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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LA BAHIA CASE IN COURT. So Friday Judge Paul Burdick held forth on what, when and how and maybe even IF Barry Swenson's & Charlie Canfield's Seaside Corporation La Bahia development would proceed. Quite an audience from my perspective. Half historical preservationists and environmentalists, City attorney John Barisone and most of the Santa Cruz City Council sat in rapt attention. Cynthia Mathews who has supported the destruction of historic La Bahia from the beginning was in the back row. Lynn Robinson who also supports 100% leveling and representing The Seaside Corporation was there to report results to her husband the CEO of The California Attraction and Parks Association. Katherine Beiers was there too. Then all of a sudden Mike Rotkin just as he was leaving the courtroom passed a note to Swenson/Canfield's attorney just before he left. Many wondered if the note was to remind Swenson about his contribution to David Terrazas' campaign, but we won't know until campaign contributions are listed. The results were mixed and no decision was reached but it is a shame to see our City Council once again going against the people who elected them.
LA BAHIA COURT SESSION OPINION. I asked Don Webber of Build A Better La Bahia group who has been very involved for his opinion of last Friday's court session with Burdick. He writes to say,
"Judge Burdick's tentative ruling, assuming that it is made final on March 19, is a victory for people who believe in maintaining the integrity of the environmental review process that state law imposes on local governments.
When the legislature passed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), they created an environmental review process that requires local governments to identify and attempt to mitigate the environmental damage that development implies. Where mitigation attempts fail, CEQA requires local governments to identify and consider alternative projects that lessen environmental damage.
Last May a group of local residents (Build a Better La Bahia) challenged the City's environmental review of the La Bahia Hotel project, specifically alleging that the City Council did not adequately consider alternative projects that would lessen the environmental damage caused by the near complete demolition of the landmark La Bahia Apartments. Judge Burdick's tentative ruling confirms that proposition.
It's premature to comment further until a final ruling is issued. The developer and/or the City could appeal the final ruling if they feel hard done by. But it appears more likely that if the Court does order the City to consider an alternative project that preserves a significant portion of the landmark then the developer may have to reconsider its design, and the City its approval of the Swenson Plan granted last April.
On a parallel track, the changes that the City made to the Santa Cruz Local Coastal Program to accommodate the Swenson Plan require the approval of the California Coastal Commission. The Commission is likely to hear that matter later this year, perhaps in May, perhaps July. Here too, the City's actions are subject to challenge on the ground that they violate state law, namely the standards and policies enunciated in the California Coastal Act.
The Coastal Act requires protection of scenic and visual qualities of coastal areas as a resource of public importance. New development must be sited and designed to protect views to and along the ocean and scenic coastal areas. Development must also minimize land-form alteration and be compatible with the character of its surroundings. In highly scenic areas, new development is required to be subordinate to its setting. The Coastal Act also specifically protects the character of special coastal communities that may have unique characteristics or are popular visitor destination points.
It's no secret that local governments are under increasing pressure to permit developments that promise economic benefits. But it is equally clear that both the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act impose procedures, standards, and policies that local governments must follow regarding the adverse environmental effects of proposed development.
I suspect that the members of the Coastal Commission, like Judge Burdick, will take their responsibilities to enforce statewide environmental standards seriously. Maybe, after these important state actors have had their say, we can finally achieve a development at La Bahia that serves the wider Santa Cruz community". (end of Don Webber's opinion).
TOO MUCH LUIS ALEJO? Susan Martinez and Fred Geiger's letter in Good Times raised some issues and much talk around town...here it is.
"We found your recent interview (GT 2/4) with new Watsonville Mayor and State Assembly hopeful Luis Alejo both interesting and revealing. Alejo appears to be a sincere, intelligent and academically accomplished young man. He mentions policy issues of importance to himself as being jobs, blight, violence and water availability (for agricultural jobs) in your article.
What seems revealing to us is what he fails to mention. What about environmental awareness and quality of life issues? Frequently with people who were born or raised here – such as Luis – we detect a lack of appreciation for the value of what exists here. They often fail to compare the landscape to the massive areas of urban sprawl that many of us were lucky enough to escape from.
What about smart growth, smaller houses (houses have twice as many square feet per person now versus 50 years ago), more efficient use of resources, alternative energy, smaller families, advanced transportation, etc? What about the fact that the population of Santa Cruz has doubled and that of Watsonville has tripled in the last 40 years? Would Mr. Alejo be comfortable with seeing that pattern repeated in the next forty years? Would he support growth plans for UCSC that existed in the late '60s for a student body of more than 30,000 plus 15,000 staff and faculty jobs as well as their family members that would come to the area? Would he support other plans that would have allowed for the straightening of Highway 17, widening it to six lanes with spurs through Boulder Creek and down to Davenport and allowing Wilder Ranch housing for 10,000 or more additional homes as well as a PG&E nuclear power plant UPWIND from the populated areas of Santa Cruz County? Perhaps the jobs created by a 17-story hotel and 6,000-seat convention center proposed for Lighthouse Field in the early '70s would be acceptable to him. Would he agree with those who want to add more and ever more lanes to the freeways, or would he seek a more sustainable answer to our transportation needs?
Alejo would do himself and all of us a favor to consult with Assembly member Bill Monning, who represents the district adjacent to the one Alejo hopes to serve. Monning has an excellent record on the issues Alejo mentioned as well as having put in much effort with legal representation for farmworkers and other progressive causes. However, Monning also has proven himself to be a leader on environmental issues; in fact, he is one of only two state legislators to receive a 100 percent on his voting record by the Sierra Club.
Hopefully Alejo will get clued in and receive some much needed awareness as a result of exposure to such consciousness. Otherwise, let's hope for a strong Green Party candidate for the Assembly race in Alejo's district!
Fred J. Geiger, Susan Martinez, Santa Cruz
PATTON'S PROGRAM. Gary is still on vacation...rumors have it that he'll be back in the middle of next week....we'll see.
(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. Scroll down to catch up on Tim's concept of Sean Hannity's view of the world.
LANDAU'S PROGRES. Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes write a piece titled "Defense Elephant In America's Living Room" in this week's Progreso. They close with "President Obama's Defense (with other military allocations) is almost $1.5 trillion budget, the highest in world history. Try to think of how to spend $4,100 per second!" As usual, check it out in Progreso Weekly
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
LISA JENSEN LINKS. This week in Lisa Jensen's Pirate Novel Runaways: A Novel of Jonkanoo: In Chapter 8: "The Infernal Hole" (Lord Nelson's pet name for the British naval base at English Harbour, Antigua), Jack defends his virtue—such as it is— against the lusty Widow Harvey, Tory saves him from a fate worse than death, and Jack makes a promise he hopes he can keep. Link for Chapter 8 http://runaways-jonkanoo.blogspot.com . To start at the beginning Click here http://runaways-jonkanoo.blogspot.com/2010_01_03_archive.html
Lisa Jensen has been writing film reviews and a column for Good Times since 1975.
