. Then and now he integrates his biography into the history of the times.

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

PATTON'S PROGRAM. Land use attorney Gary Patton talks about the incorporation of Carmel Valley making it into a town complete with City Council and what that would mean to future land use decisions. Gary also reports on The conversion of the Tejon Ranch into a development AND about 90% of it being preserved as open space. He ends the week talking about San Luis Obispo and their County Planning Commission.

(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.)

CASEY'S COMPUTER COMMENTS. 412 WORDS ON PURCHASING A COMPUTER

The IBM T41 laptop I purchased in 2003 for over $2500 died last week so I thought I should mention things to consider when purchasing a new computer system

Generally, small size computers cost more; larger computers are cheaper and easier to repair. Consider what you will be doing with the computer, if it is working with Photoshop, Programming, or Games, you would be wise to select a computer with high end graphics and processors.

Even low end computers are very fast relative to a few years ago, and for me do more than I ever need for all the software I use. It is very tempting to buy much more of a system than needed; I did this with my old (deceased) laptop. Buying a super deluxe model didn't make it last any longer. I did not surf the web better, or type any better because I bought what was at the time a high end laptop. 

A laptop of equivalent power to the one I purchased back in 03 could be purchased today for about $500 brand new. A Macintosh or Windows system is something else to consider. The Macintosh system is only made by Apple. The new Macs run Windows programs and are considered easier to use with "multimedia," meaning music and video editing. Microsoft Windows software is also quite good with multi-media with software available today. Microsoft Windows runs on many different computer vendors systems, HP, Acer, Dell, and Toshiba, to name a few options available.

Desktops are not typically bundled with a monitor. Purchase as large a monitor as you can afford. Even with the cost of a monitor added desktops are still typically less than laptops of the same capability. However, the new netbooks (small laptops) start at around $300, which is incredibly inexpensive considering what they can do. They are very small with screens a little over 10".

My recommendation for any desktop or laptop or netbook, is to purchase it with as much RAM as you can. Drive size is not as important with the availability of inexpensive external hard drives, which I recommend. Check the reviews for computers and find out what others are saying about the computer you are considering purchasing. The local library has copies of Consumer Reports magazine. They rate computers and are a good resource for finding your next computer.  The following sites have computer reviews.

(Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and remember, I do house calls, affordably. computer_casey@yahoo.com )

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Just like Dr. Seuss'art and stories  Maurice Sendak's works are really made for, and mostly appreciated by adults. This film deals with the complexities of children's problems in relating to adult relationships. The Wild Things are wonderful, the voices are perfect...it's a nearly perfect film except that it gets dull  and almost looses the plot at times. Poorly focused story line, I'd say. But do see it, just don't bring any kids under 8.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. What's odd about this very stupid excuse for a movie is that about 2/3 of the way through it I was thinking that it was holding together as a fine action film. Improbable plot, but justified, acting ok except for a miscast  Jamie Foxx. But towards the end it got out of control. You could wait and rent it then not see the last ½ hour...that would work.

WHIP IT. There isn't one single reason to go see Whip It. Drew Barrymore's highly hyped directing debut amounts to nothing. The film is dull, hackneyed, poorly acted and is about a Rocky type plot laid on roller derby women. Ellen Page the 22 year old cute little Juno star and Marcia Gay Harden are miserably miscast, and so is Drew Barrymore. Forget it if you happen to think about it.

BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX. A very difficult film to watch and impossible to enjoy yet it does what the director wanted to do. Tell the story of the Red Army Faction (aka. The Baader Meinhof Complex). They're a group of young driven terrorists in 1970's Germany who stop at nothing to achieve their goals. It's a true story and one you'll believe in and question just how far you would go OR have gone for anything you've ever believed in. An excellent film.

OCTOBER 24TH. October 24th has to be the busiest night of the year event wise. There's Jacque Brel at the Cayuga vault, Diaspora at 418 Project, a variety show at Actor's theatre, The Karamazov Brothers and Tom Noddy at Kuumbwa, The Cadenza Orchestra at Holy Cross, Twilight Zone at Mountain Community Theatre, Park hall in Ben Lomond, Alexander Romanovsky at Cabrilho's new Recital Hall Theatre. The Metropolitan Opera's live web cast of Aida in San Jose at 10am and that's about enough. I'll be in Victorville again, visiting my sister and having car repair work done so I'll miss it all.

LARAMIE PROJECT FOLLOWUP. Judy Shepard, author of the new book, "The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed" will be in Santa Cruz on Friday, October 23. After her son died as a result of an anti-gay hate crime, she and her family founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

Judy will be in Santa Cruz on Friday Oct. 23 for two events hosted by the acclaimed theater company, Pisces Moon Productions, The Equality Action Project and The Diversity Center. There will be an intimate Reception in her honor from 5:30 to 6 PM, followed by a "Meaning of Matthew" Benefit from 6 to 7 PM. The Benefit will feature Judy and other speakers, including John Laird and Cynthia Matthews, in a casual, informal setting. They will talk about the power of one individual to affect change. Both events will be held at the Vets Hall, 846 Front St, in Santa Cruz.

These are ticketed events. Admission to both events is $50 and to the Benefit alone is $25. Proceeds will benefit the Outreach, Advocacy and Educational work of Pisces Moon Productions; the Equality Action Project of Santa Cruz County, an affiliate of the Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County; and The Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Tickets are available by phone at 831-420-5260, 24/7 through SantaCruzTickets.com, and through the UC Santa Cruz Ticket Office, 831-459-2159. For more information, please go to www.PiscesMoon.org. Following the benefit, Judy will read from and sign copies of her book at Bookshop Santa Cruz; presales of the book will include seating at the Bookshop reading, and the first 100 copies sold will include a ticket to the Meaning of Matthew benefit. I didn't know and it seems odd somehow that Laramie was named after Jacques LaRamie a French trapper. Laramie was also the home of the Bucket of Blood saloon and where they filmed "Brokeback Mountain".

GROUNDSWELL IN SAN JOSE. From theatre critic Joyce Mann.

"All members of our theatre party were bowled over by Ian Bruce's "Groundswell," which opened at San Jose Rep on October 16th.Set in post-apartheid South Africa, the play is centered around the diamond industry. The action takes place at a luxurious guest lodge (beautifully set, by the way), and opens with unprecedented intensity. The black South African manager of the lodge, Thami (Dwight Huntsman) is writing to his wife, who is still living elsewhere in dismal poverty. He is providing refuge for a former white policeman, Johan (Scott Coopwood) who has done time for shooting and killing a black villager. The party is completed by the arrival of a white, seemingly wealthy, middle-aged businessman, Mr. Smith (Peter Van Norden). Smith is still smarting at losing his job to a black South African, under the affirmative action program.

Desperate to improve their prospects, Thami and Johan want to set up a company to retrieve diamonds from the neighboring riverbed. They need some capital. Who better to provide it than a perceived capitalist like Smith? Isn't his money, earned from the sweat of the poor, really theirs anyway? When Smith refuses to participate in the business plan, Johan becomes increasing violent and threatening, while the more rational Thami struggles to maintain some level of reason.

The publicity for this production centers largely around the universality of the theme: the on-going conflicts between races, and the aspirations of the underdog to live a better life. While all this applies to "Groundswell," when the chips are down, any stage production rises or falls, not on the philosophies it typifies, but the impact the play has on the audience as a piece of theatre. This production of "Groundswell" is an edge-of-the-seat nail biter and the tension builds with each moment of the performance. It seems inevitable that something terrible is going to happen, but it's not clear what or to whom. Will Johan's intrinsic violence remain under control? Will Thami's innate sense of decency be overpowered by his need for money? Will Mr. Smith's initially supercilious and patronizing manner cause disaster?  The action and characterization are incredibly complex and, at the end of the evening, each member of our theater party had a slightly different take on what had happened.

"Groundswell" runs for 90 minutes, without a break, and is definitely worth a drive over the hill. The play closes on November 8th.

Footnote. If you look up this production on San Jose Rep's website, you will see a different cast from the one that did such a great job last week in San Jose. Similarly, the program cover shows a different cast. Maybe there's a story here, or perhaps the Rep took boilerplate material and didn't update it for its own production. I guess that keeps expenses down".

UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at  WWW.KZSC.ORG. This Tuesday October 20th Michelle Fitzsimmons and Carley Stavis the editors in chief of City on A Hill will talk about this seasons paper and Julie Beaudreau will explain all about Transition Santa Cruz. October 27 will be the KZSC Pledge Drive and Sandy Lydon will co-host and help celebrate and raise much needed funding  Tandy Beal will talk about her re-creation of Mixed Nutz on November 3rd , also Gabriel Harrison and Kathleen Moody will talk about the Public Art Project that's working so well in Downtown Santa Cruz. Nutritionist Cindy Martino returns November 10 about how to eat healthy during the Holidays, and then Carmina Eliason will return to tell us about Mi Casa the Pajaro Valley Arts Project.  Noted marriage family therapist Jane Dawson will be my guest for the full hour on November 24th talking about handling pressures and relatives during the holidays. County Supervisor John Leopold will give us the inside scoops on what's happening on December 1st. So either tune in or stay tuned whatever works best for you.

QUOTES. "Imagine me going around with a pot belly. It would mean political ruin", Adolph Hitler. "Children who worship Batman grow up to vote for heroes", Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber. "Alienation is when your country is at war and you want the other side to win", One of the Oakland Seven.

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.


A DIFFERENT DISASTER. It's not just earthquakes...this was after the fire of 1894 burned down almost all of our wooden buildings. This was taken at Cooper and Pacific where Pacific Wave is now. So after all the wooden buildings burned the earthquakes destroyed all the buildings made of brick and mortar. Which genuine historic buildings will we allow to be torn down next time? Should we make a list now?

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.
Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

GOOD TIMES & THE COOPERHOUSE STORY. I don't want to kill my nearly perfect article so I'll just say that Good Times asked me to write a story about The Cooperhouse (One word) and why & how it came down. I did that. It'll be in this week's Good Times issue of Oct 15th. I interviewed Katherine Beiers, Don Lane, Paul Lee, Sarah Yahm and of course Cooperhouse contractor Michael Bates who said it could have been saved. Don't miss it.

EARTHQUAKE STUFF. Sandy Lydon said on University Grapevine last week that the big deal about preparing is that cell phones won't work after the big one, leaving only the good old land lines as our source of communication. And that makes the most sense to me. A website in Fresno said, "You should have a telephone contact who lives out of the area, preferably out of the state. Separated family members can use this contact to find out if everyone in the family is OK, to relay messages, and to set up an alternative meeting place. Family members not living in the area can call this contact to find out if everything is OK. Go here and hear Sarah Yahm's audio collection of memories.

REUNIFICATION PLAN.....You should decide together where you will meet if a major quake hits when the family is separated. Have plans for each member of the family to reach the safe refuge area. Make sure you have adequate emergency supplies in the car as well as at the workplace". That's about it nobody will prepare more than that...and probably not even that much, we never have yet, right?

1989 EARTHQUAKE CLIP INCLUDING THE UCSC CAMPUS

MARDI WORMHOUDT & GOOD THOUGHTS. Tom Honig's article in Good Times just about said everything about Mardi. Read it here... . Mardi was one of about three people in politics I ever trusted. She truly represented us. Send her cards, and notes, and lots of strong vibes. Hospice is helping her and just letting her know how much you care makes her happy.

CABRILHO'S NEW THEATRE OPENING. The opening night program says that it's named the Crocker Theater after Crocker's Lockers (18 + of them) and Crocker's Restaurants. There weren't many students in the 2 1/2 hour production but lots of community dance group and choral action. There was some fine orchestral displays and afterwards Jon Nordgren producing artistic director told me it was great fun playing some Benny Goodman as the orchestra rose from the pit and playing Artie Shaw as they descended. It's one hell of a theatre and seats almost exactly the same number as the old Cabrilho Auditorium. Lots of agreement and surprises when folks heard that  the old auditorium will be gutted and made into student financial cubicles....still a shame.

HONEY SUGARCHILE ROBINSON. After KUSP's Michael Lewis watched last weeks clip of Honey Robinson (the "kid" on piano) he emailed to educate all of us..." The movie with Frank Chile Robinson was "No Leave, No Love", 1946. His date of birth 1940, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Height 4' 5" (1.35 m). A small, youthful-looking boy, he was touted as a seven-year-old  "child prodigy", until one night in 1957 at Harlem's Apollo Theater, a fan sneaked into his room after the show to try to meet him and saw him smoking a cigar. It turned out that he wasn't seven years old but 17 years old. The incident ended his career. Detailed bio with 1938 birth date at http://www.rockabilly.nl/" Thanks Michael, so who can you trust???

GOODBYE ED NEWMAN. Ed Newman died last week. He was just about the most loyal and consistent Democrat I'd ever met. He helped and supported our Hank Faitz for Assembly campaign way back in 1972 and we were friends  ever since, The PDC's Bill Malone says, "Ed Newman passed away this morning.  Ed was one of the Founding Fathers of the People's Democratic Club and the Club's second President.  He was always active in the PDC and an outspoken, active leader in local, state and national politics.  He and Carol attended PDC meetings as recently as a few months ago.  We will miss him. Attorney Bob Taren added...."He was one of the great ones. What a strong advocate for social and economic justice. He won the battle to make the Boys Club allow young girls to join. He was an outspoken critic of the follies of The USA foreign policy". No word on services yet.

ELERICK'S INPUT.

Ed Newman, the Poker Gang and "Marilyn" We lost another great one this past week, Ed Newman. I got to know Ed later, after being invited to join a wonderful group of friends who played friendly poker once a month, along with a potluck dinner.  Those dinners were always something special, the food was great, but the stories shared were even better.  I'll never forget Ed's Navy story about actually making a change to the dreadful menu served on a Navy cruiser he was stationed aboard.  The regular diet of mayonnaise and baloney sandwiches was too much to take, and his letters to superiors actually got that changed. Ed's passing is right after two other members of the poker group passed away, Elsie Beltram and Marge Ravven, during the past year.  Part of each poker game was that some of each pot's ante was donated to "Marilyn".  This was started back when ultra conservative Marilyn Liddicoat was representing the 2nd Supervisorial District, and the "Marilyn" money went to her opponent.  After Ms.Liddicoat left the scene, the tradition continued, with "Marilyn's" portion of each ante going to a progressive political candidate or measure.