WATERS WEIGHS IN. Christina talks up some art shows, food shops on the horizon and probably a bottle of wine or two, all that plus more at http://christinawaters.com.
FILM CRITICS AT THE NICK DAY.(repeated) I've lost track of how many years Wallace Baine, Lisa Jensen, Morton Marcus and I have done the critics picks of the OSCARS at the Nick. Morton went to cinema heaven now but Lisa, Wallace and I will hold forth again this Sunday, February 28 at 11am at The Nick to share which films we think are the best films released last year regardless of any nominations. Then we and the audience will try to pick which of the Academy nominated flicks deserve the Oscar and which ones will get those gold plated booby prizes. It's free and we love to hear what your opinions are about the 2009 films....which was a pretty good year. (My opinion).
LISA JENSENS TOP TEN.
UP
JULIE & JULIA
BROKEN EMBRACES (LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS)
PRECIOUS
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
BRIGHT STAR
SIN NOMBRE
THE BOYS ARE BACK
MOSCOW, BELGIUM
SÉRAPHINE
WALLACE BAINE'S TOP TEN
1) 'Away We Go'
2) 'Sin Nombre'
3) 'The Hurt Locker'
4) '(500) Days of Summer'
5) 'Precious'
6) 'In the Loop'
7) 'Food, Inc.'
8) 'Adventureland'
9) 'The Hangover'
10) 'A Serious Man'
BRUCE BRATTONS TOP ELEVEN
District 9
Broken Embraces
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
A Single Man
The White Ribbon
Anti Christ
Wendy and Lucy
Goodbye Solo
Police Adjective
That's it get to the Nick early. It's free and good fun too. My very long standing advice is that you should pick which critics best 10 list reflects your taste and stick with it. That goes for the New Yorker, Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert, everybody. See you Sunday.
SELECTED SHORTS, ACADEMY STYLE. There's no excuse for missing all the 2009 Academy Award nominated Animated and Live Action shorts. The Del Mar will begin screening them this Friday in two separate programs. They'll run all day as per usual for about a week. Critics have said that this years shorts are serious, dark and full of messages so what's not to like? Go to the Nickelodeon website to get all the titles and times, or click on "coming soon".
SHUTTER ISLAND. Martin Scorsese always seems to be the most important director in the world, and I'm exactly sure why. Raging Bull was 30 years ago and Taxi Driver was older than that. Does anybody count Gangs of N.Y. or The Aviator as great films? With Shutter Island he took Max Von Sydow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo Michelle Williams and Ben Kingsley and made this weird, extra dark cliché of horror films, that has absolutely no sense of reverence or fun such as Wolfman has so much of. It's beautifully photographed, perfectly acted for the necessary style. It could have been excellent instead it's just sort of fun to watch. If money is tight for you renting it would certainly be an option.
POLICE, ADJECTIVE. As you must have figured by now if you've read any of my film critiques I love and respect any and all innovations that move the language of film forward. Police, Adjective does that. It tells the story in almost real time. When the characters sit and wait for something we wait too. Slow but realistically paced, it reaches heights of patience and reality rarely achieved in movies. The conclusion is reached beautifully, the lesson is learned by the audience and reality slaps us right in the face. Go see it. And hurry it probably won't be here long.
CREATION... The excellent Darwin film starring Paul Bettany has been causing all sorts of discussions. For example our local surfers are not examples of how humans are going backward in evolution. Yes some surfers are growing fins and have trouble walking upright but that's not always true. There are probably exceptions.
SOMERS TOWN. Another gem of a film uncovered, and mostly not distributed in the USA. This 2009 film is from Shane Meadows who directed This Is England. Somers Town is a little talked about neighborhood near St. Pancras Station.(Near that huge Victorian train station for you London habitués). A little lighter than This Is England it's still a dark, and thoughtful and brilliant film. Cedar Street Video has it.
FISH TANK. Like Somers Town, This Is England and films by Ken Loach this deals with life in England's lower classes. Sensitive angles on sex and coming of age and poverty are hit hard in Fish Tank. A white version of Precious you might say. Or a lower class version of An Education works here too. Go see it, it's fine film making.
EL TEATRO CAMPESINO JOINS SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE. El Teatro Campesino's production of the classic comedies Los Olivos Pits and Los Vendidos are grand, exciting, inventive, fun and moving performances. If you love good live theatre with meaning go see these plays running just two weeks only through next Sunday February 28th. Opening night was a perfect blend of Ron G. Davis original San Francisco Mime Troupe's raucous, biting political humor and Luis Valdez unique El Teatro music plus ethnic barbs. The Teatro in San Juan Bautista was packed, folks howled, stomped the floor, sang along, booed the villain, and got every message that was intended. Call 831.623.2444 for tickets or go to http://www.elteatrocampesino.com
LIVE THEATRE ACTING AUDITIONS. El Teatro Campesino Holds Open Auditions on Feb. 27. The world renowned political theater group is holding open auditions for people interested in working with El Teatro Campesino. El Teatro Campesino was founded in 1965 by American Playwright, Luis Valdez, and will be celebrating its 45th year this year with a number of exciting productions. The theater company is looking for actors, singers, musicians, dancers as well as technical staff. Internship opportunities are also available. If you have a passion to work in hands-on professional theater, then El Teatro Campesino wants to meet you. Shows that are scheduled for the 2010 season are 'Corridos!!! Tales of the Mexican Revolution', 'A Workshop Production of The Popol Vuh', 'El Fin del Mundo' and 'La Virgen del Tepeyac'. There are also other opportunities to work on other projects that ETC is in collaboration with and as well as our educational theater program. If you have passion and desire to immerse your self in art and theater, we want to meet you! Auditions will be held on Feb. 27 from 11am to 3pm. You should be prepared with a monologue, a song and be prepared to move. If you are interested in technical aspects or volunteering for our internship program please feel free to stop by as well. El Teatro Campesino Playhouse is located at 705 Fourth St. in San Juan Bautista. For information call Stephanie at 831.261.4838 or email stephanie@elteatrocampesino.com
CABRILHO AUDITIONS. Cabrilho College named after the famed Portuguese navigator Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho will hold Open Casting Call for 2010 Season March 6th and 7th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This summer Cabrilho Stage will produce two musical favorites, Swing! June 24 to July 18, and Cabaret, July 22 to August 15, both in the Cabrilho Crocker Theater. Auditions will take place at the Cabrilho Crocker Theater on Saturday and Sunday, March 6th and 7th. You must attend both the vocal and dance audition calls on either day. Vocal call is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dance call from 3 p.m. 6 p.m., on both Saturday and Sunday. Auditions are on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring sheet music in your key; accompanist will be provided. That's thirty-two bars or 1 minute cutoff time, with a stylistically appropriate tune. A cappella or taped accompaniment is not acceptable. A dramatic or character monologue no more then 1 minute long may be requested. Dress appropriately for dance auditions. AEA Considered.