I had a standing invitation from Ed to join him in a golf tournament at Pasatiempo where he was a member.  All that was needed was for me to get a current golf handicap established, but that never happened because I never got around to it.  It's my loss and something that I'll never have another chance to do.   Our condolences go to Carol and the Newman family. .(Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates, serves as the chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and is a member of the Sierra Club's Santa Cruz Group's executive committee).

PATTONS PROGRAM. On Tuesdays radio program Gary talks about UCSC and how our City Council is promoting growth. He states," Today, the Santa Cruz City Council is considering a Water Supply Assessment that says, "The City's water system is grossly inadequate to meet current demand under drought conditions." In view of that finding, should the Council really be promoting more growth that will place even more stress on the City's currently stretched water supply? That is what the City Council is proposing to do, seeking to expand the City's current Water Service Area to allow over 3,000,000 square feet of new construction on the UCSC North Campus.

The UCSC North Campus is not now within the City's Water Service Area, and the key question is whether or not there is adequate water to serve the proposed expansion. It would be pretty hard to overstate the importance of balancing water supply with the demand for water, where development issues are concerned. Residents and businesses within the City of Santa Cruz Water Service Area have a big stake in the ultimate decision.

Currently, the City provides water not only to the City of Santa Cruz, but also to Live Oak, Pasatiempo, parts of the City of Capitola, and to farmers on the North Coast. If you live or have a business within the City's current Water Service Area, I encourage you to get involved in this decision making process. Today's meeting is only one step in that process. You can get more information in the transcript of today's Land Use Report.

(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.)

EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim takes on a science fiction trip where conservatives and liberals are still dukin' it out. Scroll down....

LANDAU'S PROGRES. Read Saul Landau's remarkable visit with Fidel Castro himself just last month. Saul also got a hug and some fine compliments from Fidel.

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

CASEY'S COMPUTER COMMENTS. "PREVENTING DIGITAL DISASTER". It is a terrible task to tell someone that their beloved data is departed never to return, especially when there are ways to prevent this type of disaster. As inglorious and tedious as it may be, we all should be saving what is important to us by backing up our data. On a Macintosh it is very easy with "Time Machine" included on the computer to save data off to another device. The manual or "brute force" method of saving data is to copy it onto DVD's although not at all optimal if you have lots of data to back up - music, photos, the first 16 chapters of your novel. You will want an external hard drive to store the data onto. It is much faster than writing data to CD's and DVD's.  While simply copying data to a hard drive is not technically a "back-up," however it is welcome if you should lose your primary data storage and very simple for most people to do a copy. An external drive cost's less than $200 (generally) and is a simple fast way to keep an extra copy of your data. There are on-line storage services available where you store it to a web service for back up. It is extremely slow to get your data uploaded and equally as slow to get it back again when you need it. The service charges a monthly fee.  For me, I would rather just keep an extra hard drive attached to the computer.

There are lots of back up software programs available (in case you don't have Apple's "time machine"). Most backup software appears to be less than $60. Always check reviews of software online before using it. These sites have some reviews of backup software. 

Please make back-up copies of your important data!! No one knows the time when our computers will lose their data. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but someday... so be prepared. Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and remember, I do house calls, affordably.

computer_casey@yahoo.com

NUREYEV AND MISS PIGGY

WATERS WEIGHS IN. She tells us.. "I share a few SC Restaurant Week items, provide details about Kelly's Dinner Market, and gush about the best hot sandwich on the planet, right here in Boulder Creek. And some wine tips, of course. All at http://christinawaters.com.  Also - mark your calendars for the Nov. 20-22 UCSC Orchestra & Concert Choir performances of the Baroque masterpiece — Mozart's Requiem. Christina will be singing alto, with Nicole Paiement at the podium".

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. It's an excellently produced film. It is truly scary, brilliantly timed, not bloody, I liked it a lot. The Del Mar was packed full last Friday night and the audience screams were genuine. I saw it again Saturday noon just to appreciate it as a film. As a low budget Indie it could and should be the start of something big. Go see it...if you like scary movies.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. This documentary is about Anna Wintour the character Meryl Streep denies she based her Devil Wears Prada character on. By the way, rumors say that Obama may appoint Wintour our ambassador to France!! IF (big IF) you love fashion, hate fashion, or are curious why anybody cares about it at all, go see this movie. But it certainly isn't necessary.

THIRST. After three years of Earl Jackson's UCSC classes on Asian Films I became a huge fan of Chan-wook Park who directed Lady Vengeance, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and especially Old Boy. But this vampire faux comedy misses completely. The photography isn't up to Park's former standards, the plot swirls aimlessly, and even the makeup sucks. Don't bother.

FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE. This cornball film is only playing at Green valley Cinema in Watsonville. It' so full of ethnic stereotypes you really got to wonder. Bad rich gringo land owner and his handsome athlete college son versus the poor but honest Mexican boy boxer, fight it out in the finale. Do not guess who wins, and don't see it either.

FLAME & CITRON. An absolutely stunning and deep film. Danish resistance fighters in 1944 have to secretly assassinate friends and neighbors who help Hitler storm Copenhagen. Please see it, and it's a true story.

HOSTETTERS HOT STUFF. During this week there's Roger McGuinn at Montalvo on Thursday, and Nishat Khan next weekend (get your tickets now). Other things then too, such as the Fineman/Hurd Quartet, David Bromberg on Sunday the 18th, and so on. A couple of new additions: Tim Eriksen and the California Honeydrops (not all at once - two gigs!) – all of which you can dive into deeper by going, as usual, to http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html Plan ahead, and all that! Don't forget to scroll all the way down, and be sure to check the various small links all over the page for other events as well. ph

EARTHQUAKE CLIP FROM SAN FRANCISCO 1989

HAMLET IN CARMEL. Joyce Mann veteran theatre critic, actor Brian Mann and I all went to The Pacific Repertory Theatre's production of Hamlet last Thursday night. As Barbara Rose Shuler said in her review in the Monterey Herald some folks collect performances of Hamlet. And this was only a collector's item, not a very enjoyable production otherwise.  Joyce Mann sent Barbara her reaction..."You must be kidding. You thought this jigsaw puzzle of a play was brilliant? Cutting Shakespeare's text is one thing, rearranging it drastically is another. Did the director think he was a better writer than the bard? And what's with removing Horatio completely from the play? The best thing about this production is that it was short!" I completely agreed with Joyce it was a mess. Cuts, re-arranging scenes, but the Actors Equity acting was good and the house was sold out. Brian Mann thought the actors did the best with what they had, he's right but the newly revised plot made little sense...especially if you like Shakespeare's version.

LEGENDARY MAKAHA SONS IN WATSONVILLE. The LADIES OF MEHANA are a Hula School now celebrating their 10th anniversary. The big news is that they are presenting the LEGENDARY MAKAHA SONS in concert at the Henry Mello Center in Watsonville Saturday evening October 24th  Tickets are available in advance at Aloha Island Grill and Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz. For more info call The Ladies at (831) 295-2433.

UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at  WWW.KZSC.ORG. This Tuesday October 13th Maya Barsacq will tell us about the newly re-named Cadenza orchestra. After Maya then Susan Silton Myers will tell us about The Laramie Project Epilogue and on October 20 Michelle Fitzsimmons and Carley Stavis the editors in chief of City on A Hill will talk about this seasons paper and Juliana Rebagliati will talk about being our Santa Cruz City Director of Planning.

October 27 will be the KZSC Pledge Drive and Sandy Lydon will co-host and help celebrate and raise much needed funding  Tandy Beal will talk about her re-creation of Mixed Nutz on November 3rd , also Gabriel Harrison and Kathleen Moody will talk about the Public Art Project that's working so well in Downtown Santa Cruz. Nutritionist Cindy Martino returns November 10 about how to eat healthy during the Holidays. Noted marriage family therapist Jane Dawson will be my guest for the full hour on November 24th talking about handling pressures and relatives during the holidays. So either tune in or stay tuned whatever works best for you.

QUOTES. "Living on earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the sun", Ashleigh Brilliant. "Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics", Fletcher Knebel. "Why don't they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?", Steven Wright.

Deep Cover

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.


SANTA CRUZ CARNEGIE LIBRARY, September 12, 1966. A great but sad follow-up to last week's Library photo. You can see what this classic building was replaced with. That's now the Greek Orthodox church I the background. It used to be a Mortuary among other things.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.
Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

APES ON PARADE

HALLOWEEN & SANTA CRUZ ATTITUDE. As we've read, The Santa Cruz Police FORCE are really digging in for the big battle of Halloween. The cowed City Council has given them full authority to handle the oncoming bloodbath-battle, and now we sit and wait. Why does it have to be like this? Why can't the City save money and sponsor a Downtown Halloween event just like they did after First Night proved that people just want to have fun-not fight. When Christopher Krohn was mayor he tried to create a City sponsored costume judging, parade and window decorating contest. The financial cost of all those police on duty, barricades, the arrest costs, court costs, the city should be sponsoring, not fighting, the holiday. The City Police have once again set up a battle ground in advance...a challenge "We can stop by total force any wildness you can put up against us". Forget the racial profiling we know will happen (watch for the arrest stories the next morning which will justify the police actions). The weird thing is that the City Council always says it's the merchants that demand this. Truth is the merchants change so often and because they work so hard only a few are ever active in political decisions and take little part in the Downtown Association or the Chamber. Who's tricking and who's treating?? 

SANTA CRUZ KICKOFF IN SUPPORT OF LUIS ALEJO FOR STATE ASSEMBLY will be SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2009, 2-4pm : At The Darling House Bed & Breakfast, 314 West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. Join the Growing List of Co-Sponsors! To be a co-sponsor or for more info, contact: Angela Chestnut: achesnut7@comcast.net

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY LATINO LEADERS RECEPTION FOR LUIS ALEJO FOR STATE ASSEMBLY will be SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009, 2-4pm at the Home of UCSC Professors Aida Hurtado & Craig Haney 317 Ocean View Avenue, Santa Cruz. Come Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos (y Vivos) & Help Elect Luis to the State Assembly!

TONY MADRIGAL EMAILS TO ANNOUNCE... Free Immigration & Citizenship Forum with Free One-on-One Legal Advice We will have over 12 Immigration Lawyers providing free legal immigration & citizenship advice to the community. Each year we typically draw about 250 people to this event., Sunday, October 18, 2009 (2pm-6pm) at Our Lady Star of the Sea church's Parish Hall (Estrella del Mar Iglesia) 515 Frederick Street Santa Cruz, CA 95062

A NEW INDIA JOZE RESTAURANT?? You won't see any mention in those fancy restaurant guides that came out last week but the real news (& exclusive too!!) is that India Joze Schultz wants to open a new restaurant. There's no argument that Joze is still the biggest name in our Santa Cruz Restaurant business and yet he hasn't been involved for years, except catering, fund raising, and  private parties. So if you know of some smart investors who want to get involved call Joe or email me and I'll pass it on.

THE BUSINESS OF FESTIVALS. I didn't know that Burning Man charges $200-300 to get in and has 2000+ volunteers who donate time and talent to run the thing. And they make a fortune every year. Ubiquitous, the 4 1/2 day festival up North charges $200 and has vendors who also pay to get in. The "LovEvolution" (formerly Love Parade") festival happening last Sunday for one day in some closed off blocks in San Francisco will also be a huge money maker. Odd that at a time when concerts of all kinds are taking deep nose dives that Festivals are really happening. I just never associated $$$ with these festivals...but I'm learning.

ELERICK'S INPUT. 50th Anniversary Celebration for the Elericks.
Last week Sharon and I had the pleasure of hosting a party celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary.  Sixty-five friends and family members joined us at Michael's on Main in Soquel for this event.  Actually, the anniversary date was August 14th, but it took awhile to get our act together for this party.  We will cherish these few hours we had with this group, wish we could have invited many more. Several friends who recently celebrated this same event had the same thoughts we had.  How did 50 years go by so fast!  If you're thinking about hosting a similar event, definitely consider Michael's on Main.  Food, service and surroundings are superb, as they were two years ago when we attended Don and Viviane Young's 50th party there.

The highway builders know how to work the "system". At last week's Regional Transportation Commission, the Final Environmental Document, giving the go-ahead to the Soquel/Morrissey Auxiliary Lanes project, was not even on their agenda.  Several members of the public, speaking under Oral Communication, asked why not, and were given the short, not-sweet, answer.  They had already approved the $2,000,000 report that took over two years to complete, and no other public hearings were going to be held.  A 30-day "review" period was only meant to allow time for legal challenges to the FED. Several RTC members talked about having a public hearing to allow people to comment on the FED, especially the unsatisfactory responses by the consultant authors of the FED and to the FED's content in general.

However, Caltrans RTC member Rich Krumholz rather loudly reminded the audience that nothing could be changed regarding the decision to move ahead with the widening project.  That's just wrong thinking, and it reminds me of Orwell's 1984 "newspeak".  The public still may get that chance to comment at the November RTC meeting, but that's not certain at all.  Watch the rerun of this RTC meeting on Community TV the next time it's on and see how the "system" works. .(Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates, serves as the chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and is a member of the Sierra Club's Santa Cruz Group's executive committee).

SOUTH COUNTY REPORT. (Written by Friends in South County)
Assembly member Caballero Officially Declares her Senate Candidacy
.
Last Thursday, Assembly member Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) officially declared her candidacy for the 12th Senate District at the historic Fox Theater in old town Salinas.  The senate district covers Salinas and a chunk of the Central Valley including Modesto and Merced.  With about 50 supporters in attendance, Caballero asked for support to win the seat that is currently held by Republican Senator Jeff Denham. Denham cannot run again due to term limits.  Caballero does not have any Democratic challengers yet for the primary election, but faces a formidable Republican opponent for the general election in Ceres Mayor Anthony Cannella.  Cannella's father, Sal Cannella, is a former Democratic assemblyman and is well known in the Central Valley.  This senate race will be one of the high profile races in 2010 since Democrats need to win two seats in the Senate to have 2/3 majority.  You can expect large sums of money to put into winning this campaign from both political parties.

Sheriff Wowak to hold fundraiser in Watsonville. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Phil Wowak is having a fundraiser for his re-election campaign in Watsonville on Tuesday, October 6 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Jalisco's Restaurant.  Wowak is up for reelection in the June 2010 primary.  Wowak is already endorsed by a wide range of community leaders, including Watsonville Police Chief Terry Medina, Watsonville Mayor Pro Tem Luis Alejo, Watsonville Deputy Police Chief Manny Solano, County Superintendent Michael Watkins, and Santa Cruz County Treasurer Fred Keeley.