That's at the new Cabrilho Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA. Information: www.cabrillostage.com or 831-479-6429
(for details on Joao R. Cabrilho see Wikipedia
Rekindling the Spirit of the Age of Enlightenment Concerts.. The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series presents two separate all Mozart Symphonic Concerts entitled Rekindling the Spirit of the Age of Enlightenment. They feature Violinist Laura Albers, Pianist John Orlando, Soprano Michele Rivard, Baritone Kittanant Chinsamran with The San Francisco Sinfonietta Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Urs Leonhardt Steiner.
Program I Saturday, February 27 at 8 pm features Overture to Don Giovanni, the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Minor, K.466, Exultate Julilate sung by soprano Michele Rivard, and the Prague Symphony
Program II Sunday, February 28 at 2 pm has Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D Major, the Prague Symphony, popular arias and duets and Violin Concerto, No. 4.
There will be a Pre-concert talk by music historian Don Adkins one hour prior to each performance at the Cabrilho College Music Recital Hall i.e. VAPA 5001.
Tickets are available at www.ticketguys.com or 831-656-9507 until 6 pm day of concert (12 noon on February 28). The box office at the recital hall will open an hour and a half before each performance. However, they request that you purchase your tickets in advance and arrive early. More information at www.distinguishedartists.org
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( live only ) at WWW.KZSC.ORG. Coastal Commissioner and County Supervisor Mark Stone will lead off on February 23 telling us about how the Coastal Commission works. He'll be followed by UCSC's Don Williams telling us all about The Rainbow Theatre productions and events. Music Director John Larry Granger will reveal inner details on the Santa Cruz County Symphony's March 27th concert on the March 2nd program. Then David Stearn and Jennifer Laroque will explain their UCSC Campus work centering on growth and the water problem. Sandy Lydon and I will co-host the March Pledge Drive on March 9th. Shelley Phillips from the Community Music School will talk about their next production on March 16th Please remember that any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome, so tune in and keep listening.
QUOTES. "Nothing would please the Kremlin more than to have this country choose a second–rate president", Richard M. Nixon 1952. "There are as many Communists in the Freedom movement as there are Eskimos in Florida", Martin Luther King. "Martin Luther King is the most notorious liar in the country", J. Edgar Hoover. "J.Edgar Hoover is a faggot", H. Rap Brown.
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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ONION HUMOR ABOUT GAYS IN MILITARY...
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UCSC FLIER ABOUT CAMPUS GROWTH TO BE DISTRIBUTED. Student interns from the Community Water Coalition have created a brilliant flier that will be distributed around campus. All City residents, and especially City Council candidates and members should be forced to memorize it...it says
Make UCSC Better, Not Bigger: Size Doesn't ALWAYS Matter
The proposed North Campus Expansion is a BAD idea for a number of reasons:
•More Traffic & a Hotter Planet! An estimated 2,000 additional cars will be driving in and around the campus increasing gridlock, noise pollution, & Green House Gas emissions.
•Thirsty Slugs: California is in the midst of its 3rd consecutive drought year and the proposed expansion will require upwards of 150,000,000 gallons of H20 per year, significantly exacerbating an already tenuous water situation.
•Unemployed? You're likely to stay that way if UCSC increases enrollment by 4,500. Santa Cruz has an unemployment rate over 12%, well above the national average, and the few positions available to college students will be much harder to get with that many more job seekers in town.
•Sustainable? No! UCSC is the largest campus in the 10-campus UC system yet 374 acres of pristine old growth redwood forests will need to be paved over to make room for the new development. Instead, UCSC should lead the smart growth revolution and develop within its current boundaries.
On next Friday, February 19, at 1:30 in the afternoon, the matter of Build a Better La Bahia vs. City of Santa Cruz will be heard by Judge Paul Burdick in Department 2 of Superior Court for Santa Cruz County. These hearings are open to the public, so if you're interested in seeing the La Bahia developed in concert with our community's longstanding commitment to environmental protection and preservation of cultural resources, you may want to attend.
This issue is just one of many that have been taken to the courts by Santa Cruz City and County residents as their only recourse against public agencies and elected officials that seem to be hell bent on opposing what their constituents want. The majority of their constituents, that is.
Along with the above mentioned petition, here a few more lawsuits that are working their way through the legal system:
- Citizens group (Campaign for Sensible Transportation) vs. Caltrans (Highway expansion issue)
- Neighborhood Group (Seacliff Homeowners) vs. the County (County rezoning to high density housing in residential neighborhood)
- Farm Bureau vs. County (County rezoning prime agricultural land for high density housing.
- Neighborhood Group (Aptos area) vs. the County (rezoning to high density housing in riparian area)
There may be other lawsuits, but these are sure good examples of government taking the easy way out by approving unpopular development. However, all is not bad news regarding lawsuits. It looks like the County is going to stand up against the Alimur Mobile Home Park owner who is trying to kill off rent control here, and set the precedent for the same throughout the county.
(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
LA BAHIA, MORE. Don Webber of "Build A Better La Bahia Coalition" adds to Elerick's information, "You will recall that this action was brought last May after the Santa Cruz City Council approved the demolition of the La Bahia Apartments, a protected landmark, without considering any feasible alternative that might have saved a significant portion of this cultural resource. We believe the City's failure to consider such an alternative to be a violation of the California Environmental Quality Act, and we filed a Petition, in the public interest, asking the court to order the City to undertake a new analysis that would consider such an alternative. If you are interested in exploring our legal position further, I have attached our final reply brief in the case. The hearing next Friday will not have testimony by witnesses or other evidence submitted. It will consist only of the arguments by attorneys for and against the issuance of such a writ". end of Webber's information.
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Don't miss this unique Mafia-Godfather take-off on Pepsi
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WEREWOLF NEWS. Folks are talking more about werewolves due to the screening of the excellent Wolfman film starring Benicio Del Toro. Here's a little of what Wikipedia says about werewolves..."Werewolves were said to bear physical tell-tale traits in European folklore. These included the meeting of both eyebrows at the bridge of the nose, curved fingernails, low set ears and a swinging stride. One method of identifying a werewolf in its human form was to cut the flesh of the accused, under the pretense that fur would be seen within the wound. A Russian superstition recalls a werewolf can be recognised by bristles under the tongue.[6] The appearance of a werewolf in its animal form varies from culture to culture, though they are most commonly portrayed as being indistinguishable from ordinary wolves save for the fact that they have no tail (a trait thought characteristic of witches in animal form), and that they retain human eyes and voice. After returning to their human forms, werewolves are usually documented as becoming weak, debilitated and undergoing painful nervous depression.[6] Many historical werewolves were written to have suffered severe melancholia and manic depression, being bitterly conscious of their crimes.[6]
It's quite possible that there are werewolves attending many Penny University meetings every Monday at 5 p.m. at The Calvary Episcopal Church across from the Nickelodeon.
PATTON'S PROGRAM. Gary's on vacation, his broadcasts and these printed versions will resume when he does.
(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 Eagan, ever the dreamer, illustrates one view of our political future...it didn't help Japan much but scroll down anyways...