TOM NODDY

THE FLYING KARAMAZOV BROTHERS  & TOM NODDY SHOW. Well worth repeating...because it'll never happen again!!! The benefit will take place on October 24, 2009 at the Catalyst at 7:30PM.  A continuing experiment in comedy, theatre, music and juggling; a blend of the worlds of performance art, improvisation, and virtuosity into a unique form of theatre will be presented by the world famous The Flying Karamazov Brothers and Tom Noddy performing bubble  magic – no illusion, real magic. It's a benefit for the Dominican Gang Tattoo Removal Program.  Please help them make this a successful event, support our community, and help our youth!  Seating is limited.  $45 general admission.  $75 preferred seating.  Purchase tickets online at www.catalystclub.com 

PATTONS PROGRAM. Gary discusses development problems and the definition of General Plans around the bay. But mostly he says that the Coastal Commission meets Wednesday and will vote on Poor Clares, La Bahia, and cement coating the Capitola Coast. He closes with Salinas's problem with Wal-Mart and how it ruins Salinas's downtown business.
(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.)

LANDAU'S PROGRESSaul Landau's Progreso article this week, "Raul reiterates willingness to discuss any theme with U.S."  More than that Saul says, "Raul stated his satisfaction with the course of on-going bilateral talks related to migration and renewing direct mail flights between the two countries and reiterated his willingness to discuss with the United States any theme - "the embargo, the future of the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay or human rights, as long as the discussions take place on an equal footing and without threat to Cuban sovereignty." Read it all here http://progreso-weekly.com/2
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

CASEYS COMPUTER COMMENTS.   (Patrick Casey's weekly computer guide).
SHARING CALENDARS AND PHOTOS.

Sharing calendars and photos is very easy with the "Web Tools" available for free on the two big sites, Google and Yahoo. They do a good job providing email, calendaring, photo sharing, and instant messaging. These are only a few of the fun tools available on these sites.

The calendars are easy to use and will remind you of an event in any time frame you select, such as minutes, hours or weeks in advance. Import holidays (from the world), moon phase, or link to a friend to access dates on their calendar. You can share your calendar with others to inform them of your availability. Or import a sports calendar for your team. All the instructions are in http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/helpcentral/  and http://www.google.com/support/ for Yahoo and Google

Photo sharing is an easy way to share your photos. Both sites offer a way to upload your photos onto their website and only allow people of your choice to view them. Google uses Picasa, software that you may download onto your computer to organize your photos and also makes for an easy upload. Yahoo uses Flicker and is all web-based, no download required. Both make photo sharing very easy.

Who knew we would have listings called Best of the Web or BOW?
Below are three sites I like. Send me the ones you like.
The following site is a BOW listing from FORBES magazine
http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/main.jhtml
A bigger list from BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/bestof/editorpicks.htm
This is an interesting mash up of sites, updated in 15 minute intervals so if you like something, book mark it before it is updated off the list.
 http://www.jimmyr.com/
Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and remember, I do house calls, affordably. computer_casey@yahoo.com

WATERS WEIGHS IN. This week, at http://christinawaters.com Christina gets mad at an underwhelming Oakland hot spot, and provides a few wine tips as well. Make sure you read her review of Randall Grahm's new book in this week's Santa Cruz Weekly.

EAGAN'S DEEP COVER. Scroll down to view Tim Eagan's version of the GOP and cabals in general.

VAN JOHNSON, KEENAN WYNN & PIANIST. I can't find out which movie this is from...but more importantly who's the kid playing piano??? Anybody know??

(Webmistress answers: Sugarchile Robinson! Searching for an embeddable version from youtube, I stumbled right across this one. Amazing!)

D BOX IN THEATRES AND YOUR HOUSE?? My Victorville niece Susan Esterline told me about this gimmick that is supposed to change our movie going experience. D Box hooks up to your chairs at home or in a few area theatres and shakes your chair in actual synch with the film...I know but check it out anyways. And please don't remember where you heard about it first.
 http://www.d-box.com/en/about-d-box

SHAKESPEARE NEWS, PART ONE. No final decisions have been made as of yet about whether or not Shakespeare Santa Cruz will continue. Final box office figures from last season aren't finished yet. The Shakespeare staff is getting nervous because it's now time to start next summer's announcements. We'll all just have to hang in there and hope.

SHAKESPEARE NEWS, PART TWO. Some people just can't see Hamlet too many times, and I share that problem (or blessing). Pacific Repertory Theatre in Carmel is doing Hamlet in their 120 seat Circle Theatre (in the round) and it's directed by guest artistic director Kenneth Kelleher. "Hamlet" features Equity actors Nicholas Pelczar as Hamlet, Chris Ayles as Polonius and Emily Jordan as Guildenstern. PacRep resident actress Julie Hughett will play Gertrude. The production also features returning guest actors Jeffrey Heyer as the Player King, Stephen Massott as Claudius, Maggie Mason as Ophelia, William Brown as Rosencrantz and Theo Black as Laertes. There are 6 more performances this Thursday through October 18th. Tickets at (831) 622-0100 or toll free 866-622-0709.

SHAKESPEARE NEWS, PART THREE. Michelle Carter operations manager of Santa Cruz Actors Theatre told me the other night that S.F. State is bringing their production of Shakespeare's 12th Night here. I think she said in November, but I can't reach her as of deadline time. I'll let you know as soon as I do.

SKYDIVING. Sure they probably did the dive 25 times and spliced it together but what a way to go!!!

SURROGATES. Bruce Willis has had a few good moments of acting onscreen...there are none in this messy sci-fi humans–controlling-each–others-robots-chase film. The really annoying thing is with films like these is that there are some great story ideas lost in these effects spectaculars, very lost.

ZOMBIELAND. This is Woody Harrelson at his typical worst. You can almost feel George W. Bush sitting next to you             laughing his head off wanting to give this film an Oscar...its that bad. Gross, stupid, knuckle draggers will love it...stay away. It was of course the big box office winner of last weekend's films. Which proves that, "there's no accountants for bad taste".

PANDORUM. Dennis Quaid and the familiar but unknown Ben Foster spend nearly the entire film mucking about on a spaceship in 2107 or some dumb year. It's Alien gone bad. Mad Max weirdo's slashing & leaping their way into your bowels...just plain yuck and don't go.

PARIS. Juliette Binoche only half stars in this city of Paris travelogue. Many stories in this greatest of old towns and for once in movie history there's no connection, no relation between the characters. Just good acting. Go see it if you like Paris. Opens Friday Oct 16th at The Nick.

INVENTION OF LYING. Ricky Gervais is probably a genius and he worked awfully hard to make this a profound film with laughs, but it flops. Even Jennifer Garner's patented dimples don't save this. What's with dimples in every film? Are dimples supposed to be beautiful, and what ever happened to Shirley Temple??? :)

SWEET SIXTEEN Join us in a celebration of the sixteenth anniversary of Researchers Anonymous. Guest speakers include group founders Stan Stevens, UCSC Librarian Emeritus, and Rachel McKay, MAH Archivist 1991-2004. Past recipients of the Historian of the Year and Dolkas awardees have been invited. Please bring your memories and photographs to this celebration. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
10:00 am – 12:00 noon, MAH Auditorium
Contact: Amy Dunning, (831) 429.1964 ext. 17, archives@santacruzmah.org
The Museum of Art & History, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

THE BURNING PLAIN. Dennis Morten is the only person in Santa Cruz who liked this movie. At Mort Marcus's  Saturday Cinema Seminar last Saturday everybody else agreed that this Charlize Theron plus Kim Basinger somber-nutty-chick-film was seriously flawed and not worth trying to figure out. It's basically a melodrama with an overly clever and overly worked twist at the end. A lot of nipples AND dimples!!!

CAPITALISM, ONE MORE TIME. In addition to this well publicized attack on Capitalism and argument for democracy Moore throws in revelations about such unfairness as how poorly paid and overworked airline pilots are....who else , what other mainstream media is shouting this message...maybe Bill Maher?

THE OTHER MAN. Liam Neeson plus Laura Linney plus Antonio Banderas which you would have to guess should be a good movie, right? It sucks full time. Go to Rotten Tomatoes.com and see how bad it is if you don't believe me. Neeson has never been worse, Linney does nothing except pose nude once(if you like that kind of thing), and Banderas was only good in one film, well two in his life. Save your money.

SKYDIVING. Sure they probably did the dive 25 times and spliced it together but what a way to go!!!

THE BOYS ARE BACK. Clive Owen carries his kids and no weapons for a change in this Aussie weeper film about Mom who died from cancer and how will dad ever raise the kids. The Aussie accents will make you lose some words but it's an excellent film, go especially if you'll have buttons pushed by a loved-one-with–cancer-death-story.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Steve Palopoli the jaded, middle aged film critic for Santa Cruz Weekly and Metro too, said on KZSC's Bushwhackers last Friday that Paranormal Activity not only genuinely scared the audience but that he was scared that night walking home in the dark. Turns out that P. Activity was only shown in 13 college towns across the USA and our little college town sold out every seat in the Del Mar for all shows. It opens for regular screenings this Friday. Here's what the LA Times said and it even mentions Maurice Peel and our Del Mar showings!!!  

SITAR PLAYER NISHAT KHAN AND ABHIJIT BANERJEE TO UCSC
Undeniably one of the foremost virtuosos of the sitar, Nishat Khan transcends all musical barriers with his provocative emotional expression and supreme technical mastery — his previous appearance at UCSC in 2006 was a sell-out! Accompanying Nishat Khan will be Abhijit Banerjee, tabla. Considered among the top-ranking tabla players from India, Abhijit Banerjee is one of the most sought-after creative artists in the realm of Indian classical music.
Friday 16 October 7:30 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM) Music Center Recital Hall, UC Santa Cruz
$10 general, $8 senior, $6 student santacruztickets.com UCSC Ticket Office (459-2159)

WE NEED AN ONLINE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, WE REALLY DO!! I mean one that all groups actually use. The Cultural Council has made a few attempts at it...and so have some theatre groups and still they fail. There so many cultural events all happening at the same time.

CALVIN & HOBBES & MICHAEL MOORE. Ron Clegg sent in this great and appropriate cartoon:

he says read it, then be sure to go see Capitalism, A Love Story. I agree completely.

UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at  WWW.KZSC.ORG. This Tuesday October 6th Assemblyman Bill Monning will be my guest again for the first half then Sandy Lydon will describe what's happening with the Nisene Marks and Cabrilho Earthquake Celebration. Maya Barsacq will appear on the October 13th Grapevine telling us about the newly re-named Cadenza orchestra. After Maya then Susan Silton Myers will tell us about The Laramie Project Epilogue and on October 20 Michelle Fitzsimmons and Carley Stavis the editors in chief of City on A Hill will talk about this seasons paper and Juliana Rebagliati will talk about being our Santa Cruz City Director of Planning. October 27 will be the KZSC Pledge Drive and once again County Supervisor John Leopold will be present to help celebrate. Tandy Beal will talk about her re-creation of Mixed Nutz on November 3rd...Nutritionist Cindy Martino returns November 10 about how to eat healthy during the Holidays. So either tune in or stay tuned as the case may be.

QUOTES. "War is human nature at its uttermost. We are here to do our uttermost. It is a sacrament. Society would rot without the mystical blood payment", William James. "The urge to destroy is really a creative urge", Mikhail Bakunin. "Who knows whether any of us will be around in 1972? Existence is so fickle, Fate is so fickle", Robert F. Kennedy, 1967.

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.


SANTA CRUZ CARNEGIE FREE LIBRARY. 1904. This was back in the day when rich men did some good things for the people. Andrew Carnegie paid for libraries like this all across the United States. This library opened in 1904 and was torn down in 1966 to make room for that dull looking mess of a library we have now.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.
Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

MY DRIVE TO VICTORVILLE AND HOW IT GREW. I drove 7 hours down and 7 hours back from Victorville last Friday and last Monday to be with my sister for my brother in law's funeral. (That's why this column is late). Probably because of the unanimous recent approval by our city council of the Marriott's Fairchild Motel, I was keenly aware of all those stucco crappy 3 story boxes now growing like weeds (or larvae) on the outskirts of every town I drove through. There's Watsonville's Red Fox Inn, Salinas has Best 5, Super 8, Best Westerns, La Quinta, King City's got Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, Budget 6. We should name ours Madrigal's Marriott's Manor or Beiers Budget Place because I'm sure they both agonized over their supporting Marriott's. Maybe union members staying overnight will get free soap or something. Sparkling (i.e. expensive) new rest stops are being built in several spots all along 101, route 46 and CA 58. No rest/pee place to stop now but lots of workers going at it in the burning sun. There are still speed traps near Los Lobos Road near San Ardo so be careful. Note well the brand spanking new plazas, malls, (whatever) in Paso Robles and for sure in Wasco!! Why Wasco?? How many of these franchise locations can one state handle? Victorville is completely inundated with square miles of McDonalds, Starbucks, ad nauseam.

CAMP ROBERTS HAPPENING. Anybody got the scoop on what's happening military-wise at Camp Roberts? Lots of activity, trucks, non-uniformed people everywhere and I swear there are many new rifle ranges along 101. Again, no uniformed persons but much activity.

JACKSON POLLOCK'S SECRET

An upcoming book makes the provocative claim that Jackson Pollock spelled out his name in giant letters in his iconic Mural—but not all scholars agree
by Kate Taylor

Among the reasons that people continue to be fascinated by Jackson Pollock's paintings is their Rorschach quality. Viewers have perceived many things in them, from scenes out of classical mythology to Jungian symbols. In Tom and Jack, an upcoming book about the relationship between Pollock and his teacher Thomas Hart Benton, art historian Henry Adams finds a very surprising image hidden in Pollock's 1943–44 Mural: the artist's own signature.

read entire article here

CHOLOME AND JAMES DEAN. Driving past Cholome where James Dean crashed and died (I'd stopped before) I was struck by the weirdness of folks from all over the world coming there to see that spot. Then I got to wondering just how many people have come to Santa Cruz just to see the much more colorful place where our local Indians castrated their much despised and cruel Mission Santa Cruz padre Father Quintana. Well, there was nothing much to think about between here and Victorville.