LANDAU'S PROGRES. Saul Landau's weekly Progreso article is titled "Decline Of Decency" It leads with, "In a striking admission from the Obama Administration's top intelligence officer, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair announced Wednesday that the United States may target its own citizens abroad for death if it believes they are associated with terrorist groups."(Feb 4, 2010) We face a multi trillion dollar deficit derived to fund two ongoing wars of dubious legality against unconquerable nations and still, U.S. school kids learn we are a nation "of laws not men." "Conservatives" refer reverently to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, but where in that Document does a President derive authority to order assassinations? Must the Constitution adapt to wars against terror and communism? Like the contemporary conflict with "terror" the Cold War (1946-91) required our Commander in Chief to use "extrajudicial procedures: the CIA executed "enemies" without judicial process. Read the rest here
Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
WATERS WEIGHS IN. Post-Valentine's Day Christina reviews "The White Ribbon", recommends a cheap-o wine, tells about India Joze's newest plans and suggests a few tasteful activities. All at http://christinawaters.com
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APPROPOS OF NOTHING. Except this clip is devastatingly clever LIKE...SHOPPING IS HELL
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MY FAVORITE 2009 FILMS. Forgetting Oscars, Globes, Indies and numerous nomination groups these are my favorite films from 2009. They aren't in any order because it took me way too long to even narrow down a list of 10. District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, A Single Man, Up In The Air, The White Ribbon, Anti Christ, Wendy and Lucy. I would also add Goodbye Solo, Paranormal Activity, Police Adjective, The Messenger, and Amreeka.
THE WOLFMAN. I absolutely loved this film....absolutely, absolutely. It is such a pure tribute to the original Universal thriller that I almost cried the sincerity and integrity of some of the scenes. Folks talk about going to just going to movies just to be entertained, Wolfman really, really entertained me. Benicio Del Toro equaled Lon Chaney Jr and with Anthony Hopkins as father werewolf it was perfect paring. The original scarred us all and to create the same degree of fright director Joe Johnston pulled out the plugs on extra gore and goo. Emily Blunt as the fatal femme makes it more fun and the photography adds just the right amount of either camp or perfection. Go especially if you miss the fun of those classic 30's and 40's horror films.
CREATION. Paul Bettany plays Charles Darwin and Jennifer Connelly plays his wife and this film is well worth seeing. It flashes through three periods of time in Darwin's life before he published his book. His wife was Christian and that caused many problems. It's not a great film and it's on a par with The Last Station covering Tolstoy's last period of life. Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, and Paul Giamatti all do magnificent jobs of acting and are nominated for you know what.
ATTENTION SECULAR HUMANISTS. Check this out in case of argument. "Top 100 Stories of 2009 #43: Five Big Additions to Darwin's Theory of Evolution; He had the main idea right, but in the past 150 years, scientists have filled out a lot more of the picture."
VALENTINES DAY. One online critic compared this vapid comedy to a colonoscopy!! I'd agree except that a colonoscopy usually does have a purpose. An unbelievable cast in size and fame including Julia Roberts, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx , and Jennifer Garner are completely wasted in this flop. Be warned and stay that way.
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS. I rarely walk out from a film early but this miserable Harry Potter rip-off is really bad, and I left about 20 minutes after watching cheap effects, bad acting, and a plot more senseless than words can convey.
ANOTHER SECRET FILM. Two or three years of studying Asian films in Earl Jackson's UCSC classes showed me a lot. Check out Young –Seok Noh's 2009 comedy Daytime Drinking. Not just original and very funny but you get to see much of Korea not usually seen. I got my copy at Cedar Street Video.
LISA JENSEN, LINKS TO. Lisa Jensen has been reviewing film for Good Times almost since it began in 1975. And an online link to her 30 years of weekly film reviews is http://www.lisajensenonline.com . But here's what else she does in her words..
"In 2001, my swashbuckling historical novel, The Witch From The Sea was published—to gratifying acclaim from the select and intrepid few who were able to find a copy and took it to their hearts. Witch was the fist book in a trilogy, but my small, independent publisher has since dropped its fiction line, and my series was marooned.
However, as a big thank-you to all the readers who have written to me over the years, I am serializing the second book in the trilogy online. Runaways: A Novel of Jonkanoo is now up and running...to summarize so far; RUNAWAYS: A NOVEL OF JONKANOO: Freedom is a luxury in the British Leeward Islands of the West Indies in 1825. Hoping to outrun their pirate past, mixed-blood American Tory Lightfoot and her English lover, Jack, take up the precarious life of street performers, learning to navigate the tensions between landowners, slaves, and free people of color. When Tory finds herself trapped in a web of enslavement worse than any she has ever imagined, regaining her freedom and protecting the man she loves will take the performance of a lifetime. Go to the current chapter of The Runaways homepage
To begin with Chapter 1, go here.
I post a new chapter every Wednesday morning, and each previous chapter is available in the archive in descending order, according to date. There is no charge to view Runaways. Chapters 1 thru 6 are now online. Anyone can view content on Blogspot, but to post a comment or become a follower, you may have to register and sign in with a Google account. (Don't worry, it's free; you need only provide a User Name and a password.)
An author's primary goal in life is to get her work read by people who appreciate it. This experiment in guerrilla storytelling is undertaken with sincere thanks to all the readers of Witch who want to know what happens next. For those who would rather not register, I welcome all comments sent to me offsite at lisajensen@sbcglobal.net ". You'll find a weekly link to Lisa's current chapters' right here every week.
HOSTETTERS HOT STUFF. As usual Paul Hostetter's and my deadlines are 2.8 degrees out of sync. But his area performing arts, cultural event coverage is unequaled anywhere. As he says, (after my editing) "Hi folks - - Marc Silber gets down at Strings in Emeryville on Wednesday the 17th. City Folk shimmer at the freight on Thursday, Felton on Friday, and Pacific Grove on Saturday...Moving ahead to the next weekend:
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill at the Freight on Saturday the 20th and Kuumbwa the next night. And with a special note- The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival rolls out Shakespeare's London on Saturday the 20th. The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band at Schlim's in SF on Saturday the 20th After the 20th (you'll have to make some choices) we can look forward to Väsen in various iterations, and not that much farther down the line: The amazing Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, in Santa Cruz and in SF. Details, as usual, are here...all the best. pH.
BLACK WAVE THE LEGACY OF EXXON-VALDEZ. Learn the story behind the disastrous oil spill - while Exxon profits have soared, the citizens of Alaska still struggle with the environmental and economic damage to their community. If you thought our elections were for sale before the Supreme Court decision, the gloves are now off. Every issue we work on... the environment, peace, justice, civil rights, women's rights, reproductive rights, gay rights, prison reform, immigration reform, big-agriculture issues, food security, clean water security and access, and so many more will meet more opposition and more high priced opposition than ever before. This extreme decision is already rallying folks around the cause of democracy. The Campaign to Legalize Democracy [www.MoveToAmend.org] is organizing to demand a constitutional amendment that abolishes corporate personhood, which is what gave corporations the fiction of 'personhood' in the first place. One of the founders of MoveToAmend is Riki Ott, marine biologist from Cordova, Alaska, who lived through the oil spill and helped organize her community's response. Join the WILPF Corporations v Democracy committee on 7pm February 27 Live Oak Grange 1900 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz to see Riki's 90 minute video: Co-sponsored by: Santa Cruz WILPF, Live Oak Grange, Santa Cruz chapter of The Sierra Club. Free, open to all, refreshments provided.