THINK LOCAL AND THE NEW MARRIOTT FAIRCHILDS HOTELS??? What about water usage at the new Fairchilds? Is a water permit for a Fairchild's Hotel the same as for a new house? Or where does the UCSC Expansion fit in here with their demanded 150,000,000 gal. per year. Since Think Local Santa Cruz is getting much more political are they either supporting or protesting this huge Marriott's Franchise hotel? Will they be asking any local City Council candidates about their stands on new corporation hotels that will for sure severely hurt all the locally owned and operated hotels and motels around town? Here's the Santa Cruz Weekly article on it

MORE ON THAT WESTSIDE HOTEL. From a reader... "I just found out that the Westside Fairfield Inn is a go. I am a Westside resident and I am strongly against this development.  We supposedly don't even have enough water for the existing residents.  Why do we keep approving more buildings?  I am interested in the claim that other hotel rooms are "scarcely occupied." Why would we build another one when the existing ones don't have enough business? The traffic on Mission is already horrendous. An 85 room hotel would of course only make it worse. I also don't want to see a huge ugly 3 story building as the first thing I see when I enter my city from the North. I would like to get in contact with others who are against this. Do you have any suggestions? Would you mention the subject in your column?" Sure, I'll mention it and no, I don't know of any groups that care enough to oppose Marriott's. Not yet!!

MICAH POSNER RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL?? It's more than a rumor, Micah's testing waters around town to see how much support he'll have if he runs. I hope he'll ask the bicycle groups who regard him as the Robert Norse of local bicycle riders. So many cyclists are embarrassed by Posner claiming to speak for them just as the homeless are about the way Norse says he represents them. Should be a hot race.

UCSC'S DISORIENTATION GUIDE. There are many guides for new and returning UCSC students. I mentioned Primer last week. This week we have Dilated Pupil (Good Times) and some pages in Santa Cruz Weekly but the hot one to read is the annual Disorientation Guide. It's a 78 page Time magazine size attempt to help students re-orient them selves to the real world after being exposed to all the official campus wordage. I tried to link it here but the file is too large.

Follow directions at DisorientationGuide.wordpress.com and check out Fertility Cycles, Labor Organizing, Local Histories, Sex in Three Parts, Unisex Restrooms (they're catching on!), The Whitest UC...but mainly check out the report on UC's Long Range Planning, who are the regents, etc.  Hometown Blues page 13 is a must read. It focuses on what the anonymous author says is the local's hatred against the UCSC student who is exploited by underpaid jobs and compared to Latino immigrants!! No articles are signed but a lot of them feel like Wes Modes wrote them. The back cover comes from Santa Cruz Copwatch and is a fast summary of your rights around an arrest action. Try going to Santa Cruz Indy Media it looks like you can scan it there in it's entirety.

MUCH PRIDE ALL AROUND. From The GLBT Alliance folks...."Happy Bi Day! On this 10th annual Celebrate Bisexuality Day, we honor those bi activists who've been fighting the good fight for inclusion and visibility and justice". Then Merrie Schaller goes on to say "Personally, I particularly want to say thanks for everything to the co-chair of The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County, Thomas Leavitt, and his wife Gunilla, for their tireless work". I have to say thanks and congratulations too. Gunilla Leavitt of www.GodmomasForge.com  (with occasional help from Thomas, has been the entire online brains and talent behind getting BrattonOnline.com up and running every single week since June 2003. They should be proud, I'm proud, and the community should be proud of their devotion and work.

ELERICK'S INPUT. Capitola Crisis !?!
The Sentinel has been covering Capitola's 41st Avenue "shopping crisis" lately. It seems that revenues from their Mall have slipped over the years.  Lots of new stores on 41st but people aren't spending as much there.  So what do they do?  Hire a consultant of course to tell them what most of us already know about their Mall.  If they would dig out the testimony given by the public back in the early 1970's when Sutter Hill was proposing the Mall, they'd get a hint.  Many people asked (including me), why a covered shopping mall was needed in Capitola with its sunny days and clean air.  One answer:  "Everybody else has one", or words to that effect.  Now their consultant is getting paid to tell Capitola's leaders the same thing that is people don't like enclosed shopping malls.

A good idea would be to build interesting stores near the rail line, looking ahead to when a passenger rail service will get people from all over the county to Capitola, dropping them off within walking distance to shopping.  Another good idea would be to do something with the deserted parking garage behind the old Gottschalk's store.  It never had much use even before Gottschalks went belly up.  How about affordable housing?

Those Highway 1 - Soquel/Morrissey Auxiliary Lanes – environmental documents are available. The Regional Transportation Commission's latest pet project, known as Highway 1 Soquel/Morrissey Auxiliary lanes, continues to move ahead.  Those of us, who think this is another ploy to widen the highway, refer to this project as the "sneak lanes" project. 
Here is the RTC's announcement:
The final environmental document for the Highway 1 Soquel/Morrissey Auxiliary Lanes project has been signed and is now available. The Initial Study with Mitigated Negative Declaration / Environmental Assessment with Finding of No Significant Impact examines the environmental impacts of the project and responds to the comments and questions received during the public circulation period of the draft environmental document.

Copies of the final environmental, supporting technical documents are available:
·       Online:  http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/soquel
·       Regional Transportation Commission office:  1523 Pacific Av, Santa Cruz, business hours
·       Libraries: Central, Branciforte, Live Oak (will be catalogued and in libraries next week)
·       Caltrans District 5 office:  50 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo

The project proposes to add auxiliary lanes to Highway 1 between Soquel Avenue and Morrissey Boulevard, for a distance of 0.98 mile. Auxiliary lanes connect an on-ramp with the next off-ramp. The project would replace the La Fonda Avenue over crossing with a wider sidewalk and new bike lanes. The project would also provide sidewalk improvements at Rooney Street and Morrissey Boulevard west of Pacheco Avenue. The project would also install a raised crosswalk at the south end of the La Fonda Avenue bridge, near the entrance to Harbor High School.

A project fact sheet providing an overview of the project is available on Caltrans website at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/soquel

The Campaign for Sensible Transportation is already at work dissecting these documents, and of course we're SHOCKED that their finding is "no significant impacts". NOT!  Everybody should read this report and then let your elected officials know what you think about spending over $20 million dollars to widen Highway 1 for a distance of less than one mile. Where should that money go?  How about the fixing the deadly Salinas Rd/Highway 1 intersection in North Monterey County, or safety barriers on Highway 1 between Salinas Road and Moss Landing, a stretch of the highway 1 that NEEDS help.(Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates, serves as the chair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and is a member of the Sierra Club's Santa Cruz Group's executive committee).

CASEY'S COMPUTER COMMENTARY. "My friend Mr. P. Kaplan reminds me that not all users are under the influence of and use the Microsoft OS (Operating Systems). He is so right. Not only is there a Macintosh OS, there is also a Linux OS that we use on our computers and we all need to solve problems on our respective Operating Systems. Even on different operating systems, common troubleshooting techniques will help us be the master of our OS's.