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. On February 16th film critic and author Lisa Jensen will talk about her most and least favorite films and then Allie Wilson and Beth Gummere from the Santa Cruz Film Festival will discuss this years Fest. Coastal Commissioner and County Supervisor Mark Stone will lead off on February 23 followed by UCSC's Don Williams telling us all about The Rainbow Theatre productions and events. Music Director John Larry Granger will reveal inner details on the Santa Cruz County Symphony's March 27th concert on the March 2nd program. Sandy Lydon and I will co-host the March Pledge Drive on March 9th. Shelley Phillips from the Community Music School will talk about their next production on March 16th Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.
QUOTES. "A terrible thing happened to me last night again----nothing", Phyllis Diller. "Love is just a dirty trick played on us to achieve the continuation of the species", Somerset Maugham. "I sold the memoirs of my sex life to a publisher---they are going to make a board game out of it", 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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GOODBYE DICK WILSON. Rumors are zooming all around our City Hall about who's going to be City manager Dick Wilson's replacement. Martine Bernal's name is usually the first guess, but lots of doubts on that one. Then Bill Kocher's name gets some "well just maybe" reactions. Then there's some action about Laura Brown who is general manager of the Soquel Creek Water District., and was former Assistant Manager for our City but the real interest is in how could we ever attract former planning director Greg Larson back to the job? He still lives here. Would he even take it, do we have enough money to top what he makes over the hill? The big problem here is of course the huge amount of control Dick Wilson has over the City Council. Wilson has run this City for decades...and any honest/open councilperson knows and will admit that. Council people have tons of work to do, little amounts of time to do it, and rely on Wilson to make their decisions for them. Nothing too crooked or slimy here, it's just that over the years we have allowed one person to create an enormous amount of power. We could of course do away with the City Manager position like many, many other California Cities have done, but none of our present City Council would dare suggest such a thing.
WALLACE SHAWN READS HOWARD ZINN. | click to open on the right, click again to close >>>
What more can be said about Howard Zinn...if you ever read him or saw him you know what his death means to all of us. Wallace Shawn reads some Zinn...and Zinn is there too!
"IT'S ONLY $1.50" OR HOW LITTLE MAGGIE SUNSHINE IVY'S CVC WANTS TO STEAL OUR GENERAL FUND PUBLIC MONEY.
Maggie Ivy with lots of help from her cheerleader Cynthia Mathews and a wimpy City Council wants to assess NOT TAX just $1.50 per room stay on our tourists. By stopping an increase of our T.O.T tax Maggie would be stealing this money from our general fund. That means that the tax money that now goes to our streets, police, fire, and city support system would go instead to Maggie Ivy's special interest group the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council (CVC) to advertise the Boardwalk and Roaring Camp. That's got to wake someone up. Spending money to bring tourists here and not spending that money to make this a better place to visit (and live?). If you ever talk to your City Council people ask them to hold a public hearing on CVC funding. Remember the CVC profits from the tourists but does not contribute to the upkeep of our city. Speaking of questions ask your councilperson to did deeper into that B.S. figure of "for every $1 spent on tourists we get $9 back" who dreamt that one up and who has ever seen proof ? We need a re-evaluation of the role the CVC plays around here and why should we support private businesses when we don't have the money to take care of all our very desperate non profit agencies?
VETS HALL, BEHIND THE SCENES. Something didn't seem right in the rapid way the county shut down the Vet's hall two weeks ago. California Counties all over the state have been shutting Vets Halls down, tearing them down and of course because they are in such valuable locations, building more profitable buildings in their wake. Murmurings about Tim Brattan's (different spelling different family) insensitive management have been circulating for years. And although no one ever mentions it, just where does the rental money for and from the Building go? I asked old friend Harry Meserve longtime Veterans Association Board member, former Chair of their Board of Trustees, and current Chaplain of the Bill Motto Post for his and his comrades reactions...Meserve wrote...
1. Paul Cox, a member of the Post and also a certified structural engineer, while the county engineers were not, did an inspection with county engineers (as reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel). His report (a formal engineering report with graphs, etc.) will show that the damage identified is real, but not sufficient to abruptly close the building. And not even allowing time for the vet groups to get their stuff out before locking the doors. It is the kind of damage old buildings sustain due to wear and tear. As Paul says, "its deferred maintenance, the kind of thing the county has NOT been doing all along in the vets building. The general impression is that the stage in the Auditorium (or at worst, the auditorium itself) might have to be closed for repair. What is really needed is retrofitting.
2. The way in which this "crisis" was handled is indicative of the management of the vets building, going back at least two decades. The needs of veterans and their organizations are given second place to the bureaucratic needs of the county or the schemes of the management of the building to "work around" veterans and use the building for other purposes than the ones that it was originally built for. The present manager (not the Board of Trustees - an independent body that manages the building) - Tim Brattan sees it as a cash cow that can produce profits (albeit modest profits) and the veterans as a factor that can be ignored or manipulated to achieve that goal.
My personal experience with this is as onetime chair of the building Board of Trustees and active in the Bill Motto post for 20 years. I've experienced that the county Parks, Open Space, and Cultural Services (POSCS) the division of the county that runs parks, etc. and has responsibility for the vets building, has always had a hard time getting around its own bureaucracy and working with the veterans themselves (their organizations) in order to produce a cooperative spirit to govern the use of the building. There is a court order handed down by the late Judge Black (in 1994 I think) that directs how the building is to be managed, specifies veteran preference for use of the building, etc., but it has been largely ignored by Brattan, the present manager.
It would have made a lot more sense to note the damage, make as assessment of its importance, and meet with the veterans to figure out how best to go forward. Would the county have done anything like this ordered closure (in a matter of days) with any other entity - especially commercial entities - in the area?
3. There is a suspicion, based on the way the closure has been done and a long history of dishonest interaction with veterans and their groups that there are other motivations. First, we are making attempts to put Judge Black's order back on the table in negotiating with the county on how to manage the building. Second, many counties in the state have, over the years, closed veterans buildings or allowed them to fall into disrepair, or turned them into commercial establishments, which can fit into redevelopment plans or other "revivals" of downtowns (where most of the buildings exist). For a long history of conflict and city/county pressures against veterans and their organizations, you can look no farther than San Francisco.
Once the veteran organizations are out of the building and repairs are delayed (perhaps forever) due to money problems, what then happens to the building and its original purpose? If the Cox report shows that the damage is not as extensive as the county would have us believe, will the county even consider revisiting its actions?
4. Generally, of course, the struggle to keep the vets building for veteran use AND for community use is an important one. Fully 30% of homeless folks are veterans and the hard times that veterans of the first and second Iraq Wars and the Afghanistan War are well known. There is no indication that we will not have more wars like these in the future. Where will be the place that these women and men can go to get help and find understanding and camaraderie?
5. The Bill Motto Post would like to see an honest appraisal of the damage by the county (full consideration of the Cox report) and a cooperative attitude toward working with the vets (the United Veterans Council) to find ways to take care of whatever problems are found. This and a reestablishment of responsible building management can both be accomplished if the problems are approached in the proper cooperative spirit".(end of Meserve' s email)
THE WORLD'S MOST GENERIC NEW REPORT | click to open on the right, click again to close >>>
NEWSWIPE LONDON i.e. BBC. If you have the same problems with super produced and commercial news reports...then Kate Minott should win another award for sending this clip...
Still more on that Aptos Village Plan Update.
There are still questions to be answered before the new Aptos Village Plan Update moves ahead. For those interested in what could happen here, the County Planning Commission will be considering these revisions on Wednesday, February 10th in the County Supervisors Chambers at 9:00 A.M. I still think it's headed in the right direction, but people need to pay attention.
Not mentioned in previous comments on the AVP Update, is the proposed elimination of one-way streets, and the use of energy efficient building practices. Will these changes make the final cut? The original plan did NOT mention water as a key feature of the plan. The AVP Update requires compliance with Soquel Creek Water District restrictions on new water service: Reduction of current demand by 1.2 gallons for each gallon of new water demand or future restrictions that may be adopted by Santa Cruz Water District (SCWD).
No traffic study was included in the existing AVP. The AVP Update requires that recommendations of a 2009 Traffic Study be implemented, that are supposed to improve Level of Service from D to C at Soquel Drive and Trout Gulch Road and improve Level Of Service from E to C at Soquel Drive and Aptos Creek Road. These improvements are mostly traffic signals which should be in place now. There may be more signals needed, and this should be brought to the Planning Commission.
Concerns over traffic still remain. One obvious solution would be to create passenger rail service from Aptos Station to points north and south. This would make too much sense, so don't look for it to be part of any formal AVP Update. Of course one of the new streets to be built should be named after Lucille Aldrich and/or the Aptos Ladies Tuesday Evening Society. Thanks to Lucille and the ALTES, we still have an Aptos Village to build a plan around.
NO on the Governors Gas Tax Swap. The latest dirty trick from the Governor is a proposal to eliminate the sales tax on gasoline, which would essentially end funding for public transit in California. His proposal replaces the sales tax with a gallon based excise tax which could not be used for transit purposes. Unfortunately, this proposal has the support of leading Democratic Staff members, along with the usual Republican anti-tax lobby. You can help by calling State Senator Joe Simitian and Assembly member Bill Monning to urge that they STRONGLY OPPOSE any proposal that would eliminate the State sales tax on gasoline as a way of "balancing" the State budget. It's a really bad idea.
The contact information for Joe Simitian is: Sacramento Telephone: 916-651-4011
Santa Cruz Telephone: 831-425-0401
and for Bill Monning: Sacramento Telephone:916-319-2027
Santa Cruz Telephone:831-425-2570
(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).
FREDIANI'S FOREST UPDATE. All the February 2010 monthly news from the forest and wild places that Jodi Frediani can come up with is right here
PATTON'S PROGRAM. Gary's on vacation...his stuff will resume as soon as he does.
(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 digs deep into the Generational "thing" scroll down...
MOST FUNNY STAND UP COMEDY SKETCH EVER | click to open on the right, click again to close >>>
AUSTRALIAN HUMOR. Travel much??? Watch this funny travel clip.LANDAU'S PROGRES. Read Saul Landau's article titled "Really Inconvenient Truth" in Progreso where he leads off with..."In the documentary "The Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore – remember him? – warned that greenhouse gasses and other sources of hydro carbons would increase, and threaten future planetary life. After issuing this filmic challenge, Gore advised citizens to recycle and buy gas-efficient cars. Inconvenient? How about shutting down most of the factories belching smoke around the world, which contribute little to global health? Or abandoning the high rise office buildings that require heating and cooling 24/7? Read it all here Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
JOHNNY CARSON & THE EGG TRICK. If you miss Johnny Carson and are as bored with Leno, Conan, Letterman and that ilk as much as I am, watch this one...
This is how you can change the desktop picture or, as it is sometimes called, the desktop background. This procedure is for Windows XP. You will be able to select from your photos, or images that come with your computer or none at all like a solid blue background (desktop).
Begin by performing a Right click on the desktop and a "Pop Up Window" will appear that says "Display Properties" in the window title. There are five separate tabs titled: Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, and Appearance & Settings. Each tab has a different function regarding display options of your computer, but today we're only focusing on the "Desktop" tab. Properties on all the tabs are easy to change and will not affect the performance of your system. Go ahead and experiment with any tab, you can always go back to where it was. Perhaps writing down where things are before changing them would be recommended.
Select the second tab from the left, the "Desktop Tab". In this window is an icon that represents what the desktop currently looks like, and below this icon is a small window with the title "Background:" above it with a list of items to select from. There are up and down arrows to the right for scrolling the list. Click on any item in this list. After making your selection a preview appears in this window above this list. No changes have actually been made until you select the "Apply" button in the lower right corner. Try this out a for some different items on this list. Also try the very first item in this list "none" where you can set your background to a solid color.
To set the background to your personal photo select the "Browse" button to the right of the list. This is not nearly as complicated as it sounds, really.
A new window with the title "Browse" pops up, this is where to find your photos. There are three items in this window; the top one has a title "Look in" with a small icon of a folder and a name next to it and an arrow further right.
The bottom field has a title "Files of type." It probably says "Background Files" now but we want to use a photo, so change it to "All Picture Files" by selecting the arrow on the right. Now that "Files of type" = "All Picture Files" we can "look in" our "My Pictures" folder by clicking on the top field arrow and finding the "My Documents" folder which contains the My Pictures folder. Select a photo in the list. (Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and remember he does house calls, affordably. computer casey@yahoo.com
THE WHITE RIBBON. There isn't any real violence in this thought provoking saga and it's about the people and their attitudes in a small pre WW1 German Village. Director Michael Haneke who did Cache and the unforgettable(no matter how hard you try) Funny Games has a masterpiece with this one. It's all in black and white, deep, dark, mysterious and unending. It's won awards in Cannes and has several nominations coming up...go see it, especially if you're a serious movie goer.
DEAR JOHN. This piece of fluff actually overtook Avatar at the box-office last weekend. It's the same type of Hallmark- feel good nearly brainless plot as Avatar has. No depth, no meaning, just cute people. Amanda Seyfried from HBO's Big Love is fun to watch and has the lead but "Brother" was a much better film on the same Iraq veteran topic.