From experience I can say "step back" and do not continue to do the same thing again. Troubleshooting consists of thinking about the issue and how it came to be. If it worked better before, then what has changed since? It's a bit of a puzzle and unfortunately there is no "boilerplate" answer on how to troubleshoot.  Problems can be divided into two general categories: Is it a hardware issue or is it a software issue? The two are not always so easy to distinguish, knowing the difference will help in going to the next step.

Software issues yet unknown are my first suspect since most people will know if the hardware has changed. Although, I have had hardware "go bad" without me changing anything on the system.

Next I want to know if all the "Drivers" are correct. Now I don't have a Macintosh system but I'm sure they have a Driver equivalent. The operating system needs to communicate with the application, and the application needs to talk to the hardware or printer (if we are to print). The intermediary software is called "driver software." Drivers allow different hardware to communicate between hardware and software. If these programs become confused, then user results become unpredictable and we will be unhappy with the random results. Technical professionals will consult technical support bulletin boards such as http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/help/

Search for your particular issue online (if your online access is working!!). Specifically search your hardware vendor, i.e., Dell, HP, IBM – they all have sites on troubleshooting their particular problems. These places are quite rich in descriptions of problems and solutions. Sometimes it is useful to simply input your problem into a search window and read the various sites that are listed. This is what a "technical professional" will do. Because we can't know all answers to all problems, it's all about knowing where to look for the answers. Sometimes it is very difficult to troubleshoot a particular problem. Obviously there are infinite problems and more than infinite ways to solve them.

If you have problems I would be happy to come and help you.  Send me an email at computer_casey@yahoo.com and I will come troubleshoot your issue.

MICHAEL MOSCHEN JUGGLING. This clip is 38 minutes long and was done at the awfully important TED conference in Monterey. Moschen is terribly important too but he juggles nicely.


PATTON'S PROGRAM. Read this week's Land Use Reports Gary says "The Santa Cruz City Council is proposing a major expansion of its delivery of water services outside its current Water Service Area, to facilitate growth at the UCSC campus". On another day he goes on to ask, "how much should Santa Cruz County grow during the year 2010?" More than that, "Road-widening projects do not, generally, relieve traffic congestion very much. The unfulfilled demand for road capacity so far exceeds the current capacity of most roads that when new capacity is provided new traffic quickly manifests itself. The result is that we're right back in the same traffic jam we had before, but with more cars caught in the jam". All right here!

EAGAN'S DEEP COVER. See how Mr. Eagan figures our troops talk, while under fire scroll down...

LANDAU'S PROGRES.  Here's Saul Landau writing about "Covert memories from Miami"   Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com

THE REAL EARTHQUAKE COMMEMORATION. Sandy Lydon and many others are putting together the genuine 20th year E'quake story. Go here to get the important details http://www.sandylydon.com/html/cla.html Sandy's got photos from the Nisene Marks epicenter that will almost shock you into preparing for the next one.

CAPITALISM.  A LOVE STORY. There' s only one problem with Michael Moore's newest film, he uses all his old tricks and there's no surprises. It should be required viewing for US Citizens, no make that US residents. Probably only the choir will go see this diatribe against what the US has done against democracy and capitalism. We all think we know everything necessary to be opposed to what's going on, but this film contains so much new information you'll be even more aware of the plight we are in. How much do you know about the many corporations secretly taking out life insurance on certain employees and secretly collecting millions when they die, and never informing the survivors? Please go see it and try to force a Republican to go with you. Opening on 2 screens at the Del Mar on Friday.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS IN 3D. Not having any other 3D equipped theatre in our county (specially one that's locally owned)I like going to the Green Valley Cinema 8 just off Highway 1in Watsonville Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is a magnum opus compared to the original  skinny little book that had a very simple plot. The plot of the film is way too complex and silly and I got lost many times. The 3D is technically the best I've ever seen, and I love 3d. Beautifully drawn, 
great coloring, good choices of voices...but see it only if you love 3D, or have children who do.

W.C. FIELDS JUGGLING.

HOSTETTERS HOT STUFF. Paul himself says, "The hits keep coming. I'm surely missing some, but the ones I know about right now include a flurry of things at the Sangati Center (be sure to read the little essay by Gautam Tejas Ganeshan), Stellamara's "The Golden Thread" CD release concert, Doc Watson, Carnatic sax wizard Kadri
Gopalnath, the Helladelics, a bunch of interesting stuff at Montalvo, and of course Mariza. Details and perhaps more at http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.html

LARAMIE PROJECT & PISCES MOON. Over 100 theatres around the country will do staged readings of the Laramie Project on October 12th. Other groups in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong and Spain will join in. The play is about the murder of Mathew Shepard because he was gay. Shepard's mother Judy wrote a book about it and will sign it in Santa Cruz later in October. Many details go here http://www.piscesmoon.org to Pisces theatre website and get the full story and necessary data such as "THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER" UCSC RECITAL HALL MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 8 PM with Robert Colter, Chad Davies, Akwia Knipe, Krystinne Mica, Marc A. Nicholson, LeAnne Ravinale, Nathaniel Robinson, Linda Turner and featuring Bettina Aptheker as Beth Loffreda and Wilma Marcus as Judy Shepard.

CAPITOLA CITY MUSEUM FUN FUND RAISER. C. Swift tells us, "Vann Slatter of Hunter Hill Winery and Michael Clark of Michael's on Main approached the museum last spring and announced plans to do a fundraiser for us. This has never happened before, so we were speechless with joy. The event is a benefit auction on Sunday Oct. 4 from 1-5 p.m. at Michael's on Main. There'll be appetizers, wine, music, and both live and silent auction. Tickets are $25 in advance or at the door. Come by and enjoy the afternoon with us. It should be a perfect October-festive day.

THE FLYING KARAMAZOV BROTHERS & TOM NODDY SHOW.

The benefit will take place on October 24, 2009 at the Catalyst at 7:30PM.  A continuing experiment in comedy, theatre, music and juggling; a blend of the worlds of performance art, improvisation, and virtuosity into a unique form of theatre will be presented by the world famous The Flying Karamazov Brothers and Tom Noddy performing bubble  magic – no illusion, real magic. It's a benefit for the Dominican Gang Tattoo Removal Program.  Please help them make this a successful event, support our community, and help our youth!  Seating is limited.  $45 general admission.  $75 preferred seating.  Purchase tickets online at www.catalystclub.com 

MORE W.C. FIELDS...THE ULTIMATE SHOWMAN

UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at  WWW.KZSC.ORG. Next Tuesday October 6th Assemblyman Bill Monning will be my guest for the first half then Sandy Lydon will describe what's happening with the Nisene Marks Earthquake Celebration. Maya Barsacq will appear on the October 13th Grapevine telling us about the newly named Cadenza orchestra and on October 20 Michelle Fitzsimmons and Carley Stavis the editors in chief of City on A Hill will talk about this seasons paper and Juliana Rebagliati will talk about being our Santa Cruz City Director of Planning. October 27 will be the KZSC Pledge Drive and once again County Supervisor John Leopold will be present to help celebrate. Tandy Beal will talk about her re-creation of Mixed Nutz on November 3rd...either tune in or stay tuned.

QUOTES. "It is a good thing for the uneducated man to read books of quotations..."Winston Churchill. "Ho Chi Minh said that all people are good, only governments are bad...No...All quotations are good, only people are bad", Susan Sontag. "Take what you can use and let the rest go by", Ken Kesey.

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Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.

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