FROM PARIS WITH LOVE. Up until this nutso flick, John Travolta was always good and also fun to watch, but this attempt to outdo Quentin Tarantino with fun and blood and gore and goofy is a miserable film. It isn't even so bad it's good...it's just bad and should be avoided at all costs (even rental)
FILM CRITICS AT THE NICK DAY. I've lost track of how many years Wallace Baine, Lisa Jensen, Morton Marcus and I have done the critics picks of the OSCARS at the Nick. Morton went to cinema heaven now but Lisa, Wallace and I will hold forth again on Sunday, February 28 at 11am at The Nick to share which films we think deserve the Oscar and which ones will get those gold plated booby prizes. It's free and we love to hear what your opinions are about the 2009 films....which was a pretty good year. (My opinion).
DARWIN DAY CELEBRATION. Dr. Dennis A. Etler who teaches Anthropology at Cabrilho is heading a Darwin Day Celebration titled "New Research Confirms Darwin's View of Human Evolution". It's this Saturday February 13th in Calvary Episcopal Church's Fireside Room (across from The Nickelodeon) at 2 p.m. it's free and is sponsored by the Secular Humanists of Santa Cruz County. Call 338-2314 for info.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS & TALES OF LOVE. The Chamber Players featuring Lars Johannesson, Kathleen Kasdorf, Amy Brodo and Susan Bruckner will perform musics by Music by Farrenc, Karg-Elert, Ravel, Beach, Loeb, and Raum. Or as it says on their website Romance; tropical, historical and fairytale... Exotic scenes of faraway places. This program centers around the sensual and evocative Songs of Madagascar by Ravel and the lyrical, late-romantic style love songs by America's Amy Beach. Scenes of hummingbirds, an evocation to Brahma, and Sephardic melodies are united with other exotic instrumental elements to delight the senses. From the real to the imaginative, the concert culminates with Elizabeth Raum's beautiful setting and narrative of Cinderella's fairytale love story. Enjoy this musical Valentine's Day treat together with someone you love! Or just a good friend call 420-5260 for tickets. The concerts will be this Saturday Feb 13 at 8p.m. and Sunday the 14th at 3 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 10707 Soquel Drive. Google for directions the first time it can be confusing.
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. On February 9th Carol Fuller will talk about The Waddell Creek Association and Rancho del Oso in the first half hour then Taylor Simkins will discuss Fair trade coffee and the Community Agroecology Network (C.A.N.). On February 16th film critic and author Lisa Jensen will talk about her most and least favorite films and then Allie Wilson and Beth Gummere from the Santa Cruz Film Festival will discuss this years Fest. Coastal Commissioner and County Supervisor Mark Stone will lead off on February 23 followed by UCSC's Don Williams telling us all about The Rainbow Theatre productions and events. Sandy Lydon and I will co-host the March Pledge Drive on March 9th. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.
QUOTES. "You are to learn to listen to the cursed radio music of life and to reverence the spirit behind it and to laugh at its distortions", Hermann Hesse. "We are most asleep when awake", Paul Reps. "...pure, deep blue. It's the cosmic color, the color of heaven, the color of infinity. It is also the color of my eyes. And of my bedroom", Avery Cardinal (SIR Magazine Pin Up)
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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GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. I've been fighting Girl Scouts selling cookies for decades.
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Ron Sandidge sent this You Tube favorite...impossible to watch without crying but go for it....
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE. If you really want to support the Girl Scouts, just give them the money...leave the stupid cookies to rot. Better yet send the local group a check for $10 in April or May and only to be used locally.
WIKIPEDIA SAYS," Each Girl Scout council operates its own cookie sale. They set the price per box based on the local economy. The profits are divided by their own formula. Local troops get about 10-15 percent of the price paid, the council takes more than 50 percent, and the manufacturer gets the remainder. For a $4 box, the local troop will earn between 40 and 60 cents per box. The scout can earn a stuffed toy, a T-shirt or a patch for her uniform. In 1992 the Girl Scouts nationwide sold 175 million boxes of the cookies. Revenues at all levels are used to pay for events and activities for the Girl Scouts, maintenance of the council's Girl Scout camps and other properties, cookie sale incentives, and Council administration costs. Each council can provide a breakdown showing how cookie money is used in that council (this information is usually printed on the back of the Cookie Order Forms). The companies that produce the cookies get about one third of the selling price of the cookies. Girl Scout cookies are made by large national commercial bakeries under license from Girl Scouts of the USA. The bakers that the organization licenses can change from year to year, though change is not common.
In 2008 the licensed companies were Little Brownie Bakers (LBB), a subsidiary of Keebler, which is owned by Kellogg's, and ABC Bakers, a subsidiary of Interbake Food, which is owned by George Weston Limited. ABC Bakers has been making cookies for the Girl Scouts since 1939.[5]
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Alan Chadwick was the genius who brought organic gardening to UCSC. If you never met him here's a You Tube Clip...
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Girl Scout cookies are listed as having "0 trans fat per serving" and will have packaging saying Trans Fat Free. The cookies are not truly trans fat free, as various partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs, i.e., trans fats) are still listed in the ingredients. Nonetheless, they now have a sufficiently small amount per serving to comply with the government's official standards for the Trans Fat Free label. (The official rules allow the label to appear where there are fewer than 0.5 grams per serving.)
SPEAKING OF DECADES. Way back in my KGO (ABC) and KCBS (CBS) radio days we started doing programs about the positive benefits of Fluoride. Doctors, Dentists, Surgeon Generals any group that did genuine research supported adding fluoride to public drinking water. They still do....just ask your local dentist. I do thank all the anti-fluoride folks who keep sending me the same old crap from San Diego (that city still has the dirtiest city water in California...according to Supervisor and Coastal Commissioner Mark Stone). I read it all once, the tone and temper of it always sounds so much like the anti abortionists it makes one wonder. Anyways I'd like to suggest reading the California Dept of Health
Claims vs. Facts, or reading what the AMA and the American Dental Association say about fluoridating our water here.
OUR CHANGING COUNTY POLITICS. We'll probably hear less and less about Jan Beautz now that she's no longer our First District - Live Oaks County Supervisor. Here's what she recently wrote about the Rail-trail movement (lest we forget!!!)
On Monday, February 1st, surrounded by friends and supporters at County Elections Department, Rebecca Connolly became the first candidate to file for Superior Court Judge. This important election will hit the ballot on June 8th of this year. Being both a friend and supporter, of course I was there too, along with many friends from past campaigns. The turnout for Rebecca speaks well for her chances of winning – those that were there at this 8:00 A.M. event are seasoned campaigners in county elections. Google Rebecca Connolly for Judge to learn more about her.
More about that Aptos Village Plan....This plan that will affect just about everybody who lives in Mid-County is currently churning through an update process at the County. Those of us that live here have known for years that "Aptos Village" is destined for change. The question has always been how much change and what it will be. For some reason the existing Aptos Village Plan envisioned a large number of housing units for 2,500 to 3,000 people. Not realistic if you've ever driven through this area today waiting for traffic to clear at the intersection along Soquel Drive and Valencia, the heart of what's being called Aptos Village. A draft of the Aptos Village Plan Update calls for housing for approximately 200 residents, with a mix of market rate and affordable homes.
The only historic building in the existing AVP was the Bayview Hotel; the draft update includes 18 recognized historical buildings. It anticipates the Apple Barn being moved a short distance to face the Village Green that is being proposed. Current thinking is the Apple Barn becomes a grocery store to serve as an "anchor ", and yes, the building is thought to be moveable due to its sturdy redwood construction. The update to a terrible Aptos Village Plan of 1985 can be found here. It's a lot of reading, but it looks a whole lot better than the 1985 plan. Check it out! (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).
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Scroll down for Tim Eagan's depiction of corporations as presidential possibilities...
LANDAU'S PROGRES. Read Saul Landau's article in Progreso about Jews in Texas and what's happening in Haiti. While you're on Progreso read Greg Palast's reactions to our Supreme Court's allowing Wal Mart to run for president. Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.com
THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT. A Bit of silliness...but clever. Click to view, youtube won't allow embedding of this one.
The more RAM installed, the faster the system can run is generally true for all systems. Some older systems have a limitation on how much RAM they can address. Each bit (8 bits per byte) has an address; and that Central Processing Unit (CPU) knows where any of those bytes are at any particular time. It's actually pretty amazing stuff that goes on in there.
We could go into how binary numbers work here but I doubt many would be interested. The more addresses available the more memory can be accessed. In older systems they must have never thought we would want to use more than one gigabyte of RAM. (A gig is 1 x 10^9 of 1000 megabytes). The way RAM is made has changed over the years as well with the newer RAM being faster and more densely populated with integrated circuits and more connections than the older RAM. I bring all this RAM information up because you can check your RAM installed by "RIGHT CLICKING" on "My Computer" and select "Properties." The installed RAM should appear in the lower right. If you have less than 1GB of RAM you can check to see if more memory is possible on your system by going to this web site. This one (Kingston) was able to find the memory for my old system and also indicated correctly the maximum possible memory allowed for this system. It is a very simple procedure to upgrade RAM and for the money is a great performance boost if your system will allow more RAM to be added. (Please send your thoughts for next weeks Casey's Computer Comments...and any questions, comments, corrections please to pcasey1@gmail.com and remember he does house calls, affordably).
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REPLACING THE UCSC SIGN. Not too exciting but it's local
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PAT'S PUNS. Pat Matejcek sends us these "award winning" puns. She says, "Here are some first place winners in the International Pun Contest:
- A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."
- Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says "Dam!"
- Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
- Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my electron." The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies, "Yes, I'm positive."
- Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
WATERS WEIGHS IN. Christina reports on "Wozzeck", previews The White Ribbon, and some amazing salumi from El Salchichero. - all at http://christinawaters.com (it's possible she means "salami" but maybe not!!!)
S.F. MIME TROUPE'S R.G. DAVIS TO JOIN EL TEATRO CAMPESINO. SF Mime Troupe Founder—R.G. Davis—returns to El Teatro Campesino to direct the commedia del arte play ‘Los Olivos Pits' ‘Pits' is partnered with Luis Valdez' ‘Los Vendidos' to kick off ETC's 2010 season. Previews for ‘Los Olivos Pits' and ‘Los Vendidos' begin on Feb. 12, with the shows' official opening on Feb. 20. ‘Los Vendidos' (Spanish for "The Sold Ones") is a one-act play by the Chicano playwright and founding artistic director of El Teatro Campesino. Luis Valdez wrote ‘Los Vendidos' in 1967 and it was first performed at the Brown Beret junta in Elysian Park, East Los Angeles. The play examines Latino stereotypes in California and how local, state, and federal governments manipulate people. This will be the first time that ‘Los Vendidos' will be performed at the San Juan Bautista Playhouse. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Special ticket prices for Thursdays—$5, and Fridays—$10. Ticket prices for Saturday nights and Sunday matinees are $12/adults, $10/seniors and students, and $8 for children under 12. Special group rates available for groups of 20 or more. Tickets will go on sale in mid January. For tickets or more information call 831.623.2444 or visit www.elteatrocampesino.com. Box-office hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. El Teatro Campesino Playhouse is at 705 Fourth Street in Historic San Juan Bautista.
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THE BEATLES. Hello Goodbye
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WHEN IN ROME. Well this jerky mess of a movie came in 3rd last weekend at the box office after Avatar and Edge of Darkness. Its lovey-dovey, frou-frou with actors who have no faces or names. At least none that you'll remember. Don't go and, I'm sorry I did.
2009 SECRET FILMS. Someplace I read once that there are more than 1000 films released every year. We are lucky to have the Nickelodeon and Del Mar theatres showing us on the big screen as many of the good ones as they can possibly book. Many, even most, world wide new films don't even get distributed, and only a small percentage of films do get to DVD. The following brand new all 2009 films I found at Cedar Street Video and East Cliff Video, just by searching and by luck. They are absolutely excellent some have won nominations from various film groups. Maria Bello in Downloading Nancy, directing award for Amreeka, watch Jeff Daniels in The Answer Man (think Jack Canfield, Wayne Dyer, Dr. Phil), Trucker with Michelle Monaghan, a low key saga of loneliness. There's also Goodbye Solo (mentioned here last week)...the list goes on. I think this has been an excellent year for films it's just that American audiences are dumbing down so far and don't want to think or react when they go out to see movies.
COFFEE FILTER SECRETS. My sister Jerrie McKown sent these surprise uses for cheap coffee filters. She adds, "Try these uses. Some of them sound really good and cheap too. Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...she titled it "Coffee filters....Who knew!?" And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing, even the large ones.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
MORE MINNOTT'S MURMURS. Katherine Minott sent in even more shaggy dogs, to wit and to woo... A famous Viking explorer returned home from a voyage and found his name missing from the town register. His wife insisted on complaining to the local civic official who apologized profusely saying, "I must have taken Leif off my census."
A skeptical anthropologist was cataloguing South American folk remedies with the assistance of a tribal Brujo who indicated that the leaves of a particular fern were a sure cure for any case of constipation. When the anthropologist expressed his doubts, the Brujo looked him in the eye and said, "Let me tell you, with fronds like these, you don't need enemas."
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. On February 2nd Don Miller from the Santa Cruz Sentinel will talk about recent changes to the paper, and in the second half hour Richard Saldavia from Lampshade Productions will talk about Rose's Dilemma their next production opening in February. Taylor Simkins will discuss Fair trade coffee and C.A.N. on February 9th. Coastal Commissioner and County Supervisor Mark Stone will lead off on February 23. Any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in and keep listening.
QUOTES. "Studying literature at Harvard is like learning about women at the Mayo Clinic", Roy Blount. "If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate: "Ode to a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies", William Faulkner. "If you don't clean your house for two months it doesn't get any dirtier", Quentin Crisp.
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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